Serena sat on her roof watching the small red dots move up and down
the streets of Tokyo. She sighed. Slow down, she said to them mentally.
What's the point of rushing? She stood up.
"If I jumped off this roof would I fly?" She stood on the edge of her own roof and looked up at the sky. "Is there such thing as gravity?"
She jumped and landed on the ground perfectly. "I want to fly into the stars and disappear. I know he'll be there, in the stars, waiting for me. He's in the stars."
She remembered the day before when Raye had all done fire readings for them. When Raye had come to Serena's reading, extra beads of sweat started down her forehead.
"I'm get a strange sense from the stars, Serena. Someone... someone's waiting for you in the stars. It's a he and he's... he's lonely and he's... he's searching for you. But he can't find you. You have to find him."
"Well," Mina had said, "at least there is someone waiting for you, Serena. My guy doesn't even know I exist."
They had all laughed.
Serena climbed back onto the roof. "He's walked away from me before." She closed her eyes. "Why can't I see his face?" She opened her eyes again. "Please let me fly this time." She jumped again, but her feet reached the ground before her mind could reach the stars.
"Damn. Well gravity you win. I'll fly on the ground." She started running with her eyes closed slowly at first, but then at top speed. Her jean skirt rippled against her legs and her hooded sweatshirt was flapping. She opened her eyes and let out a laugh. She pulled her hair down and let the wind take it. The cars waiting at the stoplight watched her streak by and their red tail lights blurred into one long strand.
She laughed again. Life was good. She continued running, faster and faster, barely able to read the neon signs on the buildings. But suddenly she pulled her self to a screeching stop. Her hair fell back into place and she looked up.
Star Show tonight, the sign said. She turned and went into the building.
It was a circular room with a projector in the middle. A planetarium. She sat down in a chair in the front row and leaned back. The lights dimmed and the artificial stars appeared on the ceiling. The narrator rambled about which star was which, but Serena didn't hear him. She was amazed at all the little pinpricks of light that formed the Tokyo sky.
Almost as good as the real thing, she thought.
Her heart grew lighter and sped faster. A feeling inside her grew like a balloon being blown up. She looked across the room. There was man sitting directly across from her looking straight into her eyes. He's in the stars, the words echoed through her mind.
The man's face was polka dotted with the artificial stars. The ring of familiarity about it was amazing. She'd seen him in more than one life. At some time before she'd seen his face.
The lights came back on and she turned her vision away. She hurried toward the door and exited into the Tokyo streets. She ran again back towards home before her parents could notice she had been gone.
"If he is the one," she said into the wind, "I'll see him again in the stars."
She assured herself of that.
The next day there was a carnival at Tokyo High. The whole city had been invited and of course Serena went too. It was such a great place. There was food, laughter, and happiness. You could catch goldfish, get your face-painted, and play target practice. Serena loved it all.
She walked down the aisles of stands until she came to a fortune teller's booth. She slipped inside.
"Ahh, my dear," the teenager said. "You are here about love. You should know that you're true love is here. And..." The act the teenager had been putting on slipped away. "Well there's something about stars. He's... well he's in the stars. I'm sorry," she said baffled. "I've never felt so strange before."
Serena nodded. "It happens." She gave the girl two dollars extra. She went back out onto the mainway and followed the crowds around. "So I was right," she said to herself. "He's here and I'll see him again."
She stopped and looked up at a sign painted with silver stars. Starlight Barbecue, it said. She had a sudden craving for some ribs. She slipped into the tent where the mood ran to meet her. It was lit by candles and there were two person tables scattered around the room. The top of the tent was a thin silk so you could see the stars. She sat down at a table and scanned the room. He was here, she could feel it.
Across from her sat a man. Painted on his face were silver stars. She got up and sat at his table.
"Hey Darien. What happened to your face?"
"I got attacked by third grade face painters. What about that crescent moon on your forehead, Meatball Head?"
"What crescent moon? I didn't get my face painted."
"But it's- Well it's not there now. I guess I just imagined it."
Serena laughed. "How many drinks have you had, Darien?"
"One or two."
Serena grew serious, her face illuminated by candlelight. Her eyes glowed like they themselves were on fire. "Do you look for her?"
"Who?" Darien said, not quite picking up her key of seriousness.
"You know who I'm talking about. You search for her all the time."
Darien remained silent.
"I'm searching for him. They told me he's in the stars. I searched the stars. I searched the sky. I didn't search here. I didn't search all around me. Darien, did you ever think of searching here?"
His gaze didn't break and neither did hers. They kept looking into each other's eyes searching for a sign of some sort.
"I have to go search further. If he's the one I'll find him. And I assure you Darien," she said getting up, "you'll find her. Tonight."
