Code: Call to Action.
Hey! It's been some time since I uploaded but with some traction/notifications I got for likes/follows of old stories, I had this nagging urge to come back and try my hand at another story! I'm not too happy with the state of old stories and the direction they took or were going so I'm going to work on re-doing them but this story is gonna be an idea I've had for a while now! It's going to be pretty mature and have dark themes so there's the warning! I'm going to be doing my best to update this story weekly at the least, maybe twice a week depending. Anyway, there's not much to say so I guess it's time to start with this one!
Prologue.
"I know this is a bit unorthodox but these circumstances are different." the Officer said, sitting down on one side of the table with 3 other Officers standing around the room. Across from him sat a group of ten people in their twenties of varying heights and sizes, "Normally we'd have you all separately interviewed but we don't have the time or resources to spare for that right now."
A light flickered softly in the room, softly accompanied by the humming of a fan. The Officer looked down at the sheets of paper in his hand and ran his eyes over the names before looking up at the group sitting opposite him.
"Ulrich Stern, Yumi Ishiyama, Aelita Schaeffer, Odd Della Robbia, Jeremie Belpois. William Dunbar, Goss Carnite, Hugh Ener, Lucy Cosaint and Leonie Teners," he read, his eyes falling over the owner of the names as he made his way down the list, "Between the assault on Ren Corrigan and the substances found on the premises of which you were apprehended, your options are very limited in what you can do."
Silence was the only response as the group tried to find the words or defense they so desperately needed.
"Look, we didn't do anything!" Odd pleaded, his hands shaking as he put them on the table, "The assault on Ren had nothing to do wi-"
"I know."
"No, I mean it! It had nothin..." Odd trailed off, trying to figure out if what he heard was right.
"Wait, what?!" Ulrich spluttered, moving forward in his seat, "What do you mean you know?"
The Officer leaned back in his seat and reached into his pocket to retrieve a pack of cigarettes. After lighting one and inhaling, he sighed and let out the smoke.
"I know it wasn't any of you who committed the assault or partook in the substances," he said leaning forward onto the table, "But the evidence is stack against you, but... I'm willing to let you all go now and drop all charges... on one condition."
"Which is?" Leonie asked, folding her hands on her lap and adjusting her seating angle.
"Tell me about this man." The Officer responded, placing a piece of paper on the table and sliding it to the middle of the table, showing a lot of text and file information but their eyes were all drawn to the profile of the man in the corner.
Staring back at them was the man they met over 8 months ago and formed one of the closest connections the ever had with. Aelita felt her eyes drop off of the image, she knew a lot more about him than anyone else in the room but she felt keeping her mouth closed was the best solution for the current situation. The group shuffled in their seats, unsure of what was about to happen to them.
"Tell me about Kale Cosaint."
Chapter 1: College.
Ulrich.
"Come on Ulrich, we're going to be late!" Mr Stern shouted up the stairs, having been ready for a while and growing impaintent while waiting for his son.
"I'll be down in a minute!" Ulrich called back while closing his suitcase. Taking the suitcase off of his bed and placing it on the ground, he looked at the leaflet on his computer desk.
"Kadic College." he muttered, picking up the paper and giving it another read down. Kadic Academy, the place of his childhood and early teens, the place he made lifelong friendships and had unimaginable adventures had decided to open a college a year ago in the same town as the Academy. He had already done two years of college while home in Germany, only getting in on the thanks and name of his father. Placing it back down, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had only decided to transfer and attend simply because Odd had texted him and said he was going, spurring Ulrich to have one of the most awkward and frustrating conversation with his father that he had ever had.
He hadn't seen Odd or any of the others since he went home to Germany and Odd was the only one he regularly kept in contact with so he was excited when his father had agreed to the transfer on the condition he didn't transfer courses and finished his last two years.
Check his pockets for his phone, wallet, ticket and passport before picking up his suitcase and making his way to his door, catching himself in the mirror.
He had grown since he left Kadic, meaning he stood at a perfect six foot height, his hair still relatively the same much to the dismay of his father, 'It's iconic to me at this point!' he remembered retorting when asked about it, the only major change to his face being the light layer of stubble that covered the lower half of his face. His body had shaped nicely due to his continuing to play football and the workout routine he did daily for his own amusement. His style hadn't changed much either as he also claimed his jeans, shirt and jackets were his identity, that one being more of a joke than the hair.
