Cinnamon Bus Chapter 2
One last note: Just to let everyone who cares know, this story will not be very long. It will probably only be four or five chapters long.
Odette looked up at the building in front of her. Cross Roads Middle School. She looked down at her new outfit and briefcase. The uniform for the school and her official book bag. It was Odette's first day in a school. Ever. She had always had home schooling.
Carefully she walked up the steps to the front door. She was early. No one else was there. "Well I guess I will make a good impression by being early." Odette commented. Samara stuck her head out of the bag. "Don't forget to answer as many questions as possible, be polite, and stay away from the students! We don't know who's a Sailor Scout or not, but I really don't want you to find out. I have a feeling that they go to this school." "Quit being such a worry wart!" Odette said under her breath.
Odette opened her locker. Plenty of kids were beginning to arrive. "I heard she's an orphan!" someone whispered looking at Odette. "I heard she's tougher than Lita!" someone else said, "School won't even except her." And with them came the rumors. Odette sighed. She'd love to make friends but she knew what Samara would say. "Lita! LIta! LITA!" WOOSH! Odette turned around to see two blond pigtails fly by. "If this Lita was tough, who was brave enough to befriend her?" Odette thought to herself. Rolling her eyes she turned back to her locker and got ready for her first class in a school.
Odette slumped down onto a bench, Samara in the bag besides her. It was lunchtime, but she wasn't hungry. The morning had been terrible. The whispering hadn't stopped at all and the whisperers didn't seem to care if she heard them. "Cheer up!" Samara said quietly out of the bag, "Who cares what those kids think? You're the -" "Hey girl! Is it true that you get your dinner out of garbage cans?" a boy yelled from a table, "Let me help you find it today!" Some mashed potatoes landed in her hair.
Making a fist with one hand to keep herself from knocking the boy silly she wiped the mashed potatoes out of her hair. She could here Samara growling in the bag. "Want some more?" Another boy called. He threw a chicken bone at her. It bounced off Odette's head. She clenched her other fist.
The boys were laughing hard. "Let's finish your dinner off with some dessert!" a third boy yelled. He raised an open pudding container over his head ready to throw it. "LEAVE HER ALONE!" A girl with brown hair in a high ponytail said, stepping in front of Odette. "What has she done to deserve this treatment?" the girl demanded. The first boy opened and closed his mouth a few times. The second boy tried to make himself as small as possible, which was hard because he was quite large. The third boy put down his pudding.
"S-s-sorry Lita." The first boy stammered, "Won't happen again!" The three ran off. Lita turned to Odette. Her eyes widened a bit, then she smiled. "You get special treatment when people are scared of you." She informed her, "You're Odette, aren't you? Why don't you come sit at my table with my friends?" Odette didn't answer. She had heard this voice before. "This is that Lita those people were talking about." She thought, "If I follow her she might bring me to a place where she could beet me up!" "Come on, I don't bite to the surprise of some people. Odette smiled. This 'Lita' didn't seem to be a threat after all. "Sure." She said getting up.
Samara pushed her head out of the bag. "This girl sounds familiar!" she exclaimed quietly, "She could be a Sailor Scout! Remember you're hiding from them!" "Be quiet, Samara! I'm trying to make some friends around here." Odette hissed at the cat. "She sure acted like a Sailor Scout when she was saving you from those boys." She reminded Odette. "Stop playing conscience!" Odette said pushing the cat's head into the bag and shut it. She followed the waiting Lita.
Lita stopped at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. "These are my friends Bunny and Amy." She said. Both gasped quietly. "We've met before." Bunny said cheerfully. "I haven't though." Amy said, "Are you having a hard first day? I remember mine. Bunny called me a brain farm reject." Bunny blushed. "I saved her from getting pinned with some of that disgusting slop the school calls pudding." Lita said grimly, "I was too late to prevent a chicken bone and some mashed potatoes." "Oh." Both girls replied.
"The rumors are awful!" Exclaimed Odette. "You've got to make friends to get the rumors to go away." Amy told her, "Or do something that impresses people. I heard the teachers saying good things about you so you're off on the right foot there." Odette looked down. "I'm too shy to make friends." She said quietly. "Nonsense!" Bunny said smiling, "You weren't shy when you said hi to me the first time."
