Twas the night before the holiday week, and all throughout the academy not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse… except for four students. They made their way towards a small shack and began their scheme.
Odd and Clementine snuck their way inside the shack with a wriggling backpack in Odd's hands. Meanwhile, Ulrich and Jeremie were busy outside. Clementine could hear the metallic whooshing of the paint cans vandalizing the outside wall of the shack. After some time, Clementine saw Ulrich give her a thumbs up from the ajar door, meaning that their scheme was ready to go underway.
"Ulrich gave me the signal," whispered Clementine. Odd nodded at her and opened his bag. Out came a chihuahua-looking dog: Odd's secret pet named Kiwi. Pets were not allowed in Kadic Academy, but Odd kept Kiwi in his dresser so as to not be caught by Jim.
Kiwi sniffed his new surroundings and wandered into a room. The door was open just a crack, and a loud snore could be heard from the room. After a few moments, a sharp "Hey, what are you doing here, huh, you dumb dog?" was heard, and Kiwi burst out from the room with Jim on his trail. "Wait till I get my hands on you! I'll get you this time, you mangy mutt!" Jim's voice went faint he chased Kiwi out of the shack.
"Yeah, way to go, Kiwi!" Odd whisper-cheered, pumping his fist.
"And now to reel him in," Clementine said. She pulled out a piece of jerky from the backpack and let the meaty scent waver in the air. Soon enough, Kiwi came back and gobbled up the jerky. Satisfied, he relaxed into Clementine's touch, twitching his head this way and that.
"C'mon, Clem, we gotta go," Odd whispered to her. The two slunk out of the shack just in time for Jim to discover the masterpiece painted on the outside wall. They carefully walked away just as Jeremie brightly told Jim, "Ï would've made the eyes better if I had more time."
/
On Friday morning, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Clementine waited outside Principal Delmas' office for the verdict of Jeremie's "crime." What could be taking them so long? Clementine pondered impatiently. Her foot bounced up and down as she continued to wait.
Finally, the door swiveled open. Jeremie exited the office, head hung in shame, and the principal himself right behind him.
"I hope this will teach you a lesson, Jeremie," Principal Delams sighed. He shook his head as he muttered, "I don't understand, a model student like you. You should be ashamed."
"Uh, yes, sir," he answered. Satisfied, the principal closed the door. Immediately the quartet jumped to their feet and surrounded their friend.
"What'd he say?"
"Tell us!"
"What's the punishment?"
"Oh he gave me detention for the whooole week of vacation," Jeremie lamented. The group walked out to the courtyard of the school.
"Cool, he really let ya have it," Odd compliments to the blonde.
"As punishments go, you're a champion!" Ulrich adds.
"Yeah, the best of the best!" Clementine cheered.
"I'm sure we couldn't have done better than that," Yumi smiled.
The whole reason for their upbeat mood? Since everyone would be gone for the holiday, it would mean that XANA would be left unattended. But with Jeremie in trouble, he'd be able to monitor XANA and his actions. Now, everyone would be able to rest easy.
"Anyway, XANA won't get any vacation this time," Jeremie proudly announces. With that, Clementine and her friends walked away. For some reason, though, Clementine couldn't help but feel like a pair of eyes were burning through her back.
/
Odd, Ulrich, Clementine, Yumi, and Jeremie walked through the dirt path that led to the front of the school. It was finally time for everyone to leave for the holiday week.
"So let me get this straight," Ulrich groaned he pointed at Odd, "you get to go and see your parents at the other end of the planet, Yumi's off for a vacation in the mountains, Clementine gets to go out of town, and what do I get? A whole week of math tutoring."
"Good luck trying to get that math to stick to your noggin," Clementine laughed, lightly punching Ulrich's arm. She was well aware of how terribly Ulrich performed in math, borderline failing in almost every exam he took.
Odd laughed as well, snaking his arm around his friend's shoulders. "Yeah, if they think that they can make a good student out of you in one week, well I say good luck to them. It sounds like Mission: Impossible if you ask me," he joked.
Clementine hummed contentedly. She was excited to visit her dad and step-mom. They lived in Compiegne, which was outside of Paris. It would mean taking the subway to the bus station and then an hour ride on the bus, but it would be worth it. I wonder if my brother's are gonna be home too…
Her attention is drawn back to Yumi, who asks Jeremie, "You're sure you can manage on your own without us?"
"No sweat!" the genius boasts, "And if XANA leaves me alone, I'll be able to work on Aelita's materialization."
Suddenly a voice sneered, "Oh don't worry, he's not gonna be alone." In front of Clementine and her friends stood Sissi proudly blocking their way. "I'm staying at school too, and I'll look after him. I'll be his guardian angel."
"Or his personal devil," muttered Clementine just softly enough for her and her friends to hear.
"Wow, Jeremie, are you lucky," Odd chimed in.
