'Life is so unpredictable. Changes always come along in big or small ways. I don't know what happened for this sudden change in my life has turned my whole world upside down. There is something really special about you. And if you're up to it, I would like us to meet during lunch in the park today.'
I groan as I bang my head on the table. It's too early for this. Way too early. I understand that we're teenagers and all, but people need to control their hormones.
A laugh spills out of the brunette sitting to my right. "Any harder and you'd accomplish giving yourself a concussion."
I hit his shoulder in hopes of leaving a small bruise, like the ones I've been receiving throughout the week. "Just read the note already."
Ulrich grabs the paper and glances at me every few sentences. "You've got to be kidding me." He runs his hand through his hair before he slides the note back. "What is this, the second letter now?"
"Try third," I sit up and almost fall back in my chair, feeling my lack of sleep starting to catch up with me. "Does it look like this stupid letter is joking to you, Ulrich?"
"Well, isn't someone grumpy?" He giggles.
"Guess who fault that is? You're the one teaching me your stupid martial arts for when I eventually go to Lyoko." I roll my eyes.
"First of all, it's not stupid." I notice the corner of his left eye twitch. "Second, it's Pencak Silat, a class of Indonesian martial arts."
"Ooh, look at you with your fancy martial arts." I wave my hands around in the air. "I'm Ulrich, and I can kick anyone's butt who decides to pick on me, oooo~."
"Ulrich, stop teasing (Y/n)!" Odd huffs as he sits down beside us. "Just because you have a weird fetish for martial arts doesn't mean you can be rude."
"Wha- how am I the one teasing her?!"
"Settle down, you two," Aelita smiles kindly and sits down beside Jeremie. "I don't mean to be rude but, I rather not hear the sound of bickering so early in the morning."
I grin happily as Ulrich sighs and crosses his arms. I win this round, Grumpy.
"Anyway, Odd, you're pretty. . ." I pause and think for a moment for a word that wouldn't hurt his feelings. "okay, at love advice, right?" I ask.
He nods and scarfs down his croissant. "From asking someone out to dumping them, I'm your guy!"
"More like how to be the one to get dumped." Yumi snickers, the table laughs.
Odd sticks out his tongue before scooting closer. "I hate to help give you away, but who's the lucky guy that stole your heart?"
"I'm not in love with anyone. . . B-Besides, I've only been here for a week." I sigh. "I just wanna clear things up with him."
"Do you want me to go with you?"
I smile at the gesture. Big Bro William strikes again. I think he's actually starting to act like the sibling everyone thinks he is to me. His mood has slowly been improving around others everyone and surprising hasn't started too many fights with Ulrich when I'm around. . . I, uh, might need to help him a bit more.
"Nah, this won't take too long, thanks anyway."
"Have fun with your date~!" I groan at Odd's remark. I'm not surprised he'd say something like that, but still, he just had to say it.
It's relatively sunny out with a few clouds here and there, the warmth of the sun's light is shinning effortlessly through the trees. There's this nice and gentle breeze that passes by now and then, blowing away the loose leaves right into my face. I wish it could be this nice all the time.
I hear a small groan in the near distance, stopping me in my tracks. I hurry and hide behind a tree. Could Xana have. . . ? I mean, it's possible. It has been a full week since it's last attacked us.
I crouch down and peak to the side. My eyes land on a pale boy who's slumped against one of the many trees. From this distance, I can make out most of his features. Short hair that matches the color of snow and a pair of glasses that hangs down from the collar of his dark shirt.
"S-Someone. . ." My eyes widen at the sight of the bloodstains on his jeans. I jump up from my spot without hesitation and race over to his side. He's wounded pretty severely.
His eyes flicker open momentarily before slowly shutting them. He falls onto my chest and groans once more. "M-Monsters. . . I-"
"Shh, you're going to be okay!" I reassure. I notice two more wounds. They look like it's some kind of burn? There's one on his lower abdomen and another on his back, a bit below his neck. I swallow thickly. "Y-You're going to be okay. . ."
I take a deep breath before lifting him into my arms and standing up. My arms are a bit sore after this past week, but I just can't leave him here to. . . to. . .
Xana has definitely launched an attack, and they're really wasn't any way for the group to have warned me about it. Geez, I need to get a phone soon. Hopefully, the others are okay and found their way to the factory safely.
