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Post by Jack Flynn on Sept 2, 2011 23:48:13 GMT -5
Jack sat against the meeting table as he waited for his fellow leaders to come down and meet him. He had called them down a couple minutes ago. Behind him sat a fairly delicious looking apple pie. The pie had two candles in it. On this day two years ago, their lives had changed forever. It was that fateful day that Cassie had picked them to receive the power to morph. Jack would always remember that day and he was sure his friends would as well. Although he wasn't sure what their reaction would be to celebrating it exactly.
Well that may have been not entirely accurate. It wasn't so much celebrating as acknowledging the moment. He felt it was important, especially after all they had accomplished. In two years they had made many alliances with other creatures to fight back against the Yeerks and The creature known only as The One. They had stolen a blade ship for their own use and they had expanded their numbers greatly. They had even become famous in their hometown of Seattle, although this was something Jack could do without. It made it hard to help the city out when everyone knew who they were. However, there was one more important thing to remember.
They were still alive. Two years of fighting, of pain, loss, and sometimes defeat, and they were still here. They had more numbers than they had before, an army that may have a chance against what they were fighting. They still had hope. So wasn't that worth celebrating? Jack thought so, and he hoped the others shared his sentiments.
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Post by Kyle Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 0:13:49 GMT -5
Kyle made his way down to the meeting room. Jack had called the three of them together, though he hadn't said why. He opened the door to the meeting room and stepped in, smiling at his friend. “So… I guess I need to wait for Ashley to get here before you’ll tell me why you called us together.” Unlike Jack, Kyle wouldn't have thought of the significance of this date. He had problems remembering birthdays, and would probably forget Ashley's if it weren't for the fact that she was his twin and so the date was the same as his own. To have him remember, without being reminded, that two years ago to the day their lives had changed forever… it wasn’t like the day wasn’t important, not by any means, but he just would not remember without a reminder.
As soon as he was reminded, though, he’d see the significance in the date. Two years was a long time to be fighting a war. They’d been seventeen and eighteen at the time of their recruitment. In those two years they’d seen tragedy and triumph, success and defeat. Things had changed a lot for them. They themselves had changed. It wasn’t really a date to celebrate, getting dragged into this war, but it was something worth acknowledging. They’d been fighting for two years and they were all still here, still alive, leading an army that even seemed like it might have a chance at winning this fight. Even though they had a ways to go, they’d definitely come a long way.
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Post by Ashley Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 0:24:59 GMT -5
Ashley had remembered what today was, and recognized the significance. Maybe that was why she was taking the longest to get herself to the meeting room. She was thinking back, something she did a lot these days, but this time it didn’t seem quite so sad to look back on the past two years. The person who she’d been two years ago was someone she still wasn’t proud to have been, but she could look back and know that she no longer was that person. For better or for worse, she’d changed, and she was probably more her true self now than she had been back then. On top of that she’d been able to patch things up with Kyle and Jack.
She herself had changed, but that was small in the grand scheme of things. She was a leader in a war. She’d made mistakes, but she’d learned from them. With Kyle, Jack, and their recruits, they’d made great strides in fighting the yeerks and the evil known only as The One. They hadn’t won, no, but they’d made a difference. Today she could look back and actually feel like, no matter what reason Cassie had seen for recruiting Ashley, that it was not a mistake for her to be here.
She finally realized the others would be waiting for her, and she slipped out the door of her room and along the corridors of the ship until she reached the door of the meeting room. Opening the door, she found Kyle and Jack already there. Jack probably hadn’t said anything to Kyle yet, but why shouldn’t she be the first? She grinned as she said the words, “Happy Anniversary.”
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Post by Jack Flynn on Sept 3, 2011 0:40:04 GMT -5
Jack didn't need to wait too much longer for someone to show up. Kyle was the first one to arrive and guessed correctly that Jack wouldn't say anything until Ashley arrived. "You got it, Bud," he replied with a bit of a smirk. Kyle wasn't always the best with dates, but once it was mentioned he would remember instantly. Plus, it made Jack at least a little happy that it would be a surprise to at least one of them. It wasn't too much longer until Ashley walked through the door. She grinned and already said the reason why he had called them down. He was a bit disappointed he didn't get to say it, but he was glad at least Ashley remembered.
