This is a new story and the idea came to me while I was.... well you really dont want to know. Just read it and tell me what you think. you know the address! : ) It takes place during and right after they go to the hot springs. Darien is still bad, but ... you'll see! I've mangled the episode, but it couldn't be helped.
CHAPTER 1
"Mom, I think the hot springs are a neat idea." said Serena, looking out the window.
"Not me. I'd rather go home and go to the movies with Brian." said Sammy, the game he was playing clicking and beeping. It let out a suddent loud buzz. Serena jumped a mile and grabbed the game.
"I hate this game!" she said, turning it off. Sammy screeched and tried to grab it out of her hands. The struggle caused the star locket to fall out of Serena's pocket. She dropped the game and grabbed the locket, sighing with relief. Ken, looking in the rear view mirror, laughed.
"Serena, what's so great about that locket? Did a boy give it to you?" he asked. Serena blushed and looked down.
"Well, yes actually." she said. That was the worst mistake of her life. The car started to careen out of control as Ken turned to face the back seat, his face red.
"WHAT!? YOU'RE SEEING A BOY AND DIDN'T TELL US?! WHO IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM!" he yelled.
"Honey! I'm sure she got it from Melvin!" said Ilene, trying to soothe her husband and get him back to the driving.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Well, in that case!" he said, calming down. He turned back and got the car back under control. "That's the perfect boy for you." said Ken.
"Yeah right! Like even!" said Serena, rolling her eyes. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
***
Serena hopped out of the car, squealing. "This is so beautiful!" she said, looking around. She ran down to the lake, and paddled her hand in the water. "Ohhhh! Cold!" Her mother called her back to the car to get her suitcases and go to their rooms. Serena and Sammy shared room 206 with twin beds and their mom and dad slept in room 208 with the queen size bed. The room between them was empty for the moment. The connecting doors between the three rooms were locked.
"Serena! Sammy! We're going to go down to the hot springs! Do you want to come?" shouted Ilene.
"Sure! Just let me get my stuff unpacked and I'll be right down!" said Serena. Sammy grabbed a towel and folllwed their parents out the door, leaving Serena to finish unpacking. All of a sudden, she heard a tinkling tune. She pulled her locket out of her pocket and looked at it. The moon was spinning gently and the moonscape was flashing by. She sighed. 'Oh Darien! I wish that you were here with me.' she thought sadly. She put the last sweater in the drawer and picked up a towel. 'I won't think of him if I can.' thought Serena firmly. She picked up a towel and joined her family at the springs.
***
"Prince Darien! Come here at once!" said Queen Beryl. Darien appeared in a swirl of dark color.
"Yes your Highness?" said Darien bowing to her.
"I have discovered a strange power in this lake." A hologram of the lake were Serena was staying came up behind her. "I want you to inspect this power and see if we can use it. Don't come back until you have the power under our control or destroyed."
"Yes my queen." said Darien. He dissapeared again.
"Your Majesty, I believe Darien is going soft. If you recall, he was instramental in the failure of the ice skating plan." said Malichite, appearing in the throne room.
"I agree you may have a point Malichite. Keep an eye on him, but don't let him know you're doing it." said Beryl. Malichite bowed and dissapeared from the room.
***
'What a primitive world. I can't believe I once lived here.' thought Darien, looking around. 'It may take a while to find this power so I think that I ought to check into this hotel.' He walked into the lobby and up to the counter. The man standing there smiled at him.
"Can I help you sir?" asked the man.
"Yes. I would like to check in please." said Darien.
"I'm sorry, unless you have a reservation, you can't stay here." said the man, looking appologetic.
"But I do have a reservation." siad Darien, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes flashed and the man turned vacant.
"Yes sir, you do. Here is your key." said the dazed man.
"Thank you." said Darien, taking the outstreched key. He looked at the number on it. 'Room 207.' He started on his way to the second floor. 'I'll go and look at my room, then go down to the lake and try to figure out this power.' he thought. When he got to the room, he streched his awareness to see if there were anyone in the rooms next to his. They were empty, but they did have people renting them. Their clothes were in drawers and suitcases were piled in the closets 'They must be out.' he thought. 'I'd better get down to the lake and see what's up with that power now.'
