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Trina found herself sitting straight up in bed, her face wet with tears. The clock glowed from the green 2:30 on her nightstand. Her body heaved with a sob, and for a second she couldn't remember why she was crying. She wiped the tears from her cheeks and tried to calm herself down while she retraced the dream she'd just been having. Family, friends, travels, parties... why would these things make her upset? Her eyes wandered around the dark bedroom that she shared with her younger sister and finally rested on the picture of her family. They looked strange.
Trina pulled herself out of bed and realized that the cool night breeze felt wonderful from the open window. She walked over to the picture that sat on the small vanity on the other side of the room and picked it up. Examining it carefully, she realized that nothing was wrong with the picture, but why didn't they -? She stopped mid-thought and caught the picture as it started to slip from her fingers. Wrong family!! Her breath started to catch again, and her body threatened to sob out loud. The family she had dreamed about, the one that she had loved so much... was gone!! Long dead!! There was no way they could have survived the last thousand years! They had been magical, yes, but not immortal.
Trina flung herself back on her bed and sobbed as quietly as she could, hoping that her sister would sleep through it. And the star kingdom - what about it? Had it survived? Cynthia hadn't been able to tell her since she'd been out of touch with the Moon Kingdom for so long. The whole battle with Dain and Rax - well, she'd been unconscious when Rax was there - but afterwards, with the other girls, she'd remembered everything, even without much help from Cynthia.
Forcing herself to breathe deeply and let the breeze blow on her face, Trina sat up again and hugged her knees. The ring on her right middle finger glittered softly, even in the darkness. What she really needed was some time alone...
Saphrina stomped angrily around the small hut that she, Dain and Rax were using as their rendezvous point on earth. She had just received a severe lecture from Wiseman about the fiasco at the dance club - the one Dain was still recovering from.
"We're supposed to be preparing the earth for conquering, not causing panic in the streets!" he had lectured. Saphrina had never been able to get a word in edge-wise in defense. But, inside she knew that she had failed utterly in the first part of their mission, and three Sailor Senshi had somehow appeared. This was not acceptable. Now they'd have to make up for lost ground, and time, by gaining control of another major point in the city as soon as they could. Her thoughts were interrupted as her foot caught on a loose stone.
"Ugh! This hut is stifling!" Saphrina bit as she kicked the rock out of her way. "This is no place for me to think!" With a flash of darkness, she teleported herself outside into the cool night air. "This is no good either, " she scowled. "I need a new location - one where the stench of Wiseman, Dain and Rax won't follow me!" Throwing her arms up dramatically, she disappeared in another dark flash...
Trina hugged her jacket close to her body. The night air was refreshing, but after a few minutes, it had started to get chilly. She walked alone through the wealthy upper-class neighborhoods that bordered the lake near the center of the city. Most of the homes here were very old, and the families that lived there had been aristocrats for several centuries. Still, there was a peaceful air about the old tree-lined streets. Iron gates entwined with ivy and stone walls with large trees hanging over the tops were home to several different kinds of insects and animals. The crickets sang loudly as Trina mulled over her former life, and an occasional owl hooted above her. But these things didn't distract her since she was used to hearing them.
A short while later, Trina noticed a pathway between two estates that led down to the lake. Turning, she followed the stone walkway down to the grassy shoreline. The moon was a little less than half-full, and the light it gave off was mostly blocked by the trees above her, but the lake shimmered from the light breeze. Trina sat down, her eyes far away as her mind drifted into the past. Her mind whirled with the newly awakened memories - her former home, her childhood, befriending the Moon Princess, Erika and Karin...
"My life turned out to be a fairy tale after all," she murmured quietly to herself. "Except it didn't have a happy ending." She tucked one side of her short hair behind an ear. "What am I going to do about all this? I don't want to fight! I'm not tough like Erika and... and... what's her name... I'm not like I was back then. Why did it have to be me? Why not Marion, or that crazy girl that was hanging out the car window? I bet they'd be a lot better than me..." she trailed off as tears began to fill her eyes again, making the moon's reflection a large white blur. "Why didn't I just stay with my family?" Trina broke down into sobs again, and hugged her knees to her chest. Maybe if she kept her eyes closed, she'd wake up in the morning to find that this had all been a bad dream.
