Chapter 1

*Joplin, Missouri. May 22nd*

Kaitlyn's POV

"So here we have the equation 3x-6y=12…."

I yawned. I couldn't focus on math right now. With the end of the year nearing, I was busy thinking of stuff I was going to be doing for vacation. Also, any class besides French is not interesting to me. I am already fluent in French, so I'm passing that class for sure this year.

"KAITLYN! Are you listening, young lady?! You have a math exam next week!" My teacher, Ms. David, yelled in her high pitched, nails on a chalkboard voice.

I jumped. "Oh- uh yes ma'am. Sorry." I stammered. Everyone started laughing at me. Blushing a slight bit, I picked up my pen and started writing the equation to make it look like I was paying attention when I truly wasn't. Plus, I wasn't worried about failing the math exam. My cousin, Jeremie, was great at math and he always helped me. I had to just call or Skype with him because he lives overseas in France. No big deal.

"Okay. Anyways…" She turned back to the chalkboard.

I sighed in relief as I pretended to take notes.

Just then… "MAY I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION, PLEASE," The principal boomed over the PA system. "Due to inclement weather approaching, we are sending everyone home after this period. An automated call will be sent out to each of your parents so they know to come get you. There is a tornado warning in effect for the entire city of Joplin until tonight. Stay safe, everyone, and have a good day!"

The principal hung up off the speaker, and afterwards everyone started talking and whispering.

"Alright now class, settle down!" Ms. Davis demanded. "We'll wrap everything up until we see each other again, which I hope will be tomorrow. Stay safe everyone."

The bell then rang. Everyone got up as they started to rush out, picking up their cell phones to call their parents or guardians. I then thought about it, and thought that maybe I should do the same. I took my phone out of my khaki pants pocket, and dialed my mom's number. It started ringing. I walked towards the door while my phone continued to ring until my mom picked up.

"Hello?" My mom answered breathlessly, as if she was in a hurry.

"Hey, Ma. I don't know if you got the message yet, but they're releasing school early due to a tornado warning." I said, as I walked outside. It was cloudy and overcast, and the wind was picking up. Uh oh, this isn't good.

"I know, honey. I am on my way. They let everyone go early from work today as well. Wait outside in the normal area for me; I will be there in about five minutes. Your father is already at home getting the basement ready. I love you." She had a tremble in her voice.

I sighed. "Okay mom. I love you too." This worried me just a bit. I don't know why, it just did. I walked outside to the normal area where I waited for her.

I could feel a few droplets of water hitting me on my head, and I could see a few droplets of water on my glasses. I was a little worried, but at the same time, it didn't look like it was going to do anything bad. Besides, we've had many tornado watches and warnings and never really got anything. But, I guess I'll go home and catch up on my sleep.

I looked over to my right, and seen my mom's familiar Ford Escape pull up to me. Racing for it, I took my bag off my shoulder, and climbed in the front seat.

"The storm is expected to hit Cassville around four o'clock this afternoon, and expected to hit Joplin around five o'clock this evening. We are going to keep a close watch on this supercell, for we have found some very high air pressure in these storms. Very high possibility for tornadoes—" My mom had the radio going on her favorite radio station, which played a variety of current modern hits and stuff from the 90's. The voice going on the radio was robotic and male.

I slipped my iPhone into my bag, and buckled my seat belt. "So, besides what I just heard, have you heard anything else on this storm?" I asked. I wasn't too worried about it anymore.

"No, not really," My mom said, as she put the car in drive and we started heading home. "They're saying that they're not sure about it, but at the same time, they're saying it's better to be safe than sorry. We're going to call your Aunt and Uncle in France and inform them just in case something happens. You can never be too sure."

We started driving home. I shrugged. I gazed up at the sky. The clouds were achromatic, mixing in with whites, grays, and black. This was going to be one hell of a storm; I felt a twinge in my heart. I hope that this won't get too serious.

Meanwhile…

Paris, France

Jeremie's POV

I sat on my computer ready to try a new program. I typed in the code I needed to connect to my new favorite program. For the time being, it's one of my biggest secrets, despite a few people who already know. Those few people are my friends.

"Aelita? Do you read me? This is Jeremie," I said into my headset.

Aelita then popped up on my computer screen with her familiar pink hair and green eyes. "Hi! How are you?" she asked with a bright smile on her face, which made me melt warmly on the inside.

I smiled back. "Uh, I'm fine. How about you?" I held my microphone and could feel my cheeks heating up.

"Okay." She said. "I didn't see anything unusual around the towers. It all seems quiet... Well, for the time being." She added a small smile.

