Summary…beginning of the climax for this old Earthling Project…you'll see.

Don't own C.L. Do own Gilis.

Look, I'm very sorry for how long this took to write…and it isn't even all that long. Like the summary says, it's only the beginning part of the climax, containing a little bit of fluff for you-know-who, some of Odd being stupid, and then some…evil…bowhahaha! Okay, I'll shut up now.

2 days later (Aelita)

Earth is a strange place.

No, seriously. It is.

It's now the third time I've been here. I still don't know what to make of it. Sights and smells and sounds…it all packs up inside my mind until I'm worried my head just might explode.

For instance, there's the 'powder room' in the girl's bathroom area. That's what Yumi calls it, anyway. There is always this group of girls –that horrid Sissy among them- that stand there and spray this immense amount of fragrance on themselves. It makes me cough and sputter sometimes, which makes my eyes water. That's how overwhelming it is.

I do my best to stay out of there, obviously.

Then there's the lunchroom. It's not technically the smells in there, although there are many, and very varied, but the sounds. Lunchtime at Kadic Academy is, for lack of a better term, pandemonium. Food fights, fistfights, and at least a hundred students all packed into one room. Thankfully, at least our table is normally a quiet one. Yumi is always doing homework, Ulrich and Odd are usually playing table hockey, and Jeremie and I are just…talking. It's amazing how different our two lives are. Students, and…warriors, I guess. I don't know what else to call us, really.

"Oy!"

My head shot up, surprised by the sudden yell. Not that yelling was uncommon in the lunchroom, of course. The next second, a paper ball went whizzing inches past my left ear.

"Sorry, Aelita!" Odd called, running to get the ball. I rolled my eyes, and looked at Jeremie, who was typing away on his laptop.

Curious, I leaned over his shoulder to see the screen. "What are you doing?"

"Perfecting a surprise," Jeremie told me, closing a small window, and grinning evilly. I looked up at him pleadingly.

"Do let me have a look, Jeremie," I wheedled, but he just shook his head, grinning.

"Not till your birthday, Princess," he told me, and kissed my forehead. I smiled, then frowned, confused.

"My birthday?"

Jeremie nodded, closing the laptop. "Yeah. It's one week from the anniversary of your first trip to earth. I've decided that to by the day of your birthday. You don't mind, do you, Aelita?" His grin turned slightly sheepish. "I'm sorry I forgot to mention. It was right before…" he blushed slightly, and took my hand. "You know, the dance." I felt warmth go up my cheeks, and smiled.

"You mean, the best night of my life," I half-whispered, running my hand over his cheek, and Jeremie's blush deepened slightly. Then, to my surprise, he leaned down and brushed my lips with his gently.

Pulling back, he kissed the tip of my nose, and whispered, "Mine too, Princess." I blushed again, and Jeremie smiled.

Somebody whistled, and our little world evaporated. I looked around, to see Yumi in the middle of trying to strangle Odd, and Ulrich still whistling. Jeremie and I looked each other, grinning and blushing.

"Excuse me, love-birds, but some people are, like, trying to eat!"

Sissy hadcome over to our table, a disgusted look on her face. An evil idea came into my mind, and I looked up at the girl, glaring.

"Yes, and some of us are trying to breathe, Sissy, so if you please, go away before we all choke on that cheap perfume of yours!"

The others gaped at me in surprise (as did half of the other tables). A few seconds later, Sissy closed her dropped jaw, and glared back at me, obviously trying to think of something to say.

"You…you…hm!" With that, the girl flipped her hair and stomped off to a table at the far end of the room.

"Nice one, Aelita," Yumi commented, plopping down on the other side of me with her lunch tray. I just grinned, and leaned against Jeremie.

"You need to give Einstein some pointers on comebacks," Odd told me, grinning evilly. Jeremie made a face at his friend.

"It's not like you're always the smooth speaker, Odd", he told him. "And if you're talking about the bus incident the other day, I-"

"Don't worry, Jeremie," Ulrich interjected loudly, and Yumi giggled. "You've never heard him try to talk to a girl he actually has a crush on."

Odd winked and rested his hands behind his head. "Oh, but ya know, the ladies love me anyway." Yumi and I exchanged exasperated glances, and burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay, so maybe not you two," Odd said loudly, glaring half-heartedly at us as we recovered slightly. "But you guys know me too well." Odd grinned suddenly, and looked at me. "Plus, Princess, I know better, 'cause Jeremie would kill me if I ever even tried to flirt with you," he winked, and Jeremie blushed even as he pulled me a little closer. "And Ms. Yumi, I've seen her kick too much butt in Lyoko to not see her as one of the guys." Yumi glared at Odd, and punched him lightly on the shoulder. "And Ulrich, good buddy, you'd probably attack me anyway," Odd added after a few seconds, and it was Jeremie and I who burst into laugher this time as Ulrich and Yumi blushed, staring at their feet.

