Chapter 2
The kids arrived back at school in plenty of time for dinner, even when Jeremy insisted that they stop every time something caught Aelita's interest. First, it was the feeling of feeling that surprised her, and then it was the feeling of the fabric of her clothes between her fingers that she couldn't tear her attention away from. She walked back and forth, enjoying the feeling of ground underneath her feet, and then she had to touch everything on the way back to school. She even had to touch each of her friends, but they were all patient with her. After all, this was her first day in the world!
They passed lilacs in bloom, and Jeremy suggested they stop for a few minutes to smell the flowers. From there, Aelita moved on to the grass, the trees, leaves, and even the dirt, but she had to return to the lilacs several times before she'd had her fill of them.
A truck roared by on the street, scaring Aelita half to death, but quickly, Jeremy reminded her about trucks and cars. Dust stirred up by its passing caused Aelita to cough, and she immediately waited for it to happen again.
"It'll happen when it's time for it to happen," Jeremy told her. "Come on, let's get back to school."
They reached the campus and got to the dining hall just as it opened up for dinner. They got in line and grabbed trays, and Jeremy loaded Aelita's personally after recommending the beef stew for her to try. With stew, a salad, bread, drinks,and a piece of chocolate cake each, they all headed to their favorite table.
"It's hot, Aelita, so you'll want to blow on each spoonful you take before you put it in your mouth," Jeremy warned her as Aelita took a spoonful.
Aelita did as he suggested and took a bite, her face breaking out into a large smile as the taste hit her.
"This is...oh, this is so good!" she said, hurrying to take another bite.
"Try the salad," Yumi suggested. "There's cheese and bacon on it."
Aelita did so, but she liked the crunchy croutons best. Bread and a sip of milk followed before Aelita dove back into the stew.
Dinner would have been perfect had Sissi not shown up. She spotted Aelita right away.
"Who are you?" she demanded, glaring at the group.
"I'm Aelita," she said, smiling. "And you are?"
Sissi stared at her. "My, we're polite," Sissi said, sticking her nose in the air. "'And you are?'" she mimicked nastily.
Aelita looked surprised that anyone would be so mean.
"Go away, Sissi," Odd said. "We've had our stress for the day, and we don't need to deal with a hairy beast."
She glared again, but she left in a huff.
"So that was Sissi?" Aelita asked, looking surprised. "Why is she so mean?"
"That's just the way she is," Jeremy said, patting her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Try not to worry about it."
Dinner finished with chocolate cake, which Aelita especially loved. "I'm going to have more of this tomorrow!" she said, licking icing off her spoon.
After supper, Yumi and Aelita headed to Yumi's for the night, and the entire gang walked them there. Aelita was delighted with the changes that had happened since sunset, and she darted back and forth trying to experience everything.
They said good night, and the boys headed back to school.
"Do you think Aelita's going to be okay?" Jeremy asked nervously. "I mean, I know she's with Yumi, but what if she has a nightmare or something and doesn't understand it?"
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Ulrich said, trying to calm his friend down. "If something happens that Yumi can't handle, then she'll be sure to call us."
Space
Aelita and Yumi showed up the next morning, ready and raring to go.
"Hey," Jeremy said, smiling. "How'd last night go?"
"It went great," Yumi said. "I had trouble waking her up this morning, though."
All the boys looked at Aelita. "I like the way sleeping feels," she said, smiling. "Warm and cozy. It's my new favorite thing!"
"Better than chocolate cake?" Odd teased.
Aelita looked thoughtful. "Well..."
Everybody had to laugh. The group decided that Aelita's name would be "Aelita Stones," and that she was Odd's cousin from Canada. She had come to the school to visit Odd and to give the place a look before deciding if she wanted to go there or not. She followed Jeremy and Odd around the whole day, going to each class they had. She was able to answer each question that was put to her, and only Sissi's glares showed her that not everyone was happy to meet her.
"She likes to be thought of as 'smartest girl,'" Odd explained in a whisper. "We're not fooled one bit, though. We know that you're the smartest."
Aelita had to smile.
Space
Over the next month, Aelita began to feel at home. There was still trouble with XANA and trips to Lyoko, and a brief bout of homesickness, but she was able to live her life. Each new experience was a joy to her, even when she caught a cold and had to spend a few days in the infirmary.
"So this is what it's like to be sick!" she whispered gleefully to Jeremy while the nurse was in the other room.
"You're not bored, are you, Aelita?" Jeremy wanted to know. "If you are, I could come more often."
"No, I'm not bored. Sneezing's fun! Besides, I have books and magazines here, and I get oatmeal for breakfast, soup and sandwiches and crackers for lunch, and all the juice and popsicles I want!"
Jeremy stopped worrying after that.
Space
Aelita was up and about and happy as could be. She and the others were outside playing soccer when Odd began looking over to the left.
"What's up, Odd?" Ulrich asked when Odd missed his third pass in a row.
"It's that van over there," Odd said, looking perplexed. "It's been there a couple days now, and it looks as if there are people inside, but it never goes anywhere."
Jeremy looked. There were two men inside.
Aelita took a chance to steal the ball, and that drew everyone else back into the game.
"Hey, come back, you ball thief!" Odd shouted. "Get back here!"
Aelita scored a goal, and she and Yumi cheered. It was a girls vs. guys game, and the girls got very competitive at times.
No one knew that there was someone in the van, taking pictures. Pictures were printed out of a hook-up to the camera, and each and every one of them were of Aelita.