I know it's been a long time since I touched this story. I guess you thought I was all done with it. No, I still have a bit to go, I just haven't had the drive to do it. For now, I hope you can forgive me and enjoy the next section in Lights and Shadows of Justice. The songs for this chapter are Let Me By Myself by 3 Doors Down, Suddenly by Superchick, Courage by Superchick, and My Little Phoenix by Tarja. Also I know it's a bit late, but happy birthday to Spyrofan777.
And friends they certainly made. A month after the Team left, the Progressive Warriors received a request to play at Gotham Academy for their winter dance. They couldn't say no. They were to leave for Gotham the week before Christmas and they would perform on the Friday night before Christmas. There was a lot to get done.
Odd wanted to bring Kiwi with and Eva didn't want to leave Bon Ami behind if Kiwi was going with. Aelita wanted to spend Christmas with her parents, so they were going to come along. Some of their parents weren't too thrilled they were going to Gotham, mainly the Sterns, Ishiyamas, and Dunbars after what happened when Ulrich, Yumi, William, and Kayla were in Gotham last time. The Olsons worried, but they knew she would be fine as long as Eva was with her. Jim thought about going with them, but he and Ms. Hertz already had plans. There weren't any other parents going with the group other than Aelita's, mostly because they knew they would be okay without them. However they were required to call every day to check in.
There was also something else that needed to be done, something that should have been done months ago. They LYOKO warriors pooled their money together and, through Franz and Antea, bought the factory. They were going to convert it into an indoor skate park, recording studio, and whatever else they felt like while keeping the supercomputer hidden. At the moment, they only had a few places cleaned up where they could have some band practice away from prying eyes.
Eva decided to take some time to go to the factory and play her bass for a couple hours before she had to be back for supper. She was messing around on her bass for a while before she heard someone outside.
"Ugh, of all the things to say!"
Eva recognized Yumi's voice. She put down her bass and walked out of the room to see what had Yumi all wound up.
"What's going on?"
Yumi stopped when she saw Eva. "I didn't think anybody was here."
"I am," said Eva. "What's wrong?"
"My parents," Yumi replied.
Eva jerked her head in the direction of what would soon be a recording studio. They both went inside and sat down on the stools.
"I'm guessing they're against you going to Gotham," said Eva.
"Yeah, that," said Yumi, "and they want me to quit the band."
Eva's eyes widened. "What?"
"You heard me. They think it's a waste of time. They want me to go to a university so I can get a 'real job.' But I love you guys and love this band and I don't want to leave it because my parents are making me."
"Then don't," said Eva. "If you want to stay, stay. The worse they can do is kick you out of the house."
"It's not that simple," said Yumi. She smiled sadly. "You never had to worry about disappointing your parents."
Eva nodded. "I'm not the best person to talk to about this."
"But you don't judge. What would you do if Jim told you you had to quit the band?"
"Good luck making me," Eva replied. "Maybe you should talk to Kayla about this."
"Yeah," replied Yumi. "I'm sorry I bothered you."
"Don't worry about it," said Eva. "The factory's ours. You have just as much right to be here as I do."
"What were you doing before I came in?" Yumi asked.
"Just messing around," replied Eva. "Care to see if anything comes from it?"
"From you, probably," Yumi giggled.
Nicolas cut his study hour with Aelita and Jeremy short that evening and went back to the dorm he shared with Herb. He found Ulrich and William standing outside the door with their ears pressed against it.
"What are you doing?" Nicolas asked.
Ulrich and William whirled around and shushed him.
Nicolas frowned.
William pointed to the door. "Does Herb play cello?"
Nicolas' frown deepened in confusion. "No." He pressed his ear to the door. There was someone playing a cello on the other side. Nicolas pulled away and looked at Ulrich and William.
"It's not bad," said Nicolas.
"No, it's not," William said. "Why didn't Herb tell us?"
Nicolas shrugged. He opened the door.
Herb had been sitting on the bed. He jumped up so quickly he dropped the bow and almost knocked the cello over. He rescued it as he yelled, "What are you doing here?"
"I sleep here," Nicolas said.
Herb sat down and hid his face with one hand. "You weren't supposed to find out."
"Find out what?" William said. "That was good."
"Why didn't you tell us you could play?" Ulrich asked.
Herb sighed. "I've known how to play for a long time, but I haven't played that much since I came to Kadic. I thought people thought I was a big enough nerd and I didn't need to add a cello to the mix."
"But why not tell us when we became friends?" asked Nicolas.
