CHAPTER THREE: DIANA, THE MYSTERIOUS GARDENER!
Of course finding her was not as simple as one thought. Amy realized after searching half the Campus that she knew nothing about the Gardener at all. So how could she expect to find her if she didn't know where she lived, or at least where she went?
I need to figure out her habits, Amy decided at last. And for that I need to ask about her. But who would know her aside from the Head Dean? It's not like I can go straight to him.
Maybe, just maybe, Robert might know. Amy knocked on his Dorm Room but after a few minutes of knocking no one answered.
I guess he's at a class or something, thought Amy. I'd better try someplace else.
There were many contract workers working at Munich University, so Amy decided to ask some of them if they knew a Diana. Most of them told her they'd never met her. But a few of them had heard of her at least. Everyone seemed to agree that she was rather new at the University, arriving barely a month ago. Amy wondered at the timing. Diana had been here barely as long as she had. A coincidence?
Finally, she caught up to one of the Assistant Gardeners watering the Ivy Plants on the North End of the Campus. He was an elderly looking man named Kurt.
"Ah… Diana," he said cheerfully to Amy. "Ja, she's new here alright. Arrived at the tail end of July, just as the new semester was starting up. She took things over right away and in less than a month she's really transformed this Campus into something to be proud of. She keeps to herself, though there's no one sweeter on the job. She spends most of her day in that Greenhouse of hers just next to the Botany Department in Building 115. No one's allowed inside, but you can knock if you absolutely need to talk with her."
Amy thanked him and headed toward Building 115. She mulled over the man's description of the woman. Kind… Yet keeps to herself. She's got amazing talent with plants if she had managed to transform Munich like this in less than a month. Amy hadn't really paid attention herself. She'd been worrying more about her studies and getting around from class to class early on to notice her surroundings too much. Although Kurt had been very benign with his praise of Diana, Amy thought that her reclusiveness made her suspicious enough. After all a person could be completely different alone than she was around others. That much Amy knew from personal experience. Besides, how many people had she seen possessed by Youmas, Daimons and Droids in her life to know that just because someone was nice to others didn't mean it wasn't an act.
Amy came to the Greenhouse right where the old Gardener had said it would be. The windows were fogged up from the inner humidity, so she couldn't peer inside to see if anyone was there. She decided to take the direct approach and knock on the glass door at the north end of the Greenhouse. Her knuckles seemed to reverberate in every glass panel, even though she knocked as lightly as possible. She winced and stood there feeling awkward.
At length, she finally saw a blue and white blob emerge from the blurry green within and walk up to the door. Amy swallowed hard as the glass door swung open slowly and the woman inside looked out at her as if surprised to be getting a visitor.
"Guten Tag," Amy said. "My name is Amy Mizuno. I'm a student here, though I'm originally from Japan. I was wondering… Do you have a moment?"
It was definitely the same woman from before. She was even wearing the same blue dress and her feet were still bare. The soles of her feet were brown with mud, yet the mud stains seemed to belong there. Her brown hair was matted by the sweat on her face and slightly disheveled from the braid it was tied into. Her dress was stained with sweat as well, yet she didn't seem ashamed of that.
"Bonjour, Amy Mizuno," Diana smiled sweetly at her. "It is such a pleasure to meet you." Her accent was definitely French. Amy felt better about that. She knew French way better than she knew German. It was the first Second-language after English that she'd learned in High School. "My name is Diana Marceaux. If you don't mind the heat you may come in."
"Merci," Amy thanked her in French.
Diana stepped aside and let Amy enter. The humidity seemed to wrap Amy in a cocoon of wet air and Amy had to take a deep breath it seemed just to get the same amount of oxygen from a normal breath of air. Inside the Greenhouse it was like a Jungle on a whole different world! The sun shone through the solar panels in rays that were diffused by the thick canopy of leaves and branches that bent overhead. The plants in here all appeared to be tropical and the flowers arrayed on the ground at her feet were of so many different and wondrous varieties that it nearly took her breath away! Some of these plants Amy was certain she'd never seen before. There were no tables. Everything grew straight from the ground. Except for the glass dome overhead, this place seemed very much like a real Jungle!
Even if she wanted to, Amy could not conceal her wonderment. For some of these plants to have grown in this way this Greenhouse would have had to have been here long before Diana had come! There was no way anyone could grow plants this big in less than a month!
