CHAPTER 17

Amy was perusing the bookstore for a new science textbook she needed to buy for school. She had set her alarm an hour and a half early so that she would have plenty of time to search for it and still arrive in time for school. She very quickly found the book she needed, paid for it and was just exiting the door when a thin girl with glasses and short dark hair went running past. Her name was Lorei and she was puffing and panting, muttering to herself, "Oh dear. I must not be late for my class with Mr. Masterson. I hope the new work I've done is a significant improvement upon my previous efforts."
But she was in such a hurry she didn't realize that one of her folders under her arm had slipped out of her grasp and fell on the sidewalk. Amy saw this and tried to get her attention. "Wait. You dropped something." But Lorei was so far ahead and so worried about her class that she never heard her. As she disappeared Amy bent down to pick up the folder to see if her name was on it. "Wow. She attends the animation school. I'll have to return it there after school is over this afternoon."

Meanwhile Nephlite was consulting the stars for another victim. "Find me a person with untapped energy resources who will feed the Negaforce." As he closed his eyes and concentrated an image of the young animation student Lorei appeared. "Ah yes. This person is desperately concentrating on achieving her dreams and aspirations. We will harness her energy next."
He turned to face his soldiers and called for the Gemini Twins to come forward. "Castor. Pollux. You have both responded very well to the special training I have given you. Castor you have mastered Mars combat technique and you Pollux show superb skills in Mercury combat. With your tails thus looped together the powers I have bestowed upon you will be channeled ten times stronger than those two Scouts own power. Thus you will be invincible before them and their annoying friend Sailor Moon will fall before your attack as well."
Castor and Pollux bowed before their General. "It is our pleasure to serve you and our great Queen Beryl Commander. We will triumph and wipe out the three Sailor Scouts and ensure the victory for the Negaforce." Pollux proclaimed proudly then Castor added her piece.
"We are invincible and there's no way we will fail Commander. So therefore we will not be needing our wristband devices. We hereby pull them off and lay them at your feet as a token of our success."
"I concur Commander."
With that the Gemini Twins removed the devices Nephlite had originally issued them with containing the impregnable force shields and emergency transporters and threw them down before him crying, "Hail General Nephlite!" All the other soldiers echoed the cheer and saluted their Commander. Nephlite felt so elated by this gesture. He thanked Castor and Pollux picking up and pocketing their devices. Then he reminded them how important it was to stay attached together by their tails and had them climb into the machine that converted their bodies into the mist he rubbed into his hands to infect his selected victim with. "Now I'm going to track down this young woman. The Gemini Warriors will bring us all honour in the sight of Queen Beryl my friends. We will be rewarded and we will owe it to them. Hail Castor and Pollux." He raised his right fist into the air and his soldiers all did likewise.
"Hail Castor and Pollux." They all cheered grandly. They were anticipating the taste of the sweet fruits of victory.

Later as Amy was on her way home from school she took a detour to return Lorei's lost folder to her. Suddenly a car drove by her heading in the same direction. Amy caught a good look at the driver and thought to herself, "That man looks familiar." Then she gasped as she realized who it was. "That was Nephlite."
Amy had met him on one occasion under his alias of Maxfield Stanton at the Doll Exhibition when Mika Cassidy was under the control of Jumo and shortly after that Serena had told her, Raye and Luna that Mr. Stanton was really an agent of the Negaverse by the name of Nephlite when he revealed his true identity to her during his trap set up at the shopping mall. "I wonder where he's going to?" Amy mused as she continued walking.

Little did she realize that he was on his way to the same place as her. Nephlite had traced Lorei to the school of animation and had found out through the intercession of the stars that she would be working alone at the school while nobody else was around except for her best friend Cassie and she would currently be out buying them some takeaway dinner. It was the perfect opportunity to confront her.

