Chapter Three:
The Golden Moment
Dear Diary,
Today my new friend Hillary and I decided to go to the Arcade this weekend. It took a bit of working out between my Aunt and her mom, since we live outside of town and all, but Rinoa said it was a perfect chance to show Hillary the Control Room, and get to know my friend and fellow Senshi! She went all deep on me philisophically again and said that unity would be our greatest strength. I had a weird dream last night too.
I dreamt there was this deep, inky black lake or river (It was kinda hard to tell) with lillies all around. The sky was pitch black, without any stars at all. And there wasn't any ground around the river thing either. Like the river just opened up into the endless black nothingness. I was on a simple wooden boat, and at the end of the river was a door, or monster huge gate with strange symbols all around the edges. A woman stood there with a staff, she had the coolest black cloak! She also wore a strange outfit, kind of like a Senshi outfit, but somehow... better, like she was a status up above Sailor Moon even or something. I'm not sure. It's hard to describe. Behind her was a giant, spectral black three headed shadow, with the body of a dog. I couldn't see any real details about the dog looming between her and the gate.
But another thing about this woman? I feel as though I know her, or knew her before from somewhere. But I've never seen anything or anyone like her.
Then when I got a look of her face I woke up. She had the same green eyes as I do, and the same bangs even. I wonder what it means? Should I bring it up to Rinoa once we're in the Control Room? I dunno... It's so confusing. I haven't even watched the Anime show about the girl who ferries people in to Hell in ages. So I don't know why I would be dreaming about a place like that.
Oh! Another thing. I didn't see the Moon Shadow Knight on the last battle. But I did see the person who summons those creepy puppets. She would be cool if she wasn't obviously trying to kill my alter ego, and thus... me.
I can't believe I'm no longer alone in this mission! Hillary acts as though we've known each other our whole lives even though we just met a few days ago. She gave me an awesome Michiru Kaioh CD, and tickets to the show she'll be performing here in the next few weeks! I can't believe it! My inner self was squeeing for glee at the thought of getting to see (And possibly meet) My idol! Michiru is so elegant and graceful, and her music is so inspiring! Now if only Sailor Venus were with her, then I could die and go to heaven a happy girl!
Not only did Hillary save my life the other day, but she's so sweet and kind. I wish there were more people like her around. We decided on karaoke Saturday in the Control Room to 'celebrate our friendship' as Rinoa put it. I'm so glad to be a Senshi, it's my opportunity to make friends like Hillary, and improve on my life. I wonder how I'm going to do on Karaoke? I've never done it before! Does that sound weird to you? I've just never had anyone my own age to share anything fun like this with before. I wonder... If I weren't a Sailor Senshi, would Hillary still be my friend?
But I need to go, my Aunt is calling me again for dinner...
Christina.
"Wow, so this place was under the arcade?" Blinked Hillary. It was Saturday morning, and she was standing at the entrance as the door closed behind her. She still couldn't believe it. She was a Sailor Senshi! And they were acting like this was a perfectly normal occurrence. She saw the karaoke machine, and the musical instruments that were in the large buffet cabinet.
"Yup." Nodded Rinoa, jumping up on to the table in the center of the room. "This is where we will be holding our meetings, planning, and in general spend time together in between battles with the Dark Kingdom. But today is going to be for fun while I do some researching. Ok girls?"
Hillary didn't need telling twice. She grabbed Christina and pulled her over to the Karaoke machine. There they found a list of all the latest songs, and music that both wouldn't have any problems enjoying.
"Come on! Let's do a duet!" Hillary thumbed through the rather massive collection of tunes.
It turned out that Hillary was quite adept at singing in to a microphone, and helped Christina learn how to use one. They settled on their first song being written by a popular singer at the time, Loraine Felicia.
"There's no need for those tears on your face,
There's no need for that anger buried deep in your heart.
Replace it all indeed, all those tears would tear anyone apart.
There's no reason, to hang on to that now.
You can let go, just reach out to me.
I was knocked to the ground, you took all my anger,
I was hit around the face like I was nothing.
The fear you put in me, I've overcome without shedding anymore tears.
I learned who I was, the me I'd forgotten over the many years.
I can see your fear, you've lost all direction.
No hope, no cries. No looking in your reflection.
The emptiness caged in your heart, just reaching out before you're ripped apart.
You'd forgotten who you were, the shadow of your former self.
I saw your light, reach through the darkness.
The shadow pierced, in all directions.
I saw from afar, you reached out your hand to me,
To give me hope for my life, you gave it all back to me,
When I had been stripped of hope and love,
I was able to rise up and fight this deep, unyielding hate,
And reach back to you.
I found the will to smile again,
The will to release all that anger as the wings unfold,
To fly towards tomorrow with new found hope.
I can smile again, the pure light of hope.
I can reach out again, no longer afraid to see
No longer afraid to see the real me,
Who you helped bring out.
There was no need for the tears that you once shed,
The anger you once held on so tightly to has now been broken through.
Having been replace with the power of your will,
I can see you stand tall once more.
I saw your light, reach through the darkness.
The shadow pierced, in all directions.
I saw from afar, you reached out your hand to me,
And then I reached back!
You gave me hope for my life, you gave it all back to me.
The will to fly towards tomorrow, to rid myself of all my sorrow.
With this newfound hope, I can smile again.
There was no need for the tears that you once shed,
The anger you once held on so tightly to, the shields you had up have been broken at last.
Having been replaced with your smile, and the strength of your will,
I can see you stand tall once more..."
The song ended with the final crescendo, and beat.
"Wow, Christi! One would never guess you were this good at Karaoke! You sounded just like Miss Loraine!" Hillary said once the song was done, causing Christina to blush rather furiously. "I wish my sister knew about this place, we could be a trio of Karaoke singers, filling this whole building with out music!"
"Yeah? You think so?" Christina asked, still feeling slightly embarrassed.
"I know so! She loves these tunes, and Rinoa put every single album known to man in here judging by the size of those files." Nodded Hillary, who was suddenly interrupted by a loud rumbling noise.
"Sounds like someone is hungry." Sniggered Rinoa in spite of herself when she was absorbed with her work on the computers.
"I know! I can fix some ramen with rice noodles! That way we won't gain any weight and can still stuff ourselves." Christina's idea came out of nowhere.
"Oooh... I love rice noodle ramen!" Said Hillary as Christina put down her microphone, and went over to the kitchenette area to see what was in stock. And as it turned out, they had everything she needed to make her specialty style ramen.
"And Rinoa, I'll make you your favorite Chicken broth with chunks and veggies." Christina winked.
