Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon and its characters. Got it? Good.
Summary: She grew up a star, and now is Serenity Blair's chance to be a falling star. She'll hang out with normal people and live life in an upscale boarding school.
A Normal Teenager
By: Lillian
Chapter One
Serenity Blair shut her eyes, seeing the blanket of red and fuzzy black dots as the sunlight met her eyelids. Her slim body sunk deep into the soft leather couch and relaxed. She allowed her heart to calm down from her trek up the stairs, and cleared her mind from the nagging anxieties that gnawed at her soul throughout the day. Lack of sleep also contributed to her tiredness. She had her best friend to thank for that.
The night before in warm L.A. nearly drove her to the edge. Hours wasted in countless boutiques, all for an outfit that would be worn and discarded after one use. After all, people like them would never be caught dead wearing the same ensemble twice.
Spending time with Raye Hino always made life thrilling; perhaps too much so. The girl was an enigma; mysterious and fiery being the key descriptions for the raven haired beauty. The outfit in question turned out to be a stunning red, silk dress. It was Versace, of course. Raye had nothing but the best for being a supermodel, and who was also daughter to the governor.
Her best friend had a date scheduled with a sweet guy named Chad. He was an aspiring rock star, who simply adored his on again, off again, girlfriend. Thinking of their relationship made her wish she had a special guy she could call her own. She was a hopeless romantic at heart, and simply adored all the talk of her friends and their latest interests. There was also the slight twinge of jealousy. How could there not? With a strict father like hers, she knew she was bound to be an old spinster.
The door squeaked open. Serenity immediately sat up from the brown, imported couch, situated against the bare wall. Her manager stepped through, her curly black hair done up in a stylish, if not messy bun. Her sparkling, dark blue eyes were partially covered by her dark rimmed D&G glasses. Her long legs were swathed in distress washed, Seven jeans, and the rest of her was covered by a buttercup colored, Juicy Couture cami dress. Serenity took note of the dangling, yellow diamond earrings.
"When are you going to return those?" she said, pointing to her agent's ears. "You know Luna, if you really wanted them, you could have just told me. I would've gotten you your own pair for Christmas."
Luna shook her head in amusement, said earrings swaying gently with each head shake. "Aren't you a funny girl," she said; her tone sarcastic. "Now, let's get down to business since I know you have to be somewhere after this." She stopped on her way to her desk to ponder over the wilting plant that stood next to her large window. "I better water that soon," she said, mostly to herself.
Serenity got up from the couch and sat herself onto an equally comfortable chair in front of Luna's massive black desk. The woman had such a small frame, and when seated behind her desk, it appeared the desk would swallow her whole. Serenity couldn't help but giggle at the thought. Luna raised an eyebrow.
"What's so funny?" She now sat down on her own chair with several manila folders stacked neatly on top of her glass, surfaced desk. She looked up for a moment to stare at her, causing Serenity to giggle even more.
"Nothing," she replied quickly. Luna already knew how random she was. No need to bother her with even more useless thoughts. She couldn't help but stare straight ahead out the window. It was such a beautiful day out, despite the view of all the tall, gray buildings marring the skyline.
Luna slid a particular folder towards her. A well manicured finger tapped against the folder. "I want you to read this. Tell me what you think."
Serenity quickly grabbed the thin folder and perused through its contents. She noticed a picture of a large and elegant building, done in the Victorian style. It was of a school, as the sign clearly indicated Academy on the well maintained green lawn. After several minutes of reading, she set the folder and its contents down. "Absolutely not," she said firmly. "I refuse to do this silly stunt."
Luna's exotic face dropped and quickly turned into a frown. "Why is that? I thought you'd be excited about this."
"Do I seem like the academic type to you, Luna? I've never set foot inside a school, and the friends that used to attend school before they had tutors told me it was horrible. The social life would be a plus, I guess… but I'd rather die than take something like calculus with other people to see how horrible I am at it. Seriously, I'm passing on this one. Give it to one of your other girls. I'm sure they'd be thrilled."