At the moment Lorei was hunched over working hard at her desk drawing a frame for Mr. Masterson's proposed new animated movie about the super-heroine Sailor V. But her mind was upset thinking about the folder of other work she had lost that day and her concentration was flawed. "Oh no. What have I done? I finally get her hair looking just right and then I make a grotesquely smudged job on her stupid uniform. I'll never pass at this rate. I wonder how far Cassie has come?"
She stood up and turned towards Cassie's desk. Picking up her friends' folder she took a little glance at it. "I don't believe it. She's way ahead of me. If I don't catch up tonight Mr. Masterson will flunk me for sure. Cassie'll get to see her name among the animation credits at the movies and I won't." She set the folder down where it had been lying and sat down at her desk again. "There's only one thing to be done." So saying she pulled open the bottom side drawer and took out a pencil box with a pink bow around it. "I hate to do this but this is an emergency."
Years ago when they were high school students Lorei and Cassie had shared a common dream about becoming animators one day. They had pooled their money to buy some very nice pencils for each other in boxes with slip on ribbons tied around them. They had made a pact with each other that they would only use their pencils for special projects to bring them good luck in animation school and that neither one would ever use them without the others' permission. Lorei remembered this well as she stared at the box. "Well I'm sure Cassie will understand. She wouldn't want me to fail." She slipped off the ribbon and opened the box revealing only one tiny stump of a pencil left. She sighed. "Still I've almost used up all my pencils since we first enrolled in animation school to boost my self confidence and I never told Cassie I was doing it. I feel so guilty about breaking my promise. Cassie will be very angry when she finds out. Oh well. I can't worry about that now. After this Sailor V movie's finished I'll have to face the music then." She took the stump and prepared to draw.

Suddenly she sensed somebody's presence and looking up she saw Nephlite standing next to her. "Oh you startled me."
Nephlite smiled. "I'm sorry. The door was open so I just let myself in. I've heard that you're one of the school's top animators. But don't tell me this is all you have to work with?" So saying he reached down and snatched up the pencil stump.
"No please. I need that pencil," Lorei began to plead but as Nephlite held her prized stump in his fingertips a sudden change came over her. She grew silent and her stare became vacant. He pulled her hand out toward him and he placed the stump inside it wrapping her fingers around it.
"Keep working hard with what you have." He said to her and as he turned to leave she sat down with a stern cold look in her eyes.

But outside Nephlite discovered Sailor Mercury standing on top of his car. As soon as Amy was arriving she had recognized his vehicle and she had transformed and jumped up onto it ready to confront him when he came out. "Nephlite. What are you doing here?" She demanded accusingly.
Nephlite narrowed his eyes and said, "It's none of your blinking business." Then he took Sailor Mercury completely by surprise leaping through the air with a great bound and landing next to his car startling her so she lost her balance and tumbled off. She only just managed to land with graceful dignity bracing herself upright on one knee. But Nephlite was climbing into his car.
Before he closed the door he said mockingly, "I don't know which one is more pathetic. You or that wimpy Sailor Moon."
As he drove off Sailor Mercury called out, "We'll find out what your latest plan is and fix it real good."

Getting to her feet she ran off into a corner alleyway where she had left the folder just as Lorei's friend Cassie arrived with the takeaway meals. She smiled as she approached Lorei's desk carrying a paper bag. "Hey Lorei. I bought you your favourite dinner."
But Lorei turned to her with a cold stare. "I'm not hungry."
Before Cassie could reply to her remark Sailor Mercury appeared in the doorway back in her everyday form of Amy. She was holding the folder in front of her and she called out, "Excuse me." Getting Cassie's attention she went on. "I found this dropped upon the street."
"Oh thank you." Cassie was delighted to hear this good news for her friend. "Look Lorei. She found the folder you lost on the way to class today. Isn't that wonderful?"
But Lorei didn't say anything, let alone thank you. She just stood up and silently walked through a door into a private room and shut it. Cassie tried to get her to acknowledge the folder Amy had returned but Lorei just ignored her and disappeared out of sight.
Cassie apologized to Amy. "I'm very sorry. Lorei usually isn't like this. She's been very worried about failing her class."
"I understand." Amy replied cheerfully.
Cassie looked at the door her friend had just closed upon them. "She's also been under a lot of pressure with the work for the new Sailor V movie."
"That's what she's working on?"
"We all are for our examination. I think the stress has driven her into wanting to be alone for the time being."
But Amy knew what was really the problem. She thought to herself grimly, "Nephlite did something to her. I must tell the others."
Cassie took the folder from Amy saying, "Anyway thank you very much for returning this. I'll put it with Lorei's other property. I hope she feels better tomorrow. Goodbye."
Yes. I hope so too. Goodbye." As Amy left she thought to herself, "If anything she'll be even worse tomorrow. We must get on the case to set her free."

