Chapter 10 - Seeing is Believing

(a/n: remember in chapter...4 or 5, i believe, where i mentioned that sissi was gunna tell jim where the gang was headed? well, she still told him. let's see what happens in the next chappie, yay!)

Sissi led the way for Jim, Nicholas, and Herb. "I've seen them disappear in the middle of the field numerous times. There's got to be something around here! A trap door, a hidden entrance, a secret passageway, a cave, anything!" Sissi squealed, stomping through the grass and dirt in her 3 inch shoes. Every now and then she would hit a small hole in the ground and almost fell. Herb would always reach out and try and catch her, but she'd always catch herself and walk ahead of him again. He sighed to himself. 'Man, why did Ulrich have to go to this school! Without him around, I might've had a chance...ugh...' Herb thought as they searched the field.

"Aha!" Sissi shrieked, pointing at the sewer lid that hadn't been put back over the opening in the ground in haste to get to Aelita. "Let's go," she said as she carefully went down the ladder and into the sewer system. "Gross, and they do this all the time? I would get sick of it! What a smell, p-u!" she exclaimed, delicately holding her nose. They continued through the sewer system until they got to another ladder. 3 skateboards and a scooter had been left there. "Yes yes yes! 4 in all, those have got to be theres!"

"Hey, I saw Odd riding a skateboard just like that around school before," Jim stated.

"Jeremie must be the one with the scooter," Herb chuckled. "I can't see him as a skateboarder."

"Me either," Nicholas agreed. They all climbed up the ladder and through the other opening. They found themselves standing on a bridge.

"There," Sissi pointed to a door at the end. They walked over, but there was a harsh drop-off. No stairs or ladders in sight. Just a few ropes hung from the ceiling of the building in front of them. Sissi carefully grabbed onto one and slid down. Jim, Herb, and Nicholas followed suit. They came to what looked like an opening for an elevator. Sissi pressed a button that was supposed to open the door. Nothing happened. "What! What's wrong with this dumb thing?" She kicked it impatiently.

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Just then Yumi and Ulrich heard a loud banging sound from far below them. They were almost to the top of the elevator shaft. Yumi couldn't hide her curiousty and looked down. She immediately regretted it. "Uhh, Ulrich," she shuddered. "I just remembered that I'm kinda, sorta,..afraid of heights." She shivered.

"It'll be ok. I'm just concerned as to what that noise was," Ulrich replied. "Do you think it was the elevator starting up again?"

"If it was, then we had better get moving! We don't want to get hit."

"All right." They continued climbing until they reached the floor containing the super-computer. Yumi stepped hesitantly off of the ladder and around the edge. "It'll be ok, Yumi. I'm here. If anything should happen, I'll catch you. Don't worry." Ulrich tried to reassure her, giving her a smile.

She gave him a small smile in return. "All right," she said in uncertainty. Finally she was able to step onto the floor of the room again. Greatfully, she fell to the ground, trying to catch her breath. Ulrich quickly stepped around the edge until he was standing above Yumi.

"Are you ok, Yumi?" he asked her. At this, she stood up and brushed off her clothes.

"Yes, I'm all right. Just kinda worn out from all that climbing, you know? Now, I have to show you something!" She grabbed his hand once again and pulled him over to the ladder on the other side of the room. Just then, Jeremie, Odd, and Aelita came climbing back down.

"Aelita! But-but-but-" Ulrich stuttered. "What- how- I..."

"It's ok. We've shut down XANA for good. It's all over." She gave him a small smile, then walked up to him and gave him a friendly hug. When they pulled apart, they heard more banging noises. "What's going on?" Aelita asked, clinging onto Jeremie's arm. 'Obviously she'll have to get used to personal space,' Yumi thought to herself. 'But for now, it's so cute to see her clinging onto him afraid, and him blushing his head off!' She resisted the urge to laugh, as did Ulrich. Odd couldn't help but laugh out-loud.

"I have no idea, Aelita," Jeremie replied, his face returning to it's normal hue yet again. Suddenly they heard the sound of the elevator doors closing, then opening again. There stood Sissi, Jim, Nicholas, and Herb.

"You four are in serious...trouble?" Jim started out shouting, then realized that one more had joined them. "Who's she?"

"Oh her?" Odd started in. They'd prepared speeches to give Jim in case he ever saw Aelita before they'd "enrolled" her into their school, but none of the scenarios they'd proposed were in the factory. This would be tricky. "Well, you remember my cousin, Aelita, that I've always talked about? Well, they just arrived in town today, and they thought this factory ... was our school, so they dropped her off here. She's been wandering around scared in here. I don't think this place is safe, sir. It looks as if it could collapse at any second. Could you possibly get someone to tear it down?"

Jim stood staring at them all, his jaw slightly out of place. Then he nodded. "I'd be happy to, Odd. C'mon, let's get your..uhh, cousin was it? Let's get your cousin to school. Has she been properly enrolled yet?"

"No, but her parents sent the enrollment papers ahead of time, about a month ago," Odd continued, nodding at Jeremie. They'd made the enrollment papers one month before, so that part at least was true. "They're in my dorm room. I'll go get them so that the principal can sign them. Her parents have already signed. Will she be getting a dorm?"

"I think we've got enough left. She can have one near yours, just in case she gets lost, so she'll know where your room is if she needs help, ok?" Jim said, leading them into the elevator. Sissi, however, didn't want to let things be.

"How then did we find your skateboards - and stupid scooter - in the sewers, huh? Explain that!" she sneered.

"Well, Sissi," Yumi started in. "we can't skateboard at school. Your dad already caught Odd for skateboarding and told him to never do it again, right?"

"Yeah..." Sissi said.

"So we found this sewerway, and it seemed like a really cool place to skateboard. There are even built-in ramps and stuff that we can do tricks on," Ulrich continued.

"Though it may be cool, we don't want you to get hurt or possibly drown in sewage. And think of the smell," Jim spoke up as Jeremie pressed the buttons to go back up to the floor near the bridge.

"Then how did he know which buttons to press?" Herb spoke up, trying to help Sissi out.

"Any idiot can figure out an elevator," Odd said. Herb scowled at him. They left it at that.

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WriterOfOddFics: All turning out fine and dandy for the gang so far. Just wait and see what happens at the dance, and beforehand. Will the principal see through the fake enrollment papers? What will happen at the dance? What could happen? Please review all!