"Jake! Jake!"

Jake snapped his head around, looking away from his desk, to see Marco inside his room.

"Hey, what's up?"

"It's outrageous!" Marco roared. Jake could tell he'd been working up to this for a while. "They stopped printing us all the way back in 2001! What on Earth were the publishers thinking? Where is my glory? I give up years of my life to fighting off the Yeerks, and they stop printing my books."

"And you only figured this out? It's 2010, get with the times. So, why'd you decide to tell me this today?"

Marco smacked some papers he had printed out. "Scholastic is reprinting us, starting 2011. I hear they're going to give us updates."

Ice ran through my veins.

"Updates?" Jake asked, shaken. "You mean... We're starting all over again? Completely? With today's technology."

Marco just showed me the pages he'd printed up. The fan sites, the publisher releases, and a few other bits of information.

There was no denying this, then. It was really happening. Jake sighed, and glanced at Marco. One step ahead of him, Marco had already pulled out his iPhone. Waiting to make the call.

Jake nodded in agreement. "We need to meet with the others."

Marco began dialing Cassie, who would get a hold of Tobias. Jake pushed his chair back from his desk, staring out the window. His mind was racing. How had this come to pass? Who was behind this? More importantly, what would happen if the story was happening again?

Marco tapped him. "Jake. Let's go."

He stood up from the chair and moved to the door.

"Jake, no. We can't go out in public to meet with the others. I don't know exactly what this means, but it's big, it's a problem, and we should probably keep this under wraps. Cassie and Tobias will be meeting us at 'the usual place' but it's definitely a good time to morph. I haven't told them everything, just that this is really important news and we need to get together."

Jake shook his head, snapping out of his melancholy reverie.

"How did you say it?"

Marco laughed. "I told her I had really big, exciting, unbelievable news and was throwing a small get together so I could tell my past comrades-in-arms, right now. She's an Animorph, she figured it out and said we'll meet where all met last time."

Jake paused, but thought it over and nodded. He hated being behind everyone, messing up as he went along. But Cassie and Marco were right. This had to be kept under wraps, since not everyone else in their realm were aware of it yet. Even he and Marco were unsure as to what this all meant.

So they morphed, unafraid of people walking in on them, or overhearing them – or even catching them mid-morph. None of the Animorphs had worried about it in years. As Marco and Jake completed their peregrine falcon and osprey morphs, Jake glanced around, ruminating on what this turn of events would mean to him, and everyone else. They weren't going to drive off and attract attention to possible reporters or other news-gatherers, but they didn't exactly have to worry about the length of the trip or being seen in mid-morph, either.

He and Marco took off from his window. It would be a moderately long journey.

Cassie was running, in wolf morph, across the forest. She loved flying, but she felt urgently the need to run from the Hork-Bajir colony, to her parents' barn. Her parents no longer lived there; they had kept the place while moving out to avoid the memories. It was now a weekend and vacation home, while her parents continued veterinary work elsewhere. It made it a more perfect place for the others to meet with her than ever before.

Tobias flew overhead, silent.

Neither of them knew what was happening, and it had been hard for her to convince Tobias that he needed to come. But she – and Toby – had eventually persuaded him that they had to at least go and listen, if Marco was worried enough about whatever was happening to try and get everyone alive – and around – together.

It didn't take long for her to get to the barn, but the others would have to travel a bit further, and everyone was avoiding attention. Tobias perched, and simply waited.

She went to the house, to make some food. It occurred to her that they could hang out in the house, away from the barn. The barn was empty, there were no animals, even though there were still a few bales of hay. The memories of the barn, however, were strongly tied to them being together as a team. It still felt right.

That didn't mean she couldn't put together a few drinks and a snack while she waited.

Tobias stayed in the barn. He hoped Cassie wouldn't take long, because he didn't want to be alone when Jake and Marco came.

He didn't want to see anyone.

Toby and Cassie – and the tone in Marco's voice over the phone – had all convinced him to at least go ahead and meet with Jake and Marco. He still didn't like it. They'd dealt with so many problems since the war and he knew that those problems would at least not bother him if he weren't influenced to spend time with anyone. It was nothing personal, just an admission of fate. What would happen would happen. So why should he let himself be on edge during his shortened lifespan?

He ruffled his feathers, and in the distance he saw an osprey and peregrine falcon out the window. Listening, he heard Cassie hurrying from the house and walking back to the barn.

Tobias waited.

"Thanks for the food," Jake said, taking a soda and some chips Cassie had brought out. She'd made some sandwiches, but he felt awkward about it and was craving junk food. Marco, on the other hand, was completely comfortable grabbing a Coke and veggie wrap and falling back into a bale of hay.

"You're welcome," Cassie said to Marco pointedly.

Marco belched in response. Cassie crossed her arms and stared.

"Kidding! Kidding!," Marco put his palms out apologetically. "I am totally thankful for this... Green... Thing. Belching is compliments to the chef, after all."

She sighed. "Then you're forgiven. I guess you're lucky I've missed everyone. But let's get to business – what's this about?"

Marco and Jake looked at each other. Cassie pulled forward, interested by the sudden concern. Even Tobias drew forward a little, intrigued by what must be going on to make them, today, as afraid as they were.

"Well... Something's happening," Marco kept his voice lowered. "Something big. And we're not really sure what all of it means yet."

"Cassie. Tobias," Jake said. It had been out of character for him to speak and it caught everyone else off-guard. But it needed to be said directly. "Marco's found a thing saying this Animorphs series is going to be reprinted."

"So? That's not a big deal. What's all the fuss about?"

"It's going to be updated."

Cassie and Tobias went stiff, their eyes losing focus as that bit of information sank in.

"Wait. So it's not just a reprint of what has happened? Things are going to change? But..."

‹But what does that mean for us?› Tobias finished. ‹ If it means anything.›

"We're not sure yet. But I'm pretty concerned about finding this out. It's not major news or anything. But who gave us this information? How did it get out?"

"Do you think it's the Ellimist? Or Crayak?" Cassie asked.

Marco shrugged.

"Do you think it at least means anything important? What happens if everything is happening all over again?"

Everyone looked around at each other.

"I think..." Cassie bit her lip. "I think we need to be prepared. This isn't normal. I'm not sure who's orchestrating this. But I don't like it. And I don't know what it means.

"In the meantime, let's all just start paying close attention to what's going on regarding this 'reprint' information. No one else knows?"

"As far as I can tell," Marco said.

"So we just... Wait?" Jake asked. "Can we really do that?"

"Think about it Jake. Wherever this information's from. Do we have the power to change it or know how it will change us?"

He thought it over. "I guess not."

"So we wait. Watch. Pay attention. And see what happens."

Everyone nodded. And after that, they ate. Spoke to each other. Had sodas.

It felt slightly like old times, between battles. A small spark to the kinship that used to bind them. It got darker outside, and Marco, Jake, and Tobias were starting to talk about leaving, going home, doing the things they did otherwise.

They began helping Cassie to clean up. There wasn't much of a mess – she'd used paper plates for the occasion – but there was no reason for her to have to clean up alone.

"Hey guys!"

They all froze. No one wanted to look around. No one wanted to breathe.

Everyone knew that voice.

Tobias, however, could see. He hadn't morphed, hadn't eaten, and was not helping in the clean up. Jake could see Tobias, see his eyes focusing on the direction of the voice. Even in his hawk body, Tobias was visibly shaken and lost.

Tobias confirmed what everyone else already knew.

‹Rachel?›

Jake's heart sank.

This could not be good.