CHAPTER 1
Serena's P.O.V. :
"So you're saying that he just disappeared into thin air right in front of you?" Amy asked me the next afternoon.
"Yeah. It all happened so fast that I can't exactly say just how it happened," I said dejectedly.
Amy, Mina, Raye, Lita, and I were in Raye's room at her temple. We went there after school pretty often to study, but that day we were discussing the issue of Darien's disappearance. I had told the girls all about it as soon as I had seen each of them, but I was still in shock over the whole ordeal. I mean, we've had a lot of weird stuff happen to us, but it's not often that my boyfriend (who also happens to be the love of my life) is snatched into who-knows-where by a vortex. What made it worse was that I had no clue what had happened to him.
"That is very strange. It doesn't help that you don't know exactly what happened, but you know how since you saw it. So we'll just have to use what we do know to help us figure out what we don't."
Amy turned to me with a sympathetic I'm-about-to-ask-you-something- you-won't-like look and continued, "I'm sorry Serena, but you'll have to tell us again how it all happened."
I sighed and told them again from beginning to end the whole sad story, shuddering as I got to the end.
When I finished, I looked at Amy, who was twirling a strand of her blue hair around one finger, deep in thought. I could see her brain going into overdrive, the way it always did when she had a tough problem to think about. Count on Amy to get right on the job.
"Are you sure you don't have any idea where he might have gone?" Mina asked me curiously, tapping her pencil on the table.
"Stop that." I grabbed the pencil out of her hand and set it on the table. "Of course I don't have any ideas! If I did, I would've already told you guys. I have no idea where that portal led to or what kind of portal it was, okay?"
"Sorry. I was just asking. I didn't mean to upset you." Mina stared at her math book, her shoulders hunched over as if in defeat.
"Hey," Lita put in, "she didn't mean to get upset, Mina. She's worried about Darien, just like the rest of us, so she's on edge. Isn't that right Serena?"
"Yeah. I'm the one who should apologize, Mina. I didn't mean to snap at you. Sorry. It's just that I don't know if Darien's even safe or if he's..." I cut myself off and shut my eyes, but even that couldn't keep a tear from dropping.
"Don't even think that. He's going to be okay, no matter where he is," Mina said, shoving her math book aside and throwing her arms around me. "It'll be okay. We're your friends. We'll find a way through this."
I swallowed. I almost couldn't believe that Mina was being so nice after I'd nearly snapped her head off. Hey what are friends for? I thought. I hugged Mina back. I was certain that we'd find a way to get Darien back. We had been through a lot and we've always been there for each other. I had not doubt that my friends would come through for me. They were all so cool.
"I still can't believe that you have no clue what happened, especially since you were there Serena. I also don't know how you could've sat there and watched Darien disappear in front of your face," said a smooth, rich voice behind me. I cringed. Maybe my friends were cool, but there were times when Raye wasn't, like now. I don't know why, but that girl has it in for me. If she didn't believe in me, I could almost swear that she hated me. I decided to just let it bounce and turned my attention to the tea service that Raye carried on a tray. She set the tray on the table and began to pour, passing around the cups as she did.
"Let up Raye. It wasn't Serena's fault," Lita said as Raye passed her a cup. "Thanks. Ooh it's hot."
"Thank you." Mina blew on her cup and took a sip. "That's right," she said, carefully setting the cup down. "It won't help to blame Serena. I'm sure that she would have done whatever she could if there was anything she could do."
"Whatever," Raye said huffily, and passed me a cup. I smiled and stifled a giggle. Raye hated to be argued with but she didn't get mad when we did it; she just got pissed.
"Thank you Raye." I sipped the cup... and burned my tongue. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" I screeched.
"Serena, you are such a moron. How could you forget to blow it? It is hot you know," Raye said scornfully, watching me pant like a dog and fan my tongue.
"'Hanks a wot, Waye," I said sarcastically, my tongue still hanging out of my mouth, "'at weawy heps ."
Raye had turned from me and poured two more cups, one of which she offered to Amy.
"Here, you go Amy," she said.
Amy didn't budge.
"Amy?" Raye asked, setting the cup in front of her and shaking her shoulder gently.
