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Drab Habitation of Whom?
Tabernacle or Tomb-
Or Dome of Worm-
Or Porch of Gnome-
Or some Elf's catacomb?
--Emily Dickinson, from The Complete Poems, no. 893
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Chapter One: The Orphan
Serena clutched her small, well-worn handbag protectively against her chest as she stood looking up at the tall building. It was enormous, by far the largest and most grand house that she had lived in yet. Despite her extensive experience, she couldn't help feeling a familiar sense of intimidation at the thought of adjusting to a whole new life yet again, and the sight of this enormous house looming over her wasn't helping matters.
Ms. Rei laid her hand sympathetically on Serena's arm. Feeling the touch, the girl realized that she had stopped in the middle of walking to look up. Giving the woman a look of appreciation for the support, she resolutely drew in a breath and began moving again. She strode to the front door and rung the resonating chimes with a calm, collected air, summoned for Ms. Rei's benefit.
This would be Serena's seventh home in sixteen years since becoming an orphan, and she knew the social worker was desperately hoping it would work out this time.
Not any more than I am, she thought, as the door latch was turned from the inside. Serena quickly summoned a bright, friendly smile as the door swung open, revealing a plump, middle-aged woman, who beamed at Serena with a motherly air.
"Oh, come in, come in," the woman beckoned them, holding the door wide for them to step through. Serena almost tripped when she got a good look at the fancy hallway they had walked into, but managed somehow to prevent herself from falling on her face. She couldn't stop her eyes from staring, however.
Wow, thanks, Ms. Rei, she breathed silently, taking in the expensive furniture, rich oriental rugs, and crystal knick-knacks displayed on glossy mahogany corner tables. The social worker must have had to pull incredible strings to land Serena, a notorious shuffler (a name used for children who tended to move from foster home to foster home in a short period of time) in such a nice home. Usually foster parents tried to avoid getting the shufflers, as they were generally 'problem children', so kids like Serena never got what could be called 'prime choice' homes. Trying to keep her eyes from popping out of her head, Serena's eyebrows shot up at the thought that *this* most certainly qualified as 'prime choice' and then some.
"…and this is Mrs. Tsukino, Serena, your new foster mother," Ms. Rei's voice brought her attention quickly back to the woman who had opened the door. Once again plastering a smile on her face, she allowed herself to be enveloped in a welcoming hug. Serena awkwardly placed one hand on the woman's back, as the other was occupied with holding her bag. Mrs. Tsukino released her and stood with her hands clasped, beaming at the girl.
"You can call me Irene," she gushed, cheeks bright with excitement. Serena sent a silent prayer of thanks that at least this one didn't expect to be called 'Mother' on the first day. "And when Mr. Tsukino gets home, you can call him Ken. He really wanted to be here when you arrived, but, well, you know how work can be sometimes. And this is…" The woman turned and looked about confusedly. "Well, he was just here… Sammy! Don't you want to meet Serena?" she called.
Slowly, a small figure appeared from just around the corner, tow-haired head bent as he studied the floor. Serena guessed his age to be around nine or ten. He was obviously reluctant to be introduced. Serena had a lot of experience with foster siblings' resentment of their new 'sister', so she knew where his reluctance came from. Setting her shabby bag on the rich carpet, she knelt in front of the boy, so that he stood above her. Solemnly, she put out her hand. He looked at it warily, then back at Serena. She kept her expression open, with no hint of amusement. Slowly, he reached for her hand and put his in it. He shook it twice, then made a fist and bumped it on either side of hers before snapping his fingers. Serena copied his movements. Once the handshake was complete, his mother's voice spoke before either he or Serena could.
"Well, Sammy, why don't you show Serena where her room is, while Ms. Rei and I straighten out a couple of last-minute things?"
The boy nodded glumly, still without speaking, and lifted Serena's bag from where it sat on the floor before she could move for it. It was rather small and lightweight, as she didn't really own that much in the material way of things, and the nine-year-old had no trouble carrying it up the winding staircase. Serena followed close behind after saying goodbye to Ms. Rei. She had to hold on to the banister to keep herself from falling while she gawked openly at the marble of the stairs, the gold of the winged statues on either side of the banister, and the silver-framed portraits of the three Tsukinos.
