Chapter Five: You do WHAT?
Kira stood in Jeremy's room, a look of astonishment on her face as what Jeremy had finished explaining sink in. She looked around and couldn't see her sister.
"Where'd Maia and Odd go?" Kira asked, looking around for her sister and Odd.
Yumi and Ulrich sat on Jeremy's bed, Ulrich's arm around Yumi's shoulders. Ulrich shrugged. "They went to get Rita and Kiwi."
"Who the hell is Rita and Kiwi?" Kira asked. And why is my nickname involved in this conversation? She got her answer soon enough as Maia and Odd came back into Jeremy's room, something tucked under each of their shirts. Maia kicked the door closed and gently eased a black and white bundle out of her shirt and held it in front of Kira's face.
"Meet Rita," she said and the bundle opened its eyes and perked its ears foreword. The cat's, Rita's, eyes were the bluest that Kira had ever seen in her life and Kira laughed as Rita meowed inquisitively and strained forward to try to sniff her.
"You pretty girl," Kira crooned and took the cat from her sister, laughing as the kitten licked her chin. A high pitched bark made Kira look down to see an odd-looking dog at her feet. It seemed to be a mix of chihuahua and something else.
Odd shushed it hurriedly. "Kiwi, be quiet will ya?"
"Did you name that dog Kiwi before or after you met my sister?" Kira asked warily, holding Rita close to her. Rita meowed plaintively at Kira and Maia stood to take her kitten from her sister.
"Before, why?" Odd replied, crouching next to his dog.
"Because 'Kiwi' is Maia's annoying little nickname for me." Kira rejoined. It earned a laugh from everyone, including her own sister.
Jeremy stood and patted her on the back. "Don't worry, they always call me Einstein."
Kira grinned. "Well, I don't feel so left out then." Remembering something, she turned to her sister. "I can't BELIEVE that you of all people would do what you do, risk your life for something so crazy!" Everyone looked extremely worried, and even more so as she grinned impishly. "Where do I sign up?"
Maia snorted and the rest of the group laughed in relief. "You're initiated when you go to Lyoko yourself sis," Maia said, standing, Rita draped around her neck. "But, you could also help Jeremy over here with a bit of the Princess's coding."
Kira looked at her sister, her brows furrowed in confusion. "Who's the Princess?" Alieta blushed and raised her hand. Alieta's existence in the human realm had been explained to her briefly by Jeremy, and now Kira understood the nickname.
"Ah, the antivirus thing." Kira nodded to Jeremy. "We can work on that later, but I'd like to get to my second class."
"By the way Kira," Jeremy said as they all stood and made for his door. "Do you remember what happened that was strange before we reset the timeline?"
Kira wrinkled her nose, closed her eyes, and thought hard, willing her sub conscious to reveal what she needed to remember. "Smoke, red smoke. Windows imploding and tables and chairs climbing out the windows."
Jeremy nodded. "Sounds like something that Xana would do. But we need to get to class."
Kira smiled. "Okay, let's go then."