***
"Wow! What a view!" said Serena, shading her eyes from the noonday sun. Her mother and father were sitting side by side in the smelly springs. Sammy was sticking his foot in the water, looking disgusted. "Sammy! Get in!" said Serena.
"The water smells weird!" said Sammy, wrinkling his nose. He didn't see Serena sneaking up behind him with a devilish look on her face. She shoved him in the shallow water and jumped in after him. He came up sputtering and gasping. He looked at Serena with murder in his eyes. He grabbed the towel wrapped around her body, and ran off with it, forcing her to sink deeply into the cloudy water.
"Sammy! Bring that back here now!" she yelled. He ran right to the edge of the spring and stopped, looking out at the landscape.
"Wow, killer view." he said. dropping the towel. Serena snatched it an wrapped it back around herself. "Who's that guy walking down on the shore?" he wondered aloud.
"What are you talking about Sammy?" asked Serena, standing up next to him and looking where he was pointing. She looked at the guy, who was facing the water, his back to them. Then he turned sideways and nearly caused Serena to have a heart attack. "DARIEN!" she gasped and ran to the dressing rooms.
***
'I don't sense anything now. Strange.' thought Darien. He heard a twig snap in the woods behind him and quickly teleported himslf behind a rock a little ways off. He saw a girl in brown, shapeless robes come flying out of the woods and look up and down the strip of sand next to the lake. She looked dissapointed for a minute, and pulled a strange looking necklace out of her pocket. She opened the charm of the necklace, and a tinkling melody poured forth. He started as a shock of recognition flowed through him. Unable to stop himself, he teleported down to where the girl was standing and said, "I've heard that music somewhere before." He backed up slightly when she whirled and slapped him in the chest with her long pigtails.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she gasped angrily at him. She hadn't seen his face yet. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Darien smiled. What a cute little girl! "Sorry. Didn't mean to." he calmly and appologetically.
She grimaced at him and shaded her eyes. Then she gasped. "Darien! It's you!" she said.
He frowned. He knew he had once lived on earth, so this girl must have known him then. He didn't want to kill her, so he had to convince her that he wasn't Darien.
"Darien? Who's that?" he asked in faked puzzlement.
She sighed and said in disappointment, "Just someone I knew who disappeared a while ago. I liked him alot. You look a lot like him." She thought to herself, 'I guess Beryl blanked his memory. He doesn't remember anything of his life as Darien. I'll just have to play along.'
"I'm sorry." he said. 'I don't have any memory of my time on earth. Maybe she can help me with that. She obviously remembers me.' he thought.
"That's ok. I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions." she said.
He grinned. "Yeah. I guess that would help some."
She made a cranky face at him and it only got crankier as he laughed at her. "Are you staying at the hotel too?" she asked.
"Yeah. Room 207." siad Darien. He looked at her in puzzlment as she started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"My room is right beside yours! As a matter of fact, your room is right between mine and my parents'." said Serena, giggling.
Darien groaned. "Great. Please tell me that you aren't interested in wild parties late at night."
She laughed again. "No I don't like wild parties."
"Thank god." he sighed. She smacked him lightly in the chest.
"Hey, what's your name?" asked Serena suddenly.
"My name? It's Damion." said Darien thinking something up at the spur of the moment.
She grinned. "So close to Darien it isn't even funny." she said. "Are you sure you guys aren't brothers?"
"Positive. Believe me, I would know." he said.
"I don't know. Darien was an orphan..." she trailed off and blushed. "Sorry, I don't think he wanted anyone to know."
"That's ok. I don't think he would mind." said Darien, smiling. 'So, I was an orphan. That's not the most wonderful bit of news that I've had, but it does help.' he thought.
"I hope not." she said miserably. 'He still doesn't remember anything. I'm sure it's him, he just doesn't remember.' Just then they heard a female voice calling for Serena. "That's my mom. I gotta go." she said. She turned and was walking away when he grabbed her hand. She looked up at him, puzzled.
"Will I see you around here again, Serena?" asked Darien.
