Fanfic
The Chosen Ones:Eric Kim
Chapter 1 =Crush
The red sky was painted at the dusk of a tormented desert. Skulls and bones were what was left of the animal habitat. Only silence controlled the atmosphere of this synthetic wasteland. But can the sound of running feet break the silence?
The sound came as of far away. Away from the mountains, away from the cliffs, and away from the dunes. The flatlands were not among them, however. The running feet belonged to an elf a handsome and brave elf-like being. And what he running from? It weren’t the Joshua trees, nor did the skeletons of deceased mammals, but the ones that were tougher and more brutish than him.
Osburn hardly caught his breath from the phenomenal dryness. The Joshua trees were blocking his path, from here to there. The ones who are hunting him, however, had no trouble at all. All they had to do was chop them down with their maces.
Osburn was an elf of great courage. He knew never to give up, and never surrender. But his thirst was escalating, and just a few miles further to his aug, and he would be home free.
Augs were eagles the size of light planes. They had dark brown feathers and a golden beak as hearty as the spirit of confrontation. They were hard to control, but they had enough strength to trust their followers. And they were Osburn’s only chance to fly away home.
Volger and Luthren were friends of his, and were guarding the augs if they ever got away. They were resting near the edge of a cliff, and none of them were ever afraid of heights. Suddenly, a slight anticipation ran through Luthren’s ears. It almost sounded like the running feet of dozens. As long as Volger was deafened with the sounds of everlasting exploit, he witnessed a black figure beyond the mirage of the flatlands. “Here he comes!” he mumbled to Luthren. His English accent was desired to be another name.
Osburn was running out of vigor as of the hunters, they could be chasing him all day. Volger and Luthren saddled on their augs.
“Go! Go!” Osburn called at them. But the two elves decided to wait for him, because their life-long acquaintance was never determined with fright and never withdrew any of his forever judgments.
Only a few more feet to his ride home, and Osburn could finally relax from the tedious sprinting.
“Osburn! Come quick!” Volger yelled.
And, without a doubt, Osburn was saddled rapidly onto his aug.
“Now let’s leave this place!”
The augs began to flap their wings as the hunters readied their maces to strike at.
In the split second, the elves and their augs were off the ground. Higher and higher, they soared to safety, as for the hunters, they cursed at their hunted. Flawlessly relieved, Osburn, Luthren, and Volger headed on home as the wings of the enthusiastic augs fluttered evenly away from the dark red sun, in which it set down on the wasted landscapes of abominable heat.
“We are sorry of we disappointed you, master.”
The throne room wasn’t much of a throne room. It was created inside a cave. A cave of the desert. The rieters, in which they were called, were the hunters, and their hunted escaped.
The throne room was packed with stalactites and stalagmites. Fervent, molten magma streamed down to this passage and to that passage. The canine mutant had his back away from his limestone chair attached to the limestone wall.
“You’ve all done well. But, next time, cut their legs off if they ever come back.”
The rieters were canine, feline, and rodent-like. Each was human-size, but only bigger, tough-looking and armed with their special weaponry. Their clothes were ragged and dirty. Their furs were numb with ticks. But one thing for sure, they always got their jobs done.
One of each specimen appointed to their chief, Thundor, and each honored to risk their lives for him.“Is there another mission sent for us, master?” The feline rieter requested. And Thundor, the canine-like warrior, answered, “Make sure no one enters our home planet again. If they ever do, steal their eyes….it is strange that the elves never defeated one of us. Those weaklings. They will pay their price whenever I’ll get my hands on them. And one more thing, keep on the lookout for them. They may be behind you, or at you.”
Cody’s hands were shivering, thus looking at his teacher in tiny dismay.
“A ‘C+’?”
“Middle-Earth doesn’t exist, Cody.”
That was his teacher in his classroom explaining on the three-year old boy’s essay. It was during lunch, when the teacher asked the boy to come at his classroom.
This is planet Earth, now. The desert chase may have taken place here.
It was the end of May, and spring was on the verge of the end.
“Where did it take place, then?” you ask? No one knows, except the three elves that were there.
“But what if Middle-Earth does exist?”
As of that, Cody watched the movie Lord of the Rings just too much. He knew every detail, every character, every nook and cranny of that movie. He watched it about twenty times now.
“Cody, let me ask you this.” His teacher continued. “Lord of the Rings is just a movie. Middle-Earth is just an invention, made by that novelist, um...”
“J.R.R. Tolkien.”
“…Right. Even if it mentioned about humans, it couldn’t possibly exist here, or even on another planet.
“There’s just too much going on in your mind about dwarves, hobbits, orcs, etc. Maybe you need some rest. Besides, I said that the essay should be about what changed your life, not what changed the way you’ve seen the movies.
“It’s just like when you’re in a homicide. You have no idea who the suspect is or what he is, so probably you check for evidence, blood scanning, or whatever. Now Lord of the Rings is way too similar for this kind of day and age. Like that Frodo guy or that white wizard. They go look for this way to destroy the ring, and probably Strider will be the king.
“Anyway, you’re gonna need some more time with your homework, instead of becoming a Lord of the Rings freak.”
Cody gazed at the clock. It was three minutes past lunchtime.
“Cody, are you listening?”
That little question startled him.
“Oh, yes. Of course. Can I go to lunch now?”
“Did you learn your lesson?”
“Yes.”
“Truly?”
“No.”
Davis examined Cody’s essay on Lord of the Rings. What seemed to be an easy written essay turned out to be a daze at the benches during lunch. Yolei and Kari were among them.
Only a speck of clouds were on the horizon of the never-ending sky. Many kids were enjoying themselves with fresh sports.
“I don’t get it.”
“What’s there you don’t get?” Cody asked.
“Why’d you write about that Legolas character saying that he’s going to be married and then his wife dies?”
“It was a guess on The Two Towers. I thought maybe I’ll be the first one to be in theaters when it comes out.”
“Face it, Cody,” Kari confirmed, “Lord of the Rings is just a movie.”
“Yeah, but I bet that when I grow up I’ll find the artifacts of the Middle-Earth statues, brought to the memory of Gandalf.”
“And another thing, Gandalf isn’t real. He was part of a merchandize for the talk show. He was just a guy in a Gandalf suit.” Yolei explained.
Cody took a sip of his milk. “That was really Ian McKellen, you know.”
“Yeah, but…”
Davis’s words failed to come out when he saw T.K……of course…. being chased all around the school by two dozen girls, screaming at the top of his brains, “They’re gonna kill me! Help!”
“Too bad he doesn’t have a chance,” Davis replied.
“Well, back to the story,” Yolei blurted, “Cody, is just a movie, so I guess there’s no way you can prove that there are such things as elves, dwarves, wizards, etc., etc., etc.”
But Cody reproved, “If only they said that it was a true story.”
With modern rock music being played on the radio, the world must not be a crazy place.
“The Fall of the House of Usher,” the novel in which Tai’s class should’ve been reading for the past few months. He had to suggest to read that novel just so he could be the T.A.