Please let them be okay, please.
Through the sewers and up the ladder, I stumble into the elevator and smash my hand against the button, impatiently watching the doors close.
I glance down at the boy in my arms. His skin is cold, and his breathing is slowing down. . . His blood has drenched my sleeves and leaked onto my skin. I let out a small and shaky sigh and lean against the back wall.
I guess dealing with this kind of thing is going to become apart of my regular routine. . . being a Lyoko Warrior and all. I mean, I understood that this what I would have to deal with if I ever became one but, now that it's actually happening. . .
The doors slide open, I rush out and gently lay him down and against the wall. "You're going to be okay." I back up slowly and stare at him before squeezing my eyes shut.
"Oh, finally, one of you has shown up!" I jump at the sudden sound of a voice. Jeremie spins around in his chair and faces me. His smile fades once he sees the boy behind me.
"H-He was injured!" I protest. "I-I couldn't just leave him there to-"
"You don't need to explain yourself. You'll get used to it eventually." He sighs and turns back towards the screen. "Just head down Scanners, and get ready to go to Lyoko."
I nod and swallow thickly before climbing down the ladder. I didn't think my first time would be this awful. I just hope the others get here soon.
I pull away from the ladder and notice there's only one Scanner left standing. The other two had been crushed and torn apart. I take a deep breath as I step inside, the doors shut almost immediately behind me. Gusts of wind begin to flow out from underneath my feet as my hair flows up past my shoulders.
"Scanner, (Y/n). . ."
I clench and unclench my fist as they start to become clammy.
"Transfer, (Y/n). . ."
My body begins to grow numb as I'm slowly lifted off the ground. My heart is beating rapidly.
"Virtualization!"
A flash of bright colors flies past me instantaneously as everything grows darker. My senses begin to dull.
I land with a hard thud and groan. For a virtual world, you would think something like that wouldn't hurt so much.
"Hang on tight, (Y/n). Odd and Aelita are on their way to meet you."
I nod and walk over to the pond I landed by. I sit down and reach out to touch the water only for my hand to phase through. I can't help but be a little surprised. There's no smell, no taste, and no other feeling other than slight pain when you get hit by a laser.
My eyes travel up my outfit. A dark grey skintight suit with a white upper-body and light grey stripes running down my legs and across my chest. I try reaching around for a weapon and nearly stab my hand in the process. A spear is latched onto my back; a small grey cloth is wrapped around the grip with a yellow ring around the tip.
Another minute or two passes before a purple cat and a pretty pink angel decide to drop down beside me.
"Glad to see you made it okay, (Y/n)!" Odd grins. "So, is it everything you hoped for?"
"I guess so." I stand and shrug my shoulders. "I just didn't expect to see so much. . . "
Aelita takes my hand and squeezes it lightly. "You don't need to finish. Odd brought some things to patch up your friend. He'll be okay." I pull her into a hug as thanks.
The Overboard materializes in front of us, and Aelita activates her wings. Odd helps me on behind him. I wrap my arms around his waist. "You gonna be okay?" I nod and rest my head on his left shoulder. He smiles kindly before speeding off.
"The activated tower is located north-east of your position." Jeremie states. "Oh, and you have a few friendly Krabs waiting for you just ahead."
"Thank you, Jeremie."
I roll my eyes at the sound of his voice and hop off the Overboard as it begins to slow down. Three Krabs are surrounding a hollow log that looks like it leads down to the next platform.
"Okay, Aelita, you go for the one on the right. I'll take the middle one and (Y/n), the one on the left is yours."
"Here we go. . ." I pull out my spear and grip it tightly as I break into a slow run towards the mechanical monster.
I use a low branch as leverage to jump up onto the Krab's head. It tries to shake me off once it realizes that I'm there. I focus, and steady my aim as the tip of the staff glows a bright (f/c) before I plunge it into the eye of Xana. As it begins to wobble near the edge of the platform, I'm to duck and roll off before it falls into the Digital Sea.
"Whoa! Looks like all that training paid off, huh?" Odd holds out his hand, helping me off the ground. He smiles and holds two thumbs up. I can't help but smile just a little.
