Odd wasn't a cruel person, at least not to those he liked. Nevertheless, he found a dark satisfaction in watching the girl squirm under the influence of his gaze, her hands trembling as she tried to put the cover glass on the base.
- Will you stop already? - she hissed, quiet enough for only him to hear. He lifted the corner of his mouth, murmuring a soft 'nope' until she kicked him in the ankle, to which he just chuckled.
Honestly, she couldn't remember the last time she felt comfortable enough to touch anyone in any way after just a few meetings. However, after the party, when she let him hug her goodbye and a moment later vomited on his shoes, she didn't care anymore. And judging by the fact that he still talked to her, neither did he.
Initially, when they met after the party, it was during Jim's shared classes, so he didn't have a chance to talk to her. He did, however, have plenty of time to observe her during volleyball games while their team waited on the bench. The girl was rather indifferent to her surroundings; she didn't look at people, didn't glance around, just did what she was told, and at the fastest pace possible. However, her behavior did a 180-degree turn when she noticed Charlie on the opposing team, and her bright smile could be seen from the other end of the hall. It couldn't really be called a team game anymore when every ball that landed in their vicinity was immediately sent in his direction. And it happened every time. Whenever one appeared near, the other immediately turned their head in his direction, guided by a sixth sense. So, witnessing their cozy relationship, Odd had to admit he felt a bit special when she started smiling at him too.
Alex, on the other hand, had no idea what to think about the guy. She thought he was quite similar to Charlie, and to some extent, it must have been true since they got along so well. However, the longer she had the opportunity to observe him, the more differences she noticed. Odd was incredibly charismatic and, frankly, quite cheeky, especially in class. He was also very confident and always did what he wanted. When he wanted to ask something, he did. When he wanted to talk to her, he did, regardless of whether she was alone, in a group, bored, or busy. She always considered her friend to be quite an extrovert, but Della Robbia was on a completely different level.
Maybe because Charlie still paid attention to the feelings of other people, immediately dropping a topic they didn't want to discuss. He also rarely actually initiated contact if he had no intentions in it, which was similar to her. Odd, on the other hand, was always the one to start the conversation, often without a clear reason. He was also the one who always pushed to know more until people started getting annoyed and finally exploded. Depending on who the interlocutor was to him, he would either stop or, on the contrary, continue, for his own sadistic entertainment. At first, she found him overwhelming, but over time he became fascinating. She also had to admit that she was surprised by how expressive he was, sometimes too theatrical for her taste. And the way he often looked at her when they were alone made her think there might be some truth to it.
In any case, she loved the fact that no topic was off-limits for conversation, and every opportunity was good to make a joke, as long as it didn't hit their own, very weak moral spine.
He liked that too. It was interesting for him, it was fun.
Actually, she had to admit that working with him in class wasn't that bad. He definitely had concentration issues, and most of the time, he was busy with everything except their task. However, when he did focus on the assignment, which unfortunately happened rarely, he did it quickly and almost flawlessly. Their first attempt at the project was on the same day, but collecting plants ended up with throwing away half of them. The next time, they met on a Friday, after their biology class, to finish with Charlie in town, where Odd guided them through his favorite bars. The blond noticed that when the three of them were together, Alex was twice as talkative as when they were alone. However, when Ulrich approached them during a break, the dark-haired girl remained almost silent throughout their conversation.
- Shyness really doesn't suit you. - he told her then, to which she shrugged.
- I'm not shy. - she replied dismissively. - Speaking just wasn't in my interest.
So somehow, they ended up spending less time on work and definitely more on entertainment, and after about the fifth time, they stopped pretending that they only met for the project. Still, Della Robbia continued to use that excuse to justify all those missed meetings with friends, during which he spent time with his new acquaintances. At some point, Ulrich started joking that the blond had lost his head for the girl again, but that wasn't entirely true.
