Hey guys, Shadow here. Sorry for the long wait! I had a lot of homework and... well, actually, I kind of forgot about this for a bit. Yeah, at least I said sorry. Well, (finally) here's the official chapter one, since the last "chapter" was actually the prologue. Ok, let me tell you, at first, this will make no sense whatsoever and won't even sound like it belongs in a Code Lyoko fanfic, but I promise it's part of the story; it'll all come together (like a puzzle) in the end. Well... I think I forgot to do the whole I do not own Code Lyoko, it's characters blah, blah, blah in the last chapter, so... Well, didn't I just do it? Well, yeah. Anyways, (yeah I know you really want me to shut up) here you go, enjoy the story.
I pulled my jacket closer to my chest as the winter wind bit into my skin. Walking along the sidewalk, my footsteps echoed blandly into the empty night. I could only walk outside at this time of day, not thanks to him anyway. If I walked theses streets during broad daylight I would either be killed or kidnapped by my "fans", as he called it.
The grocery store was only a few blocks away, but I feared at any time I could be abducted by some passing bystander; society these days were just like this to people like me. It was so unfair; what had I done wrong?
Frosty white snow crunched beneath my worn sneakers, and it was always like this. It was always winter. Always. I had heard stories, read old books, seen past pictures of newborn springs, warm summers, colorful autumns, but I never knew what a full year actually felt like. No sun. No warmth. No fields of flowers or changing-colored leaves. It was plain all year long. Just winter. No spring. No thanks to him, anyways.
A wandering car sped past me, and I pulled my black hair across my face. Nobody could see me. Nobody ever did. Nobody ever would. And no thanks to him.
The bell clanged as I walked into the store. The dim light guided me to the bread shelf, then the milk fridge, to the cheese isle, to the poultry section. I took a plastic bag, stuffed my items in it and placed ten dollars on the cash register as the cashier nodded in approval. He knew me, but he didn't hate me. I always wondered why, and wondered if everyone else could just be a little more like him.
I stepped outside, a week's lunch in hand. The eerie moon cast a dark shadow across the road, daring me to cross it. I did, hoping against hope nobody was lurking in the shadows, ready to run me over. The world was cruel. Anyone would agree. At least, everyone would believe the world was cruel to me. From the day I was born to the moment when I stood here under the gates to this military school, the world has been cruel.
Kadic Military Academy was another thing. Some people from past generations have told stories of of a happy schoolhouse, gossiping girls, cute guys, crazy teachers and mysterious school lunches, but what stood here before me was the total opposite. What used to be the safe haven for all ages was now a torture place where he ruled. It was always him.
I wasn't allowed inside the gates, so I kept walking, past intimidating signs and gruesome shops, past uncleaned sidewalks and a bumpy road. After a while I sped up my pace because I felt that someone - or something - was following me. Its feet clattered on the sidewalk, and I could almost hear its panted breaths as it chased after me. My house was only a few more blocks away, I would be somewhat safer there. I could see it from here, so I risked turning to see who or what was chasing me. I stopped; nobody was there.
"Hello?" I called unsurely. I was almost positive that it was behind that light post. Why hadn't it killed me yet? "If you're going to do something, do it now; I'm defenseless."
A dog, no bigger than the loaf of bread in my bag, emerged in the moonlight, wagging its tail. It was a grayish-white color, but I didn't know exactly what kind of dog it was; I didn't come out often, after all.
It looked innocent enough, so I approached it, but still cautious. "Hey little guy," I smiled, getting close to it, "Are you lost?"
The dog stared at me with interest and wagged its tail. I gently scratched its head. It wagged its tail more affectionately, enjoying the attention. I noticed a collar around its neck, which looked old and rather faded.
"Hey boy, can I see that?" The dog stuck its tongue out, so I took that as a 'yes'. I gently lifted the dog tag so I could see the engravings, which were rather unclear. I could make out a few letters, though, and read them aloud. "It says... Odd? Odd Dell... this is so hard to read! Odd... is that a street name or... hey wait!"
The little dog had suddenly taken off, but I hesitated to follow. I needed to find that dog's owner and return it to them; maybe then people would see that I wasn't bad. But if he found out I was late... I turned to looked at the house... There was always time for an excuse.
I ran after the dog.
Great, now I can hear all of you complaining, "Wait! That was a short chapter!" Chill out! I'm already writing the second chapter, which means that I can probably have it uploaded by New Year's Eve. Probably. No promises though! And really, it's not all that short, just longer paragraphs to make it look short.
Can you guys guess who the "mystery character" is? No, you don't have to guess the name, but, as you should probably know by now, this is in the future, which means this is most likely the second generation of Lyoko warriors... just maybe. So can you guess who it is? Yeah, use your "context clues" (that's what they call them in school). Whoever guesses right gets a cookie!
Well, since it is the holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa (I'm sorry if I left off anyone's holiday!) and Happy New Year! 2010 is going to be great!