036
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Lyoko
Title: Rock Bands and Sisters
Series: C'est La Vie
Timeline: November, First Year
Warnings: None
Notes: So, yay, back on this series! ::gasp:: Lol. I have definitely missed this series.
Previous Part: http://theoriginal-ist.livejournal.com/5296.html#cutid1
“Bonjour, Jeremie, ca va?”
He groaned and rolled over onto his back, the phone clutched in his hand and pressed to his ear tightly. “Mama?” The digits on the clock are telling him it’s six in the morning and his mind is calculating three hours of sleep maximum. “Mama, what is it?”
“Nothing Jeremie, nothing.” There’s a muffled laugh and a short cough. “You just haven’t called recently, is everything alright? Comment ca va?” Amelie repeats.
“I’m fine Mama; school’s been hectic is all.” It’s too early to deal with his mother (then again it’s always too early to deal with her in his opinion). “Je suis désolé. I’m sorry I haven’t called recently or written.”
“Non, it is fine. Have you made friends then? Are classes going well - you’ve always been so bright unlike your cousin, the loaf.”
“What has Braque done now Mama?”
“He has been expelled from University, of course. He is in prison for some such crime. Your uncle is taking care of it supposedly. Nothing but rotten seeds in your father’s tree, but not you. You are our prize, Cher.”
“Mama,” he groans. He rolls over and freezes when he sees the computer screen on and Aelita’s face shining at him, eyes laughing. “Mama, I have to go, now.” The blush is already staining his cheeks (like the first time she saw him in his pajamas, or when Odd ran in here in his underwear and it should have been the other blonde turning red, not him) and he coughs a few times.
“Is something the matter Jeremie? You seem in a hurry.”
“I just, uh…I want to grab a shower before everyone else does. The hot water around here usually doesn’t last long.” Aelita laughs quietly and he inwardly winces that he didn’t mute it last night. But she’d been talking to him, telling him of different places she’d researched or dreamt up and it had been soothing so he hadn’t cared…
“Is someone there Jeremie? Cher?”
“No Mama, I have to go. Au revoir. Je t’aime.” He hangs up the phone with a hurried promise to call in a couple of days and heaves a sigh as his thumb presses down on the disconnect button. “It’s not polite to eavesdrop.”
“But you knew I was here all along, it wasn’t eavesdropping if you’re just forgetful,” she reasons. She tilts her chin and the earring catches the light, glinting briefly. He wonders if her ears will be pierced when he’s materialized her. “Good morning Jeremie, your mother seems pleasant.”
“She’s overbearing,” he grumbles. “Good morning Aelita, did you rest peacefully?”
“As peaceful as one can when confined. Would you like to hear of what I dreamed whilst you slept Jeremie?”
“I’d like that Aelita,” he says with a smile. He sits up, reclining back against his pillows with his head against the wall. “Please, share.”
“Well, I dreamt of snow. Real snow, just like you described it. And ice, like on Lyoko with cliffs and bridges, and snow covering it all lovingly. And the moon, round and full over us as we walked through it…”
--
“Is this how it’s going to be then Ulrich?” She’s found him in the woods this morning and he glances up at her. Her hair is tied back with an elastic but it’s coming loose he sees. “You’ll ignore me and we’ll just keep circling each other like vultures?” She drops down in front of him, hands on bare knees. “Daddy asks why we don’t hang out anymore; I don’t know what to tell him so I lie.”
“I’m sorry Eli.” He is, he’s sorry for everything. For the time when they were eight and he smashed a chocolate cupcake in her face, getting pink icing on her new headband. For the time when Charlie broke her Barbie’s head and he took the blame. Even for when he left and didn’t write, and now he sees her and they don’t talk. He’s sorry he can’t forgive her, and that the others won’t let him.
“I don’t know what I did Ulrich, I really don’t.” For a moment he’s afraid she’s going to start crying (it was always her greatest weapon against him) but she doesn’t. “It doesn’t matter now though, does it? Whenever you’re with your friends you’ll forget about me and when you’re alone you’ll talk to me. Fine, I understand - I use people too.”
“Eli…”
He’s glad she interrupts because he doesn’t know what he was planning on saying anyway. “I saw your flier today; Odd was hanging them up at breakfast.” There’s a pause interspersed with cicadas. “I won’t audition, since guitar isn’t offered and I doubt you’d vouch for me anyway,” there’s a sad note to her voice and a laugh in her eyes, “but Nicholas is a terrific drummer. Give him a chance Ulrich; don’t turn him away straight off, please?”
“Okay, sure.”
“I won’t give up you know,” she says as she stands. “As much for your sake as for mine, I remember Germany Ulrich, even if you won’t. Until later I suppose, good bye.”
He watches her disappear into the forest and for once doesn’t feel as at peace as he’d have liked.