"What? Oh, sorry Raye," she said a bit sheepishly. "I didn't hear you."
"That's obvious. I was offering you some tea."
"Oh, thank you." Amy took the cup and did the smart thing, blowing on it first, then took a sip.
"Sorry, Raye. I was just thinking about what could have happened to Darien. And I think I have an answer. It's quite simple, actually."
I jumped up and ran over to Amy and Raye's side of the table and grabbed Amy by the shoulders. "Are you serious, Ames? This is great! I knew you'd come through!" I cried joyously, wrapping my arms around her.
"Now, Serena, I don't know if it'll work," she said blushing. She carefully untangled herself from my grasp and straightened her shirt.
"So tell us your idea Amy," Mina said eagerly.
"Yeah, what is it?" Lita echoed.
"Well, we'd have to figure out a way to find out what kind of a portal Darien was pulled into," Amy said slowly.
My face fell. How were we going to find out what kind of portal it had been? I was downcast until Amy spoke again.
"The way to find that out is for Raye to use her powers to get into Serena's memory. Then from the aura that the portal gives off, she can figure out what kind of portal it is."
"Then what do we do?" I asked. That just couldn't be it. I knew Amy way better than that.
She didn't disappoint me. "If it turns out to be the kind of portal I think it was, then I have a plan to get Darien back."
Amy turned to Raye, her navy blue eyes serious. "Raye, will you do it? We really need you, but it's your decision."
Without missing a beat, Raye answered, "Of course I will. You don't even have to ask."
Carefully restraining myself from gushing over Raye's considerate gesture, I squealed once again. Like I said, sometimes Raye has it in for me, and other times, well, she's actually... nice.
***
WELL ANOTHER CHAPTER IS UP! WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT? READ CHAPTER 2 AND FIND OUT! I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO PENNY: ANGEL OF DARKEST DREAMS. I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO READ & REVIEW. AND TO THE REST OF YOU, GET THOSE REVIEWS IN! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO READ THIS, SO GET TO IT!!!
Serena's P.O.V. :
"So you're saying that he just disappeared into thin air right in front of you?" Amy asked me the next afternoon.
"Yeah. It all happened so fast that I can't exactly say just how it happened," I said dejectedly.
Amy, Mina, Raye, Lita, and I were in Raye's room at her temple. We went there after school pretty often to study, but that day we were discussing the issue of Darien's disappearance. I had told the girls all about it as soon as I had seen each of them, but I was still in shock over the whole ordeal. I mean, we've had a lot of weird stuff happen to us, but it's not often that my boyfriend (who also happens to be the love of my life) is snatched into who-knows-where by a vortex. What made it worse was that I had no clue what had happened to him.
"That is very strange. It doesn't help that you don't know exactly what happened, but you know how since you saw it. So we'll just have to use what we do know to help us figure out what we don't."
Amy turned to me with a sympathetic I'm-about-to-ask-you-something- you-won't-like look and continued, "I'm sorry Serena, but you'll have to tell us again how it all happened."
I sighed and told them again from beginning to end the whole sad story, shuddering as I got to the end.
When I finished, I looked at Amy, who was twirling a strand of her blue hair around one finger, deep in thought. I could see her brain going into overdrive, the way it always did when she had a tough problem to think about. Count on Amy to get right on the job.
"Are you sure you don't have any idea where he might have gone?" Mina asked me curiously, tapping her pencil on the table.
"Stop that." I grabbed the pencil out of her hand and set it on the table. "Of course I don't have any ideas! If I did, I would've already told you guys. I have no idea where that portal led to or what kind of portal it was, okay?"
"Sorry. I was just asking. I didn't mean to upset you." Mina stared at her math book, her shoulders hunched over as if in defeat.
"Hey," Lita put in, "she didn't mean to get upset, Mina. She's worried about Darien, just like the rest of us, so she's on edge. Isn't that right Serena?"
"Yeah. I'm the one who should apologize, Mina. I didn't mean to snap at you. Sorry. It's just that I don't know if Darien's even safe or if he's..." I cut myself off and shut my eyes, but even that couldn't keep a tear from dropping.
