Jeremie pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and looked again at the statistics in front of him. It had been a week since the scyphozoa had tried to attack the Skid and, since then, he had been trying to determine exactly what its' goal had been.
The others were all happy to believe that Xana had just underestimated the power of the shields Jeremie had put up around their ship; but Jeremie himself couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't as simple as that. If there was one thing he'd learned from their numerous conflicts with Xana, it was that there was always a reason behind the AI's actions.
That was why he was sitting in front of his dorm's computer, checking and rechecking all the Skid's systems, while all the other students of Kadic were going to breakfast.
A knock at his door indicated that not quite all the students had left.
"Come in."
Ulrich entered the room. He took one look at the computer and nodded to himself.
"I thought so. You still think there's something wrong with the Skid?"
Jeremie gave a sigh.
"Not according to any of the computer analyses, but I just don't know. Xana wouldn't have sent the scyphozoa after the Skid unless he was sure it could do some damage."
Ulrich crossed his arms and leant against the wall.
"Maybe our destroying the replikas has weakened Xana, so he couldn't make scyphozoa as powerful as he wanted."
Jeremie shook his head.
"Xana would already have factored the loss of replikas into whatever calculations he makes when he launches an attack. Speaking of which, there hasn't been any activity from him since the attack on the Skid."
Ulrich shrugged.
"Well that's not unusual. We've gone a few weeks between Xana attacks before." He walked over to Jeremie and leant on his chair so that they were at eye level. "Do you think maybe Xana wants you to think that there's something wrong with the Skid, so that we won't risk any trips into the digital sea? That way, he doesn't have to worry about his precious replikas and can keep on doing… whatever it is he's doing with those other supercomputers."
Jeremie rested his chin on steepled fingers and stared quietly at the computer screen for a moment. He looked like he was about to launch another counter-argument so Ulrich patted him on the shoulder and spoke before he could begin.
"Why don't we forget about it just for now and get some breakfast? Odd said he was feeling particularly peckish this morning, so we'd better hurry!"
The boy genius gave a submissive nod and followed his friend out the door, casting one last look at the computer screen as he went.
--
Sat in the campus cafeteria, Odd was happily slurping at his hot chocolate. He'd occasionally stop to dip a croissant and take a bite, or stuff a banana into his mouth. Seated opposite him, Aelita was trying to shield her own breakfast from splashes of hot chocolate.
"Odd, don't you remember what we said about chewing and swallowing before taking your next bite?" She said to her faux cousin.
"Schorry." Odd answered through a mouthful of croissant, spraying some crumbs over the tabletop.
Ulrich and Jeremie joined them, placing their own trays down where there was space.
"Hey Einstein, welcome back! We missed you!" Odd grinned up at Jeremie. "So what's the verdict? Can we go back to Lyoko now?"
Jeremie pushed up his glasses and sighed through his nose.
"Well, I haven't been able to find anything wrong with the Skid's systems. Everything seems normal. But I just have this feeling..."
"Maybe it would help if I went to Lyoko and inspected the Skid manually?"Aelita suggested.
"That could be just what Xana wants." Jeremie replied. "He could have a trap or ambush waiting for you."
"He could do this... He could do that... Jeremie, we could sit around and try to guess what Xana's up to for months, but it probably wouldn't do us any good." Said Ulrich. "The only way we'll know for sure is by going to Lyoko. If all four of us go, then we'll be ready for whatever surprises might be in store."
It was clear to Jeremie that Aelita and Odd both agreed with what Ulrich was saying. Truthfully, he saw the logic in it as well. He'd run every type of scan on the Skid and had found nothing out of the ordinary. Maybe he was just being overly cautious?
"Okay, you've convinced me. After class, we'll all head over to the factory and run a test flight on the Skid."
"Yes! I can't wait to get back to blasting bad guys. I've been dying of boredom!" Odd drained the last of his hot chocolate and put the bowl down with a satisfied sigh.
Aelita could see that Jeremie was still uneasy about their plans. She placed her hand over his and gave it a squeeze.
"Don't worry. I'm sure it'll will be fine. We've overcome everything that Xana's thrown at us so far." She said with a reassuring smile.
Jeremie couldn't help but smile back as he squeezed her hand in return.
At the other end of the cafeteria, three other students were having a discussion. Actually in truth, one of them was doing all the talking while the other two were listening and nodding at regular intervals.
"Okay, it's the start of the school soccer season and you know what that means." Sissi Delmas looked expectantly at the two boys sat opposite her.
Hervé Pichon and Nicholas Poliakoff exchanged glances before Nicholas answered,
"Er... They're holding auditions for the the team mascot?"
"No, you turkey! It means that it's time for cheerleader tryouts." The dark-haired girl replied hotly.
"But, aren't you already on the cheerleader team?" Hervé asked cautiously.
"Yes, but since Christine Aaronson's little accident, there is now an opening for head cheerleader."
"Oh yeah. Poor Christine." Hervé and Nicholas cringed at the memory.
"Oh, she'll be fine." Sissi waved her hand dismissively. "And it was her own fault for not paying attention while crossing the javelin field. What I want to focus on is getting that head cheerleader position."
