At last I'm finally finishing off this story whose ending has been a pain & problem to me for quite some time.
And then I can finally get the rest of the stories back up again.
Anyhow, enjoy the last thrilling bit of:
Mother's Day pt.5
"Rise and shine" Miss Fauxe smiled as she opened the curtains and let the rising sun's rays stream into the room.
"It's time for you to go to school, and you certainly wouldn't want to be late, especially for today now would you?"
"No Mother" Yumi and Aelita said as together on the bed and stared off into space as the pink long haired teacher stood behind them and grinned wickedly.
"That's my girls..."
"Hey guys!" Odd grinned as he walked up to his two friends at the vending machine. "So, how was your weekend?"
"Not so good" Jeremie said as he sat on the bench and nervously tapped his laptop. "I haven't heard anything from Aelita all weekend. I'm mean, that's not normally like her"
"Yeah, me too" Ulrich said as he leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets. "Yumi promised me she'd call me during her stay with Aelita and Miss Fauxe, but she never did"
"Ah, you guys are just being paranoid" Odd said as he rolled his eyes.
"The girls were probably just too tired from all their girly time & shopping to lift up the phone, that's all. I'm sure there's nothing to be worried about- Er, then again..." he spluttered wide eyed at something behind them, and as Ulrich and Jeremie turned to see what he was staring at they both their eyes almost popped out of their heads as they saw Yumi and Aelita walking up the path towards the school with a slightly blank look on their faces and holding hands.
"Uh, A-Aelita?" Jeremie stuttered as the two girls walked up to them.
"W-what're you and Yumi doing? Hey, stop!" he shouted as the girls just walked past them as if they didn't even see them.
"Oh, hi Jeremie" Aelita said as he grabbed her shoulder and spun her around to face him.
"Hi Jeremie? Is that all? What happened to you? Why didn't you call me this weekend like you said you would?" Jeremie asked worriedly as he stared into Aelita's eyes.
Aelita stared in confusion at him, blinked and looked as if she was about to say something when Yumi said: "We have to go Aelita, or we'll be late" and pulled Aelita away from Jeremie, just as the bell rang.
"You're right. And Mo- Miss Fauxe wouldn't like that" Aelita said as they held each others hands again and walked off towards the classrooms.
"What was that all about?" Ulrich said in a stunned voice as they watched the two girls walk away.
"Trouble" Jeremie said.
A few minutes later in class, as everyone was busy on the pop quiz Ms. Fauxe had prepared for them, Jeremie glanced over at Aelita sitting next to him and went: "Psst! Aelita"
"Hey!" he whispered harder as she didn't respond and bumped her slightly with his elbow.
"What?" she asked, and Jeremie thought he heard an angry tone in her voice.
"What's up with you and Yumi today? What happened to you guys while you were over at Ms. Fauxe's house?"
"That's none of your business" she said as she turned back to the test.
"I'm just worried about you-"
"Miss Stone! Mister Belpois! It seems you two are much more interested in talking with each other then doing your schoolwork" Ms. Fauxe said as she strode up to their desk.
"And since you two find it so much better to talk then to learn, I think you should be able to fully enjoy it alone, especially in detention this afternoon"
"Thanks a lot Jeremie!" Aelita snapped at him as she stood as the bell rang and ran out of the class room to leave the stunned boy staring after her while Ms. Fauxe watched them and smiled.
For the rest of the day Aelita avoided Jeremie all the way, sitting as far from him as she in every classroom and even going so far as leaving the cafeteria the moment he walked in.
"Wow, Aelita's sure taking this detention thing serious" Odd said as Jeremie slumped down at the table with him and Ulrich.
"She's not the only one acting weird" Ulrich said took a bite off his food.
"I talked to William, and he says Yumi was behaving strange all morning, like she was sleep walking, and then she went to the nurse's office complaining of a headache and never came back."
"Did you check on her?" Odd asked as he stuffed a big slice of cake into his mouth.
"I wanted to, but Ms. Fauxe had me run some papers to the Principal so I never got a chance"
"Hmmm" Jeremie said thoughtfully. "You know, this all started when they went to go and stay with her. I wonder if Xana doesn't have anything to do with this?"
