The Bond

By- Mousie227

Chapter One

My name is Jake.

That's all I will tell you, I can't tell you anymore. You see if I did the yeerks would get me. What are yeerks? Yeerks are aliens, parasites. They are evil power-hungry aliens, with their mind on a great prize, Earth. Or more importantly, the people of earth, us humans. What would they want with us? Yeerks in their natural state are helpless, just slugs. They become dangerous when they are controlling another being. They slide in though the ear canal, sinking into all the indentations, and valleys of the brain. They interface with you. Access your mind, invade your thoughts, your dreams, your goals, your most secret thoughts, absolutely nothing is sacred to them they spare you nothing. They play your thought back to you, like a movie. Any little insignificant dream you've had any little fantasy, they access they show it to you and mock you. I know I've been a controller, almost nothing can compare to that horror.

My friends and I fight them. Five human teenagers, and one Andalite youth against an endless army of evil. We have only one weapon, the power to morph, to change our form. Manipulate our DNA to that of any animal we can touch. Sometimes it seems like such a small weapon, so meaningless, but I guess sometimes the smallest weapons can be the most powerful.

The power was given to us by a dying Andalite prince, he knew he had

no time left, knew he was going to die, so he made one last act of defiance

against the yeerks, us.

We were walking home from the mall, cutting through an abandoned construction site. When I look back on that now, on how we were then, how innocent, and unaware. So safe in what we thought was our world, we had no idea what real fear was. Then fear to us was a bad dream, watching a scary movie in the dark. We were so young then. Sometimes it seems like forever since this all began, it hasn't though what a year and a half two? We are considered young by society standards but there are days when I feel so old, so old and tired I just want to go to sleep and never wake up. This was one of those days, but I was going to learn something that was going to make my day even worse and I didn't think anything could be right again.

I was sitting at the table with my family eating breakfast, it was Saturday morning and I was eating quickly, my friends and I had a meeting planned. Then my mother said something that stopped my heart.

"You know Jake, me and your father have been going to the Sharing every once in a while, we have just recently become full members, I was thinking that maybe you should join, it would be something that we could all do together as a family."

My heart stopped, I couldn't breathe. I couldn't believe this was happening. I had to control myself; one wrong move at this moment could be my downfall. I tried my best to take on a light tone.

"Maybe sometime, I've been kinda busy with school and everything. Not that I'm against all the uh, family, stuff." I tried to make it sound like I just didn't want to spend time with my parents, teenage stuff.

"I understand honey. You don't wanna spend time with your parents, it's all right." My mom said. She sounded just like her, but I couldn't let that deceive me, yeerks are the masters of deception. It feltlike my chest was caving in, my vision was going dim, my breathing getting erratic. I had to leave before they noticed anything.

"Hey I'm going to go take a shower and head out, meeting some friends, I'll see you tonight, k?" I put my cereal bowl in the sink and ran up stairs. I went into my room, shut the door and slid down the wall next to it. My head dropped into my hands. I thought I was going to be sick. Why couldn't anything ever go right for me. My brother had already been a controller, why did they have to take my parents too? I don't think I had ever felt so alone. I had never been able to tell my parents about my secret life, but at least I had been able to know that they were themselves. I evened out my breathing, trying to hold myself together; I went into the bathroom. I turned on the shower, then I concentrated on the fly DNA inside me and felt the changes begin.

I started to shrink, then I felt six legs shoot out from my chest as my normal limbs shriveled away, I fell back as my legs disappeared, luckily I was already very small so there wasn't a large sound.

POP POP! My fly eyes burst out tiny little TV screens, compound eyes.

The wings grew out of my back, and I felt the rest of the changes finish, I

was fully fly.

I buzzed my wings and flew out of the tiny crack at the bottom

of the bathroom door. I headed down into the kitchen where my parents and

brothers were. I had to be sure beyond a doubt before telling the others. I

flew into the kitchen and landed on the refrigerator. I listened carefully not

wanting to miss a thing.

"The shower is on," Tom, my brother, announced.

"Do you think we should make him one of us?" My mother asked.

"I don't see a need to, he's young, his body would be of no use to us, no importance." My Dad replied.

"You're right." Tom said.

"This host fights hard." My dad replied suddenly.

