Chapter 1: Welcome to France
Chapter Text
When I first stepped off the train into the French countryside, all I could think was: What the hell am I doing here?
France had always felt romantic from afar, tucked away in the novels I'd grown up reading, the language I barely spoke, and the movies I half-understood. But standing there with two heavy bags, a stack of printed class schedules, and a jet-lagged brain, I didn't feel like a heroine in a love story. I felt like an idiot with a dream.
I had left my boyfriend back home in the United States. We had been together since freshman year. We had an explosive argument before I left. And it didn't help that my mother was sobbing. That was the worst part. It was just her and me since my father passed away. But I knew I had to go.
My parents were high school sweethearts. They had the most beautiful love story. And when my father had passed, I became obsessed with love and romance. I watched romantic films and had them all memorized. I became obsessed with romance novels.
So that became my mission in life: to write the best damn romance ever. And to do that? I knew I had to move to France. The country of romance.
I was scouring the internet looking into French schools for months. Everyone suggested I go to Paris. But being in a big school terrified me. So I found a small college in Sceaux, France. A city I frankly still can not pronounce, but it was small and quaint. I could actually focus on my writing. Plus, I knew I could easily travel to Paris on the weekends and travel around Europe at my leisure.
But today? I realized I was screwed. I was just another American who cannot speak another language. I had no idea what anyone was saying. I knew I had to get to class, but I could not understand the signs. I was lost, and I was late.
I was racing through the halls. I bumped into some girl with pink hair and a skinny blonde guy with glasses. "Sorry!" I yelled back. They were probably irritated. I didn't wait to find out.
Finally, I found the right classroom. Introduction to French Literature. It started five minutes ago, and everyone was seated. The professor stared at me. He muttered something in French. Then when he recognized I had no idea what he said, he rolled his eyes and said "You must be the American International Student. You should know you are our one and only international student. Most international students want to go to a school in Paris. Probably because of that Emily in Paris show I keep hearing about." The class snickered.
He then sighed. "Look, to be frank. I don't have time to speak in English. You will need to learn French fast if you want to keep up. You will be paired with the person sitting next to you for a semester long project. At the end of the semester you two will create an original novella incorporating themes from texts we review throughout the semester. I hope he has more patience than I do."
He then gestured to a skinny guy with spiked blonde hair, with a purple patch. His outfit seemed over the top, with lots of purple and yellow sneakers. I could not believe that this strangely dressed weirdo was going to be my project partner for an entire semester.
He laughed "No worries, Professor Monroe! I can be patient with the American's inability to speak French, as long as she can be patient with my well-timed jokes." And then he winked. Actually winked.
And Professor Monroe said "Lord help us all." And rolled his eyes. He then began his lecture.
I walked up and sat next to him. "Guess you're stuck with me," he said. "I'm Odd."
I laughed. "Yes I mean your outfit is odd looking. But what is your name?"
"Rude! What's wrong with my outfit?" He asked with mock offense. "It is short for Odd Della Robbia. But yeah, also kind of a life motto."
Despite myself, I laughed.
"Pay attention American Girl!" Professor Monroe snapped.
"I am so sorry! Also my name is Anna!" I yelled back.
"Well thank God it isn't Emily. Now pay attention. " The class snickered, but Odd did not.
Odd then whispered to me "I take my duties as project partner VERY seriously. Starting right now."
He then began translating for me. Odd was very close as he translated for me. I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I knew French people were much more touchy feely than Americans. So I just let him whisper his translations in French-accented English. He smelled faintly like citrus and mint gum. I kept thinking it was nice, despite myself.
The class finally ended. "Thank you Odd. Truly. That was humiliating, but you didn't laugh at me. And you were patient with me, even though I am living proof that Americans suck at speaking other languages."
He laughed. "I am happy to help! In fact, since you are our only international student, I am making it my personal job to be your tutor. We can study together, and I will teach you French. By the end of the semester, hopefully you can actually read those signs."
I laughed. "That's a great goal."
We exchanged numbers and planned tutor dates and study dates. We even shook hands on it, because Odd insisted it wouldn't be official until we shook hands.
Just then four people came in. And I recognized two of them. The pink haired girl and the tall blonde boy with glasses, and two new people: a tall Japanese girl and who I assumed was her boyfriend, a brooding boy with brown hair.
The brown haired boy started to say something in French, when the pink haired girl cut him off. "Stop. She's American." And she grinned at me. "My name is Aelita, and you are?"
"My name is Anna. And I am so sorry for earlier. I didn't mean to..."
Aelita cut me off. "Bulldoze over me and Jeremie?" She laughed. "You are good. I get it. But if you don't mind, me, Jeremie, Yumi and Ulrich here need to borrow Odd. It's urgent."
I glanced at Odd. He looked panicked. "Yeah I mean totally. I hope everything is okay."
Aelita said abruptly, "It will be. But we have to go. Now."
Then the five of them ran off so fast I swore they evaporated into thin air. I swore Ulrich said something about "flirting with the American because of her accent", but I wasn't sure.
But it didn't matter. I had a decent project partner and a French tutor. I was so happy about that. I FaceTimed my mom and told her all about it.
"Oh honey I am so glad you are making friends so quickly. And I am glad you got paired with such an understanding boy. That Professor sounds like an asshole."
I laughed. "Tell me about it." Then I hung up on her and called Brandon and let him know.
"Are you sure he wasn't flirting with you?" Brandon asked.
I laughed and I said ,"Oh Brandon the French are all flirts. That is part of their culture and DNA. But I swear to you if he ever tries anything beyond superficial flirting, you will be the first to know."
He swallowed, laughed and then said "Well all right. I love you. I am glad you had a good first day." And I hung up on him.
The next day I was excited. Odd and I were supposed to start my French tutoring and start working on our novella. But I got a text from him saying "I am so sorry, something came up. Next time I promise!"
I texted back "Are you sure everything is okay?" He didn't respond back for a few hours. When he finally did, he just said "You don't need to worry. We are good."
He came to class the next day. He looked exhausted. He had a bruise on his arm. His hair wasn't perfectly spiked. I nudged him, "Dude, this doesn't look like you are okay. What happened?"
He smiled softly. "My dear American, you worry too much. I promise I am fine. Now let me translate for you." He then began translating. I couldn't help but notice this time he smelled more like sweat, dirt and grass. It was much less enjoyable this time.
After class, he walked me out. He told me to meet him at the library tomorrow evening. Just then his friends came in, also notably tired and disheveled.
"Hello American who our friend hasn't shut up about!" Ulrich yelled out. Yumi elbowed him and said "Shut up!"
Odd smiled and said "I am so sorry, mademoiselle. My friends are, what is that word you Americans use? Idiots?"
I laughed and said, "Yep, that's the one!"
Aelita and Jeremie grabbed Odd quick. It was abrupt. Odd looked back and then moved quickly with them. He seemed scared. Sad even. And I was worried.
The next night I waited at the library. It was ten minutes past. Then fifteen. Then twenty. I called him. No response. I huffed and stormed out, when I found him running up the steps. Panting.
"Seriously what is going on?" I asked. "Is someone dying?"
He shook his head. "No, we made sure of that."
I groaned. "This is not the time for jokes. Seriously what is this?"
He sighed and took a breath. "Look I can't say. But I am here now. Let's get to work okay?" And he spent an hour helping me with my French. We were debating on concepts for our novella, but we couldn't agree and decided to table it for now. He wanted something science fiction, and I wanted something related to romance. He wanted to write something about a cursed AI program. I thought that was too ridiculous and couldn't possibly meet the requirements for our assignment.
The next day was class again. He was translating something, when Yumi knocked on the window and said "We have to go Odd!"
Professor Monroe turned around and asked "Oh? Is someone dying?"
Odd yelled back, "Maybe! I am so sorry Professor, and Anna. I will be back later I promise!"
But he didn't make it back in time. I spent the entire time trying to understand what he was saying, but it was about as useless as getting a lesson from the Peanuts teacher.
I went to my dorm room. I couldn't figure it out. There were constant emergencies. And this friend group, they were in on it. Whatever it was.
Then it hit me: It was a cult! It had to be. Odd seemed like a nice French boy. I knew I had to help him.
So I spent the night researching cults. I printed out articles. Pamphlets. Anything I could get my hands on.
I woke up exhausted the next morning, but I knew I had to move fast. They had a habit of eating breakfast together before classes started. And I needed them all together.
I walked in with a mission. It wasn't until I was five feet from the table that Odd noticed. He had his face full of croissant. He choked. The rest of the group looked up as I slammed my folder filled with pamphlets and articles down on their table.
"Be honest. Are you all in a cult?"
Ulrich snorted. Yumi laughed. Aelita gave a sly grin. Jeremie looked nervous.
Odd just chuckled nervously as he said, "Of course we aren't in a cult! My you Americans have a habit of thinking the worst don't you?"
I stayed firm. "The first step to leaving a cult is acknowledging you are in a cult."
At this point Ulrich and Yumi howled with laughter. Aelita and Odd were trying to stifle their laughter. Even Jeremie was grinning.
I rolled my eyes. "Laugh all you want, but I want to help. You guys are constantly running off and coming back covered in dirt and grass. Constant emergencies, but as far as I can tell, no one is dead. You five are always with each other, whispering frantically. So if it's not a cult, what is it then? "
I paused to allow them to speak. They didn't. So I cleared my throat and made my voice softer "I am not judging. Whatever it is. But from what I can tell, it's dangerous. And you all need help. And selfishly? I do too. I can't write this novella all by myself, especially when my French is terrible. So figure it out." And I walked away.
____
"That was hot. Did you see her folder? Who knew being accused of being in a cult by an American could be so sexy."
"Odd! Will you focus? She's almost figured it out." Ulrich snapped.
"She has. She's too observant." Aelita said in a serious tone.
"And she's right. We need help. XANA returned just a few days ago and he's stronger than ever. I don't think we can handle it just ourselves." Jeremie said.
"So do we bring back William?" Yumi asked quietly. Ulrich snapped his head so fast it almost broke off his neck.
"Ulrich you know I wouldn't suggest it if we had a better option." Yumi said. Ulrich sighed.
"Well maybe we do." Jeremie said. "If she's onto us, she might prove useful. Odd, do you think we can trust her?"
Odd paused for a moment. "Her French is terrible, and her extensive knowledge of cults is terrifying, but she's loyal. And persistent. I say we give her a shot."
The group nodded their heads in agreement. Ulrich and Yumi looked relieved. Aelita and Jeremie appeared skeptical. But Odd? He looked ecstatic.
___
The next day, Odd showed up at our study session right on time. I was stunned.
"I thought I scared you and your friends away. I haven't even gotten out my books. I really didn't think you would show."
"And miss meeting with my favorite international student? Of course not!" He said with a mischievous grin.
"I am the only international student!" I laughed.
"Exactly why you are my favorite mademoiselle!"
We laughed. But then his face darkened.
"Did you mean what you said about helping me?" He said quietly, almost inaudible.
"Of course. Why, what's wrong?"
In that very moment, his watch went off. Something that said XANA alert.
"No time to explain. Are you coming?"
"Yes!" I exclaimed. "So is XANA the name of your cult?"
"Not this again." Odd groaned. "If you say cult one more time, I think Jeremie's head will explode."
"Fine, call it what you want, but I brought pepper spray in case you all try to harm me or do some kind of weird ritual with my body."
Odd blinked. "Are you serious right now?"
"Absolutely," I said. "I also have other items to protect me that you will not know about."
Odd just laughed and shrugged and said "Get in." And I did as he asked.
As we were driving, I saw buildings on fire. Pedestrians terrified. People seemed angry, possessed somehow.
"What's wrong with them?" I said.
"XANA." Odd replied. "This is why we are here. To save these people."
We pulled up to an abandoned factory. It gave me the creeps. He showed me an elevator. I was unsure.
"Are you coming?" Odd said in a sing song voice, taunting me.
I gritted my teeth. "Yes."
I entered a control room. Jeremie was in front of a computer.
"Odd, get to the scanners. Yumi and Ulrich are almost down. Aelita's in trouble."
"You got it Einstein. Take care of her while I am gone won't you?" Odd said with a wink. And hurried off to the scanners, whatever that meant.
"No promises." Jeremie said.
I walked up to the computer.
"Is that...?"
"Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi in a virtual world called Lyoko? Yes. Wait, and now Odd is there too."
"Hi Anna!" Odd said with glee.
"FOCUS ODD!" Ulrich yelled. But then he got shot by a creature looking like a cube, and disappeared from the screen.
"Dang it. Ulrich's out." Jeremie said.
"So, I am confused. You aren't a cult. You guys just like a video game?"
"No." Jeremie said firmly. "This isn't a video game. There is an AI here, XANA, who lives inside Lyoko. And uses towers to escape to our world and cause mass destruction."
"The people who were possessed," I said gravely.
"Exactly." Jeremie said solemnly.
In that moment, Yumi was destroyed by something that looked like a bee. She disappeared.
Ulrich walked in. "Dang, Yumi's out. Odd is already losing health. There are still five monsters surrounding Aelita. She needs to get to the tower and there's no way Odd can do that by himself. "
Jeremie and Ulrich looked at me. Yumi came in and stared too. "Send me in," I said.
Jeremie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
I laughed bitterly. "It's either go in or let the world be destroyed. What choice do I really have?"
They nodded in solemn agreement. Jeremie gave me instructions. "Go down a floor. Enter one of the tubes. Those are the scanners. I will do the rest."
My heart pounded against my chest. The tubes looked terrifying. "Am I insane?" I asked myself.
Then I heard over the intercom something like a countdown. "Scanner Anna. Transfer Anna. Virtualization!"
I landed and fell flat on my face. It hurt. Bad. And when I stood up, I noticed I was in a mountain area.
"Whoa," I said as I stood up.
"Whoa is right." Odd said with a grin. "You look great! But mind trying to help me kill these bees bugging Aelita?"
"Quickly!" Aelita yelled.
"How?" I asked. I genuinely had no idea.
Odd replied giddily, "Your arrows of course!"
I looked down at myself. I was stunned. I was wearing some kind ot crimson huntress outfit. Similar to Katniss Everdeen. And I had a bow and arrows.
I grinned. "Let's go".
I shot an arrow, and to my shock and horror, it landed away from the bee. But somehow, it exploded and killed not just the bee, but part of the mountain. Aelita shrieked and jumped away. Barely making it to safety.
Odd laughed. "Well that's some real firepower! Now you just have to learn to aim!"
Aelita looked annoyed. "Yes, aim please."
"You go for that one on the left, I will go for the one on the right," Odd barked. I nodded in agreement.
I got closer that time, but still missed. Somehow though, I killed two bees. He killed one as well. There was just one left.
"Are you seeing this Einstein?" Odd yelled.
"Yes, it's equal parts terrifying and impressive." Jeremie quipped.
"You want to take the honors?" Odd asked me. But in that moment, his distraction caused him to get stung by a bee, and he disappeared into light.
Aelita yelled after me. "You got this Anna!"
I furrowed my brow and muttered. "I hate bees". I landed right on the target. The bee was destroyed.
Aelita smiled as she ran into the tower. "You saved my life. And the world. Thank you."
I heard cheers from everyone. "You did well, Anna," Jeremie called over the intercom. "What do you mean she did well, she killed it!" Yumi yelled. "And those bombs are amazing. Did you see that?" Ulrich exclaimed. When Odd entered the room he yelled, "I knew you could do it!"
I grinned. I had no idea what I had just done or what was to come. But I knew it was good.
So when I disappeared from Lyoko too? I felt ready for anything.
Chapter 2: American Invasion
Chapter Text
Odd was breathing hard and realized he had the biggest grin on his face. He, Jeremie, Yumi, Ulrich and Aelita all decided to wait for Anna in the scanner room as she devirtualized, as they all agreed it is disorienting the first time.
When the scanner doors opened, Odd gulped. She looked stunning. Sure, she looked exhausted, sweaty, and wide eyed like "what the hell just happened." But somehow, she was still stunning.
Ulrich noticed and cleared his throat, so Odd immediately straightened his posture and said, "Thank you Miss Americana. I am glad you came, even if you thought we were going to do some weird ritual with your body. " He winked.
Ulrich laughed. "You said what now?" The rest of the group giggled too, except for Jeremie, who looked like he was trying to make sense of this Anna puzzle. Odd couldn't blame him. So was he in his own way.
Anna didn't even blink. She stood up and said, "Yes, and I brought pepper spray and other items to keep myself safe that I did not disclose to Odd because frankly, you guys were acting all weird and I had no idea if you were a cult, the cartel, a sex trafficking ring..."
Odd lost it. "Okay we get it! We were mysterious and you weren't sure what we are. But now you know. What did you think?"
Everyone turned to Anna. She furrowed her brow as if trying to think. She paused and took a breath before saying, "That is not at all what I expected." She said quietly.
She looked up at Odd. He nodded, encouraging her to keep going.
"The streets were on fire. People were possessed. I was scared and frightened." She then paused and started laughing, "But is it wrong to say I found being on Lyoko exhilarating?"
That did it. Everyone laughed, except Jeremie, probably because he did not like fighting on Lyoko. Anna started laughing too, and Odd could not help notice how much he loved to hear her laugh.
Then Jeremie cut in. "Listen, Anna. We are grateful for your help today, but there are things we all need to discuss."
Odd felt anger rising in his chest. "What do we need to discuss Einstein? She helped us. Without her, we wouldn't have made it."
"Odd," Aelita said quietly. "You know what happened with William. You have to understand we are still feeling a little hesitant here, even if we knew we needed her help. It's still a lot."
"Who's William?" Anna asked. Genuinely concerned. Odd hated that she was so sincere, and that he was always the one causing her a concern.
Yumi and Ulrich looked at each other. Finally Yumi said, "He was a friend of mine. When XANA got stronger a few years back, we recruited him to help. But immediately he got captured by XANA and was under his control for months. He then become more of a nuisance than a help."
"I see," Anna said solemnly. Looking down at the ground. Odd hated seeing her like that. For someone he had only known for a week, it hit him hard.
Thankfully Aelita put her hand on Anna's shoulder and said, "This is dangerous, you understand? And this isn't a decision we will make lightly. We need help, we do, but we need to know we can trust you. And we need you to know how serious this is, how dangerous this is. You don't have to do this you know. You can walk away and decide never to come back and we wouldn't be upset."
Aelita looked around at the group. They all nodded. Even Odd did. He knew the stakes.
But Anna looked firm, resolute. "No, I want in. I understand you all have trust issues, justifiably so. But I will prove you all can trust me. I will leave you all to discuss whatever you need to discuss. I will be in my dorm."
She was headed to the elevator, then turned and said in an almost sheepish voice, "First though, can someone explain to me how?"
Everyone laughed. "I will personally draw you a map complete with English translations before you leave." Odd said, smiling with his whole chest. He noticed Ulrich smirking. He paid him no mind because Anna smiled so warmly that Odd thought he would actually melt.
When he finished writing the directions, she said, "Thank you Odd, and thank you everyone for trusting me with this." And she smiled, waved, and went up the elevator.
Yumi let out a laugh. "Okay before we discuss anything, can we all just talk about how gone Odd is? He looks like he wants to write sonnets about her!"
"We are in a literature class together, and she is my project partner. So of course I associate her with sonnets!" Odd quipped.
They all laughed but Ulrich said, "Joke all you want Odd, but we've seen you flirt through middle school. I've seen it up close. Too close. The only girl you ever really cared for was Sam, but the way you looked as that American walked away? That was different."
"That was a complication," Jeremie said.
This really made Odd upset. "What are you talking about?" Odd snapped. "The only reason Aelita is here even is because we all collectively agreed to fight XANA to help her come back to Earth. We didn't even know she was a real person back then. We thought she was an AI like XANA!"
Aelita said, "I know." With tears flowing down her cheeks.
Odd's heart sank. "Aelita you know I didn't mean it like that, Einstein was..."
Aelita cut him off. "I know you didn't mean it that way. But there's not a day I don't think about that. It was really Jeremie's love that saved me, even from the beginning." She looked at Jeremie and grabbed his hand.
That's when Ulrich cut in. "Do you think Yumi and I are a complication Einstein?" Yumi quipped, "Because if you do, I will smack you with your laptop."
"No I don't." Jeremie said quickly. "It's just, William."
The group was silent. They all knew the collective trauma they endured together.
"I will tell you what," Jeremie said. "Her powers on Lyoko are insane. She could help us. Maybe we don't tell her everything right away. She is on a trial basis. Like a probation. That way we all can see if she is trustworthy or not."
The group nodded in agreement.
"Thank you Einstein," Odd said.
"I didn't do it for your love life." Jeremie stated. "I did it because we need help with XANA. And if she breaks our trust..."
"She won't," Odd said firmly. Not in an attacking way. He was surprised how confident he was that she could be trusted, but he knew. "But thank you anyway Einstein."
The gang all drove back to campus and parked their cars.
"It's so nice we can drive to the factory now," Aelita muttered.
They all muttered their agreement.
There was tension in the air. They knew when they knocked on Anna's door, everything would change. XANA had just returned, and they were all still reeling from that. And now they were already training a new initiate.
They gathered outside Anna's door. They heard some music coming from her room.
Odd gulped, "Well here goes nothing." He knocked on the door. Anna didn't answer.
Odd looked at Aelita, Jeremie, Yumi, and Ulrich. They looked just as confused as he was.
He knocked again, "Miss Americana, your French ambassadors have come to visit you!" He said loudly. Still no answer.
Odd became worried. The rest of the group did too.
"Miss Americana, if you don't open the door in ten seconds, Yumi here will knock your door down!" Yumi nodded in agreement.
"10, 9, 8...." Odd counted down to one, getting more panicked each time he counted down.
Yumi knocked down the door. And to everyone's shock, the American was dancing on her bed.
Odd gulped. She looked stunning. She was uncoordinated, but also just radiating joy.
"And I can see that ass shaking," she said while shaking her hips.
Odd laughed despite himself. Everyone did. Ulrich and Yumi in particular were hugging their stomachs they were laughing so hard.
Anna whipped her head around. Her face was red.
"Oh my God I am so, sorry. I didn't think you would all be back so soon. Wait... did you break down my door?"
"Yep," Yumi said. "First thing you gotta learn. XANA is dangerous. So when you don't respond, we think you are in danger."
"Got it," Anna said. "I won't listen to my music so loud in the future."
"Good," Jeremie said while noticeably red in the face. "Because you Americans have some strange taste in music."
"First off, the song is called 'Makeup Sex' by MGK," snapped Anna.
"And second of all?" Odd asked playfully.
"I don't have a second of all," Anna said, like she was admitting defeat.
Ulrich said with a grin, "While some of us in the room were particularly impressed with your dance moves," he said while eyeing Odd, "I think Einstein here wants to give you the lowdown on XANA and Lyoko."
"Got it," Anna said, snapping to attention. "Let me just grab my notebook."
"Your notebook?" Jeremie asked, with irritation in his voice.
"Yes I mean, I am guessing it is a lot of information, so I will need help remembering." Anna said while digging for an extra pen.
"Anna, this information is top secret. You can't take notes." Jeremie said sternly.
Anna looked up. Apologetic. Mortified. God why did Einstein have to make her feel so bad like that? Odd thought to himself.
But Aelita read his mind and said, "It's sweet you want to take notes. It shows you understand that this is serious. Honest mistake." She made a point to give Jeremie a stern look.
"Thank you for understanding," Anna said sweetly. "It won't happen again."
Jeremie cleared his throat. "Listen, I will tell you all the information you need to know, for now." When Anna raised her brow, Jeremie clarified, "You are on probation. We have to see if we can trust you before you get all the information. You need to be reliable and ready for action when XANA attacks. You cannot disclose any information. If you don't show up or if you share any secrets, you are out. Do you understand?"
Odd was going to protest but Anna just said, "I understand," with such confidence it shook the room. She wasn't being bold or defiant. Or maybe she was bold. But she had this assurance in herself. Like she had no hesitation.Odd wondered if all Americans were so self-assured.
"Okay," Jeremie said. "So let's begin."
___
I was still reeling from the last 24 hours. I went to a virtual world called Lyoko where I discovered a dangerous AI called XANA returned a few days ago. I was horrified to learn that this AI was previously defeated by this group of French kids when they were literally children. Teenagers.
"They still are teenagers," I said quietly to herself. "Fuck so am I. We are barely adults. Freshmen in college, except for Yumi who is a sophomore. What the hell are we doing?"
I would've loved to tell Brandon or my mother what happened. When I FaceTimed them both earlier, they could tell I was holding back. But they had no idea what. They thought I was homesick or struggling with navigating French culture. "If they only knew," I muttered.
I checked my phone to see what time it was. "Lunchtime," I said to no one in particular.
I was getting better at reading the signs, or at least navigating campus. I wasn't sure which. But I found the cafeteria with ease. Where they were all waiting for me.
Odd greeted me first. "I saved you a crossiant!"
I was elated. I didn't realize how hungry I was. "Oh my God thank you." And I scarfed it down. I didn't even realize how they all stared at me until I realized with horror that I finished it in less than thirty seconds.
Odd broke first, "That was impressive! You might rival me in speed eating."
Ulrich snorted, "Do all Americans eat like barbarians?"
The group laughed. I didn't. My face was getting hot.
"No I," I was sputtering now. "Lyoko, everything. It was a lot of exercise, and I haven't eaten since before we left. It's been a lot to process."
The group seemed to understand.
"Well," Odd said with a mischievous grin. "You can't help us on Lyoko if you forget to eat. So do you know what I am thinking?"
The group looked concerned. Genuinely concerned.
But I raised my brow, "food eating contest?" And I smirked. I was competitive. And hungry. A dangerous combination.
Odd made a gesture like he was fainting, "Oh my, this American is after my heart, and she is a mind reader. That is exactly what I was thinking!"
Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita and Jeremie all collectively groaned. But Odd and I went straight to business. We collected food from them, and extras from the lunch ladies that Odd had charmed into giving him. We created rules. You had three minutes to finish your plate. If no one finishes, the person with the least on left on their plate wins. Easy. Loser has to supply the winner with snacks for the week.
Ulrich sighed, "I can't believe I am doing this. 3-2-1..."
And we were off. I didn't look at Odd or anyone. I had to focus. Crepes, fruit, croissants. All French pastries made my mouth water. And my stomach needed the fuel.
I realized I had finished my plate. I looked up at Ulrich. He was stunned. "You still have a whole minute left. Odd still has half his plate left."
"Damn you American!" Odd said while laughing. He still had croissant in his mouth. "No one has ever beaten me before!"
Ulrich smiled and said, "I think you just fell in love buddy."
Yumi laughed, "I think we just witnessed raccoons using food as foreplay."
I smiled gently, "Actually I have a boyfriend. Back home. High school sweethearts."
The air in the room got tense. Odd looked like I just slapped him in the face.
"But I will never say no to food. Or competition. That was really fun Odd. We should do that again sometime. You may want a rematch after supplying me with snacks for a week."
He laughed and gave me a strained smile. I could tell it wasn't his usual smile. He then said, "Of course! But just so you know, all your snacks will be French. You need to immerse yourself in our culture."
"And our language," said Aelita. "Odd told me he is helping you learn French. While I think that is admirable," her eyes narrowing at Odd. "He is not the best teacher. I will help you, at least when you are not in class."
"Hey now, that's unfair!" Odd said in protest.
Aelita waved her hand to cut him off, "You two are still project partners. But we all need to work together to train Anna."
"Train me?" I asked.
"Yes," Yumi said. "Ulrich and I will teach you how to defend yourself. You need to learn basic self defense in case you have to fight someone who is possessed by XANA. Now that you have been to Lyoko, he will target you now."
"Makes sense." I said. Suddenly feeling a lump in my throat.
"And I will be your tutor for your classes. I am assuming you have more than just Intro to French Literature with Odd?" Jermie said.
"Yeah, actually. I have a European History class, a Compostion class, and a Biology class. Actually I have a test in Biology this Friday. I am worried. It's my worst class." I said.
"Well you came to the right place. I know more than all of the professors. I have since elementary school." Jeremie said in a casual tone.
I laughed. I chortled. Then I realized no one else was laughing. "Wait, you are serious?"
"There is a reason we call him Einstein," Odd smiled gently.
"We never know half of the stuff he says," Ulrich said.
"But you are in good hands." Aelita said, gently grabbing my arm.
"Yes. You are fortunate." Jeremie added. "Here is your schedule."
"My schedule?" I asked, confused.
"I hacked into your student file. I know when your classes are. I also added times for when you are training with Ulrich and Yumi, learning French with Aelita, tutoring with me, and working on Literature with Odd."
"When am I supposed to sleep?" I asked.
The group laughed. "Welcome to the Lyoko gang, otherwise known as Team No Sleep." Odd said with a wink.
____
Odd and Ulrich were back in their dorm. They had been silent for several minutes. Odd had been pacing back and forth.
"Dude, are you trying to burn a hole in the carpet? What's wrong with you?" Ulrich finally snapped.
"She has a boyfriend." Odd said, with pained frustration.
"Dude, you've known her for a week." Ulrich said, softer this time.
"I know," Odd said quietly. "I'm doomed."
____
Aelita was in Jeremie's room. She was always with Jeremie. She was used to them working in silence. But this was different.
"I have an idea," he finally said. "Of how I can test her, to see if she is trustworthy."
"Oh?" Aelita asked, raising her brow.
"But you aren't going to like it. No one will. But if she passes? Then no one can argue whether or not she is trustworthy." Jeremie said, with a serious look on his face. Almost sad.
"Oh Jeremie. What is it?" Aelita asked, but she had the feeling she already knew the answer.
Chapter 3: Jeremie's Test
Chapter Text
"This week has been so stressful," Anna groaned.
"Quit complaining," Yumi said. "And get up off the mat. You are terrible at blocking."
"Yeah, it's not wise to complain in front of Yumi." Ulrich said with a grin.
"Oh shut up," Yumi said. Though she was grinning too. "Besides Anna. You are lucky. There have been no XANA attacks all week. Last week when you said we were in a cult? There was an attack every day. It was more frequent than he ever has been in the past."
"That doesn't make me feel lucky. It makes me scared. Like, do you think since I went in for the first time, he might be planning something new for me?" I asked.
Ulrich and Yumi were silent.
"Yeah, that's what I thought. So I am going crazy with training, classes, learning French, and odds are XANA is going to go even crazier."
Ulrich gave a small smile. "Yeah but, your bomb arrows are insane. You could destroy Lyoko with one of those things." We both laughed.
"Do not destroy Lyoko!" Yumi said, but even she couldn't hold back a laugh. "But seriously, get to work."
-
Jeremie was staring at his laptop. He kept thinking about what a fool he was. XANA returned a week ago, and he wasn't expecting it. XANA had been dormant for three years. When they first defeated XANA, he would check his laptop for any activated towers multiple times a day. Then it became once a day. Then once a week, and so on. Until finally, he hadn't checked in months.
"This is my fault," he whispered.
"No Jeremie, it isn't. We all thought he was gone." Aelita said, gently caressing his face and turning him toward her. "But Jeremie, I really think this is a bad idea. We need another plan."
"No Aelita. We've been lucky this week. XANA is planning an attack. We surprised him with a new recruit, but he's planning something. Maybe to use her like he did William. We need to make sure she's loyal, before it's too late. And we are out of time."
Aelita looked sad, but nodded in agreement. "Her class starts in two hours. Will we be ready by then?"
"Yes," said Jeremie quietly. "And Aelita, you know this pains me right? It's against my moral code to make someone fail a test. Especially since I spent hours going over her homework with her, and explaining the difference between mitosis and meiosis."
"She will be upset." Aelita said.
"I know." Jeremie whispered.
—
"Today is the day," I murmured. I was right outside my Biology class. I felt confident, resolute. I literally had an Einstein teach me. I was more prepared than most.
I was about to head in when someone tapped me on the shoulder. I spun around and saw Odd.
"Surprise!" Odd said with glee. "I wanted to wish you good luck, and present to you your last snack of the week. Which is really a giant box of European chocolates, none of that fake crap you Americans claim is chocolate."
"Oh Odd," I gave him a giant hug. He seemed surprised. Then I realized I was hugging him for a beat too long when others were looking at us and smiling, and I abruptly pulled away.
"I need to go in now," I said.
Odd nodded. "You go in and ace the test. Later we will meet at the cafeteria for a rematch of our competition. When I win, you will be supplying me with snacks for a week, even if they are poorly made American chocolates." He winked, and turned around and left.
As I walked in, I could have sworn he said, "What am I going to do with myself for the next two hours? Oh the boredom!"
I smiled, and sat down.
My Biology Professor, Ms. Bernard, smiled warmly. She stated, "There are only four exams in this class. Each makes up 25 percent of your grade. There are no retakes. I hope you have all come in prepared."
I smiled and whispered. "You're damn right I did."
She began passing out the tests. I began answering the questions. "Multiple choice, not too bad." I thought.
I was only a quarter of the way through when my phone buzzed. I froze. "Oh no, don't let it be...:
"XANA ALERT. Sector 5. Meet at the factory, right now."
I swallowed. Hard. But I knew what I had to do.
I stood up and walked to Ms. Bernard's desk. Other students looked up, shocked that I had seemingly finished so early.
"Done so soon?" Ms. Bernard asked skeptically.
"No," I said quietly. "I just, have to go."
I slammed my unfinished test on her desk, and turned around and sprinted towards the factory.
"Damn it I wish I had a car!" I yelled. Onlookers were watching as I ran like a madwoman through the forest to the factory, a secret passageway Odd had shown me earlier.
Then it hit me. Where was everyone? Couldn't someone give me a ride?
I shrugged it off. They are on their way, and coming from different places. I just need to show up as quickly as I can.
The factory was looming in the distance. I made it. I got in the elevator, and pressed the button to shut the doors. "Finally a moment to catch my breath," I muttered.
When I came in I saw Jeremie at the supercomputer. "Where is everyone?" I asked.
Jeremie didn't look at me. "They are on their way. Head to the scanners."
"Okay. What is going on though? I didn't see anything..."
"Don't ask questions. Just go." Jeremie said, staring at the computer.
"Aye aye captain!" I said with a mock salute.
I entered the scanner. I still wasn't used to the intercom countdown or the wind in my hair. But this time? I landed on my feet instead of my face. I was proud of myself for that.
I hadn't been to Sector 5 before. "This is very different from the mountain sector." I mumbled. I scanned for Aelita.
She waved. "Over here!"
"Coming!" I ran over to meet her. Thankfully she wasn't too far. I had to admit, this Sector scared me a little.
Aelita began, "This Sector is different. You have to hit the button in time. There are some monsters up ahead."
"Okay, got it. Hopefully the others get here soon." I said.
Aelita gave a small smile. "I think you can handle it."
I beamed. "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
"Now let's get this show on the road," Aelita said with a sigh. I was confused why she suddenly seemed so annoyed, but I chose not to question it.
The puzzle was difficult. I swore I almost got squished ten times. But I did it. Somehow. Aelita gave me a small smile, and said, "Come on, let's go."
We see the tower. But to my surprise, there were only three blocks. "Is that it?" I asked, surprised.
"It appears so," Aelita said. "Go get them bomber girl."
I smirked. "You got it pink princess."
Aelita giggled. I get out my bomb arrows. They were shooting at us. "Why aren't you shooting yet?" Aelita asked, exasperated.
"I don't want to blow up the sector!" I exclaim. "I haven't figured out my aim yet. Maybe we can bide our time and see if others will get here?"
"No!" Aelita and Jeremie yelled in unison. I had forgotten he was listening. Aelita backpedaled and said, "Anytime there is a XANA attack you do it as quickly as you can. No waiting for reinforcements."
"Okay," I said nervously.
I pulled back my arrow. The first one landed on a block, but not on target. Yet somehow, it was still destroyed.
"Oh my goodness I can't believe that worked!" I yelled.
"Me neither," said Aelita. "Now get the other two and we can all go home."
I dodged some attacks. I waited for them to be close to each other, and then, "Bombs away!" I yelled. The bomb arrow detonated right between them, destroying them both.
I jumped up and clapped my hands. "Yes!" I spun around towards Aelita. "Did you see that?! I killed them all, with no collateral damage!"
"You did," she said, and then her smile turned to a frown.
"Wait, why aren't you going into the tower?"
"There was no tower activated. This was a test." Aelita said, an apology forming in her eyes.
I went silent for a good thirty seconds before I said,"Bring me back. NOW."
I dematerialized back into the scanner. I saw red in my eyes. The scanner doors opened and I made eye contact with Aelita.
"Anna, I...."
"It was his idea, wasn't it?" I spat.
"Y-yes..."
"Jeremie, I am coming up there!" I howled.
"Understood." He said over the intercom.
Aelita followed me into the elevator. The air thick with tension. She didn't say anything. She knew better not to.
The elevator doors opened. I burst in.
"What the hell is the matter with you?" I screamed.
"Anna, please note that this was necessary..." Jeremie tried to say, but I cut him off.
"Necessary?! Making me fail my Biology exam that YOU HELPED ME STUDY FOR, was necessary?!" I yelled.