Rinoa stared. Christina's cheerful attitude was unusual, but then, maybe that's what finally having a friend who actually wanted to be around you would do to a person. It had been a long time since Rinoa saw Christina acting like the fourteen year old she was. This was a good improvement, she thought, as Hillary decided to sing another song while Christina was cooking.
Later in the afternoon, Rinoa called the two over to the computers.
"Did'ja find something?" Asked Christina through a mouthful of ramen that she was slurping. It was her second bowl at this point.
"Yes. First, I'm going to give you a run down of what I've figured out... The enemy doesn't seem to have any particular attack pattern. They struck the Jewelry store first. And since that's the only store like that in town, there was no where else to go. But next, they struck the school, more particularly the locker room of the gymnasium. They seem to be after something specific." Rinoa explained, showing the two on the computer a map of the town with red 'X' marks where the enemy had attacked so far.
"Not to mention, they use those creepy mannequin puppet things in their attacks." Christina recalled with a repressed shudder. She hated mannequins.
"Yes." Nodded Rinoa.
"But what are they after? Why have we been awakened?" Asked Hillary as she bit in to a piece of chicken.
Rinoa paused.
"Well... what they're after is the same thing that we are after. And we cannot let them get it." The cat finally said slowly, in her New York accent.
"And that is?" Pressed Christina, after swallowing her bite.
"Something called the Mystical Jovian Crystal, and the Goddess of Death, who is its keeper. When we find the Goddess, we find the Crystal." Replied Rinoa, turning to face the two girls, who stared.
"No offense, Rinoa, but why would we WANT to find this Goddess of Death?" Blinked Hillary.
"Because, if the enemy found her and the Crystal she carries within her, then they would be able to control the cycle of life and death itself, Hillary." Rinoa stared with her amber eyes rather seriously. "They'd be able to control who died and when. They'd be able to kill everyone on this planet, and many more worlds, if they got their hands on the Crystal and the Goddess."
"Wow..." Stared Christina. "Power over death and the ability to wipe out whole populations? How can we find and protect someone and something that powerful?"
"Don't worry about that. By the time we find BOTH the Goddess of Death, and the Mystical Jovian Crystal, I plan to have you strong enough to be able to handle anything that comes your way. You have a powerful enemy as it is, and more and more will be attracted by the aura of the Goddess, and the power of her Crystal."
"So... Do you have any clue as to how to find her?" Hillary set down her now empty bowl of ramen in the sink.
"Yes. The enemy has struck the school, so they must think that the Goddess is around your ages. They have also made the mistake of attacking the Store, which revealed to me early on what they must be searching for. Hillary, it's a good thing you live in town. You'll be able to keep an eye on things easier and alert us." Rinoa paused before sitting up. Then she performed a summersault in mid air. There was a flash of light, and three objects fell on to the table she was sitting on. "These are for us to use."
They were watches, or at least, appeared to be watches.
"What are they?" Hillary picked up the crimson and canary yellow watch, while Christina was reaching out for the purple and pink one. Their watches had their symbols set in the center of the digital clock. There were two knobs on the side, one slightly bigger than the other.
"Communicators. If anything happens, Hillary, while Christina and I aren't around, you'll be able to summon us using that." Rinoa said rather slyly. "The bigger knob is for communicating with us. Try it out."
Hillary turned the larger knob, and got a shock when the whole miniature screen the size of a quarter turned in to a tiny video with Christina's face, staring back just as dumbstruck.
"See? Each one in your group will receive one of these. And I have this one too." Rinoa said, showing the girls how to use the watches as communicators.
"Handy." Christina looked closely at her own as the screen turned on and Hillary's face appeared on it.
"Indeed." Rinoa nodded in agreement. "It would've been impossible to keep things going at a steady pace with Christina being so far out of town otherwise."
"It's not my choice my uncle likes being a hippy whenever he's back from his big fishing trips." Grumbled Christina.
The sterio was on the F.M. Radio local network, and had just announced a new song will be played by the legendary Minako Aino from Japan, and in English at that.
"Oh!" Christina's mind went suddenly to that song, and she became glued to the sterio as the beat started, while both Rinoa and Hillary stared at her. "I love Minako Aino!"
"I thought Loraine was your favorite?" Blinked Rinoa.
"She's good, but she's no Minako-san." Christina shook her head. "Minako-san has been singing long before Loraine!"
"There's no room for loneliness in this world,
The world that is so full of wonder and people,
Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build?
Just stop and look around, there's nothing else to say or do,
But move forward to tomorrow's door.
Can't you see what it's like to be something so much more than what you are?
There's the trigger, there's that look, there's the way in which
Everything which you had taken,
Through the darkness, that took forever to get through,
Kept running through millions of shadows,
To find that door to tomorrow's glow.
Can't you see now what it's like, having overcome so much of yourself to become more?
Forgotten, laying in shadow and darkness,
Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build?
Laying on your own, there's no chance,
But with us, you have hope from the rest.
Just stop running and look around,
You can push open that door to tomorrow.
Power from within, that forgotten will,
All of your fears, all of your doubt,
Will disappear in time.
Reach within yourself, reach out to us,
We can see what your strengths are, can see that hope in your eyes.
Forgotten, laying in shadow,
Please don't let them take down this wall.
There's no room for loneliness in this world,
The world that is so full of wonder and people,
Why would you take down something someone fought so hard to build?
Just stop and look around, there's nothing else to say or do,
But move forward to tomorrow's door.
Can't you see what it's like to be something so much more than what you are?
There's the trigger, there's that look, there's the way in which
Everything which you had taken,
Through the darkness, that took forever to get through,
Kept running through millions of shadows,
To find that door to tomorrow's glow.
Can't you see now what it's like, having overcome so much of yourself to become more?"
Christina thought it was one of the better songs she'd heard that day. It was a little different than what Minako usually sang about, but still right up there with her favorite songs from the songstress.
"Well, now that we are done gawking musical talents, perhaps we can get back to work here?" Said Rinoa, slightly irked at how quickly Christina lost interest today compared to her normal hyper focusing.
"Morgani... this is twice now that you have failed, and twice now that one of the Jovian Senshi have been awakened as a result of your mistake." Frowned Rubiella in the living area, where they were all gathered. "I will give you one last chance to prove yourself to me, but if you fail... then Wolfani will take your place, and your punishment will be severe."
"Yes, My Lady." Morgani bowed to her mistress, her face pale and stretched looking with worry about what kind of punishment it would be if she failed. She had to pick her target wisely this time, and held up her Searching Stone.
