TM Response #190 - You've been temporarily turned into an adult! What do you do?
Jeremie took a deep breath before knocking on the door to Aelita's room. Normally she kept it open when she was inside, but recently she had taken to closing it all the time. He wondered if it had something to do with the latest mission to Lyoko a couple days ago.
XANA had activated a tower and sent William to destroy the core of Lyoko again, and the others had gone after him. Down in Sector Five Aelita had been attacked by that damned Scyphozoa; it downloaded something into her brain that left her comatose for a good part of the battle. It had taken considerable effort to bring her back around. After the battle was over Aelita hadn't waited for the others to leave the factory, instead returning to Kadic on her own. And she hadn't spoken to him or any of the others since.
"Come in; it's open." Jeremie took the neutral tone in her voice to be a good sign, and opened the door, poking his head in. Aelita was sitting at her desk, back to the door.
"Hey. Just wanted to see if you were all right," he said in way of greeting. "You've kind of been ducking us the past couple days."
Aelita sighed, bowing her head. "I know. I'm sorry."
Jeremie stepped all the way into the room. "Wanna talk about it?" She sighed again, turning around in her chair. Jeremie took this as an affirmative answer so he sat down on her bed.
"It was something XANA did, with the Scyphozoa," she began. "Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid, you were sure it was real?" Jeremie nodded. "Well, that's what happened to me."
The blond's eyes widened. Monitering her brainwave patterns through the supercomputer, he'd noticed that she had been in REM sleep the whole time. But he hadn't imagined anything like this.
Unaware of Jeremie's thoughts Aelita continued. "It was all so real! Daddy was alive, and sane...there was no XANA and no supercomputer. I was...I was an adult." She looked Jeremie in the eyes. "I was an adult, Jeremie; the age I'm supposed to be. I taught music here at Kadic, and all of you were my students."
Jeremie wasn't sure what to say to this. Surprisingly the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Were Odd's grades still as bad as they are now?" Somehow this seemed to break the tension, for both of them started laughing.
"Yeah; yeah, pretty much," answered Aelita, trying to hide her giggles behind the back of her hand. Sobering she continued, "It was weird, Jeremie. Part of me felt that it was wrong, but another part of me kept saying that this was the way things were supposed to be. That was probably the part influenced by XANA."
The boy nodded, realizing that they had stood a good chance of losing Aelita to that dream world forever. "So what made you come back?"
"You did," she replied, reaching out and taking his hand. "All of you. I could hear you calling my name, asking me to wake up. I think...I think I even heard Daddy. And I renounced that world and...and then I woke up."
Jeremie sensed that there was more to it than that, but Aelita probably wasn't going to give it up without intense pushing. And he just couldn't do that to her. "It must have been hard," he said quietly, "giving up your dream life."
She grinned and shoved Jeremie lightly on the shoulder. "Don't be silly. I wouldn't give this life up for anything. Sure it has its flaws, but it's also got you guys. Besides," Aelita added with a cheeky wink "I kind of like getting to be a kid again."
XANA had activated a tower and sent William to destroy the core of Lyoko again, and the others had gone after him. Down in Sector Five Aelita had been attacked by that damned Scyphozoa; it downloaded something into her brain that left her comatose for a good part of the battle. It had taken considerable effort to bring her back around. After the battle was over Aelita hadn't waited for the others to leave the factory, instead returning to Kadic on her own. And she hadn't spoken to him or any of the others since.
"Come in; it's open." Jeremie took the neutral tone in her voice to be a good sign, and opened the door, poking his head in. Aelita was sitting at her desk, back to the door.
"Hey. Just wanted to see if you were all right," he said in way of greeting. "You've kind of been ducking us the past couple days."
Aelita sighed, bowing her head. "I know. I'm sorry."
Jeremie stepped all the way into the room. "Wanna talk about it?" She sighed again, turning around in her chair. Jeremie took this as an affirmative answer so he sat down on her bed.
"It was something XANA did, with the Scyphozoa," she began. "Have you ever had a dream that was so vivid, you were sure it was real?" Jeremie nodded. "Well, that's what happened to me."
The blond's eyes widened. Monitering her brainwave patterns through the supercomputer, he'd noticed that she had been in REM sleep the whole time. But he hadn't imagined anything like this.
Unaware of Jeremie's thoughts Aelita continued. "It was all so real! Daddy was alive, and sane...there was no XANA and no supercomputer. I was...I was an adult." She looked Jeremie in the eyes. "I was an adult, Jeremie; the age I'm supposed to be. I taught music here at Kadic, and all of you were my students."
Jeremie wasn't sure what to say to this. Surprisingly the only thing that came out of his mouth was, "Were Odd's grades still as bad as they are now?" Somehow this seemed to break the tension, for both of them started laughing.
"Yeah; yeah, pretty much," answered Aelita, trying to hide her giggles behind the back of her hand. Sobering she continued, "It was weird, Jeremie. Part of me felt that it was wrong, but another part of me kept saying that this was the way things were supposed to be. That was probably the part influenced by XANA."
The boy nodded, realizing that they had stood a good chance of losing Aelita to that dream world forever. "So what made you come back?"
"You did," she replied, reaching out and taking his hand. "All of you. I could hear you calling my name, asking me to wake up. I think...I think I even heard Daddy. And I renounced that world and...and then I woke up."
Jeremie sensed that there was more to it than that, but Aelita probably wasn't going to give it up without intense pushing. And he just couldn't do that to her. "It must have been hard," he said quietly, "giving up your dream life."
She grinned and shoved Jeremie lightly on the shoulder. "Don't be silly. I wouldn't give this life up for anything. Sure it has its flaws, but it's also got you guys. Besides," Aelita added with a cheeky wink "I kind of like getting to be a kid again."