Well, I'm back with another chapter. Apologies to Absh for taking so long, I hope you'll forgive me! (wipes tear) It's just that school was taking up most of my time for a while/ So yeah, here's a (I think) considerably better chapter than the last one. As always, thanks for reading and enjoy!
"Shhhh…" Lilo whispered as Ari watched Jake from the doorway of the elevator. It was morning in the Pelekai household and even though she couldn't remember, Ari figured she must've fallen asleep on the table last night. Sunlight streamed in through every window in the house, and Ari's spirits lifted just a bit. "He's still sleeping," Lilo continued. Ari nodded to show she understood not to wake him. She stepped out of the elevator so Lilo could return to the main floor.
Some of her anger had worn off since she had found out it was Jumba who had made her come here, and she felt a bit guilty at bursting out at him like that. After all, he had taken care of Jake and he seemed to feel bad about making them come here. Oh well, she would apologize to him next time she saw him.
She padded over to Stitch's bed where Jake was sound asleep under the warm covers. He looked so… different… as an experiment. His long tail extended off the edge of the bed and twitched slightly every few seconds. The covers rose and fell with the rhythm of his slow breathing. Ari pulled the covers from his chest up to his neck, keeping her sharp claws away from his face. When he squirmed in bed she quickly withdrew her paws and held her breath, hoping she didn't wake him up.
He slowly opened his eyes about halfway and turned to face her. His face seemed to screw up like he was going to cry. "Ari… I'm sorry…" he whispered. He looked up at her with those big black eyes and bit his lip.
Ari was about to ask what he was sorry about, but he had rolled over and gone back to sleep. She decided her question would just have to wait. As quietly as she could she tiptoed over to the elevator and went down to the main floor, her head swarming with questions she felt she would never have answered.
She decided she would apologize to Jumba right now just to get the weight off her chest. She walked down the hall towards the room where (she presumed) Jumba was. As she walked she saw a small picture hanging up on the wall in a simple frame. It was the picture of Lilo and Nani with their mum and dad. There was also a picture of Stitch attached to it. Ari paused and admired the picture for a moment. It made her realize how much she missed her own family. I hope they're having a good Christmas… she thought grimly.
She pushed the thought to the back of her head when she heard a voice coming from Jumba's room. "We'll get rid of this…" there was the sound of his computer beeping. Ari walked up to the doorway and looked into the room.
"Er… Jumba?"
Jumba gasped and jumped in his chair and twisted around to look at Ari. "Oh, 623, it is being you." He turned around and resumed his computer-tinkering. Ari didn't like interrupting his, as he would say, evil genius work, but she would have to apologize sooner or later.
"Jumba?" she tried again. "I'm sorry I got so mad at you earlier… It's just that… nothing like this has ever happened to me before and where I come from this is all…" she was going to say TV show, but figured that would freak him out. The last thing she needed right now was to freak out the one person that could get her home. "Never mind. I miss my family too and they're probably worried sick about me right now."
Jumba turned around in his chair again. He was smiling slightly. "Ah, is not to be worrying, 623. There is…"
Ari interrupted him. "Why do you keep calling me 623?" There was a hint of annoyance in her voice. "My name's Ari."
"Oh. Well, ok… Ari," Jumba replied. "As I was saying, there is time difference in dimensions so…" he turned back to his computer and typed some stuff in it. "A day here is being… minute in your dimension!" He leaned back on his chair triumphantly.
"How did you figure that out?" Ari asked, a note of awe in her voice.
"I am evil genius, Ari, and evil geniuses have ways," Jumba said proudly.
Ari rolled her eyes. "So, by the time I get home only seven minutes will have passed?"
"Yes, unless I am being very much mistaken."
Ari felt like she could walk on air in that moment. Her heart seemed to relax and she took a deep breath.
"Now," Jumba said crisply. "Is that all questions for now?"
"Er… yeah, I think so."
Jumba smiled again. "Alright. 626!" he shouted.
