Author's Note
I don't OWN Sailor Moon…. Yet the story concept is mine…. Please don't take it without my consent…. PLEASE……….
SURPRISE! I bet you can guess what's happening tomorrow too….heehee. Well, I thought I'd be nice and put up more reading for everyone this week. I had to move the plotline along (especially right here… lots of info) and I thought I'd celebrate the return to school (knowing full well that school will be no fun and I will anticipate every moment I'll spend on these stories). I would update my other story too, but I can't crank out three chapters at once over there, so sorry if anyone had hopes for that.
This time you get a lot more about the past. An interesting theory will be unveiled…..by the way, it won't be Thomas with the conspiracy theory! Wow!
MINA: Hey, this is a perfect example of irony!
AMY: (sigh) Yes, yes it is.
MINA: Now tell me who Thomas is and we're set!
(loud crash…)
Serena or Catarina?
Chapter 13: Reading Between the Lines (ought to be a crime)
"Here you go," Thomas said, showing her a room filled with books, something cold yet edible looking on a table, and a bed. "There's some food on the table. You'll probably be down here for awhile. It's all I have right now. Or at least, what's safe and able to be snuck out of the kitchen in large quantities."
"You really did try to save them, didn't you?" Serena asked, as Thomas gave her a strange look.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well," Serena said. "First lesson of survival is don't believe words: believe actions."
"What a confusing lesson," Thomas said.
"I know. Amy taught it to me," Serena admitted sheepishly. "It has to do with the idea that you can trust someone who does good more than someone who says good."
"That makes much more sense!" Thomas replied. "But please, make sure you eat. I do not wish for you to starve while you stay here."
"Do you think they'll try that?" Serena asked, looking abhorred.
"They'll try anything to prove you're not the princess. So as long as you keep on living, we can all keep on dreaming," Thomas replied. "Just have faith in me. I've done everything in my power to protect every princess who has ever come. You are not the first, but all I can hope for is that you're to be the last."
"What about those people coming for an attack?" Serena asked, as Thomas smiled.
"Just leave that to me. I'm an expert."
"Somehow, that wasn't comforting at all," Serena thought.
And on that thought, he left the room. Serena sat down by the table, and munched on the food that he had left. Although the food looked questionable this time, its taste was wonderful. It reminded Serena of chocolate ice cream.
"And I thought this was going to—well, I wonder. If they've been taking all those other princesses from other planets, I wonder how many of them look like me. I mean, they can't all have blond hair and blue eyes, can they?"
It was then that Serena saw the book lying on the table. It was apparently handwritten, and as Serena touched the cover, the words transformed to Japanese!
"Wow. That's one cool book."
She looked at the title with rising suspicion.
"Catarina's Diary."
Then she opened to the first page, to find that it appeared to have not only altered the cover, but the entire book before her. Not up to reading, she browsed through, and came across an image of Terrance with hearts drawn around him. She smiled at the childish mind of this princess, which reminded her of herself. Then came the next image which startled her.
"Thomas? In hearts as well?"
She read the passage to herself.
"Dear Diary, I am but a fortnight from marriage age, and yet, the man I am betrothed to, Knight Terrance, seems to have a rival with my heart. My guard has always been there in ways Terrance could not. And when I look at the two, I see a clear difference in their very souls, yet I cannot quite grasp what makes them so different. Terrance said that it was a childhood crush, and Thomas said Terrance was disrespectful of those below him. In fact, it was this very dilemma that has given me the idea to run away to seek guidance from another Galaxy. One that seems to be knowledgeable in manners I have yet to understand."
Serena flipped the page, and found that a page had actually been torn from the book. Next to the book lay a broken page, as Serena placed the page to see a perfect match, and the text changed to Japanese again. She continued to read.
"Dear Diary, I find this most disturbing. It appears that someone in our ranks has threatened the kingdom that I had run to assistance for. This someone just happens to be Terrance. The advice I received played in his favor, and yet, he is threatening a kingdom. I have to help them. I have to warn them. If anything, my faithful diary, this may be the last entry I ever make."
Serena stared at the page, in dead shock.
"She went to someone's aid and never returned?" she whispered, as she set the book down, and looked at the library. "She went to a battle, and never came back. It really does seem like she died—but she went to the Moon Kingdom—my kingdom. Does that mean Terrance has something to do with why we're all here?"