The following day was a Saturday so when she got home Amy contacted Raye and Serena to arrange a meeting at the Cherry Hill Temple to talk at 9am. As usual Luna had the almost impossible task of getting Serena out of bed and they were three quarters of an hour late to Raye's annoyance. But Luna called the meeting to order and said, "Let's hear what Amy has to tell us girls."
After Amy's explanations Luna remarked, "We must go straight over and check things out. But Amy. You really shouldn't have challenged Nephlite by yourself. He could have done something really bad to you."
"Yes it was foolish I realize Luna."
Before anybody could say anything else Serena suddenly became agravated. "Wimpy! He called me wimpy? How dare he?"
Luna said, "Well there is a certain ring of truth to it."
But Serena wasn't listening. "The moron. I'll make him eat those words. I'll blast him all the way into the Milky Way as soon as I see his creepy long curly hair." She shook her fists and pouted while Raye rolled her eyes and scoffed.
"Mighty big talk from a girl who cries during pillow fights. You are wimpy Meatball Head."
"Hey." Serena rounded on her. "Don't get smart with me Raye."
Luna jumped in between Serena and Raye raising her voice. "No fighting you two! We have a serious job and you need to work together remember?"
They both looked down at Luna standing at their feet and acknowledged her words.
"Yes Luna."
"Right."
Now that things were quieted down Amy spoke again, "By the way. I forgot to mention that they're doing work at the animation school for a brand new Sailor V movie."
As soon as Serena heard that she became hyper-excited. "Cool. Maybe she'll be there. I'll get her autograph."
"Whose autograph?" Luna asked.
"Sailor V's of course." Serena was prancing madly around while the others all groaned.
"Sailor V is a fictional super-heroine Serena." Raye closed her eyes to control her patience as she spoke. "You must learn to distinguish between reality and fantasy."
Serena was crestfallen and her face fell.
"Anyway," Amy interjected with a smile. "Perhaps some of the animators will be willing to sign their autographs for you Serena."
"After we take care of Nephlite's wicked plan." Luna spoke with authority.
Serena meekly agreed and in truth even Raye was pleased at the thought of getting to meet the animators. She quite loved Sailor V herself.

Meanwhile Nephlite and his soldiers had a visitor. Two of them actually. General Zoicite materialized before them all but she was sitting in a wheelchair. Her feet were heavily bandaged up with only her toes and the back of her heels sticking out. A tall forbidding-looking man with pale white hair gently pushed her towards where General Nephlite was sitting at a table enjoying a drink with his soldiers. They all smirked and raised their glasses in mock homage and they said a few various jeering taunts.
"Welcome General Twinkletoes."
"You have a licence for that vehicle?"
"Let's see you get up and dance the Hot Foot Step."
As they all began laughing Zoicite clenched her fists and ground her teeth, but the man behind her patted her shoulder. "Easy Zoicite. I'll thank you all not to rub it in. My dear Zoicite and I have been sent by Queen Beryl to find out how your new plan is progressing Nephlite."
Nephlite rose and said, "Of course General Malachite. Follow me."
Malachite was the fourth and final general of Queen Beryl's army and he and Zoicite were lovers, just like Jedite and Titus had been. The difference was that Titus had been only a common soldier who was in love with General Jedite, whereas Zoicite and Malachite were both generals themselves. Malachite rubbed his sweetheart under her chin and Zoicite fondled his hand in return affectionately before they followed behind Nephlite and the soldiers all took up the rear. Nephlite led them all into the room he used to consult the stars and explained, "Castor and Pollux are on a mission for me. I will use the power of the stars to highlight their alignment with the Gemini sector and you can note their progress with me."
The Gemini sign appeared in the air above them and all eyes were attached to it.

