Disclaimer: Noting is mine.
The music thundering around Serenity was so loud the girl was sure she would be deaf by the time she left, but leaving the party was definitely worse than having to use a hearing aid the rest of her life.
"Oh my God, Renny!" Stacey Goldstein yelled, making Serenity cringe. She was even more drunk than usual. "You have to meet this boy Dan-"
"Dave." A dark-haired boy she was clinging onto grunted. Stacey ignored him.
"He's, like, so perfect for you! And, he's, you know, like, really cute." Stacey gushed. She tried to walk further towards Serenity, who was sitting on a windowsill in Lars Valvor's townhouse, but stumbled over a fallen lamp. Serenity sighed. She wasn't really in a party mood.
"Thanks." Serenity said, trying to smile at her friend, "But I think I'll just-"
"No! No, no, no! Renny! Dance with Dan!" The blonde whined, stomping her black heel on the floor.
"No, really," Dave shook his head, he tried to yank his hand away from Stacey, but her grip was too tight to escape, "I'm fine. I, uh, I've already got a girlfriend anyway, so, uh…" Dave offered Serenity an apologetic smile. "I'm sure your cool, but Ingrid and I are serious and all."
"It's not me I'm worried about." Serenity laughed. Dave turned to Stacey who was holding one of the books she'd pulled off the shelf beside Serenity, staring intently at it. "But she seems pretty distracted now if you want to…" Serenity let her voice trail off and tilted her head to the door.
"Thanks." Dave smiled. "I'll see you around… Renny, was it?' Serenity nodded.
"Bye." She called as the boy left. She turned her head back to Stacey, who was still staring at the book. Looking closer she could tell it was a yearbook. "Are you alright?" The auburn-haired girl asked her friend.
"Him. I want him, Ren." Stacey breathed. "I always have, I always will." She was pointing to a picture of Chance Wilders, a boy who, though was good looking, had been declared "un-dateable" for reasons unknown to Serenity. Serenity rubbed her temples. She loved her friend like a sister, but she really wasn't in the mood for dealing with her boy drama.
"No you don't," Serenity reminded her friend, "You don't want to date him, remember?"
"No." The blonde replied shortly. Serenity sighed and took a sip of beer out of Stacey's red cup.
"Don't tell me that Stacey, you're turning me into a liability." The blonde ignored her, and flipped the page of the yearbook. Serenity laid her head back against the window.
I like my friends. She told herself, almost forcefully. I like my home, I like my school, this is where I belong.
As glad as she was her aunt and uncle had offered to keep her while her mother was going through a hard time with money, and all the issues with her father, Serenity's new life was…different from her old one. Both of her relatives were good to her, her aunt Lily loved to shop, and never let a chance to smother Serenity with designer clothed pass, but she sometimes missed how simple things used to be with for herself. Serenity had learned that her new school had a much different view on things than her old one. Though technically there were no uniforms, it was as if the students enforced a self-made dress code themselves. The only clothes worn by them were the most cutting edge possible, anything less may as well have been dirt. Drinking, which had been saved for one lone group of rebels at her old school, was a common thing here. Serenity thought vaguely of how much she'd changed over the last year and a half. The old Serenity wore knee length skirts, wore frumpy sweaters, and the idea of drinking repulsed her. Serenity chuckled darkly, and as if just to shove it to her old self, downed the rest of Stacey's drink.
"Hey," A voice said from the hallway, "We're leaving." Serenity's eyes lifted. Bex Froy was standing in the doorway, her dark eyes expressionless, as always. Serenity stood up without question, she pulled Stacey to her feet. "C'mon, Stacy, let's go." Bex scanned Stacey, her lips turning gently into a frown. "She's trashed." Bex scowled. Serenity didn't say anything, but nodded her head. "She'll slow us down." Was all the brunette said before turning on her heal. Serenity listened to her heals clack down the hallway wearily.
"Bex looked angry." Stacey whispered, the uncertainty in her voice noticeable.