Serena was left to ponder this, in a room that was less comfortable than the attempted suite called her bedroom, and more comfortable than the world awaiting her outside…
"There is no way," Catarina thought, as Terrance circled her in the empty classroom.
"You aren't Serena Tsukino, are you?"
"What are you talking about? Of course I am!" Catarina replied, sounding agitated. Her mind was reeling. He was staring her down like a hawk.
"It's too obvious. You look exactly like her, you sound exactly like her. Unless she is your twin, you are a fraud," Terrance said.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Serena asked. "Who do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb," Terrance said. "Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom, my dear. You sound just like her. Did you know that? My question is how you can be in two places at once."
"What? Princess? You mean a real princess? Wow, I know Amy told me the odds of finding a twin here was like, really huge!" Catarina lied, having heard the fact today in class from him, yet she wasn't supposed to be paying total attention. "That's pretty cool. So she does look and sound like me?"
"This is no joke," Terrance scowled, his expression fierce. She couldn't believe she could harbor this much rage (or love) for one person, but she figured fear was a better response, as she jumped in her seat.
"I wasn't joking," she replied.
"You better have been. Young lady, I don't play around. And you are in a world of trouble."
Catarina looked out the window, wondering if she could jump. However, that dream was short-lived, for outside she saw a black dove.
"Jennifer arrives with news," Catarina thought. "She would always send those doves out when she found me—is she here for me now? Does she know I'm only pretending to be Serena Tsukino?"
Preventing a look of fear, she turned back to Terrance, to see that he looked awestruck at the bird, and suddenly moved away from circling her back to his desk. He pulled out a newspaper, and covered his head with it. Not only did this behavior bother her, she wondered how those two knew to look for her here. Mandessa was standing in the doorway now, as she looked at her curiously.
"You think a new name and image can hide you?" she said quietly. However, her attention was drawn to the man in the newspaper.
"What does it matter to you?" he replied.
"You think that we can't handle a traitor on our own?" she demanded.
"Perfectly fine. I'm here to—wait, you've found the traitor?" Terrance said, putting his newspaper down.
"Yes, in fact she's been on Earth the entire time, pretending she knows nothing of our people," Mandessa replied. She now wore a red dress that was a little too revealing even by normal standards. It might have well been a dressed-up bikini with a skimpy skirt. She even wore matching high heel boots that went halfway to her knees.
"That's interesting. How can you be so sure that it was her?"
"She wore a sweater bearing the Imperial Crest."
"Are they talking about me?" Catarina thought, as Jennifer appeared right in her face.
"That's amazing how often y'all forget about bystanders," she said, looking at Catarina with a unique stare. "Are ya all right, missy? Did he hurt ya at all?"
"No, I'm okay," Catarina said, scared a little by the thought of the two that nearly killed her being so close to her right now. So close and entirely unaware, that she was the girl they were talking about.
"Good, because for your good, I reckon you hightail it oughta here and get back home," Jennifer said, extending a blue lily to her. "This is to remind ya not to tell anyone what ya heard today. One word and it'll turn ya purple. It'd be an int'resting thing to try and explain to yer friends."
"Purple?" Catarina wondered aloud, as she got up, took the lily, grabbed her bag, and looked to her "teacher," who lazily dismissed her. She walked out the door, and into Raye.
"Serena, you're okay?" she asked, as Catarina nodded, and started to follow her out.
"Who was that girl?" she heard Mandessa ask.
"She's relevant to why I'm here," she heard Terrance start. "She also might be a concern of yours."
"A concern? So why let her leave?" Jennifer said, as the lily in Catarina's hand began to grow. Raye and her were both swallowed up in an instant, covered by vines, with a single blue lily blossoming where Catarina's hand was covered.
"I'll get her," Mandessa said, as Raye and her looked to bikini girl as she dragged the two back in, and to one of the stranger sights in both of their lives.
