In one of the single-bed rooms in Kadic, a digital alarm clock reading 5:45 started beeping. It was still dark out and Tomas was almost reflexive in turning it off. He sighed and forced himself out of the bed, then shuffled out to the hallway. Into the shower room he shuffled, then back to his room.
Still he was absolutely entrenched in a cloud of dysania, but then he picked a CD case up from his desk, making the razor that had been sitting atop it clatter to the far end of the desk. He held it up to his face, the half naked body of Jenifer reflecting back at him. He took out the Lunatique disc and inserted it into the 90s relic that was a portable CD player with two speakers on each side and a handle on the back. With a push of the play button, pop music began to fill the room.
That woke Tomas enough to hum to himself and practice a few dorky dance moves while getting dressed and ready for the day.
To his delight, on the way to the cafeteria, the few students that were up at 6:30 didn't say a word to him. There were only a few people around: no stares, no comments, no giggles and whispers behind his back.
Then, as soon as he sat down, Theo Gauthier, a known rowdy student, sidled up next to him and said with a smile, "So, do you accept credit cards? Because I have a gay cousin. He's kinda ugly, but he's willing to pay and would very much be interested in a date. All inclusive of course, if you catch my drift..."
Tomas's shoulders slumped and his good mood wavered, and he sighed, rolling his eyes.
"I don't know, Theo, why don't you just ask your mom? She looks man enough." Ashanti swooped over to his rescue, and Tomas smirked as Theo scowled at her.
"So now I'm being paid to date people," Tomas muttered.
Then Jim walked in and narrowed his eyes, scanning the cafeteria like he was looking for a fight, and the giggling boys shut right up. Theo had begun to slink away, but stopped.
"And here comes more trouble," Ashanti groaned.
"I think he just suspects that giggling boys generally never means anything good," Tomas whispered back.
"Who's the wise guy?" Jim barked, holding up a pair of giant pink granny panties. Ashanti nearly spit her mouthful of coffee while Jim stormed over to the giggling group of boys Theo normally belonged to, the football team minus Ulrich, Varric and Ludek. Theo himself, however, continued to stand near Ashanti and Tomas, hoping to hide from Jim's ire.
"He's not much of a morning person, is he?" Kimi said cheerily as she came to a stop and slid in beside Tomas. "Sure would be a shame if Jim figured out you're the one who put them on his head in his sleep." She grinned predatorily at Theo while Jim turned so fast that his neck could've snapped.
"Gauthier! Front and center!" bellowed Jim, and the three friends at the table giggled, as did Sissi who was just coming over to sit.
"I guess Theo got those from that mom of his," Sissi cackled. Theo glared at the four from over his shoulder while Jim clamped a hand on his shoulder and led him out of the cafeteria, and the three ladies all responded with their best and biggest grins.
Tomas, however, was still nervous. "I hope he doesn't retaliate against me... I'm one of their favorite targets." He high-tailed it out of the cafeteria and grabbed a mini box of Fruit Loops from the line as he went. Once outside he ran into Yumi.
"Hey Yumi, I'm going to the Rec Room. Do you think you could come with me? I'd really like someone to talk with..." Tomas started, still anxious.
"No." Yumi answered abruptly. His face fell and she sighed. "Sorry, I don't mean to be bitchy. I've just got a lot going on and I don't have much time to spare. Maybe later, okay? Bye."
Tomas didn't even have a chance to respond before she was gone. He sighed and continued to the Rec room. He made it in the door and saw that it was empty before he realized that Sissi had followed.
"I hope you don't mind the company," she chirped as soon as he looked at her, clearly not really caring whether he did or not.
"No." Tomas shrugged. He then cracked open his mini box of cereal. "Miniature things always make me feel like a giant. I'm a giant eating a regular sized box of Fruit Loops. Of course, I'm going to eat them dry and out of the box. Where would I find a big enough bowl? Spoon? And think of all the milk..."
Sissi let out a laugh and sat down on the couch, "You crack me up."
"I know," he replied.
She shrugged and let out a breath. "But I must say you're easy to read today. When you aren't thinking of Fruit Loops and worrying about Theo's testosterone brigade, you're thinking of the jolly giant Russian."
Tomas shoved a few sugary circles in his mouth and shrugged like he totally didn't know what she was talking about.
Sissi rolled her eyes and smiled patiently. "A challenge, then? It's understandable, you know. He's got an amazing body, and a face that could sink ships. And his ass!"
"Stop it," Tomas hissed, sitting down next to her on the couch.
She just grinned at him like the Cheshire Cat and leaned back into the cushions. "You're too easy to crack." He glowered and flicked a Loop at her. "So you like Varric. Don't you think you should ask him out? He's single and you're interested in him."
"It doesn't matter." He shoved another mouthful into his mouth and crunched on them before mumbling, "He's not interested in me."
"What makes you so sure? It's 2008, being gay is trendy. It's fine."
Tomas frowned. "Not in Russia. And I'm not even out to him, he doesn't subscribe to the rumor mill. I'm too afraid he'll stop talking to me."
"Oh Tomas," she waved a hand with an irritated huff, "it's really fine. I highly doubt that he would ostracize you, even if he turns you down. It's harmless."
"It's not and I can't talk to Kimi about any of it because she's already got her junk going on, the last thing she wants to hear about is my angst. And all you and Ashanti and even Aelita do is tell me to go for it and lay out all my inner secrets without regard for what might happen."