In the further meanwhile Luna and the girls had gone to visit the studios of the animation school that afternoon at 2pm. Amy had given them a phone call and asked if she could speak to Lorei or Cassie please. Cassie had taken the phone. Earlier that morning everybody had noticed a very big change come over Lorei. Lorei had placed a stack of folders on the top shelf and Cassie had asked her, "Wow Lorei. Have you done all those drawings already today?"
Lorei had answered her, "Yeah. But that's only half. Mr. Masterson has the rest." However she did not say this reply to her friend's question in her usual cheery friendly manner. She spoke in a stern cold voice and her eyes were cold hard set behind her glasses. Then she went to the room where she was working and before entering she said, "Now Cassie. I don't want anybody disturbing me. Including you. Understand?" And without even waiting for Cassie to say anything she shut herself out of sight.
While Cassie was worrying about her friends' strange behaviour the phone had then rang and one of the other animators had said, "It's somebody for you Cassie."
"Hello." Cassie spoke into the receiver.
"Hello Cassie. It's Amy. I returned Lorei's lost folder yesterday."
"Oh yeah. I remember. What can I do for you Amy."
"I was wondering if it would be okay for me to bring a couple of my friends to visit your school, meet the students and see some of the artwork for the Sailor V movie after lunch today?"
"Oh sure. That'll be all right. What time will you be here?"
"At two o'clock. See you then Cassie."
"Right Amy. I'll let everybody know you're coming."
And they hung up. But inside her private quarters Lorei was building up her energy level drawing with the stump of pencil that seemed to be mysteriously growing longer so she didn't run out of lead to draw with.

So Lorei was still isolated in that room when Amy and her friends arrived. Even though Luna had stressed the point that they were first of all there to investigate, Serena and Raye were a little carried away and they both forgot about the Negaverse in the excitement of meeting the animation students and asking them to draw Sailor V for them. As each person drew a picture and signed it for them they became more and more thrilled and became a bit rowdy with their exclamations. "Hooray. Sailor V. Totally cool."
Since there was nothing for it but to leave them be for the moment Luna sat on Amy's lap while she talked to Cassie. "Hey Cassie. Where's your friend Lorei?"
"Oh she's been working by herself all day in the side room." Cassie answered.
Amy casually asked her next question. "And has she gotten over her stress and worry from yesterday?"
Cassie hesitated before replying, "She does seem to be more confident. But still she's changed."
Amy raised her eyebrows. "Changed?"
"She's become rather grouchy, mean and competitive towards the other students."
Just then Lorei emerged from her quarters and walked up behind Serena and Raye while they were complementing another student on the picture she had just drawn for them. "SHUT UP!" She roared making them jump with fright. "This is a workplace and we don't need silly girls like you giggling and shrieking like a pair of monkeys. So you just keep quiet or get out of here."
Cassie got to her feet and rebuked her friend. "Lorei. That's very rude of you. These girls are Sailor V fans and they asked if they could come and meet all of us and see how we do our animation drawings."
"Well I can't concentrate on my work with all the noise they're making. They sound like squealing pigs."
Serena and Raye blushed bright red at this stinging remark and Cassie snapped, "What's come over you Lorei? You always used to be such a nice person."
While she was saying this the phone rang. One of the students answered it and said, "Pardon me Lorei. Mr. Masterson wants to talk to you."
Lorei snapped at Cassie while she took the phone, "Maybe you're just jealous."