Well, at least not completely. Anyway, meetings with her effectively diverted his thoughts from the whole situation with Xana, which the warriors loved to remind him of. Especially William-Dog-Dunbar, who found a great way to get on his nerves by coming up with more nicknames for the blond. Let's say that Xana's trash can was the mildest thing he heard from him.
- And how's it going? - Alex's words snapped him out of his thoughts, for which he cursed himself inwardly. Lately, he allowed himself to do that too often.
- Fine. How about you? - he smiled.
They were sitting in one of those empty, always open classrooms that had a direct exit to the courtyard, and in front of them was a stack of old newspapers, paper, tapes, and markers. Procrastination had brought them to the point where they had to do everything last minute to finish the project before the next class.
- With your help, it would definitely be faster. - she scoffed, sticking the last piece of stem to the paper.
- But you wanted to do everything yourself.
- Yes, theory. - she corrected, pushing the newspapers in his direction. - I wanted to dump the dirty work on you.
- We definitely have a different definition of dirty work. - he muttered before reaching for the first plant from between the magazine pages, starting to stick it onto the prepared A3 sheet. Meanwhile, the girl tried to find names for the specimens they had gathered, but it quickly proved to be more difficult than she thought.
- Do you think this is it? - she showed him the phone screen.
The blond glanced and shook his head.
- That's not even the same family. - he stated, and when she didn't respond, he looked at her puzzled. - What?
- They look identical! - she furrowed her brows, looking at the photo again.
- Not at all. It has completely different leaves, not to mention the flower. - he shrugged, reaching for her phone to type in a name that came to his mind. - I think this is probably it.
He showed another plant, which, in her eyes, differed only in the label.
- How the hell do you know?
- My parents are into gardening. - he said as if that was a good explanation.
- So? My mom is too, and I'm sure the last thing she knows about these weeds is which families they belong to. - she snorted, frowning amusingly as she looked at his work with a mixture of admiration and disgust.
- When something interests them, they go all in, I suppose?
Alex considered it absolutely unfair that, unlike her, he seemed completely unconcerned about her closely watching what he was doing. Actually, he even enjoyed her growing frustration when matching the right names clearly overwhelmed her.
- Do you want to switch?
- Yes, please. - she groaned, taking back the papers and tape. - I feel like puking, looking at all this.
- Just this time, skip my shoes, okay?
- No promises. - she replied, and after a while, a silence fell between them.
It was one of many things that surprised her when she started getting to know Odd because rarely was silence comfortable for her in the presence of newly acquainted people.
- Well, hello, botanical weirdos. - he heard behind him and didn't have to turn around to see who entered. The wide smile on the girl's face was enough to guess. - Need any help?
- No. - Alex sighed before the blond could say anything. - Because later, you'll want help with physics, and the last thing I plan to do is glue models of the solar system.
- Damn. - he muttered. - The plan was good. - he added, then took two energy cans from his backpack, handing one to the blond and placing the other in front of the girl.
- Thanks, but I don't want it. - she stated, and even Odd raised his eyebrows before she tapped her finger on the blue inscription on the can - Zero.
- See? Specially for you. - Charlie shrugged, then turned his attention to her work and pointed to the freshly completed sheet. - You stuck it crooked.
- I'll kill you. - she hissed, although her corners of the mouth involuntarily twitched.
- Be careful, or I'll believe you. Who will give you a glass of water when you're old? - he rolled his eyes. - Anyway, I have to go; I'm late by about... - he glanced at his watch and grimaced slightly. - a lot. Have a good job.
- Then why did you ask...
- Thanks for the drink! - the blond called out in farewell, interrupting the girl, and the brunet saluted before going his own way. As soon as the warrior reached for the mentioned energy drink, Alex's hand shot towards him, offering him hers.
- Do you want to switch? - her expression was so desperate that it elicited a quiet laugh from him.
- No.
- Fair enough. - she sighed, and the snap of the can tab was like a gunshot to her heart.
