Title: Look for me at midnight (chapter two)
Author: Henra
Email: HenraM@tuxedomask.com
Rated: G

	Hey, y’all! What’s up? 
	I just realized that I didn’t say the disclaimer in chapter one. So here it 
is: The characters in the story do not belong to me...but guess what? The story 
does. ^^ I’m just using the characters that dear Naoko invented in my fanfic. 
	All right, now that’s cleared, you can read on, and drop me a comment after 
you finished. 
	A note about everything: I do not know a whole lot of information on how the 
people lived back in the “Silver Millennium” age. So if I write something...weird...please 
don’t come after me with flames and such. ^^ Thanks. 

< and > indicates thoughts, okeee? 

Chapter two 

**************

		Serena played with her food. She stared at the plate and glass in front 
of her, thinking about him. She had hoped that he would be the one to serve her family 
during dinner, but it was the old girl again. She noticed the staring of her mother, 
but decided to ignore it. 
		“Serena...you haven’t touched your food. Eat something,” Serenity told her 
gently. 
		“Mother...I...I...can I be excused? I have this--headache,” Serena said. It was 
true...half true, anyway. She did need to clear her thoughts. 
		Serenity seemed surprised. She frowned a little and slowly nodded. “Yeah, 
of course.” 
		Serena managed a small smile at her mother, and then stood up so quickly 
she bumped her hip against the edge of the glass table. She winced, but kept a cool 
face until she finally arrived at the door of her bedroom. She put her hand on it, but 
didn’t open it. Serena sighed. Why was she acting like this? 
		It wasn’t because of the fact that Darien was the very first servant to 
catch Serena’ eye...it was because of the way that he had looked at her at that last 
moment after he told her that at midnight he would tell her something...that look was 
filled with SOMETHING...but Serena didn’t know what. All she did know was, that it 
interested her. And it didn’t hurt that the smile he gave her was so gentle yet 
sad, either.  
            Maybe that was why she was feeling so weird. 
            Serena walked into her bedchamber and switched on the lights. 
She walked to her balcony and stared out to the nighttime sky. The shape of the planet 
Earth could hardly be seen anymore, unlike before. <Definitely has something to do 
with that evil mother was talking about that invaded Earth.> Serena thought, and 
shuddered. 
		“Princess Serena?” A knock was heard. 
		Serena turned around, “Come in.” 
		Bessy came in, her hands holding a glass plate, which some food were on. 
She smiled as she looked at Serena. She lowered her head, extending the plate. 
“Queen Serenity told me to have you eat something.” 
		Serena walked toward Bessy, and motioned for her to set the plate on the 
nightstand beside her bed. 
		“You really need to eat something, princess...what’s bothering you tonight?” 
Concern was shown on Bessy’s face, and Serena didn’t know what to say.
		“I-well...” she looked at the food, and smiled gently, “I can eat NOW, 
right?” she sat on the bed and looked at the delicious food. 
		Bessy nodded eagerly. “I’ll be leaving now. Have a great dinner, princess,” 
she said hesitantly as she slowly turned to the door. 
		“Thank you Bessy,” Serena replied. She munched on some rolls, and stared 
out the window. “Hey...this is good.” She said to herself in delight, as she grabbed 
a fork and started digging into the plates. 
		Serena herself didn’t know what happened, but she had fallen into a deep 
sleep quickly after she finished her dinner. She woke up with a great start, and was 
surprised to see that it was black outside. She quickly walked out to her balcony, 
and a soft night breeze brushed against her face. “Midnight...” Serena whispered, and 
sighed. She began to run toward the door of her bedroom, and stopped near the mirror. 
She pushed some loose strands of her hair out of her face, and finally got out of the 
room. 
		Serena walked carefully and quickly down the long stairs. She avoided any 
servant, and walked out from the backdoor of the palace to the garden. “Okay...where?” 
She murmured to herself, as she slowly walked from one set of flowers to another. 
		Something made a noise behind her. Serena whirled around, eyes wide, her 
heart beating. It wasn’t very safe to be out of the palace at this time, and she 
prepared to defend herself from whatever it was that made the noise. 
		Everything was silent. The only sound that could be heard was the sound 
of Serena’s own heavy breathing. She stood up straight, and allowed herself to walk a 
few more steps. 