"Mmhm." She nodded, and then they sat in silence. Sissi reached over and took a few Loops from Tomas' mini box and shrugged. "It's really that simple. Besides, I can help you."
"Huh?"
"I, hypothetically of course, could test the notion of the rumors that you're gay are true, and that you like him, and you can deny it if it goes south. You said yourself that won't hold rumors against you." And then she tapped the side of her head. "Yumi calls me the gossip queen for a reason."
"No. That's not a solid plan. And I don't want to lie. I don't want him to be tricked, either. It's not right." He stared at her. "You'd never actually do that... would you?"
"Not unless you really wanted me to." She shook her head. "Even when I chased after Ulrich, I rarely played dirty. It always backfired when I did."
"Besides, I don't think Varric would be that easily tricked."
"He's not exactly cunning, Tomas," Sissi giggled.
"Okay, well, he's not that book smart but he's not stupid," Tomas huffed. "Jesus, Regina George, put the claws away and save them for our enemies, not our friends."
Sissi rolled her eyes and smiled again. "Varric would be lucky to have you, Tomas. If you're really that scared, give him time. You're right that he's not necessarily stupid; he'll figure it out on his own eventually if you wait long enough. And it will be okay when he does."
Tomas let out a long sigh then forced a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Now you're just saying stuff to make me feel better. But... thanks."
"I'm being honest, Tomas." Sissi patted his knee. "You'll see."
Then, Kimi appeared in the doorway. "Tomas?"
Tomas craned his neck to smile at her. "Hello again!"
"Yumi told me you came down this way, I thought after what happened you could use some company," she said, eyeing Sissi suspiciously.
Sissi simply smiled back at Kimi. "The more the merrier!"
"Please tell me you two are done fighting. Sissi has already said she has no idea what's up with Odd," Tomas pleaded.
"And we all saw her chasing him with Yumi, so she knows more than she's saying." Kimi smiled, but it really looked more like a sneer.
"Kimi, for god's sake, you know I would tell you!" Sissi sighed dramatically. "Please believe me."
"Fine." Kimi took a deep breath then exhaled. "I'll let it go for the sake of our friendship. But I expect to be told if you hear anything."
"Deal." Sissi nodded and held out her pinky. Kimi took it and they both squeezed, then smiled.
"So you managed to piss the jackasses off already today," Kimi turned to Tomas and said, "Is that why you're hiding in here?"
"Theo started it and you know it." Tomas smiled back.
"And why are you hiding in here?" said Aelita from the doorway, directing her gaze to Kimi.
"I don't owe you an explanation. Aelita, you're honestly the last person I want to talk to right now. You're up to something and I don't like it," Kimi stated coolly. If she had eyed Sissi like she thought she was hiding something, she was now eyeing Aelita as if she were an open bag of steaming garbage someone had just left in the doorway. "Why are you here?"
"To see how Tomas is doing." Aelita answered equally coolly.
"Oh. I thought it would have had to do with my boyfriend," Kimi said easily with a flip of her hand. "You seem to like cavorting with him."
Aelita stiffened up and narrowed her eyes. "Of course not. I wouldn't do that to you, Kimi, especially not with my cousin. What do you think I am, a skank?"
Kimi's eyes grew hard in spite of the easy grin she kept on her lips and she tilted her head to the side ever so slightly. "Maybe just a little."
"Oh my god." Tomas buried his face in his hands while Sissi pursed her lips.
"Ooh, Nelly..." said Sissi quietly. Kimi and Aelita both were practically twitching.
"Then I guess you shouldn't hang around my friends all the time if you hate me so much," Aelita stated simply, barely making any effort to conceal her scowl.
"Your friends are just as much my friends," Kimi replied with an air of scorn. "Don't be so selfish as to tear the group apart over drama."
Aelita gave Kimi a once over and hummed to herself. "Sure. But I know who'd stand with me if it came down to it."
"I'm incredibly uncomfortable right now," Tomas blurted.
"We're just calmly airing our grievances, Tomas." Aelita smiled at him.
"Yeah, okay." Tomas said while tugging on his sleeve and looking over to Kimi, who looked mad enough to spit nails. "Well, this was fun. I'm gonna go."
He stood up and quickly hurried over to the door. He wrapped his hand around the handle and opened it. This is the last place on earth I want to be right now.
Then, as he shot through the door, Tomas crashed directly into Varric's chest, who wasn't even slightly staggered by the impact.
No, actually, the last place I want to be is looking like an idiot in front of Varric again.
"Are you okay, friend?" Varric looked down at Tomas with an eyebrow arched. He was clearly unimpressed.
"No! I'm sorry, bye!" Tomas blurted and darted around Varric, holding back a scream. He then crashed into another person, Odd, and let the scream out.
"What the...!" Odd yelled as he tumbled to the ground and his assailant sprinted off to the dormitories. He got up and turned around to see Tomas's retreating form, then sighed and shook his head. "Nothing like another day of fresh, early morning drama."
"What is his problem?" Varric mumbled, crossing his arms while Odd brushed himself off.
"I have no idea, but everyone has been tense lately." Odd replied, circling Varric to go in.
"Yes, but Tomas has been acting very strangely to me. And Sissi has been very peculiar too, in a different way. And you and Aelita too, for that matter." Varric narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Maybe you should tell me what's going on so this nonsense can stop."
"Maybe. I'll get back to you on that, I happen to think we need another person in on the big secret," said Odd before walking in, just as Aelita pushed past him.