Nothing else was in his locker in the hallway. Specifically, when he closed his locker, he turned to his left to see Sora chatting with her friends.
Ever since they were first transported into the Digital World, he was protecting her from such harsh adventures. He can remember her thanking him for the truth of the Crest of Love. And now, she can be pleased with her life.
Only a few seconds left before the bell rings, and this is his chance for that date he planned all day…..too late. RINGGGG! And Sora and her friends headed exactly in their classroom.
Only the sound of footsteps of students and a rock song filled the hallway. That song probably won’t calm Tai down.
“Hey, would you turn that volume down?” Tai mumbled to the player.
“Why? It’s only volume 14 in this 40 MAX volume. Why do you even bother?”
“I have my reasons.” Tai answered.
“It must be really hard of you to stand Rock Music, huh?”
“No, I do like rock music, just not this band.”
“What, you mean Sevendust? Come on, maybe you have to learn more on your English to know the lyrics.”
Oh, Tai almost forgot. He almost forgot that he and Sora have the same class in Fifth Period Japanese. So much endearment went on in his heart, so did his essays. What he wrote as a love story actually came from the heart. Now what was he thinking then?
“Hey, maybe I should,” he exclaimed, “Thanks for reminding me.”
“Was that just me??”
“Let’s hope that everyone brought their books with them, or else I’ll have to sleep with your mommy tonight.”
Boy was their Japanese Teacher brutally comical. And the funny thing is, he was English. Once he met Bernie Mac, Chris Rock, and Adam Sandler when he was planning to move to Japan. He was American, and he knew every word in the Japanese language.
Mr. Scott Martin was thirty-eight, and he had a remarkable sense of respect and compassion.
While he was taking role, Tai was beginning to be nervous because he couldn’t ask Sora now, but only after school, and after school, she needed to help with her mom.
“Now, anyone remember what page we left off?”Mr. Martineau entreated, but no one answered.
“None of you dumbasses know.”
In a moment Tai raised his hand.
“I know, Mr. Martin.”
“Finally, someone who’s a smartass other than me.”
The whole class burst into snickers, but Tai continued.
“It was page 90, The Fall of the House of Usher.”
“Well, would you like to read it for us? You’ll be glad when Drew Carey hears this on the satellite.”
“Sure.”
Jokes despaired when a classmate whispered behind Sora’s ear.
“You wouldn’t cry if he tried.” The classmate giggled.
“What are you talking about? He knows what he’s doing.” Sora whispered.
Meanwhile, Tai began to read from “The Fall of the House of Usher,” in Japanese translation. His nervousness melted down into a drastic minimum.
“Start when you’re ready,” Mr. Martineau replied, “or maybe you could give me one reason why you don’t want to pee your pants.”
“Hey.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean that, maybe I did.”
Attention started to build around the classroom. As Tai read from the novel, Sora took a sneak peek at him.
“During the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year,” Tai read, “when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country, and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.”
“He’ll make a good actor.” Mr. Martineau thought, leaning against his chair.
“I know not how it was- but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate of terrible.”
Tai sounded like he was an actor rehearsing his lines, but not really like Shakespeare acting. That really didn’t inspire the students, only the teacher.
“He sounds so good reading this novel.” Sora thought. “Was he hiding that talent when he was eleven?”
Of course, you wouldn’t stand him sing.
Mr. Martin “Maybe I’ll create a play for this novel.”
Sora “Maybe I’ll ask him to help me with my homework.”
Mr. Martin “Is it just me, or was he born that way with his hair?”
Sora “Is it just me, or is Tai so cute today.”
Mr. Martin “He’s just so talented.”
Sora “He looks so cute.”
Mr. Martin “It would be easy for a girl having a crush on him right now.”
Sora “Hey, maybe he’ll help me with some of my science homework.”
Mr. Martin “When is this boring class over?!”
Chapter 2 = Stranger
Cars, motorcycles, Sora, and two other girls were placed on the street of Kowaki. Not much smog was implanted in the partly cloudy sky, in which, of course, rained later. It was Tuesday and after school, everyone should’ve studied for tests, quizzes, and mile-runs. Sora, however, just couldn’t slither Tai off her mind. He sounded very good when reading Edgar Allan Poe’s creepy story.
The three girls were strolled along the spotless sidewalk. Melinda and Salina were becoming suspicious about their worthy friend beside them. Only then that they would worry about a light secret in mind, but then they were girls.
“I think Sora’s in love,” Salina remarked to Melinda, while crossing the street.
“Can’t we just ask?”
“No, we should just ignore what she’s thinking.”
Of course, they were trying, but in a split second…
“Oh, I can’t stand it!” Salina had to blow it.
“Sora, we just have to know!”
“Huh?” Sora was distracted by her two curious girlfriends.
Melinda stared straight at her. “Who is he? Where is he?”
“What do you mean?” The three stopped at their tracks.
“We know you have a crush on someone. Who is he?”
Sora wouldn’t think it would hurt if she told them her crush.
“Well?” Salina looked so fretful.
“I’ll just tell you. It could be Tai Kamiya or Matt Ishida.”
“You mean those two hotties that you always talked about?”
Hotties??
“Did you say ‘hotties’??!” Sora wouldn’t think that other girls would fall for him.
“I mean ‘boys’!”
“You mean to tell me that you have a crush on one of them, too?”
“No. Actually, I wanted to make sure that you did have a crush on two of them.”
Melinda began to notice that the clouds began to build up.
“Now,” Sora continued, “I’m not sure if I do have a crush on Tai or Matt. So don’t tell them anything about this. I don’t want them to think that I’m falling for both of them.”
“Tell who?”
“What do you mean who??”
“OH! You mean Tai and Matt!”
“Yeah, I don’t want them to think that I would be ‘all over one of them’.”
And the three girls just gossiped almost all day.
Sora once remembered an occurrence in the Digital World. When she was kidnapped by Datamon, the only Digidestined that wanted to rescue her was Tai. He didn’t care what the other kids said about the “wall”. She was pretty certain that Tai meant what he said.
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Sora.”
He has never given up on her since.
“You know it’s going to rain, Joe.”
Joe hadn’t been curious about the weather since he was studying for his History Test.
There he was, leaning against his friend’s front open window of his car.
“Try to buy yourself a watch.” His friend commented.
“I’m telling you, Fred, I want to study in the library.”
“Do you know how much it stinks in there?!”
“Like a donkey’s ass?”
“Bingo!”
“Don’t worry, Fred, it won’t stink anymore. The old lady moved to South Korea.”
“Good. I should go. The movie, ‘The Scorpion King,’ starts in forty minutes.”
“You should be studying, too, you know.”
“I know.”
Fred began to rotate the keys in the starting switch.
“Just remember to buy yourself a watch.”
Joe gave himself a smile as he backed away from Fred’s car.
The clouds were darkening, even when it was still spring. Predictions from the News indicated that a thunderstorm was going to romp over Tokyo. Unfortunately, that didn’t bother Joe at all.
