GAWD. I've concluded that the universe hates me. First, the Internet broke down two weeks ago, so I couldn't post. THEN I went to Maine, three miles into a forest away from most civilization - and no Internet. THEN I finally came home and - guess what? WRITER'S BLOCK! OH, JOY!

But, alas, here it is. Number nine. Go crazy.

Brought to you by: Annoyance with the world.


---Katie's POV---

Jeremy sounded panicked. "Aelita, get to the tower! Now!"

"What is that?" I demanded, never having seen this thing before.

"A scyphozoa," he told me darkly. "It can't be destroyed."

The creature floated with the grace of a pro-figure skater. The many tentacles looked endearing and menacing at the same time. I've never felt so much awe, admiration, and fearfulness in my life. Aelita booked it to the tower like a mouse scurrying away from a panther while I backed up defensively.

"Our main concern," the math whiz continued, "is that it doesn't get to Aelita. That would be something called bad."

"O-okay, but what does it do?"

"It tears out information that we don't want it to get."

"So it rapes our minds? All righty then!" I spun around and sped towards Aelita. My powers were exhausted from the journey here. I couldn't do anything.

When I faced the jellyfish-thing again, I expected it to turn around and go home, for Aelita was safe in the tower.

Of course, it did no such thing.

It just picked up the pace and rocketed towards me. I tried to run into the relative security of the tower, but a red beam nailed me right in the face, knocking me aside violently. Completely oblivious to the pain, which I'm sure was a really bad headache, I scrambled to my feet to find a Blok standing on the other side of the safe haven.

"When did... Never mind." It fired again and I, having no time to react, got thrown into a corner, now buckled over from the throbbing in my chest.

"You have 20 life points!" Jeremy so kindly informed me.

The scyphozoa drifted towards me. It was then that I realized it was never after Aelita. I just happened to be in her general direction. All I could do was sit there, terrified, as it crept closer.

As the monster finally stopped in front of me, the tower's red glow morphed into a calming blue. Then, it lifted me up and I prepared for the worst.

What information could it possibly steal from me? I'm just a high-school girl where my biggest problem should be if my acne medication caused an allergic reaction! Or if I got stood up on a date! NOT if some supercomputer virus destroys the Earth as we know it! No, that's definitely NOT normal and should NOT be my biggest problem, or even a worry of mine!

Unfortunately, when three of the cretin's arms reached my head, I knew it was.

And then words popped into my head. Words that weren't there before, words that this thing obviously gave me.

Your home awaits you in Lyoko's hell.

It released me. I fell to the ground.

"Materialization!"

And I blacked out.

---Yumi's POV--- (FINALLY! Even Sissi got a POV before me! *sob*)

"Hello? Jeremy! Is it okay to go out now? All right, tell Aelita and Katie we say thanks! ...What? Katie? Unconscious?"

"WHAT? Katie's unconscious?!" Odd burst out, looking very alarmed. He flung open the door and flew out with Ulrich.

"Okay, we'll be right there," I said, flipping the cell phone closed and dashing after them.


Since Jeremy and Aelita couldn't make the KO'd girl budge from the scanner room, we three had help carry her to the supercomputer.

"So what exactly happened?" Ulrich asked.

The two explained the whole thing, from her outfit to the emergency materialization.

"That's not all," we heard a weak voice say. Katie was finally awake!

"Katie!" Aelita gasped. "You're okay!"

"Do you know what the Schyphozoa did to you?" Jeremy immediately interrogated in an all-too-serious manner.

She hesitated. "Well... kind of."

"What happened?" a worried Odd urged.

"We... communicated, I guess you could say."

I think we were all moderately puzzled and surprised.

"It told me," the new girl went on, "Your home awaits in Lyoko's Hell."

The computer room was dead with silence while we all thought about what that monster meant. What had happened in Lyoko, really?

What was this the start of?

---Katie's POV---

We all departed the factory, once again shrouded in mystery. Why was one simple sentence so complex? What's Lyoko's Hell? And my home? What's with that? This place is my home, Kadic Academy is!

For about the millionth time this week, I decided to focus on anything other than the matter at hand. I thought about school.

And Dan.

And the dance.

And the burning desire to learn exactly how to dance as if I were a scyphozoa.


Ha! Now Ulrich's the only one without a POV! TAKE THAT!

Um... Yeah, I'll try to get the next on time. Ugh.


PREVIEW. HAPPY HAPPY.

I picked out my usual attire, and then the newest addition to my wardrobe caught my eye. Which reminded me of the dance.

Which reminded me it was tonight!

Which reminded me that I HAD NO DANCE SKILLS!

My stomach clenched and I started feeling anxious. How was I supposed to dance at a dance if I didn't know how?

Ugh. I'm hopeless.