Disclaimer:We don't own Code Lyoko.
Rating: G/PG
Authors' Note: Break out the umbrellas and ponchos ducklings, we're back with more mischief than a monkey in a magical paint store. If that has any relevance...or sense. We, the Mischievously Mad Mistresses of Magnificently Malevolent Mayhem bring you the fifth, yes fifth, installment of The April Fool. Can you believe its been five fantastic fabulously fun years? Neither can we!
This year we've got something exceptionally extra-special for you! (Be excited ducklings, we certainly are). We have decided to make this year a multi-chapter year! Ooh...aah... The first illustrious installment (that means this one) will take place before April first. This explains why it is posted before April first. Two weeks to be precise, which is when this takes place.
The super-splendid second part will be posted on April first, which is when it takes place. This will be filled with Odd's usual genius of pranks, Jeremie's extreme twitching, and Jim's usual flabbergasted-ness. Lovely, no? We hope you enjoy this as much as we do. Because we do enjoy it. Lots. Probably more than we should. But alas, I digress!
This story is dedicated to the wonderfully witty Wave Maker who won our contest last year! We hope this makes you happy. Now, we love reviews - adore them to pieces. We are not above begging (well, I am, she isn't) for them. So please, make our lives more complete (after all, we're only authoresses chained to laptops, it's a dreadfully distressing life when you look at it properly) and send us your feedback. Thank you and happy reading!
Dedication: To The Wonderful Wave Maker.
March 26, 2009 – Odd's POV
"Desperate times call for desperate measures. That's our philosophy at least when it comes to April First, so we decided to compile a list for all of you… What a joke. Desperate times? April Fool's Day is amazing." Ulrich chuckles and I glare at him darkly.
"I think you're the only one who thinks that," Emily scoffs. She's stretched out on Ulrich's bed painting her nails. I hope she spills on his pillow.
"That's not nice! You helped me you know."
"And I regret it to this day," she mutters. She flutters her fingers, staring at the purple color. I make a face and Aelita takes the newspaper from my hands, folding it back. She clears her throat and grins.
"First of all," she reads, "under no circumstance should Theo accept gifts – AT ALL. It is highly detrimental to his fashion sense if he does." She giggles and Ulrich actually snorts. Even Emily looks amused. Then again, Theo in a dress is a really amusing sight. "Secondly, no shampoo should be trusted, even if it is UNOPENED. We don't claim to know his methods but there is no doubt that Odd has ways of getting them open. You have ways, Odd?"
"Why yes Princess, I do," I reply with a grin. Emily throws Ulrich's pillow at me. Aelita ducks from her spot in the middle of the floor and I'm met with a face-full of pillow. Ew. "You know Em, I can kick you out."
"You could," she concedes. "Keep going Aelita, I'm enjoying this list."
"Very well, let's see." Her eyes are scanning ahead. "Tania, just give in on the black this year, seriously it isn't worth it. Jim and staff: You won't catch him. It's impossible to catch him. Do us a favor and have him exiled from the country for one day each year. It's worth it, really." She giggles again and I fall back against the wall smiling.
They made a list – about me.
Princess rolls her eyes good humouredly. "You'll love this Odd. We have some anti-sliming tips for you this year: First is the removal of kool-aid. Under no circumstance should cold water be used. Mix warm water with a half a cup of baby oil and leave set in for forty minutes. This will get the majority of the color out." Ulrich furrows his brow.
"Does that actually work?" he asks. Emily stops laughing and glares at me.
"Yes and it took three hours of Google searching to get rid of, oh what was it Odd? Green?" I reach for the article with an innocent look on my face.
"I don't know what you're implying, Em." I skimmed over some of the more basic ones about glue and baby powder and water concoctions, briefly stopping over the food coloring and corn syrup. "Ulrich, have I ever used corn syrup?"
"I don't think so," he says, stretching his legs out in front of him. I wonder idly if you can freeze it before my eyes stop on something interesting.
"During the course of the day, should you find yourself in a contained area, direct you attention to the ceiling. Should anything look out of place or too ordinary, please locate the nearest escape route; you're now a target."
Ulrich reached up and snatched the paper from me. I glared at him but he was laughing. "If, at any time, you hear rustling in the bushes outside, escape IMMEDIATELY. It is obviously a prank and it may involve sprinklers, goo-filled balloons, or flying mannequins."
