Code Lyoko: The New Girl (BK 1)

Chapter 41

Thank you for reading and voting!

"Hey, listen, we need to talk."

Saphire stilled at the sound of Yumi's sharp, authoritative voice.

Saphire had just stepped out of her dorm to stop by the library. She needed to use the Internet to conduct research for her science paper; the due date was coming up fast, and Saphire was still sore over the whole debacle with Ms. Hertz. It had been hard for Saphire to sit in class, so close to her, knowing what she knew about her.

Saphire hadn't bothered to attend any of her morning classes. It wasn't good missing out on classes; the teachers would notice, send a complaint to Saphire's nonexistent foster parents, and threaten to kick her out the school if she couldn't keep up with her grades. Her grades would be fine though thanks to her mastery hacking skills, and her fake caretakers could easily be taken care of, but convincing the teachers she was a good student would be tough if she wasn't present in class to prove it.

Saphire had wanted to avoid all the Earthians. Even the ones who hadn't been a witness to her meltdown in the cafeteria, surely, they had heard about the incident seconds after it had transpired.

Thirty minutes ago, Aelita had come by and knocked on Saphire's door. Instead of answering it, Saphire locked the door, and hid under her covers, enveloped in darkness, with her hands pressed to her ears to keep herself from folding and letting Aelita in both physically and emotionally. Saphire was too ashamed to face her baby sister. Not only had Aelita been a witness to Saphire's free humiliation, but she had seen Saphire lash out and let her anger get the best of her. Saphire hadn't even done any real damage to Magali for all her trouble; she hadn't broken any of her limbs or made her wish she had never been born, and she very well could have done both had she not been interrupted.

Saphire tried her very best not to turn around and make a run for it from Yumi as she approached her with the need to speak to her about something. The idea of standing in front of Yumi and listening to her belittle her about her mistakes of the day, and how she couldn't follow one simple instruction, it made Saphire sick to her stomach. She forced her feet to stay rooted to the ground and kept her eyes pointed at the floor where the light from above made the spot shine.

From a very young age, Lyokians were told to think of the Stars whenever they were nervous, in pain, anxious, excited, hurt, loved, happy, sad, annoyed, tired; basically every moment of every day. If a Lyokian was feeling lost and was unsure of what to say to the Stars, or how to even summon their strength, they were often told by their parents or Magisters to look to something shiny or sparkling. Whether that be the glare of the sun's rays bouncing off the sector towers and hovers, or the happiness shining in another Lyokian's eyes, it brought the Stars closer. While Saphire knew it was impossible for the Stars to reach her on Earth, she took a deep breath and kept her mind open for the Stars' strength.

"I was wondering when you would come find me." She said lowly.

"I know I'm probably the last person you want to see right now." Yumi started off, sounding oddly kind. "But we really do need to talk about everything that's happened. Everything I said to you. How you feel. Um, and what this means for us and the group as a whole."

"How I feel?" Saphire laughed at the absurdity of Yumi actually caring about her feelings. "I feel like a freak." She broke her gaze from the floor and locked eyes with Yumi. "I feel like nothing I ever say or do is going to be accepted and believed. I feel like I have to constantly explain myself and my intentions to someone who will never believe my words. You do not care for how I feel. You are here to assure I will not retaliate the way I have with Magali."