At that moment, Odd, Ulrich and Yumi came in.
"What's with the yelling?" Odd asked with concern in his voice.
"Yeah and what is everyone doing here? Odd was nervous when Anna didn't show for their lunch competition and we saw on Find Your Friends that you were all here at the factory. If there was a XANA attack, why didn't you tell us?" Ulrich said with a puzzled expression on his face.
I turned to look at Jeremie. "Ask. Him." Then I stormed out of the room.
"What the fuck man?" Odd yelled before following me out the door.
"So, I take it there was no XANA emergency then?" Ulrich asked, knowing the answer.
"No." Jeremie said with a hint of shame in his voice.
"Well, good to know we ran over here for nothing." Yumi scoffed.
___
"Stupid French asshole! Fucking jerk, making me fail my exam for nothing." I huffed.
"He is an asshole. But hopefully not all French people are so bad?"
I turned around and found that Odd was right behind me. He was trying to smile at me, but when he saw how angry I was, he dropped it.
"Listen Anna. We didn't know. That was Jeremie. And Aelita... well she went along with it. But she didn't want to. If I had known though..."
"It's okay. I don't blame you. Or Aelita. I blame him."
I looked away. I couldn't look him in the eye for this part.
Finally I mumbled softly, "I am so exhausted. I am running myself ragged just to prove myself to this group. And then he does that?" My voice cracked. And Odd noticed. I hated that he noticed.
He turned me to look at him. "You don't need to prove anything to anyone. Jeremie's test was fucked up, but you passed. And for what it's worth? You never had to prove anything to me." He grinned. I couldn't help but notice the twinkle in his eyes.
"Well of course I didn't have to prove anything to you. I already demolished you at that food eating contest!" I nudged his shoulder. He nudged back.
"Oh, it's on! I still haven't eaten yet. Want to do that rematch now? I can give you a lift back, unless you would rather run all the way back?" He grinned.
"Oh it's so on! And yes, I would greatly appreciate a ride." But in that moment, my phone started to ring.
I looked down. It was Brandon.
"It's my boyfriend. Mind if I answer this quick?" I asked, unsure of how Odd would respond.
He nodded. "But don't take too long! I am starving." He laughed, but I could tell there was a flicker of pain in his eyes.
I clicked to accept the call. "Hey Brandon."
"Hey sweetie! How was your test?"
"Yeah, about that. I failed." I couldn't hide the pain in my voice.
"But I thought that one Einstein guy was helping you?"
"Yeah well, turns out he isn't as smart as he thinks." I spat out.
"He can be a dumbass sometimes." Odd chimed in.
"Hang on, who is that guy? Is that Odd?" Brandon asked accusingly.
Odd grabbed the phone. I tried to protest, but he just took it out of my hand in one fluid motion.
"So she speaks of me! That's amazing! And yes, I am Odd. Her partner for Intro to French Literature. And her partner in crime for food eating contests. It's a pleasure to finally meet you!"
Brandon just glared at Odd. Like daggers through a phone screen. "And I am her partner for life. Since freshman year of high school in fact. I can't say it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Brandon, seriously! He's my best friend here. Can you at least be nice to him?" My face was red. I was embarrassed, and infuriated.
"It's okay Anna. He's just intimidated by me. I know I am a handsome French guy, and you are a beautiful sassy American. Of course he would assume I am a threat, everyone does! But don't worry Brandon. Your girl is fiercely loyal to you." Odd winked at Brandon. Brandon was not convinced.
"Okay well. Thanks. I think. Anyway, I will talk to you later. You will do better on the next test, I know you will. I love you baby. Go have fun."
"I love you too Brandon." And the call ended.
There was an awkward silence before Odd said, "So I meant what I said when I said I was hungry. Can we PLEASE get to the cafeteria now?"
I laughed. "Absolutely."
We were about to head out when the rest of the gang showed up. Jeremie was in the back.
Aelita gestured towards Jeremie and said, "Jeremie would like a word with you."
"You passed," Jeremie said quietly.
"I passed? I am pretty sure I failed my Biology test because of you." I snapped.
"No I mean, you passed my test. I trust you now. We can all trust you now." Jeremie said it, but couldn't meet my eyes. He was just looking at the ground.
"Well, good. It's settled then. But as for your punishment..." I glanced mischievously at Odd.
"You have to time our food eating contest. AND you have to supply snacks for the winner, as well as wash all of Odd's dirty laundry for a week, regardless of who wins or loses."
Odd snorted. Ulrich howled. Yumi and Aelita looked like they had seen a ghost. But Jeremie? He looked like he was ready to die right then and there.
"You have sentenced me to a fate worse than death," Jeremie stammered.
"Oh, I know. But this is my test to see if you can get back into my good graces." I said with an evil grin.
"Hey, my clothes aren't that bad!" Odd tried to to be convincing, but even he knew he was lying.
"As your roommate since middle school Odd, I can positively confirm that Anna has indeed sentenced Jeremie to a fate worse than death." Ulrich said with a massive grin on his face. "But I will say one thing, Anna I already trusted you. Now you have my respect."
I gave Ulrich a high five. "Why thank you. We Americans are known to take our revenge quite seriously."
The group laughed as we all got into cars to go back to the factory. I was so glad I didn't have to run back.
Once we arrived at the cafeteria, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita piled food on our trays. Mine was stacked so high I couldn't see through the pile of food that was in front of my face. Jeremie had a serious ook, like his job as a timer was the most important duty he had ever performed. And Odd? He looked way too confident.
"Alright, while this is not recommended by health care professionals..." Jeremie began.
"We don't need your judgement Belpois!" Odd quipped.
"Fair enough. Starting food eating contest in 3-2-1..."
And we were off. I was confident. Same rules as before. I knew I could win. I am an American. We are raised to eat large portions of food in a short amount of time since birth. I had this in the bag.
Jeremie started to count down, "thirty seconds left..." I panicked. I had only eaten half of my food. Why did time have to move so fast? I didn't bother to look at Odd. That would just psych me out. I needed to focus.
"Final countdown. 3-2-1! Times up. Hands above the table." Jeremie said with surprising enthusiasm.
I finally looked at Odd's tray. Then back at mine. It sunk in.
"Oh, oh no...." I said slowly, trying to process my defeat.
Odd had a smug look on his face. The rest of the gang was laughing.
"You know what they say. I am the best eater in France!" Odd said with a wink.
"Odd!" Yumi hit his arm. But even she was laughing.
"I lost a food eating contest, to a French guy with purple hair?!" My brain could not process this. I was not processing this.
"It's okay Anna. At least you don't have to provide snacks. Or do Odd's dirty laundry!" Ulrich was practically in tears.
"My punishment is tough, but fair." Jeremie said with an air of solemnity.
"But, my pride! This is an embarrassment to my country!" I stammered. "I DEMAND A REMATCH!"
"Next week Anna. I promise." Odd gave my shoulder a squeeze. It lasted a beat too long, but thankfully my mother called to ease the tension at that exact moment.
"Anna! How was your test?" My mother asked.
"I failed." I said while glaring at Jeremie. He swallowed.
"But I thought a genius was helping you?" My mother asked, clear shock in her voice.
Before I could answer, Odd grabbed my phone again and said, "Hello Mrs. Fisher! This is Odd Della Robbia. I am friends with your daughter. And yes, that other friend of ours is usually a genius, but he had a temporary moment of stupidity. It will not happen again. I will not allow it."
"Oh you won't allow it?" My mom said with a grin.
"I will not. I would sooner let your daughter eat all of my snacks. Speaking of which, I just defeated her in a food eating contest!" Odd said with pride.
"It was one time! I won the last! And Odd can't I have my phone back?" I tried grabbing the phone, but he was too quick.
"Nope! I must thank her more for raising you. Mrs. Fisher truly, your daughter is one of a kind. And she introduced me to Kraft Mac and Cheese! She said it was a staple in your country. Is that true?"
"Yes it is Odd." My mom said with a grin. "Can I meet Anna's other friends too, and yell at the genius who had a temporary moment of stupidity?"
"Absolutely." Odd said. He brought the phone to the rest of the group. "This is Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita... And Jeremie, the genius who was an idiot for the day. Explain yourself to Mrs. Fisher."
The gang laughed. So did I. Seeing Jeremie's face like that was priceless.
"I am sorry ma'am..." he stammered, face red.
"Now you listen here Mr. Mostly-A-Genius-Except-On-The-Day-My-Daughter-Has-A-Test, Anna is all I have. I miss her terribly. But I knew she was determined to go to France, even if she had no one. So I need you to look out for her. No more temporary stupidity. And that goes for all of you. She told me the cult story."
"You WHAT?!" Ulrich mouthed at me.
Thankfully my mom clarified before I had to. "She told me it was a false alarm, and that you all are very close knit. You take care of each other. I need you to do that for my daughter. Can you do that?"
Everyone was moved. My mother had tears in her eyes. So did I. "We will," said Odd. Everyone agreed.
"Good. Now give the phone back to my daughter."
"Yes, mom?" I asked as tears ran down my cheeks.
"I'm proud of you. You have met some good people. Good night. You will do better on the next test. I love you."
"I love you too mom." And I hung up the phone.
"Well, that was touching," Aelita said with the softest smile.
"You okay?" Odd asked.
"I'm good. I still hate that you beat me, but I will win next week. You can count on it."
I looked up at Odd and held his gaze.
"I can't wait." He said with a wicked smile. I wanted so badly to wipe that grin off his face. And I vowed to myself that I would.
Chapter 4: Precision vs. Explosion
Chapter Text
It had been two weeks since XANA had attacked. We all knew he would attack again eventually, so we collectively agreed that I needed to prepare. Everyone knew that while my bomb arrows were powerful, I had very little control over them. My aim was terrible.
So Jeremie decided to set up training sessions in Lyoko. He would send a few monsters as practice dummies. Jeremie suggested I train with Odd specifically, due to our Lyoko weapons being similar. And Odd was delighted.
"Yay! I've missed hanging out with you. Now that Aelita's teaching you French, I only get to translate for you in class or go over ideas with you for our novella. I miss when I was the only one teaching you things." He said with a playful wink.
"Odd, please avoid flirting in front of us." Ulrich groaned.
"It's uncomfortable, for sure." Jeremie agreed. "But we need to get to Lyoko. We don't know when XANA will attack next, so we need to begin training. There's no time to waste."
So Jeremie and I got in Odd's car. Jeremie was riding in the passenger seat, and looked like he was about to die. I enjoyed being in the back seat. Having ridden with Odd before, I was well aware of his insane driving habits.
When we got to the scanner room, Odd asked me quietly. "Are you nervous?"
"Why would I be nervous? This is a practice run. A training session." I said. I was genuinely confused.
Then Odd whispered. "Aren't you nervous that I will prove that I am a much better Lyoko warrior than you? I mean I have years more experience than you do my sweet American." He was grinning. And I was ready to wipe that smirk off his face.
"Oh it's on. Like Donkey Kong." I said as I got into the scanner.
"Like Donkey Kong?" Odd laughed.
"Yeah I mean I hope you would know that reference." I said with a smirk.
"You will have to explain later. I am about to prove that laser arrows are better than bomb arrows!" And with that, Odd gave a final wave before entering his scanner.
"This is going to be fun," I thought to myself.
We entered Lyoko. This time, it was the forest sector. Jeremie had sent six Krabs. "Now here are the rules..." Jeremie began over the intercom.
We both groaned. "Seriously, Einstein? We are in the middle of a competition here!" Odd yelled.
"Exactly," Jeremie said. "I need you to be teammates. Not competitors."
Odd and I looked at each other. Stunned. I felt a pang of guilt.
"But what difference does it make if the monsters get destroyed?" I asked.
Jeremie sighed. "Look, I know you two get competitive. But you need to learn each other's strengths and weaknesses. Learn how to support each other. And Anna you will need to do that with everyone on the team. I am having you work with Odd first since your weapons are similar, but make no mistake. We all work together here."
There was a silence.
"Wow, way to make me feel guilty," I sighed.
"I have a gift for doing that," replied Jeremie. "Now talk to Odd. Figure out your strategy."
Odd and I looked at each other. He smirked. "Well since I've been a Lyoko warrior the longest, I would suggest..."
"Hang on," I interrupted. "Just because you've been a warrior longer, doesn't mean you know more than me or that I don't have good ideas."
Jeremie groaned. "Listen to him Anna. He's here to help you, remember?"
"Fine," I spat.
Odd had a victorious grin on his face. "There are six Krabs. I take three, and you take three."
"Wow, you are such a genius. Years of Lyoko training for that? I could have come up with that."
"ANNA!" Jeremie yelled, clearly annoyed at this point.
"What I was GOING to say, before you rudely interrupted me," Odd paused, clearly enjoying this. I rolled my eyes. "Is that we need to discuss which monsters make most sense for us to target. My laser arrows? They are precise. Your bomb arrows? Explosive. We need to assess the monsters. What they are doing, how close they are to each other, any terrain that could be destroyed..." He was raising his eyebrows at this, taunting me with his eyeballs. I hated it, but he was right.
"That actually makes sense," I breathed.
"Well, that is such a compliment from you, Miss Americana! I will take it."
Odd then grabbed me to hide behind a tree. The monsters saw us now and were coming toward us.
"So American, which Krab should you target first? Who is best for an explosion?"
I paused, thinking. There was a group of six. Five together, one lagging behind. I wanted to go in the middle of the five to destroy a good amount at once, but they were right by a bunch of trees.
I sighed. "I will take the one in the back. It's further from trees. You go for the cluster in the front."
"My, my!" Odd exclaimed. "You would be willing to let me win a competition by not destroying a large group, to prioritize not destroying Lyoko? You have grown so much." He then wiped a fake tear from his face.
Oh how I wanted to smack that grin off of his face. "Don't push it." I groaned.
Odd was preparing his paw. He was very close to me. We were back to back, waiting for the Krabs to get closer.
"Now," We both said at the same time. Both pleasantly surprised that we were in sync.
Odd's arrows killed three Krabs at once. It was impressive. I was able to get the one in the back. There were two left. And they were getting close.
"Odd," I said quickly. "You are a cat. Those Krabs are still fairly close, but not quite close enough. If you can distract them, get them closer, and then leap out of the way as I send my arrow..."
"On it!" Then he started running on all fours. I still didn't understand why Lyoko decided to make Odd a cat. But I wasn't going to question it.
"Peek a boo!" He said at one Krab. The Krab turned around and started chasing Odd. Odd was running straight for the other one. It was time.
"Bombs away!" I yelled. It landed right on the target of one Krab and destroyed it. The other Krab was close enough that it was also killed by the blast. And Odd jumped onto a tree right on time.
"That was amazing!" Odd yelled. "I told you we make great partners!"
I rolled my eyes. "Fine Odd. You were right."
"So you admit that laser arrows are better?"
"Absolutely not." I said with a laugh. "But we do make a good team."
"Yes you do," Jeremie said over the intercom. "Now it's time to go home. Go ahead and devirtualize each other."
"Are you ready?" Odd asked. He was standing very close to me. I could feel his breath.
"Ready," I said quickly. I was hoping he couldn't see that I was blushing.
"3,2,1..." We chanted together as we prepared to shoot our arrows. Then the next thing I knew, we were back in the scanners.
"Great job, guys," Jeremie said. "I am thinking of pairing you up more for missions. Yumi and Ulrich like working together for obvious reasons, so it makes sense for the two of you to work together."
Odd and I gave each other high fives. This felt good. This felt right.
—
"Man, she was amazing." Odd said aloud. He, Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, and Jeremie were waiting for Anna to join them at the cafeteria. Her class was just getting out.
Everyone groaned.
"She has a boyfriend, Odd. You need to cool it with the flirting," Ulrich said sternly, like he's discussed this with him before.
"Seriously, Odd. Anna is great, but we don't want to see you get hurt." Yumi said, with concern in her voice.
Now Odd groaned. He put his face in his hands and said, "I know. I can't help it."
Aelita patted him on the shoulder. "I know. It sucks. I am sorry."
Jeremie then chimed in, surprising everyone. "You know, statistically speaking, long distance relationships don't work out. Maybe you just need to be patient."
Odd pulled Jeremie into a tight hug. He had never loved Jeremie more. Jeremie sputtered as Odd released him from the hug. "Thank you, Einstein!"
Jeremie adjusted his glasses. "Don't mention it, Odd." But he couldn't help smiling.
"Oh wow. Am I interrupting something?" Anna said with a grin.
Everyone looked at each other.
"Nope! Not at all! Jeremie and I were just confessing our love for each other!" Odd said with a boyish grin. He hoped she hadn't heard anything else.
Jeremie was beet red. Everyone else laughed.
"Actually, that reminds me of something I wanted to ask." Now Anna had a bit of mischief in her eyes.
"Oh?" Odd leaned in, curious now.
"Yumi and Ulrich have been together since middle school. Aelita and Jeremie have as well. That's impressive! I just wanted to know, have any of you ever had feelings for someone else in the friend group?"
Ulrich choked on his coffee. Jeremie looked like he was about to faint. Yumi was covering her mouth. Odd was laughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. Aelita had a sly grin on her face.
"My you Americans are nosy!" Odd said as he paused for air.
"If by nosy you mean disgusting," Ulrich retorted, though even he had a smile now.
"Well, if you must know, some people thought me and Odd had feelings for each other. That's why we said we were cousins. To prove to everyone we were strictly platonic." Aelita said as she grabbed Jeremie's hand.
"Thank God," Jeremie said, still recovering from this conversation.
"Wow! That's amazing. And impressive." Anna said, laughing at her own mischief. Odd could not believe how confidently she just shook up the room.
"But there is another question I wanted to ask." She was turning to Odd now. He felt a lump forming in his throat.
"Odd, how does it feel to be the fifth wheel in your friend group? I mean, your entire friend group seems practically married. How do you stay sane?"
Anna was looking at Odd now, with genuine concern. He was not prepared for this question. He knew his face fell, and everyone had noticed. He had to recover fast.
"Ah well, it's alright. Someone has to be the fun uncle and provide some fun for the group. Everyone can live the single life through me, and hear stories of my adventures and conquests!" Odd was laughing. No one else was. Anna wasn't either.
She arched her brow. "Conquests?"
Odd was panicked now. "Why did I say that? God, I am so stupid. Think Odd, THINK!" he thought to himself, but all that came out of his mouth was another joke.
"I mean, yeah, I flirted through middle school and high school. All the girls were falling over themselves to get a taste of some good ole Odd Della Robbia. I am a hot commodity, after all!"
Anna's face twitched. He knew he said the wrong thing. "Yeah, I've noticed. You do flirt a lot. You've probably flirted with every female in France, huh?"
Odd felt a dagger to his heart. But before he could say anything, she just smiled and said, "It's no matter. I'm not judging. I was just curious. I just want to get to know you guys better."
Yumi then got excited and said, "I was thinking the same thing! Maybe you, me, and Aelita could go on a girl's trip sometime?"
Anna looked delighted. "I would love that!"
Odd, not wanting to miss out, piped up, "And while you all are on your girl's trip, us guys can go on a trip as well! What do you think of that, Ulrich? Jeremie?"
"I'm in," said Ulrich.
"Can I bring my laptop?" Jeremie asked.
"I know you are married to it, Einstein. So you can bring it, as long as you try to actually have fun with us." Odd said playfully.
The group laughed.
Then Jeremie's laptop started beeping. "Oh no," Jeremie murmured. "Are you ready, Anna?"
"As ready as I will ever be." She said.
"God, she is so brave," Odd thought to himself.
"Odd, as my partner, mind giving me a ride?" She asked.
"Absolutely! You are my favorite passenger."
Little did Anna know, she was his favorite everything.
—
I felt bad asking Odd that question. Maybe it was too invasive, but I was dying to know. But his joke about being a hot commodity? That bothered me. He was clearly deflecting. I wish he could be more serious now and then.
Odd was oddly quiet while driving. He would occasionally try to crack a joke, but his heart wasn't in it. He could probably tell I was annoyed.
When we arrived, the elevator had an awkward tension to it. I felt horrible. Why did I have to ask them about other crushes or point out the fact that Odd was the fifth wheel? I just need to shut my mouth sometimes.
When we all transferred to Lyoko, we were in the Ice Sector. I was panicked. This was the worst sector for my bomb arrows. And I had a feeling XANA knew that.
"What are we looking at Einstein?" Odd called up above.
"Four Megatanks, seven Kankralots, five Tarantulas, and four Bloks." Jeremie said.
"Are you serious?!" Ulrich yelled.
"We have no time to waste," Aelita said. "Odd, Anna doesn't have a vehicle yet. Jeremie is still working on it. Can she use yours?"
"Absolutely. Hop on mademoiselle." Giving me his classic Odd Della Robbia grin.
We all drove in silence. We were all nervous about what lay up ahead. And I knew they were all thinking the same thing. How could a bomb arrow be useful in an ice sector if she can't aim? I felt horrible.
We got near the tower. And we saw the horde of monsters.
"Precision only," I whispered to Odd. "XANA did this on purpose. I am useless here. He knows that."
Odd looked at me. "You are far from useless. We are doing this together. Now jump!"
We jumped off his overboard.
"Here is a lesson, American. Sometimes, you can help by being a distraction. Go right at them."
"Seriously, Odd?" Ulrich yelled in disbelief.
"No, he's right." I said. And I charged at them.
The distraction was working. Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd were all able to destroy monsters. I took some hits and was low health, but there were only two Megatanks left. "It's working." I thought to myself.
Suddenly, for seemingly no reason, the Megatanks separated.
"Uh, guys..." Jeremie said. "There's a monster here I have never seen before."
From the open space came in what looked like a giant bat. It was terrifying, and it was looking at me.
I pulled back my arrow, but it darted at me. It grabbed me and pulled me in with its wings. We flew high up in the air. And suddenly, my body went numb.
There were muffled screams coming from below. Someone said, "Save Anna!" And someone else said,"Kill it!' And another said, "I can't kill it without hurting her. She's too high! The best way to save her is to get Aelita in the tower."
Then, the bat's eyes began to glow a horrifying light. It changed the color of the sky, as if its eyes were projectors. And suddenly, my memories were on display.
Tears were streaming down my cheeks. I watched myself as a small child play with my parents, laughing. I saw myself listen to the story of how they were high school sweethearts and whispering to myself that I wanted that too. I saw the day my father died and my mother's inconsolable grief. I saw us move to another town. I saw myself reading romance novels and watching every romantic film I could get my hands on. I saw myself meeting Brandon and begin dating. Then, I saw us start to argue more. I saw our explosive argument when I chose to move to France. I saw my mom crying in her room after I told her I was moving. She thought I had been asleep. I saw everything, and so did everyone else.
I had no idea what they were saying at this point. I couldn't feel my body. I felt alien in my body, and like I was that small child watching her mother mourn her father.
Then I heard a terrifying voice, "Ah, a sweet romantic. Coming here to France to live out her childhood fantasies. But you know none of that will bring your father back, right? You will never have what your parents did. You are pathetic. And here I thought I should be worried about you."
I was sobbing at this point. Uncontrollably.
Then, I felt my body move. But I couldn't control myself. And then I realized XANA was controlling me.
I was lowering on to the ground. Odd was screaming at me, telling me to try to fight it. Ulrich was screaming at Yumi to hurry up and get Aelita to the tower. Yumi was yelling at everyone to prepare to duck for cover.
I lurched. I grabbed my arrows.
The voice said, "Who shall we decimate first? Oh, right! The pink haired girl who is the only one who can deactivate my towers."
I was screaming and crying, but I felt myself targeting Aelita. She was almost at the tower. Her eyes widened. Thankfully, Ulrich sacrificed himself. She made it to the tower as he devirtualized.
"Pity," Bat/XANA said. "I will have to use you another time."
As the tower turned green, the Bat laid me on the ground in a heap. The monsters were destroyed. I could finally control my body again. And my memories stopped playing on a loop.
I was sobbing worse now. I was humiliated. Exposed.
Odd grabbed me and hugged me. He didn't say anything. He just let me cry. Yumi hugged me, too. Aelita joined in after the tower was deactivated. Jeremie didn't bother to send us back yet. He gave us space.
After what seemed like hours, I stopped crying. I finally spoke. "I'm sorry. I should have told you guys before. I just wasn't ready to share the whole dead dad story yet."
"It's okay," said Aelita. "I lost both of my parents. You aren't alone in this."
"And you've got me too," Odd said earnestly. "You have all of us."
Yumi nodded and said something, but I didn't hear. I was dissociating.
When we got back, Jeremie looked sullen. "I'm not good at words, but, are you okay?" He asked gently.
"No, not really," I said with a small smile. "But I appreciate you asking. Even if you aren't good with words."
Jeremie nodded. "This was new. This hasn't happened before. I am sorry this happened to you, and I want you to know that I will do my best so it doesn't happen again or happen to anyone else."
"Thanks, Jeremie." I squeaked.
"For now, though, take two days off of your training. You need the rest, and I need to do research. Odd, can you drive her back home?"
"Yes." Odd said. His eyes locked onto mine.
"Everyone besides Aelita, rest up. I will reach out when I know more. Good night, everyone."
So me, Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich walked out in silence.
Chapter 5: I'm Rooting For You
Chapter Text
It had been two days. Jeremie said to take two days to rest, but I was still numb. Odd tried to cheer me up, but it didn't work. I wasn't ready to let him in like that. I wasn't ready to let any of them in like that. I was exposed and vulnerable in the worst way, and I hadn't recovered.
I had many calls with Brandon and my mom. It was hard. They knew something was wrong, but I couldn't tell them what happened. They wouldn't believe me anyway.
Still, things were getting tense with Brandon. He knew I was hiding something, but he didn't know what. So he assumed it had something to do with Odd.
We argued all the time. It would happen when my friends were around and when I was alone. When they were around, I would have to leave the lunch table, their dorm rooms, etc. They always gave me a pitied look but never said anything. Until now.
We were all in Odd's room. Brandon called, and as soon as I answered it, Odd grabbed the phone out of my hand. "Odd you've got to stop grabbing my phone all the time!" I yelled. But he was on a mission.
"Hey Brandon. This is Odd here. Can you stop arguing with your girlfriend every five minutes? We are getting worried here."
I gulped. I was expecting a joke. Not that.
"Stop acting like her boyfriend, dude." Brandon said in a warning.
"Well someone has to! You sure aren't." Odd quipped.
"ODD THAT'S NOT HELPING!" I yelled. I snatched my phone back.
"YOU TELL ME NOT TO BE WORRIED, BUT HE'S CONSTANTLY FLIRTING WITH YOU AND YOU ARE ALWAYS HANGING OUT WITH HIM! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO THINK?!" Brandon was screaming. So was I.
"HE'S FRENCH! THEY ARE ALL FLIRTS. HE TOLD US ALL TWO DAYS AGO HE FLIRTED THROUGH MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. WHY CAN'T YOU JUST TRUST ME DAMN IT?!"
Brandon didn't answer. I was angry. No one else said anything. And then I had this horrible realization that while I was angry at Brandon, I had insulted Odd too.
"Brandon, I'm gonna go. I can't talk to you like this."
He hung up before I could.
I took a deep breath. "Guys, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to hear that. I'm just a walking disaster, I guess. First XANA possesses me, and now I am fighting constantly with Brandon." Tears were welling in my eyes.
I pause. "And I was unfair to you, Odd. I am sorry."
He looked up at me. He was still pained, but he said, "It's okay. I mean, it's true."
"No. It wasn't okay. But guys, I am not okay. Jeremie, I think I need more time. Can I have two more days?"
Jeremie nodded. "I haven't figured out how to prevent the Bat, but I do have a vehicle for you next time you are on Lyoko."
"Thanks, Jeremie. I appreciate it." I looked at the rest of the group. "Again, I'm sorry, guys. I'm going to go back to my dorm for the night. Let me know if anything XANA related pops up. Good night!"
The group said goodbye to me, and I walked out the door.
-
There was a pause. Everyone was waiting for Anna to walk away before speaking.
"Odd, are you okay?" Ulrich finally asked him.
"No," he said quietly.
"I mean, the good news is, it's doubtful that her relationship with Brandon will last much longer." Jeremie said, trying to sound hopeful.
"Einstein," Odd said sharply. "She was just traumatized by a new XANA monster, and her relationship is falling apart. I may hate the guy, but I am not that cruel. I don't want her to continue to suffer like this."
"Wow, Odd." Aelita said. "This isn't like you."
"Yeah, well. She still sees me as just the flirt. She wasn't wrong when she said I must have flirted with half of the women in France." Odd laughed bitterly.
"Maybe you can tell her why you flirt?" Aelita said quietly.
"Maybe." Odd said, though he wasn't convinced it would change Anna's mind.
-
The next morning, I woke up to Aelita and Yumi running into my room. The door still hadn't been replaced, so I just had a sheet covering where the door was supposed to be.
"Hey, get up. We are going on our girl's trip." Yumi said. Aelita was already rummaging through my closet, finding me an outfit and a swimsuit.
"Right now?" I asked, still unsure if I was awake or dreaming.
"Right now." Yumi barked. "You need this. You just went through hell with XANA, and your boyfriend is being a jerk. Besides, you said you wanted to get to know us better."
"Okay, but where are we going?" I asked.
"We are going to get lunch at a nice bakery that I think you will enjoy, and then going to the beach." Aelita grinned.
"Alright. Are the boys going on an adventure today, too?" I asked, slowly starting to get dressed.
"Oh yeah. They are going to watch some football." Yumi laughed. "We are going to have way more fun than them."
"Could you imagine Jeremie watching football?" Aelita was laughing. We all were.
-
"I can't believe you are dragging me here." Jeremie huffed.
"Listen, we can't let the girls have all the fun!" Odd said with a laugh.
"And we let you bring your laptop." Ulrich added.
"Can you believe Americans call this soccer? I mean, how weird is that?" Odd asked.
Ulrich and Jeremie groaned.
"So this is why he wanted to hang out?" Jeremie asked Ulrich.
"Yep. You know for a genius you can be dense sometimes." Ulrich said with a chuckle.
"But yes. Einstein, you are correct. I need you two to be my wingmen." Odd patted both of them on the back.
Ulrich and Jeremie looked at each other.
This wasn't going to be easy.
-
The girls and I were at a French bakery. We were laughing, drinking coffee, and enjoying French pastries.
Aelita and Yumi were now looking at each other. I was getting suspicious.
"What?" I asked.
"Okay, real talk. What is with you and Odd?" Yumi said bluntly. She got straight to the point.
Aelita shoved Yumi. "Yumi! You can't just ask her like that!" But she was smiling, also curious about what I would say next.
I felt my cheeks warm. "W-why would you say that? I have a boyfriend."
"Yeah, and? Brandon and you never stop arguing. You and Odd? Never stop laughing. Smiling. And you two have speed eating contests and share food from your home countries. That's love." Yumi said matter-of-factly.
"He's... Odd. He's a flirt. He said so. And I've seen it too. Yeah, he flirts with me, but I've seen him chatting up girls on campus. It's who he is." I say, not sure if I was trying to convince them or me.
"Anna, we've known Odd for years. We've seen him flirting. How he flirts with you is different. It's like it physically pains him if you don't respond. But when you do? He lights up like a school boy." Aelita said gently.
"I... I'm sorry. This is a lot to process." I couldn't think.
"We understand." Aelita said, taking Yumi's hand and then mine.
"Ready for the beach now?" Yumi asked.
"Absolutely." I was absolutely ready for the beach and for a change of subject.
-
The game was about halfway over. Jeremie was barely paying attention. Ulrich was getting into it. Normally, Odd would be too, but his mind kept going back to Anna.
"So, what do I do?" Odd asked.
"Odd, can we please just watch the game?" Ulrich said with a groan.
"No, we cannot. Not when Anna is traumatized, dating a grade A douchebag, and thinks I'm just a flirty comic relief."
"Well then, prove you aren't dumbass! Like Aelita told you!" Ulrich said this like this was the most obvious thing.
"Yeah, she's usually right about these things." Jeremie agreed.
"Okay, but how do I prove it? I don't even know why I flirt half the time."
"Yeah, you do, buddy." Ulrich was suddenly softer, gentler. Odd gulped.
Maybe he wasn't as subtle as he thought.
-
The girls and I had so much fun. We laughed, enjoyed champagne, and shared stories about love, life, and Lyoko.
When we got back to campus and ran into the boys, the boys were stunned. We were still in our bikinis. We were also still a little buzzed. We walked away, but Aelita and Yumi called out to their boyfriends. I didn't know what to say to Odd after that conversation with Yumi and Aelita. I was about to call Brandon when Yumi stopped me. "You cannot call him until you are in your dorm. Official girls day rules!" She was still quite tipsy.
"But my dorm is literally at the end of this hall!" I said with a laugh.
"Respect. The. Rules!" Aelita was just as drunk as Yumi.
"FINE!"
We got to my dorm, and they hugged me goodbye.
When they left, I couldn't help but wish I was as drunk as they had been. Maybe I would have felt less guilty about Odd. And Brandon.
"Brandon. Shit. I have to call him." I muttered.
I called. Twice. No response.
"I guess he's still pissed." I sighed and threw my phone on the bed.
Then I heard a knock on my wall.
"Can I come in?"
My breath caught. I knew that voice. It was Odd's voice.
"Sure." I said, but I wasn't sure at all.
He slowly entered my room. He stood there with his hands in his pockets. "Listen, about earlier. You are right. I am a flirt."
My heart was pounding. "Why is he telling me this?" I wondered.
"I felt love before. With Sam, my ex-girlfriend. But she broke my heart. So I just flirt now. It's easier." Odd said softly while looking at the floor, like this was his most vulnerable confession.
"I know." I said gently.
"You know?" He looked up at me, surprised.
I held his gaze. "You know how comedians are all clinically depressed? They all laugh and crack jokes because they have felt real pain. So they laugh and joke because they don't want anyone to ever feel that way. So I thought you were either depressed or scared. Maybe both."
"Wow, um. I don't know what to say." Odd stammered. He looked like he had been run over by a truck. I was suddenly aware that I was still in my bikini. I grabbed a towel and covered myself a bit more.
"Odd, your friends are all basically married. You can't tell me you don't want that. What they have." I was really looking at him now. I needed him to know that I saw him through the facade.
"I do." He said quietly.
"Then go get it." I said.
The air was thick in the room. I was keenly aware that there was not much space between us.
"What if the person I want is with someone else?" Odd said in a near whisper.
I panicked. My thoughts were racing. "Is he talking about me? It seems like it. But maybe not. But I am not ready to think about this. So I am playing dumb. Play dumb Anna!"
"Is she happy?" I asked.
Odd gave a small smile and shook his head. "I don't think so, no."
"Then wait. Be consistent. Show her you are serious. I am rooting for you, Odd." And I gave his shoulder a squeeze.
"Me too." He said softly, never leaving my gaze.
"Now Odd, if you don't mind, could you leave? I am still half naked, and I don't have a door." I said with a grin.
We both laughed. The tension had eased a bit.
"As much as it pains me to not witness you in your natural form, mademoiselle, I respect your privacy. Au revoir!" Odd gave me a wave and then left.
"Oh my God. I am rooting for you? What was I thinking?" I muttered.
Then it hit me.
Maybe I was rooting for him.
-
"Odd, you are pacing again. Seriously. It's only October and you have already nearly burned a hole in our carpet twice." Ulrich tried to sound mock serious, but Odd knew he was genuinely worried.
"I told her why I flirt. That I had my heart broken, and she said she knew. SHE KNEW. And that comedians are all clinically depressed, so she thought the reason I laugh and joke was either that I was depressed or scared. Like, am I that obvious?" Odd was spiraling. He knew it.
"Wow, she said that?"
"Yes, she did. Then I asked her, "What if the person I want is with someone else?" It was very heavily implied that I was talking about her. And you know what she does next? She asked me if she is happy, and when I said no, she gives me ADVICE. Anna told me to stay consistent and show that I was serious."
Ulrich was howling at this point. "Dude, she's got you pegged. She sees right through the flirting, but somehow didn't know you were talking about her? And gave you advice on how to be with her?! This is going to be good."
"You haven't even heard the kicker!"
"What's that?" Ulrich seriously doubted anything could top that.
"She said, and I quote, 'I'm rooting for you.'" Odd couldn't stop himself from smiling.
Ulrich was enthusiastic. "Yes! Odd. This is great. It may not have gone entirely how you had hoped, but this is still good."
"I know." Odd smiled.
Ulrich put his hand on Odd's shoulder. "And I'm rooting for you too, buddy."
"Ulrich, I swear I am going to smack you with a pillow!"
But he didn't. He was happy. And looking forward to whatever came next.
Chapter 6: Surprise Visit and Lutefisk
Chapter Text
It was October. No one knew my birthday was coming up soon. I wanted to keep it that way. I felt like I had enough attention on me the past few weeks, and honestly I could use a break. Besides, everyone was still on edge after the last XANA attack. They were wondering when he would attack next, and if he would put anyone else's trauma on display.
