The Escape- Tobias did you become a Cat?!?
Tears were spilling from my eyes. I saw in the shadow of the wall how the Andalite was dropped, right into the jaws of that beast, and I threw up once more.
I felt the hand on my back leave it’s position, and Jake stand up, grabbing something from beside me.
A metal pipe.
“Why you-.”
I grabbed his hand, a rasped “no” spilling from my lips. Marco and I yanked Jake below the wall once more, Tobias scooting over to help us hold him down.
“Jake, you cant. WE cant.” I said, pleading. Rachel put her hand over Jake’s mouth, and I saw him try to squirm. To scream. To say something.
“Jake- Shut up! you’re going to get us all killed.” Marco hissed.
“Jake- don’t.” Cassie whispered beside me. when had she moved?
“he died for us. He doesn’t want you doing the same-the same for him.” she said, tears spilling from her eyes. I understand her, my own tears doing the same.
After all, we were a group of 13 year olds that had just witnessed a brutal murder.
Jake shoved away Toby and Marco, before gently pushing me away. It was clear he wasn’t going to try something as rash again, but he wasn’t happy about it.
I understood that too. I was, surprisingly, understanding a lot.
I understood that I was in danger.
I understood these people, who I had just met today, more than anyone else I’d known.
I understood earth was in grave danger.
And we were the last line of defense.
A cry of despair and pain ran through the construction zone, making me realize we had just heard the last sound of Prince Elfangor Sirinal Shamptul. I wanted to vomit again. My stomach roiled repeatedly at the cry, the sound imbedding itself in my brain, and my soul.
The Hork-Bajir controllers started making a sort of huffing sound, akin to laughter. The ‘whuh-whuh-whuh’ sound chilling my bones.
The taxon controllers crowded around the transformed Visser, reaching up as if to grab something. With horror,
I watched a piece of the Andalite fall from the jaws of the beast, and the nearest Taxxon greedily gobble it up.
Toby covered my eyes with his hand, and I felt a body- shorter than Jake, maybe Marco? Hug me, hiding his face in my hair. I couldn’t blame him. Jake and Cassie had tears streaming down their face, and Rachel hugged Jake and Tobias close, as if trying to shield them. How that girl was so brave, I didn’t know. She too, had tears rolling down in fat globs like the rest of us, yet continued trying to shield us.
I heard a sound so mocking, so… familiar, I could have sworn I was back home, hearing the jeering laughter of some of my classmates.
It was laughter, human laughter.
The human controllers who stood there, clearly overjoyed by the victory of their boss, were laughing, guffawing even, like they were at a show. Soon, the sound was swallowed up amongst the huffing of the Hork-Bajir.
Visser three slowly, grossly, returned to his Andalite body, sighing happily. “Nothing like a good Anterean Bogg morph, for…. Taking a bite out of the enemy.”
Again, the laughter raised in volume, and I looked over at Marco. He was throwing up, thankfully having turned his head away from me (I did NOT want vomit on me, thank you), and once again, I understood him. after all, I had just done the same, and probably would have again if I had any more to throw up. somehow, however, that sound caught the attention of the nearest Hork-Bajir.
The snake-like head turned. It was perfectly still.
So were we. It was like we were in a staring contest with the gorgon medusa, yet we were ALSO the gorgon medusa. Neither moved. Still as statues.
It turned towards us; the nearsighted eyes aimed directly at our hiding place.
I’m still not sure who panicked first. Maybe it was me. maybe it was Rachel, or Cassie, or Marco. All I know, is that we started running before anyone knew it.
A cry went up from the Hork Bajir, and I gasped for air.
“Split up!” I heard Jake yell, “They cant follow all of us!”
I grabbed toby’s arm, and continued running. Despite my short stature, I was speedy, and with Toby being out of shape, I was faster than him, and made sure he kept up.
We ran one way. Marco and Cassie split up individually, and Jake and Rachel took the opposite way that we did.
I heard the distant sounds of Rachel, trying to taunt the Hork Bajir to follow her and Jake, and fear struck my heart, causing me to nearly trip. She was trying to save us. She said some words I was surprised a thirteen year old knew, and I just continued running.
Tobias was gasping for air behind me, but I didn’t let him slow down. I just kept pulling him along, and-
“where are they! Don’t let them escape!” a voice said. I gasped, and stopped, tobias nearly barreling into me.
“Why’d you stop?!” he gapsed, trying to regain breath.
“Find them! Bring them to the Visser!” the voice said again, and he too, heard it this time.
“This way.” He whispered, and this time, pulled me along.
We found a dark hole in the wall, and I unraveled my hair. “what are you doing Harry?” tobias whispered harshly.
“Saving our lives.” I whispered back, and draped my long, black hair over the both of us. It wasn’t foolproof, but in the dark hole in the wall, we weren’t easily seen anymore. In fact, it hardly looked like anyone was there.
Footsteps ran past us, with the voice now so, so close.
“who-.” I slapped my hand over Tobias’s mouth.
