The sun shone through the open curtain, catching the metallic sheen of a large, blue-winged butterfly charm. The light hit Bree's face, convincing her that she had to wake up. She tried to snuggle deeper into the covers, hoping to ignore the pile of homework waiting for her on the desk. She reached over to grab her cell phone off the night table for the time, and instead grabbed something else. Lifting up the butterfly, she muttered, "Oh yeah."
Swinging herself out of the bed, she shifted around the objects and papers in her table drawer, looking for a note she threw in the day before. She had just found the pink sticky-note when someone knocked at her door.
"It's open!" she called, reading the note furtively again to make sure she was neither dreaming nor going to forget the very important meeting she had today. Mene had told her that she could only appear at certain times, for reasons unknown to her.
The door opened wide to reveal Bree's second roommate, Steph. "OOOO," she exclaimed, spotting the butterfly charm on Bree's night table. "That's really pretty, Bree. Where did you get it?"
Bree glanced towards the charm, which was also the corporeal body for the spirit Vanna. "Uh," she thought, and then answered truthfully. "I found it in the park on the way home from the university. I don't know where you could get one," predicting the girl's next question.
Steph looked disappointed. She tugged on one black pigtail, looking uncomfortable.
"What is it?" Bree asked. She expected something bad. Steph never had any problems telling or doing something awkward usually. If the ebony haired girl looked uncomfortable, it was usually a bad sign.
"The police picked up Ally drunk on the street last night. She was fighting with someone, and since she was out on bail, the cops threw her into jail until something further could be done with her. Knowing her personality nowadays, she attacked her cell mate, a really big woman. The woman tossed her across the cell, and Ally hit her head on the sink. They figure that's what killed her."
"Ally's dead?"
"Yeah. But the weird thing is, her body was covered with gouges and scratches that she didn't have when she went into the cell. And when the cops searched the cell and the other women, they found no objects that could have caused the injuries."
Bree thought for a second. "Hey, how did you find this out?"
"Ally's little sister called me. She seemed quite calm that her sister was killed in a jail cell," Steph commented. "I hate to give you this news and run, but I've got a class." Slowly, she turned and left Bree's room, forgetting to close the door behind her. Unconsciously, Bree closed the door and slid down to the floor. She had seen Ally killed in the park. How the hell did she reappear as herself? Was it only the monster that she defeated, and the real Ally was somewhere else? The wounds on Ally's body … those were just like the ones caused by Zephyr's attacks, her attacks. It was all too confusing to Bree. She needed Mene to explain things to her.
The sticky-note read: "9PM, Astronomy building". Bree's day was going to drag until that time.
Dark and deserted, night classes still in session, Bree wandered the university halls until she reached the Astronomy Building. Classrooms were mainly empty in the building, as the observatory was located on city limits, not on the brightly lit campus. A few classes haunted the study rooms, and individuals sat in the simulation labs. Bree wondered how Mene, a spiritual entity, knew about this place. Nonetheless, the blonde girl wandered into the basement. Old telescopes were scattered around everywhere, dusty charts, out-dated models. She wouldn't be surprised to find things about Pluto's planetary status lying around somewhere.
She felt Vanna flutter before she heard Mene's wispy voice call her.
"Over here, Sailor Zephyr," the apparition called. Bree studied her more closely. Her long blonde hair had a silver tinge to it, and though her clothes were similar to the ones Bree donned as Sailor Zephyr, they were definitely different. Vanna flew out of Bree's jacket pocket, to hover around Mene. The butterfly appeared to land on the girl's shoulder, and Mene beamed at the butterfly.
"So," Bree said, grabbing a seat on an old filing cabinet, "do I get a fuller explanation today?"
Mene looked at Vanna, and nodded.
"You are Sailor Zephyrus, a sailor warrior whose purpose it to protect planetary systems from evil, planets and organisms alike. Your power, like those of other warriors, comes from your star seed."
"What is a star seed?"
"Everyone has one. It's pretty much your soul. But since you are a warrior, you have a very special star seed called a sailor crystal. It's what gives you your powers, allows you to know about your past lives as Sailor Zephyr, and is what Chaos wants so it can control the universe."
Bree stopped for a second. Chaos wasn't just an idea, but an actual entity?
"So, my mission is to protect star seeds from Chaos?" Bree inquired.
Mene shook her head. "Not so broad. Specifically, your mission is to find the individual who carries my star seed, and wake my powers in her body."
"Hold on. How can you appear like this is your star seed is already in someone else's body?"
"Because I still have my powers somehow, outside of this individual. I don't know how exactly. I think it's the fact that there's a threat to the system right now, and there is no one to protect it. The other warriors aren't around to deal with this threat right now for some reason."