"First off, we don't need to tell Varric or anyone else, that never goes well and you of all people should know it. Second off, your girlfriend wants to talk to you at your earliest convenience, Odd," Aelita hissed before storming off toward the dormitories as well.
"Ah, u nikh yest' sekret..." Varric murmured to himself in his native Russian, pausing outside. After a moment's thought, he too began to head for the dormitories.
"Okie dokie, not even I want to be around for this," declared Sissi once she saw Odd walk in, while Kimi sat like some kind of evil mastermind with her legs crossed. Sissi was quick to escape while Kimi gestured to a chair she'd pulled up.
"Have a seat, Odd."
"Is this gonna be some kind of torture session?" joked Odd while he took the seat and leaned back.
"Maybe," Kimi answered deadpan, not a hint of humor in her face or voice.
"Okay then... what's up?"
"You tell me. Something stinks, everyone knows it, but you and Aelita keep your lips sealed. I want to know the truth. It's not okay for you to tell me you love me then turn around and lie to me," explained Kimi calmly.
"Well... You know what? You're right. I love you and you're special, and you deserve my full honesty," Odd said solemnly, nodding firmly.
Kimi blinked, surprised. "Your sister made it sound like you'd sit here and lie to my face until I broke up with you or stopped asking."
"Maybe I would've, before. But I'm older and more mature now." Odd nodded again. "I have a massive crush on Aelita."
"Wow." Kimi blinked again. "I didn't think you'd admit it. Holy wow."
"And yes, we did once kiss in an elevator. And, I trust you to keep this to yourself... She's not really my cousin. She's an orphan, and that's the story we gave Delmas. Even my parents and sisters wanted to help and went with it," Odd explained. I'd rather not have to ask Jeremie launch a return, Kimi, please be mature since I'm trying to be too...
"You know what, that's actually very noble of you. I believe you, and I'm kind of impressed by your candor." Kimi nodded slowly, taking it in. "I'll keep your secret. But I don't like that you're chasing another woman while you're dating me, though, Odd. That's not okay."
"You're right. It's not."
"So are we going to break up, or stay together assuming you sort that out, or...?" Kimi trailed off, watching Odd intently.
"Let's hit the pause button until I know where I stand, okay? I don't want to lead you on."
"I don't think I like that, Odd. I don't want to be a backup plan or be put on hold because another woman comes first. I want to be with a person who wants me first and me only, and I think I deserve that." Kimi crossed her arms.
"You deserve that. I hope if I can't be that, you soon find someone who can," Odd said sincerely, leaning forward slightly.
"Well, the door isn't closed yet. Just keep in mind I'm not waiting on you for another woman."
"And you shouldn't. So, are we good? Still buddies?"
"Of course. Now if you'll excuse me, I do have some catching up on my work to do." Kimi stood up, smiled at Odd, then walked to the door, but stopped. "Oh, and Odd?"
"Yes?"
"Never start a rumor that I or any other girl you may date had a threeway with you and your 'cousin' again." With that, she was out the door.
"How did she...?" Odd murmured to himself.
"Because nobody else in the school would believe you'd pull it off except for you!" Kimi shouted from outside as she passed, even though she couldn't possibly have heard his whisper. Nonetheless, she smiled at him through the window as she went by.
Odd frowned at first, but found himself breaking into a chuckle and smiling back at her.
"At least someone is willing to be my friend despite my mistakes."
Once she had escaped to the dormitory building, Sissi found herself quietly slinking up to the stairs to the girls' floor, hoping to avoid Aelita on the off chance that she was still hanging around. After the stand-off that she'd just witnessed, the last thing Sissi wanted was to be cornered by either girl.
"Sissi!" boomed a voice from behind her just as she rounded the stairs to climb to the final floor. She flinched, but it was the bassy tone belonging to Varric, and she relaxed as she turned. He was just coming out of the boys' dorm hall when he saw her about to sneak up the stairs.
"Yes?" Sissi replied in her most honey-laden tone.
"I want to be told what this nonsense that's been going around is about. Whether you remember or not, you tried to kill Ulrich and knocked me out somehow. That's not easily waved off." Varric slowly asked, pausing between phrases to find the best words.
"Oh, it's really nothing, I swear!" Sissi tilted her head and grinned kindly. He raised an eyebrow.
"It's nothing?"
"Okay, you're right that it's super weird. But I really don't remember anything. Ulrich is the only one that was conscious and he insists it was all normal and not worth worrying about," Sissi sighed, relenting. "I don't want to talk about this today. Between you, Kimi and Aelita I feel like I'm being hunted constantly."
"Fine. I will talk to Ulrich." With that, Varric disappeared back into the boys' dorm hall, leaving Sissi free to escape once more. A moment later, he was knocking at Ulrich's door, having heard shuffling behind it.
"What?" Ulrich called while he got dressed. "I'm a little busy!"
"I need to talk to you about the strange behavior of everyone lately," Varric replied, not moving. Ulrich went silent, but sighed when his visitor remained at the door.
"What strange behavior?" he repeated, opening the door once he had a shirt and pants on.
"Please do not play dumb, I already know there is some kind of secret." Varric frowned. "Sissi and I agree what happened in the gym makes no sense and is too serious to ignore. What are you hoping to hide?"
"Nothing. There's nothing to hide, Sissi is just crazy sometimes. The fact she knocked you out should prove how she can get," Ulrich answered tersely. "And if there was a secret, then it's secret for a reason."
