From Something I'm Not: Chap 4

“Watch out!” Ulrich shouted to Mrs. Meyers as something threw itself at her, but she wasn’t quick enough and was hit, throwing her backwards and hitting her head against the board. The students all began to panic, seeing that their teacher was now unconscious on the floor. They were now dodging things were being thrown across the room and lifting from on them and underneath them. Ulrich leapt over one of the desks and made his way over to Jeremie and Odd who were ducking away on the floor..

“Guys.” He said, watching over the people that were behind them. “You guys have to get to the factory.”

Odd looked at him with a puzzled stare. “And what are you going to do?”

“Simple, Odd.” Jeremie began. “If one person doesn’t stay here, Kelly will follow us and find out about Lyoko. Its another Taelia incident waiting to happen!”

“Agreed.” Ulrich turned to look back at Kelly, who was almost panicking as she dodged a book that barely flew over her head. “And besides, someone needs to protect her.”

“Yeah, she shouldn’t get hurt again.” Jeremie looked at Odd. “We have to get out of here.”

“We just have to make a run for the door.” Odd said, as he got up and started to break for the door. Jeremie followed, dodging books, and other objects as he and Odd rushed out the door, items flying only to be slammed into the door and fall with a loud thud.

“Where are they going?” Kelly asked Ulrich and he kneeled down next to her.

“To make things safer for us.” He answered. Behind her, a stapler lifted itself up and was about to hit her. He didn’t yell. Instead he lunged himself forward, as the stapler missed and bounced off the desk nearby. Kelly stared up at him, blushing as he lay atop her. She came back to earth in a millisecond and pushed him off of her, smoothing her jacket, before looking back.

“Ulrich, we really have to get out of here.” She said, looking around at the mischief that was being done before her eyes.

“That’s a really bad idea.” He frowned uneasily. “We can’t have you getting into any trouble.”

“Your worried about me that much?” she asked, a smile playing on her face. She leapt up, and hurried out the door before, he could stop her. Of course, Ulrich wasn’t prepared to let her go on her own. X.A.N.A. wasn’t something that she was use to fighting it. He took no extra time before dodging his way out to the hall.

Kelly was only outside the door, dodging and blocking things that flew at her. When something bigger or heavier came along, like doors and garbage cans, she would run. Ulrich followed her and caught up, before they got out the door.

“Your too fast.” Ulrich panted, still looking around at the people who were running franticly, trying to avoid things.

“Ulrich, we have to help.” She said, grabbing onto his arm and pulling him towards the people who were cowering.

“But what can we do?” Ulrich asked, pulling away. “We have to wait?”

“What for what?” she asked sourly. “We have to protect everyone or no one will.”

She started to run, but started getting attacked. She threw fists, punching and kicking, imaging that she was a great fighter, which she was not. She didn’t fear anything. She knew it would be over soon, hopefully anyways. Looking around, she saw that people were getting hit, being knocked over by the objects that were floating about.

“Watch out!” she cried, kicking away a few things that were taunting a few students by the trees in the yard.

Ulrich was watching her. She had the great potential to being a fighter, maybe even good enough to fight on Lyoko, despite Jeremie’s thoughts. She needed help. She couldn’t fight on her own, even if she was good. He entered in quickly, standing beside her as she hit away a few random things that tossed themselves at her.

“Glad you could make it.” She smiled at him. He gave her the quickest smile, before punching at something else.

Kelly scanned the scene quickly, seeing a girl standing in the middle of it all looking around, as one of the drink machines floated up to her and hovered over her. Kelly acted quickly, even though she was no sure what to do.

“Look out!” Kelly shouted, pushing the girl out of the way as the drink machine collapsed on top of her. She heard her name being shouted by Ulrich as he kicked a book flying at him. He ran over, seeing the girl who looked up, kind of weak from being pushed to the pavement.

“Are you ok, Chelsea?” he asked the girl. She looked up nodding.

“Yeah, I’m fine, or at least I will be.” She said. She only then noticed that the girl who saved her, had taken her place beneath the heavy drink machine. She gasped, apologizing before getting up.

“There’s nothing, you can do.” Ulrich said, kneeling down to Kelly. “Just get somewhere safe.”

She nodded, even though as she turned, there was a bitter look growing as she ran.

“Kelly, are you ok?” he asked in panic. He knew he could never in a million years lift the machine off of her. She looked up.