"It would be an enriching experience."
Serenity didn't want to sound like a baby in front of her agent, but how else was she to tell the woman that she was afraid? It was true she didn't attend school. Instead, she had tutors come to her home and teach her the basics of what she would have learned in an academic institution. Being in a room full of people her age was… well, to put it lightly, it was frightening. Why would her agent want her to go through that when she had perfectly competent tutors willing to teach her? "I'm sorry Luna, but I can't possibly do that. The very idea is ludicrous. They'll eat me alive in there. Besides, where would I stay? It's far from home, my parents…." she sighed. "I can't do it."
Her agent pushed up her eyeglasses onto the top of her head and rubbed at her eyes. "I hate to do this to you, Serenity, but you have no choice. Your parents have already signed the necessary documents and you'll be transferred there starting in two weeks. You'll only have to stay there for one semester."
Serenity jumped out of her seat and slammed her small fist onto the polished desk. "But you don't understand. I can't possibly go to a school with nobody I know. I'll be an outcast, a loser. I'll have no one to talk to. I don't want to go through that." The door looked tempting. If only she could escape from this meeting… but that would solve nothing.
"You'll make friends."
She still wasn't convinced. She'd been in front of the camera since before she even learned how to talk. Despite that, she was quiet and shy, which people were quick to label her off as being a snob. Even when trying to be friendly to strangers, all they ever saw Serenity Blair, America's teen idol. She wasn't a person to them, just another pretty face all over television and magazines.
"Serenity, you're the sweetest, bubbliest girl I know. You'll make tons of friends. They're crazy if they don't want to be friends with the famous teen idol, Serenity Blair."
She sniffed. "There's the small fact that they won't know I'm Serenity Blair. Seriously Luna, going undercover to some random school just seems so… farfetched and silly. I'm not a spy, for gods sakes! I'm an actress."
Luna changed the subject immediately. "Speaking of acting career, there is a reason why I'm pushing this little side project. It's for you to get a new gig that's supposedly going to be hot. A new TV series if you will, that all the teens in the U.S. and other countries will watch and love."
"And how do you know that if it hasn't even aired yet?" Serenity asked sarcastically.
"I just know these things," she said. "Aren't you going to ask why you're going to school?"
"To learn?" Serenity replied innocently enough.
"Learn what?" Luna urged further.
She shrugged. "Math, English, the works." Serenity propped her feet onto the chair across from her and slumped into her seat. She was beginning to wish she was at dinner right now. Then she could yell at her parents for agreeing to this madness.
"Not quite. You'll be learning how it is typical teenagers live their lives. You'll experience first hand the tribulations of being a nerdy teenager who goes through love, betrayal--"
"Wait, stop right there," Serenity interrupted. "Nerdy? Are you trying to get me killed in there? Besides, I can't act like a nerd. I'm not intelligent enough."
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Are you not an actress? This should be a piece of cake for you."
Her stupid pride had to kick in at that moment. Of course she was an actress, a marvelous one in fact. Why wouldn't she be able to act like a nerd? How hard could it possibly be?
"I'll buy you ice cream," Luna added, a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "A gotta have it sized, birthday cake remix on a waffle cone."
If she had one weakness, it was food. As much as she hated to admit it, she had a secret obsession of food, especially junk food. Her weight trainer, Amara, scorned her eating habits, but still the woman couldn't stop her from eating all sorts of sweet delicacies. Ice cream happened to be on top of the list of no no's. She shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head in defeat.
Luna had the silliest grin on her face. "I'll treat you to ice cream before you leave for your new school."
Serenity nibbled on her bottom lip, anxiety coming back full force. "Just make sure I have my own dorm room," she sighed. "I need my privacy."
"I'll try, but nothing's definite yet. It may be harder since you're showing up in the middle of the school term as it is. Since you're playing the nerd, you'll be placed in all the hard courses. Also, I'm having Trista pick out your new wardrobe tomorrow. If you want, you can accompany her."
