Title: The Thirteenth Year

Summary: When All-American girl Serena Warren turns thirteen, weird things start happening. Every night she dreams of the life of a Moon Princess and as time progresses, her dreams become more and more real, so that finally, she cannot distinguish between the life she leads in her dreams and the one she is trying to live during the day.

Author: Silver Sparklze

Reason for Writing: A challenge, issued by Sage: The Dark Dryad

Author's Notes: Mr. Wilson is my old principal…and words written in bold will be translated at the end of the chapter.

Serena Warren was your typical, almost stereotypical American girl. The only thing not typical of an American was the fact that she was an orphan…or, she thought she was. Her parents had left her on the step of the orphanage, the day after she was born. No one had expected her to live, but she had, and she still lived there.

It was very strange, because blonde babies had been very popular back in the late 1980's, and babies like her had always been snapped up like hotcakes. But for some strange reason, no one had wanted her. This was a fact that troubled Serena…when she could be bothered thinking about it, which wasn't very often. She had too many other things to worry about.

For example, school. She and Amelia were study-nuts, and they both did all their homework the moment they came home from school. Then there were boys. Last year, Serena, and her four dorm-mates and best friends, Rochelle, Amelia, Matty Atkinson, and Louisa Kiki had all discovered that boys weren't as they'd always thought, owners of cooties, and that kissing them was actually a very pleasurable pass-time.

Only Matty and Serena were blondes, Rochelle, Amelia, and Louisa all having dark hair, ranging from bluey and purple black to red–brown. But they were all boy-maniacs…well, Amelia wasn't really. She'd had her eyes on this really smart guy in their grade for a year now, but she hadn't yet gathered the courage to even speak to him.

All in all, the five members of the Galaxy Dorm (they were all named something like that) were pretty ordinary, with just enough quirkiness to make them interesting.

Serena's eyes popped open the next morning, and she looked at her clock.

"Fizzle, I'm gonna be late!" She cried, pulling on her uniform quickly. She and her friends all had scholarships at the local private day school, all of them except for Rochelle. She'd been accepted to another school, which focused more on sports, something that Rochelle was extremely good at.

Serena hurried downstairs, doing her hair in the strange style of the two women in her dream. She liked the look a lot, and decided to grow her hair as long as Princess Serenity's and Queen Selenity's. Then she shook her head, remembering that she was supposed to be trying not to think about the dreams.

"Hurry up, Rena, we're gonna be late for school!" Rochelle yelled. "Honestly, what is wrong with you lately?! You're acting like a complete ditz!"

"Leave me alone, Rochelle!" Serena shot back. "I don't complain when you sleep in!"

"But seriously, Rena," Matty said, looking concerned, "You've been very out of it lately, and sleeping in a lot. That's not like you, you're usually up with the sun."

"Don't like the sun," Serena muttered, "The moon's prettier." Now where did that come from? She wondered.

"Whatever, let's just go!" Louisa said, bouncing up and down on her heels.

~Dream Sequence: Tsukino House, Tokyo~

Serena opened her eyes.

What time is it? She wondered. She looked at the clock, and, involuntarily, words came out of her mouth;

"Oh no! I'm gonna be late!" Serena grabbed her bag, and ran down the stairs, tripping, and landing at the bottom. To Serena's astonishment, it didn't hurt, but she began to cry anyway. Her Mom, a pretty lady with purple-black hair came out of one of the rooms, and sighed.

"Oh, Serena," She said, "Get up off the floor, and have some breakfast, then get to school!" Serena immediately stopped crying, and followed her into the next room, which turned out to be the kitchen. Once there, her eyes fell on the huge stack of pancakes, and she squealed happily, before devouring three or four in almost one gulp!

"Gotta go, Mom, bye!" She yelled, running out the door, bag and lunch in hand.

She was running as fast as possible, and yet, Serena knew she wasn't going to make it in time.  "Whoa!" She yelped, as she fell over again. She began to cry louder than ever. Her best friend Molly ran up.

"Oh my god, Serena, are you ok?" She asked.  "Serena? Serena?"

~Science, Room 10, Wessington Catholic College, New York~

"Serena, Serena, SERENA WARREN!"

"Huh? Nani?" Serena woke up slowly, and gulped. Mr. Wilson – her science teacher – did not look happy. His sallow skin was flushed. Brown eyes wild, and a tick in his forehead was twitching madly.

"Would you kindly stay awake in my class?"

"Sorry, sir." Serena said, wincing inwardly at how sarcastic she sounded.

"Sorry isn't good enough, Serena. That'll be a detention, I think."

"But sir! I have cheerleading practice at lunch!"

"Sorry, Serena, school before pleasure," Serena glared at Mr. Wilson defiantly. There was no way she was wasting valuable practice time. They had a game coming up!

"Well I simply won't turn up, then." She said, sniffing.

"That's it! I put up with more than enough cheek from the paying students, without getting it from little charity cases like you, who can't even pay their way through high school because their good-for-nothing parents left them on a doorstep rather than bring them up!"

Serena went scarlet with rage. She knew Dream-Serena would be crying by now, and indeed, she felt a betraying prickle behind her eyelids, but she wasn't about to let the tears get the better of her.
"Why you prejudiced, over-stuffed, pompous baboon!" She shrieked. My friends and I are not charity cases! We got in here fair and square, by using the gifts we were born with! Our brains! But I suppose you wouldn't know what I mean, would you? You know what they say, if you have a dumb kid, make them a teacher!"

"That's enough!" Mr. Wilson yelled, spittle flying from his mouth, "Go to the principal's office!" Serena smiled sarcastically.

"Yes, sir!" She saluted, and walked out, head held high.

Miss Jenkins took off her glasses, and rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly. Her grey eyes were bloodshot, and her greying black hair was coming out of its bun.

"Why do you do this to me, Serena? Do you want to be expelled? Do you hate me?" She asked.

"On the contrary, Miss, I have nothing but respect for you and the rest of my teachers." Serena said honestly.

"Serena Warren cut the crap!" Miss Jenkins snapped, slamming her hands down on the desk and causing Serena to jump she sighed. "What happened to you, Serena? You were such a good kid."

"I still am!" Serena cried indignantly.

"Are you? It doesn't seem like it, Serena. For the past few weeks you've slept in class, ignored the teachers, been rude, insolent, tardy, and refused to hand in your homework! Are you having problems at home?"

"He called me and my friends-"

"My friends and me, Serena,"

"Right, whatever. He called my friends and me charity cases! And he said we weren't supposed to be here!"

"There will always be people who will resent you for being here, Serena, but you can't go around calling them – especially if they're a teacher – pompous over-stuffed prejudiced baboons." She looked at Serena sternly, "I'm afraid I can't let you get away with this."

"So what am I gonna get? Suspension, a month's detention, what?"

"Hmm…I think…detention, working in administration, being their messenger.  And…you have to write an apology to Mr. Wilson."

"What?! But Miss!" Serena complained.

"No buts. You'll write that apology, and you can be glad that I don't make you say it to him face to face." Miss Jenkins snapped.

"Whatever." Serena grabbed her bag, and stalked out. As the door closed, Miss Jenkins took an aspirin.

"I hate my job." She muttered.

Nani: Japanese for what.