She pointed to each of the boys in turn as she assigned them their duties.
"Hervé, you will be my choreographer and cheer writer. I need you to come up with a routine that'll blow away the competition. The team is meeting after lunch in the gym, so be ready.
And you, Nicholas, are in charge of equipment. You are to keep my baton polished, press my uniform when it gets crinkled and ensure that I have water and a soft towel at the ready whenever I need them. Is that clear?"
They both nodded. Sissi stood up with a triumphant smile on her face.
"Prom queen, wreck room monitor and head cheerleader. There is truly nothing that Sissi Delmas cannot do!
--
Yumi walked through the school gates, her bag slung over one shoulder. She made her way to the gang's usual meeting spot; at the bench in the campus yard. Sure enough, her friends were there waiting for her. She raised a gloved hand in greeting as she approached.
"Hey guys. What's new?"
"Hope you've been practising your fan throwing Yumi, because Jeremie's given the 'okay' to go back to Lyoko!" Odd said with an excited grin.
"Great. So are we going after the next replika?" Yumi rested her hand on the back of the bench where Jeremie was sitting.
"No, this is just a test flight of the Skid. I want to make sure it's functioning at full capacity before I go sending you into hostile territory."
"Speaking of hostile territory; we better get to science class before Miss Hertz gives us all detention." Ulrich picked up his rucksack. The others all reached for their school gear as well, except for Odd.
"Oh shoot! I forgot my books." He stood up and motioned for the others to go ahead. "You guys give Miss Hertz an excuse. Say... I ate too fast and almost choked to death on a croissant."
"I don't think she'll buy that excuse a second time." Said Aelita.
"Well then just make something up! I'll be there as quick as I can."
Ulrich, Jeremie and Aelita shrugged to each other and set off for their morning class, waving goodbye to Yumi as they went. Yumi watched them go, then quickly walked after Odd.
"Hey, Odd."
The boy turned, bouncing slightly as he was still eager to get going.
"Yeah, Yumi?"
"Well..." She tucked some hair back behind her ear awkwardly while speaking. "I just wanted to say thanks. Thanks for, you know, not telling anyone."
"'Bout what? Oh yeah, the fish fingers. No problem." Odd shrugged and turned to leave again, but Yumi wasn't finished.
"It's just I feel kinda bad. After I told you, I kept expecting someone to come up to me with a snide comment or something."
"What? You really thought I'd tell?" Odd stood with his hands indignantly on his hips.
"Not on purpose." Yumi replied. "It's just that, you sometimes have a tendency to... let things slip."
"Hey come on Yumi, give me some credit. I'm not that big of a blabbermouth. I've kept Lyoko a secret; and believe me it's hard for a natural born braggart like me to keep from telling people that I've saved the world!"
Yumi put her hands up in surrender.
"You're right. I should have had more faith in you. I'm sorry, Odd."
Odd's incensed expression instantly disappeared and he smiled brightly at his friend.
"No problem, Yumi. See you after class."
The blond boy ran off towards the campus dormitories, waving cheerfully as he went. Yumi smiled to herself as she headed off to her first class of the day. Odd may have been a bit wacky, but he was certainly someone who could be trusted.
As Odd jogged up to the dormitory doors, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself,
"Girls; they always get so worked up about the tiniest things. So she's got some flaky skin on her hands, big deal."
"Who's got flaky skin on her hands?"
Odd froze mid-step. He turned his head slowly, hoping it'd just been his imagination; that he hadn't just blurted out Yumi's secret after telling her how trustworthy he was. The sight of Nicholas standing just inside the doorway shattered that little illusion.
"Oh... Nicholas." Odd tried to put on a friendly smile, even though he and the orange-haired boy were anything but friends. "Shouldn't you be in class?"
Nicholas looked down at the books under his arm.
"Sissi forgot her books so she sent me to get them." He then looked at Odd suspiciously. "What about you? Why aren't you in class?"
Odd shrugged in an overly nonchalant manner.
"I forgot my books too. Well it was nice talking to you. Gotta go." He tried to slip past Nicholas, but the larger boy stepped into his path. Suspicion was still etched on his face.
"Hold it, Della Robbia. What were you talking about just now? Who's got flaky hands?"
"Nobody!" Odd hoped his voice didn't come out too squeaky with the panic he could feel welling up.
Nicholas wasn't letting this go. Among other things, Sissi had ordered him and Hervé to always keep their ears open for any juicy gossip. And with the cheerleader tryouts coming up, this 'flaky hands' news could be perfect for taking down a potential opponent – or at least that was how Sissi would put it.
"Do you think I'm stupid, Della Robbia?" Odd had to literally bite his tongue to keep from answering that question. "You were talking about someone. Now, who is it?"
Odd considered simply making a run for it, when a really cool idea sprung into his head. He sighed dejectedly,
"Okay Nicholas, you forced it out of me. I was talking about Sissi."
Nicholas' eyes widened considerably.
"Sissi? She's got flaky hands?"
