Disclaimers are on chapter 1
Libris Demonica
Chapter 2
by Weirdbard
As Serena lay on her back on the bed after being thrown there by the crystal's reaction to the book, the book slowly rose till it was standing on end on her desk facing the bed.
The book was a evil entity. Once so very long ago it had attacked the Moon Kingdom and had been stopped by Queen Selene, mother to Queen Serenity who would someday be mother to Princess Serena. Queen Selene in the brief war had destroyed Necronomicon's allies or exiled them to other dimensions. One of which would come back and attack the earth many, many centuries later. It had been known as Pharo 90. As for Necronomicon, his punishment was too be infinitely worse. He was stripped of his humanoid form and was changed into a book. A book that contained all the frightening secrets and evils that had been in his humanoid mind. Then Queen Selene had the book cast into a portal that lead to other dimensions. She felt sure that the book would never return. So sure was she that she banned all mention of the war or the book. Within time everyone on the Moon Kingdom had forgotten about the book or the war.
The face on the book opened it's eyes and stared at the unconscious young woman lying on the bed. It had vowed revenge against all the members of the Moon Family and after finally making its way back to this dimension it had it's new minions searching endlessly to find them. Finally one of its loyal minions had found Serena and arranged for her to gain possession of the book. The book's plan was to have been simply to devour Serena's soul but the moon crystal she wore prevented that. Still there was more than one way to destroy a person. Subtle ways that the protective crystal the young woman wore would not detect or prevent. The 'lips' on the book slowly started to move as though the book was silently reciting something. A red haze in the shape of a bubble appeared in the room and began to expand out till it covered the book and Serena's sleeping form. The spell was a distortion spell. Anything Serena heard, seen, dreamed or felt could be controlled by the book as long as she stayed within the field of the bubble. The Book would have preferred the spell to be located permanently on the young woman but was lacking in energy to do such a thing. So it compromised. As long as Serena was near the book, her mind was it's to twist and manipulate.
Serena opening her eyes found herself in a gloomy hallway. The ceiling of the hallway was festooned with cobwebs and dust showing that none had been here for a very long time. On either side of the hallway there were doors. Each door was solid black in color and marked on each door in gold was the astrological symbol for one of the planets. One wall of the hallway had Mercury, Earth, Jupiter, Uranus, Pluto. The other wall Serena could see had Venus, Mars, Saturn, Neptune and in the distance Serena could make out the door opposite Pluto symbol door had a small crescent moon symbol on it.
Running over to the door marked with Mercury's symbol, Serena tugged on it. A almost blinding light came flooding out as the door opened inward to the hallway.
Serena standing in the now open doorway looking into the room beyond saw that it was a classroom. As a matter of fact it was her classroom at school. As Serena watched silently she saw the teacher call on a student near the back of the class. Very close to where Serena was looking in from the doorway. As the student rose to her feet to answer the teacher, Serena noted with shock that she had her unique 'meatball' hairstyle and hair coloring. As the young girl timidly opened her mouth and answered the teacher Serena almost called out in shock. It was her! That is the student answering the teacher was also Serena. As Serena watched the teacher had the other 'her' walk to the chalkboard to solve a mathematics problem. Hearing whispering Serena looked over and saw that a student she didn't know was whispering to Amy who was sitting next to her.
"I bet the airhead won't get the answer right. What do you say?"
Amy answered the girl with a whisper of her own. "No way will I take that bet! Everyone knows that Serena is a complete idiot! She'll just be lucky to get back to her desk after failing to solve the problem without falling on her face."
Serena in the doorway stumbled back into the hallway in shock. As soon as she did the door slammed shut.
"That couldn't be Amy! She doesn't insult me behind my back!" Serena cried out loud in the hallway. "Does she?" She added a moment later in a unsure voice. "I mean I am really bad in math, that's true but Amy doesn't really think that I am an idiot does she?"
A very shaken Serena glanced across the hallway to the door marked with Venus's symbol. Taking a deep breath she gathered her courage and walking over she pulled the door open.
As this door opened, Serena could see that the room beyond was the local arcade where she hung out most of the time with her friends. Sure enough Serena could see from her position in the doorway herself sitting at the table they always chose. Sitting at the table with her was Amy, Raye and Lita one one side and Mina sitting next to her (the her at the table) on the other side.