"But how?" Ulrich asked. "He can't be possessing them since we're immune to his ghosts"
"I'm not too sure yet, but I'll try and figure it out when I'm with Aelita tonight in detention. Meanwhile, you guys should try and find Yumi. For all we know she could be in deep trouble"
"We're on it" Odd said as he gave a mock salute and then pinched Ulrich's cake.
With a loud RIIINGGGG!! that echoed throughout the hallways the schoolday came to an end, and as the students and teachers went their various ways two kids could be seen taking a different route as they headed over to the detention classroom, the air thick with tension as Aelita continued to give Jeremie the cold shoulder.
"Welcome to detention you two" Ms. Fauxe said as she opened up the door for them. "Please take your seats over there"
Jeremie and Aelita nodded as they walked in and headed over to their seats near the windows of the wide empty eerily quiet classroom.
Meanwhile, Odd and Ulrich were heading over to Doris the nurse's office when they spotted a shadow trying to silently sneak away from the admin's building that looked a lot like
"Yumi?" Ulrich realised as he and Odd stared after her as she ran off towards the classrooms and then as one they charged off after her.
Over in detention, Jeremie waited until Ms. Fauxe's attention was focused away from them thanks to the book she was reading before he turned to Aelita and tried yet again to talk to her.
"Come on Aelita, I'm sorry we got in trouble" Jeremie said as he moved a bit closer to her. "Could you at least try and forgive me?"
"No!" Aelita snapped as she turned her head from him.
"Because thanks to you Mother's so angry at me. She thinks I'm a bad girl, and it's all- your- fault!"
"Mother?" Jeremie said stunned as he stared at her.
"Whoops, guess the cat's out of the bag now" Ms. Fauxe's voice said from behind him, and with a gasp Jeremie spun about and fell of his chair as he found her standing behind him with eyes that glowed a deep red and black smoky tentacles that whipped about from her back.
"You?" Jeremie gasped
"Me" Alexis Fauxe nodded and grinned.
"And I thought you were a genius. Boy, it sure took you long enough to figure it out. Unfortunately you're a bit too late to stop me and my master's plan"
"So Xana is behind this!" Jeremie said as he started to move back from her.
"Oh, you better believe it" Ms. Fauxe said as she just stood there and watched him. "And before this night's over Xana will finally be able to be rid of Aelita and her little friends as well. Isn't that right, sweetheart?
"Yes Mom" Aelita said as she smiled up to Alexis with nothing but love in her eyes.
"Aelita, get away from her-" Jeremie started to shout just as the classroom door was knocked of it's hinges and flung to the floor by a powerful kick that came from Yumi as she strode into the classroom with a murderous look in her eyes.
"Oh my, it looks like my other 'daughter' isn't too happy with you either" Ms. Fauxe grinned. "I'll just leave you two to deal with this. In the meanwhile I have to take Aelita to her 'home'. Bye!" she laughed and then grabbed Aelita and then in a shattering cloud of glass jumped through the classroom window and flew off.
As the two of them vanished off into the slowly darkening sky Yumi turned to Jeremie and growled "You..."
"Now Yumi-"
"You hurt my little sister's feelings!" Yumi grimaced as she took a step towards him. "You made her sad! Now.. Now I'm going to make you wish you hadn't- Oof!" she grunted as she was talked from behind by Ulrich and Odd.
"Get off me!" Yumi shouted as she fought hard to free herself from them.
"Wow but she's strong!" Odd grunted as he held unto her legs for all he was worth.
"Just don't let go Odd!" Ulrich said as he struggled to keep his arms wrapped around her and pin hers to her side.
"Jeremie. we'll try and keep her down as long as possible. You go and save Aelita. Now!" he shouted as Yumi growled and bucked up and down in an attempt to fling them off as Jeremie took off and ran out of the classroom, running as fast as he can to the one and only 'Home' that he knew Aelita had:
The Hermitage
Aelita stared up at the darkening sky above her as the first few stars came into view.
"Have I been a good girl, Mom?" she asked as she snuggled closer against Ms. Fauxe.
"Oh yes sweetheart, so good" Alexis smiled as she hugged the blank faced little girl and stroked her hair while they sat on the roof of the derelict Hermitage.
"And now you've only got to do one last thing for me to show me how much you really love me. And you do really love me, right?"
Aelita just nodded as she stared off into nothing.
