Libris Demonica
Chapter 3
by Weirdbard
Serena could feel gritty dust under her fingers and arms from where she was lying and she knew without opening her eyes where she would be. While awake she could only remember bits and pieces from her nightmare but once asleep again she remembered it all.
"Oh please don't let me open my eyes! I can't bear to go through this again!" She sobbed out loud.
"Serena? Where are we?" Luna's voice called out to her.
Serena her eyes snapping open, raised herself up with her arms and looked around. Sure enough she was back in the hallway of doors but this time a confused looking Luna was sitting a few feet away from her. Serena pulled herself up into a sitting position and examined the black cat in front of her.
"Are you going to tell me that I am worthless and ugly too?" She asked with a quiver in her voice.
Luna who had been looking at the strange doors jerked her head to stare at Serena. "Whatever are you talking about?! You are not worthless! You are princess Serena of the Moon Kingdom and soon to be Neo Queen Serenity of Crystal Tokyo! And as for being ugly? You are one of the most strikingly beautiful women of the past, present or even the future! So now tell me what is all this nonsense about?!"
"Oh Luna!" Serena cried joyfully and grabbed up the black cat in her arms and hugged it. "I thought I was going to be alone again with everyone hating me!"
Luna while completely confused about where they were or what was going on, could feel Serena as she shook and cried so she put aside the question of the strange location for a moment and tried to comfort the almost hysterical girl.
"There, there Serena." Luna said as she patted her arm with one paw. "Tell me what is going on? You will get through this with my and the Sailor Scouts' help and of course Darien's help."
"That's just it Luna! They won't help me! At least not here! They hate me here and are plotting my death!" Serena sobbed.
"What utter rubbish! Your friends love and depend on you! They would never see any harm to come to you or allow anyone to harm you......" Luna began but was cut off as Serena placed her lightly on the ground and stood up.
"There's only one way to prove it to you Luna. Come with me." Serena said in a voice as though she was walking to her own execution. Walking down the hallway she stopped at the door marked with Jupiter's symbol. "Watch as I open the door." Serena said in a depressed voice.
Luna walking up beside Serena looked up in confusion but then just nodded her head. Serena gripping the doorknob, twisted it and opened the door with a resigned look on her face.
As Luna and Serena's eyes adjusted to the bright light coming through the doorway they both could see a fight going on in the park. The scouts were battling a youma along side Serena. The youma, which Luna recognized as being one of the Dark Moon Circus creations launched an attack against Jupiter and Sailor Moon threw herself into Jupiter knocking her clear of the attack. Taking only a moment to make sure Jupiter was okay, Sailor Moon then drew the creature away and finally moon dusted it. While Tuxedo Mask and Mini Moon stood beside Serena talking, Luna and Serena in the doorway could see Mars walk over to Jupiter and they could hear them whispering.
"Can you believe she messed up my shot at the youma?! She's always hogging the glory for herself!" Jupiter hissed angrily to Mars.
Mars nodded her head. "I know. If it was not for that flying horse's help she would have been minced meat."
"Its not fair that she gets the powerful weapons!" Jupiter complained. "Those weapons should go to the strongest of us! Not to some wimpy crybaby!"
Mars nodded her head but then whispered to Jupiter. "Come on we have to appear like we are concerned and happy for her. She's going to be the future Queen and if we don't act all friendly towards her we are going to have problems." Mars and Jupiter then put on smiles that would fool anyone and ran over to Sailor Moon as though they were excited and happy she had taken care of the monster.
Luna her eyes growing large in disbelief glanced up at Serena standing with her in the doorway. Serena had her eyes closed tightly but Luna could see tears streaming out. Serena blinked a few tears away and then motioned for Luna to step back into the hallway with her. As soon as they cleared the doorway the door slammed shut.
"Now you see what I mean by they all hate me." Serena said simply to Luna.
"Serena! This can't be reality! This must be some kind of dream!" Luna argued pacing back and forth in the hallway in front of Serena.
Serena didn't say anything but just crouched down and when Luna passed by her again she reached out and grabbed her tail and gave a slight tug.
"Yeowch!" Luna shrieked. "What do you think you are doing?! That hurt!"
"Did that feel like a dream Luna?" Serena asked her.
