Book One-The Bedtime Story
A hum of water strikes ceramic tile in the background as steam seeps its way under a thick wooden door. A crystal palace would be a fairytale home for any princess. However for one little girl, to her it's just a place to live and play. And in so to take a shower, a nice warm shower, before bed. With the water ceasing and the curtains rolling back, a small girl plops her feet into plush bunny slippers to guard against the ice cold floor. And in triumph she puts on her maroon nightgown, getting caught for a second in the twisting fabric of the sleeve and then managing to pass her arms through the cuffs. She quickly, but ever-so-cautiously maneuvers through the mass of toys in the hallway, which she didn't bother to clean up hours before. The young girl clears the mess and tip toes past her mother's room, hoping not to be heard or seen. She successfully passes the room without being spotted, then heads to her favorite part of the castle, the study.
Her father spends most of his time here studying and reading books of all varieties. He likes reading with the light from the fireplace. Her dad is a tall, but humble man. Although he is the king of the Earth respectfully, he isn't like a king at all. He is very generous and kind, caring only for the welfare of others. The young girl's pink hair glows brightly in the light from the Yule. She makes her way to the bookshelf with an innumerable amount of books.
She reaches for one and asks, "Dad can you read me a bedtime story?"
Her dad smiled and put his book down. The fire blazed bright which would offer the light necessary to read. The girl started looking from bookcase to bookcase, until she came upon a book that caught her eye. The book wasn't beautiful, and was covered with dust. She quickly picked it up. It was a medium weight hardcover. The dust flew off the covers, and she sneezed, dropping the book to the floor.
Her dad looked over at her and asked, "Did you find a book you liked?"
She smiled as she picked up the book from the floor, and then said, "Yes, can you read it to me?"
Her dad's smile turned quickly into a deep frown, as his face crumpled he said, "Are you sure you want me to read you that story, it is rather long."
The girl pouted and said, "Read it to me please!" She waited for her father to begin reading, and the said, "Oh come on daddy, it will be o.k. just read."
Then her father took the book from her hand and opened the cover. The dust from inside the book flew up into his nostrils and he sneezed clearing the passage way. Then the girl began to giggle at her father.
She quickly said, "You should have known it would make you sneeze!" She continued to giggle louder, and her dad picked her up, and sat her o his knee and smiled, then commenced to tickle her. She burst into a frantic laughter until a chilling voice, coming from the next room rang out through the hallways, it was her mother.
Her mother spouted, "Be quiet!"
The girl held back laughter as her dad mimicked her mother.
Her dad said, "Seriously Rini, I must tell you that the world you live in now is quite different than it used to be. The past was a much more violent place, and many sacrifices were made to ensure the world's survival and that of its people."
Rini answered her father, "Please read."
Her dad opened the cover more carefully this time, not kicking up as much dust as before. As he lifted the cover the dust slid off the title. It read, "The Adventure" Darien read the first portions to himself.
It said, "To Darien, Serena, Rini, and the Sailor Scouts. Our Journeys together may have been short, but the memories we shared and the battles we have fought have led to the revolution of hope in mankind." With a flip of the page the story's text was revealed. Darien sat back and the couch seemed to absorb him. He began to read, "Nobody should have to live through the pain and suffering I have endured. I was forced to watch my parent's brutal death by the government that was supposed to take care of me. At that time I was too young to understand what was transpiring. After the death I was taken to a local governmental institution I Detroit, Michigan, my hometown, if that's what you'd call it. I was surrounded by Doctors, and lab technicians. They ran in-depth tests and long and sometimes excruciating experiments on me, just because I had a power that they couldn't explain, neither could they understand. After four years of hell on earth, I decided to close my body and decided to not use my powers. I did so for two more years until I forgot how to use them. I was deemed undesirable so I was sent to a foster family on the Southwest side of Detroit.
An unfortunately bad fate continued to follow me. I was only seventeen when my foster parents were shot down by a car-jacker, when they refused to give up their car."
Darien paused and asked, "Rini, are you sure you want me to continue?"
Rini quickly responded, almost in disgust, "Darien, the past doesn't frighten me; we learn from our mistakes, so please continue!"
Darien nodded and began to speak but was caught short as his eyes gazed on someone peering into the doorway. It was a women and she was intensively listening to the story. She had a sailor suit uniform, with red bows and trim. Her hair was so black that its true color could be identified as purple. She walked into the study; her hair reflected the blazing light. As she approached the couch Darien got up to his feet.
