Mr. Puck
The pit of her stomach woke her up, and energy flowed through her. She glanced at the clock. NIGHT! Her weary brain didn't care what exact time it was.
Get up.
She groaned as she slipped into her fuzzy slippers and clumsily shuffled out of the room. "Why, why am I here again?" Sissi grumbled, nearing Aelita's room.
"WAAaAAAAHHHHH! NOOO!"
That's why, answered her gut. The high-pitch scream shook Sissi clear awake. She flung open Aelita's door.
"Aelita? What's wrong?"
"Uh... I uh-uh-uh, nothing's wrong. I was... just having another nightmare," Aelita whispered. Sissi sighed, plopping onto the side of her bed. Aelita clutched her knees to her chest under the thin sheets and trembled harshly.
"Same one?"
"Yes, they just won't stop. I know they're just dreams, but I-" Sissi drew Aelita's head into her chest. The pink-haired girl quivered horribly, clutching her sheets harder as she cried. Sissi softly stroked her hair, saying,
"It's okay, Aelita. It's okay."
"The dreams are getting worse and worse, but we don't know why. This morning she trapped a girl inside of the showers because she thought it was a wolf. This has to stop somehow," Sissi told the rest when morning finally came.
"It all started when we went to the Hermitage. I think we should go back, this time with Aelita," Jeremie said. With arms crossed and jaw tight, Sissi glared coldly at him.
"And you think putting her through a living nightmare is going to cure her sleeping ones?"
"We'll be there to protect her."
"Sure, as if flying books, forks, and shelves weren't enough to worry about."
"Sissi, I don't think we have much of a choice. It's worth a shot," Yumi said. Sissi grumbled as they walked to the house.
"By the way, why were you outside of your room that late? Doing some late-night construction?" Odd whispered to her.
"No, I woke up because I just... had a feeling," Sissi shivered. Odd's hand rubbed her shoulder. His quiet look made Sissi smile. "I'm okay. I just... I don't like the sight of Aelita crying."
"None of us do, but why you?"
"I... I don't know... protective, I guess?" They walked a little in silence. The Dragon Queen's hand fidget on her cane, waiting for Odd to say... anything.
"You know... you don't have to make up for the past, right?" Sissi stopped in her tracks and looked back. "You're doing this because you feel bad for what you did to Aelita back then. It's okay. Nothing you can do can ever make up for it because one, it hasn't happened yet, and two, we've moved past it. Stop beating yourself up, Sissi." She blinked several times before finally nodding. They caught up with the rest as Sissi whispered,
"Thanks."
They finally got to the Hermitage. The dusty wood's groan still sent shivers up Aelita's spine. The wind whistled in the silence.
"Wha-what's happening to me? I'm shaking."
"You're scared. It's natural," Odd said. Jeremie stood right next to Aetlia, taking her hand in his as they went in. "Down boy," Odd spoke to a lifeless book.
"Okay, nothing's flying out at us," Sissi muttered. Aelita hesitantly walked forward. "Aelita, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I-I-I I think so."
"Let's go through the other rooms," Jeremie suggested. After examining all the rooms, they finally got to one of the bedrooms. Pink walls and cozy ripped pictures decorated the walls. The salmon curtains were torn, and the ripped floors matched the shredded wallpaper.
Suddenly, Aelita screamed loudly and clutched her head. She spun around, falling against the wall, and screamed again, panting. Aelita shut her eyes to rid herself of the imaginary wolves chasing her.
Slowly, she calmed down, breathing easier. "Aelita, are you okay? Did you have another nightmare?" Yumi asked.
"Yes, but it was different this time," Aelita replied, still woozy. She looked to a child's painting with trees and an elf on the wall. "It was... somewhere... yes! Behind the tree!" She removed the picture and found a small hole in the wall. In it was a little pinkish plush stuffed toy. Aelita pulled it out and gingerly held it. "Mr. Puck."
The team returned to the classroom with the little toy on the desk. "All we know is that this is the gnome that Aelita's been dreaming about, and she knows that its name is Mr. Puck," Jeremie summarized.
"It's not a gnome. It's an elf," Ulrich corrected.
"What's the difference?" Sissi asked.
