the departure

[instar]

Trouble did a very good job of not leaving breadcrumbs leading to the other Animorphs any more than was already inevitable. Still, the cops - who may or may not have been Controllers - talked to Bella just because Trouble has been known to hang out with her; they talked to Renée a little too. Bella thinks she did a good job of affecting ignorance and dismay. Andi didn't, but Andi defaults kind of expressionless anyway even though her braces have been off for a year and a half.

At school - now in its very last days - everyone knows that Trouble borrowed fifty dollars from Amber Jefferson and made off with it. Amber is very gossipy and can afford to lose fifty bucks; he chose well.

Bella hasn't heard from Trouble - or for that matter Aspret - yet.

Comments

[aeskhyne]

"Thanks," says Trouble, smiling at her.

[instar]

"No problem."

[aeskhyne]

Mmm, food.

[instar]

"As long as you're going to be pigeoning around until we go get Charlie anyway, do you think you can scope out the known pool entrances and see who goes in?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out."

[instar]

Bella nods, glances over the last few pages of her notebook, and says, "Do Robin and Ethan know you're back yet?"

[aeskhyne]

"Yep."

[instar]

"Okay, cool. I'm worried Renée's going to start up the stairs and you won't have time to morph and get out of here; is there anything else that should be said sooner rather than later?"

[aeskhyne]

He shrugs. "Not that I can think of."

[instar]

"Okay. See you tomorrow? We can talk stowing away on the plane when we go to Forks, if you don't want to fly there as a pigeon again."

[aeskhyne]

"Stowing away on the plane sounds like way less of a hassle."

[instar]

"Yeah. Find some small bug we can carry with us and take to the bathroom after an hour and a half, acquire it, figure out how it works so you don't become obsessed with whatever obsesses bugs and bother someone and get squished. Housefly is probably a good all-purpose choice - flea might work if you can get one, though, probably easier to hide and harder to squish."

[aeskhyne]

"Housefly's probably easier to find."

[instar]

"Unless you hang out with the right fellow pigeons."

[aeskhyne]

He grins. "Yeah, there's that."

[instar]

"Either way. See you tomorrow. I'll try to see about getting you a more regular food supply."

[aeskhyne]

"Yeah. I'll ask Ethan and Robin, too."

He morphs into a pigeon, helpfully obscured by the shadows of the closet.

[instar]

Bella keeps a nervous eye on the door till he's all done.

[aeskhyne]

He walks out of the closet on little pigeon feet, flutters up to the window, and leaves.