Chapter two

Elle: I kinda decided that this story is going to be like a prequel to another Code Lyoko story I'm writing

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Kadic Academy Cafeteria, breakfast time

Odd Della Robia was busy shoveling food into his mouth. His friends, Jeremy Belpois and Ulrich Stern paid little attention and focused on their own food. Aelita sat next to Jeremy and was ignoring Odd as well. Yumi Ishiyama, the last member of the group commuted to the school as opposed to living there full time like the boys and Aelita so she was absent from the table.

Jeremy watched as Ulrich pushed his food around his plate without actually eating anything. He had been acting stranger than usual ever since they had gotten back from Lyoko. Odd meanwhile had delved into a highly unbelievable story about being pinned down by a hot brunette chick as he called her. He had mentioned something about Ulrich being held down by a hot blonde girl but neither had expanded it past there. And everyone knew better than to ask.

"So," Odd managed to get out between mouthfuls of food. "Jeremy any idea who those two girls were in Lyoko?"

"No," Jeremy said flatly reaching into his messenger bag and pulling out his laptop. "I've been running diagnostics all night but aside from their names I don't have anything."

Ulrich looked up from his food but still didn't say anything. Odd shrugged and continued piling food back into his mouth. Jeremy abandoned eating and was typing away at a computer program on his laptop.

"So what were their names?" Odd threw in conversationally.

"I don't know which one was which but one was named Jen and the other was Arisa," Jeremy answered not looking up from his computer. "Their file cards loaded by themselves so I have no other information until I can get on the supercomputer and search around."

The cafeteria doors opened to reveal principle Dellmas and two girls never seen at Kadic before. Most of the students either tried to watch discreetly or blatantly stared. The brunette was asking questions and talking animatedly but the blonde looked rather uncomfortable being in the unanticipated spotlight.

"Can I sit here?" one minute she was with Principal Dellmas and her friend and the next she was standing behind an empty chair at the table. Jeremy looked as if he saw nothing but Ulrich's eyes narrowed. Odd meanwhile nearly jumped out of his seat eagerly to let the girl sit down.

"Sure beautiful," Odd said pulling out her chair. The girl looked around before she actually sat. Ulrich's eyes were still narrowed. The blonde girl sitting in front of him was the same girl that had held him down in Lyoko. A quick glance at her brunette friend told him all he needed to know. The same two girls who had just transferred to Kadic had been the same two girls that appeared out of nowhere on Lyoko.

A few minutes later the brunette had managed to shake off Principle Dellmas and walked over to her friend sitting down across the cafeteria. Without asking she drew up a chair and sat down next to the blonde girl.

"Hi," the brunette said brightly. "I'm Jen and this is Risa, we're new at Kadic this year."

"I'm Odd," said Odd. "Odd Della Robia, this here is Jeremy, Ulrich and Aelita."

Each person gave a small wave as their name was announced except for Ulrich. He and Risa were locked in a staring contest and neither of them looked like they wanted to give in.

"What's your problem?" Risa asked him.

"Don't act like you don't know," Ulrich snapped at her.

"Well excuse me for not being able to read minds," Risa quipped.

They fell silent but continued to stare at each other for quite some time. Jen became much less cheerful but still answered Odd's exuberant questions. Jeremy and Aelita didn't say anything either. Odd had gotten on to questioning Jen about their schedules and found out that they all had double chemistry with Mrs. Hertz first and second period.

The final bell rang and the students began to leave Odd went ahead with Jen to show her where the chemistry room was but Risa grabbed Ulrich by the collar and pulled him away from most of the students.

"If this is about what happened on Lyoko I'm sorry," she said in a low voice.

"Yeah well you didn't see me trying to devirtualize you," Ulrich said. Risa arched her eyebrows as if daring him to continue with that statement.

"Once again I'm sorry," she said firmly. "Take it or leave it"

She ran off to catch up with Jen and the others leaving Ulrich behind. He couldn't believe the nerve she had but he still sort of admired it. He picked up his things and continued to class.

Risa stared after him watching his retreating back. She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder resigning herself to a double period chemistry class. Risa began to walk out of the cafeteria when she stopped dead in the middle of the pathway. Her grip on her bag slackened and her eyes widened. A sick feeling swooped over her, like something bad was going to happen very soon. The sensation came as quickly as it had gone but the effects still lingered. Risa blinked twice and shook her head trying to clear it. Thankfully no one had been around to see her little episode but she hurried off to class anyway.

When she arrived at the proper classroom the bell was about to ring and Risa barely made it past the threshold when the bell actually rang. The room was set up like a typical chemistry lab with lab tables instead of desks. She looked around trying to find Jen but much to her displeasure Jen was sitting next to Odd at one table. She looked around in hopes of trying to find a vacant table but the only seat available was next to Ulrich Stern. Risa felt like hitting herself in the head with her notebook but nevertheless walked over and sat down, completely ignoring Ulrich as he did her.

As Mrs. Hertz explained various properties of different elements Risa found herself nodding off and took to doodling in her notebook to keep herself awake.

"Mr. Stern," Mrs. Hertz said suddenly "What are the properties of the halogen family?"

Ulrich blanked out. Mrs. Hertz turned her attention to Risa. "Ms. Uchimani, what about you?"

"The halogen family, column seventeen of the periodic table is made up of gases or elements that become gases easily," Risa explained. "They need only one electron to fill their valence shell and fluorine is the most electronegative element."

Mrs. Hertz nodded her approval at Risa's answer and continued with her lesson. Ulrich cast Risa a side glance and she turned her head slightly to stare back at him. She clicked her pen and scribbled something in her notebook before she tore out the page and slid it across the table to Ulrich.

Risa: seriously, what the hell is your problem?

Ulrich read her note and pulled out his own pen before scribbling down his response.

Ulrich: why the hell did you attack me? And don't play dumb, I know you know what I'm talking about.

He folded the paper in half once and slid it back across the table to Risa. She picked it up and began to unfold it when she suddenly turned her head sideways to stare out the window. Ulrich turned to look at it as well but he couldn't figure out why she was so interested in it until a small fissure appeared at the bottom corner.

Without warning the fissure expanded and the entire window shattered inward showing Risa and Ulrich with glass. They weren't the only ones; all of the windows in the classroom had shattered, showering the other students with glass as well.