All of the characters and the other story elements that are present in this story are entirely mine here, and are used fictitiously, unless otherwise stated. I hope that you'll all actually enjoy this story's newly-revised fourth chapter here, of course.
And before any of you actually ask here, nobody who's actually from Jeremy's group will be in this particular story just yet. At least not in a physical sense, anyway. Though they all will be mentioned to at least some degree, if not to a great degree, people. That is all. Now on with the story!
Chapter Four: Four Warriors At School
On Monday, September 17, 2007, Thomas and many other students went to school at St. Peter High School, as usual. Thomas went to his first class with many other students, which was Spanish I, while Scarlett went to Science 9, Sylvester to English 9, and Gawain to Algebra 9, as well. Tiffany wasn't yet enrolled, if she would eventually be enrolled, at St. Peter High School, though.
Thomas and the other Warriors didn't actually get the chance to see each other for a long enough time until lunch, by the way. In the meantime, however, they did attend their respective classes, of course. Thomas started out with Spanish I, and with Mr. Herzog as his teacher in it.
A few of his friends or his classmates over several years were in the required classroom already when he entered it at 8:15 or so local time. Among them were Sergio Boldin, Brian Rivers, and Malcolm McNabb, to name just a few of them. There were also several girls present in the room as well.
One of the girls then with him in the classroom was Noelle Martin, and she went by the name of Natalie in their Spanish class. While he went by the Spanish version of his name. He said, in Spanish, in very short order, "Good morning, Natalie. I trust you had a good weekend at Serenity Lake not far from here."
She answered, in the same language, "It was just fine, Tomas. I had a bunch of fun with several girl friends of mine there. We even caught a few performances of songs by assorted Christian musical acts, for your information, just in case you're interested in hearing about them."
They continued conversing in Spanish, and would do so at least until the teacher entered the classroom here, with Thomas next asking, "I see, Natalie. Perhaps you can tell me about them later?"
"Maybe during our art class, Tomas?"
"That would be fine with me, if at all possible, Natalie."
"Then I'll try to tell you more about my weekend during our art class, Tomas."
Just then, Mr. Herzog entered the classroom, and everyone took their assigned seats in it. Five to ten minutes later, after attendance had been taken, and any now-due assignments had been collected, as needed, Mr. Herzog began teaching the class. He lectured the sixteen or so students in the class for about fifteen minutes, before giving everyone their assignments for the current day and week. After he did that, he let everyone else in the class get to work on them as they then saw fit, within logical enough reason, here.
That done, Mr. Herzog began working on many assignments that he still had to look over and grade now. Thomas and everyone else didn't cause any trouble at all in his class here. For he had, over many years of service to the St. Peter School District, earned a distinguished reputation for quite substantial strictness in his classes. And he'd not generally deviate from that practice in them, if he didn't absolutely have to. Any major acts of misbehavior in his classes were quite often dealt with very strongly. So nobody horsed around in his classes if they could possibly avoid it at all, no matter what they might usually do in their lives.
Eventually, Thomas, Sergio, Brian, and Malcolm set their books aside for a while, after first getting permission from Mr. Herzog to do so here. That done, Sergio quickly produced two portable chess sets, two chess clocks, and two chessboards, from his backpack. He did this all here even while Brian and Malcolm cleared a table elsewhere in the classroom to set those boards, sets, and clocks on for a while.
Thomas and Sergio, among others, soon came to that table, and two games started mere moments later, with others in the classroom watching them both. Among those people was Noelle, by the way. She had lost to Thomas in the finals match that he'd recently won the chess camp's Championship trophy in, for that matter.
The four players who played chess in the classroom until just before the bell rang to end it were Thomas, Sergio, Brian, and Malcolm. Thomas played Brian, and Sergio Malcolm. They played as quickly as they could, but they all still had to suspend the two games, for they couldn't actually finish them both in the time that'd still been available to them during their common Spanish I class here. Mr. Herzog and Noelle then quickly noted the respective games' current positions and move histories, as needed here.
When everything related to those games was taken care of as needed, Sergio and the others who'd been playing chess with or near him helped him gather up all the necessary things before the end of class. No less than twenty seconds before the period was due to end, everything was stashed away as needed back in Sergio's backpack here, of course.
