my stomach and chest.
My human hearing returned with shocking effect.
“Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
Someone was screaming uncontrollably.
My legs were back! I stood up. I looked around and saw a woman. Sort of pretty, except for the factthat her eyes were wide with terror and she was screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!”
I glanced over and saw the plastic bag filled with ice. That’s how she had carried us from the supermarket. Now we were in her kitchen. Jake was already mostly human, standing with one foot still in the grocery bag. The eight legs sucked into his chest. His human eyes appeared.
Ax was a truly disgusting combination of Andalite and lobster. But as I watched, he eliminated the last traces of crustacean.
Unfortunately, this did not make the woman feel any better.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!”
“It’s okay, ma’am,” I said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Calm down, ma’am,” Jake said. “Please calm down.”
Her eyes darted wildly from me to Jake to Ax. She kept screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
“Look, it’s okay,” I said. “We’re going to leave. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You … you … you … you … lobsters!” she managed to say.
“Yeah, it is slightly weird, I’ll admit,” I said.
“But it’s okay. It’s just a dream.”
“A … a … a dream?”
“Yes, ma’am. Just a dream,” Jake said reassuringly.
I looked at Ax. “Can you morph to human yet? We need to get out of here.”
he assured me. And he started right away.
“We’re going to leave now,” Jake said. “You can wake up later, okay? But I wouldn’t tell anyone about this dream.”
The woman shook her head violently.
“See, it could get you in trouble with … with certain people. Besides, folks would just think you’re crazy.”
She nodded with extreme conviction.
Ax was almost human. We were all dressed in our slightly ridiculous morphing outfits, but they would have to do.
We headed for the door. Then I caught sight of three more lobsters still in the bag of ice. I guess it was supposed to be a dinner for six.
“Ma’am?” I asked. “Do us a favor, would you, please? Take those other guys down to the beach and let them go. Okay?”
CHAPTER 9
J ake and I were playing video games at the mall. I was kicking his butt. He was distracted because he was eating.
He was eating a big red bug with huge pincers.
I told him not to eat it. It would upset his stomach. But he just ignored me.
Then, suddenly, his stomach exploded. It just exploded outward, guts flying everywhere. Eight huge spider legs appeared, like something in him was trying to crawl out.
I tried to get away, but the steam was rising. I was burning up!
I tried to run, but my legs were gone, replaced by a tail that jerked and kicked. I screamed. And screamed. “Marco, Marco, wake up!” My eyes opened very suddenly. Darkness. Someone holding on to me. I was confused. “Mom?” I asked. Silence. Then, “No.”
My brain snapped back into reality. I was in my room. In my own bed. My dad was sitting on the side of the bed. He looked concerned and sad.
“It’s just me,” he said. He let go of my shoulders.
I felt sweaty all over. Cold sweat.
“I guess you had a nightmare,” my father said.
“Yeah,” I said shakily. “Sorry I woke you up.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” he said.
I glanced at my clock. The red numbers showed 3:18 A.M . I didn’t have to ask why my dad was awake. He often sat awake late into the night. Sometimes watching TV. Sometimes just staring into space.
He’d been that way since my mom died.
My dad looks very different from me. For one thing, he’s pretty tall. He’s paler than me, too, and has light brown eyes. My mom was Hispanic, very dark hair and eyes. Everyone says I look like her. I know it’s true, because sometimes when he’sthinking about her, my dad will just glaze over and
My human hearing returned with shocking effect.
“Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
Someone was screaming uncontrollably.
My legs were back! I stood up. I looked around and saw a woman. Sort of pretty, except for the factthat her eyes were wide with terror and she was screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!”
I glanced over and saw the plastic bag filled with ice. That’s how she had carried us from the supermarket. Now we were in her kitchen. Jake was already mostly human, standing with one foot still in the grocery bag. The eight legs sucked into his chest. His human eyes appeared.
Ax was a truly disgusting combination of Andalite and lobster. But as I watched, he eliminated the last traces of crustacean.
Unfortunately, this did not make the woman feel any better.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhh!”
“It’s okay, ma’am,” I said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Calm down, ma’am,” Jake said. “Please calm down.”
Her eyes darted wildly from me to Jake to Ax. She kept screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhhhh! Ahhhhhhh!”
“Look, it’s okay,” I said. “We’re going to leave. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You … you … you … you … lobsters!” she managed to say.
“Yeah, it is slightly weird, I’ll admit,” I said.
“But it’s okay. It’s just a dream.”
“A … a … a dream?”
“Yes, ma’am. Just a dream,” Jake said reassuringly.
I looked at Ax. “Can you morph to human yet? We need to get out of here.”
he assured me. And he started right away.
“We’re going to leave now,” Jake said. “You can wake up later, okay? But I wouldn’t tell anyone about this dream.”
The woman shook her head violently.
“See, it could get you in trouble with … with certain people. Besides, folks would just think you’re crazy.”
She nodded with extreme conviction.
Ax was almost human. We were all dressed in our slightly ridiculous morphing outfits, but they would have to do.
We headed for the door. Then I caught sight of three more lobsters still in the bag of ice. I guess it was supposed to be a dinner for six.
“Ma’am?” I asked. “Do us a favor, would you, please? Take those other guys down to the beach and let them go. Okay?”
CHAPTER 9
J ake and I were playing video games at the mall. I was kicking his butt. He was distracted because he was eating.
He was eating a big red bug with huge pincers.
I told him not to eat it. It would upset his stomach. But he just ignored me.
Then, suddenly, his stomach exploded. It just exploded outward, guts flying everywhere. Eight huge spider legs appeared, like something in him was trying to crawl out.
I tried to get away, but the steam was rising. I was burning up!
I tried to run, but my legs were gone, replaced by a tail that jerked and kicked. I screamed. And screamed. “Marco, Marco, wake up!” My eyes opened very suddenly. Darkness. Someone holding on to me. I was confused. “Mom?” I asked. Silence. Then, “No.”
My brain snapped back into reality. I was in my room. In my own bed. My dad was sitting on the side of the bed. He looked concerned and sad.
“It’s just me,” he said. He let go of my shoulders.
I felt sweaty all over. Cold sweat.
“I guess you had a nightmare,” my father said.
“Yeah,” I said shakily. “Sorry I woke you up.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” he said.
I glanced at my clock. The red numbers showed 3:18 A.M . I didn’t have to ask why my dad was awake. He often sat awake late into the night. Sometimes watching TV. Sometimes just staring into space.
He’d been that way since my mom died.
My dad looks very different from me. For one thing, he’s pretty tall. He’s paler than me, too, and has light brown eyes. My mom was Hispanic, very dark hair and eyes. Everyone says I look like her. I know it’s true, because sometimes when he’sthinking about her, my dad will just glaze over and
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