"I trust Trista in picking out cute outfits. I would only get in her way if I go. Honestly though, shopping for new clothes is unnecessary. I went shopping for a new wardrobe just four days ago."
Laughing, Luna shook her head. "You expect to wear designer brands while at school? I don't think so, Serenity. Say goodbye to couture and hello to Walmart. You're playing the nerd, not the popular, rich girl. You're to befriend the other teens like you and learn from them on how they act socially. Hell, imitate their study habits even. Your parents would thank me in the end." She sounded smug, annoying Serenity to no end.
A thought suddenly occurred to her. "I don't actually have to do the work, do I?"
Luna's eyes widened before massaging her temples as if she had a headache. "Of course you have to do the work. You're going to be in a school, being a real student, and learning while you're at it."
"This won't work out then. Just ask my tutors; they'd say I'm a C student at best."
Luna just shrugged and pretended to pick imaginary lint off her blouse. "You'll manage somehow." She peered up at the round clock hanging against the white painted wall. "You better rush on home now, Serenity. Your parents have the times and dates for your makeover sessions and everything else relating to this little trip."
They both stood up from their seats. Luna walked around the desk and gave Serenity an affectionate hug. "Don't worry. This will be a wonderful new experience for you. And remember, I'll only be a phone call away. After all, that's what agents are for." She pulled away and gave her a wink. "Oh, and take this with you." She handed over the folder. "Just look it over some more, alright? Seriously Serenity, everything will be fine."
Serenity let out a sigh. "I only hope so." She walked out the door after mumbling a brief goodbye.
She made the quick decision of taking the elevator down instead of having to walk through seven flights of stairs. She met up with her driver who was waiting patiently in the lobby. He immediately got up from his seat and opened the heavy glass door for her. The sleek, Mercedes Benz S-600, was conveniently parked in front of the building. Her driver strode towards the car and opened the back seat for her as well. She nodded her head in thanks and settled inside the leather interior.
A cold bottle of Evian was already waiting for her as she got inside. She unscrewed the light blue cap and took a sip, all the while staring out the tinted window as the buildings passed by her line of sight. She couldn't help but feel the anxiety roll back into the edge of her mind. She hated the additional stress of her job, yet she thrived on it.
Her cell phone went off suddenly, the tune that of Moonlight Densetsu playing softly as Serena cursed. She grabbed her white Prada bag next to her on the black leather seat and searched for the wayward Blackberry. "Aha!" she grabbed the silver handset that was hiding behind her Gucci sunglass case. "Hello?" she answered.
"Hey Sere, it's me," Raye's voice filtered through. "You busy tonight? I'm thinking of a girl's night out. What do you say?"
Serenity smiled. "Besides reading comic books all night, then no, I'm not busy. What do you have planned?"
"I have a photo shoot tomorrow. My agent wants me to build up my portfolio." She imagined Raye rolling her eyes as she said this. "Anyways, I really need a new look. The photographer wants me to inspire him, or some rubbish like that."
"So you just want me to accompany you?" she asked. She wrinkled her forehead. Raye's plan didn't sound fun at all. In fact, it would only be tedious, keeping the fickle girl company.
"It's not like you got anything better to do," she added on.
Serenity sighed. If only her best friend didn't know her so well.
"Besides, you still have to return my comics back to me. It's been a week already, Sere. How long does it take for you to read the captions? Sheesh!"
"Don't be so mean!" she whined. "Another week and I'll return them to you, I promise. And I'm just getting to the good part. I'm so glad you told me about Nana. It's such a cute manga."
"Yeah," she agreed. "Although having your best friend share the same name as you would get annoying, not to mention confusing, after awhile. Anyways, I'll pick you up later then and we'll head over to Michelle's salon."
The car stopped suddenly. Serenity looked out the window to see that they were already parked inside the garage. "I gotta go, Raye. It's dinner time already."
"Fine. I'll pick you up in an hour, kay? Bye, hun!"
"Bye," Serenity said and ended the call. She stuffed the phone back into her purse. Dinner, the only meal she had with her family. Everyone else was usually busy, especially her. Only her younger brother, Sammy, seemed to have a slow paced lifestyle of school, soccer, and video games.