"Good. Now you see the end of the roof there?" Alexis pointed.
"All you have to do is go there... and jump for me"
"Ok Mommy" Aelita said as she got up and slowly started walking across the flat ceiling's surface.
As she reached the end she stared down at the ground so far below, and with a smile she lifted up her foot and was about to take the last step forward when Jeremie came running up from the front gate and shouted "Aelita! No! Don't do it!"
"But I have to... for my mom" Aelita said.
"She's not your Mom!"
"Of course she is silly" Aelita said as she smiled over her shoulder at the demonic looking Xana spawn behind her.
"No she's not! Think about it Aelita. Would your mom ever put you in danger like this? Would she ever want you to really do something like this, to kill yourself?"
That rocked Aelita's mind. "I..I..." she stuttered as she tried to think through the fog in her head.
"I don't-"
And then with a rush her memories came back, of her mother's smile, her warmth, her love, and Aelita knew.
"No, she wouldn't! You are not my Mom!" she shouted at the false woman while a tear ran down her cheek.
"Pfft, so what. You're still going to die. Goodbye, sweetheart!" Fauxe smirked and then lashed out with her tentacles to knock Aelita off the roof.
"No!" Jeremie screamed as he watched her fall, and then blinked in surprise as he suddenly saw her slow down, one arm hanging above her as if something was holding unto it.
"Wha-?" he blinked as for a moment he thought he saw-
"Catch" a voice said softly, and Jeremie reacted just in time to catch Aelita in his arms as she softly drifted down into them.
"What?!" Ms. Fauxe roared in disbelief as she stared down in shock.
"How? How- AARGH!" she suddenly screamed as she felt a bolt of pain rip through her. "Losing connection... how..." she muttered as she tried to connect with the super computer all the way back at the factory and found her link under attack from two sources: one that was unmistakable Franz Hopper's and the other...
"No.. No it can't be!" she shouted in shock as she started to crumble.
"NOOO!!" she screamed just before she lit up from the inside out and exploded into a million bits of little lights that winked out one by one as down below on the ground Jeremie cradled a crying Aelita tightly against as she cried her heart out on his chest while all he could do was just hug her.
It took a day or two before Aelita was more or less back to her normal self, and by then both she and the rest of the gang were burning for answers for their questions, the chief of which was:
"How did she control me?"
"It took me the whole day to figure out, but I finally cracked it" Jeremie said as he held up the fairy doll Fee that Alexis had given her.
"There's a chip in that like the one Xana used on you on Valentine's day last year, and through that he & 'Ms.Fauxe' was able to influence you, probably on an unconscious and subliminal level"
"And she probably used it on me as well" Yumi said as she sat on Jer's bed with Ulrich by her side.
"But at a much faster rate then she was doing with Aelita" Jeremie said.
"Which is why you were acting so spaced out the next day"
"And Ms. Fauxe? How did she look so much like Aelita's Mom?" Odd asked.
"Aelita's memories most probably. Xana knew how much she missed her parents, and knew that by using her Mom, or something that looked like her mom, would make her drop her guard and leave her defenseless and vulnerable"
"And he almost did win" Aelita said and shivered as she relieved her fall again. "But still, that doesn't explain how I survived that fall"
"Uh, yeah, I know. I guess it'll have to be a mystery" Jeremie said as he pictured the face he'd seen, of a beautiful angelic woman with long flowing pink hair...
Later that night found Aelita sitting upright in her bed as she mulled the last few days over and over again through her mind.
Even though she didn't want to admit it, she really had enjoyed the time she'd spent with Ms. Fauxe, even if she hadn't been real or truthful.
It had made her feel... happy, loved.
She sighed as she wished yet again she could remember all of her past, and then slid under her covers and closed her eyes, and just as she was about to doze of she thought she felt someone in her room, someone familiar that stroked her hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead before softly saying "Night Aelita", and left her sleeping with a smile.
The End
bAuthor Note:/b Lol, Ok I'll admit I left this ending like this on purpose so that'll leave you guys to decide if Aelita's mom is dead & a ghost or maybe something else...
Anyhow, I was thinking of adding a bit where Jeremie takes Aelita to her Mom's grave, but then thought "Nawww..."
Still, hope you guys enjoyed this story, and will look forward to the next