It was mid afternoon, and Hillary had dragged Christina to the music room, where they waited for Hillary's older sister, Annie, to get out of choir lessons that day. Hillary poked her head in the slightly opened door once the last few notes were sung, and the teacher- a tall, thin man by the name of Mr. Shrout- gave the dismissal for the class.
"Annie! Annie!" Hillary called over the heads that were leaving the classroom, and a girl taller than either Hillary or Christina by at least a foot approached. She had waist length burnt ochre naturally curly hair, peach skin with a light tan, and amber yellow eyes. She wore a yellow t-shirt, a pair of dark blue jeans with a blue jean jacket. At the bottom of her pants legs, however, was a design of yellow and silver beads sewn in to the denim in the form of butterflies and daisy flowers. Her shoes were white tennis-shoes with a yellow stripe around the bottom.
"Hey!" Annie said, hurrying over. "Hill, you get out of class early today or what?"
"Yep, we finished our work early with five minutes to spare, and Mrs. Finn decided to be merciful today." Grinned Hillary. "By the way, Annie, this is Christina, my friend I told you about on Monday." Hillary introduced Christina to her older sister by two years, Annie.
"Nice to meet you." Annie shook Christina's hand and blinked. She felt a shock wave of familiarity even though she was quite certain she'd never met Christina in her life before.
"Anne?" Hillary stared at her unusually quiet older sister.
"It's nothing, let's go get lunch, shall we?" Annie gave a broad smile, and the three first went to their lockers to unload their books, then got in line in the cafeteria.
The three of them had an enjoyable lunch that day, discussing Sailor Moon, which Senshi they liked, and whether or not the new Senshi that was appearing in their little town was going to catch the bad guys soon.
"Honestly, this town is so small, I'm surprised they haven't been caught yet." Annie was shrugging. "Did you hear that there are rumors that this Sailor Callisto has a couple of allies now?"
"No!" Christina said after Hillary stomped on her foot rather painfully when she'd been about to answer 'yes'. So in retaliation, she yanked on Hillary's pony tail, rather effectively nearly pulling her out of the bench.
Annie raised an eyebrow at the two.
"Well, one is of course the incredibly dreamy Moon Shadow Knight... how he dresses in all white Arabian robes and cloak, with those blue eyes? And the other is someone named Sailor Elara. She's got that wicked cool scythe... I wonder why though? The scythe is the symbol of the Goddess of Death and Destruction one would think." Annie realized she was rambling, and spotted the smug look on her little sister's face.
"I thought you said you weren't one of the many people focussing on the issue?" Hillary said, wagging her fork full of salad at her sister.
"Guilty as charged." Annie raised her hands in surrender.
"Hey, why don't we get together at that Jewelry store after school? They have a wicked cool sale going on." Annie suggested. "I'll get us each one thing to celebrate our new friendship, ok?"
"Sweet!" Hillary said. "I knew there was a reason I loved having you for a big sister." She grinned.
Eric was sitting with his group of friends, and glanced over when he heard someone talking.
"Looks like the freak show just got bigger." One of the cheerleaders in the cafeteria was saying.
Eric on the other hand thought it was a good thing that it was becoming easier for Christina to make friends. She'd been a loner since elementary school, not that he hadn't tried, but no one else wanted her around for very long.
"Guys, she's really not all that bad." He said, in a tone that got them to stop talking about Christina for the time being.
So after school that day, the three girls headed to the jewelry store on main street. Christina looked around. The last time she'd been in here was also the first time she'd fought as Sailor Callisto. Several cases had been shattered, as well as a tower display. It was amazing the difference and how fast the store recovered.
"Welcome, ladies! As a celebration for the reopening of the Okanogan Jewelry Store, everything in this store is fifty percent off, two days only." The store manager, a tall woman with short, shoulder length silvery hair said from behind the new glass cashier's table.
Christina was at once looking at the store's amethyst jewelry. There was a pair of earrings that resembled the ones she wore as Sailor Callisto, glimmering merrily up at her from the case, in the shape of diamonds, she felt a shadow looming over her from behind and jumped.
"You want those? Hnnn..." Annie checked on the price before giving the go-ahead. Normally those earrings would have been well over one hundred dollars, well out of her price range.
Hillary meanwhile was looking at the ruby jewelry. She found a pair of ruby earrings that were on sale that she was drawn to, with two small pea sized spheres, ending in a heart shaped ruby no larger than a dime, these pairs would sit comfortably on her ear lobe.
"If you young ladies like rare stones, you should check this place out." One of the store clerks who was always nice to them, handed Annie a flyer.
" 'Local historic mining town opening again for the first time in nearly ninety years. Ruby was the start of gold mining in this part of the state, and without it, Okanogan wouldn't exist.'" Annie read to Hillary and Christina.
"Ooh... maybe our geology or history teacher might do a field trip there!" Christina said rather eagerly.
"I didn't know you had an interest in history and geology." Hillary voiced.
"Oh yeah, my Uncle taught me to love and learn from the past." Christina said casually. Since she didn't have many friends in the past, not many people her own age knew her hobbies or what she liked outside of the classroom. And even then, most of her classmates ignored her. It was one of many reasons why, before she found out who her cat really was, she felt rather caged in that small town. But now she could feel her world broadening, and her fate altering in such a way she never even dreamed.
Hillary and Annie both looked at her.
"What? It's not like I can go around the school shouting about what I like to do or anything." Christina said rather tartly, going over to look at the hand blown and carved figurines by a local artist.
Annie and Hillary looked at each other, not failing to notice the touch of bitterness in her voice. So they decided to drop the subject.
Later on that evening in her bedroom, Christina was trying on her new earrings in her bedroom.
"Where did you get those?" Rinoa asked curiously, jumping on to the dresser to get a closer look. These earrings looked identical to the ones she wore back in the days of Silver Millennium, and surprised her that they would turn up again in this form.
"Hillary's older sister, Annie got them for me at the Jewelry Store's reopening sale." Replied Christina, leaning forward and turning her head slightly a few times to the left and right to see how they looked. She had her brown hair hanging loose, but it still only went just past her shoulders. One would hardly be able to tell that she was Sailor Callisto, even with the earrings.
Christina had already said goodnight to her aunt, so they didn't have to worry about anyone walking in on them then having to explain an awkward moment at being caught with a talking cat.
"You know, during the days of Silver Millennium, you wore earrings exactly like those all the time." Rinoa said fondly. "Perhaps this is a sign of your old self peeking through?"
"I did?" Christina blinked down at her cat, then back up at her reflection.
