Hi there! This story is now on hiatus while we are rewriting it, but I am keeping this chapter up for now. Look out for updates in the coming months!
-A
Episode One: The Unavoidable
Hailee
I glared boredly up at the wall clock and let out a long sigh. It was just after six. I spun around in my stool and stopped to face the clock again. The second hand, which had been broken since forever, diligently ticked on the seven over and over again. The only thing I could do was wait. No amount of hard work or goodwill would get me out of here any quicker. Which was why I wasn't moving a muscle to help, no matter how hard they persisted.
My eyes landed on Dad, who stood at the stove, lovingly creating his dishes for dinner tonight. He moved with a special energy tonight. This wasn't just another work day for just another customer, this was different. And it was going to be terrible.
I spun myself around again and almost jumped out of the stool when Dori came rushing into the kitchen from the dining area. She had been keeping look-out all evening and her usual quiet self seemed to have gone away for the night. She was almost as excited as Dad was.
"Is he here?" Dad asked, turning to look at Dori with wide eyes.
"No, not yet," Dori panted, out of breath. "But, Hailee, Mum wants you to get about cleaning the loo. She says that everyone-"
"Ugh, not now, Dori..." I grumbled, still refusing to get up from my chair.
"Somebody's grumpy tonight..." Dad laughed good-naturedly. "Why don't you at least come over here and help me?"
Before I could protest for the millionth time, Mum pushed open the kitchen doors and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Hailee Little, you're not just going to sit there while the rest of us work our butts off, are you?"
"Mum, it's just that-"
"Just that you'd rather be romping around with you're friends?" Dad guessed with a teasing smile.
"Not romping, Dad. Training. We train. And besides, I think it's a little more important than polishing toilets. I really don't see what the big fuss is all about...it's only Calvin."
I crossed my arms and met Mum's gaze fiercely. I was only met with a disappointed frown. She sighed and grabbed the broom that was leaning against the wall.
"It's been hard since you're brother left, but we still all need to do our part around here," Mum said quietly.
"I do...it's just I have other responsibilities too," I said, lowering my voice a little. I knew where this conversation was headed.
"Remember, Calvin is a Digidestined, too. But he still made time for work and family," Dad added gently. There it was. Honestly, how the hell could I forget?
"He hasn't been home since before school started and you really want to go and train tonight?" Dad continued.
I rolled my eyes, jumped down from the stool, and shuffled over to where he stood at the stove.
"Fine, fine…But after dinner, I'm gone."
This seemed to satisfy everyone, and they all got back to work.
"I just started on the mushroom sauce, if you'd like to work on that," Dad told me as he flipped the lamb chops.
I begrudgingly grabbed a spoon from the wall and began stirring the mushrooms he had just started to saute. Arguing with these people really was useless sometimes. They always managed to turn the conversation on Calvin and how he was doing things so much better.
After he had left for college, I had sort of assumed things would get easier for me, cause I wouldn't have to worry about being in his shadow anymore. It was just the opposite, really. I couldn't avoid my parents watchful eyes when they didn't have Calvin to focus on and was now expected to perform as well as he did in everything else. Not that they said that it to me. It was just more of a feeling I got. Like I was disappointing them no matter what I did.
"Looks good, Hailee," Dad said with a nod as I salted and peppered the sauce and turned down the heat.
"Thanks," I answered, not looking up. I turned away from the smoking stove and instead of heading back to my stool, I escaped into the dining room.
Roomon, my Digimon and fellow misunderstood member of the Little family, sat at her usual booth. She sat with her front paws on the table with her long snout pressed against the window. Her long ears rested up on the window sill while she quietly watched cars and people go by outside. When she saw me walking towards her, she jumped up in excitement.
"Hailee! Is it time to go?" She blinked her large orange eyes at me.
"Nah, we're stuck here for dinner," I sighed, sliding into the booth across from her.
"Oh," she said, setting her head on the table. She was as restless as I was.
"But in the meantime we can figure out a new strategy for today." I drummed my fingers on the table. "At the pace we're going, we're not getting anywhere."
"You're right, but I don't know what we can do differently. It's just a little hard to get them to...focus."
"It's bloody impossible to get them to focus, but maybe that's because we're doing everything for them," I replied dryly. "If we're gonna start working as a team, they've got to be able to take some responsibility on their own."
Despite my realistic views on things, I had a good feeling about tonight. While the more recent training sessions hadn't been going as well as I would've liked, I had confidence that if we worked harder it would really pay off.