Luna stopped dead still. "Well no. But there has to be some explanation! We know the scouts! They all care for you! This can't be real! What is the last thing you remember before waking up here?"
Serena scrunched her face up tight as she tried to remember. "I can't remember. We defeated the Dead Moon Circus and Queen Helenia didn't we?"
Now it was Luna's turn to wear a face as she tried to
concentrate. "Yes. I remember we won that battle. That
was not long ago either I think. Two or three months?"
Luna said in question.
"You see Serena?! There must be something going on!
Why else would we both have problems remembering such
a important battle? We are either in a dream or someone is
controlling our minds! That has to be it!"
Luna was pleased when Serena tear stained face showed signs of hope. "Then my friends are not plotting to kill me and Darien does love me?" Serena asked as she wiped at the tears on her face.
Luna her voice taking on a soft caring note answered. "Of course Darien loves you! What made you think he didn't?"
Serena said nothing but just walked over to Darien's door and pulling it open she stood behind the door so she would not have to see.
Luna could hear the grunts and groans of two people being intimate and as she walked over to the door her eyes grew enormous. "Raye and Darien?!" she screeched. "I don't believe it!" Luna in shock backed up and as soon as she was clear of the door Serena released the doorknob allowing the door to slam shut.
Serena allowing herself to slide down the wall beside the door looked over at the stunned cat. "Are you sure this is a dream or someone controlling our minds Luna?"
Luna shaking herself from her shock looked over at the dusty, tired and emotionally drained young woman bordering on the verge of collapse. "It has to be Serena! Darien would never do that to you!"
Serena allowed her head to droop till it rested on her knees. She realized with a slight start that she was wearing her school uniform. For some reason she expected to be wearing her pajamas. "I sure hope you are right Luna." She finally muttered.
"Have you tried all the doors? And when were you here before that you knew what was behind Darien's door?" Luna asked after a moment.
Serena rubbed her temples as she tried to concentrate. "I can't remember. I know what I will see if I look behind Mercury, Venus, Darien's and Rini's doors but I don't remember when it was I looked into them."
Luna was quiet as she thought for a moment. "The only thing I can see we can do is open the other doors. Maybe what is behind them will give us some clue as to where we are and how we got here."
Serena jerked her head to look at Luna with frightened eyes. "Please no Luna! I can't bear to hear my friends putting me down and hating me any more. Can't we just stay here in the hallway till someone comes or something happens?"
"No Serena! We cannot. If this is a dream it will not go away till you awake and if we have been transported somewhere and this is real, pretending it will go away will not help us either! You must be brave and strong and do something."
Serena looked miserable but then nodded her head and got up off the floor. "Right. So which door should we check next Luna?"
Luna glanced down the hallway for a moment. "Have you tried Raye's door?"
Serena shook her head sadly. "No after what I saw behind Amy's door I couldn't bring myself to open Raye's door. Of all the scouts I feel the strongest towards those two. Amy was, I mean is my best friend and I have always thought of Raye as the sister I never had."
Both Serena and Luna looked at the door marked with the symbol of Mars. With a sigh Serena walked over to it and placed her hand on the doorknob.
"What was behind Amy's door by the way Serena?" Luna asked her as she watched Serena trying to work up enough nerve to open the door.
"A scene from school. I was having problems working a math problem and while I was struggling with it Amy sat in the back of the class and whispered to another student that I was a complete idiot and hopeless."
Luna cocked her head to the side. "That sure doesn't sound like Amy. She never runs someone down."
Serena nodded her head but then said. "That was what I thought at first but after some of the other doors....." Serena paused. "I don't know any more. How can you be really sure what your friends think and say about you when you are not with them? Maybe they really do think and talk about me that way?"
"Don't be ridiculous Serena and open that door." Luna replied but in fact in her own mind she wondered herself. The images behind the doors were so realistic and if this was all just a dream why did her tail still hurt from where Serena had grabbed it?
Serena taking a deep breath jerked open Mars' door.
As the door swung open Serena and Luna could see the interior of the Shrine that Raye lived at with her grandfather. To be more precise, Serena could see that it was the Sacred Fire room where Raye did her mediations. The fire was leaping and burning as it always was and a few feet away stood Raye, Lita, Mina and Amy. As the two spectators watched, a door at the other side of the room opened and in ran Rini. She ran and threw herself joyfully into Raye's arms. After the happy greetings and smiles with the other scouts, Rini's face grew solemn.