"She'll be fine." Serenity assured the girl, hoping her words were true. "You need to get up now, I think it's time for us to-" But the rest of Serenity's sentence was drowned out by the wail of sirens coming seemingly out of the blue. For a second it seemed as if the entire house froze. And then there was panic. Serenity grabbed Stacey's arm and started pulling her to the kitchen. Serenity was pretty sure she'd seen a door there. "Wait!" Stacey cried, trying to tug free. "I have to find Chance!" Serenity audibly groaned. She had to pick tonight to start this.
"No, you don't. Now, hurry up." Serenity threw open the side door, thankful Lars's house was on the end of the row. She wished she had time to grab her coat before she left, but escaping the cops was much higher on her list of priorities than being warm. She could bare the cold for a few minutes.
"What about Bex?" Stacey demanded as they trampled down the steps. Speak of the devil. Serenity thought as they walked onto the tiny patch of grass. Through the window, Serenity could see the girl, her tan face clutched between the hands of a boy she didn't recognize. He was tan, almost as tan as Bex herself, with short blonde hair, thin lips, and shockingly high cheekbones.
"Bex can handle herself." Serenity replied, and it was true. The girl knew Bex would be fine. She always was. She turned away from the window, glad Stacey hadn't seen what she had.
"Are you sure? Because if we leave her, I think she'll get really-"
"Hey! Stop right there!" Serenity froze. Oh no. She felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she watched in horror as a young cop approached the two girls. His facial expression was so smug, Serenity could think of nothing she'd like to do more than kick him until the annoying smirk was off his face. Stacey seemed to have noticed that too, because her blue eyes had gone from wide, to dangerously narrowed. She hated being talked down to in any way, shape, or form.
"What do you two think your doing?" He called.
"What does it look like? Stacey snapped. Serenity cringed. She took back anything she'd said earlier about Stacey's sudden personality change. She wanted it back now more than she'd ever thought she would. "We're trying to get home. If you'd leave us alone, maybe we could get there." Serenity closed her eyes. She was so dead.
"Have you two been drinking?" The cop demanded.
Serenity opened her eyes to see Stacey roll hers, "Of course we have. What is this, your first bust? It's a party what do you think we'd be doing? Playing Duel Monsters?" Stacey sneered.
"Stacey!" Serenity hissed, but she was ignored.
"What about this?" The cop asked, he held up a bag and Serenity clutched Stacey's arm, silently begging her to keep her mouth shut.
"Weed?" Stacey sorted. "Do I look like a waspoid?" Serenity shook her head. Toast. She was toast.
"You keep talking to me like that and I'll-"
"What? You'll beat me with your nightstick? Please, the monsters in those cheesy old horror movies are scarier than you are."
Serenity stared up at the sky. She was domed.
*******
"So guess what."
Serenity lay in the park with Lars, Bex, Stacey, and Leo. These were the children of her Aunt and Uncle's close friends and had therefore had, in a since, adopted Serenity when she was new in the area. Her question was followed by silence. It was the night after the party-bust and no one was in a particularly chatty mood. "I have to get a job."
Her aunt and uncle had been less than thrilled when the cop (who Stacey had declared their mortal enemy) had dropped Serenity off at their penthouse. Surprisingly, the lecture wasn't too long, only about half an hour, and she wasn't even grounded (well, technically she was, but it wasn't currently being enforced) but she had to get a job. And not just a job, which could have been almost fun for Serenity, she could have worked at a little boutique, or a pet shop, but the girl had to have an approved job. And, honestly, Serenity had no idea what kind of job that would be. She guessed it meant she'd have to work for someone important, it would have to have high pay, and look amazing on her college resume.
"Are you serious?" Stacey asked, sitting up slightly. Serenity nodded.
"Ouch." Leo said, his eyes till closed. Lars was snoring slightly, but Bex on the other hand was now sitting up straight, studying Serenity as if she'd noticed for the first time.
