Prologue
By Smartie
~ ~ ~ ~ I don't own Sailor Moon. ~ ~ ~ ~
A bell jingled as the door of the beat-up diner opened. Decorated with abandoned road signs and peeling wallpaper, it wasn't exactly a five star restaurant. As the girl entered, she glanced at the alligator shaped clock and punched in her time card. She sighed as she quickly tied her pale green apron around her waist. Another day in her dead end job. Working in a diner wasn't exactly her dream job, but it was all she could get at the moment, and she really needed the money. She couldn't imagine what her parents, or even her friends would say if they could see her now.
There was no point thinking about the past, especially when coffee cups needed refilling. Armed with an ancient coffee jug and her trusty pad of paper, Serena made her way over to the tables one by one.
Serena stopped at the first table and tapped a woman on the shoulder, "You can go now Maggie, your shift ended 15 minutes ago."
The older women looked surprised to see Serena. She looked over at the clock and nodded.
"Looks like I have to go," she said alluringly to the man she sat with, "I'll see you later."
She walked away shaking her head, Maggie loved to flirt with the customers, but Serena could never bring herself to do it. Maggie was very pretty for her age, her soft brown hair and green eyes still turned a few heads, and if that didn't do it, an extra button undone on her uniform usually did.
"Coffee?" Serena inquired politely to the couple sitting next to the entrance.
They declined and Serena made her way back to the counter with the orders she had received.
She gave the orders to Clive, the middle aged balding man who owned the restaurant. The frugal man was the cook. He did everything except wait on customers.
Behind the counter, Serena smoothed down the short skirt of her uniform. Clive had decided that the impractical uniforms would help drum up business. He was right.
Serena pulled out a tattered cloth and began wiping the counter in rhythmic strokes. Clive hated seeing his waitresses sitting on the job. The only reason he permitted Maggie to do it was because her provocative ways brought many repeat customers.
It was afternoon and the lunchtime rush had cleared out. The regular customers still sat around and talked about politics. Pausing in her scrubbing, Serena glanced around the diner. It was shabby and falling apart, but still people came. It was the only one in town.
She thought back to when she lived in the big city. It was filled with bright lights, cars and people. Here, there was barely ever a person on the street. She could remember the city and its sidewalks crowded with families and couples. She smiled softly, that was a time when she was happy, but she had sworn not to go back and she wouldn't.
Serena gazed at the sea green linoleum floor. It was covered in cracks and had almost completely worn out in front of the door. Grease stains covered the wall in the kitchen and a slight smell of oil permeated the entire diner. As she looked at the torn curtains she almost began to cry. Why had she come here? She was so well off in the city, her used to have everything she could ever want. Now she was living paycheque-to-paycheque, working in a dirty restaurant. She could still go back. Her parents would welcome her back, but with the welcome would come reminders of her failure. Even worse than that he would be there. Serena hardened her heart she would not go back.
"Serena!" Clive called in a gruff voice, signifying the orders were ready.
She took the plates and went over to the customers.
"Here you are," she said as cheerfully as she could muster.
The man looked at the burger with disgust, "You call this a hamburger?!" he exclaimed.
"Well," Serena started. She had a feeling this wouldn't end well.
"This is junk! I've been waiting for half an hour for this? I've been watching you sitting at the counter wasting time, while I've been starving. I demand to see the manager!"
Serena had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she went over to get Clive. He would not be pleased.
Clive came over and tried to reason with the man. He apologized and offered a free meal, but the customer wouldn't be pacified. He left the diner in a huff, his hamburger still lying on the table.
"This is coming out of your paycheque," hissed Clive, very angry, "this is only your second month and already I get complaints about you. Maggie's been here 12 years and never once have I gotten a bad comment about her. If you want to keep your job, I suggest you straight up."
Serena bowed her head, "Yes sir."
Serena wanted to go back to her apartment, and hide. She really didn't want to wait another 4 hours until the end of her shift. She knew if she left now, she would be fired for sure.
For the rest of the afternoon, Serena meekly waited on customers and worked hard to appease them. A man came up to the counter and ordered some coffee, obviously in the mood for some conversation.
"Howdy," said the round-faced redhead.
"Hello," answered Serena, she really didn't want to make any small talk.
"So, you're the new waitress? I was pretty surprised when Peggy quit. She really was some kinda gal. She'd be able to talk your ear off and serve the entire place at the same time. I remember them good ole times. This place was so busy there wasn't even a place to sit, but ole Peggy, she was never too busy to talk to me. Oh by the way, I'm Butch."
