This is for Christine, who started it all, for Blane, who gave me good advice that I didn't take, for Mckenzie, who managed to give me the same advice as Blane (which I again didn't take), and most of all for Sam, because he and his ever-present influence on my life, for all the stress it causes me, is one of the things that keeps me writing. I love you all!
I don't own Code Lyoko, but I do seem to relate myself very well to the characters, ne minna-san?
Dial Tone by Ransomed Heart
It is amazing how one single object can be so utterly terrifying. It's the kind of fear not caused by any impending danger or physical threat. In all of my fourteen years on this earth I have never experienced that kind of mortal terror until today.
Looking at the situation in a logical, detached manner, I suppose it would seem rather silly. In fact, I would probably be laughing at myself. I mean, come on. I fight a supercomputer bent on destroying the world on what, a weekly basis? Yet somehow this simple task makes me want to curl up in fear. How pathetic am I?
The cell phone sits on the carpeted floor of my bedroom in front of me. I reach out a hand for it, then jerk it suddenly back to my lap, leaving the phone untouched. My hands are clasped together so tightly that my knuckles begin to turn a ghastly shade of white.
This is outrageous, I scold myself. It's not like anything is different. It's just Ulrich for heaven's sake, the exact same guy you hang out with on a daily basis. Nothing peculiar about it at all. Yeah, right.
I think back to the conversation we'd had earlier. Ulrich invited me to see him play soccer at his game this afternoon. I really wanted to go, but we were supposed to visit some friends of the family, so I told him no. When I got home my mom told me that my dad had to work late, so we wouldn't be going. my scedule was clear. Now all I had to do was pick up the phone and call.
Hence, here I am, camped out on the floor of my room fighting a war with myself over whether or not to make the call. Silly, isn't it? Strong, tough-girl, tomboy Yumi is afraid to call the guy she has a crush on.
Why am I so afraid, I ask myself. What's so horribly hard about calling Ulrich and telling him I can come to his game? I've called him hundreds of times in the past, so it's not like it's a new experience.
But this is....different, somehow.
This isn't to tell him that he has to drop everything and rush to the factory, or to warn him that a X.A.N.A. attack is heading his way.
This is....personal.
And for whatever reason, that frightens me beyond all reason and comprehension. It's not strictly business anymore, and that changes the rules of the game. It's the same emotion I felt the first time we held hands. Granted that we were being chased through the city streets by a giant X.A.N.A.-possessed teddy bear, but the feeling is definitely the same one. Believe me, it's a hard emotion to forget.
Which brings me back to the cell phone. To call or not to call, that is the question. Okay, lame joke, but it does distract me for a moment. Cut me some slack, this takes way more guts than you would think.
Okay, deep breath. In and out, in and out, over and over until the overwhelming urge to hyperventilate passes.
Reach for the phone again, I coach myself. I grasp the phone in my shaking hand and press the talk button. The dial tone come up through the phone, a steady tone that is no comfort to me.
I dial the number by heart. It's not that I don't have it programmed into my phone, but dialing by hand takes longer and I want to delay the inevitable.
The ringing begins. One ring, then two. See, I tell myself, he probably won't even pick up. All this stress for nothing.
Three rings, and then there's a click, followed by a "Hello?"
"Hi, Ulrich?"
-----
I want to end it there. A simple oneshot to vent my emotions.