		“You’re late.” 
		At the sound of the voice, Serena immediately stopped. She turned around, 
knowing exactly who it was. 
		Darien stood there, looking dark and handsome. 
		For a while, they just stared at each other. Serena studied him up and down. 
She had never actually stare closely at him before. Now, with the dark background, 
and the soft high lamps in the garden as light, Serena knew that this was one handsome 
servant. His eyes were definitely his best feature...a color of midnight, indicating 
secrets. A strong face and a strong body...which weren’t that unusual for male servants. 
Serena smiled as she admired how the simple gray trousers and shirt looked so good 
on him, along with the loosely hanging black belt, and the black boots...his hair was 
messy, but that just added to the whole careless look.
		“No, I’m not. You said midnight,” Serena finally answered.  She took a 
step to him, pushing back a strand of hair. 
		Darien looked up, and Serena thought she heard a small snort. “Look at 
the sky now...all black...it is way pass midnight already.” 
		“It doesn’t really matter, does it? All midnights and ‘pass-midnights’ 
look the same,” Serena replied, making a cool voice.
		Something like a sneer came across his face. Darien shrugged, and started 
to walk. Serena followed him silently behind, not sure what to say. “So...I thought 
you were going to tell me a little something about you, SERVANT.” 
		He stopped so suddenly she almost crashed into him.
		Darien turned around, and Serena stared confusedly up at him. “What?”
		He looked like he wanted to say something, but then hesitated. He stared 
at Serena, and shook his head. “Sorry...never mind.” 
		Serena nodded, and they kept on walking. “So...” 
		He stopped again. He faced her, a strange sadness reflecting in his eyes. 
“I’m not your average servitor, princess...in fact,” he paused, “I’m far from normal.” 
And he sighed. 
		“I think I already know that,” Serena said, her voice persisting him 
to go on. She looked at him. Who was he, anyway? She knew that he wasn’t dangerous, 
but she wasn’t sure that he was friendly, either. “Darien?” she urged.
		He sighed again as he pushed back some hair that fell to his eyes. “Let’s 
just say that I had been through a terrible, totally horrible long corridor...of 
danger. I was...the only one out of my family that escaped the danger...I think.” His 
eyes were now filled with pain, and Serena had to fight back the urge to bury her 
head in his chest and comfort him. Darien looked at her swiftly, as if he just 
noticed her standing there, and then suddenly his whole expression changed. “You 
wouldn’t understand, Serena...a princess like you can never understand.”
		In an instant Serena became annoyed. She narrowed her eyes at him. “What 
do you mean by that?” 
		“I mean,” he ran a hand through his black hair, “you have a perfect family. 
Your mother is by your side, and obviously loves you very much...you have friends you 
can visit often...you, you are--HAPPY.”
		“Aren’t you?” 
		Darien paused. “I was...once.” 
		Serena looked at him, and her expression softened. “What happened to that 
happiness?” she asked simply, her eyes holding his gaze. 
		He looked away, not answering. He picked up a small rock from the path 
and threw it toward the direction of the deep forest. “It basically got destroyed...” he 
finally said, leaning against a tree, eyes downcast. 
		Serena walked to him, and leaned against the other side of the trunk. She 
looked up at the sky, and sighed. “I’m not happy...at least, not as happy as you think 
I am.” 
		“Oh, really?”
		“No one is perfectly happy, Darien...I, for one, may seem happy, but...” 
Serena could feel some tears rising to her eyes as she dug into her memories. 
		Maybe it was the crack in her voice at the last word, maybe it was the 
way her voice suddenly softened...whatever it was, it made Darien walked around the 
trunk and faced her. “What is it?” he asked softly. 
		“I...” Serena looked at him, and smiled bitterly. “I lost my father when 
I was only seven years-old......you know, and I hardly remember him right now.” She 
waited, waited for him to say something hostile, but he was silent. 
		“At least my father’s still alive...I think,” Darien hesitated, then huffed. “I 
hope.” 
		“How’s a father like?” 
		Darien eyed her carefully, thinking how it was strange that she was asking 
this type of question. “He was like any father...only, he was..." he sighed, "my father 
was a powerful man...he sort of took things for granted, like all the money and 
jewelry......” he trailed off, a low gasp escaping his lips. He covered his mouth with 
his left hand as eyes widened in realization. 