Darien said, "Hello Raye!"
Raye quickly smiled and said, "Hello!" She moved closer and asked, "Hello and what are you reading?"
Darien confirmed by showing her the cover and saying, "The Adventure."
Raye was glowing with anticipation, or perhaps it was the Yule of flaming affluence that yielded her glow. She sat down on a bean bag chair.
Raye said, Continue Darien!"
Darien began to speak, but was again interrupted once more by visitors. Two women came through the doorway. One was dressed in an orange Sailor Suit, and had very long blonde hair, and the other was dressed in light blue and had short dark blue hair.
Darien asked politely, "So you want to hear the story as well?" He paused as the two girls nodded, then after a long gaze into space the girls made their way to the love seat, and sofa, as they did Darien continued, "Just take a seat anywhere!"
Yet another woman popped around the door frame. She was dressed in green, and was very tall; her brown hair matched the elegant moldings of the room.
She quickly, and in a very low tone apologized, "Sorry for interrupting." Her voice with a little more confidence, "Can I listen as well?"
Darien nodded as a sign of confirmation. As he did the shrill voice of Rini's Mother rang out in desperation, "What's with all the commotion?"
Darien called back, "It's just: Amy, Mina, Raye, and Lita."
She mumbled to herself, "With Rini it is bad enough, but you get her and the Sailor Scouts together and I can never get any sleep." Her mother stumbled into the hallway and began the dangerous journey through the toy jungle. She carefully navigated through the midst of toys laid out down the hallway. She lost balance only once, and quickly regained it. She finally made it to the study. She transfixed her eyes with those of her husband's. The grimacing stare that could freeze and shatter anyone's heart was now bearing down on poor Darien.
Darien, knowing his circumstance quickly said, "Hi honey, I was just reading to Rini."
Before Darien could apologize for keeping his wife awake, the Scouts spouted, "Hi Serena!"
Serena, although half asleep managed to utter in a very low tone, "Hi everybody."
Serena moved quickly to where Raye was sitting, she reach her hands out and grabbed the beanbag chair somehow managing to retrieve it from underneath Raye. Raye fell to the ground and let out a yelp, but she quickly retaliated with words!
Raye yelled, "you may be the queen but you act like your two years old for god's sake, and you'll always be the obnoxious little meatball head with an enormously large mouth, you great big pig!!!"
After a hearty bickering between them Rini sprung up in anger and said, "What about the story?"
Serena paused from her action and asked, "Whatcha reading Darien?"
Rini yelled out in disgust, "The Adventure you meatball head!"
Raye began to cackle, and tried to fight back the laughter, and after a few seconds she forced the laugh down, and her face crinkled into a smirk.
Serena looked straight into Rini's eyes; the fear was welling up within Rini. Serena corrected her child by saying, "You will, in time, learn your place young lady."
Rini was almost tear struck as she quickly apologized, "I'm sorry mommy."
Serena smiled and said, "Well at least there is someone who isn't bull headed like Raye." As she said that she stuck her tongue out at Raye casing a bit more friction between them. Serena took the beanbag chair and forced Raye to sit on the floor.
Darien continued with the story before they could start in on each other, "I was alone, without anyone. It seemed that there was nothing left of me. I tried to find a job, but couldn't. My stomach was a hurricane of emptiness, with no food I began to starve to death. I ran out of money and was quickly running out of time. I had to do something, even if it was drastic.
I went into the local 7-Eleven store and tried to steal something to eat. Before I could get the food in my pocket I was found out. When I tried to run the cops caught me and threw me behind bars. Was I really a criminal? How could I have sunk so low?
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months which turned into a year. The dark jail cell became my home and the darkness my friend. I was now more alone than I had ever been. I lay curled hopelessly tight in a ball wanting the light, but respecting the darkness from which I had entered. Even though I got three meals a day I would hardly call the diet scrumptious. There was nothing worse than being alone in the darkness for hours, and hours. There were not just bars surrounding my body, but bars surrounding my innermost being. I tried to commit suicide, but the darkness just wasn't dark enough and I was foiled at every attempt. Finally when my time was up they didn't let me out. Perhaps they had forgotten about me, the same way I had forgotten myself.