Giving himself an approving nod, he turned off his light and closed the door behind him. He was ready to return to France.
Yumi.
Lounging back in her bed, Yumi brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and continued reading her book. Her eyes fell off of it when her phone lit up and displayed a message.
"I'll be landing soon. Will you be meeting me at the airport?" she read aloud before standing up. It was from Aelita which made her smile.
'I'll pick you up at Gate C, see you soon!' she responded before putting her phone down on the table.
Yumi stretched her back and looked around her room, she had been living on her own in an apartment in town, close enough to her family home and the college she attended, or to be more accurate, that she had attended. She heard about the opening and success of Kadic College from Aelita who was still in contact with their old classmates. Discussing it with Aelita had made her decide to see if she could transfer and finish her last two years with her oldest friend which she was thankful that she got the go ahead from both colleges.
Grabbing her keys from the bowl beside the door, she put on her jacket and got ready to leave to pick up Aelita, stopping by the mirror to look herself over.
Like Ulrich, she had grown but stopped at around five foot eight, her hair the exact same as it always had been. She wrapped the jacket around herself tighter, self-conscious about the way her body had developed into her curves, placing emphasis on her legs and hips, something she hated due to the catcalling and uncomfortable looks when she was out at night with friends. Shrugging her worries off, she headed out and door and locked it behind her. She was excited about seeing Aelita and even more excited about having her staying with her for the duration of college, deciding to split the rent which made it easier on the both of them, that and only living 10 minutes from the campus felt like a blessing to Yumi.
Exiting her building, she opened her car door and left to collect Aelita.
Odd.
"YEAH YEAH YEAH, I'M COMING!" Odd shouted down the stairs, grabbing the last of his stuff and making his way down the stairs, dropping his suitcase by the door.
"We're going to miss you so much Odd!" his sister cried, throwing her arms around him.
"Not this again..." Odd groaned, pushing his sister off. He had told his family about his and Ulrichs' plan to attend Kadic College which to his surprise, they encouraged.
All his family stood in the living room and hallway which included his Mom, Dad and 4 sisters, Adele, Marie, Elizabeth and Louise.
"I thought we got this all out of our systems yesterday!" his dad laughed, pulling Louise away from her brother much to her annoyance.
"Hey, aren't we allowed to miss our brother?" Adele chipped in, patting her brother on the shoulder, "You'll do great kiddo!"
"You are a year older than m-, Oh whatever." Odd tried to argue before smiling, they stood and talked for a little longer before Odd checked his phone, "My flights in a few hours, I should probably get going."
"Alright kid, I'll drop you off at the airport." his dad said, picking up his suitcase while Odd said goodbye to his mom and sisters which took longer than he hoped. After everything had settled and he was in the car with his dad, the realization of not seeing his family daily set in, making him sigh.
"You're gonna miss us that much, huh?" his dad laughed causing Odd to scoff but smile nonetheless.
"I will but this will be good for me, it'll be great to see Ulrich again." Odd responded, running his hand through his hair. He pulled a strand of his hair in front of his eyes and stared at it, he had stopped spiking his hair towards the end of highschool and now chose to tie his hair up at the back most of the time, only really letting it down while he slept. Odd, just like the others, had his final growth spurt and stood at five foot 10, making him the second tallest in his family just behind his dad, which he used to taunt his sisters all the time and was no longer scrawny and had become quite well built, (mostly under the training of his dad). Just like Ulrich, his sense of style hadn't changed since he left Kadic, although he did cut back on the amounts of purple.
The rest of the ride was fast with Odd and his dad chatting back and forth before they climbed out of the car outside the airport.
"You sure you're gonna be fine?" his dad asked, seeing the concern on his sons face. Odd nodded and took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'll be fine, just nervous to go back is all." Odd responded, nodding to reaffirmDVXRCSZE his commitment.
"Atta boy!" his dad laughed, "Have a safe trip kid, we'll see you around Christmas! Love you!" he grinned, patting Odd on the back before turning to walk away.
"Love you too! See you at Christmas!" Odd called back before turning to walk into the airport.
Aelita.