"Hey! They remembered Melinda!" I laughed. Ulrich rolled his eyes at Em and she smiled back.
"A word of the wise to Yumi and Jeremie – plan your revenge FOR April First. Get rid of him before he attacks. We may idolize you if you do." I doubled over laughing and Aelita fell back on the floor giggling. Ulrich was chuckling and Emily was smiling still. The door opened and I looked up to see Jeremie standing there, he eyed us all warily.
"Why are you laughing?" He sounded like he expected us to attack him or something. I waved at Ulrich and the paper. Ulrich was still laughing like the girls. "Aelita?"
"Oh, no reason Jeremie." She flashed him a perfect smile. "Ulrich was just telling us a…a joke."
"I don't believe you." He sounded uncertain, looking to Emily for back-up.
"That's okay Jeremie," Aelita soothes. She stands and kisses his cheek. "Is it time for our study date?" She shoots me a glare when I snort.
"I…well…" He seems to deflate. "I don't want to know. Come on before you're corrupted even more." For a moment I think she's going to yell. Her face gets red and her eyes glitter, but then she takes a deep breath and nods at him.
"We should get started." Aelita's been working with Ulrich a lot lately, with martial arts and trying to control her anger. She's trying to keep from yelling at Jeremie every time he upsets her (I don't see the point personally) because she's afraid of it interfering with their relationship. She flashes us a smile before leading him from the room.
"That was disgustingly cheerful," I grumble. Emily looks about ready to retort. I fall back on my bed, pull Ulrich's pillow over my face, and sigh. "Anything else Ulrich?"
"Well…" And I know there is. There are two pages of more.
"They're selling t-shirts this year." He gives me a smug grin and Emily groans so I launch the pillow back at her head. She deflects it with her foot and it drops soundlessly to the ground.
"You are not buying any and I am not buying any for you. Back me up on this one, Ulrich."
"We'll need to get a separate room for his ego if this keeps up." Some best friend he is. "Also, says here, there will be 'de-sliming' stations set up in undisclosed classrooms throughout the day just in case of any incidents." I'm stupefied with pride.
"Glad to know they all think so highly of me."
"Yes well, it says nothing more about your Halloween scandal… did Yumi let you keep the sound bytes, by the way?"
I snickered at the thought. "Of course not. She said October was a onetime deal and destroyed all evidence of her involvement." I heard Emily mutter something like 'lucky her' and I considered asking her when she was going to take off her Halloween costume but restrained myself.
Ulrich rolled his eyes and I leaned over him, smirking at Emily. "You'll get me a shirt, won't you?" I mutter into his ear. Emily narrows her eyes and Ulrich gives a slight incline of his head. That's Ulrich-speak for "yes." I grin and lean back. "Trust me Em; this is going to be a year to remember."
"Oh, I don't doubt it unfortunately."
March 31, 2009, night – Yumi's POV
Tomorrow is April First. Tomorrow is April Fool's Day and for the first time in five years I'm happy about it. No, not happy, thrilled, excited, exuberant. Why? Well, it's simple really. This past year I turned eighteen. I got my license. I can escape you see, I can escape to where he can't find me.
Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful, spectacular day. I don't even care about the stupid pranks Hiroki will undoubtedly play on me. I'm sure I can escape most of them since I'll be leaving at a ridiculously early time in the morning. Mom okay-ed it already, I didn't ask Dad but I'm sure he would have given the circumstances. He never cared for Odd in the first place.
Oh, sure, I feel bad about pretty much abandoning Jeremie to Odd tomorrow, but I couldn't tell him, and I can't take him. I can't risk Odd finding out ahead of time. I haven't told anyone (except Mom but she only knows I was planning to skip a day, not which day) and I plan to keep it that way. The whole school can turn into a giant slime ball, I don't care.
I'm going to be in Paris tomorrow. I'm going to be eating a croissant across from the Eiffel Tower and thinking My, what a wonderful day. Because it will be. I'll be free, Odd will be massacred. The world will be in perfect order once again. Now do you see why I couldn't risk telling Jer and having Odd find out? I want my free day. It's my last year here; I deserve not to be slimed.
My only regret is not seeing what he does to Emily and Sissi.
Following our usual arrangements, I called and wished Ulrich a happy anniversary around seven yesterday night. I told him I loved him and he was immediately suspicious. I've known that boy much too long.
