"Heeeeey, Jeremie! Are the others having any luck?"
"Not much. Aelita isn't even able to find any signs of Xana in Sector Five."
I sigh as I throw a rugged-edge rock off the ledge and into the Digital Sea. Lately, Xana has been activating Towers left and right the past few days. The only catch, the Towers happen to deactivate the second we're virtualized onto Lyoko. Like, thanks for wasting our time! It's not as if we have a life to live or anything!
For this trip, it was William, Yumi, Ulrich, and myself to go. Aelita is a given in case there was an active Tower, but no. Odd only got to stay behind cause he was the quickest in the game we played.
Ah, Nose-Goes, the game where you either bruise or break your finger and nose.
But it's not like he would've made a difference in coming here—just an extra person to materialize then shortly after re-materialize.
"If you're done with your reconnaissance, then I'd like to bring you back in, (Y/n)."
"Yeah, yeah. I'm ready when you are, Einstien."
I stand up and stretch my virtual body. It doesn't feel as nice as the real thing. The Mountain Sector is pretty cool and all, but I kind of wish it was a different color. Like, it's nice and all that it's not the standard brown, but why purple? We already have a purple cat following us all the time.
Just as I was being materialized back into reality, my eye caught something moving in the distance. A person, maybe? Nah, I might be tired. It's probably just one of the numerous floating rocks passing by.
"You alright?" The steam clears as the Scanners open. William and Yumi are waiting for me while I notice Aelita and Ulrich are already in the elevator.
I nod and shuffle to the elevator. Honestly, I appreciate the concern, but I'm beyond exhausted. The second we get back to our dorms, I'm passing out with no regrets.
Heading up to the Lab, we catch Jeremie absentmindedly spinning in his chair, waiting for us. Odd is on the floor, holding up Kiwi in the air.
The Bull Terrier barks happily at our return. Odd looks up at the elevator, and our eyes briefly connect. Not long enough for him to single me out in the crowd of the five of us emerging from the elevator but enough for my cheeks to become flushed with anxiety.
"I'm beginning to think Xana likes to send us on wild goose chases at this point."
"Us?" Ulrich scoffs. "You get to sit in your cozy little chair while we're doing all the running around."
Jeremie nudges the frames of his glasses up, a bit offended. "Really? Spend a few days in my shoes, and then you'll see what it truly means to be exhausted."
"Alright, alright. Enough of that." Aelita shushes the two boys, a yawn following shortly after. "We need to try to figure out what Xana's goal is. It's plotting something, and it's a bit unsettling with how fast it's moving with the activations of the Towers."
"Not saying that we shouldn't or anything," I yawn, tears blurring my sight. "but can't we do this later? Running on five hours of sleep between two days with tons of Lyoko visits isn't ideal."
"Yeah, especially after today. Nothing like test after test." Ulrich leans against Yumi. He looks like he's ready to pass out any given second. Yumi smiles softly.
"Don't forget the mile run." Odd's arms give out, dropping Kiwi on his chest. "My limbs feel like jello!"
"Sheesh. It sounds like the Tenth-Grade isn't treating you guys well." Yumi says.
"It's not like we have it any easier. Hours of studying for pointless exams with university prep being shoved down our throats." William groans. "Waking up at six am doesn't help either."
Clearing his throat, Jeremie shifts the conversation back to the topic at hand. "Xana is plotting something. But, tired or not, a virus isn't going to wait for us to rest up before launching an actual attack."
"Well, maybe it's trying to re-create the Replika's?" I suggest. "I'm sure there are more Super Computers than the ones you guys destroyed before."
"That could be possible." Aelita shoots a worried glance towards Jeremie. "We still have the Skidbladnir, don't we?"
Jeremie spins his chair back towards brightly lit monitors, quickly checking the program. It takes only a moment for him to confirm it's thankfully still up and running.
"What if. . . its's trying to possess us? Like, all of us?" William stiffens as the words leave his mouth. "With us, as its bodyguards, Xana would truly be unstoppable."
I frown, knowing what that would mean. William despises even the slightest mention of Xana, and being re-possessed is one of his greatest fears. Well, next to spiders, that is.
He's playing it cool right now, but you'd have to be utterly blind not to see how uncomfortable he is—picking at his nails, biting his lip, bouncing his leg against the wall. You name it.
A harsh silence fills the room. With everyone's uncertainty mixed with anxiety, the Lab almost seemed to shrink down in size. In the back of our minds, we all know any of us can get possessed by the demonic A.I. It's just not one that anyone likes being reminded of.
"L-let's just focus on trapping Xana back in the Super Computer, yeah?" I clear my throat, wanting to change the subject to something lighter. "Sure, it's plotting something bad and all, but it's not like it's the end of the world. I mean, you're Lyoko Warriors, after all! You've always found a way to beat Xana one way or another."