		“Money? Jewelry?” Serena frowned, “you...are not as poor as the other servants 
who come here to work, are you?”
		“Compare to those dirty rags, anyone’s rich,” was his reply. 
		“Dirty rags? Don’t forget, Darien, YOU are working as a dirty rag right 
now.” Serena told him, as she walked away. 
		He was silent as he followed her. 
		Serena found a nice spot near some violets and sat down. She picked a 
fully-grown pinkish colored flower and started to peel the pedals off, one by one. She 
let all the pedals drop to one place. “Tell me...how much you need to provide for your 
family?” 
		“Pro-provide?”
		“Yeah,” Serena repeated, concentrating on the pedals, “young servitors 
like you that work here usually have a big family to care for,” she looked up and 
smiled, then looked down again, “like their father died or something...what’s your reason 
for working in the palace at such a young age?” 
		“How do you know I have a reason?” Darien replied, the two corners of his 
lips turned up in an amused smile. He sat down, stretching his right leg, at the same 
time putting his left elbow on his left bended leg. 
		“Well...people just don’t come into the palace to work for no reason...” 
Serena answered, as she peeled off the last pedal of the flower. She cupped all the 
fallen pedals in her two hands, and looked at Darien. 
		“Maybe some do,” he said, holding her gaze steadily. 
		For a moment Serena stared into his eyes...she was sure of it now. She was 
sure that he, this guy sitting in front of her was hiding a very big secret. His 
eyes, although showed a slight hint of peace, were blocked by something. Serena 
suddenly thought that she might never see his eyes purely unguarded. Open 
for all to see, open for everyone to read through. “Darien...” she called out his name 
automatically. 
		“Yes?” His voice suddenly sounded closer. Serena realized that he was now 
facing her, legs crossed in front of him. 
		“Uh...nothing,” she replied, feeling sheepish. She looked down in her hands, 
and stared at the pedals. Serena smiled. She stood up, and held her hands in front 
of her face. Then, with a mischievous smile down at Darien, Serena blew the pedals 
from her hands, so that they flew around with the help of the night breeze. Under 
the high lamp, the pink flower pedals looked like sparkles that were flying off to 
a faraway place. Serena grinned, and then sat down again with a soft sigh.
		“You are very beautiful, you know that, princess?” 
		Serena was startled. She looked at the young man beside her, and said, 
“Thank you...I guess.” 
		“Why do you look so shocked?” Darien asked, tipping his head to one side 
to look at her closely. “Didn’t people tell you that before?” 
		Serena nodded her head. “Yes...it’s just that--I haven’t heard any young man 
say that straight to me. They usually...express it,” She said in a flat voice. 
		Darien knew instantly what she was talking about. “And young men do that? 
A lot?” 
		“Yeah.” 
		“I guess you don’t lead a life as happy as you should be.” He paused, 
staring at her carefully. “What do they do, anyway?” 
		Serena shrugged as her eyes looked down on the ground. “Oh, you know...
grabbing my hand, putting an possessive arm around my waist and squeeze tight, 
nearly making me choke...pin me to the wall...kiss my where my neck is the last place 
I want to be kissed at...” she trailed off, realizing how personal she was getting.
		“You don’t like young men kissing your neck?” He sounded amused. 
		Serena stared at Darien. “Of course not. It feels weird...” 
		Darien chuckled under his breath. He brushed away some bangs that were 
falling down to his eyes. “A princess that doesn’t like attention...THAT'S real weird.”
		“I didn’t say I didn’t like attention,” Serena retorted, “I just don’t 
like...personal attention.” 
		He smiled again. 
		They were silent for a while, each thinking their own thoughts. 
		Serena suddenly felt a yawn coming up her throat. She looked up at the 
sky, and said suddenly, “I think I have to go...and you need to go back to work.” She 
stood up. 
		Darien also stood up, and nodded. “Let’s start our way back into the 
palace.” 
		“You know,” Serena said as they walked, “you told me that you were going 
to tell me something about YOU at midnight, and we had been talking about things that 
were on the completely wrong subject.” 
		“I did tell you something about me...” 
