Probably one of my earliest ideas, made for the "Life of a Lyoko Warrior" series that I had planned before my long hiatus. Aelita's was really fun to write, though she's always been my favorite character, and the show gave a lot of insight to her past, so it was a lot easier. I thought about attempting Ulrich's story again (I believe I had it posted at one point but it has since been removed) but part of me is curious about how Odd's childhood in a carefree environment with five older sisters would've gone. So, here it is!

Chapter One

"A boy?" Adele wrinkled her nose, looking down at the bundled baby in her mother's arms. "Boys are gross, why would you have one?"

"It's not like we had much of a choice," her father, Shane, replied with a laugh. The six year old crossed her arms and let out an annoyed sigh. She had dealt with boys in her class and found them to be annoying and all around unnecessary.

"You'll love having a brother, you'll see!" her mother, Corrine, added with a large smile. She had wanted a son for so long, she wasn't going to let her young daughter's disapproval of the situation ruin her bad mood.

"What's his name?" the triplets asked in unison. At the curious age of four, Pauline, Marie, and Louise were very much excited for the new arrival.

"Odd."

"Odd?" Elizabeth raised her eyebrows. "That's it? Is it a nickname?"

"Nope, just Odd!" Corrine replied cheerfully. Her oldest daughter rolled her eyes.

"You guys have terrible taste in names," the sassy nine year old answered before leaving for her room.

Odd wiggled in his blanket, letting out a squeaky cry. The triplets crowded around the newborn, cooing at him, fussing over his cuteness. Adele turned on her heel, not at all interested in the new addition. Elizabeth received tons of attention for being the oldest and smartest, and the triplets always got lots of attention for being identically cute and mischievous. She didn't get into much trouble and was average at anything she did. Now she found herself competing with the new baby boy.

And she was far from happy about it.

CODELYOKO

"There, there, Odd," Corrine bounced the crying newborn hastily. It was three in the morning, and he had refused sleep all week. She had dark circles under her eyes, and a frantic look that only came with being a new mother. "You would think one little baby would be easy after triplets," she groaned to her husband, who looked as exhausted as he felt.

"It's been four years, we've forgotten," he grumbled, trying to prepare a bottle. It slipped from his hands, the glass shattering across the kitchen floor. "Darn it! That's the second one this week. Are you sure you can't—"

"Positive, dear. I've tried already." She continued bouncing Odd, pulling a fresh bottle from the cabinet and preparing it almost entirely one handed. By this time, Odd had almost turned purple with screaming, and was curled in such a tight ball that she had to fight to get the bottle in his mouth. "There, there," she soothed the tiny human.

"Mommy?" Adele stood at the kitchen doorway, rubbing her tired eyes. "All his screaming is waking everyone up."

"I'm sorry sweetie, but newborns cry." Shane picked up the six year old, petting her soft brown hair. "After a while you'll sleep so well that you won't wake up at all when he cries."

"Or maybe he can just stop crying already." She glared at the baby. "All he does is cry. All day."

"You used to be just like that," Corrine replied. "All babies are like that. Remember when your sisters were little?"

Adele squinted. "He's worse. He's a boy, and boys are annoying."

Corrine was growing tired of her daughter's surly attitude. While she loved all of her children and had an infinite amount of patience and understanding towards them, the sleep deprivation and post-partum emotions were getting the best of her. "Little girls who are mean to babies are pretty annoying, too. And if they can't be nicer, they'll not get a thing for their birthday."

Adele jumped from her father's arms and took off to her room. Shane turned his attention to his wife, who was obviously struggling. "Let me finish feeding him. You go get some sleep." He took the infant, who had finished his bottle and was nearing sleep. "She'll be fine in the morning," he added, seeing the look on Corrine's face. She had never spoken to her children in any hurtful way, and was feeling guilty.

"You're right," she agreed hopefully.

CODELYOKO

Corrine stood in her studio, paintbrush in hand, staring thoughtfully at the blank canvas in front of her. Odd slept soundly in his bassinet next to her, and she could hear her daughters playing loudly in the living room. She had wanted for weeks to paint a new picture, but didn't have the energy for such a task. That is, until today, when she had the energy, but lacked inspiration.

"Mommy, Elizabeth took my crayons!" Adele ran into the studio. "Tell her to give them back!"

"Sharing is a nice thing to do with your sisters," she reminded absentmindedly. "Why don't you play with your markers?" She was deep in thought over what to paint, and while she loved her daughter, she couldn't be bothered with such a trivial problem. Art supplies were far from lacking in the house, and Corrine knew very well that Adele just wanted something to cry about, as the family had at least ten boxes of unopened crayons in a supply cabinet downstairs.

Adele, feeling her mother was trying to brush her off (no pun intended), walked innocently over to the bassinet. She looked down at the sleeping baby and smirked. Everyone was always cooing over him and she felt he was nothing special. She opened her mouth and let out a loud, high pitched scream. Odd woke up instantly.

"Adele, why would you do that?" Corrine scolded, picking up the screaming infant.

"I don't know!" Adele ran out of the room, leaving her mother with Odd, who was calming down.

"What has gotten into that child," Corrine sighed.

CODELYOKO

"She's acting out."

"Mom, this is a little more than acting out," Corrine cried over the phone. "She practically screamed in his ear."

"You were upset when we brought Ethan home," her mother reminded. "It'll pass. When he grows up, he could be her favorite sibling. Have you been spending enough time together?"

"I don't have enough time to spend with any of them with a new baby in the house," she muttered.

"It'll pass," her mother said again. They ended their phone call and Corrine returned to her canvas. The girls were down for the night and Odd had finally fallen asleep. Inspiration struck her and she began painting. Hours later, not long before the sun was prepared to rise again, she stood back and admired her finished work. She searched through her collection of empty frames, deciding on an ornate metal one, and fixed the canvas in place. "Maybe this will give Adele some ideas," she whispered cheerfully.

She carried the picture downstairs and chose an empty space on the wall where Adele would be sure to see the painting in the morning. Corrine stood back, admiring the picture once again, before retiring to bed.

And that's chapter one! So far I'm enjoying this. There's no way a house with six kids can't have sibling rivalry. Yeah, there will probably be more Adele than any of the others. Writing with so many characters involved can get confusing (hence grouping three of them as triplets, to avoid constantly having to list names). I love reviews, so feel free to leave one!