"I could get you a job." Bex said slowly. "I know someone, he's in desperate need of an assistant." The five were lying on a pile of blankets in the park near Stacey's apartment. It was supposed to be "relaxing" after their long night.
"Really?" Serenity asked, brightening instantly. If Bex knew him, Serenity was sure he must be on the accepted employer list.
"Yes." Bex nodded, "I can set up an interview with him, if you'd like." Bex eyes seemed far away, and though her tone was friendly, or rather, as friendly as she ever sounded, her jaw was clenched, as if she was in pain.
"That would be amazing, Bex! Thank you so much!" Serenity couldn't believe how lucky she was. Didn't you usually have to hunt for a job? How easily this one had just fallen in her lap! That, Serenity had to admit, was another perk to living this life. Things the girl would have had to work day and night for, or save money for an eternity for just seemed to come to her. It was nice, really. And such a change, Serenity realized, she was starting to adjust to that, if she hadn't already.
"Well then." Bex stood up, "I'll be right back. I'm going to call him now, I'm guessing the sooner you start the better." And then she sauntered off to a corner somewhere Serenity couldn't quite see as it was shielded by a large thicket of trees.
"What do assistants do?" Serenity asked. She realized she had forgotten to ask simple things like that before agreeing, but Bex wouldn't set her up for something if it were too awful. Bex could be demanding, and a bit difficult in a way to be around, but she wasn't cruel.
"My Dad's does paperwork." Lars offered, who apparently had woken up at some point during the conversation.
"I can do that." Serenity decided. Yes, paperwork. She could spend a few hours after school working behind a desk, drinking coffee. She could handle that.
After a few minutes, Bex came back, her face blank. "You've got an interview. It's this afternoon, in about two hours."
"Two hours? I- Okay, cool. Wow. Two hours, okay. I can do that. Yeah." Serenity started pacing up and down along the edge of their pallet of blankets and towels.
"Don't freak out on us now, Ren." Lars smiled as Serenity mentally went through a list of everything she'd need.
"What are you going to wear?" Stacey asked. She tipped her head to the side in thought. "Oh my God, we should totally go shopping! I mean, what a good excuse, you're getting a job! Def. a biggie." Stacey giggled. "We should totally go to Naz. They'll have something perfect. They always do." Serenity ignored Stacey. Shopping wasn't the first thing on her mind. What questions would she be asked? How would she answer them? What if she totally blanked? What if-"
"Who is this interview with, anyway?" Leo frowned. He lifted his head to stare at Serenity, who had a look of shock on her face. Who was this job with anyway?
"I don't… I- Oh crap." Sure he was be approved by her aunt and uncle, but who was he? Or she.
"Isn't that something you should of found out before you agreed to this?" Leo asked, one of his eyebrows raised. Serenity stood in silence. He was right of course.
"He's a friend of my families." Bex replied. "He's," Bex paused. "Manageable." She finished finally, "If you know how to deal with him. It's an easy once you know how." Bex opened her leather bag and pulled out a slip of paper. She handed it Serenity, who read it over and over again.
"It's just an address." Bex told her after a minute, an annoyed expression on her face.
"I know that." Serenity frowned. "It just seems sort of familiar." Where would she have been though? She'd never had a job in Domino before. She stared at the paper again, but nothing came to her.
"I must just be imagining things." Serenity told her friends. "When is the interview again? Two hours? Okay, so if it's at three than I should probably-" Serenity froze. She knew where she had seen that address before. She'd never been there personally, but she knew it from her brother.
" 'Dat humungous building on Eigth Street, whatza number? 467? Well, 'dat's Kaiba's building. Never go in dare Ren, I wouldn't trust 'dat creep, worth ah flip."
"I, um, Bex?" Bex lifted her eyes. "What's this guy's name?" Serenity asked.
Bex ran her fingers through her dark, silky hair. "His name's Seto. He usually goes by his last name though, Kaiba. Have you really not heard of him?"
"I have." Serenity replied shortly. Though the others leaned forward slightly at this (Serenity was pretty sure they were born with a sixth sense; Always being able to tell when there's gossip) Bex didn't say anything back, her drown eyes were focused on the screen of her cell phone.
