It was going to be a very bad day.
Serena knew this, but in a completely different way. Since her day was going to be very much most of her weekdays, she could look forward to her usual regime of waking up late, getting shouted at, napping, getting shouted at yet again and then climaxing her school day by getting it in the neck with her mother for forgetting something that she really should have done during the day while her dad calmly read his paper.
Ever since she had seen 'Die Hard with a Vengeance' for the first time, she felt a strange connection with John Maclane as played by Bruce Willis, since they both had very bad days and nobody really understood them.
The school, as usual, was all hustle and bustle, although even more than usual since the three schools the girls attended were preparing to perform the Gerschwin musical 'Crazy for You' in a joint production, for which Mina had auditioned successfully and landed, to Serena and Rei's annoyance, the lead role of Polly.
'I've got Rhythm' had been pounding into their ears every time they had a Scout meeting, because Mina's silky voice had been letting rip.
Serena now nearly knew all the words to the song off by heart.
"Cuh" she grunted, folding her arms as she watched all of the assorted school pupils run up and down the corridors like the early morning rush "Everybody's in such a hurry! And I bet it's because of this play…"
"Serena, stop being so bitter" Molly said, patting her friend on the shoulder "Everybody fails auditions once in a while"
"Huh…"
"Look, I think that this thing your friend Mina has with the lead actor is just a temporary infatuation…"
Serena knew well she had a crush on him…
"Perhaps he's just some big bozoo who happens to lay claim to a little sex appeal, looks her deep in the eyes and says 'I WANT you Mina, I WANT you' some big luvva boy who-"
"AWRIGHT! AWRIGHT!" Serena snapped.
Molly shrugged.
"Sorry Serena, just trying to keep your mind off the play"
Serena sighed. Things were not going well.
"Serena, I KNOW this play of yours is gnawing your mind…but why not just forget about it?" an exasperated Ami suggested, as Serena spilled her guts for the fourth or fifth time onto her bookworm friend.
"I can't!" Serena wailed "Polly was MY role!"
"It's just a musical" Ami said for the thirtieth time "I can't understand why you're so upset about it"
"It's not JUST a musical!" Serena ranted as they made their way down the busy, post-school time sidewalk which seemed to be occupied by nearly the whole population of the world, all of whom were pushing against them like an insistent icy wind from the north.
A golden sun shone down on the two friends as they wandered down the street, and Ami found herself blinking against her friend's glowing white shirt.
"What is it then?" Ami asked, simply.
"It's my future! My singing, my modelling, my career in entertainment as a TV STAR!" Serena whined.
Ami shook her head.
"Do you see me complaining about that kind of thing?" Ami said.
"No" Serena grumbled "Because I don't want to become the next Einstorm, or whatever his name is"
"EinSTEIN" Ami corrected.
"Whatever"
"Scout meeting this evening" Ami said "At six. I guess I'll see you then"
Serena nodded.
"I guess so. See ya later"
The two friends parted at the intersection of the road, Ami turning the corner and Serena carrying on down the road to her house.
At least, she reflected, the day couldn't get any worse.
It could. The reptilian creature stood at maybe twelve feet tall, razor sharp spines stretching the full length of its back, enormous muscled arms that ended in mouth-like cavities that expelled a foul smelling gas.
"Yuck" Rei remarked "That is one bad smelling sewer rat"
"I'd…stay away from the gas if I was you" Ami said, stepping back as the gas drifted into a lamppost. There was a hiss, like steam, and then the lamppost collapsed into dust as if it was a pile of sand.
"Riiight…" Lita muttered as they saw a whip like tentacle snake out from its side, and whip-crack against the ground.
"Okay" A very bored Serena remarked, turning to her friends "You know the drill. Ami?"
Ami nodded, and in a loud clear voice, shouted her attack: Mercury Bubbles, naturel-mont.
The mist enveloped them all. Sometimes, the attack was so effective THEY got lost in it too.
"I can't see anything!" Serena called.
There was the familiar cry of 'Jupiter Thunder Crash' and a bluish electric light lit up the sky for just a few moments as the creature took a full blast, absorbing the energy into its chest…and didn't even budge.
"Oh dear" Ami remarked, and they all leapt aside as its whip tentacles, for it had two, lanced out and smashed into the ground, cracking the concrete in a spiderweb.
"Um…" Serena looked around "Everybody, hit it with everything you got!"
A variety of attacks smashed into the creature, but they might as well have been hurling digestive biscuits at it for all the good it was doing.
Serena turned, and saw Mina standing defensively, but looking completely unsure as to where the creature was, oblivious of the fact it was turning on her.
