Title: For Evermore
Rating: PG
Chapter 1: To Grandmother's House We Go
AN: A special thanks to those who reviewed:
daisy31: Thanks for the review! I'm glad my attempt at suspense worked...
LK19: Yes, I will continue, thanks for asking.
To Grandmother's House We Go
Nine years later....
Serena balanced her pencil between her top lip and her nose. Mrs. Macdonald's mythology class was her least favorite class. She knew more about Greek Gods and Goddess than even the Greeks did, and she really didn't care about it. Of course all her friends had told her mythology was awesome and a great blow-off class. So naturally, she took it, and naturally, it wasn't awesome nor a blow-off class. The dismissal bell brought Serena from her mental complaining.
"Remember class," Mrs. Macdonald called to the fleeing students, "your reports on a mythical city are due the Monday you return. Being absent will result in an automatic F!"
Serena yawned and slowly packed her things up.
"You know, Ms. Tsukino, if you fail to turn in this assignment you will not only fail this quarter, but the semester as well," Mrs. Macdonald stated. Serena sighed tossing her book-bag over one shoulder.
Mrs. Macdonald had to be in her early sixties. She had gray curly hair that was piled on top of her head and always managed to tangle in her glasses in it. Her voice was slightly nasal, and she lacked a decent inflection pattern. And to top it off, the woman seemed intent of failing Serena. In fact, Serena wonder what kept the woman teaching. She didn't seem to care about her students.
"Yes, Mrs. Macdonald, I won't forget," Serena said as she moseyed out the classroom. Though as she was leaving, she swore she heard the woman mutter something about what an excellent woman Serena could be.
But Serena didn't have time to dwell on the old teacher's musings because as soon as she was outside the class, her boyfriend tackled her.
"Hello, sweetheart," he purred in her ear.
Ah yes, the dashing Kyle Stienfetz who had managed to sweep Serena off her feet with a series of misfortunes. He had attempted dot play the secret admirer card a year ago, but Serena had caught him laying the first card. A few weeks later, he attempted to serenade her outside her window, but ended up being drenched by her father with the garden hose. He endured six months of similar misfortunes before Serena agreed to date him.
It wasn't that Kyle wasn't good looking. Now, that was not why she had hesitated. In fact Kyle was quite cute. Fluffy dirty blonde hair framed a babyish face and jade eyes glowed with excitement at anything. Nor was it his series of misfortunes that had turned her away. But some deep longing she couldn't understand. So in the end, she agreed to be his.
"Hello, darling," she replied.
"Say you'll come to the movies with me tonight?" He ended the question with his trademark pout while wrapping his arm around her.
"Maybe," she said, knocking his arm off.
"Come on, Sere."
She stopped in the middle of the hallway. Her voice was low and cold, "Don't call me Sere."
"Sorry," Kyle mumbled placing his hands in his pocket and bowing his head.
Serena shook her head and began walking again. "I can't go anyway."
Kyle's head immediately shot up and he skipped in front of her. "What? Why?"
"I'm going to my Grandmother's for the weekend," Serena said walking out of the building. Sunlight bathed her figure in an almost baptismal way. For a second, Serena felt like she could let the world go. An image of a man with obsidian hair crossed her mind. Her hand started to reach up to brush his bangs away.
But Kyle's voice brought her back to reality. "Oh, she means more to you than me?" he said, fake pouting.
"She's family."
"So?" He was whining. Serena hated when people whined. Life was too good to be whining about. Unless it was about school, or being hungry, or well...ok, so she was a hypocrite. Maybe it was just Kyle's whining that bothered her.
Serena sighed. "I'm sorry, baby, but I can't. I promised my mom I would go."
The couple approached a picnic bench placed under a bizarre live oak tree. One branch dipped down to the far side of the picnic table, and it was where Serena always sat. The sun shone through the leaves casting playful shadows everywhere. It seemed almost magical to Serena, but Kyle missed its appeal.
"I thought you said you didn't like your grandmother's house," Kyle said, sitting down with his lunch.
Serena joined him and stole a chip. "I don't."
They ate in silence for a moment before Kyle, with a mouth full of sandwich asked, "When do you leave?"
"This afternoon."
"Serena, must you complain about going to your Grandmother Iris' house?" Serena's mother, Ilene, inquired placing Serena's bags in the trunk.
Serena rested her head on the hood of her mother's red Lexus. "Yes. You know I love Grandma, but I just have bad memories about that house," Serena said before she climbed into the passenger's seat.
"You've never wanted to go back since that boy Darien moved away," her mother said sliding into the driver's seat. Silently, she turned on the engine.