"Sounds like a plan to me!" Roomon said, raising her head and nodding vigorously. "Let's hurry up and eat so we can go!" She hopped down and started making her way into the kitchen.
I rolled my eyes and jumped up. I admired her enthusiasm, anyway.
Before I could even make it across the room, the front door bell jingled. Damn. I whirled around.
"Hey, Hail."
There he was, smiling casually with his backpack slung over his shoulder.
"Oh, you're here."
"Did you miss us?" Gomemon, Calvin's Digimon, called, tripping inside behind him.
"Hey, buddy," I said kneeling down and patting his head. I stood up and before I could get away, Calvin hugged me.
"It's good to see you. How ya been?"
"Yeah, I'm good."
"How's your-"
"Calvin!"
We turned to see Dori rushing towards us.
"Dori, how are ya?" Calvin laughed, catching her in his arms.
"It's so good to see you!"
I took a couple steps back as Mum and Dad came out and joined the hug and crossed my arms. Roomon came up to me and nudged my leg.
"I totally forgot he was coming," She whispered.
I gave her a look and snorted. "Kind of puts a damper on our plans, eh?"
"Lookin' good, Calvin!" Dad said, clapping him hard on the back.
"You don't look so bad yourself. How's business?" Calvin replied heartily.
"Everything is running smooth as ever. Maybe better now that you and all of your shenanigans have gone."
"Don't let him fool you, he's always complaining about missing your help," Mum laughed.
"Nah, I'm sure Hailee's been picking up right where I left off. She's got more talent than I ever had," Calvin said, hitting my shoulder.
"Hailee's been doing a great job. When she's around to help, anyway," Dad answered with a laugh.
"Dad!" I cried, giving him a look.
"Just teasing. Er, anyway, shall we head into the kitchen?" Dad gestured into the kitchen and everyone slowly transitioned as the endless chatter continued.
"So, what have you been up to at school?" Dad asked as we stood, eating around the counter like we usually did. Dad didn't believe in sit-down dinners.
"It's been bloody busy, but I've been meeting a lot of great people...actually I've been getting involved with..."
I glanced up at the clock again. It was almost ten after. Time to head out.
"Isn't that right, Hailee?" Calvin asked.
"What?" I swiveled my head back to see that everyone was staring at me.
"I said I've been meeting up with some Digidestined on campus, it reminded me of you and your little team."
"My little team?" I asked, arching my eyebrow. I didn't like where this was headed.
"Yeah, I've been meaning to ask how it's been going. I'd be happy to help or offer some advice if you need it," Calvin replied, smiling genuinely.
"Oh," I said, trying to keep my face blank, even though my blood was boiling. "It's funny you should ask. Actually, I was just about to go train with them tonight. Like, right now." I began inching towards the back door and waving my hand discreetly at Roomon who bolted towards me, her claws clicking against the floor.
"Really? That's great, would you like me to come and-"
"Hell n-" Mum cut me off with a stern expression. "I mean, nah, not right now. We got a lot of stuff to go over tonight. Not that we need the training, cause, we're good. Really good."
I casually backed up, opened the door, and slipped out. I slammed it and leaned against it, breathing heavy.
"You all right, Hailee?" Roomon asked, cocking her head at me. "I think he was just trying to help..."
I shook my head and started down the alleyway. "That's the problem," I muttered. "He doesn't think...never mind. I don't give a damn about what he thinks."
Was he ever satisfied? He already had all of the followers he could ask for. Why couldn't he leave my team alone?
"Hailee..."
"What?" I barked.
"I know we can all do better this time...we'll become the great team you want." She smiled up at me, her eyes shining.
I took a deep breath and my anger slowly drained away. It wasn't fair of me to take it out on her.
"Thanks, Roo." I patted her head. "Now let's go."
"I'll race you to Sandy's house!" Roomon called, bounding ahead of me and out into the downtown area.
"Hey! Why don't you save some of that energy for training?"
I took off running after her, finding my smile growing wider the further I got away from the restaurant. I was almost free. Not that my problems were any less in the Digital World. Just different. I rounded the corner and caught up with Roomon, who had taken to a slower pace because of the bustling sidewalks. Tourists and locals mingled together, enjoying the beginning of Avalon's nightlife. I dodged a couple pushing a stroller and waved for Roomon to follow me across the street.