He turned around, taking a match out of his pocket as he did so. He lit up the two candles on the pie and then blew out the match. Jack then turned back around and held the pie out in front of him, toward Kyle and Ashley. "Happy two year anniversary," he told the two. "I thought it would be good to not necessarily celebrate it, but at least acknowledge it. However, I think there are enough things we've done since then that we can think of it as a celebration," He then grinned. "Now, who wants to blow out the candles?" Jack asked it jokingly, though wondered if one of the two would actually do it. He was also waiting for one of them to jokingly ask why it wasn't a cake, though they both knew that Jack didn't like cake very much at all. All the same he hoped he had gotten a good one, after all who didn't like apple pie?
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Post by Kyle Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 1:25:03 GMT -5
It was Ashley and not Jack who first made Kyle aware of what it was he’d been missing. “Wow…” That didn’t say much, but it was all he could manage at the moment. He was both a little stunned he hadn’t been able to remember, and was realizing the significance of it being two years since they’d become Animorphs. He rolled his eyes and jokingly said, “You’d think I’d remember something like that. It’s not every day you become an Animorph.” In essence, they had become super heroes two years ago today. Or that was what the rest of Seattle seemed to see them as. He’d never really gotten used to that, and to be honest it really bugged him. Their peers wouldn’t have given him the time of day before he’d become an Animorph, and now they ‘loved’ him and treated him like a celebrity. People liked him, but not for who he was…
Jack turned away from them, and when he turned back he was holding a pie with two candles in it. Kyle grinned. “What, no cake?” He knew perfectly well that Jack was not a big fan of cake. That didn’t mean he couldn’t joke about that dessert being somewhat unconventional. “I guess I do see what you’re talking about. Sure, not everything that has happened has been happy, but we’ve come a long way in two years. We stole a blade ship, we’ve recruited an army, we’re fighting a war – and we’re still here…” He paused, thinking about it all. “Happy two year anniversary.”
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Post by Ashley Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 1:51:57 GMT -5
Ashley smiled, both at Jack having thought they should celebrate and at Kyle joking about his inability to remember dates. She even playfully hit her twin’s arm when he joked about their having a pie instead of a cake. You’d never know that two years ago she had all but not acknowledged that Kyle existed… And she didn’t know if she could ever forgive herself for being that person let alone forget it. Maybe, though, it was a good thing that she remembered, because she’d grown so much since then. She’d gone from living for popularity to wishing she could set foot in Seattle without someone recognizing her. People saw her like a celebrity. It scared her some to think that there might be little girls who looked up to her and wanted to be like her, just like she’d looked up to and wanted to be like so many female celebrities.
“I’ve always wondered what things would be like if we hadn’t run into Cassie two years ago, how life would be different.” She sighed “But we’re here, and we’ve made a difference in the two years we’ve been fighting. There are a lot of good things worth celebrating.” Who knew where they’d be when another year rolled around… but today she didn’t want to worry about the future or dwell on her past. Today she wanted to focus on the good things that had happened and the fact that they’d all survived two years of this war. “Here’s to two years,” she said, and she blew out the candles.
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Post by Jack Flynn on Sept 3, 2011 9:49:24 GMT -5
Jack listened to the two and he was pleased. It seemed they both got what he was trying to go for and that was great. It had been two years and now they were heroes. At least Seattle considered them to be so. Honestly though, Jack didn't like the attention in brought them. He never like the spotlight in the first place and it really just hindered their progress in the city more than helped it. They couldn't do much about it though. Jack grinned at Kyle asked him why it wasn't a cake. "We all know that if I brought a cake the world would end the next day," he joked. "So we have pie,"
Ashley was the one to blow out the two candles. He would have clapped or something but his hands were full at the moment. He set the pie down on the table behind him and grabbed the knife that was setting there. He cut out a piece and put it on a plate, grabbed a fork and then handed it over to Ashley. "Ladies first," he teased, then cut another piece and handed it over to Kyle. Finally, he cut one out for himself. "Hope you guys like apple pie," he told them, before taking a bite out of his piece.
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Post by Kyle Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 14:17:28 GMT -5
“Yes, and we’re trying to save the world, not bring about the apocalypse,” Kyle joked back. This little ‘celebration’ was happy, though anyone else watching it might think it was somewhat subdued in comparison to a birthday party or some major event like that. To be honest it probably was, because when all was said and done there still were some parts of being Animorphs, of the past two years, that weren’t necessarily happy things. The fact that they were able to look back and see that they’d made a difference, that was what they were celebrating. That was something worth celebrating.