"We only have a short time before Meatball Head gets here." Rini said. "I ran ahead of her while Darien distracted her. We all know what we have to do?"
"I don't know Rini. Are you sure there is no other way?" Mina asked nervously. "I mean I know Serena is a ugly, stupid horseface but to kill her?" Mina's voice dwindled at the end.
"Luna P assured me. If Serena lives she will become Neo Queen Serenity but if she dies then Raye gets to be the queen." Rini replied without a trace of compassion in her face.
"Okay then. You all want me to snap her neck when she shows up? I can do it." Lita said, cracking her knuckles.
Luna standing in the doorway glanced up at Serena and could see she was white as a sheet.
"No Lita! It has to look like an accident. Luna and the outer scouts are not in on this and we don't know where they stand on Serena. Well except for Pluto and we know she doesn't care. We have a pretty good idea that Amara and Michelle both think that Serena is a weakling and not fit to lead us but I personally think that Amara is attracted to Serena and might try to retaliate if she knows we were the ones responsible for her death." Raye answered.
"Well if that is true then Michelle should gladly see Serena die then." Lita said.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Amy spoke up. "I think Michelle has a dark side and wouldn't mind if Serena was Amara's plaything as long as she was able to get in on the fun."
"Look! It doesn't matter! I know how to handle this." Raye interrupted."When Serena gets here, I will tell her that I have sensed a new enemy and we will suggest that we do a fire reading. Once we get her into this room, I will then tell her that I sense the enemy is after her so I need Serena to stand next to me close to the Sacred Flame. I'll make up some nonsense about how this will help me get a lock on the enemy. Once she is close to the fire....." Raye's face took on a unholy gleam. Luna was shocked when she saw the same look on the other scouts' faces. "We throw her into the fire!" Raye finished.
Amy once again spoke up. "I don't think that is a very good idea Raye. You might be able to set her on fire but what is to keep her from either rolling and putting herself out or what is more likely, run around and trip and set the whole temple on fire?"
"I know! We can get some of those long poles your grandfather keeps to train Chad with. Will use those to keep pushing Serena into the fire until she dies. Any minor fire damage done to the temple we can claim was caused when we valiantly tried to 'save' Serena!" Lita said snapping her fingers.
Luna hearing a thud glanced back and saw that Serena had thrown herself away from the doorway and was laying in a crumpled heap across the narrow hallway.
"Let the door shut Luna! Please!" Serena sobbed.
Luna stepped away from the doorway and the door obligingly slammed shut.
Running to Serena's side Luna could see the poor girl was in near hysterics.
"I remember once when we fought a plant creature that Mars used one of her fire attacks to free us. I remember the feeling of the flames licking over my body as it burned away the plant tendrils." Serena muttered. Raising her head she stared at Luna. "I don't want to die that way Luna!" She shouted as she got to her feet and started running down the hallway.
"Serena! Stop! This isn't real!" Luna shouted as she raced after the terrified girl. "It just can't be real." Luna added almost to herself.
Serena, her eyes blinded with tears was only able to run a short distance before tripping and falling to the floor. Looking up she saw she was lying in front of the door marked with the astrological sign of Uranus.
Luna reached her side a moment later.
"Luna? Didn't Raye say she thought that Amara had feelings for me? Maybe she will protect me from them?" Serena said getting to her feet and grabbing hold of the doorknob.
"Serena. Have you tried to talk to any of the scouts when you open the doors?" Luna asked skeptically. She couldn't believe that if it was possible none of the scouts had noticed when Serena and her where standing in the doorway.
Serena shook her head but then opened the door. "I know Amara will help me."
As the door opened and once again Serena and Luna's eyes adjusted to the light they could see what looked like a basement. Along the walls of the basement very bright lights had been arranged to cast a spotlight effect in the middle of the room.
What was trapped in the center of the spotlight caused Serena's eyes to almost double in size and Luna's mouth to drop open in shock.
A very naked Serena hung from chains from the ceiling. In front of her was a also naked Amara who was roughly kneading Serena's breasts and kissing her savagely while behind Serena stood Michelle welding a long wicked looking whip.
Michelle would lash out with the whip across Serena's bare back while Amara muffled Serena's screams with her mouth over hers.