“Now I know how pancakes must feel.” She said sarcastically. “This is really not good.”

“Don’t worry.” He said, his voice full of confidence that Aelita would deactivate the tower and get her out of this mess. “You’ll be ok, I promise.”

He got up quickly and picked up his cellphone, dialing Jeremie’s number.

“Hello?” Jeremie’s came over the receiver.

“Jeremie, it’s getting really bad over here.” Ulrich said, trying to calm his voice. “Kelly is under a drink machine, much too heavy for me for me to lift up.”

“Ulrich, Aelita is almost to the activated tower, just keep everything calm for a few more minutes.”

Ulrich put down the phone and turned back to Kelly. Tears rolled down her eyes, but she didn’t know if it was from the pain, or from the worry that she could be crushed to death.

“So this is how it ends?” she asked, a bitter shake in her voice. “Crushed beneath a drink machine?”

“Your not going to die, just give it a few minutes and you’ll be ok.” He said, grasping onto her hand. “Trust me.”

A moment later, a bright light formed over them bringing it back to the early morning.

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Kelly stood back in Ulrich and Odd’s room. It was bright in the morning again. She looked on the wall and saw that she had brought her back to the exact time she was in their room in the early morning. She wondered if they would come back undressed again. Before she had the chance to leave, Ulrich and Odd returned back to their room, this time, dressed fully.

“Kelly!” they feigned surprise. She looked at them in shock. Within a second, she lunged forward, throwing her arms around a certainly surprised Ulrich.

“Ulrich, something really weird just happened to me.” She said into his neck. “I was just under a drink machine, and the next thing I know, I’m back here.”

Ulrich eyes widened as he and Odd, looked at each other in pure horror. How did she remember the return to the past? Something was wrong here.

“Kelly.” Ulrich put his hand on her cheek. “Are you ok?”

“I know it may sound a bit crazy, but its real, I was nearly killed.” She said, her voice shaking furiously.

Ulrich looked back at Odd again.

“I’ll leave.” Odd said simply before slipping out the door. Kelly looked back up a Ulrich. He wasn’t much taller then her, but just enough that she could rest her head on his chest.

“You don’t think, I’m crazy, do you?” She asked.

It was now or never. “No I don’t. In fact, I know why you think that.”

“You do?”

He held her hand and sat her down onto the bed next to her. “I know what you are talking about because I remember it too. The flying objects, the drink machine, the near death experience, it all happened. You see, there is a powerful computer virus called X.A.N.A. who is trying to take over the world. It wants power and causes thing to destroy us, like the earlier attack. Jeremie, Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and me must stop the virus before it can control the world. We have to go into this virtual world called Lyoko and stop its creatures before they can hurt Aelita or do anything to stop her from deactivating the towers that are placed in each region of Lyoko. Then normally, we will return to the past, but only we remember it. But for some reason, you have.”

Kelly looked at him, in fear and in wonder. She wondered if it was really for real.

“Ulrich, are YOU sure your ok?” she asked, putting a hand to his forehead.

“You just have to trust me.”

Kelly pulled her hand away from his grasp, now angered a bit because of his “story”. She didn’t really know how to trust him. Viruses and Towers and Virtual Worlds? How was this making any sense to her? It wasn’t.

“I’m sorry, Ulrich, I thought I could believe you before, but at this point, I don’t know if I can be friends with someone who is psycho.” Ulrich was being hurt by her words. Psycho? Him? She didn’t make any sense.

“Kelly, please believe me.” Ulrich was almost begging, but she didn’t want to believe it at all.

“I’m sorry, Ulrich.” She said, opening the door. “I have to go.”

She broke into a run, leaving him dazed on the bed. He slammed his fist against the wall in frustration. He should never have told her about Lyoko. No one ever believes them. He thought at least Kelly could. But he now understood it. She was fearful now. He had to deal with it. One more friend was gone.

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Kelly ran out to the courtyard of the school. She didn’t know where else to go. Everyone she knew either hated her or was psycho. She was mixed in the negative emotions. She couldn’t believe she actually believed in the people she called her friends. She was officially alone. What a sucky start to her school year. She sat on a bench, throwing her head back and rubbing her temples. She now realized how much of a mistake running out on her friends was. She listened, hearing a cracking from behind her, and then a voice came from behind her.

