A/N: Ok, chapter 1. :p I hope that eventually I'll begin to continue writing from where I left off. :p For now: School's tough.:p PLEASE ENJOY AND REVIEW!
Disclaimer: All rights are reserved to Naoko. I do not own Sailor Moon, but the story is all my creation.
Summery: She came once, sucked under the spell of Endymion's eyes. She left, forgetting everything. Now she's back, learning it all over again... but this time, she's running for her life from the beginning.
Elf Dawned Book 1: By Chance...
Chapter 1:
"Run... Baby, run!"
My mom's face, pale and frightened, loomed over me, begging me to go.
"Mom!"
"RUN!"
"What's going on?" I begged. She looked around, her hands shaking. Her bronze dress, the last thing I saw on her before the car accident, swished as she looked around, frightened. The long pink and blue petals that were sewn into the bottom of her dress were ripped and muddied. Her curly auburn hair, once shining with life and bouncing with the sway of her head, lifelessly fell out of her scalp.
A knocking sound echoed into the darkness as her skin began to peel and she cried out in pain. "RUN!"
I screamed.
Bolting up in bed, I looked around my room. The knocking on my door annoyed me, so I mumbled for my aunt to enter.
Aunt Rose, a very upright woman, also my dad's sister, who had taken me in after my parent's car accident at age eleven, entered the room. Her eyes inspected me from under the big hat she was wearing.
I sighed. "I know, I know. I will be ready in just a moment."
She nodded, then turned to leave. Before she did, though, she mumbled something under her breath. Then she shut the door, leaving me alone.
It sounded a lot like, "happy birthday."
Today, I turned sixteen. I chewed on the inside of my cheek, a habit I had recently formed, and got up from under the covers. I hadn't forgotten the dream yet. I just chose to ignore it for the moment.
I went through my regular routine in getting ready. I hit the shower, then dressed in a tight courset-like dress that clung to my curves. Today I wore the brown one that I usually avoided wearing. Not as much as the apricot dress, though. That one was in the back of my closet. I doubted it fit me anymore, either.
Then, when I finally got it on in a few exhausting minutes, I walked into my closet and picked out the brown velvet dress that I put on. It was bought yesterday by my aunt, who told me that I should wear it today. So I did.
I took out my favorite mineral cream, which both unclogged my pores and refreshed my skin, and rubbed it on my face, neck, and shoulders. Then I grabbed my brush and bent down, trying to untangle my unnaturally long blond hair. Before I was even done, my aunt entered my room and tut-tutted. She walked over to me and grabbed the brush, and I sighed and willingly sat down before my mirror.
She began to untangle my hair. "Honestly, Serenity, you'll ruin your hair if you keep tearing at it like that."
"Yes, Aunt Rose."
She smiled and began to hum a melody I recognized. I listened, enjoying the sound.
"Do you remember that song, Serenity?" she asked tentatively.
I pursed my lips, straining to remember. "No, not really."
She laughed. "I'm surprised, considering that you were the one to write it."
I raised my eyebrows. "Me? Write it?"
She nodded. "When you were thirteen. Quite a song, actually. 'Once upon a time, I say, there were two soul mates that could never ever be apart. Oh so far away! I say. Oh so far away! I say. There was a prophesy that would never ever be fulfilled. One that said 'Hardship'; one that said 'Agony'; but ignoring was the key, for we were always, always meant to be'."
I wrinkled my nose. "That sounds awful."
She grinned. "Well, you were only thirteen. However I do like the song... it is very... well... you."
I sighed. "Aunt Rose?"
"Hmm..?"
"I had a dream today about mom."
"Is that so?" she asked, her good mood gone.
Aunt Rose had taken the car crash my parents were in a lot harder that I had. She still wasn't over it, but, then again, she was close to them both. Probably much closer to them than I was.
"She was telling me to run."
Aunt Rose stiffened behind me, and I raised my regularly-plucked eyebrow. After a few minutes, she continued to brush my hair, but the stiffness in her shoulders didn't go away.
"Serenity, I know that what happened to your parents was hard for you to deal with, but you have to move on. It has been five years. Besides, it's a dream. Nothing could come of it. Today is your birthday, and letting stupid things like a dream ruin your good mood is just... silly."
I nodded, and dropped the subject.
When Aunt Rose was done with my hair, she set the brush down and left the room.
I continued to stare at myself in the mirror, not really seeing my reflection. Then I got up, grabbing a hat from a nearby chair on my way out.
My party was definitely lifeless. And when I say lifeless, my definition is: a tea party with finger sandwiches (none of which I was allowed to touch...) and fruit laid out for old people to enjoy. A bunch of elders I don't even remember or know wishing me a happy birthday and introducing me to their "overly-excited to meet you, just the precious thing!" sons and grandsons (all of whom were a bore). Gifts layed out on the table, most likely with useless objects that some people might find interesting whilst I find boring, and, let us not forget the music... classic violins and piano solos don't exactly give the whole 'party-up' beat I would trade it in for.
Let's just say that two hours into it and my highlight so far was a chubby grandson of "Madam Supree, the novelist" lecturing me about the mating patterns of a porcupine in attempts to woe me, and the "exciting climax of releasing helium balloons into the sky!" (as quoted by my aunt) where we basically each got a balloon and... released it into the sky with an accompanying dramatic trumpet background music. Fun.
That's how I had found myself in a tree, wishing the day would be over already, and hiding from my excited bachelors who regularly, and eagerly, seek me out. I shudder just thinking about them...
"Some party you have yourself here."
I jumped, startled, as a blond about my age jumped from the branch above mine and sat down next to me. "I'm Andrew."
