Sometimes she regretted that sleep didn't equal resetting the previous day; erasing it from existence as if it had never happened.
There was an hour left until the meeting, and although she had no desire to leave her bed, the mission in the Cortex was not something she could skip. Not when it had become a significant point, as Jeremy described it in the message sent half an hour ago. He also mentioned that he was counting on her a lot and, if he wanted to motivate her, he chose the worst possible way.
The visit to the factory was also the reason her thoughts revolved around a certain blond boy who seemed to disappear from the face of the earth since they parted ways under the school building the night before. The last time she spoke to him was in the abandoned house, although it was hard to call it a conversation. It was more of a monologue where she explained to him what had happened (of course, it was a trimmed version, considering Charlie's presence). All that time, Della Robbia's gaze wandered between her and Aelita, as if he didn't quite believe that Stones was really there.
Since then, he gave no sign of life – he didn't reply to messages, didn't answer the phone, and didn't even show up for dinner! And yes, she may have wasted an hour sitting and waiting for him in the cafeteria, but she wasn't desperate. Maybe just a little... disappointed.
Disappointed because she would like to believe that it had nothing to do with the incident from a dozen hours ago.
At the mere memory, her blood boiled, and her teeth gritted from the force with which she clenched her jaw. After all that had happened, Charles dared to ignore her. He didn't say a word on the way to Cadic, didn't come to her in the cafeteria. He didn't even look at her, even though he sat across and saw that she was alone. Besides being highly offended, he didn't seem to remember anything about the specter attack, which was a big relief. Especially since she still didn't know why Jeremy didn't activate the return to the past.
Anyway, whatever entered Charlie's empty head, she wasn't going to show that it bothered her. Actually, the more she thought about it, the more she concluded that all this wasn't even her fault. I mean, who in their right mind starts arguing with the boyfriend of their friend (even if it's pretended) for no reason? Certainly not Moreau, the calmest, most conflict-free person she knew, or so she would say a dozen hours ago. Okay, maybe he knew she was hiding something from him (and luckily, he wasn't aware of how serious that something was), but that didn't justify his behavior, and-
A sudden knock interrupted the room's silence, pulling her out of her thoughts.
She grabbed her sweater from the chair and put it on, cursing whoever dared to disturb her peace at this hour. Was it Moreau coming to his senses? Or maybe one of the Lyoko warriors personally came to remind her of the mission?
Jeremy wouldn't be so motivated, right?
She approached the door and opened it, cautiously peeking outside. She couldn't stop raising her eyebrows, in an expression of absolute surprise; after all, Odd was the last person she expected here. She thought she would meet him at the factory at best.
- Can I come in? - he asked, and she noticed that his hair was in a bit more disarray than usual, and shadows under his eyelids stood out against the pale skin. He looked her straight in the eyes with that restrained smile on his face and his hands deep in his pockets. He didn't seem angry; rather a bit tired and disconcertingly serious for her taste.
She nodded, making room for him, and as soon as she closed the door, she suddenly felt his arms wrapping around her. In the first moment, she stiffened in his embrace, shocked. He didn't hug her in greeting since they kissed by the river. And maybe it was just her imagination, but this hug seemed to be different from all the others she had experienced from him so far – from hugging goodbye to ostentatiously embracing her in the middle of the cafeteria. This time, it was uncertain; the touch of his fingers on her body was as light as if he expected her to pull away from him at any moment. And maybe she would have done it if, for a long moment, he hadn't said a word, and that was unlike him.
His face skin, which had the chance to touch her cheek, was icy. But something in the way he sighed briefly by her ear and clung to her even tighter when she placed her hands on his shoulders made her feel warmer. She even dared to give his back a damn awkward pat, but it seemed to be okay, considering the short hum that came from the depth of his throat.
He nestled into her neck, inhaling the blend of her floral shampoo and candy-like perfume. A sweetly suffocating combination that pleasantly made his head spin.
- Amazing. - he heard; her voice getting lost somewhere between the rustle of his jacket and the restless beating of his heart. - Is it really Odd Della Robbia? - she added, attempting to lighten the tension that seemed to hang in the air with a playful tone.
She lifted her head to look at him, and almost sighed with relief as the boy's face brightened with a half-smile, as if he had been waiting for such a move from her.
- The one and only. - he said, eliciting an involuntary chuckle from her. Then he let her go and stepped back a few paces, shamelessly scanning her with his eyes. - So, you really have legs after all?
She glanced at his own outfit and scoffed.
- I thought you hated red. - she muttered, fixing her gaze on his chest before moving it to the funny logo on his right thigh. - And blue. - she looked lower. - And green. Did your wardrobe throw up on you?
