*Chapter 31*
Tessa breathed a soft sigh for the hundredth time and slowly moseyed into her castle. She let the large door slump closed with it's loved wood, it creaked in a knowing sort of way as she shoved her back into it. She gazed at her Great Hall in a bit of a daze and let a goofy smile sprawl her face. She had to wonder if all of this was a dream; she knew becoming a fully grown gamer had it's perks, though she had to wonder just what else was in store for her. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly and wondered just where the four head's, of Sugar Rush, laid off to. She figured she wouldn't go looking for them herself; oh the teasing and concerned chit chats that would ensue. She beamed a gentle smile and began to stroll, in a girly way, towards her's, Penny's and Oliver's wing of the castle. She side stepped a few times and skipped in a dainty, girly way, as if to feel proud of the night she had successfully won. She slowly strolled down her hallway and was excited for her first day at Academy tomorrow, though she wondered just how quickly the day would go by; she felt eager to meet up with Zane, yet again.
She slowly pushed into her room and groped the wall for the light switch, in a fit of curious unknown. She knew she still had to get used to her new room. With a simple switch, she flicked on her warm, lantern light, the hung over her room. She beamed a girly, dazed smile into her room as her thoughts continue to run away with her, though she immediately jolted once she caught sight of her cousin, Penny, standing with her arms crossed and a large, knowing smile on her face. Tessa inhaled a sharp gasp and shoved her hand to her chest in a fit of sudden fear. She finally slumped her shoulders and shot her cousin an annoyed, sheepish glare, as if to ask why she dared to interrupt her daydreams.
"Penny, you scared the sprinkles out of me!" Tessa hissed loudly as she glanced over her shoulder and shut her bedroom door. She looked back at Penny and largely flinched as Penny quickly rushed her.
"Spill!" Penny urged quietly with eager, beaming blue eyes. Tessa largely wrinkled her nose and exhaled a hard spat of a sigh, as if to question just what she was getting at.
"What!" Tessa exclaimed as she grabbed her cousin's arms, "Will you chill?"
"Tell me everything!" Penny hissed with a wide smile as Tessa finally wormed from her extreme, palpable gravity, though Penny eagerly followed her.
"There's nothing to tell," Tessa heaved as she tried her very hardest to giggle; Penny quickly followed suit.
"That's a complete lie and I can see right through you," Penny argued as she immediately followed Tessa into the bathroom, though she jolted once Tessa grabbed her arms and began to lightly shove her out; the two girls largely giggled and shoved on each other, though Tessa finally was successful in shoving her cousin out of her bathroom and closing the door on her.
"I have to go to the bathroom, Penny, for real!" Tessa barked as she locked the door, Penny heaved a hard, whiney sigh and let her hands fall on Tessa's closed, and locked, bathroom door.
"Tessa, come on! You promised you'd tell me what a first kiss felt like!" Penny complained. The room was still and quiet before Tessa gently unlocked and opened the door after a minute or two. She heaved a hard sigh and looked down to her hard wood floors in a fit of defeat.
"I totally did promise you, didn't I," Tessa grumbled, though she flinched once Penny perked up and held her hands under her chin in a fit of girly glee.
"He kissed you?" Penny whispered with a wide smile; Tessa rolled her eyes and couldn't help but grin ear to ear.
She pushed past Penny and head towards the middle of her bedroom. She, like Penny, was dressed in comfortable sweats and a tight tank, though she continued to sport Zane's soft, dark brown zip up hoodie. She gestured her hands about a little and wasn't surprised to feel Penny's dainty feet quickly following behind her. She bit her bottom lip a little and whirled around lightly to look Penny in the face.
"More or less," Tessa said softly, the endearing twinkle in her eye held true.
"What was it like?" Penny hissed in excitement as she continued to peer at her cousin.
"User," Tessa beamed in embarrassment as she looked about her room in a mild sense of disbelief. She shook her head lightly and dropped her hands to her sides, as if she couldn't really speak about the subject matter, "I don't know, Penny! I really can't describe it."
"Was it everything you wanted out of the night?" Penny asked as she plopped down, criss cross, on Tessa's billowy bed full of warm cream, orange and white downs.
"And then some," Tessa whispered as she lazily flopped on her back, on her bed next to Penny. She beamed up at the ceiling through a dazed expression, though she quickly, after, shut her eyes tight and wrinkled her nose, "So much so, that... w-we sort of went back for seconds."
"What!" Penny exclaimed excitedly.
"And thirds," Tessa exhaled a hard laugh as Penny swat at her arm several times.
"User," Penny cried quietly with a wide smile, "So, when'yah gunna swap codes?"
"What?!" Tessa jolted her head up and widened her eyes through a shocked expression. She propped herself up on her elbows and beamed a surprised smile in Penny's direction, "I can't believe you just said that!"
