Chapter 50:

Sakura was trying not to hyperventilate as the Stern and Della Robia kids watched the interaction between the Belpois child and the child of XANA on screen. Riley placed a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Relax, she's fine."

"But what if he kills her?"

"He won't."

"What if she kills him?"

"That's probable, but not going to happen. This is Hallie and Dante we're talking about."

"Our own Romeo and Juliet," Drew said leaning against the chair his head resting on his crossed arms. "If we ever were going to have a pair it would be those two."

Riley spoke quietly to himself, "And you two would be the blind, oblivious, mule headed friends refusing to admit your feelings and start dating." Sakura and Drew did not hear him.

On the view screen Dante tapped Hallie on the shoulder, and she devirtualized with Dante following her. The three in the supercomputer room sat calmly not saying a word waiting for the two to appear.

Drew broke the silence, "So, Hallie went to the same middle school you two went to."

"Yes," the Sterns answered in unison.

"So why aren't you two helping her?"

Sakura froze as the relevance dawned on her. Riley answered for her.

"Dante's fighting style is the most similar to Hallie's out of the three of us."

Drew nodded. "Alright, next question. Why were you two so overprotective of St-Hallie if you two aren't related?"

Sakura spoke up this time. Her voice was soft, "She's our friend. We've been the siblings Hallie has never had. We're naturally protective of her. Even though our parents told us to keep an eye out on her, we would have done it anyway. She's risking a lot, you know."

Drew cocked an eyebrow, but was unable to ask for a further explanation. Dante and Hallie had entered the room.

"Guys! Curfew is in half an hour. We need to go, go, go!" Hallie called clapping her hands together for emphasis on every "go".

"Sure Stell!" Sakura called and heaved herself out of the computer chair. The rest of the group started to congregate toward the elevator. Of course, he of many questions, Drew, had one last comment to make.

"What's with the whole alias thing popping back up?" he asked as he, Sakura and Riley entered the elevator. The doors closed behind him, and the lift began.

Riley, the tall, quiet leader explained. "At school she is Stella Stern. In public she is Stella Stern. In private she is Stella Stern, but in reality she is Halinor Belpois. The only people aware of this are Principal Delmas, Sakura and I, our respective parents, and now you two. Reality will not interfere with school, public, or private life. Stella's life and ability to continue boarding at Kaddic High Academy depend on no slip ups. So far we three have been successful, but will you two be able to handle this elaborate deception?"

Drew solemnly answered, "Yes." Dante quietly agreed also.

OOO

My mind is mush," Riley declared to the lunch table. Sakura lowered her fork of ravioli and peered at her brother in shock.

"He speaks. I didn't know he had it in him."

Sakura got in her brother's face and pointed her fork at him in suspicion.

"Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?"

"He's a post midterm zombie just like the rest of us," Drew airily said spearing his own ravioli off of one of his three plates, all filled with ravioli.

Sakura narrowed her eyes at Drew, "Don't mention the word zombie to me again," She shivered when she said the forbidden word; it starts with a "z". Stella nodded in agreement with the above statement. That XANA attack had been freaky.

Midterms were almost over. After lunch was the last round to take and then FREEDOM! Movies in class until the winter holidays arrived. Two weeks of pure bliss away from school, and all its hassles.

Stella wrinkled her brow in thought. "Hey, guys. What are we going to do over the holidays concerning XANA?"

Sakura swallowed a bite of ravioli. "We will do what we always have done, Camp Baby-sit. We convince our parents to stay in town, and we come running to deactivate the tower."

"That's not going to work for me. My parents and I are going to be…away." Stella finished quietly and for a second one could almost see a look of sadness on her face. It quickly disappeared as if it had ever been there in the first place. The nonstop sunny smile of holiday cheer, despite the cursed exams, was back on as she changed the subject.

"What are you guys doing for the holidays?"

"A HUGE family reunion for us," Sakura commentated spearing a piece of broccoli. "Drama, angst, high tempers, hostility. All will be present at the Stern family reunion. After that we are visiting my mother's family. Oh the joy."

"Cool," Stella nodded, "And you Drew?"

The blonde, in the process of drinking a Purple Flurp, stopped the excessive chugging, placed the empty can down with a satisfactory thunk, and belched. It would have one a solid 10 if being judged by other quality competing belchers. Unfortunately, the girls at the table were of the fold manners matter, so he was rated a -10 in politeness. Sakura narrowed her eyes at him, but except for the dip in her good graces she let it slide.

"My dad and I are going skiing…in Transylvania. We're doubling work for looking of a location for his movie, Dracula, with fun, the skiing."

Dante joined the conversation. "I will be spending the holidays with my family in town."

Stella gave him a strange/confused look. "You're going to willingly spend time on Lyoko with XANA?"

Dante closed his eyes and smirked, "No. I was adopted into the Millard family two years ago. I will spend the holidays with my fellow adopted siblings. There are seven of them: four girls and three guys."

Stella pushed away her tray of cafeteria muck. "I am surprised. You are part of a big family. Why are you boarding at school?"

Another smirk, "For my privacy and sanity. The youngest is seven, the oldest 23. We're all adopted, and I am being drawn into the tight knit group."

Dante eyed Drew and Riley in a manner Riley recognized. It was the look all protective males gave potential predators of those under their protection. Riley sent a look like that to whatever foolish male tried to flirt with Sakura or Stella.

"I wouldn't suggest dating any of my sisters," Dante tactfully said still sending off the subtle beware message, "You have four older brothers to fight and have pound on you if you break their hearts."

Sakura broke out laughing at the two guys responses. For the first time that day Stella had a true smile adorning her face.

Mission accomplished. Dante thought giving Stella's reaction a brief reaction of a small smile himself. While Drew blustered in shock and protests of how he wouldn't even dream of dating a friend's sister (this causing Sakura's laughs to halt into a more sober mood) and Riley's understanding nod, Dante briefly thought to himself. She's been far too gloomy lately.

Sticky Note 10-07-2007: I'm late! I'm late! (I know) I'm late!

One word will summarize my late post (well, really one acronym) BOA (Bands of America). I had to awaken at the ungodly hour of 2:50 AM Saturday morning so I could be at my school by 3:45 AM so I could be at a 4:00 AM rehearsal and I arrived home at 1:10 AM Sunday morning and was in bed at approximately 2:10 AM that same morning. I went to bed at 9:00 ish PM Friday after typing part, not all of this chapter.