Chapter 1:
"I can't believe you're finally here!" squealed Sakura as she pulled Estella into a bone crushing hug.
Smiling, arms hanging limp, and trusting Sakura not to crush her, Estella smiled timidly.
"I can't believe it either. I thought my parents would never let me come." Estella said as she subconsciously checked to make sure her hat was still in place.
"Our parents," corrected Sakura firmly, her brown eyes now serious.
Sakura looked at the boxes scattered around Estella's feet in the Kaddic Academy's courtyard. She whistled, "You brought a lot of stuff."
Sakura picked up a box and stacked it onto an empty cart especially used for luggage. "And you're late. Most boarding students moved in last week. You're drawing unnecessary attention to yourself. Besides whom are you going to finagle into helping you move all this?"
Stella's brown eyes danced with the prospect of mischief. "You and Riley."
Sakura nearly dropped her box, "Riley?! How did you get Riley to—?"
"Pizza." Stella replied simply, shrugging her shoulders in an 'isn't it obvious' motion.
Sakura groaned. "I should have known. The way to our brother's heart is through his stomach."
"Isn't that the truth," a deep male voice spoke.
"RILEY!" Estella cried in jubilation.
She tackled said big brother into an enthusiastic hug. Chuckling Riley looked over Estella's shoulder, and smiled smugly at his sister his grey eyes dancing with laughter.
"Riley," Sakura said in an arrogant apathetic 'I'm barely tolerating you' tone of voice.
"Sakura," He matched
"Drew," some one interjected.
"Who?" asked Estella confusion clouding on her forehead.
Riley stepped back and motioned to the tall blonde hazel eyed surfer dude hunk behind him, not that Sakura noticed.
"Estella, Sakura meet my best mate or one of them, Andrew. Andrew, my sisters. The one glowering at you is Sakura, and the one with the funny hat is Estella."
"This is happy feet?" Estella asked inquisitively.
Drew winced and scuffed the dirt with his foot. "So he told you about that?"
"No, Sakura did. I'm going to my room. All my boxes are here. I've already ordered pizza." And with that she left.
Drew directed a raised eyebrow at Riley who just shrugged and picked up a box. Sakura frowned and grabbed a duffle bag to wrestle with as she followed her sister.
000
"What's up with your sister?" Drew asked as he and Riley walked up the stairs each carrying a box.
"Which one?" Riley grunted.
"Estella, strange name."
"Don't know. Acting strange. Nightmares." Riley grunted. Wasn't it lucky that Drew got the box filled with stuffed animals, and he got the one with all of Stella's books?
"She won't talk about it. She's spooked." At the threshold of the stairs he put down the box releasing a gush of air. Straightening he replied in more complete sentences. "Everyone's worried, but she won't open up to anyone, not even Sakura about the specifics."
"What kind of nightmares—?" Drew's question was cut off as his cell phone vibrated.
0) --
Sakura in Estella's room fell on the bed panting.
"What did you pack in that duffle of yours, rocks?"
Stella giggled form her spot on the floor. She and Sakura had started the unpacking process. Stella was the eye of the storm with boxes of clothes, CDs, and other essential teenage stuff scattered around her.
"No, books," Stella replied lightheartedly.
Sakura lolled her head toward Stella.
"You read way too much."
"Well you read way too little." Stella retorted.
Sakura snorted then jumped.
"What the—" She tugged out her phone from her pocket and turned it on.
"Hello? Uh-huh. Uh-huh." Swiftly glancing at Stella and back Sakura smoothly said. "17.39? Okay, gotcha."
Stella was happily folding and sorting her clothes when Sakura hung up the phone.
"Hey, Stella, that was the pizza dude; he had trouble at the gates. He needs someone to meet and pay for the pizza."
Stella looked up, "I'll go."
Careful to sound natural Sakura rebuffed her, "Nah, I got it. You unpack those books of yours."
Happy with that idea, Stella let Sakura leave. Stella frowned after the door closed. She started to rise, and then stopped. Puzzled, a frown creased her forehead.
Sakura had glanced at her phone like there was a text message, one. Two, she hadn't ended the call (Sakura didn't have a flip phone). And if that was the pizza dude, why had Sakura left her behind? And how did the pizza dude get Sakura's phone number?
What was up with Sakura, Stella asked herself.
000
Scanner: Sakura Stern
Scanner: Riley Stern
Scanner: Andrew Della Robia
Transfer: Sakura
Transfer: Riley
Transfer: Andrew
Virtualization
The figure at the super computer then initiated his own countdown with a stall time after his friends had been sent to a restored Lyoko.
Lyoko had been back for 15 years now; XANA with it.
Leaning against the elevator wall bored, his onyx eyes seemed glazed over, but he was deep in thought. He brushed black hair out of his eyes as they narrowed. He walked out of the elevator and into an empty scanner. He waited for the countdown to reach zero and start his virtualization.
His card or profile on the super calculator showed his Lyoko form beside the others, and his name. XANA.