Author's Note: Computer chips to each of my reviewers! Thanks, you guys!

Kaliann—I'm more familiar with the first season.

Niki—We're only in the first couple of chapters. Don't worry, they'll get some quality bonding time in.

Ryankyleperson—I'm writing. Glad you like it.

American-Kitty—There are always people like Aelita, and they have to deal with the world whether they're ready or not. I just decided to do a "what-if" with Aelita. She's my favorite character!

Lyoko Fan—Well, here's the next chapter.

Guardain of the Sky—Here's more.

Sargentaaron2004—Hey, thanks!

Chapter 3

The boys held a pow-wow in Jeremie's room, deciding not to tell Aelita or Yumi yet. After all, it could be nothing, or it could be something after all.

"Why do you think the van's still there?" Odd asked, looking perplexed. "I mean, it's been three weeks already, and it's still outside! Who do you think it is?"

Jeremie shook his head. "I don't know. I want to think it's nothing, but something's telling me it's not. I mean, when we went to the park the other day, it followed us!"

"Well, do you think we should tell the principal?" Ulrich suggested, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms.

"And what are we going to tell him?" Odd asked. "I don't think he'll believe a conspiracy theory or anything."

"Hey, a van that hangs outside a school full of kids is bound to make any grown-up nervous," Ulrich pointed out. "They'll wonder what it's doing there, too."

"Maybe," Jeremie said, looking out the window to the schoolyard, where it was raining. "Hey, what are Yumi and Aelita doing out there?"

All three boys looked, and they could see the girls out in the rain. Yumi was wearing a raincoat, but Aelita had abandoned hers, leaving it on a bench. She was smiling, and she held her hands out, trying to catch the rain. Her face was tilted up, and she spun back and forth, feeling the raindrops and laughing each time one fell on her nose. She stopped spinning and headed over to a puddle, watching the rain make ripples in the water.

"She's never felt rain before," Ulrich said, sounding thoughtful. "I keep forgetting how much she doesn't know."

"Let's go out and join them," Jeremie suggested. He sounded as if he didn't want to miss a moment of Aelita's discovery of rain.

"Hi, boys!" Aelita called as they got outside. "It's raining!"

"So we see," Odd said wryly as he pulled up his hood. "You're not cold, are you?"

Smiling, she shook her head. "It feels nice. Look at this, Jeremie!" And she grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a puddle, pointing at the ripples.

"There's something else you can do with puddles, Aelita," Jeremie said, sounding mischievous.

"What?"

Everyone started grinning, and in a moment, they were all jumping in the puddles, grinning even wider at Aelita's astonishment. She got over her surprise quickly and joined Jeremie in his puddle, jumping up and down and feeling the splash of water on her legs. By this point, she was laughing and holding onto Jeremie's hands, too happy to even talk.

Yumi, slipping, grabbed hold of Ulrich, but he lost his balance and fell, and they both ended up in a puddle together, soaked. They looked at each other and started laughing, unable to keep straight faces.

"What do you think you're doing!" an adult voice demanded, frightening them all. "All of you are soaked!"

A tall man, with dark hair and a moustache, came out of nowhere and glared at them. "You're going to catch a cold, getting wet like that! What do you have to say for yourselves?"

"Ah, who are you?" Odd asked, too surprised to be polite.

The man turned his glare on Odd. Odd gulped and fought the urge to back away.

"I'm Mr. Campbell, the new guidance counselor," he said, still looking angry. "I'll be filling in while your usual guidance counselor is on sick leave."

"What's wrong with him?" Jeremie asked. "I didn't know he was sick!"

"He's home-bound right now, but it's nothing serious," he told them. "You should go inside and get dried off. Now."

"I'll see you later, guys," Yumi said, heading towards the gate. "It's getting late."

"All right, Yumi. See you." Ulrich and the others headed to the dormitory, casting anxious glances back at Mr. Campbell.

"Sheesh. What a grouch!" Odd said as they headed upstairs.

"Maybe he doesn't like rain," Ulrich suggested.

"How can someone not like rain?" Aelita wanted to know. "It's so much fun, and it feels so nice! Like a shower, but cold."

"Eh, some grown-ups are just natural grumps," Odd said as they reached Aelita's floor. "How about when you're dry, you come up to our room, and we'll play some games? I'm killer at Monopoly!"

"All right," Aelita said. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

Jeremie went to his room, dried off, changed clothes, and went to Odd and Ulrich's room. They were waiting on Aelita.

"I forgot how long it takes girls to get ready," Ulrich muttered, setting up the Monopoly board.

"It shouldn't take this long," Jeremie pointed out. "Do you think—"

Shouting cut him off. Jeremie's heart began to pound painfully loud when he realized that it was Aelita.

"Get away! Let go of me! Somebody, help!"

Space

Aelita had gone to her room and dried off, and then she headed to the boys' room. Humming a little tune, she marveled again at how you could feel your voice in your throat and skull whenever you spoke.

She was almost there when she realized that there was someone behind her. Turning, she saw it was only Mr. Campbell.

"Oh, hello, Mr. Campbell," she said, smiling and turning back to head upstairs.

She suddenly became very nervous when she realized that he was following her. Reaching the top of the stairs, she scooted towards the boys' room, but Mr. Campbell was faster, grabbing her arm before she could go two steps.

"Ah, do you need something?" she asked him.

He nodded. "I need you to come with me, Aelita." He started to pull her back down the steps.

Aelita knew for a fact that she had not told this teacher her name. Frightened, she pulled away, grabbing hold of the banister and shouting for help. She heard a door bang open, feet pounding in her direction, and she prayed it was the boys.

Mr. Campbell heard it, too. He pried Aelita's fingers from the railing and picked her up, running down the stairs with her. Screaming, kicking, and praying that help would get to her, Aelita kept up the battle all the way downstairs and outside.

"Drop her!" Jeremie shouted. "Put her down, NOW!"

The boys had reached her, and Aelita almost fainted with relief.

"Let go of her!" Ulrich yelled, hoping another teacher would hear. "You've got two seconds to put her down before we get violent!"

"I don't need two seconds!" Odd snarled. "That's my cousin you've got!"

Mr. Campbell smiled. "She isn't your cousin, Della Robbia. You know that as well as I do. Now go back inside. Aelita and I have somewhere to go."

"Fat chance!" Odd snapped, charging Mr. Campbell, who held the still-struggling Aelita. Mr. Campbell fled, moving away from the fury that was the three boys.

"I could use some help, here," Aelita heard Mr. Campbell mutter. "She's got some friends who are easily ticked off." A moment of silence. "Gotcha."

Is he talking over a radio transmitter? Aelita wondered, pausing for a moment in her struggle. But why would Xana need a radio?

With a screech of tires, a van, the van, drove right through the gates, breaking them and leaving them on the ground. A side door opened, and Mr. Campbell headed right for it while Aelita started to fight again. Wildly, she started to use her fingernails on his face, and he yelped, but he didn't stop. With a leap, he was inside the van.

Jeremie saw it all in slow motion: The door slid closed, the van turned, and it was out the gate and heading down the street before the boys could even think of jumping in front of it to stop it. Ulrich stood staring, Odd was groaning "How could this happen?" and Jeremie sank to the wet ground, his legs no longer able to support him. They had lost Aelita.

None of the boys seemed to realize for a moment that the van had not been headed toward the Factory, but in the opposite direction.