I scratched my face in nervousness. "You know, I'm making progress here on Earth…so…so you can come live with us." I stammered. I couldn't help but think what a big dream come true it would be to have Aelita here with us. She's so… Wow.

Aelita's eyes jumped in happiness. "The key to materialization?! You've found it at last?" Her tone was so excited. She wanted so much to come to Earth.

"Uh, no… Not yet." I said, scratching the back of my head, then smiled. "But I'm making progress. It won't be but a matter of time, and then XANA can't do anything to harm you, or us," I reassured.

Aelita sighed in relief, smiling. "That's great, thanks."

Just then, my phone started ringing, startling me. "Hmm, that's weird. I don't normally get phone calls in the middle of the day like this." I said to myself, then turning back to Aelita. "Hang on, Aelita; I'm getting a phone call. I'll be right back with you in a minute."

"Okay." She said.

I took off my headset and pressed talk. "Hello?" I said.

"Jeremie?" My dad's familiar voice said. "How are you doing, son?"

"Oh, uh—Dad! I wasn't expecting to hear from you anytime soon! I'm great, how about you?" I said, pacing back and forth.

My dad sighed over the phone. Uh oh, this can't be good. "I'm fine, Son. But I actually called you to let you know…that Aunt Katie, Uncle Mark, and Cousin Kaitlyn in Missouri are under a tornado warning and that things may get pretty nasty. I'm just a little worried, so I thought you should know. It's actually on the news here." He said.

I thought for a minute. "Okay, Dad. I'll keep up with it. In the meantime, I need to get to class." I said, making up an excuse to get off the phone.

"Okay, son. I was just calling to let you know. They're a little worried about it so I thought you had the right to know too. I love you. Have a good day." My dad said.

"Thank you for letting me know, Dad. I love you, too. I may call Kaitlyn later on today to check and make sure she's alright." I said. I was now scared and worried. Joplin was known for its bad storms, especially tornadoes. With it being at the end of May, tornado season was coming for them.

"Okay, big guy. Talk to you later." He said, and hung up.

Great, that was just what I needed. I put my phone in my pocket, walked over back to my computer desk and put my headset back on.

"Aelita? Are you still there?" I said.

Aelita then popped back up on the screen. "Yes, I am. If you don't mind me asking, what was that all about, Jeremie?"

I sighed, not in my usual dismissive manner that I would normally have. "Oh…my cousin in Missouri is more than likely about to get hit by a tornado, and a very bad one to say the least. Do you know where Missouri is, Aelita?"

She thought for a second. "I think so. Isn't it in a place called The United States of America?" She said with a bit of a guessing, but sheepish tone. "I was studying your world a little."

"You're absolutely right," I smiled, showing her that it was okay.

Aelita looked like she was thinking for a minute again. I guess I ended up saying something that she didn't know just yet. "Oh yeah, and Jeremie? What are cousins?"

I thought for a second on how I was going to word the answer. "Well, cousins are my mom's or dad's siblings' kids. My dad's brother, Mark, married my Aunt and they had Kaitlyn."

Aelita took in what I just said, then smiled softly. "Oh, I see. What does Kaitlyn look like?"

I admit, I hadn't seen Kaitlyn in quite some time. "Well, she has long blonde hair, wears square framed glasses, normally wears a pink turtle neck and khakis, but will sometimes switch it up to jeans." I said, remembering a long forgotten memory. I then remembered I have a picture of her and me laying around here somewhere. Rummaging through the pile of paper work on my desk, I managed to dig up the picture, which had been folded and stained a bit from aging. "Here's a picture of her, Aelita. That's me next to her."

Aelita looked up at the photo and gasped in awe. "Oh, wow, she looks a bit like you, Jeremie."

"I've heard that plenty of times, Aelita. People used to think her and I were brother and sister when we were younger," I said, remembering the fond memories of people asking my aunt and mom if we were twins at one point. That didn't help when Kaitlyn and I started blushing simultaneously.

I then remembered that I needed to get downstairs and help with sound checking the music for the school prom tonight. "Well, Aelita, I have to go for a bit. I'll be back up soon. Beep my laptop if you need me."

"Okay, Jeremie." She signed off the screen.

I grabbed my laptop, and walked down to the gymnasium. I couldn't help but think of my aunt, uncle, and Kaitlyn as I was walking down. I was really starting to get worried.

As I walked down the stairs, Milly stormed by with a teddy bear in her hand. She looked distraught. But before I could ask her what had happened, she was off like a shot. She was one of the fastest kids in the seventh grade, so trying to match her was a death sentence.

