Some time earlier, the Einsteins did their thing at the lab (not receiving any major break-throughs, but also managing not to miss, destroy or lose anything). Yumi on the other hand never made it to the factory, deciding to turn around and head home shortly after her little chat with Odd.
Taking a little stroll on the way, Jeremie and Aelita returned to the school eventually, about half an hour after Jim had called everyone in. Their rooms, like everyone else's were really cold, the temperature outside, because they had turned off the heat and opened all the windows to air out the place in a hurry.
Before turning in for the night, Jeremie walked Aelita to her room, the pair tiptoeing down the hall until they finally reached her stop. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, turning to say her goodbyes, but it seemed Jeremie had other things to talk about, and the theme not so trivial.
"Aelita. Put a ring of garlic on the inside of your door and lock your window before you go to bed."
"What?"
He explained, still whispering. "It's a full moon tonight."
She looked at him curiously. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"It's less safe on nights like this," Jeremie avoided saying anything incriminating, glancing up and down the dark hallway to make sure they were alone.
A smile broke on her face and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you."
He took her hand an held it in both of his own. "It's not me I'm worried about, I've had plenty of these. It's Odd's first."
Aelita's expression melted into a look of, 'well...that's true...'
"And also the third," he reminded.
"Oh, right," how did she forget about that? Usually she was always considering who it could be and tossing accusations around her head, questioning some people's strange actions. Somehow, maybe because of her own strange actions today, it had slipped her mind. "Ok. Good night."
"Good night," Jeremie faintly smiled before turning around and sneaking back down stairs to his floor.
Before falling asleep, Aelita locked her door and window, and brought out the small collection of garlic she owned. One ring of garlic on the door handle, the other across her neck. Just in case.
• • •
It was nearing 12:30 and still Odd couldn't get to sleep. Maybe it was because he felt safer awake, more in control. Like Ulrich said, it was a full moon and Odd had no idea what was going to happen to him, so he refused to sleep, despite how his eyelids kept closing and he'd have to shake himself back awake.
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore. He knew it would only be a matter of minutes before he would seriously doze off. Pushing his drowsiness aside, he pulled himself to his feet and stumbled out into the hall, barely knocking on the door before coming into Jeremie's room.
The sole occupant of the room surprisingly was nowhere near his usual position at the computer, instead he was actually in bed, actually asleep. Before waking him, Odd whispered, "Sorry Einstein." Too sleepy to feel guilt he woke Jeremie with a tap, urgent tone doing the trick. "Wake up. I need your help."
"Hmmm?" Jeremie squinted, grabbing his glasses off the skinny bedside table and slipping them on.
Now that he could actually see who was talking, Odd explained, "Jeeeeeremie, it's a full moon tonight."
"Yeah, I know," he murmured back. "Get some rest."
"What?"
"Go to bed. Full moons are the only night a month when we can actually get a full 9-hour sleep."
"But aren't bad things supposed to happen?" Odd crouched down to be at eye level with Jeremie, who had propped himself up on an elbow.
"Sure, you go a little loony at one point," he glanced around. "What time is it?"
"Half past twelve," Odd was a bit loony already and feeling apprehensively nervous.
"Go to bed soon or else you will go out of control. That's what happened to me the first few times."
"Can't you chain me up or something?"
"No. I don't have any chains."
Odd pleaded, "But-"
"Besides, you won't need them. If you sleep now you should be fine."
"Should be?" This reassurance thing wasn't working very well.
"Yeah. Nothing happens to me anymore."
"But you're used to it, what about me? What am I supposed to do?"
Jeremie rolled over and put his head back on the pillow. "Go to bed."
"But, but-"
"You'll be fine," Jeremie assured with a yawn.
Reluctantly, Odd left the dark room into the dark hallway, back into his own dark room. Still a little uneasily, he lay back down and did in fact fall asleep, sincerely hoping he wouldn't regret it in the morning.
• • •
"Odd. Odd!" Ulrich chanted. "Get up!" He was yelling over their alarm's irritating siren at his limp friend, who was still snoring obnoxiously.
Ulrich knocked over the digital clock (which stopped chirping as it connected with the floor), and shook his roommate's shoulders, still with no responce. "Come on Odd. I know you love to sleep in, but you've got to get up."
Still nothing. He was starting to get a little worried, all to aware that Odd was as lifeless as a sack of potatoes, sans the snoring.
Not knowing what else to do or where else to turn, Ulrich quickly roused his next-dorm-neighbor and the two soon returned to the room, which hadn't changed at all in Ulrich's absence.
Jeremie followed him into his room, speaking skeptically, "What do you mean he won't wake up?" As he entered, he was serenaded by the snores that seemed to put an end to his disbelief.
Just like Ulrich, he called Odd's name, shook his shoulders, tapped his face a few times, and just like before, the results remained unchanged.
In his mind, Jeremie was laughing. Last night Odd was so worried about the ful moon, and going out of controll and everything, and here he is perfectly fine, more than sound asleep. Much ado about nothing if you asked Jeremie.
But it wasn't a great time to chuckle about Odd when he seriously wasn't waking up. Ulrich and Jeremie were both beginning to think there was something the matter, and more than just laziness. They called Aelita.
Couple minutes later:
"Oh," Aelita was as speechless as the rest. The concerned three-some stared down at Odd with an equally unsure look on each of their faces.