"So, what do you have in mind for giving them more responsibility, then?" Roomon asked, glancing up at me.
"I figure we can find something in Satan's Crags. There's always something in Satan's Crags," I answered with a shrug.
"Nice choice," Roomon said with a sly smile. "And it won't be quite so hot there at this time of night..."
Calvin had always warned me against Satan's Crags when we were kids. Little did he know, it had become one of our main training spots. I grinned. If training went well tonight, maybe I would invite him the next time, just to show him how wrong he was.
By the time we reached our street, I was feeling pretty good again. We were really going to get things done tonight. All of my hard work would finally pay off. I marched up to Sandy's house and wrapped loudly on the door.
"Who is it?" Rachel Tibbits commanding voice boomed.
"Who the hell does she think it is?" I whispered to Roomon, who snickered. "It's Hailee!"
I could hear her heels clomping against the floor as she walked over to the door and slowly creaked it open, frowning disapprovingly down at me.
"What a pleasant surprise, Ms. Little."
She ushered me inside and shut the door in Roomon's face. She didn't allow any fur indoors. Luckily, Muchomon didn't have any.
"Sandy is out back," Rachel said as she sat back down at the table and opened her laptop, the only computer in the Tibbit's house. That meant we had to go back to my place.
I crossed the house, trying my best to resist the urge to stomp all over her white rug with my boots. She'd kill me if I got so much as a speck on it. I slid open the screen door and stepped into the Tibbit's backyard. Sandy stood with her back to me picking pears from the tree and gently dropping them into the basket on the ground. Muchomon sat at the base of the tree, eating a large yellow pear to the best of his ability with his beak. I skirted around the garden, which took up most of the backyard and approached the pear tree.
"Hey, you guys busy?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips. Sandy turned and Muchomon dropped his pear and struggled to his feet.
"Gosh, what took you so long?" he asked as he waddled over.
"Calvin's home for the weekend," I explained, rolling my eyes. "We had to stay for dinner."
"Oh, yeah? How is he doing?" Sandy asked.
"He's doing perfect as usual," I grunted.
"That's good. You want a pear, Hailee? They're just perfectly ripe." Sandy held out of the pear she had just picked. I grinned and swiped it from her hand.
"Thanks. Ready to go?"
"Well, the thing is..." Sandy started, looking down at her feet.
"Sandy hasn't told her mom that we were training tonight," Muchomon finished with a shrug.
"What?" I cried, taking a bite out of the pear. "Shit. Why not?"
"Well, it was getting late and she doesn't really want me to...you know..."
"That's no excuse! She can't keep you locked away all the time, Sandy. If she doesn't want you going in the Digital World, you're just gonna have to make something up."
"Lie?" Sandy squeaked. "I'm not going to lie to my mum, Hailee! You know I can't!"
I sighed. It was true, Sandy couldn't lie to save her life. Especially not to her mum.
"All right, just come with me." I turned and marched back into the house, wiping my mouth with the back of my wrist. "Hey, er, Ms. Tibbits?"
"What is it?" Rachel asked, raising an eyebrow at me. She could at least try to hide her disgust and hatred for me. Not that subtlety was one of my graces either.
"Sandy just reminded me that I have a huge science project due tomorrow. Would it be okay if she came over and helped me study?"
Rachel looked back and forth between me and Sandy for a minute and sighed.
"I'll allow it if you go straight to your house and stay there. And have Sandy back before nine!"
"Righto," I chirped, grabbing Sandy's wrist and strolling towards the front door.
"Sandy?" Rachel called before I could open the door.
"Yes, mum?" Sandy replied, pulling out of my grip and turning towards her.
"Please try and be responsible. I'm expecting you to make the right choices."
"O-of course. I'll be back before nine," Sandy answered, ducking her head and following me outside.
"Bloody hell, Sandy. What's it going to be like when you get a boyfriend?" I laughed.
"Thankfully, I don't have to worry about that..." Sandy shook her head.
"Hi guys!" Roomon said, perking up as soon as she saw us.
"Roomon!" Muchomon cried. "Good to see ya!"
"Hullo, Roomon," Sandy said cheerfully. "Here, I brought you a pear." She pulled one out of her front pocket and held it out to Roomon, who took it in her mouth.
"We're losing our light, let's head out," I said, hopping down the front steps and quickly crossing the street. I unlocked the house and let everyone inside. I didn't bother with the lights, knowing everyone else wouldn't come home until late, and rushed into my bedroom.
