A/N: HOLY CRAP. I haven't updated in a while, have I? That's sad. Well, to make up for that, this chapter is kind of long… oO;;
In this chapter, Odd is listening to a song. I made that song. Is it crappy? Definitely. But can you steal it? No way! So yes, the song is © me, just so ya know. Oh, and my character Rhiné (though she isn't in this chapter) is also © me.
Unfortunately, Code Lyoko is not mine, so don't sue me. I'm poor, damnit! :-)
Well anyways, here it is. This chapter is dedicated to my favorite teacher, Mrs. B. May she rest in peace.
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-7-
Ulrich's P.O.V.
"Aelita here has been showing symptoms consistent with a severe head injury, and she is also displaying very abnormal brain wave patterns. There are some other oddities, but at this point, nothing seems to fit together, so we just can't tell what's wrong," Dr. Bachelder told us. Her eyes darted up from Aelita's medical chart every now and then to look at our faces, which I'm sure possessed expressions she'd seen many times before; grief, and fear. I was sure she'd done this a million times before. Though there was a hint of sadness in her face as she told us about Aelita, there was a competing look of indifference, I think.
I wondered how many people she took into this office every day to tell them the news of whatever's wrong. How many faces she saw, just like ours.
The three of us were in Dr. Bachelder's office. Yumi and I sat in two chairs, and the Doctor sat behind her desk. On the walls of the surprisingly large office were diplomas, certifying her level of education. On the flat, wooden surface of her desk sat a computer, with one of those fancy new flat-screen monitors. A few picture frames were perched near the computer, and, though they were facing away from us, I assumed they showcased photographs of her family. Also on her desk, a large plant spewed leafy tentacles off of the edge and halfway to the floor. The entire office would have been sterile and blank, much like a classroom, if it wasn't for a strange homey feel to it. Something in the atmosphere set it apart from most offices.
Remembering that the doctor was talking, I tuned in again.
"…And so we aren't sure how to diagnose, much less treat Aelita," Dr. Bachelder's voice was serious. It held, perhaps, the trace of a sigh in it. "We're… still using a few methods, but we aren't sure of what the results will be. For now, we just have to keep our fingers crossed."
I got a distinct feeling from this doctor. That she cared for Aelita. That was rare, I knew. Most doctors brush their patients aside, just awaiting a paycheck. I silently thanked whatever force had allowed Aelita to be in such good hands.
Yumi nodded her head slowly.
The doctor continued to talk about the specifics of what she was doing with Aelita… using words so big and strange, that they almost sounded like they were from another language.
I managed to turn my eyes over to Yumi. She seemed to understand what the doctor was saying.
Looking back at the doctor, I saw her put a hand to her head, brushing away the thick bangs covering her forehead for a single instant.
I nearly gasped.
I swore that for the single moment I saw the flesh hidden under her coat of hair, I saw Xana's symbol underneath.
Doing my best to hide that I had seen – or thought I had seen – what I did, I gulped and looked over at Yumi once again. Her eyes were slightly wider, and her face wore suspicion and alarm all over it, in a way that I was sure only I could have recognized. Yumi had obviously seen the same thing I had. I shuddered inwardly, knowing that the fact that she had apparently seen it too only meant that I couldn't have been simply imagining it.
"Well, I'm very sorry, but if you'll excuse me, I have some patients to attend to. You never get to take a break in a place like this," she told us, as she rose from her chair.
We did too, and the three of us stumbled out of the room wordlessly.
Yumi and I left the emergency room. As soon as we walked out the door, a jolt went through us; both shock from the sudden decrease in temperature, and the startling transition from having been in a stuffy room for hours to the openness of the world outside.
After a moment of us standing ridged, waiting for the shock to pass us by, I finally managed to say, "What the hell just happened?"
Yumi looked over at me. "I have no idea. Could she possibly be…?"
"I hope not… but… how? And why?"
"I don't know!" Yumi exclaimed in exasperation.
I raked a hand through my hair, to discover it was unusually messy. "It doesn't matter… not right now anyway. C'mon Yumi, I'll walk you home."
Yumi shook her head. "I need some time alone. I just want to walk around by myself for a while, okay?" she must have seen a look in my face that worried her, so she quickly added, "It's not you, I promise. It's just…"
"I know. But could I walk you home anyway? I'd feel a lot better," I said.
"It's okay, Ulrich. Besides, it makes more sense for you to go back to school and check on Odd… and then maybe try to knock some sense into Jeremie. And if you can do that, then try to talk to them about what happened," she said.
I sighed. "You're right. I guess I'll see you later," I said.
She started to walk away.
"Yumi, wait," I called. She slowly turned to face me in response.
I walked over to her, and took one of her hands in my own. Her soft fingers were as cold as ice. "Remember, Yumi…" I trailed off, as I was lost in her eyes for a moment, and didn't know how to finish my sentence. Gathering myself, I came back to reality. "Remember, that I'm always here for you. I love you, Yumi. And I need you to tell me if something's bothering you that you haven't talked about."