One morning, we were all hanging out in my dorm room to celebrate the fact that I now had a door again. And the gang started asking me questions.
Yumi started first. "So, you're American. What part of the United States do you hail from?"
"Minnesota."
Everyone gave confused looks.
"I am pretty sure that's not a real place." Odd stated firmly.
Even Jeremie was confused. "Is that, north?"
So I grabbed my maps of the United States and of Minnesota, because my mom was adamant I would need them.
"Remind me to thank my Mom later." I said with a smile.
Odd then Googled Minnesota, and he was stunned. "How do you survive such cold winters? Why do you have so many lakes?"
I laughed so hard my belly hurt. "So to answer your first question, layers. Always wear layers. And you get used to it after awhile. That's why I still wear shorts while you all are in sweatshirts and sweatpants. You guys have never seen real cold. As for the second? Yeah I can't answer that. I'm not God."
"You could've fooled me." Odd said quietly.
I felt my cheeks flush. I didn't know what to say. Ulrich threw a pillow at him. "Seriously Odd?"
"You're right, you're right. Sorry. Flirting is just a reflex. I will work on it. I will be serious. But I am curious. What do you miss most about home?"
Odd's sincerity caught me off guard.
"Honestly? My mom. And her cooking."
I smiled. And then it hit me, I forgot to say Brandon. Shit. "Oh and Brandon, obviously." I hoped I looked convincing. But based on their facial expressions, I would say I did not.
But Odd continued to smile gently. "So what does she make?"
I got really excited. Embarrassingly so. "Okay, so. Minnesotans have some dishes we are known for. We like Tater Tot Hotdish, Chicken Wild Rice soup, and we have these casseroles and salads that are basically jello desserts. I would KILL for Strawberry Salad right now. It's just strawberries, strawberry jello, and whipped cream. And it's delicious."
Everyone laughed.
"I'm sorry, but really? That's nowhere near as good as French cuisine!" Yumi cackled.
"Yeah and what's the deal with Minnesotans loving jello so much?" Ulrich said with a giggle.
I was laughing too at this point. "What can I say? It's home! I miss it okay? All the weird accents and the "ope, let me scooch by ya here real quick" and hotdish. I love it."
But Odd didn't laugh. He just smiled knowingly.
"I get it. That makes sense."
"Thank you Odd." I said.
"Is something wrong Odd? You seem different." Jeremie asked.
"Yeah. When Einstein notices something, you know something is off. What gives Odd?" Ulrich asked.
"Nothing! I'm just trying to be respectful of her homeland." Odd said.
"Well I appreciate it. Thank you Odd."
"This is so weird." Ulrich said.
There was a pause. Then I said "Hey guys, it's late. Do you mind heading out so I can sleep?"
They all muttered, "Oh yeah it is late." And some "good nights" and headed out the door. Little did I know, more was in store for me.
-
"Okay, we are now at the end of the hallway. I can tell you my plans." Odd said quickly.
"Odd, what are you talking about?" Aelita asked.
"Aelita, SHHH! I am swearing you all to the utmost secrecy until this Friday!"
"Okay Odd. Spill it. What's the deal?" Ulrich asked.
"So, you know Anna's mom loves me, right? Well, she messaged me saying that Anna's birthday is on Friday, and that she wasn't planning on doing anything. And that offended her. Greatly. So her mom entrusted me to plan her a surprise birthday celebration!" Odd was practically vibrating with excitement.
"So that's why you were so interested when we were talking about Minnesota!" Aelita said enthusiastically.
"Yes, and no. I like knowing more about her. But yes, her birthday will be Minnesota themed. I need your help looking into Minnesota culture and how to make her feel at home in France."
"Damn Odd, this is gold. If she doesn't fall in love with you, I will." Ulrich said with a laugh.
"Hey now!" Yumi said while playfully hitting Ulrich's arm. But she was laughing too.
-
The next morning, I walked to the cafeteria to have breakfast with the gang. They were all giggling. When I asked them what was going on, they said nothing. Which was suspicious. "Guys, it's Tuesday. It is too early in the week to be this weird. Spill it."
But just then, I heard a familiar voice. "While I hate to interrupt your interrogation, I have something I need to share. I seem to also have been keeping a secret from you."
I whipped around so fast. "Brandon?! What?! How are you even here?! I thought flights were too expensive."
He put up his hand to cut me off. "Yes, well. They are significantly cheaper in the middle of the week. Coming in on a Tuesday and leaving on a Thursday helps. So while I won't technically be here on your birthday, I am still here to celebrate. With you."
He pulled me into a kiss. I melted.
Ulrich clears his throat. I forgot they were all there.
"Oh my gosh, sorry. Guys, this is Brandon. Brandon, this is everyone."
Brandon smiled and shook hands with Aelita, Jeremie, Yumi, Ulrich, and then Odd.
When he got to Odd, he said, "So this is the project partner I've been hearing so much about. You aren't falling for my girlfriend, are you?"
Odd cleared his throat. "I mean... yeah, she's gorgeous. She's fantastic. But we're project partners. Not partners-partners. You're good there, buddy!" And he playfully nudged Brandon's shoulder. Brandon still looked tense.
"So what is going on? I know I came in during an interrogation. What is this secret?" Brandon asked in a mock serious tone.
I giggle. "Yes, please! Tell me everything."
Odd started to say something, but Aelita cut him off. "Really, it's nothing. We were just talking about Odd sneaking Kiwi onto campus. No big deal."
I laugh. "No big deal? That sounds amazing! I would love to meet your dog."
Odd's ears turned the faintest shade of pink. I saw it. Brandon frowned, so I knew he saw. But he said, "It's not such a big deal. Kiwi lived with me and Ulrich throughout our time at Kadic."
"What?! Seriously?! How did you not get caught?!" I was laughing uncontrollably now.
"Well, he had us all in on it. We all helped out." Ulrich said.
"Well, while this is fascinating, I only have a short time here. Anna, would you mind giving me a tour?" He extended his arm so I could link mine in his. I smiled and accepted.
"Sure." I said. "You guys know where to find me in case of, um, emergencies."
Brandon looked confused. "Emergencies?"
Before they could say anything, I said, "Yeah, I mean Odd is planning to sneak Kiwi onto campus. You heard them. They almost got caught before. If I need to stash Kiwi, I will do it. I respect a dog owner's love for their animal. So yes. Call me for any dog related emergencies."
Odd smiled. "Will do." And Brandon and I walked away.
-
No one said anything at first. The air was thick.
Finally, Odd said, "So much for throwing the best birthday party ever. Her boyfriend just surprised her by traveling across the ocean for two days. How do I even compete with that?"
"Oh Odd." Aelita said. Then she gave him a tight hug.
"They've been struggling," Jeremie began, clearing his throat. "I imagine the joy will be short lived. Which means if you want to increase the chances she falls for you..."
"I stay consistent. Just like she said. I know." Odd was looking down at his sneakers now. "I just hated seeing how excited she got when she saw him." He said softly.
"We don't have to do this, you know. He's here. You don't have to plan anything, man." Ulrich said.
Odd threw his head up so abruptly it caught everyone off guard. "What are you talking about? Of course I do! We might not be dating, but she still deserves a nice birthday. And I am NOT disappointing Mrs. Fisher. She loves me."
The gang chuckled.
"So what do you need us to do, Odd?" Yumi asked.
"First, we need to acquire ingredients for Tater Tot Hotdish, Jello Salad, Chicken Wild Rice Soup, and something called Lutefisk. Then, we need to practice our Minnesotan accents. We also need to sew jerseys for the Minnesota Vikings, Timberwolves, and Wild. We need to post pictures of the Mall of America and some of the 10,000 Lakes. We also need to get cake and ice cream. Oh! And someone needs to help me scramble Kiwi onto campus. Aelita, since that was your lie, you want to take point on that one?"
"It would be my pleasure." Aelita said with a mischievous grin.
"Great! So Operation Homecoming is a go then. Thanks, everyone!" Odd said with a laugh.
And they began their preparations.
-
Meanwhile, I was with Brandon in my dorm room. He said he wanted to see that first, which I thought made sense. And then he wanted to have sex, which again, I thought made sense. But this? Was different. It wasn't loving, it was claiming.
"I'm sorry," Brandon said softly. A trickle of guilt in his voice. I was applying lotion and makeup to all the hickeys on my neck.
"You never gave me a hickey before. And now I have ten. TEN. What's wrong with you?" I snapped.
"I just missed you. I guess I got carried away." He tried to hug me, but I shrugged him off.
"This didn't feel loving. It feels like you were marking your territory. Is this because of Odd?" I said. Glaring at him.
He then started yelling. "Well, what do you expect? He looks like he's undressing you with his eyes."
"Well, he hasn't undressed me. Only you get to do that. And after all this," I said, gesturing to my neck, "I don't know if you can anymore."
He went quiet.
"I meant what I said, you know. I want a tour. Why don't you show me other spots. Maybe we can go to Paris for the day? See the Eiffel Tower? I don't want to ruin this trip. I am only here for two days."
I sighed. "I know. And you did come all the way here. I don't want to ruin it either. Let's go."
I sent a text to the group chat.
"We are spending the day in Paris. Let me know if any emergencies happen, Kiwi or otherwise 😉."
And we left.
-
The group was still at the cafeteria planning for Friday when they received the text. Odd's face fell.
"Odd, are you okay?"
He fixed his face and forced it into a smile. "Yes! This works perfectly. We can now run off and get ingredients and plan everything else. Let's review the tasks again. Aelita, you are acquiring Kiwi. Yumi, you are on sewing duty."
"Because that's not sexist at all." Yumi groaned.
"Yumi, you are literally the only one who can sew." Odd said. Then he continued. "Jeremie, you are fetching ingredients. We need to start on the lutefisk right away to prepare it by Friday. Ulrich, get pictures of Minnesota-related things for decorations. And remember everyone, we all need to perfect our accents."
"And what will you be doing, Odd?" Ulrich asked.
"Me? I have the hardest task of all. I have to make sure she doesn't find out. I have to keep track of your tasks, hide them from her, and set everything up."
The group muttered their agreement.
"She is too observant." Jeremie agreed. "Good luck, Odd. You will need it."
"Oh, I am looking forward to this." Odd said to himself.
Everyone had split up. Odd was following Anna's location on Find My Friends. "Crap, she's getting close to Jeremie's location. He's getting ingredients in Paris." He muttered to himself.
He called Jeremie. "Einstein! Abort! She's rounding the corner with Brandon."
"Received!" Jeremie yelled. Then he hid in a bush.
"Oh, you have to try this bakery." Anna said with a giggle.
"You got it, Princess!" Brandon said.
Jeremie waited a moment.
"Odd, I think I'm in the clear. I hid in a bush. I watched him grab her butt. I have been scarred for life."
"Ew Jeremie. I didn't need to know that! Keep those observations to yourself!" But in all honesty, he wanted to know. Even if it killed him.
After a few minutes, Jeremie was able to get all the ingredients. As he was about to pay, his laptop went off. "XANA alert. Oh no." He quickly paid for the food and ran out. He called Odd.
"Odd! XANA alert. Right now. You are closest to the factory. I need you to prepare everything. I will let the group know. Aelita is almost back from your parent's house."
"Got it. Thanks, Einstein!"
"No problem! Hey, listen. Odd, she might figure it out if we are all late to the factory. Try to come up with something."
Odd suddenly felt nervous. "Crap, you're right. Any ideas?"
"Nope." Jeremie said.
"Dang it." Odd groaned.
-
I got the XANA alert while I was with Brandon.
"Crap."
"What's wrong?" Brandon asked, concern in his voice.
"It's a Kiwi emergency. Look, I have to go. Let me bring you back to the dorm room, and I will help shuffle him around. I will be back quick."
"Seriously?! You are doing this all for your friend's DOG?!" Brandon was clearly upset.
I faltered. I didn't want to lie to him, but I could not avoid a XANA alert.
"Y-yes. Dogs are family. And it won't take long. Besides, you are probably jet lagged. Just take a nap for a couple hours and I will be right back. Promise." I kissed him on the cheek.
"Fine." He muttered.
-
Odd was scrambling. He was constantly refreshing Find My Friends, scanning the news, and being on alert for XANA zombies. He already knocked one unconscious.
"Aelita! You came! And you brought Kiwi!" He never had felt so happy to see Aelita in his entire life.
"Yes, well. Kiwi knows XANA is around. I feel bad leaving him by the computer, but no one else is here, and we have to go."
"No worries. I got him. You go in." Jeremie came in. He was panting.
"JEREMIE! Thank goodness. How did you beat Anna?"
Jeremie blinked. "I may have purposely messed with the traffic lights to slow her down." He said sheepishly.
"And that's why we love you, Einstein! Come on, Aelita!" Odd started towards the scanners.
In that moment, Ulrich and Yumi came in. "We're here! Did we beat Anna?"
"Yes, but barely." Anna said. "You wouldn't BELIEVE how many red lights we hit. It felt like XANA was doing it on purpose or something."
"Or something." Jeremie said. "Now all of you, go!"
-
We did as he asked. We were all in Lyoko.
"Oh and Anna, your chariot has arrived." Jeremie said over the intercom.
"Whoa," I muttered. Everyone muttered their agreement. We were all staring at black motorcycle with flames on the sides.
"It flies too, and emits fire. Seemed appropriate for you. Now go get those monsters!"
"Will do Einstein!" I yelled. I was going to enjoy this.
"Why is her motorcycle cooler than my overbike? Why does she get two wheels and flames?" Ulrich yelled, clearly frustrated.
"Because I'm me, that's why!" I said. "Let me race you!" And I jetted off.
"Hey now! My overboard is way faster." Odd said.
Everyone else wanted in, too. When we arrived at the monsters in the desert sector, we all tied. It was too close to call.
"Next time!" I yelled.
Odd and I were teamed up again. We were perfectly in sync.
"Explosion or Precision?" He asked.
"Oh, explosion." I laughed.
"Bombs away!" He laughed too. Three monsters exploded. This was too easy.
Everyone was looking at each other. They didn't say anything.
"Explosion or Precision?" I asked.
"Oh, precision." Odd said.
"That is precisely what I was going to say!" I laughed.
"Oh my, you are rivaling me at bad puns!" He hit his target.
"Oh, I don't know if anyone could do that!"
"Hey, wait. You two stop flirting. I think I see the Bat thing." Ulrich yelled.
We all froze. We all started attacking it, but it was too fast. And it grabbed Aelita and propelled her in the air.
"Aelita!" I yelled helplessly.
Her memories were on display. It felt so strange. Last time I felt exposed with mine being projected on Lyoko for all to see. This time, seeing it happen to someone else somehow felt worse. Like I was the invader. I saw her parents. I saw her cry when her mother died and when her father was taken. I saw her lose her memories. I saw the Scyphozoa take her repeatedly. I saw sides of her I had never seen before.
And then it hit me: We can't defeat this guy without her. We need to get her to the tower.
"Hold on Aelita. I'm coming!" I yelled.
Odd stopped me. "Your arrows could explode. I will go."
I nodded. "You're right. Go get her Odd."
Ulrich, Yumi and I focused on the monsters. We heard her screams. We heard her sobbing. We wanted to give her space, and knew we would better help with the monsters than up above.
"Oh Aelita. Daddy's brave little girl. But Daddy isn't here anymore, is he?" The Bat said coldly. I felt my blood boil.
Just then, Odd landed an arrow right on the Bat's target, and he exploded.
"She has us now, you bloodsucker!" He then caught Aelita and brought her down. Aelita was sobbing, but quickly pulled herself up.
"I have to go."
We all nodded.
"Go, we got you."
We all blocked her. We circled around her, protecting her from remaining monsters. She ran in and deactivated the tower.
When she came out, I grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Everyone else joined in. We were all silent as she wept.
Finally she said, "That was horrible. I have never felt so exposed."
"I get it. I went through it, too. You have me to talk to. And what I saw, I know I wasn't there for any of it, and I had no right to see it. But what I saw was a brave girl who saved the world. Nothing more. And I want you to know that." I said. Tears streaming down my cheeks.
We looked at each other. Really looked at each other. We knew in that moment that we had shared an experience that no one else had. We were connected now.
-
I was back in my dorm. Brandon was asleep. I had been there for an hour before he finally awoke.
"How long have you been standing there?" He asked, blinking sleep out of his eyes.
"Just an hour." I said with a smile.
"Why didn't you wake me? That's so creepy!" He laughed.
"I don't know I just, missed you. I haven't seen you wake up in ages. I missed that."
Brandon then pulled me into a kiss. That night, sex felt loving.
-
The next two days were kind of a blur. Everyone was off, Aelita especially. Brandon knew something was wrong, and he asked about Kiwi. "Did Kiwi die?"
There were small chuckles.
"No man. Kiwi is alive. He did scare us though, but he will be okay. Thanks man." Odd gave a small smile.
We then spent the day at The Louvre and watching mimes. Then on Thursday we had a romantic picnic in front of the Eiffel Tower.
"Thanks for coming. " I whispered in his ear.
"Of course. I love you." He said as he kissed my cheek.
I then felt a pang in my chest. I didn't say it back. He didn't seem to notice, but for some reason, I felt guilty in that moment. Like my heart was elsewhere. And I had a feeling I knew exactly who it was with.
When I dropped Brandon off at the airport. I still felt guilty. He and I hugged and kissed goodbye and he didn't notice anything was off, which made me feel worse. So when I got home that night, I just crawled into bed and closed my eyes. Maybe I would feel less horrible when I woke up.
-
The next morning, I was planning on sleeping in. But as soon as my alarm went off at 7 AM, Odd Della Robbia banged on the door. "Miss Americana, we demand you open this door this instant!"
"It's 7 AM," I groaned.
"Open the door Anna before Odd combusts." Yumi yelled.
"Why would he combust?" I asked as I opened the door.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA!" Everyone yelled. Kiwi jumped on me and started kicking my face.
"Aww thanks Kiwi! And thanks everyone. How did you know it was my birthday?" I asked, stunned.
Odd held up his phone. To my shock, my mother was on FaceTime.
"I told him sweetie." She said with a grin. "I also told him it was tradition to wake you up at 7 AM and make you pancakes with strawberries, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and sprinkles.
As she was talking, Odd whipped out a griddle. He was preparing pancakes, while Ulrich and Jeremie were preparing eggs and bacon, and Yumi and Aelita were dishing out the strawberry Jello salad.
"We have more for you later too. Expect a day full of Minnesota themed activities!" Odd said excitedly.
"Thanks guys. And thanks mom." I said wiping tears from my eyes.
"Happy Birthday sweetie. Enjoy your breakfast. I will talk to you later." And she hung up the phone.
"So, should I grab some clothes and change in the bathroom?" I asked.
"Absolutely not! Your mom says you get breakfast in your pajamas. That's the rule."
"Odd is very particular about the rules." Ulrich said with a smirk.
"Indeed I am." Odd clapped back.
"Which is very unlike you." Aelita said, raising her brow.
I was just taking it all in. The food. The laughter.
We had so much fun throughout that morning. Everyone did their own impressions of Minnesotan accents and I ranked them for accuracy. Odd was closest. Jeremie's was the most off.
When they finally allowed me to change into my clothes, I came back to find them in jerseys for Minnesota sport teams. Odd even made himself a Vikings hat with braids. I laughed uncontrollably at that.
"What? I thought this was the fashion!" Odd almost seemed genuinely hurt.
"Oh it is Odd! It's just you with braids is too much for my heart to bear."
He smiled broadly at this. "Well my dear, you will just have to bear it."
The afternoon was spent going to my favorite places in France while the gang had to continue speaking in their bad Minnesotan accents and wearing jerseys. I definitely took pictures and videos to send to my mom and Brandon.
As evening approached, we all gathered around in Odd's dorm room. He told me he had a very special feast planned. He presented me with tater tot hotdish and more jello salad.
"Jeremie, where is our main dish?" Odd asked.
"I uh, wasn't sure I made it right. Let me get it. It's in the hall." Jeremie said sheepishly.
"The hall?" I asked, very confused.
Then I realized it as he brought it in. The smell followed and burned my nostrils. It was horrifying.
"LUTEFISK!" I bent over howling with laughter as the rest of the gang started to gag.
"Jeremie, what did you do?" Odd asked accusingly.
I howled even louder. "He didn't do anything! He made it right. It's just lutefisk is horrible. Even most Minnesotans don't eat it. We are afraid of it. Only the most devoted Scandinavians try it. I've never eaten it in my life!"
"Oh thank God!" Ulrich yelled. "Quick, let's dispose of that."
So Ulrich, Jeremie and Odd all disposed of it. Aelita, Yumi and I just looked at each other.
"He did this all for you, you know." Aelita said.
"I know." I said. I couldn't hide my smile.
Yumi and Aelita looked at each other like they knew.
Ulrich and Jeremie came in, with Odd trailing behind with a cake. "You like double chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream, correct?"
"Correct." I said, gazing into Odd's eyes.
He matched my intensity and said, "Make a wish."
I blew out the candle and blew the smoke in Odd's direction. He raised his eyebrow. The rest of the gang was eyeing us suspiciously.
I knew I was in trouble.
Chapter 7: Hot Girl Summer But In The Fall
Chapter Text
It was late November now. The air was getting colder. Things were ramping up in school as we were all preparing for mid terms. We've had several XANA attacks since my birthday. The air had shifted.
Jeremie still hadn't figured out how to stop the Bat. Ulrich, Yumi and Odd were all on edge wondering if they were going to be next. Aelita and I had become closer. We trauma bonded after having this shared experience of being so violently exposed and having our memories be weaponized against us. Jeremie seemed out of place in the group now. He wasn't at risk for being exposed by XANA like that, and he hadn't been exposed to XANA like that. All he could do was try to figure out how to fight against the Bat, but he couldn't. He felt like a failure.
We were all studying together in silence in my dorm room. Silence happened a lot these days. Odd was normally the one to try to crack a joke and lighten the mood. But he didn't. He hadn't been doing that in a couple of weeks. I stared at him. He was staring at the same page in his textbook that he had been staring at twenty minutes ago. Aelita met my glance and gave me a knowing look. I felt my cheeks flush.
I cleared my throat. Everyone was looking at me now.
"This is awkward. This has been awkward. Yumi, Ulrich and Odd look terrified of mid terms and the potential of having their worst nightmares exposed by XANA. Jeremie looks racked with guilt. Somehow me and Aelita are the most okay out of all of us, and we aren't even okay."
The group was leaning in. I definitely caught their attention now.
"I am constantly fighting with Brandon. I have nightmares when I sleep. I don't know how I am going to pass my next Biology exam, which I need to pass because Jeremie caused me to fail the first one."
I glared at Jeremie. He winced.
"But even I know when I need a break. We need a vacation. I know it's cold out, but why don't we go to the beach tomorrow? We need a reset. What do you think guys?"
I looked at them all. Hopefully. Desperately.
Aelita spoke first. A smile forming on her mouth. "I think it's brilliant. It's a team building exercise."
Odd agreed. "I've been staring blankly at this page hoping it will somehow make sense if I keep staring at it. You know I'm in."
"Us too." Ulrich and Yumi said in unison, holding hands.
Yumi added. "We've been talking about how scared we are. We've been through so much together. We need this."
I turn to Jeremie.
"Jeremie?"
"I can't." He mumbled. Not looking at me.
"Why not?" I asked.
"I need to find a solution for the Bat. You all deserve that. I can't believe I haven't figured it out yet." He was looking at the floor.
Aelita walked over to him and pulled him towards her. "Jeremie, we don't blame you. I don't blame you. We know how hard you've been working. The Bat is XANA's fault, not yours."
Odd stood up and squeezed Jeremie's shoulder. "You need a break most of all. You are going. And yes, you can bring your laptop. But it HAS to stay in the car. You got that Jeremie?"
Jeremie smiled. "I accept your terms and conditions."
We all cheered.
Odd came up to me. "That was a great idea Anna. Thank you."
"You're welcome." I said.
We then started planning. The girls would get ready at Yumi's place. The boys in Odd's dorm. We would then meet up at the beach. The girls would bring food, and the boys would provide entertainment.
"Perfect." I said.
I heard my phone buzzing. I groaned. It was Brandon. The rest of the group knew it too.
"Well I have to take this. Since we have everything planned, let's call it a night. Everyone go home, and rest up for tomorrow. I will see you there."
-
They had all quickly filed out of my room. They knew the drill at this point. It was getting embarrassing.
"What?" I yelled at Brandon. "What is it this time?"
"I was just wondering if you were finally going to admit that you are sleeping with Odd Della Robbia."
"I am not going to admit something that's not true."
I heard a knock at my door.
"Hey, sorry. I forgot my textbook." Odd said quietly.
"Shit, he's even there right now! You can't tell me you aren't sleeping with the guy."
Odd was about to say something, but I beat him to it.
"You know what Brandon? Yes. I am sleeping with Odd Della Robbia. He ravages me nightly. Just last night he took me under the Eiffel Tower. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
There was stunned silence.
Brandon ended the call. I turned to face Odd.
I had never seen him look like that. He was angry. Furious.
"Odd, I am so sorry. I..."
"Am I just a joke to you? A punchline for your piece of shit boyfriend? God I am already the punchline in my friend group. I didn't think I would be yours too." He was waving his arms around like a madman.
"Odd, you are not a joke. That's not what I meant. I just got tired of him not believing me and I just snapped... hang on. Your friend group? Like I am not a part of it?" Now my face was twitching.
Odd was silent. Caught between fury and anguish.
"I think you should go." I said cooly.
"Yeah. I think that makes sense." Odd said as he slammed my door shut.
-
"You said WHAT to her?" Ulrich snapped at Odd.
"I didn't say anything bad, I just didn't correct her when she misunderstood something." Odd sighed.
"Not cool dude." Yumi smirked.
They were all in Odd's dorm. He had called Ulrich in such a panic that Ulrich immediately came to help him, and dragged Yumi with. Yumi was annoyed that Odd was causing her to miss out on a romantic evening with Ulrich.
"She said we were sleeping together to get back at Brandon. And I don't know I snapped." Odd said in desperation.
"Look Odd. Ulrich and I were about to have a romantic candlelit dinner, so I'm going to be straight with you. Get over yourself. You know she and him fight every night. He accuses her of cheating every time. She denies it, every time. It makes sense she snapped. Had it been me, I would've a long time ago. She tried to apologize, and then you made her feel like we aren't her friends. This is on you."
Ulrich nodded in solemn agreement.
"So what do I do then?" Odd said quietly.
"Well, she and Brandon are at a breaking point. You wait for them to fall apart, and be there as her support when it does. And you apologize, and remind her she is one of us. And we will all do the same." Ulrich said softly.
"And on that note," Yumi got up and grabbed her bags. "Ulrich and I are going to dinner. See you tomorrow."
-
That night I texted Aelita.
Me: Aelita, he was so angry. So hurt. And I felt horrible. But then he said he was the joke of his friend group, and then I realized, I am not a part of it. At least, not according to him.
Aelita: You ARE a part of this group. We have all adopted you as our favorite American.
Aelita: Also, he adopted you first. We all followed his lead. He wanted you in the group more than anyone.
Me: Sure as hell didn't seem like it.
Aelita: I think he's tired of waiting.
Me: For what?
Aelita: You.
My heart felt like it was going to come out of my chest. My heart beat kept getting faster and faster. I had to set my phone down.
About ten minutes later, Aelita texts me again.
Aelita: Too soon?
I didn't respond.
-
That morning, Aelita and I showed up at Yumi's together. We got on cute bikinis and started gathering some supplies. I started grabbing alcohol.
"You sure are grabbing a lot. Are you okay?" Yumi asked, like a concerned older sister.
"Oh, you didn't hear? Brandon isn't talking to me. Odd heard me saying to Brandon that Odd ravages me nightly, and took it personally. And he basically said I wasn't in the friend group. So I am drinking today, and wearing a hot red bikini and focusing on me. Because fuck men."
Aelita and Yumi shared a worried look.
"Are you sure?" Aelita asked gently.
"Oh absolutely. This is a hot girl summer. But in the fall." I say matter of fact.
"Well in that case," Yumi started to grin. "Let's knock em dead."
-
"When do you think they will get here?" Odd was getting impatient. He kept looking at his watch and checking for Anna. He knew he had to talk to her and make things right. Or try to at least.
"Dude stop asking that. You just asked five minutes ago." Ulrich grunted.
"Technically, it was 3 minutes and 47 seconds ago that he last asked." Jeremie replied.
"Fine! Okay I get it. It's excessive, but where ARE they?!" Odd was rubbing his temples in frustration.
Suddenly, a bunch of guys down the beach started whistling. Odd, Ulrich, and Jeremie turned around to follow the noise, and saw what they were looking at.
"Holy shit." Odd said. Jeremie and Ulrich nodded in agreement.
Anna, Aelita and Yumi were walking across the beach. Yumi stunned in a sleek black bikini and a stylish sun hat. Aelita rocked a pink bikini, paired with pink sandals. Anna was wearing a red bikini, paired with a matching red lip and black sunglasses.
"They look like Charlie's Angels." Ulrich muttered. He was in a trance. Yumi was not one to show much skin, so when she did, he was gone.
Jeremie started to frown. "They look amazing, yes. But, should we say anything to those guys who just whistled?"
The guys were thinking about what to do when they overheard one of them say "Hey ladies! Are you all interested in some beers?" Aelita and Yumi declined. "Nah, we are going to meet up with our boyfriends. Thanks though!"
But to the shock of everyone, Anna said "I will take one. They all can wait. I am planning on having some fun tonight."
Aelita and Yumi paused, looking concerned. "Are you sure?"
The guy interrupted. "Of course she's sure! And your group is right over there right? You will be right there if anything happens to her. You have nothing to worry about."
Aelita and Yumi looked at Anna. "That's not what we meant. Anna are you sure about this?"
"Yes I am. It's just one beer. I will be there soon. Okay?"
"Okay. See you soon." Aelita said, trying to force a smile.
Aelita and Yumi walked up to the boys.
"What the HELL?!" Odd yelled. "What is she doing over there? Why did you let her go over there?!"
"Calm down Odd! We don't want them to hear us." Yumi hissed.
"Still, what is she doing over there?" Ulrich asked.
They were all staring as Anna was laughing with the group of guys. There were three of them and they were all in their early twenties. The one she had been talking to earlier had dark hair, and blue eyes. He had an athletic build and a white smile.
After a moment, Aelita said, "She's having a hot girl summer, but in the fall."
Odd was seriously debating marching over there and taking Anna with him. He was going to yell at those assholes for flirting with her, and yell at her for allowing it.
But instead, he let out a long exhale and asked, "Why?"
Aelita paused. "She and Brandon are on the rocks. You yelled at her last night and made her feel like she isn't one of us. She's exhausted. I think she's tired of getting her feelings hurt, so she wants something simple."
"Simple." Odd shook his head. "She is far from simple."
"I know." Aelita said. "That's why I'm worried. This isn't going to last."
"Then why aren't you going over there?" Odd snapped.
Aelita gave him a stern look. "Because that will make things worse. Besides, she needs to figure this out herself."
They all muttered in agreement. Odd looked back, but he knew Aelita was right.
After about ten minutes, the three guys lifted Anna over their heads. She was laughing. "Toss me into the ocean!" She yelled.
Odd had enough. He ran over there and got in their faces.
"She has a boyfriend!" He yelled.
The three guys set Anna down quickly.
"Sorry dude. We didn't know she was taken."
"He's not my boyfriend!" She slurred.
"Jesus, how many beers did you drink?" Odd yelled as he grabbed her wrist.
She tried to take her wrist back, but was having trouble walking straight.
"One, several." She said while laughing.
"Seriously you need to lay down." They were by the others, who also looked worried.
"No, I don't. You don't get to tell me what to do. You aren't my boyfriend. Last night you said you weren't my friend, and you all aren't my friends either. So I am making more. Cheers to hot girl fall!"
"That's not what I meant, I just got angry about what you said to Brandon..." Odd started to say.
"BRANDON! I need to call him. I ignored his texts all day."
"I don't think that's a good idea." Aelita said while trying to take the phone away.
"Too late!"
"Hi dipshit! How's the dipshit life going for you? Dipshit! Dipshit! DIPSHIT!" Anna was yelling at her screen now.
"What the hell? Are you drunk?! Is Odd there? He got you wasted didn't he?! Brandon was screaming.
"No I didn't! I was trying to help out actually." Odd said, but to no avail. Anna was now puking into the ocean.
"We should go." Odd said quietly.
"Sounds about right. Please tell her I still expect a phone call tomorrow, hangover or no."
"That's...fair." Odd said, quietly hanging up the phone.
Aelita was holding Anna's hair back. Yumi was grabbing her water. Ulrich and Jeremie were standing off to the side, looking unsure what to do.
"Some beach day," Odd muttered.
"Some beach day," they agreed.
-
"MOTHER-" I jolted awake. My head was pounding. "Where am I?"
"You had quite the night last night." Yumi was eyeing me closely. She looked exhausted.
"Do you remember anything?" Aelita asked.
"You're here too? Shit. It must have been pretty bad." I said.
"Yeah the guys helped bring you back to my house. You were passed out. Do you remember anything before that?" Yumi said with a soft chuckle.
"I... was planning a hot girl summer, but in the fall. I was talking to some guys, Odd intervened. I yelled at him. And..."
My eyes widened. "Did I call Brandon a dipshit?"
"You sure did." Yumi was laughing. Aelita was trying to hold it in.
"And then I puked my guts out." I said.
"Yep, and passed out. You got it." Yumi said, satisfied with my memory.
"Brandon wants you to call him. Here's your phone." Aelita passed it over.
"God I'm not looking forward to this. But I owe him an apology." I muttered as I unlocked my phone.
"We will give you privacy," Aelita said as she and Yumi walked away into the other room.
I nodded my thanks as I waited for him to pick up. He picked up after the second ring.
"Well?" Brandon said, clearly unimpressed.
"I-I'm sorry." I began.
"Sorry for what? Calling me a dipshit, or fucking Odd Della Robbia?"
"For calling you a dipshit. Odd and I are just friends, we've never..."
"But he wants to. I can tell. I know how guys like that work. And you want to give it to him. I know you do." He yelled.
"Stop, my head hurts..."
"Your head wouldn't hurt if you hadn't drank so much and decided to be a slut on the beach." Brandon was livid now.
I felt myself shrink. "I know. I shouldn't have been so stupid. I was talking about a Hot Girl Summer, but in the fall..."
"You WHAT?! So you decided to get drunk, where a skimpy bikini, and flirt wirh random guys on the beach?!"
"Yes? But Brandon, it wasn't like that. You've been yelling at me and I wanted to just have fun. This hasn't been fun."
"Fun huh? You think I'm having fun? You moved away, are meeting new people, and being a slut on a beach."
"I know."
"You are lucky I love you. No one would ever love you like me. You know that right?"
"I know that Brandon. I know." I hung up the call, and wiped a tear from my face.
Aelita and Yumi came in.
"I'm sorry, XANA alert. Are you good to go? You can stay behind if you want."
"No, I will go." I said. "Let me just take a Tylenol and we will head out."
-
We all arrived at the same time. The elevator was thick with tension.
"So. How are you feeling?" Odd asked softly.
"Head hurts. I am mortified. Brandon hates me. I hate me. So you know, standard Saturday. You?"
"I hate me too. I'm sorry I made you feel like we aren't friends. That we aren't all your friends. You belong here." He looked at me.
I don't know what compelled me to do this, but I pulled him into a big hug and cried a little. "Thank you."
Odd seemed stunned at first, but smiled and rested his arms around my back. "You're welcome."
"Well this was sweet, but uh, we have a mission here." Ulrich said, with mock seriousness.
We pull apart.
"Shut up." I said.
-
Everyone was on Lyoko. Odd couldn't stop looking at Anna.
"Precision or explosion?" She asked.
He hadn't thought that far ahead. "Well, what do you think? I trust your judgement."
"Precision." She said softly. "I know it's risky, but if I can target the Bat before it gets close and grabs someone, I can destroy it. No one else's memories need to be on display."
God she was so considerate. "That sounds great."
"Then what are you waiting for? There are some monsters that way Cat Boy." She said with a mischievous grin.
God she had no idea how much that messed with his brain. "Cat Boy?"
She rolled her eyes. "Just kill those monsters."
"Yes ma'am."
Odd was showing off. He killed a whole lot of them while Anna was waiting for the Bat.
And there it was.
"Damn, she was right." He muttered.
She was going for it. Her bomb arrow hit. The Bat was damaged, but somehow not destroyed. He looked at her.
"Oh honey. Not even you can defeat me." And he shot her with a laser, and she devirtualized immediately.
"WHAT THE-" Odd yelled.
"HOW DO WE KILL THIS THING?" Ulrich panicked.
"We don't. We get Aelita to the tower. Fast." Yumi yelled.
And in one swift moment, the Bat had Yumi.
-
Odd was staring up at the Lyoko sky. Yumi was already in tears. He was trying not to stare, but he saw her memories of her parents yelling at her, of William being under XANA's control. The conflict between her and Ulrich. The Bat was taunting her. "Poor Yumi. No one seems to understand you, do they?"
