3. She loves her pink hair, but she loves the normalness that blonde hair gives her.
"Huh."
"What?" She looks over at Jeremie, dragging her eyes away from the dust floating in the air, the rust staining the edges of the scanners, the cracked flooring. Everything looks so real and so different than it had on Lyoko.
"Nothing," Jeremie says. He's smiling at her, eyes warm and mouth slightly crooked, but there's a furrow between his eyebrows and his eyes keep staring at her head. "I just…I didn't expect the pink to stick," he adds after a moment, voice thoughtful.
"I think it's rad!" Odd exclaims loudly. He throws an arm around her, heavy and warm. She's assaulted with the scent of something sweet overlaying a slightly more sour smell. That's another thing, everything has a scent here, sometimes more than one, and she's overwhelmed.
"You would," Yumi laughs. She reaches over, flicks at the purple splotch in Odd's hair. "Gonna go full purple?"
"Jealous 'cause you know I could pull it off?"
"Don't encourage him to spend more time on his hair," Ulrich grumbles.
"Hey!" Odd protests. He releases Aelita, bouncing over to Ulrich to shove him.
Aelita ignores their antics. She reaches up, idly presses her fingertips to her hair. She looks at the others around her. She hadn't realized her hair color was all that different, but she can see what Jeremie means, why he's surprised. Their hair is so much…earthier.
There's a cough and she looks up, sees that Jeremie has stepped closer to her. He fiddles with the ends of his sweater sleeves. "I didn't mean…it's not bad," he says. "It suits you." He releases a sleeve, pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "I couldn't imagine you any other way."
There's a crash as Odd trips over a piece of debris, falling into a pile of scrap. Jeremie sighs loudly while Ulrich bends double laughing and Yumi smirks at Aelita with an eyeroll. Earth, Aelita realizes, will take some getting used to.
/
"She looks ridiculous."
"Lower your voice, Takeyo."
"Why? She should know she looks ridiculous."
"It is the style now," Yumi's mother says.
Aelita sits at the top of the stairs, knees drawn up and chin resting on them. Yumi is still in the bathroom and she can hear the tinny sounds of Hiroki's handheld video game through the wall of his room. Yumi's parents are still in the dining room, cleaning up after shooing the three of them upstairs. Aelita had tried. She'd smiled and said please and thank you. She'd picked up the chopsticks and tried to mirror Yumi. She'd offered to do the dishes, even though she wasn't quite sure what that meant.
Yumi's father had stared at her from the moment she'd walked through the door, trailing Yumi with wide eyes and no luggage ("The airline lost it," Yumi had explained to her mother's raised eyebrows). Hiroki had tried to get her to play video games, whooping when he'd been able to beat her once, twice, six times before dinner. She doesn't get it. Her whole life had been a game, but somehow hitting the buttons in the right sequence, at the right time, eludes her. Yumi's father had stared at her throughout dinner, eyebrows furrowed when she'd spilt the salt, when she'd taken a bite and burnt her tongue, eyes flicking to her hair and lips pressing thin.
"She's hanging out with more of them. First the blonde boy – the loud one. Now this girl. Next thing we know, she'll be coming home with colored hair, Akiko."
Yumi's mother hushes him again. "Yumi doesn't even wear colored clothes, and you're worried about colored hair? Honestly, don't be stupid, Takeyo."
"We'll see," Yumi's father says, voice ominous. There's a click and then the living room television starts up, newscaster voices loud as they relay the events of the day.
The bathroom door opens. The small hallway fills with muggy air. "What are you doing out here?" Yumi questions. She drops onto the floor and nudges Aelita with her shoulder. Aelita shifts slightly, takes in the older girl.
Yumi has her hair tied up in a towel, her face scrubbed clean and slightly pink. She's in gray-and-black plaid shorts and a black tank top. She raises an eyebrow at Aelita. "Would you color your hair?" she questions.
"Like, if it starts going gray when I'm old?"
"No, like…" She pauses, drums her fingers against the floor. "Like a different color. Something other than black. Blonde, red, green?"
"Green?" Yumi snorts, shakes her head. "No, I'm happy just as I am."
Aelita hums, lets Yumi bump her shoulder again.
. . … . .
She dreams of a woman with hair the same shade as hers. She sits on a swing suspended above the porch, needles click-clacking as she knits.
She dreams of a woman with hair the same shade as hers. She has sunshine in her laugh and eyes that sparkle like emeralds.