"I-I've got to go." Odette stuttered. She grabbed her bag and ran off. "Do you think she recognized us?" Amy asked. "Could be." Lita commented, watching Odette dodge some flying pudding. "Why is she running from us?" Bunny asked sadly, "She could help us and I just want to be her friend!" "I don't think it's her choice." Lita said suddenly, "I saw her talking to something in her bag before following me. It could have been an advisor like Artemis or Luna." "She does have a cat." Bunny said deep in thought (Gasp!)
That afternoon Odette lay on her bed at Darien's. He was out shopping at that time and she was all alone except for Samara. "I think we should get Bunny and Darien together." She said suddenly. "Why?" Samara asked from the end of the bed. "It just seems – right." She got up and walked to the kitchen where she had left her book bag. She pulled out two tickets. Odette quickly scribbled a not to Darien to let him know where she would be before running out the door.
Like she had hoped, Bunny was at the arcade playing Sailor V. Odette walked in greeted Andrew, walked over to Bunny and patiently waited for her to loose. She didn't have to wait long. "Hey Odette!" Bunny said looking over at her, "What's up?" "Do you want to do something after school tomorrow?" she asked innocently. "Sure." Bunny replied conveniently forgetting about the scout meeting. "I was thinking London Ice Cream." Odette said watching Bunny's eyes light up.
London Ice Cream was a new ice cream store that was already very well known. You could only get there with reservations. Odette held up two reservation tickets. "How did you get them for tomorrow?" Bunny demanded. "I won them in a raffle a few weeks ago." Odette said truthfully. "I'll defiantly be going!" Bunny said happily. Odette smiled and handed one of the tickets to her. Her plan was working.
Odette arrived home only a few minutes after Darien. "Hey Cinnamon Buns." He said looking up. "I've got two tickets to London Ice Cream." Odette informed him. "Really?" Darien said truly interested. "There for tomorrow. Want to go?" "Sure!" he said, smiling. Darien had heard that London Ice Cream was a four star ice cream parlor with a great reputation. He had looked in to getting a reservation but stopped after seeing he'd have to wait a year. Odette handed him the other ticket and left smiling.
"What did you do now?" Samara demanded as soon as she saw Odette's mischievous grin. "Nothing." She replied. Samara rolled her eyes and left the room mumbling, "Sometimes I think watching this girl is too much to ask."
The next day Bunny looked up at London Ice Cream. It was a grand building, but the prices for ice cream were reasonable. Bunny showed the man at the front door her ticket and walked in. A woman led her to the reserved table. She sat and waited for Odette to arrive.
A few minutes later Darien walked up to the building. He wondered where Odette was. Had she been kept after at school? Looking around to make sure she wasn't around Darien entered the building.
Bunny looked up from her menu to see Darien being led by a woman to a table. "Glad I'm with Odette." She thought to herself. The woman stopped at her table. Bunny and Darien went pale. "Where's Odette and why are you here?" they both demanded at the same time.
Odette whistled on her way home. "OK why are you acting so happy?" Samara demanded sticking her head out of Odette's bag, "You were hit by exactly three chicken bones, four scoops of mashed potatoes, two puddings, and a juice box full of red juice that stained your uniform at lunch. Also the rumors are getting wilder. I heard one today that said you ran away from home and telling people you are an orphan. Why are you so happy?"
"Well," Odette replied, "I got one hundred percents on all my tests today, which is exactly five. Three teachers gave me no homework slips as rewards, Lita said she'd spread good rumors about me, and I set Darien and Bunny up for an ice cream at London Ice Creams today." "WHAT?" Samara screamed.
Odette opened her book bag and rummaged around until she found a little tape player. After checking a few things she said, "I want you to record what they say." She gave the player to the cat, "It's all ready. All you have to do is get near the two and press record." "OK." Samara mumbled putting the recorder in her mouth and jumping out of the bag. Odette grinned broadly. Operation Darien's Rabbit was in action
Samara quickly ran through the door to London Ice Cream as the doorman opened it for a young couple. "I oo I av oo oo Oes's eree erk? (Translation: Why do I have to do Odette's dirty work?)" Samara said aloud to herself, "I uz ee av oo ee uh- (Translation: Why does she have to be the- )" She had gotten to the table. Carefully she quietly dropped the tape player and pressed record.