“Find them. All 6 of them. The Visser will kill us if we let them leave, especially now.”
“Ma’am, shouldn’t we- I don’t know, let them go? They’re human children, no one will believe them.”
“Absolutely not, 2379. The Visser will be hearing about your ignorance for that comment. Despite what YOUR human host thinks, many human parents, including my human host do, in fact, believe their children. So, no, I will not take that risk. Keep looking.”
The footsteps of the two human controllers faded, and the harsh breathing of the both of us were the only
things heard.
“Bloody hell.” I whispered, and removed my hand from toby’s mouth.
“was that anyone we knew?”
“I didn’t recognize the voice, but I just got here. What about you.”
“I don’t know many people, but that wasn’t our teachers, I don’t think. Do… do you think the others are okay?”
I breathed out, praying they were. “we only can hope, toby. Come on, let’s get home.”
With the human controllers gone, I put my hair back in it’s bun, and slid out of the hole. Tobias followed me, and we both looked towards each other, before running back home, our feet as silent as we could make them. Not a word was spoken to each other, not until we got home. I only hoped it was a dream.
We got a call from Jake that night, on the house phone. He was checking to make sure everyone was alright. Tobias had already fallen asleep, so I answered.
“Hello?” I asked, guarded
“Harry! Are you and Tobias safe?”
My breath released as I heard Jakes’ voice on the phone, and I smiled shakily; despite knowing he couldn’t see it.
“Y-yeah, toby and I are alright. He fell asleep not too long ago. I don’t possibly know how.” I said flatly, rolling my eyes at my cousin’s act. Jake chuckled, a
warm, comforting sound.
‘we’re alive.’ I thought. ‘we’re safe.’
“I’m just calling everyone, making sure we’re all alright. Um… sorry, for you having to see me… that violent.
I shrugged. “eh, I understand. After all… I almost did the same thing, if I didn’t hold you back.” I whispered.
“Who are you talking to?!” Uncle Noah asked from the couch.
“ah- classmate! At school!” I called back, after having jumped nearly a foot in the air.
“well get off the phone! It’s 1 am!” he called back, a loud snore echoing his words.
He was sleep talking.
“was that your uncle?” Jake asked.
“Um- yeah. It’s late.”
“Right- I’m gonna call up Rach and Marco, comfort them and all. I hope they’re okay…” Jake said. We both stayed on the phone In silence.
“Who are you talking to?” a voice on Jake’s end asked.
“AH- oh, Tom. It’s just my new classmate. He-uh… wanted the homework. I don’t know it, so I’m gonna call Marco and see if he did it.”
The voice on the other end snorted, “Marco? He probably will ask you next!” he laughed. Jake laughed along, as did I, but we were both pretty strained about it.
“anyways, I’m going out. Later, punk.” Said the voice, and I heard a ruffle- probably Jake’s hair- on the line.
“say hi to your friend for me.”
Jake and I were silent, before he cleared his throat.
“a-anyways, I’mma call Marco and Cassie. I’ll… see you Monday?” he asked, clearly unsure on how to end the conversation. I hummed noncommittally.
“see you Monday.”
…
In the morning, a voice woke me up. “Psst. Harry!.”
I turned over, ignoring it. I was tired from school… and the mall… and-.”
I sat up, ramrod straight, nearly smacking tobias in the face.
The Construction Site!
The Andalite!
My hoodie!
I looked over to see the hoodie, my gift from the Andalite inside it still, safe and sound. I let out a breath I hardly knew I was holding.
“Toby?”
“Harry, it worked! The powers! They’re real!” Toby whispered. My head was still muddled, so I tilted it in confusion.
“the morphing! Come on, you remember! what the-the Andalite gave us!”
My eyes widened.
“No bloody way.”
Tobias nodded.
“I tested it, just minutes ago. It’s real!
“what?” with who?
“with Dude!”
Dude was the cat that Tobias and Uncle Noah had. He had warmed up to me quickly, surprisingly, and was a cuddler.
“No.” I said flatly.
“Yes! Watch, I can do it again!”
I looked expectantly, as tobias closed his eyes, and a fist, as if he was focusing.
Suddenly, his eyes were different. slited, like a cat.
Like Dude.
His mouth started to protrude, becoming more snout-like, as he started to shrink. His Pajamas started becoming looser by the second, and his hands started becoming stubby and paw-like. At the same time, fur grew all on his body, it was graya and black striped, like Dudes. I stifled a laugh, high pitched and insane-sounding, as I watched.
He slowly became more cat-like, a tail protruding from his spine, and his ears shifting and pointing into cat ears on the top of his head. Within 2 minutes, I wasn’t looking at my cousin anymore.
I was looking at a blasted cat.
“what the hell.” I whispered, curling to hug my knees against my chest. For a moment, I thought I was asleep.
No.
I wasn’t.
I was staring at my families cat, which a few minutes earlier had been my fanatical cousin.
“we need to call the others.” I said. The cat fucking nodded.