"Hi." Rachel ran up behind me.

"Rachel! You scared me."

"Sorry. Ummm, whanna come over my house after school?" In a low voice she added "The others already agreed."

I grinned. "I don't have much of a choice."

"Great! See you then."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Mom" I yelled as I gulped down a snack. "I 'm going over to Rachel's, all right?"

"Sure." My mom's voice floated down from upstairs. "But remember to take care of the animals when you get back."

"Sure thing, mom." I grabbed a light jacket and ran out the door.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"We should be safe here." Rachel announced when I arrived at her house. "Sarah and Jordan are out, and Mom's at work." Then she turned to face everyone. (I was the last one there.) "I called this meeting because I heard some... disturbing news."

She leaned forward, her face tensed up. "A men is renting the Gardens. And the name he's renting it under is..'The Sharing'."

Marco rolled his eyes. "So the Sharing's having a party. What's that have to do with us?"

"Marco, Marco, we're talking Visser Three here. If he wants any more morphs, this is when he'll get them."

"But the Visser won't be able to get past the guards and…oh! He'll invest them."

"Right on, oh wise one. And who do you think he'll be the first one he'll take?" That's when it dawned on me.

"NOO!! That filthy slug can't have my mother!" I exploded. Everyone stared at me. Tobias raised his arms and then, remembering he was in human form, dropped them.

"Wow! Cassie, how do you know your mom isn't already a yeerk?"

"She isn't a yeerk! She's my mom and, and…" My argument fell from my lips. How did I know Jake wasn't right?

"This is all very touching, but we've forgotten the point. What are we gonna do about this party?"

Jake grinned. "We'll be there. Rachel, go eagle. Marco, Cassie, and I will be wolves. Ax, you have a rattlesnake morph, right?"

"Yes Prince Jake. Prin. Pin."

"Don't call me prince. Rachel, when is the party?"

"Saturday. 1-9."

"Okay. We'll meet at Cassie's barn at 12:30 on Saturday. See you all then." With those words Jake punched Marco lightly on the shoulder and ran out of the house with Marco in hot pursuit. Tobias demorphed and flew upstairs and out the window. Ax became a cat and got "thrown" outside by Rachel. Rachel and I surfed the Net for half an hour or so and then I left. I was so busy worrying about my mom that I forgot to check on the animals.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Saturday came all to soon. We met up at my barn.

"Cassie, Marco follow me. Rachel, go with Tobias. Rachel and Ax, get as close to the gardens as you can safely then morph." Marco and I followed Jake. When we could see the Gardens in the distance we started to morph. I will not disgust you with exactly how we morphed.

We ran. Free. The breeze blew against our noses. It was Jake who first remembered why we had morphed.

< Marco, Cassie, we're going to check out the sharing.>

< I didn't lose it! I was just enjoyed the breeze> Marco replied.< It might be the last time I enjoy it.>

That really woke us up. We weren't just here to play. We had a party to watch.

Unfortunately, by the time we arrived at the Gardens the battle had already began.

< Cassie, Marco, Jake! Rachel's hit! She's hiding in the hollow of a tree.> Tobias told us.

< Tobias, Ax! Do the yeerks know we're here?>

< They know Rachel and I are here.>

< Okaay. Ax, bite as many Hork-Bajir as possible. But remember not to bite any people, every person here has relatives. Understood?>

< Yes Prince Jake.>

< Marco, Cassie and I will scout around. See if we can do some damage without getting hurt. Tobias, keep an eye on Rachel.>

< Sure.>

We wandered around for 15 minutes or so.

< Hey Jake, hear that?> Jake swiveled his ears.

< Yep!> He sounded scared. I shuddered and rotated my ears to the direction Jake and Marco were facing. Then I heard it! Oh, the screams.

< Um, Jake, that's the yeerk pool.>

< Let's go swimming.> Jake and I laughed weakly. It took a little while to find the entrance, but finally we did.

< Let's go.> I remarked, trying to sound like Rachel. Rachel, was she still alive? In we went. At the bottom of the stairs I heard Marco.

< Who is that on the pier? I think I know her.>

< Marco, that's Jordan, Rachel's sister. We have to rescue her.>

< Yeah. Cassie, contact her, tell her we're Andalites.> That was Jake.

< Hello. I am an Andalite. Act very calm and walk over to the voluntary host area. That's good. Now, be ready to run when I tell you to. > I was demorphing as fast as I could. And let me tell you something, I can demorph pretty darn fast. Now I was human. A minute later I was a horse. < Now! See the horse?> she nodded. < Good. Head for it.> I saw her running for me. ZAP! ZAP! I ducked my head. ZAP! I reared. The Dracon beam hit where my forelegs had been! ZAP!

< Cassie? Marco's hit. He's going to demorph and then go gorilla.>

< Sure. > I felt hand on my back. Turning my head I saw Jordan.<

OK. Get on my back.> She did. ZAP! < We are getting out of here.> I told her. < Jake, Marco, Jordan and I are escaping.> I ran for the exit. ZAP!

"Oww! I'm hit!" Jordan cried as she cradled her arm.

< I'm getting you out as fast as I can!> I yelled at her.

After what seemed like forever we reached the top. But I still had to get her far away from the pool.

< Hold on.> I told Jordan.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
We went to the shack in the woods we'd used to tie up Jake. The others met me there.

< Is it safe to demorph?> Marco asked me.

< Listen to me and let Jake decide. The Yeerks will get her if she goes home or to school.>

< We couldn't help her> Marco pointed out. < I mean, we still live at home, right?>

< She 's Rachel's sister! We can't just leave her to them.> Tobias said.

< I can teach her the plants she can eat from the forest> I suggested. < And Ax could protect her.>

< Ok> said Jake. < Ax, go demorph nearby. Everyone else can demorph>

A few minutes later we had all demorphed. Jordan had been staring at us since we started demorphing.

"Um, Jordan, we need to talk."

Finally she came to life. "Jake, Cassie, Marco?! How can you morph?"

"A dying Andalite gave us the power." Jake explained.

"Elfangor! So you were the kids that were 'shooting off fireworks'."

< Rachel's waking up.> Tobias announced.

"Okay." I said. "Everyone but Tobias and I go outside. Now." They left. "Rachel, I have to talk to you."

< Demorph.> Tobias added. < You've been in that morph for an hour and a half.>

< I'm coming out. Cassie, what was it you had to tell me?>

"Well, Rachel, we rescued your sister from the Yeerk Pool."

< What?!>Then she calmed down. < Jordan or Sarah?>

"Jordan."

< Is she okay?>

"Yeah, a little confused, but otherwise fine."

"Let me go talk to her." Rachel was now human.

"Guys, come back in here."

Jordan came in first. "Rachel!! What are you doing here?"

"I'm an Animorph. Jordan, how did you get to be a controller?"

"I joined cause of Jeremy Jason McCole. By the time he'd run away, I was already a controller. "

"Jordan, meet the last member of our little family." Marco gestured boldly and Ax stepped out from behind a bush.

< Hello.>
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
After successfully explaining everything to her and promising to bring her food every day, we had gone home. I was the one to bring her food because I was the closest to the forest where she now lived.

I went up to my room, lay down on my bed, and covered my head with a pillow.

"Cassie," my mom called, "You got an A in Math."

"Mmm…" I replied. Was she a Controller? I didn't know. And besides, it's hard to even think about grades when you're saving the world.