"Come on Xi, there's my dad. I want to introduce you to him." Morgan
exclaimed, pointed across the crowed terminal to a tall man looking through
the crowd. His red-brown curls tried vainly to escape from beneath the
large khaki cap he wore. He was dressed like an explorer and even carried a
large camera around his neck, only furthering the image to a truth.
"I really should be going, I'm going to miss my bus." Xi protested. She
didn't know why she was still with the girl from the shuttle. There was no
place for her on this planet of water. There was no place for her anywhere.
Xi was alone. She would take care of herself using the money her parents
had sent with her, but the fact remained that solitude remained her only
companion. Yet for some reason, Morgan brought a warmth into her life like
never before. All the threads of anger that had filled her soul since her
departure from her previous life seemed to drain away in Morgan's cheery
presence. And so the teen found herself being dragged towards the man, who
upon their approach opened his arms and embraced Morgan in a great hug.
"Hey there kiddo, missed you." The man rumbled as he squeezed Morgan. The
girl laughed and broke away.
"I missed you too. Dad, I'd like you to meet Xi Lan. I met her on the
shuttle." Xi smiled hesitantly in acknowledgement, but Mr. O'Claire grasped
her hand a shook it warmly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xi." Mr. O'Claire grinned, his eyes
twinkling. "What brings you to Earth 721?"
"School." Xi replied simply. It wasn't necessary to go in to all the
unpleasant details that accompanied her arrival. "It was a pleasure to meet
you, Mr. O'Claire, but if I'm to catch my bus to Thadeus Quincy Academy,
then I really must be going. I wouldn't want to get lost on my way..." she
hurriedly backed out. The sooner she could be alone, the better.
"You're going to TQ? Well, that's where Morgan goes too, why don't you come
over and have dinner with us before checking the campus?"
"But the bus..." Xi protested. She was quickly being cornered.
"Oh, come over to dinner. It'd be sad if you were eating alone. Besides, we
live close to the school, we'll take you over so you can settle in your
dorm later."
Xi found herself being ushered from the shuttle station and taken home with
the O'Claire's.
***
Astraea watched the road carefully as she drove Tien away from the shuttle
station and airport. As usual, the roads were clogged and process was slow.
Thoughts jetted across her mind ass he tried to think of what to do next,
now that she had Tien with her. Should she bring the girl to TQ Academy?
She wasn't sure if that was the school Tien was supposed to attend, but it
was the only major school on the island. Maybe she would take the girl back
to her apartment and explain everything...but no, the girl was already
timid enough, the truth would be overly shocking.
"Miss Astraea, tell me about the school." Tien requested politely, though
her voice was not as shy as it had been. Astraea chewed on her lip ring
again. Tien certainly had a way of keeping her on her toes. She thought
quickly.
"Well, it's generally nice. The campus is lovely and the teachers are
helpful. It's just a school." She knew she was being vague, but it would be
trouble to slip. Tien, unfortunately, caught her.
"You're being vague. Why is that?"
"What would you have me say?" Astraea laughed, though her knuckles whitened
as she gripped the steering wheel. Tien watched her carefully before
speaking again.
"I'd have you say who you really are, for starters." She replied quietly.
"What do you mean? I told you, my name is Astraea and I'm a representative
from--"
"You're not the TQ Academy representative." Tien black eyes watched for a
reaction behind their lenses. "I can tell. You needn't bother pretending
further. I still would like to know what you intend to do with me, please,
since you did go through the trouble of kidnapping me."
"Wha...what??" Astraea nearly choked, causing her to lose focus on the road
and nearly hit the car in front of her. Astraea was determined to keep the
façade going. "Kidnapped you? What makes you think I'm not the
representative from your school? Honestly, there is no trust these days..."
"I never said I didn't trust you. I went with you, after all, even though I
knew you were lying. Does that not show trust?" Tien protested. Defeated,
Astraea relaxed and focused once more on driving. One glance at Tien showed
that her blue aura was fizzling around her. Astraea pushed her yellow
glasses up on her nose and smirked. Perhaps it wasn't a mistake that Tien
was a leader. At last she decided to bring the foreigner back to her
apartment and explain to her, but first she had some questions of her own.
"How did you know? I mean, how could you tell I was lying?"
"I watched you. Don't get me wrong, you were good, but I'm an excellent
observer." Tien smiled in satisfaction. "You weren't looking for me, yet
you introduced yourself. You took my words to your advantage. Your clothing
gave you away the most. I had been told to look for a person wearing a
school uniform and TQ on their jacket. You didn't count on the fact that I
would be aware of who was coming for me. Would you like me to continue to
name your faults?"
"Please." Astraea offered, only half mocking. "This is quite fascinating."
"There was the way you forgot my bags and didn't know my gate number, the
way you chewed on your lip ring every time I asked about school, and there
was your vagueness in the car here. I knew you weren't who you said you
were."
"So explain something to me, Miss Sao." Astraea mused as she turned onto
her home street. "If you knew I was lying to you, why did you come with
me?"
"For the adventure." Tien replied, so softly Astraea had to strain to hear
her. "I've always been so shy and boring, I wanted a change..."
"Well, don't you worry, you'll get your adventure." Astraea muttered darkly
to herself. She pulled the car into a parking garage. "Come on, I'm taking
you to my apartment. I need your help. After I've explained some things to
you, I promise to take you back to TQ Academy so no one gets worried. I'm
not a bad person, you know."