"Finally! I was starting to think you had a permanent frown!"
"Come on, you two." Aelita steps in between us and points down the log. "The Tower is just through here."
William's Pov:
"I got it!"
Yumi shouts as she throws a javelin at the remaining Hornet, killing it instantly on impact. It crashes down into the small pile of destroyed monsters. She checks our surroundings before rushing over to my side.
"How's your wound doing?"
"It's fine." I glance over at my right shoulder. "Nothing I can't handle."
Yumi rolls her eyes and flicks my wound before I have time to react properly. I wince as pain shoots up and down my arm.
"Nothing you can't handle, huh?"
"Yumi, I'm fine." I sigh. She stays silent and begins to fix the bandage around my wound. "I just have to wait until the RTTP, and everything will be fine, like always."
"Yes but. . ." She sighs and helps me off the ground. "You're only capable of so much at a time; just be careful next time, okay?"
"Roger that."
Yumi's phone rings, startling us both. She quickly pulls it out of her pocket and flips it open, putting it on speaker. "Ulrich? Is everything alright on your end?"
"For now. . . There's a Tarantula roaming around somewhere nearby." He sighs.
Yumi nods. "So that's a no go on Lyoko."
"Guess not. Did Aelita make it to the factory?"
"Yeah. Odd and (Y/n) are there with her."
"That's good to hear- shhh! Wait, Sissi, be quiet, will you?"
"Ulrich? Is everything alright?" Yumi takes her phone off the speaker and holds it close to her ear. "Ulrich? Ulrich. . . !" She sighs heavily as the call ends abruptly.
"Yumi, I'll head on over to the factory." I peek outside one of the broken windows and quickly scan for more monsters. "Coast is clear. Go find Ulrich and make sure he and the others are okay."
"I. . ." Yumi pauses, looking worried. "Are you going to be okay by yourself?"
I step outside the shed, motioning for her to follow. "I can handle it, remember?" She faintly smiles. "Just don't hurt yourself doing anything reckless, got it?"
"Don't repeat your actions. Got it." I roll my eyes as she laughs. "Don't worry. I'll keep you updated when I can. Good luck."
I watch her leave as she heads towards the main building, and I slump against the shed door. A sharp pain shoots through my arm; the upper half feels as if it's about to go numb. "I just need to ignore it. I've dealt with. . . other things, I should be able to handle something as simple as this."
I take a few deep breaths and run over to the sewers, slide down the ladder, and grab my board. I notice that there are pieces of monster parts here and there. Not even entirely out of the ground, and my head is almost knocked off by the remains of a Hornet.
"You didn't do that, did you, Jeremie?"
He huffs and pushes up his glasses. "Well, duh! I'm not just going to sit around and let them attack me!"
"Right. Are there any more of those things around?" He nods and motions me to follow him.
We squeeze through the crawl space above the Lab and watch as two Tarantulas guard the computer. I grit my teeth at the sight of them. No matter what it is, if it shares a connection to Xana in, I can't help but despise it. Even if it is myself most times. . .
"(Y/n) brought someone here, but I managed to hide them in the room with the Super Computer. William, do you have any ideas on how to get rid of those things?" He's trying his best to balance himself, wrapping his arms and legs around the metal beam.
"Is there any way for you to help cause a distraction while I take care of the other one?"
Jeremie says nothing and looks at me with an annoyed expression.
"Right, should've known better. . . I'll see if I can trap one in the elevator."
Jeremie hands me the rope we've stored up here for scenarios just like this. I swallow thickly before I slide down and jump on one of the Tarantulas back. It loudly roars and attempts to shake me off while the other begins to shoot at me.
One of the few lasers missed the top of my head by a few inches. My heart begins to beat faster and faster. It fires again and manages to jump off a few seconds before it's able to hit, colliding with its friend's face instead.
"Is it me, or is it that your monsters are a bit more idiotic than usual, Xana?"
The remaining Tarantula roars and charges at me. "I don't think it liked that!" Jeremie shouts from above.
I roll my eyes and jump out of the way. "Oh, you think so?"
I race into the elevator and flatten my back against the wall. I watch nervously as it inches closer and closer. If I don't time this right then. . . I shake the thought out of my head and focus. The second it steps inside, I push myself off the wall and slide underneath it, quickly getting up and kicking it further inside, smashing the button.