Jennifer, in some strange green attire now, which consisted of a single strap shirt and tattered shorts, was sitting on a desk, one arm around her bent leg, and the other was petting the black dove on her shoulder, as she whispered to it. Mandessa, after dragging them in, went back to standing at the door, her hands fashionably to her hips as she flung her hair back slightly and looked to Terrance. Now Terrance is what made the sight strange. Not only was he in blue knight's armor and held the helmet in his hands, but he was standing at attention and totally smug before the two girls, as they each smiled in return.
"Enough formality," Jennifer said, as Raye struggled a little to try and reach her watch. The vines tightened, as Catarina and her held their screams in. Raye had succeeded however, and now had her watch on. "Why is she so special?"
"We had a person in questioning who not only resembles this girl here, but she sounds like her too. Now you know that Earthlings don't have a high factor for non-blood twins, so maybe you could explain this to me."
"There's no chance that they are related?"
"Aspera and I found her in China. This girl is clearly here in Tokyo, is she not?"
"We were not in China!" Raye thought angrily.
"Well, the traitor did resemble her," Mandessa said. For a split second, the smug look in Terrance's face vanished. He looked cold. Catarina and Raye both shivered.
"But where did you see her last?"
"Actually, in the United States of America, but the people who came to her aid were Japanese."
"You don't say," Terrance said, now looking at Raye and Catarina with a wicked stare.
"He's got control of this whole situation!" Catarina thought. "One word and we might as well be dead."
"Come on girls, get us out," Raye thought desperately.
"Listen, I know you enjoy the dramatic suspense Terrance, but do you mind coming clean? What are you trying to tell us?" Mandessa said, looking bored. Somehow, that look in her face filled fear in their hearts.
"That this girl is a little too suspicious," Terrance said simply. "I mean, look at her dark-haired friend. She shows up just as she is leaving? Too convenient, especially since I did not inform her when she would be leaving this room."
"Well, that's int'resting how ya think that she has something to hide and all, but Chase and I are bored too. We don't really care except to find the traitor."
"Traitor?" Catarina asked aloud, as the group looked at her.
"That was brilliant—perfect Serena moment," Raye thought miserably.
"You might not understand Earthling, but there are guardians called Sailor Scouts," Mandessa said, looking at Catarina strangely. "These people are obligated to ALWAYS defend the Universe, regardless of circumstance. The traitor we speak of, endangered the Moon Kingdom, which is why it's nonexistent today. It's due to this man that we discovered this, and now it's our job to bring the traitor back for what she's done to those who died in the Moon Kingdom."
The two were speechless.
"Y'all are free to go. We don' care 'bout you. However, if you want to stay outta trouble, I suggest y'all do as he says when he says. This man is mighty high in power, and has an army at his disposal," Jennifer said, as the vines immediately shrunk away and the two took no time in moving away and finally making it to the exit, where the others were speechless and looking at Catarina, who was looking up to the room.
"That can't be true," she whispered.
"That would mean you are a Sailor Scout," Mina pointed out.
"And if what they said is true, you are also a traitor somehow," Lita said, as she and Amara both clenched their fists.
"Whoa," Catarina said, backing away. "I do not remember that! I swear!"
"Apparently they were pretty sure you had something to do with the fall of the Moon Kingdom," Michelle said, as Catarina looked at the Outer Ring Scouts.
"Who are you three?"
"Relax everyone," Trista said, as the group stopped the staring contest. "Are we really going to believe what our enemies have told us?"
"Looks can be deceiving though," Raye pointed out. "Why in the world are they chasing you Catarina?"
"I really don't know," she replied. She thought back to Clara, and held in her tears. These people were nothing like Clara. Even if they did come from that time, they were nothing at all like Clara. She was realistic in ways these people weren't. "I almost wish I knew."
"That's okay," Amy said brightly, shocking everyone. "You have to go home and eat dinner soon, right?"
"Actually," she started. "I kind of have homework."
"You can do that at home, can't you?" Raye asked.
"Oh no! I am not reading and writing all her homework for her!" Rini exclaimed, as Catarina looked down.
"I thought you said you knew Japanese!" Raye shouted.
"I speak it only," Catarina whispered, ashamed. Silence prevailed.
"Give her a break," Mina said finally. "We'll give you a hand."
"Thank you, all of you," Catarina whispered, still looking down.
"Okay, let's head over to the temple and hopefully get some homework done then," Amy said softly, as there was the silent drive back to the temple…