WEDNESDAY 8:10 AM
Tai knocked gently on the bathroom door. "Come on Sora, we're gonna be late!"
"Just a minute!" she called back.
"That's what you said ten minutes ago!" Tai told her. "My Mom and Dad have left, and so has Kari!"
"I'm almost ready!"
Tai sighed and leaned against the wall, but he was smiling. This is what it's like living with Sora, huh? Tai thought. God, he loved her, with all his heart, but he was glad that soon her mom would be home and Sora could go home too. She needed the stability that being a temporary resident can't offer. Someday, he knew he wanted to spend every day with Sora... but not now. Maybe in college...
His thoughts were broken by Sora leaving the bathroom. She looked pretty much just like she always did, maybe a little more makeup than usual. Either way, Tai thought she was beautiful.
"You look great," Tai said, smiling. "Now, let's get outta here, or we'll be late."
Tai locked the apartment door behind them and they took the elevator down to the parking lot. Tai's car was waiting to take them to school, as usual, the driver's side door was stuck, as usual, but Tai and Sora had a lovely ride to school, which was spiced up nicely with a short stop at a deserted park to make out for a while.
Sora brushed her hair back into place and stuck the brush in her backpack when they arrived at school. Tai was about to get out of the car, but she stopped him. "I'm still freaked out about this meeting."
"You'll be awesome," Tai assured her. "You and Kyoko will blow Mr. Moriomot out of the water, and then you'll find out who did this and everything will go back to normal." He leaned over and kissed Sora tenderly on the lips. "I believe in you."
Sora smiled weakly at Tai and put her hand on the door. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria when we're done, okay?"
"No problem," Tai said. They got out of the car and walked hand in hand up to the school.
11:30 AM
It was lunchtime, and Tai walked Sora down to the office to meet Kyoko. As they approached the office, Tai could feel Sora's hand trembling as it gripped his own. Her eyes were fixed on her destination, not looking at anything around her. It was the look she had whenever she was scared out if her wits -- Tai remembered it from the numerous battles in DigiWorld.
"Hey, Sora, don't be scared," Tai murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Sora gave Tai a funny look. "That dream keeps coming back," she whispered. "Something about Mr. Morimoto that just isn't right. I don't really trust him."
"It'll be okay," Tai comforted, pulling his girlfriend into a warm hug. "Now, there's Kyoko. You two go in there and make a killer presentation."
Sora shifted her backpack on her shoulder and went to where Kyoko was standing.
"Ready to go?" Kyoko asked Sora.
Sora nodded. Papers in hand, Kyoko and Sora entered Mr. Morimoto's office. He was leaned back in his chair, looking rather casual, as Kyoko and Sora began their presentation.
"Well?" Sora said, when they were done.
"I think it's an interesting propsition girls," he said, a strangely smug smile on his face.
Kyoko felt fidgety. She gave Sora a funny look. "You want time to think about it or something?" Kyoko asked the principal.
"Yes, I believe I'll think about it for a while," Mr. Morimoto said, still with that strange atmosphere around him.
"Okay, then we'll see you later," Sora said, getting up and turning the doorknob. It was locked. "Um, the door's locked."
"I know," he said. "You two don't have to leave."
"We kinda have to go to lunch, and our classes," Kyoko said nervously.
"No you don't," Mr. Morimoto said. "You two can stay right here with me."
12:20 PM
Tai tapped his foot on the floor nervously. "Where is she?" he asked for the millionth time that day.
"I don't know, Tai," Matt answered, also for the millionth time. He was getting irritated with Tai. "Why don't you go look for her?"
"I did, she's nowhere." Tai shoved the plastic fork around in the french fry box in an attempt to retrieve one last fry. He finally got frustrated and picked up the box, dumping the offending fry into his mouth. "I hope she's okay."
"Maybe the presentation's taking longer than they expected," Matt suggested. "You could go check in on her and Kyoko."