"So you're saying that Cinnamon Buns invited both you and me even though she only had two tickets?" Darien asked Bunny. "That's right." She replied, "Actually she never mentioned anything about going herself. She just asked if I wanted to go. Thinking that meant both of us I said sure." "Same." Darien replied, "She's smart." "She should have a battle of the wits with Amy." Bunny said. "I'll join that battle." Darien replied. "You probably wouldn't be around when it happened." Bunny replied, "But I'll tell you the out come."
"So what are you going to get?" Bunny asked after a few moments of silence. "I was looking at the triple chocolate ripple." Darien replied, "How about you?" "Oreo cookies and cream." Bunny said, "On a cone with three scoops!" Darien rolled his eyes. "There're probably going to fall off, Meatball Head." He teased her. "Don't call me Meatball Head!" Bunny whined.
Darien and Bunny ordered. While waiting they talked about school and other dull subjects including the weather (which was cloudy and gray. Just like the day this is being written.) There was no conversation after they got their ice cream. Bunny finished hers in record slowness. She wasn't going risk having to talk to Darien.
"Well bye Darien." Bunny said after they had finished their ice cream. "Bye Bunny." Darien said. "Why'd you call me Bunny?" she asked truly curious. Darien sighed. "If Odette's trying to hook us up why may at least try." Samara didn't catch the last two comments. She was already long gone.
That night after Darien had gone to bed Odette played the recording back very quietly. "Thanks Samara." She whispered. Odette fell asleep listening, during the time they had talked about weather. "Well at least they're getting along." She thought.
Whoosh. Click. Odette sat up in bed. She knew those sounds. Tuxedo Mask had just left. Quickly she pulled her transformation stick out of the drawer and ran out of her room. She transformed in the living room. Quickly she went to where she heard screams.
Samara opened one eye sleepily. Seeing that Odette wasn't in bed she thought, "Must be in the bathroom."
That night's youma seemed to be a lawn gnome. It was quite small, had a big nose, rosy cheeks, and a big red cone like hat. It was cackling and running around blowing up cars with NegaVerse energy. Some one chuckled. Sailor Earth looked up to see Tuxedo Mask on a light pole. (Like usual.) She herself smiled as Sailor Moon jumped up and fell on her face to avoid a beam sent by the gnome.
The gnome chased each scout into one corner still laughing madly. "Are you whacked or something?" Sailor Venus yelled at the gnome. It screamed and shot a beam at her. She avoided it. It started to sing. "It's waning! It's pwaring! The Swailer Scouts are snworing! They went to bwed and bwumped their heads and nwever got up in the mwornig!"
"Yeah. I think it's whacked." Mars replied to Venus." Sailor Earth watched a stray bolt of power leave the gnome and head towards Sailor Moon. No one noticed including Tuxedo Mask. "EARTH MUSICAL REST!" Sailor Earth yelled. The bolt stopped. All eyes went to her. The gnome screamed and started running in circles. "Well what are you waiting for Sailor Moon?" she asked calmly, "Finish that freakish lawn gnome off." Sailor Moon nodded. "MOON TIARA MAGIC!" She yelled. The gnome turned into dust.
Sailor Earth stepped out of her hiding spot. "Thank you again." Sailor Moon said quietly, "We all-" "SAILOR EARTH WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?! WHY ARE YOU TRANSFORMED?!" Samara ran into view and stopped in front of Sailor Earth. She glared daggers at the five scouts and seemed to grow bigger as her fur stood on end. "I don't know who you five are, but you're endangering this girl's life! She shouldn't even be here, let alone transformed! Now detransform all of you!" No one did anything. "NOW!" The five scouts scurried to detransform. In a flash of multicolored lights and ribbons five teenage girls stood in their pajamas.
It was Sailor Earth's turn to gasp. "Bunny?! Lita?! Ray?! Amy?!" She exclaimed. "Well we were surprised when we saw you detransformed." Ray pointed out. "Wait a second what's going on here?" a voice asked quite annoyed. Luna and Artemis walked into view. The both stopped when they saw Samara. "Samara?!" Luna exclaimed. "Yeah it's me." She said, "Long time no see Luna, Artemis."