Sammy lead her down a hall to the last door on the right, which he opened with his free hand, then waited for Serena to walk through. Oh, a little gentleman, she thought in surprise. Feeling like a lady, she swept through the entrance to the largest, most beautiful room that she had ever slept in in her life.
The walls were painted with a creamy mother-of-pearl, offset by the soft gold of the trim on all her furniture. A huge desk with a padded chair sat against one window, a sweeping window seat, laden with plump pillows, graced the other. A full length mirror, trimmed in swirling gold flowers and vines, was hanging across from the largest closet she had ever seen, almost like a whole other room. The queen-sized bed was draped with a gauze canopy, sprinkled with small gold stars and moons and tied back with gold ribbon. Behind the curtains of translucent material, a soft, rose-colored bedspread embroidered delicately with curling gold vines lay folded neatly over cream-colored pillows. Serena found herself quite unable to do anything but stand and stare for a few moments. The muted shades of cream, gold, and dusky pink blended with an elegance that had never graced a dwelling place of Serena's before.
She sank with a sigh of utter rapture on the soft bed, then remembered for the first time upon entering that she was not alone. Sammy stood awkwardly in the doorway, holding her bag as if he had no idea what to do with it. Serena beckoned him inside, gently taking the bag from his fingers and setting it on her bed beside where she sat. She looked at the boy expectantly.
He looked back at her, studying her intensely with serious green eyes. She knew she looked strange to him, with long blonde hair pulled into two buns and pigtails on either side of her head and large, clear aquamarine eyes. He stared and stared, then finally blurted, "You're not really my sister."
Serena sighed. "No, I'm not."
"I…I don't want a sister," the little boy confessed.
"Then you shouldn't have to have one," she assured him, reasonably.
"But…" Sammy was confused. "Aren't you supposed to be my new sister?"
"I don't have to be, if you don't want," Serena informed him.
The boy's brow wrinkled on his small forehead. "Well…what else would you be?" he asked, tentatively.
Serena bestowed one of her rare true smiles upon him. "I could be your friend, if you'd like."
Sammy was caught by surprise, obviously not expecting that particular answer. He studied her once again, deliberating. He had never considered girls as friends before, or really as anything besides pests. And Serena was a much older girl at that, a species that had never held his interest. But his house was very big, and very empty with Daddy at work and only Mommy home, and Sammy was a very lonely little boy.
"If we're gonna be friends, we have to do a secret handshake," he informed her, at last.
"I thought we already had," said Serena, remembering his greeting in the hall.
"No, that was just the ordinary secret handshake," he said, knowingly. "I was just being nice that time. Friends have to do the *super* secret handshake."
"Oh," she said, nodding and absorbing this piece of vital information from the nine-year-old world. With remarkable patience for his age, Sammy taught her to perform the complex movements of the super secret handshake, and they did it twice together without flaw.
"Serena, Sammy," came a faint call up the stairs, through her open door. "Get ready for dinner and come on down."
"That's Mom. We're supposed to wash our hands and stuff now." Sammy pulled a face at this act of basic hygiene. "Your bathroom's through that door," he said, pointing at a closed door off the left wall of her room. "I'm gonna go wash up in mine."
Her bathroom? As in a bathroom all to herself? Serena wondered if she could have misheard, but he was gone before she could ask him to repeat himself. Feeling silly at being apprehensive, she crossed her pink carpeting to the cream-colored door. She opened it, and immediately sighed with delight.
The bathroom was nearly as large as her room, and certainly as elegant. The ivory sink with its gold faucet matched the old-fashioned bathtub, which stood on gold-gilt feet. Pink, fluffy carpeting completed the same color scheme that her room exhibited. Serena smiled softly at the strangeness of a carpeted bathroom. She closed the door carefully, almost reverently, stroking the beautiful silk robe hanging from a hook on the inside before turning to the ivory sink. She washed her face and hands with warm water and a seashell bar of rose-scented soap. Drying her skin in a fluffy pink towel, she looked at her glowing face in the mirror and sent a silent, fervent prayer to whatever divine force might be listening.
Oh, please, God, I'll do anything, just please, let it work out this time. Don't let anything happen, not this time…please…
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AN: See, I like that better. Now keep reading……*starry eyes* please?