"Why did I know he'd do that?" Jeremie muttered in my ear, still sniggering.

"We do know him too well," I whispered back, and hid a smile behind my hand.

"You know, Odd," Ulrich said, looking back at his roommate. "We should really drag you the mall and make you stare at all the girls there, and see how many stare back."

Odd raised an eyebrow. "They'll be starin' at me the second I walk in," he drawled, and I giggled. He looked at me, and pretended to look hurt. "Oh, sure, pick on the little guy. I—what the!"

A scream suddenly tore the air, and the five of us jumped to our feet. The cafeteria broke out into yelling, and students were running helter-skelter. Then, a tiny little dark skinned girl carrying a small black box, what Jeremie later called a camera, came running in through the doors. She stopped, and pointed back the way she had come.

"The- there's a vampire o-out there!" She sobbed, and broke into tears. There was silence for a few seconds, then a tumult of noise broke out. The teachers shouted for silence, but nothing happened.

I looked at Jeremie, who had shut his laptop with a snap. "A vampire?"

"A monster from folk-lore that sucks blood from the living," Jeremie explained in an undertone. He looked at me anxiously. "Do you think it's X.A.N.A.?"

I closed my eyes. "Let's find out," I whispered, and let my mind go.

The moment I did, I saw, as Jeremie might over his screen, the towers of Lyoko. Each of them seemed normal. Except-

When a tower ever been black!

I gasped, and threw myself out of the mediation.

"It's not X.A.N.A.!" I said, grabbing Jeremie's arm. "It's Gilis! She's activated a tower! It's turned black!"

The others gapped at me.

"And how are we supposed to counter a Gilis attack?" Yumi asked, eyes wide. I smiled grimly, and met her eyes squarely.

"We fight back." At these words, Jeremie came up behind me, and took my hand.

"We fight hard," he added, and squeezed my hand gently.

Despite his shocked expression, Odd let a slight smirk cross his face. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about." I raised an eyebrow.

"Are you three going to help Jeremie and I?"

"Einstein, you're gonna fight this shadow-vamp-chick too!" Odd asked skeptically, and Ulrich elbowed him.

"We all are," he told his roommate. Then he looked back up at Jeremie and I. "Besides. I wanna met whoever's been buggin' you two in your dreams for the last year."

I nodded, seeing the agreement in Odd's and Yumi's faces. "Alright then. We need to think up a plan, and fast."

101010101010101 (Jeremie)

"That's Gilis? Dang…"

Two sets of eyes glared at the speaker, and Yumi's voice hissed: "Odd, shut up! It's not exactly the time to be seeing how good-looking someone is!"

A soft chuckle came from the shadowy figure in front of us. Gilis. My eyes narrowed. What was she laughing at? And where was Aelita? Ulrich was on the lookout back in the cafeteria, that I know. But where was Aelita?

"I'm glad I'm not so repulsive," the figure said suddenly, turning and staring right at us. The next second, the bushes and brush the three of us were hiding behind totally disappeared.

"Jeremie," Gilis purred, showing fangs. "Do you think I'm repulsive?"

I stood, keeping eye contact with the creature, but didn't answer. Gilis lifted a hand, palm up, and suddenly a flash of horrible fire ran down my spine. I yelped, and almost fell over.

"Leave him alone!" Odd bellowed suddenly, and threw a large rock at Gilis. She caught it, one handed, and smiled. The next moment, it shattered. Yumi gasped, and took a step forward.

"You think you're all that," she spat, stepping purposely on one smoking fragment of rock. "But I know you're just like X.A.N.A. Just a show off. If we can beat X.A.N.A., we can beat you."

Gilis smiled, and made a motion with her hand. At once, Yumi shrieked, and her lips began to bleed.

"Yumi!" Odd and I yelled together. The girl shook her head, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Brave little thing," Gilis said softly. "It won't take very long, you know. There's a lot of blood contained in the mouth of humans, or so my master tells me..." she smiled.

"What did you do to her?" I shouted, forgetting that I was the shortest of all them, and as skinny as ever. The next second, a force slammed into my chest, and I fell backwards.

"Jeremie! Yumi!" Odd's voice sounded slightly faint as I tried to open my eyes. "What did you do to them?"

"You're cute, for a human," Gilis commented. "Too bad I have to crush you."

The next second, I heard a scream, a single, sung note, and then silence. I saw nothing.

…hehehe..Cliff-hanger! Sorry…I couldn't help myself. Don't worry, I will update as soon as I can. Thank you for coming back and reading this! Hugs from, Lady Lucy.