At some point, a strange shiver passed through him, prompting him to lift his head and scan the room. The hairs on his body stood on end, and his eyes instinctively focused on the corner of the room where a shape was slowly forming in the darkness. He immediately jumped from his seat, not even noticing that he had knocked over a chair. The dark-haired girl furrowed her brows in response to his strange behavior before something tickled her calf. It lasted only a second before the shadow enveloped her whole body, which flickered right in front of his eyes. Della Robbia flinched, intending to run before the specter detached from the girl as suddenly as it appeared, leaving her unharmed.
- What was that? - she murmured when a sudden shiver passed through her, which she tried to alleviate by quickly rubbing her arms. - Did you see that? - she looked into his eyes, and they still had the same, hazel shade.
Blinking in shock, he didn't know what to say when someone suddenly opened the door with such force that it hit the wall. Plaster fell from the ceiling as two unfamiliar figures entered, their gray skin and black hands protruding from their suits clearly indicating who they were. One of them looked at Alex, raising a hand.
- What the... - she began but didn't finish as the boy squeezed her wrist, pulling her towards the other exit. She wanted to object, ask what was happening, but they ran so fast, and he held her so tight that she couldn't break free until they stopped somewhere in the depths of the park next to the school. - Can you explain to me why we're running and why here? - she demanded, turning her head in the direction where she thought the building was. - We left all our things there; why...
- Alex. - the tone of his voice caught her attention, so she looked at him. His brown eyes bore into hers, and she couldn't suppress the feeling of unease that began to grow in her stomach. She hadn't known him for long, but it was the first time he was so... serious. - I promise I'll explain everything later. But now, trust me and do what I say, okay? It's very important.
Somewhere in the distance, they heard a crash, which made the dark-haired hold her breath, and the boy clenched his fingers even tighter on her shoulders. Whatever it was, apparently she didn't have much time to answer.
- Okay, but if you're planning to kill and bury me, Charlie will do the same to you. - she grumbled, to which the boy flashed a smile before leading her into the bushes.
- I have no doubt about that. - he said, then approached and lifted the lid, which seemed to lead to the sewers.
Alex widened her eyes when he waved his hand for her to start descending.
- Are you kidding? - she scoffed, but he only shook his head. Suddenly, a shadow appeared under her feet, and when one of the benches flew over their heads and crashed into a tree nearby, she swallowed saliva with difficulty. - Fine. But you first.
Seeing that he wasn't joking and was really going down into the sewers, her heart began to beat intensively in her chest. So those two were really chasing them, apparently with a specific purpose. So she followed the blond, closing the passage behind her, and almost screamed when in the darkness, he grabbed her hand again, resuming the escape. She had no idea how long it took them and how many times they turned into new corridors until they finally reached a hatch, to which Odd had desperately tried to lead them.
He helped her out, and when she finally stood back on the surface, she realized it was the same bridge that led to the old factory. A million questions rushed to her lips, but his facial expression made her dare not ask them. When she finally caught her breath and thoughts, both of them stood in front of the old elevator. She noticed that he entered a code into a hidden device. 1506, repeated in her head just in case. When he moved forward, she involuntarily squeezed his hand harder, to which he sent her a disoriented look before understanding what was on her mind.
- Don't worry; it won't collapse. - his voice was so calm that she decided to believe him.
When they reached the main room, she didn't expect to see something like that. A strange structure with a monitor and keyboard in the middle, where a boy was sitting in a chair. She didn't even have time to look at him before something flashed in front of her, attracting her gaze. It was a large hologram showing shapes and maps that had absolutely no meaning to her. In the middle of it was a small point that clearly glowed red.
- Oh, good thing you're here, Odd. The tower is in the forest sector. The rest should be... - the one by the monitor spoke, turning towards them and opening his mouth in surprise at the sight of her. - Who's this?
- She was with me during the attack. - Della Robbia replied, and the dark-haired girl unconsciously stood behind him, trying to keep her distance from the stranger. Before the blond in glasses could reply, the elevator moved again, and after a while, more people appeared in the room. A lot more people.