He glanced surreptitiously at his reflection in the mirror on the right and grimaced slightly. When he entered his room fifteen minutes ago, he thought he was lucky to change before Ulrich came out of the bathroom. Now he saw it was rather bad luck.
- Wow. - he replied, focusing his attention back on the girl who had the audacity to laugh at him straight in the face. - I was expecting more of a cheek kiss or something. For someone who used to send me essays at three in the morning, you don't seem to be jumping for joy.
She clenched her lips, and a pale pink spread across her cheeks, provoking a malicious smile from the boy. Damn, she completely forgot about that.
In the middle of the night, she woke up and impulsively sent him a few messages, for which she would now prefer to die on the spot. There weren't many of them, but that wasn't the problem; because when she reached for reason two minutes later and returned to the chat to delete everything, it turned out that the boy had already read them.
- Oh, that? - she asked, and he found it amusing how she stubbornly avoided eye contact. - I was tired and writing nonsense.
And it was true, really. As much as the situation with Charlie and Odd occupied her mind, they weren't the main reason her dreams were restless, filled with visions of shadows moving around her.
She was ashamed of how much the events of the previous day had shaken her. How afraid she was to fall asleep after returning, and how often she woke up in the middle of the night, with the still-vivid image of the shapeless face in front of her eyes and the ringing of screams in her ears.
She would die before admitting it.
- Oh? - he tilted his head and smiled even wider, not taking his eyes off her for a moment. - So you didn't want me to be here ? And that I'm your friend and you hope everything's okay?
Before she knew it, he was right in front of her, reaching out to lean against the wall at the level of her head. She was impressed by how precisely he recalled the contents of her message.
- I was tired, okay?
- Maybe, but that's exactly what you wrote. - he replied, undeterred by her chilly tone, not even taking a step back. - I'm actually surprised there was nothing about how much you miss me.
- After my cold, lifeless body. - she retorted, finding it rather odd how the blonde seemed in the mood to flirt with her. She definitely wasn't, and he must have finally noticed because he backed off, though the confident smile never left his face.
- Well, this works out great because we're heading to the factory together.
She couldn't help but feel that there was something more to it, but the guy clearly had no intention of explaining, and she had no intention of asking.
- Gladly. Still can't remember the way through the sewers. - she admitted and turned on her heel. - Give me five minutes.
He watched her disappear into the bathroom, only to come out a moment later with a toothbrush in her mouth, rummaging through the drawers. He played with his phone while she combed her hair and watched her as she painted her eyebrows in that ridiculously small mirror on the desk. Sometimes she grimaced during the process, clearly dissatisfied with what she saw, especially when she applied eyeshadow to the corner of her eye. He didn't understand why because from his perspective, it looked just as good as ever. He paid particular attention when she applied lipbalm to her lips, and he didn't even notice when he let his thoughts drift away.
He would lie if he said he didn't think about those – definitely too short – moments by the river. Actually, he recalled it more often than he would like to admit, even though a whole week had passed since then. It didn't help that in the meantime, he invited her on a date. Until now, he hadn't thought about it, but now, as he looked at the girl, he realized that the Xana attack wouldn't be his excuse forever, and he would eventually have to say something.
And maybe it would be easier to make a decision if the girl had never set foot in Lyoko. Then he would never see her in action, and above all, he wouldn't see her in that damn costume, in which she looked way too good for him to forget about her. He kept telling himself that he shouldn't think of her in that way, but the longer he thought about the consequences, the more he concluded that they were worth the risk.
Oh God, he really had to get a grip on himself.
- So... Have you talked to Charlie? - he asked, trying to focus on anything other than her attractiveness.
- Of course not, and I have no desire to. Why? - she replied, without much hesitation. Actually, she seemed quite pleased that he decided to bring up this topic.
- Why?
- Do you even need to ask? - she said, the last time looking in the mirror before her legs automatically carried her closer to the boy. - Maybe because despite what he imagines, I have a brain and know how to use it. If anyone wanted to force me to do something I absolutely didn't want to do, I'd tell them to fuck off, and I don't need Charles or anyone else for that! - she sat on the edge of the bed, and apparently, she wasn't bothered that the boy took up so much space. - And he knows damn well, and yet he started arguing with you, my boyfriend.
- Sunshine, it was your boyfriend who started it. - he chuckled. - Honestly, he reacted better than I expected.
- It doesn't matter. - she groaned in frustration, and he had to bite his cheek to keep from bursting into laughter. Funny how quickly she got angry. - If he didn't want to tell me something, I wouldn't interfere, especially not like that. He literally ordered you to leave on my behalf, and then he argued with me in front of you, even though we had already discussed it! Who the hell does that? Besides, if he sees that I don't want to share something, he should stop asking and just trust me, right?
