"Stranger Like Me"

By: Meagen Barnett

Chapter One:

Jeremie swung his head down to stare at his fingers lieing limply on his computer keyboard. His room lay dark from the first hour of night and the lack of a lamp. He stared back up at his computer screen becoming face to face with a virtual girl who smiled back at his blank and serious expression.

She said nothing, but watched as he blinked once and looking once again back down at his keyboard. With one breath his finger tapped the enter key once to start the very familar test of his materialization program. Once that test started there was no breath to be breathed.

The test got up to the point to where it always failed and to Jeremie's surprise kept going on in sucess. He almost leaned out of his seat with hope.

A few seconds after that there were three beeping noises and a green plus sign to give the ending result as a sucess.

Jeremie Jumped up in shock, knocking his chair over in the process.."AELITA!!!!" He practically screamed this out. He had finally completed the first goal of his biggest dream. Next would be the real materialization.

Aelita smiled big before speaking. "Did it work?," was all she said.

Jeremie picked his chair up and sat back down in it." Aelita, it worked, you can be human now and get away from XANA and...we...can finally be together." Jeremie paused in between words as his face began to become hot.

Aelita's face lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh Jeremie, I'm so happy. I can't wait. I want us to be together too. I want to see you for the first time..and know what you look like. " She said smiling just as much as before.If she could blush she would probably be doing it at the moment.

Jeremie smiled brightly but then suddenly remembered something that made his face change from happy to serious. "Uh...Aelita...there is one thing I'm not too sure about..It's that I don't know what materialization is going to be like for you. It could probably be very dramatic...you have never used any senses before and it all may come to a shock to your body. It will probably be just like being first born.."

Aelita nodded trying to take in his every word and understand as best as she could.

Jeremie continued on. "You have never used your eyes before so they might be sensitive to light and you may become very vunerable to touch and other sensations."

Aelita cocked her head to one side and smiled out of the corner of her mouth. " It's okay Jeremie, I'm not scared. I know you will be there for me."

Jeremie felt overwhelmed at the moment at hand and had to fight tears threatening to fall. "Thank you Aelita, I am very greatful you have trusted me like this. You make me feel so happy..I don't even remember how life was before I found you..I don't regret any of it." His voice studdered with the struggle of tears.

Aelita turned her head and listened to every word..for that was all she could have to know him..Jeremie could see her but all Aelita got was a voice on the other side of a mic. His voice was very important to her. It was all that she had to know he was real.."Jeremie I want you to know I care for you." she said..hesitantly..she had feelings for the boy on the other side of the voice but didn't exactly know how to say 'I love you' for it was never known to her what love was.

"I care for you too." Jeremie replied figuring it meant what he thought it did. "I want to try the materialization tonight..but I need to get rest and go to class tomorrow and also it wouldn't be fair to the others."

Aelita nodded once and blinked to one side. " I can wait...we've waited this long..one more night won't kill us you know."

"I hope not." Jeremie said kinda laughing before saying his good byes and shutting his computer off. He was lift to his own nightly dreams of being united with the his first love.