moon.>
âYou really did read the
World Almanac
, didnât you?â Cassie said with a smile. âYouâre saying we do things quickly?â
âHow long did it take you Andalites to do those things?â
I lied.
âI see,â Cassie said. I believe her tone of voice is called âdisappointed.â
I hung my head. It sounded pathetic, even to me.
âNot even if it might help us beat the Yeerks? But isnât that what your brother did, when he gave us the power to morph?â
I could not think of an answer. It was true, of course. Elfangor
had
broken our laws.
âDid I say something wrong?â Cassie asked.
I said finally.
âI see,â Cassie said. âYou know what? Why donât you morph to human and come inside? You could meet my mom and dad. Weâre just about to have dinner.â
Cassie raised one eyebrow. âYouâve eaten, huh?â She seemed about to ask me a question, then decided against it. âOkay, but you could still come in. You donât have to eat much. Just hang out. Come on, it would do you good.â
âNo. Just lonely. You seem very lonely.â
The word pierced me. I was surprised how much it hurt.
Yes, I was lonely. But I didnât think the humans knew.
Cassie shrugged. âYou morphed Jake once, right? So be Jake.â
Humans have very odd tastes. They think their music is beautiful. They are wrong. It is awful. All of it. And they completely ignore their greatest accomplishments: the cinnamon bun, the Snickers bar, the hot pepper, and the refreshing beverage called vinegar.
â From the Earth Diary of Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
B eing in Prince Jakeâs body is no different from being in my regular human morph. Except that it is slightly larger. Since the morph was formed from his DNA, I looked exactly like him. Cassie insisted I borrow a garment called âoverallsâ and a pair of boots from her barn before entering her home. Humans are very particular about clothing. I still do not understand why.
âHi, Jake. Cassie talk you into helping her muck out the barn again?â Cassieâs father asked me as I walked into her house.
He was a male â as all human fathers are. His hair was dark brown, but it seemed to have been removed from much of his head. He wore round transparent lenses on his face, which, I am told, are for correcting faulty vision. His complexion is darker. He had the usual number of legs and arms.
âNo,â I said. âShe asked me to eat your food. Food. Ood-duh.â
âWell,
someone
has to eat it. Might as well be you who suffers. I cooked tonight. Made my world-famous chili.â
Cassieâs eyes suddenly widened. She looked frightened. âOh. Chili? Um, Jake said he wasnât really hungry. He already ate.â
âIs chili a very frightening food?â I asked Cassie.
Her father grinned. âMine is.â
âIs that Jake I hear out there?â someone called from the next room. A female appeared who I assumed was Cassieâs mother. She had dark hair, but much more of it than Cassieâs father. Her hair had not been removed.
She stuck her two arms in my direction and walked toward me. âOh, you just get more
âYou really did read the
World Almanac
, didnât you?â Cassie said with a smile. âYouâre saying we do things quickly?â
âHow long did it take you Andalites to do those things?â
I lied.
âI see,â Cassie said. I believe her tone of voice is called âdisappointed.â
I hung my head. It sounded pathetic, even to me.
âNot even if it might help us beat the Yeerks? But isnât that what your brother did, when he gave us the power to morph?â
I could not think of an answer. It was true, of course. Elfangor
had
broken our laws.
âDid I say something wrong?â Cassie asked.
âI see,â Cassie said. âYou know what? Why donât you morph to human and come inside? You could meet my mom and dad. Weâre just about to have dinner.â
Cassie raised one eyebrow. âYouâve eaten, huh?â She seemed about to ask me a question, then decided against it. âOkay, but you could still come in. You donât have to eat much. Just hang out. Come on, it would do you good.â
âNo. Just lonely. You seem very lonely.â
The word pierced me. I was surprised how much it hurt.
Yes, I was lonely. But I didnât think the humans knew.
Cassie shrugged. âYou morphed Jake once, right? So be Jake.â
Humans have very odd tastes. They think their music is beautiful. They are wrong. It is awful. All of it. And they completely ignore their greatest accomplishments: the cinnamon bun, the Snickers bar, the hot pepper, and the refreshing beverage called vinegar.
â From the Earth Diary of Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill
B eing in Prince Jakeâs body is no different from being in my regular human morph. Except that it is slightly larger. Since the morph was formed from his DNA, I looked exactly like him. Cassie insisted I borrow a garment called âoverallsâ and a pair of boots from her barn before entering her home. Humans are very particular about clothing. I still do not understand why.
âHi, Jake. Cassie talk you into helping her muck out the barn again?â Cassieâs father asked me as I walked into her house.
He was a male â as all human fathers are. His hair was dark brown, but it seemed to have been removed from much of his head. He wore round transparent lenses on his face, which, I am told, are for correcting faulty vision. His complexion is darker. He had the usual number of legs and arms.
âNo,â I said. âShe asked me to eat your food. Food. Ood-duh.â
âWell,
someone
has to eat it. Might as well be you who suffers. I cooked tonight. Made my world-famous chili.â
Cassieâs eyes suddenly widened. She looked frightened. âOh. Chili? Um, Jake said he wasnât really hungry. He already ate.â
âIs chili a very frightening food?â I asked Cassie.
Her father grinned. âMine is.â
âIs that Jake I hear out there?â someone called from the next room. A female appeared who I assumed was Cassieâs mother. She had dark hair, but much more of it than Cassieâs father. Her hair had not been removed.
She stuck her two arms in my direction and walked toward me. âOh, you just get more
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