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this!”
    â€œGet OUT OF ME!” Mr. Pardue screamed suddenly.
    The Yeerk in the teacher’s head was weakening. It was starving from lack of Kandrona rays. The human host, the real Mr. Pardue, was fighting for control.
    Suddenly Prince Jake stood up and rushed to the teacher’s side. I was right behind him. I tried to grab his arm to stop him, but he was too quick.
    â€œPrince Jake!” I snapped, but he ignored me.
    Prince Jake knelt by the teacher’s bleeding head. “I know what this is,” he whispered. “I know what this is, Mr. Pardue. Ride it out. The Yeerk will die. You’ll be free.”
    Others were coming closer. Close enough to overhear. “Stay back,” I said to them. “There may be danger.”
    I didn’t know what else to say. It seemed to work. The others stayed back.
    Mr. Pardue rolled his eyes up to focus blearily on Prince Jake’s face.
    Prince Jake grabbed the teacher’s shoulder in a tight grip. “I’ve been there,” he whispered. “I’ve done it, Mr. Pardue. I was a Controller for a while. I survived. Just hang on.”
    I searched the faces of the other humans, trying to see if they had overheard. Jake was my prince, but this was dangerous, foolish behavior.
    Suddenly the door of the room opened. I recognized the human who rushed into the room.
    Chapman.
    He is the assistant principal for the school. He is also a high-ranking Controller.
    â€œAll right, kids, everyone out,” Chapman snapped. “Everyone out to the quad. Out of the building. Mr. Pardue is just sick.”
    â€œYou!” Mr. Pardue cried. “No! Chapman is . . . he’s . . .”
    â€œI said OUT!” Chapman roared.
    The humans fled the room, anxious to be away from the scene of madness.
    But Prince Jake did not move. He stayed by the human called Pardue. I saw his fists clenching. There was a dangerous light in his eyes.
    Chapman looked at me. Then back at Prince Jake. “Jake, you and your friend get out.”
    For a frozen moment of time, no one moved. I held my breath. Would Prince Jake start a fight? If so, I would have to join him. But this was a foolish fight. Prince Jake could not afford to reveal himself.
    I grabbed Prince Jake’s arm and yanked him up to his feet. He glared furiously at me.
    â€œWe have to go,” I said.
    Slowly he nodded. “Yeah. Hope he gets better.” He looked at Chapman. “He will get better, won’t he, Mr. Chapman?”
    â€œWho can say?” the Controller answered coldly.
    I drew Prince Jake away. He stopped at the door, and we looked back to see Chapman draw a short steel cylinder from his pocket. He pressed it against the neck of the weeping teacher.
    â€œNo!” Mr. Pardue cried. “No!”
    Then, very quickly, Mr. Pardue fell silent.
    Prince Jake turned away and ran. He pushed his way through the others, who were still clustered just outside the classroom. He ran clear outside. He gasped at the air, as if he did not have sufficient oxygen.
    I caught up to him, but it was difficult. He has more practice running on two legs.
    â€œPrince . . . I mean, Jake. Are you sick?”
    He shook his head. “Pardue was a Controller. The Yeerk was starving. And why? Because we destroyed the Kandrona. Me and you and the others. We did this!”
    â€œIt was necessary,” I said. “We struck a powerful blow against the Yeerks by destroying the Kandrona.”
    â€œChapman killed him, didn’t he?” Prince Jake said. “The little steel cylinder. Did you see that? Not just the Yeerk, but the real Pardue. He killed them both.”
    There was no point in lying anymore. Prince Jake had seen the truth. And the idea of lying now, here, made me feel unwell inside.
    â€œIf the Yeerk inside the teacher had died, the teacher would have survived and been free,” I said. “He would have told other humans what happened. He would have warned them.