"I know that too. I watched you."
With a smile, Astraea led the younger teen up the stairs to her apartment.
The building was old and worn down, the stairs creaking mournfully as
though they were about to break if any more weight was laid upon their
tired bodies. The wallpaper in the halls was yellowed and peeling and the
colorful carpet had long since faded to a ratty collage of brown. Tien
looked about her as Astraea led her towards her apartment. The girl wrapped
her arms around herself protectively and stayed close behind Astraea, who
was currently scarping her keys along the doorframe in search of the
keyhole. With a click and a squeal, the door swung in and Astraea led Tien
into her apartment. The sight that met the teen's eyes was even more
saddening than the halls. Water stains littered the ceiling in the same
manner as books and papers littered the floor. The carpet peeled up in the
corner and had worn thin to the hardwood floor beneath it in some places.
Astraea led Tien past the small kitchenette, where the faucet dripped
steadily onto a large stack of dirty dishes. The living quarters behind the
counter were just as bad as the rest of the apartment. With awkward
hospitality, Astraea shoved a pile of papers from the couch to the floor
and motioned towards the faded, dusty couch.
"Well, have a seat." She hazarded a grin before crossing behind the counter
into the kitchenette as Tien perched herself on the edge of the couch.
"Would you like anything to eat or drink before I start explaining?" Tien
looked down at herself and then at the kitchen before responding.
"No, thank you." Tien said politely. Astraea shrugged and yanked open the
refrigerator, which whirred angrily and whose yellow light flickered as the
young woman pulled out a bottle. She slammed the door shut and popped the
top of the bottle on the counter before returning to the living quarters.
She pulled out a chair and straddled it, leaving her arms hanging over the
back as she watched Tien and took a swig of her drink. Noticing Tien's
expression, Astraea smirked.
"Root beer. Good shit." Tien nodded and smiled. Astraea took another drink
and sighed, eyeing Tien over her yellow sunglasses. "Where to begin...well,
take a look at that pile at your feet." Tien did as she was asked and
flipped through one of the many piles at her feet. Her eyebrows crinkled
and she took off her glasses and polished them before looking at the pile
again. With a puzzled gaze, she looked back to Astraea.
"Fairytales? You kidnapped me to tell me about fairytales?"
"For one, I did not kidnap you, per say. And they aren't fairytales,
they're legends. True legends." Excited, Astraea stood and gathered a few
piles from around the cluttered apartment and shoved them into Tien's lap.
"Legends aren't true, that's why they're legends." Tien responded
logically. Astraea shook her head.
"This is different. The Sailor Senshi and Shittenou; saviors of the galaxy.
When evil arises, they save the world, time and again. They're still
around, just look through all those papers. It's my research." Astraea
urged. Tien placed the papers on the cluttered coffee table in front of her
and folded her hands in her lap.
"I know the entire bedtime story, Miss Astraea, but if you are so certain
that they are still around then tell me why no one has heard of them."
"Because there is no evil in the galaxy to call them forth." Astraea felt
like she was explaining things to a child. It was all so simple and clear
to her, but Tien just smiled that soft smile of hers.
"I can understand how you might desire them to be real, but this is not
proof. This is just speculation, all of this." She gestured to the piles
around her. "And while I appreciate you sharing this obsession with me, I
don't see how it relates to *me* specifically."
Silence. Then slowly, a smile spread across Astraea's face as she looked
deeply at Tien. The other girl shifted uncomfortably under the woman's gaze
until at last, Astraea broke the silence.
"It relates to you, specifically, because you are one of them." This time
it was Tien's turn to create the silence. At last she hazarded an
uncomfortable laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's crazy. You're crazy!" She rose and tried to make
her way towards the door but Astraea grasped her shoulders and looked hard
into Tien's dark eyes.
"Listen to me. You observed me and knew that I was lying. Am I lying now?"
Tien hastily shook her head. "Right. You watched me and knew I was a good
person. I'm not lying to you, Tien. Those papers may have been speculation,
true, but I can prove to you that this entire episode is more than that.
It's a truth, Miss Sao. If you help me find the others, then you can see
for yourself. But you must trust me."
"I said I trusted you...I suppose I still do..." Tien murmured, not daring
to break away from Astraea's gaze. Slowly, Astraea released her with a nod.
"I'm glad to hear it. If you will do exactly as I say, then you will begin
to see the proof I have to offer you. If you will sit back down, please..."
she guided Tien back to the old couch. "Have you ever meditated before?"
"No, but I'm familiar with the process." Astraea shrugged.
"It'll have to do. Now, go into the meditative state, and when you're there
look far into your soul. You should something like a lightswitch there that
you must turn on." Tien raised an eyebrow.
"A lightswitch?"
"Metaphorically speaking. It should be clear when you reach that point what
you must do. Just give it a try, I'm explain as best I can." With one final
disbelieving glance at Astraea, Tien closed her eyes and tried to meditate.
Astraea sat back and watched her carefully. Time inched by. Astraea started
counting the number of drips from her faucet, but lost interest around 694
drips. At last, Tien opened her eyes and blinked.
"Everything is so bright...why are you sparkling?" Astraea sighed in
relief.
"Glad to see it worked. I may be sparkling, but take a look at yourself,
Tien." She urged.
"Why am I glowing blue?"
"It is your proof that you are one of the Senshi destined to protect
against evil. You are Sailor Centaurus, Second in Command to the Fourth
Division of the Cosmic Senshi. Quite a title, huh?" Astraea said solemnly.
