(I included a redesign of Aelita's costume if she was blue instead of pink. This chapter continued into the next😜)
Aelita Stones Kadic Academy Ninth grade student
I sat up as I heard screaming and rubbed my eyes, it was weird, for once I was deep in a nice and peaceful sleep, but I was interrupted by my roommate.
"What's wrong?" I whispered turning on the lamp. "You were screaming,"
Tovah grabbed her glasses and slipped them on looking over at me, "what?" She asked, "I'm fine, it was just a nightmare, I used to have them when I was younger and my mother died," she said nonchalantly as she stretched out. "Your mother died? I'm so sorry," I said as I moved to lay on my side. "What happened?" I asked softly. I didn't really know if it was too insensitive of a question, none of my friend's parents were dead.
"Well, she was sick for a long time," she started, "I was about nine when it happened, my father never really told me what happened. I just remember going to visit her in the hospital after school every day, Jeremy's mom was there too, his dad would pick me up from school and take me from school and take me, my father is Jeremy's dad's brother. After my mother died I stayed with Jeremy and his family for a couple of months, that's when Jeremy and I started getting on each other's nerves. But then when I turned ten I moved to Africa with my dad and he met this woman who is now my stepmom, my school in Africa may have closed down but I also don't get along amazingly with Brenda with my stepmom." She laid back in bed, "I guess we should..." beep beep beep. Our phones both started glowing.
Yumi Ishiyama Kadic Academy Tenth Grade student
An hour and a half later: I was sitting on the ground waiting for everyone to get back, Ulrich sat next to me flipping a coin.
"Heads Aelita comes back first, tails it's Tovah," he flipped the coin as the scanners whined open. Tovah was sat at the bottom of her scanner she stood up and climbed out, then came Aelita who toppled out. Odd walked out of his scanner and looked at the pair.
"Need a nap ladies?" He asked.
Aelita looked at her hands and then her feet, "did I get taller?" She asked, "what's going on?" She asked pulling on her dress. Tovah ran her hands through her hair and then at us, "I think we have a problem," Aelita put her hands on her chest, "these are definitely not mine,"
"Have you two lost it?" I asked. "What is going on with you, Aelita?"
"I'm not Aelita, I'm Tovah," she said looking in the reflection of the scanner. Jeremy climbed down the ladder, "what're you guys doing? We need to get-" he looked at Aelita and Tovah. "You guys okay?"
"They are very not okay," Ulrich said shaking his head.
"We're in the wrong bodies," Aelita said. "Let's get back in the scanners and if we de virtualize again we can fix this, that ought to work,"
"No, I don't think so, your bodies aren't stable, I have to fix this manually," Jeremy climbed up the ladder back to the lab. "I'll be up for the rest of the night working on this!"
"Well we should get back," I said. "Come on,"
Ulrich Stern Kadic Academy Ninth Grade student.
"So, Aelita and Tovah switched bodies," I said as we sat back in bed.
"Yeah, weird, right?" Odd laughed. "The dance is soon, are you gonna take Aelita in Tovah's body?" He giggled. "I bet Jeremy would be furious," Odd pet kiwi as he laid on his bed, it was late at night but neither of us could go to sleep. Tovah and I hadn't been hanging out as much lately, she had been hanging out with some mystery boy in her art club, I knew I couldn't be jealous because I had been spending more time with Yumi lately. "I don't know if we're going together, I think I'm still going with Sissi," I shrugged. "But what happened on your trip to the beach together? Why did she even go with you? I thought she'd go with Jeremy and Aelita to their space thing."
Odd shrugged as he pulled the covers over his shoulders, "I don't know, she was going to stay here, but...I don't know. Let's just go to bed,"
"What did I strike a nerve?" I asked.
"No! I'm just tired," Odd protested.
Aelita Stones Kadic Academy Ninth grade student
"So what do I have to do this morning?" Tovah asked as she went to her side of the closet and pulled out her usual clothes. "Well, you can't dress like you," I said pulling out my clothes and handing them to her, "you have to dress like me. You also need to act like me," she nodded taking my dress and boots. I took her sweater, button-down, shorts, knee socks, and boots and we walked to the showers to get ready.
"What's after breakfast?" Tovah asked.
"Computer club," I nodded as we brushed our teeth.
"Computer club? I don't know if I can swing that,"
"You'll be with Jeremy he can help you, what do I have?" I asked as we walked to get dressed. I pulled on the bra, then the button down and then the sweater, I wasn't used to so many layers.
