A STITCH IN TIME by Princess Ophelia
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT own Sailor Moon.
CHAPTER TWO
Serenity was still staring up at the school when someone grabbed her hand and started dragging her toward the building. "Come on, girl. We're going to be late if we don't book it By the way, nice dress."
Serenity looked at her companion and smiled. It was Mina, one of her best friends. Surely, Mina would know how to solve this problem with Endy.
"Mina, what's wrong with Endy?"
"Who's that, Sere?" Mina questioned still dragging Serenity through the hallways of the building.
"What do you mean? You know Endy. He's the prince of Earth."
Mina looked at her funny and then dragged her through a doorway and shoved her towards a seat. The room was already filled with a dozen other people already in seats and waiting for something. They were whispering quietly.
"We'll talk after class, Sere." Mina whispered.
As a woman walked through the door, the people quieted and waited for her to speak. "Class, turn in your textbooks to chapter three."
There was a rustling as the people found books and all turned to a specific section. Serenity watched in amazement as the woman started lecturing on a mathematical concept that she had learned three years ago. She was using some white pen on a dark, green board. Every once in a while, she would erase what she wrote which really surprised Serenity. Serenity leaned over to Mina and whispered, "Is she like a tutor or something?"
"Serena, do you have something you'd like to share with the class?" Serenity did not answer because she did not realize the woman was speaking to her.
"Serena?"
"Sere," Mina hissed, "she's talking to you…"
Serenity jumped. "I am truly sorry. Could you repeat your question?"
Surprised, the woman said again, "Do you have something you'd like to share with the class?"
"No, Miss." Serenity answered.
"Then perhaps you could give us the answer to this problem since you already know your material. Otherwise, you just earned a detention." The woman smirked at Serenity as if she knew something the girl didn't.
Instead of asking the meaning of a detention, Serenity glanced at the problem on the board. "Ten, Miss."
"Wrong. You just earned yourself a detention, Serena." The woman smiled and turned back to the board.
Serenity frowned. "What do you mean by wrong, Miss?" she asked.
The woman turned back around. She seemed angered by Serenity's question. "I mean you are wrong in your answer, Serena. The answer is not ten. Now, pay attention and you might learn something."
"I am not wrong," Serenity insisted. She looked over to see Mina slapping her forehead.
The woman was now clearly frustrated with Serenity. "Show me then, Serena, but don't say I embarrassed you later."
Serenity nodded stood and came forward and took the white pen. It wrote funny. Serenity quickly solved the problem and handed the pen back to the woman. She then returned to her seat and waited. The woman was still standing at the board in shock. "Serena, how did you know that?"
Another student raised their hand. "What's the big deal?" he asked when the woman nodded at him.
"Serena just answered a problem that I gave for extra credit to the senior class. A friend of mine was having trouble with it so I thought I'd let the students give it a shot." As she looked at Serenity, she said, "A freshman should not know the concepts that it would take to solve that problem yet, let alone Serena."
The others stared at Serenity. She was confused why so many people thought she should not know the answer to the problem. Then, a bell rang and every one got up to leave.
"Come on, Sere. We'd better get out of here before Mrs. H stops us. How did you know the answer to that problem anyhow? It sounds like even Amy wouldn't have even been able to answer it." Mina asked as she motioned for Serenity to follow her.
"Mina, I am very confused. I have determined that this is a learning institute but why does every one believe we are so far behind?"
"Sere, you and I are the worst students. We have never done well in school. I repeat, where did that answer come from?"
Serenity did not answer Mina but followed her from class to class until lunchtime. Although she did not learn anything from the teachers, she did learn about the difference between the earth she remembered and this crazy place she was in.
"You guys are never going to believe our morning," Mina exclaimed as she and Serenity walked over to where their friends, Lita and Amy were sitting on the grass.
"Actually, we heard about your math class. Ms. H is telling all the teachers and the students." Lita replied. She then turned to Serenity, "So what gives, Serena? How'd you know the answer?"
"Everyone has been asking me that all morning. As I have tried to explain, that concept is an old one for me. It should be old for the rest of you as well. And why does every one keep calling me "Serena"? My name is Serenity."
"Awww, Sere," Mina answered, "Serenity is your middle name. Serena is just another nickname you acquired through the years."
"I suppose," Serenity said thoughtfully. "That would make things easier when the people are addressing my mother or me."
The others looked at each other and shrugged.
The rest of the classes passed in a blur to Serenity. After school, she met up with her friends again and they took her to the "arcade." Serenity had never been to an arcade. She was not even sure what it was but it sounded interesting. Besides, the other's said that Raye would be meeting them there.