"I am guardian and advisor to your division, and it is my task to reawaken
you and the others so that you can fight the evil that is fast approaching
the system. Is this going to fast for you?"
"Fight? Oh my, I think I need to sit down..." Tien murmured, still gazing
at the light blue glow that fizzled around her.
"You are sitting." Astraea commented. "But I'll get you a glass of water if
you like."
"Thank you."
"I know this is quite a lot to take in, I realize that. I had troubles
believing it myself, when my memories first came back. It was interesting,
like I had been hit on the head and all sorts of repressed memories of the
past filled my mind. But I also know that it is necessary to hurry. Now
that you can see the auras as well, you must help me find the other five.
Only when you are together can you transform, and the danger is quick in
coming." Astraea handed Tien a tall glass of water and smiled. "I'd take
you back to TQ now, but it's late and I don't think the admissions office
would be open. You can sleep in my room and think things over in peace and
I'll take you in tomorrow."
"Yes..." Gently, Astraea led the shocked teen into her room, which was
thankfully cleaner than other parts of the small apartment and let Tien
fall peacefully onto the squeaky mattress to sleep.
***
Cecelia perched on the windowsill, gazing out across the endless sea to
where the water had nearly finished swallowing the sun. Her eyes cast once
more down to the book she held in her hand, and she recited the words for
what seemed like the hundredth time.
" ' This is the iron sea.
No sea for gentle ripples.
No sea for carefree sails.
Rust-red jaws
barely hidden
sharpest teeth
just under the keel.
This is the iron sea
without seaweed and small creatures.
This is the northern sea
used to hard against hard.
Every evening the sea gulps.
Fireball glows and hisses
rallies courage to go under.
This is the iron sea
that wants the cold. '
'The sun's grave' by Solveig von Schoultz." Cecelia flicked off the snake
of ash at the end of her cigarette and leaned against the windowpane.
"Hey Cece, I'm back!" Erica called happily from the doorway. She came into
the room and plucked the cigarette from between Cecelia's fingers and
happily crushed it into the ashtray. "How many times have I told you that's
unhealthy?" she scolded with a smile. Cece sighed and changed the subject.
"Did you and Castor have a pleasant time?"
"Oh yes, but I'm exhausted!" Erica caught the look on Cecelia's face and
giggled. "We didn't do anything bad, honest! We just played around for a
bit, that's all."
"I think you play around too much." Cece rose from the windowsill and
crossed to where Erica was dressing for bed. "I hope you're not too tired
to finish that paper that's due tomorrow." Erica froze.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that...oh well. I guess I'll just hand it in
late." With a shrug, Erica snuggled deep under her covers. Cecelia sighed
again.
"Well, it's your choice, I suppose. Goodnight then." She smiled and changed
into her own nightgown and curled on her bunk to sleep. The stars twinkled
brightly through the window, shifting slowly though the ebony sky until at
last the faint wisps of pink signaled the dawning of a new day. Cecelia
found herself being rudely awoken to the shrieks of Erica.
"I have a paper due today!"
Cecelia sat up groggily and nearly hit her head against the ceiling. She
hated being on the top bunk...she looked over the rail down upon Erica's
blonde head frantically sifting through the messy desk that belonged to
her.
"Wonderful, Watson." Cecelia muttered, swinging her legs over the edge of
the bed and jumping lightly to the floor. "I warned you last night."
"I know, I know...quiet, I must think!" Erica grabbed a pencil and held it
high over her head, a pensive look on her face. Cece watched her in
interest, and couldn't help laughing when Erica dropped the pencil and fell
forward onto her desk. "It's not funny, Cece. I'm doomed..."
"Here, use this." Cecelia took a paper from the neat desk directly next to
Erica's and handed it to her frustrated friend. "I used your notes and
looked at previous papers you've written to copy the style. It's not the
best paper ever, but at least you won't get docked points." Slowly, Erica
raised her head and gingerly took the paper from her roommates outstretched
hand.
"You could get in so much trouble for this, it'd spoil your reputation!"
She protested, though her blue eyes scanned the pages eagerly. Cecelia
snorted and her green eyes darkened momentarily.
"To hell with my reputation. This is for a friend." She grinned. "Besides,
I was bored last night, all by myself."
"You should've played poker with us." Erica giggled, throwing her arms
around Cecelia and crushing the girl to her chest. "I love you Cece, you're
such a great friend! Now mush, we must get to class."
Cecelia quickly pulled her lavender hair back into its usual buns and
curling hairs, while Erica brushed her own hair and applied generous
amounts of makeup. Cecelia sighed as her roommate examined each individual
eyelash to make sure there was enough mascara on it.
"I thought you wanted to get to class on time." She grabbed her friend's
hand and Erica squealed as she was dragged from the room and out to the
campus, where the two girls made their way to the academic wing. Erica
giggled and waved at every passing male while Cecelia gave a resigned sigh
and pulled Erica into their first period class. The teacher looked up from
her desk and saw the girls.
"Oh, Miss LeGruin, the Dean of Admissions would like to see you before
class. Don't worry if your late, I know you'll be able to catch up."
Cecelia nodded and turned to say goodbye to Erica, who was already flirting
with Dean Castor again. With a shrug, she left her friend to her devices
and made her way from the classroom to the Dean's office. She knocked on
the door and let herself in. The Dean was a slight woman with short brown
curls and wide framed glasses. Like the rest of the administrators in the
school, she was primly dressed and kept a neat office. She smiled up at
Cecelia from her seat behind her desk.