Drab Habitation of Whom?
Tabernacle or Tomb-
Or Dome of Worm-
Or Porch of Gnome-
Or some Elf's catacomb?
--Emily Dickinson, from The Complete Poems, no. 893
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter One: The Orphan
Serena clutched her small, well-worn handbag protectively against her chest as she stood looking up at the tall building. It was enormous, by far the largest and most grand house that she had lived in yet. Despite her extensive experience, she couldn't help feeling a familiar sense of intimidation at the thought of adjusting to a whole new life yet again, and the sight of this enormous house looming over her wasn't helping matters.
Ms. Rei laid her hand sympathetically on Serena's arm. Feeling the touch, the girl realized that she had stopped in the middle of walking to look up. Giving the woman a look of appreciation for the support, she resolutely drew in a breath and began moving again. She strode to the front door and rung the resonating chimes with a calm, collected air, summoned for Ms. Rei's benefit.
This would be Serena's seventh home in sixteen years since becoming an orphan, and she knew the social worker was desperately hoping it would work out this time.
Not any more than I am, she thought, as the door latch was turned from the inside. Serena quickly summoned a bright, friendly smile as the door swung open, revealing a plump, middle-aged woman, who beamed at Serena with a motherly air.
"Oh, come in, come in," the woman beckoned them, holding the door wide for them to step through. Serena almost tripped when she got a good look at the fancy hallway they had walked into, but managed somehow to prevent herself from falling on her face. She couldn't stop her eyes from staring, however.
Wow, thanks, Ms. Rei, she breathed silently, taking in the expensive furniture, rich oriental rugs, and crystal knick-knacks displayed on glossy mahogany corner tables. The social worker must have had to pull incredible strings to land Serena, a notorious shuffler (a name used for children who tended to move from foster home to foster home in a short period of time) in such a nice home. Usually foster parents tried to avoid getting the shufflers, as they were generally 'problem children', so kids like Serena never got what could be called 'prime choice' homes. Trying to keep her eyes from popping out of her head, Serena's eyebrows shot up at the thought that *this* most certainly qualified as 'prime choice' and then some.
"…and this is Mrs. Tsukino, Serena, your new foster mother," Ms. Rei's voice brought her attention quickly back to the woman who had opened the door. Once again plastering a smile on her face, she allowed herself to be enveloped in a welcoming hug. Serena awkwardly placed one hand on the woman's back, as the other was occupied with holding her bag. Mrs. Tsukino released her and stood with her hands clasped, beaming at the girl.
"You can call me Irene," she gushed, cheeks bright with excitement. Serena sent a silent prayer of thanks that at least this one didn't expect to be called 'Mother' on the first day. "And when Mr. Tsukino gets home, you can call him Ken. He really wanted to be here when you arrived, but, well, you know how work can be sometimes. And this is…" The woman turned and looked about confusedly. "Well, he was just here… Sammy! Don't you want to meet Serena?" she called.
Slowly, a small figure appeared from just around the corner, tow-haired head bent as he studied the floor. Serena guessed his age to be around nine or ten. He was obviously reluctant to be introduced. Serena had a lot of experience with foster siblings' resentment of their new 'sister', so she knew where his reluctance came from. Setting her shabby bag on the rich carpet, she knelt in front of the boy, so that he stood above her. Solemnly, she put out her hand. He looked at it warily, then back at Serena. She kept her expression open, with no hint of amusement. Slowly, he reached for her hand and put his in it. He shook it twice, then made a fist and bumped it on either side of hers before snapping his fingers. Serena copied his movements. Once the handshake was complete, his mother's voice spoke before either he or Serena could.
"Well, Sammy, why don't you show Serena where her room is, while Ms. Rei and I straighten out a couple of last-minute things?"
The boy nodded glumly, still without speaking, and lifted Serena's bag from where it sat on the floor before she could move for it. It was rather small and lightweight, as she didn't really own that much in the material way of things, and the nine-year-old had no trouble carrying it up the winding staircase. Serena followed close behind after saying goodbye to Ms. Rei. She had to hold on to the banister to keep herself from falling while she gawked openly at the marble of the stairs, the gold of the winged statues on either side of the banister, and the silver-framed portraits of the three Tsukinos.