He stuck out a weathered hand to Serena.
She returned his handshake. "I'm Serena."
"Well Serena, pleased to meet you. So where are you from, I've never seen you in these parts before."
"Oh.well, I'm from the big city."
"Really? Not many people from the city come down here."
"Well.I. had some problems and decided I wanted to get away," Serena was saved from anymore-uncomfortable questions by a plaintive, "Waitress!" from the other side of the room.
Serena shot Butch an apologetic smile and hurried off. When she came back Butch was gone but he had left a two-dollar tip on the counter. Serena slid the money into her apron pocket and began cleaning the counter again. Her eyes strayed over to the clock again; it was still a few more hours until closing time. It was pretty slow, just a lull before the dinnertime rush.
Serena accidentally dropped her cloth and bent over to retrieve it. The jingle of the door accompanied the entrance of a new customer. Serena was about to get up to welcome the new customer when she noticed a fallen peppershaker underneath the counter.
'So that's where it went," she thought. Serena had been looking for the darned thing all week-
"Hello? Anyone here?" a male voice called out.
Serena froze she knew that voice... was it... she had to be sure. Serena quickly stood up and came face to face with a tall black haired man.
Darien.
Serena stared at him, astonished. 'How on earth had he found her?' She had come here, suffered here, so she would be away from him, but still he had found her.
Darien also had dazed look on his face. 'What was she doing here? Of all the bloody places in the world she could have gone, why did she come to work in this dump? Serena, daddy's little rich girl... here ... working minimum wage, it was impossible.'
Neither moved, nor said anything. They would have stayed that way had Clive not shouted, "Serena!"
Serena tore eye contact from him and hurried to the kitchen. She did not look back once.
"Clive, I'm taking my break, watch the counter will you," Serena said before Clive could give her whatever errand he had in mind.
Clive, taken aback at the coldness in her voice, simply nodded and watched her scurry outside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Email me, Smarties_155@hotmail.com What did you think? All questions, there probably are a lot, will be answered in the next chapter. Serena's mysterious past will be revealed, or maybe not, I'll have to see.
By Smartie
~ ~ ~ ~ I don't own Sailor Moon. ~ ~ ~ ~
A bell jingled as the door of the beat-up diner opened. Decorated with abandoned road signs and peeling wallpaper, it wasn't exactly a five star restaurant. As the girl entered, she glanced at the alligator shaped clock and punched in her time card. She sighed as she quickly tied her pale green apron around her waist. Another day in her dead end job. Working in a diner wasn't exactly her dream job, but it was all she could get at the moment, and she really needed the money. She couldn't imagine what her parents, or even her friends would say if they could see her now.
There was no point thinking about the past, especially when coffee cups needed refilling. Armed with an ancient coffee jug and her trusty pad of paper, Serena made her way over to the tables one by one.
Serena stopped at the first table and tapped a woman on the shoulder, "You can go now Maggie, your shift ended 15 minutes ago."
The older women looked surprised to see Serena. She looked over at the clock and nodded.
"Looks like I have to go," she said alluringly to the man she sat with, "I'll see you later."
She walked away shaking her head, Maggie loved to flirt with the customers, but Serena could never bring herself to do it. Maggie was very pretty for her age, her soft brown hair and green eyes still turned a few heads, and if that didn't do it, an extra button undone on her uniform usually did.
"Coffee?" Serena inquired politely to the couple sitting next to the entrance.
They declined and Serena made her way back to the counter with the orders she had received.
She gave the orders to Clive, the middle aged balding man who owned the restaurant. The frugal man was the cook. He did everything except wait on customers.
Behind the counter, Serena smoothed down the short skirt of her uniform. Clive had decided that the impractical uniforms would help drum up business. He was right.
Serena pulled out a tattered cloth and began wiping the counter in rhythmic strokes. Clive hated seeing his waitresses sitting on the job. The only reason he permitted Maggie to do it was because her provocative ways brought many repeat customers.
It was afternoon and the lunchtime rush had cleared out. The regular customers still sat around and talked about politics. Pausing in her scrubbing, Serena glanced around the diner. It was shabby and falling apart, but still people came. It was the only one in town.
She thought back to when she lived in the big city. It was filled with bright lights, cars and people. Here, there was barely ever a person on the street. She could remember the city and its sidewalks crowded with families and couples. She smiled softly, that was a time when she was happy, but she had sworn not to go back and she wouldn't.