Then putting the receiver to her ear she spoke, "Yes Mr. Masterson. Is anything wrong?"
Mr. Masterson was perusing Lorei's work and beamingly responded on the other end of the line, "Absolutely nothing is wrong Lorei. Your work is excellent. First-rate. It's precisely what I was looking for. When we make the sequel you will be my lead artist."
Lorei smiled and said, "There won't be any sequel."
Mr. Masterson thought she was being modest. "Of course there will be."
But Lorei became adamant. "No there won't. Sailor V will be defeated. The forces of evil will triumph."
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Then we'll make a brand new movie about the glories of the dark powers ruling the world."
Mr. Masterson was getting cross. "Make movies where the bad guys win? Have you gone out of your mind? Lorei if you don't play things my way I'll fire you. I'm the boss remember?"
He started to say more but Lorei cut him off. "You're not the boss. The forces of evil will make you bow down to them like everyone else. You pathetic man."
Before he could retort she hung up on him. All eyes were on Lorei. Some were covering their mouths with their hands while others were just letting them hang down as if they could hit the floor with their bottom jaws.
Cassie was very upset. "Lorei. Mr. Masterson will kick you out unless you come to your senses and apologize to him."
"But Cassie. Evil is bound to triumph. I just want to be on the winning side."
"Lorei. You're throwing away all our dreams we shared since we were in high school together. We wanted to get into animation together. I mean it. You will get kicked out. Do you want that to happen? Because Mr. Masterson will do that to you if you don't stop this."
For one brief moment something flashed in Lorei's eyes. She seemed to realize the truth of what her friend was saying. But then as quickly as it had disappeared the cold evil look in Lorei's eyes came back. "Of course you're right Cassie. So I quit."
Cassie gasped as Lorei continued, "I'll form my own studios and work in peace all by myself. Goodbye all you losers."

With that she exited the building while Cassie called out despairingly after her. Everybody rose out of their seats but Cassie restrained them. "No. Let me go and talk to her alone." So saying she chased out after her.
Raye whispered to Serena, "Luna and Amy were right. This is the work of the Negaverse."
Serena nodded her agreement. Then she spoke up, "I guess maybe we should go now girls. This is such an awkward situation. But thank you for letting us come and meet all of you and for all the pictures you drew and signed for us."
With that they gathered up their autographed drawings in a carry bag and the animation students wished them all a hearty farewell and said they would love them to come again sometime when hopefully things would be calmer.
Luna and the girls left to try to follow Lorei and Cassie.

Outside Lorei heard Cassie calling her name. She turned and glared as Cassie exited the school. "Lorei. Wait. Please talk to me."
As Serena and her friends emerged they were just in time to see Cassie trying to appeal to her friend on the sidewalk across the street. "Lorei. What's the matter?"
"Nothing. I just can't stand you anymore."
"Why. What have I done?"
Cassie was close to tears now. But Lorei raised her pencil and screamed, "I'm sick and tired of your work always being compared to mine. I've always been second best to you with Mr. Masterson. That's why I hate you Cassie."
Cassie gasped. "That's one of the special pencils." But before she could say anymore a blast of lightning erupted from the tip and struck her in the chest and she keeled over unconscious. Then before the startled eyes of Serena, Raye, Amy and Luna, Lorei appeared to levitate upwards to land on the top of a nearby tall building. Amy quickly ran across to check on Cassie.
"She's okay. Just out cold."
Assured that Cassie was going to be fine Luna said, "I think you three had better transform and get up on that roof." She indicated with her paw the outside fire escape conveniently nearby.
They all nodded and transformed.
"Mercury Power."
"Mars Power."
"Moon Prism Power."
They all raced up the stairs as fast as they could manage with Luna behind them.

When they reached the roof they saw that Lorei had collapsed out cold herself and the Gemini Twins had emerged from the pencil. "Her energy belongs to the Negaforce."
"Hail our great Queen Beryl."
They heard Castor and Pollux say these things and they stepped forward and declared their challenge.
"We are the Sailor Scouts. Sworn enemies of the Negaverse."
"We will triumph and uphold justice."
"You two creeps won't get away with polluting Lorei's wonderful talent."
Back at Nephlite's headquarters Zoicite and Malachite both consented that the three Scouts had fallen for Nephlite's trap.
"But what happens now?" Zoicite asked.
Nephlite and his soldiers all had big smirks on their faces. Nephlite himself answered with a chuckle. "They're about to get a taste of their own medicine. I have specially trained Castor and Pollux for this fight. They'll kill those meddling Scouts with the sting of their own weapons."
"It does sound like fun," admitted Malachite.