"If those earrings have reappeared, then that means your awakening is speeding up." Nodded Rinoa as Christina took the earrings off again and placed them in their velvet purple protective. On her dresser was also another new acquisition from the store that she'd bought herself with her allowance- a hand blown glass figurine of a large white tiger, brilliant blue sapphire eyes, standing magnificently on a base of varying crystal types, its head held up tall and proud, and tail long and curved as it roared. "For they were a symbol of your Royalty, and who you were to become one day. I wasn't sure at first, to be honest. But now I am certain that you are the Princess of the planet Jupiter, and next in line to inherit the throne." Rinoa looked up at Christina proudly as Christina was busy selecting a nightgown to put on that evening.
"Me...A princess? You've gotta be kidding." Christina was shaking her head in doubt as she turned from Rinoa and changed in to her violet nightgown that she'd selected. "A Sailor Senshi I can understand, but you're yanking me if you think I'm some kind of Princess or whatever... Like how Sailor Moon is supposed to be the Princess of the Moon? Come on." This was the first time she'd ever doubted Rinoa. The fact that she was a Princess, and next in line to inherit the throne was too much to believe.
"Have I ever lied to you, Christina?" Rinoa asked, a bit miffed that Christina didn't have more faith in her.
"No, but I find it a bit hard to believe that a nobody from a small, God-forsaken town would suddenly be told she's a Sailor Senshi, future leader of the team, then a few days later told that she's also a Princess? Come on, it's too much!" Christina shook her head vigorously.
Wind had started howling outside again, so she closed her bedroom window before getting underneath her covers.
"Yes, but the incredible happens in this world all the time, Christina. Not all is as it may appear to be. Even a nobody, teased and abused by her classmates can become something more. And one day, those classmates might be regretting how they have treated you in the past when they realize what a good person you truly are." Rinoa consoled the girl, who she'd seen go through a lot of emotional turmoil over the last several days while silently trying to come to grips with her new reality. She was quieter and calmer than most girls her age naturally, since the death of her parents she became incredibly withdrawn from the world. Hopefully that would be changing as time went on.
There was a rumble of thunder as Christina pulled down the shade over her bedroom window that would block out any possible lightning from the approaching storm. She liked this time of the year in the valley, whatever she said. The storms were somehow comforting, and eased her to sleep better than the white noise from a box fan. And after turning off her lamp on the nightstand next to her bed, the room went completely dark, and she curled up under her covers and blankets, with Rinoa curling in to a ball nearby. So Christina, in spite of her annoyance with her cat, stroked Rinoa's fur until she drifted off to sleep.
Even the loud storm that rolled in couldn't wake her at this point, or the bright flashes of lightning that lit up her bedroom even with the shade down. Though Rinoa certainly perked her ears and opened her eyes, making her amber eyes look like two little lanterns in the room when her aunt came to check in on her niece to make sure she was asleep and not up reading or anything.
Robin smiled, seeing Christina curled up in the fetal position in the bed, a hand resting lightly on her cat. She closed the door quietly before heading back downstairs.
It proved true in regards to one of their teachers making a field trip day to go to the small mining town Ruby that had just reopened for the historical significance it held to the area, much like another even smaller town than Okanogan up near the mountains in that area, Winthrop. Only Winthrop had much more of the classic 'wild west' feel to it than Ruby or Okanogan.
It was their geology teacher, a man in his late thirties simply known as Mr. Bartlet or Mr. B who arranged the field trip, and soon, their class was talking of nothing else, because it would be their chance to get hold of some real gold to find out what it was like, even go in to the old mine that was just renovated and made safe for people to go in again.
Christina was hoping to get in to the mine, herself, due to the fact that she loved crystals and rare gemstones and she knew enough about the earth and geology to know that this mine in particular had once been famous for its gemstones and minerals, apart from gold. Hillary, in the meantime was eager to try her hand at panning for gold, something she'd only seen a few people from their town doing in the summer, some old fellows many in the town called 'outright hippies'. She thought it was cool how something so valuable could be found by sifting through a bunch of dirt. Annie was going as well, but with her own class. She was hoping to try her hand at some mining as well, so while the three were going to be split up, it was still going to be fun.
The only people who seemed to have anything to complain about were the cheerleaders, who griped about the fact that they didn't want to get dirt all over their outfits, or break any nails.
"What a bunch of snobs." Scoffed Annie at lunch. "You'd think a little real life experience would be enough to kill them."
"It's not their fault they're spoiled rich and think the world revolves around them." Christina agreed as she stabbed some of her hamburger casserole on her lunch tray- she was in a rather tetchy mood because someone made a rather unpleasant comment about her in English earlier that day, and her spelling when she had been writing on the white board for the teacher. While she had great hand writing, her spelling admittedly was abysmal for her age, though Rinoa had been coaching her in her last several assignments and she was slightly better than she used to be. Her classmates still got to her sometimes, though.
Today, she was wearing her new earrings, not to get noticed by anyone, but because it now felt strange not to wear them wherever she went. It was like they had quickly become a part of her somehow.
Hillary was also wearing her new earrings that her older sister had got for her, while Annie wore a necklace that she'd got herself- a small gold flower that looked as though it were of another world, set in silver with a large white pearl in the center where the pollen stems would normally be. This pendant was the size of a nickel, and hung on a fine, thin chain of silver.
"Any plans after school?" Annie asked.
"Yeah, Hillary and I were going to the arcade again." Christina replied.
"Sounds fun. I'll make sure to tell mom you're going to be late again." Annie grinned at her sister, unable to avoid the fact that it felt like the two girls were hiding something from her. She voiced none of this, it wouldn't do good to accuse her sister and new best friend of something when technically they hadn't done anything wrong that she was aware of. "I'm going to be staying after school to get some extra choir practice in since we'll be gone tomorrow at Ruby."
So after saying goodbye to Annie after school, Christina and Hillary made their way down the street to the arcade once more, occasionally ducking their heads as a powerful blast of wind whipped through the valley. Clouds still hovered ominously over the town, extending over the Okanogan Valley like a herald of woes yet to come. It had been stormier than usual even for this time of the year, and it was a subject that Rinoa wished to address, among other things.
"This storm is not natural." Rinoa said once Hillary and Christina were gathered in their Command Center. "It has been summoned by our enemy in an attempt to interrupt your power and connections to the Moons of Jupiter."
"But we've only just started learning how to use our power." Hillary said after swallowing a mouthful of salad that Christina had put together. "What are they trying to prove by trying to weaken us before we even know how to use it?"