"Ah, Miss LeGruin. I'm so glad you could come down. Please, be seated." She
motioned to one of the three chairs opposite the desk. Cecelia was about to
sit when she realized that two of the chairs had already been filled. One
girl slouched back in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. Her hair
had been spiked and two long ponytails hung along the floor. In the school
uniform, she looked more like a punk than a student. In the other chair sat
a larger girl, who had clasped her hands in her lap and was examining them
intently. Her jet-black hair hung elegantly over her shoulder and her bangs
brushed against the top of her glasses. Cecelia took the empty chair and
folded her hands in her lap. The Dean continued with a charming smile. "The
Principal and I had a discussion last night, it would appear we have found
your missing student, Miss Sao. It seems she went home with the wrong
person by mistake. No harm done, I suppose. We also have another transfer
student, Miss Lan, who will be entering the second year. I was hoping that
you could find time to show them both around the campus and be their
guide."
"I thought it was customary to find a student from the person's own year to
show them around if they were not a first year student. Ma'am." Cecelia
protested politely. She didn't have the time to deal with two new
girls...the Dean was about to say something when the girl with the spiky
hair spoke.
"I'm fine with that." She looked at Cecelia and raised an eyebrow, as if
realizing that the older girl was not interested in taking her on a guided
tour. "I've already got someone I know in the second year, I'll have her
show me around."
"Who is that, Miss Lan?" The Dean asked. The other girl looked up and
watched the situation carefully while Cecelia sat back.
"Her name's Morgan." The Dean looked at her blankly, a half-smile of
encouragement on her face. The girl raised her eyebrows. "Morgan O'Claire?
Geez, you don't even know your own students...well, she's a second year and
she already said she's willing to show me around, okay?"
Cecelia chucked softly. No one had such an attitude around the Academy, it
was a welcome change. She glanced at the other girl to see her reaction,
only to discover the girl's slanted eyes scrutinizing bother her and Miss
Lan. Cecelia wasn't sure what it was about the way Miss Sao was looking at
her that made her feel so unnerved, but she quickly looked away and back to
the Dean.
"I admit that it is standard protocol, but I assure you that Miss LeGruin
is a very capable girl..." Cecelia felt her temper flare momentarily. If
the girl didn't want her escort, that was fine. She didn't need to
responsibility forced upon her, and she told the Dean as much, in a far
politer fashion.
"If Miss Lan would rather have her friend escort her, that's quite all
right with me. I'll have more than my share showing Miss Sao around." The
Dean watched the three girls silently for a moment before nodding.
"Very well then, you are dismissed. Miss LeGruin, I shall inform the rest
of your teachers that you will not be attending today so that you can show
Miss Sao around. You may be dismissed." The three girls stood and made for
the door. "Oh and Miss Lan, I would watch your attitude around here. It
could get you into trouble very quickly." The girl shut the door behind her
in a huff. Once in the hallway, she turned to the others.
"Well, I could say it's been a pleasure meeting you two, but since I'll
never see you again I won't. Have a good time on your tour." She turned on
her heels and sauntered down the hall, her long ponytails swinging around
her ankles. Cecelia turned to her charge.
"To be honest, I'm almost glad I won't be seeing her again..." she stopped
speaking when she noticed how the girl was watching Miss Lan as she walked
away. It was that same unnerving stare that she had used in the office.
"Um, hello?"
"She glows purple..." the girl whispered, taking a few steps to follow the
girl but then hesitated and stopped.
"Excuse me?" Cecelia asked. This girl was very strange. The sooner this
tour was over, the more at ease she'd feel. "Well, let's go pick up your
class schedule and get started. My name's Cecelia, and you are?" The girl
looked at her and smiled, that unnerving stare gone.
"Tien. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cecelia." Cecelia smiled back and
began to lead Tien to the office to pick up her schedule.
"Ah, Miss LeGruin! Pleasure to see you. What can I help you with?" The
secretary in the office smiled pleasantly as the girls entered.
"We need Miss Tien Sao's schedule. I'm showing her around school today."
"You're such a good student, Miss LeGruin! Yet another good deed to add to
your list...give me one moment and I'll it up in the database." The
secretary turned to his computer.
"It'll be just a moment Tien...." she was staring again. "What is it? Why
do you keep looking at me like that?" Cecelia demanded, a little more
irritated than she meant to sound.
"Here you go ladies, have a wonderful day!"
"Thank you sir." Cecelia snatched the paper and looked at Tien suspiciously
before taking her back into the academic wing.
"Forgive me for staring so strangely..." Tien began quietly, not sure how
to begin. "I wasn't sure at first, since it was so faint, but when you
became agitated I saw it clearer..."
"What are you going on about?" Cecelia stopped leading the girl down the
hallway to look at her.
"You were, um, glowing." Tien mumbled. "Red. I wasn't sure, but then it
flared and I'm positive, I think..."
"Glowing?" Cecelia snorted. "That's the silliest thing I've heard."
"I don't know how to begin...let's see. Do you know the fairytale legend
about the Sailor Senshi?"
"Sure. Everyone knows that, it's a classic bedtime tale. Why?" Cecelia
wondered just what this strange girl was trying to say.
"Oh, I wish Miss Astraea was here..." Tien said, hugging herself tightly.