She walked into the inviting, sage green dining room. It was one of the prettiest rooms in the house, with the low hung, golden chandelier imported from France. The moldings enhanced the oil based paintings that hung along the walls, depicting various fruits in a basket and one of The Last Supper. It was the dark, cherry wood table that stood in the center focus, easily seating up to twelve people. She had admired the intricately carved borders along the surface of the table and legs. It was a fine piece of furniture that her parents let her pick out from the Ashley catalogue.
Her mother and father were already seated and had begun eating the small feast that the cook prepared for them. Her younger brother Sammy seemed to be missing from the table. Taking her seat across from her mother, she gave her a questioning look. "Where's Sammy?"
Her mother's round face lit up and a warm blush appeared on her usually pale cheeks. "He's on a date! Can you imagine that? My little boy is already dating," she crooned. She pushed her dark, wavy bangs away from her tearful eyes. "Just yesterday he was learning how to walk. Now he's on his first date." She picked up her napkin from her lap and began patting around her wet eyes. "She's such a sweetheart too, that Mika. They make such a cute pair."
Serenity coughed. "I didn't even know he had a girlfriend." It was sad. At this rate, she was never going to have a boyfriend.
"How'd you're meeting with Luna go?" her mother said swiftly once she got her emotions under control. She set her napkin on top of her black skirt and pulled the yellow fabric of her turtleneck away from her a bit. "Oh, I have a stain," her mother said absentmindedly. She let the blouse go and resumed her eating.
"It went okay I guess, despite the fact that I'm attending school as a geek for a semester."
Her father looked up from his newspaper, the lenses of his large, Chanel eyeglasses glinting from the warm light of the chandelier. "You don't have to go if you don't want to, princess," he said. Serenity opened her mouth to respond, but he quickly cut her off. "But it would do you some good if you do go. It'll build up character."
"Yes, Father," she said glumly. She took a sip of her soup, only to wince at how hot it was. "I'm going out with Raye later, if that's alright." She pushed the soup away and reached for her salad instead. She laced the greens with a lot of blue cheese dressing, her favorite.
Her mother took a sip of red wine and then placed it down. "Whatever for? Didn't the two of you spend time together yesterday to go shopping? Seriously Serenity, it's like you're trying to avoid the family time I set up for all of us. We hardly see you anymore, what with our jobs, and your own career…."
"It's not like that! We're just going to Michelle's salon really quickly to--"
"But you're appointment isn't until Monday," her mother interrupted.
"Not for me, Mother," she explained, "but for Raye. She's getting a haircut, I think."
"Well, if you insist on having your own appointment today, I'll call Michelle up to change your appointment to tonight."
"I didn't insist--"
"Serenity dear, if you're going there tonight, there's no need to go back on your scheduled day. It'll save you the trip there." Her mother glanced at Serenity's long blonde hair. "Just don't have it cut too short. You're hair is just so lovely when it's that length."
"Yes, Mother." She stabbed at a cherry tomato, only to have it fly off her bowl and roll onto the table.
Her father eyed the fallen tomato and shook his head. He immediately went back to reading his newspaper.
She had had enough of family time. "May I be excused?" she asked. She didn't bother to wait for an answer. She got up from her seat and tossed the table napkin onto the table.
"You didn't have any of the roasted herb chicken!" her mother called out after her.
Serenity immediately rushed out of the stifling room and went outside onto the porch. She had grabbed her Prada purse and a pair of strappy Jimmy Choo's heels on her way out. She deftly slipped them on while sitting on the stone steps. She closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the crickets and birds chirping. It was quite calming, which she needed. She knew her parents meant well, but it was times like these she wished she lived on her own. Maybe going to a boarding school was a good idea. At least she'd have her own space.
Serenity then remembered the folder that was inside her purse. She took it out and leafed through the papers. She soon found what she was looking for. On the single sheet of paper were the stats on the fictional person she was to portray.