Serena in the doorway was frozen. She couldn't move or make a sound so deep was her shock at the sight.
Finally Michelle eased off the whipping and Amara took her mouth away from a weakly struggling Serena.
"I was always attracted to you Moonface but you only had eyes for that idiot Darien! Well if I can't have your love I will then at least have your body." Amara whispered almost tenderly to the hanging Serena, placing her hand on Serena's face she gently caressed her cheek and then pulling back she slapped the exhausted woman.
"Come on Michelle! Let's let her rest for a while before we play again." Amara said as she turned to put on her clothing.
"I still can't believe she came to you for help when she thought the other scouts wanted to hurt her." Michelle said with a laugh.
"Oh well, poor Serena. She never was the brightest one." Amara answered with a smirk and then deeply kissed Michelle.
Serena in the doorway was finally able to move. Luna noted with worry that the woman didn't run from the doorway but just calmly turned and strolled away from it.
"Serena?" Luna asked her as she too stepped away from the doorway and allowed the door to shut.
"That's it then, isn't it Luna? I can't trust any of the scouts. They all want me dead....... Or worse." Serena said with a shudder. "I have to get away from them all somehow."
Luna worry increased as she noted the dead calmness of Serena's voice. A sure sign that the young woman was bordering on total collapse.
Luna opened her mouth to say something to try and calm the young woman, although in truth she had no idea what she could say, but was interrupted by a loud ringing noise.
Serena with a scream sat bolt upright nearly throwing Luna from the bed.
"It was a dream?!" She cried. She quickly felt around to make sure she was lying in her bed and not some dark and dusty hallway somewhere. Once again she couldn't remember the exact details of her nightmare but only that it had been horrible beyond belief. Concentrating Serena could catch the foggiest of glimpses. Things like Raye talking about her burning to death or images of her hanging nude while Amara brutally groped her.
"I am never eating take out food that late again and then going to bed." Serena muttered to herself.
Looking over at Luna, Serena was worried when she saw the deeply serious look on the cat's face. Luna kept glancing back at her tail and twitching it.
"What's wrong Luna?" She finally asked her.
"My tail hurts as if someone pulled it." Luna looked up and answered Serena.
Serena could tell from the look in Luna's eyes that she had had the same nightmare that Serena went through.
"What do you remember from the dream." Serena asked.
Luna shook her head. "Only bits and pieces. Something about you being in danger from the other scouts but I don't know why."
Serena sat looking down at her hands lying on the covers of her bed. She noted almost absently that they were shaking slightly. "Do you think the dreams are a type of warning Luna?"
"I don't know Serena but I just can't believe that the scouts would ever try to harm you."
Serena was about to answer her when the door to her room opened. Looking up Serena thought for a moment that she was looking through a slight red haze. Blinking her eyes rapidly she noticed the haze was gone and it was Rini standing in the doorway.
"That was the phone Mommy. Raye has called for a meeting at the Shrine. She says another youma attacked last night and that she and the others tried to contact us over our communicators but we didn't answer. She says her and the other scouts destroyed the monster but she wants us at the Shrine now! I think she maybe mad at us." Rini said.
Inside the distortion field what Serena and Luna heard: "That was Raye on the phone. She says thanks to your laziness and incompetence, her and the other scouts had to handle a youma by themselves! She says she and the other scouts now realize that they don't really need you anymore and she wants you at the Shrine now to discuss it!"
Rini not realizing that the words Serena heard and the ones she had spoken were not the same, shut the door to allow Serena to get dressed.
Serena looked down in shock at Luna. "I'm doomed Luna! What do I do?"
Luna looking none to sure herself just replied. "You know Raye. She is just upset at the moment. I'm sure this is all just a misunderstanding and we can clear it all up as soon as we get to the Shrine this morning."
Serena nodded her head sadly and getting up started to get dressed.
As soon as Serena got dressed she started to reach for the book to put it in a knapsack on her back.
"Serena? Why are you taking that book with you? I very much doubt you will have any time to do any reading today. Especially if there are new enemies out there." Luna asked her.
Serena shook her head as if she was waking up from almost sleep walking and then nodding her head she picked up Luna and walked out of her bedroom leaving the book behind.
In the now empty room the book's eyes opened for a moment and then closed. On it's 'face' it had a satisfied smirk on it.