"They do not know how powerful you could become, for you are different Senshi than those in Japan. Your powers are those yet untested." Rinoa sat in the middle of the table looking at the two girls. "Even I do not know the limits of your strength as of yet. It has been long since you've last had to fight. And I fear that the next time the enemy attacks, you might not be able to fend them off on your own."
"What about the Moon Shadow Knight? He's been helping us from the start." Said Christina.
Rinoa looked at her.
"I am not sure if we can trust him fully just yet. Sure he's kicked the enemy around a few times, but that does not make him a true ally of ours until he has fully gained our trust. I know you are eager to accept his help," Rinoa said quickly to the two girls, "But until we have learned his full purpose, I would not be so willing to accept him as a friend."
Hillary and Christina looked at each other. Even though she barely knew him, it was hard for Christina to think of the Moon Shadow Knight as an enemy.
"Now... to the subject of this field trip...This will be an ideal situation for an attack from the enemy. The class is going to be split up in to groups, and it will be easier for them to narrow down their target. Or targets." She jumped from the table to the desk across the room in a single bound, and picked up another pen. This one was in the shape of Christina's and Hillary's, but the colors were different. The main color of this pen was gold, but it was lined in silver at the base and the tip. The star cap of this pen was in yellow gold with the symbol set in the center- a golden circle with a dot in the center. "Christina, take this with you just in case something should happen. I haven't sensed any enemy activity in the last few days, but it never hurts to be prepared." She jumped back to the table, handing Christina the transformation pen for another Senshi.
Christina took it in her hands with a curious look on her face, wondering if the new Senshi was really going to appear in the old mining town. Or if this was a false alarm that they were reading too much in to.
"You've got everything?" Robin was asking the next morning. "I made you a healthy lunch for the field trip, and put in an extra soda for the occasion. You packed an umbrella?"
"Yes, Aunt Robin." Christina's voice was slightly annoyed as her Aunt double checked on everything as she pulled on her purple rain jacket. She had her hair back in a pony tail that day, and once again was wearing her amethyst diamond shaped earrings. Due to the weather, she was wearing a thick purple sweater, dark blue jeans, and water proof tennis-shoes. Just in case things cleared up, though, she'd brought a t-shirt and a light jacket in her back pack.
Over night the clouds had started dumping rain in buckets it seemed like, on the whole town, with flashes of lightning that lit up the horizon for a couple of seconds each time.
"Ok, let's go." Robin smiled.
Rinoa had used her particular brand of magic to convince Robin to take her with them to the school that day so she wouldn't have to go to town on a rainy day, and was waiting by the door.
And once at the school, Rinoa once again used her powers to get the teachers, and the bus driver to allow her to go to the mining town, Ruby. Sometimes it came in handy, she thought as she sat on Christina's lap on the bus that morning, not being an average cat. Especially when she knew she needed to be with Christina at all times just in case something happened.
Christina and Hillary were sitting in the back of the bus, comparing notes on their research of the mining town that they'd done that day in the school library before it was time to go.
"Apparently there was a collapse of the mine and forty eight men were injured, and eight died in the initial collapse." Hillary read off from her notebook. "You really wanna go some place where that many people were hurt and killed all at once?"
"Hey, I think it'll be interesting." Shrugged Christina as the bus jolted slightly when it went on to dirt road.
The scenery around them for the last hour had been of dense pine forest, with the occasional Blue Spruce tree, and rain lashed on the bus windows, painting them an inky sort of black. The storm wasn't showing any signs of letting up, so practically everyone had come on the bus wearing some sort of raincoat, carrying umbrellas.
"It's insane, the school allowing this field trip on such a rainy day! My new hairstyle will get ruined because of it!" One of the cheerleaders complained loudly.
It was general consensus that the cheerleaders were either from some of the wealthier families in the town, or were of the thin, popular sort.
"Heaven forbid your hair gets all frizzy." Snarled Christina, who went unheard at the back of the bus. She was not a fan of the cheerleaders, for they had once pulled a nasty prank on her, filling her locker with a bunch of caterpillars when she'd first started attending elementary. Since then, she'd made it apparent, her animosity towards the girls.
Finally, after another hour and a half, the buses pulled in to the mining town. It had an old, historically correct western town feel to it, with the cabins and even a bar. There was only one central street, which had been paved, and very few cars. Women and men were walking under the covered walkways wearing period clothing and dresses, giving Christina the feeling that she'd just gone back in time about a hundred years or so.
A man in cowboy outfit with a hat, reminding Christina strongly of one of her ancestors in a family photo, stood waiting for them at the library.
"Howdy kids, and welcome to Ruby, open for the first time in nearly eighty years." The man said, tipping his hat to the group of students that was quickly swelling in size as Annie's own class came out of a bus behind Christina and Hillary's. "We're gonna start off by giving a bit of local history about this place. Now, who all can tell me if they know why this here town was formed?"
To nobody's surprise, Hillary raised her hand.
"Yes, you there in the red shirt." He said.
"It was a mining town, bringing in gold and other sorts of minerals and precious gemstones to the region." She answered as though she'd swallowed a textbook.
"Exactly, miss. This town was once the life blood of this region. But it shut down after what happened?" He prompted.
Hillary raised her hand again.
"Yes?" He raised a brow at her.
"There was an earthquake at the mine, which caused it to collapse, and many miners were hurt, and about eight were killed in one of the deeper shafts." She said.
"Right you are, miss. You're mighty smart about this here town-" At which Hillary was beaming, though pretending not to look too thrilled about the compliment. "- Now, I'm assuming you've all got your groups and pairs figured amongst yer'selves?" He said, and there was a general nodding of agreement among the many students. "Good, good. Now, let's head to city hall, where you'll meet your pack leaders for the day, and start a'learning about this here culture and people more proper-like."
It was a neat thing, to Christina, feeling the damp wood of the covered walkway as they went down the street to what was easiest the tallest and largest building of the town, City Hall with a clock tower and old fashioned bell that tolled as each hour passed them.
"Now, our bell-ringer will let ya'll know when it's time for lunch, until then, have fun and stay safe. It won't do to be a'wand'rin around when it's wet and rainy like this." The man said, and he went off back to the Library, where he awaited the students from the neighboring town, Omak.
The paved road was the only thing truly modern about this town, the rest of it, even the sweet shop, had older candies that not even Okanogan had in its sweets store, like candy sticks, for starters.
Christina's group included herself, Rinoa, a blond girl who was part of the cheerleading troupe, and, to her surprise, Eric.
"Everyone got their helmets and tools?" Asked the man in charge of this group. They each- except for Rinoa- carried a pic axe and a shovel.