Saphrina stepped out of the black nothingness that transported her and her henchmen. In front of her was a lake surrounded by tall, thick trees. This would work. She began to walk around the shoreline at a brisk pace, glad to be unhampered by collapsing walls and loose stones. It felt good to be alone, except for the sight of that awful moon hanging in the sky. Oh well, at least in this time it wasn't a symbol of worship - yet. And if she had anything to say about it, it never would be. A small smile spread across her face. Finally, she was getting the chance to strike a deadly blow at Neo-Queen Serenity and the royal family.
Slowing her pace just a little, Saphrina noticed that she had already circled about half of the lake. Just behind the trees of the far shoreline, she could see lights and a narrow channel leading out to the ocean.
"I ended up in the middle of the city," she smirked to herself. "How appropriate. It might actually be a good time to make up for the mess Rax and Dain made a few hours ago." She combed her fingers through a long strand of black hair that hung over her shoulder. "It's just a matter of where."
She started walking again, relishing the thought that she might be hailed as a savior for Wiseman's plan if - no, when - she managed to pull off something that two people had failed at earlier. But her attention was caught by a muffled sound - something out of place. She slowed to a walk, furious that anyone would be out at this hour. Just a few meters away, she could make out the shape of someone sitting against one of the large trees bordering the lake.
How dare she! Saphrina fumed silently. No one is supposed to be here but me!! She felt all of her dark energy begin to gather inside her, preparing to annihilate the girl. But before her powers could come to their peak, and manifest themselves through her fingertips, the girl stopped her crying and stood. Saphrina watched as she wiped her eyes carefully and zipped up her jacket. Then she turned and walked quietly back along a pathway between the trees, never once looking up in Saphrina's direction. Saphrina felt her fury calm down, and her powers subside.
Trina walked back toward the street solemnly. She wasn't sure why, but suddenly she had felt like she might be trespassing on someone's property, even though most of the people she knew never cared if anyone went down to the lake through their yard. Still, it had felt like the right time to leave. Her thoughts were still a jumble in her mind, and there was really no use trying to sort through them at this time of night. But the walk and the few moments alone had felt good. Maybe she -
Trina stopped dead in her tracks, and spun around. The pathway behind her was lit from the moonlight reflection, but not enough for her to see well. Why did she suddenly feel like she was being watched? She scanned the forest-like undergrowth around her as best she could, and then turned back around. Maybe this walk hadn't been such a good idea after all. She started to walk toward the street again, this time a little faster. If she had to call for help at 3:30 in the morning, people would automatically be suspicious of her for being out at this time in the first place.
Another premonition of being watched shot through Trina's body again. By now, she was out on the cobble-stone road walking back the way she had come. She stuck to the middle of the road because no one would be able to jump from behind a corner and grab her. That, and her house was just a few houses away. She started to run.
Cynthia sat straight up, her ears straining to hear whatever it was that had disturbed her. At the top of the bed, her right arm was flopped over her eyes and Erika was snoring softly. Her left arm was resting gingerly at her side, now wrapped in a light cast of gauze from her cut. Before she had gone to sleep, Erika had said that she hoped all of her limbs would be intact when she was through with this senshi business.
Cynthia's ears twitched back and forth, monitoring even the slightest sounds from outside Erika's window. Everything was normal. Then what had awakened her? Confused, Cynthia rested her head on her front paws. There it was again! She sat up again, knowing this time that it wasn't something she'd heard, but something she'd felt. She looked over to Erika - everything seemed fine. Was it Karin? Cynthia cursed silently for not setting up a communications system with the girls already. Now that they'd found Sailor Neutron, it was going to be essential. Like now. Trina! Somehow, Cynthia knew that the newest member of the Starlight Senshi was being threatened. But there was no way to reach her, because she had forgotten to ask where she lived!
