Animorphs Re-Read: #2 The Visitor (Chapters 5-8)

Chapter 5

Rachel can't say what she wants to to the guy since she is too far along in her African elephant morph. She still tries to, though. The guy that was chasing her is freaked out and runs like the devil is chasing him.

Once the guy is gone Rachel demorphs. She was wearing loose clothing so that wasn't destroyed. However, her shoes were and now it's raining. Good going, Xena Warrior Princess. You not only risked the Yeerks finding out about you but also have to walk home barefoot.

Luckily Melissa offers her a ride. That's the good news. The bad news is that Chapman, her father, is driving. Only now does Rachel realize how stupid she was for morphing without concern for who was watching and how the information could get out that she can morph. This puts not only her life at risk, but the lives of her friends.

Rachel tries to say no, but Chapman insists. It's a very awkward car ride for Rachel as she tries not to stare at the back of Chapman's head. Rachel keeps thinking about the fact that there is a Yeerk in Melissa's father's head. That Chapman isn't Chapman. That's he being controlled. Dominated.

Melissa asks about the guy and if he was bothering Rachel. Rachel tries to lie, but it's a really lame lie. Chapman points out that the guy ran away really scared. Then he says that he knows where she lives. Rachel, already being terrified that Chapman saw her and that Melissa might be a Controller, thinks that Chapman is threatening her.

It turns out that Chapman was not threatening her, but merely assuring her about his ability to get to her house.

Rachel exits the car and tells Melissa she does want to hang out. When Melissa points out that Rachel's shoes are unusable now, Rachel jokes about really needing to go shopping. Chapman gets an unreadable expression on his face. Rachel goes into her house being shaken, but alive.

Rachel goes down to the kitchen and sees her mother. Rachel brings up the point that her mother is a lawyer and divorced from her father. She says that her mother does her work in the kitchen so that Rachel doesn't feel abandoned by her.

Rachel's mother asks how Rachel got home. Rachel replies that Melissa and Chapman gave her a ride home. She leaves out the part about morphing part-way into an African elephant to scare off a guy.

Sara and Jordan, Rachel's sisters, are watching a scary movie. Rachel's mother brings up the point that they'll have trouble sleeping. Rachel's mother says that Rachel wasn't like that. I am laughing along with Rachel. Rachel's life now involves things creepy enough to compare to any horror movie. Though the really creepy shit doesn't come until later.

Rachel refrains from talking about her new life as an Animorph and asks what's for dinner. Rachel's mother replies that she's sorry that she can't make dinner and that Rachel should just order something. I like Rachel's jab at her mother's cooking ability.

After dinner Rachel calls her fellow Animorphs and gives a cover story over the phone. She has to be careful as the Yeerks are watching. Also when she calls Jake she points out, yet again, that Tom is a Controller.

Rachel tells them about Melissa, about her run in with the guy, and leaves out the fact that she was taken home by Chapman. She says she's glad she didn't tell the whole story as Marco is sane and yells at her for morphing in public.

Marco points out that the guy could've been a Controller and Rachel brings up the point that the Yeerks are only interested in people in power. Jake counters by pointing out that Tom isn't in a position of power. Marco then continues by saying that if the guy ran to someone that was a Controller Rachel would've stopped the Animorphs before they truly started their fight.

Rachel notices that her whole life is now one big lie. Rachel admits she's wrong to the group, but Marco still wants to yell at her stupidity. Jake tells him to stop and Cassie makes a joke about the incident. Ah, Cassie the Peacemaker.

Jake says they can't use Rachel to get close to Melissa and therefore get close to Chapman. This is due to Melissa being weird and possibly a Controller. Rachel suggests morphing into small animals and hiding out in the Chapman house.

Marco says that's stupid as when Jake morphing into a lizard he lost his tail. Oh, come on! That wasn't causing Jake any real harm, just creeped him out. Marco and Rachel both say that morphing into a cockroach would be gross. Let me just spend a few minutes trying to stop my laughter.

Rachel also says that a cockroach's senses probably won't be useful for spying. They all turn to Cassie for answers and the moralist is just in shock. She points out that she doesn't take care of cockroaches in the Rehabilitation Clinic.

