4-2: I'm Fine

I wasn't going to update until this weekend, but since I got so many reviews a corner of Janika's frozen heart melted and she repented, allowing me to put this chappie upnow. The plot has only begun, my Precious...

(((-2-)))

Janika opened her eyes. She saw Yumi and Jeremy standing over her. The genius was the only one wearing an expression of concern.

"Urg," she gurgled. "I feel like I just got hit by a train. Did I?"

"We don't know what happened," Yumi spoke up. She still acted detached. "You wouldn't move."

The dark-haired girl sat up slowly. "I don't remember what happened after you went inside the Tower." She flexed her arms and massaged her temples. Her breaths were coming easily and the fatigue that had just been harassing her vanished into thin air. She felt fine. "I'm feeling a lot better now, so I'm just going to go back to school, okay?"

Jeremy tried to make her stay, but she brushed him off. He let her go finally, but had to stay to try to locate any anomalies in the Polar region that might explain her collapse.

"I'll take her up to the first floor and then I'll be right back, Jer." But Yumi didn't say a word until they were heading upward in the elevator. "You really seem to think you're good enough for Ulrich, don't you?"

"Yumi, I can't help that I'm attracted to him." As an afterthought she added, "It doesn't look like you can either."

Slight blush colored her cheeks but she quickly rubbed it off. "We're friends. You're going to scare him off, you know, behaving like you do. Pretty soon he won't look at either one of us because you make him so nervous."

"Oh, yeah? And how exactly do I behave?"

She didn't wait to hear Yumi's answer, turning on her heel and stepping out of the elevator. Her rival's glare was the last thing she saw as the sliding closed.

Janika took the route through the sewers, using her skateboard. She blanched at the awful smell. You'd think she would have gotten used to it after more than three weeks.

The school was bustling with people. A paper airplane hit her in the side of the head and Janika laughed as she threw it back. Kadic wasn't so bad, really. Not as long as your private thoughts weren't broadcast across the whole campus, anyway.

On the way to her dorm room she passed Jim as he was talking to some younger students.

"Everything is controlled from this room. Breakers, fire alarms, and even the automatic locks on the main doors and stairwells to keep people out during the holidays..."

She continued on by, hardly listening. She wondered vaguely if Jim worked at the school because he didn't have a social life.

The sun was setting as she reached her bed. Janika thought about looking at her laptop, but before she could pick it up, a wave of lethargy overcame her. She hadn't been tired earlier.

(V)

Kiwi saw Janika from his window as she entered the schoolgrounds. He barked and wagged his tail for attention, scrabbling with his tiny claws at the glass.

"What is it, boy?" Odd asked as he stood up to shush his pet. "Is there a nasty cat out there?" He followed Kiwi's gaze and saw the girl far below with her dark brown braid. "Oh, definitely a cat."

She bounced cheerily through the crowd of kids, greeting everyone she met.

"She's cute, huh?" Ulrich said loudly. He was right behind Odd.

His friend started suddenly, then shrugged. "Well, she's not as pretty as some girls."

"Then why do you keep staring at her all the time?" he teased.

"She's part of the team," the blonde shrugged. "I see how you stare at her sometimes." He clasped his hands together and batted his eyes at the other, mockingly.

"I like Yumi better than I like her, and you know it," Ulrich mumbled as he returned to his bed.

"Oh, I suppose that date a couple weeks ago was just out of charity."

"You bet it was, and if Yumi finds out about it I'll kill you. It's bad enough that you told her Janika likes me. You still owe me for keeping Miss Cheetah from throttling you."

Odd pretended to be afraid. "Ooh, I'm shakin', I'm shakin'!" He grew serious again. "Honestly, Ulrich, you like her."

His friend laughed outright at that. "Not as much as you do. I'm not the one who disappears whenever I have a chance to be alone with her. You always find an excuse to avoid her. If you're not careful she's going to think you don't like her at all. Don't scare her away."

"Oh yeah? How do you know what goes through her head? I don't see you wearing a cute orange shirt and showing off your chocolate-brown braid!" Odd pranced around the room, imitating Janika's girlish walk. "Chocolate, mmm..."

"All girls talk to girls, and I talk to girls who listen to other gabbing girls. Simple as that. You should try it sometime without being annoying."

"I'll follow your 'expert advice' the day Jim gets married," Odd said rolling his eyes. "Look, just cut me some slack. I'm fine and she's fine."

Kiwi began to growl menacingly. His eyes were still locked on Janika. The fierce rumble escalated and neither boy could calm the dog down. He continued to stare even after she was out of sight.

Ah! The dogses know the truth, they do! Gollum gollum!