		“You mean that thing about you not being a typical servant? I could 
have guessed that one out without you even telling me. Anyway, tell me something I 
don’t know or can already guess...like, where are you from?” Serena asked, glancing at 
him as they passed by one bush and another. 
		“Some place very near yet very far away...” answered Darien, his voice 
barely audible. 
		Serena was silent. Yes, some place very near yet very far away...she knew 
he was trying to give her an answer without telling any straight ones. “Why won’t you 
tell me about you?” 
		“Wh-what?” Darien was surprised at her sudden outburst of 
straightforwardness. 
		“Come on, Darien...I know you are hiding something...something about yourself 
that you don’t want to tell anyone--and I’m curious to know what it is,” Serena told 
him thoughtfully. 
		“And so I need to tell you everything about me just because you are 
curious? I don’t think so,” he replied, voice becoming cool and hard.
		Serena looked at him through the light the lamp was shining on him. “Sorry, 
Darien...I didn’t know that bringing up your personal life is that big of a deal. I mean,
I know almost every servant in this palace’s story...and I’d like to know yours. But 
if you don’t want to, that’s okay.” 
		Darien’s face visibly softened. “I’m sorry, Serena...I don’t like talking 
about my life.” He stared ahead, eyes reflecting something like pain. 
		Serena nodded and smiled. “I understand...don’t worry.” 
		They reached the big backdoor of the palace, and stopped, facing each 
other. 
		“Thank you for your time, princess, I appreciate it,” Darien told her 
with a soft grin. 
		Serena thought for a moment. Suddenly, she didn't like Darien calling her that, 
for some weird reason, she actually liked it when he called her by her name. “You 
know...I think, I don’t know why, but I think it sounds better when you call me by 
my real name, and not ‘princess.’ So I grant you permission,” she giggled at how formal 
she sounded, “to not call me a princess...WHEN other servants are not around.” She 
could help but giggle again. "That’s a great privilege, you know.” 
		“Thank you, princess...I mean, Serena,” he said smoothly, bowing in pretence.
		Serena looked up at the young man before her, and her heart took a 
sentimental flop at how handsome he looked when he grinned fully like that. She then 
snapped out of it. “We should go inside now. Be very quiet. We do NOT want to wake 
any deep-into-sleep person.” They slowly and quietly stepped inside and were almost 
blinded by the sudden burst of light. 
		“My mother usually sleeps at the bedroom next to the stairs...so do NOT 
make a sound as you climb the stairs,” Serena whispered.
		“Usually? You mean your mother sometimes switch beds?” Darien asked as 
they stepped on the stairs one by one, carefully and slowly. 
		Serena turned to look at him, thinking how odd his question was. “Yeah.” 
		He looked down, as if noticing her confused glance. “It’s just that--I 
just...um, can’t sleep well if I’m not sleeping in my own bed.” 
		Serena held back a small giggle. Then she turned serious. They were now 
on the second floor, and Serena tried her best not to make a noise before she passed 
the first door. Once she was, though, she turned around and waited for Darien. “You 
said that you can’t sleep well if you are not sleeping in your own bed...so does that 
mean you can’t sleep soundly here?” She asked, and her voice sounded caring--much to 
her and Darien’s surprise. 
		Darien didn’t answer for a moment--he was touched at her sudden concern. 
“No...no, it’s okay. I’m not sleeping as good as I’d like me to be, but it’s okay.” 
		“You sure?” 
		“Yeah.” 
		Serena nodded, and smiled. “Hopefully, we both can probably catch some 
nice sleep.” 
		“I sure hope so, because there’s a long day at work tomorrow,” Darien
said, somewhat bitterly. There was a sense of disbelieving in his voice. 
		“So...I guess I’ll see you,” Serena said, almost awkwardly. 
		He nodded, looking down at the floor. Almost immediately though, his eyes 
flickered up to hers again, and his lips stretched into a slow smile. He looked so 
mysterious and...childish like that. 
		Serena almost let out a sigh, but caught herself in time. 
		He moved closer, so they were only several inches from each other. “I 
like talking to you, Serena...” 