Serena knew SHE had to act, nobody seemed able to see in the mist, which the creature had somehow intensified. She felt a deadly droplet of panic begin to spread through her entire system – What to do? She hated it being left up to her, and while she'd done it before…it was one hell of a push to have it pressed onto her.
"MINA!" Serena cried, ready to unleash her tiara onto the tentacle the thing was snaking out…but somehow…the air seemed like treacle, and something was preventing her from moving, whether it was the air, her own bodily functions, or some unearthly power that just…wouldn't…let…her…move…
She knew it had all gone wrong the moment she heard Mina scream.
Mina lay on the ground, clutching her leg, crying out in agony.
Serena started to shake, feeling every single one of her nerves twanging like sitar strings being ferociously attacked by a professional player.
"SERENA!! WAKE UP!!"
It was Luna's voice.
"I…I…can't…"
Then, as if some prayer had been answered, the fog appeared to be thinning out…and so was the youma. The thing rapidly gained transparency, and in less than thirty seconds, the mist had gone, and so had the creature.
Serena sighed in relief.
Then, Mina's groans brought her back like a sudden shock, and she rushed over to her stricken friend.
"You okay?" Serena asked, hopefully.
Mina winced
"No…it…hurts"
The other scouts rushed up.
"You're lucky you weren't killed" Lita remarked.
"We'd better get you to a hospital, when we return to our normal guises" Ami added.
"Good idea" Rei said "And then…we have a meeting"
Serena still held onto Mina, who was breathing shallowly. Serena was aware of the silence. Aware of the cold atmosphere. Very slowly, Serena tilted her head upwards. Their eyes were fixed on her, in an intimidating stare that bored into her.
"What?" Serena asked, with a dry throat.
"What the hell was that?" Lita asked coldly.
"What do you mean?" Serena replied, defensively.
"The fact that you had nearly ten seconds to throw your tiara and maybe save Mina, and you didn't!" Rei attacked.
"Wha…? No! It's not as if I didn't want to save her is it?"
"Seems like it to me" Mina muttered.
Serena stood up, stepping back, she couldn't believe this.
"Are YOU accusing me of not wanting to save my friend?!" she yelled.
"Then tell us WHY DIDN'T YOU!" Rei yelled back.
"People!" Ami said, calmly but loudly "Calm down! It is admitted that Serena has shown some negligence, but this is not the place to discuss it"
Serena spun around to her supposed best friend.
"Negligence?! Ami, I thought you were supposed to be my friend!"
Ami nodded.
"I am Serena, but I am also facing facts – You didn't save Mina, neither did you attack the creature even though we were"
Serena sagged.
"I'm sorry…I just…froze up"
Luna stepped forward, face a mask of rage.
"Serena! Your performance was negligible! As well as showing me your incompetence as a leader, you've also shown me how much of a coward you can be!" Luna raged.
Serena felt herself begin to crack, her self-esteem running out into the night.
"I…I…"
"Don't cry!" Luna snapped "That will not solve everything. Rei is right, we are holding a meeting…this time, to decide Serena's punishment!"
Serena was tired, but this was the worst thing that could have happened to her in a long time.
"No…" she muttered, as she transformed back into her own clothes, dragging her leaden feet behind her as her friends helped her carry Mina to the nearest phone booth…to call for an Ambulance.
Serena sat in the chair, the plaintiff to the other scouts prosecution. The spotlight was on her, and she felt distinctly uncomfortable in the chair Rei had chosen to seat her in.
It hadn't started yet, and Serena hoped it wouldn't at all. But it did. There was silence as Luna began to speak.
"This has been an eventful night…Needless to say we can all see the 'leader' of the scouts can no longer continue with her duties"
This hit Serena like a punch in the stomach.
"Not leader anymore?!"
Luna glared at her.
"I haven't finished – Furthermore, we have decided you are no longer fit to be a Sailor Scout"
This was like a hammer blow to the skull, the horrible and sickening truth of her position hitting her in one go.
"You are banished" Luna said "From the Sailor Scouts. A new leader will be decided. Goodbye Serena"
"Sorry Serena, but we felt this was the best thing we could have done" Lita said, not sounding the least bit apologetic.
"I'd go now" Rei said "Before you hear Scout business that doesn't concern you anymore"
There was a very long silence as Serena absorbed the blows like angry punches.
Serena slowly stood up, looking on the angry faces of all her so-called friends.
"Well…" she said, voice dry "…I see you had no choice" then she glared at them all "I'm glad this is how you really feel about me…"
Then, the emotions just burst out of her, and she began to weep, running crying into the night.
She couldn't believe it. Unfit to continue as a Sailor Scout? No, that wasn't true!
Serena didn't stop running until she reached her house…and she collapsed on the porch. Serena cried so hard the doormat could barely absorb all her tears, and Serena just knew, somehow, that things would get worse.