"So, Calvin's back then, huh?" Muchomon asked, peeking into Calvin's old bedroom which was just across the hall from mine. "It's kind of weird not seeing him around anymore."
Roomon walked into my room followed by Muchomon and Sandy. "He offered to come tonight but Hailee-"
"Roomon!" I cried, quickly opening my laptop.
"Calvin wanted to come tonight?" Sandy asked curiously.
"Yeah," I sighed. "But I thought it would distract us, ya know."
"Maybe he could help..." Sandy said quietly.
"Ergh, can we just go already?" I crossed my arms.
As Sandy had just become a Digidestined last year she had a newer version of Digivice than me. Which meant, as annoying as it was, I needed Sandy to get me into the Digital World.
"Right." She slowly pulled out her green Digivice out of her pocket and held it up to the screen with slightly shaky hands. "Digiport open."
The portal opened with a blast of light and in an instant the natural pull of it took over and drew us in. Traveling between the two worlds was an exhilarating process that I never got tired of. Not that it lasted very long. It was only about five seconds before you could open your eyes and find yourself standing in the Digital World. No matter how many times I had done it, it was still pretty discombobulating to suddenly be in a completely different place. But, the surrounding desert plain was a refreshing sight after the day I had.
"Oh, yeah!" Muchomon cried. "What first?"
Being back in their natural element always amped the Digimon up. Hopefully he could put all of his positive energy to good use this time around.
"Roomon and I were thinking we could head into Satan's Crags. There's always a trouble-making virus in there. We just have to wait for Oliver." I shaded my eyes and looked out onto the horizon where the sun was just starting to set. The yellow sand stretched out all the way into the mountains in the distance. Off to our right was a small oasis and an in-training village that looked devoid of any life.
"Okay, great!" Muchomon answered, though I could tell he hadn't been paying attention. He was staring at a flock of Digimon flying high overhead.
I started when I realized Sandy hadn't spoken since we had left and swiftly turned around. She stood quietly facing the Crags, fidgeting with her Digivice. She was probably still upset about having to lie to her Mum.
"Hey, I'm sorry I lied. But, she wasn't going to let you go otherwise," I explained, as I finished my pear and threw it out into the sand.
"I-I know...I was just thinking."
"Yeah?"
"Is...is this really what we're supposed to be...never mind."
"Hey, you know we're not training to cause trouble," I answered, as gently as I could. "We're doing this so you guys can improve your...fighting skills. That way when real danger arises-"
"We'll be ready," Sandy finished reluctantly. "You're right. I'm sorry, I promise I'll try harder."
"Don't worry about it. Just try to focus, and I know you'll do great." I nodded at her and she smiled down at me.
"Oi, Hailee, Sandy!" Came a familiar voice from behind us. I turned and grinned. Oliver was running towards us, his long blonde hair swishing in his face and he was holding Rorimon in his arms.
"Oliver!" I called. "You're late!"
"Sorry, I couldn't get away!" Oliver replied with a hearty laugh. He set Rorimon down at his feet, where Roomon and Muchomon happily surrounded him, and threw his arms around Sandy and I in a crushing embrace. "How's my favorite cousin and her best friend?"
"Aw, shut up!" I said shoving him away and setting my face. "I hope you're ready to get down to business?"
"Course! What have you got in mind?" Oliver answered, scratching his head and looking around. Damn, he was already distracted. But at least he was enthusiastic about training, unlike Sandy.
"Satan's Crags!" Muchomon sang.
"Oh, the humanity..." Rorimon sighed, rolling into a ball.
Roomon nudged him with her paw. "Come on, we'll make sure you'll survive it."
"Yeah, and we'll have fun too!" Muchomon chimed in.
Rorimon reluctantly unrolled and got to his feet. "If I die, take your time in coming to find me at Primary Village. At least I could relax there."
"Hey, don't talk like that!" Oliver said, scooping him up.
"There's something else that Roomon and I have been discussing," I said, looking around at the eager and not-so-eager faces of my team.
I never got to finish my sentence as a piercing cry for help interrupted all of our thoughts.
"What the-I think that came from the village!" I took off running towards the small gathering of huts with Roomon right on my heels.
"Help us!" came another cry.
I scanned the area and suddenly spotted a Pagumon that was being surrounded by three angry looking Kunemon.