--
--
“I’m here to see Principal Delmas.” The woman before him raised an eyebrow in question; the plaque on her desk read Nicole Weber, Secretary. “My name is Ulrich Stern, he requested to see me.”
“Oh, oui. Please, take a seat,” she said. She offered him a faint smile as she pushed her glasses up and pressed a button on the intercom. “Monsieur Delmas, the student you wanted to see has arrived. Yes, yes, of course.” She disconnected and stared at Ulrich. “The principal will see you now.”
He entered the paneled room and paused as the oak door closed behind him. Principal Delmas was seated behind his desk, fingertips pressed together and forehead resting against them. “Sit down Ulrich,” he said, lifting his head. Ulrich slid into the leather chair across from him, shifting slightly. “How are you then? Is everything all right with school?”
“Huh, oh, yes. Yes sir, the school’s fine,” Ulrich answered carefully.
Delmas stared at him, bushy eyebrows drawn together in a furrow. “Relax son, you’re not in trouble. This is a social call,” he laughed. Ulrich relaxed slightly and Delmas smiled. “Now, how is your family? Is France everything you expected it to be?”
“Er, France is fine. The language is still annoying. My family’s fine, Father’s off again,” he mumbled. Delmas nodded consolingly. “I have to uh, say, that this was a surprise, seeing you here. You and Sissi that is.”
“Ah, so you’ve learned what Elisabeth’s now calling herself then?” Delmas’s nose wrinkled in annoyance. “I don’t know why she insists on that infernal nickname now of all times.” Ulrich stayed silent. “Ah, well. And how about your mother? Is Audrey well?”
“Yeah, she’s good.” He offered a crooked smile. “She’s always asking after Eli since she found out she was here. And you too of course. Especially after…after last summer,” he fumbles. Delmas’s eyes cloud briefly and he pushes on quickly. “Mom wanted me to invite you and Eli for Christmas.” He isn’t sure if he likes that idea.
“Ah, well, I’ll call and speak to Audrey. I don’t think that’ll be possible, Elisabeth may want to though. I know she isn’t happy at school.”
“Yeah.”
“So tell me Ulrich, how do you like your classes? Elisabeth’s told me you’ve made some new friends. That’s marvelous.”
“Yeah, yeah. The school’s good Mr. Delmas, don’t worry about it.” He shifts in his seat uncomfortably. “The classes are good too I guess. I’m sure I’ll have problems with Hertz’s class, but otherwise it’s good.”
“That’s wonderful.” He smiles and Ulrich musters a small one back. He honestly likes Mr. Delmas, has since he first met him - and not just because he actually seemed to care for his daughter. But sometimes he feels like the man thinks of him as family which is really just a bit weird, especially when he’s your Principal. “You should join Elisabeth and me for dinner one night Ulrich.”
“Yeah…”
“I don’t mean here at school, I doubt you’d want to be seen with the Principal, huh?” There’s a twinkle in his eyes and Ulrich actually laughs. “Thought so. We can go into town. I’m sure Elisabeth would love that, don’t you think?”
“I’m sure she would.” He glances at the clock and Delmas follows his eyes.
“Ah, right. Been here long enough have you? I’ll have Elisabeth tell you when. Give my best to your parents, and your sister…I was surprised she didn’t come as well.”
“She decided to stay in Germany, Sir.”
“Very well. Take care Ulrich; I hope you won’t be a stranger. Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will Mr. Delmas. It was…It was nice speaking with you.” He stood carefully and made his way to the door, stopping with his hand on the door. “Could you do me a favor?” When the principal looked at him he felt his mouth go dry. “Tell Eli…tell her that I’m sorry, please?”
He left before Delmas could ask about what.
--
“Do you miss me Odd? I miss you, we all do. Even Less but she won’t admit it much.”
“Of course I miss you Dell!” Odd exclaimed. He sat up in bed and frowned at the computer since he couldn’t see his baby sister. “Who else do I get into trouble with?”
“Ally.” The four year old sniffs over the phone and he smiles. He can imagine her pout, her blue eyes squinting. “You and her always get into trouble.”
“Yeah, that’s right,” he agrees. “But I get in the most with you. Can you put her on though?” He hears the sniffling again and laughs. “I need to remind her to do some stuff for me.”
“O-kay. Ally!”
“By Dell,” he calls as the phone is jostled. “Ally?”
“Hey Odd, what’s up?”
“Not much, just calling to make sure you remember to take Sidi to the doctor’s.”
“Don’t worry, I do.”
“Good.” He paused as the dorm door opened. “Hey, I’ve got to run Al, the roommate just got in. I’ll talk to you later, love you bye!” He flips his phone shut and grins at Ulrich. “What’d Delmas want? You took forever.”
“Nothing,” he replies. He shrugs. “Girlfriend or boyfriend?”
