Author's note:
I'm an awful person! I said it wouldn't be two months but two months have come and gone. I apologize once more. I won't make any excuses, and will do my best to finish the story soon. I have an outline written for the rest of the story. Things should pick up either next chapter or the one after that! Thank you for sticking with me! Let me know if anything is out of character, or if Adalene is disagreeable.
I went back and fixed the spelling of Sissi's name-I don't know what I was thinking. Also, for anyone confused about timelines, this takes place during an... alternate version of Evolution, I suppose.
Chapter publish date:
27 August 2017
Content warning:
Mild angst, dog urine, and food. You know, Code Lyoko.
... There is also a dirty joke. I'm so sorry.
Chapter Eleven
Code: Reminisce
Aelita had almost burst at the seams when she found out that the station she applied at loved the mix she had made for them. They adored the combination of her warm voice and playful humor, and the way that it invoked a trust and comfort in anyone that heard it. The choice to consider her for the job had been an easy one for them. They'd even sweetened the deal-every weeknight at 11:00 they'd play up to a half hour of her music. EDM was in, and hers was the good stuff.
Without thinking about it, she'd accepted the job offer. Later, when she actually sat down and let the excitement fade, she knew she'd made the right choice. It would be a drag to play the same hits over and over during the day, but getting some airtime for her own songs at night would more than make up for a bit of tedium in the earlier hours.
It'd been a few months since she'd gotten the job, and she still gushed about it whenever they talked. Jérémie loved how excited Aelita got whenever she checked her follower count. After the first week, she'd called him over video chat. He recalled it wistfully.
'-a Soundcloud star, Jer!' She'd spoken so quickly that she cut herself off.
'Good afternoon to you, too,' Jérémie replied with a teasing smile.
Her screenshare suddenly filled Jérémie's monitor. 'Look! Two thousand! I don't even know two thousand people, and that many people are following me!'
'That's fantastic, although unsurprising with how high-quality your songs are. If you don't double that by the end of the weekend I'll be shocked.'
After a pause, she responded. 'Thank you, Jérémie. You'll always have the coveted position of my first follower.' She giggled.
'Maybe someday soon I can auction that title off for a few thousand Euros….'
'You wouldn't dare!'
'Yeah.' A warmth spread across his face as he smiled. 'I'm serious, though-your music is amazing. Better than anything I hear when Odd puts his iPod on max volume.' He rubbed his temples at the thought. 'You'd think somebody would've complained to Jim by now.'
'Odd makes music from time to time. I think he plays the old songs so that his new ones sound even better. You should ask to listen some time, they're pretty good, even without the comparison.'
'Yours will always sound better to me.' His face grew hotter. 'That is b-because I prefer your style, of course. It reminds me of chiptunes.'
Her smiling face replaced the screenshare. She'd looked uncharacteristically bashful, and her voice was soft. 'That was the idea.'
Jérémie was brought out of his daydream by the sound of singing. Two relatively high and familiar voices belonging to Odd and Aelita rung perfectly with the pop song that was bubbling out of the car's radio. 'Bubbly' was certainly a fitting word for how the tinkling melody bounced energetically. The pair's voices enhanced the sound.
Occasionally, a third and deeper voice would hum along. Adalene seemed too focused on the road to sing constantly, choosing instead to tap one of her pale hands on the steering wheel. Every so often, though, her singing would join the others.
Jérémie smiled to himself. He couldn't yet tell if Adalene was trustworthy, but she definitely brought out a good side of Aelita. He wanted to see that side more-the carefree, radiant side that came when she wasn't afraid or worried-but she'd seemed so troubled lately. He assumed it was XANA.
He gazed out the window. Distinctly he remembered how she'd looked at lunch. She'd hidden it well, but there was an unmistakable undercurrent of unease. Her hands had gripped her food with white knuckles. Jérémie wanted so badly to comfort her the way he'd seen Yumi doing, but he couldn't. Feelings aside, he knew how much he was tied to Lyoko. It seeped into every facet of his existence, and she knew that.
If the problem was XANA, his intervention would only remind her of it. He couldn't bear the thought. He looked back at his friends-well, friends and friendly-seeming stranger-and this time, his smile was tinged with sadness.
The song ended, and there was a brief pause before the next one started.
Adalene reached over and turned the volume down a few notches.
"How are you holding up back there?" Her voice was cautious but friendly enough.
Jérémie did his best to hide his turmoil. "I'm worried you three won't have any energy left by the time we get there."
Her thumbs bounced off the steering wheel in time with the gentle music. "I don't think you have to worry about that. It's right around the corner."
Behind the sidewalk was a tall wall that obscured the view of whatever was behind it. The car turned a corner, and, sure enough, they had almost arrived at their location. Attached to the tall fence was bright posters advertising zoo attractions.
Across the street was a parking lot bordered on three sides by dense trees. The unbordered side, the one facing the zoo, was dotted by decorative floral arrangements and the occasional solitary tree.
Odd groaned as they drove towards the parking lot.
"It's busy already? They just opened."
Sure enough, dozens of cars were already parked and empty, and more were pulling in every second. The line of people at the entrance extended some ways down the sidewalk.
"Don't worry about it," Aelita said reassuringly. "There's enough zoo to go around."
Odd sunk back into the seat. "I guess everyone had the idea to come early."
Adalene covered her mouth with the back of her hand, trying to hold in a laugh.
Odd, in response, arched an eyebrow. "What?"
"That sounds like a personal problem." She bit down on her lip to hold in her childish chuckles, turning into the parking lot.
Odd chose to try to save his dignity by holding his tongue.
