Chapter Twenty-One

Homeless Sweet Homeless

I did end up teetering off to sleep during the half hour that Caroline left us. The leather couch cushions rumpled every time I moved, but they were cool to the touch. Three thick fingers disturb my slumber and I smacked my mouth and wiped the drool off my chin. A small puddle of it remained where my mouth had been. Gross.

One of the distinguished yellow fox digimon stood over me. Dozily, I blinked up at her.

"I am Renamon," the yellow fox said.

"Okay," I said. "I'm Tonia."

Behind Renamon, where Sarah was still snoozing on the sofa, Impmon stood on the couch spine. He deftly bent down and poked Sarah right on the nose. She blinked a few times before letting out a shriek at the sight of him and fell to the floor.

"Bwahahaha!" Impmon laughed.

Shooting to her feet, Sarah pushed him off the sofa and there was a thump as he too fell.

"Oomph," he said.

"Good morning Bangs and Shrieka," Caroline said cheerily. She, Brian, and their digimon were on their feet with amused expressions on their faces.

"What's he doing here?" Sarah said, pointing at Impmon as he made his way around to her.

"You both still need digimon, and sense its taking so long to pick, I took it upon myself to choose for you both. Sarah, you're partnered with Impmon. Tonia, Renamon volunteered to be your digimon. There were ten of them hoping for a partner and in my professional ini mini myni mo decision making, I chose her." Caroline said.

I looked back to Renamon, who struck a fist to her chest and stood at attention.

"Okay."

"Leomon, will of course remain with you both until a bond is formed," Caroline said.

Right…

With two digimon to accompany me, Caroline at last relinquished her captivity of my person and I was allowed to visit my mother. Meanwhile, Brian and Sarah returned to the digital world with the bad mouthed digidestined girl. I couldn't imagine what possessed them to go along with that and I also didn't care.

The sun was setting and I sat in the passenger seat of a car under the employ of 'The Pink Stache,' (An internet company run by random do-gooder-drivers to act as a taxi service for drunks, hitch-hikers, and unlicensed personal like myself.) A card had been provided for me to use by Caroline and she had made the arrangements. She'd apparently had become quite accustomed to 'The Pink Stache' in less than a twenty-four-hour period. The reason, I suspected, had much to do with her broken down cameri.

Unbeknownst to the young adult driver, Leomon and Renamon rode in the back. The muscle-man-lion digimon had to hunch over and he kept on emitting annoyed grunts every time we hit a bump. Renamon, diligent and poised, sat with her legs crossed and had a seat belt strapped across her chest. No light had sprouted forth when I had shaken her hand, and as far as I knew Sarah and Impmon remained digiviceless as well. Nonetheless, I had not one, but two digimon guardians watching over me this eve.

We arrived at the hospital with nothing more adventurous occurring than almost zipping past a red-light. We cleared the intersection just as the light switched from yellow to red and the driver shot a quick glance at me out of the corner of his eye. I said nothing and the borderline defiant act was metaphorically swept under the carpet.

The hospital smelled like a hospital. It was three stories high with four wings and it didn't take long for me to get lost. Renamon and Leomon shadowed me like a pair of hounds. The ambient florescent lights made the digimon appear all the more surreal. They might have proved an intimidating sight, but of course no one suffered with the same unfortunate disease that allowed me to see them. There was more than one moment where I began to wonder if I really was deranged. However, my questions of my sanity were put aside as I wondered into my mother's hospital room.

"Tonia!" she said as I walked in. No IV sight invaded my mom's body. She wore a shirt, so if there had been bandages across her chest, I did not see them. Aside from her greasy hair, and a few scratches and bruises across her face, she appeared in good health. Mom gestured from the bed for me to come over and hug her.

I did so, and she drew a hand across my cheek. "I'm so glad you're safe. Who are you staying with?"

And oddly enough, I never thought of what lie I'd have to tell her. All I came up with was my washed up line: "A friend."

"Sweetie, I need to speak with their parents. What friend?"

Dad shifted uncomfortably on the couch. Apparently feeling guilty about not showing the proper care due an under aged teen.

"She's from school," I said and at last came up with an understandable scenario. "I don't have her number." That was a lie. Caroline had given me her number, but somehow I did not think it wise for my mom to speak with her. "Where's Lilith?" I asked, hoping to deter her.