By that time, Thomas also had all his necessary things dealt with as needed here, so that he didn't have to waste any unnecessary time in getting to his English 9 class in another classroom for the high school's main building. Two minutes after Spanish I ended for him, then, he was in the next classroom he'd have to be in during the school day.
English 9 went reasonably well for him, as it often would during a typical school day. As did Health 9, which he would have on alternating school days, whenever he didn't have Physical Education 9. History 9 went so-so for him, due to an unexpected pop quiz about ancient civilizations, such as the Babylonians, for example. By the time it was the Senior High School's lunch period, he was sort of upset, having not done as well as he often would on various school-related tests.
Angela caught up with him as he headed toward the school's main cafeteria, and asked, "What's up, Thomas, if I may ask you this now?"
"I didn't do as well as expected on an unexpected History 9 pop quiz from Mrs. Meir. So I'm sort of upset right now, Angela."
"What did she drop on you for a pop quiz focus, Thomas?"
"Ancient civilizations, mainly dealing with the Babylonians, Angela."
"Ouch. What did you get, if you don't mind telling me, Thomas?"
"A low D-range grade. Just barely above getting an F, in fact, Angela."
"Mom and Dad won't be happy that you did so, I'm quite sure. Of course you studied about several different ancient civilizations last night, didn't you, Thomas?" asked Angela, as she began receiving her food from school cooks here, just before he did.
"Yes, Angela, I did. However, I think I studied about the wrong civilizations more than I did the right ones, quite unintentionally. Mrs. Meir apparently has a reputation for springing unexpected pop quizzes on her students, from what I've learned to date of her from various people who've been in her classes before."
As Thomas began receiving his own food, Scarlett and the other Warriors came up behind him and his sister. Angela soon said, "Hello, Scarlett Relsena. I wonder if you and your friends were all able to solve the matter that you required my brother's help in well enough, by any chance. At least partly, anyway." Angela had asked around about her brother's most recently-made friends, and had learned the names of three of them. She still didn't yet know about Tiffany, if she ever would. But she now knew at least a little bit about Scarlett, Sylvester, and Gawain, at least, if nobody else as well among the many other students of SPHS.
"Yes, Miss Angela, we were, in fact," answered Scarlett. "We were somehow able to at least partly do so, though we haven't yet actually been able to do so entirely. We hope to do that eventually, though. God willing, of course."
"I see. Well, I hope you all can solve it soon, just the same, Scarlett."
"As do we all. In order to do that well enough, though, it'll still require at least a little bit more help from your brother here, for your information, Miss Angela. Whatever that entails, by the way."
"Well, then, good luck, or good fortune, whichever you all prefer, I hope, kids. If you need any help at all, and you think I can provide it somehow, please let me know, okay, Scarlett?"
"We will, I'm sure, Miss Angela. However, Thomas is basically the leader of our current group of friends here and now, it seems."
"So I've apparently heard, Scarlett." Angela then left the Warriors alone, and headed elsewhere in the main cafeteria, in order to be with several of her classmates there.
After the other Warriors received their lunch items as well, they moved to their usual table in the cafeteria, and soon began to consume them as needed. As they did so, Thomas asked, "How have your days been so far for all of you, kids?"
Sylvester answered, a few moments later, after taking a sip of some milk, "They have been just fine for me, at least for the most part. I had a test in Hebrew I earlier today. I received a grade of 88 percent on it, which gave me a B-plus, I believe, Thomas."
"Good for you, Sylvester. It is always good to get a good grade in class, whenever possible. However, I don't always do quite as well as I probably could if I studied more and studied better." Thomas took a bite of some three-cheese pizza.
"Because, Thomas?" asked Gawain, taking a bite of some fruit salad.
"I often don't pay as much attention, or at least not as close attention, to my schoolwork as I probably should in my life. I often am distracted by assorted things in it, whether I want to be or not, as well. And it has often caused me problems before in it. Even when I'm actually dealing with certain people I might encounter or know in it, at least every once in a while, if not always, for that matter, Gawain."
Scarlett ate a bit of her own pizza, and then asked, "Might that cause problems for us in the future, by any chance, then, Thomas?"
"I hope not, of course. But you know that things can often happen in life that people might not actually expect to happen, right, Scarlett?"
"Yes, I suppose I do, come to think of it. Such as my parents producing even more kids every once in a while, for instance, Thomas?"
