Episode References: False Start
"Well, these are days I don't necessarily miss," I said as we approached Kadic.
"You're telling me," Odd said.
"Just how good were you at school?" Jeremy asked.
"Pretty good. My motivation was the problem when I'm trapped in the tedious lifestyle that is school," I said, rubbing my eyes. "Anyway, thanks for the choice of clothes Jeremy. I like them." Just about all the clothes I had were black. My T-shirt, my jeans, shoes, and the leather jacket I was wearing.
"I took you for the type to like black as your color. Either that or blue," Jeremy said.
"And you're absolutely correct. Not the first time, right?" I said with a smirk. Jeremy simply shrugged.
"Suppose not," Jeremy said.
"What don't you miss about school?" Aelita asked.
"The early mornings and the irritating people. Those two do not merge well with each other," I said.
"We have to deal Sissi every morning, so we can definitely understand that," Yumi said with a smile. I gave her a pitiful look.
"I almost regret coming here now," I said, looking towards the school.
"Ah, don't think like that," Aelita said.
"When you meet Sissi, you'll start thinking the same thing," I told her.
"He's right about that. Anyway, ready for the whole class to meet you all?" Odd asked.
"Now or never, right?" I said with a shrug. There was nothing left to do but head into the school. I was going to miss being able to stay up forever and not have to wake up for school exhausted, but there were a lot of things about the human world that would make me feel a lot better.
"What do we have first?" I asked.
"History. Don't worry. You both will do fine," Jeremy said.
"I'd feel a lot better if it were a class on computers. I don't know anything about history," Aelita said.
"That makes two of us," I said.
"That's just it. You're here to learn. If it were a computer class, you'd be the teacher," Ulrich said. I smirked.
"No kidding. She's a regular magician behind a computer," I said, taking a seat at an empty table. Aelita smiled before taking the seat right next to me. I crossed my right leg over my left one and put my hands on the back of my head in relaxation.
"Chairs are still crap," I said with an unconscious smile. Then I heard Sissi speak up, which instantly caused my eyes to snap open.
"Just who does that new girl think she is? All she cares about is having boys around her," I heard her say. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. It's only the first day. Let me try and keep a cool head. Tuning her out and focusing on my business was the best thing I could do right now. Well, I didn't want to make a bad impression on the first day by cursing Sissi out.
"Can you help me with this stuff?" Aelita asked. I opened one eye and looked at her worried face.
"I'll definitely help when I can. But some of the stuff you'll have to learn yourself," I told her.
"That's fair. I just want to get a small grasp on the subject," Aelita said.
"And I'll give you that start. But you have nothing to worry about. You're smart. You'll figure it out quickly," I assured her.
"So we have two new students in our classroom. I'll let them introduce themselves," the teacher suddenly said, gesturing for us to have the floor. I looked towards Aelita.
"Go ahead," I told her reassuringly as everyone looked at her.
"I, um... my..." I gave her a reassuring smile and she seemed to be able to un-stick her tongue a little. "My name is Aelita."
"Aelita. And you are?" the teacher asked, turning to me.
"I am Robert. I'm a bit new to France. I'm originally from America," I told the teacher.
"America? A few of my family members live there. Is it nice?" the teacher asked.
"It's home. That doesn't mean I won't give my time here a chance. I assure you of that," I said.
"That type of positivity is refreshing to hear, young man. I'm glad to hear that," the teacher said warmly. "Well, let me be one of the first to welcome you both to Kadic Junior High. We hope that you're going to like it hear very much." Aelita looked nervous as the teacher started going over the lesson.
"You'll be fine. How many times do I have to reassure you?" I asked her without hardly moving my lips.
"It's not that. It's just the pressure of being around so many people other than you all," Aelita said.
"It gets kind of overwhelming at times. But you'll get used to it," I assured her.
"I hope you're right about that," Aelita said. "Then again, you've be right so far, haven't you?" I smiled.
"Watch me end up making a mistake one of these days. Then my record won't be as spotless," I said with a smirk.
History passed by far quicker than I initially thought. In what seemed like at no time at all we were out and sitting around some benches outside.
"You see? Everything's cool. There was no reason to worry," Jeremy said.
"I guess not. Besides, I really like history. But you gotta admit. You guys fight a lot here. There are wars all the time," Aelita said.
"That's cause people can be stupid, greedy, and illogical. Illogical above all because if they were logical, they wouldn't start the war in the first place," I said, leaning over the back of the bench.
"I can definitely agree with you there," Jeremy said.
"Hey guys. Well, how are our little earthlings doing?" Yumi asked, walking up to us.