		Serena broke into a smile. “Me, too, Darien,” she whispered. Her smile 
slowly faded when she realized that he was coming closer and closer. Serena knew that 
she should probably move away, but she was frozen in her position. She slowly closed 
her eyes, and felt his breath on her forehead, on her nose...she expected a touch on
her lips, but she opened her eyes in full surprise when she felt him kissing her neck 
instead. 
		Her heart was pounding furiously in her chest as she felt the heat and 
pressure on her neck, and she had to clutch Darien’s shirt to keep her poised. This 
was so sweet...so gentle...not at all like all those kisses she experienced before. She 
actually...was enjoying this. A smile spread across Serena’s face as she closed her eyes. 
She felt him go softer and softer, lighter and lighter, and finally, she couldn’t feel 
him anymore. Serena opened her eyes dreamily, and found his twinkling into hers. 
		“Good night, Princess Serena,” Darien said teasingly, as he gave her one 
last smile and walked down the hall. 
		Serena stared after him, willing her heart to stop hammering.



		“So what, you think we should cancel everything?” Queen Serenity’s faint 
voice was heard through the wall as Serena passed by.		
	 	Serena stopped walking suddenly, curious. It wasn’t often that she heard 
her mother using this tone--the tone that sounded hesitant yet determined. She walked 
lightly as possible to her mother’s door, and pressed her left ear on it. She lowered 
her breathing. 
		“...yes, I know. It IS terrible, and I’m really sorry...yes. All right,” Queen 
Serenity paused, “so everything--from seventeen years ago are canceled? I understand...me, 
too. Fine, I’ll see you.” 
		Serena knew that her mother was talking to someone through the 
telecommunication portal, but she couldn’t hear the voice of the other person. Someone 
important, she guessed. She tried to piece together the conversation, but was confused 
by the words she heard. “Seventeen years ago? What happened when I was born? Cancel 
everything...cancel what?” Serena sighed a little bit too loudly with confusion, and 
wasn’t surprised when the door flung open.
		“Serena!” Queen Serenity exclaimed, her eyes round.
		“Mother...I was just passing by...” Serena said, and then stopped. Should 
she ask her mother what she was just talking about? She hesitated. “Who was it that 
you were talking to?”
		“Oh,” Serenity sounded tired, “just the King of Earth.” 
		“King of Earth? Mother, what’s going on? Is it about the prince?”
		Serenity sighed softly, and gazed at her daughter. “Something to do with 
the prince, yes...” 
		“Did they...find him?” 
		“No. And that’s why King Eliston and I were discussing about him,” Serenity 
smiled, “you never met him or the prince before, haven’t you?” Serenity sounded almost 
sympathetic. 
		<For who? For me?> Serena thought uneasily. “No, mother, I never have,” 
she answered.
		Serenity nodded faintly, and put her hand to her forehead. “Serena...have 
you ever thought of a suitor?”
		In a flash Serena’s whole body tensed. Was it just her, or did this 
conversation just suddenly took a wrong turn somewhere? She narrowed her eyes, already 
hating whoever it was that sought her mother, hoping to marry her. She looked down at 
the floor, so her mother wouldn’t see the anger in her eyes...her mother did not need that
right now. “A suitor?” she could only repeat. 
		Serenity walked closer to Serena, and put a hand on her shoulder. “Yes...do 
you even know how many young men in the kingdom have sought me? It’s time you should 
probably think about it...”
		“Mother! Mother, I’m only seventeen,” Serena said in her gentlest voice. 
Unbelievable.  Completely unbelievable...who were these people that came, wanting to 
marry her? And how could her mother not tell her?
		“Seventeen, now, isn’t terribly young anymore. Seriously, my dearest 
daughter, you should be taking a look at your suitors...maybe you’ll find one you like.” 
		It was all Serena could do not to shout, “I don’t want to look at ANY 
suitor! Stop saying these things!” She breathed in deeply, hoping to calm herself. 
“Mother,” she tried quietly, “I don’t want to talk about that right now.” Or ever, she 
added silently. 
		Serenity smiled knowingly and nodded. “Also, Serena,” she walked toward 
the windows, “have you looked at the Earth lately?” 
		Serena frowned, and walked closer to her mother. “No...why, is there something 
wrong?” She took her mother’s followed silence for bad news. She looked out the window, 
but the sun was too bright, and it hurt her eyes. She concentrated on the woman beside 
her instead. 