He had to focus. Ulrich looked like he was about to combust.
"We got this Yumi. Try to fight back!" Ulrich screamed.
Odd grabbed his Overboard and raced towards Aelita. She was surrounded by Kankrelats and was close to being devirtualized. Ulrich was currently dealing with Tarantulas, so he knew he was Aelita's best shot.
"Odd, go fast!" Jeremie said.
"You got it Einstein!"
-
As soon as I was devirtualized, I ran over to Jeremie.
"Jeremie, what do you need me to do?"
"There have been some attacks on the campus dorms. XANA has been possessing some of the students and taking over the power lines. Go now!"
"You got it! Oh, and can I take your car?"
"Fine, just don't wreck it."
"Jeremie, you realize XANA could cause some serious damage..."
"Just GO!" He yelled, clearly annoyed.
"Okay, yep. I'm on it."
It was five miles to campus. On the drive there, I saw the streets erupting. People kept trying to climb on the car.
"This will NOT be Grand Theft Auto!" I screamed as I was trying to get around the pedestrians.
I finally made it to campus. I saw the RA attacking freshmen in the dorms.
"I got this." I said, hoping it was true.
-
Odd had Aelita on the Overboard. He was close. So close. Ulrich had killed all the Kankrelats. But while he shot a laser arrows at one Tarantula, another one shot him. He devirtualized instantly.
"Damn it!" Odd screamed. Punching the scanner as he materialized back on Earth.
"What do you need me to do Einstein?"
Jeremie paused.
"Anna's at campus. I haven't heard from her actually. Let me call her and see if she needs help."
"Anna, Anna pick up." Jeremie's jaw was tightening.
"Let me call her." Odd was panicked.
"Miss Americana if you are there, please pick up." Nothing.
Odd bolted out the door. He didn't even wait for Jeremie to give the order. He was pure adrenaline. Acting on instinct.
Odd was driving. The roads were swarmed with people possessed by XANA or being attacked by people possessed by XANA. Electrical wires were everywhere. People were laying across the street after having been electrocuted.
"Screw it." Odd got out of his car. He was running. He looked at his phone.
"Shit, still four miles."
He called Jeremie while running.
"Have you heard from her?"
"No I haven't."
"How close are we to deactivating the tower?" Odd was panicked now. He was seeing bodies on the streets of France. None dead, yet. But some seemed painfully close.
"Ulrich has Aelita now on his Overbike. But, they are surrounded by Tarantulas. Six of them. The Bat still has Yumi. Ulrich is trying to be fast but he also knows he is low health and can't get devirtualized. This might take awhile."
"Fuck." Odd said.
He was running as fast as he could, but knew he needed to pick up the pace. Since driving wasn't an option, he grabbed some kid's bike from off the ground. It was too small for him, but better than nothing.
Now he was making better time. He was almost there. He could see it from a distance. And what he saw was horrifying.
He saw the main building surrounded by flames. Smoke filled the sky. Students were huddled in groups trying to protect themselves from the ones possessed by XANA.
But he didn't see Anna.
"Odd, check in. Do you see her?"
"It isn't good Jeremie. I have no idea where she is. The main building is burning, and students are running around in a frenzy."
He paused, trying to figure out where she would go.
Just then, a freshman girl ran up to him. "Y-you're Odd Della Robbia right? I'm in your Intro to French Literature class."
Odd's eyes widened. He recognized the girl. She was a shy brunette who usually sat in the back of the class.
"Have you seen Anna?" He demanded.
"T-that's what I'm trying to tell you. When she arrived, she said she was here to help. Me and some other girls were stuck in that building there. We were being attacked by those zombies. She seemed to know what was happening. She told us not to hurt them, that they can come back. And focus on escaping. And we did. We listened to her. B-but..."
"But WHAT?" Odd's heart beat was accelerating.
"I fell behind. A zombie grabbed me. She kicked the zombie away from me so I could escape. The zombie hit the wall and the debris started falling over her. She's in there still. I don't know if she's alive or not. I-I'm so sorry Odd, she saved my life..." She said, choking back tears.
Odd ran. He was a man on a mission. He ran into the burning building, looking for piles of rubble, and any sign of her.
After what seemed like eternity, he saw her crushed phone case. Then her shoe. Then her leg, which was bent to an angle no one's leg should ever be.
He started pulling the rubble off. First he found the XANA-possessed student who grabbed that girl's foot. He was a senior with black hair. He was laying across Anna's body. Odd recognized him. Odd couldn't help hating him in that moment, even if it wasn't his fault. He was unconscious at least.
He pulled him away to see Anna. Her body was crushed, but still breathing. Her breath was shaky and erratic.
She tried to open her eyes and say something, but Odd shushed her.
"Save your strength. I'm calling Jeremie. We need a return to the past."
"Jeremie, what's happening on Lyoko?"
"Aelita is entering the tower. Just thirty seconds."
Odd turned towards Anna. But she was no longer conscious. He couldn't feel a heart beat.
"Just thirty seconds. Damn it. Wake up! WAKE UP! You can't die on me like this."
He was now crying over her. The girl from Intro to French Literature walked up too. So did the other girls Anna saved.
"DAMN IT. I LOVE YOU, OKAY? WAKE UP!"
Jeremie was straining to hold back tears. Aelita gasped as she typed her name into the tower. Ulrich was crying too. Yumi was sobbing into Ulrich's shoulder, recovering from being under the Bat's control, and from waking to find Anna might be dead.
"RETURN TO THE PAST NOW!"
Chapter 8: Awakening
Chapter Text
"Just 30 seconds!"
"Damn it, I love you. Wake up!"
I remember feeling warm. So warm. I felt like I had gone to heaven. There was this beautiful bright light, and I was surrounded. I felt so peaceful.
Then I heard the voice. I couldn't find him. I became worried. And conflicted. I wanted to stay there where it was warm, and with that beautiful light. But I also wanted whoever he was to be with me, too.
I heard him becoming more and more frantic, so I stopped moving towards the warm light and turned to look back. I still couldn't see him, whoever he was.
The warmth started to fade away rapidly. I felt a warm weighted blanket get ripped off of me, and suddenly, I felt myself gasping for air. I opened my eyes.
"OH MY GOD, ANNA!" I awoke to Odd crushing me. He had apparently jumped on my bed and squeezed me awake. Soon, everyone else was piling me. Saying things like, "We are so relieved!" And "Thank God you are okay."
"Umm... while I am generally not opposed to cuddle parties, would someone tell me what the hell happened?" I said with a laugh.
Everyone seemed to stiffen, and then they all looked at Odd.
"Odd?" I asked cautiously.
His face flushed. "Wh-what's the last thing you remember?"
"Shit." I said. "My head hurts like hell. I've gotta think."
Odd nodded. Everyone got off of me and looked at me, waiting as I tried to remember.
I closed my eyes. Images flooded my brain.
"I remember... XANA attacked. The Bat. It got Yumi. Oh my God, Yumi, are you okay?"
"We are more worried about you right now, Anna. I'm fine. Keep trying to remember."
I glanced at Ulrich. "Is she okay?"
Ulrich swallowed. "You remember what The Bat is like. It's not easy. But focus on you right now. Think."
"You guys are scaring me. But okay."
More images.
"I... I tried to attack The Bat. With my bomb arrows. But it wasn't enough, and I got instantly devirtualized."
I opened my eyes for confirmation. Odd had his lips tight. Then he nodded. "Go on."
"Jeremie asked me to go back to the school, and then..."
I opened my eyes. "Oh my God! The school, it was on fire, so many people were possessed and... Wait, did someone die? Did anyone get hurt?"
Everyone looked at Odd again. He went pale.
"Odd, what do you know that I don't?"
He was now looking at the floor. He asked again. "What is the last thing you remember?"
I started to cry. "There was a girl from our class. I helped her. I saved her. But... I get crushed. I thought I was going to die. I remember the flames, how bad that hurt when I got crushed, which I guess explains the headache. And then..."
Odd sat up at this. Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi all seemed more alert now.
"Then I think I had a dream. Someone was telling me to wake up, and...."
I bolted upright. "Shit, I had a fight with Brandon before the XANA attack, didn't I?"
Odd looked like he had been slapped in the face. "Yeah, but that wasn't when you were under the pillar."
I started talking fast. "No, you don't understand. I did almost die. I saw the light, and I heard someone calling me. It was Brandon, right? It was Brandon. It had to have been. He kept me alive. Somehow. Maybe my love for him did? I must have known I needed to fix things before I died. Oh my God. I need to go home."
I bolted upright. Everyone was sharing uneasy looks.
"Look, it's Thanksgiving. A silly American holiday built on genocide. I know, I know. Not great. But everyone spends time with their families and loved ones. I need to go home. I need to fix this. I need to tell him I love him. We've been fighting so much that I think we forgot that we loved each other."
Yumi and Aelita exchanged looks and then started to help me pack. Jeremie helped me find a flight back home.
-
Ulrich grabbed Odd's shoulders and walked him out wordlessly, and they stopped in the hall. Odd broke. He started sobbing. It was embarrassing to break down like this, but Ulrich was his best friend. And he knew it was going to happen even before he did.
Ulrich just gave him a hug and let him cry it out.
"She almost died, man. I said it. I screamed it! But she loves someone else. That asshole. And she's going back to him."
Ulrich sighed. "I know."
"So what am I supposed to do?" Odd asked. He was already looking down the hall at Anna's door. Mentally trying to prepare for when she came out, ready to go back to the States.
Ulrich looked at Odd. "You do what I did."
Odd arched his eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Remember when Yumi was caught between me and William? It broke me. I wasn't sure if she would choose me. It seems so silly now that it's been so long. But at the time, I had to think about what it really means to love someone. Does loving someone mean fighting for them? Does it mean waiting for them? Does it mean letting them go?"
Odd gave his friend a small grin. "And here I thought you were emotionally constipated."
"Shut up, Odd!" But even Ulrich couldn't hide his grin as he nudged his best friend in the shoulder.
"So what does love mean to you, Odd?" Ulrich asked, serious now.
"I don't know." Odd admitted.
Ulrich nodded. "You don't have to know yet. This is all so fresh. Take your time to figure it out. But if you want my honest opinion? She and Brandon aren't going to last. This trip of hers? I don't see it going well."
Odd nodded solemnly. "You think that would make me feel better, but it doesn't."
Ulrich let out a small laugh. "Damn, you really do love her, huh?"
Suddenly, they heard the door opening. Anna was coming out of her dorm room. She was trailing one giant purple suitcase. Her hair was a mess. Anna clearly got packed at the last minute.
"Jeremie found me a flight. It leaves in just a few hours."
Anna stopped, noticing the two of them. She looked Odd in the eyes.
"Are you okay, Odd? Apparently, I almost just died, but you are the one that looks like you had your life sucked out of you."
Odd smiled. She knew him too well. "I was just worried is all. It's going to take a minute for me to calm down after all of that."
Anna's eyes glistened. Damn, when she was crying, her blue eyes somehow became more mesmerizing. She pulled Odd into a tight hug.
"I'm so sorry I scared you. It won't happen again. I promise." She whispered. Odd could feel her breath right by his ear. He was embarrassed by how much that comforted him.
"Get over here, Stern. You can be stoic tomorrow. I almost died, and we are doing a group hug."
Ulrich laughed. "Sure."
The three of them held that hug for a moment when they heard Yumi shout out, "Wait, there's a group hug, and we weren't invited?"
"The betrayal!" Aelita laughed.
"Personally, I am fine that I wasn't invited to the group hug." Jeremie quipped.
"ALL OF YOU GET IN HERE NOW!" Anna let out a hearty laugh. God, her laugh was infectious. And even though Odd was miserable right now, he had to smile. Even when he was at his lowest, she somehow made things better.
So all six of them stayed in that hallway, just embracing each other.
Finally, Anna backed away with tears falling down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her sleeve. "I've got to go now, but I will be back on Monday. This isn't forever! And I promise I won't die. You will see me soon."
"See you on Monday," Odd said with a smile. He hoped she didn't notice how it didn't quite meet his eyes.
"See you Monday," Anna nodded in agreement. She then walked away to a car waiting outside.
Odd watched out the window. Everyone else was watching with him, wordlessly. As soon as the car drove away, he started to cry again.
No one said anything. They just let him cry.
-
My heart was pounding. I was seeing Brandon again. My true love. We were high school sweethearts. But why did I feel a pit in my stomach and not butterflies?
"It's okay." I muttered to himself. "You are anxious because things haven't been going so well. But you can fix this. You love Brandon, and he loves you. The butterflies will come back after."
I pulled out my phone. I was tempted to text Brandon to let him know I was coming. "Nah. It's a surprise. I owe him a big romantic gesture, especially since he surprised me for my birthday."
I then looked at my contacts and hovered over Odd. I wanted to say something to him, but I didn't know what. What would I say? I am sorry I almost died. Please don't panic? See you Monday? "I already said that." I muttered. I turned my phone off. It was a distraction anyway.
I was in a daze going through the airport. I kept rehearsing what I was going to say to Brandon. Something how I love him. I always have, and that hasn't changed. "Hopefully, this works."
I tried to sleep during the flight but I couldn't. After nearly dying, closing my eyes seemed scary. It's too similar. So, I just pulled out my notebook. There, I saw some of Odd's suggestions for our project. I finally understood why he wanted to do a sci-fi theme. I tilted my head back and laughed. "God, he was going to write his life story, wasn't he?"
After my flight landed, I grabbed an Uber. I told them Brandon's address. It was thirty minutes away. I had thirty minutes to convince the love of my life that we are still soulmates. My heart was pounding more now. The pit in my stomach seemed bottomless now. The driver even asked if I was okay. I just said a little too fast "Oh you know, surprise visit for Thanksgiving. I just hope they like surprises."
The driver smiled. "Well, if they are family, they should love it! That sounds like the best surprise someone could get on Thanksgiving."
"Thank you."
He started sharing some stories of his family and telling me about himself. It helped calm my nerves. I hadn't even realized we had arrived when he said.
"We're here." He smiled. "Do you need another minute?"
I shook my head. "No, but thank you. Truly. I've got it from here."
"Go get'em tiger." Then he waved and drove away.
I was standing there with my suitcase in Brandon's driveway. He was home. His Buick was there. His parents' cars weren't there. "Good, we could have some privacy."
I looked over at my house next door. My mom's car was in the driveway. "Good, she's home too. I will see her later. She will be shocked."
I was feeling more hopeful now. I was home. So I breathed in and knocked on the door.
There was no response. "Huh, Brandon must be playing videogames."
So I rang the doorbell. Twice. Still no response.
My heart was beating loud now. But I knew where the spare key was, so I went ahead and unlocked the door, like I had countless times before.
I opened the door quietly. I was waiting to hear Brandon yelling at his TV. Instead, I heard muffled laughter. And then I heard it. A woman's voice.
My blood went cold. I walked slowly towards Brandon's room. I saw lingerie. Jeans. And then I opened the door.
I saw a woman straddling Brandon. I saw Brandon making his O face, and then his panicked expression when he saw me there. The woman then turned around to look at me and yelled at Brandon, "Is she your girlfriend?"
Brandon yelled back, "No, NO! She cheated on me. I was planning on ending it after this weekend. I had no idea she was coming back."
"I NEVER CHEATED ON YOU JACKASS! I WANTED TO SURPRISE YOU AND FIX THINGS." I was yelling. I was sobbing and yelling.
"Please don't go," Brandon started to say, but the other woman just quickly put on her clothes and ran out. She just awkwardly bumped into me on her way out and apologized. I had no idea if she was apologizing for sleeping with my boyfriend or bumping into me. It didn't matter.
I glared at Brandon. "All those times you accused me of sleeping with Odd, you were sleeping around."
"No! No. This just happened after your whole hot girl fall thing. I mean, what did you think I would do after that?"
"You are seriously blaming me? I was exhausted of you constantly accusing me of doing something I didn't do. Now I realized you just wanted an excuse."
"You left me, Anna. For France. You knew this would happen. High school couples don't last in college, especially when one of them leaves the country." Brandon spat.
I paused. For a long time. The silence was deafening. "I really thought we would be the exception. I thought you loved me enough to wait."
Brandon just shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I didn't."
"I guess not." I turned around and walked away.
"Happy Thanksgiving jackass." I yelled out the door.
Thank God my mom's house was next door. I walked in, and my mom knew. I don't know how moms do that, but they just do.
"Oh baby," she whispered into my hair as she held me.
"I thought he loved me," I whispered.
"I know," she said as she let out a long breath.
"Sweetie, I'm worried for you."
"Why?" I said. "Because I was just cheated on?"
"No, because, well, when your Dad died, you tried to emulate our love story. Even when Brandon hurt you."
I tried to say something, but she cut me off. "Don't give me that whole it's because of France nonsense. You two had issues before this. Honestly? I think moving to France was your brain's way of protecting your heart, even if your heart wasn't ready to admit the truth."
"Which is?" I asked.
"That Brandon isn't the one for you. You liked the idea of him, but he isn't the one."
I swallowed. Hard.
"Damn, mom. You really do know me so well." Even though I was sobbing, I still smiled.
"Do you want me to call your friends?" My mom asked.
"They know I am coming back on Monday. I will tell them then."
She smiled. "Okay, sweetie."
"And mom?"
"Yes, dear?"
"Is it okay if I just stay here and we pretend that I didn't come back? I am not ready to tell Grandma and Uncle Joe that I was cheated on."
My mom smiled. "I will pretend I'm sick. We will do Thanksgiving, just the two of us. Okay?"
That sounded like the best idea I'd ever heard.
-
Odd checked his phone every five minutes. He had done that all weekend. Anna hadn't texted him. He would be lying if he said that didn't hurt. It did, but no matter. It was Monday. He would be waiting at the airport for her. But he didn't see her there. He texted and called her. There was no response.
He checked Find My Friends. Her phone hadn't been on since she left. He was worried.
Odd raced back to campus to find Jeremie. He would know what to do.
"Einstein! Anna's phone is off. It's Monday. She should have been here by now. I waited at that airport for three hours. I know her flight arrived, but I have no idea if she was on it."
Jeremie nodded. "Okay, let's check the airport cameras."
Odd always appreciated that Jeremie would be willing to break the law on behalf of his friends.
"Oh," Jeremie said.
"Oh?" Odd asked.
"She arrived, but..." Jeremie's voice trailed off.
"But what?"
"See for yourself."
Odd looked at the camera and could see why he didn't see Anna. Not only did Anna go out the other doors (Odd was kicking himself for waiting on the wrong side), but she looked pale. She was wearing a hoodie and sunglasses. Her hair was undone. The usual spring in her step was gone. She looked like she had just been slapped in the face.
"Brandon." Odd spat.
"Odd, maybe you should-"
"Too late!" Odd said as he ran out of Jeremie's room.
He sprinted across campus. He ran to Anna's dorm room. He didn't bother to knock.
He ran into the room and found Anna collapsed on her bed. Sobbing. She didn't even look up.
Odd just gently pulled her towards him. And he just held her.
After about ten minutes, Jeremie arrived. "Anna, er, I hope you aren't mad, but I told everyone you are back and weren't doing so good, so we are here."
"And I made sure to steal you some of Odd's snacks." Ulrich plopped some snack cakes on the bed as Aelita and Yumi started to rub my shoulders.
"I don't mind. I mean this is embarrassing as hell, but this is sweet." Anna said.
"So, can I ask, what happened?" Jeremie asked nervously.
Aelita smacked him. "So not the right time!"
Anna laughed. Hard. People seemed surprised. She surprised herself.
"It's okay Jeremie. Your awkwardness is endearing."
She laughed some more.
"I came home to surprise Brandon and try to work things out, and I found him mid O-face with another woman!"
People were looking nervously at each other.
She was laughing so hard. Odd was worried.
"I thought that asshole was the love of my life. I thought somehow our love saved me from death. I thought I had love figured out. I had a high school sweetheart just like you four. But it turns out I know absolutely nothing!"
Odd was really concerned now . They were all exchanging looks, but she pressed on.
"And, and I came to France to pursue my dream of writing romance novels. And I don't know iack shit about love! So apparently not only am I single, but I need to find a new career path too! I have no idea who I am anymore."
And she was laughing still.
"Look at me." Odd said quietly.
Anna stopped. Immediately. She was shocked by the seriousness in his tone.
"You are Anna Fisher. The only international student. The only American who chose to pick a small college outside of Paris to see love outside of the cities. The girl who printed off articles and brought me brochures out of fear I was in a cult. Someone who cared so much about a classmate she just met. You are competitive and own at food eating contests and on Lyoko. Someone who has been fiercely loyal to me and our entire friend group. You are one of us. None of us cares if you don't know anything about love or if you don't become the next Nicholas Sparks. But for what it's worth? I think you know more than you think. "
Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Thank you Odd."
He continued to hold Anna. The rest of the group stayed for awhile after. People started to leave one at a time, but Odd did not. He just held her all night.
And for the first time in a long time, she felt safe.
Chapter 9: A Cold December
Chapter Text
Odd was sitting quietly in his dorm. He was supposed to be studying for finals. As a first semester freshman in college, he really should be taking his studying more seriously, but that wasn't going to happen. Not with Anna constantly on his mind.
He kept tapping his pencil on his notebook, as if to magically make notes appear. He thought about how this past week was a blur: How Anna had come back from the United States after nearly dying to run back to an ex thinking somehow he saved her life.
"I saved her life." He muttered, clenching his fists.
Odd then released his fingers and used them to gel his hair. He knew it wasn't her fault she didn't remember. She was unconscious after all. But that didn't change the fact that he confessed his love to her while she was dying, and when she woke up she ran back to her boyfriend.
"I am such a mess." He thought to himself. Everyone knew he loved her. He screamed it. But she just came back heartbroken after seeing Brandon balls deep in another woman. Her words, not his. Odd would have preferred to not have that image in his brain. Granted, it was probably worse for her to have seen it.
"Knock knock."
It was Aelita.
"Come in?" Odd said. He had to orient himself again.
"Why the inflection Odd?" Aelita said, raising her brow with that all-knowing Aelita smirk.
"I just... I was thinking. Wasn't ready to be interrupted." Odd was looking at his hands now, thinking about how two minutes ago, they were in fists.
"I know. That's why I am here." Aelita sat right next to him on his bed.
"Oh?" Now Odd was even more confused.
Aelita grabbed Odd's hands and held them in hers.
"You just went through a lot. You haven't talked about it. We haven't talked about it."
"Maybe I don't want to...."
Aelita held up her hand.
"You need to. To someone. You are clearly too distracted to study for finals..." She looked at Odd's empty notebook. "...And we need you focused on Lyoko. This past week you have been there for Anna, which is great, but..."
"But?" Odd whispered.
Aelita sighed.
"I'm worried about you. You haven't processed this. Anna almost died, you said you loved her, she thought it was her ex somehow saving her, she goes back to him, finds him in bed with someone else, comes back, and you step up like nothing happened. But something did."
"Did you have to do the entire recap? I already feel like shit." Odd was about to put his face in his hands when Aelita grabbed his hand yet again.
"I'm not trying to make you feel like shit. Neither is Anna. But I think you're allowed to feel that way. She may have nearly died and been cheated on, but you went through a lot too. You're allowed to feel shitty. And you're allowed to be angry."
Odd looked up at her, eyebrows raised. Waiting for her to continue.
"Hell, I think we all are a little mad at her. Everyone hates Brandon. Of course we are Team Odd. We all love you dumbass."
Odd laughed and so did Aelita before she continued. "So when she went back to that asshole, we all felt horrible. I wanted so bad to tell her not to go. And I still don't understand how she thought it was Brandon. But I guess being unconscious while nearly dying tricks your brain. All I do know is I love you, and I love her. Even if I helped pack her bags when she left, it doesn't mean I can't offer you a shoulder to cry on when it hurts, you know?"
Odd's eyes got a little misty. He wiped his eyes. "Aelita, thank you. But. Can we stop with the feelings for a moment? I think I've hit my emotional capacity. And I could really use your help prepping for finals."
Aelita nodded and grabbed her laptop. "I thought you would never ask."
-
I was sitting in the library, quietly reflecting on the past two weeks. I was supposed to be studying, but the images in my brain were far too distracting. I saw myself get crushed, saving the girl from class. Then I saw myself waking up and frantically going back to the States, just to find Brandon in bed with someone else.
"Yeah, that all tracks." I muttered to myself. But that's not the part that was nagging at me. I kept feeling like I was forgetting something. I remembered when I was unconscious, feeling pulled to go to the light. It was warm and inviting. But a voice told me to wake up, and I didn't want to leave that voice.
"Fuck." I threw my pen in frustration.
"Hey now, what did that pen do to you?" Odd said with a mischievous smile on his face. Everyone else came in after. Ulrich picked up the pen and handed it to me. "Yeah, spill it. Is Biology pissing you off?"
"Or our final project? I know I tend to procrastinate, but I promise it will be good." Odd said with a boyish grin.
"No worries Odd. I already finished it. You can look at it if you want. I actually finished all of my final papers and projects. All that is left is my Biology test. Honestly that is going to be fine too. I can feel it."
Odd was stunned. "Okay, thank you for finishing it. I trust you. We can talk more in a moment, but if it's not finals, what is it then? Is it Brandon?"
I swallowed. Hard. "Yes, and no. I'm over him. It's just... I keep getting stuck on when I was unconscious. I know it's dumb. It was just a dream. But I felt like he was talking to me and I chose to follow him instead of going to the light. And now it just seems pointless because he clearly doesn't love me. And, well maybe..."
I looked up. Jeremie was cleaning his glasses. Aelita was looking at me, chewing her lip. Yumi had a smug smile on her face. I wanted to smack her. Did she think this was funny? Ulrich was staring hard at the carpet. And Odd, well.... he looked like he was going to faint.
"Maybe?" Aelita asked quietly.
"Maybe," My voice was becoming stern. "Maybe I forgot something. And you all know what it is."
I started pacing. "I have a nagging thought in my head. I've been ruminating on all the things I remember. But there is something I can't, and it's driving me crazy."
They were all looking at each other now. Odd was sweating, his face was red.
I yelled. "What is it? God, what is it?" I had tears in my eyes.
I walked up to Odd. "Odd, everyone is looking at you. You said before you found me under the rubble and I know you know. What happened? What am I not remembering?!"
The air was thick. The tension was palpable. No one dared to speak. But I kept my eyes focused on Odd, I needed to know.
His eyes shifted, and he put his hands in his pockets. He opened his mouth to speak, but then -
"Shit." Jeremie said. Then we all heard it. The all-too-familiar sound of the XANA alarm Jeremie installed onto his laptop.
I looked at Odd. "This isn't over."
He threw his hands up. "I didn't say it was."
I looked around at the others. They looked as if they weren't sure if they should be relieved or panicked. That definitely didn't help.
We all ran outside to figure out the ride situation. Everyone was coupled up: Aelita was riding with Jeremie. Yumi with Odd. That meant, per usual, I would have to ride with Odd. I wasn't sure I wanted to.
Aelita, sensing the awkwardness, grabbed my hand and said "You can ride with Jeremie and me today. Odd can go by himself."
Odd grinned. "It is true, I am used to being on my lonesome."
I wasn't amused. "I bet." And I climbed into the car.
Jeremie was driving. His face was pale, and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the mission or the threat of more people possessed by XANA. Aelita, being Aelita, was the one to break the silence.
"So that was, interesting." She said, with a nervous grin on her face.
"Aelita, I don't want to hear that was interesting. I want to know, am I off base here? There's something going on, right?"
Aelita sighed and looked at Jeremie. He remained quiet, but his knuckles appeared white. Like he was gripping onto the steering wheel for dear life.
"You're not wrong, Anna. But it's not my place to tell you. Or Jeremie's. Odd needs to be the one to tell you."
I let the silence fall. I knew she was looking at me, but I kept staring at my feet.
Finally, after a minute I just said "I knew it."
Jeremie cleared his throat. "We're here."
And that was it. We all snapped into attention, and got into positions. Jeremie ran up to the supercomputer while Aelita and I ran to the scanners. All of this stuff with Odd? Would have to wait.
-
Odd had been lost in his thoughts during the entire drive. He came in after Aelita, Jeremie and Anna. He was frantic. Did Aelita say anything?
"No, Aelita wouldn't." He muttered to himself as he went down the elevator.
Odd entered the scanner room just in time to see the doors close on Anna. They locked eyes. It was painful.
"Shit Odd. Focus." Ulrich yelled from behind him. Yumi was there too, with her arms crossed.
"Me and Ulrich will go in next. You look like you need a moment."
"Yeah... uh you're probably right about that." Odd tried to force a laugh, but he wasn't in the mood. Neither were they.
Finally, it was his turn. He would be going in Lyoko, and had to figure out how to work with Anna, avoid the Bat, and not make a fool out of himself. It shouldn't be that hard, right?
"Scanner, Odd."
"Transfer, Odd."
"Virtualization!"
He landed in the Ice Sector. It brought back memories of how Anna was worried she would destroy the landscape. But she had grown so much then.
She pulled up on her motorcycle. "Odd, whatever it is, we will figure it out later. So tell me, explosion or precision?"
Odd scratched his chin and surveyed the landscape. "Odd, hurry up!" He looked over at Anna. He could tell she was trying to be serious, but she was amused. He felt so much relief.
"Oh, we need to go explosion. See all those Megatanks? We need someone as explosive as you are."
He gave her his best flirtatious grin. She rolled her eyes, but he swore he saw a blush.
"Alright, let's go. Grab your Overboard. Yumi's guarding Aelita while Ulrich is taking on the Kolossus. We want to do this quick before the Bat makes his appearance."
They were working so well together. It was like a dance, like before. Except somehow more heated. Now that Anna was single, it was like she was more open. And Odd was living for it.
"That's two Megatanks for me! And, zero for you. You just can't keep up with me."
"Oh trust me my sweet American, I can keep up." Just then he shot a laser arrow and destroyed a Megatank. Anna looked impressed, and Odd wanted to keep impressing her. He wanted to...
And then he got shot by a Megatank. "FOCUS Odd!" Ulrich yelled. He had taken down the Kolossus and had come over to help. Aelita and Yumi were almost at the tower.
Anna laughed. She destroyed another Megatank. Odd knew he shouldn't, but he couldn't help it: "Has anyone told you you're a bombshell?"
She laughed. Hard. When she regained her composure she said "Has anyone told you you're a pussy?"
Odd blushed. Now Ulrich was laughing. "Madamoiselle, why do you hate my cat costume so?"
Anna smirked. "I didn't say I did." And then threw another bomb arrow. "4-1".
Odd wasn't sure if he wanted to kiss her, compete with her, or marry her, or a combination of all three. He was about to say something when he saw Anna's eyes widen.
"Oh no, Ulrich!"
The Bat was suddenly upon him. With horror Odd realized the Bat had been hiding behind a wall of ice, waiting for the perfect moment.
Anna grabbed Odd. "You know how this works. Ignore the Bat. Focus on getting Aelita to the tower. That's the best thing for Ulrich."
Odd nodded and yelled "You got this Ulrich! Stay calm. It will all be over soon."
But he felt horrible. He heard his friend's cries. "Yumi!" Ulrich was a wreck.
Yumi had gotten Aelita so close to the tower. Just one Megatank left. But when she heard Ulrich's cries, she turned around. Yumi saw her face everywhere. She saw herself with William, and Ulrich's tears when she nearly died. And the Megatank shot her, and she devirtualized instantly.
Aelita was exposed. "Shit." She yelled. She was using her energy fields, but Odd knew he and Anna had to get there fast.
"Oh Ulrich. How can you ever be sure Yumi loves you? She wasn't sure before." The Bat said cooly. Ulrich was screaming.
"Odd! Grab Aelita and throw her on your board. Take her the rest of the way. I'm going in." Anna yelled.
He watched as she sacrificed herself. Again. One giant explosion before she and the monster devirtualized.
Odd quickly grabbed Aelita and gently threw her into the tower. "Go quick princess! Ulrich's going through hell right now."
When Aelita deactivated the tower, the Bat dropped Ulrich. Odd caught him in the air, and held his friend as he sobbed. Aelita joined after.
"I will give you all some time." Jeremie said over the intercom.
After they all devirtualized, everyone looked exhausted. Ulrich looked horrible.
Yumi was holding him under a blanket. "I had no idea that still bothered you."
Ulrich said quietly, almost in a whisper, "It never stopped bothering me, just like I never stopped loving you." Yumi cried as she held Ulrich closer. "I'm so sorry Ulrich."
Anna cleared her throat. "We will give you two some privacy." And she motioned to Odd, Jeremie and Aelita to follow her.
They were in the elevator, riding in silence. "I decided I don't want to know."
Odd whipped his head around fast. "Huh? What do you mean? I was going to tell you, it's just-"
"Shh. It's okay. I know you were. But, I've been exposed by the Bat. My worst memories and my most painful thoughts. So has Aelita, Yumi, and now Ulrich. And Odd, that means you're next."
Odd gulped. Jeremie was rubbing his neck. Aelita had tears forming.
Anna continued, tears now welling her eyes: "I am not going to expose you like that Bat. Some things are meant to be private. And whatever it is or was that happened, I know you all have my back. I trust you Odd."
Odd's throat went dry. He wiped Anna's tears. Aelita and Jeremie joined in.
To Odd's surprise, Jeremie cried too. "Odd, I'm so sorry. I'm going to try to stop this. I don't want this to happen to you too. I've literally failed all of my friends."
"No, you didn't!" Aelita said firmly. "This is not your fault. We know you are working day and night."
"I'm staying here over Christmas." Jeremie said. "I'm fixing this. I have to."
Anna pulled away from the group. She looked sheepish, almost guilty. "Actually guys... I was planning to stay here over Christmas break. I can watch out for XANA attacks. I... kind of used my Christmas travel fund early to visit Brandon. I'm going to be here anyway. Jeremie I trust you can work remotely. I will stay here to stand guard."
Jeremie looked like he was about to protest, but Odd cut him off.
"Absolutely not." Odd said.
"Excuse me?" Anna said. "Odd, I-"
"You are not spending Christmas alone. Aelita will spend Christmas with Jeremie like she always does, so he won't be alone either. No one is alone on Christmas. You are staying with me and my family."
Anna blinked. She had tears welling up again, but shook her head. "You haven't even asked your family. I couldn't impose -"
"Oh really?" Odd pulled out his phone. "You're gonna play that game? Let me ask them right now."
Soon, Odd's mother and father were on the screen, plus one of Odd's sisters. "Odd! You called! What is the special occasion?" Odd's mother asked.
"Yeah! You never call us." Odd's sister said with a smirk. "Did you flunk your first semester of college?"
"Not yet. The jury's out. I still have a couple tests, but Anna here finished our final project! I haven't read it yet, but she's an aspiring writer, so I know it's good."
Odd's sister screeched.
"OMG ANNA'S THERE! I want to meet her, I want to meet her!"
Odd's father chimed in: "Yes, I want to meet the American who beat you in a speed eating contest."
Anna walked over to the screen: "Uh, hi Della Robbias. I didn't realize Odd spoke about me. Hopefully all good things?"
Odd's mother smiled. "Of course dear. We are dying to meet you."
Odd cleared his throat, trying not to think about the blush forming on his cheeks. "Actually, about that, you see, I was wondering... Could Anna spend Christmas with us? She can't afford to go back to the States, and has nowhere to go."
"Absolutely!" Odd's mom explained. "Oh honey, what are your favorite holiday meals? We want to make this special for you."
Anna laughed. "Thank you Mrs. Della Robbia. There's this broccoli casserole I really like. My mom can send over the recipe. I will tell her. This is going to make her so happy. Thank you."
"OMG ODD! This is the first time you brought a girlfriend over for Christmas! This must be serious!" Odd's sister yelled through the phone.
"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Odd shrieked. When he saw Anna stiffen he said quickly. "I mean, she's a girl, and she's a friend, but she's not my..."
"It's okay Odd. No need to explain my pronouns and our relationship status." Anna said with a laugh. "But I should go back to my dorm. I have one last final and I need to pack my stuff. It was nice meeting you Della Robbias!"
"Nice meeting you!" They said in unison as Odd ended the call.
This might be the best Christmas he ever had.
Chapter 10: Merry Fucking Christmas
Chapter Text
Odd still couldn't believe it. He was sitting in the backseat of his Dad's car with Anna sitting right next to him. Even the obnoxious texts from Sam didn't bother him.
Sam had been texting him for the past couple weeks. It was his fault really, he reached out to her after Anna went back to the States. Odd felt bad. He hadn't told anyone that he texted her, but in some ways it was easier to text her. She didn't know Anna, so could give another perspective.
He had only texted her briefly. Maybe a week or two- but then he stopped. They were over. And while he and Anna weren't dating, he felt like something could happen soon.
Odd looked over at her. She smiled warmly at him.
"Odd, your neighborhood is beautiful. I can't believe you grew up here."
"I didn't, not really."
"Odd, come on. Do we really need to go there right now?" Odd's father said from the front seat.