"Exactly, Scarlett," said Thomas, as he sipped some of his own milk, just before taking a bite of his fruit salad here. "It isn't something you really like all that much, I suppose."
"Correct. But there's nothing I can really do about it, it seems to me, Thomas."
"Maybe not. At least not for them both, anyway, I think, Scarlett. Except for maybe praying that they don't have any more children after the ones that they may have soon enough?"
"Perhaps, Thomas. Perhaps," said Scarlett. "But wouldn't that possibly be rather disrespectful to them both in order to do that?"
"It might, but that's a decision that only you can make, in terms of whether or not to pray for such a thing to happen to them both, of course, Scarlett," said Thomas.
Eventually, all four of them finished having their lunches with each other as needed here. And they all did so while often conversing rather quietly with each other. They agreed to meet again as soon as possible after school ended, wherever and whenever that might be possible for them all. Preferably somewhere in the Theater, by the way.
After they were done with their respective lunches, they soon parted from each other and headed to their next classes on their own class schedules, of course. Thomas went to his Science 9 class, Scarlett to her Home Economics 9 class, Sylvester to his Health 9 class, and Gawain to a study hall period.
Three class periods later, Thomas saw Noelle again. Thomas and Noelle lived just about a mile apart, as the proverbial crow might fly in the local area. When he did, he soon saw that Noelle had changed sometime earlier in the day into a mostly red and white blouse over a mostly green skirt that fell just below her knees and a pair of mostly black closed-toe sandals with one-inch heels. He had seen her in a mostly white blouse and black skirt of about the same length during Spanish I over a pair of mostly white pumps.
"Hello, Thomas. Have you had a reasonably good day today?" asked Noelle, after the class was sufficiently underway.
"For the most part, yes, Noelle." They soon continued working on a recently-started two-person project with each other as the need then arose for them both here. This project was a sculpture that they had to work on with each other until it was done. They had mutually decided to do it in marble, and it was of considerable size, as well. They both had begun work on it the first day that they'd had an Arts 9 class with each other.
"Would you perhaps like to go to a nearby mall with me and a bunch of other people this afternoon, evening, and/or night, by any chance at all, Thomas?"
"No, I have other plans, it seems, Noelle." Thomas had picked the medium in which the sculpture would be done, and Noelle had proposed several ideas for that sculpture of theirs. This sculpture might take a good portion of the school year for them both to complete, depending on how often and how well the process went for them with it, of course. They only had started to chip away at the marble block they'd chosen to do their sculpture in on the previous class day for their Arts 9 class, after finally coming up with some suitable enough proposals for it in that class that'd satisfy their art teacher well enough here.
"And they don't have anything to do with me, perhaps, Thomas?"
"No, they don't. Listen, I realize that you might still like me a good deal, but we're apparently not meant to be together with each other any longer as boyfriend and girlfriend. I like you very much, to tell you the truth here. But it now seems to me that all we can be with each other in the rest of our lives in this world, at most, is close friends of each other. I'm not getting the sense any longer that we are perhaps meant to possibly be husband and wife to each other in them. For a while, at least, I was actually getting that sense in my life, Noelle. But the Lord seems to now be leading me in another direction that' ll require me to follow a separate path from you, for whatever reason or reasons He might now be doing that. I don't know just where He's currently leading me, and if He's actually leading me to someone else entirely, in my own life. At least not right now, anyway. But I still do know that He's at least leading me in a different direction than the one that you're evidently meant to follow."
They had three possible planned sculpture proposals approved by their teacher before they ever started to chip away at their marble block. One primary, and two back-up ones, just in case the other one or ones proved to be unworkable for either of them or both of them. And they didn't really want to start chipping away at their block too soon. For they wanted to make sure that they only chipped their block whenever necessary and desired by them. They knew that once they chipped away bits of marble, they'd never be able to use them again well enough in their sculpture.
They worked quietly with each other for much of the period, using whatever tools and art-related supplies they then had to while they did so. And while periodically conversing with each other about various things that they either wanted or needed to talk about here, for that matter. They both occasionally took turns chipping away very carefully at their block with each other, with both of them taking very close care not to chip wherever they didn't absolutely have to here. Even if it meant they then could only chip away a very small portion of their current marble block, they still did so here and now.