"Miss Cecelia, I have quite an extraordinary tale to tell you..."
exclaimed, pointed across the crowed terminal to a tall man looking through
the crowd. His red-brown curls tried vainly to escape from beneath the
large khaki cap he wore. He was dressed like an explorer and even carried a
large camera around his neck, only furthering the image to a truth.
"I really should be going, I'm going to miss my bus." Xi protested. She
didn't know why she was still with the girl from the shuttle. There was no
place for her on this planet of water. There was no place for her anywhere.
Xi was alone. She would take care of herself using the money her parents
had sent with her, but the fact remained that solitude remained her only
companion. Yet for some reason, Morgan brought a warmth into her life like
never before. All the threads of anger that had filled her soul since her
departure from her previous life seemed to drain away in Morgan's cheery
presence. And so the teen found herself being dragged towards the man, who
upon their approach opened his arms and embraced Morgan in a great hug.
"Hey there kiddo, missed you." The man rumbled as he squeezed Morgan. The
girl laughed and broke away.
"I missed you too. Dad, I'd like you to meet Xi Lan. I met her on the
shuttle." Xi smiled hesitantly in acknowledgement, but Mr. O'Claire grasped
her hand a shook it warmly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xi." Mr. O'Claire grinned, his eyes
twinkling. "What brings you to Earth 721?"
"School." Xi replied simply. It wasn't necessary to go in to all the
unpleasant details that accompanied her arrival. "It was a pleasure to meet
you, Mr. O'Claire, but if I'm to catch my bus to Thadeus Quincy Academy,
then I really must be going. I wouldn't want to get lost on my way..." she
hurriedly backed out. The sooner she could be alone, the better.
"You're going to TQ? Well, that's where Morgan goes too, why don't you come
over and have dinner with us before checking the campus?"
"But the bus..." Xi protested. She was quickly being cornered.
"Oh, come over to dinner. It'd be sad if you were eating alone. Besides, we
live close to the school, we'll take you over so you can settle in your
dorm later."
Xi found herself being ushered from the shuttle station and taken home with
the O'Claire's.
***
Astraea watched the road carefully as she drove Tien away from the shuttle
station and airport. As usual, the roads were clogged and process was slow.
Thoughts jetted across her mind ass he tried to think of what to do next,
now that she had Tien with her. Should she bring the girl to TQ Academy?
She wasn't sure if that was the school Tien was supposed to attend, but it
was the only major school on the island. Maybe she would take the girl back
to her apartment and explain everything...but no, the girl was already
timid enough, the truth would be overly shocking.
"Miss Astraea, tell me about the school." Tien requested politely, though
her voice was not as shy as it had been. Astraea chewed on her lip ring
again. Tien certainly had a way of keeping her on her toes. She thought
quickly.
"Well, it's generally nice. The campus is lovely and the teachers are
helpful. It's just a school." She knew she was being vague, but it would be
trouble to slip. Tien, unfortunately, caught her.
"You're being vague. Why is that?"
"What would you have me say?" Astraea laughed, though her knuckles whitened
as she gripped the steering wheel. Tien watched her carefully before
speaking again.
"I'd have you say who you really are, for starters." She replied quietly.
"What do you mean? I told you, my name is Astraea and I'm a representative
from--"
"You're not the TQ Academy representative." Tien black eyes watched for a
reaction behind their lenses. "I can tell. You needn't bother pretending
further. I still would like to know what you intend to do with me, please,
since you did go through the trouble of kidnapping me."
"Wha...what??" Astraea nearly choked, causing her to lose focus on the road
and nearly hit the car in front of her. Astraea was determined to keep the
façade going. "Kidnapped you? What makes you think I'm not the
representative from your school? Honestly, there is no trust these days..."
"I never said I didn't trust you. I went with you, after all, even though I
knew you were lying. Does that not show trust?" Tien protested. Defeated,
Astraea relaxed and focused once more on driving. One glance at Tien showed
that her blue aura was fizzling around her. Astraea pushed her yellow
glasses up on her nose and smirked. Perhaps it wasn't a mistake that Tien
was a leader. At last she decided to bring the foreigner back to her
apartment and explain to her, but first she had some questions of her own.
"How did you know? I mean, how could you tell I was lying?"
"I watched you. Don't get me wrong, you were good, but I'm an excellent
observer." Tien smiled in satisfaction. "You weren't looking for me, yet
you introduced yourself. You took my words to your advantage. Your clothing
gave you away the most. I had been told to look for a person wearing a
school uniform and TQ on their jacket. You didn't count on the fact that I
would be aware of who was coming for me. Would you like me to continue to
name your faults?"
"Please." Astraea offered, only half mocking. "This is quite fascinating."
"There was the way you forgot my bags and didn't know my gate number, the
way you chewed on your lip ring every time I asked about school, and there
was your vagueness in the car here. I knew you weren't who you said you
were."
"So explain something to me, Miss Sao." Astraea mused as she turned onto
her home street. "If you knew I was lying to you, why did you come with
me?"
"For the adventure." Tien replied, so softly Astraea had to strain to hear
her. "I've always been so shy and boring, I wanted a change..."
"Well, don't you worry, you'll get your adventure." Astraea muttered darkly
to herself. She pulled the car into a parking garage. "Come on, I'm taking
you to my apartment. I need your help. After I've explained some things to
you, I promise to take you back to TQ Academy so no one gets worried. I'm
not a bad person, you know."
"I know that too. I watched you."
With a smile, Astraea led the younger teen up the stairs to her apartment.