Herb shrugged.
"We're not going to make fun of you," said Ulrich.
"Who knows, we might be able to use a cellist," said Nicolas.
"How are we going to use a cellist in the band?" asked William.
Nicolas gave them a sly look. "You never know what Odd and Eva will come up with next?"
"Mostly Eva," muttered Ulrich.
Herb smiled.
Sissi had her closet laying out on her bed. She was trying to decide what she was going to pack for Gotham.
There was a knock on her door. "Elisabeth?" Mr. Delmas opened the door.
"Yes, Daddy?" Sissi said.
"I need to talk to you," said Mr. Delmas, coming in and closing the door behind him. "It's about your trip to Gotham."
"Daddy, I'll be fine," said Sissi. "Ulrich, William, Yumi, and Kayla have been to Gotham before."
"And we know what happened there," said Mr. Delmas.
"And Eva is no stranger to danger," Sissi continued. "We'll be fine."
"Elisabeth, promise me you'll be careful," Mr. Delmas said.
"I'll be fine," Sissi said, getting annoyed.
"All right." Mr. Delmas opened the door. "You don't need to go."
Sissi looked at him. "They're my friends. I'm not staying behind."
Mr. Delmas nodded and closed the door.
Sissi went back to choosing what to pack. She picked up a fuchsia top and stopped. She knew this was dangerous. But it couldn't be any more dangerous than LYOKO, could it?
Kayla was doing some packing herself. Her mobile rang and she answered it. "Hey, Sam."
"Hey, Kayla. I was going through my music files and I found a melody we could use. Do you think Eva and Odd can cook up some lyrics for it for the concert?"
"I don't know," said Kayla. She reached down and patted Bon Ami on his head. "Can you play it for me over the phone?"
"Sure."
A minute later Kayla was sampling the tune Sam had found on her computer.
"That would sound really good on guitars and drums," said Kayla.
"You think?" Sam asked. "I was just going to leave it as it was."
"Could we do two versions?" asked Kayla.
"I guess we could," said Sam. "I'll bring it with us. It'll give us something to do on the plane."
Ulrich returned to his room and was assaulted by a horrible wailing sound. "Odd, what did I tell you about singing?" he yelled.
Odd had his headphones on and was "singing" at the top of his lungs. "Fire it up! Get your game on! Bring your A-game! Step up and shine!"
"Odd!" yelled Ulrich. He reached out and yanked Odd's headphones off. "Odd! Are you trying to commit me?"
"Oh, hey, Ulrich," said Odd.
Ulrich gave him a flat look. "That's all you got?"
Odd beamed. "I was wondering if you were going to ask that. I was working on new lyrics." He walked over to his laptop and turned off the sound recorder.
"What do you have so far?" asked Ulrich.
"Just bits and pieces," Odd said. "Think of my lyric writing style as a collage. Paste a little here, a little there."
"Can you do it without destroying my hearing?" Ulrich asked.
"Probably," Odd replied. He looked around. "Where's Kiwi?"
"Probably hiding in the drawer." Ulrich sat down on his bed and jumped up again. "Odd, Kiwi peed in my bed again!"
Odd opened Kiwi's favorite hiding place/bed and found the small dog. "There you are!"
Ulrich started stripping his sheets off the bed. He looked over his shoulder and glared at Kiwi. "You have got to take him for walks more."
"I have class," Odd argued. "I'll ask Eva if she can do it."
"Be glad she likes dogs," Ulrich muttered.
Odd picked up Kiwi. "Are you ready to go to America, my little diggity-dog?" he cooed.
Kiwi yipped and licked Odd's face.
"Yes, you are," Odd said.
Ulrich simply rolled his eyes.
Kayla had finished getting everything she wanted to take with to Gotham together. She put the suitcases by her bedroom door so when they had to go to the airport, she could grab them and go. She wondered if any of the others had started packing. Sissi probably would be picking things up until the last minute and Eva most likely had only one bag she wanted to take with her.
Kayla's mobile rang again. She answered it, thinking it was Sam again.
"Kayla, it's Yumi. I need some advice."
Kayla was a little surprised Yumi was calling her about advice, but she was her friend and she was willing to help. "Okay. What's up?"
Yumi told Kayla what she had told Eva earlier. "I don't know what to do. I know I have to make a choice, but I don't want to disappoint them."
Kayla sat down on her bed. Bon Ami jumped up with her and put his head in her lap. "From what I hear, you're going to end up disappointing someone," she said, petting Bon Ami's head. "Either you'll disappoint your parents or you'll disappoint yourself."