Around 3:15 pm, they began getting ready to secure their block in a large storeroom near the main art room of the high school, before beginning to clean up their tools and things, of course. It took them both until about 3:25 pm, local time, to take care of all the necessary things in their Arts 9 class here.
When the period finally ended, Noelle soon said, "Thomas, I hope that we get a really good grade on this sculpture of ours, whatever it might actually happen to look like whenever it's done well enough."
"As do I. Until tomorrow, then, perhaps, Noelle?"
"I suppose so. Just try to stay out of trouble of any kind, please, if at all possible. Okay, Thomas?"
""I will try, but life often springs surprises on people, you know, Noelle."
"Understood." Noelle and Thomas soon parted from each other.
When they did, Angela soon came up to her brother, and asked, "Do you want or need a ride back home now, Thomas?"
"No, I don't. I have other plans. I might be home in time for supper, though, if things go well enough for me in the meantime, Angela."
"You'll be with the kids again, Tom?"
"I suppose you could say that, Angela."
""Well, please try not to stay out too late, if you do, then, Tom. Okay?"
"I'll see what I can do, but I can't make any guarantees more definite than that now, Angela."
Angela nodded at him rather briefly indeed, before reluctantly leaving Tom all alone again outside the school's main building here. He patiently waited there until the other three non-virtual members of his recently-formed group of friends joined him.
After that happened, the now-assembled quartet soon headed to the Theater with each other, arriving there at about 3:45 pm, as would be the usual case whenever they actually went there right after school. They very soon afterward all came to the Computer Room, after a rather brief stop off in the Production Room first. Tecloma quickly greeted them all quite warmly as they then all did so here. Tiffany was now in Israel's Jerusalem sector, as the other Warriors all entered the Theater's Computer Room together.
Tiffany soon said, "I trust your days at school were all fairly good today, fellow Warriors."
Thomas said, "For the most part, yes. I didn't do as well on one of my tests as I expected to do, though, Tiffany. It was an unexpected pop quiz, and it had a rather good portion of it dealing with the Babylonians, if not most of it, by the way."
"You bugged it, in essence, Thomas?"
"What, Tiffany? I don't understand."
"You did terrible on it, Thomas?"
"Yes, but just where did you get that sort of term from, if I might ask you this here, Tiffany?" asked Thomas, in a rather perplexed manner.
"There are assorted other virtual realms that are supposedly connected to this one somehow. Though I really don't yet know just how that might be possible here. And one of them is protected at least in part by a virtual girl named Aelita, I believe. The name of her virtual realm appears to be 'Lyoko,' if I remember things well enough here. And there are at least a few other people who apparently help her out, both in and out of that realm of hers. I got the term from one of the aforementioned realms that might be connected to this one somehow. Just which one in particular I got it from here, though, the name somehow actually escapes me at the current time, Thomas."
Just then, Thomas's laptop beeped in his backpack not far from the Computer Room's main entrance. Scarlett heard it, while sketching Gawain and Sylvester playing cards with each other, and brought Thomas his backpack, with his permission, in very short order. Thomas soon withdrew his laptop from it, and Scarlett set his backpack on the floor near the main computer, when he asked her to very calmly.
"One moment, Tiffany, if you please. It seems I have a new message from elsewhere on my laptop now, by the way." Thomas began accessing that message even as he said that to her, in fact.
"No problem, Data-Keeper. The Demons haven't been busy for a while, it seems. I think I can spare you a few minutes, at least," said Tiffany, a few brief moments later.
Thomas read the message for a while, and it said, at least in part:
"Hello, Data-Keeper, this is Brainiac2K7. I saw your screen name on an Internet group dealing primarily with discussions about virtual realms, whether real or hypothetical, among other things that seemed to be acceptable topics of conversation in it. And I eventually thought, 'This person seems at least a little bit interesting to me here and now. Perhaps I should try to get in direct electronic contact with him, just as soon as I can.' So I soon decided to do just that, as evidenced by this particular electronic message to you here. My name is Jeremy. Jeremy Belpois, in fact. I help maintain a virtual realm that I discovered not long ago, myself. Along with several others. One of them is a virtual girl, for that matter. And the name of that particular virtual realm is 'Lyoko.'