"Name: Serena Claire." She snorted. It was so similar to her real name. At least her future alias would be easy to get used to. "Hometown: Moon, California. Yeah, wherever that is." She continued to scan the document and grew even more confused further down. "Gray eyes? Brown hair? That so isn't me. Unless they're going to make me wear a wig or something..." Another paper, a doctor's prescription, was found as well. "Glasses!" It was true. In tight, loopy, handwriting, glasses were recommended for a Serena Claire. At the bottom was signed a Dr. Anderson, the family physician. She frowned. The whole thing was a fake.
A beep of a horn brought her back to reality. Raye in her blood red Porsche convertible waved her over frantically. "Come on!" she said. "I don't have a night." Serenity fought off a grin as she entered the car and slammed the door shut.
"Good timing. You're a lifesaver!" she said.
Raye nodded her head, her attention focused on getting out of the long, curvy driveway. "Seatbelt, Sere," she reminded her, before zooming past the opened gates that guarded the Blair estates and off towards the nearest highway.
"So when's the date with Chad?" Serenity asked lightly. "Wasn't that supposed to be tonight?"
Raye's beautiful face contorted into an angry expression. Her violet eyes appeared to glow with an unseen fire. "I wouldn't know. He canceled on me an hour before our date."
"Sorry to hear that, Raye," Serenity said. "So are you going to dump him?" Again, she thought to herself.
"Yes! No one cancels on me the very last minute. Who does he think he is? That man is infuriating." Her fists tightened against the steering wheel.
Serenity daintily coughed into the palm of her hand. "You're going to make us miss our exit if you don't calm down."
Raye made a sharp right turn until they were in the slow lane, and then slowed down a bit. "I don't get it, Sere. Why do men have to be such assholes? I keep thinking he'd change for the better, but then he does something stupid again."
"You just turned seventeen, Raye. We're still young. Don't worry. Mr. Right will find you eventually," Serenity stated wisely.
"Not soon enough," she sighed.
The ride had been a silent one after that. Serenity wished her day would improve, or at least improve for her friend. She hated seeing anyone upset, especially Raye. Yes, she was used to seeing Raye angry, and yes, she was used to seeing Raye happy... sometimes. But rarely had she seen Raye this miserable. It was almost as bad as the time when Raye's mom died, although Raye had refused to cry even then.
"We're here," Raye interrupted her thoughts. She removed the keys from the ignition and stepped out of the car. Serenity did the same and stared at the pleasant stucco building in front of them.
Serenity thought back to her mom's comment with her hair. "Raye, I'm cropping my hair, maybe up to my shoulders or something. What do you think?" She fiddled with her long strands of hair.
Raye laughed. "I bet you'll chicken out before a pair of scissors snip off that beloved hair of yours."
The two friends walked amicably into the warmly lit salon, their heels clinking against the polished floors. There were no other costumers besides them. Michelle, who was sitting behind the reception desk, grinned once they entered the room.
"Ah, my two favorite customers," Michelle said, leading them into a private room. "Serenity, you're mother called to inform me of the change in schedule. I already have everything set up for your make-over." She winked at her, causing the girl to hang her head down in embarrassment. Raye looked at her best friend curiously.
"What's she talking about Sere?" Raye whispered as she sat down on one of the chairs.
Serenity sat on the chair next to her and shrugged. "It beats me. I only came here to accompany you."
It had seemed that Raye didn't really want to change her looks. She had a short trim that took only ten minutes of Michelle's time. Then it was Serenity's turn. The rebellion in her wanted to cut her hair short, and maybe dye it some outrageous color. At least she'd be the future nerd with the cool hair.
"I want my hair this short," she began, leveling her hand towards her shoulder, "and maybe--"
"Sorry Serenity," interrupted Michelle, a twinkle of mischief in her green eyes. "I'm afraid you don't get to choose. I was given directions by Luna on what's to be done. I must say you're in for a total transformation."
"Okay, what's this all about?" an annoyed looking Raye asked, hands on her hips and giving an imposing glare.