She smiled at him. "Sure! I'll be here all week " she said. He smiled, released her hand, and watched as she ran up the hill to hug a long haired woman in the same colored robes as hers. She turned around and waved at him before walking off with her mother, leaving him perplexed. Why did he feel like he should be going with her? He teleported up to his room and changed his clothes. 'I guess I should eat. I need to keep my strentgh up if I want to hunt both that strange power AND keep up with that Serena girl.' he said, chuckling. He took the elevator to the hotel dining room.
***
"Who was that young man, Serena?" asked her mom, her arm around Serena's shoulder.
"He's our nighbor. He has the room between ours." said Serena.
"Really? I wonder if he would be willing to switch with one of us. I don't like leaving you and Sammy a room away." said Ilene.
"I'll ask him next time I see him." promised Serena. "Now, are we going to dinner?"
Ilene laughed. "Yes my little bottomless pit. We're having dinner in the hotel dining area. Your father and Sammy won't be coming. They went to a car show."
"Cool! I'm going to have steak and a baked potato and green beans and..." said Serena.
Her mother chuckled all the way to the dining room. She stopped in the doorway to the dining room. "Well! speak of the devil!" she said to Serena.
"Huh?" asked Serena, looking over her shoulder. Darien sat facing the door with a huge platter from the buffet in front of him. When he saw them, he swallowed, smiled, and waved them over.
"Hello Serena. When we were talking earlier, you never said you had a sister." he said smiling.
Ilene chuckled. "Serena, I think I'm going to like this young man. Please tell me he's my future son-in-law!"
"Mom! Please!" she yelled, turning red. Darien's grin became larger. He quickly hid it when Serena looked up.
"Well ma'am, she hasn't asked me yet, but I hope someday...." he said seriously.
Ilene laughed, Serena turned redder, and Darien finally let the grin come out. Serena looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I'll get you for that comment later." she muttered to him so her laughing mother coudn't hear.
"I look forward to it... Meatball Head." he said. 'Funny, that nickname seems almost, familiar.' he thought.
Serenas head snapped up. "What did you call me?" she asked quietly.
"Meatball Head. It just seemed to fit." he said, tugging on one ponytail. She made a face and swatted his hand away.
"What? I thought it fit!" he said. "are there any others joining you two ladies?"
"Nope! My dad and brother are off at a car show. They have to fend for themselves!" she said grinning.
"Would you two care to join me?" he asked. "I hate to eat alone."
"What do you say mom? Want to sit down and eat with this nutcase?" she asked her mom. She grinned at his narrowed eyes and twiching mouth.
Ilene grinned. "I don't see why not. He seems sane enough now." she said. He shot her a look of betrayal that had her laughing all the way to the buffet table. Serena went to another table and got two more chairs, then went to join her mom. They came back with loaded plates and dug in.
"Oh young man, I was wondering, would you care to switch rooms with one of us? Serena was telling me earlier that you had the room between ours, and I was hoping you would consent to it. I don't like having Serena and Sammy a room down. No telling what trouble they would get into!" said Ilene.
"Ma'am I would gladly, but I don't think that you or the children would be comfotable in my room. There's only one bed, and it's one of those single things. Extremely narrow." he said. "oh, by the way, the doors hat connect our rooms are still locked aren't they? I would hate for you daughter to sleepwalk into my room."
Ilene laughed at the look on Serena's face and said, "Well, the're locked. I somehow doubt that it would be sleepwalking that would cause my daughter to come strolling into your room at night though." She grinned at Serena's grimace and ignored the
kick she gave her.
Darien laughed. "I see. Well, if that's the case..." he started but he got no farther. Serena had chucked a bread roll at his head and he barely ducked in time. He came up grinning.
Serena decided to finish her dinner and LEAVE already! She stuffed the rest of her potato in her mouth and jumped up. "Well, I'm ready to go. How about you mom?"
"I think I'm going to go and wait for your father. He ought to be here any time." said Ilene.
"Ok, I'm going to go on up to our room and watch T.V." said Serena.
"Serena, I don't want you walking all the way to our room alone!" said Ilene.
"I'll walk her up, ma'am. I'm done with my dinner, and I still need to unpack." said Darien.
