Odd Della Robbia Kadic Academy ninth grade student
I rushed to the store to get a costume for the dance, just great, I finally had a date and I had no costume. What was I gonna wear? I guess I should've asked Tovah what she was gonna be, but were we going as friends? Or as a couple? I guess my gesture was a bit vague. She had been a bit distant these past couple days. Aelita walked into the store and waved at me as I stood at the rack of clothes, "hey," she smiled walking towards me. "What's up?" She asked. "Searching for a costume. Why are you here? I thought you and Jeremy were gonna be pirates or gladiators or something?" I asked. "Oh, he wanted us to be, but I bought an angel costume before he asked and I wanted to look pretty to DJ," she shrugged going up to the store clerk and grabbing a plastic bag. "What're you and Tovah going as?" She asked. "No Idea, I can barely get two words in to her lately, her mind is elsewhere lately. We do our missions, schoolwork and she's hanging out with William and doing art for her show," I sighed. "Well why don't you try doing something she likes? Well, I have to go, rehearsal," she smiled.
I picked out a costume and tucked it under my arm and went to check out.
William Dunbar Kadic Academy Tenth grade student
"It's so cool that you got the part," I smiled as we walked down the corridor on the breezy Friday afternoon. "You too, its gonna be really fun. I haven't been in a play before," she smiled. She looked forward and we saw a stern man and harsh looking woman standing with Principal Delmas, Tovah looked at me and bit her lip. "I have to go," she frowned and walked away slowly. I went and found Yumi and sat next to her on the bench, "what're you doing here? It's Friday," I asked. "Hanging out, doing homework," she said laying back on the bench. "Who are those people Tovah is with?" I asked pointing in their direction. "I don't know," she shrugged. "But I'll figure it out," she said as she stood and walked over to the group. "Hey T, what's up?" She asked. I followed behind her at a close pace and bit my lip, this was a bad idea. "Oh this is my father and my step mother, they're in town for the art show tuesday," she muttered through gritted teeth, "come now darling, speak up," her step mother said patting her shoulder. She flinched away and looked at her watch, "I'd love to show you around, but look, there's Jeremy, I bet he'd be happy to," she said before walking away. Yumi and I followed as the two parents approached her cousin, "that was awkward," I vocalized. "You don't have to tell me," she said as she walked towards her room. "Why are they here?" Yumi asked. "I thought they lived in Africa being important doctors or something," she prodded. "They do, they don't like that I'm not as smart as they want me to be, they want me to be all gifted and talented when I'm not," I rested my hand on Tovah's shoulder and she turned to look at us. "I think you're talented, you're a really good actress and artist, we just need to show them how talented you are," I thought out loud. "What are you thinking?" Yumi asked. "Yeah, what's the plan?" Tovah asked.
Ulrich Stern Kadic Academy Ninth grade student
"Well what's Tovah going as? Did you ask?" I asked as Odd got back from the costume shop. "She's going as a princess, she either said that sarcastically or she is. So I got a prince costume," I raised an eyebrow and looked down at my magazine, "Yumi said that Tovah's parents are here, her dad seems as mean as mine, her step mom doesn't seem very nice either," I said stretching. "We should start getting ready to go down to dinner," I stood up and slid my shoes on, we walked out into the hall and bumped into Jeremy and Aelita, Jeremy looked shell shocked. "Hey Einstein, XANA beat you at chess or something?" Odd teased. "No, Tovah's dad, my uncle is just..." Aelita patted his back, "he's mean, and my aunt, I guess is worse, to add insult to injury I told them I'd go to dinner with them and Tovah," he frowned. "And I was telling him it was very noble of him to be there for his cousin," Aelita smiled reassuringly. Tovah walked down the hall and stopped in front of them pushing her glasses up her nose, "alright, let's get this disaster over with," the two started walking towards the stairwell and Odd stopped her, "hey, were you serious about going as a princess?" He asked. She laughed softly and shook her head, "what? I can't really talk right now," she said as her and Jeremy headed down the stairs.
Jeremy Belpois Kadic Academy ninth grade student
We sat in the back of the car, seat belts snug around our laps, Tovah stared out the window as we drove towards the restaurant. "Did you have to dress like a boy, Toviyah?" Her father asked sharply, I forgot her real name wasn't Tovah. "Her mother never was one to force gender roles was she?" Aunt Brenda whispered, ny uncle David ignored her and looked back at Tovah in the back seat. "Will you please at least talk to us? I see you've at least made some friends," he said as if extending an olive branch. "What's your roommates name?" He asked in a soft tone, "Aelita," T said as if releasing this was a kindness to her father. "Shes a lot like me," she said sitting up and looking at the back of her father's head. "How do you mean?" He asked. "Single father," she retaliated. "Tovah-" he snapped. "Can we please have a nice evening?" He asked as the car started to swerve. "Watch the road dear!" Aunt Brenda warned. Suddenly the car started darting lane to lane and Tovah and I looked at each other. "Do you-" we didn't have time to think because suddenly my aunt and uncle were passed out in the front seats. "Why can we never have a normal evening?" I asked. "Cause we aren't normal!" Tovah shook her head and jumped over to the front seat. "What do we do? The car is still moving, where do you think we're going?" She asked. "I'll call Aelita," I said pulling my phone out. I dialed Aelita, "hello?" Asked a chirpy voice, "how's dinner?" She asked. "We haven't made it, we're in the car going to nowhere, XANA has possessed the car and is taking us somewhere, will you go to the factory and see where we're going? And see if a tower is active, quick. Meanwhile we'll try to stop this car," Aelita confirmed that she would help us and that she would round up the troops, we just had to stay alive.