The girl wasn't shy. She wasn't fearful either, and certainly not stupid. Yet, suddenly, she felt overwhelmed by the gaze of five pairs of eyes fixed on her, and anxiety tightened her throat because she was in a place about which she had practically no clue, alone, without Charles's knowledge. She didn't know any of these people, but the atmosphere of the room made her first thought that this might be a gang of thugs. And just as she was about to reach for her phone to call Charlie, the police, anywhere... she looked at Odd. She hadn't known him for long, but in an inexplicable way, she wanted to trust him. Above all, she wanted to get through this unscathed, so she decided to wait and not take any radical steps until she understood the situation better.
- Who is she? - a tall, black-haired girl hissed. Her voice tone was so unpleasant that Alex involuntarily grimaced. - And why is she here?
- XANA attacked us. - Odd replied, completely unfazed by her negative attitude. - Go with Ulrich to Lyoko and handle the tower; there are probably two specters. - he added before Ishiyama could interject anything else.
Einstein made eye contact with Aelita and nodded, and the indicated trio went back to the elevator. During all this time, Alex ignored all those fleeting glances, and her gaze was focused on the blond, who was her only lifeline in all this madness.
- Get ready; they're here. - the one in glasses spoke, prompting a tall brunette to go immediately towards the ladder in the corner of the room, which she hadn't noticed before.
Truth be told, she didn't even want to look around, fearing she might see something she shouldn't. Although everyone here were teenagers, probably her age, she didn't know them and couldn't know if there was any danger from them.
- So, two against two. - the dark-haired one said, and the tone of his voice betrayed displeasure about it. As soon as he disappeared from her sight, she noticed that Odd headed towards the elevator, and she immediately followed him.
- I'm going with you. - she said before he could protest, pressing the button herself.
- So, you literally prefer to potentially get killed than sit in one room with a stranger. - he stated, raising an eyebrow, fixing her with that piercing gaze. - And you still claim you're not shy?
- Shy my ass, I'll... - she hissed before the elevator doors slid open, and they stood face to face with the two guys from earlier.
Before she could even think, the boy immediately pulled her by the hand, allowing her to avoid some strange energy beam directed at her, and then they started running. They ran and ran until they hid in one of the rooms on the upper floor, from which they had a good view of the clones searching for them downstairs.
- I'll go and distract them. You stay here, and...
- Look at me, already sitting here. - she immediately interrupted him, and he grimaced slightly before rolling his eyes at her stubbornness.
- If you want me all to yourself so badly, invite me on a date.
- Sure, Della Robbia, but I think I have two rivals in this competition. - she chuckled, pushing him on the shoulder to let her see the attackers. H
er eyes examined the unnaturally black shade of their hands and larger-than-normal body sizes, raising doubts in her mind. Then she looked at the blond again, who was searching for something in the back, and bit the inside of her cheek. She couldn't just leave him like that.
- Is this the moment when you explain to me what's going on?
- I guess you're right. - he muttered, but didn't stop searching for something he could use against the specters. However, all he found was a pile of rubble. - Me and my friends, we're kind of saving the world. The computer you saw transports us to a virtual world where we fight monsters to deactivate the towers and get rid of all those... things that appear in the real world. Like those specters chasing us.
- And what is XANA?
- A program. A virus. A pain in the ass. - he shrugged. - Call it whatever you want. Anyway, it activates the towers and causes all this. It can create specters, monsters, but also... - here he froze and gave her a strange look. - control people.
- Okay. I get this part. - she said, nervously glancing at the corridor to assess how far the clones were. - But how come only you guys are dealing with this? And why is no one talking about it? Why...
- Because, Alex. - he interrupted her, and when she turned towards him, she almost jumped when she stood face to face with him. She didn't even hear his footsteps. - Our supercomputer gives us the ability to go back in time. Whether it's a monster attack, a meteor shower, zero gravity, or collective possession. Everyone will forget everything. Am I right?
His gaze was so intense that for a moment, she forgot how to speak.
