A/N: Look, chapter two is up! Hope you enjoy it! Sorry it's a bit rough -- the chapters up to five or six are old news. I'll let you know when it's new stuff. :) And hah, I realized that in my last chapter I listed it as 'To Go Alone'. That was Choices, too, obviously.
Thanks to my reviewers on the first chapter! You all rock. -applause-
Disclaimer: Still don't own Code Lyoko or the characters, though I do own Malloria. I'm not very proud of it, but I own her.
Choices
by OoZolaoO
Chapter Two: A New Girl in Town
"Who's that?" Odd leaned over to whisper to Ulrich, indicating the girl setting three rows in front of them. It was almost time for lunch, and Ulrich wasn't really paying attention in class, but he followed Odd's gaze anyway. Odd saw Ulrich's eyes linger on every wave of the luxurious auburn hair that fell a few inches below the girl's shoulders.
"I don't know. Probably another transfer student," Ulrich concluded, remembering the large amount of new students in their grade.
"Let's introduce ourselves after class. She probably doesn't know anybody and she might need help finding her way around." Odd suggested. Ulrich shrugged.
"Okay with me, I guess."
~*~
The bell rang and the students gratefully jumped up, eager to leave Mrs. Hertz's class. Once Odd and Ulrich were outside the classroom, Odd nudged Ulrich and pointed to the new girl standing a few feet away. He winked and strode up to the new girl, smiling as she looked his way.
"Hi, I'm Odd Della Robbia. Welcome to Kadic." he leaned forward into a graceful bow. The girl smiled slightly, looking over both of them. Her brilliant green eyes hovered on Ulrich longest, Odd noticed.
"Ulrich Stern," Ulrich added, inclining his head.
"Malloria Medici," she replied, mirroring his gesture. "My family just moved here from Italy."
"Are you finding your way around?" Odd asked her.
"Kind of. Do you know which way to the cafeteria?" Malloria asked, absently flipping her bangs out of her face, showing a perfect complexion.
"You can come with us-that's where we're going," Odd offered, a sly look that Ulrich knew so well coming to his eye. Malloria smiled.
"That would be nice, thank you," she replied. When Odd winked at her, Ulrich knew that Odd was back to playing the field again.
~*~
"Hey, Malloria, do you want to sit with us at lunch?" Odd wondered, pointing to the table at the back of the cafeteria where Aelita and Jeremie were already sitting.
"Sure. It's not like I have anywhere else to go, anyway," she laughed, a silvery sound that was pleasing to the ear.
"Awesome. I'll introduce you to the guys." Odd led the way to the table, Malloria behind him and Ulrich behind her.
When they reached the table they caught the tail end of a conversation that Jeremie was having with Aelita.
"…don't think she'll be very pleased. She keeps insisting that she feels fine…" Aelita cleared her throat, interrupting Jeremie and causing him to look at their newcomers. Ulrich set his tray down and looked over at Aelita.
"Who're you talking about?" he asked, though his expression suggested that he knew exactly who they were talking about.
"No one. Odd, who's your friend?" Aelita changed the subject smoothly.
"This is Malloria Medici. She just moved here from Italy. Malloria, that's Jeremie," Jeremie waved, "and my, uh, cousin Aelita."
"Nice to meet you, Malloria. You have a lovely name," Aelita smiled at her.
"Thank you. It's a family name," Malloria returned the smile, even more warmly if possible. Odd set his tray down in its usual spot and motioned for Malloria to put her tray next to his, leaving a space open for Yumi.
"Who's sitting there?" Malloria asked, indicating the empty space.
"Yumi. She'll be here in a sec-oh, wait, here she comes." Sure enough, Yumi was coming their way now. She turned and was about to sit down when she noticed Malloria sitting next to Odd.
"Oh, um, Yumi, this is Malloria," Aelita introduced her when she saw that no one else was going to.
"Pleasure," Yumi stated simply, setting her tray down and sitting at her normal spot. Malloria smiled timidly, which Yumi did not return. About to ask Ulrich a question, she began coughing, noticing the glance that Aelita and Jeremie exchanged when she finally stopped, catching her breath. Ulrich had stiffened the instant she had begun coughing and relaxed only when she glanced over, reassuring him that she was okay.
"So, Malloria, what was it like in Italy?" Odd asked her, twirling a strand of spaghetti around his fork. With a swift glance towards Ulrich, Malloria began telling them about the small villa she and her family had lived in. She was an excellent storyteller and they were all soon drawn into her detailed descriptions of the ivy climbing the back gate of her house, the hue of the sky on cloudy days, and the times she had visited Rome, seeing the ruins of ancient civilizations.