Author's Note: Set up for some romance, yes? Well you'll just have to wait to the next chapter. Review and we'll see if it comes up faster.
"If I jumped off this roof would I fly?" She stood on the edge of her own roof and looked up at the sky. "Is there such thing as gravity?"
She jumped and landed on the ground perfectly. "I want to fly into the stars and disappear. I know he'll be there, in the stars, waiting for me. He's in the stars."
She remembered the day before when Raye had all done fire readings for them. When Raye had come to Serena's reading, extra beads of sweat started down her forehead.
"I'm get a strange sense from the stars, Serena. Someone... someone's waiting for you in the stars. It's a he and he's... he's lonely and he's... he's searching for you. But he can't find you. You have to find him."
"Well," Mina had said, "at least there is someone waiting for you, Serena. My guy doesn't even know I exist."
They had all laughed.
Serena climbed back onto the roof. "He's walked away from me before." She closed her eyes. "Why can't I see his face?" She opened her eyes again. "Please let me fly this time." She jumped again, but her feet reached the ground before her mind could reach the stars.
"Damn. Well gravity you win. I'll fly on the ground." She started running with her eyes closed slowly at first, but then at top speed. Her jean skirt rippled against her legs and her hooded sweatshirt was flapping. She opened her eyes and let out a laugh. She pulled her hair down and let the wind take it. The cars waiting at the stoplight watched her streak by and their red tail lights blurred into one long strand.
She laughed again. Life was good. She continued running, faster and faster, barely able to read the neon signs on the buildings. But suddenly she pulled her self to a screeching stop. Her hair fell back into place and she looked up.
Star Show tonight, the sign said. She turned and went into the building.
It was a circular room with a projector in the middle. A planetarium. She sat down in a chair in the front row and leaned back. The lights dimmed and the artificial stars appeared on the ceiling. The narrator rambled about which star was which, but Serena didn't hear him. She was amazed at all the little pinpricks of light that formed the Tokyo sky.
Almost as good as the real thing, she thought.
Her heart grew lighter and sped faster. A feeling inside her grew like a balloon being blown up. She looked across the room. There was man sitting directly across from her looking straight into her eyes. He's in the stars, the words echoed through her mind.
The man's face was polka dotted with the artificial stars. The ring of familiarity about it was amazing. She'd seen him in more than one life. At some time before she'd seen his face.
The lights came back on and she turned her vision away. She hurried toward the door and exited into the Tokyo streets. She ran again back towards home before her parents could notice she had been gone.
"If he is the one," she said into the wind, "I'll see him again in the stars."
She assured herself of that.
The next day there was a carnival at Tokyo High. The whole city had been invited and of course Serena went too. It was such a great place. There was food, laughter, and happiness. You could catch goldfish, get your face-painted, and play target practice. Serena loved it all.
She walked down the aisles of stands until she came to a fortune teller's booth. She slipped inside.
"Ahh, my dear," the teenager said. "You are here about love. You should know that you're true love is here. And..." The act the teenager had been putting on slipped away. "Well there's something about stars. He's... well he's in the stars. I'm sorry," she said baffled. "I've never felt so strange before."
Serena nodded. "It happens." She gave the girl two dollars extra. She went back out onto the mainway and followed the crowds around. "So I was right," she said to herself. "He's here and I'll see him again."
She stopped and looked up at a sign painted with silver stars. Starlight Barbecue, it said. She had a sudden craving for some ribs. She slipped into the tent where the mood ran to meet her. It was lit by candles and there were two person tables scattered around the room. The top of the tent was a thin silk so you could see the stars. She sat down at a table and scanned the room. He was here, she could feel it.
Across from her sat a man. Painted on his face were silver stars. She got up and sat at his table.
"Hey Darien. What happened to your face?"
"I got attacked by third grade face painters. What about that crescent moon on your forehead, Meatball Head?"
"What crescent moon? I didn't get my face painted."
"But it's- Well it's not there now. I guess I just imagined it."
Serena laughed. "How many drinks have you had, Darien?"
"One or two."
Serena grew serious, her face illuminated by candlelight. Her eyes glowed like they themselves were on fire. "Do you look for her?"
"Who?" Darien said, not quite picking up her key of seriousness.
"You know who I'm talking about. You search for her all the time."
Darien remained silent.
"I'm searching for him. They told me he's in the stars. I searched the stars. I searched the sky. I didn't search here. I didn't search all around me. Darien, did you ever think of searching here?"
His gaze didn't break and neither did hers. They kept looking into each other's eyes searching for a sign of some sort.
"I have to go search further. If he's the one I'll find him. And I assure you Darien," she said getting up, "you'll find her. Tonight."
Author's Note: Set up for some romance, yes? Well you'll just have to wait to the next chapter. Review and we'll see if it comes up faster.