Time seemed to know no limits and passed freely across the infinite plane of space. The weeks seemed to fly past my grasp, as the days seemed like seconds. Finally the time warp came to a dramatic stop as a rattle of the bars woke me from my deep state of hyper drive. A government official was staring down at my corpse, or so it would seem. I turned to face him and he turned away only for a second not knowing what to think. He had a very dark complexion and a dreary character which cast a grey aura about him. He was wearing all black except for his blue socks. He had a black suit, and the darkest shoes I have ever seen. You know they say you can tell a lot about a man by the shoes he wares. The Strange thing was his dark glasses; it seemed ridiculous to wear sunglasses in an area not touched by even a fraction of light.
He had a scraggily voice but managed to spit forth, "I'll grant you freedom if you will work for me."
I staggered up to my feet and made my way to him. I grasped the bars, trying not to keel over. I stared into his cold eyes. His gateway to the soul was clouded with an emptiness like which I had never seen before.
I asked, "What must I do?"
The agent gained a look of resentment towards me but quickly lost the look as his superior took him away. It was a woman, also dressed in all black. She had a sweet voiced that echoed through the jail like the sweet song of a dove. She began arguing with the agent as to when they would come to retrieve me. Her high heel shoes allowed her to match the height of the agent, and her black dress seemed to match the gloomy drawl of the jail. Their voices seemed to echo for hours, a constant back and forth argument, over who knows what. They continued till late in the night. Finally the Agent returned to my cell, almost in disgust with me.
He said, "We will be back to retrieve you around noon tomorrow."
I nodded, and he began to chuckle to himself, he did so as he strolled out of the jail house, the dark voice echoed through the endless cell blocks reverberating off the steel bars that held me. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Was I being set up or something? So many questions and not enough answers. Why wouldn't they just let me go, I had served my time. I guess anything would be better than rotting in this hell hole!
I couldn't get to sleep, I was wondering what would happen to me. What kind of job could get me out of jail? The hands of the clock seemed to dance a furious dance that would bring me ever closer to noon and freedom. Time ebbed away and noon was nigh, the dim light seeped into my cell as it did every noon. A rap on my cell adverted my attention. The darkly woman was here to take me away.
The woman pointed to my belongings with her eyes, and then the cell door. She said, "Get your stuff and let's go."
I followed her down the long corridor to a huge Iron door. I had seen the door only on certain occasions but didn't know where it led. The young woman lifted a huge door handle. The metal creaked and screeched as the huge door finally flew open. A burst of light blinded me. The light was so strong it was as if I had never experienced it and now was for the first time. I threw my hands up to divert the light. I could barely see but made out the outline of a limousine. The door opened slowly, and I tried to say, "Where are we going?" but Instead of an answer I was kicked into the car. A great pain flowed through my body and I fell into the car. The door slammed behind me and the car sped off. I hadn't had a good night's sleep in months, so the leather seats made a great bed. I lay in pain but quickly dozed off.
When I woke up I did so to an unfamiliar sight, the limo had traveled a great distance, I must have been asleep for quite some time. It was morning. The light rattled off the windows and into my eyes. The limo stopped suddenly and the door flung open. I had no idea where I was. I looked down to the ground, It was sand not like Michigan's sand but like a desert. The ground was crusty, and crunched under my feet. The air was very dry and coarse and the heat was immense. I looked up at a huge complex of buildings. The agents escorted me down a path that led to the facility. As I passed through the front door I read the label on the building.
It read, "TSS Laboratory Allenville, Texas." I though to myself, "Why Texas?"
The government agent from before was without his dark glasses. He smiled as I walked in. In his coarse voice he spoke, "I hope your trip was good."
I nodded, and was escorted to a seat, where I refused to sit and stood beside it.
He came closer and as he did he continued speaking, "Hi and welcome to the facility. I hope you are well rested, and ready to begin your assignment." He paused and adverted his gaze from me to those who brought me in. They quickly left leaving us two alone. When they left he continued, " I heard from my superiors that you have special powers, Is this True?"
I looked into his cold eyes, and said, "I used to have powers but I can't use them anymore."
He said, "How bad of me, my name is Alexii, It's too bad that you can't use your powers anymore, how unfortunate." He looked around the room then back at me. Then after an unnerving pause he continued, "I want you to help us build a clone that can use special powers like those you used to have. The clone will look like you and act like you. Do you follow me?
I nodded and asked, "For what purpose is the clone's existence?"
Alexii answered, "The clone will fight for the U.S. Government, it will fight terrorism. It will limit casualties abroad, and protect everyone."