"Mom! I can take an elevator! And our room's just a little way down the hall from it!"
"I know, but this world is getting so crazy what with all these strange monsters wandering around, I don't want anything to happen to you, that's all." said Ilene soothingly.
"I know, but..." started Serena. She stopped when she saw the look on her moms face. She knew she wouldn't win this one. She sighed and looked at Darien. "You coming?" she asked.
"Yeah, let's go." said Darien, standing up. He followed her to the elevator, where she had already pushed the button. The elevator dinged softly a moment later and the doors slid open. They stepped into the small space and pushed the two button. The doors slid closed on the couple. Ilene watched the two from the dining area. She smiled. 'I get the feeling Serena likes that boy.' she thought.
"So, why in the world were you so against me walking you to your room?" asked Darien after a while.
"Well, I think I'm pretty safe from any monsters in an eleveator! Besides, they attack Tokyo, not a little vacation resort." she said. 'I wonder if Darien remembers the day we found out about each other. It was in an elevator too.' she thought. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was looking at her and grinning slightly. "What?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking how different you are from anyone else I know." said Darien. "Everyone else I know is rotten to the core."
"Really? They must be powerful." she said calmly.
Darien's head snapped up. "Waht do you mean by that?" he asked sharply.
"Well, money, wealth, and power run hand in hand don't they? The only really rotten people I know are rich and stuff." said Serena.
Darien relaxed a little. 'Well. So that's what she meant. Huh. I could have sworn...' he shrugged mentally. The elevator doors opened onto the second floor and they got out adn walked to their rooms. they stopped at his room first. Just as he was walking in and Serena was walking on down a little ways to go to hers, he stopped her. "Hey Serena! Want to have lunch with me tomorrow around one?" he asked. She smiled at him, and for some reason it warmed him to the core.
"Sure! I'll meet you in the dining room at one or maybe a little after, ok?" she said.
"That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." he said. He grinned and decided to make one final comment. "Hey Serena! No sleepwalking or wild parties tonight, ok?" His only reply was a snort and a closing door. He grinned and went in to make a report to queen Beryl. Needless to say, he left out the parts about Serena.
CHAPTER 1
"Mom, I think the hot springs are a neat idea." said Serena, looking out the window.
"Not me. I'd rather go home and go to the movies with Brian." said Sammy, the game he was playing clicking and beeping. It let out a suddent loud buzz. Serena jumped a mile and grabbed the game.
"I hate this game!" she said, turning it off. Sammy screeched and tried to grab it out of her hands. The struggle caused the star locket to fall out of Serena's pocket. She dropped the game and grabbed the locket, sighing with relief. Ken, looking in the rear view mirror, laughed.
"Serena, what's so great about that locket? Did a boy give it to you?" he asked. Serena blushed and looked down.
"Well, yes actually." she said. That was the worst mistake of her life. The car started to careen out of control as Ken turned to face the back seat, his face red.
"WHAT!? YOU'RE SEEING A BOY AND DIDN'T TELL US?! WHO IS HE? I'LL KILL HIM!" he yelled.
"Honey! I'm sure she got it from Melvin!" said Ilene, trying to soothe her husband and get him back to the driving.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! Well, in that case!" he said, calming down. He turned back and got the car back under control. "That's the perfect boy for you." said Ken.
"Yeah right! Like even!" said Serena, rolling her eyes. The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
***
Serena hopped out of the car, squealing. "This is so beautiful!" she said, looking around. She ran down to the lake, and paddled her hand in the water. "Ohhhh! Cold!" Her mother called her back to the car to get her suitcases and go to their rooms. Serena and Sammy shared room 206 with twin beds and their mom and dad slept in room 208 with the queen size bed. The room between them was empty for the moment. The connecting doors between the three rooms were locked.
"Serena! Sammy! We're going to go down to the hot springs! Do you want to come?" shouted Ilene.
"Sure! Just let me get my stuff unpacked and I'll be right down!" said Serena. Sammy grabbed a towel and folllwed their parents out the door, leaving Serena to finish unpacking. All of a sudden, she heard a tinkling tune. She pulled her locket out of her pocket and looked at it. The moon was spinning gently and the moonscape was flashing by. She sighed. 'Oh Darien! I wish that you were here with me.' she thought sadly. She put the last sweater in the drawer and picked up a towel. 'I won't think of him if I can.' thought Serena firmly. She picked up a towel and joined her family at the springs.