I walked into the gym, my mind racing in thoughts of Kaitlyn when a shrill voice met my ears. "You look like you just met the Devil and he took more than just a drop for your signature. What's going on? Did you and your cyber angel have a fight for the first time?"

I look up into Odd's eyes. He wore 90% purple, with spiked up blonde hair. In the center was a purple diamond. His shoes were yellow and his under shirt was darkish pink. I scowled slightly at the joke, but then sighed in defeat. "My cousin's in a tornado warning in the States and I can't help her."

A girl older than I was came over. "Do you think it'll be okay, Jeremie?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Yumi."

As I took a box, I look over to see Ulrich taping wires. It's better to tape them down than have everyone trip over them. Yumi decided to rest on the stage. She did some lifting with the disco ball. "Don't look so gloomy, Ulrich. Is it because of Milly? You could've said yes. You know me. It's just a prom."

It was then that I understood part of the story. Ulrich had rejected Milly as a date for the middle school prom. I sighed a little. Poor Milly…

Odd twirled the microphone. I was thankful that he didn't have that thing on high. It would've sounded like a helicopter from the whirling. Thinking of whirling made me think of what Kaitlyn might've been experiencing. I hoped Dad would keep me in the loop.

He caught the microphone and put it to his mouth. "Even if I was your date?"

"Sissi really did come on strong. If meanness is one of the qualities of a beauty queen, she'll get reelected, alright."

I set the box next to Ulrich. "That's true, but try to get Miss World to see that."

Odd chuckled, placing the microphone in the stand. His lips were to it. "Miss World, huh? Miss 'In Her Own' World is more like it."

Although that did nothing to still my worries, I laughed with Ulrich and Yumi. Sissi, who was standing on top of the ladder, checking the disco ball, growled. She was the mean girl around here. She was spoiled and doted on by her father. She was bigheaded, egotistical. She even called me "Four Eyes" at one point.

Hearing a beep, I walked to my bag and went into the boys' locker room with it. Luckily, Jim canceled gym class (irony) to have us set up for this prom, so this room was vacant. I opened my laptop and typed on my special program. "Aelita? I heard your beep. What's new?"

Aelita popped up on the screen. The smiles that had graced her beautiful features had faded now into worried frowns. "Jeremie, the storm is strengthening! I'm worried that Kaitlyn might not make it!"

I swore the blood ran away from my face. "In Joplin?" This was ridiculous. Jeremie, pull yourself together. For one thing, Kaitlyn is tough. She knows how to bounce back. One time, I had a rough time with the bullies in her hometown. They pushed, shoved, and held me down with a heavy, stinky boot. I was nine years old, and wearing glasses since the age of five.

"Looks like Kaitlyn's brother is a weakling, and a nerd."

Suddenly, the weight had lifted. "Ahem!" a small voice had coughed.

There was a sudden groan and a big thud.

"He is not my brother! He's my cousin! And if you do that again, I'll whoop your sorry behind so hard, it will take stitches…and lots of 'em. Now leave, before that has a chance to become real."

He stood up and stood over her. She was tinier than him, with her long blond hair, and I didn't want her to get hurt. Aunt Katie would've spanked me if I let harm come to her. "And what are you gonna do about it!"

She smirked, green eyes set in determination. "This…" She took a deep breath. "These guys are touching my cousin and me in places!"

A window popped up on my screen, jolting me from the memories. "This is what the weather radar says about the tornado, Jeremie." Aelita's eyes were wider than I ever imagined they would be. And this was after I discovered the little secret.

I looked at the weather in Joplin. It was raging faster than I thought it would. I could see the cadmium orange mix with the lightish red hue. It was the thunderstorm and tornado warnings. "Kaitlyn…" I whispered to myself. "Aelita! Tell me what EF the tornado is, please?"

The door opened. "Everything okay, Einstein?" Ulrich asked.

Yumi draped an arm around me. "What is the tornado? Odd told me everything about it," she whispered.

"Aelita's about to tell me, guys."

"Change 'me' to an 'us,' Einstein," Odd quipped. "We wanna know, too. Any family of our group is family to all of us."

I smile slightly, then frowned. "Okay, Aelita, tell us what EF the tornado is, please?!" I swear, if I wasn't hunched down on the ground, I'd be nearing the earth's core.

"I've done the needed checks while you were away. The tornado is an EF5."

My heart sank as the blood raced from my face again. "Oh, no, no! No!" I quickly reached into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone.

Meanwhile…

Joplin, MO, USA

Kaitlyn's POV

Meanwhile…

Joplin, MO, USA

Kaitlyn's POV

I sat in my bedroom with my cat, Phantom. He was purring away, while moving his black and white tail. I kept paying attention to the outside, but it didn't look like it was doing anything. Just very light rain maybe, and it was quiet.

