(Author's note: things in *asterisks* are thoughts. Not thought-speak, just plain ol' internal monologue. (c: )

I nodded, and the images flooded in.

I am the Ellimist. They hate me. Oh, how they hate me. If I were the Animorphs, I would hate me too. I don’t like what I’m doing to them. I hate the terrible things that I’ve put them through. Elfangor’s crash and death, Marco’s mom as Visser One, even Alloran hosting Visser Three--it’s all my work. My brother and I, we play a deadly game. I gave up Elfangor, and he gave up control over what would have been one of his, but is now one of mine. Tobias.

I traded Elfangor in exchange for Loren. My brother and I agreed: we could each have one. The clueless, weak, human mother, or the Andalite warrior father. We could set paths for one apiece, and I let him have first choice. He, of course, wanted the Andalite. What he didn’t know was that Loren was with child, and her child was worth more than his father. Cold-sounding. “Worth more than his father.” But if my brother had control of Loren, she would be made into a Controller, and later, Tobias would, too. It rips me apart inside to stand aside and watch the noble Elfangor ruthlessly slaughtered, but I needed Tobias. Hell, the entire world needs Tobias. And Jake, and Rachel, and all the rest of them. Trading Elfangor for Loren, for control of Tobias, looking for a way to strike again. Almost like chess. Both, looking for a check-mate. I hate this game.

One of the things I do is watch. I watch and wait. Now I’m watching Jake. Visually, but also mentally. I read his thoughts as easily as he thinks them. I see him, walking home from school.

*...Cassie would want to. I doubt it. Why would she? I wish I were cuter.* I felt Jake’s memory of sharing a kiss with Cassie on the Iskoort home-world.His thoughts turned. *God, she’s beautiful. She does’t think she is, but she is. She’s such a sweetheart.* Jake rounded a turn, and his house came into sight. *I wonder if Tom’s home yet. I wonder when his feeding cycle ends. He went to a Sharing meeting on Tuesday. Maybe the Yeerk refueled then. I hope he forgets to ask me about the Sharing camping trip. Maybe if he makes me, I can get the others to cover for me. Ax could morph me. Maybe. Last time, he got me two weeks with the school shrink. That sucked. What was wrong with that stupid doctor? He was way too friendly. Some people are scary, the way they’re so fake-friendly. Cassie’s real-friendly, though. She’s sincere about it. She’s so sweet to everyone...* Jake wasn’t thinking about anything of any immediate importance. He was just running his thoughts around in circles, passing the time on his walk home. He started humming a tune under his breath.

Jake let himself into his house. *Better see if Tom’s home. If he’s not, I’ll call Marco. We’ll call a meeting and go over to Cassie’s house. If Tom’s home, I’ll do my homework now, and call Marco later. I can’t believe I’m going to make a C in English! I wonder what Mom’s making for dinner? Dad’s out of town for that convention, so we’ll probably have pizza delivered. I’m sick of always getting sausage. I want to get pepperoni tonight.*

“Tom? TOM!” Jake yelled suddenly.

“What do you want, midget?” Tom’s deeper voice called back.

Jake cussed to himself, and yelled back, “Just seeing if you were home.”

Tom walked in. “I’m going back out later, though. The Sharing. Do you want to tag along?”

Jake’s thoughts went crazy, and I felt a pang of guilt, as I always do when he must go through this. *NO! You fucking, life-sucking alien piece of CRAP, I do NOT want you to shove a PARASITE into my brain! I don’t want to go to the stupid Sharing, I don’t want to be a Controller, and I WANT YOU TO LET MY BROTHER GO!*

What he said was, “No thanks, I’ll pass.”

I listened in on Tom’s thoughts, too. I can’t listen to the Yeerk--he belongs to my brother--but I can listen to Tom.

*Not Jake! Not my brother! Get out of me, Orran! You’re crap! Can’t you leave my family alone? Don’t you have family you care about? What about that one Yeerk? Rahna? I see your thoughts of her when you’re off guard. You wouldn’t do this to your pool-mates! Why do you have to do it to mine? This is my brother! I’ll do anything, just leave him and Mom and Dad alone. Tell him not to go to the Sharing. Do it now!*

Tom smiled sweetly at Jake. “Are you sure? We’re going to be playing some team-building games tonight; it’s going to be really fun.”

And internally:

*Leave him alone! He’s my brother! Don’t have your people take him! If you do, I’ll fight you with everything I’ve got! Don’t think I won’t!*

*Get out his head! You think I don’t know what’s going on? I swear, one day I will rip you out of Tom’s head! I will! I’ll free Tom from you and all your Yeerkish terror!*

And on the outside, two benevolent brothers, sharing a normal, everyday conversation. Both pretending so hard -- for the other’s sake -- that everything is so normal. Two brothers, being so fake, so that the other doesn’t feel the lie.

How incredibly sad.