"You look surprised," Diana said, closing the door quietly. "Most people don't like to venture in here because of the heat or of the muddy ground. I must ask that you stay on the paths, please. Stray but a little and you could kill anything you step upon."
"I will," Amy turned to Diana. "I've seen your work, by the way. Outside in the Courtyard… And the Gardens as well. You did all that?"
"Well, some of it," Diana said modestly. "I couldn't have done all that without the help of the other Gardeners. But the designs are all mine."
"Wow… Have you worked anyplace before this? Where did you work previously?" asked Amy.
"Many places," said Diana. An oddly evasive answer. "Gardening is what I do best. It's so fulfilling to be able to nurture plants and animals. Life is so fragile and helpless at first… But with a little effort it grows incredibly strong. Strong… And beautiful."
Amy was captivated. This didn't sound like a Youma talking. She doubted any of the Dark Syndicate had much respect for any life. She decided to try a different tack. "I saw you the other day near the bush that got burned. Have you found out yet how it got destroyed?"
"I was hoping you could tell me that," said Diana.
"I beg your pardon?!" Amy didn't expect that response. Her heart began to pound.
"Don't fret, Amy," said Diana. "I merely ask because I saw you as well the other day. You seemed overly interested in that bush for some reason. I thought perhaps you would have had something to do with it?"
"Of course not! I'd n-never destroy something that belonged to someone else!" Amy shook her head emphatically. Suddenly she realized how defensive she sounded and she shut her mouth. This Diana person was good.
Diana beamed at her with genuine sweetness and Amy felt her barriers fall away all at once. She felt like Diana was gazing right through her. She felt naked, in a manner of speaking. It wasn't the hawkish shrewdness of a clever villain, either. It was the kind of disarming charm that Mothers used to catch their children in some act. It made Amy think of her Earthly Mother back in Tokyo. Though she didn't feel threatened like she did around Heidi, she did start to wish she hadn't come looking for Diana.
"Oh dear, I might have put you off," Diana sighed. "I am sorry. I have a habit of doing that. Some people don't like my smile. People with things to hide usually feel uncomfortable around me."
"Wh-what makes you think I have something to hide?" Amy stuttered.
"Everyone has something to hide, even me, Amy," said Diana, picking up a watering can and pouring some water onto a bright red flowering plant. "But there are those with consciences that are carrying things too burdensome to hide. It eats away at them… Slowly. They are ashamed to tell anyone these things, yet they want to."
Amy almost felt her heart stop! What was she talking about? Was she that transparent?! Could Diana be talking about her inner demons regarding Dark Mercury? Just how perceptive was this woman?
"Is there something that you wish to tell me?" Diana looked up from her watering at Amy. Her green eyes were vivid and deep. It was the same expression Robert Prower had given her several days ago when he'd asked her the same question: "Is there something you want to tell me?" he'd asked.
"No!" Amy shook her head and took a step back. "And even if I did have something to hide, why should I tell you?! I'm the one asking the questions here!" She covered her mouth as her mind caught up to what she was saying. "I'm sorry. I sounded very rude just now."
"Non… I am the rude one," Diana said, this time her smile was tinged with sadness. "I am, of course, a complete stranger to you. How dare I pry into you like that? I apologize." Diana walked over to the wall and gently set the can down at the corner of a bend in the path. There was a hollowed out log extending out from the wall and she placed the can under the end of it.
"Condensation will soon drip from the walls into this log and then into the watering can," Diana explained in an odd change of subject. "Soon the can will fill up again and I will be able to water my Garden anew. It is the cycle of water. The cycle of Nature. It is but a simple reminder to us all that all things come around again. Good times may end, but they always return, like the Sun after a storm. Perhaps one day you will understand the meaning of this yourself."
Amy sighed. What a convoluted individual this Diana was. "I wanted to ask you something. Have you heard of all the students disappearing or dying lately?"
Diana's smile seemed to freeze for just half a second. "I did not know any of them personally, but it is truly regrettable," she replied after seeming to consider her answer carefully. "I can see you wish to do something about it. Truly these crimes cannot be allowed to continue. You have the means to solve this mystery Amy Mizuno. And know that you are not alone. Someone very close to you watches over you and will never let you come to harm. And others… Are on their way to you even as we speak."