"Don't even think that. He's going to be okay, no matter where he is," Mina said, shoving her math book aside and throwing her arms around me. "It'll be okay. We're your friends. We'll find a way through this."
I swallowed. I almost couldn't believe that Mina was being so nice after I'd nearly snapped her head off. Hey what are friends for? I thought. I hugged Mina back. I was certain that we'd find a way to get Darien back. We had been through a lot and we've always been there for each other. I had not doubt that my friends would come through for me. They were all so cool.
"I still can't believe that you have no clue what happened, especially since you were there Serena. I also don't know how you could've sat there and watched Darien disappear in front of your face," said a smooth, rich voice behind me. I cringed. Maybe my friends were cool, but there were times when Raye wasn't, like now. I don't know why, but that girl has it in for me. If she didn't believe in me, I could almost swear that she hated me. I decided to just let it bounce and turned my attention to the tea service that Raye carried on a tray. She set the tray on the table and began to pour, passing around the cups as she did.
"Let up Raye. It wasn't Serena's fault," Lita said as Raye passed her a cup. "Thanks. Ooh it's hot."
"Thank you." Mina blew on her cup and took a sip. "That's right," she said, carefully setting the cup down. "It won't help to blame Serena. I'm sure that she would have done whatever she could if there was anything she could do."
"Whatever," Raye said huffily, and passed me a cup. I smiled and stifled a giggle. Raye hated to be argued with but she didn't get mad when we did it; she just got pissed.
"Thank you Raye." I sipped the cup... and burned my tongue. "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" I screeched.
"Serena, you are such a moron. How could you forget to blow it? It is hot you know," Raye said scornfully, watching me pant like a dog and fan my tongue.
"'Hanks a wot, Waye," I said sarcastically, my tongue still hanging out of my mouth, "'at weawy heps ."
Raye had turned from me and poured two more cups, one of which she offered to Amy.
"Here, you go Amy," she said.
Amy didn't budge.
"Amy?" Raye asked, setting the cup in front of her and shaking her shoulder gently.
"What? Oh, sorry Raye," she said a bit sheepishly. "I didn't hear you."
"That's obvious. I was offering you some tea."
"Oh, thank you." Amy took the cup and did the smart thing, blowing on it first, then took a sip.
"Sorry, Raye. I was just thinking about what could have happened to Darien. And I think I have an answer. It's quite simple, actually."
I jumped up and ran over to Amy and Raye's side of the table and grabbed Amy by the shoulders. "Are you serious, Ames? This is great! I knew you'd come through!" I cried joyously, wrapping my arms around her.
"Now, Serena, I don't know if it'll work," she said blushing. She carefully untangled herself from my grasp and straightened her shirt.
"So tell us your idea Amy," Mina said eagerly.
"Yeah, what is it?" Lita echoed.
"Well, we'd have to figure out a way to find out what kind of a portal Darien was pulled into," Amy said slowly.
My face fell. How were we going to find out what kind of portal it had been? I was downcast until Amy spoke again.
"The way to find that out is for Raye to use her powers to get into Serena's memory. Then from the aura that the portal gives off, she can figure out what kind of portal it is."
"Then what do we do?" I asked. That just couldn't be it. I knew Amy way better than that.
She didn't disappoint me. "If it turns out to be the kind of portal I think it was, then I have a plan to get Darien back."
Amy turned to Raye, her navy blue eyes serious. "Raye, will you do it? We really need you, but it's your decision."
Without missing a beat, Raye answered, "Of course I will. You don't even have to ask."
Carefully restraining myself from gushing over Raye's considerate gesture, I squealed once again. Like I said, sometimes Raye has it in for me, and other times, well, she's actually... nice.
***
WELL ANOTHER CHAPTER IS UP! WHAT DO YOU THINK WILL HAPPEN NEXT? READ CHAPTER 2 AND FIND OUT! I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO PENNY: ANGEL OF DARKEST DREAMS. I HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO READ & REVIEW. AND TO THE REST OF YOU, GET THOSE REVIEWS IN! YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO READ THIS, SO GET TO IT!!!