All standard disclaimers apply. I don't own Sailor Moon, but Naoko Takeuchi does. Have you met her? No? Too bad. Ok, so we're on to the story. So sit back and relax, it's going to be a wild ride.
CHAPTER ONE
L.A. Dreams
The reason it was 'another life' was because just six months ago, Serena moved from a small town in Louisiana to a large city in California. Los Angeles, California. It was quite a big jump for such a shy, young and inexperienced girl. Her family and friends barely believed she would do this, but not once had she regretted her decision or asked for help in her time of being away. She loved her new life.
After living at home for nineteen and a half years, Serena was basically miserable. She graduated high school with honors and received a scholarship to a prominent college nearby. Everyone knew that her major would be something related to art. Serena's passion was art. Painting to be more specific. Her other loves were computers and cartoons, mainly Japanese anime. Her Talented Art instructor knew she would make an 'impact' in the art world, and encouraged her in the fine arts field. Serena was grateful to her teacher, but being constantly critiqued by a pushy teacher since the fifth grade can do things to a person's mental health.
She turned down the scholarship.
Serena didn't really want to spend another four years struggling through school. Although she never had struggled with schoolwork, it was the principle of being in school and living up to the expectations of others that she didn't want to face. She was seventeen! She'd have plenty of time to figure out what she wanted to do...right?
After graduation, she spent the summer doing what any normal teenager did...she ate, slept, and had fun. But as the sayings go: "Time flies when you're having fun," and "All good things come to an end."
Boy, did they ever.
Serena's dad essentially told her to go to school.
"You need further education!"
Turning down that scholarship had certainly strengthened that father/daughter relationship, hadn't it? Oh well. It's a good thing she received that flyer from the technical college down the street. Seeing that they offered desktop publishing made her think they taught something akin to graphic arts, so she enrolled. That was her first mistake.
Serena did eventually take the desktop publishing course. What she didn't know was that it was part of a secretarial course! "Stupid brochures. They never give you enough information," she remembered mumbling one day during her English class. But her talents were not forgotten. Her artistic skill still blossomed, even though she rarely had the opportunity to use them. As some of her talents were displayed in her schoolwork, it was quickly found out that she was THE Serena Carroll--the artist who turned down the $35,000 fine arts scholarship. Her story had been published in the local newspaper much to her displeasure. She was asked to bring photos of her work, and when she did, some fellow classmates commissioned her to paint portraits for them.
'At least I'm making some kind of money,' she thought.
She also finally thought about her future in the long run. The thought of being a secretary literally turned her stomach. What was she going to do? Hopefully, something she could tolerate would turn up.
Time came and went, and so had two birthdays. Serena had once again graduated with honors, but just because she could type didn't mean that she could be a good secretary. She had horrible phone etiquette...well, at least when it came to potential customers. She considered herself book-smart, not skilled-smart, and to make things worse, she was considered shy.
Poor Serena. In reality, she was NOT shy. In fact, she could be very outspoken. But she conveyed other people's thoughts slowly, and usually didn't have an answer for them until it was too late; or she kept her opinions to herself, knowing that her words would only cause the person pain.
Well after another year had passed, Serena, now twenty years old, still had no job. Most positions had not lived up to her expectations, and those that did show signs of hiring her had changed their minds. She had been offered a position at the technical college, but one of the male teachers kept making passes at her. He'd be too close, whispering things that her innocent ears shouldn't have heard. That job was definitely out. Her parents, Sonny and Sera Carroll, found out about the job the school had offered, then that she had turned it down, and so they were once again disappointed. She never told them, or anyone, why she had to refuse.
So there she was: twenty, no money, living at home with her parents, people looking down on her...
Life sucks!
And what does one do when one's life sucks? One engrosses oneself in what one loves. In Serena's case: painting, computers, and anime!
She didn't have enough money for canvases, so she painted on the doors and walls of her room. Soon, murals were everywhere. Scenes of a balcony complete with views of windswept beaches and waves crashing covered the four walls. It was so calming and serene, and also realistic. Her room soon became her sanctuary. While taking a break from such works of art, she would hang out with her friends--who all had jobs--or she'd work in a graphics program or surf the internet trying to keep up with email. She even looked for a job once in a while.
While she was surfing, as was her daily routine, she came upon a website for a company called Digital Anime. The company worked with original artists in Japan and helped make it possible for their series and/or manga, a Japanese comic book, to be seen in English-speaking areas. This company was offering a position for a Graphic Arts Intern. She clicked on the link to find out more. She couldn't believe the requirements.
The applicant must have an artistic background, knowledge of computers, and a love of Japanese animation. No experience necessary.
'How perfect is THAT?!'
She read on...
For more information contact:
Jillian McKinley at (310) 397-5874, email jmckinley@digitalanime.net or write to:
Digital Anime
Atten: J. McKinley
23322 Sienna Avenue, Suite 520
Los Angeles, CA 90066
"Los Angeles, California," she read, 'LOS ANGELES?! Why did it have to be so far from here? Well at least it something to think about. It is my dream job. I'll contact Ms. McKinley anyway; that way I'll have all the facts.'
The next day, she contacted Ms. McKinley and found out a few weeks later that the employee-to-be would be assisting with the actual manga. He or she would take the translated script and arrange it on the strip. But more was involved, should the conversation of a character be too lengthy for the area, the employee would have to compensate. More would be described to her should she be hired. It all sounded easy enough. She was sure she could handle that, though she KNEW that more would be involved. Then Ms. McKinley told her one more important fact...There would be a $5000 sign-in bonus.
Ten minutes later, Serena sent in her resume and samples of her artwork.