The Serena at the table laughed at something one of the others said and then flipping her hair back with her hand she got up and walked over to the counter to talk to Andrew. Serena in the hallway was just about to walk out to try and find out what was going on when she heard Mina whisper to the others.
"That Serena thinks she is so beautiful with that ridiculous meatball hairstyle. I think they make her look retarded. Don't you?"
Raye nodded her head but then said. "It's a good thing she wears them though. With her hair down you two would look so much alike we might have problems figuring out which one of you was who."
Serena was shocked when Mina's face turned red and stormy looking. "You take that back Raye! Serena has a face like a horse! I am a thousand times better looking than that cow!"
Serena with a sob stumbled back into the hallway. Once again as soon as she was clear of the door it slammed shut.
"Mina thinks I'm ugly?" She sobbed out loud to the empty hallway.
Serena glanced at the next door beside Mina's door. It was marked with the symbol of Mars. She reached out a trembling hand and placed it on the doorknob but couldn't bring herself to turn the knob and open the door. Finally she removed her hand and looked across the hallway to where the door marked with the symbol of Earth was.
"Darien's door." Serena said out loud to herself. "I will try that one next. I know that he loves me!" Racing across the hallway Serena twisted the knob and whipped the door open.
This time there was no scene with a phantom Serena in it. As Serena's eyes adjusted from the gloom of the hallway to the lighted room beyond she could see that it was Darien's bedroom in his apartment. And Serena was not there. Raye was. And she was in Darien's bed, with Darien. They were both naked and they were making love.
"NO! NO!" Serena sobbed as she crumpled to a heap in the doorway.
Raye riding on top of Darien as he lay in the bed suddenly stopped and cocked her head as though she had heard something.
"Darien? Did you hear something?" She asked him.
Darien rubbed his hands up and down Raye's sides laughed. "You are just being paranoid. Serena is too trusty and stupid to suspect us and besides the front door is locked and no one has a key to it but me. Serena asked me for one a while back but I made up some excuse and never gave her one.
Serena raised her head from where she lay crumpled in the doorway. "That's right. I asked him for a key a short while ago so I could bring him cookies or clean his apartment while he was at work and he told me that he would have one made soon but never mentioned it again."
As the sounds of Darien's and Raye's love making began again, Serena painfully dragged herself back into the hallway so the door could shut and silence the sounds that were ripping her heart to pieces. Having no more energy, Serena lay in the center of the hallway and allowed herself to sob hysterically.
After what seemed like an eternity, Serena raised her head and with blurry vision from the tears streaming in her eyes stared down the hallway. She already knew that she didn't want to know what was behind the rest of the scout symbol marked doors but there was one last door she had to open. No matter how painful it was going to be, she had to know what the door marked with the small crescent moon symbol had waiting behind it.
Stumbling to her feet Serena weaved and staggered down the hallway till she reached the end.
Reaching out a hand that was shaking so severely, Serena was unsure if she could even grab the doorknob. She took a deep ragged breath and opened the door with the moon symbol. As the door slowly opened, Serena could see the swirling mists that marked the entrance to the Gates of Time where Pluto stood guard. Blinking the tears away Serena could finally see Pluto sitting in a chair with Rini sitting on the floor before her.
"Are you positive Luna P?" Rini asked Pluto using her favorite nickname for the most solitary of all the Sailor Scouts.
"I've told you before Little Lady. Yes Serena is to be your mother in the future.......Unless something happens to change the timeline." Sailor Pluto replied.
"But I don't want her to be my mother! She is such a klutz and a idiot! She never does anything right!" Rini grumbled as she folded her arms across her chest.
Serena's legs gave out on her and once again she crumpled to the floor in the doorway. "Even Rini hates me?"
Rini's face looked up in hope at Sailor Pluto. "Wait a minute! You said unless something changes the timeline? What do you mean Luna P?"
"Darien will wed Serena, even though he is having a affair with Raye because he wants to use Serena as a puppet leader in the future. He will be able to make laws that will be unpopular with the people and then blame them on Serenity. However, if Serena were to die in what is the present for her. Raye will marry Darien and she would then become Queen." Sailor Pluto explained to Rini.
"What would that mean to me? Would I cease to exist?" Rini asked nervously.
"No. You are destined to be born. The only thing that would change is that Raye would be your mother. You would inherit Raye's beauty and grace and your hair would be black not the color it is now. Of course your hair style would change to match that of Raye's as well."