Amy gasped. Diana turned and rounded a corner in the foliage, out of sight. Amy felt compelled to ask her what she meant by that. But when she ran around the corner she paused, looking around. Diana was gone. She was nowhere to be seen, and Amy was certain she wasn't simply hiding to play a trick on her. But the only way out of the Greenhouse was that front door, so how did she disappear?
Either I'm going crazy… Or there's more to that woman than what I saw, Amy decided. Yet for some reason… I just can't believe that she's a Youma. So what is she? And what does she have to do with me?
Amy left the Greenhouse several minutes later with more questions swimming in her mind than ever before!
ssssss
Later that night Amy was in her room. She'd just finished with her homework and she switched on her television to watch some News before going to bed. To her amazement, the news seemed to be focused squarely on Tokyo for some reason. Something was going on over there.
Knowing it might have something to do with her friends, Amy turned up the volume. Just then somebody knocked on her door.
Amy opened the door and saw Robert standing there. He was hunched over slightly and looked to be in a little bit of pain.
"What happened to you?" asked Amy.
"Nothing too serious. Just took a bad fall down some steps," Robert said in a strained voice. "Can I come in? Or were you about to turn in for the night?"
"Of course," Amy stood aside and motioned him in. "Let me take a look at your ribs, will you?"
"Thanks. You're wonderful Amy," said Robert.
"Sit down on the bed. I'll get some ice," Amy moved to the Freezer and broke out an ice tray.
Robert sat as he was told and he looked at the television. "Hey look, there's something going on in Tokyo. Isn't that where you're from?"
Amy dropped some of her ice. She looked from her small kitchen toward the television at images of flashing Police lights and Helicopters circling over the skyline. The narration proved it was a German broadcast. The words on the caption read: "Images courtesy of WTKO Channel Six News."
"Reports coming in from Japan are sketchy, but it now appears as though the city is under siege once again from a super-human terrorist," said the German News Anchor. "The first reported incident since Dark Mercury, which occurred over a month ago and first awakened the world to the presence of the so-called Sailor Senshi. A manhunt is currently underway in the city of Tokyo to bring this person to justice. All we can say for now is that it is some kind of super-powered Vigilante killing criminals. So far the death toll is reportedly upwards of over fifty. More to come on the International implications of this event. The United States in particular is making moves to get involved due to their security interests in the city. No word yet from the Japanese Government on any kind of actions or negotiations. Tokyo, as you know, has been on the mend since last month's destruction and whispers around the globe are hinting at damage control…"
(For more on the situation in Tokyo, ready Executioner's Law. -- Kingofmercury)
Amy sat down next to Robert with the ice in hand, but made no move to apply it to his bruised ribs. She was rooted to the television set.
"What is going on over there?" she asked softly.
Robert shifted uneasily on the bed. "It must be tough seeing your home town get battered so much, huh?"
Amy nodded. Some kind of super-powered vigilante? Was it a Youma like what she was fighting? Or a Senshi? In the past week or so she'd managed not to think of Tokyo too much, except in passing, due to her own struggles here. However, this news report drove home to Amy that things were happening half a world away and her friends might well be in danger.
"I just hope they get a hold of whoever this is before it does become another international incident, otherwise the Senshi may never enjoy a moment's peace again in their entire lives." She stood up and walked over to the phone in the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" asked Robert.
"I need to know more. I can't sit by and watch this without knowing all the details," said Amy, dialing a number. "I got to make a few phone calls."
Rob nodded in understanding and turned back to the television. He took the ice Amy had left next to him and put it on his aching ribs. I know you want to be back there, Amy, he thought. I can see it in your eyes. I just hope you don't decide to go back there. Your life is here now. I'll never let you out of my sight again…
But there were other concerns even greater than that. He hadn't told Amy how he'd actually gotten the bruises. The Youma that was on the loose killing students with those weird bite marks had been discovered. He caught it in the act while sucking the Spirit Energy out of another girl in the Basement of the Main Hall, Building 100. The Youma had taken notice of him and he'd fought a brief, but intense battle as Solar Pilot with the monster. Unlike Heidi, however, this one was considerably strong. He was forced to flee, but not before the Youma got a good hit in and bruised his ribcage pretty badly. He'd managed to lose it, but for how long? It might be able to track him down somehow. If that was the case he had to get Amy to safety. He would never forgive himself if he let Amy die at this point.