"ANOTHER TALKING CAT?!" Bunny screamed, "WHAT IS THIS WORLD COMING TO?" "Tone it down Bunny!" Luna exclaimed, "A traveling scout like Sailor Earth needs a cat advisor to make sure nothing bad happens and I happen to know this one." "There's more than three talking cats in the world!? That's it. I'm going home!" Bunny exclaimed, "I must be not sleeping enough."
"No you are NOT going home." Luna said sternly, "I think Sailor Earth and Samara can explain some things to you." "You can learn from them." Artemis put in. "Start from after the fire." Samara advised. "There was a fire at my house." Sailor Earth started, "My parents and their advisors, also cats died. Only Samara and I survived. After the fire died down I salvaged a few things. Samara gave me the transformation stick after that. She said that I could only use it in emergencies when my life was threatened. We went from town to town. I didn't know why. Samara never told me. Now we're here and I don't plan to leave." "But your destiny!" Samara exclaimed. "I can fulfill it here." Sailor Earth snapped. She was very annoyed with her cat.
"You were the Protected Scout weren't you?" Amy asked. "Yes she was." Samara replied, "In the Silver Millennium Sailor Earth was forbidden to fight or protect the Moon Princess." "But why?" Lita asked. "Yes. There was never a reason." Added Amy. "I can not tell you that." Samara said. All eyes went to Sailor Earth. She shrugged her shoulders.
"Well we'll be going." Samara said. Sailor Earth looked down at the cat. "We will?" she asked. Samara glared. Earth flinched, picked up the cat, waved, and jumped onto the rooftops.
"She's just as graceful as Tuxedo Mask." Ray commented. "Yeah." Lita put in, "It's like they were related or something.
Odette quietly closed the glass sliding door and put Samara down. She had detransformed outside on the deck. "I can't believe I had a long lost Sailor Scout in apartment the whole time without knowing it." Darien said walking out of the kitchen. "How do you know?" Samara demanded. "Cool it Samara." Odette said, "He's Tuxedo Mask. "How long have you known?" Darien asked. "Since the first night when you rustled by the couch. I got up and followed you." She replied. Odette pushed away some hair in front of her ear to show a large black and blue spot. It was a bit puffed up. "Nice isn't it?" she commented dryly. Darien grimaced. "Sorry about that." He said.
Surprised, Samara opened her mouth to say something but Odette quickly covered her mouth and told her quickly, "It was an accident. Don't worry." Odette pulled her hand away. "Exactly HOW MANY times have you transformed?" Samara demanded. "Uh, four." Odette replied guiltily. "I WOULD SCRATCH YOUR EYES OUT IF YOU WEREN'T-" "So that gold stick that I picked up was your transformation stick?" Darien asked interrupting Samara before she could finish her threat. "Yeah." Odette said.
Odette walked to school. Luckily she had been able to get out the red stain from the juice. It was the first time that Samara decided to stay home from school. There was an incredible amount of space in it now. Now that she had straitened things out with the Sailor Scouts she would make some friends and hopefully get rid of some of the rumors going around.
"Hey Odette wait up!" someone called. She turned around to see Amy running towards her waving some papers. When she caught up she explained, "Bunny thought we could do a battle of the wits together! I haven't had a good game since I tied Darien last month at the arcade. But first what is your lowest test score this year?" "Ninety-nine." Odette replied. "Good it should be fairer than I thought." Amy said smiling, handing her a group of papers.
"There's a half an hour till school starts. You have ten minutes to finish as much as we can. Then we'll have a teacher grade it. Any questions?" Amy asked "Yeah." Odette said, "How many questions and how is it graded?" "There's two hundred points in all. But there are fifty questions. You can get any score from zero to two-hundred." Amy replied. "Well let's get this started!" Odette said.
Ten minutes later Amy's watch beeped. Time was up. They brought the two tests to Mr. Yuiyo, the math teacher. Looking them over he said, "These are all very advanced questions girls and from what I've glanced at they're highly advanced answers too. I'll give your score as an extra credit test grade. It won't be able to hurt your grade if you don't do well. You can pick them up at the end of the day."