"You wear a lot of clothes on top," I added.
"Well yeah," she giggled. "It's to make up for what I'm missing if you get my drift," she winked. "I'm not used to wearing a dress. What if I need to run?" She said running her fingers over the material. "You can run perfectly fine In a dress," I shook my head. "What's my first thing?" I asked.
"Art club," she said tying up her boots. "Oh and there's this boy in there-"
"A boy?" I asked. "That you like? What happened to Ulrich?"
"Sissi,"
"Alright, so what do I do if he talks to me?" I asked.
"I don't know, be natural, Odd is in there so you won't be totally alone. But I have an art show next week so do as little to impact my pieces as you can!" She said fixing well, my hair in the mirror. "How do you live with such short hair?" She asked.
"How can you see?" I asked.
"I know, I have really bad vision," she rolled her eyes. "It's kind of nice to be able to see without glasses,"
Odd Della Robbia Kadic Academy Ninth Grade student
"Here they come," Ulrich said as we stood outside the cafeteria.
"How are you feeling?" Jeremy asked
"I'm not sure how to respond," Aelita responded. "Shorter?" She laughed. "I miss my body."
"Yeah, I'd miss my svelte body too if I was in let's say...Ulrich's body," I laughed. "Or heaven forbid! Jeremy's!"
"Yeah it is really weird not being in my own skin," Tovah replied crossing her arms as if to hide. "But hopefully my genius cousin will have this fixed soon?" She asked.
"Yes, yes, we'll go to the factory after classes and you'll go into the scanner and it'll all be fixed."
"Hopefully we don't miss the dance," I added. "That would be awful, Aelita is supposed to DJ,"
"Yeah and I can't take your place," Tovah shook her head.
"We really have to fix this, it's a big mess," Aelita said.
"It really is," Ulrich added.
We sat at the table and Tovah stared at her plate as the rest of us ate, eventually, she stood up, "I'm gonna head to the art club- oh wait, I'm gonna head to the computer club. I'll see you all later,"
"Hey, can I ask you guys something?" Ulrich asked. We all nodded in agreement. "Who is Tovah going to the dance with?" He asked.
Aelita who was in Tovah's body smirked, "no one," she was hinting at the fact Jeremy hadn't asked her.
"Aelita, I can't really ask you now can I?" Jeremy said turning to Aelita-Tovah. "That would be weird wouldn't it?" He asked.
"I thought you had a plan to have us in our own bodies by dance time? I'm supposed to be playing the dance soon as well! In case you forgot!" She leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. "Well if it takes longer I can't exactly romantically ask my cousin to the dance now can I?" He said before standing up. "I have to go," he marched off.
"She's talking to this boy in her art club," Aelita said, "why don't you come to the art club and meet him?" She asked
"Time out," I said, "Aelita, is being in someone else's body making you coo-coo?" I asked. "He had his chance," I started before being cut off.
"I'm not saying to fight the guy, I'm just saying to meet him," She shrugged. "It's up to Ulrich anyway,"
"You know, I think I will," Ulrich said grabbing his bag.
We went to the art club and we saw Adam who Tovah had been flirting with for two weeks now sculpting, Aelita in Tovah's body went and sat down at T's work station before Adam came up to her.
"If it isn't the prettiest girl in all of Kadic,"
Ulrich looked at me and rolled his eyes, "he's not that cute," he said sitting at my station as I picked up my charcoal and got to work. "I bet she just likes him cause he has an accent."
"Ulrich you broke up with her good buddy," I reminded him. "And I bet she's gonna be ecstatic when she hears you met Adam behind her back," I said sketching the trees and scenery of my landscape. "You know what I think?" I asked.
"What?" He asked.
"You don't actually like her, you like Yumi and always have, you like T because you want to get back at Yumi for liking William, am I right, or am I missing something?" I was just so fed up with his annoying competitive behavior, I hadn't realized I snapped my charcoal in half. Ulrich clenched his jaw and stormed off. I rolled my eyes knowing I was indeed right.
Aelita came to me after Ulrich stormed off and leaned against my desk, "why did he leave?"
"Cause I told him the truth,"
Yumi Ishiyama Kadic Academy Tenth Grade Student
I walked into school and was heading to French when I saw Ulrich storming out of a classroom, I walked towards him and grabbed his arm.
"Hey, you look mad?"
"Odd doesn't know what he's talking about," he started.
"About what?"
"You wouldn't get it,"
"Try me."
"Well...he says I only like Tovah because you like William,"
"Who says I like William?"