"Hello, Mother?" Amy was on the phone. "It's me, Amy… Yes, it's so great to hear your voice too… I'm sorry I don't call more often, but this time it's important… What's going on over there anyway? News about Tokyo is being broadcast internationally. That can't be good… Vigilante? Yes, that's what the News says… Uh huh?… Have you really thought about moving?… Right… I understand…"
Robert sat on the bed with his back to the window. He was splitting his concentration between the television set and Amy on the phone. Therefore he couldn't possibly have known or even sensed danger closing in fast from outside.
All of a sudden the glass behind him shattered and a scaly arm reached inside and grasped him by the throat. Robert got out a short cry of surprise before his windpipe was closed off by the super-strong grip.
Amy screamed and dropped the phone on the ground.
"You will not esssssscape me ssssssso easily!!" The Youma hissed in his ear before yanking out the window to the ground outside.
Amy ran to the window and looked out. A giant Cobra-like Youma had Robert pinned to the ground in the Courtyard. It was trying to take a bite out of his neck, but he was resisting with all his might. Amy didn't know what to do except to grab one of her heaviest Textbooks and heave it at the monster.
The Youma hissed again angrily as the book connected with the back of her head. She turned around and glared at Amy.
"You ssssshall be nexsssssst Princesssss!" It said.
Amy swallowed her fear. "You let him go and deal with me right now, you monster!"
"No! Amy, RUN!!" Robert lifted his head up painfully.
"You ssssshut up!" The Youma cuffed him across the face and stood to face Amy. "You think you can take me, when not even Sssssolar Pilot was able to make a dent in my sssssscalessss?!"
Amy shuddered. What did this thing do to Solar Pilot? Who was going to rescue her now?? Still, she couldn't think of saving herself at this point. Robert was on the ground, helpless. She needed to get that Youma away from him!
Amy turned from the window and ran out of her front door. The Youma hissed and gave chase, leaping through the window again and pursuing her down the hall. Amy ran until she was almost half the campus away from Robert before she stopped running and turned.
The Youma landed before her. It hadn't even broken a sweat. These Dark Syndicate monsters were very athletic, Amy mused.
Giving up at last? that familiar voice teased her.
No! Not until I'm dead! Amy looked around and found a rake leaning against one of the school buildings. She took the tool and broke off the end of it, wielding the wooden shaft like a Staff. Amy twirled it over her head and spread her legs, pointing the stick at the Youma.
"I'm not going down without a fight!" she declared to it.
Spoken like a true Senshi. But you will not survive this, said the voice in her head before the presence faded away again.
ssssss
On the ground outside Amy's room, Robert had to bite his own lip to keep himself conscious. The pain in his chest stung every time he took a breath. But he had to get up. Amy had distracted the monster to save him, but she was the one truly in danger.
"Get up, Rob!" he scolded himself. "If Solar Pilot doesn't catch up with them… Amy will die! And I am not going to let her die a SECOND TIME!!"
He lurched to his feet and began limping off in the direction of where the two others had run. "I should… never have knocked on her door… I'm so stupid! The Youma saw me transform and knows who I am."
ssssss
Amy ducked under the Youma's swinging claws and shoved the end of the stick into its midsection as hard as she could. Then she spun the stick around and cracked it across it's face. The Youma was stunned for a second or two, but then she redoubled in anger.
Pushing her fear aside, Amy swung again. This time the Youma was ready. She caught the stick with her teeth and bit the wooden shaft in two! After that, she back-handed Amy to the ground.
"Child'sssss toysssss," it said, tossing the stick halves away. "You ssssshould never have come here without your powerssssss."
A fact that Amy was regretting more and more each day. Amy tried to get up, but her legs were taken out by the creature's tail. A huge clawed hand reached down and lifted her up by the front of her dress and slammed her into a nearby wall hard enough to make her see lights before her eyes. The resistance slowly bled out of her body.
"Now you die!" The Youma made as if to bite her neck.
Suddenly the ground began to shake underfoot. The shaking caused Amy to come back to her senses somewhat. Enough so that she was aware of her situation.
The Snake Youma looked around. "An Earthquake? In Germany?" it asked.
From underneath the concrete burst a few tendrils of vines. They moved like snakes and wound themselves around the arms and legs of the Youma.
"What in blazesssss?!" it hissed, dropping Amy in order to wrestle with the vines.