I really didn't know what to say, I didn't believe it could be done. Wouldn't it take time? I stood there dumbfounded then asked, "What must I do?"
I went along with his Ideas not really caring, at least I was treated better than in jail. For the next 10 months I spent most of my time in a cloning tank. I remember looking out through the liquid that sustained my existence. I was suspended in it and in so it became my blood, my food, and my life. I remember watching everyday, the numerous doctors, their vials full of liquids, and their weird complicating sentences, and they continued to talk day in and out. They looked at me as their experiment, and I looked back at them as their experiment. My only freedom was that I got to talk to the girl in black every once in a while. I was very frightened, I remembered my past with all its destruction and turmoil. The doctors from before, a great pain engulfed my being, the pain that was unavoidable, I couldn't seem to escape my past. Those who can't escape the past are doomed to become lost on the path to the future. Things should have been left just were they were put, but the experiment was bringing them back to my remembrance. How much longer would I be able to withstand what I couldn't conceal?
The only thing keeping me sane was the visits from The lady in black. Everyday she would come to see how I was doing. One time she apologized for kicking me, but I couldn't recall the event, I was too busy thinking of my own past to acknowledge the present that I was currently part of. She told me how she was like me a lost soul who was taken, and raised by the government who had betrayed her in the first place. Her family was killed in a fire, or so she was told, she had no one but her close friend Andrew. I also remembered in passing conversations by the doctors, some of which made no sense, nothing made since anymore anyway. The doctors talked about an inter-dimensional gate or something, and something about a mystical power of sorts. Who knows what they were talking about? The end of times? Phbtt!
That afternoon I waited for the lady of darkness but she didn't show up. I thought she was just running late, so I waited for a few hours. I waited until I realized she wasn't going to come to see me. Did she forget? I am quite forgettable! I pondered why she hadn't showed up. The more I thought of it the more depressed I became. Perhaps she didn't want to see me, I wouldn't want too. I resentfully drifted into sleep, still trying to figure out what was going on in its entirety.
I was awoken by the clack of high-heeled shoes approaching. Was it her? I tried to speak but found so impossible. I tried to see, but the darkness consumed the outlying areas of the room. She picked something up and tossed it to the cloning tank area. The chair struck the cloning tube, unfortunately the wrong one. An extreme pain jolted its way down my spine, I was being electrocuted. My clone had died, and I would die soon if I wasn't freed immediately. She picked up a chair and struck my tube. The shock ceased and I fell to the floor. She extended her hands to catch me. I lay passed out in her arms. She slapped me to revive me. After a couple blows she succeeded. I opened my eyes slowly, and slowly seen her face unveiled before me.
She said, "Hurry and escape or you will be caught!"
I quickly grabbed a few things lying around in the room including my wallet and a strange map. I asked her, "Why are you helping me out?"
She looked down, then back at me and answered, "No one should be treated as an experiment, you are a human being after all."
I said, "Thanks for everything…" I paused because I didn't know her name. I stared at her waiting for a reply.
She smiled and said, "My name is Sarah!"
I thanked her again and ran to the window I opened it and slid out, only getting stuck once. My feet hit the ground running and before I could tell were I was going I came upon a car. The keys were in it. Perhaps fate had a hand in all of this, or maybe it was all just a coincidence. I started the car, then looked back one more time wondering if I would ever see Sarah again. I hit the accelerator and the car sped forward with me in it. I came upon a huge gate. I sped up and sailed right through it. Now the master alarm had been sounded, but I refused to look back, not questioning the blessings that god had given me. I just appreciated them and took them with the utmost thanks. I knew the X's on the map had t mean something so I plunged onward into the night. The closest one was in the Gulf of Mexico. I remember the scientists' ramblings on about inter-dimensional rifts and portals. Was this what the x meant? I guess there is only one way to find out.
I had traveled most of the night when I came upon the gulf. I quickly pulled the car over to the side of the road. I got out and headed toward the ocean. Once there I stood unsure of what to do. As I stood I too in the calm, warm air. The sun slowly made its way over the horizon, edging little by little. It was certainly beautiful. The yellow light engulfed the gulf.