"We come in peace. We have come for this planet looking for intelligent life. Oops. We made a mistake," I said in my martian voice, making the entire group laugh. "In all seriousness, I say things are going rather well."
"I'm fine. I'm trying to adapt to so many new sensations. Like the air you breathe here, all the colors, the smells... But I'm fine," Aelita assured her.
"So am I," I added.
"That's good," Yumi said.
"I wish we could deactivate the Supercomputer at this point, but remembered what you said about taking a piece of Aelita's memory," Jeremy said.
"If only it were that easy. Unfortunately it's not," I said.
"We may as well start an analysis later. See if we can find a way to track that piece of her memory," Jeremy said.
"Yeah, that's definitely a good idea. Maybe we can actually succeed in getting the missing piece of her memory. Well, the right piece," I said.
"That would be nice. I'm sure it would save us a lot of stressful days if we can get it done," Jeremy said.
"Let's do it," Odd said, clapping his hands together. The rest of the day passed by in a sort of familiar numbness that I had learned when I was in school. At least the day was normal. That much we got.
Ulrich and Odd decided on staying at the dorm rather than coming along. They knew the rest of us had it down pat. Yumi decided on heading to her place early. She'd have some excuse about our late arrival, which was beyond useful. Yumi knew how to come in clutch.
Swinging on the ropes that hung near the factory was actually a lot easier and a lot more fun than I thought it was. I didn't feel as confident in my abilities as I was on Lyoko, but I would certainly probe the waters a bit. Which basically meant I would spar with Ulrich, and see if I don't get knocked flat on my ass after... what? Ten seconds?
"You think we'll be able to find anything?" Jeremy asked.
"I can't be sure. I know you discovered that it was missing memory, not a virus later on through what I assumed would be research," I told Jeremy as we walked in the elevator.
"I sincerely hope so. I half don't even want to know what happened in the original timeline. I'm afraid I'll hear something I won't like," Jeremy said. I looked towards Aelita for a brief moment before leaning my arm on the elevator wall next to me.
"You're not wrong," I said.
We arrived in the factory, and it was a lot more overwhelming than looking at it through a TV screen. It actually made me feel like I was in a Star Wars starship or something. I loved it.
"Head for the scanners. They're just below us," Jeremy told Aelita. She nodded and got on the elevator before heading further down.
"Launching program. Data recovery," Jeremy said, typing on the keyboard. "We're ready to begin the analysis. That's fine Aelita. You can come back now."
"Found anything yet?" I asked.
"No. Not just yet. The data's still coming though," Jeremy said before the computer began to beep loudly.
"It looks like a virus," Aelita said.
"No, I know for a fact it's missing memory," I said.
"It sure doesn't look like it," Jeremy said.
"Have I been wrong yet?" I asked.
"Well, no. But the facts are right here," Jeremy said, gesturing to his screen.
"Jeremy, this isn't the first time XANA has tried to trick us. You know that," Aelita said. "Things aren't always what they seem when it comes to XANA."
"You're right. I'm just wondering how XANA even knows how to bend the facts," Jeremy said.
"Cause he's a learning AI. He's trying different tactics as he fails each time. It's how he works," I explained to him.
"Which makes him deadlier after every defeat. That bothers me," Jeremy said before rising to his feet. "You know, it's getting kind of late. I need to show the both of you to Yumi's."
"Yes, please," I said. I was definitely ready to turn in for the day. Jeremy kept a program going as we walked out of the door. Then we began our long walk toward Yumi's house with Jeremy leading us.
"What a strange sensation," Aelita said as she held her arms from the chilly air. Oy, this was going to be so cheesy.
"Put this on. It helps," I said, taking off my jacket and handing it to her. She grabbed my jacket and put it on while holding the unzipped sides together while looking down.
"What am I feeling?" Aelita asked.
"You're shivering that's all. It's a reaction you get on account of the cold," Jeremy said.
"I absolutely hate it. Personally, I prefer the heat. I don't feel as uncomfortable," I said.
"I like the feeling of being a little chilly," Aelita said. I had to restrain myself from snorting. I dared her to say that when the winter came.
"And the sounds and the smells are all different at night," she continued.
"Yeah," Jeremy said. "It's quiet and peaceful, and the plants they all breathe differently."
When the two of them were walking together, I felt awkward being there. I hung back behind them cause I felt like a major third wheel. It's always been an uncomfortable feeling. So I just stayed quiet while making sure to keep up.
Jeremy picked a flower from one of the patches nearby and handed it to Aelita.
"Here, smell this," he said, handing the flower to Aelita. She smelled it, and a big smile came to her face.