A final tear slid down her cheek. "I know," she said, giving my hand a squeeze, and then turning, once again, to walk away from me.
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Odd's P.O.V.
I sat on my bed, with my legs pulled up to my chest, my bare feet lightly tapping out a rhythm to the rock song I was listening to. My headphones were blasting the music into my head so loud that I couldn't feel my face.
Well, no, not really. But that's a cool way to phrase it, anyway.
"Now that I have seen you here,
I realize my deepest fear.
You're with him, I can't stand it.
I won't take this shit.
I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
I never knew
I never knew
How much I wanted you
But now that you're not in my grasp
I'm just a thing of the past
I never knew
I never knew
How you were there when I was blue
Just how much you mean to me
Before this, I could never see.
I know now how I've been so naive.
But this I can clearly perceive.
I'll never be enough for you.
There's nothing I can do.
Still,
I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
I'VE HAD ENOUGH!
I never knew.
I never knew.
…And that's why you should listen to me!"
Huh? That's not how the song ends…
I took my headphones off.
"Back again. And I have ideas. You should listen to me, that's what I was saying."
"You again! Leave me alone!" I told the annoying voice in my head.
"Don't you think that way. You have a million reasons to be doing this. Now get up, boy!"
"It ain't gonna happen, you stupid voice!" But, to my surprise, as I thought these things, my legs, without my doing, moved themselves off of my bed, and forced me into standing upright.
"That's more like it. Now MOVE! GO! NOW! Over to the desk!!" the Voice ordered.
My legs moved themselves over to my desk, just like what had happened that morning. The pocketknife I had nearly assaulted Ulrich with, lay innocently in its usual place.
"Get the knife."
My arm shot forward, and my fingers wrapped around the small object.
"Now go to the place where you think Ulrich might go next…And wait for him there. You must understand that this is right. You have no choice now, anyway."
"But I…" I started, walking back my bed and sitting down lightly on it, staring at the knife in my hands.
"Odd, have you ever stopped to think that maybe Ulrich never even liked you as a friend?" the Voice asked.
"But Ulrich is my friend… isn't he?"
"I don't know, Odd. Is he? How many times have you been in Lyoko and he was willing to protect Aelita and Yumi but not you? How many times has he allowed you to be devirtualized? How many times has he turned his back on you in the real world, Odd? How many times? You think he wants you for a friend? When he looks at you, all he sees is a purple-wearing freak!"
My eyes widened. I tried my hardest not to believe what this voice was saying.
"What about Jeremie, Odd? Do you think Ulrich cares about Jeremie? He doesn't! He only hangs out with you two to be closer to Yumi. He likes Yumi, Odd. But he doesn't give a shit about you or Jeremie. Now what kind of friend is that, huh?"
I didn't try to fight anymore. A few tears were running down my face, mixing with some tiny sweat droplets forming on my skin, and running down onto my pants.
"If you do this, Odd, you will be helping Jeremie as well. You have to understand that. This is why I am your partner, Odd. I'll always be there for you. Unlike Ulrich, I will always help you when you need me."
I gulped.
"Do it, Odd. Do it."
I got off of my bed and opened the door of my room, and stepped out into the corridor. The cool figure of the knife in my hands, I began walking away to where I knew I'd find Ulrich.
Ulrich, I was sure, was going to die today. I could already imagine the feeling of his blood on my fingers as he would fall to the floor, unable to go on.
And I was ready.
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Jeremie's P.O.V.
The sick green carpet on my floor was itchy against my skin. Why I was lying on the floor and not my bed, I didn't know.
I looked over at my wall. Einstein stared back at me.
I took off my glasses, and put them beside me. Then I closed my eyes, and tried to clear everything out of my mind. Aelita, my friends, my schoolwork. I told myself how none of it mattered.
A knock sounded at the door. I opened one eye, and sat up, jamming my glasses back onto my face.
"Jeremie? Are you in there? It's Ulrich," came a muffled voice from behind my door.
I sat for a moment, wondering if I wanted to talk to Ulrich or not. Finally I decided on a course of action. "I'm here," I said, in such a soft voice that it was almost a whisper.
Ulrich must have heard it though, because he then said, "Can I come in?"
I got onto my feet and opened the door. Ulrich stood there. "Hi, Ulrich," I said, letting him into my dorm.
He walked inside, kicked off his shoes, and plopped down onto my bed. I closed the door and sat down in my desk chair.
"Listen, Jeremie," Ulrich began.
I immediately knew where this was going. "Look, Aelita and I broke up. I'm not looking for the anti-virus anymore. And nothing you can say is going to make me want to start looking for it again."
Ulrich looked down. "Well then you could at least go see her. If nothing I can say will change your mind, then you need to go look at Aelita. She's… not doing so hot," Ulrich mumbled.