About five seconds later Stitch entered the room carrying a plasma gun and some other stuff Ari didn't recognize.
"What's this for?" she asked, obviously confused.
"Is being time for finding out what powers are," Jumba replied simply. When Ari didn't say anything he added, "So you don't blow things up on accident."
Now it was Ari's turn to smile. "You mean I can do things like Stitch"
"As long as you are experiment, yes. Now be following me. You too, 626."
They made their way through the house and out into the backyard. Ari was amazed to find that an obstacle course had been set up, including hurdles and tubes to crawl through. Their were also several weights to her far right.
"Wow!" she exclaimed excitedly. "Am I gonna run this?" She had always been a sucker for obstacle courses.
"First is seeing how much of 626's abilities you have. You is having his DNA, after all." Jumba was fiddling with his own plasma gun.
This was a new take on things. "You used his DNA on me?"
"Indeed I did. Come over here." Jumba motioned for her to stand about fifteen feet in front of him and Stitch.
"Dodge as many as these plasma blasts as you can," Jumba directed. Before Ari could object, they were firing the first round. She jumped over the first one, only to be met with one heading for her face. She threw her paws up in instinct and was surprised to find that she had caught it! It felt like warm, green Jell-O in her paws. She dropped it to the ground where it disintegrated.
Jumba nodded approvingly. "So can dodge and catch plasma blasts. Let's be seeing how much you can lift." He motioned to the many weights, some weighing up to 5,000 pounds.
"Um, can I start on something small? I don't wanna get squashed." Ari said nervously.
Jumba nodded. "Lift that 500 pound one." Ari was surprised to find that she could lift it with almost no effort.
"Now try the 2,000 pound one."
Ari did. It was considerably heavier than the first one, but she could still lift it relatively easily. After trying several weights they found that she could lift up to 1,500 times her size. Even Jumba had to be amazed, and Stitch clapped approvingly.
They tried several more tests, including the hurdles. She jumped over them easily, even though they were a foot higher than they were.
Ari was getting tired and Jumba finally said, "Ok, last one." He picked up his plasma gun again. "Instead of dodging and catching these, focus on them stopping instead." Ari wasn't sure what he meant, but nodded slowly.
Stitch picked his gun up too. They fired their blasts and Ari focused her energy on them. Nothing seemed to happen and Ari feared she would be hit, but was surprised to see the blasts bounce off something invisible in front of her and hit the ground.
"What the...!" Ari exclaimed. "How did I do that?" She reached out and her paw pressed against something. Ripples of colorful light drifted away from her paw like water.
"Is force field!" Jumba said happily. "I am guessing you can create force fields to deflect attacks!" He wiped his arm on his forehead. "Well, I am being going to rest. 626, stay and train her a bit."
Stitch seemed more than happy to stay outside with Ari. The sun rose high into the sky and they had fun. Stitch would find random outfits to throw at Ari, and Ari would try to create a shield. Sometimes it didn't work and the items hit her, but they never hit her hard enough to hurt. It was these times that Stitch would prance around the yard proudly and taunt her, calling out stuff in Turian like, "Feeboogoo!" Ari knew it meant "Bring it on." She would then pick up a small stone and hurl it at him. She always laughed at the look on his face when it bounced off his head.
High above them, staring out the window of Lilo and Stitch's room at the two, was Jake. He sighed and walked away from the window. He had been surprised when he had woken up yesterday to find himself an experiment, but he, unlike Ari, was sure of the culprit. When he heard Ari's shouts he had hurried to help her. It was partly because he felt he owed her for what had happened, but some of him felt that if he proved himself worthy, maybe she would like him. Ever since she had turned up at his house with the jam he had thought she was pretty, and his feelings hadn't changed now that she was an alien.
But now, he thought sadly, apparentlyStitch likes her too. His spirits were low when he crawled back into Stitch's bed. After all, what chance did he have against the creature that adorned Ari's room?
Well, there it is. After many days of writer's block, I've finally done it! R&R! Uh... please.