"Elves are typically tall or slender, but they always have pointed ears. Gnomes are mostly short and plump, much like a dwarf only they don't live in tunnels."
"And you know this, how exactly?"
"My grandparents come from Germany."
"Yeah, that would do it." Sissi furrowed her eyebrows.
"What's wrong?" Odd asked.
"I... I vaguely remember this doll. But I remember... I think something was inside of it," Sissi struggled to say.
"How would you know?" Ulrich asked.
"Because the first time around, I bullied Aelita for having it. And then... Yeah! Something fell out of it! A key!" Sissi made a quick grab for the doll but stopped when Aelita's worried face caught her eye. "Uh... why don't you look, Aelita?"
"O-okay." Aelita carefully searched through the stuffing and pulled out a key.
"Do you remember what it unlocks?" Jeremie asked, picking up the key.
"No," Sissi sighed, "You guys snatched it up before I could figure out. Although, I remember Jeremie blurting out something about it when class started." Just then, the math teacher came in and class began. Jeremie's eyes fixed on the key. Sissi sat next to Ulrich a few rows back, whispering, "What are the chances that he does the same thing like last time?"
"Hey! A locker! It's the key to a train station locker!" Jeremie blurted out.
"I'll take that as a high chance," Ulrich smirked. Soon after class, the whole team went to the local train station.
"Ah! Here it is," Jeremie said. Aelita took the key, turned the lock, and opened the locker. She took out a black briefcase initialed FH.
"FH, what's that for," Ulrich asked.
"Fuzzy hands! Fifty cent hotdogs, fried eggs!" Odd suggested.
"Egg doesn't have an H."
"Just making sure you were on your toes."
"We'll know soon enough," Jeremie said, opening the case. In it, there was a load of small CDs. Jeremie took one of the CDs and uploaded them to his laptop. "It's Franz Hopper's diary!"
"Great, maybe we'll find out more about the Hermitage's owner," Yumi said.
"Well, we can't right now. The whole thing's encrypted. It's going to take some time," Jeremie said.
"How long do you need? Two or three days?" Ulrich asked.
"More like two or three years," Jeremie sighed. Everyone frowned. Sissi sat next to Jeremie, resting her hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, if you can materialize Aelita, you'll figure this out. Trust me. In the meantime, let's get back. I have some new equipment to test," Sissi smirked wide, glancing at Odd. "And I know just what to test it on."
"Uhhhh, Jeremie," Odd hid behind Ulrich, "Sissi's scaring me."
The next morning, Sissi groggily got up and heard a noise, popping her eyes open. A digital black ghost dove into her head, trying its best to take over. "WAHHHHHHHH!" Sissi flailed onto the floor, kicking and screaming for air. The apparition roamed through her head as Sissi's limbs twitched and shook on their own. Suddenly, the ghost flew out of her, disappearing into a nearby socket. Sissi panted through gritted her teeth and slammed her hand to the floor. "XANA." She quickly got dressed and rushed to Jeremie's room where Ulrich and Odd were waiting. "Let me guess: a big black ghost tried to take over you guys too?"
"You guessed it, your Majesty. Of course, I'm not surprised XANA couldn't get you. You're too much for him to handle," Odd smirked.
"Are you saying I'm high maintenance?"
"No, but taking control of you is just too high of a cost."
Narrowing her eyes, Sissi smirked back, grabbing the collar of his shirt. "Say something like that again, and I'll make sure XANA's not the only one you have to be worried about." Odd's smirk still clung to his lips, but a nervous glance crept into his eyes. Setting him down, Sissi opened the door and shook the sleeping genius awake. "Jeremie, Jeremie. Aelita's going out with Odd."
Jeremie bolted out of his sleep. "WHAT?!"
"Good, you're up. XANA's ghost tried to possess us."
Jeremie raced to his computer. "What? But there aren't any activated towers. The attack failed. That's strange; XANA's strong enough to possess humans, but... not you three."
"Must have something to do with sex appeal," Odd joked.
"But why me?" Sissi asked.
"Well, there's one possibility, but we would have to make sure," Odd snickered. When Sissi popped her knuckles, Ulrich and Jeremie two backed away, turned around, and did not turn back until they heard the blow. Smack! "OOOOWW!"