"Is that your first human host?" Tom asked.

"Yes." "They do tend to fight harder, than any of the other species." Tom said.

"I have had other human hosts, this one is a little stronger, but she will soon give up, they always do." My mother said.

"Yes, my host has long since been broken, he's quite pathetic at this point."

I couldn't listen to this any longer. I had discovered what I needed to know. My parents were involuntary and I was not being considered for infestation. I flew up to the bathroom, entered again through the crack, demorphed, quickly showered, and walked numbly form my house, headed towards our meeting place Cassie's barn.

I stopped outside of the barn and looked at it. How was I going to tell my

friends? I didn't want their pity, I had had enough when we found out Tom was

one of them. I would wait 'til the end, I decided. Taking a deep breath I

entered the barn.

They were all there Marco, Rachel, Cassie, Ax, and Tobias.

Marco was sitting on a bale of hay. Marco is my best friend, has been since we were very young. He's the kind of person that tries to find the humor in everything, and usually succeeds. His mother is Visser One, it was thought that she had died, but the yeerks had faked her death, having more important things to do. Marco is funny, but he can also be serious, not often, but when he is it's usually something important, not only can he be serious but he can

be ruthless.

Rachel was sitting on a bale across form Marco, glaring at him. I

assumed that Marco had said something that Rachel didn't like, which was

often. Rachel's my cousin. She's tall, and blond. She looks like one of those

models from the fashion magazines, but that is completely untrue, well not

completely. Rachel loves to shop; she loves clothes and make-up, and is really

into fashion. Rachel is probably one of the bravest people I have ever met.

Sitting next to Rachel or rather, perched next to her was Tobias. Tobias is living the downside of morphing. You see you can only stay in morphs for two

hours at a time, any linger and you are trapped in that form. Tobias is now a

red-tailed hawk, though he did regain his morphing power thanks to a being

known as the Ellimist, and can return to his human body for two hours at a

time.

Ax, Ax is an Andalite, the younger brother of Prince Elfangor. The

Andalite who gave us our morphing power. His full name is Aximili-Esgarrouth-

Isthill, but that is a little hard to pronounce so we call him Ax.

Cassie was handling some bird with a broken wing. It's her barn that we use as a meeting place, actually it's not really a regular barn. It's the animal rehabilitation center. Wild animals that have been injured are brought there for treatment. Her father runs it and she helps out. Cassie is the most understanding person in the group. She basically accepts you no matter what, faults and all. If you need someone to talk to Cassie is the person to go to, she listens without judging. When you just need someone to listen and not give advice, she seems to know what to and what not to say. I like Cassie; I like her a lot. Not in just a normal friend way though. To me Cassie is beautiful, most people would probably say that Rachel is prettier, but Rachel is my cousin, and I disagree anyway. Cassie is beautiful inside and out. She has her faults just like anyone else, but who doesn't? I of course could never tell her exactly how I feel about her, I'm not that good with words and I don't think I could get it

out, and would just end up embarrassing us both beyond redemption.

I walked into the barn, and sat on a hay bale near Marco. I listened dimly as the others chattered about this and that, but I didn't really hear them. I

reached up and combed my hand through my hair, I barely noticed that it was

shaking.

"Hey buddy, are you all right?" That was Marco. "Yeah, I'm fine," I

croaked. I guess he accepted that because he went back to arguing with Rachel.

I noticed that my shoulders had started shaking, in fact I seemed to just be

shaking in general. I saw Cassie looking at me with a worried expression on

her face.

"Jake?" She asked. "Are you OK?" I nodded slightly. "You look pale,

do you feel all right?"

"I'm fine," I managed to say.

"You do-" she stared to say. Marco cut her off.

"Jeez Cass, he said he was all right."

"He doesn't look all right. Look at him. Jake you're really pale, and you're shaking, sweating too." Marco looked over at me.

"Man, you do look sick. Maybe you should go home and like sleep or something." He said.

eyes.

"Oh, Jake, don't tell me they're…" She said.

"They have them, they had my brother and now they had to take my parents too. I don't know if I can take it." I said so quietly I don't think anyone else but Cassie could hear our conversation.

"Hey what's going on?" Rachel asked.