Rachel, along with the rest of the Animorphs, thinks about how hopeless their situation looks. But, unlike her compatriots, she's driven to complete this goal to make sure Chapman doesn't suspect her of being anything other than a normal teenage girl.

I'll take a moment here to talk about how Tobias must feel. [Oh, yes, friends. Don't make a system so I'll know when you're having a meeting discussing how to strike back at the Yeerks. It's not like I was the most adamant to fight against the alien invasion when Elfangor crash landed. Never mind that I'm having to keep my humanity while the hawk part of me tries to take over. Yes, I'm completely fine.]

Now back to our regularly scheduled Re-Read:

Rachel looks at some pictures in her room. We find out that Rachel's Dad is a weatherman on TV. Rachel focuses on a picture of her and Melissa. Jake asks why Rachel is showing such interest in that photo. She says that Melissa has a cat.


Chapter 6

The Animorphs are scouting the Chapman house. A perfectly normal house that doesn't hint that at least one member of the household has an alien from another planet in their head.

Marco decides to joke and say that he was afraid of Chapman before they found out he was a Controller. Rachel asks if Marco is still upset over the detention Chapman gave him for listening to his CD player in class and singing. Marco says that if Chapman was human he wouldn't have given him such a long detention.

I have been conflicted about liking Marco, but I am loving him in this scene!

Cassie brings up the point that they haven't figured out how to get Melissa's cat outside. She points out that waiting in the bushes would take too much time. Tobias asks what the cat looks like and Rachel says the cat's name is Fluffer McKitty (Marco points out the name is stupid). I get that the name of the cat had to be said, but the placement doesn't make sense to me.

Rachel describes the cat to Tobias and he flies away to look for the adorably named cat. I mean badly named cat!

Rachel realizes that they should've morphed another cat to get Fluffer out of the house. Marco, of course, makes fun of this idea. Rachel brings up the fact that Tobias' first morph, the first morph ANY of them did, was of a cat. I think she brings this up because she has feelings for bird-boy. I think this because it seems out of place otherwise.

Cassie reminds Rachel that she'll need to stay in character as a cat. If a non-Controller saw a cat acting oddly they'd think nothing of it. But Chapman is a Controller and he would notice.

Tobias says he's spotter Fluffer and lands on a branch. Rachel then commences fangirling over Tobias' red-hot...er..red-hawk body.

Rachel is surprised that Tobias found the cat. He starts to list some animals he spotted while flying around and ends with rats. Marco is surprised that there are rats in 'suburbia' and Tobias then proceeds to talking about how delicious they would be to eat. Marco then goes too far by joking that he won't be friends with someone who eats rats.

Rachel tells Marco to shut up while Jake makes a joke that says the basic same thing.

The reason Marco's jab crossed the line is because none of the other Animorphs know what Tobias is going through. None of the other Animorphs have been stuck in morph and Tobias has been in red-tailed hawk morph for over a week.

I forget the series (possibly Earthsea by Ursual K LeGuin) where those who change into animals are in danger of forgetting who they are if they stay in animal form too long.

Marco apologizes to bird-boy. Or at least his version of an apology.

Tobias then leads the Animorphs to Fluffer. Cassie remarks how odd they look following Tobias. They finally see Fluffer and Marco reminds Rachel that she needs the cat carrier. Rachel says that she doesn't as she'll bring Fluffer over to the others once she gets the cat.

Rachel tries to call Fluffer to her and he doesn't want to. It turns out that Fluffer is a tomcat which means it'll be painful/hard to catch him. Cassie says that even if Fluffer has been fixed, he's out at night in hunting mode which means things could quickly get painful.

Rachel doesn't think Cassie is correct and attempts to pet the cat. This ends with Rachel getting scratched and Fluffer running up a tree. Cassie says that gloves would've been a good idea, Jake asks how things are going, and I'm just sitting here laughing.

Marco and Jake start giggling. Rachel says that acquiring Fluffer was supposed to be the easy part. She then requests Tobias' help. Bird-boy says that no way is he going to try and catch an angry tomcat. Rachel says that she doesn't want Tobias to do that, she wants him to get her a mouse.