"If you can call these tools." The blond girl grumbled.
"Now, little lady, the best way to build some character is by some good, old fashioned work. If you wanna learn where those fancy stones you wear around your wrist and neck come from, this is the only way." The man said rather sternly.
"Or I could just watch something about mining on History Channel." She mumbled, barely audible.
"If I didn't know better, Audrey, I'd say you were scared to go in to the mine." Christina was unable to restrain herself. Audrey, after all, had been the one in the lead of that prank that involved the caterpillars in her locker.
"Me, scared?" Said Audrey indignantly, though her voice was higher than usual. "As if! Not with handsome here." She said, referring to Eric- who rolled his eyes.
He knew he was popular among the girls of his school, and sometimes it was rather annoying. Especially knowing how clingy the cheerleaders could be to the boys they obsessed over.
They approached the entrance of the mine, wide open like a cave, but with a metal gate keeping out any intruders or pranksters.
Once they were past the gate, however, it was like entering a separate realm. The only lights were lanterns on metal brackets, and lights from their helmets. There were no elevators like in the movies, or some of the more modern mines on the eastern side of the country. And Christina was ever grateful that she'd dressed warmly, as their breath rose in a mist in front of them the deeper they were led.
It was a strange feeling, when they reached a spot that their guide refused to go beyond.
"What's down there?" Asked Audrey rather nervously.
"That is near where the mine collapsed. It has a nasty feeling lingering there," The guide replied, their voices sounded strange and echoing in the mine tunnel. "But enough about that. I didn't come here to tell you kids ghost stories... now..." He started explaining how they could tell on the walls what parts should reveal what they really came all this way for. He started digging on the walls, moving a bunch of dirt and regular rocks until... "Here we go, see this?" He pointed at a vein of gold, next to some glimmering rocks still embedded in the earth.
Christina wasn't paying attention, while she stood next to Eric, she was looking down the tunnel, feeling drawn down that path for a reason she couldn't explain. It was almost like staring down in to the depths of hell, the deep parts of the mine shrouded in shadow. She could feel something reaching out to her, an eerie mist with no source was floating towards them... towards her, she felt. She tried squinting, swearing that she could see a face in the mist.
"Christina?" Eric said, bringing her back to reality rather quickly, having noticed that she wasn't paying attention.
She jumped slightly, blinking, when she looked back at what their guide had just dug up- a large, rough amethyst stone. But when she glanced back, she saw the mist was gone, that feeling of being drawn to the deep depths of the mine had vanished as quickly as it came. It looked now just like a regular empty mine shaft.
Hillary in the mean time was underneath a tarp-covered spot next to the Salmon River, which cut from the hills, down through Ruby, then to the Okanogan. The river was rich in minerals and gold, and she was having fun shaking her old copper pan currently full of some dirt, and mostly river water. The water was rather clean today due to the rain, and Hillary suddenly let out a squeal of joy when she realized what was shimmering up at her out of the dirt.
"Well done!" Said the woman in charge of her group. "That's about two ounces of gold right there." She picked up the largest nugget of gold from the pan. "I'd be lying if I didn't say that is one of the largest nuggets found here in a while."
Hillary earned many glares of jealousy from her fellow classmates who were still struggling to find even a speck of gold. But she proved to be just the right amount of encouragement that gold could be found, to get the others to be working under the tent just as hard. Even the heavy rainfall couldn't dampen their spirits at this point.
Annie in the meantime was enjoying standing near the river at a different point downstream, where the dredging rig was being worked by two self proclaimed hippies of the age. She already had several ounces of gold in a small silk sack. She was easiest the best in that group, and one of their leaders said she had a real knack for locating one of the most valuable minerals in the area.
She spent the morning getting her feet wet and hands dirty and muddy, excited about her prospects in the future. The price of gold by the ounce would only climb. And if she was smart about it, she could very well be rich one day. She was starting to understand why some people could catch Gold Fever, it was something that was very hard to kick once one got going.
Nearby, however, things weren't so cheerful, or friendly. Morgani stood in the rain, though she was not wet. The rain didn't touch her, or have any effect on her. She frowned as she stared at the groups of students dotted here and there under bright blue tarp-covered areas at the bends of the river. She held up her Searching Stone, vanishing, then reappearing above the old mining town, hovering above each tarp in turn. Each tarp, it did not react to what she was looking for, until she reached the bend closest to the town. Then Stone glowed bright gold.
At that moment, though, a great, booming bell rang throughout the town twelve times, marking the start of the lunch hour. And Morgani had to wait before striking, to make sure that she was right in what the Stone told her.
They had agreed to meet at the restaurant in the town for lunch, and Christina, Hillary and Annie were sitting at a covered table, eating their lunch and comparing their findings. So far, Christina had found many rather valuable gemstones- amethyst, jade and sapphire among her collection. While The two sisters, Hillary and Annie, were comparing their growing collection of gold from the river.
Eric, meantime, was with his group of friends talking about how cool the old mine was, and that they were able to get down and dirty without getting yelled at by their parents.
The only people who had anything to complain about were the cheerleaders, some of whom were flat out refusing to go near the mine or the river, and had spent their morning looking at the period costumes on display in one of the old brothel buildings.
There would be an hour that the students could explore the town on their own, before they had to go back to their groups once more. So after they were done with lunch, Christina, Hillary and Annie all decided to check out the sweet shop. By the time they were at the store, the rain had finally stopped falling, leaving behind the fresh, renewed scent of the forest as the clouds were being blown away from the small town. But there was just enough of a chill, or bite in the air that they kept their jackets on.
"Finally." Annie said, folding up her umbrella after shaking the rain water off it.
They stepped in to the shop, looking at all the old fashioned, and hand made sweets. Christina couldn't help herself as she got some grape flavored rock candy on a stick, Hillary a large jawbreaker, and Annie some chocolate truffles. They were all munching their treats as they left the shop.
Rinoa, in the meantime, had been exploring the mining town, looking for any signs of the enemy apart from the storm that had passed through. She saw Christina and Hillary with Annie, enjoying a breath of fresh air during the break they had and smiled. Meowing, she went over to the trio, calico tail held jauntily high.
"Rinoa, there you are." Christina bent down to scoop up her cat.
"What a pretty little girl." Annie scratched Rinoa's chin, and Rinoa was purring rather loudly in response.
"Wow, she must really like you, Annie." Commented Christina. "Normally she's the queen grump-meister." Her little comment earned a glare from the cat.