"Don't you mean all of us?" Odd sits up, a lighthearted smirk makes its way across his cheeks, and he laughs. My heart speeds up at the soft sound. "You're a Lyoko Warrior now too, (Y/n)! So, we'll figure out this mess together!"
Looking into his eyes, the feeling in the pit of my stomach sinks further down as I realize how dumb I must look. Is now really the time for me to be feeling like this? Odd didn't mean anything like that. It was obvious enough from our conversation the other day.
"I say we figure this out later. It's getting late, and I need to head back before my parents realize I'm gone again."
Everyone agrees, either verbally or with a simple nod of the head. We were all exhausted. Mentally and physically, Xana has pushed us further than we'd like.
It wasn't until William was poking my arm that I noticed we were standing on the bridge, mindlessly waiting for the maintenance hole cover to be opened.
"Hey, care to hang back for a sec?"
I blink once, then twice. I wasn't sure what I felt as my stomach continued to twist and turn restlessly. It's pretty late. Maybe I'm just hungry?
I notice Aelita has been patiently waiting for us, sitting with her legs halfway in the sewers. I wave her off with a smile, not wishing to keep her for long.
William turns back to me, arms crossed and a clear look of concern written plainly for me to see.
"Out with it. What's bothering you?"
I raise an eyebrow. "Sheesh. Is it that obvious?"
"Maybe not to the others, but," William takes a half-step forward. "I'd say I'm pretty good when it comes to reading body language. So, yeah. It is."
I hum, unsure of what to say, as I make my way towards the ledge. The water was below is calm, with a clear reflection of the moon. Though no doubt it'd be freezing to touch since it's almost fifty degrees out. I hop up on the rail and entangle my legs between the bars for support.
"You might think it's kinda dumb, but," I pause, wondering how I should tell him. "I'm pretty sure I saw someone as we were being materialized."
"You saw someone?" William hops up on the bars beside me. "You sure you're not just tired?"
"Well," Focusing my attention on the chipped paint, I began to pick at it. "I thought I did. I don't know if you can be exhausted enough to where you begin seeing things in virtual reality."
"Let's just keep this between us, then." Will leans back on the beam with ease, coming off as if he didn't care if he fell or not. "If we tell the others, they'll just overthink everything and make it worse than it needs to be."
"Fair point."
Silence washes over, and I can't help but be reminded of the other day with Odd.
I didn't mean for it to end like that. We haven't really spoken to each other since we've hung out. Well, I guess we kind of talked just now, but nothing other than that. He was so cheery about it too. Maybe I'm overreacting?
"What about you and the goofball?"
"What about it?"
William sighs loudly, shifting his weight to face me. "Ever since you've got here, it's almost like the two of you have been inseparable. Though, after your date Wednesday, you've barely spoken to each other."
"First, it wasn't a date." I huff. "Second, Odd isn't the only friend I have here. Aren't I allowed to hang out with people outside our group?"
"(Y/n), please. No need to beat around the bush."
"I'd rather beat around the bush than deal with it."
William sighs and folds his arms once more. "And ruin the friendship you have with him?"
"Seriously," My face twisted into a pout. "It was awkward enough as is; I'd rather not deal with it so soon."
"Look, I get it. Things must've ended badly, and now you're avoiding him." He says. "The same thing happens to Yumi, Ulrich, and me on multiple occasions."
"Yeah, but it's not like we were arguing over who liked who. I brought up Sam, and things went downhill from there."
"Oh, that chick? I haven't met her before, but Odd's mentioned her a few times."
I focus my attention on the water below, watching it splash against the bridge's support beams. God, I wish heading back in time would erase our memories sometimes, what I wouldn't give for that right now.
"Hey, would you maybe want to try something? You know, to take your mind off things?"
"Something like arson or something like summoning a demon?"
"Neither. Though that sounds like something, we should explore another time."
I chuckle. "Alright, then what do you have on mind?"
"How do you feel about learning to play the guitar?" William suggest. "I'd like to say I'm pretty good when it comes to teaching and playing music."
"The only experience I have with music is with the Recorder they make you play in the second grade."
"Don't remind me." He groans. "The screeching notes never did help with the headaches that followed afterward."
"While we're at it." I grin and start poking at his sides. "I could always teach you how to swim?~"
William hides his face with his hand. With how bright the moon is tonight, it's more clear how embarrassed he is. "Y-You know about that? Sheesh, when did you find me out?"
"Well, let's just say that it was way before you knew about Lyoko." I shrug with a smile. "Can't help what you blabber in fear when you're dangling off a bridge."
William rolls his eyes. Standing up with a stretch, he extends his hand out to me. "Let's get going, shall we? It's freezing out here."
[1947 Words]
Out with the awkwardness and in with some bonding time! I actually love the current dynamic for the reader and Will, I think it's super adorable. I have the rough draft for the next chapter almost fully planned out so I should be able to start writing it soon enough. As usual, sorry for the long wait!