"I have actually learned about the virtual existence of 'Israel,' while just browsing the World Wide Web, and we have only recently begun maintaining 'Lyoko' since learning about it a little while ago, in fact. We haven't been aware of it very long, but it seems that this virtual realm is at least a little similar to yours, from what little we know of it so far. Mainly Aelita and I, anyway. We both haven't yet told Yumi, Ulrich, or Odd about the existence of your virtual realm, but I suspect that we'll both eventually have to, if our enemy learns about your enemy or your enemy learns about ours.
"We all live in France, by the way. Or at least those of us who aren't tied to Lyoko all the time like your Tiffany currently seems to be tied to Israel, anyway. We attend a school called Kadic Academy, and it is near Paris in our country. It isn't a very large school, perhaps, in comparison with yours, but it is of reasonably good size, just the same, I think.
"Our enemy's name is XANA, and we don't yet know all that much about him here. We have only tangled with him and his virtual monsters a few times, at most. Nothing major, at least as of yet, it seems. But we still have, Data-Keeper. We only learned about his actual existence no more than a few days or weeks ago, by the way, if I remember things well enough here."
The message continued for at least a little while, if not a long while, longer before its sender signed off. It didn't say much more, if anything at all, at the present moment that Thomas found relatively important here. But it did include at least some basic information about Lyoko and the five people presently defending it, whether they were virtual or not. Eventually, Jeremy, AKA Brainiac 2K7, signed off, and ended his message to Thomas here.
Thomas eventually closed his laptop a bit, handing it to Scarlett as he did so, before speaking again here to everyone else. He said, "I was wondering about certain things that might be at least somewhat common in virtual realms. So I looked for some online groups where such topics, or similar enough ones to them, might be discussed at least occasionally, if not all the time. I may have mentioned 'Israel' at least once or twice in one or more of them, without intending to or planning to, come to think of it. I don't think I did, but if I did, then I did. Perhaps he was just browsing the Internet, and learned about it another way instead, just as he told me in his earlier message, kids."
"I wonder what he's like, and what the rest of his team members are like, Thomas," said Tiffany, after a little bit of silent contemplation here.
"Four members of his team appear to be from Europe, and one from Asia, if I can read the information he sent me well enough here. It seems that a good portion, at least, if not most or all, of it is in French, not English. I have begun running it through the computer here to translate it fully into English from French where necessary, in fact, Tiffany." Thomas read some things on the computer's main screen in a suitably-sized window he clicked on here, by the way.
He soon said, "Three of them are male, and two female. However, one of the males has never gone into Lyoko, it seems. The names of the males are Jeremy, Ulrich, and Odd. The females are Yumi and Aelita, Tiffany. Jeremy is the one that never goes to Lyoko, if what he's now saying here in his message to me then is translated into English well enough, kids."
Scarlett asked, "Aelita is the one who's trapped all the time in Lyoko, Thomas?"
"That's correct. Jeremy has begun to try to create a program that might somehow be able to transfer her out of Lyoko to his own world, but he hasn't yet been able to do that well enough here, in fact, Scarlett."
"What do these other people look like, if you can tell us all this here and now, Thomas?" asked Sylvester, at least a little curious about the Lyoko Warriors.
"Yumi is a girl from Japan who often dresses in black. She uses fans when fighting in Lyoko, and wears sort of a geisha outfit when doing that. Ulrich dresses mainly in green and khaki in the real world, and fights with a katana in some sort of samurai-style fighting outfit, I believe. Odd generally dresses in purple and orange both in the real world and in Lyoko, and he has sort of a cat-like appearance in Lyoko. Aelita mainly wears pink and white, and she has sort of an elf-like appearance in Lyoko. Jeremy doesn't go to Lyoko, and he mainly wears blue and khaki in the real world, with a pair of round-lensed glasses."
Gawain asked, "So this Odd, what's his weapon of choice, from what Jeremy told you, Thomas?"
"Apparently, he has the capability to fire Laser Arrows at assorted enemies of the Warriors in Lyoko in order to hopefully be able to knock them out of battles there well enough, Gawain. Yumi uses her fans sort of like boomerangs to knock them out as well. Ulrich doesn't have a ranged attack, generally. He usually has to engage the Warriors' enemies up close and personal, so to speak. As for Aelita, she basically depends on the others to protect her whenever she's not in a tower, which are sort of like our mounds. If she gets hit too often or too severely, she might be deleted, therefore Lyoko would perhaps be conquered by XANA."