When she wakes, she can't tell how much is dream and how much is memory.
. . … . .
"You must be Della Robbia's cousin."
She looks up to see a girl with long black hair standing in front of her. There are two boys flanking her. Aelita finishes adjusting her shoe lace, picks up the strap of her bag and stands. "Hello," she greets, smiling uncertainly. "I'm Aelita."
The girl's eyes flick from her hair to her face. "Guess outlandish colors run in the family," the girl states, voice flat.
Aelita's fingers tighten on the strap of her bag. "And you are?"
"Sissi Delmas." She stares at the girl, remembers absent comments from the others about Sissi. The girl has a sharp chin, a smattering of faded freckles, and eyes a shade somewhere between Ulrich's and Yumi's. "You've heard of me," Sissi adds, noting the recognition in Aelita's face. She seems pleased.
"And you match the description perfectly," Aelita replies, voice sweet. She hitches her bag higher on her shoulder. "Excuse me, I need to meet my cousin." She pushes past Sissi, ignoring her startled squawk.
/
"Ugh, she's just so weird."
"She can't be that naïve, can she?"
"And the pink hair? Total attention seeker."
"Well, you see who her cousin is…"
Aelita pauses, hand resting on the biography she'd been about to pull from the shelf. She listens as the girls on the other side of the stacks move away, voices fading. She reaches up, runs a distracted hand through her hair. She wonders what she's done to garner that descriptor.
/
"I hear girls who dye their hair are into some kinky things." Aelita frowns at the boy in front of her. He just grins back, eyebrows raised. "Well?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Of course not." He waggles his eyebrows at her. "I bet the carpet matches the drapes too, huh?"
"I don't-"
"Fuck off, Beaumont." Aelita half-turns as Ulrich steps up next to her. He frowns at the other boy, arms loose at his sides. There's something in the line of his jaw, in the angle of his shoulders that reminds her of Lyoko. "She's not interested."
"You got a little crush, Stern?"
Ulrich's eyebrows draw together. "Get lost before I make you run suicides at practice."
Beaumont glares at Ulrich. "Of course, Mr. All-Star." She sees Ulrich's jaw clench, and then Beaumont shoves past them. He pauses, hand brushing along the back of Aelita's hand. "Offer's still up, whenever you tire of this stick-in-the-mud."
He slinks off before Ulrich can say anything further. Aelita shivers in the late spring air. "Who is he?"
"A piece of trash," Ulrich mutters. He runs a hand through his hair, glances at her. "You okay?"
She considers, shifts from one foot to the other. "He's unpleasant," she decides. "But he didn't do anything."
Ulrich nods, slings an arm over her shoulders. "Come on, let's get Jer and Odd. Yumi texted that movie night's on after all."
She settles into Ulrich's side, matching his stride as they head for the dorms. It's not often Ulrich's affectionate and she savors it while it lasts.
/
"I feel like we're being watched."
"Because we are," Yumi replies.
Aelita glances up from where she's sifting through the CD display. One of the store employees is hovering nearby, her eyes glued to Yumi and Aelita. Aelita frowns at her and the employee just stares suspiciously back.
"Why is she staring at us?" she asks.
Yumi shrugs. "Probably thinks we'll steal something."
Aelita gapes at her. "But why?"
Yumi offers another shrug, picks out a CD and hums as she looks at the track list. "Pick a reason? My clothes? Your hair? We're teenagers? Any of that screams discontented youth and potential thief to stores."
"My hair?"
"It's pink," Yumi states. "Adults don't trust anything that isn't normal."
"But my hair?" she repeats.
Yumi shrugs, drops the CD back in the rack. "C'mon," she says. "Let's get ice creams, I'm tired of the atmosphere in here."
She grabs Aelita by the wrist, towing her out of the store. Aelita studies the salesperson as they pass
. . … . .
She dreams of a woman with hair the same shade as hers. She has flour on her cheek and dough on her fingers as she teaches Aelita how to knead bread.
She dreams of a woman with hair the same shade as hers. Her voice is a melody and her hugs feel like safety.
When she wakes, she feels a moment of loss that she can never quite put into words.
. . … . .
"I need your help," she states as soon as Odd opens the door.
"Ulrich's at practice, but we can grab him on the way if it's a you-know-what."
Aelita huffs, crosses her arms. The shopping bag in her hand rustles, draws Odd's attention. "Not that kind of help," she states.