"Alright, young lady, we need to talk," Pluto began after Serena invited her into Serenity's room.
Serena sighed. She knew this was not going to be easy. Pluto had assumed things about her that her friends and family had assumed. They accepted her as who she portrayed herself to be rather than the girl she actually was.
"If you have known all your life that you were Princess Serenity, then why have you not told anyone or, more importantly, acted like it?" Pluto began.
"As a little girl, I had dreams about being a princess. I learned later that they were more than just dreams. They were memories. I think Helios added them in order to ensure Endymion and I would meet again."
Pluto smiled thinking about the Prince of the Dream World. Helios was a special member of the Alliance between the Moon, the Earth, and the Dream World. He was also good friends with Prince Endymion and Princess Serenity. He controlled their dreams and had always allowed them to interact through them.
"Anyway, as I was growing up, I started to prepare myself for the person I would eventually become. I taught myself grace, poise, and beauty. I read etiquette books and books on princesses. I learned everything I could about every subject that I thought would be prudent in the years to come. I even taught myself a couple languages."
Throughout Serena's explanation, Pluto's eyes grew wide as she realized how she had underestimated her princess. Serena was not the ditzy, stupid, cry baby she appeared to be.
"Then I saw this movie. I had begged my babysitter to let me stay up and watch it. I had nightmares for weeks. In the movie, the heroine acted the same in her normal life as she did when she was a hero. Due to that fact, the parents and siblings of the heroine were taken and tortured. I determined that if I ever was to be something great, I did not want my earth family to suffer.
"I started practicing being klutzy. I actually had to practice tripping and falling. I changed the way I talked and the way I acted. When I was alone, I would practice what I called my "princess" skills, but around everyone else they would never suspect that I was anything more. I suppose it worked."
"Yes, Serena, it did," Pluto said, "I had no idea you kept so much to yourself. I knew that as a child you were sweet and graceful but I thought you grew out of it or something."
"Once I realized the dreams were actually my past," Serena continued, "I waited. I knew I would eventually run into Endymion again. The whole reason Mother sent us to the future was so that we would have a life together as we wanted. The more I accepted my dreams as reality, the more memories Helios gave me. Eventually, he appeared in a dream and said, 'You now know your past, it is time to discover your future'. That was the day I met Darien." Serena smiled at the memory of her first encounter with her favorite enemy.
She was walking home from school looking at another failed test score. She knew her mom would be angry but she had decided that her family's safety meant more to her than anything. Her protectiveness only intensified when her younger brother, Sammy, was born. Balling up the test, she threw it over her shoulder. There was no need for her mom to know anyway.
"Hey! Watch it, Meatball Head!"
Serena knew before she turned around that it was Endymion. Her heart knew his voice better than her ears. Unfortunately, his expression did not show the fondness she remembered. It mocked her and that made Serena mad. It got worse when he saw her test score.
They had bickered since that day. Lately though, the bickering seemed more fun than hurtful. Serena, now, looked forward to their daily sparing sessions. She enjoyed running into him in the mornings even more because she would be in his arms a full five minutes before Darien realized it and stepped away. She smiled at the thought because Darien seemed even more dazed than she due to those encounters.
"I still have some of those dreams occasionally. They mostly come on days when I have had really bad arguments with Darien. I guess Helios was trying to remind me that Endymion is still deep inside Darien just as much as Serenity is in me."
"So, you have allowed yourself to become lazy and stupid to protect your family?" Pluto asked.
"Not exactly. I let my grades drop and I act lazy and stupid. Like I said though, I practice my skills when no one is looking. Even my mad dashes to school in the morning are planned so that I keep in shape. I must admit that it is nice to run into Darien as well."
"Do you know your IQ compared to Amy's?"
"Um…" Serena hesitated, "You know how Serenity's far exceeded Amy's?"
Pluto nodded.
"Well, I exceed Serenity's by the same amount."
Pluto's jaw dropped. This young girl that failed every single one of her classes was smarter than the princess she used to be. Of course, Serena had more resources than her past self making it possible. The shock was that Serena had applied herself despite everyone's assumption that she was lazy and stupid.
"Well, try to relax and enjoy your past, Serena. I do not yet know how to switch you back. I am going to your time to check on Serenity," Pluto finally said.
"Please don't tell my friends what you have learned about me, Puu. They would never understand."
"I will not tell them, but you know that things will never be the same for you in that time. Your friends will question why you are not more like Serenity. Anyway, I need to go check on Serenity and your friends in your time. I'll be back soon." Then, Pluto disappeared leaving Serena with her thoughts.
To Be Continued...
A Note from the Author: Please read and review. This is my first try at writing fanfiction. Thanx, Princess Ophelia