The library was gigantic, more like a mansion. There were pillars, dome-shaped roofs, even library music, classical music, Tchaikovsky music. The “Arabian Dance” of the “Nutcracker Suite.”
Joe had brung all the books he needed, including his CD player. When Hell Began: The Story Of World War II, America and The Darkness Of Germany, The Forces Of Japan, and of course, Ludwig Van Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” He once said to his friends that soft music helps him concentrate on his studying skills. Did Yolei believe that?
Ten minutes passed, and already, disturbance. There was a man sitting right next to Joe. He was wearing glasses, a kind of robe and hood, and was whispering to himself a novel in which he was reading; Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare. Joe could hear the exact words that were coming out of the man’s mouth.
“Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, and young affection gapes to be his heir; that fair for which love groaned for and would die, with tender Juliet matched, is now not fair. Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, alike bewitched by the charm of looks; but to his foe supposed he must complain, and she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks. Being held a foe, he may not have access to breathe such vows as lovers use to swear, and she as much in love, her means much less to meet her new beloved anywhere; but passion lends them power, time means, to meet.”
That whole paragraph almost ruined Joe’s concentration.
“Excuse me, sir?”
The man continued to read aloud.
“Excuse me.”
The man ceased reading, and slowly lifted his head straight toward Joe.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured, “was I bothering you?” His voice was soft and smooth.
“Actually, you did. You see, I’m studying for this History test, and I only have three days.”
“Three days, you have time to study.”
“……….Oh, right. Thanks.” He sometimes forgot about the difference between three days and three hours when he was steadily nervous.
“No problem.”
The two continued on reading and studying. Seconds later, Joe began to feel hot, probably from the Library heater or his own body heat. So he took his School Uniform jacket off and placed it on the table. The man stared when Joe took off his jacket, and then continued reading. Seconds later, he noticed a turquoise-colored design on Joe’s belt. The man gasped and twitched against his chair. Joe caught his attention when the man had his eyes wide open.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Huh? Oh, no, I believe I should get going!”
Shaking, the man swiftly stood up from his chair, and dashed straight toward the Library front door.
“Wait, you forgot your book!” But the stranger disappeared without Joe knowing it. What made the man twitch so amazingly? “Was it my digivice?” Joe thought.
The clouds had darkened since the break of dusk, until there was no blue sky left to observe. The harsh sounds of thunder traveled about in the city of Tokyo. Everyone was prepared for the thunderstorm for the evening; none to refer about being struck by lightning. Then, tiny drops of water fell down from the havenless dim sky; drops pounded on the ground hard enough to make a dent on the cement.
It wasn’t lightning and thunder that scared Izzy; it was the laptop computer that was implanted with a virus. His bedroom light only came from a lamp on his desk. Although it was pouring outside, Izzy didn’t seem to mind. As a matter of fact, he never did seem to mind.
He was talking on the phone with Matt, where Matt was was not yet discerned.
“I even have that movie, “The Matrix,”. Should I save it on a CD-ROM?” Izzy contended.
Matt responded, “Is that all you can worry about, your computer? How about your ‘real’ friends?”
Izzy heard the song, “Aerials,” by System of a Down, in the background.
“It’s no time to joke, Matt. I need the internet to surf through antivirus. You think you can help me?”
“I don’t think so. I don’t know much about computers as well as you do.” Matt snickered as he finished his sentence.
“I could hear you, Matt.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just that”- he paused. “It’s just that I don’t think you’d find a girl your type.”
“Hey. There are plenty of girls that are just like me.”
“Like where?”
“Well, uh,” Izzy started thinking, searching for a location. “Well, there’s London.”
“No way, there couldn’t be one in London. The girls aren’t tomboys, you know.”
“How do you know?”
“I dated an English girl once, and she said that none of the girls are computer nerds.”
“Was that when we traveled around the world and stopped those digimon from romping around major cities?”
“How should I know, I mean, maybe.”
“Well, anyway, it’ll definitely take some time to launch the Norton Antivirus.”
“I’d also like to tell you this. Try not to think about computers all the time, and try to meet some new people, take a walk in the park, or something.”
It was 8:00 AM, and it still poured harder, then softer, then harder again. The rain, however, didn’t bother Cody’s martial arts training. His grandfather didn’t seem to mind about his grandson’s obsession with “The Lord of the Rings,” and even that didn’t block Cody’s concentration on his training.
“Grandfather, can I ask you a question?”
He had finished training at 8:20, and he and his Grandfather took a snack.
“What is it Cody,” Grandfather replied, “Is it about the martial arts?”
“No. Actually, I was just wondering if there we’re alone in the universe.”
Grandfather gave a soft hum.
“Cody, you are only nine years old, and you question about the universe?”
“I know I’m not ready to learn about space, but I think I’ve seen too many science-fiction movies.”
“Are you informing that you think there are aliens among us?”
“Yes, but not aliens. Beings those are just like us, only better.”
Grandfather took a sip of his prune juice.
“Cody,” he contended, “I believe that we are not alone in the galaxy, but not the universe.
“I can realize how counterfeit those Unidentified Flying Objects are in those home videos. There are no aliens, there are no flying objects, and there is no Godzilla, romping around some fake Tokyo. I happen to be aware of life only existing in the Milky Way Galaxy, and that would be us.”
Cody looked as if he almost fell asleep.
“Are you paying attention, Cody?”
“Pretty much.”
Water ran down into the pond in the park. Raindrops fell from the trees and on the grass. It happened to be non-stop rain, and that also didn’t block the concentration of the stranger from the library. He was strolling around a white birch tree, gossiping to himself.
“Finally, for twenty-seven years, I have found the ones. Oh, my master, I was right, they do exist. If only I could find a way, I would at last be a sorcerer. They are our only hope.” It went on for half an hour.
Chapter 3= Purpose
The clouds had disappeared in the break of dawn. With little to spare, kids prepared for school on an elegant Wednesday morning.
Tai, Matt, Sora, and Izzy’s first period classes were the first ones to be informed by a special announcement. Tai’s math teacher was clearing his throat, and silenced his classroom for the announcement.
“I have a very important message to talk to you about. No, it’s not about violence. It’s about a field trip. See, the principal had an idea. He suggested that he can take you all to somewhere fascinating. And I don’t mean somewhere here in Japan, I mean where the Summer Olympics occur. Sydney, Australia.”
The whole class began to whisper all around.
“I know you think it includes all students, but what I mean is a contest. Only five of 64 1st Period classrooms will win. You are to take three history finals, and each take about one in a half hour. It will take six days for you to finish the three finals. Percentage of the tests is from 85% to 100%. This isn’t optional; the principal insisted you smart ones a big break, because it will take the whole summer vacation, until Labor Day. Think of it. Being in Sydney, Australia, for three entire months.”
It wasn’t until after school when the entire group of the Digidestined handled a chat near the park.
