Code Lyoko: The New Girl (BK 1)

Chapter 45

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Jeremie had initially told Odd to keep away from Saphire for as long as it took for things to get better between them all, but he should have known Odd wouldn't have been able to follow even the simplest of instructions when it came to staying away from a pretty girl. Jeremie was hesitant but willing to give Saphire her space until things with Magali settled down. He was glad Saphire hadn't been suspended or expelled for her fight with Magali, but they had to be careful around Jim and Principal Delmas now that Saphire had made it onto their radars.

As much as he wanted to go over and talk to her about what happened after she met with them, he understood that if Saphire wasn't ready to speak, she wouldn't and it would be pointless to force her to do so. He could easily lose her trust — if he even had any left over.

Still, he couldn't be too mad when he spotted Odd and Saphire sitting together Monday afternoon, both smiling over coffee. Saphire looked genuinely happy. She and Odd traded a notebook back and forth, and when he got close enough to overhear bits of their conversation but remained hidden behind one of the stone columns, he learned they were working on their science papers together. Jeremie was pleased that Saphire had found comfort and reliability in Odd, and felt sorry that he had told Odd to avoid her for the sake of keeping the peace.

Jeremie hadn't expected much to come out of Saphire's meeting with Odd, considering she was still avoiding the rest of the group, but later that evening, he received a text from Odd saying Saphire was ready to speak with the group after dinner. Jeremie felt a strange buzz of energy flowing through his body as he paced in his room, waiting for the group to arrive.

Every meeting they'd had so far had begun with cruel words and ended with tearful exchanges, and now that Saphire had been abandoned and betrayed by the group, Jeremie couldn't help worrying whether there would be yet another altercation between Saphire and Yumi.

Ulrich and Aelita were silent coming in. Aelita looked miserable still. Her eyes were red and sad. Yumi came in with an annoyed look on her face that melted as soon as she made eye contact with Ulrich. When Odd arrived, he looked as nervous as Jeremie felt, which was strange since there was very little that could interfere with this typically cheerful mood.

Saphire was the last to arrive, closing the door silently behind her. She walked in wearing her usual dark attire, matching her face and mood. She stood in the doorway, arms folded behind her back, while the group stood around in an arc, waiting for her to speak.

"Hi, Saphire." Jeremie greeted her.

"Hello." She bowed her head slightly, making a corner of Jeremie's mouth quirk up at the familiarity of her unusual but interesting behavior. "I am greatly thankful for your kindness and apologize for my behavior these past few days."

Ulrich shook his head. "Don't be sorry. Everything that happened was..." He sighed. "No one's fault, really. We should have had a better handle on the situation before we started playing the blame game and pushing each other apart." His eyes fell on Yumi.

"Do you hate us?" Aelita asked, tearfully. She looked like she wanted to move over to Saphire but was hesitant because she didn't want to be rejected again.

Saphire shook her head. "Of course not, dear sister." Saphire approached her. "You will always be my sister. No matter the distance, or the time, or the location."

Saphire sighed and seemed to brace herself before looking up to face the rest of the group.

"As for the rest of you. I do not yet trust any one of you. Not with my past, present, or future, and certainly not with my life." Saphire took a brief pause, waiting for anyone to speak up, but they all stood, watching her. Even Yumi was silent, which was quite unusual for her, but in no way did Jeremie want to jinx it by interrupting.