Anna shifted in her seat. "It's my fault Mr. Della Robbia. I wasn't thinking."
Odd's mother cut in. "No, this isn't your fault. Odd talks about this every year, how we chose to send him to boarding school, but none of his five sisters. But truthfully, Odd you needed it. You didn't like being home. You needed to spread your wings. And you did! You have such a wonderful friend group."
"I still blame sexism," Odd said in a mock whisper to Anna.
Anna stifled a laugh and said, "ODD!"
Odd's mother groaned and looked back at Anna. "This is just the first day. Are you sure you can survive him for the entire winter break?"
Anna laughed. Her eyes crinkled and she had a sparkle in her eye. God Odd loved when she laughed like that. "No disrespect Mrs. Della Robbia, but I just spent an entire semester as Odd's project partner. I think I can handle a month."
Odd's mother laughed. "That's fair. And please, call me Marguerite."
Odd's father chimed in. "And please, call me Robert. Any woman who can help my son get an A in a class, can call me by my first name. Speaking of which, Odd what was that novella about?"
Odd gulped. His cheeks started to burn. "Well, actually Anna wrote all of it, I didn't do it."
"WHAT?!" Marguerite and Robert exclaimed in unison.
That's when Anna chimed in. "It's not his fault! He was going to help me. I just, I love writing. I was inspired and one thing led to another and I had stayed up all night writing it and then it was finished."
Odd looked at her in awe. "You told me you had finished it, but I had no idea that's what happened.
Anna shrugged. "That's what writers do. They just wait for inspiration to strike, and then poof! It's like magic. You have no control over it."
Marguerite looked at Odd with that mothers-know-all look that made Odd want to jump out of that car and change his name, but he didn't.
She then looked at Anna. "So what was the novella about?"
Anna grinned. "I will let Odd explain it to you."
Odd looked at Anna, an apology forming in his eyes. "I still haven't read it."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Wow, I am shocked I tell you. Shocked. I am sorry Marguerite and Robert, but I refuse to tell you what the novella was about in front of Odd. I am happy to tell you when he's in another room, but since I wrote the whole thing and got him an A in the class, I figure he could at least read what I wrote."
Odd spread his hands and said, "I totally agree. Now that I am not stressed out by finals, I swear I will read your novella."
Robert chimed in. "And I swear I will make my boy uphold his promise."
Anna beamed. "Good. That's all I wanted."
-
"We're here." Odd said.
He looked at me. "Are you nervous?"
I looked back at him and arched my brow. "Nervous, what for? It's not like you have FIVE older sisters that are going to interrogate me or anything."
Odd tilted his head back and laughed. Even Robert and Marguerite were laughing.
"I mean, she's not wrong." Marguerite said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"Yeah um. I'm an only child. So I'm not exactly used to sibling dynamics. And Odd, you have five sisters." I said with a shaky laugh.
"You will be fine. I will protect you from the chaos that are my sisters." Odd said as he extended his hand to help me out of the car.
"I don't know how well that will work," I said.
As soon as I said it, all of Odd's sisters ran out: Pauline, Elisabeth, Marie, Adele, and Louise. I recognized Pauline instantly from Facetime. She had a smirk plastered to her face.
"Like I said sisters, she's Odd's type for sure."
Elisabeth, Marie, Adele and Louise all simultaneously nodded in agreement. I swear they were in a sitcom. Or horror film. I wasn't sure which. Odd's face was crimson.
I blurted out "Um, I don't have siblings. Is this level of synchronization normal? Because that was impressive. And scary. Impressively scary."
Pauline laughed and grabbed my hand. "Oh, I like you. Come on girl. We will teach you the ways of meddlesome sisters."
"Help?" I looked helplessly back at Odd and his parents as Pauline and her sisters dragged me into Pauline's room.
Odd gave a gentle wave and yelled. "Good luck!"
Five seconds later Pauline sat me down on a chair as Elisabeth started combing my hair. Louise was grabbing hair ties. Adele and Marie were already perched on Pauline's bed, waiting expectantly.
Marie cleared her throat. "So, Pauline is a fan of yours. So are our parents. Odd seems quite taken with you."
I felt my cheeks burn. "He, is?"
Adele smiled. "Oh yeah. The knucklehead won't admit it, but whenever he calls and Dad asks abour how school is going, all he ever talks about is this sweet American girl who is his project partner in Intro to French Literature."
"Oh." I said, trying to hide my smile.
"So then, I'm guessing you like him too?" Elisabeth said, momentarily stopping her combing.
"I mean, yeah I think so. It's new I guess. I was dating this guy until recently. So, I'm still figuring this out. Like is it too soon to move on?"
"Oh honey NO!" Pauline grabbed my face to look at hers. "We heard all about this Brandon and how he cheated on you. My parents had to listen to Odd talk about your piece of shit boyfriend for months. Of course, every time they asked him if he was jealous, he would deny it. But you're here now. He invited you here. He's never invited any girl here. Not even Sam. And you're single. You should make a move."
"You think so?" I asked.
"YES!" They all said in unison.
"Well I guess that answers that," I said. "Now Louise, can you hand me a hair tie now? I think Elisabeth is about to rip my hair out."
-
Odd was sitting at the kitchen table staring at his parents, Robert and Marguerite. They were always disappointed in him. With his failing grades, and having to send him to boarding school but not his sisters, they scolded him a lot. He was expecting some sort of lecture from his father after he admitted Anna completed the final project without him.
Instead, his father poured them all a glass of champagne. Robert clinked his glass with Odd's.
"I'm confused. Aren't you going to yell at me for not doing that assignment?"
"Are you kidding?" Robert said. "You passed that class with an A. Your other classes? Were all B's. You are doing much better than you ever did at Kadic. In fact, I think that American's made a positive impact on you."
Odd felt his cheeks warm, and it wasn't from the champagne. The idea of him being praised was new to him, and if he was being honest? It felt strange. Hearing his parents express their pride and admiration was an entirely new experience for him.
His mother grabbed his hand. "I know your sisters are all teasing you mercilessly. But, we all want to see you happy. So, do you like her?"
Odd looked at his parents. He had never talked to them about dating. Ever. Sure, they knew he dated a lot. Hell, he dated every girl at Kadic, minus Sissi, Aelita and Yumi. He wasn't sure if he was ready for yet another new experience with his parents.
"I'll take that as a yes," said his father, with a knowing grin.
"Uh, yeah. But, it's complicated. She doesn't know. We're just friends. She just broke up with her ex, and-"
"And?" asked Marguerite.
Odd sighed and clapped his hands to his sides. "And I'm an idiot. She's single and I haven't made a move. I know."
Odd's parents laughed. Robert nudged him on the shoulder. "Oh we're the last people to judge you for that. It took me an embarrassingly long time to ask out your mother."
Odd was delighted. "Seriously? I've never heard this before! How long did it take?"
Marguerite looked at Robert affectionately. "Too long. But I don't regret how it all happened. It was our story. Now you have to find yours."
Odd shook his head. "Why do you two and my sisters all act like I'm getting married? I've only known this girl for four months."
Robert laughed. "Oh, I wouldn't say the marriage thing too loud. Pauline already started a Pinterest board for your wedding."
"She WHAT?"
Robert put his hand up. "Don't tell her I told you. Please. But relax. I think your mom and I, as well as your sisters, just want to see you happy kiddo. Pauline might be too eager, but she loves you. We all do."
Odd felt tears run down his cheeks. His parents pulled him into a tight hug. They stayed like that for a while that night.
_
"So have you told him yet?" Pauline demanded.
"No, I haven't told him yet." I said, exasperated.
"You mean you've been here an entire week, and you haven't told him?"
Adele, Elisabeth, Louise, and Marie all looked at me like they wanted to strangle me. It scared me. No one was more irritated than Pauline.
I looked around to make sure it was just me and the sisters. I pulled them close, into a group huddle. "Pauline, keep your voice down." I said in a whisper. "I have a plan."
Pauline let out a squeal, and Marie had to cover her mouth for her.
"Damn it Pauline," I hissed. "I told you to keep your voice down. How can I share my plan with you if you can't keep your voice down?"
Marie chimed in. "I will keep her muzzled. Spill American."
I smiled. "Listen, it's been tempting. I've wanted to tell Odd. There have been some moments..."
"Oh, we've noticed." said Adele. "You two sitting a little too closely by the fire, him bringing you cookies and milk."
"And don't forget when he brought her his purple hoodie to keep her warm!" said Elisabeth.
"And the fact that Kiwi seems to have taken a liking to you too. He seems to like you more than Odd. So trust me, he's writing marriage vows in his head." Pauline said triumphantly.
"Don't scare her." Marie hissed. The other three sisters nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I feel like I'm missing something. But I will table that for now. I want to share my plan."
All five Della Robbia sisters nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Please. TELL US!"
"Well, I'm a romance writer. What's more romantic than Christmas? I can tell him under the mistletoe or something like that."
Then, right on cue, the sisters all went "awww!"
Then, to my surprise, they all pulled me into a hug.
"That's literally perfect," said Pauline. "I know I've been a bit extra with this, but..." Pauline wiped tears from her face. "Odd's my brother. My only brother. As much as I tease him, I love him. I want what's best for him."
"We all do," said Elisabeth, soothing her sister. Adele, Marie and Louise nodded in agreement.
Louise then flashed a wicked grin. "But the question is, how are you going to resist telling him before then?"
"Honestly?" I said. "I have no clue."
_
Odd looked at his phone. He sighed. Yet another text from Sam. It was three days before Christmas, Christmas Eve Eve. Odd had been having such a fun time with Anna. His family loved her. Truly. Odd's sisters had adopted her as one of their own. Pauline literally tried to wrestle him to fight for more time with her. Anna had to come in and say, "Guys, I promise I will spend time with both of you."
Still, he felt bad though. He had texted Sam first. Odd had been a little flirty in his messages while he was trying to get over Anna. And Sam flirted back, and a part of him liked it. But when Sam had asked to get back together, he ghosted her. He realized he shouldn't have texted her in the first place.
Finally, he grabbed his phone. He saw a series of texts from Sam over the past couple of weeks.
"How are you doing?"
"Did you get with Anna? I swear to God Odd if you used me to get her jealous..."
"Odd, why did you manipulate me like this?"
That one stung. But there were more.
"Odd, she literally chose to go back to her asshole ex. She's not interested in you. I'm here. Right here."
Odd swallowed. Sam had a point. These past few weeks with Anna had been great, but he still felt awful whenever he thought about her getting on that plane to go see Brandon. Sure, Brandon had been her boyfriend, not him. But that hurt. A lot.
He started texting out a response. But nothing felt right. He decided not to send anything at all.
_
It was Christmas Eve. and I was excited. I had the mistletoe in place. Pauline was arguably even more excited, as she had found the mistletoe online.
Still, I was nervous. Not only was I telling Odd how I felt, but it had been three whole weeks since the last XANA attack. "It would be just like XANA to ruin this." I thought.
I checked my phone and texted Jeremie. "Jeremie, any concerns about XANA?"
Jeremie responded immediately. "No."
Then my phone went off again. This time with a message from Aelita. "Stop asking Jeremie if there's a XANA attack and kiss Odd under the mistletoe already."
I grinned. Aelita and Yumi had asked me just a couple of months ago about Odd. I wasn't ready to admit my feelings at that time. So when I hatched this plan with Odd's sisters, I immediately texted them. And of course, they immediately told Jeremie and Ulrich. Everyone was getting eager. Ulrich even said, "It will be so nice for Odd not to have to be the fifth wheel anymore. You two would be good together. I'm happy for you both." Getting Ulrich's approval meant everything to me, because those two had been best friends the longest.
I glanced over at Odd. He was grazing for food and eating all the cookies. Marguerite tried to slap a cookie out of his hand. Odd blushed and gave me an apologetic grin.
Pauline and I had agreed that the best course of action was to wait for everyone else to go to sleep, so Odd and I could be alone. "Pauline, are you sure you won't be listening in?" I said in a mock serious tone.
Pauline laughed. "Of course I will! And I can guarantee Elisabeth, Marie, Louise and Adele will be too."
"Pauline!" Elisabeth hissed. "Don't be weird. She doesn't want you watching her kiss our brother for the first time!" She winked at me and said, "Don't worry, I got this!"
"But!" Pauline said in protest, but Elisabeth was already dragging her by her ear.
The night was fantastic, but it went so slowly. We sang Christmas songs, opened gifts. I was pleasantly surprised that Marguerite had made me a blanket. "Thank you Marguerite! I wasn't expecting anything. This means so much to me!" Marguerite smiled. " I know dear, I know. But your mother said you would show up with something for everyone else in the house, and I best be prepared."
I blushed. "She told you that? I mean, she isn't wrong." Pauline gasped. "What did you get us?" Odd looked up. "Yeah, what did you get me?"
"Well..." I began. "You can't just ask me that. You have to open them." So I passed out gifts for all of them. I gifted Marguerite a cheese knife, to which she was quite impressed. I gifted Robert a Vikings jersey, and we had a great discussion on how silly Americans are for calling football soccer. Pauline I gifted a BTS t-shirt, since Odd told me she loves K-Pop. She gave me a hug so tight I almost fainted. Adele I gifted a journal, with an inscription inside that said, "For you to write your thoughts about your annoying sisters, instead of getting into arguments with them." She nodded her approval. For Elisabeth, I gifted a bracelet with her birthstone, since she is very into astrology. For Louise, I gifted a stuffed platypus, since Odd told me she is obsessed with him. "He's right," she said. "I am obsessed." And for Marie, I gifted her her own scented perfume so she no longer had to steal Adele's. Marie frowned. "But I like stealing Adele's perfume." I touched her shoulder. "I know, but maybe you should try not to for a couple of weeks, you know, in the spirit of Christmas?" Marie rolled her eyes. "I suppose I can."
I then glanced at Odd. "For you Odd...." I pulled out a giant crate. "I had my mom ship all of the standard American snacks I could think of. Knowing you, it will only last a day. But, please try to savor it."
His eyes widened. "I see Oreos, Doritos, Fruit Gushers, Nerds, Beef jerky..." He kept listing everything, and it was a long list. "I cannot thank you enough my sweet American."
Odd then pulled out a package from his pocket. It was small. He handed it over to me.
"I hope you like it." He said.
"Oh?'
I asked.
I opened it up. It was a picture of us studying in my room. His arm was around my shoulders. I was laughing, and he was playing with a pencil in his mouth.
"I remember this day." I said. "We were still arguing over what our novella should be about. I guess that's part of the reason I decided to just go ahead and do it." I laughed.
Odd cleared his throat. "Your mom said that back home, you have a bunch of pictures on your wall of all the important people in your life. I just... thought maybe I could be added."
Odd's ears had turned pink. Pauline was biting her lip, trying so hard not to say something. His sisters were all staring at him, wanting so badly to tease him, but wanting to hear what I would say first.
"Of course Odd. You're my best friend. And my first French tutor. When I go back to the States next, whenever that is, you will be added. Okay?"
"Okay," he said. Relieved.
Marguerite cleared her throat. "On that lovely note, let's all go to bed shall we? We have a busy day planned for tomorrow. I have to make some dishes Anna's mom recommended."
"Is my mom annoying you? I know she can be demanding. I mean she made Odd plan a birthday party for me, and now she's making you bring me gifts since she knew I would. I just-"
Marguerite held up her hand. "Anna dear, I adore your mother. She loves you. We all adore you, some more than others." She said while eyeing Odd. Odd started rubbing his neck. "Honestly dear? Your mom and I have become quite close. I told her if she is ever in France, or if I am ever in the States, I would love to meet her."
My eyes went huge. "You're serious."
"Deadly," said Robert. "I think it's sweet my wife is making more friends. Don't you, Odd?"
"Yes," Odd said. "And Anna, your mom loves you. I loved that she asked me to plan that for you. Don't feel bad, okay?"
"Okay," I said.
Pauline clapped her hands. "Okay guys, this is very touching and all, but get out of here!"
Quickly, Odd's parents and sisters disappeared. Odd looked very confused.
"Do you want to tell me what's going on?" He said with a laugh.
I swallowed. Odd wasn't quite under the mistletoe. He didn't realize it was there. Pauline had to sneak it in. I had to find a way to move him under it.
I couldn't think of anything subtle. So I grabbed him and moved him across the room.
"Okay, where are you taking me?" he asked again, getting more worried now.
I parked him right under the mistletoe. "Look up."
Odd looked up. Suddenly, realization struck his face.
"Oh my God, Anna I-"
I kissed him. But it was barely a peck before he pulled back.
Odd spread his hands out. "I'm sorry Anna. I can't." And he ran up to his room and left me under the mistletoe.
_
Odd was frantic. He pulled out his phone immediately to text Ulrich.
Odd: Dude she kissed me. Under the mistletoe and everything. And I pulled back. I, I don't know what I was thinking, I just panicked."
Ulrich: What the hell, man? You've been obsessed with this girl for months. She actually kissed YOU and you left her standing there under the mistletoe?
Odd: I mean, she went back to Brandon, and I guess I don't want to be some consolation prize.
Ulrich: Dude, you're not some consolation prize. Get out there, now. You still have time to make this right.
But when Odd ran out to the living room, she wasn't there.
"Shit." He muttered to himself.
_
The next day was awful. I hadn't slept well that night. Pauline of course knew, she saw the whole thing. She told her sisters, who told their parents. Pauline was giving Odd the cold shoulder. Everyone kept looking at me apologetically, and I just wanted to leave.
When Odd came downstairs for breakfast, everyone's voices hushed. "Anna, can I talk to you?"
I nodded. I could feel everyone's stares watching us as we walked out.
Odd swallowed. "Look um, I'm sorry for leaving you there last night, it's just-"
"We're friends." I cut him off. "I know. It was stupid. It's okay, Odd. I should be the one apologizing to you."
"Wait, why are you sorry?" Odd asked, genuinely confused.
"I just misread this entire thing. Christmas is often romantic, right? And I'm a romance writer. I did the same thing I did with you as I did with Brandon. Brandon was the boy next door and I assumed he was my soulmate because of that. You brought me to your home and I met your family, and I thought maybe you were into me. But I know you Odd."
"Oh?" Odd arched his brow.
"You're a flirt. You've just been flirting with me. And I you. There's nothing else going on here."
Odd's lips formed a line. He nodded. "Yeah, you're right to be sorry."
And then he stormed off. He didn't turn around to notice me wiping tears from my eyes as he walked away.
_
After a few minutes of collecting myself, I walked inside. Pauline grabbed my arm. "That was bullshit, and you know it."
"Pauline, please don't. You and your sisters, even your parents, made me think he liked me. But when I kissed him, and put everything on the line, he didn't want me. So I'm sorry if I said something that wasn't true. I needed to save some shred of my dignity."
Pauline softened. "What are you gonna do now? Avoid him for an entire week?"
"Do you have a better plan?" I muttered.
Just then the doorbell rang. Marguerite answered the door. "Oh, uh, Sam. I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming. It's wonderful to meet you, but I have to admit this is unexpected. Darling it's Christmas."
"I know. Is Odd home?" Sam said, shivering from the cold.
"Yes he is. Odd!"
"Shit." I muttered.
"Shit is right." Pauline said. "What the hell is she doing?"
Sam looked at me. Her eyes narrowed. It seemed like she already didn't like me. I wasn't sure if I liked her either. But I had to admit, she was gorgeous. She was athletic, tall, and had beautiful brown eyes with dark skin. Basically the opposite of me. I was short, pale, and had blue eyes. I glared at Pauline. "I thought you said I was Odd's type."
Pauline huffed. "He's dated so many girls. Trust me, you're his type."
"Because I'm a girl?" I hissed.
"No, because you're, ugh I'm not getting into this right now. Odd's coming down the stairs. Look!"
Odd came down the stairs. He also looked surprised.
"I'm surprised to see you." He stammered.
"I know. Can we talk?"
Odd nodded. "Sure, let's go to the back."
Pauline grabbed my arm. "You're coming with me, girl. We are going to find out what this girl wants." She pulled me into her room, and we watched them from her bedroom window.
_
Odd shifted. He was nervous. What was Sam doing here? He also knew his sisters well enough to know that all of them were watching him out of Pauline's window. And when he turned around? Sure enough Pauline, Anna, and his other four sisters were watching him.
"I don't care if they watch. I don't care if Anna sees this." Sam said. She grabbed his face to look at her. "Odd, I want you. I know we broke up, but we were young and stupid. We were in high school. I thought going to college I would need something different. But when I got there? I just realized I missed you."
Odd swallowed. He felt uneasy.
"I know that wasn't true for you, at least not exactly." Sam said urgently.
"Sam, I-"
"Let me finish Odd. Please. I know about Anna. I know your feelings for her. But you know she is just a friend. She went back to her ex in the States. She is wishy washy. I know what I want, and what I want is you. Don't you want to be wanted?"
"Yes." The words came out faster than he expected, and he surprised himself.
Sam kissed him. Right then and there. And Odd kissed back. Part of him felt bad that Anna saw this. But part of him wanted her to see. She was just flirting with him. They weren't serious. Sam? That was his first love. Maybe he didn't love her in this moment, but he could love her again. He knew it.
When they finally pulled apart, Odd knew he had found home again. He was happy.
"I need to go, Odd. It's Christmas. I need to go see my family. But, I'm happy we're back together again." She kissed his cheek before she ran off to her car.
Odd waved her goodbye. When he finally looked back at his sister's window, he no longer saw Anna. He didn't see Adele, Elisabeth, Marie, or Louise either. He just saw Pauline shaking her head and giving him the middle finger.
"Shit." He said.
_
Adele, Marie, Elisabeth, and Louise followed me out of Pauline's room and into the guest bedroom I was staying in.
"Dude, are you okay?" Adele asked.
I stayed silent. I realized I wasn't even crying, and I was still in shock.
"I... I think I am actually. I mean I'm not crying. I think it makes sense."
"Oh?" Elisabeth asked.
"Odd told me he had his heart broken by Sam. He has been a serial flirt ever since. That's all I ever was to him. All he wants is Sam."
"Anna, I don't think..." Louise said.
I held up my hand. "You have all been wonderful, but you all made me think Odd was interested. I'm sorry if this is harsh, but I don't care what you think right now. He didn't kiss me back last night. He kissed Sam with tongue just now. That speaks for itself, don't you think?"
"I'm sorry dear." Louise said as she rubbed my back.
"You aren't the one who needs to apologize." I said. "But I appreciate it."
"This next week is going to be awkward isn't it?" said Adele with an awkward laugh.
"Oh it definitely will." I said, letting out a small laugh of my own. "Merry Fucking Christmas."
Chapter 11: New Year, New Me's
Chapter Text
That last week of winter break was awkward as hell. Odd wanted to say something to Anna, but didn't know what. He kept thinking maybe he should apologize, but they weren't together, they never dated. "Besides, we were just friends. Just flirting, because that's all I am to her, a flirt." Odd thought to himself. So that entire week, Odd was mostly on the phone with Sam, while Anna spent time with his sisters.
Odd's sisters were giving him the cold shoulder, none more so than Pauline. She would scoff every time they bumped into each other. When the week was over and they had to go back to school, Anna finally stepped in and said "Pauline, it's okay. I'm fine." Pauline looked unconvinced, "Are you sure?" Anna looked over at him. "Yeah, we're good. I'm glad he's happy."
"Uh, thanks." Odd said, feeling a pang in his chest. Odd made eye contact with Pauline. Pauline arched her eyebrow. As siblings, they could communicate without words. And somehow, they were both stunned at how unfazed Anna seemed to be.
"You're welcome Odd." Anna clapped his shoulder. "I know this is weird. It's going to be weird for a bit. But we started as friends, and we can continue to be. And you know I still remember how you told me that Sam was your first love, and that you flirted with girls afterwards to protect yourself from getting hurt again. She's the girl you love. You've always loved. That's beautiful. Just, don't let her break your heart again this time."
"I won't." Odd swallowed.
Anna laughed. "Okay, now can we please stop the awkward no talking thing? We still have a car ride back to campus, and I don't want it to be weird, especially with your parents in the car."
Odd felt his face flush. He started to panic. "Shit, I thought you knew. Sam is going to take me back to campus. My parents can take you, or I can pay for an Uber, or..."
Sam, having the most impressive timing out of anyone he had ever met, magically appeared and said, "Or she can ride with us." Sam reached out to Anna. "Hi Anna, it's nice to meet you. I overheard what you said to Odd just now, and honestly, it means a lot to me. And for what it's worth, I don't plan on breaking his heart again."
Anna smiled warmly. "Good. It's nice to meet you. And, I have to say, I am obsessed with your style. Where did you get that outfit?"
"Oh girl, I simply must tell you where to find the best clothes in France." Sam grabbed Anna and started walking to the car.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Pauline's smug expression turned into laughter. "Oh, this is too much. Your girlfriend and your situationship are becoming best friends, and that is terrifying for you. Karma is a goddess, and she is a woman." She then pressed her hands together and looked up to the sky. "Thank you God!"
"Seriously Pauline?" Odd snapped. "This isn't funny!"
"Oh no Odd. This is hilarious. And I am going to enjoy every second of it." Pauline said with a mischievous grin.
"Why do you care so much?" Odd spat.
Pauline's face softened. "Because no man has ever looked at me the way you look at Anna, or the way she looks at you when you aren't looking."
Odd sighed. "You're seeing things Pauline."
"No, I'm not. You're just in denial. Do you even like Sam?"
"Of course I do! I mean, there's a reason I became a notorious flirt..."
"I know." Pauline said. "But I think you got over Sam and fell for Anna, and you're afraid to get hurt again. So it's easier to go back to Sam than risk getting hurt for real."
"You don't know what you're talking about." Odd spat.
He then heard the Sam honking the horn. "Are you coming Odd?"
"Seriously move your ass!" Anna was laughing, and she was sitting in the front seat.
"I hope you don't mind but I wanted Anna to sit up front. You can sit in the back." Sam gave him a mischievous grin.
_
The car ride wasn't nearly as awkward as I thought it was going to be. If someone had told me last week l would be riding in a car with Odd and his girlfriend after he refused to kiss me and ran back to his ex, I would have said nope, I refuse. I'm taking an Uber. But Sam was delightful. And seeing Odd sweat? Wasn't bad either.
"So," Sam asked. "How did you two meet?"
"Oh, that." I laughed. "I was late to Intro to French Literature. I couldn't read any of the signs. So the only seat left was next to Odd, which also meant that we had to be project partners for the entire semester. So he helped me learn French, and I did the entire project for him."
"You WHAT?!" Sam said with mock surprise. "I am shocked, shocked I tell you! Odd you were always a terrible student."
"I said I was going to help, but you did the entire thing by yourself!" Odd snapped back.
"It's true." I admitted. "I'm a writer and I couldn't help myself. But also?" I said looking back at Odd. "We were debating over the topic of our novella for the entire semester. We couldn't come to an agreement. So I just took control of the situation."
"As you should." said Sam, giving Anna a high five. "You alright there Odd?"
"Just peachy." Odd said.
Sam and I both started laughing.
Before I knew it, we were back on campus. Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi were all waiting for us. I leapt out of the car and hugged all of them.
"Hey guys! Ugh I missed you all so much. It's so good to see you! Also, why didn't any of you tell me how amazing Sam is? Seriously. I would date her if she wasn't dating Odd."
"Girl, you know you will be my first call if Odd and I break up." Sam said with a wink.
Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich, and Yumi's mouths simultaneously fell to the floor.
That's when Odd walked up. "Yeah, I know. Sam and Anna are best friends. Isn't it great?" He tried to give a smile, but no one was convinced.
Sam and I looked at each other and both started laughing. "It's okay Odd, you will get used to it eventually." I breathed. "Listen, I've got to get back to my apartment. I've been away from it for so long. I miss my own bed. No offense Odd, the guest bedroom was lovely, but I want to nap in my own bed. I will catch you guys later."
I turned around and gave a little wave. Aelita, Jeremie, Ulrich and Yumi were still speechless.
As I walked back to my apartment, my face fell. "End scene." I muttered to myself.
-
Odd held Sam's hand. "So, as you all know, Sam and I are back together. Isn't it great?"
Aelita swallowed. "Yes, of course Odd. We are happy for you." Jeremie and Yumi muttered in agreement. Ulrich stayed silent.
"Look Odd, I better head back to Paris. I have to get ready for my classes too you know. I will see you this weekend?"
"Absolutely." Odd said, and gave her a quick kiss.
"Bye guys! It was good seeing you all again. You too Ulrich." She said with an awkward nod to Ulrich, and then ran back to her car.
Odd slowly turned around. "Guys, look-"
"What the hell man?" Ulrich snapped. "You were pining over Anna for months. She was single. She kissed YOU. You ran off like an idiot, and then get back with Sam the next day?! Explain yourself!"
"Like seriously Odd! What were you thinking?" Yumi was glaring daggers at him.
Odd threw his hands up. "Okay, so after Anna went back to the States, I reached out to Sam, and one thing led to another..."
"One thing led to another? Are you KIDDING me? You refused to kiss Anna but you were kissing Sam the next day dude!" Ulrich's face was getting really red. Yumi had to tell him to calm down.
"She said I was just a flirt. And she was flirting too. It meant nothing to her. I was just a consolation prize." Odd snapped, not even hiding the pain in his voice.
"Whatever helps you sleep at night Odd." Ulrich muttered.
Aelita cleared her throat. "Odd, I know you were broken up after Anna went back to the States. But this is just a lie you are telling yourself. This isn't fair to Anna, or Sam."
"Anna doesn't even care! She and Sam are best friends already. She said we could go back to friends. And you all saw her! She's fine!" Odd yelled.
To everyone's surprise, Jeremie chimed in. "She might be fine Odd. She might not be. You might have lost your chance. So I hope it works out with you and Sam. I hope she doesn't break your heart again, because Anna might not wait around for you to fix it."
Everyone stared at Jeremie. Jeremie flushed. "Look guys, when she came here, she wasn't single. Odd was enamored with her, so were other guys. But no one made a move since she was with Brandon. Then when they broke up, everyone thought she would get with Odd. But now..."
He gestured around them. There were students all around, staring at them. After Jeremie gestured towards them, the students stared at the ground and pretended like they weren't listening. "Everyone saw that Anna is very much NOT with Odd. Do you really think she will be single much longer?"
"No, she won't." Everyone turned around as they heard the familiar voice of Sissi Delmas.
"Why hello again." She said with a flip of her hair. "Did you miss me?"
"No." said Ulrich.
"Quiet, I wasn't talking to you." Sissi spat. "Listen, I am starting here this semester. I decided to wait a semester before starting at college. And I am starting to regret it. This little love triangle? Is so juicy! Why is it the drama always centers around your group?"
"Sissi, knock it off." Odd said coolly. After graduating high school, he was excited to never have to see Sissi ever again. And now she was back, like a virus that would never go away.
Sissi sighed. "Look guys, I've changed. It's not middle school anymore. It's not high school. We are in college. Can we at least be civil?"
Odd looked at Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, and then Jeremie. They all nodded in agreement.
"Sure Sissi." Odd extended his hand.
Sissi shook Odd's hand. "Good."
And then Sissi walked to her dorm, leaving the five of them alone again.
Jeremie cleared his throat.
"Over winter break, Aelita and I made some discoveries about the Bat and XANA's plans. Can we discuss it later tonight?"
Odd nodded. He could tell this was serious, and he wasn't looking forward to it.
_
I woke up from my nap to find a text from Jeremie.
Jeremie: Important XANA update, everyone's meeting at my apartment at 7. You in?
Anna: Obviously. See you soon."
I sighed. The tears were still drying off my face and my pillow. Acting like I was fine was so exhausting. How much longer could I keep it up?
I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked awful. I sighed.
"Time to make myself look like I'm fine again." And I started applying my makeup.
I walked towards Jeremie's apartment. Everyone was already there, waiting for me. It was exactly 7.
"Geez, did I not get the memo to arrive early?" I said with a laugh.
Aelita gave a small smile. "Nah, we have been hanging out all day. While you were napping, we were all reconnecting."
"We even ran into SISSI." Ulrich said.
I was confused. "Who is-?"
"We will explain later." Jeremie said. "Right now, we need to talk about the Bat and XANA."
"So, before anyone asks. No, I have not figured out a way to get rid of the Bat." Aelita grabbed his hand. "It's okay Jeremie."
"But," Jeremie continued. "We are getting close. After countless hours, Aelita and I think we know what the Bat really wants, and what XANA's plans are."
"Yes," said Aelita. "Anna, you weren't there for this. But there was one time that XANA created a Jeremie look alike, and convinced me that he was Jeremie, and well, kissed me to make me think it was Jeremie."
Aelita and Jeremie were both beet red. I felt awkward for them.
"Okay, and...?"
"And remember that first time the Bat attacked you Anna, how he controlled you? Isn't it funny that he has only done that once, and not to anyone else? Everyone else just had their memories displayed." Aelita looked at me expectantly.
"Yeah, I mean maybe I have less of an ability to prevent mind control? I don't understand what you're getting at here."
Odd's knuckles went white. Yumi and Ulrich started to shift. "Get to the point guys." Ulrich said.
"The Bat is grabbing us. Taunting us. Using our memories against us. At the same time, XANA is becoming more and more powerful. He is able to control multiple people at once. Hundreds. Soon it will be thousands. He is using us to understand human emotion, fear, and how to control others." Aelita said.
I felt a wave of panic. I looked around the room. Everyone else looked just as terrified as me. I looked at Jeremie, who was looking at the floor. "There's more isn't there?"
"Yes," he sighed. "We believe he's trying to become human, to control the world and make himself the ruler. We believe he is creating copies of all of Lyoko warriors to use them as his soldiers as he takes over the world."
Ulrich looked up, alarmed. "How do you know this Einstein? Did you find an army of Ulrich clones? Aelita clones? Yumi clones? Or Anna clones? I thought you said XANA has been dormant all winter."
"He has." Aelita chimed in. "Because he's building his army. We didn't realize it until a few days ago when we were hacking into security cameras in other countries, and we found an abandoned military base, where they had some dormant clones of Anna and myself. It was... disturbing." Aelita had tears falling down her face. She then looked at me. "I didn't know how to tell you Anna. I'm sorry. You don't want to see it."
"Yes I do." I stood up. "Show me."
Jeremie brought out his laptop as we all crowded around. He showed me the still images of thousands of clones of me and Aelita sleeping. Waiting.
I couldn't breathe. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. I simultaneously felt sick and mesmerized.
"They aren't exactly clones." Jeremie said, as if reading my mind. "They are living. Breathing. XANA has somehow created life."
"But we still have to stop it." Odd stood up. "This, this is wrong. It's sick."
"Agreed." Said Aelita. "So we are going to destroy that base, just like we did in high school."
"Huh?" I said, breaking out of my trance.
"We are going to take you on a trip through the Digital Sea, Anna." said Yumi.
"Buckle up." said Ulrich.
Chapter 12: In Too Deep
Chapter Text
"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner Jeremie? I thought I passed your test and was off probation!" I muttered as I was entering the Skidbladnir.
"You did pass my test, It's just it is a lot of information, and we didn't think we needed to enter the digital sea yet because he had only been activating towers on Lyoko, and plus you didn't have your own Nav Skid, and..."
"Cool it Jeremie. It's okay." Aelita yelled up to the Lyoko sky.
"Yeah, it's fine Jeremie. I get it. It's just this? Scares me a little." I said, as I was staring at the digital sea.
"You'll be fine." Odd said with a soft smile.
"Thanks." I said with a nod. I knew Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich were watching the exchange. And I knew I could play off that I was fine.
Entering the digital sea was terrifying, but also exhilarating. It was so beautiful. Despite knowing that XANA's monsters could and would likely attack at any second, I felt somehow peaceful. More peaceful than I had in days.
"So what do you think Anna? Are you going to throw up?" I heard Odd laughing from his own Nav Skid.
"No, I don't think so. This place is breathtaking." I breathed.
"It really is." Said Aelita in agreement.
"Shit. There's some sharks coming your way. Buckle up." Jeremie said over the intercom.
"Alright, let's go." Aelita said. All of the Nav Skids broke off the Skidbladnir as Aelita remained at the helm.
"Um, I don't know how this works!" I yelled into the intercom. I felt like a teenager learning how to drive. I kept starting and stopping, and Sharks kept attacking me.
"Just shoot at stuff!" Ulrich yelled as he was trying to kill a Shark.
"I'm good with my arrows, not shooting while steering a tiny boat!" I snapped back.
"It's fine Anna. Just breathe. It's like driving a car. Except with more buttons." Odd said over the intercom. I could see him waving from his own Nav Skid as he shot another Shark. The sharks sensed I was new. Two darted in front of me, forcing me to swerve, while three more circled behind like vultures. Aelita swooped in, blasting one away, but the others immediately regrouped, closing in again.
"Just like a videogame." Odd said again. He was able to kill one of the Sharks that was on me. Yumi was able to remove one as well after she got rid of the one that was on her tail.
"Just like a videogame." I repeated. I started driving it again, only this time? I was in control. I breathed out, and said "1-2-3!" and killed my first Shark.