"You have to tell me how that goes, too," Penny nodded as she gestured towards Tessa; her cousin largely heaved an annoyed laugh and sat up in a position that mocked Penny's.
"Penny, we haven't even properly confessed our feelings for each other," Tessa said with an annoyed smile as she eyed her cousin, "What makes you think we'd just up and swap codes so suddenly!"
"Sometimes words aren't needed!" Penny said slyly with an encouraging smile.
"Yeah, yeah," Tessa rolled her eyes and looked away; she stopped her rushing train of thought as her mind tried it's hardest to think about the subject matter suddenly plopped into her head, "Besides. Faux-codes can't swap codes with someone."
"Who told you that?" Penny scrunched her face, "That's not true."
"Oh," Tessa slumped her shoulders in confusion, "I thought that swapping codes was just for the user-made gamers."
"No, not at all," Penny side eyed her cousin, though she looked up in contemplation, "Though, I think what you've misheard is that faux-codes can't swap with user-made gamers."
"Really?" Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in light confusion.
"Yeah," Penny shrugged lightly, "It'd be defying code. Guess you should count your lucky sprinkles that Zane is a faux-code like us."
"Come off of it," Tessa grumbled as she quickly looked away.
"It's too bad Zane doesn't want to go to school this year," Penny said gently as she looked at Tessa in an endearing way, "That'd be fun to have classes with him, yeah? Maybe hold his hand on the way to class?"
"Penny," Tessa complained.
"Make out in the hall?" Penny suggested with a sly, side eye towards her cousin; Tessa beamed a wide, annoyed smile at Penny.
"Penny, you're nuts," Tessa hissed in an annoyed tone as she gestured her arms.
"Crazy and right, don't forget it," Penny wagged her finger at her cousin as she slowly slid off of Tessa's bed, "You promise you'll spill if you swap codes?"
"Penny, I can't believe you'd think, that after one kiss, I'd be anywhere prepared for that," Tessa argued, though she held true to a light smile, "I JUST turned one! Give me some breathing room!"
"Promise!" Penny urged with pleading, girly eyes; Tessa largely rolled her eyes before she peered back at her cousin with a curious, kind glare.
"Fine, Penny," Tessa muttered with an annoyed smile, "We should probably go to sleep... Academy is first thing, and I'm sure Tammy and Emery will be over to take us for our first day."
"I'm so excited," Penny urged with an eager smile as she skipped towards Tessa's door, "We should swap schedules on the way. I'm sure we have mostly the same classes."
"I'll bet we do," Tessa said as she sat up and tucked her hands inside the sleeves of Zane's warm, soft hoodie.
"Sweet, Zaney dreams," Penny teased as she saintly waved her fingers; Tessa mocked her with a mildly mean expression as she stuck her tongue out, though she beamed her an annoyed smile quickly afterwards.
Tessa flopped on her back, yet again, as Penny finally closed her bedroom door. She peered up at her ceiling in pure curiosity and had to wonder just how tomorrow would go. She furrowed her eyebrows lightly and was certain that tomorrow would hold her attention purely on new studies, new friends and finding her place in the Arcade; though one extra bullet had been added to her list, and she almost felt guilty for letting her mind hold onto it for dear life. The more she thought about it, the more she grew the most nervous for the end of the Academy day, when she would see Zane once again. She bit her bottom lip with a girly smile; her heart jolted at the thought of their new, secret hide out in Dead Zed, the warm breeze of The Flip Side, his soft hands on her skin and teasing breath that coated her lips and cheeks. She exhaled a hard sigh, for what she felt was the hundredth sigh in two minutes. She stood and moseyed to get ready for bed, as if her thoughts continued to taunt her to the brink of exhaustion.
As sunlight glinted across the Great Hall, and sprawled lazily about the King and Queen's massive spiral staircase, Tessa let her silent feet carry her to her mother and father's bedroom. She pushed the massive, round door open with a delicate nudge and stepped inside. Their bedroom was the epitome of tidy, due to her mother's cleaning habits. Sugar Rush's early, morning sun sprawled the floor of their bedroom, near their balcony, and easily filled the room to the brim with still nostalgia. Tessa's eyes gently scanned her frozen surroundings; she bit her bottom lip a little and moved towards their bathroom, she tenderly held her mother's gown, of which she wore to the ball last night. As quietly as she could, she sifted through her mother's closet and put the dress back where it belonged. With a final sigh of success, she turned heel to get prepared for her first day at Academy; she jolted clear out of her skin as to who was hanging in the doorway.
"Thanks for returning my dress," Vanellope eased with a kind smile; Tessa exhaled a surprised noise and jumped.
"Mom," Tessa complained with a surprised hiss of the rise and fall of a spark of adrenaline.
"You, of all people, should smell a glitch from a mile away," Vanellope giggled and crossed her arms; she was dressed in her appropriate racing attire. Her clean, mint racing jacket was sharp, all of the logos and such, that she was laced with, were on point.