“Neither,” Odd replies with a grin. “Annoying little pest known as sister.”
“You’ve got a sister?”
“Er, yeah,” Odd replies. He smiles suddenly. “Don’t tell anyone though; they’ll think I nicked her clothes.”
“Of course not.” He sat down on his bed and tilted his head. “Are you the oldest?”
“Eh, enough about me,” Odd shrugged. “What about you? You got any sibs?”
“One,” Ulrich admitted. “Sister,” he replied to Odd’s questioning look.
“Right then,” Odd nodded. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way…what did Delmas want?”
“I told you,” Ulrich muttered, “nothing.” Odd nodded again and stretched out on the bed.
--
Her breath came in quick puffs of air as she punched the bag repeatedly. Left…right…left…left…duck. She turned, doing a roundhouse kick and the bag went sailing through the air on creaking chains. She sighed happily and walked over to the wall, grabbing her water bottle. God it felt good to work the stress out of her system.
She could still hear her father’s angry voice in her head though. And her mother’s quieter scornful voice echoing his. No matter how many times she punched that bag she would still relieve their arguments and she couldn’t change that. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment.
Last night had been bad. Bad enough for Hiroki to creep into her room. Bad enough for her to let him curl up against her, his face buried in her shoulder as he fell into an uneasy sleep. She isn’t sure what the fights are about, she only knows they haven’t gotten any better since they’ve come to France. And they were supposed to - get better that is.
She wonders if Hiroki is okay, at home now. She wonders if her dad will stay at a hotel again tonight or if he’ll sleep on the sofa, or in her parents’ room. She wonders a lot of things nowadays. She kind of hates that about her life now.
The alarm on her phone goes off and she pulls it out of her bag and looks at it. She has just enough time to take a quick shower in the locker room and change before she has to meet the boys for band tryouts. She smiles wryly. If someone had told her just a month ago that she would be playing lead singer in a band she would have laughed in their face. But here she was, doing just that. She shook her head and grabbed her bag and water bottle.
It was funny how life changed.
--
Sissi sighed as she climbed the stairs to her room. She (like everyone else it seemed) didn’t trust the elevators. They creaked just a bit too loud for her taste. She pulled her hair into a loose ponytail before releasing it and unlocking her door. She almost screams.
“What are you doing in here?” she demands. Her father looks at her and gestures for her to enter. He’s seated at her vanity and is looking through the pictures on her desktop. “Daddy, how did you get in here?”
“Do you honestly think I don’t have a key to every room?” he questions. She shrugs and he smiles at her. “How were classes Elisabeth?”
“They were fine.” She shifts before dropping her bag on the chair and sitting on her bed. “Is there something you needed?” She hoped he hadn’t found out about her last history test.
“Your birthday will be here soon.” She nods and her fingers play absently with the locket around her neck. “Is there anything you wanted to do for it?”
“No, not really.” She doesn’t meet his eyes and she hears him sigh. A moment later he’s across the room and seated next to her. His arm wraps around her shoulder, tugs her closer. “Why?”
“You’ll be fourteen Elisabeth, that’s a wonderful age…you’re growing up so quickly…”
“Please Daddy, don’t…” She inhales the scent of mint and tobacco. She hasn’t had the heart to tell him that she knows he hasn’t quit smoking. “There’s nothing I want to do - honest. Maybe we can go to a nice restaurant and have dinner? We haven’t done that in so long, not since…”
“Yes, that would be good. What about friends?”
“No, just us.”
They’re quiet for a moment and it’s almost like old times. His fingers stroke her hair softly. She sighs and her eyes close as she inhales deeply again. “I spoke with Ulrich the other day.” He feels her stiffen. “He’s grown into quite a young man, hasn’t he?” She’s thankful her face is hidden so he can’t read her thoughts. “I was thinking…it would be nice for the three of us to go out sometime. What about for your birthday?”
“That would be fine,” she replies quietly. “If he wants to come.”
“I’m sure he would - you two were always so close.” He pats her head reassuringly. “His mother has invited you to their house for the winter holidays. I told her I was sure you would want to go but I would talk to you before giving a definitive answer. Was I wrong?”
“I would love to see Audrey again,” she answers. He nods. “Does Ulrich know?”
“He’s the one who mentioned it.” He chuckles and kisses the top of her head. “Things will get better Elisabeth, just hang in there. You’re doing wonderful - I am so proud of you.” He stood. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some paperwork to attend to. You should invite him if you want; I hear there’s a lovely Italian place in town.”
“Alright Daddy, thank you.” She watches as he closes the door behind him. With a low groan she falls back into bed, pulling the pillow over her head. When did life get so complicated? Sissi wonders. Her eyes travel to the pictures on the table across from her and she suddenly remembers. Oh, right.