TWO
"Mi vida loca, over and over/destiny turns on a dime/I go where the wind blows, you can't tame a wild rose/Welcome to my crazy life"(Pam Tillis, "Mi Vida Loca")
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The limo pulled up in front of a huge mansion blocked off by a 15-foot wall and a huge metal gate.
"Whoa," Jade said. "Talk about living the high life."
The other men laughed. "Don Giovanni is one of the wealthiest men in America," one said.
"I believe it," Jade said as the four of them got out of the limo and went inside.
The inside was even more overwhelming. Various works of art lined the walls, and Jade figured that they were the original works.
"Are you Jade Bradford?" A distinguished man in his early 50s had asked the question.
"May I present Don Giovanni," one of the men said.
"I wonder if I'm supposed to kiss his hand like in the Godfather movies," Jade wondered to herself. Instead, she just shook his hand.
"I was told you could answer questions about the woman who saved my daughter," Don Giovanni said. "But first, may I offer you a drink?"
"That would be great," Jade said. She followed him to what appeared to be an old-fashioned parlor for receiving visitors. It was filled with various men in black suits and ties. The only exception were Don Giovanni's daughter and a man in his mid-30s. The latter was dressed in black leather pants and a white sleeveless t-shirt. He seemed oddly out of place in the midst of all the formality. There was also something vaguely familiar about him.
A servant brought Jade a glass of what appeared to be wine. She took a seat next to the man in black leather, who had been sitting off by himself. Several others in the room seemed taken aback by this action, while the man next to her seemed amused.
"That's her, boss! The chick with the purple hair!" One of the men who had shown up at Giovanni's before was pointing at her.
Jade tried to maintain her composure as she said, "I'm afraid I'm not the one you're looking for," she said. "I'm..her cousin."
"I'm anxious to thank her," Don Giovanni said.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Jade replied. "Due to the nature of her..abilities, my cousin's true identity has to remain a mystery."
"Can you tell us her name?" Don Giovanni's daughter spoke up. "I'm Jennifer, by the way."
"Her name is Sailor Schala Sun," Jade said. "And it's nice to meet you Jennifer."
"Schala, what an odd name," the man next to her said. "Yet somehow familiar."
"Do you know this Schala woman, Raven?" Don Giovanni asked.
"I don't know," Raven replied. "Something tells me I should,if that makes any sense."
As she sipped her wine, Jade felt a strange sort of heat emanating from her forehead. She rubbed her head, puzzled.
"First time drinking wine?" Raven asked.
Jade turned and said, "Uh..yeah, that's it."
Raven looked at her intently, then said, "How odd."
"What?" Jade asked.
"You have a sun-shaped mark on your forehead," Raven said.
"So much for only appearing when I transform," Jade mused to herself.
"Watch out for Raven," someone said. "He's quite the womanizer."
"Stuff it, Lou," Raven replied.
"Sorry," Lou said in an offended tone.
A vision of Raven in armor and herself in a bright orange gown flashed through Jade's head. Why did he seem so familiar?
Interlude
Raven Scott was very confused. This woman next to him seemed as familiar as his own shadow, yet he was sure that he'd never met her before. She had felt the connection as well-he was sure of it. The other men had reason to be taken aback when she sat next to him; he was, after all, a dangerous man. He was used to being in control-until now.
Interlude
"I need to talk to Jade alone," Jennifer said.
"Very well," Don Giovanni said. "Jade?"
"Of course," Jade said, and got up to follow the other girl to another room.
"You're the one who saved me, weren't you?" Jennifer asked.
"Yes," Jade replied. "But your father and his men can't know that."
"It's not like they don't know anyway," Jennifer said. "Not too many people have purple hair."
"True," Jade said. "Listen, I have to tell you..."
"About this?" Jennifer asked, pulling out the medallion with the bear on it.
"Yeah," Jade said. "I'd wear it if I wear you; it's very important."
"What does it do?"
"It lets you transform into Sailor Demeter, one of the Universe senshi."
"So I'm a sailor person too?"
"Yeah. That's why those things attacked you, I think; they knew you had power. Unfortunately, I don't know much else about what's going on. I just know that you and I can't lose touch."
"Well, it'll be nice to have someone other than my father's friends hanging around," Jennifer said. "By the way, what's with you and Raven?"
"I don't know," Jade said. "I feel like I've known him before, but I don't know why or how."
"I felt that way when I met him, too," Jennifer said. "But you ought to be careful around him; he's dangerous."
"Dangerous or not, I have to know why I'm feeling this way about him," Jade replied.
"Just be careful, ok? He's hurt a lot of women in the past."