"I'll learn eventually," Tessa beamed an embarrassed smile and straightened out her mint green t-shirt, she wore a comfortable pair of charcoal colored, tattered jeans; they hugged her figure, "Th-thanks for letting me borrow your dress... Well, actually dad sort of let me borrow it, but yeah..."
"You're welcome," Vanellope said kindly as she playfully eyed her daughter, "Had a successful night last night, did we?"
"Successful?" Tessa wondered, though she knew no one was sharper than her mother. She slumped her shoulders and figured beating around the bush was useless.
"You danced, you ate, you laughed, you kissed," Vanellope lightly shrugged and averted her teasing gaze to the ceiling high above; she held true to a youthful grin before her adoring gaze shot back to her blushing daughter.
"There's no sense lying to you," Tessa muttered as she looked away; her face beamed hot red as Vanellope let out a surprised, girly laugh.
"Oh Tess," Vanellope heaved with a wide smile and a hint of a giggle as she strolled over to her first born, "That's so sweet."
"Yeah, cat's out of the bag, I get it, tease away... Tessa finally had a first kiss, first dance, wore a dress, yada yada," Tessa rolled her eyes and began to feel as if she wanted to shell away.
"Zane is a sweetie," Vanellope cooed softly as she tucked some of Tessa's hair behind her ear; she caught eyes with Tessa in a string of surprised shyness, though she gave her a gentle, furrowed look, "Though, your father and I would love to get to know him more... You should bring him around, more often."
"See what Sugar Rush is dealing with, here?" Tessa wrinkled her nose with an annoyed smile.
"More or less," Vanellope lightly shrugged as her fingers gently stroked her daughter's cheek, "We just want to see exactly who this guy is... And if he's willing to keep Sugar Rush's rarest flower, safe from harm."
"I understand," Tessa breathed gently, her humbled eyes graced her mothers in almost annoyed, yet delighted understanding.
"You do understand that, any potential boyfriend you may have coming around has to be potential King material, if it is to develop into something more, right?" Vanellope warned as softly as she could, she lightly side eyed Tessa; she humbly gazed into her mother's eyes.
"I know," Tessa said softly as her eyebrows furrowed in dainty confusion, as if speaking those thoughts out to hear was what made it feel more real.
"As much fun as boys can be," Vanellope started in a playfully stern tone as she gripped her daughter's shoulders, "You shouldn't let it distract you from your studies."
"I won't, I won't," Tessa lulled as she waved her hand about. Vanellope furrowed her expression farther as a wider smile sprawled her face.
"Better not," Vanellope uttered with a cheeky smile.
"I promised Zane I'd see him after Academy, though," Tessa said gently to her mother; Vanellope immediately side eyed Tessa again, with a wide grin.
"Oh," Vanellope started, "Are we chopped liver?"
"Mom," Tessa complained, though she jolted with an annoyed laugh as Vanellope gently shook her shoulders; Tessa continued through hard giggling, "Academy lets out hours before the Arcade closes! I'll come home as soon as the closing call is announced."
"Alright, lover girl," Vanellope argued with an annoyed grunt as the two began to pile towards the exit of Ralph's and Vanellope's bathroom, "Just keep your guard up. You know the dangers of being outside your game... Especially in such a hostile game, like Dead Zed."
"I have yet to see any dangerous creatures, however," Tessa wondered lightly as the two began to head towards the spiral staircase, that led to the Great Hall.
"That's the whole reason they're dangerous," Vanellope started with an almost annoyed chuckle, "You can't see them."
"They're invisible?" Tessa wondered in mild annoyance; Vanellope rolled her eyes and lulled her arm over her daughter's shoulders. The two pushed into the Great Hall, where company was waiting towards the front door.
"No, y'dingus," Vanellope muttered, "They're sly, cunning... SMART. Something you've gotta be when you're away from home," Vanellope urged as she nudged two fingers to Tessa's forehead; Tessa flinched and grimaced out of annoyance.
"I will be fine," Tessa eased as she looped her arm around her mom's waist.
"Be smart with your code, too," Vanellope uttered as she gave her daughter a playful, furrowed glare, "One swap and it's permanent."
"Mom!" Tessa exhaled with a widening smile of disbelief, "What is with you and Penny, thinking I'm going to immediately swap my code with someone!"
"I know you're smarter than that," Vanellope said as she gazed across her Great Hall, "You'd have your father to answer to, just remember THAT."
"Don't remind me," Tessa's eyes bulged.
"Have fun, be safe," Vanellope concluded with a gentle smooch on Tessa's cheek, "Come home in one piece."
"I'll try," Tessa stated dully as the two strolled up to the group of their family that hung near the castle's front doors; Penny, Tammy and Emery awaited with dewy expressions. Tessa continued, "Academy might eat me alive."