Back to the rooftop Castor and Pollux taunted their adversaries. "Your routine is getting to be old hat girls."
"Yeah. It's just too predictable."
"So what do you have?" Sailor Moon retorted sneeringly.
"Let us show you," said Pollux. And their two tails began to glow brightly where they were connected.
With a unified shout of "Gemini Power!" the twins prepared to attack. This was the last thing the Scouts could have possibly been expecting.
Standing back to back Castor shouted, "Mars Fire Ignite." The girls all dodged screaming as a burst of fire ten times hotter than even Sailor Mars herself could produce whooshed past them. They could feel the intense heat raise sweat on their bodies as it barely missed.
Then spinning around so that Pollux was now in front she shouted, "Mercury Bubbles Blast." They dodged desperately again as the intense cold shot out. They could sense that if it had hit them they would be frozen solid encased in deadly ice.
They were confused and to be honest very scared.
Castor said, "I'll burn them to ashes."
But Pollux stopped her. "Wait. You're not getting all the glory in the sight of our Commander."
They began to argue. "But I should kill them with my fire."
"No. I ought to do them in with my freezing bubbles."
"But my fire is the best attack."
"What? My bubbles is far better than your fire. It's cool. Haha! I made a pun."
"Don't be funny with me. Why are you such a pain in the neck?"
"You're just being stubborn."
And they were so angry that they undid the special knot in their tails and let them snap to the ground.

Luna said, "Quick. Attack together while they're fighting."
They needed no second bidding.
"MARS FIRE IGNITE!"
"MERCURY BUBBLES BLAST!"
"MOON TIARA MAGIC!"
Castor and Pollux gave a start in absolute terror as they realized the Scouts were combining their powers to destroy them. As the tiara coated with fire and bubbles spun towards them they screamed together, "What have we done?"
Of course they had boasted so surely about their success before that they had left their emergency escape devices back at Headquarters.
They desperately tried to re-attach their tails.
"Quick. How does the special knot go?" Castor yelled.
"Oh what fools we were to bicker and fight instead of work together." Pollux moaned as they were hit while fumbling with their tails.
As they faded away Sailor Moon and the others cheered. All the energy would go straight back to Lorei and she wouldn't need hospital treatment to recover.

Nephlite and his other soldiers watched in horror as the Gemini sign suddenly broke into small pieces of dust before their eyes. Nephlite spluttered. "What? It's just not possible."
Zoicite sitting in her wheelchair began to laugh. "Well this time it must be your turn to face torture Nephlite. Hahaha."
Malachite smirked. "I advise you to come quietly with us and get it over with."
As he faced the inevitable Nephlite muttered, "I can't believe this. There was no way the Twins could have been killed. They were invincible."
Although nobody was aware of it Castor and Pollux were still alive. Sort of. When they had tried so hard to connect their tails again they had just mustered enough of their power to survive. But they were reduced to a living ghost form. They no longer had their bodies but they were to all purposes in their own limbo dimension invisible to all other eyes. They returned to headquarters and followed their Commander to Queen Beryl's throne. But there was nothing they could do to alert even their queen herself to their presence. They were helpless.

As for their Commander, Queen Beryl finally lost all patience with him. "Nephlite. You have failed me very badly this time. No new energy and two valued soldiers killed. I'm handing you over to the Doom and Gloom Girls. They can give you a stretching on the rack."
Nephlite bowed his head and controlled his emotions accepting the torture due him. Queen Beryl instructed her torturers to stretch him out but not to the point where he had very serious injury resulting. "I still want him to command my forces for the time being. He must be able to keep up his work afterwards."
The Doom and Gloom Girls understood and while Nephlite screamed in his pain and discomfort on the terrible rack Zoicite, Malachite and Beryl all enjoyed listening to the sound. Nephlite's four remaining soldiers quietly sympathized with him however. But they did not dare say anything. Beryl would have tormented them too.