The building was old and worn down, the stairs creaking mournfully as
though they were about to break if any more weight was laid upon their
tired bodies. The wallpaper in the halls was yellowed and peeling and the
colorful carpet had long since faded to a ratty collage of brown. Tien
looked about her as Astraea led her towards her apartment. The girl wrapped
her arms around herself protectively and stayed close behind Astraea, who
was currently scarping her keys along the doorframe in search of the
keyhole. With a click and a squeal, the door swung in and Astraea led Tien
into her apartment. The sight that met the teen's eyes was even more
saddening than the halls. Water stains littered the ceiling in the same
manner as books and papers littered the floor. The carpet peeled up in the
corner and had worn thin to the hardwood floor beneath it in some places.
Astraea led Tien past the small kitchenette, where the faucet dripped
steadily onto a large stack of dirty dishes. The living quarters behind the
counter were just as bad as the rest of the apartment. With awkward
hospitality, Astraea shoved a pile of papers from the couch to the floor
and motioned towards the faded, dusty couch.
"Well, have a seat." She hazarded a grin before crossing behind the counter
into the kitchenette as Tien perched herself on the edge of the couch.
"Would you like anything to eat or drink before I start explaining?" Tien
looked down at herself and then at the kitchen before responding.
"No, thank you." Tien said politely. Astraea shrugged and yanked open the
refrigerator, which whirred angrily and whose yellow light flickered as the
young woman pulled out a bottle. She slammed the door shut and popped the
top of the bottle on the counter before returning to the living quarters.
She pulled out a chair and straddled it, leaving her arms hanging over the
back as she watched Tien and took a swig of her drink. Noticing Tien's
expression, Astraea smirked.
"Root beer. Good shit." Tien nodded and smiled. Astraea took another drink
and sighed, eyeing Tien over her yellow sunglasses. "Where to begin...well,
take a look at that pile at your feet." Tien did as she was asked and
flipped through one of the many piles at her feet. Her eyebrows crinkled
and she took off her glasses and polished them before looking at the pile
again. With a puzzled gaze, she looked back to Astraea.
"Fairytales? You kidnapped me to tell me about fairytales?"
"For one, I did not kidnap you, per say. And they aren't fairytales,
they're legends. True legends." Excited, Astraea stood and gathered a few
piles from around the cluttered apartment and shoved them into Tien's lap.
"Legends aren't true, that's why they're legends." Tien responded
logically. Astraea shook her head.
"This is different. The Sailor Senshi and Shittenou; saviors of the galaxy.
When evil arises, they save the world, time and again. They're still
around, just look through all those papers. It's my research." Astraea
urged. Tien placed the papers on the cluttered coffee table in front of her
and folded her hands in her lap.
"I know the entire bedtime story, Miss Astraea, but if you are so certain
that they are still around then tell me why no one has heard of them."
"Because there is no evil in the galaxy to call them forth." Astraea felt
like she was explaining things to a child. It was all so simple and clear
to her, but Tien just smiled that soft smile of hers.
"I can understand how you might desire them to be real, but this is not
proof. This is just speculation, all of this." She gestured to the piles
around her. "And while I appreciate you sharing this obsession with me, I
don't see how it relates to *me* specifically."
Silence. Then slowly, a smile spread across Astraea's face as she looked
deeply at Tien. The other girl shifted uncomfortably under the woman's gaze
until at last, Astraea broke the silence.
"It relates to you, specifically, because you are one of them." This time
it was Tien's turn to create the silence. At last she hazarded an
uncomfortable laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous. It's crazy. You're crazy!" She rose and tried to make
her way towards the door but Astraea grasped her shoulders and looked hard
into Tien's dark eyes.
"Listen to me. You observed me and knew that I was lying. Am I lying now?"
Tien hastily shook her head. "Right. You watched me and knew I was a good
person. I'm not lying to you, Tien. Those papers may have been speculation,
true, but I can prove to you that this entire episode is more than that.
It's a truth, Miss Sao. If you help me find the others, then you can see
for yourself. But you must trust me."
"I said I trusted you...I suppose I still do..." Tien murmured, not daring
to break away from Astraea's gaze. Slowly, Astraea released her with a nod.
"I'm glad to hear it. If you will do exactly as I say, then you will begin
to see the proof I have to offer you. If you will sit back down, please..."
she guided Tien back to the old couch. "Have you ever meditated before?"
"No, but I'm familiar with the process." Astraea shrugged.
"It'll have to do. Now, go into the meditative state, and when you're there
look far into your soul. You should something like a lightswitch there that
you must turn on." Tien raised an eyebrow.
"A lightswitch?"
"Metaphorically speaking. It should be clear when you reach that point what
you must do. Just give it a try, I'm explain as best I can." With one final
disbelieving glance at Astraea, Tien closed her eyes and tried to meditate.
Astraea sat back and watched her carefully. Time inched by. Astraea started
counting the number of drips from her faucet, but lost interest around 694
drips. At last, Tien opened her eyes and blinked.
"Everything is so bright...why are you sparkling?" Astraea sighed in
relief.
"Glad to see it worked. I may be sparkling, but take a look at yourself,
Tien." She urged.
"Why am I glowing blue?"
"It is your proof that you are one of the Senshi destined to protect
against evil. You are Sailor Centaurus, Second in Command to the Fourth
Division of the Cosmic Senshi. Quite a title, huh?" Astraea said solemnly.