"Oh, that's putting it lightly!" Odd waved his own hands around for emphasis. "They look like they're covered in scales. Fish Fingeritis is what the doctors call it. Terrible condition; and for it to happen to such a sweet person..."
Odd hung his head mournfully, then risked a glance at Nicholas. It looked like the big ape was buying it.
"Hey, wait a minute." He suddenly said. "Sissi's hands looked just fine this morning."
"Well yeah, that's because she's using hand make-up." Odd answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Nicholas looked bewildered.
"They have make-up for hands?"
"Don't you know anything about girls? They have make-up for pretty much every part of their body!"
Now he just looked flabbergasted. Odd leaned in close to him and spoke in a hushed tone,
"But listen; don't go spreading this around. We both know how cruel some of the kids around here can be, and I'd hate for Sissy to suffer any more than she already has."
Nicholas nodded. He seemed too shell-shocked to speak, so he just took his leave, heading towards the school building.
Odd waited until he was surely out of earshot before his face split into a big grin.
"Ha ha! And the Oscar goes to...! Odd Della Robbia, you sure dodged a laser there!"
--
The school gym was abuzz with chattering girls. They were each dressed in the lavender-coloured uniforms of the Kadic cheerleader team. The physical education teacher Jim Moralés was trying to organise them, a clipboard in his hand.
"Okay, come on. Let's form an orderly line. You, over there. And you, put that mobile away. You know, when I was your age, we cheerleaders had a sense of real discipline."
A group of girls looked up at this comment.
"You were a cheerleader, Jim?" One of them asked.
Jim's face reddened and he held his clipboard up, appearing to inspect the names very closely.
"I'd er... rather not talk about it."
Sissi was stood off to one side, stretching her limbs. She could hear some of the other girls muttering things as they looked her way, but the fact only made her smile. If they really saw her as that much of a threat, it only further proved what she already knew; that she was the only choice for the next head cheerleader.
The gym doors opened and Hervé and Nicholas entered. Nicholas was carrying Sissi's freshly polished baton, a towel and a bottle of water. Hervé was holding a sheet of paper.
"Here you go, Sissi." He gave it to her. "I spent all of science class on your routine. It was kinda short-notice but this should really impress Jim."
Sissi quickly read through the inscribed cheer,
"'Go Kadic team. Steal that ball. We'll be cheering right up 'till the fall.' Hmm, catchy. And the routine looks good too. Lots of high kicks and baton throws; my specialties." She flashed Hervé one of her bright smiles, which she saved for when he and Nicholas did something right. "Thank you, Hervé."
Hervé grinned like a monkey. He was probably going to do badly on Miss Hertz's science test next week, but it was worth it. Then he suddenly remembered and took something out of his back pocket.
"Oh, here. This is for your hands."
He gave Sissi a plastic squeezable tube.
"Oh right, good thinking." Sissi squeezed out some white paste and began rubbing it over her hands. "Got to be sure I can keep a firm grip on the baton."
Nicholas and Hervé looked at each other.
"Er actually Sissi, it's for your flaky skin."
The tube dropped silently to the floor. Sissi stood on the spot, her face impassive. She shook her head slightly, as if clearing it, and spoke calmly,
"I'm sorry. It's for my what?"
"Your flaky skin." Said Hervé. "Nicholas told me about your Fish Fingeritis."
"And, don't worry Sissi, it doesn't bother us." Nicholas chimed in. "Stuff like this happens to everyone. That's actually why I have this lotion. A while ago, I had this really embarrassing rash. So I'd rub that lotion on my -"
Everyone in the gym looked up as Sissi shrieked. She grabbed her water bottle and splashed the liquid over her hands, then began rubbing them vigorously with her towel.
"Sissi, what's the matter with you?" Said Jim. "We're about to start the tryouts, so stop messing around."
Sissi noticed that everyone was staring at her. She put on a beaming smile and held a finger up.
"Could you excuse me for just a moment, Jim?"
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Hervé and Nicholas by the front of their shirts and dragged them outside. Releasing them, she whirled on the pair. Her eyes were practically on fire.
"How do you two want to die; quick or slow?"
The boys cowered under her glare.
"We-we were just trying to help, Sissi." Hervé stammered out.
"Yeah. Della Robbia told me about your Fish Fingeritis, so I thought if maybe I could-"
"Wait." Sissi held up a hand, silencing him. "Della Robbia told you? Grrrrr! I should've guessed!"
She fumed at the thought of her pointy haired antagonist. She'd lost count of the number of times he'd pulled some dumb prank on her. Now he was going to get it.
"You know, we really don't care about your flaky skin." Hervé said in an effort to calm her.
"I don't have flaky skin, you dunderheads!" Sissy screamed so loud, some birds flew off scared from the nearby trees. She then spoke in her normal tone, "Della Robbia made that up. Now, I am going to go back inside. I am going to get that head cheerleader position. And then I am going to find that purple-obsessed loudmouth and wring his scrawny neck!"
Hervé and Nicholas watched Sissi march back into the gym. They both let out long breaths.
"Boy," Said Nicholas. "I'd sure hate to be Della Robbia right now."