All of a sudden, my phone started ringing. I looked at the contact, and it was my cousin, Jeremie. "Hello?" I said, while petting Phantom.

"KAITLYN! It's Jeremie! Listen! You, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Mark need to take cover now! There's an EF5 tornado coming your way and you're right in the path of it!" Jeremie screamed on my end of the phone. I raised an eyebrow.

"Jeremie, everything is fine. There's nothing hap—" I turned around to look out of my window. My jaw dropped when I looked outside. The wind had picked up a lot now, and lightning was striking every second. The thunder started roaring and getting louder.

I looked to my right, and there it was—the biggest tornado I have ever seen in my life. I started seeing trees and houses getting torn to pieces in the distance… Oh Mon Dieux.

"JEREMIE! THE TORNADO JUST TOUCHED DOWN! I AM ON MY WAY TO THE BASEMENT, NOW!" I yelled in my phone.

Frantically, and packing my phone in my pocket, I ran as fast as I could to the living room to let my mom and dad know.

"MOM! DAD! THE TORNADO JUST TOUCHED DOWN! WE HAVE TO GET TO THE CELLAR NOW!" I yelled.

"Kaitlyn..?! Kaitlyn!" I heard Jeremie screaming over the phone.

We had to go outside in order to get to the cellar. "I'll let you know when I'm in the cellar, Jeremie!" I yelled into my phone.

My mom and dad were frantic to get to the cellar, as was I. We all held hands as we ran outside quickly to get to safety. When we opened the door, it was like looking into a huge gray, strong dust storm. I could hear the Joplin Tornado sirens going off in the distance.

Right when we got to the cellar doors, I remembered someone really important to me. My heart stopped. My face lost all color.

"Oh no! I forgot Phantom!" I yelled to my mom and dad. "You guys get in the cellar! I'll be right back!"

My mom grabbed my arm. "NO, KAITLYN! PHANTOM WILL BE FINE! COME ON!"

I ripped myself away from her and ran like hell to the house.

I busted into the back door. "PHANTOM! PHANTOM! HERE, BOY!" I yelled over all the noise. I ran towards my room. "PHANTOM!" Phantom did not come. I started tearing up, and it usually takes a lot to make me cry. "PHANTOM!" I could feel tears running down my face now.

All of a sudden, the roof got ripped off the house, and all of the furniture went flying. I screamed in fear, frantically running to the bathroom, and jumped into the bathtub. I got on my knees and laid down on my stomach and put my hands over my head, like they taught us how to do in the school Tornado drills. I closed my eyes.

I felt stuff landing and blowing on top of me, and my hair flying everywhere. I started praying silently, for things to hurry up and be okay. Suddenly, something whacked me on the back of the head, and I started seeing stars…

Hours later, I heard my phone ringing. We had lost signal between everything that happened. My hand placed it on my ear. "KAITLYN?!" Jeremie screamed over the phone. "Tell me you're there! Please…" His voice sounded about ready to cry. "Please tell me you are alive…"

There was static before I could respond. Then the signal cut out again. He's going to freak out again, I can tell.

"Kaitlyn?! Kaitlyn?!" I heard Ma's voice shout.

"Snuggle Muffin? Are you there?!" Dad's voice sounded out loud and clear.

I couldn't speak. Debris was crushing my petite frame. I tried to breathe.

"Kaitlyn?!"

"Snuggle Bear?"

"Stand back, you two! We're digging people out."

I took in as deep a breath as I could. Then I let it out in a groan. "H-Help…"

"Wait—did you hear that?" said the third voice.

"H-help!" I tried again, a bit stronger.

"Someone's over there! Quick! Let's dig them out!"

Slowly, the weight lifted off my body. I coughed. It was dark out, but the night felt different with me. I started to breathe again. "Easy, miss…you are going to be alright."

My mother's arms wrapped around me. "Oh, Kaitlyn! You're okay. We were so worried. Jeremie tried to call us…" I could feel her arms squeezing as her body trembled.

I felt a hand pat my head. It was Dad's. "Snuggle Bear…"

Feeling my cheeks heat up, I muttered, "Dad…not in front of the rescuers…" I hid my face a little.

"We're so glad you're safe!"

Then, I saw it. A black tail with a white tip on top was sticking out. I broke free from my mother's grip once again and raced to it. "Phantom?" I asked.

It didn't move. I moved the debris out of the way. "Phantom, are you okay, boy?" My heart was racing. I picked it up, despite protests from my parents. The only thing that I could lift was the hind legs and part of his spine. My eyes welled up with tears. I couldn't believe it. "Phantom?" I looked a bit further.