"Nope. I can't. Aelita and I are through. I won't do it," I said.
Anger was visible on Ulrich's face. "So you'll let her die over some stupid fight you two got into?" He stood up. "Is that what this is?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes. And it wasn't a stupid fight."
He marched over to the door, and opened it. As soon as he was in the doorway, he looked back at me. "You know what, Jeremie? We started doing this whole Lyoko thing for Aelita. And for you. If it wasn't for the fact that we all love Aelita, and you at least used to have something special for her, we would have shut the place down right when we found it. But we didn't. We went there and fought for her, and for you. We've saved the world from Xana countless times just so that Aelita could still be with us," Ulrich stated. He was on a roll now. "And yet, you're willing to just throw all of that away. I believed in you, Jeremie. You're smarter than all of the students at this school combined. With your genius, I was confident that Aelita would live to be able to stay here on Earth with us. But if this is how it is, and you won't even go see her anymore, then I guess instead of the promising intelligent guy I thought you were, you're just as cold as Xana."
Ulrich slammed the door behind him.
I continued to stare at place Ulrich had been just seconds ago.
I tried to feel the anger that I was sure should have been boiling in my blood. But instead I felt something different – completely different.
Guilt.
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Ulrich's P.O.V.
I was so upset because of what Jeremie had said that I had forgotten to go check on Odd. In fact, I didn't actually know where I was going. My feet seemed to move themselves. It was as though if I stopped, I might do something unexpected, like break down crying, or something far more stupid and permanent. So I continued to just walk along at a brisk pace to an unknown destination.
I walked past Sissi and her group of friends. She was talking to some other girls on her cheerleading squad.
"Oh hello Ulrich dear!" the principal's daughter sang, spinning around to face me so that her hair flipped like those girls in the shampoo commercials.
She gasped when she saw my face, which I'm sure was contorted with rage.
"Leave me the fuck alone," I mumbled, passing her by without another word. I broke into a run after leaving her behind.
I had already gotten off of school grounds when I realized I was out of breath from trying to run and cry all at once. But that didn't stop me. I ran into the forest, my lungs aching for air, and my muscles burning angrily. Finally I tripped over a protruding tree root, and fell flat on my face.
I think I just lay there without moving or attempting to get myself up for five minutes. The only thing running through my mind was that Jeremie was going to let Aelita die. I couldn't believe it. Aelita was going to die, truly and for real! It couldn't be fixed with a simple reversal of time, or some fancy medical techniques. She was just going to die. And that was it.
Finally I picked myself up and trudged over to the manhole. I didn't know why I was going there, but I felt almost as though I might find answers at the factory. And even if I didn't, I could just be alone for a while.
I climbed down the rungs leading underground. My hands, which were already bruised and scratched from my fall, stung as the tiny shards of rust cut into my palm.
Reaching the ground, I noted that Odd's skateboard was gone. I shrugged it off though, after all, that was the least of my worries right now. I grabbed my own skateboard and pushed my way off to the factory.
I once again winced in pain as my hands were greeted by the rust of the rungs leading up to the manhole on the bridge. As I climbed, I left bloody handprints on everything I touched. But I didn't care.
I reached the top, and walked across the bridge. When I got into the factory, I took a rope hanging from the ceiling and flung myself down onto the floor below.
I was about to enter the elevator when a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Hi Ulrich," Odd said.
I whirled around. Odd was walking towards me with a strange look on his face.
I let out a breath of air. "Oh, hi Odd. You scared me, man," I said.
Odd didn't respond. He only stood there, looking at me.
"Well, uh, Odd, Yumi and I got to go see Aelita… you might want to see her too. The doctor taking care of her said she's not doing very well. Oh, and something else weird happened today, it concerns Aelita's doctor… maybe you should come up to the super calculator room and we can talk."
Odd walked up to me until he was just a few feet away. A huge grin spread across his face. "Shut up, Ulrich," he said plainly.
I shook my head, almost like I hadn't heard what he said. "What?"
A look of apathy washing over his features, Odd brought out a pocketknife.
"W-what are you doing, Odd?" I asked, taking a step backwards.
"This is for me and Jer, Ulrich." Odd said, thrusting the knife at me.
I dodged it, and grasped the side of the elevator to keep from falling over. "Odd, what the hell? We're buddies!" I exclaimed.
"Don't make me laugh, Ulrich. You never wanted me for a friend, you piece of crap. You know, I thought you were cool, once upon a time. But now I know the truth about you."
He swung the knife one more time, and I pressed my eyes shut, waiting for the metal blade to slice open my skin.
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A/N: Oh no, another cliffy! Well, reviews help to get me motivated to update faster… nudgenudgewinkwink
P.S. – If you find grammar/spelling mistakes in here, please please please don't yell at me for them. I suck at typing, and I'm really not in the mood to go through and search for typos right now. I will get around to fixing them eventually, but that might take time. Thanks. You guys are great.