"Oh Luna P! I want that! I would love to be the child of graceful Raye and not that bungling fool Serena!"
Pluto looked sadly down on Rini. "I would love to be able to do that for you Little Lady. Serena is not the best leader in the future but my position as Guardian of the Gates of Time does not allow me to interfere with the timeline." Sailor Pluto's face took on a evil look that Serena would never believe she could. "However, if someone or a group were to take it upon themselves to see that a 'accident' were to befall Serena, I would not interfere in that either."
Serena couldn't believe her ears as Rini laughed. "That won't be a problem! All the scouts hate Serena but just act like they like her because they think she is going to be Queen in the future! If they know we can change that and let Raye be the Queen they will help me get rid of Serena!"
Rini woke up laying on her bed. Glancing
out the window she frowned. It was dark
out. Glancing at her clock she noticed that
it was 8 P.M. Late to be eating dinner but
not too late. She wondered if Serena had
ordered the food like she said she would.
Climbing down stairs, Rini made her way
to Serena's bedroom and knocked on the
door. Hearing no answer, Rini opened the
door and peeked in.
She smiled when she saw that Serena was
lying across her bed sound asleep. So
much for Serena's assertion that she could
shop all day and night without dropping.
Rini frowned however when she noticed a
very faint strange red haze in the room.
Blinking a few times she managed to
convince herself that she had been seeing
things though. Rini also noticed that
Serena was twitching in her sleep and
seemed to be sweating a great deal.
Worried that Serena might be coming
down with a cold and feeling hungry
herself she called out.
"Wake up Mommy! I'm hungry and you said you would order us some food."
Serena with her mouth open in a silent scream suddenly sat straight up on her bed and looked around in horror and disorientation.
"What? Where am I?" She asked her voice a little hoarse from the dream crying she had done.
"You are here at home Mommy. Where else would you be? I didn't want to wake you but you said you were going to order us some food and then you fell asleep." Rini added the last part mischievously. She couldn't resist teasing Serena just a little bit about falling asleep.
Inside the distorting field, the words that Serena heard were: "You are in your bed Meatball Head! You forgot to order us food like you said you were, you idiot! Why do you always have to be sleeping?"
Serena upset about the dream she just had, although she couldn't remember much of the details, was shocked by Rini's words and the hateful tone in which they were delivered.
"I'm sorry Little Lady. I will order the food right now. Please don't be upset with me!" She practically cried to Rini. Leaping to her feet she quickly raced out of the room past a confused Rini to get to the phone downstairs to order them some dinner.
Rini couldn't understand why Serena acted so upset. "Its almost like I told her I hated her or something." She muttered to the empty room. As Rini started to switch off the light and leave the room she cocked her head once more and stared into the room. She could almost swear there was a kind of reddish bubble in the middle of the room. You could only see it if you held your head just the right way. Shaking her head, Rini once again dismissed the idea and shut off the light.
Serena watched Rini as she ate the food she had delivered. Serena herself found she had little appetite. She kept getting flashes of the dream she had had and then there was how Rini talked to her as she woke up.
"If it hadn't been for the fact that I heard her voice so clearly I might have thought it was still part of that horrible nightmare I was having. Maybe Rini was just cranky from being asleep herself? Gods, I hope so. She has become so dear to me. If she started hating me in real life like she did in that dream, I don't think I could survive it." Serena thought to herself.
Rini for her part was watching Serena whenever she could without being spotted.
"Why is Mommy acting so weird? She almost acts as though she thinks I am going to suddenly attack her. She must have had a bad dream." Rini finally decided to herself. After the last of the food was gone and Serena switched on the tv, Rini sat down on the couch beside Serena and wrapped her arm around her waist. Serena for her part tensed slightly and then began to relax and placed her arm around Rini's shoulder.
"Rini does love me. That was just a stupid dream. My friends care for me and don't hate me either. And Raye and Darien would never cheat on me." Serena gave a little laugh.
Rini looked up at her in surprise. The TV show they were watching was a mystery and she didn't see anything funny to make her mother laugh like that. Rini shrugged her shoulders. She didn't care what it was that made her mom laugh, she was just happy to see Serena smiling again.
As the show ended, and Rini didn't think it
was that good of a show anyway, she
managed to figure out who the murderer
was before the TV detective did, Serena
then made her go upstairs and go to bed.