Morgani saw her chance. She doubted whether or not she'd get another opportunity to strike. She vanished from her spot above the town to reappear directly in front of the trio of girls and their cat. Raising a hand, she flexed it and the doors in all the shops were closed. She directed the palm of her other hand above her, sending a gray fog around the town causing nearly everyone else to collapse.
"Who are you? What are you doing?" Annie demanded, getting in to protective big sister mode and standing in front of Hillary and Christina.
"That is unimportant... what is important, is what you carry within you, girl." Morgani replied with a frown, flicking some of her blue hair behind her shoulders.
"Annie, come on, let's get out of here!" Hillary said, grabbing her sisters' arm and pulling her away.
"You can run, but you can't hide." Morgani smiled, bringing her right hand forward, then bending her fingers like she was manipulating a puppet on strings, and out of the ground rose... a mannequin. "Kasumi, capture them."
This mannequin was different than the others she'd used before. There was a more mechanical way to its movements, the skin was opaque, and she wore a simple red, knee length gown with a slit at its waist, and a v-neck line that was rather low cut. The hair was shoulder length and red, while its eyes were glowing blue.
"Kill the one in red... we need the one in yellow." Morgani ordered.
Christina, who'd been running with Hillary and Annie stopped at an alley.
"Keep going!" She said, making it sound like she was right behind the two sisters. Instead, she slipped in to an alley between the library and a bar, letting Rinoa jump down.
"Hurry, transform, Christina!" Rinoa said after she'd made sure Hillary and Annie had made it past the library and were headed to the buses.
"Right." Christina pulled out her transformation pen from her pocket, and the golden transformation pen from earlier fell from the pocket.
Rinoa caught it before it landed in the mud.
"I'll take this to Annie. Hold them off as long as you can." Rinoa's voice was muffled, and her New York accent came through even more strongly than before before the cat slipped away.
Christina nodded, gripping her pen. Once she was alone, she held her pen up above her head.
"Callisto Moon Power, MAKE-UP!" She called out...
Annie and Hillary were both dodging attacks made by the mannequin called Kasumi, running between the buses, dodging blasts of thread or energy- it was hard to tell- as Kasumi gave chase.
Annie, however, tripped at one point as they rounded her own bus, and just as she grabbed hold of the fender to stop herself from falling, what felt like hundreds of threads wrapped around her body.
"Oy!" Hillary shouted, whirling around then seeing what had happened to her sister. She stared in disbelief and horror as Annie then started screaming as some sort of power went from the mannequins' hands to Annie's body, and a symbol appeared on her forehead... The golden circle with the dot in the center.
Amalthea! Hillary thought, not knowing exactly how she knew what that symbol stood for. My sister was Amalthea?
"Now..." Morgani appeared in front of Annie, once more holding out the Searching Stone, this time right up to her heart.
When at that moment, a glowing yellow star came out of no where, slicing through the threads that Kasumi had used to capture Annie in the first place, and Annie fell to the wet ground sideways with a grunt.
During that moment, Hillary hid behind the bus, grabbing her transformation pen.
"Who dares?" Morgani shouted in anger.
"That would be me." An unpleasantly familiar voice called from atop the opposite bus.
There, silhouetted against the clouds was the one person she did not want to see again.
"Have you forgotten me already, you witch?" Sailor Callisto snarled as Annie looked up to the source of her voice, and thus her savior.
"Sailor Callisto?" She gasped. She looked almost exactly as the newspapers had shown her in the black-and-white clips, and the brief images from the local news television program.
Callisto jumped then landed in a smooth movement on the ground from her spot on the bus.
Annie thought there was something familiar about those diamond shaped violet earrings. Then when she heard the girl's voice, it dawned on her, and her eyes went wide.
"Indeed." Sailor Callisto said, staring at Morgani now. "You made a big mistake, attacking her. In the name of Callisto, I Sailor Callisto will punish you!"
"Don't forget about me!" Sailor Elara called out, having transformed while everyone was distracted by Callisto's timely arrival.
"Great, just great... another Sailor brat." Snarled Morgani. "Kasumi, kill them all. The Stone didn't react to the girl." She said, turning away from them all. What looked like a black hole appeared in the direction she was walking, and she vanished through it in an instant.
"Not a problem..." Kasumi brought her hands up and extended her fingers of both hands, one each at Callisto and Elara.
Soon the two Senshi were dodging and in general running for their lives with the rather destructive threads that extended from Kasumi's fingers.
"Annie..." Rinoa whispered, and Annie turned to look at who spoke to her. "Down here."
"A...cat?" Blinked Annie, recognizing Rinoa at once as Christina's cat. "Rinoa? How'd you learn to talk?"
"No time for that." Rinoa said. "Take this-" She had her transformation pen at her paw. "And call out 'Amalthea Moon Power- Make Up!'"
Annie stared in disbelief.
In the mean time, Callisto and Elara had hidden behind yet another bus, back to back. Elara had her scythe raised, ready to attack, while Callisto was staring wildly around, fists clenched. When out of the blue, invisible threads came whipping towards them, and wrapped around the two Senshi uncomfortably tight and painful, back to back still, but unable to move.
"Time to say goodbye, Senshi... Before I kill your friend." Kasumi said, jumping on to the bus rooftop and beginning to clench her hands in to fists. She moved her thumbs, and the girls felt several threads around their necks...
Until a white rose cut through the main threads, landing with the stem in the ground.
Callisto and Elara let out a gasp when they were set free, falling to their knees.
"Don't give in to fear, Sailor Scouts." The Moon Shadow Knight warned. "Strength and confidence are your strongest allies!"
"Moon Shadow Knight?" Blinked Elara, this being the first time she actually got to see him.
When Annie had transformed after calling out 'Amalthea Moon Power, Make-Up!', she reappeared from the flash of gold and silver light in her new outfit. Her main Sailor Senshi outfit color was gold, with a sleeveless golden vest, gold knee high, high heeled boots with an arc in the front trimmed in white on the top, her Senshi mini-skirt was in gold, while her front and back bows were silver. Her brooch was heart shaped, trimmed in silver, with gold on either side, and a silver tear drop shaped center. Her hair now hung to her waist and was wavy and light, while around her neck was a gold collar. Her gloves were elbow length with gold trim at the elbows, and she had earrings at the lobe of her ears which were two small diamond shaped triangles hanging from a gold pearl, while her body suit was white. The jewel at the center of her forehead tiara was gold, and she even looked a bit taller.
"Wow... Not too shabby." She said, looking at herself in the reflection of the bus wall.