The Tarantula turns around to try and escape, but the doors close before it even has the chance. I pant heavily as I watch Jeremie slide down the rope and hop into the chair. "Good job, William! You made that look easy."
I scoff and watch him as he locks the doors to the Lab. "Maybe you'd like to help out next time?"
"Uhh. . . " He slips on the headset and shakes his head. "No, no, why butt in when you're doing just fine?"
(Y/n)'s Pov:
I rush to hide behind a tree as a Hornet fires a few shots, skimming the edges of the bark. If I could feel it, I'm sure my heart would be racing. I gaze to my left and see Odd jump off the top of a Mega-Tank as it rolls away and explodes.
"That's what you get for messing with us, you big bowling ball!"
The Hornet shoots at me again, and I quickly pull my head back to safety. My grip tightens on my staff, and I take a deep breath. Three. . . Two. . . One. . .
"Come here; you winged bastard!"
I rush out of cover and throw my spear at the Hornet. Seconds before my spear hits, it shoots a laser and directly hits the center of my torso. I stumble backward and grasp at my chest, gasping as the pain numbs my entire body. Odd picks up my staff and rushes over to my side.
"Don't worry; it isn't as bad as the first few times." Odd pats my back before handing me back my spear. "Are you going to be okay?"
I take my spear and wave it off. "Yeah. If all of you can handle everything else Xana does to you then, I'm sure I can handle a simple blast to the chest."
"Woohoo, look out, Xana!" Odd grins. "We have a new Lyoko Warrior to kick your butt!"
Aelita smiles. "All that's left is the tower. You did wonderful, (Y/n)!"
"Wait. . ." Odd pauses for a moment before shouting at the fleeting angel. "What about me? I did things too!"
"Don't be too arrogant!"
I laugh as I watch Odd groan with frustration. "Hey if it makes you feel better, I don't think I would've been able to make it through my first mission without you by my side so. . . thank you, Odd."
"Oh uh. . ." He scratches the back of his neck. "N-No problem! None at all!"
I notice something moving in the corner of my eyes and panic slightly. "Odd!" My legs began moving on their own, and soon enough, my body was turning into pixels. I look back at Odd with a faint smile before everything fades to black.
Coming back to reality is a bit different than being virtualized. All the colors from before flew in reverse, disappearing far from my sight only to be replaced by a blinding white light. My senses came rushing back all at once. Taste, the dull flavor of a moist and dry mouth. Smell, the scent of sweat dripping down the sides of my head. And touch, the feeling of pain emerging from the spots where I was shot on Lyoko.
The Scanner doors slowly slide open, steam spilling out into the rest of the room. I hold my stomach with both my arms, panting heavily. My legs give out the second I take a step out of the confined space.
"Woah, take it easy."
Someone catches me in their arms. I blink a few times as my vision starts to clear up.
"William. . . ?"
He carefully lifts my arm around his shoulders, helping me sit against the wall. I rest my head on his shoulder and sigh heavily.
William leans his head on top of mine. "Ready to relive the past, (Y/n)?"
I faintly laugh. "Ready as I'll ever be."
A flash of white light seeps into the room and engulfs the two of us. Everything freezes momentarily as my mind goes blank. Time itself has stopped and began to rewind itself to a world without danger.
My eyes flutter open and reveal myself sitting beside Ulrich, just like I had before I left earlier this morning.
"I can't stand it when those things come here." Ulrich groans and drops his head on the table. "Why can't they be as easy to defeat as they are on Lyoko?"
"I feel as if I'm gonna-" I hold my hands up to my mouth and slowly lay down on the bench seat, resting my head in Ulrich's lap.
"Do you have to do it in my lap?" He tries to push me away but puts in little effort. He gives up quickly in the end.
"There she is!" Odd cheers. "The girl who sacrificed- oh wow, you doing alright, (Y/n)?"
"Let me suffer in peace." I groan. Odd sits beside me and rubs my back. Somehow, this makes my body hate itself a lot less.
"Don't worry, as I said before; you'll get used to it sooner or later." I would throw my fork at Jeremie if I weren't feeling dead inside. "At least you didn't have to deal with the monsters on Earth."