Joe “It’s happening from 6th to 12th grade. Aren’t they spending enough money on school books already?”
Sora “Maybe they care about us too much, or probably the principal.”
Tai “I heard they said to give the ‘smart ones’ a rest. That’s your cue, Izzy.”
Izzy “Hey, just because I’m smarter than you, doesn’t mean I don’t like to work on my computer.”
Matt “I tried to get him away from it. I guess it didn’t work.”
The clouds all have disappeared with a sight.
Kari “But just think, us being in Sydney and watching the Olympics for three whole months.”
Yolei “That doesn’t sound like fun. We’d have to study for the three history finals. I find that kind of hard; I don’t even know who discovered Vietnam.”
Cody “I wish I could go, but I have to be practicing on kendo.”
Davis “Can’t you just break your grandpa’s legs and say that it was an accident?”
Cody “Very funny, Davis, but I feel like I want to do the martial arts.”
Sora “Besides, your age isn’t included on the test.”
Tai “Come on, guys. I know it’s gonna be memorable in Australia.”
Ken “Yeah, but what about our Digimon? We can’t just leave them here.”
Izzy “Hey, he has acquired a point.”
Tai “Well, we’ll just have to leave them in the digital world. I know there’s a little evil in that world, not that they’re afraid of us.”
Matt “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen.”
Joe “Hey, do you think Mimi’s having the same problem in America.”
Yolei “She knows about the history tests?”
Sora “She couldn’t be taking those tests in America. Japan can only do that.”
Joe “Hey, you’re right.”
Matt “Come on, let’s take this chance and go to somewhere we’ve never been before.”
Izzy “You mean Sydney?”
Matt “Of course, didn’t you even know about that?”
Izzy “Actually, I was testing to see if your antagonism manages to overtake the ‘Wrath Test’.”
Matt “The ‘Wrath Test’?”
Sora “Have you been watching ‘Frankenstein 3000’ again?”
Izzy “It’s probable.”
Tai “Hey, I’ll take Matt’s suggestion. Let’s take those History Tests, and let’s see if anyone of us will win.”
T.K. “I know that Izzy will win.”
Joe “T.K., it’s History, not Computers.”
T.K. “Oh, I nearly forgot about that.”
Yolei “I don’t know guys. I have a bad feeling about this.”
Davis “You always have a bad feeling about everything.”
Yolei “That’s not true. I don’t have bad feelings about the digital world.”
Cody “Except….?”
Yolei “Well, except, of course, about evil digimon.”
Ken “You know, this is taking too long. I vote on taking the History tests.”
Kari “I’m with you, Ken.”
Davis “What?!”
Kari “I meant on the tests.”
Davis “Oh, thank God.”
T.K. “I guess I’m gonna have to go with the tests.”
Yolei “Count me in.”
Joe “Maybe three tests aren’t so bad.”
Cody “You’re in?”
Joe “Of course, Cody, this isn’t optional.”
Davis “Well it isn’t in our school.”
Joe “Really?”
Davis “Ha that sucks for you.”
Joe “You’ll find out that High School is very veeeeerrrrry different to Elementary.”
Of course, Joe quickly forgotten about the stranger that ran from the library, right when they announced about the History finals. It’ll take one month for studying, so Joe decided to proceed in the library again. The building was brighter, obviously because of no clouds. Only ten kinds of history to reflect on was: The agriculture of Japan in the 1600’s, why Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, Manufacturing of Europe in the 1800’s, the conditions of slavery in the 1800’s, etc.
There it was again, classical music was played from the speakers on the roof, but this time, it was “Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral): Scene by the Brook” by Beethoven. But get this. Joe’s favorite classical piece was the “Moonlight Sonata”, all because it was gentle and smooth. And of course, all the other kids preferred Rock, Techno, Rap, and dozens of others.
Four hours left until the library closed, and Joe was reading the first history book for the tests: Injustice and Desire: the Story of the Ku Klux Klan. He didn’t even want to state about the Gothicism of the villainous army. From that moment, there was another disturbance. Joe looked up, and from suspiciousness, it was the same stranger, sitting two chairs away, but this time, he was whispering about the “Symphony No. 6” that was playing from the speakers. Joe now got a good description. The stranger wore ragged clothes, a dark and shady beard, and his voice sounded like a lot Robin Williams, only deeper. And he was taunting about the music piece, to himself.
“Extraordinary, very extraordinary. The sweetness, the tenderness, oh what beauty lurks in this piece of art.”
Joe also described him as queer.
“It’s called classical music, sir.” Joe concluded to the stranger.
The stranger slowly looked down to Joe’s face; he began to act like a 1920 gentlemen.
“Ah, I see you’ve heard this piece before.” The stranger’s voice became tender and came with an English accent.
“Well, yeah.”
“Once you’ve heard a magnificent sound of masterpiece, you will never again hear from it as you memorized the entire piece.”
“Are you from Europe?” Joe had changed the subject.
“I’ve never been there.”
“Well, then how come you have an accent?”
“Maybe I was born there?” he was calm and mannered.
“So your parents were from America.”
“Perhaps.”
“I’m sorry, but I didn’t get your name.”
“Ah yes, the name is Dawson.”
“Dawson, that’s a good name. I’m Joe”
“Joe, that’s a very confident name.”
“It is?”
“Yes, from where I come from.”
“And where is that?”
“Somewhere far.” Dawson’s eyes were filled with tremendous belief when he noticed Joe’s turquoise digivice on his belt, although he hid it away from him. “So, where did you come from?” he continued.
“I was born right here.”
“Hmm, and you are studying for a big test.”
“Yeah, how did you figure that?”
“Whenever someone reads a book at a certain amount of time, it usually means that they are….
oh, what’s the word?”
“Studying?”
“Energizing.”
“Look, I don’t mean to change the subject again, but why did you run away from the library a few days ago?”
Dawson slowly began to smile. Then he reached for his pocket, and pulled up something in his closed palm. His hand’s straight hair was all around the back of his wrist. “Take this,” he moved out of his chair, walked across the table, opened his fingers, and showed Joe a tan, circular medallion. It was flat and had markings all around.
“What’s that for?” Joe asked.
“This is for your powers.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not that kind of guy.”
“I know you are. As a matter of fact, I know you and your friends are.”
“What do I do with that?”
Dawson placed the medallion on Joe’s palm.
“You will see.” He was still smiling as he stepped away from Joe and towards the door.
“That was strange.” Joe took a look at the tan medallion.
The next day became slow as the bewildered sun shined upon the earth. The afternoon was as calm as the breeze’s rest. But Cody’s grandfather was much more than calm.
That evening, Cody saw his that grandfather was lying down when he should’ve been training for kendo.
“Grandfather,” Cody croaked, “Is there something wrong?”
“Yes. When you were gone yesterday, I tripped on one of the table’s legs and my kneecap gave out. I called the doctor and he said my knee will give in, in a couple of months.”
“Months? Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“I didn’t know where you were. You’ve been gone until nighttime.”