"I am guardian and advisor to your division, and it is my task to reawaken
you and the others so that you can fight the evil that is fast approaching
the system. Is this going to fast for you?"
"Fight? Oh my, I think I need to sit down..." Tien murmured, still gazing
at the light blue glow that fizzled around her.
"You are sitting." Astraea commented. "But I'll get you a glass of water if
you like."
"Thank you."
"I know this is quite a lot to take in, I realize that. I had troubles
believing it myself, when my memories first came back. It was interesting,
like I had been hit on the head and all sorts of repressed memories of the
past filled my mind. But I also know that it is necessary to hurry. Now
that you can see the auras as well, you must help me find the other five.
Only when you are together can you transform, and the danger is quick in
coming." Astraea handed Tien a tall glass of water and smiled. "I'd take
you back to TQ now, but it's late and I don't think the admissions office
would be open. You can sleep in my room and think things over in peace and
I'll take you in tomorrow."
"Yes..." Gently, Astraea led the shocked teen into her room, which was
thankfully cleaner than other parts of the small apartment and let Tien
fall peacefully onto the squeaky mattress to sleep.
***
Cecelia perched on the windowsill, gazing out across the endless sea to
where the water had nearly finished swallowing the sun. Her eyes cast once
more down to the book she held in her hand, and she recited the words for
what seemed like the hundredth time.
" ' This is the iron sea.
No sea for gentle ripples.
No sea for carefree sails.
Rust-red jaws
barely hidden
sharpest teeth
just under the keel.
This is the iron sea
without seaweed and small creatures.
This is the northern sea
used to hard against hard.
Every evening the sea gulps.
Fireball glows and hisses
rallies courage to go under.
This is the iron sea
that wants the cold. '
'The sun's grave' by Solveig von Schoultz." Cecelia flicked off the snake
of ash at the end of her cigarette and leaned against the windowpane.
"Hey Cece, I'm back!" Erica called happily from the doorway. She came into
the room and plucked the cigarette from between Cecelia's fingers and
happily crushed it into the ashtray. "How many times have I told you that's
unhealthy?" she scolded with a smile. Cece sighed and changed the subject.
"Did you and Castor have a pleasant time?"
"Oh yes, but I'm exhausted!" Erica caught the look on Cecelia's face and
giggled. "We didn't do anything bad, honest! We just played around for a
bit, that's all."
"I think you play around too much." Cece rose from the windowsill and
crossed to where Erica was dressing for bed. "I hope you're not too tired
to finish that paper that's due tomorrow." Erica froze.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that...oh well. I guess I'll just hand it in
late." With a shrug, Erica snuggled deep under her covers. Cecelia sighed
again.
"Well, it's your choice, I suppose. Goodnight then." She smiled and changed
into her own nightgown and curled on her bunk to sleep. The stars twinkled
brightly through the window, shifting slowly though the ebony sky until at
last the faint wisps of pink signaled the dawning of a new day. Cecelia
found herself being rudely awoken to the shrieks of Erica.
"I have a paper due today!"
Cecelia sat up groggily and nearly hit her head against the ceiling. She
hated being on the top bunk...she looked over the rail down upon Erica's
blonde head frantically sifting through the messy desk that belonged to
her.
"Wonderful, Watson." Cecelia muttered, swinging her legs over the edge of
the bed and jumping lightly to the floor. "I warned you last night."
"I know, I know...quiet, I must think!" Erica grabbed a pencil and held it
high over her head, a pensive look on her face. Cece watched her in
interest, and couldn't help laughing when Erica dropped the pencil and fell
forward onto her desk. "It's not funny, Cece. I'm doomed..."
"Here, use this." Cecelia took a paper from the neat desk directly next to
Erica's and handed it to her frustrated friend. "I used your notes and
looked at previous papers you've written to copy the style. It's not the
best paper ever, but at least you won't get docked points." Slowly, Erica
raised her head and gingerly took the paper from her roommates outstretched
hand.
"You could get in so much trouble for this, it'd spoil your reputation!"
She protested, though her blue eyes scanned the pages eagerly. Cecelia
snorted and her green eyes darkened momentarily.
"To hell with my reputation. This is for a friend." She grinned. "Besides,
I was bored last night, all by myself."
"You should've played poker with us." Erica giggled, throwing her arms
around Cecelia and crushing the girl to her chest. "I love you Cece, you're
such a great friend! Now mush, we must get to class."
Cecelia quickly pulled her lavender hair back into its usual buns and
curling hairs, while Erica brushed her own hair and applied generous
amounts of makeup. Cecelia sighed as her roommate examined each individual
eyelash to make sure there was enough mascara on it.
"I thought you wanted to get to class on time." She grabbed her friend's
hand and Erica squealed as she was dragged from the room and out to the
campus, where the two girls made their way to the academic wing. Erica
giggled and waved at every passing male while Cecelia gave a resigned sigh
and pulled Erica into their first period class. The teacher looked up from
her desk and saw the girls.
"Oh, Miss LeGruin, the Dean of Admissions would like to see you before
class. Don't worry if your late, I know you'll be able to catch up."
Cecelia nodded and turned to say goodbye to Erica, who was already flirting
with Dean Castor again. With a shrug, she left her friend to her devices
and made her way from the classroom to the Dean's office. She knocked on
the door and let herself in. The Dean was a slight woman with short brown
curls and wide framed glasses. Like the rest of the administrators in the
school, she was primly dressed and kept a neat office. She smiled up at
Cecelia from her seat behind her desk.