"That'll teach ya," Sissi growled as she stormed out and slammed the door. Jeremie and Ulrich laughed at the red handprint on Odd's face.
"We'll catch up with you later, Jer. I better take Mr. Wise-crack to the nurse."
"Alright, see ya," Jeremie yawned, looking back at the screen. He didn't know a black floating mass snuck into his room until it was too late.
A little later, the boys, Aelita, and Sissi were sitting on the field & track lawn at PE. Sissi still bore her frown, glaring deeply at the ground. Ulrich, who sat next to her, spoke up, "Hey, you're not still upset about what Odd said, right?"
"No... well, not as much, but I'm not worried about that. Why wasn't XANA able to possess us?"
"Maybe it has something to do with mental strength?"
"No, Emily is smart," Sissi muttered as Jim called Jeremie to the racing line. "Maybe it has something to do with the fact we've been on Lyoko."
"The only way we could know is if-"
"Ahh! I twisted my ankle," Jeremie cried out.
"Of course you did. You don't get strong muscles sitting in front of a computer all day. Sissi, take him to the infirmary," Jim ordered.
"He wants the crippled helping the crippled?" Sissi muttered to Ulrich.
"Um, Jim? Do you mind if Aelita took me instead?" Jeremie asked.
"Oh alright, but make it snappy." As Jeremie and Aelita walked off the track, Sissi stared them down.
"What's the matter?"
"I thought I told you not to talk to me," Sissi scowled at Odd.
"Yeah, but I don't learn well, as you can see from my grades," Odd smiled. The Dragon Queen rolled her eyes.
"I have a bad feeling. That feeling I get whenever something's wrong. And I was fine until Jeremie asked for Aelita to go with him."
"You're just over-reacting. Sure, you might have some weird sixth sense in Lyoko, but in the real world that-"
Suddenly, Ulrich's phone buzzed. "Yumi?"
"Jeremie's been possessed by XANA!" She shouted.
"What's that about no sixth sense?" Sissi smirked at Odd.
"Are you sure? This morning, Odd, Sissi, and I were almost possessed by a couple of ghosts, but they didn't get us. Why would it work on Jeremie?" Ulrich asked Yumi.
"No idea, but they were heading for the parklands when I saw them. Aelita was in Jeremie's arms unconscious."
"Oh no. We're on our way, Yumi," Ulrich hung up and grabbed Sissi's cane. "Time for us to go." Sissi nodded. She stood up and then cried in pain.
"AHH! My leg. Jim, could I go to the infirmary for a moment?"
"Oh no, not you too. Urgh, fine. Odd and Ulrich get her to the infirmary, pronto!" Jim shouted. As Sissi limped off with Odd and Ulrich, the three smirked to themselves.
"That was easier than I thought," Ulrich said, handing Sissi's cane to her.
Her eyes darted everywhere. "Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go!"
At the factory, the possessed Jeremie carried an unconscious Aelita much like a bride. Just as Jeremie jumped down to the elevator, Sissi, Ulrich, and Odd slid down the ropes, blocking his path. Sissi stood with a proud smirk, leaning on her cane. "I know you like Aelita, Jer, but aren't you supposed to carry your bride only when you're married?"
"Ha, ha! Good one," Odd sniggered. Jeremie dropped Aelita and slowly walked towards them. "I hate to fight our friend, but-" Odd ran and punched. Jeremie caught his friend's hand and threw him into the support beam.
"Odd!" Ulrich charged forward. Jeremie coldly caught his hand, and a purple electric charge zipped through Ulrich as the blonde menace forced him back. Ulrich, clutching his stomach, straightened up and threw another punch at Jeremie, but Jeremie simply electrocuted him like a bug, throwing him to the side. His possessed eyes zoomed onto Sissi. The Dragon Queen made a fighting stance, but her jaw trembled. Jeremie cracked his knuckles and marched forward.