***
"Prince Darien! Come here at once!" said Queen Beryl. Darien appeared in a swirl of dark color.
"Yes your Highness?" said Darien bowing to her.
"I have discovered a strange power in this lake." A hologram of the lake were Serena was staying came up behind her. "I want you to inspect this power and see if we can use it. Don't come back until you have the power under our control or destroyed."
"Yes my queen." said Darien. He dissapeared again.
"Your Majesty, I believe Darien is going soft. If you recall, he was instramental in the failure of the ice skating plan." said Malichite, appearing in the throne room.
"I agree you may have a point Malichite. Keep an eye on him, but don't let him know you're doing it." said Beryl. Malichite bowed and dissapeared from the room.
***
'What a primitive world. I can't believe I once lived here.' thought Darien, looking around. 'It may take a while to find this power so I think that I ought to check into this hotel.' He walked into the lobby and up to the counter. The man standing there smiled at him.
"Can I help you sir?" asked the man.
"Yes. I would like to check in please." said Darien.
"I'm sorry, unless you have a reservation, you can't stay here." said the man, looking appologetic.
"But I do have a reservation." siad Darien, taking off his sunglasses. His eyes flashed and the man turned vacant.
"Yes sir, you do. Here is your key." said the dazed man.
"Thank you." said Darien, taking the outstreched key. He looked at the number on it. 'Room 207.' He started on his way to the second floor. 'I'll go and look at my room, then go down to the lake and try to figure out this power.' he thought. When he got to the room, he streched his awareness to see if there were anyone in the rooms next to his. They were empty, but they did have people renting them. Their clothes were in drawers and suitcases were piled in the closets 'They must be out.' he thought. 'I'd better get down to the lake and see what's up with that power now.'
***
"Wow! What a view!" said Serena, shading her eyes from the noonday sun. Her mother and father were sitting side by side in the smelly springs. Sammy was sticking his foot in the water, looking disgusted. "Sammy! Get in!" said Serena.
"The water smells weird!" said Sammy, wrinkling his nose. He didn't see Serena sneaking up behind him with a devilish look on her face. She shoved him in the shallow water and jumped in after him. He came up sputtering and gasping. He looked at Serena with murder in his eyes. He grabbed the towel wrapped around her body, and ran off with it, forcing her to sink deeply into the cloudy water.
"Sammy! Bring that back here now!" she yelled. He ran right to the edge of the spring and stopped, looking out at the landscape.
"Wow, killer view." he said. dropping the towel. Serena snatched it an wrapped it back around herself. "Who's that guy walking down on the shore?" he wondered aloud.
"What are you talking about Sammy?" asked Serena, standing up next to him and looking where he was pointing. She looked at the guy, who was facing the water, his back to them. Then he turned sideways and nearly caused Serena to have a heart attack. "DARIEN!" she gasped and ran to the dressing rooms.
***
'I don't sense anything now. Strange.' thought Darien. He heard a twig snap in the woods behind him and quickly teleported himslf behind a rock a little ways off. He saw a girl in brown, shapeless robes come flying out of the woods and look up and down the strip of sand next to the lake. She looked dissapointed for a minute, and pulled a strange looking necklace out of her pocket. She opened the charm of the necklace, and a tinkling melody poured forth. He started as a shock of recognition flowed through him. Unable to stop himself, he teleported down to where the girl was standing and said, "I've heard that music somewhere before." He backed up slightly when she whirled and slapped him in the chest with her long pigtails.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!" she gasped angrily at him. She hadn't seen his face yet. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
Darien smiled. What a cute little girl! "Sorry. Didn't mean to." he calmly and appologetically.
She grimaced at him and shaded her eyes. Then she gasped. "Darien! It's you!" she said.
He frowned. He knew he had once lived on earth, so this girl must have known him then. He didn't want to kill her, so he had to convince her that he wasn't Darien.
