Code Lyoko: The New Girl (BK 1)

Chapter 34

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Saphire pushed herself out of the way before Theo could land on her. Her hip dug into the edge of the sink and she cried out. Theo, on the other hand, fell forward into the tub, taking the shower curtain with him, his limbs becoming tangled. Saphire took her eyes off of him for a second to glance behind her for some kind of weapon. There were some cylinder-shaped bottles lined up on the surface of the toilet. Saphire grabbed the bulkiest one and aimed it over her head, ready for when Theo got to his feet.

The last time Saphire spotted Theo (when he was X.A.N.A.-free) was when he was dancing like a madman in the dance circle with Mathias; both were drunk and sweating through their shirts. Saphire had wanted to stop and watch, finding the scene rather amusing, but she had a free bedroom to search. With X.A.N.A. now possessing Theo, it didn't matter how intoxicated he had been just a few minutes prior, he was stronger and faster than ever.

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her in close to him. Saphire froze when their eyes locked. She didn't mean to. The alcohol in her system was still pulling tricks in her mind and causing her to make delayed reactions. But the second her brain realized what was going on, she slammed the bottle against Theo's cheek. He cried out but Saphire had been careful not to hit him too hard, so it didn't do much damage but it did make X.A.N.A. mad. He spun her around, pressing her stomach into the sink and angling her arm back. Tears sprung to Saphire's eyes but she refused to make a sound. She clamped down on her lip, biting down hard even when she tasted blood.

Saphire placed her palm on the sink and forced her and Theo back, pinning him to the wall. The bathroom was a tight space but Saphire had experience squeezing into small spaces. She yanked her arm free and pulled it in to punch Theo in the face. If she could knock him unconscious, she could get X.A.N.A. out of his head. Theo moved his head to the side at the last second and Saphire's fist smashed into the wall, breaking skin.

Theo smirked and wrapped his hand around Saphire's throat, squeezing his fingers into her flesh. Saphire's arms flailed, trying to grab something hard, sharp. She heard something smash loudly next to her and flinched. It took her a few seconds to realize X.A.N.A. had gotten his hands on the bottle she had tried to knock Theo out with and he had slammed it into the sink, causing it to break. Sharp glass shards littered the floor and sink. The liquid inside the bottle fell to the floor, wetting the Saphire's side, and stinging against the open cut on her knuckles.

X.A.N.A. held up half the bottle in Saphire's face, inching the jagged edges close enough to touch her burning cheeks. Saphire tried to wiggle out of his grip, but the more she struggled, the tighter he held on. She was beginning to see white bursts of light out of her left eye. X.A.N.A. pushed her back against the sink; Saphire tried to lean her body away. Her right hand went up, shoving the mirror away. She swept her arm over the shelves, bringing small bottles of all shapes — round, triangular, boxy — down into the sink. None of them were big or sturdy enough to do damage.

Saphire choked, feeling her chest constricting, trying to take in air only to receive none. Hands still reaching out, groping empty air, her left hand finally circled around something. She grabbed it and yanked it over, not caring what it was. Saphire slammed it into X.A.N.A.'s side. It didn't make direct impact but it was distracting and sudden enough to cause him to release his hold on her.

Saphire gasped and coughed, clawing at her throat. She moved away from the sink and pulled the object she had grabbed to inspect it for its use. It was some kind of wooden stick. It had a thin, long handle and muddy, once-white strings attached to the end. Looking up, she saw she had slapped X.A.N.A. with the wet strings and he was now spitting out dirt and loose hair. Yuck.