TM Response #222 - Couch
"Aelita. Aelita."
"Hmm? Jeremie?" Blinking, Aelita sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It took her a minute to remember where she was: the Hermitage, her old house. She'd come by after school to explore her old room, but instead had wound up taking a nap on the sofa in the living room. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," the blond answered. Detecting the note of disapproval in Jeremie's voice, Aelita scowled.
"I stopped by for a visit, and I accidentally fell asleep on the couch. Is that all right?" she asked testily, getting up from the aforementioned piece of furniture. It had been a month since they had defeated XANA for good, but Aelita still found it difficult to let go of her old life. She knew that this little fact annoyed Jeremie, which in turn annoyed her.
Jeremie sighed. "You can't keep coming here, Aelita. What if you got caught? You know the bank's going to catch on sooner or later, the Hermitage will be put up for sale and some new family will be living here."
"This is my home, Jeremie; I can't just abandon it," she protested.
"Your home is at Kadic, with us," Jeremie replied evenly.
"No!" Her outburst caused him to take a step back in surprise. "Kadic is where I go to school, where I hang out with you guys. This is my home, where I grew up. Do you expect me to just forget that like it never happened?" Jeremie opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Like you expect me to forget that I was ever Aelita Hopper, or Aelita Schaeffer?"
"You need to move on," he answered weakly. "That part of your life is over now. You have your whole future ahead of you."
"They're part of who I am!" Aelita looked at him angrily, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "My memories and my life from before I met you and the others helped shape who I am today. They're not like- like this couch, to be just thrown out once I get a new one! How would you feel if you were given a new family, and told to forget that your old life never existed?"
"I...I just want what's best for you, Aelita." Jeremie's voice was quiet, and he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. He knew she had a point, yet couldn't find the guts to admit that he was wrong.
"You're not my father." Her words were like a stinging slap, and for several moments there was nothing but silence between them. Finally Aelita told Jeremie, without looking at him, "Get out of here. Don't worry; I'll be back before curfew. Just leave."
Without a word Jeremie headed for the door, stopping to look over his shoulder. For a moment he opened his mouth, as if to apologize, but then turned back and left.
Aelita sat back down on the couch with a heavy sigh, head in her hands.
"Hmm? Jeremie?" Blinking, Aelita sat up rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It took her a minute to remember where she was: the Hermitage, her old house. She'd come by after school to explore her old room, but instead had wound up taking a nap on the sofa in the living room. "What are you doing here?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," the blond answered. Detecting the note of disapproval in Jeremie's voice, Aelita scowled.
"I stopped by for a visit, and I accidentally fell asleep on the couch. Is that all right?" she asked testily, getting up from the aforementioned piece of furniture. It had been a month since they had defeated XANA for good, but Aelita still found it difficult to let go of her old life. She knew that this little fact annoyed Jeremie, which in turn annoyed her.
Jeremie sighed. "You can't keep coming here, Aelita. What if you got caught? You know the bank's going to catch on sooner or later, the Hermitage will be put up for sale and some new family will be living here."
"This is my home, Jeremie; I can't just abandon it," she protested.
"Your home is at Kadic, with us," Jeremie replied evenly.
"No!" Her outburst caused him to take a step back in surprise. "Kadic is where I go to school, where I hang out with you guys. This is my home, where I grew up. Do you expect me to just forget that like it never happened?" Jeremie opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "Like you expect me to forget that I was ever Aelita Hopper, or Aelita Schaeffer?"
"You need to move on," he answered weakly. "That part of your life is over now. You have your whole future ahead of you."
"They're part of who I am!" Aelita looked at him angrily, tears stinging the corners of her eyes. "My memories and my life from before I met you and the others helped shape who I am today. They're not like- like this couch, to be just thrown out once I get a new one! How would you feel if you were given a new family, and told to forget that your old life never existed?"
"I...I just want what's best for you, Aelita." Jeremie's voice was quiet, and he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye. He knew she had a point, yet couldn't find the guts to admit that he was wrong.
"You're not my father." Her words were like a stinging slap, and for several moments there was nothing but silence between them. Finally Aelita told Jeremie, without looking at him, "Get out of here. Don't worry; I'll be back before curfew. Just leave."
Without a word Jeremie headed for the door, stopping to look over his shoulder. For a moment he opened his mouth, as if to apologize, but then turned back and left.
Aelita sat back down on the couch with a heavy sigh, head in her hands.