Seven

Sissi sighed, sitting on her bed, Ulrich across from her.

"Do you know why people call me Sissi, why I'm always so insistent for people to call me that?"

Ulrich shook his head. Honestly, he had never given it any though.

Sissi launched into her story.

"When I was six, a week before I started first grade, my parents and I were shopping for school supplies." She sighed. "It was the last year we ever did it together. My mother helped me pick out the perfect backpack. Pink with purple sparkles, everything was perfect.

"Then, on the way home, everything turned wrong. In one moment, one idiot running a light, my whole life changed." Sissi blinked, and Ulrich thought he saw tears in her eyes. "At first, I was terrified, trapped underneath the car. Then I heard my parents call for help, and-and-and I thought that they were alright. I was, only a few scrapes. So I called for help, and soon I was brought to a hospital. I thought everything would be alright, I was even thinking about how I could brag about this at school, people would think it was cool that I was in a car crash. Then, my daddy came in. He told me that mom wanted to see me." Now Ulrich was sure he saw tears. "I went to her, and she told me-she said-she told me that the doctors didn't think she would make it. She told me that I was special, that I was going to make friends, that I was going to be a shooting star. She told me to be myself, and my life would be as full and happy as hers…"

Sissi was quiet for a moment. Then she shook her head and continued. "I started school after that, and I told myself that I would be bright and nice and cheerful and perky, and that I would get lots of friends and make my mother proud." She smiled at Ulrich. "Now, even though you know me as gorgeous Sissi, at the time I was taller than all my class mates and skinny as a beanpole. I tried to be nice, but instead they teased me. They picked on me, and I would get so frustrated that I'd cry, so they started calling me Sissi. Throughout all of elementary school, I'd be picked on and teased. All I wanted were friends. Instead, everyone thought I was a loser. Occasionally, I'd befriend some new students, but as soon as they adjusted, they'd dump me."

She looked up at Ulrich. "Can you imagine what that'd be like? I had just lost my mother in the most random and unexpected way, and they decided that because I acted like I did, and looked like I did, that I was just some freak.

"When I started middle school, I realized that my father being the principal gave me power. So, I changed my name. Elisabeth was the awkward, too tall girl in third grade, being bumped to spill her lunch down her shirt. I tried to make the old insult, Sissi, a badge of pride. And I was through being nice. Being nice just made you seem weak. I tried a different approach to being popular. I was arrogant and snooty. And at first, it seemed to work. People would be nice to me, no one teased me, and my looks improved, so that the boys would stare at me.

"Then, in seventh grade, you showed up. You were everything for me. You were the boy I dreamed would come and take me away from my miserable school life, you would come and befriend me, and we'd hang out, and all the girls would be jealous and wonder 'why'd he chose her? She's a freak', but we'd just laugh at their jealousy… It was what I'd hoped would happen. So I turned everything on. I was persistent and bright and perky. I complimented, I hung out, hoping you'd notice me. I always did everything to my looks. I tried to let you know my feelings through my words, through my actions… I tried everything. And what did I get? 'Oh that's Sissi, she's a complete turkey. Sissi? She's not the sharpest crayon in the box. Sissi's the most stuck-up conceited girl on Earth. Sissi, dear, why don't you go someplace far away? Sissi's clingy. Sissi's shallow. Sissi's a brat.' "

She sucked in a breath of frustration. "Like you were a genius! Like you always discussed deep, important things! Like leaving you alone would make you want me! Then you befriended Jeremie and Odd and Yumi, and your life was perfect. And yet, I felt that I was that close to being in your group, like in some dream I had been. You guys had everything! Close friends, romance, a secret that you knew was yours… I was stuck, staring enviously, hoping that someday, you'd say, 'Why don't you hang out with us Sissi?' But as time went by, I realized how hopeless my ideals were. Nine years had passed since first grade, and I'd made no friends. So I started being mean. I started trying to foil you, to find out your secret."

Sissi threw her arms up, and stared intently out the window, so Ulrich couldn't see the tears that were obvious in her voice. "Has there ever been someone that you wanted, so badly, but you knew would never care for you? If my life was a movie, you'd fall for me, and we'd go out and all the girls who wanted you would be jealous, and wish they had never been mean and petty…" Sissi trailed off. "I guess I sorta painted myself as the bad guy, huh?" She sighed, looking down at her hands.

Ulrich was silent. He had never thought about Sissi as anyone but the annoying girl who followed him around. To be honest, he never even spared a moment to think how it felt for her to be constantly rejected by someone she pined after. He looked up at her.

"I-I'm sorry. Our secret is just too important to trust in other hands. In the hands of people we can't trust."

Sissi looked up at him. "People you can trust, huh? People who push you down staircases and send you to the hospital with broken ribs and concussions?"

Ulrich frowned. "They never did that!"

"They didn't? Maybe you were so wrapped up in your own problems that you didn't notice, but my father runs this school, and he knows what happened. Jeremie went to the hospital three times in the last month, and was in the infirmary many times more. He never told my father how, he said things like falling down a staircase, which was partially the truth…"

Ulrich grimaced. "They're lucky they're dead!" He hissed to himself.

Sissi looked at him, an eyebrow raised, though she didn't say anything.

Ulrich looked up at her. "Well, instead of relaxing my mind from things, I got to add one more thing to my guilty conscience. Thanks."

