Chapter 15
Wednesday
Jérémie looked down at his clock on his computer and saw it was close to three in the morning. He yawned before opening a program on the computer and readjusting his mike. He dialed a number from a piece of paper and waited for the man to answer.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?!" Mr. Fumet's voice asked from the other line.
"I'm sorry for the timing but I have something of vital importance to tell you." Jérémie said, his voice masked by the computer to make it sound like Franz Hopper's. "Do you remember the project: Carthage, Mr. Gilles Fumet?"
"How do you know that name? Who are you?" Mr. Fumet asked, started about who he was talking to.
"Listen to my voice and you might figure it out." Jérémie said. "But I can't talk long. People are looking for you. Namely the FBI. One of their people are living at the school you are teaching at. She will be leaving this Sunday with the exchange student. As far as I know, the exchange student has no knowledge of the military project, but the FBI is trying to get rid of all of us. I have to go. They might have connected into this line by now." Jérémie hung up and sighed in relief of finishing that. He closed that program and was about to open another one that he was working on when a widow popped up.
"Jérémie, go to bed. I know you're up." it read. He looked towards the sender and saw that it was Aélita and smiled.
"I need to get some work done. And I just finished calling Mr. Fumet." Jérémie typed to her.
"But you need to get some sleep, Jérémie."
"What are you doing up at this hour?"
"I had another nightmare." Aélita admitted.
"Was it the one with the wolves?"
"Yes, but this time I think it was just my fears because instead of them chasing Mr. Pück, they were chasing you."
"What happened?"
"You were running away, through the park in town, and they chased you through to the sewers."
"I'm guessing I didn't survive?"
"No, they got you when you were going up the ladder to the bridge."
"Well, I'm fine now. If you want I could get over there."
"No, we both need sleep. Defiantly you."
"I know. Good night Aélita."
"Bonne nuit."
Jérémie smiled as he turned off his screens and got up, out of his chair. He went over to his bed and sat down, taking off his glasses.
-.-.-.-
"Hey April, you mind if I use your shower?" Jérémie asked, getting April's attention away from putting her hair up in a ponytail.
April turned around to see him standing in her doorway. "Huh, oh, yes. Sure."
"Thanks." Jérémie said, turning around and walking into the bathroom.
April put a rubber band in her hair to make it stay just as Odd walked into her room.
"I had a strange dream last night." Odd said, sitting down on her bed.
"So did I." April said, turning to Odd. "I actually locked that door and my friends knocked."
"Sorry." Odd said, realizing she was talking about him and whoever was in the shower that had just started. "Anyway, you want to know about my dream?"
"Sure." April said, sitting down in the chair to her desk and putting her feet up on the bed, next to Odd.
"You know about how the factory is set up? Well, there was a level underneath the scanner room we didn't know about and so we started to explore it and found out that a gang of bikers had been using it as a race way."
"Without seeing the lab, the scanner room, or the super-calculator?" April guessed, crossing her arms.
"I guess. I never found-"
"AAAAhhhh!"
A mettle on mettle sound came from the bathroom before a big thud.
"Huh?" Odd asked as the two stood up in surprise.
"Oh no, Jérémie!" April cried, running out of her room and to the bathroom door. She grabbed the door handle and found it locked. She banged the door calling out, "Jérémie!?"
"I've got it." Odd said, stepping back from the door. "Jérémie, if you can hear me, get away from the door!" Odd yelled onto the door before kicking the door down.
"Jérémie!" April cried, seeing the blond haired boy on the floor, face first as if he had fallen out of the bath tub. She ran over to him and noticed his sides were burnt red. She turned to Odd and ordered, "Get the nurse. He's gotten burned from the shower."
Odd nodded his head and ran out of the bathroom.
April went around Jérémie and turned the shower to cold, feeling the water was burning hot. She put her finger under the water, expecting the water to have dropped only to find hot water still running through and it felt to her as if it was hotter than before. She turned the shower off and looked back at Jérémie, grabbing his towel and laying it over his butt.
"Uhg."
April moved so that she was in front of his head and realized he was back into conciseness. "Hold on Jérémie. You wacked you head when you fell out of the shower. Odd has gone to get the nurse."
"Thanks for the towel." Jérémie said, feeling it covering him.
"What happened?"
"I don't really know. The water all of a sudden got hot and wouldn't cool down."
"I noticed. I was trying to give you a cold towel, but all I was getting was hot water. The water heater must be malfunctioning."
"Well, when I was trying to get out, I guess I slipped, because it all went black after that." Jérémie said.
"You are just lucky the floor was cleaned yesterday. Odd made a mess of it." April said, smiling.
The front door opened, getting their attentions. April stood up and saw Odd leading Yolanda.
"Where is he?" Yolanda asked.
"Right here." April said, pointing to the floor of the bathroom as she stepped out of the way.
"Do you have any cold water at all?" Yolanda asked, leaning down to Jérémie on the floor.
"No, I can go upstairs and get some for you though." April said.
"Thank you." Yolanda said. She turned towards Jérémie, kneeling down to get to his face. "Jérémie, tell me what happened."
April went into the kitchen and grabbed a bowl. She turned to Odd and asked, "The girl's bathroom is on the second floor, no?"
Odd nodded his head.
"Thanks." April closed her eyes and said, "Teleportation."
