When Angel's Cry – Chapter 7 – Hello Mrs. Laurens

After the movie everyone piled off to bed, Sammie having called her mother and gotten the okay to stay the rest of the weekend. The brothers sacked out with Tessa in her bed while Sam took some floor again. The next morning after Tessa and Kyle's mother had returned home and collapsed into bed, Tessa walked down stairs and started getting a breakfast for the group. Her movements must have roused Impmon, because shortly after he came into the room yawning loudly. Apparently he was determined not to be late for a meal again and decided to pick a chair at the table and stake a claim to it by falling asleep in it.

The sizzle and aroma of bacon drifted through the house and roused her brother and Sammie and the small pig digimon Patamon. Kyle came down and immediately switched on the morning news and entered the kitchen, turning up the volume as he went. He grinned at the sleeping Impmon and took full advantage by walking up and tweaking the purple digimon's ears.

"It's time to get up it's time to get up it's time get up right now!" He yelled gleefully as he tugged at his ears. He chuckled as Impmon turned at him enraged and swatted him away. Sammie entered now with Patamon laying sleepily on her head. Her cell was on and she was engrossed in whatever she was reading, something about Tessa no doubt, and almost walked into a chair before taking a seat opposite of Impmon.

"You shouldn't tease him like that," Tessa said as she brought over a pan of bacon. "He could light you on fire if he wanted."

"Ya! That's right, you better watch it!" Impmon said puffing his chest out and making a flickering ball of fire appear on his fingertips.

If he intended to intimidate Kyle he failed miserably. "Man, you're handy. I'm always losing lighters but it'll be harder to lose you." He laughed as Impmon scowled at him. "You wouldn't light me on fire anyways for two reasons."

"You think so huh? What are those?" As the two talked they were dividing the whole plate of freshly cooked bacon between just the two of them.

"I know so. One; my sister feeds you and if you let me on fire she would stop. Second; my sister could and would put the hurt on you if you ever hurt me. She'd go all sailor scout on your ass." Impmon didn't respond just stuck out his tongue which Kyle quickly reached over and tugged on too.

Tessa slapped the back of her brother's head as she brought over some more bacon then moved on to making pancakes for everyone.

"Not only is it all over everywhere," Sammie said finally looking up from her phone, "but they found the other scouts too. Oh and there are more digimon!"

Before the siblings could crowd around her small screen the local news caught their attention. The girls climbed over the back of the couch and Kyle leaned on the back while Impmon, bacon in hand, sat on the back of the couch with Patamon. Kyle put the volume up even more.

"It seems that Minnesota has its own female mystery hero as of yesterday," a salt and peppered newsman said. "She appeared when stranger shadow figures emerged in the crowded Mall of America and started attacking citizens at random. What happened next was caught on camera."

The television cuts to a cellphone video of yesterday's attack. Tessa was on the edge of her seat, although she lived it, it all happened so fast it was like seeing it for the first time. She saw the figure grabbing innocent shoppers and tossing them aside after it had finished, then she saw what made her locket finally transform her. Running across the screen was the little boy crying for his mother. Suddenly she saw herself on the screen, dressed in her sailor uniform confronting the creature. Sammie was shaking her friend, mouth agape, as she made her television debut. From the camera's angle she was able see just how much damage her simmering X-attack did. She was amazed she was able to slip away back to her brother and Impmon without notice.

The camera cut back to co-anchor newslady. "Minnesota is not alone in our recent attacks or the discovery of our own mysterious girl. Along with Atlanta Georgia, San Francisco has one and Philadelphia has two mysterious heroes." As she spoke the camera cut to the Georgia fight, then the San Francisco fight. The San Francisco girl wore the green colors of Jupiter and had thick curly red hair bound in a ponytail and was thickly set. And lastly Philadelphia where two girls were seen. One was a tall, thin, and beautiful black girl with flat ironed hair and large silver hooped earrings with a red gem. Her colors suggested Mars. Her partner was a petite eastern Asian girl, the video wasn't very good maybe Hmong, and had pin straight black waves of hair that fell to her waist wearing the colors of Mercury.

"Along with the presence of these strange creature and the young girls who fight them, reports of monster like creatures of all shapes and sizes are being reported." Handycam and phone video of various glimpses of digimon began to show as she continued to talk. "Videos are surfacing all over the world, the UN has not made a comment nor have any government bodies given any explanation. All the government is saying is that it taking necessary precautions and to not approach these creatures if you find them, notify law enforcement immediately…"

The voice faded away as Kyle turned down the volume. The two digimon protested but they were ignored. He along with Sammie turned to his sister. "Okay sis, let's see it."