- Y-yes? - she stammered, nervous about how close he was; she could swear she could smell his cologne.
She couldn't gather her thoughts, unsettled by his sudden, strange behavior. He analyzed her face for a long moment, barely making any movement, and then finally stepped back and smiled, in his peculiar, almost overly expressive way.
- Exactly. - he grinned and lightly pinched her cheek before walking to the other end of the room, and she felt like she could breathe again. - There's no way out of here, but I think we could go to the second floor through these boards.
How on earth could this guy switch from deadly seriousness to his laid-back mode in just a few seconds?
And when it finally sank in what he said, more questions began to arise in her mind, none with answers. Has what Odd mentioned already happened? Could it be that she and her family were exposed to immense danger thousands of times and didn't even know it? How long have the lives of millions of people depended on a few teenagers, and why did they have to be responsible for it?
She wanted it to be a lie. Unfortunately, she had no reason not to believe him.
When she raised her eyes again, she screamed, standing face to face with a waking nightmare. The attacker's hand went through the door, almost grabbing her hoodie before Odd pulled her towards him. They ran to the back, where they had to go out the window and walk on the scaffolding to the next one. The boy kept glancing at Alex, fearing for her safety, but to his surprise, she was really handling it well.
- A little help? - she said at the end of their route when they had to pull themselves up to the open window. - I have weak arms. - she added before he took her hand and helped her climb inside.
- Are you into parkour or something? - he remarked when she stood next to him, to which the girl shrugged.
- It was Charlie's idea.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
The bang on their right side indicated that the specters weren't far. They started running along the corridor, and when the blond glanced over his shoulder, he saw the specter tearing the door off its hinges and frantically looking for them. A moment later, it noticed them, and the boy couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't him that it focused on.
Suddenly, they reached a place where a pile of overturned old furniture and other stuff blocked their way. While the blond started looking for another escape route through the railings, Alex noticed a stick lying in the corner. She picked it up and turned it a few times in her hand. It wasn't too heavy, but it was strong enough to cause harm. Hearing a specter running towards them and without thinking twice, she hit its knee with the tip before turning around and swinging, hitting it hard on the head. She didn't expect her makeshift weapon to get stuck in the specter's body, but whatever happened, it was enough to knock it out.
- Let me guess. Charlie's idea?
- That one was actually mine. - She smiled, confirming his suspicions. Her moves seemed too well-practiced to be improvised. - His brother still has a bump on his head.
But right behind the first opponent was a second one who seemed to be running straight towards the boy. Della Robbia grabbed the beam just above his head, kicking the man in the chest. The girl watched as he lost his balance and leaned over the railing, falling to the first floor. And just like the first one, he seemed to... flicker.
- I prefer it simpler. - He raised the corners of his mouth, but soon a grimace replaced it when he noticed the specter rising from its place against the wall. - Where's that William when you need him? - he growled as both of them started running again. At some point, the dark-haired girl stopped in her tracks, breathing heavily as her legs began to disobey her.
Odd looked at her, cursed under his breath, and dialed Jeremy's number.
- How are you guys doing?
- Try to hold on for a little longer. Ulrich is almost at the tower.
- Yeah, okay, I'll try. - he muttered, although Einstein had already disconnected. - What's that idiot doing...
Before any of them could react, one of the specters threw a stream of electricity at the boy, and the force of the impact threw him to the other end of the room. He fell on his back, and black spots danced in front of his eyes as he tried to get up. He tried to push away the darkness, blinking several times, and panic invaded his mind when he felt he couldn't catch his breath.
- Odd! Odd, can you hear me? - suddenly a familiar face appeared on the horizon, and the brunet helped him sit and lean against the wall. The warrior watched as the blond grabbed his chest, breathing heavily until he finally got air into his lungs. - Focus on breathing, okay?