The green light covered around her, sending her to the door of the second floor of the stairs.
April opened the door and walked into the floor, looking for the bathroom.
April saw Aélita walking in her direction with a curious face. "What happened?"
"Jérémie had an accident down stairs and I need some cold water. Where's the bathroom?"
"It's this way." Aélita said, turning around to take her back the way she had come. "What happened to Jérémie?"
"The water heater in my apartment messed up and gave him total hot water. It burned him a little." April admitted.
"Is he ok?" Aélita asked as she opened the door and let April into the bathroom first. April went to a faucet and put the bowl under it, turning on the cold water.
"Yolanda is looking at him right now." April explained. She turned off the water and looked at Aélita. "That is why we need the cold water."
"I'll be down as soon as I can." Aélita said.
"Ok, see you there." April said, closing her eyes again and said, "Teleportation."
April appeared, back in the kitchen. She walked as fast as she could and made it to the bathroom door, only to see it had been closed. She looked at Odd, who was standing next to the door.
"Jérémie's not one for showing his stuff." Odd said, guessing her face.
"Understandable." April said. She knocked on the door and waited.
A second passed before the door opened.
"That was quicker than expected." Yolanda said, taking the bowl. "Thank you."
As Yolanda moved out of the way to shut the door, April got a glimpse of Jérémie's chest, a towel wrapped around his waist to block out the rest of the burnt skin that went down his chest from the water.
April turned to Odd and said, "Aélita will be down here any minute now."
"I better call Ulrich." Odd said, pulling out his cell. "I was supposed to go back up there by now."
"He is just lucky your group do not hug a lot." April said. "His whole front half is burned."
"It's pronounced burnt. With a "T"." Odd corrected.
"Thanks." April said, remembering the real reason she was in France. To learn to speak French better than before.
"Hey Ulrich. When you can, get down to April's room." Odd said into his phone. "No, she's fine. Jérémie got burnt." He hung up as April headed over to what looked like a closet. "What are you doing?"
April opened the closet to find the water heater. "I know how to work on an American water heater and am hoping the French is not too different." She twisted a screw with her fingers only to find it stiff. "Odd, could you go into the kitchen and find me a screw driver?"
"Sure." Odd said, walking into the kitchen area. He came back and handed her a flat head.
"Thanks."
"What are you doing?" Odd asked, seeing her unscrew a screw that was holding a plate.
"Inside here is a switch to control how much hot water can come out." April explained. "I am thinking the switch has been pushed all the way over to heat."
April took off the plate and looked inside. "Ok, maybe not." April said, reaching her hand inside and turning the switch to cold. She turned her head to Odd and asked, "Could you try the water?"
"Ya." Odd said, glad to be helping,
"Don't get burnt!" April called as she heard the water start up.
The water turned off and Odd walked out, shaking his hand as if it hurt.
"Did not work?" April guessed, seeing his finger was red.
"Nope." Odd said.
April sighed as she turned around and closed the water heater just as the door opened and Aélita and Ulrich walked in.
"How's Jérémie doing?" Ulrich asked. Aélita was behind him with worry written on her face.
April closed the door to the water heater as Yolanda opened the door to the bathroom. "He'll be alright." Yolanda said as she walked out with her first aid box in her hand. She shut the door behind her so Jérémie could get dressed. "It's just as if he had gotten sunburn. He'll be good in about a week or so."
"Could you ask someone to look at this water heater?" April asked. "The switch is not working."
"Don't worry, I will." Yolanda said before walking out of the apartment.
The bathroom door opened and Jérémie walked out, his hand holding onto the front of his shirt as if it hurt to keep it touching his skin.
"Are you ok?" Aélita asked.
"A little burnt, but I'm good." Jérémie said. "Just nobody touch me for a while."
"Yolanda told us it was like sunburn." Ulrich said.
A growl got their attentions all to Odd.
"I'm hungry!" Odd whined.
"You are always hungry!" April said, smiling as the five started to head out of the apartment.
-.-.-.-
"You know, Jérémie looks really close to Milo." April said as Yumi walked over.
"What?" Yumi asked, sitting her stuff down as she had just gotten there.
"Milo, from Les Mystères D'Afred. He's the skunk." Odd said.
"You know, now that you say that, he does look like Jérémie." Ulrich said, looking at their friend.
"I'm missing something, because I've never even heard of the show." Jérémie said. "Is it American?"
"No, actually it is French." April said. "They play it on France 5."
"That's why we've never heard of it." Aélita said.
April opened her bag and pulled out a sheet of paper and a pencil. "Here is Jérémie." April said, drawing a quick sketch of Jérémie's head, glasses and all. "And here is Milo."
"They do look a lot alike." Yumi said, looking at April's drawings.
"You're a good drawer." Aélita said.
"Thank you." April said, turning the paper so that they could all see.
"It does look like a skunk version of you, Jérémie!" Aélita said, smiling.
"It is uncanny." Jérémie said, not sure what to think.
Ring Ring!
Everyone gathered their things and were about to head off to class when April remembered it was Wednesday. She went over to Yumi and asked, "Hey Yumi, did you remember the bows and arrows?"
"Yes, I went ahead and dropped them off with Delmas so I wouldn't have to carry them around all day." Yumi said.
"Oh, ok. Thank you." April said. "See you!"
"Bye guys!" Yumi said, walking away towards her first class.