He clapped a little when Ashley blew out the candles. If she hadn’t, Kyle probably would have after she’d gotten her chance to speak. Jack cut up the pie, giving Ashley and then Kyle a piece before taking on himself. Once they all had some was when Kyle took a bite out of his, though probably a larger than necessary one. What could he say? He was nineteen and a leader in a war against alien invaders, but that didn’t mean he had the maturity of a military general. When they were on a mission it was a different story, but here in their safe haven – their Sanctuary, pun intended – he was still just a teenager.
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Post by Ashley Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 15:01:45 GMT -5
She smirked a little when Jack gave her the first piece of pie. “Well, apparently chivalry is not dead.” To be entirely honest, the jokes between them all weren’t some attempt at making the mood lighter, they were real. These days Kyle and Jack were like her best friends, forget that Kyle was also her twin brother and only three minutes older than her… though you wouldn’t know he was the older one with how he acted. When he took a bite out his pie it was clear he was still a kid, a very big kid, yes, but a kid all the same. “Kyle, don’t be a pig. I don’t want to have to give you the Heimlich. ”
At times like this, life almost seemed normal for them. She knew, though, that things would never truly be normal again. They’d always be able to morph, into whatever morphs they’d acquired by the end of the war. They would probably always be unable to show their faces in at least Seattle without being recognized. Their lives had changed, irreversibly, on this day two years ago. She couldn’t ever say she regretted it, though. Kyle and Jack wouldn’t have been able to stand by and watch it happen… and she had to think some part of her wouldn’t have allowed her to do that either.
She took a bite out of the pie, commenting on Jack’s statement about hoping they liked apple. “Apple was a good, safe choice. Most people like it. The only one I remember someone here not liking is that Kyle doesn’t like pumpkin, and that’s only really appropriate for Thanksgiving anyways. Or that’s my opinion.”
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Post by Jack Flynn on Sept 3, 2011 21:58:19 GMT -5
Jack smirked at Kyle's response. "Exactly, so be grateful its pie and not cake," he responded back. He also grinned at Ashley's comment that chivalry wasn't dead. "Chivalry's my middle name," he joked as he took another bite out of his piece of pie. Kyle had taken a giant first bite out of his and Jack couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "You really like apple pie huh?" he teased. "Glad I chose it then," Ashley also commented that it was a safe choice and mentioned that Kyle didn't like pumpkin. "Very lucky I chose it, pumpkin would have been my second choice," he told them with a smirk. "Or maybe key-lime. One of the two,"
It was nice to have a relaxing moment with what was probably his two best friends at this point. After all there were some days where these were few and far between. It was nice not to have a mission and have to be focused on stopping the Yeerks or making sure everyone survived the mission. It was nice to feel like an everyday teen. Well, maybe not so much for Jack, after all next year he would be 21 and a full-fledged adult. It was nice though to goof around with friends. It helped make coping with current events much easier. After all they all had a lot on their plate, it wasn't often teenagers tried to save the world.
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Post by Kyle Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 22:37:14 GMT -5
Kyle made a face at the mention of pumpkin pie. He couldn't really say what about the dessert he didn't like, just something about it put him off. Apple was ok, though. "Love you too, sis," he said when he'd finally swallowed his bite of pie, the joke being in reference to her comment about not doing the Heimlich maneuver if he happened to start choking on his pie.
There was a moment of silence, and Kyle just let it be. He just let some of the moment go by in silence, enjoying just being with them. For someone who had never fit in, it was nice to enjoy the moments he had with Jack and Ashley these days, the times when he felt like he fit in and he felt like a part of something. Talking wasn’t necessary, not now. Later today or even tomorrow they would probably be back to the usual daily grind of fighting the yeerks and planning missions. Right now, though, they could just enjoy being together. Even heroes needed a day – or at least a little time - off from trying to save the world, a day to feel like they were normal. No one could work, or fight, 24 hours a day 7 days a week and stay sane. True, what they were doing might not have seemed sane to some… well, that was their problem.
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Post by Ashley Bennett on Sept 3, 2011 22:58:53 GMT -5
There was silence for a while, and Ashley’s thoughts started to wander. This wasn’t so bad, until she ended up verbalizing a random thought that came to her. “You know, it’s a good thing no one but us actually knows the date we became Animorphs. The city of Seattle would make it into a media circus if they knew and if they could.” They hadn’t celebrated the one year anniversary. Ashley knew she’d remembered it, kind of a brief thought of Oh, hey, it’s been a year. Followed by, So what are we hitting today? There hadn’t been time to celebrate, and they’d been trying to keep things a secret. Unknowingly they had kept this date a secret, and she was kind of glad. Some day they probably wouldn’t be able to celebrate, not without it becoming a televised event… that was a worry for another day, though.