		“I’ve noticed...that a shadow is crawling around Earth, engulfing more and 
more surface. It’s terrifying, almost...at how fast it’s going. It’s going to eat up 
Earth, and...well, no one knows how to stop it.”
		“How do you know that nothing can stop it, Mother?” Serena asked, a small 
fear washing over her. 
		Serenity turned her eyes on Serena. “We don’t know how to stop it, 
Serena...that’s why--we DON’T know.”
		“Mother,” Serena heard the tremble in her voice, “do you think...that the shadow 
would somehow...come to the Moon?” 
		Queen Serenity was silent, and it panicked Serena. She looked away, and 
murmured, more to herself than to her daughter, “I’m hoping it won’t.” 
		“Well, don’t you know ANY way to stop it?” Serena asked again, her voice 
growing thin with impatience. She didn’t like this; she didn’t like this one bit. If 
there was black, there had to be white to conquer it--if there was darkness, then there 
had to be something to finish that off. 
		“Serena, child...you shouldn’t be worrying about this right now...” Serenity 
smiled gently as she put a hand on Serena’s shoulder.
		Serena nodded and forced a small smile. “I know, Mother...I’m sorry 
about...getting impatient.”
		Serenity planted a soft kiss on top of Serena’s head. “I’ll be the first 
one to tell you when we have a solution to the problem, okay?”
		“Hmm,” replied Serena.



		Serena walked around in her garden, her back to the blazing sun, thinking. 
<IS Raye busy today? Can Mina come to the Moon? Can I go to Mercury? Lita isn’t 
practicing her kicks today, is she?> She sighed. <Today just seems extra boring somehow.>
		“I see you’re strolling carelessly around today...” 
            The voice startled her, almost making her lose her balance on the 
large stone she was standing on. She knew without turning around who the voice belonged to. 
Serena sighed in annoyance. “What do you want now, Simon?” 
		“You know, I was expecting a warmer greeting than that.” Simon Kavinne 
walked closer to Serena, a sly grin tugging at his lips. His eyes flashed dangerously 
at her. 
		Serena looked at the guard that she was supposed to “trust her life with.” 
She hated him...yet, he was the son of her father’s best friend, and her father had told 
Queen Serenity, when Simon’s father died, to have Simon live in the palace as a royal 
guard. Only, the King died soon after that. And during these years, Simon had earned 
the trust of everyone in the palace...except Serena’s. There was something about him that she
never liked. Queen Serenity had always trusted Serena with Simon, though, and had 
specifically told her that whenever something happened, she could always go to him for 
help. Serena had to fight so she wouldn’t let out a snort when she remembered that. 
Now, as he stood before her, she could hardly hold back a twisting sneer on her face. 
“What do you want?” she asked again. 
		“Nothing...just walking around the garden, and saw you here. Thought you’d 
like some company,” he answered, clearly enjoying her displeasure. 
		Serena narrowed her eyes. Since everyone trusted him, Queen Serenity let 
Simon go anywhere...even to Serena’s own garden, much to her dismay. “Well, thanks, but 
I don’t need any company. I’m fine on my own.”
		“You sure, princess? ‘Cause a bad guy might pop up here or there, and you 
know about my fighting skills,” Simon said. He picked a flower and smelled it. 
		Serena smiled, despite herself.
		“Well, I guess I COULD make you smile, huh, Serena?” Simon asked, a 
pleasing grin spreading across his face. He carelessly threw the flower to the floor. 
		In that instant, Serena’s smile was gone. She scowled as she stared at the 
fallen flower. “Yet I can’t always seem to keep that smile for long. You could have 
been nicer, you know...I DID plant that flower.” 
		Simon shrugged, and walked in front of her. He barely glanced at her when 
he said, “It’s just a flower...there’s plenty more.” 
		“Yes, but how do you know the other flowers are as exquisite as this one?” 
Serena asked, catching up with him. She heard her own words as soon as they were out 
of her mouth, and suddenly got this idea that she wasn’t talking about flowers 
anymore. 
		Simon stopped walking. He stood silently with his back to her still, then 
slowly turned around. His dark eyes locked with hers. “I DON’T know.” He looked away 
from her for a second only to look at the fallen flower behind them. “You’re right...that 
one is exquisite...different from all the others.”