"Mmm. It's wonderful to be alive," she said. I had my hands in my pockets and I looked to the sky with my eyes closed. The wind on my face felt so good. She wasn't lying. It was good to be alive again. So liberating and refreshing in ways you just couldn't get on Lyoko.
"You're pretty quiet," Aelita said, suddenly turning back to me. "You ok?"
"I'm fine. Just deep in thought," I said before having to restrain a shiver. The cold air was now starting to get to me. But the real reason I was so quiet was cause I just wanted them these to have their moment together. But I'm only in the way because I don't know how to get to Yumi's house by myself.
Then I didn't notice that they had stopped for a moment until I ran directly into Jeremy's back, making him nearly fall. I scratched the back of my head awkwardly.
"Sorry about that. I'm just distracted," I told him.
"It's fine," Jeremy said as he straightened his crooked glasses. Though I could tell ever so slightly in his tone that he was a little annoyed.
"What's bothering you?" Aelita asked.
"Nothing's bothering me. Like I said, I'm just distracted," I said. Aelita seemed to assess my honesty for a few moments before smiling. Man, I knew for a fact this was unintentional cock blocking. I don't blame Jeremy for being a little annoyed with me.
"Well, ok. But... mind if we take a minor detour?" Aelita asked.
"Detour?" I questioned. Aelita then grabbed Jeremy's hand and lead him away. I groaned. I couldn't wait until I can figure out the way to Yumi's myself. Then I wouldn't have to worry about screwing up what these two had going on. Plus I was cold, and I knew for a fact I could move faster than this.
Regardless of my impatience, I followed the two to where Aelita dragged Jeremy to. She pointed to a photo booth.
"Is that a scanner?" Aelita asked.
"No, it's a photo booth," I told her. "It takes pictures of you. You and Jeremy want to try?"
"Sure. Care to join us?" Aelita asked. I shook my head.
"Nah, I'm not really one for pictures. Go on ahead you two and make memories," I said with a smirk. The picture thing wasn't an excuse. I really hated taking pictures at times. Mainly the ones with flashes. I felt half blind after taking one.
"Suit yourself," Aelita said, dragging Jeremy into the booth. I leaned on the outside of the photo booth while those two started snapping pictures. During which I had gone deep in thought again.
"Ok, so XANA's got the piece of Aelita's memory he needs, and he hasn't changed tactics yet. So far, so good. But I'm worried he might find another way to get to her. In a way that I can't predict and XANA will free himself from Lyoko. Then there's regular life, lies, school, other things to that might come up that I'm going to have to balance," I ranted in my head. "Man, my head is spinning from all of this shit. I've never felt this stressed. This is easily the most I've ever been stressed, no competition. But that burden comes with being a Lyoko Warrior. It's not going to be easy, but-"
"Hey, are you still lost in your thoughts?" Aelita asked, making me look up swiftly.
"Yeah. Just a little bit worried about XANA. It's stressing me out a little," I told him. Jeremy put a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
"It'll be fine. You'll see," Jeremy said. I nodded, but I wasn't really agreeing. I just did it to get them off my back. Somebody had to worry at this point. Otherwise we're all fucked. I was a master of focusing on the worst case scenario.
After long last, we finally arrived at Yumi's house and I couldn't wait to immediately walk in the house. I was free of the pressure of being a third wheel once I walked in. I walked in to see Mr. and Mrs. Ishiyama sitting on the couch.
"Ah. You must be Aelita's brother," Mr. Ishiyama said.
"How'd you guess?" I asked.
"You don't look from around here, and you walked inside like you lived here. You couldn't have at least knocked?" Mr. Ishiyama said, making me scratch my head in embarrassment.
"I am so sorry. I've just had a lot of stuff on my mind. The day has been a little stressful," I told him.
"Yeah, I could tell. That's why I'm not too upset with you. Where's your sister?" Mr. Ishiyama asked.
"Outside. Just finishing a conversation with someone. She'll be in soon," I said, rubbing my eyes. "I have no idea where I am going to sleep."
"With your sister. It's the only spare room we have available. Unless you'd rather take the couch," Mrs. Ishiyama said.
"No, that'll be fine. Which door is it?" I asked politely.
"Third from the right. And don't forget to knock next time," Mr. Ishiyama reminded me. I nodded.
"I'll definitely try and remember that," I said, walking towards the door that he had indicated. I walked inside the room, and it was fairly small. It was obviously intended for one person, but two kids could share it.
I looked inside the closet and saw that there was an entire bag of clothes for me. There was one for Aelita on the other half of the closet as well. Both bags had toothbrushes and separate tubes of toothpaste for us. Wow, how'd they get all this stuff?