"Color me intrigued, Princess." He holds the bedroom door open and gestures her in with a mock bow. "Though, I have a date in twenty minutes so…"
She thrusts the shopping bag into his hands as soon as he closes the door. His eyebrows raise, but he opens the bag, pulls out the bottle inside. He looks up at her after a moment, lips pressed together and eyes serious. It's the most serious she's seen him look in months.
"Princess?"
"You're the only one I know who's done this before," she admits, voice soft. She sits down on Ulrich's bed, bounces up after a moment to pace. She's nervous, stomach flipping and fingers tapping against her thighs. "I don't want to mess it up."
"Yeah, okay. I get that." He leans against the door, watches her through unreadable eyes. "But why?"
She pauses, looks at him. She tilts her chin up, meets his eyes steadily. "I want to be normal, for once."
"You already are, Princess."
"I want to look normal."
Odd shifts the bottle in his hands, glances down at the label. Aelita watches as he passes his thumb over the name. He looks up at her, releases a breath. "Okay," he agrees.
/
She smuggles him into the girl's showers, securing the stall at the end. "We're going to get caught," he mumbles. The smell of ammonia is strong in the small space. Aelita just shushes him, feels the warmth radiating off his body from behind her. His fingers slide through her hair, carefully coating the strands. "You'll have to explain to Einstein when we get caught."
"Sh," she hushes.
"And Delmas. I'm sure we'll get dragged before Delmas."
"Odd," she mutters.
He snorts, fingers catching and prying apart a knot in her hair. "If you thought the kiss rumors were bad enough…"
"I'm about to kick you out," she warns.
"And risk your hair? Unlikely."
Aelita rolls her eyes, crosses her arms over her chest. She's dressed in an old swimsuit, Odd in swim trunks and a tank top. His hands are gentle in her hair, soothing as they comb the dye though evenly. She finds herself unconsciously matching the pattern of his breathing.
"And now, we wait," he announces. He steps back, gloved hands limp at his sides. Aelita feels her stomach flip nervously.
/
"So, what's the real reason?" Odd questions. He's unhooked the showerhead and is carefully running warm water through her hair.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Princess-"
He pauses as the bathroom door opens and they hear voices. "I know I left it in here," Milly says.
"Well, hurry up, the film starts in thirty," Tamiya orders.
There's the sound of movement at the other end of the bathroom. Suddenly, Milly exclaims, "Found it!"
They wait, listening as the girls argue about the shortest way to the cinema, the door opening and closing once more. Odd snorts a laugh. "Told you we'd get caught."
"We didn't get caught," Aelita protests.
Odd's finished helping her rinse her hair out, water running clear once more. She pulls on a pair of sweatpants and an oversized hoodie over her damp swimsuit. Odd covers her head with a towel, quickly drying her hair off vigorously. He steps back after a moment, tugs on a strand.
"How does it look?" she asks.
Odd tilts his head, runs his fingers through her hair. "You look great," he states, "like usual." His eyes flick to hers, still too serious.
"Do I look…normal?"
"You look like one of my sisters," he comments. "It's weird."
Her shoulders relax and she reaches up, pulls a strand of hair in front of her eyes to study it. "Thank you."
/
The morning after, she stands in front of the mirror in her room and studies her reflection. She recognizes the point of her chin, the swoop of her nose, the brightness of her eyes…she doesn't recognize the blonde of her hair, a shade darker than Odd's own, or the way it makes her skin appear paler.
The ends of her hair brush her collarbones, tickle her shoulders. She tugs it back into a short ponytail, releases it so it falls in a short curtain again. She can hear voices in the hall, sleepy and boisterous. They drag her back to the present and she turns away from the mirror, finishes dressing and, after a moment of consideration, pulls on a dusty pink hoodie. It feels weird not having any pink on her.
She's the last of the group to the cafeteria. She wanders through the line, feeling strangely adrift as the other gazes of the other students' flick over her without registering who she is. She picks up her breakfast, crosses the crowded dining hall to their usual table. Odd is the first to notice her, flashing her a quick reassuring grin. Ulrich's next to notice, eyebrow raising before he glances at Odd with an unreadable expression.
"Good morning," she greets.
"Morning," Yumi replies, attention focused on the math assignment she hadn't finished yet.
"Good morn…" Jeremie stops, stares at her. He blinks, adjusts his glasses and Aelita offers a small smile.