Serena gazed at the sea green linoleum floor. It was covered in cracks and had almost completely worn out in front of the door. Grease stains covered the wall in the kitchen and a slight smell of oil permeated the entire diner. As she looked at the torn curtains she almost began to cry. Why had she come here? She was so well off in the city, her used to have everything she could ever want. Now she was living paycheque-to-paycheque, working in a dirty restaurant. She could still go back. Her parents would welcome her back, but with the welcome would come reminders of her failure. Even worse than that he would be there. Serena hardened her heart she would not go back.
"Serena!" Clive called in a gruff voice, signifying the orders were ready.
She took the plates and went over to the customers.
"Here you are," she said as cheerfully as she could muster.
The man looked at the burger with disgust, "You call this a hamburger?!" he exclaimed.
"Well," Serena started. She had a feeling this wouldn't end well.
"This is junk! I've been waiting for half an hour for this? I've been watching you sitting at the counter wasting time, while I've been starving. I demand to see the manager!"
Serena had a sinking feeling in her stomach as she went over to get Clive. He would not be pleased.
Clive came over and tried to reason with the man. He apologized and offered a free meal, but the customer wouldn't be pacified. He left the diner in a huff, his hamburger still lying on the table.
"This is coming out of your paycheque," hissed Clive, very angry, "this is only your second month and already I get complaints about you. Maggie's been here 12 years and never once have I gotten a bad comment about her. If you want to keep your job, I suggest you straight up."
Serena bowed her head, "Yes sir."
Serena wanted to go back to her apartment, and hide. She really didn't want to wait another 4 hours until the end of her shift. She knew if she left now, she would be fired for sure.
For the rest of the afternoon, Serena meekly waited on customers and worked hard to appease them. A man came up to the counter and ordered some coffee, obviously in the mood for some conversation.
"Howdy," said the round-faced redhead.
"Hello," answered Serena, she really didn't want to make any small talk.
"So, you're the new waitress? I was pretty surprised when Peggy quit. She really was some kinda gal. She'd be able to talk your ear off and serve the entire place at the same time. I remember them good ole times. This place was so busy there wasn't even a place to sit, but ole Peggy, she was never too busy to talk to me. Oh by the way, I'm Butch."
He stuck out a weathered hand to Serena.
She returned his handshake. "I'm Serena."
"Well Serena, pleased to meet you. So where are you from, I've never seen you in these parts before."
"Oh.well, I'm from the big city."
"Really? Not many people from the city come down here."
"Well.I. had some problems and decided I wanted to get away," Serena was saved from anymore-uncomfortable questions by a plaintive, "Waitress!" from the other side of the room.
Serena shot Butch an apologetic smile and hurried off. When she came back Butch was gone but he had left a two-dollar tip on the counter. Serena slid the money into her apron pocket and began cleaning the counter again. Her eyes strayed over to the clock again; it was still a few more hours until closing time. It was pretty slow, just a lull before the dinnertime rush.
Serena accidentally dropped her cloth and bent over to retrieve it. The jingle of the door accompanied the entrance of a new customer. Serena was about to get up to welcome the new customer when she noticed a fallen peppershaker underneath the counter.
'So that's where it went," she thought. Serena had been looking for the darned thing all week-
"Hello? Anyone here?" a male voice called out.
Serena froze she knew that voice... was it... she had to be sure. Serena quickly stood up and came face to face with a tall black haired man.
Darien.
Serena stared at him, astonished. 'How on earth had he found her?' She had come here, suffered here, so she would be away from him, but still he had found her.
Darien also had dazed look on his face. 'What was she doing here? Of all the bloody places in the world she could have gone, why did she come to work in this dump? Serena, daddy's little rich girl... here ... working minimum wage, it was impossible.'
Neither moved, nor said anything. They would have stayed that way had Clive not shouted, "Serena!"
Serena tore eye contact from him and hurried to the kitchen. She did not look back once.
"Clive, I'm taking my break, watch the counter will you," Serena said before Clive could give her whatever errand he had in mind.
Clive, taken aback at the coldness in her voice, simply nodded and watched her scurry outside.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Email me, Smarties_155@hotmail.com What did you think? All questions, there probably are a lot, will be answered in the next chapter. Serena's mysterious past will be revealed, or maybe not, I'll have to see.