		Serena watched as he walked back, picked up the flower, and held it in 
his hands. She was puzzled. 
		“Well,” he suddenly said, breaking the long silence, “I’ve got to go. See 
you around, princess.” He bowed respectfully to her, and Serena nodded her head in 
return. Simon walked away without another glance at her, and she noticed that he was 
still holding the flower. 



		It was night now, and Serena could see the sky darkening as she looked up 
from where she sat under the tree. She leaned back against the trunk and closed her 
eyes, a peaceful smile on her lips. She was almost asleep when she felt something 
freezing washing over her. Her eyes popped open, looking around. She expected to see 
something, or feel something, like the wind...only she couldn’t catch anything at all. 
Serena wondered what it was that she felt so cold over. She stood up, brushing off 
some small leaves that fell into her lap. She knew that she should be in bed by now, 
and so she began walk quickly back to the backdoor of the palace. 
		She knew her way back, even when it was pitch black, and the lamps were 
not on. She always did. It wasn’t unusual that she stayed in her garden for a long time 
without doing anything except to just enjoy what nature brought her. Her mother always 
knew that Serena had especially liked the comfortable silence, and never bothered her 
about it. Why should she, anyway? There wasn’t any harm to it. Well, Serena sighed, 
unless if she missed out on something, like dinner or some sort of great ceremony. 
She picked up speed--she had to go back to her bedroom and act like she had been there 
for a long time before her mother came in and talked to her, as Serena knew she would. 
		As she walked faster, she could feel the breeze coming on stronger on her 
face. She brushed some loose hair back, and almost shuddered in the cold. This was 
weird--she didn’t remember any night that she had felt so cold by a simple breeze. 
Anyway--it probably was nothing...just a sudden change of weather.
		And then......pain.
		Darkness. 
		Sand.
		Dust. 
		Serena screamed when a fierce wind nearly blew her up toward the sky. Then, 
dust came flying all around her--her bare arms, her neck, and her face...she felt like 
everywhere was hurting on her body. Some pieces of sand scratched her face, leaving 
nasty little marks behind; some were even so harsh that her arms were beginning to 
have small traces of blood. Serena bit her bottom lip in order to stop herself from 
crying out again, and waking everybody up in the palace. 
            Suddenly, the pain was too much. She felt her knees fold 
beneath her, and collapsed. Blackness engulfed her, and she felt as if something was 
pressing her down, making it hard to breathe. Heck, it WAS hard to breathe. She tried 
to stand up again, but couldn’t make her hands or feet move. Something was pushing her 
down, hard, making her choke on her own breaths. She tried to fight back, but knew she 
wouldn’t succeed. And she was right...almost immediately she lost all of her energy, 
and gave in, letting the nasty darkness wash over her. 



		He ran. 
		He heard the scream, and in that instant, dropped all things he was holding 
in his arms, and ran. He didn’t know where he was running to...but he got a feeling that 
it was the right direction. 
		Fear was creeping slowly and slowly up his body. It was happening again...and 
so soon, too, not to him, not to his family, but to someone close by. It didn’t matter 
who that victim was, the thing that really mattered was that he get to this person in time. 
		His legs picked up speed. 



		Serena felt someone’s warmth beside her, and unconsciously shifted in her 
place. Then she realized that she could feel her body again. That nothing was pressing 
her down to the ground anymore. She opened her eyes, and could barely make out the 
shape of a person’s face in her blurry vision. “Wha--”
		“Shh...” the person shushed her. He leaned forward and planted a soft kiss 
on her forehead. “You’ll be okay now. Don’t worry about it any longer.” 
		Serena wanted to get a clearer view of his face, but her eyes were getting 
awfully tired again. Her eyelids were gradually dropping, and she could feel the person 
moving away from her. The warmth she had felt when she woke up was slipping away. 
		But that didn’t matter, since she also felt herself slipping...giving in to 
her exhaustion. This time, when she went to sleep, she felt totally, completely relaxed.


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Hmmm...two chapters down, and...many, many more to go. ^^
But still, what do you think? Please email any suggestions to me...
My old site to new website’s moving process...85% done. Haha! 
But visit it (not the new one) at http://fly.to/Moonieround