"And Jeremie punching Odd? Odd and Aelita avoiding you all?"
"How should I know what goes on in Jeremie and Aelita's relationship? You shouldn't care either."
"I wouldn't, and I didn't, until he barged into my bedroom and punched our friend. You should be angry too. At that point, keeping a secret for someone doesn't matter. When people start getting hurt, other people need to be involved."
"They'll work it out. Now, I would like to finish getting dressed please."
"It is clear you will not tell the truth. Please reconsider. There has already been quite a bit of violence. Soon, someone gets hurt too bad to ignore, and then nothing will matter." Varric turned to leave, heading again to the stairwell.
"Alright, bye," Ulrich called back before closing his door again.
"And then I ran right into Odd, and knocked him over while Varric stared at me like I'm an idiot," said Tomas to Ashanti, pulling on his sleeve.
"It can't have been that bad. Promise he'll forget or stop caring by the end of the week," Ashanti replied. They were sitting in her room, which she shared with Kimi. Ashanti's side of the room was very tidy and plain, with a fairly modern bed and dresser. Kimi's, however, was colorful and loud. Everything from giant pink heart pillows to the matching fuzzy pink rug to the pink and green striped wallpaper screamed exactly the kind of person she was, standing in stark contrast to the minimalist decor of Ashanti's half.
"I sure hope so. But I'm worried about Kimi and Odd and Aelita too. I wouldn't want to be around any of those three right now, either," Tomas murmured, resting his chin in his hands.
Then came a knock at the door. "Who is it?" Ashanti called, standing.
"Aelita." Tomas froze, and Ashanti glanced at him. "I wanted to apologize to Tomas, if he's here." He relaxed his shoulders and nodded, and Ashanti opened the door.
"Hi, love," Ashanti greeted, stepping aside to let Aelita in. "I hear you had a tussle with Kimi."
"Yeah," Aelita answered as she entered and turned to Tomas. "I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for not paying any regard to the fact you were right there and very uncomfortable, and ignoring you when you told me. It was really inconsiderate of me and I shouldn't have acted that way."
"Oh, uh..." Tomas blinked. "Thanks, Aelita. But... you don't have to apologize to me..."
"Sure I do. Like I said, I ignored you when you told me you were uncomfortable. Can I sit?" Aelita stood by Kimi's bed, which Tomas was sitting on, and he nodded.
"What about Kimi?" Ashanti cut in. "I heard about what you gals were saying and I'm disappointed in you both."
"I'm disappointed in me too. I'm better than that. I've just been so frustrated lately." Aelita hung her head. "I'm not that kind of petty girl, I've never acted so shallow before. I need to stop letting all this stress lately get to me and affecting my behavior. I know my friends all miss sweet, innocent Aelita."
"I forgive you," said Kimi from the doorway, "but I do have to ask you to get off my bed. Tomas too, I have a few things to do."
Aelita stood, immediately closing the distance between her and Kimi. "Kimi, listen, I want to apologize for..."
"I already told you I forgive you. Odd and I talked and I understand everything now. I'm sorry for being aggressive, too. Just don't start talking crazy to me again and we're fine, okay?" said Kimi as she pushed past Aelita to start preparing for the day.
"I... okay." Aelita frowned. She understands everything now? How much did he tell her? If this is Brynja the Second...
"For real, I swear I'm not trying to be ugly to you two but like, I need to get ready. Can y'all maybe hang out in the cafeteria?" Kimi continued, turning.
"Right, yeah. I've gotta do some homework before the day begins. Come on, Aelita, we can listen to some Jenifer," Tomas said cheerily, getting up to leave the room.
"Actually, I have a question for Odd. I'll be right there, though!" Aelita replied, turning and hurrying down the hall.
At the doors to the stairwell, she heard a strange murmuring. Aelita turned to see what it was, seeing Sissi coming out of her room.
"Sissi?" Aelita asked, turning to her. "Sissi, what is it?"
Sissi continued to make garbled sounds, shaking her hands as if she was trying to dry them off. Her pupils were frighteningly large, and her bulging eyes fixed at the space above Aelita's head.
"Sissi, you're scaring me," Aelita said, backing away. Suddenly, the girl went entirely rigid and fell forward, landing on the floor with a gargled gasp.
"Sissi!" Tomas yelled, having just exited Kimi and Ashanti's room. "Girls! Help!" He banged on the door.
Sissi's skin went pale and every muscle on her was tightened like steel cords. Aelita screamed while she knelt to try to help her, and both Kimi and Ashanti came out of their room.
"Oh goodness," Ashanti gasped, "she's having one of her seizures."
"Come on, let's get her on her side before she drowns herself in her vomit." Kimi barked. The other girls that happened to be in their rooms peeked from their doors, watching the scene unfold. Kimi glanced over her shoulder and pointed at the first girl she saw. "You, Emily, go get Yolanda!"
"But..." Emily bit her nail, watching Sissi begin to tremor and convulse while Aelita backed away and Ashanti tried to get her on her side.
"No buts! Go!" Kimi screamed back. "And get Delmas and Jim once you send her!"
"Okay!" Emily answered nervously, running off.
"I'll get the principal!" said Tomas, following her.
"Shhh, love, it's okay," Ashanti breathed gently, cradling Sissi's head while her entire body convulsed. Bile and saliva dribbled down her cheek and onto Ashanti's arm and dress while her eyes darted in all directions. Kimi's arms were rigid and unmoving from Sissi's waist, forcing her to stay on her side. Tears began to form in Aelita's eyes while her hands flew to her mouth.