"Darien? Who's that?" he asked in faked puzzlement.
She sighed and said in disappointment, "Just someone I knew who disappeared a while ago. I liked him alot. You look a lot like him." She thought to herself, 'I guess Beryl blanked his memory. He doesn't remember anything of his life as Darien. I'll just have to play along.'
"I'm sorry." he said. 'I don't have any memory of my time on earth. Maybe she can help me with that. She obviously remembers me.' he thought.
"That's ok. I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions." she said.
He grinned. "Yeah. I guess that would help some."
She made a cranky face at him and it only got crankier as he laughed at her. "Are you staying at the hotel too?" she asked.
"Yeah. Room 207." siad Darien. He looked at her in puzzlment as she started to laugh. "What's so funny?"
"My room is right beside yours! As a matter of fact, your room is right between mine and my parents'." said Serena, giggling.
Darien groaned. "Great. Please tell me that you aren't interested in wild parties late at night."
She laughed again. "No I don't like wild parties."
"Thank god." he sighed. She smacked him lightly in the chest.
"Hey, what's your name?" asked Serena suddenly.
"My name? It's Damion." said Darien thinking something up at the spur of the moment.
She grinned. "So close to Darien it isn't even funny." she said. "Are you sure you guys aren't brothers?"
"Positive. Believe me, I would know." he said.
"I don't know. Darien was an orphan..." she trailed off and blushed. "Sorry, I don't think he wanted anyone to know."
"That's ok. I don't think he would mind." said Darien, smiling. 'So, I was an orphan. That's not the most wonderful bit of news that I've had, but it does help.' he thought.
"I hope not." she said miserably. 'He still doesn't remember anything. I'm sure it's him, he just doesn't remember.' Just then they heard a female voice calling for Serena. "That's my mom. I gotta go." she said. She turned and was walking away when he grabbed her hand. She looked up at him, puzzled.
"Will I see you around here again, Serena?" asked Darien.
She smiled at him. "Sure! I'll be here all week " she said. He smiled, released her hand, and watched as she ran up the hill to hug a long haired woman in the same colored robes as hers. She turned around and waved at him before walking off with her mother, leaving him perplexed. Why did he feel like he should be going with her? He teleported up to his room and changed his clothes. 'I guess I should eat. I need to keep my strentgh up if I want to hunt both that strange power AND keep up with that Serena girl.' he said, chuckling. He took the elevator to the hotel dining room.
***
"Who was that young man, Serena?" asked her mom, her arm around Serena's shoulder.
"He's our nighbor. He has the room between ours." said Serena.
"Really? I wonder if he would be willing to switch with one of us. I don't like leaving you and Sammy a room away." said Ilene.
"I'll ask him next time I see him." promised Serena. "Now, are we going to dinner?"
Ilene laughed. "Yes my little bottomless pit. We're having dinner in the hotel dining area. Your father and Sammy won't be coming. They went to a car show."
"Cool! I'm going to have steak and a baked potato and green beans and..." said Serena.
Her mother chuckled all the way to the dining room. She stopped in the doorway to the dining room. "Well! speak of the devil!" she said to Serena.
"Huh?" asked Serena, looking over her shoulder. Darien sat facing the door with a huge platter from the buffet in front of him. When he saw them, he swallowed, smiled, and waved them over.
"Hello Serena. When we were talking earlier, you never said you had a sister." he said smiling.
Ilene chuckled. "Serena, I think I'm going to like this young man. Please tell me he's my future son-in-law!"
"Mom! Please!" she yelled, turning red. Darien's grin became larger. He quickly hid it when Serena looked up.
"Well ma'am, she hasn't asked me yet, but I hope someday...." he said seriously.
Ilene laughed, Serena turned redder, and Darien finally let the grin come out. Serena looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I'll get you for that comment later." she muttered to him so her laughing mother coudn't hear.
"I look forward to it... Meatball Head." he said. 'Funny, that nickname seems almost, familiar.' he thought.
Serenas head snapped up. "What did you call me?" she asked quietly.
"Meatball Head. It just seemed to fit." he said, tugging on one ponytail. She made a face and swatted his hand away.
