I woke up the next morning feeling like something was going to happen. Whether it was good or bad, I didn't know.

I quickly got dressed and went down the stairs, where my mom was already at the kitchen table, nibbling at a piece of toast. She was staring at something on her phone, and I tried looking as I was getting some cereal out. She was reading an article about a planetary alignment throughout the solar system. I pointed to it, curious. She let me read it, showing me her phone.

A recent discovery has been made; our planet Earth will align with the other planets in our solar system, including Pluto. Here's the catch: Mercury and Venus will not be involved in this alignment.

Conspiracies are being made, that this will be the end of the Earth as we know it, though scientists claim otherwise.

I rolled my eyes. Stupid conspiracies.

The idea that Mercury and Venus not in the alignment was interesting, though.

The alignment should be taking place either tomorrow or Wednesday.

"Interesting, huh?" my mother asked, and I nodded in reply, going to the fridge to find milk.

I soon sat down with my cereal, pondering over the alignment. It was interesting, to say the least, and my school would no doubt be interested in it. My science teacher would no doubt be talking about it, as we were currently studying space and astronomy.

I finished up, sticking my bowl in the dishwasher before grabbing my backpack.

"I don't see June out there," my mom commented, glancing out the window. She and Nurse Darby had gotten closer as friends, which is why she referred to her by her first name.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you...she isn't coming today..." I signed, walking out the front door.

"She never said anything about that to me..." I heard my mom say to herself as I closed the front door and walked to school, eventually getting there and trying to not get run over by kids as I went to my locker, where Miko and Raf were already there.

"Hey, Cassidy!" Miko greeted cheerfully. I waved to her in reply to her greeting.

"So...Ratchet told us you left," she said quietly, so no one would hear but me and Raf. I nodded.

"Why?"

I flipped to my explanation I used the day earlier. Knowing the others would ask questions, I hadn't erased it.

I've decided that I want to leave Team Prime. I can't keep up lying from my sister much longer, and she'd stop asking questions that would reveal your guys' secret if I just never came to the base or got picked up by you or the others.

"So...you left because of your younger sister?" Miko asked. I nodded, writing.

I didn't want the 'cons to find her or the rest of my family or anything.

Miko nodded. "You do know how much you're going to miss it, right?"

I'm gonna miss 'cons?

She scoffed. "No. You're going to miss the fun parts. Like running away from the 'cons, and blowing up mines...and watching Ratchet ask Jack if he would fall in love with a toaster." She continued to talk quietly.

"Jack even left when he first met the 'bots. He was back a day later," Raf added, looking up at me.

Good for Jack.

I smiled, before looking around.

Where is he, anyway?

"Running late." Miko shrugged, before the first bell rang.

"Scrap," she hissed, leaving Raf and I and running to her own locker.

**

My classes were like they were any other day. Long.

My history teacher did briefly talk about our last planetary alignment in 500-something B.C., but then continued on with the black plague.

At lunch, Jack was the last one in our "group" to get there. He was late to gym class too; I guess it was just one of "those" days.

The three couldn't seem to get past the fact I left Team Prime, even Jack told me Arcee came back for him, which is why he came back. I smiled, knowing Ratchet wouldn't be caught dead doing something like that for a former charge.

"Speaking of Ratchet, did he say anything special to you or anything like that when you left?" Miko asked, then taking a bite of her sandwich.

"Miko, I thought you were over this!" Jack sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I didn't mean it like that, Jack." She rolled her eyes.

Ratchet called me Cassidy for practically the first and last time.

I shrugged as I showed her my reply.

"Awesome! Except it was the last time," Miko replied. I shrugged again, turning my attention to the salad on my tray, I hadn't touched it. I wasn't really hungry. Our table was silent for a minute.

"So...what are you guys thinking about the weird planetary alignment?" Jack asked, hoping to start conversation. I shrugged for the third time, not really caring much. Sure, it was interesting, with Mercury and Venus being out of the alignment, but I wasn't a big astronomy person.

"Eh," Miko replied, taking another bite of sandwich.

"You guys aren't exited?" Raf asked us, looking at us like we'd committed a criminal offense by not being interested.

Miko shook her head, and I shrugged (again...)

"Wow," Jack muttered, shaking his head,

Lunch ended, and we parted ways.

In ASL our teacher wanted us to learn "planet" and "alignment" before we started with what we had always been doing. It seemed everyone was engrossed over this, which made me sort of afraid for science class.

When science started, our teacher (who preferred to be called Mr. F), was going on about the planetary alignment the entire time, talking about what happens during one and everything.

"Does the world end?" one student had asked when he was talking about the process of the alignment.

"No, sorry, you still have to turn in your homework," Mr. F. had replied with a smile, before continuing.

Eventually class ended, and soon we were walking out to the front and down the steps of the school, where Arcee, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee were already waiting for their charges.

"See you around, Cassidy," Raf called as he got inside Bumblebee's vehicle mode. I smiled back.

"Need a ride?" Miko asked, gesturing to Bulkhead. I shook my head, flipping to a page in my notebook and pointing to a sentence.

No, thank you.

Miko nodded. "I'll tell the Doc you said 'hi', then," she called to me, probably leaving "Bot" out of the nickname as she was saying it in front of pretty much the entire school. Bulkhead and Bumblebee drove off, and Arcee turned her front wheel over towards Jack, wondering what was taking him. Jack was standing next to me.

"My mom texted. She wanted me to tell you to tell her-" he seemed to make a weird gesture with his fingers, mumbling incoherently. "Yeah, I got that right. She wanted me to tell you to tell her when you're going to make up an excuse for Ratchet so she can be ready for it."

He stared at me for a second.

"That probably made no sense," he muttered to himself. I flipped to a page in my notebook.

I got it.

"Okay. Well, then...see you, I guess," he waved slightly, walking over to Arcee. I nodded, adjusting one of the straps of my backpack before walking off, letting my thoughts wander as I walked home, and I found myself soon thinking about the 'bots and what they could be doing right now.

I glanced up at the sky, where I only saw pale blue. I wondered what a planetary alignment actually looked like.

~~~

First update in 2016! :D

The first person who figures out what episodes (all of 'em) of TFP I'm about to put in here gets a shout out (and a cookie. :3) in the next chappy.

So...some of you are interested in what's going to happen with Cassidy not with the 'bots anymore.

You'll just have to wait... XD

And the ending wasn't really a cliffhanger, but hopefully it keeps you interested to keep reading nonetheless. XP

Thanks in advance for reading! Y'all are amazing!

-BP