hey're all going off to a separate meeting," I said. "All the full members. I'd sure like to know

what goes on in that meeting." I struggled to sound normal, but my insides were churning.

"I saw people heading that way." Rachel pointed.

"Let's see if we can get close," I said.

"What's going on?" Marco asked. "I thought we just decided everything was normal here."

It was Cassie who answered him. "Nothing is normal here," she said. "Can't you feel it?" She

shivered. "All these so-called full members, they're all being so perfectly nice. So perfectly helpful.

They're so perfectly normal it's abnormal. And all the time their eyes are following you, watching

you. Watching you like... like a hungry dog watching a bone."

"Creepy," Rachel agreed. "Like if you took cheerleaders, combined them with gym teachers, and

made them all drink ten cups of coffee."

"They are all just a little too happy, aren't they?" Marco admitted. "People keep telling me how

all their problems disappeared once they became a full member of The Sharing. It's like some cult or

something."

"I'm getting into that secret meeting," I said. I had to know. I had to be dead sure. "Let's get away

from the fire. Over behind that lifeguard stand."

"How are you going to get into the meeting?" Marco asked.

"They won't worry about some stray dog that's walking along the beach," I said.

"Some stray... oh," Marco said.

"Good idea," Cassie said. "I'd do it, too, but the only morph I can do is a horse. They would

notice a horse."

I checked to see that no one could see us. I waved over my head. A few seconds later, Tobias

came swooping silently out of the starlit sky. He landed on the lifeguard stand,

<What's up?>

"The full members are off in some private get-together," I told him. "Do you know where they

are?"

<Of course. With these eyes I can see the mice scampering through the dune grass. Nice, plump,

tasty-looking things.>

"Tobias! Get a grip. Don't start eating mice just because you're in a hawk's body. What's next?

Road kill?"

He didn't say anything. Maybe he was offended at my suggestion that he would ever eat road kill.

Or, worse, maybe he wasn't offended.

"Where are the full members?" I asked.

<About a hundred yards down the beach. There's a little bowl-like area formed by the dunes.

There are people posted all around, though, like guards.>

I nodded. "Good job. Tobias, you've been in that body for more than an hour. You need to morph

back."

<No, I'll keep watch from above for a while longer,> he said.

"No, Tobias," I said sharply. "You need to morph back. You've done what we needed you to do."

<Um, there is that little problem... I don't exactly have any clothes on.>

"Marco has your clothes in a bag. Rachel and Cassie will turn away while you morph."

Cassie grinned. "I am going to have to teach you boys how to morph clothing."Still Tobias hesitated. <I hate changing back. It's like going back into a prison or something. I

hate it when I don't have wings.>

"Tobias, you can always return to your hawk morph later," Rachel reassured him. "Now, come

on, both of you. I'll look the other way so your delicate boy modesty isn't offended."

I took a deep breath. It was only my second morph. It still seemed totally ridiculous that I was

even thinking about becoming a dog. But as I concentrated, I could begin to feel the itchiness and the

squirmy feeling as Homer's DNA combined with the Andalite's technology and began to change me.

At the same time, I could see fingers growing from the ends of Tobias's wings.

"Keep a grip on your human side," Cassie warned me. "We can't have you off chasing cats or

whatever. You need to focus hard on staying in control."

I started to say, "Yes, I know," but it came out "Rowr, rowwr, ruff!" I was already too changed to

make normal human speech.

I thought my answer instead. <Yes, I know, Cassie. Don't worry.>

"But I do worry," she said softly.

I nuzzled her hand with my cold nose and she patted my head. I set off across the sand. Cassie

had been right to warn me. The dunes, the surf, the low chirping of sea birds in their hidden nests - all

of it was so perfect for distracting my dog mind.

I heard something breathing in the sea grass, and then it broke and ran! I was off after it before I

could even think. It ran and I chased. I think it may have been a chipmunk or something. I never could

be sure, because it found a hole and went diving in.

I dug frantically in the sand for a while before my human brain realized, whoa, Jake this is not

what you're supposed to be doing. Stop it!

I made myself walk toward the meeting. I could hear the murmur of voices. I started to creep

closer, then I realized that was dumb. Dogs don't creep around. They just walk or run. If I went around

acting like "spy dog," that would make people pay attention.

So I wandered along, like any dog out for an evening stroll along the beach. My tongue lolled out

of my mouth. My tail wagged occasionally. The only thing I had to be careful of was not to let Tom

see me too clearly. After all, I looked exactly like Homer.

Basically, I was Homer.

I approached the edge of the area. There were high dunes all around. About twenty or thirty

people were standing together. Unfortunately, with my weak dog eyes I couldn't see them very well in

the darkness.

But I could hear them. I could hear them amazingly well. Sounds that I would barely have

noticed with my human hearing were as loud as a boom box set on nine.

And I could smell. It's funny about smell. As a human you don't really get into it. But when I laid

back and let my dog abilities come up, smell became as good as sight. Different, but just as good for

some things.

I heard Tom's voice. And I smelled a subtle combination of things that meant he was not too far

away.

There was a man on guard, but all he did was look down at me, then look away. No one cares

about a stray dog.

I was beginning to realize why the Andalite had given us the power to morph. There are things

you can do as an animal that you could never do as a human.

The members all seemed to be waiting for someone to arrive. I heard Tom say, "He should be

here soon. Wait, here he comes."There was a stirring, muttering sound. I heard footsteps approach. I moved closer but stayed out

of the light.

"Everyone, quiet. We have problems," the voice said.

The voice! I knew that voice. It was the same voice that had been at that construction site. It was

the voice that had said, "Just save the head. Bring that to me, and we can identify it."

I crept a little closer. I had to look hard to see him with my dog sight But then, when he turned

just the right way, I saw him, I recognized him. It was someone I knew. Someone I saw every day at

school.

None other than Assistant Principal Chapman.

My assistant principal was a Controller.

"Item one. We still have not found the brats who were at the construction site," Chapman said.

His voice was hard. "I want them found. Visser Three wants them found. Does anyone have any

clues?"

For a moment no one spoke. Then I heard a second familiar voice.

"It could have been anyone," Tom said. "But it might be the one who's my brother, Jake. I know

he goes through the construction site sometimes. That's why I brought him here tonight. So we could

either make him ours... or kill him