“I was chatting with my friends. I didn’t know where, but I was chatting with my friends.”
“Oh, not to worry, I think you’ll have free time from the martial arts training.”
“Free time for four months? That’s too much for me.”
“I know how you feel about kendo, but I can’t train you with my knee being lifeless. So maybe you can have time off.”
“Are you sure that’s okay with you?”
“Oh, yes. Besides, I will give you a vacation with your friends.”
“Actually, I thought maybe I could join with my friends in Sydney.”
“Sydney? In Australia?” He began to wince in anticipation.
“Yes, grandfather. They’re taking three history tests, and whoever passes gets to take a trip in Australia to see the Olympics.”
“Don’t they do that in America, too?”
“I don’t know.”
“Oh. Well then, all I have to do is to pay the plane ticket.”
“But doesn’t that cost much?”
“It doesn’t cost that much. It’s only forty dollars.”
“Forty dollars?!” Cody’s eyes widened.
“You don’t think forty dollars is expensive, do you?”
“Well, forty dollars is a lot of money. I’m sure I’ll pay it for you.”
“You only have sixteen dollars.”
“……….Okay, you pay for it.”
The night sky was filled with never-ending stars, whereas the city of Tokyo was filled with never-ending streetlights. The moon, in a crescent shape, reflected over the misty Pacific Ocean.
Sora was lying on her bed, sleepless and desperate. It was Ten O’clock, her lights were on, and Biyomon was sleeping peacefully. Sora laid face up, and her eyes were half open. All she was thinking was when she was in the Digital World, when she was being kidnapped by Datamon. Tai collapsed to the ground and eventually burst into sad tears. “Sora…….it’s all, my fault. It’s all, my fault!” He had feelings for her, almost like it was fear of losing her.
At the same time, Tai was also lying down on his bed, but his lights were off, and he took his view to the trivial and crescent moon. He was thinking of when he was in the Digital World, and he remembered that when he was transported in the real world, Sora was the first to search for him. She was certain that Tai would’ve come back.
Limestone walls were covered with falling sweat drops. Lava spewed out from bottom canals. A crystal ball, smooth and round, was placed on a flat stalagmite; a hand softly touched the sleek surface of the sphere.
“Answer to me.” The voice was female, old and devilish. “Answer to me. Edda Bockta suede gaska. Shia tonva elve cooc.” The sphere started to glow sky blue.
“Answer to me. Give him power.” The glow became brighter and brighter.
“Power will be in my hands.” An immortal man declared those very words. His bluish eyes and wrinkled skin was very unlike to be the mighty wizard Lexor. Thundor was standing beside Katrina, the witch of the sphere. He had feline-like fur, and a growling voice.
“The world will be finally ours.” He remarked.
“Now don’t be too excited.” Lexor pledged, with an English accent. “There are still more than a hundred humans in the world, and we have to destroy them all.”
“Then we shall.”
Katrina confirmed, “But there’s a greater strength than these humans.”
“Yes, there is,” Lexor concluded, “so now, we shall become the greatest of all that has conquered.”
Chapter 4 = Thief
The results were in, and they were posted near the school gym:
Matt Ishida: 95.8%
Izzy Izumi: 99.4%
Tai Kamiya: 97%
Joe Kido: 98.4%
Sora Takenouchi: 93.3%
Ken Ichijouji: 94.1%
Yolei Inoue: 89.6%
Kari Kamiya: 91.4%
Davis Motomiya: 89.8%
The kids and the other students were prepared to travel to Sydney, Australia. Saying good-bye to their parents was easy. Saying good-bye to their digimon was never easy. “Three whole months?! Are you crazy?!” They kept shouting. But the digidestined quickly calmed them down. They said that they will be safe in the Digital World. All except for Patamon, which he refused to be in the Digiworld. He wanted fresh air, and he concluded that there can still be evil in the Digiworld and the real world. “Anything can happen in Australia. I just want you to be safe.” Patamon remarked. All T.K. said was, “We’ll be fine. I’m sure that nothing will happen to us.”
One more day until the kids began to travel to Sydney, and they said their good-byes to their digimon in the computer/digiworld. The computer room was clean and spic n’ span for the summer rest.
Davis “I still think the principal’s out of his mind.”
Joe “I still think the principal’s out of her mind.”
Cody “You know, I think I’m getting used to not performing kendo in the summertime.”
Matt “I know how it’s like. I’m never used to seeing Jun anyway.”
Izzy was standing near the doorway “Well, Matt, I believe that you’re not in luck.”
Matt “Oh, no,” he became fearful, “Don’t tell me she’s coming.”
Izzy “She’s coming.”
Matt “Doh!”
Jun popped in the computer room, with her luggage packed.
Matt “Uh….hi, Jun….what’s up?”
Jun “Oh, I can’t wait to be in Sydney with you, my friend! I want to be recognized by being with a famous rock star like you! Oh, smootsie poo, I am your Goddess.”
The others rolled their eyes intriguingly as Jun walked delightfully out the door. Matt, however, squeezed his fists.
“She is evil, I tell you, EVIL!”
The bus that carried a maximum of 40 passengers was on its way to the airplane of Australian Airlines. All bags were boarded on, the students were no longer wearing uniforms, and Izzy held on to his computer, which was safe and sound. In fact, computers never made noises….
The airplane had launched, and was on its way to the home of the Olympic Games. Dawson witnessed the steel eagle flying away.
“Perfect,” he mumbled with a sly smile. He then pulled out a pear-shaped ruby out of his ragged pocket. “Maara beeta sera nook. Apiste medusta amento woo.” He whispered with the ruby in his closed palm. In that moment, he disappeared with no one to behold it.
The song, “Cosmic Castaway,” by Electrasy, was played by the same student that played “Follow” to Tai. “I can’t believe he did well on those History Tests,” Tai thought.
All the students were in Second Class, and were watching “The Drew Carey Show” in Japanese. But Ken didn’t want to watch “The Drew Carey Show,” he just stared out the window, listening to “Skin Up Pin Up,” by Mansun & 808 State, in his CD player.
“Hey Ken.” Yolei disturbed him. He turned his head to see her standing from the back of his seat.
“Yeah?” Ken answered.
“I want to ask you this. If you joined in the World Cup series, which country would you want to kick butt with?”
Ken took off his headphones. “I would say France and Korea.”
“But which side of Korea, huh?” Davis interrupted from the front of Ken’s seat.
“Davis, try not to make him think”-
“North.”
“Heh,” Davis murmured, “Tough luck. North Korea doesn’t have a soccer team.”
“Shut up, Davis.” Cody was sitting right next to Ken.
“No, it’s okay, Cody,” Ken didn’t want to argue, “I don’t care if he’s right or wrong.”
“Well, I do,” Yolei remarked, “I think you’re making him guilty, Davis.”
“How?”
“I don’t know how, but I know you are.”
“Kids! Let’s not make a fight here!” An adult passenger called to them from the back.
