Underwater Call - Animal Metamorphosis (4)

Author: K.A. Applegate
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Cassie's story begins in a dream. At first, Cassie didn't pay much attention because ever since that night when Prince Andalite told them about the Yeerks invading Earth and gave them the ability to transform into animals, their lives had been turned upside down. Cassie and her friends kept having all kinds of strange dreams. Perhaps it was because the things they had experienced were too terrifying. When Cassie found out that Tobias was also having the same dreams about the ocean, she realized that it wasn't just a dream—it was more like some kind of communication. It seemed that someone was trapped underwater, sending a distress signal, asking for their help. Now, the five teenagers were going to the unknown underwater world to uncover this mystery and confirm whether these dreams were some kind of message sent to them or something else. But if this was an enemy's carefully planned trap, then it would be too late for each of them.
Chapter 10
Let's go! Come on, everyone, come play with us!
I don’t like this river. I want to go to the sea. I feel it nearby. I feel the current carrying me toward it, deep in the dolphin part of me, I can feel it. The sea, I want the sea. It’s my home, and that’s where I belong. The four of us swam toward the sea, Tobias flying above us. We raced against the current, and soon I tasted the salt of the sea water. I felt the water washing over my skin. It was like opening the door to a toy store with all the toys in the world, and having all the time in the world to play. I saw the agile figures of my friends in the water. When they surfaced to breathe, they looked like gray, sleek torpedoes. I lived in two worlds—in water and in air. I saw the turquoise ocean and the light blue sky. I jumped up and down at the bright dividing line between the water and the sky.
Jack swam past me and suddenly leaped out of the water from under me. I heard the sound of his belly slapping against the water as he entered it. He was playing a game! I dove into the sea, diving to the sandy bottom, which sloped downward toward the deep sea that I could hardly reach. Then I swam up, tail flapping and fins raised straight, straight toward the surface. I saw the silver, shimmering water above me. Faster, faster, even faster! I was a missile.
Great! Haha!
I shot out of the water and leaped into the air. Leaving the cold sea behind, a warm breeze blew over me. I lingered in the air for a moment, almost skimming the surface. Now the surface was below me. Headfirst, I fell back into the water.
Haha!
Water surrounded me, welcoming me back into its embrace.
Isn’t this awesome? Marco laughed.
Yeah, I replied.
Awesome! Rachel said.
Let’s do it together! Jack shouted.
The four of us dived into the sea. The bottom was still far away, uneven and dotted with rocks and thick seaweed. Near the bottom, we swam close to the ground, our bellies almost brushing the sand. Then we raced toward the silver surface, enjoying the energy our bodies released. We leaped into the air like a team of acrobats. We soared side by side, breathing in the warm air. Life was happy, life was like a game. I wanted to dance, to dance freely in the sea. And that’s what I did. I felt like I could do anything. Whatever my body wanted to do, it did it. Accelerate, spin, tumble, dive, surface, leap into the air—any move was possible. I wasn’t just in the sea; I was the sea itself.
You guys are going to play all day like this? Tobias said.
You know, you’ve wasted 45 minutes, he added.
How many minutes? I laughed. Who cares about time?
Hey, guys, I know you think the dolphin mind hasn’t affected you, but you’re wrong. You need to stop for a bit, he said. You came here for a mission.
Mission? What mission?
You’re supposed to find something, Tobias said. Something unusual. An Andalite ship.
That’s right, he’s right. But is the mission fun? Is it a game?
Find the ship. Cool! Rachel said.
I bet I’ll find it!
No way! I can find it! Jack immediately said.
Where is it? Let’s go see! Marco said.
Wow, Tobias said. You guys are like five-year-olds.
But I didn’t have time to worry about that.
Hey, are you guys like this?
I focused, and suddenly, a series of fast clicking sounds came from in front of my head, like loud static.
What’s that noise?
Then, to my surprise, I heard something in the noise. It was strange. I was listening, but it wasn’t really listening. The clicking sounds hit something deep on the seabed. I felt the sounds bounce back, like scattered echoes. In those echoes, there was a lot of information. Some of it made me uneasy.
Guys, I said, I know this sounds unbelievable, but I feel something. I’m not sure what it is, but I don’t like it.
The others also felt the clicking sounds with their dolphin sonar. That’s called echolocation.
Right, Marco said. I saw it. I mean, I didn’t really see it, but you know what I mean.
I searched in the dolphin mind, trying to find the dolphin instinct hidden beneath layers of wisdom. Suddenly, an image appeared in my mind.
I know! I shouted, like I’d won a race. It’s a shark!
Instantly, we stopped playing. They all had the same instinctual sense. Echolocation told us there was a big shark nearby. One thing was certain—we didn’t like sharks.
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