"I think I'll do that," Tai said, jumping up and going towards the door. He forgot that he was sitting on a bench, not a chair, and fell flat on his face. Matt and about thirty other people burst out laughing, but Tai ignored them and got up. He walked calmly out of the cafeteria, and down the short hallway to the office.
"Hello Tai, what brings you here?" the secretary asked cheerfully.
"I was just wondering if Sora's done speaking with the principal," Tai said.
"No, she and Kyoko haven't left the office yet. I'm sure you could probably check in on them though," she told him.
Tai turned the knob on the door. "It's locked."
"That's odd," the secretary noted. She knocked on the door. Muffled noises were heard, one of them Tai recognized as Sora.
"That sounds like Sora in there," Tai said.
"Tai! Open the door!" Sora's voice called.
"Do you have keys to the office?" Tai asked. She shook her head. Tai jiggled the doorknob, unsucessful again. He started kicking at the door, slamming against it, trying to break it down, but to no avail. A lightbulb went on in his head a few minutes later. "Go to the shop and get me a file or a chisel," he instructed. The secretary bolted out of the office.
Tai could still hear muffled cries for help from the other side of the door, from both Sora and Kyoko, and a somewhat angry male voice that must have been Mr. Morimoto. "Sora, what's going on?" Tai asked.
It sounded as though Sora was crying as she answered, "Just get me out of here! Please!"
"Don't worry Sora, we're figuring something out. Hold on, okay? I'll get you out, promise," Tai assured her.
A janitor walked by the office and Tai pounced on him. "Do you have keys to Mr. Morimoto's office?"
"No, I don't," the janitor said. "Sorry."
"Dammit," Tai said under his breath.
The secretary returned with an assortment of chisels. Tai grabbed the first one he could and proceeded to pop the pins out of the hinges of the door. The middle one was a toughie, but he got it.
"Ingenius, Tai," the secretary said.
Tai shoved the door over to the side and scanned the room for Sora. He saw papers on the floor, and another sight that was truly disturbing. "Call the police," he told the secretary, "right now."
Tai knocked gently on the bathroom door. "Come on Sora, we're gonna be late!"
"Just a minute!" she called back.
"That's what you said ten minutes ago!" Tai told her. "My Mom and Dad have left, and so has Kari!"
"I'm almost ready!"
Tai sighed and leaned against the wall, but he was smiling. This is what it's like living with Sora, huh? Tai thought. God, he loved her, with all his heart, but he was glad that soon her mom would be home and Sora could go home too. She needed the stability that being a temporary resident can't offer. Someday, he knew he wanted to spend every day with Sora... but not now. Maybe in college...
His thoughts were broken by Sora leaving the bathroom. She looked pretty much just like she always did, maybe a little more makeup than usual. Either way, Tai thought she was beautiful.
"You look great," Tai said, smiling. "Now, let's get outta here, or we'll be late."
Tai locked the apartment door behind them and they took the elevator down to the parking lot. Tai's car was waiting to take them to school, as usual, the driver's side door was stuck, as usual, but Tai and Sora had a lovely ride to school, which was spiced up nicely with a short stop at a deserted park to make out for a while.
Sora brushed her hair back into place and stuck the brush in her backpack when they arrived at school. Tai was about to get out of the car, but she stopped him. "I'm still freaked out about this meeting."
"You'll be awesome," Tai assured her. "You and Kyoko will blow Mr. Moriomot out of the water, and then you'll find out who did this and everything will go back to normal." He leaned over and kissed Sora tenderly on the lips. "I believe in you."
Sora smiled weakly at Tai and put her hand on the door. "I'll meet you in the cafeteria when we're done, okay?"
"No problem," Tai said. They got out of the car and walked hand in hand up to the school.
11:30 AM
It was lunchtime, and Tai walked Sora down to the office to meet Kyoko. As they approached the office, Tai could feel Sora's hand trembling as it gripped his own. Her eyes were fixed on her destination, not looking at anything around her. It was the look she had whenever she was scared out if her wits -- Tai remembered it from the numerous battles in DigiWorld.