- Shut up 'cause I can't focus on breathing. - he replied, coughing and then breathing heavily before finally calming down. He hissed when he tried to move his right arm, encountering resistance, and the accompanying pain was unbearable. - Damn, I think I broke something... - he cursed, raising an angry gaze to William. - Where the hell were you?!
- I... - his strangely quiet voice drew the blond's attention when he cleared his throat, avoiding eye contact. - You know...
- Did you get fucking lost?! - he growled, then cursed again and closed his eyes when an involuntary movement caused piercing pain. - Help Alex.
- But... - he started, but Odd's angry gaze silenced him. - Yeah, okay.
Meanwhile, the girl stared in complete horror at the man without irises who was approaching her relentlessly with each passing second. Despite previous injuries, the opponent was still very fast, and she was getting slower. When she turned just around the corner, she stumbled over something and landed on the ground, painfully scraping her knee. She hissed and looked at the paint cans scattered around, cursing herself and Charlie for leaving them after their last visit. She squeaked when the assailant grabbed her leg, and she grabbed one of the spray cans, having no better option at hand. The specter emitted a strange, crackling scream when she sprayed green paint into its eyes, then she yanked her ankle from its grip and fled. The noise caught William's attention, who finally realized where the stranger was. He headed towards her, relieved when he noticed her at one of the passages.
- Hey, how... - He didn't even finish as a painful, muffled groan came from his mouth, when the girl reflexively hit him in the stomach.
Her bewildered gaze finally focused on his dark hair and that funny leather jacket, reminding her that he was the same guy who was in the room with the supercomputer.
- Damn, sorry!
- You didn't have to hit me. - His tone was sharp and full of reproach.
- You didn't have to surprise me. - She retorted with an equally sarcastic tone before a loud impact caught her attention. The specter that Odd pushed was now looking at them, and a shiver ran down her spine as it started running towards them.
- Rope! - The boy shouted, jumping down with the help of one floor. She wanted to follow in his footsteps before the specter stood in her way. She could swear he was too far away to reach her so quickly.
But that was the least of her worries when a large hand grabbed her sweater, lifting the girl a few inches off the ground. With the current strength of the specter, a slight tightening of its dark fingers could crush her larynx, but it didn't happen. Instead, the specter froze and loosened its grip when a steel rod pierced its hand, and after a moment, it dissipated in the air. The dark-haired girl fell to the ground, left with a faster heartbeat and a slight discomfort when swallowing saliva, but nothing more.
When she finally noticed Odd, who was looking at her with concern, a stone fell from her heart. Then, however, she saw his clenched jaw as he pushed the weapon aside, instead squeezing his right arm with his hand. He noticed that she was looking in that direction and forced the muscles of his face into a slight smile, but he was breathing unevenly, and a drop of sweat ran down his temple.
- Damn it, William. - He growled, leaning against the wall with his healthy shoulder, ignoring the offended shouts of the brunet below. - I'm glad you're okay. - He said to the girl, and he really meant it.
- Are you going to be okay?
- Yeah. - He muttered, his eyes piercing hers. - I will be.
Funny - she thought as white light surrounded them. - Were they always this golden?
When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in her own room. Slightly disoriented, she sat on the bed and sighed, after what was probably the weirdest nightmare of her life. Finally deciding to get up, she stretched and walked to the wardrobe, simultaneously turning off the alarm clock's buzzing in the background. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her heart raced as she saw today's date on the phone screen. Shouldn't today be Wednesday...? Right after, her gaze was drawn to the sketchbook lying on the desk. With growing unease, she flipped through the notebook to find the last drawing, but instead of a colorful character, she only saw a rough sketch.
Before she could fully grasp what was happening, her hands reached for a pair of black sweatpants on the chair's back. In a trance, she ran outside, her legs carrying her towards the bus stop. When she finally reached the factory, the morning fatigue disappeared, leaving her mind clear and sober. The images haunting her head were too vivid to be just a dream. She was convinced of her sanity the moment she stood in front of the elevator, and her fingers flawlessly entered the code. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, descending one floor down to reach the room with the supercomputer.