"It's alright, Aelita," said Kimi, looking up at her while holding Sissi. "It'll only last a minute or so. She'll be alright."
Aelita whimpered, watching helplessly while Sissi's arms and legs rhythmically tremored. Kimi's promise seemed to be entirely false while the moments dragged on. How long had she been standing there? Where were Emily and Tomas with help? What if Sissi didn't make it?
Finally, the tremors slowed to a stop. Sissi's eyes and mouth gently closed, and Ashanti ran a finger through her hair. "You're okay, love. You're okay." Sissi's breathing slowly returned to a gentle, normal rhythm, and Aelita heaved a sigh of relief. Kimi stood and sighed.
"She'll be just fine, see? It only lasted a minute or so," she said to Aelita. Only a minute?
Finally, Yolanda burst through the doors.
"Oh, dear..." she murmured while she ran over, kneeling at Sissi's side while Ashanti gently set her head down and stood. "You girls did well."
"Just helping our friend," said Ashanti. She didn't pay any mind to the fluids dried to her, or the odor of urine that was filling the hall. Aelita released a breath she didn't know that she was holding while Yolanda waited beside Sissi, gently rocking her. Sissi groaned and blinked her eyes open between shallow breaths.
"You had a seizure, dear. How do you feel?" Yolanda asked sweetly while Sissi whimpered. Sissi looked at her, confused, not understanding who she was or what she was doing there.
"Mom?" Sissi asked weakly, her lip trembling.
"No, dear. It's Yolanda, the school nurse, sweetie."
She frowned, trying to sit up but immediately gave up. It seemed this only confused her. "School?"
"You're in the girls' dormitory." Yolanda answered kindly. Aelita stared with astonishment as Sissi seemed to go to sleep and come back awake numerous times. This was no X.A.N.A. attack. This was terrifying.
Finally, Sissi did manage to prop herself up on her elbows. "Yolanda? Where's daddy...?"
"He's on his way, darling. He wasn't on campus but I've called him and he'll be here any minute."
Sissi's face scrunched up and she looked ready to cry. "I've made such a mess... I'm never going to be as beautiful as I want to be when I keep pissing myself and puking all over my friends! I can't believe I did this in front of every girl here!" She burst into sobs, her shoulders shaking.
"Shhh, love. That's rubbish. You know you're beautiful and this is nothing," Ashanti promised, patting her shoulders.
"We love you, Sissi. You're gorgeous and you know it," Kimi agreed, kneeling beside her.
Just then, Mr. Delmas swung the doors open and hurried to Sissi's side, hugging her tightly. Sissi continued to cry as he cradled her, but she was slowly calming down.
Aelita backed away, a strong sense of insignificance washing over her. This was real. This wasn't erasable with a return trip. People went through so much daily, and nothing could be done to stop it. Was this why Sissi could be such a good nurse in the midst of a X.A.N.A. attack? The world seemed to slow down and drain of color as she made her way down the stairs.
"What was I even...?" Aelita murmured to herself. "Wait. Odd, Kimi, the stuff he told her!" With that, she hurried down the stairs. Better to worry about Odd than to think about what she'd just seen.
As Aelita walked away scowling, Odd thumped his head against the wall by the vending machine, barely holding onto Kiwi's leash. His good mood from his mostly successful confession to Kimi was completely gone.
"Aelita, she's not going to do anything! Even if she tried, she can't prove it!" Odd yelled, but Aelita did not even pause for a split second.
"You don't know that! There's only so much the Supercomputer can falsify! I'm going to have to launch a Return. You're an idiot, Odd!" Aelita screamed back while she went, heading to the woods. Odd sighed and thumped his head against the wall again while Kiwi sniffed at the nook between the wall and vending machine.
"Come on, let's go for a walk," he sighed at last. "It's a nice day out for February and you've been cooped up for a while now. We can go in a different direction from Aelita and relax."
Before he knew it, Odd was near the Hermitage. Kiwi bounded forward and sniffed at a patch of grass near the fence. "You're a good diggety dog. You don't hate me for my simple mistakes," Odd murmured, watching as Kiwi sniffed at the Hermitage fence.
Just as Aelita was crossing the bridge, deep in thought between Sissi's seizure and Kimi's new knowledge, and X.A.N.A. watching her through the Factory surveillance cams, a Tower in the Mountain Sector activated.
In the library, Jeremie was studying vigorously. The library had become his new favorite place to work as of late. Aside from the occasional presence of annoyances such as Herb or Laura, it was peaceful and served to get him out of his room.
While he effortlessly blew through calculus worksheets, his laptop began to beep. "X.A.N.A.! I better..." he mumbled to himself, opening it to silence the noise, "No." He closed the Superscan, then shut the laptop and pushed it further down the table. "I don't care."
Odd leaned on the fence, waiting while Kiwi handled his business. He sighed, tilting his head down. Then, he heard Kiwi yelp from behind him. "What's wrong, Kiwi?" He turned, approaching Kiwi's chosen tree and leaning over the bull terrier, who was shaking on the ground. "Kiwi!" He went to pick the dog up, but Kiwi got back up on his own and growled at him before lunging, chomping down on his hand.
"Kiwi! What was that for?" The dog's beady eyes sparked with energy and the Eye of X.A.N.A. appeared in them. "X.A.N.A.!" Odd backed away as Kiwi started to grow in size. In seconds, he was the size of a wolf and showed no signs of stopping. Odd screamed and ran away as Kiwi quickly became even taller than him.