After school Amy and Odette joined up with Lita and Bunny and the four went to get their tests. "Maybe we'll have another genius in our group!" Lita said excitedly. "Maybe she'll bet Amy by a long shot!" Bunny exclaimed. Amy and Odette didn't say anything. They could tell that the other was smart and it wasn't going to be an easy win.
They reached the math room. Amy opened the door and let the other three in. "Mr. Yuiyo, we're here to get out tests." Odette said quietly. She was extremely nervous. He grinned. "I'm very proud of both of you!" he said picking up the two tests off his desk. Amy looked at her test. "194." She said with relief. Odette grinned, "195." All three heads turned towards her. "You know that's the fourth time you've done that this week and it's getting really annoying." Odette informed them. "You beat Amy!" Lita whispered in amazement.
Bunny looked at her watch. "AHHH! WE'RE ALL LATE FOR THE MEETING! RAY'S GOING TO KILL ME!" "Come with us." Amy said to Odette, "You're part of the group too." "Well OK." Odette replied. ZOOM! Bunny and Lita were off and running, hard. "If you want to go at a little slower speed follow me." Amy informed her, "No one ever yells at me for being late. We can compare answers on the way there."
Around ten minutes later Amy and Odette arrived at the Cherry Hill Temple. "Ray's a priestess here." Amy told her, "This is where we have our scout meetings." "There's a lot of steps." Odette noted. "Yeah they get Bunny every time." Amy said. Odette laughed.
After getting up all the steps. They were surprised to see that there was food set up outside. "I can't believe you beat Amy in a test!" Mina exclaimed. She walked over. "Lita brought over some food for today so dig in! We were never properly introduced." Mina said shaking Odette's hand, "I'm Minako Aino, but everyone just calls me Mina." "You're Venus right?" Odette guessed. "Yeah." She replied.
"Cute PJs. Love the little cupid in the front." Mina blushed. "Go tease Bunny for the little cotton tail on the back of her pajamas." She instructed. "Or the Bunny ears she was wearing." Snickered Ray. "Ray why do you have to be so mean?" Bunny cried. "It's my job to keep the leader from thinking too much of herself." Ray informed her. "Stop teasing!" Amy commanded.
"Tell us what it was like at your house before it burned down and about your parents!" Bunny suggested. "OK." Odette said, "Mama had pretty red wavy hair. It was really thick so when she did her hair into a bun every day she'd leave a lot out. Her eyes were dark blue like mine. Papa had black hair and the same dark blue eyes. All three of us would go riding every day in the evening just as the sun was setting. I rode a white horse. Papa had a black horse and Mama's horse was brown.
My room was huge. I had a great big bed that only took up a bit of room. I had a desk right in front of a window that looked out at the lake I learned to swim in. One whole wall of my room was a huge oak bookshelf. It was stuffed with all sorts of books. The shelf was so tall I had had to use a ladder to get to the top seven shelves!
Our house was all stone so I called it the castle. It lived up to its name by having two towers and almost no electricity. All our light came from oil lamps, fireplaces, or candles. The only electric things I owned were a TV and a computer. I never went to school. Samara was my advisor slash governess. She taught me all I know."
"Wow! You've only been to three days of school in your life!" Bunny exclaimed, "I envy you!" "No you don't." Odette replied calmly, "I got up every day except Sundays at five. Lessons started at seven and lasted until four." "EIGHT HOURS OF SCHOOL SIX DAYS A WEEK!!!!" Bunny screamed, "You're right I don't envy you at all." "School here is so easy." Odette continued, "It's short too. I like it." "How can you like school?!" Mina and Bunny demanded. "I explained. Didn't I?." She said a little surprised, "I've got to get back to Darien's. Samara's probably jumping off the wall with worry. I'll see you tomorrow. "Bye Odette!" the chorus came. "Bye guys!"
As soon as Odette opened Darien's door Samara was upon her. "Where have you been?" she demanded, "I've been worried sick about you!" "I went to a scout meeting." Odette said simply, closing the door. "Why?" Samara demanded. "They wanted me to so I did."
"Hi Cinnamon Buns." Darien said walking out of his room, "By any chance could you tell me the identities of the other scouts?" Odette laughed, "Not on your life Tux Boy." She replied pulling out her homework. "Please can you tell me?" Darien asked. "No!" Odette said, "You'll find out in time. If it makes you feel better, I didn't tell the scouts who Tuxedo Mask was." "That's a relief." Darien replied.