Cassie was looking at me; there was something in her eyes. I couldn't tell what it was, pity, disappointment that I had allowed this to happen. Because it was my fault, I should have suspected. I had failed them, failed my parents, my family, and someday I would fail my friends. I couldn't take it, seeing the condemnation in their eyes.

I heard Cassie whisper to them. "His parents, are, are

controllers."

Rachel gasped. Marco blew out a big breath of air, and then he inhaled getting ready to say something. I couldn't take it, hearing their words. I got up and ran out of the barn, I had no idea where I was going, I just headed toward the forest and ran, and ran, and ran…

Chapter Two

(Cassie)

Jake looked at me, there was something in his eyes that I couldn't read, and I saw the emotions flicker across his usually unreadable face. It hurt, I could tell that he was in pain, and it felt like it was my own, I looked over and whispered to the others.

"His parents are-are controllers." Rachel gasped, and Marco blew out a deep breath and got ready to say something. Then Jake got up and ran out of the barn.

"Hey, where's he going?" Marco asked.

"I don't know, but I don't think he should be alone right now." I said. "I'll go after him."

"I'll come too," Marco and Rachel said at the same time.

I shook my head forcefully, "No, I should do this, you guys stay here." I looked to Tobias. "Will you go see if the coast is clear?"

He nodded his feathery head and lifted off, headed for the rafters in the top of my barn where he could see if it was safe for me to morph.

{Coast is clear, I can't see Jake though} he sounded worried, I was too.

I focused in the wolf inside me and felt the changes begin. Gray fur sprouted at my feet and worked its way up to my head, once it reached my neck it spread down my arms and onto my face. A tail sprouted, and my knee joints began to reverse, I fell to all fours. My face bulged out into a wolf's head. My ears lengthened, folded and moved up my head.

The changes completed and I sniffed the ground looking for Jake's trail.

I caught it and followed it out of the barn.

{I'll talk to you guys later, okay?} I said to them in though-speak as I left the building.

Once outside I kept Jake's trail, and ran to the woods. I followed the erratic trail through the forest until I found him. He was sitting on a log with his head in his hands. I walked toward him, he lifted his head when he heard my paws in the forest floor, and for a second he looked surprised. Then his face lost emotion.

"Cassie? Marco? Rachel? Who was sent to see if old Jake rocked right

off his chair or what?" He said bitterly.

I morphed to human. As soon as the changes were complete I walked over, and sat down on the log next to him. I just sat there, not saying anything, waiting for something. I didn't know what.

"Why did you come, why couldn't you just let me go?" He asked. I could

hear the raw pain in his voice, as much as he tried to hide it, I could still

tell.

"Because, I don't think you should be alone right now. This is a big

blow, you should have someone here who-, you should have a friend here." I

finished.

"A friend? How much longer are you guys going to want to be my

friends, after what I allowed to happen." He whispered.

"Allowed? Jake what are you talking about? I asked, confused. I didn't understand what he was saying.

"I let them be taken, I should have done something. It's what I do, I

mean that's my job. Fighting the yeerks, and I couldn't even save my own

family. It's my fault. You all think so, I could tell."

"Jake? How could you think that we, any of us would blame you?" I asked, completely aghast at his statement.

"I could see it in your eyes Cassie. You were disappointed,

pitying. You knew it was my fault too, the others will think the same thing,

because it's true."

He looked at me for a second, then turned his head, and made to stand up. I grabbed his hand and pulled him back down.

"Jake, whatever emotion you saw. It certainly wasn't disappointment. I don't blame you for what happened. None of us do, there was nothing you could have done." I said forcefully.

"I don't think I believe you, how can it not be my fault?" He asked. It hurt; I could feel the pain cutting deep. I could see the pain in his eyes. He truly believed that this was his fault, that we would blame him, hate him for it.

I took his head in his hands and looked him straight in the

eye. "Jake. There was absolutely nothing you could have done. You did your

job. And I don't blame you at all; I was not disappointed in you at all, I

wasn't angry or anything like that. I hurt Jake, I knew that you were in pain,

and it hurt me. I don't know what to say; I don't know how to make it better.

But it was. Not. Your. Fault." I said with as much force and passion I could

manage.

He looked back at me, I think he started to believe what I was saying.