Aelita, having arrived at the elevator, had just taken it down to the Control Room, where she heard the Superscan beeping as soon as the doors opened. "X.A.N.A.! Just my luck!" She pulled her cell phone out and called Jeremie but he didn't answer. She sent him an SOS XANA message immediately after, but he simply was not responding.
"You can't ignore this no matter how mad you are, we can't endanger the world over drama!" She groaned in frustration. She called Odd this time, and he answered. "Odd! X.A.N.A. is attacking, get to the Factory."
"I know he's attacking! He got Kiwi!" Aelita heard a loud bark through the speaker. "He's made him the size of a damn bull!"
"Hurry, Odd, Jeremie won't answer," Aelita replied. "I'm going to call the others, please be safe."
Hanging up, Aelita then called Ulrich, who didn't answer either. She sent him an SOS XANA, then tried Yumi next but she too didn't answer. "No, they can't be doing this. X.A.N.A. is too dangerous to be acting like this, they can't be doing this!" Tears welled up in her eyes while she tried William next.
Odd could finally see the sewer entrance. He charged for it desperately and skidded to a stop beside it. He dropped down just as Kiwi lunged, flying through the space he'd just occupied and sliding to a halt. Odd poked out his upper body, grabbed hold of the lid and flung it at the possessed dog.
"Sorry, Kiwi!" Odd chirped before dropping down again. Kiwi managed to catch the plate between his teeth, bite through it, and swallow as the remainder of the plate clattered to the ground. He was ready for another bite of something fleshier and pounced at Odd, but the scrawny boy had already flung himself all the way down and into the sewer. Kiwi tried to crawl inside after him, but wouldn't fit. He could only manage to worm his head in and barked at Odd below.
"Be a good boy, Kiwi," said Odd just before he took off on his skateboard.
Aelita was ready to give up, and had just pulled up a delayed virtualization window while she she listened to the rings on the other end of the phone. She was about to hang up and start the timer just when he answered. "Aelita?"
"X.A.N.A. is attacking. Please, William, I'm begging you to get here as soon as you can."
"Okay. See you in a bit, Aelita." He hung up and pushed away from the table he was at in the cafeteria, getting up to go.
"What are you doing?" Ulrich asked, sitting beside Yumi. The three were at the table alone, since everyone else was up to their own thing elsewhere.
"X.A.N.A. is attacking. We have to go to the Factory," William answered, pushing his chair back and waiting for the two to get up.
"We aren't going." Ulrich shook his head. "Those traitors can tough it out."
"But it's not about them. This is X.A.N.A. we're talking about," Yumi murmured, looking back and forth between Ulrich and William. "You can stay. I'm not letting the others down. X.A.N.A. is too dangerous for that." She pushed her tray away then backed up in her chair.
"What others? We are the others. You won't be letting anyone down," Ulrich quipped just as she was about to stand.
"I'm sorry, Ulrich, I don't have time to argue." William turned and ran off, making his way outside. Before he even made it all the way out of the cafeteria, Ulrich and Yumi had, indeed, begun to argue.
Kiwi had given up on chasing Odd and instead took off across the school grounds, barking wildly. Jim had been walking out of the infirmary after checking on Sissi, then had begun investigating the campus to find the source of the dog barks. He rounded a tree and found himself staring at Kiwi, who was now size of an ox. "Buh, buh, but, buh..." Jim stammered, freezing to the spot as Kiwi shot past him and past the school gates.
Odd dismounted his skateboard at the end of the sewer passage. He climbed out, thinking he was safe, but in front of him on the bridge was Kiwi. "Good doggy." Odd backed away, toward the street behind him. "Want to play fetch?" Odd looked around, hoping to see a stick or something similar.
Unfortunately, he had stepped too far back and tripped over the curb, not expecting it to be there. As he tumbled to the ground, Kiwi dashed down the bridge, barking furiously. "No, bad dog, sit!" Odd screamed, shielding his face with his arms as Kiwi's jaws snapped at him.
William was next to make it out of the sewer and quickly noticed the giant ox-sized dog accompanied by screams behind him. "X.A.N.A., leave him alone!" Kiwi turned at his command, Odd dangling in the giant dog's mouth. He shook Odd around a little more, flinging his bruised and bleeding form to the side before beginning to approach William, growling lowly.
"Um, but leave me alone also." He backed away anxiously as Kiwi stared at him hungrily and trotted in his direction. "Be a good dog... boar... thing." William heard a thump and glanced behind him, taking note that he was only a few meters from the edge of the top Factory floor. There, Aelita stood barefoot. "Aelita! What are you doing?"
"Helping." Aelita pushed past William and climbed onto the right side of the bridge. "Kiwi, come here, Kiwi." Aelita leaned to glance past Kiwi at the hurt Odd, who was struggling to get up. "William, if this works, go and help Odd."
"If what works?" William asked nervously while he watched Aelita climb onto the bridge supports. Kiwi, too, was watching her intently. "Aelita!" She was perched lackadaisically on the supports, arms outstretched, singing a little tune over and over.
Then, she turned to the Xanafied dog, freezing. "Kiwi, come here, Kiwi. Come on, Kiwi." Kiwi sprung at Aelita released a noise somewhere between a roar and a bark, and she dove insouciantly off the bridge. Kiwi slammed into the supports, firmly planting his head between two girders.