"We're here, nerds," announced Adalene. "Last one out of my car buys me food."
Adalene and Jérémie almost simultaneously slid out of the car with Odd trailing by a few seconds. Aelita, on the other hand, hung back until she was the last one inside.
Odd hung back to wait for the girls while Jérémie made a beeline for the prepaid ticket line, receipts in hand. Aelita slid up to Adalene and linked an arm through hers.
"Oh no," she said sarcastically. "Looks like I'm buying you food, what a shame."
Adalene smiled and poked Aelita on the nose. "And you're getting something from the gift shop."
Jérémie motioned for the others anxiously, eyeing the incoming crowds. The girls raced to him, arms linked, while Odd trudged behind.
When they were all in line together, Odd held his hands up. "Don't look at me like that. I'm saving my energy." He winked.
"It's not like we're going to be racing around. We've got all day," Aelita said. In the back of her mind, she hoped that was true.
Adalene, who looked like she'd been inspecting the sidewalk, peered back up at Aelita through her eyelashes. "Sorry."
Aelita's eyes widened and she rested her head on her friend's shoulder with a frown. "No, no, Ada. It's O.K. If the boys ditch you, they're just being rude. It's not your fault."
She pouted but didn't respond.
It was then Jérémie noticed the source of Adalene's concern. He'd been so focused on the tickets that he hadn't actually looked at her. Beneath where her short jeans ended, only a sliver of pale skin peeked out before her right leg ended in matte black metal. The knee, calf, and foot were all synthetic. He wasn't surprised he hadn't noticed, for the prosthetic closely mimicked the shape of her other leg, which was covered almost entirely in a tall black sock. He briefly wondered how she could stand wearing it in the sunlight.
He let his gaze linger for only a second before raising his eyes back to their normal level. "Er-sorry."
She looked embarrassed, and waved her hand apologetically. "It's fine. I brought it up. It's, ah, something you get used to. My stamina is pretty fine, so I'll try to keep up and just rest when you all are hanging around one exhibit."
Aelita gently squeezed her arm and offered a reassuring smile.
"So, ah, here's your ticket receipts." Jérémie passed one to Odd and Aelita.
"Oh!" Aelita exclaimed. She reached into her pocket and pulled out another slip of paper. "I bought one for you after I called you, Ada."
"You're too sweet." With a smile, she accepted the ticket receipt. "What would you have done if I didn't want to come?"
"Oh, I don't know."
Odd spoke up. "She'd have given it to somebody, probably." He looked away with a pout. "I wish I could've brought Kiwi with. He loves wild animals. I think he likes to pretend that he's one of them."
"Kiwi's marked too many spots in the dorms to be anything but a domestic dog." Jérémie said it without looking over. His gaze was locked towards the ticket counter.
"What kind of dog is he?"
"Some kind of terrier," Odd said.
Kiwi's story was fuzzy to Jérémie, but he knew Odd had adopted the dog just hours before he'd been scheduled to be euthanized. More recently, he remembered, Odd had sent Kiwi to live with his parents so he could focus on work and school. And girls. Eventually, though, Kiwi's absence had left a large hole in Odd's life, and, though he would never admit it, Ulrich's too. Odd snuck Kiwi back into Kadic, and to thank him, Kiwi had urinated on Odd's new sweatshirt. The memory brought a bit of a grin to Jérémie's face.
"Are you sure?" Jérémie asked. "I think he's a bladder with legs and a face."
Aelita tapped her chin. "In my opinion, he's more like a sentient bean."
"Ooh, beans are delish," Adalene said softly, rubbing her stomach at the thought.
Odd gasped in a manner that sounded like it belonged in a middle school play, and his voice turned shrill. "N-no! Don't eat my dog, you maniac! He's not a real bean!"
They were at the front of the line now, and the woman at the counter shook her head with an amused but polite smile.
Ulrich exited the locker room once again to a quiet room. Yumi waited for him, hair damp from the shower she'd taken. Ulrich silently took in the floral scent that wafted off of her. He loved the contrast between her fierce resolve and the gentle fragrances she wore. It was like her fans on Lyoko-ornate beauty that could cut you in half.
The thought only strengthened his own resolve. He couldn't hesitate-not if he wanted to remain in one piece.
"So," he murmured in an effort to get her attention.
She'd been waiting to see what he'd do. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't muffle his steps enough for her to not hear them. She turned to face him.
"So." She couldn't fully contain her smile.
"Can I take you to lunch?"
She covered her mouth in an effort to stifle her emotions. "Will I be paying again?"
He frowned in a way that made her think of a sad dog. "That was one time."
Yumi leaned toward him slightly and crossed her arms. "To make up for forgetting your wallet and making me pay for your meal, you may buy me lunch this once."
He opened his mouth to speak, but she continued.
"On one condition."
"What's that?"
"It must be close to Kadic. I promised Aelita I'd stay near campus today."
"At lunch yesterday?"
"Yeah." Her mouth set into a hard line.
"Was it that serious?"
She nodded.
Ulrich pushed away his curiosity. If Aelita considered something serious, then it definitely was. "O.K. I'll take you somewhere quick nearby, and we'll come right back."
Yumi smiled. "Thanks."
Anything was worth it, Ulrich thought, to see that smile.
He discreetly bit his lip to keep from grinning like a lovestruck fool, and turned towards the dorms.
They departed together, quietly debating which movie to watch. Frankly, neither of them cared about what movie they saw. It was just another argument to hide their feelings behind.
Author's note: Thanks again for reading. Let me know what you think! I hope you'll stick around for that good ol' plot to hit like a freight train! I will be writing more whenever I can, and I hope to get more content to you soon!