But it's not our fault our day happens to fall on such a horrid day of the year. Oh don't give me that look. Halloween is much different than this. Ulrich and I will celebrate next week or so. For now I'll just celebrate for the two of us. In Paris. I can hardly sleep in the excitement. I am free. No sliming, no heart attacks, no looking over my shoulder all day. I'll simply sight see and relax. What a wonderful thought.
The last few weeks of March produced the most entertaining school papers to date. With everything from the proper disposal of all incriminating photos, to which locks are impossible to pick from the outside.
Poor saps.
I am untouchable this year. I will be the envy of Kadic. Jeremie will probably never speak to me again.
11:28 PM – Ulrich's POV
"Shit!"
I roll over so my back is to him. I don't want to know. I really don't want to know. I pull the blankets up around my ears and pretend to be asleep. There's a crash and another curse and I wonder why Jim lets him alone the night before April Fools. Doesn't he realize that tonight is when most of Odd's brilliance is put into action? Another crash; still not looking.
"Ulrich…you awake?"
I sigh and roll over onto my back, staring at the ceiling. Odd looms over me, looking like an axe murderer. No, I'm serious; he actually has an axe in his hands. "Uh…Odd…?" I shift away from him. He gives me a puzzled look. "Why the axe?"
"Axe? Oh, right…It's for, well, if I told you then you'd be an accessory…"
"Right, right – I don't want to know, trust me. Just promise not to kill anyone, okay?" He nods and I sigh. "What is it you want anyway?"
He brightens considerably at this. I know I'm in for a long night. Vaguely I wonder where Odd's partner this year is… "Well, since you asked so nicely…could you do me one itsy bitsy favor?" I don't even get a chance to respond because he steps aside and gestures to the contraption behind him.
"Oh my God…"
"I am brilliant, aren't I?" I don't know about brilliance, but he definitely has insanity down pat. "I know, I'd be speechless too." I hit him with the pillow Emily left purple stains on.
"Just one year I'd like to get some peace and rest the night before April first."
He tosses the pillow lazily to the end of my bed. "The night's nearly over!"
11:30 PM – Jeremie's POV
I shouldn't pace my room like this. I shouldn't be awake like this at such a horrid hour of the night. Nearly midnight. Nearly dooms day. And my sanity is hardly hanging on by a thread.
And Yumi's not picking up her cell phone.
Blast that girl. I'm going to go into cardiac arrest tonight and my only salvation is sleeping soundlessly all snug in her safe bed while I stand here a sitting duck to the idiot's every whim and plot.
I'll surely die tonight.
I called my mother last night and pleaded with her to have me sent home on holiday. Family business. Anything, really. Infectious flesh eating disease I would settle for.
She said it builds character. She said I'm exaggerating. My mother will bury me and will be very confused as to how my death came about.
1:23 AM – Sissi's POV
I need at least nine hours of sleep a night. It's a must. Not tonight though, oh no. Tonight I have some jerk calling me to let me know he is outside my room and would I kindly hop out of bed and open the door? No, I'm serious, those are his exact words.
"What do you want Della Robbia?" I demand as I pull open the door. He's standing there with this big grin on his face, like it isn't almost one-thirty in the morning. I want to slam the door in his face. "Well?"
"Oh, Sissi – Sissi – Sissi," he sings. He pushes past me and into my bedroom. I glare harder and close the door behind us. "What makes you think I want anything?" He looks at my face and shrugs, glancing at the pictures on my desk. I want to snatch them away from him, hide them from him.
"Spit it out you freak, I was sleeping."
"Sleeping is overrated." He picks up one of the frames, the silver one with the filigree and the gem stones. I snatch the picture away from him, lying it face down on the desk. He shrugs again. "Sorry, I'm nosey. Anyway, I was just wondering if you would be up to doing me a favor."
"You couldn't have asked last night?" I hiss at him.
"We might have been overheard last night. Anyway, it's really a small thing, as soon as you agree you get to go back to sleep."
I sigh, tossing my braided hair over my shoulder. He's staring at me like an overeager puppy. I want to throttle him. Or lock him up. "Fine, just let me get back to sleep."
"You're a doll Sissi," he grins. I just resist slapping him. "Anyway, so all you have to do is in a few hours…"