"Nonsense," Penny chimed, "We're the piranha plants!"
"C'mon guys, let's get going," Tammy chimed as her and Emery hung near the two new students with dewed, excited expressions; they each were dressed casually for the school day.
"Dad sends his love, Tess," Vanellope called to Tessa as she head towards the corridor that led to the kitchen, which ultimately led to their massive warehouse of a garage, "He had to head over to Fix-It Felix Jr. early this morning because their code room needed it's monthly clean out."
"Tired 'ol game," Tessa heaved with a hard sigh as she lightly waved to her mother, "See you later."
"Love you guys," Vanellope called as she vanished; everyone returned the notion with kind smiles before they each peered to each other in dewy apprehension.
"Did you say bye to Aunt Taffyta and Uncle Rancis?" Tessa wondered gently to Penny as she handed her cousin her small bag; Tessa gratefully took it and lugged it over her right shoulder.
"Yeah, a few minutes ago," Penny said gently as she caught eyes with Tammy and Emery, "I'm so nervous."
"Don't be nervous," Tammy said gently with a smile, the four began to quickly pile towards the castle's large front doors, "You guys will be just fine."
"I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this," Penny rushed nervously as the four hung in the lobby of the massive Academy.
Penny and Tessa clung to each other in a non-obvious way, though they knew they stuck out like sore thumbs. Tammy and Emery remained as cool as cucumbers, they were casually stood with their bags on their backs and their light books in their arms, hugged to their chests; they looked like complete experts. Tessa inhaled a nervous breath and knew her and Penny had to strive to fit in, it fake it until they made it. Tessa nervously looked around, every single face and game character looked different, no one was alike. Humans, creatures and beings of all sorts walked to and from their destinations in preparation for the school day to begin. Academy carried on year long, though one a gamer came of age, they started Academy alongside everyone else, and were sorted into beginner classes; though some were meshed with students who had failed said easier courses. Tessa flinched once Penny started frantically searching for her schedule.
"We'll be okay, Penny," Tessa eased quietly as she tried to keep her composure, though her heart did a painful somersault at the thought of having any classes with Selka, let alone bumping into him, "We have mostly all the same classes, right?"
"You guys can sit with each other at lunch, too," Emery smiled lovingly towards the two girls, "You can sit at our table. Tammy and I usually sit outside, by the fountain."
"This game has an 'outside?'" Penny wondered in confusion as she finally stopped for a moment to gaze at Emery; she nodded in response.
"Academy is essentially like it's own game, if you think about it," Tammy lightly shrugged and idly gazed to her left a little, "The courtyard is on the map that was given to you, you can't miss it."
"We'll find you at lunch then," Tessa assured softly, "I highly doubt we'll have any classes with you two, anyhow."
"You might have Arcade History with me," Tammy said dully, "I failed it last year."
"History isn't my strong point, either," Emery added with an annoyed, cocked-eyebrow look.
"At least you passed it," Tammy retorted with a glance.
Tammy and Emery idly looked about as a soft bell suddenly chimed, though Tessa and Penny immediately looked panicked. Tessa raised her eyebrows as the vibe, in the lobby, switched from comfortable ease to tense action. Everyone in the lobby, which was about two dozen gamers, began to bee-line their way to their destinations, of which they were more than familiar with. Penny rustled with her map and schedule in a flustered way; Tessa furrowed her eyebrows in dismay and watched her.
"See you guys at lunch," Tammy lovingly squeezed Tessa's shoulder and looked both her and Penny in the eyes, "You guys will be fine, relax!"
"Thanks, Tammy," Tessa said gently as her and Emery slowly strolled away; Penny immediately inhaled a nervous gasp and peered down at her schedule.
"Tessa," Penny worried as she quickly peered at her cousin through brilliantly scared, blue eyes, "What class do you have first period?"
"Uhh," Tessa droned as she quickly got her schedule and scanned it over, "I have Applied Coding, A Wing... Don't you, as well?"
"No," Penny hissed in fear with a wide frown, "I'm all the way in the E wing for Game Theory 101."
"We don't have the same first hour class together?" Tessa rushed quietly as she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"Tessa, I'm going to game over," Penny urged, though Tessa gripped her arms.
"Pull yourself together," Tessa breathed gently to her cousin, "We have second hour together, right?"
"I-I have Arcade History in D Hall," Penny worried, the two began to panic with the dwindling amount of gamers left in the lobby, "Do you as well?"
"Yeah, I do," Tessa said in a sigh of relief after she glanced at her schedule, "It'll be fine, I'll see you next hour. Hopefully we'll see Tammy, as well."
"O-Okay," Penny worried as the two began to part ways, "Bye, Tess..."
"Good luck, you'll be fine," Tessa concluded as the two held worried eye contact for a solid ten seconds before painfully peeling from each other.