Serena looked out the window at the passing houses. They blurred together and eventually formed a city, which blurred into fields and finally into trees. 'I'm going back,' Serena thought. She had managed to avoid that house for nine years. 'I'm going back to the starry nights, back to the stories about Evermore, back to the place where I lost my best friend.'
Iris was getting too old to think about her old life. She never even told her husband why she'd suddenly appeared in some backwater down. But enough about the more depressing side of her life. She smiled at the thoughts of the summers her grandchild and the boy Darien. He was from the same world Iris, the little run-away. She sheltered him, clothed him, and raised him as her own. They'd spend countless evenings discussing their home, and how much Darien missed Serena. He would wait patiently for her to return. 'What a shining he took to that girl,' Iris thought.
Serena had never confided in Iris what had happened that traumatic night, but Iris remembered what she knew clearly. It had been a beautiful starry night in late July. The moon hung heavy in the sky like a bloated water balloon. She'd awakened to the sounds of shuffled furniture and muffled voices. As quickly as she could, she clothed herself and headed for the boy's room. Only a bright light and a sobbing girl greeted her.
The grinding of gravel in the driveway pulled Iris from her thoughts. She saw her daughter's red Lexus park and the trunk open. Sighing, Iris went out to greet her visitors.
Serena looked at the old house. The paint was cracked and chipping. Ferns grew rampant around the broken concrete pathway. A fairy wind chime jingled in the gentle breeze. The scattered patches of sunlight that filtered through the trees made the house feel surreal. With determination to squash her memories, Serena gripped her suitcase tightly.
The glass door with a cracked pane opened to reveal Grandma Iris. She'd aged very well. Traces of her strawberry hair were tangled with the white. It was long and pulled into a loose braid. Her blue eyes glistened in the light, and the only wrinkles she had were from laugh lines.
"Welcome," the old woman greeted.
Serena smiled before walking up to the woman and embracing her. "Hello, Grandma."
"My, my! What a lovely young woman you've bloomed into! Those pictures do you know justice," Iris said appraising the child. "Com in! Come in! It's rude to lurk in doorways!"
The kitchen introduced Serena to the smell of fresh apple pie. Memories overwhelmed her. Ghosts of her and Darien covered in flour danced around the tables and counters. Distant giggling filled her ears.
"Would you like some pie dear?" Iris broke Serena from her flashback. Serena's mother declined and with a kiss said goodbye and left.
"I think I'll unpack," Serena said, breaking the silence that had fallen when her mother left. Iris nodded and watched the untouched pie cool on the table.
The crackling of the fire harmonized with the creaking of Iris' rocker. Serena had retired early and left Iris alone to her thoughts of why she's summoned her granddaughter here. She was of Evermorian decent, and Iris believed that Serena carried the magic of Evermore in her. Ilene lacked such power. Everyone from Evermore was born with a magical talent. Iris' was something akin to telekinesis. According to the young Darien, Serena had a latent power. Now, Iris was going to investigate.
"You shouldn't think so hard Iris."
Iris lazily opened her eyes and was greeted by the ghost-like figure of a friend she hadn't seen in years. The woman was an old as Iris, but did not show her age at all. The ghost's hair was a fading flame color and, even though translucent, her green eyes were just as bright as ever. A rust-colored robe hung delicately on her body and a small gold crown was woven in the masses of wavy hair.
"Queen Maranda, it has been a while, hasn't it?" Iris closed her eyes again.
The translucent queen kneeled beside her old friend. "Look how you've aged..."
"Well, the laws of Earth work differently from those of Evermore."
"Oh Iris, do you know what you have done to my son?" Maranda inquired.
Iris shifted in her rocker. "I have never met your son," she replied.
"Oh, but you have," the queen said rising. She glided over to the mantle like a feather in the air and began fingering the photos and knick- knacks that resided there. "You raised him as your own for four years."
"I didn't know Darien was your son." Iris let out a small laugh. "He has your sense of adventure. I should have noticed that sooner. But I have done nothing to him."
"He's 'fallen in love' with your grandchild, Serena, or so he claims," Maranda said fiddling with a picture frame. "He's dreamt of her for nine years, calling out her name in his sleep. He paints pictures of how he thinks she would look. I worry for him, it's really unhealthy..." Slowly, Maranda's fingers wound around the frame before she knocked it to the floor. Glass scattered across the carpet like fairy dust, and the firelight glistened off the sharp edges.
Iris sat up. "What is it Maranda?"
Pointing at the glossy paper on the floor, Maranda quietly said, "Is that Serena?"
"Yes, why?"
"How would he know?"
Author's notes: Oh wow, sorry for the late update but this took eight hours to write. I'll try to update as often as possibly, I just hope this will keep people happy for a little while. And remember, reviewing is nice, but not necessary.