.:/AN/:. Thanks so so SO much for the reviews! I would take the time to thank everyone, but, since I got so many, it would need a whole chapter for itself. So, I'll just give you your chapter. Here you guys go!---
Chapter 8: New Recruit
Odd's POV:
"So... how'd it go?" asked Jeremie hesitantly.
"No good," was my cheerless answer.
"What did he say?" Yumi inquired.
"He's quitting the gang."
"What?!" was their reply.
"That's what I said."
"But we need him to defeat X.A.N.A.!"
"I already pointed that out to him, Jer, but he said..."
"What?"
"He said that Lance can take his place in Lyoko just like he did here."
"But what about Ulrich?"
"He didn't say."
"Did I miss something here?" came Lance's voice, obviously confused.
I didn't feel like answering him.
I gave Jeremie that look that said, No, you tell him.
"Alright," he said, sighing. "Lance, can you keep a secret?"
We headed to the passage, so that we could show Lance everything. As we climbed down, I saw the empty space where Ulrich's skateboard used to be. A lump started to form in my throat. So, I was right.
"As, huh, you can see," I said with difficulty to Lance, "This is where we... uh... grab, grab our transportation and head to the factory when we need to go." My voice was breaking. It sounded like I was about to cry. And truth be told, I was.
I didn't want to do this, but since Jeremie and Yumi explained about X.A.N.A and Aelita and Lyoko, I was going to explain where we went and how we got there.
"What we do is grab our boards, or Jeremie grabs his scooter, and we skate down the sewer. When we get to the ladder, we-we climb up it and we run across this bridge. The factory is rundown, so nobody even notices it when they-they drive by. We go in, and t-take the elevator down the shaft. The first floor is the supercomputer room. The second floor is the whole system stuff that Jeremie likes to see, and the third floor is the Scanner Room. That's where we go to get to Lyoko. Understand?"
Lance simply nodded his head. He also looked at the empty space in the boards.
"Is that space for me?" he asked.
"No, that for... uh... guests. Yeah, guests. Hehe. Right," I said the first thing that came to mind. I didn't want Lance to take Ulrich's place. It was his. No one else's.
"Oh... okay. Hey, where's Ulrich?"
"He... couldn't-" I started to say, but Yumi interrupted.
"He's not coming anymore," she said quietly.
That got all of us quiet. I know, it surprised me, too. I didn't that anything could quiet me, but that's what her statement did.
"Was it something I did?" he asked, the fact finally clicking.
"Uh... nothing that you could've not done," I said, trying to reassure him.
"I'm sorry," was his only answer. I could tell that he was starting to crack under all this sci-fi crud (I know it isn't sci-fi, but it's stuff that you wouldn't believe, right?). Obviously, Jeremie was able to see it, too.
"Lance, just calm down! It's alright! Ulrich chose to quit because he couldn't handle it."
"What makes you think that I can?"
"Well, we got to know you, and we think that you'd make a great addition to the team. It'll be simple, you'll see."
Those last two remarks were all Jeremie's. I didn't really want Lance to join. I didn't think it was 'simple'. And I knew that Ulrich could handle way more than this kind of stuff. I missed Ulrich. I wanted Ulrich back. And I knew that Yumi was feeling the same way.
"Let's... let's just go to the factory, alright?" she choked out.
We didn't grab our boards, since Lance didn't have one, so we walked down the tunnel. I glanced at Yumi and it seemed as though every step she took brought her closer to tears. I walked over to her and gently put my hand on her shoulder. It was shaking slightly.
"It's gonna be okay, Yumi," I said, trying to comfort her.
"You think so?" she asked, turning to me. Her face was tear stained and I knew that she had been crying for a long time without us noticing.
"I know so." It was a lie. I didn't know what was going to happen, let alone know if it were gonna get better or worse, but I wanted to make her feel better.
"Thanks, Odd. Surprisingly, that makes me feel better." I guess it worked.
So, we got to the factory and headed for the Supercomputer Room.
"Here, we will make you a character for Lyoko," Jeremie informed Lance. "That way, we can send you to Lyoko and you'll be able to defend yourself as well as Aelita."
"While you do that, Yumi and I will head back to class," I put in. "She has history and I have gym. You and Einstein can stay here since you still have break time, and Jeremie doesn't go to gym. Don't worry, Jer, I'll cover for you."
"Thanks, Odd. Now, I'll just pull up this window and you can choose what you look like..."
Yumi and I stepped into the scanner. She looked uncomfortable.
"What is it?" I asked.
"What? Oh, it nothing really..."
C'mon, you can tell me."
"It's just... I don't think I was in my right mind when I said that Lance would make a great addition to the team. Now, every time I see him, I'll be reminded of Ulrich and how it was because of him that he's not here with us anymore."
"Look, it wasn't Lance's fault. Ulrich was the one that decided to quit, Lance didn't make him."
"I know that, it's just... never mind. Like I said, it's nothing. I'll get over it."
At that point, the elevator reached the end.
"I'll see you later, Odd." She ran ahead of me.
"Yeah, see you later." I walked after her, allowing her to escape me. I'll ask her about it later.
.:/AN/:. Okay, I'll need your guys help with the next chapter. What I need to know is:
What damage do the Hornets, Cubes, and the other X.A.N.A. zombie guys do to the CL dudes?
Yumi's dorm is in a different building, right? I mean, the Girl's dorm is a different building than the Boy's dorm, right?
I really need to know the answers to the first question before I can post my next chapter. So, please R&R! Thanks!