Then he did something that I didn't expect. He hugged me. Tight so tight I

almost couldn't breathe, but I didn't tell him that I just hugged him back as

hard as I could. I could feel him shaking.

"You know, Jake. It's okay, I'm the only one here." I whispered in his ear.

"I haven't cried in a long time Cassie, I think I've forgotten how." He replied.

I think it was then that I realized how much Jake has had to grow up. I could tell a little before. I could see it in his eyes in the way he stood, held himself. How he spoke, the way he would try to mask his emotions, his fear. How he always put himself last in battles, Ignored his own fears, and pain to try to ease ours. We expect too much of him, always expect him to make the decisions, not thinking about the way he would feel afterward, if things went wrong. He pulled back and looked at me. Wiped the wetness from my face, I hadn't realized I'd been crying.

"I don't know if I can take it, being in the same house as them,

knowing, what they are." He whispered. Our toned were hushed as we talked

though I don't know why. We must have talked for hours, discussing our fears,

our joys. I think I learned more about him in that time than I had in the

entire time I'd known him before, and revealed more of myself in the process.

I learned about his self-doubt his fear of failing us all. He learned of my

fear of losing myself, becoming someone, someone without conscience, simply

stop caring. He tried to ease my fears and I tried to ease his. I don't know

how much it helped. As we left, I felt tired, emotionally drained, but something else that I couldn't quite define.

When I went into the barn I saw a note the others had written. It said to meet them at the cinnabon in the mall, at 3:30. I looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost 3:15.

"Do you want to meet the others, or just stay here?" I asked him.

"We should probably meet them." He said.

I know that he no longer feared that I blamed him, but I think he still feared what the others would think.

They were waiting at a table when we got there. We slid into the empty seats. For about ten seconds no one spoke. "Are there any left or did Ax eat them all?" Jake asked with mock seriousness. The others looked at him for a moment then started laughing. Rachel pulled two from behind the potted plant next to her.

"Here we managed to save these two." She said. We took them. I saw Ax looking at them longingly. I ripped mine in half, and handed on part to him.

"Here ya go Ax," I said, smiling.

"Hey man, you okay?" Marco asked, voicing the question the others were probably thinking but not asking.

Jake glanced at me quickly. "I think I will be." He said. I squeezed his hand underneath the table. We finished our cinnamon buns, and left the area.

"Hey, wait before we go, I need to check out this store. There's a major sale going on. Besides, I saw this dress that would be great for you Cassie." Rachel said grabbing my hand, dragging me toward the right. The others followed behind.

We entered one of Rachel's favorite clothing stores. She immediately headed for the back, where the sale signs were. She sifted through the racks for about five minutes, while the rest of us talked.

"Aha! Here I found it. This dress is made for you Cass." She held out a dress. I didn't notice much about it except for the fact that it was short and black.

"No way." I said. She shoved the dress at me and pushed me towards the dressing rooms. I knew there was no stopping her. I went into the dressing room and tried on the dress.

"How is it?" Rachel called in.

I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. "It's too short, and

too tight." I replied.

"Good, come out I wanna see it." She said back to me.

"No way, Only if they leave." I said .

"Rachel?" I said warningly. "I'm not coming out until each and every one of them leave, well I guess Ax could stay, but the rest of them. Uh uh." I said.

About ten seconds later she called back. "Okay, they're gone." I stepped out of the dressing room. She smiled.

"Perfect, that looks great!" She said.

"Don't you think it's a little low?" I asked pulling at the neckline. "No way, it's perfect, you have to get it, come on it's on sale." She pleaded.

"Rachel, where would I wear it?" I asked. I mean I didn't

go anywhere where I would need a dress like this."

"Please, you never know? Come on, for me?" She asked.

I sighed. "Fine, but I'll have to pay you back, I don't have any money with me."

"Okay fine, go change. I think the guys are getting bored."

"They're not the only ones," I mumbled under my breath. I don't think Rachel heard. I went back into the dressing room, and changed into my regular clothes. When I went back out I said to Rachel.

"I can't believe I am doing this, I mean. When am I ever going to wear this dress."

"No way Cassie. That dress was made for you." With that she grabbed the dress from me and made her way toward the cash register.

that."

