Vol. 14
Chapter 55
Selina Chase-Moon
Birth: June 30th
Age: 18
Colour(s): White
Metal: Silver
God/dess: Diana
Hermione Driscoll-Mercury
Birth: September 10th
Age: 18
Colour(s): Royal Blue/Yellow
Metal: Quicksilver
God/dess: Mercury
Marcella Guerra-Mars
Birth: April 17th
Age: 18
Colour(s): Red
Metal: Iron
God/dess: Mars
Jovana Meallan-Jupiter
Birth: December 5th
Age: 18
Colour(s): Orchid Purple
Metal: Tin
God/dess: Jupiter
In the dark cool cave, Admete bow down to her lady, Pandora. "The pests have two of the Iris Gems. We only have one. And three of the Seven Great Spirits have been defeated. Admete, how do you explain these blunders?"
"Lady Pandora, just give me a little more time!" Admete begged and took out the Sunstone and activate it. The stone project an image of the next victim. "The next target is this woman. I will have the Iris Gem even if it costs me my life!"
"You know what awaits you if you fail, Admete."
"Yes, my Lady." Admete said it in fear.
On a beautiful day at the park, Selina was enjoying the first days of autumn in her white hoodie and black sweatpants. "Ah, fall...Couples in love all over the place." Selina said it in boredom tone. Selina looked in the pond to imagine a reflection of Guardian Earth. "Guardian Earth, are you our enemy or an ally?"
"At any rate, he's after the Moonstone. So we must treat him as an enemy." Said Luna as she was sitting on one of the park benches and enjoying the scenery.
"If you say so." Selina walked to the bench and sat beside Luna with a sigh. "Weird, we still don't know his true identity, and he's always seems to be there wherever there's a enemy! Why do I have to go through this?" Selina put Luna in a awkward position in the subject.
"Selina! Hey, Luna! Sorry to keep you guys waiting!" Called out Ellie as she runs to them with a rush.
"Ellie, what is it that you wanted to show me?" Selina got up with delight forgetting everything that she was talking about with Luna.
"Wait until you get there. Let's go. Coming Luna?"
"No, I rather sit here to relax and enjoy this beautiful." Luna made herself even more comfortable on the bench.
"Okay, your choice. Ellie, let's get something to eat afterward." Selina with a careless speed grabbed her giant tote and without realizing, her Silver Moon buckle flew out of her bag. Luna saw it fly out with panic and jump for it's dear life before it goes in the abyss of the city's pond.
"How could she treat her own buckle like this?" Luna sighed with disappointment.
On a display window of a art gallery, a poster advertising an exhibit by Danielle Bertrand. The exhibit was full of visitors seeing paintings of princes and princesses, gods and goddesses. "Oh, how pretty!" Selina was amazed by the works.
"Yeah, Danielle Bertrand's paintings are really popular right now." Ellie mentioned.
"But this place is full of couples." Selina noticed as she looked around.
"That's because Danielle's paintings are the illustrations of love." Manny popped out of nowhere and scared Selina shitless.
"Manny!" exclaimed Selina.
"Yes. That's me!" He responded.
"It's true. If you have one of her pictures your love dream is suppose to come true." Added Ellie.
"Are you serious?! Give me a break." Selina does not want to hear anymore nonsense.
"See this one? This is a self-portrait of Danielle." Pointed out Manny.
"Oh, she's beautiful." Selina examine the painting of a young elegant woman with long blonde hair. "Just the sort of person to draw an illustration of love."
"But she never appears in public. She's a secretive beauty." Manny mumbles about.
"Well, maybe she has a really ugly face." Selina said it freely. Ellie laughed at the comment.
"No way, Selina." Said Ellie as Selina laughed along. In the gallery, a woman with dark long braided hair with glasses, wearing a long lose knitted sweater checking out the visitors, every single one of them.
"It's no use. I can't find the right image." Said the woman. As she passes by Selina and her friends she over heard their conversation.
"But Danielle hasn't drawn any new ones lately." Said Ellie.
"It's rumored that she's gone into hiding because of a slump." Manny added.
"I'm right here." the woman whispered.
"A slump?" Selina asked.
"It's possible." Said Ellie. The woman felt embarrassed. As the trio walked on to the next set of paintings. Selina stopped unconsciously when she saw a particular painting. "What is it, Selina?" Ellie asked.
"Oh...This painting..." Selina was without words. The painting was of a woman in white hair tied into a ponytail and wearing a white toga style dress with a man in green colour royal attire with the setting of a forest of silver-white trees. "It seems so familiar..." Walking by outside of the gallery, Eddie saw the advertising poster about the exhibit and went into a surprise shock.
"This..." Eddie remembered his dreams. "It's very close to the dream I always have." Before he can do anything, the entrance door opened, a couple came out and was all over each other. "Let's go this way." "Hey, don't rush..." Said the couple. Then the woman with the long sweater came out following the couple, but Eddie backed up and pushed the woman down without seeing her. "Oh, excuse me." He apologized. The woman went searching for her knocked out glasses all over the side walk.
"My glasses..." Eddie helped her by picking up her sketchbook and glasses.
"Are you alright?" He asked. When she put on her glasses and looked up to him.
"I've found you!" She yelled out, Eddie was at a lost. Back inside the gallery, the trio continue to look at the paintings, Ellie looked out the window and saw Eddie with someone.
"Hey, isn't that Wilbur's friend?" Ellie pointed at the window. Selina looked where she was pointing and reacted.
"Eddie!" Exclaimed Selina. I can't let them show how I feel about him. "Talking with a woman other than Marcy. I can't let it go...Sorry Ellie, gotta run!" Selina ran out of the gallery.