"You haven't heard?" Michelle asked, clearly surprised. "Serenity will be going undercover, spying on some kids at a snotty boarding school."
"I'm not going to spy, Michelle," Serenity said irritably, still quite upset at the idea that she couldn't decide her new look. "Luna said I was to learn how a nerd acts and stuff. I'll need it for my next role, that is, if I pass the auditions. Thus, I'm being sent to an academy where I'm to learn first hand what it's like to act and live as a normal teenager."
Raye stared dubiously at Serenity. "They have a school for that?"
"Well, no. I'll attend a school and pretend to be the school nerd for a few months. Then it's back here to my tutors and shopping trips." She grinned at that.
"You don't have to pretend Serenity, you're already a nerd," Raye said, a look of annoyance flitting through her face. "And why didn't you tell me this before? Some friend you are."
"Oh dear," Michelle said, mostly to herself, as she held a brush over her mouth.
"How can I possibly tell you when you were blabbing about your silly boyfriend?" argued Serenity, getting up from her seat. Michelle, trying to prevent a fight from breaking out, shoved the blonde girl back into her seat and began working on her hair.
"Sit still Serenity before I cut your ear off by accident." That did the trick, but it didn't stop Serenity from bickering with Raye.
"If you were paying attention Serenity, you'd have known that he isn't my boyfriend anymore!"
"Yeah right, as if I believe that! It's so obvious that you still like him!"
"Shut up! Just shut up, okay?"
"No, why don't you shut up first?" Serenity challenged.
"No, you," Raye retaliated
"You!"
"No, you!"
"Girls," Michelle yelled, catching the two girls' attention. She tugged on Raye's elbow and led her across the room. "Raye, sit over there and read some magazines. I found an especially interesting article on makeup usage. Yes, that's the one. Good girl. Now just sit there and remain silent." Michelle turned her attention to Serenity. "As for you Serenity, you'll be extra quiet and won't move a muscle. Got that?"
"Yes, and I'm sorry Michelle," Serenity said glumly.
"Yeah, I'm sorry too Michelle."
Michelle just shook her head, a small smile forming with her pink painted lips. "It's all right you guys. I find it humorous that the two of you can still act like you're six." She began to snip at Serenity's hair. "How does three inches below the shoulder sound to you, Serenity?" she asked.
"It's not like I have a choice in the matter," she muttered.
She laughed. "No, you don't." With that said, she began creating her magic.
Serena Claire had come to life. No longer was she just mere words written on a piece of paper, describing in dull notes on how she looked liked. She existed, when just an hour or two before, she had been someone else, someone who was not Serena Claire. It was quite a transformation, a new beginning for her. It was exhilarating, yet it also made her very afraid. What would happen to the old Serenity Blair once everything was over with? Would she be a changed person? Or would this Serena Claire take over her life totally, and influence Serenity into another entity?
"Well Serenity, do you like it?" Michelle asked; a weary but proud look shining in her eyes.
Serenity didn't know what to say. Staring at the looking glass, she saw herself, yet it wasn't what she'd expected to see. Minute by minute, she'd seen the transformation happen. Blonde tendrils littered her feet. Her new do wasn't as long as before, but it wasn't too short as well. Instead of Michelle dying her hair brown like she'd expected, Michelle made lowlights throughout her hair. Her mane did look brown now, but with highlights. Her eyebrows were the same color as the lowlights, making it appear as that was the natural color instead of the honey blonde strands. It really was an utter transformation.
"Wow Sere," Raye said in amazement. She walked up to them, hand still holding onto her magazine. "You look like a totally different person."
Serenity sniffed. "Thanks... I guess. And it's wonderful Michelle. I really don't look like me." She stared sadly at her reflection. She liked the way she'd looked before.
Michelle seemed to notice the girl's sadness. "It's not permanent Serenity, just remember that."
She nodded. At least her eyes were still blue and not covered by eyeglasses... yet.
"Do you know how to braid your hair Serenity? Or perhaps wear it in a bun? You're to wear those two hairstyles only. Maybe keep it in a ponytail as well." Michelle shrugged.