Aelita landed in the water below making a dainty splash, and swam to the staircase on the waterfront. She climbed up, soaking wet, while William held Odd and dragged him across the bridge, causing Odd to moan and complain in agony.
"William, hurry," Aelita breathed as she caught up to him, passing the struggling Kiwi. She helped William with Odd, and managed to get him to grab a rope. William slowly shimmied down the nearest rope to Odd's, helping him maintain a grip to minimize pain and prevent rope burn on his scratched-up hands. Aelita swung down next to them to catch Odd, and they slowly pulled him in the direction of the elevator. The sound of Kiwi utterly destroying the part of the supports he was caught reminded them the clock was ticking.
"We need to get him to Lyoko!" William barked. "Sorry, buddy, but the Scanners will heal you." He pushed a protesting Odd over to the elevator and into it aggressively, then smashed the down button. The garage door closed as Kiwi leapt down to the floor and slammed into it, denting it. He bashed himself against it again, busting a small hole, but the elevator went down before he could bust a hole big enough for him to enter.
As soon as they arrived in the Scanner Room, William pulled Odd out and began to drag him to the middle Scanner. To their misfortune, Kiwi, assisted by X.A.N.A., ghosted through the ceiling, landing on the floor behind them.
"Aelita, I, I'll distract him," William stammered.
"Be careful, William, we need you. We can't afford to lose you, both against X.A.N.A. and emotionally," Aelita warned, helping Odd to walk the last few steps as William dodged a lunge from Kiwi.
"I especially can't lose you, Odd," Aelita whispered once he was in the Scanner. She then hurried to the ladder and took it up. William ran into the elevator and pressed the button. Kiwi sprung at him, and William ducked and rolled out. He screamed as Kiwi's paw grazed his upper arm. The doors closed and the elevator began to take Kiwi to the top floor.
"Man, that hurt." His arm had been pretty badly wounded down the side, and he could tell the bone within was either cracked or dislocated. He knew he'd be healed, though, and he quickly entered the left Scanner.
"Transfer Odd, Transfer William, Scanner Odd, Scanner William, and virtualization." The two landed on Lyoko in the Forest Sector, and both heaved a sigh of relief at being free from pain. Aelita sent the three vehicles, then started the timer on the delayed virtualization she'd prepared earlier. She started to take the ladder just as the elevator came down and Kiwi rushed out, chomping at the air as he ran at her. Aelita let go of the ladder and landed in the Scanner room, spraining her ankle as Kiwi barked, shoving his head into the hatch to snap his jaws at her. She wasted no time and limped to the rightmost Scanner just before the doors closed.
"Odd!" Aelita yelled as she fell to the Forest Sector ground upon virtualization. "Are you okay?"
He nodded with a laugh, standing on the Overboard. "Kiwi is getting some doggy breath mints when I get back." He looked around, taking in their surroundings. "No one else made it?"
"No one else would come," William sighed from the Overbike. "Let's get going." He revved the engine.
"Woohoo!" He took off at a tree and the Overboard turned vertical, dashing up the trunk. "I missed this."
"Odd! Don't hurt yourself," Aelita chided while she boarded the Overwing. "We need to get going before Kiwi does some real damage." She took off toward the Tower, and the boys followed.
Jim was wandering back to the school, mumbling, babbling, and stammering. He was pale from the sight of the giant dog, and planned to get some rest. Ms. Hertz caught sight of him and strode over.
"Jim, I was wondering if we could reschedule my dance lesson." Jim walked by, ignoring her. "Jim? What's wrong, Jim?" She reached out touched his arm concernedly, realizing something was wrong.
"I'd rather not talk about it," Jim murmured, still walking.
"Someone needs to lay off the pastis," Ms. Hertz grumbled to herself before continuing back to the science building.
On Lyoko, Aelita and the other two approached the activated Tower and its guards. "Tarantulas and that thing," she announced. X.A.N.A.'s new monster was there. Its wings flared out momentarily as if it was stretching them.
"Let's take that Valkyrie down." Aelita and William turned to glance at Odd, expecting something more catchy or even humorous. Odd dove at the Valkyrie, letting loose a barrage of Laser Arrows. The monster easily floated to the left, dodging them.
"I'll go after the Tarantulas," William shouted, veering around the Valkyrie and Odd.
"We both will," Aelita growled. She was ready to fight. "Energy Field!" She formed the attack, aimed and launched the energy orb at a Tarantula all in the span of a moment, and she hit it directly in the Eye. Meanwhile, William charged the other Tarantula, dodging lasers. He summoned his Zweihander from a puff of silver mist, then held it out like a lance as he rode the Overbike forward.
"Laser Arrow!" Odd fired, aiming to the side of the Valkyrie on purpose, hoping it would dodge right into an arrow. It started to, but it was quick to catch onto his game and hovered back.
William continued to steer, zooming around an endless stream of lasers as he came closer and closer, still holding the Zweihander out.
Back at Kadic Academy, Kiwi had made his return just for the sake of causing chaos and hopefully hurting Ulrich, Yumi or Jeremie. People panicked and screamed as he barked and ran around, knocking everything from vending machines to even slower kids over. He barreled through the gazebo in the courtyard and it splintered apart.
"Got it!" At last, William ran the Tarantula through; it struggled, then exploded as he passed. Now, the final monster was the Valkyrie, which was proving to be more than enough of a challenge.