Amy scrambled out of the way. Things were happening so fast! What was causing the Earthquake and controlling the vines that way? It couldn't be Solar Pilot!
A pair of strong arms gripped Amy around the midsection and had her airborne, arcing away from the lashing Youma, who was trying to bite through the vines with her teeth. Amy felt butterflies in her stomach from being gripped that way and she turned her head to look and see if Solar Pilot had once again swooped to her rescue?
But just then her head hit up against something soft and squishy and wouldn't go any further. Amy reached up to move the obstruction and felt as if she squeezed a warm pillow.
Her rescuer landed in the branch of a nearby tree and set her down on it. "Ooh, la-la, Ami-chan! You have a strong grip." It was a woman who had jumped in to save Amy this time and she squatted upon a branch adjacent to Amy's, chuckling. Amy suddenly realized what she had grabbed in her confusion and she wanted to die right there of embarrassment!
"Who are you?!" she exclaimed.
It was too dark out to see the woman's face, but her figure was very shapely, her feet were unshod, and her long dark hair was tied in a long French Braid in back. Black squiggly wormlike objects curved around her arms, legs and chest. Amy squinted and discovered they were not worms... but tiny vines that formed miniature designs.
"I knew this would happen," said the woman in all seriousness. Her accent was French, but she spoke in Japanese. "You wouldn't remember me, but I am Sailor Earth. The last time I saw you… you were only thirteen years old. In another lifetime of course. I am here to serve you, your highness."
"Serve me?" Amy felt overwhelmed. Sailor Earth? The one world still unaccounted for in terms of Senshi was now standing before her! "Those vines are yours?"
"Oui. And now I must go and deal with it before it kills again," Earth leaped out of the tree before Amy could ask any more questions.
sssss
Robert pushed himself toward the sounds of combat and the small Earthquake that followed the brief tussle. To his amazement a set of vines burst from the ground and began attacking the Youma. Amy was dropped to the ground and momentarily forgotten. Now was his chance! His ribs were feeling better, but he still didn't know if he was up for fighting. If he couldn't beat this thing healthy how could he do it wounded?
"Gotta transform," he said, reaching for his Solar Pendant. It was a round medallion shaped object with an eight-pointed yellow and white Star painted on the front.
Before he could utter his transformation spell, however, someone leaped in and grabbed Amy, spiriting her away.
"Amy!" he gasped.
"COME BACK HERE WITH MY PREY!!" the Youma snarled, starting to break out of its deadlock with the moving plants.
"Solar Crystal Power!" Robert chanted. His regular clothes were bathed in brilliant light and reformed around his body to that of Solar Pilot. The symbol of the Sun formed on his chest and the buckle of his belt. His shorts lengthened into pants that ended in a pair of black boots, with the cuffs tucked into them. A large elaborate Pistol and a leather holster wrapped itself around his waist and came to rest on his right hip. Lastly, a trench coat flowed over his shoulders and down to his knees. On his head formed a pair of flight goggles that slid down over his eyes, turning the world a deep amber color.
"Switch to infrared mode," Robert said, pulling out his Pistol. The world around him turned reddish, and the struggling Youma showed up as a green and white mozaic of colors. Its color signature indicated it didn't have very much body heat. Just like all the other Youmas he'd fought until now. A set of crosshairs focused on the Youma and he raised his Pistol, though his chest protested under the strain. Focusing through the pain, he put his finger on the trigger. "Solar Pistol! Don't fail me now!"
He let the power pack charge up to full before squeezing the trigger and letting a bright ball of energy fly out and connect with the Youma, causing it to scream out in the night.
The monster staggered even as the vines holding it turned to dust and withered away under the heat. "You again!" it declared as it turned on him. "I'm much stronger than the other Youmassss. That gun won't do much more than burn my sssscalessssss!"
"I don't care. I'm going to keep shooting until I'm out of ammo, or you burn to a crisp you ugly bitch!" Robert began recharging his power pack.
The Youma hissed and roared at the same time as it charged directly at him.
Suddenly a ball of greenish energy floated down from above and dangled itself directly before the Youma. The monster stopped and regarded it curiously. "What the…?"