"Any plan?" I asked. "Break a window? Tuck and roll?" She asked. "This car is going seventy miles down a back road, we wouldn't survive that," I shook my head. "Okay, emergency break?" She reached down and pulled it, to no avail. "Cool, cool, cool," she nodded. "I love that," she looked at me, fear truly registering on her face. "Why don't you seem as worried?" She asked. "I've almost been shot out of the sky," I bit my lip, I was scared, but I knew my friends would figure this out. "What if we broke the back wind shield and-" she thought for a moment, "we haven't tried the steering wheel," she grabbed the steering wheel as she sat on the center consol and steered it aggressively to the side. It jolted us to the side and into some trees, XANA didn't think we'd crash into a bunch of trees in the middle of nowhere. But he underestimated how much of a hothead my cousin was.
The car doors locking mechanisms opened and Tovah and I crawled out of the car, "You okay?" I asked. My lip was bleeding and my glasses were broken and my head hurt along with my wrist, Tovah shook her head and held her wrist and looked at me, "yeah I'm fine, a little scratched up, but fine," her parents began to wake up and we looked at each other. "Did we crash?" They were completely fine, of course. "Yes. You don't remember?" I asked. "A deer ran in front of the car and you swerved," Tovah said limping back to the car. We sat on the side of the road while the ambulance came and the tow truck, my ankle began to swell and I texted Aelita we didn't need a return trip.
We went to the hospital and Tovah and I sat together while her parents got us checked in.
"Remember when I first got here and my ankle was fractured? I was so mad at you, I didn't understand any of this," she said looking at me as we sat in the hard plastic chairs, "now both of us are messed up, I hope we don't miss the dance, well even if we can go there won't be much dancing with that ankle of yours, but at Hebrew camp you weren't much of a dancer," she laughed laying her head back closing her eyes against the harsh lights. "Are you still mad I came?" She asked. I put my hand on her hand and shook my head. "No, I'm really glad you're here, you're one of my best friends," I smiled.
We finally got x-rayed and saw the doctors and I had a sprained ankle and some minor cuts and bruises. Tovah had a sprained wrist and mild concussion from hitting the windshield, other than that, we were right as rain.
Her parents dropped us off at school and we headed up to our rooms, with a sigh of relief I hugged Aelita tightly, glad to be back from that nightmare.
Tovah Pressman Kadic Academy Ninth grade student
I walked to my room and fumbled with my keys as I went up to my room, Odd walked up behind me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey, glad to know you're okay," he smiled. "Some dinner," he joked. "Yeah, sorry I've been giving you the brush off all day, I've just been really stressed about my parents. But they're getting a flight in the morning, I told them I didn't need them to come to my art show," I explained. "You were trying to ask me something earlier, right?" I asked finally getting my door open. "Yeah, were you serious about going as a princess to the Halloween dance?" He asked. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be serious about it?" I asked walking to sit on my blue bed. My side of the room was polar opposite of Aelita's. "Oh, I just wasn't sure, I got a prince costume and I didn't want to look like a total jerk you know?" He asked sitting on the bed next to me. He looked at me as if he wanted to kiss me, I wanted to, but I was so incredibly tired and wanted to shower. "I have to go shower," I said standing up. "I'll see you in the morning, okay?" I sighed walking over to my dresser pulling out my pajamas. "Sorry I'm just really tired." He nodded. "I get it, it's okay, long night, see you in the morning,"
I walked down the hall and I bumped into Ulrich, "I'm just bumping into everyone tonight aren't I?" I rolled my eyes. "Tovah, I can't stop thinking about you, don't be with Odd, be with me," I sighed and walked past him. I really couldn't do this right now, I just wanted to shower. I went into the shower and started to get ready to shower, it was nice, the showers were nice and empty, for once. I pulled my robe on and started to walk to the back room, suddenly Ulrich appeared and pushed me violently back into the corner. Things went dark for a moment and then I sat up and he was gone.
I stood up and marched to Ulrich and Odd's room, Ulrich was sat in his bed reading a book and Odd was asleep, I flipped the lights on, holding my robe closed. "I have half a mind to report you to Jim!!" I yelled. "What is wrong with you!" I shook with anger, my teeth clenched. "Who are you yelling at?" Ulrich asked. "Very cute," I said leaning towards him, "you know what you did!" I said as I slammed the door closed and went into my room. Aelita was sitting on her bed and perked up as I came in, "are you okay?" She asked. "The weirdest- no strangest thing just happened, I was alone in the showers when Ulrich came in and shoved me up against the wall and I hit my head against the wall," I said sitting down. "I went and said I should tell Jim and he was completely unphased."
Aelita shrugged. "Maybe you just passed out, you do have a concussion," she suggested. "I, I think I would know if I just passed out," I said. "Get some sleep, you're tired." She suggested. I got up and put my pajamas on and got into bed, tomorrow was the long awaited dance. I had to be well rested for it. I could figure out what happened in the morning.