Her brother, best friend, and the two digimon stared at her as she took a spot in the center of the living room. She played with her pendant. "I dunno really how to make it work," she admitted lamely in a mumble.

"Just do whatever you did at the mall," Sammie suggested.

Tessa clutched her locket, closed her eyes, and focused; silently asking the locket for help. Once again she felt the cool threads crisscross her body and form cloth. As her vision cleared she stood before her audience. Sammie's mouth hung open and everyone was dead silent for at least a minute before the talking all started at the same time. Sammie was circling her, pawing at her uniform while Kyle just stood back taking it all in. Patamon fluttered around excitedly while his brother, with his little arms crossed across his chest, tried to appear uninterested. Tessa could see at least one eyes on her most of the time.

"Oh. My. GOD!" Sammie screeched as she investigated her best friend. "So cool. Too cool, it's just…. I'm lost for words!" She grasp Tessa's hands and started jumping up and down. "My best friend is a sailor scout!"

"How did you know what to do?" Patamon squeaked. "Was it like us, you just knew?"

"Ya I guess. As soon as I transformed I knew who I was and I knew how to attack, it was kind of weird. Like it was a hidden pool of knowledge I always had."

"Let's see the attack, I wanna see what kind of damage it does," Kyle said.

"Oh! And are there any others?" Sammie asked excitedly.

"I don't know, I just know the one now. Maybe as they're needed I'll learn them or remember them." The group made their way outside and walked more into the property, more out of site of the road. Although it was a cool autumn morning, Tessa did not feel cold while in her uniform which she found odd. They walked around the back of the barn were the wood pile was and Kyle set up a large log out in the open. Focusing, Tessa held out her hand, feeling the energy shimmer at her finger tips, and drew and X before her body. It hovered then launched itself at the log, splitting the thick wood into four pointed pieces. Clasping her hand over her locket and closing her eyes, Tessa was engulfed in light and returned to normal. Patamon and Sammie were cheering, Impmon looked unimpressed and lit the pieces on fire to show his superiority. Kyle gave him thumbs up as he kicked the pieces around to extinguish the flames.

The rest of the week past by slowly and uneventfully. School was boring, the news gave no more hints of trouble in their area, and news of digimon was being squashed in the mainstream media. Only the repeated sentiment that strange creatures should be reported was given. While the girls went about the school day Kyle hung out with the brothers, getting closer to Impmon. On Wednesday, after a particularly close call with his mother walking in on him and the boys on the couch, which some quick thinking of shoving them under pillows helped hid them, Kyle began to think they would have to admit the presence of the digimon. He told his sister when she got home with Sammie in tow.

"I'm going back to the dorm after the weekend until winter break. I won't be here to watch them. Mom is going to find out, I'd rather just tell her. Especially with the scare job they're doing on the news. We don't have to tell her about you sis, just them."

Patamon looked worried from his perch on Sammie's Head but Impmon stood tall and defiant, showing his confidence. Their mother was due home any minute, she had gone to an afternoon work meeting and was bringing home supper. Nervously the group waited, brother and sister standing side by side. Their mother pulled up into the dusty drive and the pair went to help her unload. Their mother was once beautiful, now worn down with single parenthood, with gray threads in her hair and a constant tired expression in her eyes. She looked suspiciously at her son and his helpfulness. Tessa always helped, but her son? Something was up.

As they entered the kitchen to unload she slung her bag onto the kitchen table and said, "Okay, only once in the last ten years as my son ever helped unload food. You just sit at the table and wait to be fed. And that last time was to tell me you started a field fire with the fireworks I told you not to touch. What is going on? You two have been flighty and weird the last week."

The siblings exchanged looks and Tessa spoke. "Mama, we need to tell you something."

"Yes, I figured."

"Please sit down ma," Kyle said. "You'll need to sit for this." Arching an eyebrow she slowly took a seat. "You know how there are reports on the news about monsters?" Still staring at her first born she nodded slowly. "Well, it's true. We'd like you to meet some."

"Some?"

Sammie walked into the kitchen, Patamon in her arms, and Impmon being pushed in front of her. "Hi Mrs. Laurens."

Their mother's mouth dropped open as she looked from the little winged pig to the purple imp. "Hello Sammie," she said quietly.

"Boys," Tessa said, "Say hello to our mother."

"I'm Patamon!" he wiggled free of Sam's grasp and flew over to their still stunned mother. "It's nice to meet you. I really like Kyle and Tessa and Sammie."

"Um, It's nice to meet you too. . .Patamon."

"Ma, this is Impmon, Impmon this is my Ma. Say hello." Impmon, with arms crossed mumbled out a hello.

"H-hello. . ." Mrs. Lauren responded. She looked between her children. "How long have these little creatures been living in my house?"