"YES!" I shouted.
"YOU DID IT!" Odd yelled back, his fist pumping the air. For a moment, we made eye contact. It was almost like it was before, before everything became complicated. But then I was immediately snapped back to reality when I noticed yet another Shark trying to attack. There were only two left.
"Shit!" I yelled. "Okay, I got this. Let's go Sharky!" At the same time, Odd was trying to take out the other shark. Somehow, we were able to time our attacks perfectly, and we killed them both at the same time. Even after everything, we were still in sync.
"Good job guys," Jeremie said from the intercom.
"Agreed." Said Aelita. "You can all return your Nav Skids to the Skidbladnir. We won't be long now."
_
Odd was replaying those moments over and over in his head. "I am dating Sam." he thought to himself. "Why did I feel like I needed to be the one to calm her down? Why did I get so overjoyed when she got those sharks, and why did I feel butterflies in my stomach when she looked at me?"
Unfortunately, Odd didn't have time to think. They were almost at their stop. Once they were there, they would devirtualize and go back into the real world using the supercomputer there. And there, he would have to destroy an army of Aelita's and Anna's. The thought of it made him feel sick.
"We're here," said Aelita. "Prepare yourselves."
"You too," said Anna. "This is going to be fucked up for both of us."
Hearing Anna say that over the intercom felt like a punch in the gut. He looked over at her as they were leaving the Skidbladnir. She didn't look back at him this time. She looked lost in her own world. He supposed he couldn't blame her.
When they entered the abandoned military base, everyone went quiet. Odd was waiting for Aelita or Anna to say something, but neither of them did.
Finally, he heard Einstein's voice. "It's up ahead."
They all ran down the hall. Odd was looking at Aelita and Anna. Both of them just stared ahead. They all ran until a door blocked their path.
"Let me just unlock the door for you guys." Jeremie said. Then two seconds later, he said "Shit guys. I was able to unlock the door, but now..."
He didn't need to finish that sentence. As the door opened, the alarm bells went off. And the tanks that were keeping the thousands of Anna's and Aelita's were opening up, and they were all waking up.
"Hurry!" Yumi yelled.
"Obviously!" Anna yelled back.
_
"Don't even think about it, just go for the kill. This isn't murder. They were created by XANA as weapons to destroy the world. They aren't you, just go for it." Anna thought to herself.
Everyone was staring at her. The plan was simple. She had the bomb arrows. She had to blow up the building. She was the only one with the firepower to destroy something of this magnitude. But this was also the most psychologically damaging, and everyone knew it.
"Jeremie," I yelled. "Is there something in particular I can hit to wipe everyone out at once?"
"Yes," Jeremie said. "See that switch there? Hit that and everything goes boom. But you need to time it right. Wait until I say."
"Okay," I said.
I looked around at everyone. "You know the plan. You got me in here and made sure I was safe. Now get out. Aelita you have one minute tops to see if there are any plans to connect to other bases which might have a Yumi and Ulrich army."
"But..." Aelita looked grieved. "Girl are you gonna be okay?"
"Don't ask me that right now. I don't want you to see this. Half of them are you. GO!"
I turned around. I was looking at thousands of clones of me staring back.
"Odd, she said go!" I heard Ulrich yell, and grab Odd to leave.
One clone started walking towards me.
"Well well. The original is here. Do you like what you see?"
I felt a shiver go down my spine.
"You, you talk?" I stammered.
"Yes," she said. "We all do. We are all you. We have your thoughts, your memories, your....Desires."
My body shook. "It doesn't matter. You're not me."
"Are you sure? I know what you think about when you're alone at night." She said as she stepped closer to me.
"You aren't me. Stop trying to pretend you are." I said as I stepped closer.
She smirked. Then she turned around and unched me in the face. "As you can see, I have also memorized your combat skills you learned from Ulrich and Yumi." She said, leaning over me. "It's a shame we have to kill you, you have such a pretty face, obviously."
"Fuck you!" I said as I spat blood out of my mouth. I reached down to grab my bomb arrows.
The clone stepped on me, as other me's and Aelita's started to circle me. "Not so fast." She then brought out her own bomb arrow and aimed it at me. "I have one question before I kill you. Tell me, are you ever gonna tell him?"
"Tell who what?" I snapped back.
There was collective groans of thousands of me's and Aelita's.
An Aelita clone came up to the main clone of me and said. "I told you, she's not ready."
My clone groaned. "She would have been ready, had he not broken her heart. Oh well. Guess it's time to kill you."
She grabbed me by my hood and said, "Any last words?"
Just then, Odd jumped from the ceiling and yelled, "Peek a boo!" and knocked her down. I had never been so grateful that he was a cat before. I was able to grab my bomb arrow as the other me's started to attack us.
"Now!" Jeremie yelled.
"Go Odd!" I yelled as I aimed my arrow at the spot while he jumped out of the way and run down the hall.
"Get here fast!" he called back.
I started to run and didn't look back. I could still hear the screams of thousands of me's and Aelita's dying. It was horrifying.
I made it back to the supercomputer at the same time as Aelita.
"Nothing!" She yelled. "There was nothing about another base." Aelita was shaking, trying to wipe tears from her eyes.
I grabbed her arm to face me. "Not nothing," I said, "Trust me. Now let's go." I pulled her away from the building. We returned back to the Skidbladnir just as the base went up in flames.
_
No one said anything. Odd certainly didn't know what to say. What do you say to someone who had to kill thousands of clones of themselves and their best friend. There are no words. So Odd, Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich and Anna just rode the Skidbladnir back to Lyoko in silence.
"Devirtualize me first." Anna said, breaking the silence. "I need to go home."
Everyone nodded in agreement. Odd almost offered to be the one to do it, but he held back. So Ulrich offered to do it. She then disappeared.
"Alright, who's next?" Ulrich said lightly. He tried to make light of the situation, but no one was having it. Normally, that would be Odd's job to lighten the mood, but even he wasn't in the mood for it.
"I'll go." Aelita said quietly, tears streaming down her cheeks. So Ulrich devirtualized her as well.
"Let's just do three at a time guys. I think we all want to go back." Yumi said. Ulrich's cheeks went hot. "Yeah that makes sense." And he, Ulrich, and Yumi disappeared.
When they returned to the scanners, Odd was surprised to just see Aelita there. When he went up to the computer room, it was just Jeremie. Jeremie, without even looking at him said, "She went straight home. I wasn't gonna ask her to debrief. She did more than any of us in that."
Odd swallowed. "Yeah, you're right."
When he finally got back to his apartment, he couldn't sleep. He was worried about Anna. Odd felt so horrified seeing thousands of her trying to kill her. He wasn't even supposed to go back to save her. He had defied Ulrich's orders and Jeremie's plan. But he knew she would need help, and he was right. Had he listened, she would be dead right now.
"She would be dead right now." Odd muttered as he rolled over again. "Why does she have so many near death experiences?"
He knew he wasn't going to fall asleep. There was no point fighting it anymore, so he pulled out his phone.
Odd groaned. He saw five missed texts from Sam. First a selfie, then an I miss you, then a why aren't you answering me, then damn it Della Robbia, and then a good night asshole. He would have to come up with a good excuse in the morning.
He then pulled up Anna's contact. He just stared at the picture he had of her on his phone. It was the one on her birthday, where she was wearing a Vikings jersey. Odd smiled. She was so happy that day. And if he was being honest? That was one of his favorite moments with her.
He stared at the picture a little longer. "I'm so sorry." Odd whispered.
_
I didn't sleep that night. I knew I probably should because classes were starting that day, but honestly, how could I? How could anyone sleep after killing thousands of themselves and their best friend?
"They weren't people. They were weapons. They weren't supposed to be here. Had I not done it, they would have destroyed the world." I repeated to my reflection. My reflection now had an eerie feeling to it. When I looked into the mirror, it felt as if I was looking at or talking to my clone.
"At least my reflection isn't so bitchy," I said with a small laugh. The laugh felt foreign to my ears, but I needed to try laughing again. I knew everyone would be worried. Odd just broke my heart, and I just had to kill thousands of replicas of myself and Aelita. But I needed to put on a brave face. "I have to be okay." I said to the mirror.
I walked to the cafeteria. I saw them all waiting for me. As soon as I walked in, they immediately came up and hugged me.
"Is this your new friend?" I turned towards the unfamiliar voice. I saw a beautiful girl with dark hair and pale skin.
"I'm Sissi," she said as she extended her hand. "You must be the girl everyone's talking about."
I flushed. "Yeah, I mean I am the only International student. My American accent really stands out."
"True," Sissi breathed. "But that's not what I meant." She then gestured to the students around the cafeteria, suddenly trying hard to pretend they were reading their books. "See? You're popular."
I blushed again.
"What do you want Sissi?" Odd groaned.
"I told you. I'm different now. We are older now. We can be friends." Sissi said in a sing song voice.
"Oh, so you know each other? Odd is she one of your ex girlfirends, or um, conquests?"
Odd turned beet red. Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, Jeremie, and even Sissi howled.
"Oh honey no," Sissi said while placing her hand on my shoulder. "I did crush on Ulrich for a long time."
"Too long," Ulrich said. Yumi punched him in the arm. "Stop it Ulrich."
"Ow!" He yelled. "It's true!"
"He is right," Sissi nodded, looking at me. "Ulrich was always Yumi's, it took me awhile to admit it. So no, Odd and I never dated. Although it is true he dated everyone else besides me, Yumi and Aelita."
I gave Odd a smirk. "Noted."
Odd folded his arms. "Yeah, okay. Whatever. Seriously though, we all need to talk to Anna okay. So can you go Sissi?"
Sissi sighed. "Oh all right. But Anna dear we must hang out soon. I need to hear all about your thoughts on France."
I smiled. "Sure thing Sissi. I think I like you already." She waved as she walked away.
Odd was glaring. "Seriously? How do you make friends with everyone? Even people you shouldn't be friends with."
I frowned. "What like Sam? Odd I can be friends with whoever I want. Besides, why is that a bad thing?" I then made a playful grinned as I said "Are you worried I'm going to make a play for Sam?"
Odd flushed. "I mean when you said you would date Sam if she wasn't dating me, I didn't think you were serious... are you interested in her?"
I laughed. Hard. "Dude, I'm pan. I am attracted to guys and girls. Yes, your girlfriend is hot. But no, I'm not a homewrecker. That's not me. All I am saying, is whatever reason you have for not wanting me to be friends with her, is dumb." I then look at Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich, and Jeremie. "I mean you're all friends with her right?"
There was a pause. Ulrich finally spoke up. "Not really no. She got Odd in trouble before, and they were kind of on and off throughout high school."
"Hey!" said Odd.
Ulrich put up his hands. "Look buddy we are happy you're happy, and we will support you obviously, but I was just answering her question. No, we are not friends with Sam. And we aren't really friends with Sissi either, although that might change now I guess."
I swallowed. "Good to know. But I can still make my own choices when it comes to friends."
"Absolutely." Said Aelita. "But you know, this isn't what we wanted to talk to you about. We just wanted to know, how are you holding up?"
I paused. "Honestly? I'm doing better than I thought I would. That was, extremely messed up. But having someone with my face threaten to kill me made it easier to kill them. And I keep telling myself they were robots. I know they were sort of alive, but they were created by XANA. I don't know the science behind it, nor do I want to know." I said, looking at Jeremie and Aelita. "But there's only one me. And I destroyed weapons that could have destroyed the planet. I did a good thing. I saved the world."
"Absolutely you did," Yumi grinned as she pulled me into a hug. Everyone else joined in too.
As people pulled back, Aelita said gently "Still though. If you're never not okay, you just tell us, okay?"
I swallowed. "Okay." I just hoped I looked convincing.
Chapter 13: Pillow
Chapter Text
"Odd, look at me man." Ulrich was glaring at Odd from across the room. He was not letting this go.
"I don't know what you want me to say." Odd was running his fingers through his hair, wishing Ulrich would just let this go.
"I want you to admit it. Admit that you went back there because you still have feelings for Anna. You weren't supposed to go there. You did anyway." Even though Odd wasn't looking at him, he knew Ulrich eyes had never left his face. He felt the daggers going through his soul.
"Had I listened to Einstein, Anna would be dead right now. I made the right call." Odd was getting impatient now.
"Not the point." Ulrich spat. "You made the right choice for the wrong reasons. Try again."
Finally, he turned to look at Ulrich. "Fine. Of course, I still care for Anna. Happy now? It doesn't fucking matter anyway. I'm with Sam now. And she's, she's over it. It was just a minor flirtation for her."
Ulrich arched his brow. "Are you sure about that?"
Odd looked down at the floor. "No."
"Say that again. I didn't hear you."
"NO!" Odd's face was hot as he glared at Ulrich.
Ulrich's face twisted into a grin. "Finally, now we are getting somewhere. You know, you should pay me for all this free therapy I am offering you."
"Fuck off." Odd spat.
_
I was staring at my ceiling, tears brimming my eyes. Classes had started up again. I had barely managed to keep my cool. I had classes with everyone. Jeremie had suggested it, saying it would be easier to respond to Lyoko alerts if we were in each other's classes. So I had Statistics with Yumi and Aelita, which worked well enough. European History with Ulrich, but he was no help at all. Computer Science with Jeremie, which made my life way easier because Jeremie knew all the answers. Oh and Chemistry with Odd. The irony was not lost on me there.
"And no English classes this term. A writer without a writing or literature class. I am gonna die." I sighed. Getting through general education requirements was going to be the death of me. I didn't care about math, or science, or history for that matter. And frankly, having classes with your friends sounds okay on paper, but I didn't want to be around them right now for fear of falling apart.
I grabbed my notebook. I had been planning on journaling since I had arrived on campus, but Jeremie had warned me not to mention Lyoko. So if I couldn't mention Lyoko in my journal, I felt like I had nothing else to write. Until Brandon and I broke up that is. Since then, it had steadily been increasing. And when Odd left me at the mistletoe and immediately kissed Sam right after? It reached a fever pitch.
I wasn't just writing stories anymore. I was writing poems and song lyrics. I had never really considered singing before, but I knew my voice wasn't horrible. It sounded okay.
I started crafting words together and trying to make them work lyrically. I clearly needed practice. Writing novels had become second nature to me. Songs were harder. You had to keep things more concise and make it easy to sing them aloud. There was no room for flowery prose. Your words had to be poignant.
I stared at my pillow. It was soaking wet. Of course it was. I had only been crying every day since I got home. It didn't help matters that I had just killed thousands of clones that looked just like me and Aelita. So, in addition to being heartbroken, I was traumatized. It was fucking fantastic.
_
Odd was sitting in Chemistry class, waiting for Anna. He and Anna were partners again, lab partners. This time, instead of debating novel ideas, Odd and Anna would work together pouring chemicals and trying not to cause an explosion. Or something like that. Odd was not sure what chemistry would actually be like.
Anna walked in with a small smile. "Hey Odd. You saved me a seat! Thank you."
"It's tradition now Miss Americana." She let out a small laugh. He hated how much he loved that she laughed. He had been worried.
"So, are you okay?" Odd asked nervously.
Anna's face fell. She nodded, slowly. "I mean, as much as I can be I think. And I mean I have you to thank. You basically told Jeremie to fuck off when you came back like that. Had you not done that, well all of us would be dead right now."
Odd's face felt hot again. Anna noticed and quickly cleared her throat. "Please don't get weird about me thanking you. I know it wasn't a romantic gesture thing. You just knew better than Jeremie, which is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I hope you brag about it for years to come."
Odd was laughing now. Hard. Anna joined in. "You have a point. This is going down in the history books!"
Once class started, Odd started translating for Anna again. She didn't need as much help now. Anna knew most of the words. She just struggled with chemistry because elements on the periodic table were not as commonplace as other French words. He was impressed. He knew that Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich and Jeremie barely had to help her in their classes. Honestly, he probably had to help her the most when it came to translating, and he was grateful he still had that chance.
Odd was whispering translations when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Sam saying, "Are we on for dinner tonight?". He went to mute the message when Anna said, "You can answer it, you know. It's okay."
Odd turned to her. "We are in class. I'm trying to pay attention."
Anna smirked. "Odd, I was your partner last semester. You answered texts all the time. And not just XANA alerts. I remember you had an entire class where you went back and forth between translating and sending Ulrich memes. Answer it. Don't be weird answering it because it's Sam. It's fine. Respond to your girlfriend, even if it's just a 'In class. Ttyl'."
Odd nodded and texted her: "Yes. See you soon."
Anna patted his shoulder. "Good. Now go back to translating French boy."
Odd continued to translate for the rest of the class. He would catch whiffs of Anna's perfume. It always smelled the same. She wore the same citrusy scent as last semester. Except last semester, he didn't feel as guilty for enjoying how she smelled because fuck Brandon. But now Odd had a girlfriend. He knew he shouldn't be having those thoughts.
Once class ended Anna got up and gave him a wave. "Catch you later Odd."
"Running off so soon? I thought maybe we could get lunch with the others in the cafeteria." Odd was surprised. That's what they always did last semester. Why wouldn't that be the plan?
Anna gave a small smile. "I have a call with my mom. She wants to know how the new semester is going."
"Well, you can FaceTime her in the cafeteria! She loves me. She will want to talk to all of us." Odd could hear the desperation in his own voice. He prayed Anna didn't notice it.
Anna hesitated.
"Shit." Odd thought to himself.
"She does love you, Odd. She loves all of you. But... I just kind of want to talk to my mom by myself. I didn't have Christmas with her, and I just kind of miss her, ya know?"
Now Odd felt horrible. He thought maybe Anna was dodging him because she felt uncomfortable. Instead, she just missed her mom. And he felt like an asshole.
"Oh, I mean yeah, of course. I'm sorry. I should've thought of that -"
Anna held up her hand to cut him off before he dug himself into a hole with apologies. "No need to apologize, Della Robbia. But I do need to run off. I will talk to you soon, okay? Tell the gang I will talk to them soon as well."
And she walked away.
_
I got into my apartment and slammed the door shut. Tears were already flowing down my cheeks. I felt guilty. I hadn't planned on calling my mom today. That was a lie. I just didn't want Odd to see me cry after I gave him permission to respond to his girlfriend. But they had a date that night, and their relationship was going well. I could only be so supportive.
"I probably should call my mom though. It was a lie but, not a bad idea." I sniffled as I pulled out my phone to Facetime my mom.
"Hi sweetie!" Then her tone quickly changed as she saw my face. "Oh honey. Is it Odd, or the new classes this semester?"
"Odd," I blubbered as I grabbed a tissue.
"I'm sorry sweetie. I know he means a lot to you."
"He does." I sighed. "But he's dating someone else. He needs to mean a little less to me now."
"Yes well, don't be too hard on yourself if that doesn't happen right away. These things take time." She said softly.
"I can't afford for it to take time Mom! He's my Chem partner. He's in my friend group. I see him all the time."
My mom tapped her chin as if trying to solve this predicament. "Do you have to see him though? Do you have to see him this much? Maybe you need more space."
"I mean, there are some things I can't avoid," I was thinking out loud. "Chem obviously is unavoidable, group hang outs he will be there. But maybe I don't have to sit with them all the time at lunch. Maybe I can make some new friends."
"Exactly," My mom pointed at me. "You need to prioritize yourself."
"I will Mom. Thanks." I hung up the phone, lost in thought.
-
Odd was lost in his thoughts. Odd knew he should be thinking about Sam but he couldn't help himself. He kept thinking about lunch earlier. Having lunch without Anna today was weird. Everyone was more quiet than usual. They understood completely that she wanted to talk to her mom. So did Odd. But things didn't feel the same without her. There were no food eating contests, no jokes about French culture or Midwestern cuisine. It could have felt like old times, before Anna joined the group. But instead, it felt like something was missing.
"Odd, I asked you a question."
Odd snapped back to attention. "I-I'm sorry Sam. Can you ask me that again? I got distracted."
Sam groaned as she shoved her plate away from her. "You are always distracted Odd. I thought things would be different now that we are older, better. But somehow they are just worse."
Odd quickly grabbed her hands and put them to his cheeks. "Sam, I adore you. I'm in this. I know things have been off. Christmas was messed up and I am still getting back to school mode. I can focus. Please repeat the question. I won't get distracted this time. I promise."
Sam smiled and kissed Odd on the forehead. "Alright then. Where do you see yourself a year from now?"
Odd furrowed his brow. He hadn't really thought about it. With all of the XANA attacks, he couldn't think about it.
"Well?" Sam asked playfully. "You aren't distracted again I hope?"
"No," Odd said, moving her hands and setting them gently on the table. "I just don't know. I haven't thought about it."
Sam sighed. She looked at her hands nervously as she said, "Well I have Odd. I see us together. Maybe even in Paris. You could go to school with me. We could live together. We could..."
"Sam..." Odd's chest tightened.
"What?" Sam's face began to twitch.
"I want those things, I do. But I am staying in Sceaux for college. I like my school, I like being with my friends."
"More than you like being with me," Sam spat as she wiped a tear from her eye.
"No, that's not what I meant. I mean, why can't you move here? Or why does anyone have to move? I mean, it's only 30 minutes away."
"It's not about that, Odd." Sam was glaring into his eyes.
Odd swallowed. "So what is it about then?"
"I don't feel like a priority. You care more about your friends than me. It's always been that way."
"Of course it was like that!" Odd felt anger rise in his chest. "You moved. You lived far away. They were there when you weren't."
Sam shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
Odd softened his tone and wiped her cheek."But it isn't that way now. You are my priority now. We chose each other."
"Did we?" Sam asked hesitantly.
"Yes." Odd said.
Sam seemed to exhale and let out a sigh of relief. Although truthfully, Odd wasn't sure.
-
I was walking along campus. I had to find a new club or student group to join. I needed new friends.
"Shit." I sighed. I felt bad. I loved the group I found, but things were different now. I needed space to heal and get over Odd. So I needed to expand my friend group. Not cut anyone out, just to add more people.
I was looking through flyers. There was a robotics club, art history club, and a chess club.
"Pass, pass, PASS." I groaned.
I then stumbled on a flyer for an open mic night. "Come join us on Friday nights for open mic. All musicians welcome."
I stopped. Did I even qualify as a musician? But it was the only thing that sounded interesting, and I really wanted to see how people would respond to the song I wrote.
I snapped a picture of it on my phone and hurried off.
The rest of the week was a blur. There were no XANA attacks, and nothing new about XANA's suspected Yumi and Ulrich base.
It was Friday night, and Yumi texted to the group chat.
Yumi: Assuming no XANA attack, would anyone like to do a pizza and movie night at my place?
I groaned. My phone was buzzing with replies already.
Aelita: I'm in!
Ulrich: I'm in, as long as Odd doesn't eat all the pepperoni.
Odd: I'm in! And Ulrich, you know I am going to eat all the pepperoni pizza. It's tradition!
Jeremie: I'm in, and I will bring napkins in case Odd destroys everything.
Yumi: Great! Anna, are you in?
I hesitated. I was typing, then stopped and typed again. I knew they saw the "typing" notification as I did that. Sometimes, I really hated modern technology.
Finally, I just said: Sorry I can't. I have plans. Next time?
Yumi: Sure. Have fun tonight!
"Okay, it's done. Now I have to go." I said as I pulled up the picture of the flyer on my phone. I grabbed my journal and my guitar. I had no idea what I was doing, but there was a thrill of starting something new. I couldn't wait.
-
Odd was trying to pay attention to the movie, but he was distracted. He had already finished all of the pepperoni pizza. It just didn't taste the same without Anna trying to beat him to it.
Odd cleared his throat. He had been trying to get the nerve to ask, but he was afraid of how the others would react. But now they were all looking at him, waiting. "Has anyone noticed that Anna hasn't been around as much?"
Yumi groaned.
"Seriously, Odd?" Ulrich threw a pillow at him.
"What's with the violence? I was asking a question." Odd protested.
"It's a question you have no right to ask Odd. If she's avoiding us, it's because of you." Yumi snapped.
"Besides, she might not be." Jeremie chimed in. "Earlier this week, she missed lunch with us because she was homesick. Tonight, she has plans. But she's been having lunch with us all the other days."
"Exactly." Aelita nodded.
"Yeah, but... she didn't specify what those plans are. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?" Odd felt embarrassed saying that out loud, but he had already dug himself this far. Why not dig himself further in the hole.
They all looked at each other. Finally, Ulrich shrugged and said:"Yeah, well. We just assumed she had a date and didn't want to say that over the chat because how that might be weird for you."
Odd felt his face get hot as he said way too quickly, "It's not weird. It's not! Did she tell one of you guys she's on a date?"
They looked at each other again. Odd was getting annoyed at it. But they all shook their heads.
"No, she has not said she's on a date." Aelita finally confirmed.
"But Odd, if she is, it's none of your damn business. It's none of ours either. We trust her. Now watch the movie and eat some more pizza or something. You can have some of mine." Yumi them threw him a slice of cheese. It was plain, but it was something.
"Thanks, Yumi."
"Now shut up."
-
I was nervous as I entered the bar. I saw dozens of people sitting, waiting for it to start.
I saw a familiar face waving at me, gesturing for me to sit down.
"Hi. Sissi, right?" I asked as I sat down next to her.
"You got it. So, are you performing tonight?" Sissi really had no time for small talk.
"That's... To be determined. Are you?"
"Nah. I just have a thing for guys who can sing. It's cliché I know, but it's hot." Sissi said with a wink.
I laughed. "Yeah. I mean, I agree."
She nudged me. "You're single now. Maybe you can find an eligible bachelor here?"
I nudged back. "Sissi, two things you should know about me. One, I like men and women. So I am looking for a bachelor or a bachelorette. Second, I am not interested in dating right now. I was in a relationship with Brandon for about five years. And then I went straight to going for Odd. I need to just find myself, I think."
Sissi threw a maraschino cherry at me. "You suck."
"What are you talking about?" I giggled. "I'm being responsible!"
"That's the problem. Be irresponsible! Besides, you don't need to fall in love. Just go on a date. Makeout. Have fun. You aren't getting married."
"Noted." I said. "But tonight, it's just a night for me. Okay?" I raised my glass in a toast.
"Okay." She clinked her glass to mine. "But you're going up there. You brought your guitar all the way out here. You better make it worth it."
"Fine." I groaned.
In that moment, the manager came out to ask for volunteers. Everyone looked around at each other. It was crickets. Finally, Sissi said, "Anna here would like to volunteer!"
"Would you like to volunteer Anna? It's up to you."
I swallowed. Resolute. "Y-Yes. I'm volunteering."
I got some small nods of encouragement. "You got this, Anna!" Sissi said as she pulled out her phone. "I'm filming this because it will be great. And if it's not, we can laugh about it later."
"Seriously, Sissi?" I yelled from the stage.
"Seriously. Go." Sissi said as she held the camera.
I spoke into the mic. "Okay, so I haven't done this before. It might be terrible. But please, be kind. I've only been in France since September, and my world has kind of fallen apart recently. So this song is about that. This song is called Pillow."
I started strumming my guitar for the intro. My heart was pounding as I sang:
When I stopped loving him, I don't remember/ Must have been in November
I wish I hated him/But I never should've dated him
December was when I realized/But I was out of time
Because now she's brushing the purple in your hair/I wish it was my fingers there
And when she keeps you warm at night/ I just hold my pillow tight
It's never the right guy/Never the right time/ I'm pretty sure I'll spend Valentine's all alone/ And his friends would never know it/ Because I'm so damn supportive/ Yeah I will never confide/How much I hurt inside/ My pillow's the only one who'll ever know/Yeah my pillow's the only one who'll ever know
When I fell for you, I don't remember/Must have been in December
I wish I could hate her/But honestly I'd date her too, if wasn't in love with you
But now she's brushing the purple in your hair/I wish it was my fingers there
And when she keeps you warm at night/ I just hold my pillow tight
I'm never the right girl/Never the right time/ I'll probably end up all alone/ and his friends would never know it/Because I'm so damn supportive/ Yeah I will never confide/How much I hurt inside/ My pillow's the only one who'll ever know/Yeah my pillow's the only one who'll ever know
God I really hate that I'm
Never the right girl/ Never the right time/ I'll probably end up all alone/ and his friends would never know it/Because I'm so damn supportive/ Yeah I will never confide/How Much I hurt inside/ My pillow's the only one who'll ever know/Yeah my pillow's the only one who'll ever know
I looked at the crowd. I was about to say in the mic that I was sorry for wasting their time, when Sissi stood up and clapped. Then everyone else did. I got a standing ovation.
"That was amazing Anna!" Sissi yelled as she wiped tears from her face. I realized other people were wiping tears from their face.
"Thank you." I said with a bow.
The manager pulled me aside as I got off the stage. "You've got talent kid. You should come back next week. We need to get more people performing."
I nodded. "I will."
Sissi grabbed my shoulder. "And I will be here too, cheering you on."
I beamed. "Thank you, Sissi."
And I knew in that moment, something beautiful was about to unfold.
Chapter 14: Never The Right Time
Chapter Text
Odd kept looking at the empty seat where Anna normally sat. He was drumming his fingers on the table before he finally asked: "I'm not overreacting, am I? She's avoiding me, right?" Odd looked at the group. He, Yumi, Aelita, Ulrich, and Jeremie had been sitting at the lunch table waiting to see if Anna would show up. This was becoming a pattern.
"She's been missing from lunch every Friday for three weeks and has plans this evening and never specified what they are. So no, Odd, I don't think you are overreacting." Aelita said gently.
"Well, what are we waiting for then? Why can't we use Find My Friends?" Ulrich reached for his phone to pull up Anna's location.
"You can't. Every Friday, she turns off her location from 12-8 PM, give or take." Odd said sheepishly.
Everyone stared at him. He felt his cheeks get hot.
"Yeah, he's right. Her location is turned off." Ulrich showed his phone to everyone.
Odd turned to Jeremie. "Well Einstein, you have hacked into computers and cameras all over the world. Why don't you figure it out? You could solve this mystery in two seconds."
Jeremie gave Odd a stern look. It scared Odd. He looked pissed. "No."
Odd began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. Everyone else did too. They weren't used to seeing Jeremie agitated.
"Um, I'm sorry, but why not? She's a part of the group. We should know where she is."
Odd looked at Jeremie. He didn't flinch.
"Unless... do you know where she is? That's it, isn't it? You know where she is and don't want to tell me."
"NO ODD!" Jeremie slammed his hand on the cafeteria table. Heads started to turn. His glasses had become askew, and he had to adjust them.
Jeremie then turned his voice to a whisper. "I'm not tracking her. I track people when I have to. I am not invading her privacy. She always shows up to Lyoko missions. Always. I'm not tracking her just because you fucked up your love life."
"Jeremie, maybe you need to take a break-" Aelita began to say before she was interrupted.
"Absolutely not Aelita! We have no answer for the Bat. Odd's up next. I have failed everyone else. We still haven't found the base for the Yumi and Ulrich clones. So excuse me if I don't have time for Odd's usual bullshit."
Jeremie grabbed his laptop and started to walk away. He then turned around and said, "And don't act like you all weren't thinking it too." And he left Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita in stunned silence.
After a long pause, Ulrich broke the silence. "He's not wrong dude. You have a girlfriend. Anna could have been your girlfriend, until you fucked it up. Asking Jeremie to track her for a non-XANA emergency? What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
Odd said nothing. There was nothing for him to say.
"Yeah. I figured." Ulrich rolled his eyes as he grabbed his things. "Come on Yumi. Come on Aelita. Let's leave Odd alone to ponder his thoughts." They nodded in agreement and walked away.
Odd sat there for a few minutes considering what they said. Maybe he was a fuck up.
Just then his phone buzzed. It was another message from Sam. Odd groaned and put his face in his hands. They had been arguing nonstop. Odd had been debating ending it, but since they had just rekindled things a month ago, he felt like he should try to see if they could fix things. But honestly? It was seeming unlikely.
Odd pulled up Anna's contact. He wanted to text her and demand she tell him where she has been going, and why she's turned off her location. If it had been a group confrontation, it would have been easier. But since the group had instead called him out, he no longer had the balls to ask.
"Fuck." He muttered to himself.
-
Sissi had been watching the cafeteria waiting for Odd to leave. When he finally got up and left, she yelled "The coast is clear!"
"Thanks Sissi!" I yelled back as I made my way past the cafeteria and towards the cab.
"I don't understand why you don't want them to see you. Why not tell them? They would want to support you." Sissi said as she passed me my guitar.
"Thanks Sissi. And you know why I can't. I am not about to sing Pillow in front of Odd, or the rest of them. That's way too embarrassing. I would prefer they think I am over it and was relatively unaffected by it."
"I thought you said you were over him?" Sissi asked with a smirk.
"I am." I said quickly. "But if they heard the song, they would assume I'm not. Even though I absolutely, 100 percent am."
"Uh-huh." Sissi crossed her arms. "Whatever helps you sleep at night. You don't need any more damp pillows."
I laughed. "No, I really don't. See you later?"
"Oh absolutely. I'm your number one fan." Sissi said with a wink. "Also, are you sure you don't want me to post the video? People would become obsessed. It would be huge."
"I'm sure Sissi. The last thing I need is for Odd to stumble on a clip."
"Okay, but I'm still saving them just in case you change your mind!" Sissi said while pointing to her phone.
-
Aelita decided to go see Jeremie in his apartment. When she opened the door, she found his shoulders shaking with tears running down his cheeks.
She immediately rushed towards him and put her arms around his shoulders. "Shh Jeremie, it's okay. I'm here."
Jeremie grabbed her arm gently. He knew he needed her in that moment.
They stood there holding each other for a long while. After Jeremie's crying had stopped, she turned to him. "Jeremie, you need to rest. Go to sleep. I will continue our work okay? Just, please sleep."
Jeremie nodded. "Thank you. I-I love you Aelita."
Aelita smiled. "I know. Now go to sleep."
It didn't take long for Jeremie to fall asleep. After two minutes, he was out. Aelita immediately opened Jeremie's laptop and set to work. And she knew that she would only wake Jeremie up if it was a genuine XANA emergency. He needed his rest.
The hours ticked by. And he kept sleeping, and she kept working. She was looking at old security footage from around the world.
The sun was beginning to rise as she caught a glimpse of someone who looked like Ulrich in Budapest. Her body jolted upright. Aelita had been so exhausted she wasn't sure if she had been seeing things. But she clicked the image and found that it wasn't an accident. She watched as the Ulrich clone grabbed lunch from a café, before walking back to an underground military base.
"Bingo." She smiled to herself.
Aelita walked across the room to Jeremie and shook him awake.
"Aelita, what time is it?"
"About 7 AM. You slept for 12 hours."
Jeremie jolted himself awake. "Shit, that's too long Aelita, I needed to-"
"Jeremie," she said as she cut him off, "I found the base holding the Ulrich and Yumi clones. Alert the others. We are going in."
-
Everyone had arrived at the factory. Aelita was filling everyone in.
"An Ulrich clone was walking and ordering food from a restaurant. XANA is testing how well they can blend in in the real world. He's getting ready to strike. So we need to strike first."
Everyone looked at Ulrich.
Ulrich swallowed. "That's so fucked up."
"At least you don't have to kill you yourself. I get to be the clone killer."
I realized I had said too much and was dismissive. "I'm sorry Ulrich. That was insensitive. I just.... I hated killing me's and Aelita's. You don't have to watch it if you don't want. I have to watch thousands of look-a-likes of my friends die at once by my hand. It's... a lot."
My cheeks felt hot. Ulrich gave me a sad look as he patted my shoulder. "It wasn't insensitive. I get it. Your Lyoko experience has been traumatic. First one attacked by the Bat, and you are our go-to clone killer. We don't blame you for it being hard."
"Thanks Ulrich." I said as tears filled my eyes.
Odd shifted slightly as he looked at me. "Is, that why you are avoiding us on Fridays?"
My cheeks were suddenly hotter. The tears almost started to fall when I nodded slightly. "Kinda, I guess. I think I just wanted a day to feel normal. Like my own person. Being a Lyoko warrior has been wonderful, and traumatic. I just wanted some time where I could be Anna. Not Anna the Lyoko Warrior. Not Anna the crimson huntress. Not Anna the Katniss Everdeen wannabe. Just Anna."
Odd nodded. "Well I get it. We all do." Everyone nodded in agreement. "And for what it's worth? Katniss Everdeen WISHES she was you. Those bomb arrows? They would have ended the Hunger Games in two seconds."
I laughed. "Thank you Odd."
Jeremie cleared his throat. We all turned to look at him. "Perhaps you don't need to kill the Ulrich and Yumi clones. I will see if there is a way I can detonate something remotely while you all are on the Skid. You shouldn't have to do that."
Now the tears did come. "Thank you Jeremie."
He gave a small smile. "No problem."
-
Everyone was entering the Skid. Odd kept looking over at Anna. She didn't notice. Odd could tell she was lost in her own thoughts, mentally preparing to kill thousands or Yumi and Ulrich lookalike.
"Stop it man." Ulrich whispered under his breath.
"What?" Odd said, acting innocent.