"Other warriors?"
"The other warriors of this system. Most systems in the universe have cycles of their warriors, but ours was knocked out of whack somehow. I should have woken up when the first sign of a threat appeared in this system, but I haven't been able to for millennia. Something is wrong. I think the only way I can be woken in my new form is for another warrior to use their power to call me."
"What if I can't find you? There are six billion people in this world!" Bree exclaimed.
"I know my star seed is close to you. My star seed is in this area, I can feel it. Zephyr, you have to wake me up."
"And what if I can't find you?"
Mene looked down. "Then it's up to you to protect the Sol System on your own. Systems without warriors disappear into Chaos."
Bree considered the weight of her mission. "I really can't screw up, can I?" Mene shook her head. "Well, I guess I'll start looking. How will I know when I've found the right person?"
"You'll know," Mene assured her. Suddenly, Mene disappeared. Bree looked around the room for the blonde spirit, but saw nothing but Vanna, solid on the floor, a regular charm.
Bree trudged out onto the campus lawn, watching students filter out of night classes. Vanna felt heavy in her pocket.
When you are faced with a mission where the fate of an entire system of planets and organisms is on your shoulders, things tend to look a little ominous. That discussion with Mene did nothing to help me really, only fill me in on what I thought of a hopeless mission. The funny thing was, I was determined to follow through, wake Mene up, and save the system from whatever threatened it. I would find Mene, and awaken her in her new body.
The sun was setting earlier and earlier. Bree watched the sun go down from the café window when she felt something, an energy force, a dark energy force. She looked around the café. It was inside, she knew it. But, it was moving, getting weaker and farther away. Quickly paying a passing waitress, Bree left the café, thumbing Vanna in her pocket.
"AHHHHH!" a distinct scream came from the alley.
"I knew it," Bree mumbled to herself. She ran between the buildings, glancing around. "West Wind Metamorphosis!"
Transformed, Sailor Zephyr ran into the alley. There was a bald man with grey skin crouched over a girl with long blonde hair beside one of the dumpsters. He waved his hand, and the girl started to glow faintly.
"Hey! You!" Zephyr shouted to the man/monster. He was emanating evil energy, Zephyr could feel it. It felt like worms were crawling all over her skin.
"A true shine," the thing muttered. Suddenly, its arms extended, one towards the unconscious girl and one towards Zephyr. The arm curling around the girl was slow, however, Zephyr didn't even see the one that shot at her. Struck square in the chest, she was knocked onto her back.
My first battle on my own did not start out well. I had no clue what to do, no clue how to fight. But then, something like instinct must have kicked in.
Zephyr made a motion like she was throwing a ball with her right hand, crying "Razor Wings!" Tiny, razor sharp feathers appeared and flew towards the grey monster. Once barraged with the feathers, the thing howled, but did not release the blonde girl it had in an increasingly tighter grasp. I have to make it let her go, Zephyr thought to herself, while trying to come up with a plan.
"Razor Wings!" She attacked again. This time, she noticed grey pieces fly off the monster. One of the feathers hit the girl, causing a long cut down her free arm. Still growling, it appeared the monster was trying to engulf the girl.
Zephyr studied the body of the monster. There were shreds taken out of the body. And weren't growing back. If there was some way she could shred the monster without hurting the girl.
A warm glow began to emanate from her chest. Vanna was glowing. Zephyr threw her hand in the air.
"Gale!" she shouted. Energy began to cluster around her hand. She threw her hand forward, palm outwards. "Force!" Wind billowed from her hand in a force close to tornado strength. The wind barraged the monster, and quickly ripped it to pieces, a leaf in the wind. The poor girl fell to the ground, surrounded by globs of grey.
The first thing the girl saw when she open her eyes was Bree with a water bottle.
"Here," Bree offered. "What happened?"
The girl looked confused for a second. "This guy wanted to show me something. But when we got around the corner, he changed and then dragged me into the alley. Then, I felt drained, and then I fainted."
Bree unscrewed the water bottle, and handed it to the girl, helping her stand up at the same time.
"I think he ran off when I came around the corner. He looked funny, but I didn't really see him."
"Thank you," the girl replied.
"No problem," Bree said, waving her hand. She made sure the girl was fine and able to walk home before setting off to her apartment herself.
Contemplating her new attack as Sailor Zephyr, she didn't see the silver VW Bug that came to a screeching halt right in front of her on the cross walk. Bree just looked at the girl in the driver seat in shock. The girl just stared back from under blunt blonde bangs. Bree could audibly hear the shouting of the older brunette in the passenger seat, not specific words, but she got the point.
Bree walked away muttering. One near death experience was enough for her in a year, thank you. Let alone in a month.