- I've been waiting for you. - Her heart raced faster as the doors opened, revealing a familiar face. The blond tilted his head, examining her with a mysterious gaze. - Took you a while. - He muttered, and those words overwhelmed her.
She didn't expect to meet anyone here at this hour, especially not Odd. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she silently stared at the boy, feeling something akin to fear for the first time due to his strange behavior.
- Well, the journey through the city took a bit. - She chuckled awkwardly, trying to mask the tremor in her voice.
- You remember everything. - He added, and it wasn't a question.
She nodded; there was no need to lie.
- How did you know?
- You didn't show up at the cafeteria, so I figured. - He shrugged. - And... I had a feeling.
- The same feeling that brought me here? - She ventured. Seeing his hesitation, she knew she hit the mark. - You told me to trust you. So, I'm listening.
Odd sighed and plunged his hands deep into his pockets.
- There's actually nothing to explain. Specters were chasing you, and I wanted to protect you.
- Do they chase everyone with you?
- Sometimes. But Xana didn't possess you. - He explained, and his gaze pierced her through. And then she understood.
- You predicted this, didn't you? - She murmured, recalling what he had told her when they were hiding from the specters. - There, in the room.
- You know, at first, I thought maybe he was running low on energy again, but then he created two specters. And I believe one of them was chasing only you the whole time. - he replied, and before she realized it, he bounced off the wall and approached her. She couldn't find the strength to move even an inch. - You know, Xana never possessed certain people. Those who were in Lyoko. The same ones on whom the return to the past never worked. - he tilted his head, and his eyes sparkled as he observed her with interest. - So, tell me, why did none of those things affect you?
- I... I have no idea. But if you're suggesting something, just say it. - she squeezed out, and unease mixed with discomfort as she tried hard to avoid looking at him.
Whatever he thought, he seemed to believe that she had nothing to do with it because he visibly relaxed.
- Has this ever happened to you? - he asked, suddenly changing the subject. - I mean, all this deja vu.
- No.
- Have you told anyone about it? Charlie? Have you written about it anywhere?
- No. - his persistent questions made her feel like some criminal - I just... I noticed that my drawing disappeared. And then I started to remember more and... I came.
- Good. Because now you have to listen to me. - he said, and his tone was as serious as when he asked her to trust him. - You can't tell anyone about Xana or this place. Otherwise, everyone could be in danger. Your friends, family, Charlie... You, and me. Everyone. Understand? - he spoke, and she couldn't help but notice that her face turned pale, and sorrow tightened her throat.
She had never had a secret from Charlie, certainly never one as serious as this. The realization that something could have threatened him, and she couldn't warn him, made her eyes moisten. She bit the inside of her cheek, grateful that her hair covered her face as she tried hard to calm down and not cry in front of the blond.
- Sure. - she nodded, turning her back to the boy. - I understand. I promise I won't tell anyone about it.
- Good. - he muttered, then stepped back, only now realizing that he might have gone a bit too far. - Anyway, it might just be some glitch. Jeremy will figure it out, and if not... we'll surely come up with something.
- Do you really have to tell them about this? - she mumbled - Can't we handle this between ourselves?
- I'm sorry, but if it's a problem with the program, Jeremy has to fix it. - he said, and when she looked at him in that pitifully sad way, he sighed deeply. - They're not bad people. They're my friends, and all this - he waved his hand - is our secret. You surely understand.
- Of course, I understand. - she said sarcastically, wiping a tear with the sleeve of her hoodie, which he pretended not to notice. - But that doesn't mean I want anything to do with them. Let him fix this stupid glitch as soon as possible, okay?
He looked at her with a pained expression, but clenched his lips into a thin line and nodded.
- I'll see what can be done.
- Thanks. - she sighed, then added, almost against her will. - But since we've gone back in time and I remember everything, it means you're doing this whole damn herbarium by yourself. Because there's no way I'm going through that again.
He chuckled softly, although it was more of a sad laugh.