"A little over a week," Tessa admitted. "I was going to keep them in the barn but it's so lonely and cold out there so I brought them into my room. Sammie and I found them out in a field. We didn't know what to do with them but please don't call the cops, who knows what they'll do with them."

"Ya the government is probably wrangling them up for experiments!" Sammie added. As Patamon fluttered by she grabbed him and held him out in front of Mrs. Lauren's face. "Look how cute this is, don't turn it in." As she spoke she gave his cheeks a push, smooshing up his face.

"This one's not cute but we've gotten used to him so don't turn him in either," Kyle added looking at Impmon with a smile. Impmon's pout increased and he stuck his tongue out at Kyle. He laughed and returned it. Mrs. Lauren dragged her hand over her forehead, wiping at imagined sweat, and took it all in. If they admitted Tessa was the Mall of America scout she might have simply walked out on the whole scene.

"Okay, they've been here at least a week, I've seen no death or destruction, I'm willing to allow this-"The three cheered and Patamon giggled happily. She continued, "If ANYTHING happens they're out." She looked at each of them in the eye. "Understand me?" The three humans and two digimon nodded quickly. Even the digimon could hear the warning tone in her voice. "Well I thought I had only one extra mouth to feed, not three, so we'll have to divide some things up."

Together they divided up the meal with some substitutions from the fridge and sat down as one big odd looking family. Impmon sat between the siblings so they could try and keep him under control as he reached across plates and chewed with his mouth open. Their mother was wound tight but began to relax while she watched her children and Sammie laughing and having fun with the two creatures. The three were careful to keep all talk of scouts off the table.

After dinner Kyle and Tessa drove Sammie home, Patamon was not happy about it and put his little hooves on the glass, tears in his eyes as they drove away. Impmon scoffed at him. At bedtime Impmon, blushing and mumbling, asked Kyle to stay in his room instead of Tessa's. Kyle laughed at him and waved him in. Tessa smiled and closed her bedroom door behind her and Patamon.

Night had fallen and the house was quiet. Tessa was sound asleep with patamon snoring lightly next to her on her pillow. Tappa tap tappa. Tessa's eyes snapped open, she felt instantly awake. That sound was familiar. Her gaze snapped to the window and sure enough, there was the white cat again.

Seeing her looking at him he raised his paw and waved, then pointed at the lock. She slid her arm out from under the pillow and sprang out of bed, over to the window, and let in the cat.

In a hushed voice she spewed out a slew of questions. "Are you Artemis then? Who was the 'her' you mentioned, was it Venus? Why doesn't she want you giving out lockets, why do you have my locket, is Luna around? Is there a Luna?"

The cat blinked. "Well, that was a mouthful. Hm well my name is Artemis, I don't know a Luna. She asked me that too. I wish I did I'd like to have a wife. And yes she is Venus. Kind of a prissy brat." That last part was grumbled under his breath. "She wanted to hog the glory a bit more to herself, these things seem drawn to scouts locations. I think it's got something to do with the scout's powers. Maybe it's easier for them to appear. If I hadn't given you that locket, they still would have appeared around you, and you and the rest of the people would have been defenseless. Even without a locket and realizing you're a scout you still emit power, power that draws them."

A thought struck her and she glanced at the sleeping Patamon. "Are other things drawn to scout's power?" Artemis followed her gaze and his blue eyes widened seeing the sleeping digimon. "Patamon and his brother Impmon appeared in a field near my house. In the middle of a field, the middle of a no where town in the Midwest. Why appear there?"

"It seems possible doesn't it," he murmured out, stroking his furry chin with a paw. "I don't know anything about digimon, didn't know they existed either."

"So, is there like some kind of cosmic threat that's caused you to give out lockets? Like an enemy like Queen Beryl or Chaos?"

"She asked that too. I don't know a queen beryl but I know Chaos, bad news with that thing. I don't really know why things are happening at this moment. I wish I did, I think it'd be easier going, cut the threat off. My memories are a bit fuzzy though I must admit. Anyways! I came to check up on you. We heard about the attack."

"Ya, you and the whole world did. It was scary but I managed alright I think, right?"

Artemis nodded, "Very well indeed! That's all I wanted really." With that he jumped back up to the window sill.

Tessa got to her feet and followed, "Wait if you're with Venus in Georgia how did you get all the way up here?"

Artemis chuckled and winked. "I can't give away all my secrets can I?" With that he leapt to the roof and to the ground, disappearing behind the barn and out of sight.


A/N – Kind of boring, sorry, it was running long. Next chapter- another scout battle! And the next one a digimon battle! I have things somewhat framed out already. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think.