CHAPTER TWO

Serenity's broken body lay in the shrubbery beneath the balcony from which she had jumped. The former Queen Serenity, no longer a corporeal being, hovered as glowing energy over her poor innocent daughter, who had felt so trapped into a dark existence that she attempted to shake off the bonds of her mortality. No, the girl was not dead. Yet. Selene knew what she must do, not only for the Silver Crystal, the Millennium, and the future of the Universe - but also for her daughter. She healed the girls wounds, passing through her body as a glowing ball of light, mending the hurt and the pain. However, she did not stop with the girl's physicality. Entering into her mind, she locked away the secrets of the Princess' true identity. She would remember little, if nothing, of this life, until such time that it became right for her memories to return. Selene knew that time could be soon… or never. It was a risk she had to take in order to preserve her daughters life.

Serenity's body healed and her memory erased, Selene sent her only child to the one place she knew her precious heir would be safe and free from Diamond's prying eyes…

Earth.

Serenity woke up under a bright light, her head throbbing. She was in a dark room, the curtains drawn over the windows even though it seemed to be day. The small chinks of light the heavy drapes let through burned her eyes and she squeezed them shut, the pain in her head intense and unlike anything she had ever felt before… or so she assumed. Confusion was now at the forefront of her mind. Where was she? Who was she? There had to be someone around who could give her answers. As if on cue, a tall elegant woman walked into the room. :They said you were up" she said gently, smiling. Serenity now became aware of the two girls, about her own age, lurking in the corner of the room. One of them must have informed this woman when she woke up. "What do you remember?" the woman asked her curiously, eyes searching her own. "I… don't…" Serenity began, finding her voice, though her throat was parched. "I don't remember…"

"We found you" the woman began. "Well, Minako found you" she smiled, gesturing at the pretty blonde who now approached the foot of her bed. She wore a red ribbon in her hair and friendly expression. "You had been in an accident" the woman continued. "You were unconscious, and covered in blood. We took you here. That was a week ago now. Do you remember?" Serenity shook her head. "I can't remember anything" she said, tears forming in her eyes. "Well, what about your name? Do you remember your name?" Minako said to her. "Ser… Seren…" Serenity stuttered. "Serena!" Minako exclaimed. "How lovely! You can call me Mina." So her name was Serena. At least that was one question answered. "Do you know where your parents are?" the tall woman asked again. "I… no." Serenity answered. But something lurked in the back of her mind. "I think… I think they're dead." she finished, dumbfounded. "Well, you can stay with us." the woman said, smiling. "I'm Haruna, and you're lucky we found you. A pretty girl like you, all alone in the world… it doesn't bear thinking about."

A few days later, when Serena was feeling well enough to get out of bed, Haruna offered her a tour around the large house that she and seemingly a considerable number of teenage girls inhabited. She explained every room, and vaguely, the purpose of her little "academy", as she called it. Serena gathered, through the thinly veiled allusions that Haruna made as to the nature of her business, that the house was very little more than a brothel. The girls who lived there were trained to "please" men. Mostly orphans, they lived together and learned together until they were old enough to be sold to the highest bidder. They were to be common prostitutes- but for noblemen with expensive taste, who couldn't bear the thought of sharing women with the working people. Young Serena knew that she didn't have to stay, but she was quickly learning that life in this city could be hard, even with the majestic white palace rising behind the house like the sun in the east, a shimmering beacon of hope and prosperity. Though Serena could not remember her past, a sense of resignation weighed heavily on her heart, and she knew that to make friends and live safely for now would be best. She felt so much older than her thirteen short years. Her only only other choice was starvation and death on the streets, and seeing the resilience of Mina and the other girls sparked in her a newfound desire to not only survive, but to thrive, even against the odds.

Serena spent the next five years in Haruna's house, learning the trade. She and Mina became great friends, completely inseparable. Now that they were just eighteen however, they knew it was likely that they would soon have to part in sale. Things had changed for Serena. She had had to work hard to survive, and she relished in life and living it to the fullest, even through tears and toil and tragedy. Her once silver blonde hair had darkened to a rich golden colour than shone brilliantly like the sun. She had no idea why it had changed so drastically, but in her bones she felt it to be connected to some ancient magic that she couldn't possibly fathom. Her skin was still a pearly, luminescent white - which all the other girls envied - and her eyes had not lost their impossible, penetrating pigment. With high cheekbones and full lips, Serena was simply stunning. Yet her looks were all she truly owned. Indeed, pieces of her memory had come back to her, though they were fragmented, and visited her only in dreams. She knew that her parents were dead and she knew that she had run away; but from what, she was not sure. She had images in her mind, of a boy, leering and threatening, who made her stomach turn. Something told her he was her cousin, but she had no idea whether this was true. She hoped he was no relation of hers.

Everything changed one warm May morning when Haruna woke Serena, Mina, and the four other girls in their room up an hour earlier than was normal, instructing them to make themselves look as beautiful as possible. There was no excitement in the room as the six beautified themselves. They all knew this meant that they were to be sold. A sharp looking woman with flaming red hair that they did not recognise inspected them, and upon deeming them acceptable for her purpose - they were sold. The six girls hugged Haruna goodbye, tears in their eyes. She had been a mother to them throughout their time at the academy. Times had been hard the last few years, and they could not blame her for sending them on as she did. A woman must do what she has to in order to survive, Serena knew. The carriage that arrived to transport the six was more splendid that any of the girls had expected. Yet what was most shocking, was that it took them to the great and beautiful palace - and drove on through it's great black gates.

(A/N: This is my first ever fanfiction! After YEARS of reading them, I just couldn't get this story out of my head and had to put it down. I hope you think it's going okay. Endymion will be coming up in the next chapter.)