I headed towards Rachel, at the cashier paying for the dress. Jake opened his mouth to say something, changed his mind, shrugged his shoulders, and followed me. After Rachel finished paying we left. She handed me the bag on the way out.

"You owe me." I told her.

"Me? Owe you? You should owe me, that is the perfect outfit for you. Next time we'll have to get matching shoes." She exclaimed, I groaned. Shoes? As we left the mall, we separated and headed our own ways. I grabbed Jake's hand and told him to wait a minute.

When the others were gone I turned to him and said. "If you ever need to talk just call, or if it's too late come over. You know if it gets overwhelming or anything. I'll leave some blankets in the hayloft in case you just need to get away for a night, okay?"

"Thanks Cass." He said. He squeezed my hand for a minute, Then turned around and headed home.

"Cassie? Is everything all right?" My mom asked. She looked worried. "Yeah mom everything's fine," I lied.

"You look a little preoccupied." She pressed.

"Really mom, I'm okay." I told her.

"Well your father and I. Lately well for the past year and a half you're grades have been steadily declining. Your teachers say you don't pay attention in class, and aren't prepared for any tests or lab work. We thought it was just a teenager phase, but this has gone on long enough. We're getting worried." She said.

"Mom, you're right it's probably just a teenager thing, and I'll try harder okay?" I said convincingly. She nodded on agreement.

"We'll see how everything works out." Her way of telling me our 'talk' wasn't over yet. I finished the rest of my meal quickly and put my dished in the sink.

"I'm going to the barn for a little but okay?" I asked.

"Yep, sure," My dad called back from the dining room.

I quickly grabbed the pillow and blankets I had stashed away and hurried

to the barn. I gave some of the animals their meds, and put the stuff in the

hidden alcove I told Jake about. Nothing happened for the next few days, I

checked the place every morning, but there was no sign Jake had ever been

there.

On Wed night however I happened to see something fly into the barn. I

probably wasn't anything I told myself, just some bat or owl, but as I tossed

and turned that night my curiosity got the better of me and I crept down to

the barn. I climbed into the loft, and made my to the back.

I saw Jake lying there, asleep. Quietly I went and sat next to him. I just watched him sleep for a while. He looked so peaceful, at ease unlike the waking hours. Just then his face tightened, and he flung his head to the side. I could hear his mumbled words.

"No, no please-, don't hurt-, I'll. No! Stop, Please!" he was

saying. I shook his shoulder in an attempt to wake him up.

"Jake, wake-up, Jake it's me Cassie, wake-up." Still nothing. He cried out, and outraged sound.

"No! Leave her alone! Stop, I'll kil-" he was practically yelling. I

shook him. Hard.

"Jake!" He slowly awakened.

"Cassie?" He asked. "You were having a nightmare, pretty unpleasant from the sound of it." I told him. "

Yeah I know." He said shortly. "How did you know I was here?" He asked. " I saw something fly into the barb." I answered.

"Oh, I don't fly though I walked." He said.

"Huh. Lucky guess then." I replied. There was enough light in the

barn so I could make out his features, but it was still pretty dim. His hair

was tousled, and he looked tired. I could see the last remnants of the

nightmarish emotions leaving his face.

"So how have things been?" I asked. I hadn't talked to him since that day, but he obviously wasn't having an okay time if he was here.

"I just couldn't sleep, with them there, you know." He told me.

"Well I said you could come here anytime you needed to, and I meant

it." I said softly. He nodded.

"Thank you." He said gently and I knew he meant it. Then he straightened up.

"Could you not tell the others about this?" He asked.

"Of course I won't. It'll be our secret." I replied. He didn't give me

his reasons for not wanting to share this, and I didn't ask.

"You're parents won't come back here will they? I don't want them to think, well to get the wrong idea." He said.

"No, they won't." I said, blushing a little. I knew what my parents would think if they caught Jake sleeping here.

"You look tired," I said. Breaking the embarrassed silence that had followed that statement.

"Yeah, I haven't slept well since, well you know." He said, and lay back down. He closed his eyes, and surprisingly fell asleep quickly.

I think that I alone knew exactly how vulnerable he was, maybe even he didn't know. I pulled up the covers over him, and smoothed back his hair, and in a gutsy move I leaned forward and kissed his forehead. I then quietly slipped back to the house.

To Part 2

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