Now it picks up a bit…Here's a whole chapter devoted solely to our little friend Julian. By the way, it's all written in the present tense. And italicized. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! (hee hee) Read on…

Predestined

Chapter Ten: Bubble Boy

(PS: Chapter title specially requested by roxxstertrixie.)

Julian is startled to hear his name coming from the egg, no matter how soothing the voice is. "Hello?" he asks tentatively, tapping on the shell gently. "Is anyone—"

Suddenly, the shell splits!

Transfixed, the little boy watches as the occupant of the egg begins to emerge. A beacon of light shines through the crack, illuminating his stunned face. Crack after crack splinters the smooth surface, until at last something makes its way out of the fractured remnants. It is as big as a tennis ball, with fluffy white-blonde fur and huge green eyes that shimmer like emeralds. He floats from Julian's cupped hands to his shoulder, still humming the same bewitching notes that had drawn the little boy to the egg.

"So you're here at last!" this furry little beast pipes into Julian's ear. "I've been waiting for you for a very, very long time."

"But…who are you?" the child asks, bewildered. He's not sure he wants to trust this ball of fluff, never mind how cute it is.

"It doesn't matter right now. Right now you have to listen, because I have to tell you some important things."

"I…I don't understand," Julian stutters. "Why do I need to know important things? I just wanna go home! I wanna see my mommy again!"

The furball gives an impatient sigh. He never expected a three-year-old to be so stubborn. So he begins to sing his haunting little tune again, rising off his shoulder and into the swirling fog of colors around them. "Play with me, Julian!" he calls down, all the while thinking: If this doesn't loosen him up, a bit I don't know what will!

Pretty soon, Julian is swooping around with his new friend, weaving in and out of those mysterious orbs of light. He is laughing hard, trying to catch that elusive little fluffball that keeps dancing just out of his reach. Finally, his small hands close around it, because it has let him catch up.

"Got you!" he cries out triumphantly.

"Good, great, but can ya please let me go for a second? You're squeezing me too tight!"

"Oh. Sorry." Julian lets go, and the little speck drifts out and floats in front of him.

"Are you ready to listen to me now?" it asks.

Julian is smiling now. "Sure!" he says brightly. He now thinks he can trust…whoever, or whatever, this thing is. He supposes that since the little guy had played with him so nicely, he could be trusted.

"My name is Chicamon," the little ball says. "And I'm your partner, Julian."

Julian is confused. "My partner for what? Are we gonna play a game?"

Chicamon snorts. "I wish," he says, doing a loop-de-loop in the air in front of Julian's face. "But we're not. We're going to have to do something that will decide whether or not your planet and mine survive."

"You're from another planet…are you an alien?" Julian suddenly remembers when his big sister Kinaka was watching a movie with her best friend Lauren. It was called "E.T. The Extra Terrestrial", and even though E.T. was nice, he was sure creepy-looking.

"No. I'm what's called a Digimon. A Digital Monster. But I'm not a bad monster. Do I look bad to you?" To make his point, Chicamon blew a stream of rose-colored bubbles at the little boy. They tickle the child's nose, and he laughs. "See? Anyway, here's what we've got to do…"

And he tells him. It is not a nice thing that they have to do.

"We have to fight in a war," the little Digimon explains, trying to choose his words carefully. "People may get hurt, maybe even killed. Your sister, your cousin Tania, and their friends especially. We cannot let them die, Julian. They are needed to win this war. We'll have to try and keep them all safe. No matter what happens, we have to keep them all safe. We may even have to hurt people. I know it's not good, but it's what we need to do."

When Chicamon is done telling him their task, the little boy's eyes are almost popped right out of their sockets. "That's a bad thing," Julian says in a hushed voice. Then, louder, "YOU TRICKED ME! YOU'RE NOT NICE AT ALL! YOU'RE BAD! BAD! BAD! BAD!!!!!!"

And he takes off. He is zipping across the colorful landscape with Chicamon chasing him. "Julian, come back!" he cries, his tiny squeaking voice barely heard amidst the celestial songs of the dreamy orbs hanging overhead.

"BAD! BAD! BAD!!!!!" Julian's voice is heard from far ahead. "It's a bad thing and I won't do it!"

Finally, he catches up with his partner. The little boy is sitting/floating in space, his thumb corked in his mouth, his eyes running tears like faucets. His tears lift off his face into silvery droplets around him. Chicamon drifts over, looking concerned.

"Julian?" he asks tentatively.

"STAY 'WAY FROM ME!" Julian bursts into tears. "I don't like you no more!"

Chicamon approaches anyway. "Julian, listen to me! Do you want people to die needlessly because something that needed to be done just didn't got done?" Julian shakes his head. "Didn't think so."

"But it's mean, is what it is," Julian says in half-choked sobs. "I don't want to hurt people. Mommy said that hurting people is mean and it makes them feel bad."

Chicamon nuzzles the little boy's face. "It'll be OK, Julian," he says firmly. "I promise you. If you just do what we have to do with me, and cooperate, everything will be fine. I swear to you."

Julian wipes his face of the beaded tears that hang suspended on his cheeks. "OK then," he sighs. Then, a moment later, "Chicamon?"

"Yes, Julian?"

"Is there a bathroom anywhere? 'Coz I gotta go potty."