"Well, you asked. Do you want me to ramble on about stupid things? I've been accused too many times from you for being shallow, but sometimes it's nice to not always discuss important things."

"Don't I know it," Ulrich mumbled. They were quiet for a minute.

Sissi watched Ulrich for a moment. "Why don't you talk to your friends? They could get your mind off things."

He snorted. "Who? Genius and brilliant Jeremie, or serious thoughtful Yumi?"

"Are they-" Sissi blinked. She had seen Jeremie and Yumi hanging out a lot, but she hadn't put the connection together… "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. We both fell apart."

They were quiet, the elephant in the room going unaddressed. Both minds were racing.

Ulrich looked at Sissi. He remembered the times where they had been forced to let her in. Often she had proved useful, once successfully binding Ulrich's arm, pleading their case for her father… The truth was, Sissi could have actually been a really good friend, if it hadn't been for…

Ulrich had to ask why.

"Sissi, say you were in a position where your friends had a big secret, one that could destroy the world. They kept it at bay, because if they shut down the threat, they'd also shut down a friend. Now, what if there was a dangerous situation. There lives were in danger. Would you tell the authorities, or would you try to help them out on your own."

Sissi was quiet for a long while. "Well," she said finally, "I suppose I'd tell the authorities."

Ulrich let out a disappointed sigh. He knew she'd say that, he'd already seen first hand what she would do.

"I know that there friend's life depended on it, but I wouldn't want to lose my friends."

"You'd lose them alright," Ulrich said. "They'd never trust you after you betrayed them."

"Betrayed them? I was saving their lives! I know they wouldn't trust me, but like I said, I'd do anything for my friends. Anything. That includes reporting them if I think their in danger."

Ulrich had a thought.

"Well, what if the danger was still there, but they couldn't shut it down. They were the only ones fighting it. And they were the only ones who knew how to fight it. Then what would you do?"

More silence. "Well, then I guess I'd help them."

Ulrich felt his heart lighten somewhat. The pressing issue of replacement Lyoko Warriors was always present, and if Sissi joined…

"I have to go," he said quickly. "But I'll be back."

.

"No!"

"But, Jeremie-"

"No! We've already tried her."

"Things are different-"

"Absolutely not! There is no way I'm trusting her again!"

Ulrich threw his hands up, frustrated. He threw an imploring look at Yumi. She sighed.

"Keep trying. He always says no at first. He's just really against the idea of a new member."

Jeremie crossed his arms. "Sissi can't be trusted."

"But things are different. Reporting us would no longer help anyone, she knows that. Besides, if she was lying, then she would have never said she would have reported us initially."

Jeremie shook his head. "Sorry, Ulrich." Jeremie sat back down on his bed. "But there's no way to tell, so-"

He received a gentle thwack on the head from Yumi on this. "That's not true. Tell him about the partial scan."

Jeremie bristled. "There's no reason. Sissi's not joining us!"

"What's a partial scan?"

The two were silent, Yumi glaring at Jeremie. Finally she sighed.

"A partial scan is one that needs to be continually applied in order to avoid losing your memory after a return-trip. The idea is, if we're not sure if we can trust Sissi, we give her a partial scan and don't bring her to Lyoko. We station her on Earth for a few attacks and see how she functions under stress. We see whether she can be trusted, how well she manages, and how loyal she is. If we're satisfied, then we bring her to Lyoko. If she buckles under pressure, we don't rescan her, and the return-trip erases her memory."

Ulrich turned to Jeremie. His friend's stubbornness was, while understandable, frustrating. "Look, she values friendship over anything. She even stood up for you when no one else did. What else do you want?"

Jeremie shook his head. "Too risky, sorry. Try someone else."

Ulrich sighed. So much had changed since Aelita and Odd showed their true colors. Ulrich barely knew what to say.

"Talk to him," he whispered to Yumi. "Please."

Yumi sighed. "Jeremie…" She wheedled.

Jeremie shook his head. "Yumi… Don't be like that," he whispered.

"You know you're not going to find someone else."

"I don't care. We can stop X.A.N.A by ourselves."

"Now you're just being stupid. You know we can't. You're just being stubborn."

Jeremie sent Yumi pleading eyes.

She knelt down to meet his eyes. "Would I let someone who would hurt you in?"

Ulrich suddenly felt unwanted and out of place. The intimacy between the two was stronger than what he had ever felt with Yumi. Even without strong words, her fierce protectiveness, and his loyalty and trusting conveyed what words didn't.

They held each other's eyes for a minute, before Jeremie looked at Ulrich.

"Alright," he whispered.

.

Hmm, well I'm sure you found that boring. But I felt it deserved a chapter. Besides, the story is coming to an end.

Anyway, interesting stat: of the 393 individual visitors to the story, 11 have reviewed (the other 12 reviews are from repeated reviewers, 2 being from a flamer). So a 393:11 ratio. Really it's not that hard to review, but 382 people didn't. Just thought that was interesting. (And I'm not really complaining, I just wanted to bring it up.)

Also a big shout out to The Sealer, rori-war-world, Trainalf, and obsessivefanno.4, my incredible repeating reviewers! Thank you! (No thanks to my repeated flamer rkofan1, who thinks that Odd and Aelita were in the right and that Jeremie is 'no good' :(