"Alright young man, you think this wall's gonna clean itself?" A gruff voice bellowed. Clementine whipped her head to see Jim standing on the side of the path. His hands were on his hips and a disgruntled expression on his face.
What's with people suddenly popping up out of nowhere?!
"Get to work NOOOOOOW!"
Sissi laughed at the whole spectacle, finally seeing the people she rivaled with getting in trouble. This seemed to catch Jim's attention. "Go on, go on, laugh while you still can young lady," he told her, "Your father told me to monitor your studying, and that's what I intend to do!" This shocked Sissi out of her laughter.
Jim pats Jeremie in the back and jabs his thumb back in the direction of the school. "Okay now, get to work and clean that up!" He leads Jeremie and Sissi away, who both had annoyed looks on their faces.
"I don't know why, but all of a sudden, my math tutoring doesn't seem all that bad," Ulrich finally comments.
/
After many hours and many rides, Clementine finally arrived at her home. It was 5 in the afternoon. She pushed the gate open and walked up the path to the front door.
"I'm home for the holiday!" she announced loudly, although the living room was empty.
"Over here!" a female voice called from somewhere in the house. Clementine dropped her bag at the couch and made her way through the house to find the source of the voice. As she walked, a spicy, savory scent wafted through the air. It got stronger as she approached the kitchen.
Just her luck; a stout woman with curly brown hair was busy chopping vegetables as a pot boiled on the stove. She wore a colorful blouse that had bright, geometric shapes all over it and black jeans.
"Hey Daphne," Clementine greeted. Daphne was Clementine's step-mother. She married into the family when Clementine was eight, and as long as her father was happy, then she was happy, too.
"C'mon, now, help me make dinner, I'm sure you're hungry!"
"Yes, chef!"
/
Dinner came and went, and Clementine was now laying on her bed playing the latest video game. It wasn't even on the market yet! Sometimes there were perks to having a brother working in the gaming industry.
I wonder how Jeremie's doing with Aelita… I'll give him a call. Clementine picked up her orange and black cell and rang his number. After a few rings, he answered. "Hello?"
"Jeremie? It's me, Clem. How's it going with Aelita?"
"Not a whole lot, but I think XANA's causing trouble again."
Clementine bolted up in her bed, alert. "What the heck? What's he doing?"
"When I was in the supply room there was purple smoke! I'm pretty sure the chemicals in it are poisonous!"
"That guy can't ever take a break! What can I do?"
"Nothing yet, but if I need your guy's help, I'll call."
"Okay, I'll be on the lookout. Goodnight." With that, she flopped back onto her bed. But I'm all the way out here, away from the factory. I'll have to get back to Paris tomorrow.
/
"Rise and shine, Clementine!" a voice sang. The curtains were pulled back and Clementine's dark room was bathed in bright sunlight. Annoyed by this, Clementine rolled to her side and smashed her pillow to her face. This was one thing she didn't miss: her step-mom's special method of waking her up.
"Oh, don't give me that attitude!" Daphne pouted, although it was mainly for show. "I was planning to go shopping in Paris. You know, like a girls day out or something, even though I know that you just came home-"
At this comment, Clementine bolted up and out of her bed and hurriedly began to her clothes around. "Oh yeah, let's go!"
Daphne was puzzled for a second, but her face relaxed into a chuckle. "Breakfast is ready. We'll leave as soon as you're done."
/
Although she had looked forward to the trip, Clementine couldn't help but be on edge. Her hand unconsciously kept coming back to her pocket, where her cell phone was. Currently she was shopping in a boutique while her step-mother was trying on a few shirts that had caught her eye.
RING RING!
"Hello, Jeremie? Oh, I've been ready. I'll see you in a bit." She hung up and slammed the pile of clothes outside of the changing room her step-mother was in. "ByemomI'mgonnagototheschoolcauseIforgotsomethingokayloveyoubyeee!"
Luckily the boutique wasn't that far from the school, so Clementine sprinted as fast as she could to Kadic Academy. She was about to go through the main entrance when two figures caught her eye: Yumi and Jeremie. She was lifting his limp body off the ground.
"What *huff* happened *huff* to him?" Clementine panted as she clutched her knees.
"There was poisonous smoke at the school, and Jeremie escaped, but Ulrich went back to find Jim and Sissi!" Yumi hurriedly explained.
"Then let's get to the factory! We can't waste time!" Clementine declared, lifting the other side of Jeremie's body. Just as she did this, Odd sprung right in front of them.
"Odd, you got here in the nick of time!" Yumi sighed in relief.
"Let's go," he says simply.
/
"A strange and toxic smoke whose origins are unknown. The elderly are advised to remain indoors," a news report played on one of the screens of the supercomputer. Clementine pursed her lips together. This can't be good. If we don't hurry, then Jim and Sissi could die! I don't like them, but I wouldn't wish this on anybody!