Odette walked into her room. Carefully she pulled out the golden box. "Give me the money to play ten games at the arcade!" Odette commanded. Ten quarters fell out. She put them in her purse and put the box back in the drawer. She walked out of her room.
"I'm going to the arcade!" Odette called to Darien who was sitting on the couch watching TV, "I'll be back in an hour or so." "Could you give Bunny this note for me?" Darien asked pulling a piece of paper out of his back pocket. "Sure." Odette replied taking the note.
As soon as she had closed the door Odette opened the note. It read,
Dear Bunny,
Would you like to go with me to Mike's tomorrow after school?
This Isn't one of Odette's tricks to get us together like London's
Ice Cream. I'll be there at four thirty to make time for detention.
Darien
Odette smiled. Darien was smart. She highly doubted that Bunny had figured it out. She had seen that Bunny was a little thick when it came to things like that.
Odette walked into Crown Arcade, note in hand. "Hey Odette!" Andrew said. "One vanilla milk shake." She said pulling out half of her coins. "It's on me." Andrew said, "Lita told me that you're the on that gets hit with all the discarded food." "I've gotten used to it." Odette said, "And when I'm around Lita no one even dares to do it."
She finished her milkshake and walked over to Bunny who had just lost the Sailor V game. "Hi Bunny." She said, "I've got a note for you from Darien. "Hey Odette." Bunny said taking the note. After reading it a few times she said, "Tell Darien I'll see him then." "Alright." Odette replied. She skipped out of the arcade forgetting that she had ever planned to play some games.
Look under my author's notes to see a second way of Odette finding out who the Sailor Scouts are!
Well did you like it? R&R! Please?
This scene changes at the first lunch scene right after Lita invites Odette to sit with her.
Samara pushed her head out of the bag. "This girl sounds familiar!" she exclaimed quietly, "She could be a Sailor Scout! Remember you're hiding from them!" "Be quiet, Samara! I'm trying to make some friends around here." Odette hissed at the cat. "She sure acted like a Sailor Scout when she was saving you from those boys." She reminded Odette. "Stop playing conscience!" Odette said. "As you wish." Samara said quite annoyed. She hopped out of the bag and walked away. Odette followed the waiting Lita.
Lita stopped at a table in the corner of the cafeteria. "These are my friends Bunny and Amy." She said. Both gasped quietly. "We've met before." Bunny said cheerfully. "I haven't though." Amy said, "Are you having a hard first day? I remember mine. Bunny called me a brain farm reject." Bunny blushed. "I saved her from getting pinned with some of that disgusting slop the school calls pudding." Lita said grimly, "I was too late to prevent a chicken bone and some mashed potatoes." "Oh." Both girls replied.
"The rumors are awful!" Exclaimed Odette. "You've got to make friends to get the rumors to go away." Amy told her, "Or do something that impresses people. I heard the teachers saying good things about you so you're off on the right foot there." Odette looked down. "I'm too shy to make friends." She said quietly. "Nonsense!" Bunny said smiling, "You weren't shy when you said hi to me the first time." "Well I knew I could trust you somehow.
"I hear you're smart." Amy said cheerfully, "Maybe sometime we could test our selves together." "Maybe." Odette said, "I don't mean make myself superior but how long has it been since you studied like in the Silver Millennium Sailor Mercury?" The four gasped. Odette continued "A thousand years. Right? Well it has been just three years since I did. Bunny you've got to be Sailor Moon. And Lita you're Sailor Jupiter." "How did you know?" Lita asked very surprised. "You sound and look like the scouts." Odette said simply, "I should get going. No hard feelings meant Amy."
The four girls watched Odette dodge some flying pudding. "Do you think she told the truth?" Lita asked. "She had to have." Amy said, "There was no other probable way." She could have followed us home." Suggested Bunny. "She'd have to have been in five places at once." Amy said.
A second note from The Lioness
Well did you like it? This was my first idea. Of course lots of this would have changed in other scenes. I won't give those to you. Use your imaginations! Remember Odette's full name is Odette Rhea! Stay tuned for Chapter 3 and Bunny and Darien's first official date. Maybe more! Like the climax!