"Selina!" Ellie called out. Selina turned around and looked at the two.
"Manny, take care of Ellie. Also, buy a souvenir for me, okay?" Said Selina as she left.
"Sure, leave it to me." Said Manny as he waved back.
"Honestly Selina..." Ellie crossed her arms.
"Suddenly I'm alone with Ellie. Strange, I used to be depressed when Selina left me behind. I must be fickle." Said Manny.
"Manny, do you have a fever or something?" Ellie asked with a suspicious look on her face. Outside of the gallery, the woman was pulling onto Eddie's sleeve.
"Uh..." The lady has no words.
"What is it? If you have something to say, say it." He said.
"Well...can you model?" She asked shyly.
"I SAW YOU! I saw you! I'm telling Marcy!" Selina made it obvious.
"Don't get it wrong, Selina!"
"Get what wrong? She's hanging on to your arm." The woman saw Selina and grab onto her arm. "What?"
"You fit the image, too! What a lucky day. Please, can you two model for me?" she asked shyly.
"Model?!" All three ended up at the woman's house.
"Please, please come in." She invited them in. As soon as Eddie and Selina got inside, Selina saw a head to toe size window and went up to it.
"Wow! What a pretty garden." Selina commented.
"Please sit down, Eddie." The woman insist, Eddie did just that by sitting on her couch. "I'll get you some coffee." She offered and ran to the kitchen. Eddie was keeping himself distant from Selina.
"Really, you dragged me down here but I don't have all day." Eddie mentioned. Selina went up behind him and poked him on the shoulders.
"How come? Don't college students play around all the time?" Selina joked about. She turned and saw a collection of canvases standing upright against the wall. "But these look like Danielle Bertrand's paintings." Then a sound of broken glass came from the kitchen, Selina turned to see the woman. "Wait a minute! Are you Danielle Bertrand?" Selina asked. The woman stood quiet.
"I look wrong for the image of drawing these pictures, don't I? So I made up a beautiful self-portrait. Please don't tell anybody that I'm Danielle." She responded quietly.
"Anybody? Then nobody knows the real you? Not even your friends?" Selina asked.
"Well, I don't really have any close friends. But that's okay. I'm happy as long as I can draw good pictures."Danielle kept talking as she prepares the coffee. Danielle came out of the kitchen with a tray that's full of coffee, milk and sugar. She walked up to Eddie. "Here you go. Help yourself while they're hot." Eddie help himself. Danielle placed a frilly cushion beside Eddie. "Selina, please sit here." Selina felt uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"What? Am I sitting side by side with this guy?" Selina complained.
"Don't worry." Eddie put his coffee down. "I don't want to model for strange drawings like this." He got up but was stopped by Danielle.
"Please, sit down. I can't get any inspiration without a model. I couldn't find the right people lately. I only need you for today. Please?" She begged. Eddie give in.
"Oh, alright." Eddie sat back down and Selina beside him.
"This kind of scene..." If Marcy hears about this, she'll beat me up. Selina turned to Eddie seeing his profile. But he is rather handsome. "Oh, what am I thinking? I can't show that I know he is the man from the party." Selina hit her head for reassurance.
"What ARE you doing?" He asked.
"None of your business." Selina said it without looking at him but blushed. Eddie smiled when he saw her profile. Danielle sat down on a chair in front of the two with her sketchbook and charcoal set.
"As I thought, it's a very good feeling; I have a feeling that this will be my masterpiece." She said it with confidence.
Somewhere in downtown, Luna was running around with the Silver Moon belt buckle looking for Selina. "Oh, where did Selina get off to? Honestly!" Luna continue to search.
Back at the house, Danielle manage to sketch out a romantic scene of a handsome prince like man holding hands and looking into the eyes of a woman in a white gown. Selina got up to see what Danielle have done so far. "This is me? Wow! Who would have thought I would look like that." She commented.
"Sit still. Though the coffee is good, I won't comeback here again." Eddie added as he sips his coffee. Selina gave him a dirty look. Selina walked around the house and looked through the collection of canvases that's been stack on to each other.
"That's so pretty. How can you draw wonderful pictures like this?" Selina asked.
"Whenever I draw pictures, I pray in my heart: May anyone who sees this be happy. May she encounter a wonderful man." She explained truthfully.
"That's why they called them illustrations of love. You're a dreamer, Danielle. But to be alone in exchange..."
"I can't help that. Danielle should be a pretty lady. If people find out that it's me, it'll shatter their dreams."
"No, it wouldn't." Selina decline. Eddie put down his cup.
"If you can't be happy yourself, you can't make others happy." He said with a serious face. Danielle stop sketching and took a hit of what he said.
"Really, that's cold, buddy." Selina said back, her eyes were caught by a painting that she need to see. "Oh, this painting is nice." she picked it up and gazed over it. A woman giving a pocket watch to her love under the moonlight. Selina showed it to Eddie. "Look, she can create a scene this beautiful, how can you be mean to her?" Selina trying to make her point. Eddie turned to see the painting and got up in shock with a gasp. "What is it? Something in your pants?"
"A scene where the girl gives a token of her love as a present to the man. But somehow I feel bittersweet whenever I paint this couple." Said Danielle.
"I know what you mean. Something very sweet, but also piercing to the heart." Selina said it depressingly.
"A token of her love?" Eddie repeated.
At a high rise building, on the roof, Admete has a good view of the city from where she's standing. "Danielle Bertrand...I will return you to the form of a Spirit soon." She laughed about.