"Mi vida loca, over and over/destiny turns on a dime/I go where the wind blows, you can't tame a wild rose/Welcome to my crazy life"(Pam Tillis, "Mi Vida Loca")
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The limo pulled up in front of a huge mansion blocked off by a 15-foot wall and a huge metal gate.
"Whoa," Jade said. "Talk about living the high life."
The other men laughed. "Don Giovanni is one of the wealthiest men in America," one said.
"I believe it," Jade said as the four of them got out of the limo and went inside.
The inside was even more overwhelming. Various works of art lined the walls, and Jade figured that they were the original works.
"Are you Jade Bradford?" A distinguished man in his early 50s had asked the question.
"May I present Don Giovanni," one of the men said.
"I wonder if I'm supposed to kiss his hand like in the Godfather movies," Jade wondered to herself. Instead, she just shook his hand.
"I was told you could answer questions about the woman who saved my daughter," Don Giovanni said. "But first, may I offer you a drink?"
"That would be great," Jade said. She followed him to what appeared to be an old-fashioned parlor for receiving visitors. It was filled with various men in black suits and ties. The only exception were Don Giovanni's daughter and a man in his mid-30s. The latter was dressed in black leather pants and a white sleeveless t-shirt. He seemed oddly out of place in the midst of all the formality. There was also something vaguely familiar about him.
A servant brought Jade a glass of what appeared to be wine. She took a seat next to the man in black leather, who had been sitting off by himself. Several others in the room seemed taken aback by this action, while the man next to her seemed amused.
"That's her, boss! The chick with the purple hair!" One of the men who had shown up at Giovanni's before was pointing at her.
Jade tried to maintain her composure as she said, "I'm afraid I'm not the one you're looking for," she said. "I'm..her cousin."
"I'm anxious to thank her," Don Giovanni said.
"I'm afraid that's not possible," Jade replied. "Due to the nature of her..abilities, my cousin's true identity has to remain a mystery."
"Can you tell us her name?" Don Giovanni's daughter spoke up. "I'm Jennifer, by the way."
"Her name is Sailor Schala Sun," Jade said. "And it's nice to meet you Jennifer."
"Schala, what an odd name," the man next to her said. "Yet somehow familiar."
"Do you know this Schala woman, Raven?" Don Giovanni asked.
"I don't know," Raven replied. "Something tells me I should,if that makes any sense."
As she sipped her wine, Jade felt a strange sort of heat emanating from her forehead. She rubbed her head, puzzled.
"First time drinking wine?" Raven asked.
Jade turned and said, "Uh..yeah, that's it."
Raven looked at her intently, then said, "How odd."
"What?" Jade asked.
"You have a sun-shaped mark on your forehead," Raven said.
"So much for only appearing when I transform," Jade mused to herself.
"Watch out for Raven," someone said. "He's quite the womanizer."
"Stuff it, Lou," Raven replied.
"Sorry," Lou said in an offended tone.
A vision of Raven in armor and herself in a bright orange gown flashed through Jade's head. Why did he seem so familiar?
Interlude
Raven Scott was very confused. This woman next to him seemed as familiar as his own shadow, yet he was sure that he'd never met her before. She had felt the connection as well-he was sure of it. The other men had reason to be taken aback when she sat next to him; he was, after all, a dangerous man. He was used to being in control-until now.
Interlude
"I need to talk to Jade alone," Jennifer said.
"Very well," Don Giovanni said. "Jade?"
"Of course," Jade said, and got up to follow the other girl to another room.
"You're the one who saved me, weren't you?" Jennifer asked.
"Yes," Jade replied. "But your father and his men can't know that."
"It's not like they don't know anyway," Jennifer said. "Not too many people have purple hair."
"True," Jade said. "Listen, I have to tell you..."
"About this?" Jennifer asked, pulling out the medallion with the bear on it.
"Yeah," Jade said. "I'd wear it if I wear you; it's very important."
"What does it do?"
"It lets you transform into Sailor Demeter, one of the Universe senshi."
"So I'm a sailor person too?"
"Yeah. That's why those things attacked you, I think; they knew you had power. Unfortunately, I don't know much else about what's going on. I just know that you and I can't lose touch."
"Well, it'll be nice to have someone other than my father's friends hanging around," Jennifer said. "By the way, what's with you and Raven?"
"I don't know," Jade said. "I feel like I've known him before, but I don't know why or how."
"I felt that way when I met him, too," Jennifer said. "But you ought to be careful around him; he's dangerous."
"Dangerous or not, I have to know why I'm feeling this way about him," Jade replied.
"Just be careful, ok? He's hurt a lot of women in the past."