She looked at him with shining eyes, as if expecting him to immediately agree with her.
The blonde, however, didn't seem to share her enthusiasm.
- He's worried about you.
- Obviously. - she pouted; Della Robbia's calmness was getting on her nerves. - But telling him to stop doesn't solve the problems, and I can't lie to him well.
He sighed.
- Sweetheart, I bet he's eaten up with guilt right now for disappointing you.
She narrowed her eyes. Wasn't Odd, of all people, supposed to be on her side? Shouldn't he feel anger towards Moreau, at least as strongly as she did? She wanted to be able to get mad together, vent, and finally let go, but he wasn't making it easy for her.
- Stop defending him. - she snapped, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. - It was him who hasn't spoken to me since yesterday!
- I'm not defending him, but I think he was right. Being acquainted with me doesn't pay off. - he teased, and although he smiled, his tone was monotonous, and his gaze seemed lifeless. - After all, I sort of forced you to help in Lyoko.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
- Oh, what nonsense! - she scoffed. - Firstly, circumstances forced me. Secondly, Xana attacked me before I knew about Lyoko, so by helping you with towers, at least I could be useful. And I don't remember ever complaining about it. - she crossed her arms over her chest. - And you, contrary to what Charles the expert imagines, are paying off quite well, considering that you saved our lives.
He parted his lips, slightly surprised by her retort, then sighed deeply.
- I don't understand what you expect from me, then. - he squinted his eyes, raising his eyebrow. - Do you want me to start swearing at him or something?
She stared at him as if it were the stupidest thing she had ever heard.
- I don't know what I expect, Odd. Maybe some logic? In what you do and say? - she said, and he knew exactly what she meant.
He wasn't blind, and above all, he wasn't stupid. Alex never mentioned her friends, and judging by her approach to such matters, he couldn't be sure if she really had anyone other than Charlie. She cared about him, and he had the opportunity to see it shortly after Xana's attack when she chose to avoid them, caring for Moreau's safety.
However, at that moment, in the Aelita room, even though it was just a stupid argument, she stood on his side. She defended him, although she could have kept silent, which she probably would have done in any other case. He knew that, of course. But back then, none of the girl's words would ease the pain in his chest, nor the fire in his eyes that almost completely consumed his gaze.
However, he decided not to bring up that topic; he didn't have the strength for it.
Not today.
- Okay, you want logic, here you go. Charlie is important to you, right? - he waited for her confirmation, which came with a nod. -You fight for him against Xana, right? - another nod. - And you do it knowingly, realizing that you might die at any moment, and no one will ever know why. - he raised to a sitting position to look her straight in the eyes when she reluctantly nodded again. - So, do you think wasting time like this makes any sense?
- You're giving advice you don't follow yourself. - she observed, and damn , was she right.
She furrowed her brows and lifted her eyes to him when out of the blue, he grabbed her hand.
- Okay, kitty, let's try a different approach. Make peace with him, just for me?-
- Why do you care so much? - she hissed, wrinkling her nose and blushing when he started gently caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. She hated it when he did that.
- I don't want you two fighting because of me. - he shrugged and smiled at her in his sweet, charming way. Before she noticed, her icy anger melted away, disappearing as quickly as it appeared.
Damn.
- For God's sake, fine! - she snapped after a while, standing up. - Fine, maybe you're right. I'll apologize to that idiot. - she clenched her lips before, after a moment, raising her index finger, saying. - But after the mission.
Then she turned on her heel, grabbed her jacket, and headed towards the exit. He didn't even notice when she put on her shoes.
- You're stubborn. - he complained, following her into the corridor.
- And you're repetitive.
- Aelita lost all codes. - Jeremy announced, his blue eyes scanning the rows of codes displayed on the holomap. Meyer looked towards the mentioned girl, sitting in the chair by the supercomputer, and a huge sense of guilt was painted on her pale face. - Yumi has practically for one attack. - he added somberly, and Ulrich and William glanced at each other, nodding in agreement. - And I'm worried that Odd didn't feel any consequences this time.
- Oh, thanks? - Della Robbia scoffed. - I literally fainted?
-Yes, and then you woke up immediately after. - he replied promptly, and the sarcasm in the boy's voice seemed not to affect him. - Unless something else happened?
- Something more than the attack itself? - he asked, glancing meaningfully at Aelita, who refused to make eye contact with him since he set foot in the factory. - Not really.
One look at Jeremy and Ulrich was enough. One pair of rolled eyes and another, staring at him with something akin to concern. Meaningful looks. A hand rubbing the back of the neck.
Both of them, fucking, betrayed him.
