Bad Timing
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...
Next
Chapter
Castle
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