“We’re sorry about that, sir.” Cody called out.
* * * *
“So, about that computer of yours,” Matt began a conversation with Izzy.
“Don’t worry. I’ll try to take no notice of it.”
“With all your might? I don’t think so.” Matt scoffed. “Why don’t you be like me? Meet some chicks, or whatever you call them.”
“Never mind.”
* * * *
To Sora, Melinda and Salina were just blah blah blahing. She looked, from above the seat, and spotted Tai’s hair-gelled hair. She took a slight smile until she heard the voice of Salina.
“Hello, Earth to Sora.” She whimpered at Sora’s ear.
Sora nearly jumped out of her seat. “What were we talking about?”
Melinda changed the subject. “You know, if you want to know if he wants to go out with you, can’t you just confess and say so?”
“I’m trying, but I don’t know how.”
“Just go up to him and say, ‘do you want to go out with me?’.”
“That’s not going to work, Melinda,” Salina charged.
“Well, that’s what I say to other boys.”
“Yeah, other boys you don’t even know.”
“But Tai’s different, girls.” Sora added. “He has courage, and I don’t.”
“Don’t talk like that.” Melinda blurted softly. “He knows you. Heck, he knows you the most.”
She had a good point.
* * * *
Joe didn’t want to analyze the medallion that Dawson gave him long ago, but he had this one chance to see if it was real. He pulled it out from his left pocket, and took a closer look at it.
The medallion was dark brown, and had words, of another language, circled around a light blue sapphire in the center.
All Joe was thinking about were those very words of his and Dawson’s.
“What’s that for?”
“This is for your powers.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not that kind of guy.”
“I know you are. As a matter of fact, I know you and your friends are.”
“What do I do with that?”
“You will see.”
“Stop him!”
The racket of running feet was detected from a cell upstairs. “Stop him, don’t let him get away!”
Four guards dashed up the stairs; the hallway was wide and the roof was dome-shaped. They held their pole arms steadly for the enemy. Something, very suddenly, popped out of the doorway. A rodent rieter, human size, scurried past the guards with so much speed, that the guards almost slipped from the stable air.
More guards scurried to trap the rieter, but it was too swift for them to seize it.
“Surround him! Guards! Guards!”
The rieter, full with black fur and dark armor, wasn’t here to harm anyone, he was here to steal a precious potion. A potion of light. A potion of the sacred.
“Enough!”
The rieter ceased at its tracks, with tens of guards all surrounding it, forcing their pole arms to it, waiting for it to surrender.
“Enough, you fool!” The guards stood aside when a female sauntered toward the rieter. She was elf-like, and had long black hair, wore an emerald necklace, and wore a violet gown. It was Evna, a very displeased Evna.
“Thief,” she muttered, “you deserve to die never in peace.”
The rodent rieter chuckled, “when I die, I shall enjoy watching my people destroy you all.” Its voice was squeaking when it spoke, just like all other rodents.
“Your people will parish when we give freedom to your slaves.”
“I would gladly see all of you try,” it replied, and then it shouted, “All of you, you preposterous fools. You will never ever see daylight again, once my master attacks on your home world!”
“He has said enough!” one guard yelled, “He is our enemy! Let us bring death to this beast!”
“You imbecile, do you really think you can defeat me with this?!” the rieter held the potion high in his palm.
“That potion you’ve just stolen is a part of our lives, and whenever you open it, you will bring havoc to your world!” Evna quoted angrily.
“Then so be it!” It pulled out a pear-shaped sapphire, and closed it tightly in his palm.
“We shall meet again, all of you,” the sapphire glowed a streaming white light around his body, “but this time, with my master.”
“There will never be a next time.” Another guard held his broadsword at the rieter, and swung it at it, but not before it vanished in a flow of light.
The guards gossiped around in suspicion.
“He shall be back.”
“Here it is, my master, just like you’ve told me.”
The rieter handed the potion, in a small, thick-glassed bottle, to the elfish wizard, known as Lexor. The heat of the basined desert didn’t bother the almighty scoundrels.
“You’ve done well, rieter, and now I believe this potion will annihilate our archrivals that overcame this place.”
“Oh, yes,” the rieter spoke, “we will be the greatest among all species.”
“I have ordered our troops to search for the last elf race,” Thundor growled, “and no more of their disgrace of our nation.”
The sun had landed on the bare mountains of red sandstone, as the sky darkened with dark blue color.
Chapter 5 = Pleasure
“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to Sydney, Australia.” A stewardess declared on the speaker.
Everyone viewed near the window and saw the airport clearing from the fluffed clouds. The plane made a slight turbulence when it dashed for the runway.
“This definitely beats the roller coasters.”
Joe admitted, hanging on the edge of his seat.
“Roller coasters?” Matt mimicked. “You’ve never rode on a roller coaster.”
* * * *
“Boy, I can’t wait to see the Olympics!” a student raved to T.K., “did you know that my grandfather won a 1946 medal award for kayaking?”
“Yes, Kevin, you said that 48 times already to me.” T.K. submitted.
“How do you know it’s 48 times?”
“I had my experiences.”
* * * *
“Oh, I wish Hawkmon was here to see this.” Yolei sighed.
“Yolei,” Davis added, “he’s not dead.”
* * * *
The plane had touched down on the rough and rather clean runway.
“Let’s hope there’s no evil in Sydney.” Kari noted to Tai.
“We’re on vacation, Kari. T.K. and I are certain that there won’t be any trouble here.”
The plane had come to a complete stop, with the bridge slowly connecting to the door.
“We’ve hope you all had a pleasant flight,” The stewardess finished her responses.
Everyone got up from their seats and crowded each other to the bridge. Inside, the walls were light gray and the floor was plushed with lavender. Two stewards gave welcomes to the passengers inside the boarding room. “Welcome to Sydney, Australia.” They greeted. “We hope you’ve enjoyed your flight.” Their joyful smiles showed that they really liked their home city.
The students at the Baggage Claim hadn’t lost any luggage or backpack.
“You know, Matt,” a pupil informed, “I believe that these ‘stewards’ steal some stuff from all these baggage. I guess that’s why they smile at you, so you can suspect that they can make a fortune with other people’s property.”
“Lance,” Matt muttered, “I think you’ve seen the movie, ‘Fight Club’, way too much.”
The teachers instructed the students to follow them to the parking lot.
“The buses are waiting for us.” One teacher negotiated. “We’ll be leaving shortly to our hotel.”
There were a total of 152 pupils in the airport.
Six local buses have left the parking lot and past the Control Tower.
“What do you think we’re gonna watch first?” Cody asked to Davis and Ken.
“I’m gonna watch the Track & Field.” Davis answered.
“I’m gonna join the audience of the Diving Team.” Ken responded.
“For me, I’m gonna join Tai and his gang to see the swimming team.” Cody just answered his own question.
The Drainage Control Reservoir was in view.
“So, Cody,” Kari confirmed, “How’s your Grandfather?”
“He’s fine, but his kneecap is still hurting.”
