"Why?"
"So they won't steal my stuff." She opened her locker and began putting things in and taking things out.
"What is that?" I asked. "Thuh-at. That."
"It's just a picture," Cassie said. She quickly closed the door of her locker.
"It looked like a picture of Prin ... of Jake," I pointed out. "Why would you have a picture of him when he is right here and you can see him?"
Cassie shrugged and looked down at the ground. Humans have many facial expressions. I believe this one indicated either sickness or embarrassment.
"Come on, Ax," Prince Jake said. He was smiling at Cassie and she was continuing to look sick or embarrassed. "We'll see you later, Cassie. Time for first - "
Just then, a terrible, mind-shattering sound!
BBBBBRRRRRRRIIIIINNIMNNGGGG!
I spun around. I raised my human arms, ready to use them for defense. I wished I had my tail.
It's a terrible thing to be without a tail in a fight. But I was ready to do the best I could with my human body.
"Ax! I mean, Phillip. Relax."
BBBBBBBRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNIMNGGGG!
"That noise!" I cried. "What kind of beast is it?"
"Ax, it's just the bell for first period," Jake said. "Take it easy. People are staring."
"It's not a threat?"
"No. It's not a threat. It's depressing, but not dangerous."
I followed Prince Jake as he led the way down the hall. It was difficult to forget the horrible noise. When humans are threatened their bodies are flooded with a chemical that make them hyper-alert, fearful, and aggressive. The chemical is called adrenalin. My system was now flooded with adrenalin. It was very distracting.
28 We entered one of the large doors. In side were approximately thirty humans arranged in small, confining seats. At the front of the room was a large table. An older human stood there.
"Everyone get to your seats," the older human said.
Prince Jake said, "Mr. Pardue? This is my cousin from out of town. His name's Phillip. He's just hanging with me today, okay?"
"Just sit. Sit. Be quiet and sit."
I could tell from Prince Jake's facial expression that he was troubled. He took my arm and led me to the back of the room.
"Take that desk," Prince Jake said.
"Take it where? Wheh-err? Where?"
"I mean sit in it."
I understood sitting. I was getting pretty good at passing for human.
Once, for two days I had to morph Prince Jake and pretend to be him. I was successful in fooling his parents and brother. Although I later learned that his parents believed "he" had become mentally ill. When the real Prince Jake returned, they took him to see a doctor.
"Sitting in this desk is unpleasant," I said.
"You got that right, dude," a human I didn't know said.
"What is going on back there? Quiet down," the teacher demanded loudly. "What is ... what. .
. wha . . ." Suddenly, he clutched at his head with both hands. "Everyone be quiet! Quiet!"
Now Prince Jake looked very troubled. "Mr. Pardue, are you okay?"
All the other humans stared at the teacher, too. Everyone was very quiet.
"Okay?" Mr. Pardue demanded in a loud, angry voice. "Am I okay? Am I - aaaaahhhhh!"
Without warning, Mr. Pardue pitched forward. He fell on the floor. He clawed at his head with his hands.
And he cried. "Yeerk! Get out of me!"
He clawed at his head till blood began to flow.
"Aaaaaarrrggghhh!" the teacher cried as he clawed at his head.
One of the humans began screaming. "What's happening?! What's happening?!"
Someone else ran from the room into the hallway and began to shout, "Help! Help! Help!"
29 Prince Jake and I sat very still, side by side in the back of the room.
"Stop damaging our body!" Mr. Pardue cried. Then, as if he were answering himself, he said in a slurred voice, "Get out my head! Get out of my head! You're finished!"
Prince Jake's gaze met my own. We both knew what was happening.
"That makes two," Prince Jake whispered.
"Two that we've seen. Something is going wrong for ... for them."
Mr. Pardue began crying. He began cursing. All the while he writhed on the floor, and the other humans stood around horrified, helpless.
"Did you know this teacher was a Controller?" I asked Prince Jake, making my voice very quiet.
"No. He always seemed like a nice guy. I can't just sit here and watch this!"
"Get OUT OF ME!" Mr. Pardue screamed suddenly.
The Yeerk in the teacher's head was weakening. It was starving from lack of Kandrona rays.
The human host, the real Mr. Pardue, was fighting for control.
Suddenly, Prince Jake stood up and rushed to the teacher's side. I was right behind him. I tried to grab his arm to stop him, but he was too quick.
"Prince Jake!" I snapped, but he ignored me.
Prince Jake knelt by the teacher's bleeding head. "I know what this is," he whispered. "I know what this is, Mr. Pardue. Ride it out. The Yeerk will die. You'll be free."
Others were coming closer. Close enough to overhear. "Stay back," I said to them. "There may be danger."
I didn't know what else to say. It seemed to work. The others stayed back.
Mr. Pardue rolled his eyes up to focus blearily on Prince Jake's face.
Prince Jake grabbed the teacher's shoulder in a tight grip. "I've been there," he whispered.
"I've done it, Mr. Pardue. I was a Controller for a while. I survived. Just hang in."
I searched the faces of the other humans, try ing to see if they had overheard. Jake was my prince, but this was dangerous, foolish behavior.
Suddenly, the door of the room opened. I recognized the human who rushed into the room.
Chapman.
He is the assistant principal for the school. He is also a high-ranking Controller.
30 "All right, kids, everyone out," Chapman snapped. "Everyone out to the playground. Out of the building. Mr. Pardue is just sick."
"You!" Mr. Pardue cried. "No! Chapman is ... he's . . ."
"I said OUT!" Chapman roared.
The humans fled the room, anxious to be away from the scene of madness.
But Prince Jake did not move. He stayed by the human called Pardue. I saw his fists clenching. There was a dangerous light in his eyes.
Chapman looked at me. Then back at Prince Jake. "Jake, you and your friend get out."
For a frozen moment of time, no one moved. I held my breath. Would Prince Jake start a fight? If so, I would have to join him. But this was a foolish fight. Prince Jake could not afford to reveal himself.
I grabbed Prince Jake's arm and yanked him up to his feet. He glared furiously at me.
"We have to go," I said.
Slowly he nodded. "Yeah. Hope he gets better." He looked at Chapman. "He will get better, won't he, Mr. Chapman?"
"Who can say?" the Controller answered coldly.
I drew Prince Jake away. He stopped at the door, and we looked back to see Chapman draw a short steel cylinder from his pocket. He pressed it against the neck of the weeping teacher.
"No!" Mr. Pardue cried. "No!"
Then, very quickly, Mr. Pardue fell silent.
Prince Jake trned away and ran. He pushed his way through the others, who were still clustered just outside the classroom. He ran clear outside. He gasped at the air, as if he did not have sufficient oxygen.