"Like it?"
It's enough to draw Yumi's attention. The older girl lifts her gaze from the equations on the page in front of her. "Well," she says, "that's a change."
"It looks good," Ulrich states, voice firm.
"Do you like it?" Yumi asks.
"It's fantastic," Odd chimes in. He shifts over, nudging Ulrich to move and make room for her. She takes a seat, feeling Jeremie's gaze still heavy in its silence. "No regrets, right?"
She looks up at him, at the concern in his green eyes and the wide smile. "No regrets," she agrees. She glances back at Yumi. "Blondes have more fun, right?"
Jeremie makes a startled note, jumping a bit. "I don't know if that's scientifically proven," he states, voice soft. He offers her a small smile, genuine and unsure. "You do look great though."
She feels herself relax.
. . … . .
She runs into Ethan three days after the Library Meeting. He's coming out of the science building, head bowed as he studies the paper in his hands instead of his surroundings. Aelita yelps as they collide in front of the stairs and he grabs her elbow, righting her before she can fall. He offers her a self-conscious smile and his tanned skin flushes.
"I'm sorry," he apologizes.
"It's fine." She brushes the hair out of her eyes.
"I should've been paying attention." He releases her arm but doesn't move away. Aelita feels like that's important, that it might mean something. "Let me make it up to you."
"That's really not-"
"How about coffee in town?" he questions. He folds the paper, tucks it into his pocket. "If you're not busy."
Aelita bites her lip, shifts her weight. She's supposed to be meeting Odd but… "Yeah," she says, "okay."
"Yeah?" His smile widens, white teeth against golden skin. "Great!"
/
They end up at Nicolette's.
Ethan orders two cappuccinos for them and fresh pastries. They find a seat outside under one of the striped umbrellas and away from the curious gaze of Nicolette. Aelita wills the blush to leave her face each time she catches the older woman glancing their way. She sips her cappuccino, nibbles delicately at her pastry.
"Come on," Ethan says, smile in his voice. Aelita glances up at him and sees that his expression matches his tone. "You're Della Robbia's cousin, right? I didn't think you'd be one of those types who pretends not to be hungry."
Aelita snorts, but she tears off a chunk of pastry and takes a bite. "Maybe I just don't like chocolate," she comments.
Ethan's eyes widen. "Is that true?" he asks. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who doesn't like chocolate."
Aelita shrugs. "It's alright," she says. "Not my favorite."
Ethan settles back in the wrought iron chair, eyebrows disappearing under tousled hair. "You're quite the enigma, aren't you?"
"Am I?"
"From pink hair to blonde, no chocolate, brilliant with mixing music…"
Her face flushes. "I'm not that great, yet."
"And so humble." He takes a bite of his pastry, eyes studying her calmly. "I'm glad I ran into you today."
She feels a smile stretch her face. "Me too," she admits.
. . … . .
She dreams of a woman with hair the color of cotton candy. She has hands calloused from hours spent in a garden and smells of rain.
She dreams of a woman with hair the color she used to have. She has cool fingertips and steady hands when she bandages scraped knees.
When she wakes, she wonders if she would be disappointed in her.
. . … . .
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ishiyama!"
Yumi's father does a doubletake, blinking at her from behind his glasses. "Aelita?" he asks.
She smiles brightly. "How are you?"
"Just fine." She sees the way his eyes dart to her hair. "Your hair."
"Do you like it?" she asks. "I wanted a change."
A strange look crosses his face, like he's weighing his thoughts or his words. "You look very nice," he says finally, stiffly. He steps aside to allow her entry. "Yumi's upstairs."
"Thanks!"
She skips past him, bouncing up the stairs and down the hallway to Yumi's room. Yumi is sprawled on her bed, reading, when Aelita pokes her head into the room. "Ready?" she asks.
Yumi lifts her head, finger marking her place. "I'm still not used to you looking like that," she states. "It's really uncanny how much you and Odd look alike now."
Aelita shrugs, leans against the doorjamb. "Well, we're cousins, aren't we?"
Yumi smiles. "You are," she agrees. She gets up, grabs her jacket. "Alright, lets go make fools of ourselves."
Aelita laughs, links her arm with Yumi's. "It's just skating, how hard can it be?"
"Famous last words," Yumi warns. She's still smiling though. She reaches over, ruffles Aelita's hair.
Aelita laughs, head falling back. It's nice, she thinks, to feel so normal.