"Shield!" Odd blocked a swipe from the Valkyrie, then sprung forward with the purple barrier, pushing it away. "Laser Arrow!" He fired again, but the Valkyrie kept maneuvering around them.
"Energy Field!" Aelita circled overhead on the Overwing and threw the orb, but missed the Valkyrie. William drove the Overbike towards the monster, hoping to give it the same fate the Tarantula had received, but the monster was too agile and darted to the side.
Yumi and Ulrich were taking cover in the rec room, peeking out the window to figure out how to best stop Kiwi's rampage. Milly, Tamiya and Hiroki burst in and slammed the door behind them. The three all screamed in panic and darted behind the couch.
"What is that monstrosity?!" Milly wailed, crying into her scarf. The Kadic reporter had tried a more mature low ponytail and given her wardrobe a stylish makeover inspired by her new relationship with Hiroki, but it was going to waste now that Kiwi was terrorizing them.
"I don't know." Ulrich glanced up and saw Kiwi dart past. Almost everyone had taken cover indoors while the dog circled the grounds. "Kiwi?" He ducked behind the couch again. "We should have gone," he admitted, turning to Yumi.
"I know." Yumi bit on a nail in worry. She glanced at Hiroki, who was cradling Milly tightly while Tamiya shivered beside them. He had grown a lot in the last year, becoming a tall, wiry boy. No longer was he the obnoxious child who constantly harassed Yumi over everything she did. Seeing him now, with the courage to go and get a girlfriend and comfort her in a crisis, she couldn't help but smile proudly. Even if he bugged her about being shorter than him now.
The Valkyrie turned to William and blasted lasers from the single eye in its head, dematerializing the Overbike and taking a few Life Points from its target. He jumped off before it disappeared and tried to fight the new monster up close, but it was so agile that he couldn't even touch it. He swung the Zweihander hard, but the Valkyrie jerked upwards. It landed on the blade, its underside touching the flat, and glided down it, swinging its claws. William was unable to react, and found himself quickly devirtualized and sent back to Earth.
"Energy Field!" Aelita cried. The ball of pink plasma was close, but it missed. The Valkyrie's dodge also put it out of the way of Odd's Laser Arrows. It took to the sky with its wings, flying over another Energy Field and directly toward Odd with its claws outstretched.
"Shield!" Odd pulled it up just in time, for the Valkyrie slammed into the shield and pushed Odd off of the Overboard in the next second.
"Energy Field!" Aelita flew over them and threw the field directly downward. This time she was able to hit the Valkyrie in the back, and it twitched with pink plasma before exploding. Odd was now able to lower his Shield then twist in midair to land on all fours.
"Great job, Princess," Odd cheered as she brought the Overwing down. She quickly jumped off and took off for the Tower.
"You distracted him for me," she called over her shoulder with a wink before reaching into the activated Tower to enter it.
"Princess?" She stopped halfway through and glanced back. "I can't lose you either."
"Oh, you, um, heard that," Aelita stammered.
"I did." Odd smiled at her, his feline tail swishing gently.
"Um, I have to deactivate the Tower." She quickly pushed the rest of the way into the Tower, and Odd watched from outside as the aura soon faded from red to white.
Kiwi was bashing against the rec room door when X.A.N.A. left him, leaving him to shrink down and collapse just outside. Everyone inside was screaming except Yumi and Ulrich, who waited at the window, refusing to face the door.
When the bashing stopped at last, they thought Kiwi had made it in. "It's all over now," whispered Ulrich. They hugged each other and squeezed their eyes shut, waiting for X.A.N.A. to finally kill them once and for all. That fate never came as the white bubble of a return washed over them.
Aelita and Odd opened their eyes. They were on campus, at the vending machines, where he had been scolded by her before.
"I'm sorry, Odd," Aelita immediately blurted.
"About what, and why did you only send us back to here? Didn't you want to erase Kimi's memory?" Odd asked while holding Kiwi's leash. The dog circled his legs anxiously.
"I trust your judgment. I shouldn't be acting the way I've been. I... I didn't mean to, but after what Jeremie said to me and how he hit you and Sissi's seizure and all this stress..." Aelita sighed.
"Sissi's seizure?" Odd interrupted. "Sissi has seizures?"
"Apparently she's always been epileptic. I had no idea until she had one in front of me today," Aelita replied, shivering.
"Scary." Odd blinked. "I'm sorry, Aelita. I messed things up with you and Jeremie. I told him it was all me but he won't listen. And it really was all me!"
"It wasn't just you." Aelita blushed. "But I love Jeremie. I'm sorry, Odd." Odd's laugh in return surprised her.
"Don't be sorry, Aelita. What you and Einstein have is what I'm looking for. If you two aren't together, then what am I chasing?"
"Um, nothing?"
"Exactly." Odd grinned at her. "Maybe once I'm ready, Kimi and I can try again, but we're still friends. So go talk to Jeremie. Corner him in his room and don't leave until he accepts your apology."
"Are you sure, Odd? I don't want him yelling at me again." Aelita hung her head.
"He might at first, but he will realize he has the prettiest girl in school absolutely in love with him. If any man can't see how great that is, then he sure isn't Einstein." They both laughed, the tension completely gone.
"Thanks, Odd." Aelita hugged him one last time, then ran off to find Jeremie.
"Now, speaking of Sissi. Maybe I ought to visit her in the infirmary..." Odd paused, considering and looking down at Kiwi. "Gotta drop you off first, though. And give you some breath mints." With that, he started for the dormitories, taking Kiwi in tow.