"I have to go." She said after a minute. Bex through her phone in her bag, but abounded all of her other belongings as a small silver car Serenity didn't recognize pulled up to the road closes to them. She walked, as slow as always, over to the vehicle and flung herself into the car, not saying a word to the driver.
"Don't do it." Lars warned when Bex had sped off. "I'm serious, don't."
"Why not?" Serenity asked, though truthfully thinking the same thing. She just wanted her thoughts to be re-enforced, Serenity would feel a little better if she'd simply been talked out of the interview rather than throwing it away herself.
"Because," Leo told her, taking over Lars's spot in the discussion, "Kaiba has two assistant spots. His assistant, and his personal assistant." He said as if this explained everything.
"And?" Serenity drug out the word, staring at her friends, she was growing more and more nervous about her upcoming interview as the seconds went on.
"And your most likely interviewing for the spot of personal assistant, seeing as the main assistant position is usually reserved for big favor purposes only." Serenity wondered what "big favor purposes" meant, but decided not to press the matter.
"I don't understand, what's the difference between the two?" Serenity flopped down on the grass, trying to hide her nerves from her friends.
Leo cleared his throat. "Well, his assistant does normal things, his personal assistant…"
"Is basically his slave." Lars finished bluntly. "I wouldn't do it, Ren." He warned.
Slave? What? Serenity rubbed her eyes with her fists. She could already start to feel the stress hammering at her shoulders.
"That sounds… weird." Serenity scowled. She had changed since she had last seen Kaiba, that night on the blimp. She had been so weak then. Serenity shuddered. She looked different now too, maybe he wouldn't recognize her at all. It had been a couple of years since then.
"Are you still going to go?" Stacey asked. She was lying in her back, a pair of sunglasses on her face so big you could hardly see any other features. Serenity raised an eyebrow. It wasn't exactly sunny outside.
"I don't know. Kaiba's not someone I'd really want to work for." The brunette admitted. In fact, he was close to the last.
"But you have to!" Stacey whined, she flipped over on her stomach tot stare at Serenity, or at least Serenity assumed she was. It was hard to tell behind the enormous bug-eyed sunglasses the blonde was sporting. "The interview was already set up, and stuff. You have to go so we can go to Naz and shop for an outfit!" Serenity shook her head. Why her?
"Don't bother, Ren." Lars scoffed, "Kaiba's a total asshole. Why would you want to work for him?"
"Well," Serenity started, "Do you have any other ideas? I'm open to pretty much anything."
"Err, no. Not exactly."
Serenity plucked blades of grass as she thought. The discussion with Lars and Leo was supposed to confirm that there was absolutely no way she should even attempt to work for Kaiba, and they had assured her it would be torture, but Serenity couldn't help think back to the night on the blimp. She thought of Kaiba's smirking face. Serenity would love to be able to show him he couldn't treat her like that any more. The time she could be walked over was gone, right? Right! And who better to prove that to than Kaiba himself?
"I'm going." Serenity decided. Even she couldn't believe what she was saying.
"You're funeral." Lars sighed with a shake of his head, sending his blonde hair flopping around her face.
"Yay!" Stacey squealed. "That means we can go shopping! My parents won't let me go after last night unless I have a valid excuse. I really have to load up."
He probably won't even recognize me. Serenity assured herself. Yes, Serenity would be fine. She just had a few more months before she'd go back to living with her mother anyway. Just a few months, Serenity took a deep breath, I can last that long.
The girl stood up and gathered her things. She just hoped her thoughts were right, if not she was in for six months of hell.
A/N First chapter! Um, I'm really excited to start this, I have a feeling it's going to be fun! Serenity may seem a little OOC at first, but don't worry, I have a plan for that. On that note, she won't be quite as goody-goody as she is usually portrayed.
Guess that's all, thanks for reading, sorry for any mistakes, please review, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!
~ Average Prevailer~