"Thank you for flying with us today! Enjoy your trip!" the voice sounded over the intercom, welcoming the flight passengers into the airport in France.
Aelita stepped out into the main hub of the airport and inhaled deeply and smiled to herself.
'Still smells the same.' she thought to herself then raised her eyebrows, wondering if a Country having a smell was an actual thing.
Looking around the airport, she glanced at her ticket where it showed her exit gate and started making her way todays her destination. As she walked, she found her eyes wondering the stores until her eyes stopped a shop and began to make her way towards it. When she entered she made her way to the fridge, grabbed a drink and walked to the counter. She watched as the cashier scanned it before looking up at her.
"Oh, hello!" he spoke, a smile on his face, "Did you just in or are you departing?" he asked, placing the bottle back down.
"Oh, I just landed!" she responded, opening her purse to get out her money.
"Oh, is that so?" he said, his smile changing to a grin which made Aelita feel uneasy, causing her to pull her jacket tighter, "How about you and I hang out while you're here and get to know each ot-"
"No thank you." Aelita interjected, placing her money down and turning to leave, bottle in hand.
Leaving the store, Aelita made her way to the bathroom to splash some water on her face, the whole experience making her uncomfortable. When she got there, she looked at herself in the mirror. She was currently five foot six, making her the shortest out of all of her oldest friends, which she wasn't aware of, always imagining Odd never outgrowing her in height.
Her hair, still bright and pink was a little longer than a few years ago but styled the same. Just like Yumi and the rest, she had grown into her body as she got older which she was thankful of for the most part but not when it came to the parts she was self-conscious about. Unlike Yumis' bottom based growth, her growth was more top based which was the one thing she hated the most, since it inspired unwanted advances like in the store. Brushing a strand of hair she made her way out of the bathroom and moved towards the gate before she heard someone calling her name.
"Aelita?!"
"Yumi!"
Jeremie & William.
"Come on Belpois, we're gonna be late!" William groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand, his hair indicating that he had just woken up.
"Calm William, it's only a meeting." Jeremie responded, poking his head out of the bathroom. Living together with William was something Jeremie never pictured himself ever doing but after a while he was thankful for the opportunity.
"Still can't believe this is all happening!" William grinned, leaning against the wall and sipping on his coffee.
Jeremie and William had reunited a year after they finished highschool in town one day and decided to pay a visit to Kadic, to ignite old memories as William put it.
On their way over, Jeremie noticed William had almost not changed physically, still taller and well built, he still had his scruffy hair, wore baggy jeans and t-shirts but he could tell that he had calmed down and became a lot more rational, something that surprised Jeremie.
Jeremie on the other hand, had grew and cut his hair which was all William could point out that was different. He still dressed in his blue sweaters which William couldn't help but smile at, along with his thick rimmed glasses.
The choice to explore Kadic one last time would end up being one of the best they ever did, since while they navigated the grounds they were approached by Mr Delmas, who was very excited to see two of his most peculiar students he ever housed. Delmas wasted no time in telling them about his plans for Kadic College and offering the technological challenges of data-basing and the website to Jeremie as a full time job and offering William a job as a Digital Communicator.
A year had passed until Jeremie decided he'd like a teaching position more than a technology based job within the College to which Delmas retorted that he couldn't play favorites nor break the law, so Jeremie would require a degree. So after moving in together in a College Dorm, both William and Jeremie enrolled in courses, Teaching for Jeremie and Biology for William since he was 'decently interested' as he phrased it.
"It's going to be our first day today of College in a place it's not actually our first day." Jeremie pointed out, intentionally wording it awkwardly so William would have to think about it.
"I hate it when you do that Jeremie," William yawned, finally finishing his coffee before placing the empty mug in the sink, "So what do you think, are you gonna take the part time offer of Thursday to Sunday?" he asked, grabbing his wallet from the sofa.
"Yeah, I think I will, have you decided?" Jeremie asked, making sure he had his keys and wallet.
"Yup, I'm gonna do it, I can do with the cash." William responded, giving the mug a quick wash and placing it upside down on the dryer rack.
"Good, good!" Jeremie smiled, stretching out his back and making his way to the door, "Alright, lets get the shopping down and pick up the last of our supplies for Monday."
"You got it Jer."
"Do not."