"Let's get-" I stopped short. This was a relatively easy situation to take on. They were only rookies. I had to let them try it on their own, or they'd never get anywhere. I looked back at Oliver and Sandy. "You guys can handle this one!"
They looked at me, stunned.
"What?" Sandy gasped.
"Why?" Oliver asked.
"Just try! And hurry, that Pagumon needs help!"
Oliver and Sandy both looked at their Digimon.
"Come on!" Muchomon cried, rushing into the village as fast as his tiny legs would carry him.
"It's worth a shot..." Rorimon sighed as Oliver took him into the village and set him down in the sand.
"Hey, dorks! Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Muchomon yelled as he sped towards them. The Kunemon whipped around and hissed at him. They separated as Muchomon reached them, causing him to tumble into the Pagumon.
"Oof, sorry, pal."
Just as Muchomon got to his feet again, one of the Kunemon sliced him down and raised its claw to strike him again.
"Muchomon!" Sandy cried.
"Hey! Leave my friend alone!" Rorimon squeaked. The three Kunemon turned to look at him and hissed. "Uh...can't we talk about this? Bug to bug?"
While they were distracted, Muchomon jumped up and set the Pagumon down, allowing him time to hop into the closest hut.
"You messed with the wrong...guys." Muchomon yelled trying to swipe at the Kunemon with his claws. One turned towards him while the other two began advancing towards Rorimon as they hissed in rage.
"Uh oh..." Rorimon curled himself into a ball just as they reached him. They began raking him with their claws, but his hard shell prevented them from doing any damage.
"Get up, Rorimon!" Oliver cried.
"I'm coming, buddy!" Muchomon said, trying to run to him, but was swung away by the Kunemon.
Muchomon looked at him and cocked an eyebrow. "Oh? You wanna dance, big boy?" He began free-styling while the Kunemon looked at him in confusion.
Roomon and I shared a glance.
"Do you want me to-?" she asked quietly.
"Just give them a second..."
The Kunemon hissed and suddenly slapped Muchomon in the face, sending him sprawling.
"Okay, take care of it," I sighed. Roomon instantly burst into action. She leapt in front of Muchomon and before the Kunemon could do anymore damage, she blast it with her violet flame. It crumpled onto the ground and its data slowly faded away. When its buddies saw this, they instantly took off into the desert, with Roomon close behind. As she took them down Oliver and Sandy rushed up to help their Digimon. I slowly approached them and took a deep breath.
"So, er, we did better than last time, right?" Oliver asked a Rorimon slowly uncurled than collapsed on the ground. Roomon came back panting hard.
"I wish it didn't have to end like that," Sandy said, staring at the burn mark on the ground where the Kunemon had stood.
"That should be the least of your worries," I said, feeling fully exasperated. "They'll be fine. But you guys wouldn't have been, not if Roomon and I hadn't been here."
Sandy hung her head and Oliver frowned.
"Gosh, we really tried, but I guess we messed up bad," Muchomon said sadly.
"What's done is done," I muttered. "Let's just get the village back in order, then we'll try again."
Everyone dispersed across the little village to check in all of the huts. I peered in one to find four cowering Pagumon.
"Hey, the Kunemon are gone now. You can come out," I said, stepping aside to let them hop out.
"Thank you," one of them said, her eyes shining with tears. "It's been crazy out here..."
"What do you mean?" Rorimon asked as he scuttled over from a nearby hut.
"All kinds of strange Digimon have been running rampant lately," another Pagumon answered.
"It was strange that those Kunemon were here, so close to the border," Rorimon said thoughtfully. "They're usually found deep in the desert, not to mention the fact that they're nocturnal..."
"Is there something going on?" I asked, mostly to myself.
"Okay, Hailee!" Oliver said, walking up. "I think the village is all back in order!"
I looked over at where Sandy and Muchomon were happily chatting with more Pagumon and nodded.
"Great, let's get back to work then. Stay out of trouble," I said, saluting to the Pagumon.
I looked up at the darkening sky to see a spattering of stars. As I stared up at them, something caught my eye in the sand. I squinted and saw a greenish Digimon running into the desert on all fours. As I watched several more joined the pack.
"Rorimon?"
"Yeah?"
"What are those?" Rorimon came up beside me and gasped.
"Those are Komodomon...lots of Komodomon."
"Hey, aren't those water Digimon?" Oliver asked.
"Yes, they never usually stray very far from the coast..."
We watched them until they disappeared behind a sand dune.
"Than what the hell are they doing in the desert?" I asked.