"Sailor Amalthea, hurry... you must use the attack phrase "Amalthea Golden Sonic Blast!" and aim your hands at the enemy, the puppet."
"Right." Amalthea nodded, hurrying to find her friends.
The Moon Shadow Knight had jumped in between the two Sailor Senshi who were recovering from Kasumi's attack, barring them from the mannequins' path. When just as he and Kasumi were about to get in to a fight, something came flying at Kasumi from behind, hitting her square in the back. But they could all still feel the shock wave that came from this strange attack, as Kasumi's high pitched scream echoed in the parking lot.
"What?" Callisto looked up, staring at their new savior. And when she saw Rinoa standing with her, her face broke out in to a smile. There was no guessing who this new Senshi was, in her opinion.
"And who are you?" Snarled Kasumi.
"From the system of moons that orbit around the largest planet of our Solar System, the moon of wind and air and golden skies, Amalthea, I Sailor Amalthea will punish you for trying to take the life of my little sister and new friend!" Amalthea declared, pointing at Kasumi.
"Nice words, Miss Amalthea, but can you back them up?" Snapped Kasumi, who's face remained impassive, but her voice was dark and dangerous.
"Try me." Amalthea said, a hand on her hips.
There was a flash of movement, Kasumi directed both hands at her new target, and Amalthea jumped out of the way.
"Elara, when you get the chance, put your shield around your sister... I can finish it off." Callisto whispered, and Elara nodded.
Luckily they didn't have long to wait, for Amalthea had managed to get close enough that Elara could just direct her scythe at her sister.
"Elara Shield of Memories!" She called out.
The shield went up just in time, and the threads from the puppet were deflected, bouncing off like harmless yarn.
The Moon Shadow Knight stepped aside to allow Callisto a clear shot.
"Callisto...Phoenix Fire... Strike!"
The mannequin let out a high pitched scream that echoed in the parking lot. When the fire and the scream faded, all that was left was a pile of hot ash, which was blown away with a gust of wind just as the class came running, having woken up the moment Morgani vanished. Then heard the commotion at the parking lot and were staring as the Senshi dispatched of their attacker.
"Sailor Senshi are real?"
"I thought it was a prank by those cheerleaders!"
"Wow! And there's another Senshi too!"
"Do you even know what that word means?"
"Erm..."
Callisto, Elara and Amalthea looked at each other. Then at the Moon Shadow Knight, only he was already gone.
"Hurry girls, before we're mobbed." Rinoa said quietly. Her eyes glowed brightly, and blinded the students long enough to allow the four of them the chance to get away and turn back in to their civilian form and join the group unnoticed.
"What's going on?" Annie asked one of her friends.
"We just saw the Sailor Senshi do away with a weird monster that had chased you down is what!" They replied.
The town was abuzz with chatter about this newest form of excitement now, but many people were slightly disappointed that no one managed to get a shot of their local super heroes. But that wasn't what was being discussed in the command center at the arcade that weekend.
"I can't believe you kept this from me, Hill!" Annie said. She wasn't upset, but still in shock.
"I told you, I couldn't tell anyone, not even you." Smiled Hillary as Christina put down a plate of broiled garlic chicken, steamed broccoli and cauliflower, and two rolls each from the local bakery that was rather popular, on the table in front of each of them. And a small bowl of tuna juice down for Rinoa.
"Well, I'm just glad we got to you in time." Rinoa nodded.
"At least it's not like I have to hide any secrets anymore from you now." Hillary grinned at her sister. "Now we're both Senshi!"
"You always were Senshi, the awakening just happens at a different rate for each of us." Rinoa stated, drinking her juice with relish. Just because she was a guardian to these girls didn't mean she wasn't still a cat.
"So... We're all Sailor Senshi..." Christina looked at them, like she couldn't be happier. And it was true. Just a year ago, she couldn't even imagine that she'd be told she was a Sailor Senshi, one of the world's legendary guardians against evil. She still didn't believe Rinoa that she was a Princess as well, but at least there was proof in regards to their alternate identities.
"At least this has finally given this town something exciting to talk about." Hillary said, biting down on some of the broccoli and cauliflower.
"But why did it have to happen here?" Asked Annie.
"One cannot always explain away the extraordinary, but we must do what we can with our powers in fighting for truth and justice." Rinoa was now licking her paws and rubbing them on her face, having finished with her tuna juice.
The three girls looked at each other. While they all had their own extraordinary powers, they currently didn't feel any different than their classmates. But they knew that something had started could not be stopped, and they had to plow through whatever came their way.
Author's Comments:
A few things about this story, as you know, it takes place in Okanogan, Washington. Which is a real place, look at a map of Washington State sometime, in the north central part. This story is rather personal to me on many levels. The two songs are original, took me about forty five minutes for the second, and 2 hours on the first to write. So nearly 3 hours alone on those songs.
For a little local history, the small mining town they visit called Ruby DID exist long ago, but it has NEVER been reopened or rebuilt as far as I know. The idea of it is more or less based off of Winthrop, a more historically correct western town about forty five minutes drive from Okanogan. And let me make another thing clear, I HATED living in Okanogan except for my family and few friends. Four hours one way to the nearest mall, and six hours another for the nearest oriental market.
The story takes place during 1994-ish, so that's why there aren't things like iPods, or CellPhones widely available yet. Those will come as the years go by in the story. This story is going to be rather personal for me, and lengthy. So even if updates may seem few and far in between right now, please bear with me guys.
Annie and Hillary Bellini are real people, these characters are inspired by two of my friends, as are upcoming Senshi. While Rinoa was based off of my cat that I grew up with and had for 16 long years. So these names, things and places aren't random. If you wanna do a bit of research on the Okanogan area, feel free! It's history is a little interesting, even if the town isn't all that exciting. But I think they'd get some extra revenue if they ever decided to rebuild/renew the town of Ruby. It's literally a ghost town right now, nothing's there anymore. So Ruby in this story is technically a remake of Winthrop, but closer and without having to go up a windy road in the mountains.
The only thing I've changed about these characters, is that they're not all religious or anything. I wanted to make it religion neutral, seeing as most of them except for three are LDS (Mormon). Don't get me wrong, guys, I'm Mormon personally. But I don't want anyone to be offended or whatever, so long ago we decided to make this story religion neutral like the original Sailor Moon story, so people in general can enjoy the story and not feel offended or attacked for their religion.
I hope you enjoy this story! As I said before, it's rather personal to me, and a few other people even if I'm no longer in touch with them. But back then, we visited and hung out whenever we could (Health and homework permitting).
Well, can't think of anything else. Onward to the next chapter!