My cat ended up cut in two. It scared me and made me quiver just a bit, as I dropped the part of the body I held up, I hugged my mother and started to cry.

Meanwhile…

Paris, France

Jeremie's POV

I sat on my bed in sullen silence. Ulrich and Odd were sitting with me, for they asked to stay with me until I got a call.

Aelita then popped up on my computer screen. She had the look of sadness in her eyes.

"Jeremie, I'm so sorry. I'm sure Kaitlyn is fine…" She said, her sentence straying away slowly as she looked down and closed her eyes in grief.

I just continued starring at my phone; almost in disbelief that my cousin is more than likely…. Ugh I don't even want to think of or say the word.

Ulrich put his hand on my shoulder in comfort, while Odd just stayed silent.

I looked over at my computer desk, and the picture I had shown Aelita earlier today was laying on my keyboard.

I got up, took the photo back to my bed, and sat down as I looked over it.

My heart sank when I looked at it. Her cheery face hugging me from behind when I was maybe 5, and she was as well. She didn't need glasses then, but I did because my eyesight started going bad at a young age.

I put the photo down, and felt tears started to come on strong. I took my glasses off, and felt the tears just pouring down my face. My heart sank so low and hard, that there was this pain in my chest.

I sobbed loudly. Ulrich hugged me tighter and so did Odd. I looked over at Aelita through my blurred vision from crying and she still had her eyes closed in sorrow.

"I love you so much, Kaitlyn… You'll forever be with me." I whispered.

That's when I thought… A RETURN TO THE PAST!

I got up almost slowly.

"What are you doing, Einstein?" Ulrich asked, curious as to why I was getting up.

"Do you think a return trip will work?" I asked, in a tiny voice.

That's when Aelita's eyes opened up and she was shocked by what I just said.

"Jeremie, you know as well as I do that a return trip will not bring back a deceased person…" She said, vastly. But backed away a bit as soon as she realized that what she had said was a bit harsh, but it didn't bother me.

I sat down back on my bed; and put my face in my hands.

Just then, my phone rang. I was a bit hesitant to answer, but I knew I had to.

I picked it up, and pressed talk.

"Hello?" I said, with a quiver in my voice.

"Jeremie, it's your dad." My dad's familiar voice said.

"Oh, DAD!" I said almost relieved. "Is there any news on Kaitlyn, Aunt Katie, and Uncle Mark?" I was a little nervous to ask.

"Everyone is okay, Jeremie. Kaitlyn took a blow to the head, and some lung injuries from dust inhalation, but she will be fine nevertheless. She ran out of the cellar to go after her cat, and the tornado had struck the house right when she was inside. But she was smart; she went to the bathroom and got into the bathtub. She'll be in the hospital for quite some time, but should be released within a few days."

I felt my heart jump with joy when he said those words.

"KAITLYN'S OKAY EVERYBODY!" I cheered.

All of my friend's cheered. I couldn't contain my happiness and my joy.

"Well, thanks dad. I'm going to go to bed now, I'm exhausted. Thanks for letting me know she is okay, I was so worried." I said.

"We were too, big guy. Good night! I'll probably call you again tomorrow." My dad said.

"Okay dad, goodnight." I said, as I hung up my phone.

Odd and Ulrich came over and gave me a group hug. "Do you still want us to stay in here with you?" Ulrich asked.

"Eh, I wouldn't mind the company." I said.

I looked over at Aelita. She was now smiling. "I'm glad to hear Kaitlyn is okay, Jeremie. Goodnight." She said, in her comforting tone of voice.

"Goodnight, Aelita. Thanks for being there." I said.

"Anytime, Jeremie." She winked, and then signed off.

I sighed another breath of relief.

I grabbed Odd and Ulrich each a spare pillow and blanket that I kept in my wardrobe, just in case I got cold or needed extra cushioning, but they also came in handy for when they wanted to sleep over in my room for whatever reason.

I climbed in my bed, and pulled the covers down.

"Good night you two. Thanks for being there for me when needed. You guys are the best friends anyone could ever ask for." I said, as I took my glasses off and rolled over.

Odd was already out, as he snored his behind off.

"Anytime, Einstein. You know we're always here for you." Ulrich said, and turned off my desk lamp.

I closed my eyes, and smiled. Once again, everything was back to normal.

HEY GUYS! Guess who's back? I missed you guys so much, and I am so glad I could find time to do this remake. I got a new PC, and I am so thankful and happy with it. Thanks so much to Teen-LyokoFan7777 for helping me out with this story, couldn't have done it without her brilliant editing. See you guys in future chapters!