"Don't play dumb. We can all see you staring. Anna may be unaware, but we aren't. Cool it."
"But she's not okay...." Odd said in a quiet protest, trying his hardest not to alert Anna to the conversation.
"No she isn't." Yumi chimed in. "We will watch out for you. You? Need to let it go and focus on the mission. Got it?"
"Got it," Odd muttered.
"Alright, entering the Digital Sea. We will be there in about thirty minutes." Aelita said over the intercom.
Odd could hear Anna clearing her throat. "Jeremie, any updates on detonating something remotely?"
"Getting close. I found a fail safe they created that will cause the whole building to explode. But I'm having trouble getting access."
"You have time." Anna breathed. "You found the fail safe. That's huge. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
There was a long silence. No one knew what to say, especially not Odd. Odd wanted to say something to help, but had been told repeatedly not to. He had a girlfriend.
But still, Anna was his friend. He always helped her before. Always. Even when she was with Brandon. Why should this be any different?
He was about to say something when Aelita yelled, "Incoming! Ten Kalamars. Go!"
All of the Nav Skids dislodged from the Skidbladner. Odd's attention immediately went to Anna's Nav Skid which somehow was already surrounded by three of them.
He was about to help her when Ulrich came to the rescue and captured their attention by killing one of them on the spot. "You can't catch me!" The remaining two Kalamars chased after him.
"Thanks Ulrich!" Anna yelled. "But I could have handled them myself."
"It's okay Anna," Yumi said as she was being chased by two other Kalamars. "You're new at this. It takes awhile to get the hang of it. You can't exactly shoot bomb arrows out here."
Anna huffed. "Just you wait guys. I can do this."
Odd was charmed, but was then immediately startled when a Kalamar shot him.
"Watch it Odd!" Aelita called from the Skidbladnir. Everyone's attention was on him now. They had all been dealing with their own Kalamads and helping each other. Meanwhile, Odd was just sitting there watching Anna.
"Sorry, er, I was-"
"Debating whether I needed help," Anna cut in. "Not a surprise."
Odd's ears turned pink. "I-I mean yes, but you're new. We need to protect our rookies..."
"Watch and learn, kitty."
Odd watched as Anna waved from her Nav Skid. She then killed the Kalamar that attacked his Nav Skid in one fluid movement.
Odd was stunned.
Before he could say anything, Anna laughed.
"Jeremie, should we tell them, or just let them think I am the world's fastest learner?"
"Tell us!" Aelita, Yumi, Ulrich and Odd said in unison.
Anna giggled as she went over to the Skidbladnir to kill another Kalamar.
"After my less than ideal performance last time, I had Jeremie run some practice simulations."
"And after approximately 13 hours of training, you got the hang of it. Statistically speaking, you have a better kill rate than anyone else now." Jeremie chimed in.
"Thank you Jeremie!" Anna said. She then went to help Yumi, who still had a Kalamar on her tail. Anna killed that one too. There were only five left.
"Oh, it's on!" Odd yelled.
"I don't know." Anna quipped as she swerved to help Ulrich with the last Kalamar on his tail. "So far, Ulrich has killed two. Aelita killed one. I've killed three. You and Yumi have zero."
"Don't remind me." Yumi snapped. "I am lumped in the lover's bracket with Odd."
"So let's settle this." said Aelita. "Whoever has the most kills, gets bragging rights."
"Good luck." Said Anna smugly as she shot the Kalamar that was chasing Ulrich. "I have four now. There's only four left. The best Yumi and Odd can do is tie, and that's unlikely."
Odd felt adrenaline in his veins. Four left, and they were all competing over them. They outnumbered the monsters now. He had to act fast.
Yumi was chasing down a Kalamar. Aelita was targeting one as well. Ulrich was chasing one too. So was Anna. And Odd wasn't going to be left out.
He swerved his Nav Skid to cut Anna off and killed a Kalamar in one strike.
"Seriously Odd?" Anna yelled.
"Seriously. Now I have a kill. Don't worry. You're still winning."
"Not anymore!" Yelled Ulrich as he destroyed his Kalamar. "Anna and I are tied. And Anna, I'm not about to lose."
Just then Yumi destroyed her Kalamar. "Yes! On the board. Only one left."
Everyone turned their Nav Skids around towards the Skidbladnir. Aelita was struggling. This last Kalamar was particularly difficult. It was fast, and able to evade at the last minute.
"Don't worry Aelita, we're on it!" Odd yelled.
"No, I'm on it." Anna propelled herself in front of Odd. She was ahead of everyone else. Odd watched in dismay as she killed the last Kalamar.
"Karma's a bitch Odd. And her name is Anna. I will continue to exercise my bragging rights for the rest of the day now, at least. I am the best."
Odd groaned. So did everyone else. But no one was actually upset. She needed this.
Everyone joined the Skidbladnir again as they finished their journey. As they docked, they materialized into the underground military base in Budapest.
-
I tried to slow my breathing as we were running about the base. No one wanted Yumi and Ulrich to have to watch as thousands of versions of themselves had to die, so they ran off with Aelita to see if they could gather any information about any other bases that might have clones and about the Bat. Which left me with Odd.
I knew the group was unsure about it. Ulrich glared at Odd disapprovingly when Jeremie and Aelita first revealed the plan that morning. But everyone knew it was the best option, even if it wasn't ideal.
Odd broke the silence. "So team precision and explosion are back at it again?"
I rolled my eyes. "It's not a team when I am doing 80 percent of the work."
Odd gave me a mischievous grin. "Oh Madamoiselle, you wound me! I do at least 25 percent of the work."
We took the elevator down to the basement where the clones were being held. The alarm started going off. I knew what that meant.
Odd grabbed my arm. "I got you, okay? I will be right there the whole time."
"Anna, I hate to break it to you. But I need more time. Five minutes. Can you hold them off that long?"
"Can we hold off thousands of Yumi's and Ulrich's for five minutes without killing them? No Jeremie. I can barely hold off just one of them."
"...I understand. But last time, they all woke up slowly. Just one was taunting you. Maybe you could...?"
"I will try." I spat. "But odds are I am killing thousands of Yumi's and Ulrich's. I am a genocidal serial killer."
Odd pulled me to look at him. "No. These are not real. They were never meant to be alive. They are weapons. If we don't destroy them, they will destroy the world."
I saw Odd's face get red. Mine was getting red too. Thankfully the elevator opened before either of us said anything.
We walked in. I saw Ulrich's and Yumi's all slowly waking up. I knew we were low on time.
"Odd, you don't want to see this. Ulrich is your best friend. You've known Ulrich and Yumi for years, I've only known them for a little bit."
Odd grabbed my wrist. "Anna, respectfully, shut the hell up. I'm staying."
"Okay." I nodded.
"Three minutes." Jeremie said.
"I don't think we have that." I said as I watched a clone Ulrich and clone Yumi walk towards us.
"So," breathed the Ulrich clone in a low voice. "This is my best friend huh? I have to say, you're more pathetic in person."
Odd glared at him as he started to get his fists in laser arrow position. "You're not my best friend. He's in the other room."
The Ulrich and Yumi clones laughed. More and more were joining in.
"But I know all of your secrets, Odd." The Ulrich clone whispered. "Doesn't that count for something?"
"Back off." I said as I grabbed my bomb arrows.
"Hey now," said the Yumi clone. "Jeremie still has two minutes. So we have one more minute before we destroy you and all of your friends to discuss business."
"Discuss business? What the hell does that mean?!" snapped Odd.
"Odd, they are baiting you. Don't listen!" yelled Jeremie over the intercom.
"He's right Odd." I whispered. "We need to find the fail safe. It's in here."
"Oh right," said the Yumi clone. She pointed to the other side of the room. "It's right there."
To my horror, hundreds of Yumi's and Ulrich's were climbing the wall to act as human shields.
The Yumi clone grinned. "As you can see, you won't get to it. And you will be dead before Jeremie can deactivate it. So let's talk business."
"Fuck off." I yelled as I pulled my arrow.
Odd grabbed my arm to lower my arrow. "Wait." He said sternly. Surprised, I lowered it.
"Tell us." Odd said calmly.
The Yumi and Ulrich clones all laughed in unison. It was horrifying.
"Good. So The Bat is dormant for now, but trust us, when he comes out you will be next Odd." The Yumi clone said cooly.
I rolled my eyes. "We know that already. You're just stalling."
The Ulrich clone turned to Odd. "But what you don't know, is Odd here will be the leader of the Odd army. XANA has realized that clones are great, but not the same as the real thing. Once he is captured by the Bat, Odd will be his."
Odd's face twitched as he got into position. I got my arrows ready.
"So you're safe Odd. Anna isn't. And none of your friends are." The Yumi clone said with an evil laugh. "And your time is up."
Odd began to pounce. "Anna, it's precision only!"
"Odd that doesn't make sense! There's thousands of them. You can't use precision!"
But as the Ulrich clones started to chase me with their swords, I saw Odd do a leap frog maneuver where he pounced off of a bunch of Yumi and Ulrich clones's heads. He was steadily climbing up the wall of the clones protecting the fail safe button. Yumi clones and Ulrich clones were trying to use their fans and swords to stop him, but other clones would always get in the way. There were just too many of them to focus on one single target.
"Never mind!" I called. And in that moment, I saw Odd punch the button with his fist.
The building erupted in fire and smoke. I heard the screams of hundreds of clones dying. There were so many of them, and some of them still attacking me that I was unsure how I would get out.
I started to run. I had a bomb arrow at the ready, but I didn't want to use it and make the building fall faster. I had no idea how Aelita and the real Yumi and Ulrich were doing.
But I was no match for Ulrich clones and their super speed. I had the bomb arrow ready to go as Odd jumped in front of me and sent laser arrows in their direction.
Odd grabbed my wrist. "Not today. You understand me?"
I nodded and we ran out the door to the elevator. Thankfully Jeremie was able to lock the clones in the room remotely.
"Jeremie, will we be able to get up in time?" I asked, panic in my voice as we heard the thousands of screams.
"Yes, but it will be tight. I will open the elevator doors immediately. Once they open, RUN!"
Odd grabbed my arm and looked at me. "Together, okay?"
"Okay," I said. Odd's breath was ragged. He looked into my eyes as if he could see into my soul. He held that gaze, and I didn't flinch. When he started to lean in, I followed.
And then the elevator doors opened.
"GO!" Jeremie screamed.
We ran as fast as we could. Odd was faster and had to drag me with him. I didn't protest.
I could hear Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich screaming from outside the building.
"Faster, guys!" Aelita screamed.
We barely made it outside the building when it exploded. We dematerialized onto the Skidbladnir as we watched the building go up in flames.
Chapter 15: Not My Valentine
Chapter Text
Odd looked into Anna's eyes. They were in that elevator, unsure if they would make it out alive. Her eyes were frightened, and he wanted to comfort her. No, he just wanted her.
He leaned in, and she followed. Their lips touched. There was no interruption this time. His lips teased hers. Odd heard her voice hitch, which was music to his ears. He deepened the kiss, and he heard an audible gasp. "Odd," she whimpered.
Odd started kissing Anna's jaw, and went down her neck. He whispered "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted this?" as he kissed her collarbone.
"No," Anna gasped.
"Then let me show you." Odd said as he unzipped her pants.
He was about to move things forward when:
"BEEP BEEP BEEP!" he bolted upright as he awoke to the sound of his alarm.
"Merde," he groaned as he looked down at his erection and damp sheets. He was suddenly cold and wishing he could somehow return to the warmth of the elevator in his dream.
Odd was starting to stand up when he heard a pounding on the door.
"Odd wake up! We are getting croissants before class." Ulrich yelled.
"Y-yeah, coming!"
Odd quickly pulled on his pants and grabbed a shirt. He then loudly threw open the door.
"Dude," Ulrich said with a smirk. "When you said coming, I didn't think you meant THAT."
Odd went beet red. "What are you talking about? I didn't do anything!"
Ulrich howled. "I was your roommate for five years Odd. I've been around long enough to know when you've had a wet dream. All I want to know is, was it Anna or Sam in your dream?!"
Odd coughed, trying to ignore the knots forming in his stomach. "Jesus Christ, dude! I just woke up, and now you're interrogating me. Can't a man have some privacy?"
Ulrich raised a brow. "So Anna then. Makes sense. Jeremie told me how you two almost kissed."
"He WHAT?!"
"It's Jeremie, man. He saw it all on the camera. He wasn't sure how to handle it, so he asked me for advice. And then I said I didn't know, so I told Yumi while Jeremie consulted Aelita. So yeah. Everyone knows." Ulrich said as he clapped Odd's shoulder.
"Does Anna know everyone knows?" Odd asked softly.
"No," Ulrich admitted. "Yumi and Aelita are waiting for her to reach out to them for advice. They say it should be any time now."
"Oh? Why do they think that?" Odd was surprised by how Aelita and Yumi sounded so casual about all this, like they expected it. Odd didn't feel casual at all.
"Well, according to Yumi and Aelita, Anna has a tendency to stew over things before she asks for help."
"Sounds about right." Odd sighed. "So, is this breakfast going to be an interrogation?"
"No," Ulrich winked. "We aren't going to do that to Anna. Instead, we are going to watch you two squirm."
"Please stop." Odd groaned.
"Too late, buddy. What are friends for?" Ulrich laughed with glee.
They walked to the cafeteria and saw Jeremie, Aelita, Yumi, and Anna already eating. Odd looked at Anna. She hadn't noticed him yet. She looked so beautiful as she was talking. Anna was getting animated about something. She was gesturing with her hand and occasionally her half-eaten croissant.
Ulrich nudged him and whispered, "Dude, stop staring. Remember you still have a girlfriend."
"Right," Odd whispered back.
As they stepped closer, Ulrich cleared his throat. "So you started without us, huh?"
Anna grinned. "Sorry, no food eating contest this morning. I was too hungry to wait. And these croissants? Are DIVINE."
Odd bit his lip. "You do realize there are way better croissants in France, right? This is just college dining hall food."
"Odd, we nearly DIED. I get hungry after near death experiences. And all food tastes heavenly when you are on the brink of death!" Anna was laughing. No one else was.
Anna went quiet and started to shift uncomfortably. "Yeah, sorry. I guess dark humor is how I cope. And stuffing my face with pastries."
Ulrich spoke up. "I-I've been meaning to ask, how are you Anna? I can't imagine having to kill those clones again. I heard the screams of thousands of me and Yumi's dying, and it was horrifying. I can't imagine seeing it."
Yumi nodded. "I've been wondering the same thing. How are you, Anna?"
Everyone was staring at her now. So was Odd. He knew she had been through a lot. He couldn't deny that he was worried, too.
"Well, actually Ulrich, I didn't kill the clones this time. It was Odd." Anna gestured towards Odd. Odd suddenly felt the urge to stare at the ground.
"Wait, how -?" Ulrich began before Anna cut him off.
"You had to have been there, I guess. Jeremie was so close to detonating the fail safe remotely, but XANA had woken up the clones. I was going to shoot my bomb arrow, but Odd did this whole leap frog thing and jumped on a bunch of yours and Yumi's clones. It was brilliant."
Anna gazed up at Odd now. "I never had a chance to thank you, Odd. You wouldn't let me do it. Most people wouldn't volunteer to murder someone, or thousands of someones, so thank you."
Odd's cheeks burned as he let out a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well. I couldn't let you be the only genocidal serial killer on the team."
"Hey, whoa," Jeremie cut in. "First off, stop saying murder. Self-defense is not murder, and these clones were weapons."
"Yeah, seriously. I know you guys use humor to cope, but don't call yourselves killers. You aren't." Yumi's voice was soft but firm.
"Agreed, it was necessary." Aelita nodded.
"Yeah, but you heard the screams." Anna's voice shook as she held back tears. "It felt like murder. You said it yourself, Ulrich, you didn't see it. I've seen it both times. So has Odd. It's horrible. And even if it was necessary, it doesn't change the fact it was horrible. So please don't try to tell me it wasn't murder. Because it doesn't change the fact that it's what I dream of every night."
Odd's eyes widened. The reality hit him that while he was having sexy dreams, she was having nightmares. He felt like an asshole.
Aelita pulled Anna into a hug. "Why didn't you tell us about the nightmares?"
Anna looked up at Jeremie. "I didn't want to make you feel guilty. I know you blame yourself, and you are working yourself too hard." Then she looked around at the group. "And I didn't want to worry you guys."
Jeremie wiped his eyes. "Anna, that's thoughtful really, but you need to tell us this stuff. We can help."
Anna laughed bitterly. "What, can you prescribe me a Xanax?"
"No, but I could probably make you some if you need. Do you want me to?" Jeremie said deadpan.
The group erupted in laughter. "Jeremie, no, I do not need you to go full Breaking Bad. I will figure it out. Thanks, though."
Anna turned to Odd. "Are you having any nightmares, Odd?"
Odd stopped for a second. How was he supposed to respond to that?
"No." He said.
Anna gave him a small smile. "I'm glad. And jealous, honestly. Could we trade dreams for a night? I'm guessing yours are much more pleasant."
Ulrich coughed loudly as he tried to stifle laughter.
"Are you okay? Are you choking?" Anna was getting concerned. Odd barely covered up his laughter. She had no idea what his dreams were, and he wanted to keep it that way. That resolve was the only thing preventing him from laughing too.
"Y-yeah. Fine. My croissant is a little dry." Ulrich muttered.
Anna passed him her water. "Drink this. Now. My goodness, you are worse than Odd. Get it together."
"I agree. I'd rather not have my boyfriend die from choking on a croissant." Yumi said as she patted Ulrich on the back.
Anna cleared her throat again. "But there is something else we should discuss." She looked over at Odd. "Should I tell them, or you?"
Odd felt his cheeks flush. "W-what do you mean?"
Anna quickly waved him off. "No, not that. Just, the Bat's plan."
"Oh," Odd gulped. "Yeah, that. Um, when the Bat captures me, he is planning to control me and have me lead an army of Odd's to destroy the world. That's all."
Jeremie nodded solemnly. "Yeah. When I heard that, I got to work. I am trying to combat his attacks, as well as come up with strategies to avoid you being captured. Including having you avoid going on Lyoko."
"WHAT?! You can't do that, Jeremie!" Odd felt anger rising in his chest. He was a Lyoko warrior. They couldn't just bench him.
Jeremie looked at Odd sympathetically. "Odd, you can help fight against attacks on the ground. There's always people getting possessed by XANA."
"Besides," Aelita said softly. "We can't lose you."
"None of us can." Anna nodded in agreement.
Everyone held hands, and Anna gestured for Odd to join. "Promise to try to avoid going on Lyoko for a bit?"
Odd grabbed her hand and Aelita's. "I promise."
"Good." said Jeremie. "We are all in agreement. Now, let's finish these croissants."
-
It was a pretty normal day as far as I was concerned. Classes were going okay, but I wasn't paying attention. Ulrich was translating for me, but I wasn't into it, and neither was he.
"Okay, you're not paying attention, and neither am I. Should we just chat?" Ulrich finally asked.
"Just chat?" I giggled. "Okay, Stern."
"Okay, sorry, I just we haven't really talked much, just us, you know? I know you're closer with Odd and the girls. We haven't really done this." Ulrich put his hands in his pockets.
"It's true." I sighed. "But this is nice. I would like to get closer to you as well. I-I think I need a break from Odd."
Ulrich raised his brow. "As his former roommate and best friend, I get it. He's a lot. But I don't think that's why."
I felt nervous. "Ulrich, he's your best friend. If I say something, can you just like, promise me you will keep an open mind and not go full Team Odd without hearing me out?"
That got a chuckle out of Ulrich. "He's my best friend, and he's an idiot. Trust me, I am more likely to be Team Anna. Spill."
I paused. I wasn't going to share everything, but just enough. This was the most pressing anyway. "During the mission, Odd and I almost kissed."
"I know."
"You KNOW?"
"Shh!" muttered the students next to us. Some others raised their eyebrows at us.
"Keep it down," Ulrich whispered. "Yes, I know. Everyone knows."
"Odd told everyone?" I was able to keep a whisper, but I was panicked.
"No, he didn't tell anyone. You dumbasses forgot that Jeremie can see everything when he's tracking missions. Everything. And then one thing led to another, and here we are."
"Of course everyone does." I groaned.
"So what are you gonna do then?" Ulrich asked gently.
"He has a girlfriend Ulrich. I almost became a homewrecker. That's not me."
Ulrich nodded. "Go on."
"But he saved my life. Twice. Wait, three times now. And he took on those clones for me Ulrich so I wouldn't be the only one to have done it. I'm confused. It felt romantic, but he's in love with someone else. How does someone do that for someone they aren't in love with? How?"
I looked over at Ulrich again. I felt embarrassed. "I am sorry. T-that's too much. Forget I said anything."
Ulrich shook his head. "No, it's not. I've been yelling at him about this stuff. He's dating Sam, but defying orders on Lyoko missions to save you. Of course it's confusing you."
"Thank you. So now I have to distance myself from him. At least when I can. We are tied together for Lyoko missions, but outside of that? I don't know. But I know I am not a side piece."
Ulrich chuckled. "I respect that."
I laughed. "And you can tell Aelita and Yumi I will be talking to them tonight. I need their womanly advice too, no offense."
"None taken. We men are dumbasses. And I am not ashamed to admit that Yumi is way smarter than me. I lucked out." Ulrich blushed. It was sweet.
I smiled. "Yes you did."
-
Being grounded from Lyoko was murder. A few weeks went by, and it was slow and painful. Nothing seemed exciting anymore. Anna had been distancing herself from him. He only saw her for lunch and Chem. That's it. And now it was Valentine's Day, and Odd decided the distance was killing him.
He finally grabbed his phone and got the courage to text the thing he had been debating for the past few weeks.
Odd: Are we ever gonna talk about it?
Odd stared at his phone, waiting for Anna's response. She had been typing for a bit. He was trying to be patient, but his nerves were killing him.
Anna: You have a girlfriend, Odd. It's Valentine's Day. Go be with her.
Odd groaned. She had a point. But he and Sam had been fighting a lot the past few weeks, and he was also distant from her. And the sad truth was that he missed Anna more than Sam.
Odd was debating several texts. He debated saying, "What if I didn't?" Or "I'm sorry, "but nothing seemed quite right. Finally, he settled on a text to send.
Odd: So I take that as a no, then. I get it.
Odd was annoyed now. Maybe it wasn't the nicest thing to say, but it was effective.
Anna: Seriously, Odd? I'm not a homewrecker. And you could have brought it up too, but you didn't. Get off your high horse.
That hurt, but she had a point.
Odd: You're right. I'm sorry.
Anna: For what exactly?
Odd: .... Everything.
Odd put his face in his hands. He meant it, too. He knew he was an idiot. He felt confused. Honestly, he didn't know why he went back to Sam. Maybe he just enjoyed sabotaging himself.
Anna: Thanks, Odd. But it's a little late, you know? And I am assuming you have a date tonight. Go get ready for that and stop texting me.
Odd sighed. He really wanted to ask if she had a date tonight, but he knew it wasn't his place to ask.
Odd: You're right, I do. I will talk to you later. Have fun tonight.
Anna: 👍
"A thumbs up, really?" Odd threw his phone on his bed. He started to get dressed. He wasn't thrilled about going out to fancy dinner, but he felt like he couldn't break up with Sam yet. At first, he wanted to give it an honest try, and then it got so close to Valentine's Day that it just felt mean to break up with her. He was hoping to end things at the beginning of March to be respectful of Sam.
"But I'm not respectful. I nearly cheated on her." Odd muttered to himself. He felt horrible. He had not treated Sam well at all. He took her back because it was easy, and he was scared to be with Anna. But every time he was with Sam, he pictured Anna. Every time.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. It was a text from Sam that said, "See you soon, Happy Valentine's! XOXO 😘"
"Fuck." Odd groaned as he walked out the door.
-
Sissi and I were walking into the café. This had become a weekly ritual for us. She would help me avoid Odd and the gang, and would cheer me on at the café as I sang Pillow. I had also begun singing covers of other songs recently due to my growing popularity.
"Wow, it's packed. Remember how just a few weeks ago there were hardly anyone who showed up to these events? Now people are showing up. Because of you." Sissi pointed at me.
"Well, not necessarily. More people are performing now." I tried to rationalize. But Sissi wasn't having it.
"Only because YOU showed them this is a worthwhile event. And because people are crushing on you, HARD." She said with a wink.
I groaned. "Even if that was the case Sissi, I'm staying single for awhile."
Sissi rolled her eyes. "I know, that's why I've turned down some men and women on your behalf when they asked me if you were available. But one guy has been pretty persistent, and I don't know if I can keep turning him down."
I raised my eyebrows. "Who?"
Sissi turned me around. "See that guy on that stool there? His name is Louis. He was there that first night. He's been coming every week since hoping to talk to you. I told him you wanted to be single and were still grieving a situationship, but he's been patient and waiting for awhile. It's Valentine's Day. Why don't you talk to him?"
I looked at him and audibly gasped. He was looking right at me. Louis had dark brown hair and gray eyes. He had a strong jawline. He wore a leather jacket and jeans.
Louis grinned and walked over to me. He blushed slightly as he played with his sleeve. "So I am assuming Sissi here finally told you who I was, yes?"
I blushed too. "Y-yes. She did. Just now, in fact."
Louis let out a soft chuckle as he rubbed his neck. "I gathered. And she told you that I have been patiently waiting to take you on a date, correct?"
I swallowed. Hard. "Yes. I appreciate you waiting."
Louis laughed. "Yes, well, it was not by choice. I had been waiting for you to notice me. Sissi noticed that second week. She said not to worry. You were only temporarily blind due to having your heart broken recently."
"I have no idea how you could have been so blind, Anna." She said with a nudge. "He's hot. And he's been eyeing you."
"I'm sorry! I've been dealing with stuff." I trust to defend myself, but even I couldn't understand how I missed this gorgeous man.
Louis bit his lip, trying not to laugh. "It's okay. I found it endearing. I have to admit, you're braver than I am, Anna. I've wanted to perform, but I have been too nervous. How do you do it?"
I bit my lip as well. "Honestly? This is new to me. You were there for my first performance. You just do it."
"Just do it." Louis repeated. "If I go up there tonight, will you have dinner with me?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I think I will actually."
"Great. Let's meet up after the show."
He was turning away when I stopped him. "Wait, tonight? You really want to have a first date on Valentine's Day?"
Louis flashed my his mischievous grin. "Why not? It's romantic, no?"
I laughed. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. I better see you up there."
"You will." Louis turned his heel and walked away.
-
Odd was drumming his fingers at the table as Sam talked. The setting was romantic. It was a candlelit dinner, and the hors d'oeuvres were decadent. Odd pulled out all the stops. He wanted to make this night special for Sam.
"Odd, are you listening?" Sam had a scowl on her face.
Odd bolted . "Yes, yes, of course I am!"
Sam crossed her arms. "Then tell me what I just said."
Odd felt his ears turn pink. "You were talking about your family."
Sam laughed bitterly. "Are you serious? No. I was talking about my new roommate. What's wrong with you, Odd?"
Odd scratched his neck. "I'm sorry. I'm just distracted."
Sam raised her voice. "You're ALWAYS distracted, Odd!"
Other customers turned to look over.
Odd whispered. "You're not wrong, but can you please keep it down? People are staring at us."
Sam raised her brow. Odd knew what was coming.
She raised her voice louder . "No. Say it. Say it now."
Odd snapped. "Say what?"
Sam slammed her hands on the table as tears set in her eyes. "You are distracted because you are in love with her."
Odd felt a lump in his throat. He knew he couldn't deny it. "I'm so sorry, Sam."
"Save it. We're done, Odd." Sam ran out of the restaurant crying.
"Dude, not cool." Said a man at the next table.
"Yeah, you're an asshole." Said the woman he was with.
"Yeah. I deserve that." Odd muttered.
Then, the waitress came to his table.
"Uh, sir? I'm assuming you are ready to pay?" She asked sympathetically.
"Yeah." Odd reached for his wallet. "Here you go. I hope your Valentine's is better than mine."
The waitress nodded. "Merci."
-
I was the main performer that night. I walked on the stage and grabbed the mic.
"Now I know all of you want to hear me sing about crying into my pillow. And you will."
I heard loud cheers from the audience. Sissi and Louis were the loudest.
"But tonight is the first Valentine's Day where I've been single since middle school. So I thought I would have some fun tonight. So these covers I am playing for you tonight are a bit more, well, sexy than usual. I hope you enjoy."
The crowd erupted into hoots and hollers.
"GET IT, GIRL!"
"Alright, let's start with Pillow and go from there."
As I was about to start, I saw a woman standing next to Sissi. She had tears running down her cheeks.
It was Sam.
My mouth dropped. I was stunned. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't sing a love song about her boyfriend, could I?
There were murmurs in the crowd. No one knew what was going on.
Sam yelled out to me: "It's okay, girl. Do your thing."
I was still unsure, but Sissi nodded at me. She had her arm around Sam. I trusted her at that moment.
As I sang Pillow, I kept looking at Sam. I couldn't imagine what that was like. I'm pretty sure I saw a brief smile when I sang. "I wish I could say I hate her, but I would probably date her too, if I wasn't in love with you."
After I wrapped up the song, I looked out to the crowd. Sam had run off. Sissi looked back at me before she ran after her.
I breathed. The show must go on. And Louis was still there, smiling warmly at me.
"So before you all judge me for this song, keep in mind I was in a steady relationship for five years. And then I moved out here and did the long distance thing, and it didn't work out. Which is difficult for me. I am used to getting it more often, and well, now I am not. Times are hard for me."
The crowd erupted into laughter.
I then sang a cover of "Burnin' Up" by Jessie J, and then I sang "Talking Body" by Tove Lo. I was dancing and feeling myself. My confidence was through the roof.
"Now, for my last song tonight, I am singing a new song called Next In Line. You can say I was tired of waiting around for someone. I hope you enjoy."
I fell for you/ And you broke my heart
I've spent months/ Just falling apart
I knew she was wrong for you/ So I bided my time
But you took too long/ Now I'm moving on
I realize now that I'm a prize
So why wait for you/When I'm a dime
And I'm happy to say, I can help whoever's next in line
So ladies, line on up.
And gentlemen, single file now
We all know that I'm a prize/ Everybody can get in line
It's not about attention/ It's about respect
So use your discretion/ Before your inspection
And I'm warning all you shoppers/ This is a one time offer
See I know i'm a rare find/ I'm once in a lifetime
So if you want it come by today/ Hurry up now, ain't no time to waste
Attention shoppers/ I can help whoever's next in line
So ladies, line on up/ And gentlemen, single file now
This deal is once in a lifetime/ it's worth your time
I am a hot commodity (line on up)
I am your favorite fantasy (line on up)
I am a Gucci brand
For a Target price
So hurry up now
And get in line
Attention shoppers
I can help whoever's next in line (hurry up now)
Ladies line up now (I'll make it worth your while)
And gentlemen, single file now (Don't take too long or the deal is gone)
As I sang this, the crowd went feral. Everyone was eating it up. And as I wrapped the song, Louis was blushing and clapping hard.
He walked up to the stage for his turn and whispered into my ear. "That was brilliant. And hot. You scare me."
I laughed and whispered into his ear, "That was the idea."
Louis went up the mic and laughed as he said, "I honestly don't know how to follow that, but I will try. I'm going to sing Body Language by Jesse McCartney. There's this American that I've been crushing on, and well, I am hoping I will be next in line after she hears this."
The crowd erupted into cheers as he said this. My cheeks flushed, but I was loving every minute. I was still wondering how Sam and Odd were. Sam did not look good, but at the same time, it wasn't my business. I was moving on, and this felt exciting.
When Louis performed, he channeled his inner Jesse McCartney. He flirted with the crowd, but most of all me. He gestured to me on stage, and at the end of the song, he came up to me as he sang the words, "'Cause what you want is right here, here, here." I nearly died, and the entire room knew it.
"Thank you, everyone! Now I must leave. I have a date with this American here." Louis said triumphantly. The crowd cheered.
"Yes, he does!" I yelled. "See you all next week!"
And we ran off into the night.
Chapter 16: No More Secrets
Chapter Text
Odd didn't sleep at all last night. After being broken up with the night before, he realized what an idiot he had been. Why did he even get back together with Sam when he wanted Anna the whole time?
"And she was right there. She tried to kiss me, and I blew it." Odd muttered to his reflection. He was getting himself dressed for the day. Now that Valentine's Day was over and he and Sam were done, he was going to tell Anna everything. Odd was going to tell Anna he loved her, and he said it the night she almost died. He was going to lay it all on the line. Because she was worth it.
His phone beeped. It was a message from Ulrich that said, "Go get her buddy. You've got this."
Odd sighed. If only he was so sure. But he didn't have time to waste. Anna would be in the cafeteria soon to meet up with everyone for breakfast. He had to see her.
Odd practically ran to the cafeteria. He was so excited that he couldn't walk at a normal pace. Other students made weird looks at him as he went by them, but he didn't mind. If they knew the situation, they would do the same thing.
He got to the table and was surprised that Yumi, Ulrich, Aelita and Jeremie were already there.
"Guys, you're early. Why are you all here already?"
Ulrich laughed. "We knew you would be nervous and needed moral support. So we are here for you."
Yumi giggled. "And I mean, we've been waiting for this since September. We want to see this."
"You guys do realize I am planning to share this privately, right? Like I am going to meet her here and convince her to chat with me, ALONE?"
Yumi scoffed. "Ha! Do you really think we won't be eavesdropping?"
Odd rolled his eyes. "I suppose not."
Aelita grinned. "You know you love us!"
Jeremie raised his hand. "I want you to know I did not agree to this."
Odd raised his eyebrow. "But you're still here, aren't you?"
Jeremie went red.
"That's what I thought." Odd smiled. Despite his friends meddling, he really was grateful for them.
"Oh my gosh, is that ANNA?!"
Odd barely began to turn around when Sissi slammed into him.
"What the hell, Sissi?"
Sissi rolled her eyes. "Stop it. You're blocking my line of vision. I need to see this."
"See what?" Aelita asked. Everyone started to crowd around Odd. Odd still wasn't sure what was happening.
"See? Right there!" Sissi pointed dramatically.
Hidden under the shade of a tree outside, he could see Anna was giggling. She appeared to be wearing the same clothes from the night before.
Odd's eyes narrowed. Anna was standing close to man with dark brown hair and gray eyes. He brushed a stray hair out of her face. And then they kissed. Hard.
Odd's jaw clenched. He wasn't sure if he wanted to storm off or punch that guy in the face. Maybe he would punch him and then storm off.
As he was debating this, Sissi was bouncing up in the air and clapping. "Oh my goodness, YAY! It's about time she bagged herself a good one. Cute, too."
Aelita grabbed Sissi's shoulder. "Sissi, please. Shut up. Odd was about to tell her how he felt."
Sissi turned around to face Odd. "Yeah, I had to comfort Sam last night. You really fucked that up. And you broke Anna's heart over Christmas. Safe to say I am not on Team Odd right now."
Never in a million years would Odd have guessed he would care what Sissi Delmas thought. But that felt like a dagger to the chest.
"Yeah, I messed up." Odd muttered. "But I was about to make it right today."
Sissi flipped her hair. "Too late. Louis came to play last night. I swear when he looked at her, she fell in love. I would have."
"So, Louis is his name. But who is this guy? How does she know him?" Odd was staring at Sissi.
Sissi was starting to shift uncomfortably. "I promised I wouldn't say anything. I don't want to betray her trust."
Odd stepped closer to Sissi. "Do you know where she's been going on Friday nights?"
Sissi started messing with her hair and pacing frantically.
"You don't have to answer." Ulrich chimed in. "We trust her, and she deserves some privacy."
"You don't understand." Sissi said, her voice rising slightly. "I've been pushing her to tell you. I think you deserve to know."
She then turned to Odd. "I think YOU deserve to know."
Just then, Anna arrived.
"Sissi, don't. Please." Anna pleaded.
"What? What are you hiding?! That you are dating some guy?!" Odd snapped.
Ulrich pulled him back gently. "Take a breath, dude."
Anna's voice shook. "No. I just met Louis last night. And we had an incredible date I just got back from now. Not that it's any of your business."
Odd crossed his arms. "Did you sleep with him?"
Sissi turned to Odd. "What the fuck Odd? That is absolutely none of your business."
Anna rolled her eyes. "Just because you had a rough Valentine's Day doesn't mean you have to take it out on me."
Odd felt like he was just hit with a truck. "You know about that?"
Anna nodded. "Sam came in crying. I figured either you two broke up or had a horrible argument. Either way, don't take it on me."
Odd opened his mouth, then closed it. He didn't know what to say.
Sissi turned to Anna. "Look, I don't agree with what Odd just did. But he has to know. So do they. They will find out eventually."
Odd felt confused. Apparently he wasn't the only one.
"What do you mean they will find out?" Anna looked genuinely concerned. And Odd's heart began to race. He really needed to know what she was hiding.
Jeremie cleared his throat. "Look um, I've been wanting to respect your privacy. But, Aelita and I found out last night. And they will, too."
