My name is Katie and unless you�re blonde like Michelle, you�ve figured out why I can�t tell you my last name. I know I�ll probably never make it back to my home. I know because of the way Ax looked when we explained our situation. I had come to grasp that. My life has tons of examples of me having to come to grasp reality. Reality was a big dog that liked to bit my hand when I went to pet it. Personally I was almost used to it, but I could tell that Michelle and Carlin were not as fortunate. They thought that we still might get home. So I had to show the hope that I wished was there, but wasn�t. After we got settled and changed into our PJ�s that you could hardly tell were PJ�s (Rachel had loaned then to us. I wasn�t complaining or anything- they were very fashionable), Jake showed up and had to talk to me. �We have a situation.� He said, stressing the �we.� �What can we do to help?� I offered. This was going to involve some screaming, running, and possibly blood. Great and lots of laughs. JOY! Not. �Well, we have come to that Ax was spotted around these woods.� He said, gesturing with his hands. �They�ve set a trap for him and we need your help to stop them from getting him. We don�t have a plan yet, but we�re working on it.� He then smiled that smile that Cassie describes in so many of her books. I had to ask him, �Will we ever get back, Jake?� From the look in his eyes I could tell that he doubted it but he said, �I hope so. All we can do is hope�� and with that he left leaving me pondering at the meaning of his words. Walking in the door I could tell that Michelle and Carlin had been listening. Either that or Tobias had been relating our conversation. Call it a hunch, but when you leave two happy, smiling faces and come back to slightly horrified looks, you know that they were listening. �Guys, it�ll be okay!� I said, sitting down on my �bed,� which was nothing but a bunch of blankets. �Listen, Katie, we all know that ain�t true. And just because your home life sucks doesn�t mean we want to stay here,� Carlin trailed off as she looked into space. �By the way, did y�all have this weird dream that the Animorphs died, or was just me?� she added. Both Michelle and I nodded our heads, quite frightened. �Okay, does anybody think that that is a bad sign?� Michelle asked. Carlin and I nodded. �But ya know, the weird thing is that in my dream everybody except Ax died, and he got stuck in a cat morph. It looked a lot like the cat that we saw� oh.� Michelle stopped. We were all wide-eyed. �I�m guessing I�m not the only one that believes the two are related,� I said. �Like the Ellimist has been screwing with our dreams or something,� I added. �Well, leader-woman, it�s one thing to mess with me. It�s another thing to mess with my mini-dreams,� Michelle said with the voice of Dr. Evil. �Right. Anyway, I guess you heard what we�ve got to do. Plus we�ve got to get morphs.� <Oops! Forgot that part! I mean� oops, again,> all three of us noticed the hawk sitting in the tree about twenty feet outside our window. �What the heck are you doing here?� Carlin shrieked. I guess he caught her off guard. �I mean, why didn�t you let us know you were there?� she continued. <I-I just got here. Jake said you guys need to be at the barn and that you need to know your way around,> he answered . I noticed Michelle shoot an angry glance in Carlin�s direction. It was a hilarious soap opera. Here we were, Michelle and Carlin liking Marco and Tobias; plus Marco and Tobias obviously liking Michelle and Carlin. Thinking about it, I almost laughed. But then the others would want to know why I had laughed. But I also stopped myself because it wasn�t right .Didn�t Rachel like Tobias and wasn�t Tobias supposed to like Rachel? It was way too much like a soap opera.
