Code Lyoko: The New Girl (BK 1)

Chapter 57

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If Saphire was at all disturbed by the contents of the book she now slept with under her pillow, she sure was good at hiding it. Sitting across from her at breakfast, Yumi tried not to stare at her every few seconds, and if Saphire even noticed, she kept her mouth shut and her eyes peered into a larger book she had dumped on the lunch table in place of her tray. Another book with dusty, musty pages. She pored over it as if it had all the answers.

"A book of stars." She answered quietly when Aelita asked her what she was reading. "So unlike, and, yet familiar to the ones I have left behind in Lyoko." She traced her fingers over a page depicting the house-shaped constellation.

Yumi shivered at the mention of "Lyoko". It no longer resembled just a virtual world homing virtual creepers and an evil computer virus; nor was it a whole new world where Saphire had been raised and nurtured; it was an entirely different being, an indiscernible, inscrutable experience.

During her first semester at Kadic, Yumi's history class watched a documentary on child soldiers in war-torn third-world countries; little boys groomed and nurtured by the winning team to become killing machines against their own people. Yumi couldn't imagine what went through those kids' minds, let alone how they survived with their actions, and now, there was one sitting right across from her, and it was unlike anything she had ever imagined.

At the end of the documentary, she and her classmates learned that most of the young children were either killed before they could reach puberty, and the ones who made it into teenage- and adulthood, their psyche was so cracked and ruined, they became recluse, hiding away from society and civilization, never able to interact and be free of their past. Not even the ones who were rescued and taken care of ever felt normal again.

It was so somber and miserable to think of those poor kids who had little choice. Saphire was one of those kids. Yet, she seemed so different from them. She didn't exhibit excessive rage; she was educated; she had sympathy and care for those around her. But her "training" started at such a young age and she was a fast learner. Maybe she was protected because she was Franz Hopper's daughter, and they were lenient on her punishments. Maybe it was because she made her escape at an earlier age and went on to live a normal life, plus she also lost most of her memories regarding the torture and training from her childhood years. She was saved. That didn't make her any less dangerous though...

'How many Lyokians has she been made to kill?' The thought bloomed in Yumi's mind before she could control it. 'And how does she even feel about it?'

Yumi didn't realize she had been full-on staring at Saphire until she felt eyes on her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jeremie had been cautiously watching Yumi watching Saphire. That, in turn, got Aelita to stare at Jeremie and Ulrich to start ogling Aelita, and create a whole chain reaction of everyone watching each other which was only broken by Odd looking up mid-stuffing his face and commenting loudly, "Ooh hey, are we all having a staring contest? I can totally beat you all – I've been practicing with Kiwi!"

He dropped his spoon into his cereal bowl with a splash and widened his eyes in exaggeration, moving his pupils between the group members. Yumi blinked and moved back.

"I was just..." She shrugged one shoulder and looked down at her uneaten breakfast. "I was imagining the two of you out on a date."

Odd chuckled. "Imagining us, huh?" He arched an eyebrow at Yumi. "Well, why don't you just join us as well?" He leaned forward with a grin.

Yumi frowned at him. "Ha ha," She replied in a dry tone. "so funny. I wouldn't go out with you even if you were the last person on Earth, Odd."

"Never say never," Odd winked at her and resumed eating.