Serena then took one last circuit of the
house checking to make sure the windows
and doors were locked up tight for the
night. She was a little insecure being alone
in the house with her parents away.
Going upstairs to her room, Serena quickly undressed and put on her pajamas. She had the creepy feeling she was being watched. Looking around the room the only thing she spotted was the book she had bought sitting up on the desk. With a shudder at once again how ugly a book it was, she went over to lay it back down on the desk in the right manner (and maybe cover it with a cloth). As soon as her hand touched the book however the eyes on it snapped open and once again Serena found herself in a dazed trance. Under the books light hypnotic control, light so as not to awaken the crystal in the brooch that Serena had attached to her pajamas, Serena sat down and opening the book started to read.
Being directed by the book's control Serena opened to a page where a picture of a horrible monster with 8 eyes and six arms was displayed. Reading out loud Serena spoke the words under the picture. Even under the book's control Serena had to fight the urge to throw up. The very words themselves felt like bile rising in her throat. She began to have a splitting headache. Finally she uttered the last words under the picture and getting up she stumbled to her bed and past out.
The picture of the creature in the book began to heave and twist as though it was alive and was struggling to get off the page. With a mighty roar of wind, the picture finally did detach from the book and quickly grew in size and shape till it was a full 3 dimensional being. The creature stood at just under seven feet tall. Thick mucus like material dripped from the corners of its fanged mouth, burning holes into the carpeting where it landed. Looking at the prone form of Serena on her bed it started to drool even more.
"Leave her!" The creature heard the voice of it's master inside it's head. Turning to face the book, which was now once again standing on end so the face could look at the room, the creature quickly dropped to one knee.
"Yes master! What is thy will?" The creature thought back at the book.
"Go out into the world and find me mortals to drain for their energy and send it back to me so that I may gain in strength. I will destroy this woman soon but I wish to toy with her mind and soul first. I shall drive her mad before I manipulate her into killing herself. Now go!"
The creature bowed to the book and then with one leap was out of the window and gone.
Luna was hurrying home. She hadn't meant to be out quite so late but Artemis was proving to be quite the silver tongue devil when he wanted to be. He managed to convince her to go with him for a stroll in the park earlier that day and the stroll had lead to other things. Luna under her dark fur blushed at some of the 'other' things he had convinced her to do that evening. She hoped that Serena never found about those things. It was hard enough to convince Darien and Serena to wait till they were married before engaging in any intimate activities. It certainly be almost next to impossible if Serena found out that her own guardian hadn't followed her own advice.
Luna was running along the roof tops of houses in the neighborhood. For one thing it was much faster than traveling along the walkways and roadways and another reason was less chance of getting mauled by dogs or hit by cars. As she reached Serena's house, she could almost swear she saw a dark shadow leap from her bedroom window and speed out the front gate. Luna shook her head and looked again closer but saw nothing. Finally leaping to the tree outside of Serena's room she then leapt threw the open window into the room. The first thing she noticed was that Serena was lying on top of her covers in her pajamas and the bedroom light was left on.
"That is odd. Serena must have dozed off before she had a chance to turn off the light and get into bed proper." Luna mused to herself.
Glancing around the room Luna spotted the book sitting up on the desk. Letting out a howl of startlement. (After all the book was really ugly looking with that face on it) Luna leapt on to the bed and landed right in the middle of Serena.
"What?! Where?!" Serena screeched as she was woken up.
"I'm sorry Serena I didn't mean to wake you. It is just that, that thing over there startled me. Where ever did you find such a hideous looking book?" Luna explained as Serena managed to calm down.
They both glanced over to the desk to look at the book and Luna's eyes grew wide as she now saw that the book was now laying down on the table and wasn't sitting up any more. "It must have fallen over when I leapt onto the bed?" Luna wondered to herself.
"Ah Luna, I am exhausted tonight. Can't we talk about that book tomorrow morning? I want to get some sleep." Serena whined.
Serena then got up and walked over to the light switch to turn it off. As she moved across the room Luna watched her and could swear just for a moment she could see Serena walk through some kind of red hazy bubble in the room. Luna blinked her eyes but the image was gone and a few moments later the light went out. Luna's cat eyes adjusted quickly to the dark and watched as Serena made her way back to the bed and climbed under the covers. Looking one last time nervously at the desk where the book was lying, Luna then curled up at the foot of the bed and tried to go to sleep.
More chapters coming soon.