"She's also staying with a friend from school. I already spoke to Mrs. Branch. She's offered to take care of Lilith until our insurance kicks in. The police are investigating, trying to determine what happened." Abruptly, mom wiped a tear away. "God, I just can't believe it. We made the News, Tonia! I saw it on the TV. I just don't understand what happened. None of the other houses were touched."

"Yeah, it's weird," I said, a little offset by my mother's tears. It was a rear event to bare witness to and I was also a little distracted by Leomon crossing the room to sit next to my father. The cushions indented severally and my father frowned at them. Leomon, in turn, frowned at him.

At that moment, a nurse walked in, brushing past Renamon. "I have your discharge papers here. The doctor recommends for you to see a bone specialist within the next ten days. I also have some resources for you if you are interested." She placed a stack of papers on my mom's bedside table and went on: "It should take about two weeks for your ribs to heal. To help with the pain, go ahead and put ice on it. For starters it is recommended to take over the counter pain medication, if you need anything stronger, see your family physician. Be sure and cough and take deep breaths every hour. Since you haven't injured your neck or back, lay on your injured side at rest. Also, refrain from wearing anything too binding. It is important in the recovery process for you to breathe deeply." She spoke quickly with well practice professional teaching skills. She continued on for a good ten minutes more or less repeating everything she'd just said and at last left the room.

"Two weeks," mom sighed. "That's less than I expected."

Dad grunted his agreement.

After all the paper work was filled out, the nurse escorted my mom in a wheel chair to the lobby. Dad went to get the car and the five of us piled in.

"You should sit in the middle," Leomon said.

"Why?" I asked.

"What was that sweetie?" Mom said, opening the passenger door.

"Nothing," I said as Renamon slipped into the car and Leomon gestured for me to come after.

I glanced at Leomon a moment, but he either he couldn't see my bland stare through my bangs or he was ignoring it. Whatever the case, he did not respond. I blew out a breath through my nostrils and slipped inside. Leomon came in after and I was at once grateful that Renamon was as slim as she was. He not only took up his entire seat, but half of mine as well.

"Can you just drive by it?" Mom said.

Dad glanced at her as we pulled out of the hospital.

"I just, I just have to see it for myself."

"Okay," dad said.

It was then that I thought to wonder at the possibility of Myotismon's henchmen lingering about the ruins of my home.

"Mom, it's probably really crowded and you won't be able to see much in the dark," I supplied.

She glanced over her shoulder at me, her brows furrowed in concern. "Alright, sweetie," she said and then smiled. "You want to get some McDonald's?" The shock seemed to be having some sort of viewer regression effect on her. I was now five-years-old again.

"Sure," I said.

Moments later, dad parked in a McDonald's lot and we were strolling through the night into the fast food restaurant. Leomon seemed all too happy to leave the car. He strolled ahead of us, shrugging his shoulders and cracking his neck from side to side. Then again, it might have been the smell of food rich with carcinogens, for when mom and dad started ordering at the counter, he looked longingly at the menu and his huge nostrils frilled. Renamon was far less obvious in her desire for such unhealthy deliciousness. She crossed her arms over her chest and pointedly looked out the window, though I did catch her eyeing the tray of a passing customer.

"Tonia, would you like a happy meal?"

Really, mom?

"Uh, no," I said.

"Oh what is it you'd like, honey?"

"Three number fives, including the fries and drink."

Mom blinked. "Honey, that's too much."

"I'm really hungry," I said in my usual monotone.

Before mom could argue further, dad went on and placed the order. He led mom to the tables as she began to bicker about the dangers of over-feeding your children.

"Tonia could use a little more weight," he said.

"You're right, I shouldn't argue," she said and kissed his cheek before daintily taking a seat.

I collected the tray and made my way to the table. Curiously, I handed Leomon and Renamon their meals while keeping an eye on my parents. They didn't appear to notice the spontaneous disappearance of the food, but simply grabbed their own orders. Paper crinkled as everyone unwrapped their burgers. I only ended up eating half mine and a third of my fries, which I gladly offered to Leomon after he'd finished his whole meal in two bites. Renamon nibbled on her food more slowly with a diligence that somehow managed to make the fast food look elegant.