Trina rounded the corner of the gate leading to her house. She was running as fast and as quietly as she could, praying that she would get away from whoever was following her, and hoping that she wouldn't wake up anyone. She ran around the thick grass to the side door that servants had used long ago. She'd left it unlocked when she left so that she could sneak back in, but there wasn't time to be sneaky now. She hoped the rusty hinges wouldn't squeak too loud.
Saphrina watched, amused, as the girl tore into one of the estates. Humans were such an amusing species. Even the slightest little mental twinge sent them into hysterics. She stood across the street, draped in shadow, and surveyed the area. She was hoping that the girl might lead her out of the neighborhood and into the city, but now she would have to find her way. That shouldn't be to hard in mid-air, she grinned to herself. She turned back to look at the estate once more before heading out, but her curiosity was tweaked when she saw a bright flash of light at the side of the house...
"Stupid door!!" Trina whispered in a panic. "I should have known it would lock on me! The only other way in is either through my window, or to wake up father." Jogging to the back of the house, Trina scanned the structure for a way up to her window, but the stone and brick were covered with ivy and moss. There was no way she'd make it climbing, but she couldn't stand the thought of waiting for someone to answer the door, or the trouble she'd be in afterwards.
"What can I do?" she whispered frantically. Timidly, she crept back around to the servant's door at the side of the house. She checked the handle again to make sure she was right, and found the handle unwilling to budge. The lock must have some kind of spring, or else was rusted from age. She desperately looked up at the ivy climbing the sides of the structure, and for a split second, noticed how dark-green it was in the moonlight. GREEN!! Her ring!! She quickly looked down at her right hand, and saw the gem sparkle in the faint light. She had promised Cynthia that she'd only transform in emergencies, but this was an emergency! Trina jumped from the small porch and punched her right hand out.
"Neutron Star Power!!" she whispered as loud as she could. The transformation surprised her again, especially the green bubble closing in on her, but it was over too fast for her to think about it. As soon as she felt herself pose, she ran around to the back of the house. Getting a good look at her bedroom window, Trina bent her knees and pushed off the ground as hard as she could. The jump easily brought her to the third-story bedroom window that she shared with her sister. The window was swung inside, just the way she'd left it that night before going to bed, and she was able to catch herself by grabbing the frame on either side, and stepping onto the window seat. Finally! She was safe!
Saphrina hovered up along the wall of the estate. The spot where she'd seen the flash of light come from was empty, but there were faint tracks in the grass leading around to the back. Keeping to the shadows, she followed the tracks to a certain point in the yard, and then stopped. They ended and didn't go any farther. Was it possible that the girl had disappeared? Then a soft clicking noise caught her attention. She looked up to see a dark gray figure turn away from a now-closed window. The tracks in the grass stopped just below it, and Saphrina killed the urge to chuckle out loud as she noticed the thick ivy climbing the house.
Well, well, she thought to herself. It looks like someone is good at sneaking in and out the hard way. Her smile faded as she brought herself up and over the tops of the trees. But now that the entertainment has decided to retire, it's time for me to get down to business. Saphrina never looked back at the window, and never saw the soft flash of light as Trina transformed back to her pajamas.
Erika's eyes flew open. The room was still dark, and the clock next to her bed read 4:00. Cynthia was perched on the window box, her tail twitching back and forth wildly.
"Cynthia, what's wrong?" Erika croaked. The cat looked back at her, her eyes glowing.
"I'm not sure. It felt like one of you was in danger, but the feeling's gone now."
"Oh," Erika blinked, barely comprehending what Cynthia was talking about. "Well, come back to bed then."
"I will, I just need to make sure everything's alright," Cynthia answered.
"Okay," Erika yawned, her eyes closing automatically.
Cynthia turned around to look outside again. The immediate feeling of danger was gone, but now it was replaced by an underlying sense of dread...
To be continued... |