"Don't you?"
"He's a nice enough guy,"
"But I thought-"
"You think too much Ulrich, I have French, I'll see you later at the Factory," I smiled.
Jeremy Belpois Kadic Academy Ninth Grade Student
"Who does this for fun?" Tovah whispered. "This is torture!" She said softly. "How much longer?"
"Fifteen minutes," I replied.
"Fifteen! You do this all the time?"
"Yes, quiet,"
"Did you ask Aelita to the dance yet?"
"No, I can't now, you're Aelita,"
"Not technically,"
"Yes technically,"
"Well you can still ask her, she really wants you too,"
"Maybe I'll ask after she's back in her body, and my cousin isn't in her body,"
"Alright, but you need to,"
Later.
Odd Della Robbia Kadic Academy Ninth Grade student
We all got dressed for gym class and Jim walked out holding a radio, "now I need you all to pair up! Boys and girls! Quickly! The dance is soon and some of you look like complete fools when it comes to ballroom dancing, so I am going to teach you how to properly dance. Because I used to be a dance instructor in Cuba,"
"But you'd rather not talk about it?" Nicholas asked.
"No, I'm actually very proud of that time in my life," he stated.
I partnered with Tovah who was in Aelita's body and felt a blush rise to my cheeks as I placed my hands on her waist. I knew it was Tovah and not Aelita which is what made me blush.
"Are you hot? Your face is pink," She asked as we danced under Jim's instruction.
Jeremy and Sissi danced together and Jeremy kept stepping on Sissi's toes. Aelita and Ulrich danced together and Aelita couldn't keep the rhythm.
Tovah and I did surprisingly decent.
"Very good Odd," Jim said as he walked around monitoring the couples dancing. For once I think I got the best grade in the class.
After the gym, we started walking to the cafeteria and I grabbed Tovah's hand pulling her back.
"I wanted to talk to you,"
"I think we're gonna go to the factory now, what is it?"
"Oh, I was wondering if you..."
"If I what?"
"Liked jazz,"
"It's okay I guess, come on," she said heading towards the factory. Jeremy walked up behind me and patted me on the back. "I didn't see that,"
"Shut up,"
"Virtualization,"
"No," Aelita said. "It didn't work," she looked at her hands examining the blue suit.
"What're we gonna do if there's an activated tower, Jeremy?" Yumi asked.
"I haven't thought of that, for now, get to sector five, and Aelita and T, don't get hit,"
"So how do I use energy fields?" She asked.
"Just concentrate and they appear,"
"Like this?" She made one appear and almost hit me.
"Watch it!" I yelled.
"The blaster?"
"Pretty easy," she showed her how to use it, "and zero gravity, just imagine you're weightless and you can walk on walls and things,"
We made it into sector five and we started running down a long corridor with a key in the middle, Ulrich got the key with his super sprint. But suddenly the room started to rearrange and Tovah was separated from us, "hey!" She yelled.
Tovah Pressman Kadic Academy Ninth Grade Student
I backed away as the Scyphozoa backed me into a corner, "stop! Hey! Get away from me! I'm not Aelita!" I put my hand up and visualized an energy field, to no avail. I was then in the grasp of the slimy beast and things went dark.
"Bonsai!" I heard Yumi yell as her fan grazed its tentacles, I fell to the hard ground and was helped up by well, my body.
"Doesn't that thing know the real Aelita? That's the second time he took the fake one!" Odd laughed as we ran down the corridor.
"Well, at least that thing is gone!" I said as we started running.
"What now Jeremy?" Aelita asked.
"You need to get to the room at the end of the corridor! Then I'll de virtualize you,"
"Got it," Aelita said as we rounded the corner.
We made it to the end corridor and Aelita got to a panel and transferred data to Jeremy.
"It's a-go!"
"Get ready for-"
I was hit by a laser and devirtualized before Jeremy could finish his sentence. "Tovah!" Aelita called out and then was hit as well.
In the factory.
Odd Della Robbia Kadic Academy Ninth Grade student
We got to the scanners to see if it would work, the scanners opened and they both fell out. Ulrich caught Tovah and I caught Aelita.
"Aelita say something,"
"Something," she giggled.
"Well if you can make jokes as bad as Odd's you must be okay,"
"I just feel I need a nap," Tovah said standing up. "But it was nice to be able to see," she smiled.
Later
We started walking back to the school and Tovah stopped me, "so I wanted to talk to you," "about what?" I asked. "Jazz?" I laughed. "No, about the dance,"