Yumi bangs her head on the table as well. "Don't remind me."
I sit up in a rush just as I spot William sitting down next to Aelita. I guess sitting up as quickly as I did wasn't one of my better ideas. I push down whatever it was in my stomach with the best of my abilities.
"You alright, (Y/n)?"
I hold up a finger and quickly chug down my cup of water within seconds. Odd pulls me to the side and rests me on his shoulders. I lean into his touch as the feeling slowly begins to leave my stomach.
"N-No. . . I uh," I pause and look over at him. "Are you alright, W-William?"
He nods and slides over his cup. I don't hesitate to gulp it down. No amount of water in the world can get rid of this awful flavor that's haunting my mouth.
"I noticed your shoulder was bleeding. . . I know it's the past or whatever now but, that still must've hurt like hell."
He shrugs and waves it off. "It was nothing, I've handled worse."
"Oh," Aelita looks up from her book. "Isn't there a certain someone you need to talk to?"
"I don't think so." I lay my head back down in Ulrich's lap. Without lifting his head, he reaches over and pulls out a piece of paper from my pocket. I skim a few lines a stare blankly at the paper. "What's your point?"
Yumi laughs. "Look harder."
"But I'm tiiiired!" I whine and close my eyes. Ulrich pats my head again. It feels really soothing.
"Wait. . ." A few seconds pass, and a thought pops up in my head. My eyes widen, and I sit up only to bang my head on the edge of the table. "Oh, that hurt like helllll!"
The group tries to stifle their laughs but fails horribly. I whine and hold the side of my head. "Want a muffin to make you feel better?" Odd holds it out for grabs. I mumble a 'no thanks' and slowly stand up, using his and Ulrich's shoulder for support.
I give myself a fat second before stepping away from the table. I look back at them with a reassuring smile with one foot out the door. "I need to go clear things up with this kid!"
I rush through the park as I had before the attack. I skid to a stop as I almost slam my body against a tree. Maybe I shouldn't have run all the way here; my stomach isn't really in the best condition after the return trip. Hopefully, things get better as time goes on.
I spot the kid from before; he looks a bit nervous. I notice that he's tightly holding a piece of paper close to his chest as he paces back and forth. I smile at the sight of him. I mean, anxiety isn't a thing to laugh about it, I should know that more than anyone, but I'm glad he's doing better than I last saw him.
I take a step away from the tree and slowly approach him. The closer I get, the better I can hear him mumbling all his worries. From what I can tell, he's worried about how things will go when he meets me? Me too, but I'm trying not to think about it that much.
The second he looks up from the slip of paper, he shrieks and falls onto the ground. My eyes widen, and I quickly rush over to help him up. He nervously accepts my help while trying not to make eye contact.
"S-Sorry it's just. . . " He pauses and sheepishly looks up. "You actually came?"
I smile softly and nod. His eyes are a really pretty blue, like unnaturally pretty. "No need to be nervous. I'm just glad you're not dead."
"W-What?"
"What."
"Did you just-" "I'm not really sure what you're talking about."
An awkward silence fills that air. I sigh mentally and pull out the paper from my pockets. "So uh, you're the one who's been writing me all those letters?"
"Me?" He shakes his head, looking over the note. "I thought you were the one writing them to me?"
He gags and pinches his nose at what I'm assuming is the insane amount of cologne the paper has absorbed. After reading a few lines, he frowns hands it back.
"It's an exact copy of mine. . ."
My face deadpans, and I crumple up both papers. "I'm pretty sure I know who tricked us. A girl named Sissi."
"But she's been so nice to me." His shoulders slump. "Why would she do this?"
"You must be new then, huh?" I laugh and sit down against a tree, patting down the spot beside me. "I just arrived earlier last week, so you're not alone."
He hesitates slightly before sitting down. "My names Elliot. . . What's uh, yours?"
"(Y/n), nice to meet you." I hum. "Oh, just a thought, but if you don't have anyone to hang out with yet, would you wanna come to meet my group?" He shoots me a worried glance. "Don't worry, there's only seven of us, and we're all really nice. It's okay to say no."
Elliot shuffles closer to my side. "I'd appreciate that. . . Thank you, (Y/n)."
{Edited 2/11/20}
{4669 Words}