“Do you miss kendo now?”
“Not much. I’m still writing that comment to Peter Jackson.”
“Who’s Peter Jackson?”
“He’s the one who made Lord of the Rings.”
“You still like that movie?” T.K. blurted “Even though you saw that 20 times already?”
“Hey, it’s one of my favorites, including Star Wars: Episode I.”
“Oh, that movie stunk.” Yolei stated.
“Well, we’re here.” A teacher called out.
The local buses parked near the 24-story hotel. “It’s the Adison Hotel, and that’s where we’re going to sleep tonight.”
The hotel was colored silver, and its windows were columned, as other hotels were.
“It looks like the one in Las Vegas, U.S.A.” Davis quoted.
“Which one?” Matt added.
Of course, his world turned upside down when a fifteen-year old redhead stood beside him.
“Oh, Matt, This will be just like the movies.
You and me, like a love story!”
“Okay, Jun. I think you’re excited long enough.” Matt tried to smile, but her desire for excitement just filled his mind with grief.
“I want the whole world to know about this moment! I can’t wait, I can’t wait, I can’t wait!”
That was long enough. Then it came with the first event for Australia: choosing roommates.
Inside the hotel was a dazzling array of a fountain, chandeliers, and flowers all around the lounge. The walls were dark gold, and the roofs had marvelous paintings of landscapes that plagued the entire room. There were only two beds for each room, and the sign-in sheet was just on the counter.
It’s true enough that Jun chose someone else rather than Matt Ishida.
“Oh, thank God.” He sighed.
* * * *
“Well, Sora, I already chose a roommate.” It was Melinda who chose Salina as a roommate. “So, who are you going to pick?”
Tai had spotted Sora near the elevator, and he was desperate to find someone rather than a Photon Boy.
“Hey, Sora.” He called, and Melinda knew what was going to happen.
“He’s coming toward us,” she whispered to Sora.
Sora looked straight into the eyes of Tai, smiling.
“Sora,” he started; Melinda was waiting for a response, “Will it bother you if I want you to”-
“No way, Tai,” It was Matt that interrupted his quote, “I planned to take Sora as my roommate.”
“Why you? Don’t you want Jun to”-
“DON’T EVEN MENTION ABOUT THAT!” Matt was loud enough to catch the attention of people all around.
A moment’s pause, and then, “Okay, there’s nothing more to see here.” A teacher raised his voice to everyone that laid eyes on Matt.
“Anyway, you should take Izzy as your roommate.”
“Hey, I asked her first,” Tai looked as if he was growing anger in his eyes.
“Sora, I think you should stop this.” Melinda became nervous and was waiting for calmness.
Sora suddenly spotted someone that knew about stopping fights, and he was at the counter.
“I’m not sure if I want a roommate. I was eager to have a hotel room all by myself.” Joe Kido murmured to a scholar.
Sora had to do something quick or a fight would exist. Finally, she strolled quickly to Joe and grabbed his right arm.
“Joe,” she tried to act fortunate, “you know you should find someone so you could look after them peacefully.”
“Wha?” Joe unexpectedly found her hands squeezing his elbow.
Matt and Tai watched as Joe wrote his and Sora’s name on the sheet.
“Now, let’s choose a room.”
“Sure….I think.” Joe was pulled by her anxiousness to the elevator.
“You’re up to something, aren’t you?” Joe asked quietly as the doors closed shut.
Tai froze like a witch’s victim that turned to stone.
“Oh, well. I’ll just pick Carl.” Matt declared.
Eventually, the sixth bus, that held Davis and the others, was way behind, and five minutes later, it had to park at the hotel’s front door due to the full lot.
“I hope there are some rooms left,” a kid wondered.
A total of 24 out of 185 rooms were available still, so the teachers joked about the hotel rooms unavailable and going back home. The bus was injected full of shouts and cries, until the teachers quickly calmed them down and revealed to them that it was just a joke.
Tai and Izzy’s room was filled with dark orange brightness. The curtains were silky-looking, it included a ceiling fan, and the beds were arranged in a straight line.
“Well, I guess I’ll establish with my laptop first.” Izzy acknowledged, as he unpacked his bags, starting with his laptop computer.
Tai, however, was slow and suspicious when unpacking his clothes.
“Hey, Izzy?” He started a conversation.
“If this is in relation to your hair, just don’t accomplish it.” Izzy murmured, as he looked at Tai’s un-gelled hair.
“No, it’s not about my hair. It’s about….” He had to pause. “…..It’s about Sora.”
“Uh-oh,” Izzy knew what was going on in Tai’s brain, “What’s the story now?”
He knew about his friend’s interest on Sora from the start of the Digiworld. He remained with a memory of Tai’s pain of losing her. “Sora….it’s all my fault!” He broke down in front of the others when Datamon had kidnapped her. That was the only thing that Izzy remembered about.
“Well,” Tai continued on, “I found out that Sora picked Joe as her roommate, and I shouldn’t think that she….you know.”
“I don’t think so. It’s probably that she chose him because she didn’t want a fight between you and Matt downstairs.”
“You…you really think so?” Tai became steadily nervous. Izzy just shook his head. “I’m not sure, though. I don’t know she didn’t want a fight from Matt or me.”
“Listen, you unravel your own problem, and I’ll unravel mine. My laptop computer needs repairing.”
The back trunk of the bus held Yolei’s baggage, including her sunglasses.
“You just had to bring them with you.” Ken mumbled to the so ecstatic girl.
“They cost about a hundred and fifty bucks, so if you don’t mind I’ll just make my way to the hotel.”
“Oh, touchy.” Davis remarked, and suddenly the merry twelve-year old broke her joyfulness into an about-to-explode dynamite at him.
“I’m not touchy! I’M NOT TOUCHY!” she returned to normal as she walked toward the front door.
“What’s eating her?” T.K. asked.
“She hates me,” Davis joked.
Yolei signed in with a close friend, Kimberly Tamayaki.
“Hey, take a look at that girl’s hair.” Kim muttered, when she pointed at the girl near the hotel fountain. Yolei, however, wasn’t into interest.
“Please,” she summoned, “I’ve seen hair like that, but...” she turned her head to see a pink-haired cutsie.
“Mimi??!”
The pink-head was distracted by Yolei’s astonishment.
“Yolei, is that you?” Mimi was talking to her friend, when she saw the girl with glasses. She began to walk toward Mimi, following Kimberly with a sly smile.
“Mimi, what are you doing here in Sydney?” She really acted surprised.
“My parents and I came here on vacation. I hope you have the same reason.”
“Not really. The others and I won a prize from school, so now we have three whole months to see the Summer Olympics!”
“Pardon me to ask this,” Kimberly interrupted, “but who is she?”
“Oh, this is my friend, Mimi. Mimi, I’d like you to meet Kimberly.”
“Hi, Mimi. So are you best friends?”
“Oh, not really,” Mimi replied, “My parents and I moved to America.”
“So you could live in the American dream?”