"I hate to interrupt, but we've got to go. I have to wake up early tomorrow," explained Raye as she glanced at the time in her cell phone.
"That's alright," Michelle said as she walked behind the reception desk and typed in something into the computer. "Credit card I presume?"
Raye nodded as she handed her Visa card over to Michelle. Serenity attempted to do the same, but Michelle just shook her head.
"I've already been paid by your agent," Michelle said.
"Oh," was all Serenity could say in turn. She put the card back into her wallet and stuffed it in her bag.
Michelle handed back Raye's credit card. "It was a pleasure doing business with you girls. Come back for a visit sometime."
"Of course," said Raye as she exited the building.
"Goodbye Michelle," Serenity nearly whispered as she too, left. "And goodbye Serenity Blair. I'll see you in a few months." She didn't really understand why she felt this way. She was an actress; she should be used to this. Yet somehow, this was different. Her life would be a stage, acting with the other actors. But when did the acting stop? This was real life. The other actors weren't forced to be nice to her. She'd have to act all day and all night. It wouldn't end. She'd be Serena Claire, a girl she really didn't understand or know.
"Get a move on it Sere!" Raye complained as she revved the engine.
Serenity shook her head, clearing all the silly thoughts from her head. "Don't leave without me!" she wailed as Raye's convertible began to reverse.
Raye slammed on the breaks. "Well hurry then!" Raye shook her head. "As if I would leave her to begin with," she mumbled to herself.
Serenity got in and immediately put on her seatbelt. "I'm ready," she said. Raye pushed down on the gas and zoomed down the road ahead.
The next few days had been a blur to Serenity. At one point, she had gone to see an Optometrist to fulfill her prescription. On that trip, she'd gained gray contacts as well as thick-framed black eyeglasses. She was forced to wear the contacts and eyeglasses everyday now. But by far, it was the shopping trip that was the worse. Having to shop at the local Wal-Mart was humiliating for her. Trista didn't seem to be enjoying herself either.
Somehow, Trista got the job done and bought enough clothes to last the new Serena Claire a lifetime. Serenity planned to burn the cheap clothing once her time in hell school was up. Yes, she usually was an optimistic person. She didn't want to kid herself though. She wasn't going to make a lot of friends and be Miss Popular. Already, she had a feeling her school life was going to be bad.
And now here she was, Miss Serena Claire of Moon, California, waiting for the coach bus to arrive that would take her to the town of where the school was located.
Her hair had been placed into two tight braids. The eyeglasses somehow hid the color of her eyes, giving them a dull look unlike her usual vibrant blue eyes. She was wearing an overly baggy sweater, despite the heat of the Californian sun. To complete the outfit, she was dressed in a pleated skirt that reached her knees, rolled up socks, and Chuck Taylor sneakers. Who wore raggedy sneakers with a skirt on? And especially with the skirt she was wearing now, which wasn't even her school uniform.
"Here you go, Serenity." Luna handed her the delicious Coldstone ice cream, just as she had promised. Serena Claire stared at the ice cream broodingly. Luna shook her head, smiling. "You'll do fine Sere. You're a natural."
Serena Claire just shrugged. "Whatever you say, Luna, but I still have my doubts." She pictured ways on how to get payback on Luna and her parents. Sweet revenge, she thought as she licked her ice cream.
The bus soon arrived and she was forced to throw out the ice cream cone because of the 'No Food on the Bus' rule. Luna smiled apologetically as she waved. Serena smiled and said goodbye to everyone congregated at the bus stop. Turning around, she entered fully into the bus and found a seat, dumping her luggage at the seat next to her.
"Orcyrde Academy, here I come," she said softly to herself as she pulled out a book. The title said Calculus, but inside was the comic book she never returned to Raye. She smiled softly. "Let the games begin."
Author's Note: Tell me what you think. Good? Bad? All feedback welcome! If you find any mistakes or discrepancies, let me know. I usually go back and try to find more errors. Thanks for reading! Twelve reviews for chapter one! Yay!