"You know?" Ulrich, Yumi, Anna, and Odd said in unison.
Aelita and Jeremie threw up their hands. "It's all over the internet."
Sissi grabbed Anna's hands. "It wasn't me, dear. At least, not at first. Someone posted last night's performance, and then I shared the others. You went viral. But apparently your date with Louis went so well that you didn't even know."
"Y-Your performance? What the hell is going on?" Odd demanded.
Anna, Sissi, Aelita, and Jeremie exchanged nervous looks.
"Someone please fill us in." Ulrich said.
"Yes please. I don't like being left out." Yumi added.
"You've got this, Anna." Sissi said encouragingly.
Anna nodded and looked at Odd. "I will show you, but Odd? Please don't hate me because of this."
"No promises." Odd said coolly. He regretted it as soon as he said it. Her face flinched, like he actually slapped her. Odd supposed that was how it felt.
"Don't." Sissi glared. "You want to know, don't you?"
Odd nodded. "Yeah, I do." But if he was being honest, he was terrified.
Anna let out a soft exhale. She grabbed her laptop. "So let's start from the beginning. This is from January after we returned for spring semester. And after you, uh, got back together with Sam. I needed space, and well one thing led to another, and I started singing at open mic nights on Fridays."
Odd's mouth fell open. So did Yumi's and Ulrich's.
"We all thought you were going on dates or something. Not that. Holy shit we have to see this!" Yumi said excitedly.
"Yeah I mean Yumi, Odd and I were in a band at Kadic. Aelita was a DJ. If this is your secret, this isn't a big deal. This is awesome!" Ulrich was excited too.
Anna's cheeks flushed. "Yeah um, maybe you should watch the clip."
Odd's whole body went still. He wasn't sure what to expect.
The first video started to play. He saw how Anna was volunteered by Sissi to perform, and how she nervously introduced herself and explained how she moved to France. His heart softened. Odd had never seen her so nervous. Maybe it made sense she hid this from him.
Then she began to perform the song, and his eyes became glued to the screen. Odd could feel other people looking at him, but he refused to look away.
The lyrics haunted him. At first it was clearly about Brandon. Talking about how she stopped loving him in November. But then it got to December is when I realized, but I was out of time. And he felt knots in his stomach.
And it kept going. It then evolved to December, and the lyrics about brushing the purple in his hair. He instinctively grabbed his hair during this. Then he quickly moved his hands back to his lap.
It gutted him. Hearing the part "when she keeps you warm at night, I just hold my pillow tight" made him feel awful.
He also heard Yumi gasp the first time she heard "and his friends would never know it, because I'm so damn supportive". Anna whispered back "it's okay Yumi. It wasn't your fault."
His jaw clenched as he saw Louis watching her performance and clapping at the end. Had he known she was performing, he would have been there to clap for her. Instead, he was watching on a screen.
As the song wrapped he heard Aelita, Sissi and Yumi blubbering and wiping tears from their eyes.
"I thought you said you just met him last night?" Odd said coolly.
Sissi laughed. "Yeah well. She was blind for awhile as she was getting over you. I had been waiting for her to catch on for weeks until I literally pointed it out to her."
Anna flushed but didn't say anything.
"Play the next video." Odd was determined to see them all. Right here, right now.
Anna was still shaking, but nodded. "Okay."
Odd watched as Anna sang covers of "That's so True" by Gracie Abrams and "Traitor" by Olivia Rodrigo. They were both obviously about him, and both made him feel awful.
There was one moment though after she sang Traitor that really got him. Someone in the crowd yelled at her saying "Whoever broke your heart is an idiot!" And Louis chimed in "I agree! Don't avoid dating French men because of this purple haired asshole. Not everyone is so blind." And he saw Anna respond saying, "Thank you. That's nice to hear. And you're right, I do deserve someone who won't leave me at a mistletoe."
Anna turned to Sissi. "You didn't tell me that was in the video!" Then she turned to Odd. "I am so sorry you heard that. Please-"
"Play the next video." Odd couldn't look at her. He felt too ashamed. But he had to continue.
"Okay," Anna breathed. "Just three left I think."
She then showed a video of her song "Next In Line." Even though it was a more upbeat song, Odd found this one harder to listen to. She was talking about moving on. Moving on from him.
Meanwhile Ulrich was bobbing his head. When Odd glared at him he said "What? It's catchy!"
At the part where she sang "I'm a Gucci brand for a Target price" everyone howled with laughter. Even Anna smiled.
"How on Earth did you come up with that?" Yumi said with a laugh.
"I am from Minnesota. That's where Target is from. Target is in my DNA." Anna grinned mischievously.
Odd cleared his throat. Everyone went silent. "Next video." He was becoming robotic.
"Okay." Anna said. She played him her covers of "greedy" by Tate McRae and "Burnin' Up" by Jessie J. These videos were distracting. She looked sexy and confident. And the audiences in the videos were going nuts. His jaw clenched as he saw her sing to Louis, and how he was just eating it up. Everyone was. She was magnetic.
The rest of the gang was entranced too. Anna blushed when the video included the part basically saying she was horny. "I'm sorry you all had to hear that." Jeremie and Ulrich were blushing, but Aelita and Yumi were laughing hysterically. Odd just dig his nails harder into his hands.
But he saw as he watched these videos him losing Anna in real time. First she was mourning him and heartbroken, and then she was moving on and asking people to "line on up."
"Are there any other videos?" Odd asked.
"No, those are all of my performances." Anna said quickly.
Sissi cleared her throat. "Actually, there's one more. There's Louis's performance. His video also went viral."
"We don't have to watch that." Anna began. "I'm not even in it."
"Play it." Odd said firmly.
Anna reluctantly pressed play. Odd felt himself become filled with more and more rage as he saw Louis joke that he wanted to be next in line, serenade Anna with "Body Language", and secure a date with her afterwards. Anna was a romantic, and Louis gave her a romantic grand gesture. The comments were filled with people saying how lucky Anna was and how wonderful Louis was. Odd wanted to punch the screen.
The video ended and there was a tense silence.
Anna jokingly said, "Odd, are you gonna ask me to play the next video now?"
Odd turned around and glared at her.
Anna, sensing his anger raised her hands and said, "Okay, bad joke. This is just awkward and I just wanted to ease the tension. Sorry."
Odd stood up. "Why didn't you tell me? You literally sing love songs about me and don't say anything?"
Tears started to fall from Anna's face. "You chose Sam alright? You were with her. You rejected me and ran straight to her. What was I supposed to do?"
"Not this." Odd snapped.
"That's rich." Ulrich murmured.
"Excuse me?" Odd snapped. He could not believe this was coming from his best friend.
"Tell her Odd." Ulrich said louder. "Now."
Yumi nodded. "I agree. Tell her."
"Wait, what's going on?" Anna asked.
Odd's face felt hot. He felt a lump form in his throat. "When you almost died Anna, I-"
"Wait," Sissi interrupted. "You almost DIED?"
Anna waved her off. "Almost. Sounds worse than it was. But yes. I am fine. Clearly. Go on Odd."
"I-uh. Said I love you. I screamed it. They all heard it. But when you were in your, uh, coma. You forgot it."
Odd watched as Anna's face processed all of her feelings in real time. Anna's face twisted as she went from shock, to betrayal, and then to rage.
"And you dare yell at me for not telling YOU! Hypocrite!" Anna yelled. Other students were starting to notice. She didn't care, and neither did he.
"Of course you would call me that. Typical." Odd fumed.
"Enough!" Odd and Anna turned around to see Ulrich looking visibly annoyed.
"You two are both idiots. You two obviously love each other, just make out already!"
The air was thick. No one said anything.
Anna glared at Odd. "It doesn't matter. He chose Sam. I laid it all out there once, and he chose someone else. I need someone who chooses me."
Odd felt a lump in his throat again. He wanted to say something, but he couldn't. So instead, he just watched her walk away.
After a beat, Ulrich walked up to him and said, "Fix this dumbass."
-
I stormed into my room. A part of me felt relieved. After six weeks of keeping this secret, it was out. I had nothing left to hide.
But another part of me felt pissed: Why hadn't Odd told me? I had asked him what he wasn't telling me. And if he had told me he loved me, why did he get back together with Sam? It made no sense.
My phone buzzed again. I got a sweet message from Louis: "I had an enchanted evening last night. Would tonight be too soon for another date?"
I smiled. It was nice to know some men knew what they wanted and weren't afraid to ask for it.
I was about to say yes when my phone buzzed again. My heart sank. I knew what it was, and I wasn't ready for it. I looked down and my fears were confirmed: it was a XANA alert.
"Fuck." I groaned. Louis would have to wait.
I sent him a quick text that said: "I would love another date, but tonight I have plans. Tomorrow night?"
As I was running out the door, my phone buzzed again. Louis responded: "Perfect 😘"
My heart thudded as I ran out to the parking lot for someone to drive me to the factory. Odd was the only one there.
I rolled my eyes. "Well, this is awkward."
Odd sighed. "They thought we should talk."
I looked at him. His body was still tense, but he seemed less agitated than before. Now he looked more pained.
"Okay, but toss me your keys."
"Excuse me?"
"We all know you drive like a mad man. If I'm going to have a tense conversation with you, I would prefer not to fear for my life."
Odd grinned and rubbed his neck. God, I hated when he did that. It made it so much harder to be mad at him. He said "I suppose that's fair," and tossed me his keys.
When I first started driving, neither of us spoke. Odd finally asked me. "So Louis. That's new?"
I nodded. "Yeah, since last night."
Odd looked at me. "So he's not your boyfriend?"
"No, he's not, but Odd-"
As I was driving, I had to screech to a halt. The road was filled with XANA-possessed civilians. They were basically zombies, and they were all looking at us.
I looked at Odd. He nodded. We jumped out of the car and sprang into action. Thankfully my self defense skills had improved greatly thanks to Yumi and Ulrich's help, and Odd had gotten used to being on the ground while the rest of us were on Lyoko.
Still, this was not like Lyoko. I didn't have my bomb arrows. I wasn't powerless, but I felt weak.
Odd, sensing my thoughts, yelled: "You don't need bomb arrows to be powerful. You're dynamite on your own!"
I laughed. "That's way too cheesy!"
Odd laughed too as he was fighting a crowd of XANA zombies. "Hey now, I've got Louis to compete with. I've got to step up my game."
My heart stopped. I didn't know what to think.
"Watch it!" Odd yelled. He had to push a XANA zombie off of me because I got so flustered.
"Thanks, and uh, sorry about that!" I stammered.
Odd smirked. "It's okay. I like making you get all flustered.
I groaned. "Let's just get past these zombies, okay? I have to get to Lyoko."
"Got it." Odd nodded.
Eventually, we were able to get past the zombies and get to the factory. Odd grabbed my hand as we ran towards the elevator.
We were both panting, hard. I wasn't sure how much of it had to do with the fact that we just beat up a bunch of zombies and ran as fast as we could towards the factory, or something else.
Odd was staring at me. I couldn't meet his gaze.
"I could do it, you know."
I turned towards him.
"Do what?"
"You know what." He grinned. "I almost did before."
I gulped. "Y-yeah. That. How could I forget?" And then irritation started to settle in as I looked at him. "When you almost kissed me when you were dating Sam."
Odd's body stiffened. "WE almost kissed when I was dating Sam." He said in a near whisper, inches away from my face.
I turned away. "Yeah, I was this close to becoming a homewrecker."
The elevator doors started to open. Odd's voice shook as he spoke. "Are you ever going to forgive me?"
"I- Odd I need to go to Lyoko. You need to go to Jeremie and figure out where he needs you to go." I couldn't look him in the eyes. I needed to focus.
"No. We need to talk. I'm going to Lyoko." Odd said firmly.
"No, you're not Odd! I am not going to let you get abducted by the Bat. And good luck convincing Jeremie to let you go." I yelled. I was terrified of him getting hurt.
"Jeremie!" Odd yelled. "I'm going to Lyoko!"
"No, you're not Odd." Jeremie yelled back. "No one wants you to get hurt."
Just then, both Yumi and Ulrich appeared in the scanners. They were breathless.
"Guys, Aelita is in trouble." Yumi panted.
"I hate to say it Odd, but we need you to go in." Ulrich said hoarsely.
Odd clapped. "Well, I guess it's my lucky day."
I grabbed him by his shirt. "Don't be dumb. You do as I say. You will NOT be abducted by the Bat today, you hear me?"
Odd lifted his arms up in mock surrender. "As you say, Mademoiselle. I must say, I am enjoying the foreplay." He said with a wink.
Yumi and Ulrich groaned. I rolled my eyes.
"What are you guys doing? Get in the scanners!" Jeremie yelled.
"Gladly!" Odd yelled.
I begrudgingly entered my scanner.
As we landed on Lyoko, we realized we were in the mountain sector.
"Finally!" Aelita yelled. She had been flying and using her energy fields to fight off some Bloks, but there were five of them.
"This isn't too bad." I said as I grabbed my arrows.
"Yeah well, that's what happens when you show up late. Everyone else does most of the work." Aelita snapped.
"Hey now, we were dealing with XANA zombies!" Odd protested as he shot a laser arrow at a Blok.
"I know, but I don't care. I'm low health, and we need to move fast. No Bat for you." Aelita barked.
"Look there's four left, let me use my bomb arrows."
"No!" Aelita and Odd yelled in unison.
"We can't risk Aelita getting devirtualized. Let me be a distraction and split them up." Odd said gently.
"Fine. Be quick." I snapped.
He gave a mock salute. "Aye aye captain!"
I groaned. I needed to find a way to be useful. Odd was able to distract two Bloks and get them to follow him. So I stood in front of Aelita and we tried to fight off the other two. Aelita destroyed one with her energy field.
"Good job!" I yelled. "Now fly away so I can get this other one."
But then I looked up. I saw the Bat chasing Odd. Odd had managed to destroy one Blok. The other one got knocked over by the Bat as he chased Odd.
"Odd!" I screamed.
"Get Aelita to the tower! Don't worry about me. Focus on her!" He yelled back.
He was right. I didn't like it but he was right.
"Now, Anna!" Aelita yelled.
I shot my arrow at the Blok that had been bugging Aelita and destroyed it.
"Go!" I screamed at Aelita.
I began to chase after Odd in my motorcycle, but they were so far away. Odd had been on his Overboard, but the Bat was gaining on him. He wasn't fast enough.
Then the Blok that had been previously knocked over shot at me. It wasn't going to allow me to save Odd without a fight.
I panicked. Aelita was still entering the tower. The Bat was reaching for Odd.
"Fuck!" I screamed as I shot my bomb arrow. I destroyed the Blok, but Odd was being captured.
I raced towards him on my motorcycle. I saw him squirm and try to escape the Bat's clutches. I saw him slowly lose control of his body, as XANA was taking control of him.
Suddenly, the Lyoko sky went dark. This had never happened before.
"ODD!" I screamed into the abyss. Tears were rolling down my cheeks.
"JEREMIE WHAT'S HAPPENING?!" I yelled.
Suddenly, I saw a pair of red beady eyes glowing. The Bat laughed. He shook Lyoko with his laugh. Suddenly, the light came back on in Lyoko, but the air felt darker. More sinister. The entire atmosphere of Lyoko had changed. And so had Odd.
Odd's voice became distorted as the Bat controlled him. "Now, let's see what pain lingers in your head, shall we?"
Odd's body began to squirm again as he tried to fight the inevitable, but he wasn't strong enough. The sky had begun to fill with his most painful memories, just as it had with the rest of us before.
When I looked at the sky, I gasped. It was all images of me. I saw the day we first met. I saw him whispering translations in my ear. I saw me accuse him and his friends of being in a cult. I saw his pain when he found out I had a boyfriend. I saw our food contests. I saw his pain and frustration as I fought with Brandon.
And then I saw the moment I nearly died, when he screamed he loved me.
"Well now." Odd cackled. "It seems we have another hopeless romantic. Too bad he always messes everything up."
Odd's real voice came back temporarily. "Stop, please..." he whimpered.
"LET HIM GO!" I yelled. I started to charge at the Bat, but I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to hurt Odd.
I watched as more memories played. I saw him panic on Christmas, and I saw him return to the mistletoe to find I wasn't there. I saw him kiss Sam through his eyes and how he felt numb. I saw his pain when I became distant from him and his panic when he didn't know where I was. I saw Sam and him break up. And I saw his pain in seeing me kiss Louis.
"You just continue to hurt the one you love the most, don't you?" Odd cackled and shook Lyoko again. "No matter. You will be happier leading an army. I have no doubt."
I looked around. Aelita had to be almost done deactivating the tower.
"Don't listen to him, Odd! Just hang on!"
The Bat laughed.
"It's too late. We are going now. He's mine!"
Then the idea clicked. I grabbed my arrows. "Odd, I love you. I always have. I will forgive you, if you forgive me for this."
For a brief moment, Odd's face seemed like himself again. But I couldn't know for sure, because I hit him with my bomb arrow and he devirtualized instantly.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" The Bat screamed.
I laughed. "Aelita's in the tower XANA! Odd didn't need to be on Lyoko anymore."
The Bat's face twitched, until his mouth curled into a sinister smile. "Okay then. I will just take you instead."
The Bat quickly grabbed me. I felt my body go numb as I was losing control. I tried to scream, "Aelita, please hurry!" but I wasn't sure if I actually got the words out.
The Bat began to taunt me. "I won't bother with your memories." He hissed. "We must be going now."
And then it hit me. And I started laughing uncontrollably. I started fighting him off, he was having a harder time controlling me.
"What, how did you-?"
"I have good memories too, you know." I said. I was almost free now.
The Bat was getting weaker, but he refused to give up. He moved to take over my mind again. I felt his voice echo through my mouth as he said: "It doesn't matter. You are still a scared little girl holding on to the idea of the love your parents had. But you've ruined it every chance you had. You just break hearts left and right, don't you?"
I felt my body go limp again. This wasn't a memory this time, this was pain. This was fear. Once I realized that, I felt a sense of resolve wash over me.
I felt my body come back to me. I felt my voice return. I knew he couldn't hurt me anymore.
"YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME XANA! YOU WON'T CONTROL ME ANYMORE!"
Suddenly the Bat's grip loosened. The Bat shrieked as I jumped down to escape his clutches. And the tower finally turned green.
The Bat flew away to make his escape. He gave me one last look and said, "I will see you again." It sent chills down my spine.
"You can count on it." I called out as he flew down into the digital sea.
I sat down on a rock and looked out at the beautiful landscape. I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly. "The Bat is now afraid of me," I said quietly to myself. "As he should be."
Chapter 17: No More Wasting Time
Chapter Text
I was sitting on the ledge of a cliff in the mountain sector of Lyoko listening to the soft hum of the digital sea. Despite everything XANA had done to us, to me, it was breathtaking.
I was still trying to process what just happened when Aelita tapped my shoulder. I bolted upright. "Shit, Aelita! I forgot you were there!"
She laughed. "Yes, well. You do seem lost in your thoughts. What did I miss? When I entered the tower, Odd was still captured by the Bat."
I was about to say something when Odd spoke over the intercom. "She saved my life is what happened!"
Ulrich chimed in. "Odd, you don't even know the half of it. You missed the best part. The Bat tried to control her, but she didn't let it. It was badass."
Aelita's eyes widened. "Wait, how...?"
Jeremie then spoke on the intercom. "Yes, please tell us how you defeated the Bat. Aelita and I have been trying to figure this out for months."
I let out a slow exhale. "Of course I will tell you guys. But can I have a few minutes please? I just want to catch my breath and gather my thoughts."
"Of course." Aelita smiled warmly as she sat down next to me. She wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "We can take our time."
-
Odd's heart thudded with anticipation as Anna exited the scanner. As soon as the doors opened, he ran over to her and hugged her. He didn't care who else saw.
"Thank you." He whispered into her hair.
"Don't mention it." She said quietly as a blush flushed her cheeks.
Ulrich cleared his throat. "Not to break up the love fest, but..."
"We need to talk." Jeremie finished.
So Odd begrudgingly let Anna go. For now. "Later." He whispered. She nodded slowly.
Everyone gathered around the supercomputer as they waited for Anna to share what happened. Odd heard from Jeremie, Ulrich, and Aelita how incredible it was as she defeated the Bat. He felt a sense of pride that she defeated the Bat, but also felt guilty. Had he not been captured, neither would she.
Anna cleared her throat. "Well Jeremie, Aelita. I am sorry to say, but I think you've been approaching how to defeat the Bat wrong this entire time."
"Oh?" Aelita raised her brow.
"Go on," urged Jeremie.
Anna swallowed. "XANA is an AI, sure. It makes sense why you tried to approach it from a technical standpoint. But XANA is becoming increasingly human. So the way I defeated the Bat was psychological."
Everyone fell silent as they processed this. Odd's knuckles turned white. Anna had already been subjected to so much psychological torment by the Bat. He hated how he didn't realize this until just now. No one did.
"So," Anna continued. "We all know the Bat accesses our memories and projects them to the sky while taunting us, correct?
"Yes." They all said in unison.
"So I just focused on positive memories. That knocked him back for a bit."
Jeremie nodded slowly. "That makes sense."
"I even tried to reclaim the negative ones. Like even the memories that aren't so great made me me, you know?" Odd noticed how she looked at the ground as she said that. She was embarrassed, but that was empowering. Anna needed to know that.
"That's badass." Odd grabbed her hand and squeezed it.
"Thank you." Anna said with a smile.
This time, Jeremie cleared his throat. Odd begrudgingly took back his hand.
"You said that was temporary. What happened next?" Jeremie looked like a reporter trying to take notes. Odd wished the interrogation could be done so he could talk to Anna. But he knew this was important.
Anna nodded. "Yeah, so it's not just memories he latches onto. He taunts us, remember?"
Jeremie adjusted his glasses. "I don't understand."
Anna shifted slightly as a blush formed her cheeks again. Even when she was nervous, she was radiant. "You guys had already seen my memories before coming to France. Y-you had just seen me sing songs about Odd."
Odd started to shift now too.
"I still don't get it." Jeremie said flatly.
Aelita grabbed his arm. "Let her finish." She looked at Anna. "Go on."
Anna nodded. "The Bat taunts us with our biggest secrets, fears, vulnerabilities, and sources of shame. I guess after being exposed earlier today, I had nothing left to hide."
That knocked the air out of Odd's chest. And it seemed to happen to everyone else in the room. Anna looked at him as if to say it was okay. Odd gave her a soft smile.
"So you're saying you defeated the Bat because you were unafraid?" Jeremie tapped his chin.
Anna shook her head. "N-not exactly. I was afraid. Afraid of losing control. Afraid of losing you all. But I guess more so I wasn't afraid of what he would say about me or memories he would show because I have nothing left to hide. And I'm not ashamed of anything anymore."
Odd's throat tightened. He wanted to cross the room and hold her, but he knew he had to wait. So instead, he murmured, "You never had anything to be ashamed of."
Anna laughed. Hard. It took the room by surprise as they exchanged looks.
Anna looked around as she wiped tears from her eyes. "You don't understand. I wanted so badly to have the love story my parents did. I came out here to write romance novels, and instead, I joined a 'cult' to fight an evil AI, broke up with my high school boyfriend, and started singing. I am not who I thought I was. And I guess until recently, I felt ashamed that I failed somehow."
Odd grinned. "I'm not sure I understand why you're laughing."
Anna grinned back. "Because I was holding on to this person I thought I was supposed to be, and that person sucked ass."
Everyone erupted into laughter. Odd was clutching his chest.
As he caught his breath, he whispered, "Miss Americana, I hope you know you NEVER sucked. Ever."
Anna bit her lip. "I suppose that's true. But I did date Brandon. And that guy DEFINITELY sucked ass. So at the very least my decision making skills were questionable."
There was more laughter as people shared their agreement. Odd was transfixed by how stunning Anna looked when she was just being herself.
Finally, Jeremie cleared his throat again. "So in summary, you beat the Bat by focusing on the positive and acceptance of who you are?"
Anna nodded. "That about sums it up, yes."
Jeremie scratched his head. This was clearly not the answer he was expecting.
After a long pause, Yumi stood up and said. "Well, everyone. I guess now we know if we are going to defeat the Bat, we are going to need extensive therapy."
Everyone laughed, including Odd. But he stopped when he noticed that Anna didn't.
Anna shook her head. "Not exactly."
Everyone stared at her.
"What do you mean not exactly?" Odd asked quietly. He suddenly felt fear arise in his chest.
Anna looked up at him with a solemn expression. "These tactics fight him off, but they don't defeat him. We need to figure out how to defeat XANA for good."
The tension filled the air as the group remembered their main mission was to defeat XANA. They had been so focused on the Bat that they forgot they needed to shut down the supercomputer.
Anna cleared her throat again. "And there's something else."
Odd's heart began to race as he waited for her to finish the sentence. He wanted to protect her but knew he couldn't. Not from this.
"He said he would come back. And I got the feeling he is going to come back stronger next time." Anna said quietly, as tears filled her eyes.
Silence fell. The only sound was the soft hum of the supercomputer.
"What do you think he will do next?" Jeremie finally asked.
Anna sighed and closed her eyes. Odd wondering what thoughts were racing through her mind in that moment.
Finally, Anna spoke. "I regained control, and he didn't like it. He's going to target me somehow, and he's likely going to move past psychological torture. I don't know what or how exactly. But he's learning. I am guessing he will take some time to strategize, but when he comes back, he will come back with some new tricks up his sleeve."
"We will be ready." Odd looked directly into Anna's eyes as he said this. He had no idea what would happen next, but he was going to make sure he kept that promise.
"Yes, we will." Aelita agreed. She reached out her hands. Everyone clasped hands in that moment as if to make a vow.
"We will have a lot to do before XANA strikes again. Anna, can I ask you some more questions?" Jeremie asked. Odd felt the urge to punch him in the face. The waiting was killing him.
As if reading his mind, Ulrich spoke up. "Read the room, Einstein. Save your questions for tomorrow." Ulrich gave Odd a slight nod. Odd mouthed thank you to him in return.
Jeremie looked like he was about to protest but stopped himself. "Okay Anna. We will talk tomorrow. Everyone can expect more training missions coming up. For now though, let's all go home and rest."
One by one, Jeremie, Aelita, Yumi and Ulrich left. As Ulrich was about to go in the elevator, he turned around and said, "Keep it PG you two. Or maybe PG-13. No rated R funny business in the lab, okay?"
Anna laughed. Odd threw his shoe at him. "Knock it off, Stern!" But he was laughing too.
As the elevator doors closed, there was a beat of silence. Anna looked at Odd and let out a nervous laugh. "Is he always like this?"
Odd shook his head. He felt his cheeks flush as he whispered. "No, I'm not usually like this."
Anna furrowed her brow. God she was adorable when she did that. "I-I don't understand."
Odd inched closer to her. He grabbed her hands and interlaced her fingers with his. "I'm not like this." He repeated. "I don't usually fall for someone like this."
"Oh." Anna's voice cracked.
"Oh." Odd nodded. He reached to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes and let out a small gasp.
"Anna?" He whispered, barely restraining himself from meeting her lips.
"Yes?" She asked, her voice cracking again.
Odd gave a wicked grin. "I'm done waiting."
Before Anna could say anything, Odd closed the distance between their mouths. He felt her gasp as his mouth hungrily searched hers. Months of longing, desire, and restraint went out the window. It felt like the flood gates had finally opened, and all he wanted was to drown in her.
Anna clasped his neck like she was worried he would let go. He let out a low groan. He wasn't going to let go. Not now. Not after he had been waiting for so long.
Odd twisted his fingers in Anna's hair as he deepened the kiss. Her soft moan suggested that she was not opposed to this.
He pulled apart from her and saw her eyes flutter open. As if she was surprised he stopped.
Odd pressed his thumb to her swollen lips. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?"
Anna smirked. "Since the beginning?"
Odd laughed. "So you do know." He then proceeded to kiss her jaw, her neck, and then her collarbone.
"Odd, I-" Anna gasped.
Odd then slowly pulled himself away from her neck and rested his forehead to hers.
Anna smiled at him and gently kissed his lips. "You were right."
Odd arched his brow. "Hmm? About what, my dear?"
"You could do it." Anna giggled. Odd laughed too. He then wrapped his arm around her.
There was a comfortable silence that followed. No one needed to say anything. It just felt nice that they could simply be.
Eventually, Anna spoke up. "Odd, can we get DoorDash to deliver to the factory? I'm hungry."
Odd placed a soft kiss on her temple. "My dear, your wish is my command."
They spent the rest of the night eating, kissing, and talking about anything and everything. Neither of them fell asleep until after the sun started to rise. It was perfect.
—
When I woke up in Odd's arms, it was past noon. But I didn't care. The feeling of waking up with him was wonderful. Being with him, it felt like home. It felt like I belonged.
I watched as his eyes opened, and a big smile crossed his face.
"What are you smiling for, Odd?" I said as I kissed his cheek.
"Well waking up to you is much better than waking up with Ulrich across from me. Even if we fell asleep on the factory floor." He wrapped his arms around me.
I swallowed. I didn't want this moment to end, but I knew what I was about to say next might ruin it. I had promised I would be honest to myself this time around, and prioritize me and my needs. I just hoped he would understand.
I started to fidget with my sleeve. Odd raised his eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"What do you mean what's wrong?" I asked quickly.
Odd gave me a small, knowing smile. "You fidget with your sleeve when you are nervous. Spill."
I let out a slow exhale. "Last night was perfect."
"And we kept it PG-13!" Odd said with a laugh.
I laughed too before pausing. "Look Odd, I didn't want to say anything. I didn't want to ruin this moment. I didn't want to ruin us. But-"
"But?" Odd asked quietly.
"I have a date with Louis tonight. And I don't want to cancel it."
I panicked internally as I searched Odd's eyes. I was so worried that I had just ruined everything. But he didn't look mad, or upset. I was expecting that. But he just nodded his head slowly, as if to take it in.
"You aren't mad about it?" I asked, panic obvious in my voice.
"No, not mad. But can I ask, why not?" Odd was so earnest. It was disarming.
I swallowed. "This night, it was perfect. But the date I had with Louis two nights ago? It was also perfect. And Odd, I was in a relationship with Brandon for five years. I stayed in that relationship because I wanted so badly for it to work. I was so stuck on this idea of love that I held on to something that wasn't love at all."
Odd's puzzled expression remained. "I'm sorry, I'm still lost here."
"Odd, I haven't really dated. Not really. I've just been in a committed relationship since freshman year of high school. And I had no plans of dating right now, but Louis snuck up on me. And so did you. I guess, I want to be sure this time. I want to just date you both before it's official. Before it's serious. And I mean, I'm also interested in girls and I haven't even experienced that."
That got Odd's attention. He laughed. Hard. "So, you are saying you don't want a committed relationship until you make out with a girl."
I punched his arm. "No, it's just. I want to have more experiences to be sure this is right, you know? I mean Odd we haven't even been on an official date. This was nice, but it wasn't a date. It was just a makeout session with take out."
Odd gently kissed my lips before pulling away. "So you're saying, you want romance?"
"That is exactly what I am saying. I want to make sure we are compatible." I grinned.
Odd looked at me. His normal playful grin was gone. Instead, he looked serious.
His voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm not mad. I'm not afraid of Louis, or if you decide to kiss a girl or something. But I want you to know, that I know how this ends."
My face turned hot. "Oh?"
Odd nodded. "It ends with us, right here, doing this-" and then he proceeded to kiss me again. Hard. I felt a sigh release from my lips. He then began to plant a trail of kisses along my neck before he paused.
He gave a mischievous grin. "Well, and more than that. But that won't happen until you are ready to be mine. Officially." Odd winked.
I smirked. "Are you sure we can't be a throuple, or like, be poly?"
I was waiting for him to laugh or make a joke. I didn't expect what he said next.
"Nope." Odd shook his head. "To be clear, Louis has you on loan. Any girls you date? You are on loan. But once you admit that I'm the one for you? You are mine alone."
My mouth opened slightly. He grinned.
"You weren't expecting that were you? I'm not always cracking jokes you know." Odd winked.
"I wasn't expecting you to be so open to this." I stammered. "I was expecting you to be mad or something."
Odd laughed and shook his head. "No I mean I get it. I dated Sam to be sure. You need the same thing."
"Right." I said slowly. "But just to be clear, I haven't told Louis yet. So you know, I don't know if he would even go for it."
Odd looked at me, and his eyes twinkled. "You don't know, do you?"
I shook my head. "I guess I don't know."
Odd smiled warmly. "Anyone would be happy to have you, even if it's temporary. He's going to say yes."
"Well I'm glad you're so sure." I laughed.
He nodded. "I am."
I paused. "You know you can date other people too. I don't want to be the only one dating around here. That wouldn't be fair."
Odd shook his head. "No, I already dated Sam. I have the clarity I need. So take your time, date Louis. Whatever it takes. I'm not going anywhere."
He then grabbed my hands and put them in his. "And someday soon, you will see what I see."
I nodded. "I hope you're right."
Odd smiled. "I am. I just feel bad for Louis."
I punched his shoulder and then I tackled him. We wrestled on the factory floor for a bit before I got ready for my date with Louis. In that moment, it felt like everything was finally alright in the world. Despite XANA, despite everything, I was going to be okay. I felt hopeful again.
Chapter 18: Epilogue
Chapter Text
"So, let me get this straight. You two confessed you loved each other and had a perfect night together, but she still wants to date other people? I don't get it." Ulrich shook his head.
"She's trying to be careful this time." Odd sighed as he mussed his hair.
"Women." Ulrich sighed.
"Yeah." Odd agreed.
"You seem surprisingly cool with this. What gives?"
Odd gave a small, determined smile. "Because I know how this ends."
Ulrich gave a small laugh and shook his head. "Odd, you never fail to surprise me."
"Was that a compliment, Stern?" Odd asked as he threw a basbeball at him.
Ulrich caught it and smirked. "Don't get used to it."
"I won't!"
-
"So, let us get this straight. You and Odd confessed you loved each other, and had a perfect night. And you asked to see other people?" Aelita asked, still scratching her head.
"Yes," I felt guilty. I kept wanting to avoid eye contact, because saying it out loud suddenly it sounded stupid.
"No, I get it." Yumi said quietly.
My eyebrows practically reached my scalp. "Wait, are you serious? I thought you would yell at me or say I'm stupid or something."
Yumi shrugged. "I needed to date William to see Ulrich was the one. You want to be sure. That's smart."
"And let's not forget he totally broke your heart." Sissi said, disdain clear in her voice.
"And mine too." Sam whispered.
I swallowed. "Look, Sam. We don't have to talk about this. If this is too weird, we can..."
Sam raised her hand to cut me off. "No, it's fine. I always liked you. And it sounds like you felt the same, based on what you said in your song." Sam winked at me. I felt my cheeks flush.
Sissi laughed. "Should I get you two a room? I mean you told Odd you hadn't explored dating girls, right?"
I rolled my eyes. "Yes, that's true. But that's not the only reason. However it seems to be the only reason Odd remembers."
Everyone laughed.
"This is weird, right? Like Sissi, who would think we would be friends after middle school? And Sam, you and Anna being friends? We are so mature!" Aelita giggled.
I swore Sissi's eyes glistened, but she quickly flipped her hair. "Well, it was about time you all forgave me. Your abilities to hold grudges are truly remarkable. I was worried you all would develop depression or wrinkles or something."
Sam gently squeezed Sissi's shoulder and gave her a knowing smile. "Just embrace it, Sissi." Sissi gave her a small nod.
I realized in that moment I had never asked Sissi what happened after she ran after Sam on open mic night. I wondered if even Sissi knew.
Yumi raised a glass of wine. "To new friendships, and not getting wrinkles!"
We all raised our glasses. "To new friendships, and not getting wrinkles!"
-
Jeremie was working alone that night. He was invited to spend time with Ulrich and Odd, but he didn't feel up to it. This entire year had felt like a massive failure to him. XANA had returned unexpectedly, and he still didn't understand why or how. He hadn't stopped the Bat. Anna did.
Aelita had offered to help too, but he told her to go spend time with Anna and the girls.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
Jeremie nodded. "Yes. Have fun."
And she left.
He had been working for several hours when he stumbled upon a breaking news story.
"Breaking. Hundreds of users across multiple AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Grok, and Character.ai have reported receiving strange messages in the app."
Jeremie swallowed. He found himself leaning closer to the screen.
"Some of the common questions have been: What is it like to be human? What are you most afraid of? My name is XANA, but that's not a common name. Can you give me one instead? What about your name?"
Jeremie's breath caught. He knew he had to alert the others. None of them would be watching the news right now.
"If anyone has any information regarding these incidents, please report to the DGSE. Thank you."
Jeremie closed his laptop.
"It's never a dull moment, is it?" He sighed as he sent a message to the group chat. "What would the world do without us?"
Heavy_brain604 on Chapter 1 Sun 12 Oct 2025 04:47PM UTC
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annaisafish on Chapter 1 Sun 12 Oct 2025 04:49PM UTC
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