I grabbed my toothbrush and toothpaste before heading into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Soon after, I could hear that Aelita walked into the room. I looked to the side and waved, my mouth to full of toothpaste to say anything.
"How are you doing?" Aelita said.
"Good," I said, my tone muffled by the toothpaste.
"I had a wonderful night," Aelita said, as I spit out the toothpaste in my mouth.
"I figured you would. You and Jeremy got along great, didn't you?" I said before I started brushing again.
"Yes we did. Sort of like we did when you arrived on Lyoko," Aelita said. I shrugged.
"You two have a lot in common," I said, brushing the bottom left row of my teeth.
"I suppose so. So what's next?" Aelita asked.
"You brush your teeth and go to sleep," I told her.
"Will you show me?" Aelita asked. I looked at her strangely. I could understand why she asked me, but it was still the strangest question I've ever been asked. But I would start now. Her training steps into humanity. I put all of the brushed toothpaste on the left side of my mouth so I could talk clearly. Though I'd have to try and make sure I didn't accidentally spit any out.
"There's an item that's similar to these things on top of your bag," I said, showing her my toothbrush and tube of toothpaste. "Get them." Aelita walked over to the closet and grabbed the toothbrush and toothpaste before walking back to me.
"Ok, now what?" Aelita asked.
"Open the cap of toothpaste and lightly squeeze the toothpaste while the tip of the tube is near the brush," I told her gently. She did exactly that she squeezed only a little. So small, it was only about a centimeter.
"Not enough. Spread it to about halfway," I told her. She nodded before spreading more on it. She then looked back at me.
"Now, when you're brushing your teeth, you move the brush from side to side and up and down, but make sure to do it with force so the toothpaste will be forced out of its solid, pasty form and into a more liquid one. Like this," I said, starting to brush my teeth with vigor. Aelita looked at my actions and attempted to copy my movements. For the most part, she was successful.
"There you go. Just make sure to brush all of your teeth so they'll all get clean. From the front and the back of your teeth. When you can't really manage the toothpaste in your mouth, spit it down the sink. But don't do it forever. Just do it for about 10-15 minutes. I'll tell you when," I told her.
She nodded and we both began brushing out teeth in silence. She seemed to naturally get the hang of it, and I didn't really have to tell her much for her to figure it out. I mean, brushing your teeth was very simple, but it was nice to see her adapt. Mainly cause I hated how tedious repeating stuff could be. To see her get it down almost instantly was a relief. I finished brushing my tongue before washing the toothpaste off.
"That sounded was unpleasant," Aelita said, after hearing my gagging from brushing my tongue.
"It is. But my tongue has to get clean as well," I said.
"Your tongue as well?" Aelita asked.
"Yup. I basically brush my tongue, wait until my gag reflex activates, before stopping and hawking up like I'm trying to get out mucus, and I spit it out. Not hard really," I told her. Aelita leaned near the sink before brushing her tongue like she saw me do. She gagged, immediately stopped, and hawked on demand before spitting in the sink. I smiled.
"You're starting to adapt to the way your body works. Good on you," I told her as I put my toothbrush in one of the plastic bags I assumed was to hold our toothbrushes. "Don't come out until I say it's alright. I'm about to change into different clothes." She nodded as I walked out of the door.
I searched the bag for anything I could wear and I saw gym shorts and a muscle shirt, even though I had no muscles. I was skinny as all living shit. But hey. At least it was comfortable.
I quickly changed and told her it was alright to come out as I put my discarded clothes to the side. She immediately walked out while carrying my jacket.
"I can assume you want this back?" Aelita asked.
"Yeah. I'm kinda gonna need it," I said, grabbing my jacket and tossing in the closet. "I'll stay in the bathroom while you change."
"What's wrong with what I have on?" Aelita asked. I ended up staring longer than what was necessary before answering.
"Nothing. If you change into something more comfortable, you'll be more satisfied as you lay down to go to sleep," I told her.
"Ah. Well, I'll see if I can find something good in the bag. In the meanwhile, stay in the bathroom until I tell you when it's alright," Aelita said. I nodded and walked in the bathroom while sitting down on the toilet seat. I felt tired as I sat on the toilet. I was half asleep when Aelita told me that she was ready.
I groggily stood to my feet and walked out of the bathroom. Aelita had decided on a long night shirt with an A on it. I threw her the thumbs up before cutting off the light and collapsing on my pallet.
"Good night," Aelita said, climbing in the only bed in the room. I had put my hands behind my head and looked at the ceiling. I tended to get lost in thought before I went to sleep. It took a while for me to go to sleep, which was weird considering how tired I felt, but I eventually drifted off to sleep for a peaceful night.