"Seismic Bomb!" someone, a female voice from the sound of it, called out of the shadows. The green orb exploded and threw the Youma back against the wall, leaving a depression in the bricks. The ground quaked again for a few seconds, and Robert felt as if someone had stuck his head inside a giant bell and hit it with a sledgehammer! He gripped the sides of his head painfully. That thing had used noise to cause the quake!
"Solar Pilot! Take aim!" the same woman called to him.
Right… He had other things to worry about than his headache. He raised his Pistol one more time, took aim right at the creature's heart, and fired full blast. The recoil knocked him off his wobbly legs, and the blast finally got through the Youma's skin, burning it away into nothingness!
Robert sat up in shock. "Why… didn't it work last time?"
"The Seismic shock opened a chink in its fireproof scales," someone answered as her silhouette knelt down next to him. "You did good, Monsieur Pilot,"
Monsieur? Who was this woman? French or something? Robert tried to see who it was, but the infrared only blurred her face into hues of orange and red.
"Rest now. Your princess is safe," the woman said softly.
"Who…?" Solar Pilot was only able to get that one word out before the enveloping darkness of unconsciousness slowly overtook him, and he blacked out.
sssss
When Robert woke up, it was in a well let room surrounded by curtains. Amy was sitting next to him, reading a book. Robert's memory came back to him and he sat up suddenly, fearful that she had seen him in uniform.
But he was merely in a hospital bed, in nothing more than a white patient's robe. His head and his ribs protested at the sudden movement and he winced. Amy had looked up from her book when he bolted upright and now she gently guided him back down to the pillow.
"You shouldn't move around, Rob," Amy chided him. "Your ribs are only bruised, but they need to stay still in order to heal faster. Also, you had some cuts on your body from being yanked through that broken window last night, and a nasty lump on your head."
Well that explained the headache. "What happened last night?" he asked her. It was an honest question because even he didn't know quite what went on himself. Like who was that woman?
"After I drew that Youma away from you, I ran as fast as I could down the hall and outside the building," Amy explained. "I managed to get about halfway across campus by the time it caught up to me. I tried to fight it, but it was way too strong, and I'm only Human. It would have killed me, but once again somebody saved me. This time it was a woman, and she used Earthquakes and even Vines to battle the Youma. She took me away and set me down in a tree. After that I couldn't see very clearly what happened, but at last I saw a blast similar to the one that Solar Pilot fires from his gun. So they were both there last night. They both saved me. As to who the woman was… She told me her name was Sailor Earth."
Sailor Earth? Robert's heart nearly jumped into his throat. One of the members of the Trinity? Serenity's Guardians?! But how can that be? I thought they died on Earth long before Queen Serenity worked her magic with the reincarnations. Didn't they?
Amy was looking at him funny. "This must sound a bit far-fetched even for you. You must be thinking I'm going crazy, huh?"
Robert shook his head. "Of course not. You forget I saw that creature last night too. And how else would it have been killed if not for your rescuers? No Amy, I know for certain you're telling the truth now. Just… Don't run off like that again to try and save me. I was afraid you'd die last night."
Amy blushed slightly. "It turned out alright. Still, I wish I knew more about the people who saved me."
"Well judging from their behavior they can't be all bad," Robert reassured her. "And it's kind of comforting to know that there are Sailor Senshi here in Germany as well. With monsters like that one running around in Munich… I'd say these people will need their help."
"Senshi in Munich," Amy echoed, looking out the window. This can't be simply a coincidence. First Solar Pilot and now this Sailor Earth. This Dark Syndicate as well… Everything is focusing on me. If I'd known my coming here would create this much trouble for so many people I would have turned around and headed straight back to Tokyo. Maybe I still should…
At least the trouble in Tokyo she'd heard about last night appeared to be over. The News was reporting that Sailor Moon had battled and subdued the woman known as Executioner. There were no pictures available of that adversary, but aerial views of the damage the fight caused made Amy sick. At this rate Tokyo would never recover.
Amy looked out the window at the rising Sun. She would have to start being more proactive to make certain Robert didn't get hurt again. She needed to start trying to track down the Dark Syndicate, starting with their ultimate goal. Amy would be targeted for termination regardless of whether she did this or not, and she would rather be attacked for taking the fight to the enemy rather than sitting back and letting more students get killed.
Although… she thought with a mental sigh. I really don't know how I'm going to start.
TO BE CONTINUED...
NEXT CHAPTER: A KISS FOR CHARLOTTE