"What? I thought it fit!" he said. "are there any others joining you two ladies?"
"Nope! My dad and brother are off at a car show. They have to fend for themselves!" she said grinning.
"Would you two care to join me?" he asked. "I hate to eat alone."
"What do you say mom? Want to sit down and eat with this nutcase?" she asked her mom. She grinned at his narrowed eyes and twiching mouth.
Ilene grinned. "I don't see why not. He seems sane enough now." she said. He shot her a look of betrayal that had her laughing all the way to the buffet table. Serena went to another table and got two more chairs, then went to join her mom. They came back with loaded plates and dug in.
"Oh young man, I was wondering, would you care to switch rooms with one of us? Serena was telling me earlier that you had the room between ours, and I was hoping you would consent to it. I don't like having Serena and Sammy a room down. No telling what trouble they would get into!" said Ilene.
"Ma'am I would gladly, but I don't think that you or the children would be comfotable in my room. There's only one bed, and it's one of those single things. Extremely narrow." he said. "oh, by the way, the doors hat connect our rooms are still locked aren't they? I would hate for you daughter to sleepwalk into my room."
Ilene laughed at the look on Serena's face and said, "Well, the're locked. I somehow doubt that it would be sleepwalking that would cause my daughter to come strolling into your room at night though." She grinned at Serena's grimace and ignored the
kick she gave her.
Darien laughed. "I see. Well, if that's the case..." he started but he got no farther. Serena had chucked a bread roll at his head and he barely ducked in time. He came up grinning.
Serena decided to finish her dinner and LEAVE already! She stuffed the rest of her potato in her mouth and jumped up. "Well, I'm ready to go. How about you mom?"
"I think I'm going to go and wait for your father. He ought to be here any time." said Ilene.
"Ok, I'm going to go on up to our room and watch T.V." said Serena.
"Serena, I don't want you walking all the way to our room alone!" said Ilene.
"I'll walk her up, ma'am. I'm done with my dinner, and I still need to unpack." said Darien.
"Mom! I can take an elevator! And our room's just a little way down the hall from it!"
"I know, but this world is getting so crazy what with all these strange monsters wandering around, I don't want anything to happen to you, that's all." said Ilene soothingly.
"I know, but..." started Serena. She stopped when she saw the look on her moms face. She knew she wouldn't win this one. She sighed and looked at Darien. "You coming?" she asked.
"Yeah, let's go." said Darien, standing up. He followed her to the elevator, where she had already pushed the button. The elevator dinged softly a moment later and the doors slid open. They stepped into the small space and pushed the two button. The doors slid closed on the couple. Ilene watched the two from the dining area. She smiled. 'I get the feeling Serena likes that boy.' she thought.
"So, why in the world were you so against me walking you to your room?" asked Darien after a while.
"Well, I think I'm pretty safe from any monsters in an eleveator! Besides, they attack Tokyo, not a little vacation resort." she said. 'I wonder if Darien remembers the day we found out about each other. It was in an elevator too.' she thought. She looked at him from the corner of her eye. He was looking at her and grinning slightly. "What?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking how different you are from anyone else I know." said Darien. "Everyone else I know is rotten to the core."
"Really? They must be powerful." she said calmly.
Darien's head snapped up. "Waht do you mean by that?" he asked sharply.
"Well, money, wealth, and power run hand in hand don't they? The only really rotten people I know are rich and stuff." said Serena.
Darien relaxed a little. 'Well. So that's what she meant. Huh. I could have sworn...' he shrugged mentally. The elevator doors opened onto the second floor and they got out adn walked to their rooms. they stopped at his room first. Just as he was walking in and Serena was walking on down a little ways to go to hers, he stopped her. "Hey Serena! Want to have lunch with me tomorrow around one?" he asked. She smiled at him, and for some reason it warmed him to the core.
"Sure! I'll meet you in the dining room at one or maybe a little after, ok?" she said.
"That's fine. I'll see you tomorrow." he said. He grinned and decided to make one final comment. "Hey Serena! No sleepwalking or wild parties tonight, ok?" His only reply was a snort and a closing door. He grinned and went in to make a report to queen Beryl. Needless to say, he left out the parts about Serena.