Yumi groaned. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that. What would you do if your parents told you you had to quit the band and become a doctor?"
"I would tell them I did not want to be a doctor," Kayla replied. "What is the worst your parents can do? Cut you off and kick you out of the house? You have income and you can always move in with me if it comes down to that."
"It's the dishonor," said Yumi. "I guess that's what I'm scared of the most."
"Are they that traditional?" Kayla asked.
"No, but some days I wonder if they are," Yumi replied.
"Like I said, either you'll disappoint your parents or you'll disappoint yourself," Kayla reminded her.
There was silence on the other end.
"Hey," said Kayla. "Don't be afraid to be free."
"Hmm. Thanks, Kayla," said Yumi. "I'll talk to you later."
"Bye."
Yumi was standing on the corner of her block. She had called Kayla for a little support before she went home and confronted her parents. She put her mobile in her pocket and slowly started for the front door. She put her hand on the doorknob and took a deep breath. Yumi opened the door. Instead of seeing her parents waiting for her, she found Hiroki.
"What are you still doing up?" Yumi asked.
Hiroki hugged Yumi.
"What's wrong with you?" she asked. "Are you feeling okay?"
"If you want to stay with the band, then stay," Hiroki said. "Mom and Dad can't control you forever. I think you're a great singer, sis."
Yumi was shocked at first, but then she smiled. "Thanks."
Aelita walked back to her room after finishing her study session with Jeremy. Nicolas had left early and they had gotten into advanced calculus, trying to do some last minute cramming before their exams.
The door to Sissi's room opened. "Aelita?"
Aelita turned. "Yes, Sissi?"
"I need to talk to you," Sissi said. "Is it too late?"
Aelita went into Sissi's room and they both sat on her bed.
"What's wrong?" asked Aelita, seeing Sissi's worried expression.
"When you went on tour with just Eva and the Subdigitals, did you feel safe?" Sissi blurted.
Aelita blinked.
Sissi couldn't look at Aelita, so she looked down at her folded hands.
"Yes, I felt safe with Eva," said Aelita. "But not for the reasons you are probably thinking of."
Sissi looked back up at Aelita.
"You think I feel safe with Eva because she used to live on the streets and had to put up with abusive parents," said Aelita. "Sure, Eva knows how to pick a bad guy out of a crowd and has a way of sensing trouble before it happens. Sure, she knows how to fight and get herself out of different situations. But that's not why I feel safe with her. I feel safe with her because of her heart."
Sissi frowned. "Her heart?"
Aelita nodded. "When we were in Amity Park and when we were in Manhattan for that matter, I saw Eva would do anything and everything in her power to keep us safe. When those men attacked the school we were playing a concert at in Amity Park, she was willing to do anything to keep me safe. You didn't see her when she thought the one man shot me."
"But all those villains in Gotham," said Sissi. "I know I told my father I wasn't worried, but. . ."
Aelita reached out and took Sissi's hands. "You would be a fool if you weren't worried at all. I'm worried, too. We know what happened to Ulrich, Yumi, William, and Kayla. But they made it out. They're okay. Okay?"
Sissi forced a smile. "Okay."
Eva was still at the factory long after Yumi had left. She had put her bass down and went up to the roof. It was dark and the stars were hard to see from the city lights, but she could see the moon.
She reached under her shirt and pulled out her locket. She ran her thumb over the cross and jewel before opening to the picture of her and Mackenzie at the zoo. She no longer felt guilt when she looked at the two smiling faces staring back at her.
Eva turned back to sky. It was only a matter of days before they left for Gotham. She was worried about what they would encounter there. She would be stupid if she thought everything would go off without a hitch. That's what the others thought when they went on vacation two summers ago. Eva would not make that mistake and she knew the others wouldn't make the same mistake twice. She was more concerned about Sissi, Herb, Nicolas, and Sam. They never had to face a dire situation like the other LYOKO warriors had to. Well, at least a situation they remembered. Eva knew she would have to look after them.
If something happened, Eva was the one most likely to find a way out of it. She was willing to do anything to protect her family. She had already done some crazy things to save them in the past: protecting Aelita even when she didn't need it, being a host for the consciousness of Franz Hopper, donating her bone marrow in a very painful matter, and using the Duality Orb to fight a homicidal ghost. She was a fighter, always coming back to keep on fighting.
Eva looked back at the photograph. "Keep an eye on me, Mackenzie. I may need some help before all this is over."