"Odd, help me get over to the computer," Jeremie weakly demands, snapping the redhead out of her thoughts. He's leaning against the wall, still out of breath from the smoke inhalation. "And get ready to dive in, everyone. Stop looking at me, come on! There's no time to lose!"
The trio nod and rush down to the scanner rooms. When the elevator opened, Clementine rushed to the closest scanner and stepped inside.
"Transfer Clementine. Scanner Clementine. Virtualization."
Once fully materialized, the trio land in the forest sector. They look around for Aelita, who was nowhere in sight.
"Where do we go now?" asks Odd, scratching his head in confusion.
"The activated tower is this way," a voice says. Aelita's pink figure stepped out from behind a tree, waving at them.
"Hi Aelita," Yumi greeted back. "Have you seen any monsters?" Aelita shakes her head in response.
"Guess you didn't look very hard." Odd points up the path; three kankerlots quickly scurrying towards them.
"The welcome committee sure is friendly," quipped Clementine. In a flash, she flourished the whips from the holster on her hips. "C'mon, let's go!"
Jeremie's voice is audible as the warriors dodge the kankerlot lasers. "Look, I don't wanna rush you, my friends, but it's getting kinda urgent here!"
"What about us? What do you think we're doing, huh? Getting a suntan?" Odd sarcastically jokes as he fired an arrow.
"We've got our hands full, we don't need the unwanted pressure, thanks!" replies Clementine as well. She is unsuccessful in destroying the kankerlots with her whips and dodges yet another laser.
As a kankerlot warmed up its laser, Yumi warns, "Odd, watch out!" At the last split second, Odd flips out of the way from multiple lasers. One managed to nick him, though, on the torso. Concerned, Aelita approaches the catboy, but a kankerlot fired a laser in her direction! Yumi noticed this and lept to take the shot to the torso as well.
"You okay, Yumi?" Jeremie asked in concern. The supercomputer rang an alarm, showing Yumi's decreased life points.
"No broken bones yet!" she cheerfully replied.
"I suggest we find the tower before we all devirtualized, gang!" Clementine shouts amongst the chaos. The others nod in agreement, and Aelita leads them to take shelter behind a thick tree.
"The only way to access the tower is via a tree bridge," informs Jeremie overhead, "but it happens to be behind the monsters, so you're going to have to find a way around them."
Yumi narrowly avoided another laser as she peeked from the tree. "I might have an idea for blocking the monsters. You two take care of Aelita," she instructs. As she said this, a monster sneaks to them and nearly blasts Aelita.
"Laser flash!" Odd destroyed it just in time.
"Stinkin' little bug. How'd he get around to us?" muttered Clementine, surprised from the sneak attack. That thing could've killed Aelita!
Meanwhile, Yumi activated her telekinesis to move a nearby boulder. It slowly hovers between her and the kankerlot, and it drops suddenly, destroying one. She threw her one of her fans at the other, but it dodged it and shot a laser to her upper arm.
"We gotta run, now!" Clementine shouted, and they do so, just as Yumi is hit again in the torso and again, effectively devirtualizing her.
"Odd! Clementine! Hurry up!" Jeremie pleads through the mic.
Finally, the tower came into view. However, it was surrounded by water, with no clear path to get to it.
"Well, what do we do now?" asked Odd. Aelikta looked back, two kankerlots coming into view. "You guys take care of the monsters."
The two kankerlots jumped onto the bridge and crawled their way to Odd and Clementine. The two readied their weapons, and stood on guard. Meanwhile, Aelita conjured large tree stumps as stepping stones to the tower. That will never cease to amaze me, what the-
BAM! A kankerlot fired a laser at the redhead onto her shoulder. An electric shock coursed through her body, snapping her back to the situation at hand. "HIYA!" She brought her whip down, but the whip missed it by a hair. Before it could fire its laser again, Clementine quickly sliced the XANA symbol and effectively destroyed it.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Clementine cheered. When there was no response she realized that neither Odd or Aelita were around to say anything.
Welp, guess I'm by myself. I hope it's not too late she thought as she put her hands on her hips, a white light engulfing the forest region.
/
"You sure wanna get in trouble again, Jeremie? We already defeated XANA for now." Clementine peeked out from the doorway of the shack to Jeremie and Ulrich, who were spray painting on the wall again.
"Yeah, I don't understand why you insist on getting punished with detention again," Ulrich added, spraying a blue can. "Come on, XANA's not gonna reactivate this soon. You could give yourself a short vacation."
The genius shook his head. "Not as long as Aelita stays virtual," he insisted, "And this time, to tell you the truth, considering what we've painted, Jim can't be too angry." On the wall was a portrait of Jim as a king, with a crown and robe.
Clementine shrugged. "Your call." She went back inside and released Kiwi from the backpack.
A/N: Wow, three chapters in three days! That doesn't mean I'll update like this all the time. I plan to update this fic on Fridays (when I have a chapter ready, of course). Anyways, thanks for reading!