"Okay, I hope this move works," Sissi muttered. She rushed forward, poising to ram her cane into Jeremie's face. The possessed genius moved to catch it, but then Sissi stomped her cane to the ground, flipped into a handstand, and then slammed her foot right into the back of Jeremie's head. As he crashed to the floor, Sissi made the landing and shocked him with her cane for good measure. "Wow, that worked. I can't believe that worked!" She turned and saw Aelita getting up while Yumi swooped in on the rope. "Get to the tower, now!" Clutching his stomach, Ulrich crawled into the elevator as they went down. Odd slowly got up, coughing hard as he got back to his feet. "Are you okay?" Sissi asked.
"Aw, you care about me, your Majesty?" Odd smirked.
"If I don't have my court jester around, I don't have a court." Their comedy was cut short when the possessed Jeremie got back on his feet, buzzing purple electricity in his hands. "You ready?"
"Ladies first." Sissi ran forward, swinging her cane at him. Jeremie caught it effortlessly and tried to shock her through the cane. Nothing happened. He looked at the cane.
"Wood," Sissi smirked, swiftly kicking him in the gut. "Good insulator."
"Grrrr." Jeremie leaped at her, got her foot, and launched her halfway across the room towards Odd. Sissi groaned at the pricking stings in her back.
"'Never underestimate your opponent.' How did I forget that? Uncle Jon flipped enough to remember," She muttered.
"Sissi help! Gaahah!" Odd shouted as Jeremie lifted him off the ground. Just as he threw Odd, Jeremie glared at Sissi who immediately shot a blast of electricity at him. He buzzed to a halt and slouched over as if he were about to fall.
"Grrrrr!"
"Okay. Now I need to get moving," Sissi yelped. She ran down the opposite end of the factory, and Jeremie chased after her, throwing electrified debris her way. "WHOA! Okay, why does XANA give people superpowers!?" Sissi ran behind a support beam, catching her breath. "I have to keep him away from the elevator. Wait! The metal!" She jumped off of the beam just as Jeremie electrified it. She tumbled to the ground. "Too close! Wait, where's my cane?" She saw it a few feet from her, but someone else was a lot closer than her. Jeremie picked up the cane and broke it like a twig.
Suddenly, a massive voltage of electricity shocked Jeremie's body, causing him to drop the pieces. He tumbled to the cold floor, unconscious. Groaning, Sissi got back to her feet, limping past Jeremie and clutching her stomach. She hobbled her way to the elevator as Odd bumbled in too. "You think he's down and out?" Odd asked.
"He isn't. Come on," Sissi groaned, slinking into the elevator. As the door shut, she slid her back against the cold metal frame and hissed. "Ahh, darn it. My back."
"What happened with your cane and Einstein?"
"I don't know. The last time I broke my cane it didn't spark like that. I guess the rubber in my shoe prevented any shock."
"Why did your cane break?"
Sissi suddenly found it hard to speak. She looked away, shutting her eyes. They landed in the computer room as Sissi got up and gave a long sigh. "I'll tell you later." They ran to the screen, and Sissi tried her best to assess the situation. "Come on, come on. There! They're almost to the tower. They squashed the last monster!" Just then, the elevator moved up on its own.
"Good, because I think Jeremie's coming down for a visit," Odd grimaced. The seconds seemed like hours as the door finally unlocked to a growling possessed Jeremie, buzzing his electrical fingers. "I'll entertain Einstein."
"Just dodge his punches. Don't do anything stupid- What am I thinking? This is Odd we're talking about," Sissi muttered, typing furiously on the computer. "Guys are you okay?"
"Sissi! How's Jeremie doing?" Aelita asked, hiding behind an ice shield.
"WAAAAAHHHH!" Odd shouted, nearly missing an electrical shock from Jeremie.
"Uhh, just worry about the tower and we won't have to worry about writing Odd's obituary," Sissi nervously chuckled. Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita made a mad dash for the tower.
A shadow loomed over Sissi. She quickly jumped out of the chair as Jeremie grabbed for her, but she struck her leg on the hard floor. "Dah! Won't you just heal?" Buzzing electricity caught her attention. Jeremie emotionlessly overshadowed her; hands buzzing horribly. "Jeremie! No!" But before Jeremie could grab her, he suddenly stopped. His eyes returned to their normal blue, and he fainted to the ground. "Whew," Sissi sighed in relief.
Continued...