Two weeks hadn't gone by before she received a phone call from Ms. McKinley's secretary, Ms. Linda Li, saying that she was chosen to be the new intern.
To say Serena was surprised would be an understatement.
She was moving to California!!
She was moving to California?!!??
'OH. MY. GOD. How am I gonna tell everyone? What if the parental unit object?!,' her thoughts raged.
*Calm down Rena, your thoughts are running around like a bunny rabbit, and don't worry about that. You have a job and you're old enough to make this decision. It's your life. Live it!*
'That's right. I have a job, I got it all by myself, my living arrangements are being taken care of by the company, I've got $5000 in my pocket, and...and...How am I gonna tell everyone?!'
********
"Mom, Daddy," she said softly, "I need to talk to you..."
She took the remote from her dad and turned off the TV and sat down across from her parents--but at a safe distance.
"What's going on?" her dad asked. He was a nervous father, and when Serena came to 'talk' to both of them, he felt he had a need to worry.
"It's nothing you two need to worry so much about. It's just that I've been here a year, with no job and everyday being subtly reminded of that fact. I realize that I've been disappointing you both with the way that I've been handling things, and you two have both talked to me about how I need to take care of myself, become more responsible. I want to thank you both for giving me that time off though, and not pushing me TOO hard. It was a much-needed vacation, no matter what you think. But I finally realized that it was time for it to end, and so I took matters into hands...again."
"What does that mean?" her mother asked.
Serena stayed silent for a minute to collect her thoughts. 'So far, so good' she told herself.
"That means that...I got myself a job."
Her parents at first didn't do anything but look at her and blink; then they both broke out in smiles.
"That's great Serena!" her mom enthused, "Where are you working? What'll you be doing? Is it here in town or nearer to the city? When do you start?"
"How much are you getting paid?"
"Sonny!" her mom scolded.
Serena was pounded with questions before she took another breath. She looked at them both and silently prayed.
"I'm getting to all of that, hold on." She once again tried to figure out how to tell them. "Well, I'm the new Graphics Intern at a company called 'Digital Anime.' I'll be working with artists to help format an English version of Japanese comic books. I start in two months."
"Why two months?"
'Here it comes,' she thought. "Um...they're allowing me time to get my affairs together...," she paused again and looked down, "and I guess...time to pack..."
"Pack? What do you mean 'pack'?"
"The job isn't in Louisiana," she firmly stated, "I'm moving to Los Angeles." She threw a wide-eyed look at her parents, who were looking at each other. "Now before you two say anything," she rushed, "let me tell you that this is a Fortune 500 company, highly known, and they rarely offer opportunities like this. I've checked them out--they really take care of their employees. They've given me a $5000 sign-in bonus; someone has gotten me an apartment. I was told it was in the nicer district of the city, which is unbelievable, but like I said, they take care of their employees. I'll be able to afford the rent and other necessities by what I make, and will probably get a raise, depending on my performance there."
She stopped and looked at her parents again. They were slowly processing everything she just said.
"They've made arrangements for me to send all my belongings, and as soon as I step off the plane, someone will take me straight to the apartment and then to the company. After that, I'm on my own."
Her parents blinked. She certainly thought she had everything figured out.
"And you're supposed to leave in two months?"
"Yep," she was glad they were taking this well.
"How did you ever find this job?"
"Um, I was on the Internet and I kinda stumbled on it. I always click 'jobs', and so when I saw the requirements for that position, I asked the graphic art department manager about it.
"What were the requirements?"
She straightened her posture and cleared her throat, "'The applicant must have an artistic background, a knowledge of computers, and a love of Japanese animation'...oh, and no experience necessary."
"That's Serena alright," her mom whispered.
"Well, are you sure that this is what you want to do?" her dad asked.
"I wish it were closer to home, but this is my dream job--literally. So however I feel about it, I'm going. You know, most people go away at college at 18."
"But you aren't most people, Serena," her mom pointed out. "You're--"
"I know," she interrupted, not really wanting to hear about her faults when she had such good news. "That's why I'm forcing myself to do this."
"Well, if this is the decision you've made, then I guess you're moving to California," her dad told her.
"That's it?!" she asked, looking at them incredulously. That had been too easy.
"What do you mean if 'that's it'?" her dad countered.
"Well...uh...what about 'were gonna have to talk about this Serena'?"
"I've already told you before that you're already old enough to make your own decisions, didn't I? I mean you've obviously made this big decision and acted on it without us. What are we supposed to do about it?"
"Umm...nothing. Wow. That was easy. So...that's it?"
"Yeah," her mom mumbled, frowning. "That's it."
********
So after telling everyone, two farewell parties, a final close friend and family dinner, and some major shopping and packing, Serena was on her way to the plane to California.
"I can't believe you're going away," her best friend Molly said though sniffs. She tried to wipe her tears before they fell. "Email me or call me often, and I want your number too. Take pictures of all the movie stars and send me copies..." she trailed off.
"I'm gonna miss ya Molly. Keep me up to date with everything here."
"You know I will."
They looked at each other in silence. "On second thought, send me the original photos and you keep the copies," Molly said, trying to ease the tension.
Both girls laughed, hugged, and cried. Goodbyes are always hard; especially for two who have not ever separated since birth. They have been through everything together.
"Last call for Flight Number 1628 to Los Angeles."
"I gotta go. Bye everyone," she gave everyone, who included her parents, older brother Sam, Molly, and Molly's mom Cynthia--who was like a second mother--one final hug. "I'll call as soon as I get there. Bye! Love you all!"
She was so scared. She was terrified! She never went anywhere by herself, and flying solo across the country on an airplane didn't help her nerves. It was going to be a long flight.