“Are you ok?” she turned around to see a guy behind her, but he looked horrible. His clothes were tattered and torn and his hair was long and greasy. He looked as if he had been beat up and thrown out to the streets.

“Could be better.” She sighed. She tucked some hair behind her ear and pushed her fingers to her temples. The guy tilted his head one way, and then the other, staring at her, as if he had never seen a girl before.

“What are you trying to do?” he asked, sitting himself next to her.

“Trying to build enough pressure in my head to make it explode.” She mumbled, sarcastically.

The guy raised an eyebrow. “Well, uh, do you think you could take time away from your…project to help a guy out?”

“What do you need?” she asked, scanning him over.

“To get to a principals office and give him my enrollment papers.”

“Come with me then.” Kelly got up and motioned him to come to her. He looked around, scanning the surroundings before jumping up and following next to her.

“So where are you from?” She asked him, watching over him closely as he played with the dirty bandages that were wrapped tightly around his lower arms.

“I lived on the streets.” He looked up for a moment at most before fondling with the bandages again. “I’m an orphan and I lived outside of a martial arts school.”

Kelly was surprised and a bit excited. “I’m an orphan too. I lived in an orphanage since I was 5 years old.”

“Really?” he put his bandages down. “I don’t even remember anything about my life except that I have been alone since I was a baby.”

Kelly was now feeling sympathy for him. Since he was a baby? How did he survive?

“Don’t worry about it.” He smiled at her. “Its not that bad, I just wish I could have lived in an orphanage like you.”

She opened the door to the office building and allowed him to step inside. He seemed to be surprised to be in a place as such.

“You ok?” she turned around. He quickly looked back and followed.

“Sorry.” He apologized. “I’ve just never been in a place like this. “

He followed her over to the door she had been originally take to a few days ago, where she laid back on the wall.

“Well, it was nice meeting you.” He said, shaking her hand. “Before I forget, I’m David Gecko.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, David.” She smiled. “I’m Kelly Gala. “

For a moment, they just stared at each other, before David went into the office. Kelly wanted to leave, but for some reason, thought she should stay. He was nice. But he could use some work. He needed to be cleaned up and get some new clothes.

A few minutes later, he exited, looking back at her in shock, thinking she had left.

“I thought you-“ he got cut off by her.

“I though you may have needed some help around here.” She said. “I know what its like to be new. I only came here a few days ago.”

“Well, at least I know who to trust.” He took a look down at the paper. She took a look over his shoulder.

“What’s that?”

“My room number.” He handed her the paper. She looked at it, almost about to beg him for something.

“Do you think you could use a roommate?” she handed him the paper back. “My roommate is being a freak and I need someplace to stay.”

“Sure.” He patted her on the back.

The two of them walked out of the office, but suddenly ran into a familiar face.

“Well, look who it is.” Sissi stood her ground next to Nicolas and Herb. “Looks like Kelly has a new boyfriend.”

“Sissi, would you just shut up and leave me alone?” Kelly said, looking back at David.

“Well that was quite rude.” She feigned sadness for it. “And what are you going to do about it? Have your disgusting little friend over there hurt me?”

“Well, your friends already hurt me so you deserve it.” She mumbled, holding back her fists.

“These guys hurt you?” David didn’t look surprised as he turned to Nicholas. “No wonder this guy could hurt you, he looks like a gorilla.”

Kelly giggled under breath, looking at the expression on Nicholas’ face. Nicholas was turning red with fury, before throwing a punch at David, but David only caught his hand as it came around.

Kelly gasped, as David threw a punch back the Nicholas was unable to catch, hitting him right across the cheek. The boys didn’t stop as they both threw random punches and kicks, David blocking all the blows and Nicolas getting punched several times across the face, in the chest and on his arms.

Kelly could not believe that David was as great as a fighter as he was proving to be. He struck a final blow, throwing Nicholas back and onto the pavement, Sissi and Herb watching in shock.

David looked over at Herb, who was cowering in fear next to Sissi. Herb looked up, his eyes growing large as the fighter came close to him, and jerked over him. He immediately, jumped up, panicking before running of in pure terror. Sissi stared, shocked that this boy was so great, but she couldn’t say anything.

“Beginners luck.” She said, getting down at Nicholas’ side and slapping him across the face to wake him. “I’m watching you.”

“Yeah right.” He scoffed. “Lets get out of here, Kelly.”

She and him walked off watching over their backs as Sissi continued to slap Nicholas across the cheek.