Chapter 7

Tobias announces he has a baby mouse and asks if Rachel is ready. Rachel mentally calms herself down. She catches the mouse when Tobias tosses it to her. When Cassie says they should get rabies shots I am confused. Morphing heals your wounds, so rabies wouldn't be a problem and morphing would probably erase the shots anyways.

Cassie says that Tobias caught a full grown shrew and not a baby mouse. When it's asked if that's a bad thing, she replies that she doesn't know. Marco then makes a crack about Rachel being a shrew. Rachel then tells everyone to be quiet so she can acquire the shrew.

Rachel tells the readers what DNA is and how you acquire a morph. She says it's easy to concentrate but the shrew is gross.

Once Rachel finishes acquiring the shrew Jake questions the plan and Marco agrees. Cassie warns Rachel about how cats eat shrew. That sometimes they play with them and, at other times, they just kill them outright. Tobias privately thought-speaks to Rachel to reassure her that he'll be keeping a very close eye on her.

Rachel then morphs into the shrew. She says she doesn't know how the morphing technology works and all she knows is that it does work. She mentions that some morphs you can sort of feel pain, but not quite. The shrew is one of those morphs.

When she finishes morphing she feels the shrew's fear. Cassie asks how Rachel is holding up. Rachel is not holding up at all and the shrew mind takes over. She starts to run as Cassie yells at her to get control. Rachel knows Cassie is right, but the fear is just too great. There is also hunger, too.

Tobias tells Rachel to take control from the shrew mind. But she can't. She escapes the Animorphs and then a shadow descends on her. Oh, goody! Is it Fluffer? Cute, nice Fluffer?


Chapter 8

Nope, it's Tobias. Dammit! I mean...yeah?

Tobias swoops down and picks up Rachel in his talons. He tells her to calm down and take control. It's actually pretty sweet how she talks about focusing on Tobias' thought-speak.

Rachel says that she is okay and then Tobias asks if he hurt her. She says no. Aw, you two!

Jake then asks if Rachel is okay. Rachel talks about how the shrew is scared while neither her elephant or bald eagle morphs were. Cassie explains that they have mostly stuck to dominant animals as morphs.

Rachel says to just get this part of the mission over with as she's not enjoying herself. Marco remarks how she still looks nervous. Rachel openly admits she's nervous but that she still wants to do her plan.

Marco picks up Rachel and says she looks lovely. Oh, Marco, I can't tell if you're trying to hit on her or poke fun at her.

Marco puts Rachel at the base of the tree that Fluffer is in. Rachel says for the others to stand back. Jake says that they have to be able to get between her and Fluffer. Rachel, being Rachel, says she can kick Fluffer's butt. If there's one shrew I had to bet on, I'd bet on Rachel.

Rachel comments on how much waiting is sucking. The fact is that both her and the shrew mind are both scared.

Finally Fluffer makes his move and Rachel freezes. The others don't and they manage to get Fluffer into the cat carrier. Of course they get slightly injured in the process. Marco is the only one to make a fuss out of being scratched.

Rachel makes sure to demorph as quickly as possible.

Once Rachel fully demorphs she says she is never going to do the shrew morph again. Jake says he should've done his lizard morph, but Rachel points out that would've creeped him out. He counters by saying that now she is the one who's creeped out. Jake then continues that she'll recover and at least she didn't eat a spider.

Rachel says to just let her acquire Fluffer and Cassie wonders if it's good for Rachel to acquire two morphs in one night. Jake says, again, that he shouldn't have let her acquire the shrew. Rachel then tells Jake that he has never been able to tell her what to do.

Rachel then goes to acquire Fluffer and seems cocky about doing so. I don't blame her as she didn't have a great time in her shrew morph. After she acquires him she sees Cassie smiling at her. The moralist says that Rachel seems like her old self but she now has four animals inside her (aka four morphs). Cassie also wonders about if there's a limit to how many morphs you can have. Marco, ever the voice of optimism in the group, says that they'll find out at the worst possible time.

The point of a limit on the number of morphs makes Rachel reflect on how odd morphing is. How much of a weapon the power to morph is.

Rachel says she'll acquire Fluffer now, but that the rest of the mission will have to wait until later. Jake agrees and it appears that he worries for Rachel.

They let Fluffer out of the carrier and Marco makes a joke about the cat eating Rachel's shrew. This disturbs Rachel for obvious reasons.
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