“And on that note, random question of the day: Why is it that people don’t understand the concept that announcing our presence does not help us complete our missions?” She was sure she’d asked this before; it had in some ways become a running joke. A game of how long could they be on Earth without someone recognizing them? Disguises helped, for a while. They were more helpfully lately than they had been starting out. Most of the past year they still hadn’t been able to morph disguises, and spandex just kind of screamed ’Hey, I’m an Animorph.’ Ashley wasn’t sure about the boys, but she’d begun to notice she could morph somewhat more normal clothing. Sure, she wasn’t a big fan of skinny jeans, but if she could blend in a little bit better she would live with it.
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Post by Jack Flynn on Sept 4, 2011 11:30:50 GMT -5
Jack enjoyed the little bit of silence they had while they ate their pie. It wasn't often they had a quiet moment like this, so when one came around it was hard not to appreciate it. However, Ashley soon spoke up. She pointed out that it was probably good no one else knew the date they became Animorphs. "You're right they probably would," he replied. The thought bothered him of course, not liking the spotlight much to begin with. So now when he walked down the street in Seattle, he couldn't go even ten feet without being recognized by somebody. It was real annoying, especially when they were trying to lay low.
Ashley also asked why people didn't seem to get that announcing their presence did not help in any way. Jack shrugged. "People can be stupid. I don't think I really have a better explanation," he told her, taking another bite out of his pie. "It is really annoying though. There have been so many times where my cover was blown because some idiot recognized me and announced it out loud," He sighed. "There has to be a way to get it through their thick skulls that doing that makes our lives harder," Unfortunately, Jack had no ideas of how to do that at the moment.
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Post by Kyle Bennett on Sept 4, 2011 16:28:41 GMT -5
Kyle's expression changed to looking like he'd bitten into a lemon when Ashley mentioned how it was a good thing no one but them knew the significance of today. “Let’s not think about that, please.” The whole concept of being famous, being in the spotlight, made him uncomfortable. When he was on Earth – at least when he was in Seattle – he couldn’t escape it. Here… he tried not to think about it. Maybe avoiding the topic wasn’t the best way of dealing with his feelings regarding it, but it was what worked best for him right now.
Of course, the topic was out there now, and it wasn’t like Ashley had brought it up intentionally to make him uncomfortable. She might have at one time, but she wasn’t like that anymore. She knew how he felt about it, and probably just had spoken before she’d really thought about what she was saying. Besides, she did have a point. This date wasn’t meant to have significance to anyone else.
“I know this will make me sound like a geek, but we’re like super heroes to them. We even have special powers and hide in a spaceship, which is very Justice League.” He paused, taking a bit of his pie. “The problem with that is, people don’t think about the fact that super heroes don’t tend to frequently die in the comics only because the writers didn’t want to let them die. Real life is more dangerous, but we’re so much like the fictional characters that people don’t consider the very real danger we’re in.” He paused again. “Please, tell me I’m not the only one I scared with how philosophical I just sounded.”
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Post by Ashley Bennett on Sept 4, 2011 16:50:42 GMT -5
Ashley’s emotions kind of took a dive when she realized how uncomfortable the change of topic had made Kyle. “Crud. Kyle, I’m so sorry…” The things she said when she wasn’t thinking… But Kyle and Jack had never expected her to be perfect. They’d forgive her. Although she might not forgive herself for bringing up a topic that ended up bothering them so much, at least not for a while. It wasn’t like she expected herself to be perfect either, but she’d made so many mistakes in her life. It felt like somehow made an inhuman number of errors and she had to somehow make up for those.
For a while she didn’t know what to say. She listened to Jack’s opinion on people announcing their presence. At the moment her mood was such that she wasn’t even hungry, though she played with the pie a little to make it look like she was eating it. Then Kyle spoke, and she had to laugh. Not at how he sounded like a geek, though that was kind of funny, but at how he commented that his words had been so philosophical they’d scared him. “To be honest Kyle,” she said, trying not to laugh for a moment, “you really need to listen to yourself more often if you think that it’s scary when you sound philosophical. It happens more often than you might think.” She’d more than once pointed out to Kyle that his greatest strength as a leader was not physical ability, but his mind. Yes, the fact that he was more willing to speak his mind this day did end up with him sounding philosophical sometimes, but it also had helped them on more than one occasion. If sounding philosophical was the downside of that... well she figured they could all deal with that price.
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