Throughout dinner, mom made googoo eyes at dad and they attempted to subtly play footsie under the table. Their affectionate play escalated as we returned to the car and when dad pinched moms bum I'd had enough and said:

"Can you drop me off at my friend's house?"

"What, of course sweetie. Where is it?" mom said.

And to that I had no answer. "It's close to my school, just drop me off there."

"Okay," mom giggled. Had she been in a right state of mind she wouldn't have allowed any such thing.

But luckily she wasn't. Dad at least was responsible enough to give me some cash for my none-existent-friend's parents. They dropped me off at the usual pick up spot in front of the administration office and the car sped away. Where were they were going? I wasn't sure, but there had been talk of a hotel at the hospital.

I stood in the deserted parking lot with forty dollars in my pocket. I had no idea where I was going to sleep tonight. All my friends were either running around hunting digimon or sulking in the digital world. I had no intention of calling Caroline.

"We should not stand in the open like this," Renamon said.

"Yeah," I said and started to walk without much thought to where I was going.

"We should try and contact the others," Leomon said, loping after me.

"No, that's alright," I said.

"It's not safe at night," Leomon said.

It's not really safe anywhere or at any time.

"Why don't you want to regroup with the others? There is safety in numbers," Renamon said.

I stopped walking and became aware I was standing under an overhanging at the entrance of the gym. For a moment I stood peering through the glass doors. Renamon's question rung in my ears.

Everyone had their own way of processing loss and mine did not involve people.

Without replying, I started to walk around the gym building, searching the walls for an open window.

"What is it you are looking for?" Renamon asked.

"A way inside," I said.

"I will find one," she said and in a blur of motion she was gone.

Leomon and I continued to circle the building until Renamon returned, appearing just as suddenly as she had left us.

"I made a way for you to go inside," she said.

"You didn't break anything did you?" I asked. If she'd set off an alarm I'd have to come up with another place to sleep and get the hell out of here.

"I did not," she said. "I opened a door."

I blinked. "It wasn't locked?"

She shook her head.

The fuck?

The unlocked door turned out to be on the roof. I hung on Leomon's back as he scaled the building. He zipped unnoticed passed a young-adult security guard sitting and smoking on the three foot wall bordering the roof's edge. He gazed forlornly into the night and strangely enough, he didn't see me either.

Lemon raced down the stairs, me bouncing on his back. Renamon ran along the walls on the inner side and it took us a grand total of eight seconds to reach the bottom stair and enter into the hall outside of the gym. Only then did Leomon set me down, and the three of us quietly trod the silent halls.

The school was a different place at night. Dimly lit, yet uneerie. There was a familiarity to it. A softness and a comfort.

I entered into the girl locker room and after a brief glance at Leomon, I told him to 'stand guard' outside. He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest, leaned against the wall, and twitched his tail. Periodically he glanced from side to side.

Whatever.

I went to the girls shower room and stripped.

"I need some clean cloths," I said to Renamon. She blinked once at my naked body before blurring off again.

Alone. Blessedly alone.

Warm water beat down my back in an irritating drum, a necessity to cleanliness. I wash and cleaned my hair and body with the dispenser soap and shampoo. I padded dry with a clean towel supplied by Renamon. She'd found some girls gym clothes and undergarments. They smelled clean, but o be safe I washed my own underthings and decided to go commando until they dried.

Renamon also had the good sense to find some blankets.

"Where did you get these?" I asked.

"An office," she said. "There were also medical supplies."

God damn Renamon was resourceful.

"Thanks," I said. The blankets weren't anything fancy, thin, made of imitation cotton. But they were blankets and that was good enough.

I found the supply room where the mats were kept, but the door was locked. Like some sort of magician's card trick, Renamon flicked a razor thin leaf from between two of her three fingers and slid it between the edge of the door, just as Leomon threw his weight into it and with their combined brains and bronze the door flew open and rebounded loudly off the walls.

For a moment we froze and Renamon blurred off again. I slipped into the supply room and shut myself inside. There were bagged balls, barreled rackets, lacrosse sticks, wound up volleyball nets, and most importantly, stacked mats. I set the blankets and climbed onto the top of a three foot pile. One blanket I rolled into a pillow, the rest I used to cover myself. Distinctly not thinking about the many feet and sweaty bodies that have assaulted these mats over the years, I closed my eyes and went to sleep.

My last dozy thought was: I'm fucking homeless…