"Anything else, Thomas?" asked Tiffany.
"Yumi has black hair. Ulrich brown, Odd blond with a purple spot that's apparently dyed in, Jeremy blond, and Aelita pink. Other than that, it seems that Jeremy hasn't said much else, if anything else at all, yet to me about his team of Warriors and Lyoko, Tiffany."
The five Israelite Warriors conversed for a while longer with each other, about assorted things. Whether they had anything at all to do with 'Israel' or not, they still did so fairly often, as they might then see fit. Even after 5 pm local time came and went here, they still did so, by the way.
Scarlett even began to sketch just what she thought the Lyoko Warriors might actually look like, either whenever they were in the real world or whenever they were in Lyoko, based on what she'd heard well enough about them from Thomas earlier. But she only did so here once she'd finished a few more sketches of all her current companions in the Computer Room and on Thomas's main computer screen well enough to suit her sufficiently. Of all those other sketches, the first one that she'd just finished here was the one that she'd begun earlier of Gawain and Sylvester playing cards with each other some time before. She'd also actually done one of Tiffany aboard the Truth's Sword. As well as one of Thomas and her just before she'd unexpectedly grabbed the basketball that Gawain had blocked in the school's gym the day that she'd met all three of the boys now with her, for that matter.
It then took her about another half hour to finish her first sketch of what she thought the Lyoko Warriors looked like well enough, more or less. She sketched Yumi first, and basically drew her in a mostly black and red kimono and a pair of matching open-toed sandals. She soon put two large fans with some cherry blossoms on them in Yumi's hands as she held them with her arms X-crossed in front of her, and also put Yumi's hair in a medium-sized bun of some yet-unknown sort.
For Ulrich, she soon gave him a somewhat lean and rather determined look as he was standing alone somewhere in a moderately thick forest. She put him in such a setting with a single rather ancient-looking katana in one hand held out directly to the front of him, by the way. Even while he actually was wearing a mostly green vest over a mostly brown shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of mostly black tennis shoes. Also a mostly tan and yellow headband was on his head, for that matter. It then took her until just about 6:15 pm or so for her to finish her first sketch of what she thought Ulrich might actually look like now in his life, whether he was in the real world or in Lyoko, by the way.
For Odd, she gave him blond hair with several spikes and one medium-sized purple spot near his forehead present for it. She also gave him a pair of human ears and a pair of cat ears, as well as a pair of human arms ending in human hands and a pair of rather furred arms with retractable claws at the end of them. A purple and orange vest over a mostly light blue sweatshirt, a pair of four-leg trousers that largely matched his vest, two matching shoes, and two cat-like feet completed his current look in Scarlett's present thoughts of him. This particular sketch of Odd then took her until about 7:15 or so in the evening, more or less.
After she finished working on her idea of what Odd might currently look like, she then began sketching what she thought Aelita looked like in Lyoko. She gave Aelita a mostly pink and light green outfit that basically consisted of a pink tunic, a pair of dyed green buckskin leggings, and tanned doeskin moccasins. Also, she gave Aelita mostly pink hair with silver streaks in a triple-braid setup that fell roughly to Aelita's mid-back level, more or less, at the current time in the sketch. She gave Aelita a pair of ears that resembled some sort of rather weird fusion between Terran bat-like wings and a typical rabbit's ears, but slightly more human-like, just the same. Scarlett also gave Aelita an expandable cane in one hand and a pink rose twirling in the other, to complete her current look in the sketch. It took her until about 7:50 pm to finish that sketch well enough to suit her sufficiently now.
The last sketch she then began to do while she was still in the Theater's Computer Room with everyone else who was then present with her was of Jeremy, by logical enough extension. She soon gave Jeremy some slightly wavy blond hair in a rather simple style that actually fell to about the middle of his neck, at most. In that same sketch, she gave him some bright blue twinkling eyes and glasses with coke-bottle-style lenses. At least for the most part, anyway. She gave him a white lab coat over a medium blue sweater, khaki trousers, and mostly black tennis shoes. On the sweater, she soon put several computer-related items wherever she then could. And wherever she couldn't do so well enough to suit her sufficiently here, she then didn't do that at all. Also sticking out of assorted pockets for the lab coat were several pens, notepads, and computer-style disks. A mostly yellow pencil was perched just over his left ear. This sketch of hers took her until about 8:15 pm or so, before meeting sufficiently with her approval. After she finished that sketch well enough to suit her sufficiently, she closed her rapidly-filling sketchbook and stashed away all her drawing-related supplies in her backpack again rather quickly.
