Chapter 9

Carole Stern

"Ugh, it's nice to finally be able to relax for a moment," Yumi said as she sat down in a metal patio chair outside the back of the castle. Aelita followed her to the chair next to her, glad to join the guys after finding their room.

"Which room did you get?" Ulrich asked from his seat at the table surrounded by his friends.

"The corner room, overlooking the rose garden," Aelita said.

"Oh, ok, that room," Ulrich nodded his head, knowing where the room was.

"Dien mittagessen, Meister Ulrich."

The five turned towards the voice, finding the butler from earlier standing behind Ulrich, pushing a cart of food.

"Oh, danke, Klaus," Ulrich said, surprise on his face. "Aber ich könnte-"

"Your father, he ordered this," Klaus said in broken French. He pulled out plates of food, sitting them down in front of each person and made sure everyone had silverware before reaching down into the bottom shelf of the cart. He pulled out a pitcher of lemonade and five glasses. The five sat in silence as he worked, not sure what to say.

Klaus filled up the glasses and left the pitcher in the center of the table before nodding at Ulrich, asking, "Gibt es noch etwas?"

"Nein, Klaus, danke," Ulrich said, disappointment in his voice.

"Sehr gut," Klaus nodded his head once more before turning around and walking with his rolling cart back into the castle.

"That was Klaus, our butler," Ulrich explained. He looked down at the food on his plate, noticing a thick slice of rouladen as the main part of their meal with a side of blaukraut. Silently he blanched at the thought of the red cabbage.

"I wasn't expecting them to serve us," Yumi admitted, picking up her fork to start eating.

"Oma said she would let me know when lunch was ready," Ulrich said, cutting up his rouladen.

"There you are, Ulrich dear," Carole's voice called out as the woman walked out the door of the castle. She walked over to the table and placed a hand on the back of Ulrich's chair.

"Where's dad?" Ulrich asked, knowing she didn't get too much time alone.

"Your father believes the students need his ever present eye over them, so he's eating with your headmaster and teachers," Carole said, a smile on her face. "Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Ulrich stood up and slid his chair closer to Yumi's giving the woman a spot to pull up an extra chair at the table next to him and Odd.

"Hier sind sie, herrin," Klaus said as he appeared walking from the castle with a single plate in hand and a glass in the other. He sat in down in front of where she was now sitting and poured her a drink. "Gibt es noch etwas?"

"No, danke." Carole nodded her head at the man.

Klaus left them, letting Carole turn to look her son's friends over. "I'm sorry we haven't been able to talk before this," Carole started as she started to cut her food and eat. "Ulrich's told me a bit about you all so let's see if I can match a face to the names." She looked at the purple clad teen sitting next to her, his plate almost empty, as her smile grew. "I think you're Odd. Jeremie Belpois, is it?" Jeremie nodded his head, getting her to continue. "Aelita, and Yumi Ishiyama."

"Ulrich's told you a lot about us?" Yumi asked, reaching for her glass.

"Only a little bit," Carole admitted. "Enough to know my husband's wrong about you all. Don't listen to what he says, he does just want what's best. Sometimes he can't see when the best is already in front of him." She took a bite and quickly swallowed it, saying, "Oh, before I forget. Your Phys Ed teacher, Mr. Morales is it? He's making shifts for the students to run into town and grab a few necessities. I believe your class was on the list to go after lunch."

Yumi looked over at Jeremie, a thought flashing between the two as Jeremie shook his head. Odd looked away from the woman.

"What is it?" Carole asked, surprised to see the turn in atmosphere.

"The idea's nice," Jeremie started, "but I know for us, and I'm sure for a lot of other students, most of us don't have much money with us."

"That's all been taken into consideration," Carole said. "The Sterns are going to pay for anything deemed necessary, such as toiletries, a few days of clothes, and the like."

"Oh, thank you," Aelita said, surprised.

"It's not like you asked to be forced out France," Carole said, pity on her face. "Somethings are just beyond anyone's control."

"When does the bus leave?" Ulrich asked.

"Two thirty." Carole looked at the inside of her left wrist to check the time and said, "About half an hour from now. But didn't your grandmother fill your closet?"

Ulrich rolled his eyes but nodded his head.

"Anyway, your father wants to talk to you while your friends are shopping," Carole added.

"Great," Ulrich said, sarcasm dripping off the word as he shoved the last of his roulade into his mouth.

"You're not gonna eat the rest?" Odd asked.

"You like that stuff?" Ulrich asked, surprised as he handed his plate over to Odd.

"It's ok," Odd said before he started eating the last of Ulrich's meal.

AN: You never realize how much you know words but have no idea how to spell them when you start pulling from a language you don't use that much. I grew up with my mom speaking German all the time, so I knew the words. I moved away from her about five years now and haven't really done anything in German since then until writing this. The words came to me, the spelling did not. And some of these words, when I looked them up, I realized, "oh! That's how you spell that!"

Oh, and for those that are curious, rouladen's beef sliced thinly, wrapped around pork belly, onions, pickles, and mustard. Braise it in the oven and normally served with gravy over it. Mom would put it with sauerkraut, but I found that, at least in circles Ulrich's family would be a part of, isn't what is normally served with it. Instead they say to serve it with blaukraut or dumplings. I still say sauerkraut's only good in a Rubén.

ODD: Man, you're making me hungry all over again!

AN: Go, the bus is about to leave.