I groaned inwardly. They were everywhere!
"Oh... ah... hello. I hope you're having a good time tonight..."
He grinned. "I'm not from the party."
I pursed my lips. "Party crasher?"
"Not really."
I frowned. "Can't you be?"
The truth was, anything would be more exciting at the moment.
He laughed and winked at me. "Well, Endymion's orders were to keep an eye out... I don't think that includes crashing the party."
I wrinkled my nose. "Who's Endymion?"
Andrew smiled sadly at me, shaking his head. "A friend. A really good friend."
"Ah."
I could see my Aunt Rose now, talking to Porcupine Man, and shaking her head forlornly and shrugging. She happened to look up at that moment and spot me, and I shook my head, mouthing "please no!" to her in hopes that she could read my lips and not give me away. She gave me a quick disapproving look, but shook her head again at Porcupine Man. He sulked away, looking around.
I sighed. "Thank-you!"
Andrew grinned. "You know, most girls would give anything to be in your shoes. Sought out by many man from every... uh... house on the street."
I gave him a look. "I doubt it."
"Don't worry, Serena. You're safe up here."
I raised my eyebrow. "Serena?"
"A nickname for you."
I shook my head. "Besides that. How do you know my name?"
"Ah... you introduced yourself?"
I eyed him warily. He scratched his head and offered a slight smile. "No, I'm not sure that I did."
"I think that you did."
"No I didn't."
"Yes, you did."
"No. I didn't. I would remember."
He shrugged innocently. "Must have heard it from one of your guests, then."
I eyed him suspiciously, but dropped the subject. The truth was that I didn't want to go back to the party, and even though Andrew did know my name without me having mentioned it, he seemed like an O.K guy to me. Fun loving, even.
"Anyway. Shouldn't you be out there?" Andrew asked, tilting his head towards my 'bash'.
"Please. Two hours is all I can take. Hey! What's that? Plastic ear?" I reached out, suddenly noticing the long, elf-like ear poking out from his messy blond hair. I tugged at the ear gently, but it wouldn't come of. He laughed.
"Hey, that tickles!"
I grinned and pulled it again. "What glue did you use? It's stuck on there pretty tight!"
He winked at me again, and shook his head. "You wouldn't know it. It's a secret mixture."
I leaned in closer to him, bumping him on the shoulder. "Come on... you can tell me. I can keep a secret... besides, it's my birthday!"
He shook his head again and laughed. "You wont believe me."
"Try me."
"Alright. These are real."
I shook my head. "You're right, I don't believe you."
He grinned. "It's true, though. They grew in after I ran away from home and found Elf City, begged the Queen to let me stay, had a special ceremony done and became Endymion's personal announcer."
I raised an eyebrow. "What are you, a novelist or something? You know, Madam Supree would love to meet you."
Andrew just cocked his head. "Trust me. I don't want to meet her. I am here for only one reason."
"And what's that?"
Andrew put a finger to his mouth. "It's a secret. But I sincerely hope that I wouldn't have to meet you again."
I frowned. "I'm not that bad, am I?"
Andrew, surprised, shook his head no. "It's not that. Just that under the circumstances such as this, it would be better."
"Yeah, yeah, the party's dull, I get it. I didn't plan it, though, for your information. My Aunt Rose did."
He smiled again, but his eyes wondered out into the sea of faces, searching each one. I watched him as his eyes parted from the crowd and trailed along the vast grass space onto the road and away. Then he seemed to snap out of it and was looking at me again.
"What were you watching?" I asked.
He pursed his lips and watched me carefully, as if considering whether to tell me or not. When he decided, he reclined against the branch and cracked his fingers, putting his hands behind his head to act as a pillow against the hard bark of the tree. "A bird. I'm a birdwatcher. I thought I saw a rare species of bird, but it turned out to be a... snake."
I raised an eyebrow, shaking my head. "A snake? How can you have mistaken a snake for a bird?"
He shrugged. "That particular bird that I was thinking of resembles a snake, but kills... scarier. The bird I'm thinking of satiates it's hunger by first catching it's prey in it's wings and keeping it in the dark and suffocating it. When the haunted is almost dead, it releases it's hold and carefully squeezes it's blood out. Then it pecks at it until it's hairs are all gone, and only when it's that vulnerable does the bird eat it."
I shuddered. "I didn't know there was such a bird species."
He grinned. "There isn't."
I frowned and looked at this blond boy. I hated to admit it, but even with his likable personality, at the moment he was frustrating me. And scaring me.
"Hey, relax!" he said, realizing somehow that he'd hit a nerve. "What I meant was that there isn't such a bird species. There was never supposed to be one. But there is something out there that kills like that."
I shook my head. The image of my mother's pale skin and falling hair flickered through my mind for a second, unnerving. "I don't believe you."
He shrugged. "Whether you do or don't, it doesn't really matter. But as I see it at the moment, you have two choices. Listen to your Aunt Rose tonight, and don't question her – or don't listen to her and... well... the rest you'll figure out on your own."
I scowled. "You know what, I don't even want to hear it! You keep changing the subject, and you tell me fake stories, and you try to scare me... and now you know my Aunt Rose's name and are telling me what I should or shouldn't do? Seriously? I'm out of here."
He flinched, but I was beyond feeling sympathy for him at that point.
I grabbed hold of the branch I was sitting on and moved towards the trunk, where he was leaning. Before I climbed over him and to the ground, though, I heard him mumble to himself, "Oh boy... still as stubborn as always. This is bound to be disastrous."
TBC
A/N: REVIEW! Hope you liked it.
