Chapter 4: Operation Lover Plan A
Serena squealed.
"Mom! It's snowing! It's finally snowing!"
She leapt down the stairs and was about to burst out of the door when her mom called anxiously from the kitchen.
"Serena! It's going to be cold! Bundle up!"
"Okay mom!"
She raced to her room and when she came out again she was wearing a fat pink coat with mittens, scarf, and hat.
"Bye mom!"
Her voice was a bit muffled and when her mom looked out the window to see the cause she laughed. In the lightly falling snow, she looked like a pink ball with legs.
" Phoenix, you there? Out."
"Yeah. Does Apron boy have target Coffee Maniac? Out."
"They are coming up the path right now, be prepared to receive them. Remember the plan. You need help with that math problem. Out."
"Yeah yeah… You and Amazon Girl got Bunny? Out."
"Bunny doesn't want to come but we're blackmailing her with the recording. Out."
"Good. Target Coffee Maniac and Apron boy are at the door. Till later. Out."
Rei put her walkie-talkie in her back pocket and switched it off. She answered the door and let Andrew and Darien in. She served them both tea and brought out her Math book with some paper and pencils.
"I don't get how to solve this word problem, can you help me?"
Darien took the book and started reading it and explaining as he solved the problem, totally absorbed. Andrew and Rei exchanged wicked glances.
The arcade was filled with a pitiful wail.
"That's not fair! You did not just say what I think I heard!"
Mina shushed Serena and warned her.
"If you don't come and help clean the closet out we'll give Darien the tape recording."
Lita played 'grumbling dragged on along girl' really well.
"Mina," she whined," why do I have to come too?"
Mina laughed partly from acting and partly from seeing Lita whine.
"Don't worry. Serena will be helping us out." She glared threateningly," Right?"
Serena whimpered.
"All right…"
Lita and Mina dragged the poor girl along to Cherry Hill Shrine.
Meanwhile, Darien had explained fully the word problem and Rei whisked away the materials.
"Thank you for helping me. I understand it now."
She actually was sincere since she really hadn't understood the problem. Playing her role she looked at her clock and sighed melodramatically.
"Andrew… The girls promised they would help me clean out my closet of old temple equipment but it's so late I think they might've forgotten. Could you help me?"
Andrew picked up his cue and fought against grinning by putting on an regretful look.
"Gee Rei… I'm sorry but my lunch break is over and I have to head back to the arcade now. Perhaps I could come later?"
Darien fell straight into the trap.
"Don't worry about it. Andrew, you go back to the arcade. I'll help Rei clean up."
Rei put on a relieved look.
"Thank you Darien!"
Inwardly, Rei and Andrew jumped up and down in delight. Rei went through the long way on purpose to get to the closet with Darien following her. Right after they left the room Mina, Lita, and Serena came in. Immediately Serena opened her mouth to wail at Rei when Mina and Lita dove on her covering her mouth.
"Let's go clean the closet Serena!" Mina whispered all too sweetly in her ear and waved the evil tape," and you have to be quiet too!"
Serena whimpered and Rei felt very sorry for her. Rei's conscious was eased when she remembered that this was for a good purpose.
Poor Ami was huddling miserably in a corner with her camera monitors set up on the closet door. Her instructions from Goddess of Love (code-name for Mina), was to press the button when they said so to get Darien and Serena into the closet. She almost fainted when she saw the size of the closet. It was so small! How were they going to survive each other?
Then she saw Darien come into view. She gulped.
"Oh kami… Please forgive me Darien!"
Darien opened the closet and started stacking the messy closet's temple robes and candles neatly into different shelves. Then he saw Mina and Lita sneak up with a blindfolded and silent Serena. Rei was around the corner with a walkie-talkie looking directly up at the monitor to make sure Ami saw her. When Serena was just around the corner of the closet door Mina and Lita pushed her straight into the closet and Rei talked. The buzz sounded from Ami's walkie-talkie.
"Now Ice Princess!"
"Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me! Please forgive me!"
Ami pressed the button and the closet shut and locked itself on Serena and Darien. Serena's squealing and Darien's yells were heard muffled from the closet. Mina and Lita high-fived. Ami sighed. She was so dead when Serena and Darien came out of the closet.