The Solution by K.A. Applegate

Author:K.A. Applegate
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2017-11-23T05:00:00+00:00

Six thought-speak voices said the identical word at the same time.

<David!>

<Yes, David,> he said with grim satisfaction. <Five little dolphins and one big orca. Let’s see how that works out.>

<He still thinks Tobias is dead,> I said in private thought-speak. <He hasn’t counted us. Tobias, stay behind us and —>

Ax interrupted. <David doesn’t know which of us is Tobias. He’s expecting five of us. We are six. The sixth person, the one who conceals his presence, could be any of us.>

<What are you suggesting?> Jake asked him.

<I am wondering, Prince Jake, whether one of us has a morph that could defeat David.>

<I do,> Cassie said.

<Okay, then, Ax is right. Cassie, hang back. Get out of range. Good idea, Ax. But don’t call me “prince.”>

<Yes, Prince Jake.>

<Okay, we need to keep David busy,> Jake said.

<Let’s do it!> I yelled. I didn’t care if David was ten times my size. I hated the creep. But the more sensible parts of my brain could not imagine how I was going to fight him and last more than a few seconds. Not as a dolphin, at least. Even a shark would be helpless. The orca was just too big.

<Hey, I’m Free Willy,> David said with a laugh. <Free Willy’s hungry.>

<Why don’t you tell that joke to Visser Three?> I sneered. <Maybe he’ll arrange for you to die laughing.>

<Ah, Rachel. That is you, right? Psycho Rachel?>

<I’m the psycho? That’s good, coming from a certified nutcase like you, David.>

<I’m nuts? Hey, I’m not the one threatening to kill anyone’s parents, you crazy witch.>

There it was. Blurted out for all the others to hear. <I didn’t threaten your parents,> I lied.

<Yeah, you did,> he said, and even I could hear the ring of truth. <Did you know that, big Jake? Did you know that, Cassie, with all your moralizing? Did you know Rachel threatened to kill my parents? How about you, Andalite? Of course we know smart-mouth Marco would approve.>

No one said a thing. No one came to my defense.

I felt hollow all of a sudden. Like I could feel their silence as a big hole in my insides. Who were they to be judging me? Which of them hadn’t done things they were ashamed of?

Was I ashamed? Was that what I was saying?

No time for all that now. David had kicked his tail into overdrive and he was coming at us like a train.

<Okay, here’s the plan: Whoever he chases, the others come in and nail him. Aim for his eyes. They might be vulnerable,> Jake instructed.

I was still waiting for him to say something. Like maybe “It’s okay, Rachel, no big deal.” But nothing. Nothing! I wanted to scream at him: Why did you let me go after David if you didn’t think I was going to threaten him? You hypocrite!

But there wasn’t time for that. Because now I could see the black-and-white pattern racing at me out of the gloom. He was lit up by a flash of lightning. He looked like some weird cross between a cow and a bus.

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