When the boys saw her begin doing so, Thomas asked, "Why are you packing up now, by any chance at all, Scarlett?"
"I have this feeling that my parents and several of my siblings will be looking for me soon, for some reason I'm not yet sure of here. So I think I'd best pack up and get out of here very soon, Thomas."
"Do you think you'll be in trouble if they don't see you soon or not, Scarlett?" asked Gawain.
"No, I don't. But they might not be happy with me if I stay out too late without enough prior notice of that sort of thing, just the same, Gawain."
"I see, Scarlett. Well, then, I suppose you'd best not take the chance that they might get upset with you if you were to stay out rather late this evening or night," said Gawain.
"I agree," said Sylvester. "By the way, I have not seen my parents away from home a great deal for at least the past few days, if I am not too mistaken about such things here, everyone. Perhaps they really tired themselves out the last time or two that they partied together with each other somewhere in the local area."
"When was the last time you remember them partying with each other like they have been known to do, based on what you know of them, Sylvester?" asked Tiffany.
"I believe it was a week ago, more or less, Tiffany." Sylvester rubbed his chin briefly, as he answered Tiffany's question here, while also evidently in deep enough thought.
"What if they decided to stop partying like they've been known to do before, from what you've told us all of them both? What would you think about that, Sylvester?" asked Scarlett, in very short order.
"I think it actually would be a rather good thing, Scarlett, if they did so, and if they haven't already done it well enough by now. However, if they both are not actually partying any longer for a living, then they both will probably need to find some more suitable jobs to do for their respective livelihoods, you know. And my own livelihood as well, by logical enough extension here, of course. I do not really know if they both actually have any sufficiently-marketable skills that they could use in such jobs. That's supposing that they could find such jobs easily enough in the near future, for all of the obvious reasons," said Sylvester, gracing her with a still-rare grin after he finished answering her most recently-asked questions of him.
Thomas said, "I don't see any reason why you can't actually go home now, Scarlett. The same thing is true for the rest of you, for that matter. At least among those of us who aren't tied totally to 'Israel' right now, anyway, kids."
"You don't have to tell me twice, then, Thomas," said Scarlett, as she finally finished packing up all her necessary things here well enough to suit her sufficiently enough.
"Then I'll see you tomorrow in school, Scarlett, God willing?" asked Thomas.
"Sure thing, Thomas. At lunch, perhaps, if not even sooner than that, of course," said Scarlett.
"Then you may leave this place now, if you wish, Scarlett." Without another word or two, then, Scarlett did just that. And she did it with a bit of a smile on her face. Gawain and Sylvester soon followed her out of the Theater's complex as well, and the three of them only very briefly conversed with each other a little while longer before splitting up with each other for the rest of the current night. Thomas stayed behind in the Theater's Computer Room until about 8:30 pm, when Tiffany felt that it'd probably be a very good idea for him to return to his own family's residence for the rest of the current evening or night, by the way. Thomas didn't agree entirely with her, for he wanted to work on the main computer for at least a little while longer, but he eventually followed his fellow Warrior's advice here. He completely left the Theater's complex behind by 8:40 pm local time, and arrived back at his family's residence at about 9:15 at night.
Thomas then quickly got himself a rather late supper, before basically heading back to his and Silas's bedroom for the rest of the night. He was back there again by 9:45 pm, and studied for about an hour between 10 and 11 at night. After he'd actually studied in his own part of the bedroom for about an hour, he hurried just as quickly as he possibly could through all his usual Internet-related business, at least, before completely shutting down his desktop computer again. With that done, he soon got himself ready for bed here. He was lying down in his own bed again by 11:45, and was asleep within half an hour.
The next newly-revised chapter of Code Israel: Genesis will be up soon enough here, if at all possible. If you have any good enough ideas for possible male-female pairings of the main characters, I'm quite willing to hear them. Until later, then, this is The Universal Storyteller saying, "Over and out!"