"What do we need? True love's kiss or something?" Immediately after saying what he did, Jeremie wished he had kept this mouth shut. After Odd's weird, semi-relationship with Yumi, there was little doubt that Jeremie was reffering to anyone but— even though it was unintentional. The miserable sideways glance Ulrich took made Jeremie think of himself as insensitive, and guilty too. Way to screw up.
"I've got a better idea," Aelita saved Jeremie from the awkward and lingering silence. "Odd doesn't need a kiss. The way to his heart isn't through his love life."
"It's through his stomach," Ulrich finished the thought for her, knowing better than anyone else.
• • •
Five-ish minutes later, Aelita returned to their dorm with a small container of eggs and bacon, grinning deviously at her own devilish trick. Rosa, the lunch lady, never saw it coming, but at least it was for a good cause.
"Everyone cross your fingers," she stepped forward to the bed, opening the styrofoam box and holding it near Odd's nose.
The three held their breath and waited in silence to see if it would work, ignoring the minutes passing, making them closer and closer to being late for their first class.
Just as Ulrich was about to suggest they call the school nurse, the previously still boy let out a groan, and began to drag himself out of bed, as he did every morning. Rubbing his eyes he noticed Jeremie, Aelita and Ulrich standing over him and didn't understand their relieved expressions. "Wh-what? Did I miss something?" He was quick to notice the container of egg and sausage, inhale the scrumptious smell. "What's with the breakfast?"
"We'll explain later," Aelita giggled.
Ulrich glanced down at his watch. "Oh man, we've gotta go now or we'll be late for sure."
Odd yawned and got up. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to miss our block-buster math class on Thales theorem, would we?"
• • •
"You're late!" Mrs Hertz barked at the group of students sneaking in the doorway—but it wasn't Odd, Ulrich and Jeremie. It was the shifty characters Charlie, Nicholas and Herve. What a surprise, Ulrich thought to himself sarcastically.
"And where exactly were you when I was doing attendance?" Mrs Hertz asked.
In his mind, Ulrich chided along. 'Yes, where WERE you while she was doing attendance? And EVERY OTHER TIME?'
"Umm, we were..." Nicholas, as usual, couldn't think of a good excuse.
"It's a long story Mrs Hertz," Charlie warned.
From his seat near the front of the class, Theo piped up. "It would probably take longer to explain it, and then we would all miss the lesson." He for some reason had their backs, and with a logical excuse no less.
Mrs Hertz couldn't help but agree and sent them to their desks with a stern look and a warning that if this ever happened again they'd have multiple hours of detention from the principal.
Ulrich was disappointed at the lack of answers but either way there wasn't much he could do to change mrs Hertz's mind. Instead he sat back and focused on the lesson ahead.
The rest of class continued normally, everyone sort of forgot about the mix up with the three boys being late. In no time at all it was their break inbetween classes, and Odd was a little anxious.
Pacing back and forth under the arches (just outside the dorm building) he was trying to think of how to address his issue. He had to do it now, today, because he knew that if he didn't then he would put it off and never do it. He mumbled to himself, trying out how to start the conversation. "Yumi, there's something I want to tell you. No, no, no. Yumi, there's something important you and I have to talk about. No she'll freak out if I say that. Yumi, I..." he went on and on, while pacing back and forth.
What he wasn't aware of was that Yumi was coming up behind him at that moment, and over heard a little.
"Yumi, I want to talk to you about—" He stopped in surprise, noticing her infront of him. "Oh! Yumi."
"What is it you want to talk about?" She encouraged him to go on, casually crossing her arms.
"Oh um..."
• • •
Meanwhile Theo sat a little ways away on a bench, watching the scene unfold. Although he was too far away to hear words said, the expressions on Odd and Yumi's faces told most of the story.
• • •
"Please don't take this the wrong way, but I like being friends with you more than going out. Would it be ok if we went back to being friends?" Odd was a little worried about how she would respond, but when he glanced up she seemed to have a Mona-Lisa type smile.
"Yeah, ok. It was getting kind of weird anyways," she laughed a little, "I almost didn't feel like myself, a bit. If that makes any sense."
He replied, "Yeah. I get it." Maybe it was my vampi-ness, Odd wondered to himself. He would probably never know.
On the inside Odd was sighing with relief. He'd heard enough stories and had enough knowledge from experience to know that some break ups ended so badly that the kids never spoke to each other ever again. Maybe that's why he had been so apprehensive about talking to Yumi. Even though he didn't suspect it would happen, he didn't want to think that there was even a chance. "Thanks for understanding."
"No problem," Yumi waved, "I'll see you later."
"Bye," Odd watched her go with another wave of relief.
• • •
Theo watched Yumi walk off and got up, getting ready to follow her, maybe have a chat. Before he got the chance, he saw Ulrich jump out from a classroom, ditching his 'casual' incognito role with giant newspaper and dark fedora. Theo watched Ulrich come up next to her and start a conversation.
Huh, he shrugged to himself, sitting back down on the lonely bench. Guess not this time. But that was ok. He had waited so long already, what was a few more hours?
A/N:
It's come to my attention that I am not the most accurate writer there is, at least not very accurate with what country I'm supposed to be writing about. Long story short, Muffins, you were right, there is no American-style halloween in France, so my story is a little wonky.
Also, I meant to weave this into an explaination but I somehow forgot, regarding to the second Little Vampire, yes, Odd ate garlic that day, but that was before he was turned into a vampire. So after he was turned, he had a bad stomach ache. Just to clear things up.