Sammy lead her down a hall to the last door on the right, which he opened with his free hand, then waited for Serena to walk through. Oh, a little gentleman, she thought in surprise. Feeling like a lady, she swept through the entrance to the largest, most beautiful room that she had ever slept in in her life.
The walls were painted with a creamy mother-of-pearl, offset by the soft gold of the trim on all her furniture. A huge desk with a padded chair sat against one window, a sweeping window seat, laden with plump pillows, graced the other. A full length mirror, trimmed in swirling gold flowers and vines, was hanging across from the largest closet she had ever seen, almost like a whole other room. The queen-sized bed was draped with a gauze canopy, sprinkled with small gold stars and moons and tied back with gold ribbon. Behind the curtains of translucent material, a soft, rose-colored bedspread embroidered delicately with curling gold vines lay folded neatly over cream-colored pillows. Serena found herself quite unable to do anything but stand and stare for a few moments. The muted shades of cream, gold, and dusky pink blended with an elegance that had never graced a dwelling place of Serena's before.
She sank with a sigh of utter rapture on the soft bed, then remembered for the first time upon entering that she was not alone. Sammy stood awkwardly in the doorway, holding her bag as if he had no idea what to do with it. Serena beckoned him inside, gently taking the bag from his fingers and setting it on her bed beside where she sat. She looked at the boy expectantly.
He looked back at her, studying her intensely with serious green eyes. She knew she looked strange to him, with long blonde hair pulled into two buns and pigtails on either side of her head and large, clear aquamarine eyes. He stared and stared, then finally blurted, "You're not really my sister."
Serena sighed. "No, I'm not."
"I…I don't want a sister," the little boy confessed.
"Then you shouldn't have to have one," she assured him, reasonably.
"But…" Sammy was confused. "Aren't you supposed to be my new sister?"
"I don't have to be, if you don't want," Serena informed him.
The boy's brow wrinkled on his small forehead. "Well…what else would you be?" he asked, tentatively.
Serena bestowed one of her rare true smiles upon him. "I could be your friend, if you'd like."
Sammy was caught by surprise, obviously not expecting that particular answer. He studied her once again, deliberating. He had never considered girls as friends before, or really as anything besides pests. And Serena was a much older girl at that, a species that had never held his interest. But his house was very big, and very empty with Daddy at work and only Mommy home, and Sammy was a very lonely little boy.
"If we're gonna be friends, we have to do a secret handshake," he informed her, at last.
"I thought we already had," said Serena, remembering his greeting in the hall.
"No, that was just the ordinary secret handshake," he said, knowingly. "I was just being nice that time. Friends have to do the *super* secret handshake."
"Oh," she said, nodding and absorbing this piece of vital information from the nine-year-old world. With remarkable patience for his age, Sammy taught her to perform the complex movements of the super secret handshake, and they did it twice together without flaw.
"Serena, Sammy," came a faint call up the stairs, through her open door. "Get ready for dinner and come on down."
"That's Mom. We're supposed to wash our hands and stuff now." Sammy pulled a face at this act of basic hygiene. "Your bathroom's through that door," he said, pointing at a closed door off the left wall of her room. "I'm gonna go wash up in mine."
Her bathroom? As in a bathroom all to herself? Serena wondered if she could have misheard, but he was gone before she could ask him to repeat himself. Feeling silly at being apprehensive, she crossed her pink carpeting to the cream-colored door. She opened it, and immediately sighed with delight.
The bathroom was nearly as large as her room, and certainly as elegant. The ivory sink with its gold faucet matched the old-fashioned bathtub, which stood on gold-gilt feet. Pink, fluffy carpeting completed the same color scheme that her room exhibited. Serena smiled softly at the strangeness of a carpeted bathroom. She closed the door carefully, almost reverently, stroking the beautiful silk robe hanging from a hook on the inside before turning to the ivory sink. She washed her face and hands with warm water and a seashell bar of rose-scented soap. Drying her skin in a fluffy pink towel, she looked at her glowing face in the mirror and sent a silent, fervent prayer to whatever divine force might be listening.
Oh, please, God, I'll do anything, just please, let it work out this time. Don't let anything happen, not this time…please…
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AN: See, I like that better. Now keep reading……*starry eyes* please?