“Kimberly,” Yolei muttered, “don’t treat my friend like that.”
“I’m not.”
“Girls, please,” Mimi contended, “I don’t want to see a fight right now.”
“Don’t worry, Mimi,” Kimberly apologized, “you won’t see a fight right now.”
* * * *
Mr. and Mrs. Tachikawa were at the counter, seeking a room.
“Hey mom, dad,” Mimi uttered next to them, “I think you remembered one of my friends, Yolei.” She introduced her at the exact time.
“Oh, of course,” her parents were pleased, “we heard all about you. Are you here on vacation?”
“I like it when you ask that.” Yolei smiled, “Yeah, I’m on a school vacation. See, my friends and I took three history tests as our finals and we all past, and now we’re here to see the Olympics.”
“Oh gee, I wish I had those kinds of finals, instead of paying four hundred dollars.”
“Do you think it’s safe being here without your parents?” Mr. Tachikawa asked.
“Oh, I’ve done a lot of that stuff. There’s no problem facing anything that’s not good.”
Yolei & Kimberly, Matt & Carl, Tai & Izzy, Davis & Ken, Sora & Joe, Kari & Cody, T.K. & Jonas. The roommates have been selected, and tomorrow was their big day: the first Olympic game of the season, which was the Track & Field.
“Hey, Kari, do you believe that we’re not alone in the universe?” Cody asked while zipping his backpack.
“Why do you ask that?”
“Well, because I’ve seen all those space movies and I thought a lot of people would know if there are any aliens.”
“I wouldn’t know. I heard all about “Close Encounters” and “Independence Day” and ‘Star Wars,” but I’ve never seen them.”
“Oh.”
“So do you think there are aliens among us?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, just because you’ve seen it on T.V., doesn’t mean they’re out there. It’s just for fun.
“You really think so?”
“And you don’t?”
“Possibly not.”
Joe was becoming nervous. Seeing Sora unpacking her bags next to his bed felt like a crush.
“Joe, are you sweating?”
“Uh....not much.”
Sora saw Joe’s nervousness, meaning supersuspicion.
“Are you thinking that I have a crush on you?” she asked surprisingly.
“Well, possibly.”
Sora had realized that she had never told Joe about why she chose him as her roommate so quickly.
“Well,” she began, “I kind of chose you as my roommate on purpose. See, Matt and Tai were fighting over me as a roommate, so I chose you instead so I didn’t want to see a fight.”
“Oh,” Joe was relieved, “I see.”
“But, whatever you do, don’t tell Tai about this.”
“Why can’t I?”
“Well,” she stirred, “because I don’t want him to think that I didn’t want him to get hurt.”
“Being hurt from just a little argument?”
“I accidentally hesitated.”
Joe took some thought in the uncalled-for situation.
“I think I know what’s going on.” He muttered slowly.
“You do?” Sora started to become nervous.
“You don’t want Tai to think that you’re in love with him.”
Her nervousness turned down to be stressful.
“Yes,” she finally remarked, “I do.”
“Well, you should’ve told me before instead of giving me hints.”
“I didn’t give you hints.”
“Oh, then why didn’t you say so?”
“Don’t try to confuse me, please.”
“Sorry.”
It wasn’t for long that the evening touched down on earth. The teachers had announced that to sleep with their clothes on, because the first Olympic game had to start very early in the morning.
It sounded dirty, but it was simple to do.
With his white pants, brown belt, and dark green flannel top shirt, Joe rinsed his mouth with water after brushing his teeth. Whenever he thought of the medallion, he wanted to think of something else. He didn’t know anything about the stranger, except that he loved classical music. Should he trust him? Should he keep the medallion?
Sora was reading quietly reading on the hotel desk her favorite novel. Joe, still in the bathroom, pulled out the medallion, and pushed it closer to his face. Sora, suspicious of what Joe was doing, looked up from her novel and stared at him from the bathroom door.
“Maybe if I keep this, something will happen to me, or maybe all of my friends.” He thought.
“Is there something wrong, Joe?” he heard Sora’s voice.
“I don’t think so.” He wanted to tell the truth.
“What’s that you’re holding?”
“Uh...,” Joe knew that if Sora was curious about him and the medallion, she would worry about him even more, “it’s about this.” He moved out of the bathroom, and of course, turned the light off, and showed her the object that puzzled him for almost when he got it.
“What is it?” Sora asked.
“It’s some sort of medallion. I don’t know if it is or not.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“Some stranger that I met from the library.”
“The Library? Why would anyone go there?”
“...Never mind.”
Sora took a closer look at the object.
“What are these words that are circled around it?”
“I don’t know. They’re probably German or something.”
“Maybe the stranger is German.”
Sora suddenly caught a sound of the medallion. “Listen.” There was a soft echo bouncing around the hotel room.
“What is that?”
“It must be the medallion.”
The echo had a dark and streaming voice, muttering “Con esta, keda flo comasteda.”
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this stranger of yours.” Sora replied.
The echo had stopped, and then silence fulfilled the cell.
“You should take this.” Sora handed the medallion to Joe, who was a little frightened from the echoes.
“Whoa, look.” The medallion’s light blue sapphire was glowing, glowing dark blue, glowing like light shining above the waters.
Joe felt the uneasiness of the sensation that the object he was holding could be a power.
“Joe......I think you should let it go.”
His fingers were clinching when the glow of the sapphire grew brighter. He could feel the medallion’s power controlling his eyes. He tried to fight the hunger of letting it conquer his entire body.
“Joe?”
He suddenly closed his fist, moved quickly toward the corner table, and laid the medallion hardly aside where the telephone was in place.
“Joe, are you okay?”
Joe’s eyes still aimed itself on the dark brown object, feeling its darkness.
“Joe, can you hear me?”
He finally turned to Sora, who was pretty serious about the talisman.
“I think this thing doesn’t like us.”
“Yeah, the stranger’s probably from the digital world.”
Just then, the hotel telephone rang, causing both Joe and Sora to jump.
Ringing two times, Joe finally picked it up.
“Hello?” he began.
-“Hey, it’s Tai.”
“Tai? What is it?”
-“I’m just calling to see if you and Sora were alright.”
“Yeah, we’re all right.”
-“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, but tell me. Where did you get this number?”
-“Uh, the guy at the counter told me.”
“Oh....okay.”
-“Okay, bye.”
“Bye.”
Both had hung up at the same time.
* * * *
“‘The guy at the counter told me’?” Izzy smirked.
“Hey, I was worried that he could be coming for me.”
“Do you really think he’s that kind of guy?”
* * * *
“Well, what do you think?” Sora couldn’t possibly stand the dark brown medallion in the hotel room.
“I’ll just have to wait to see what happens next.”
Big mistake. Of what Joe, Sora, Izzy, Tai, Mimi, Matt, Yolei, Kari, T.K., Davis, Ken, and Cody were expecting, they didn’t really expect what happened next.
-+-+-+ To be contiuned +-+-+-