"Hey, Sora, don't be scared," Tai murmured, putting his hands on her shoulders.
Sora gave Tai a funny look. "That dream keeps coming back," she whispered. "Something about Mr. Morimoto that just isn't right. I don't really trust him."
"It'll be okay," Tai comforted, pulling his girlfriend into a warm hug. "Now, there's Kyoko. You two go in there and make a killer presentation."
Sora shifted her backpack on her shoulder and went to where Kyoko was standing.
"Ready to go?" Kyoko asked Sora.
Sora nodded. Papers in hand, Kyoko and Sora entered Mr. Morimoto's office. He was leaned back in his chair, looking rather casual, as Kyoko and Sora began their presentation.
"Well?" Sora said, when they were done.
"I think it's an interesting propsition girls," he said, a strangely smug smile on his face.
Kyoko felt fidgety. She gave Sora a funny look. "You want time to think about it or something?" Kyoko asked the principal.
"Yes, I believe I'll think about it for a while," Mr. Morimoto said, still with that strange atmosphere around him.
"Okay, then we'll see you later," Sora said, getting up and turning the doorknob. It was locked. "Um, the door's locked."
"I know," he said. "You two don't have to leave."
"We kinda have to go to lunch, and our classes," Kyoko said nervously.
"No you don't," Mr. Morimoto said. "You two can stay right here with me."
12:20 PM
Tai tapped his foot on the floor nervously. "Where is she?" he asked for the millionth time that day.
"I don't know, Tai," Matt answered, also for the millionth time. He was getting irritated with Tai. "Why don't you go look for her?"
"I did, she's nowhere." Tai shoved the plastic fork around in the french fry box in an attempt to retrieve one last fry. He finally got frustrated and picked up the box, dumping the offending fry into his mouth. "I hope she's okay."
"Maybe the presentation's taking longer than they expected," Matt suggested. "You could go check in on her and Kyoko."
"I think I'll do that," Tai said, jumping up and going towards the door. He forgot that he was sitting on a bench, not a chair, and fell flat on his face. Matt and about thirty other people burst out laughing, but Tai ignored them and got up. He walked calmly out of the cafeteria, and down the short hallway to the office.
"Hello Tai, what brings you here?" the secretary asked cheerfully.
"I was just wondering if Sora's done speaking with the principal," Tai said.
"No, she and Kyoko haven't left the office yet. I'm sure you could probably check in on them though," she told him.
Tai turned the knob on the door. "It's locked."
"That's odd," the secretary noted. She knocked on the door. Muffled noises were heard, one of them Tai recognized as Sora.
"That sounds like Sora in there," Tai said.
"Tai! Open the door!" Sora's voice called.
"Do you have keys to the office?" Tai asked. She shook her head. Tai jiggled the doorknob, unsucessful again. He started kicking at the door, slamming against it, trying to break it down, but to no avail. A lightbulb went on in his head a few minutes later. "Go to the shop and get me a file or a chisel," he instructed. The secretary bolted out of the office.
Tai could still hear muffled cries for help from the other side of the door, from both Sora and Kyoko, and a somewhat angry male voice that must have been Mr. Morimoto. "Sora, what's going on?" Tai asked.
It sounded as though Sora was crying as she answered, "Just get me out of here! Please!"
"Don't worry Sora, we're figuring something out. Hold on, okay? I'll get you out, promise," Tai assured her.
A janitor walked by the office and Tai pounced on him. "Do you have keys to Mr. Morimoto's office?"
"No, I don't," the janitor said. "Sorry."
"Dammit," Tai said under his breath.
The secretary returned with an assortment of chisels. Tai grabbed the first one he could and proceeded to pop the pins out of the hinges of the door. The middle one was a toughie, but he got it.
"Ingenius, Tai," the secretary said.
Tai shoved the door over to the side and scanned the room for Sora. He saw papers on the floor, and another sight that was truly disturbing. "Call the police," he told the secretary, "right now."