- Okay. - if Belpois understood the hint, he tried not to show it. Not that Odd cared; he already knew. - And what about that guy? - he turned to Alex this time, who was standing against the wall, staring at her phone screen.
- He didn't say anything. - she said simply, and it wasn't a satisfying answer for Jeremy.
- What happened, anyway? - he inquired, and Della Robbia discreetly rolled his eyes. Classic detective Jeremy, he had to interrogate every suspect to sleep soundly.
- When the specter arrived, Charlie and I couldn't move. Then it caught Aelita.
- Did it look different?
- Spot on. - she snorted. - It had no face. And it glitched more than before. - she hesitated before adding. - And it spoke.
- It spoke? - Aelita raised her head, shooting an amazed look at the girl. - I didn't hear anything. What did it say?
- Something like 'all three'. - her gaze quickly shifted to Odd when she added; - Didn't they do that before?
- Not for a long time. - he said, smiling at her. - But it's nothing special. What do you think, Einstein? - he addressed Jeremy, and his cold gaze clearly suggested that the boy should drop the subject.
Not that he needed encouragement.
- It's okay. - Jeremy sighed and adjusted his glasses. - If that guy mentioned anything, let me know. - he sighed and looked at them all with concern. - Anyway, we have a problem. For some reason, Xana is giving away all the codes, and yet it can attack practically several times in a row, send a million monsters, almost possess people to death, and constantly do something new, and I have no idea how he's doing it!
- Maybe we wrongly assumed that all his power is based on codes? - William suggested, but Jeremy immediately shook his head.
- No. The whole Xana is those codes. Without them, he doesn't exist.
- So maybe this percentage of his is on a different scale? - Odd mocked with a clear sarcasm in his voice, but Jeremy ignored it.
- Simply, nothing makes sense here!
- It doesn't have to. The most important thing is to take Tyron's data and finish the program.
- Oh, you worrying about me, Will? - Odd teased, to which the brunette smiled mockingly.
- You wish. But if I understood Jeremy's gibberish correctly, this stupid program will make Xana back off from Yumi, and that's enough for me.
- That's not exactly it. - Einstein sighed. - I assume that since he's getting rid of codes, he won't take them when Odd becomes unavailable, but it's not certain.
- Well, what did I say?
Blond rolled his eyes, and Alex stifled a laugh.
- We'll worry about that later. - Stones said, the first to enter the elevator, making a wide arc to avoid Odd, who snorted under his breath. In response, her sad gaze almost immediately turned into a glare. She looked as if she could kill him at any moment, but something seemed to be holding her back from confronting him, and Meyer could easily guess that it was her.
Well, now the boy's morning visit made more sense.
- Okay. William, Alex, and Aelita, go first. - Jeremy's voice resonated in the room, and the chosen trio obediently headed towards the scanners.
Not even a blink from Odd when his roommate's hand landed on his arm right after the scanner doors closed unanimously, and Einstein initiated the virtualization process. Instead, he turned around and raised his eyebrows very meaningfully; not that Ulrich expected anything more.
- Dude, we didn't tell her anything, I swear! She overheard us talking in the room. - he explained, and the panic visible in his eyes slightly improved Odd's mood. Just a little. - Jeremy wanted to come to the hermitage after classes, and I told him it was a dumb idea. I don't know how much she heard, but I found out she went to you only after the attack. I wouldn't have sold you out, come on.
He couldn't remember the last time Ulrich apologized for something - really apologized. Probably even now, he was doing it out of fear that Della Robbia would take up the challenge one night and dye his hair red, but it didn't matter. He didn't have the strength to wonder if the guy was telling the truth - actually he didn't really care.
He was just so tired.
- Chill. - he finally said, brushing off Ulrich's hand. - I'm not mad.
Stern shot him a look.
- Are you deaf? I'm telling you I'm not. - Odd snapped, maybe a bit too harshly. - And she would find out someday anyway.
Such exhausted.
- Are you okay? - he replied, genuinely concerned, and that was a good question for which he didn't have an answer, even though he had been pondering it for the past twelve hours.
He hadn't closed his eyes all night.
His head was constantly haunted by memories of nightmares, from visions of drowning to being trapped in Lyoko, and escaping from fire. He still felt nauseous at the mere thought of the latter, and he was sure that if he spent even a second longer thinking about it, he would go crazy. He didn't intend to talk about it, didn't want to talk about it; physically, he was fucking unable to spit out a word on the subject.
Not now, not here, not to Ulrich.
So he gritted his teeth, and the sound of the opening scanner caught his gaze - just in time. Thanks to that, he had an excuse not to look him in the eyes when he lied:
- Sure, I am.