"Ah, Miss LeGruin. I'm so glad you could come down. Please, be seated." She
motioned to one of the three chairs opposite the desk. Cecelia was about to
sit when she realized that two of the chairs had already been filled. One
girl slouched back in her chair, her arms folded across her chest. Her hair
had been spiked and two long ponytails hung along the floor. In the school
uniform, she looked more like a punk than a student. In the other chair sat
a larger girl, who had clasped her hands in her lap and was examining them
intently. Her jet-black hair hung elegantly over her shoulder and her bangs
brushed against the top of her glasses. Cecelia took the empty chair and
folded her hands in her lap. The Dean continued with a charming smile. "The
Principal and I had a discussion last night, it would appear we have found
your missing student, Miss Sao. It seems she went home with the wrong
person by mistake. No harm done, I suppose. We also have another transfer
student, Miss Lan, who will be entering the second year. I was hoping that
you could find time to show them both around the campus and be their
guide."
"I thought it was customary to find a student from the person's own year to
show them around if they were not a first year student. Ma'am." Cecelia
protested politely. She didn't have the time to deal with two new
girls...the Dean was about to say something when the girl with the spiky
hair spoke.
"I'm fine with that." She looked at Cecelia and raised an eyebrow, as if
realizing that the older girl was not interested in taking her on a guided
tour. "I've already got someone I know in the second year, I'll have her
show me around."
"Who is that, Miss Lan?" The Dean asked. The other girl looked up and
watched the situation carefully while Cecelia sat back.
"Her name's Morgan." The Dean looked at her blankly, a half-smile of
encouragement on her face. The girl raised her eyebrows. "Morgan O'Claire?
Geez, you don't even know your own students...well, she's a second year and
she already said she's willing to show me around, okay?"
Cecelia chucked softly. No one had such an attitude around the Academy, it
was a welcome change. She glanced at the other girl to see her reaction,
only to discover the girl's slanted eyes scrutinizing bother her and Miss
Lan. Cecelia wasn't sure what it was about the way Miss Sao was looking at
her that made her feel so unnerved, but she quickly looked away and back to
the Dean.
"I admit that it is standard protocol, but I assure you that Miss LeGruin
is a very capable girl..." Cecelia felt her temper flare momentarily. If
the girl didn't want her escort, that was fine. She didn't need to
responsibility forced upon her, and she told the Dean as much, in a far
politer fashion.
"If Miss Lan would rather have her friend escort her, that's quite all
right with me. I'll have more than my share showing Miss Sao around." The
Dean watched the three girls silently for a moment before nodding.
"Very well then, you are dismissed. Miss LeGruin, I shall inform the rest
of your teachers that you will not be attending today so that you can show
Miss Sao around. You may be dismissed." The three girls stood and made for
the door. "Oh and Miss Lan, I would watch your attitude around here. It
could get you into trouble very quickly." The girl shut the door behind her
in a huff. Once in the hallway, she turned to the others.
"Well, I could say it's been a pleasure meeting you two, but since I'll
never see you again I won't. Have a good time on your tour." She turned on
her heels and sauntered down the hall, her long ponytails swinging around
her ankles. Cecelia turned to her charge.
"To be honest, I'm almost glad I won't be seeing her again..." she stopped
speaking when she noticed how the girl was watching Miss Lan as she walked
away. It was that same unnerving stare that she had used in the office.
"Um, hello?"
"She glows purple..." the girl whispered, taking a few steps to follow the
girl but then hesitated and stopped.
"Excuse me?" Cecelia asked. This girl was very strange. The sooner this
tour was over, the more at ease she'd feel. "Well, let's go pick up your
class schedule and get started. My name's Cecelia, and you are?" The girl
looked at her and smiled, that unnerving stare gone.
"Tien. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cecelia." Cecelia smiled back and
began to lead Tien to the office to pick up her schedule.
"Ah, Miss LeGruin! Pleasure to see you. What can I help you with?" The
secretary in the office smiled pleasantly as the girls entered.
"We need Miss Tien Sao's schedule. I'm showing her around school today."
"You're such a good student, Miss LeGruin! Yet another good deed to add to
your list...give me one moment and I'll it up in the database." The
secretary turned to his computer.
"It'll be just a moment Tien...." she was staring again. "What is it? Why
do you keep looking at me like that?" Cecelia demanded, a little more
irritated than she meant to sound.
"Here you go ladies, have a wonderful day!"
"Thank you sir." Cecelia snatched the paper and looked at Tien suspiciously
before taking her back into the academic wing.
"Forgive me for staring so strangely..." Tien began quietly, not sure how
to begin. "I wasn't sure at first, since it was so faint, but when you
became agitated I saw it clearer..."
"What are you going on about?" Cecelia stopped leading the girl down the
hallway to look at her.
"You were, um, glowing." Tien mumbled. "Red. I wasn't sure, but then it
flared and I'm positive, I think..."
"Glowing?" Cecelia snorted. "That's the silliest thing I've heard."
"I don't know how to begin...let's see. Do you know the fairytale legend
about the Sailor Senshi?"
"Sure. Everyone knows that, it's a classic bedtime tale. Why?" Cecelia
wondered just what this strange girl was trying to say.
"Oh, I wish Miss Astraea was here..." Tien said, hugging herself tightly.
"Miss Cecelia, I have quite an extraordinary tale to tell you..."