The Sailor Scouts had helped to carefully carry Lorei's limp form down from the roof of the building using the inside elevator. Then they gathered up Cassie and took them back to the animation school. They both began to regain consciousness just as they picked up Cassie so they were able to walk while the Scouts supported them. "It's going to be all right now." Sailor Mercury assured them. They were both slowly getting their strength back and they walked with shaky legs through the door as the Scouts assisted them.
"Hey. The three Sailor Scouts have arrived with Cassie and Lorei," somebody exclaimed in awe. All eyes turned towards them, including Mr. Masterson who had come out of his office to give Lorei a stern talking to.
Sailor Mars gave directions to make way. "Let us through. Both these young women have been attacked by evil influence. Especially Lorei. That's why she was so rude and mean towards all of you. Let us sit them on chairs together."
Mr. Masterson was shocked to realize that the evil forces abound in the city had been targeting his animation school. But he concurred with what Sailor Mars said. "Quickly. Grab two chairs for Cassie and Lorei and make them comfortable."
Two students responded to what he said and pushed the chairs over. The Scouts carefully seated them and Mr. Masterson made sure they had glasses of water to sip at.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Masterson." Lorei apologized but he smiled.
"There's no need to be sorry Lorei. I understand it wasn't really you saying those things to me. And Cassie and the rest will also understand. We must all say thank you to our real life super-heroines here for restoring you back to normal."
Everybody cheered and clapped their hands. "Yay for the Sailor Scouts."

But just then Cassie raised her voice. "I'm deeply indebted to Sailor Moon and her two friends as well. But Lorei. I have one question for you. About our special pencils? Can you show me your case please?"
Lorei gulped. "I-I can't. They're all g-g-gone."
Cassie pulled out her case and opened it. "Yeah. I've just about used up all of mine too."
Before Lorei's surprised eyes she saw two small stumps were all that remained inside Cassie's case.
"I was just too embarrassed to tell you and I felt guilty for breaking our promise. I thought you would be so angry you'd no longer be my friend."
"But why'd you use them?" Lorei asked in astonishment.
Cassie blushed. "Because I used to think your drawings were so much better than mine and I became worried that I might fail to meet the grade. Then we wouldn't see both our names in the credits at an animated movie like we wanted so badly. I thought I'd better use my pencils to draw for good luck just this one time. Then another time. And another. Then before I knew it I had used most of them up. I feared what you might say when you eventually found out."
"Oh Cass. Those are the exact same reasons why I used mine without telling you." There were tears in Lorei's eyes as she said this.

Everybody including the Sailor Scouts were deeply mesmerized by this exchange. Cassie had so much guts to tell Lorei this in front of so many other people and Lorei had followed her friends' lead in opening up too.
There were big smiles as Cassie went on to say, "Lorei it was so silly of us to feel that way. I realize now there was also a trace of jealousy involved. Deep down I wanted to prove I was better than you. I'm so very sorry for doing that."
"Cassie I know the feeling. I was exactly the same."
"Then let's put it all behind us Lorei. Competition should be friendly. It's not worth sowing seeds that may jeopardize our friendship is it?" She held out her hand. "Friends forever Lorei?"
Lorei took Cassie's hand as she wiped her eyes with a handkerchief. "Friends forever Cassie." She smiled.
"But promise me that from now on we will talk to each other whenever we have a problem," Cassie added.
"I will and this is a promise that I will definitely keep," said Lorei as they shook hands.
Mr. Masterson grinned from ear to ear as he declared, "This is a very happy day for all of us. And we owe it to Sailors Moon, Mercury and Mars. I think one day we should make an animated movie about them in their honour."
More cheers and applause rose from the students and Luna felt very proud at the thought of a movie dedicated to her protegees.
But Sailor Moon was secretly a little big-headed about the idea. "Me? An animated movie star?" She thought to herself. "It will be my movie of course. Well Mercury and Mars should maybe have a little cameo and perhaps do a little bit of heroic action. But I'm sure they'll focus mostly on me for the first one. After all I was the first Scout to appear."
If later in private she dared to voice her thoughts out loud to the others poor Luna and Sailor Mercury would have another exasperating row to endure.