Then in desperation I looked around and spotted a boat tied to a dock. I rushed towards it knowing every second wasted would bring the enemy even closer. So I quickly untied the vessel and jumped in. I tried to start the engine. The first time I tried I pulled, and lost my grip and fell backwards into the boat. I was determined now so I tried I again. The engine sputtered then died. Then I kicked it and tried again. The engine hummed and to my surprise it didn't quit. I sped off into the gulf. The warmth was something I wasn't used to, after all it was winter and where I grew up it would be snowing now. The ride was choppy, the waves crashed against the small boat, but I didn't mind. I turned off the engine when I reach the mark. I looked into the sky, the sun pierced my eyes, the sea rocked me back and forth, into and out of the light. Then I looked out in despair and said, "Hmm, nothing here", just as I said that the sea grew very calm. Then a weird light surrounded me. Now I was traveling through it. It became a tunnel and had an end that I quickly was headed for. This teleportation only took a second, but felt like an eternity. I finally reach the end. The tunnel of light disappeared from around me leaving only a grey light that surrounded me.
I looked out over a familiar sight although it really wasn't familiar. I put two and two together but failed to make four. Was this the moon? No how could it be! I could breath here. I thought I was dreaming but an accidental backslide down a gulley told me otherwise. The grey light was quite eerie. I continued to walk forward and as I did my feet crunched into the soft sand. I was running for some reason but to my surprise there was no wind to check me, this scared me so I stopped. I looked around me, there were hills and deep craters. I started towards a very tall hill and began to climb it. Once at the top I could see a long distance but what I seen startled me, so much that I tripped and rolled back down the hill. I dusted myself off and tried again. This time I wouldn't lose it. I looked back out over the hill and saw something I couldn't explain. Was it real? How could it be? No! It couldn't be but I shouldn't be here either I thought. It resembled a destroyed…."
A voice echoed from the hallway as Darien stopped, "Why did you stop?", It asked.
Darien looked towards the doorway to see more visitors. Another lady a bit older than the rest was standing there in the doorway. Her blue green hair glittered in the fire's light. Her outfit was a dark sailor scout uniform. She had been inattentively been listening to the story. She wasn't alone either. Along with her there were three others. A woman around her age was leaning up against the wall recalling the past and smiling. She had short-blonde hair and was fairly tall. She also had a dark sailor scout outfit. There was a younger girl around Rini's age. She had medium dark hair and was herself dressed in a black sailor scout uniform. Also there was a bit older woman with long green hair, she held a staff and held it firmly within her hands. She wore a dark outfit as well.
Serena looked up at the doorway and said, "So, Michelle, Omara, Hotaru, and Trista, are you here to listen to the story as well?"
Michelle, the one with blue green hair, sarcastically stated in her weird but charming lady-like-tone, "Why as a matter of fact we are."
Hotaru slowly came around the corner, and as she did Rini sprung up with an ecstatic, "Hey Hotaru", almost knocking over anyone who got in her path. She rushed towards Hotaru and quickly hugged her.
Hotaru had been very sick ever since she was little, and was very frail, she was also very scrawny, and Rini's hands wrapped all the way around her. Hotaru grinned and sweetly stated, "Hello my friend." Hotaru stretched her arms out and hugged Rini back, but her hands barely stretched around the chubby frame.
Rini quickly turned toward Trista, with the long Green hair and said, "Please come in", then she looked at the group of them in the doorway and said, "Everyone grab a seat and listen to the adventure."
Serena swiftly vacated the beanbag chair and headed towards the kitchen to get more seats. She moved through the kitchen to the living room, Darien quickly followed behind her. They pulled the sofa into the Study hall. Raye quickly bounded from the floor to the vacated beanbag chair. Serena and Darien managed to place the couch down in a good spot. Serena stared at Raye. Raye smiled and Serena was furious. Trista leaned her staff up against the wall, and helped Serena go get more chairs. On return from the Kitchen Omara started setting them out so people could sit down.
There were Eleven People now in the study. Serena, Trista, and Darien pulled out another love seat from the living room. Now there would be plenty of seats for people to sit. Two couches, three love seats, and a beanbag chair for Raye.
Serena sneered at Raye, and quickly sat down with Darien and Rini. Darien had lost his spot so he thumbed through the surrounding pages trying to find the page he had left off on.
Rini said, "I'm so happy you came to hear the story with me, thank you so much!" The Sailor scouts smiled, and Rini was very content. Rini Quickly darted to were Hotaru was sitting. Hotaru graciously scooted over to make room for her friend. Her first true friend. Darien finally found his page but waited until it seemed everyone was ready to listen.
