Chained Maiden
Chapter 3 :: Friend
May was drawing to an end. The days were warm and bright, and most wanted to simply relax in the nice weather.
Unfortunately, for the high school population of the Quad-Cities, the end of May meant fourth term finals, and they were all snowed under with homework. Eumelia, her best friend Aella, and Theia were no exception. Eumelia and Theia did not see each other many more times, but they behaved a bit more civil towards each other.
However, Eumelia had never been one who enjoyed studying, and she felt like she was going crazy. So one Saturday found her and Aella at the mall, unwinding from all the recent stress.
“So, Eumelia, what's up with your mom? She seemed really nervous and jumpy,” Aella commented, as they sat on a bench with small containers of Dippin' Dots ice cream. Eumelia immediately winced at the question.
The reason Eumelia's mom was so jumpy was because she was afraid to let her daughter go anywhere alone. After the incident at West Music, and after comparing that to the event at school, Ms. Ianthe firmly believed that there were monsters lurking around every corner. Eumelia was almost on the verge of admitting to her mother that she was Sailor Lyra.
But Aella was expecting an answer, so Eumelia responded with “She thinks a monster's going to get me.”
“Oh. Well, you know, two monsters have shown up. Maybe your mom's not being so dumb,” Aella said, brushing aside a wisp of her wavy, light blonde, shoulder-length hair. Swallowing a scoop of her vanilla ice cream, she pointed to JC Penny. “Want to go there? They're having the usual Saturday sale.”
“Not particularly.” Eumelia looked at the few bags she had. “All they have there are clothes, really, and I've got enough of those.”
“Mmm, okay. Hey, what do you think of that Sailor Lyra girl? You saw her at West Music, right?”
Eumelia stiffened. Then stuttered, “We...Well...I think she's...cool.”
“Me too,” Aella sighed, not noticing her friend's agitation. “I'd love to be just like her.” And at that, Eumelia had to smile slightly to herself.
After finishing their ice cream, the pair decided to head to Barnes & Noble. Eumelia headed to the Music section, and Aella went to the politics section.
Aella was studying the cover of a book when a girl with orange-tinted hair tied into a half ponytail came around the corner of the shelves. The blonde paid her no mind, thusly missing the poisonous look on the girl's face as she walked past.
Eumelia was scanning the titles of CDs when she felt a breeze stir her hair. She paused and looked around, but nothing that could have caused it could be seen.
Just as Eumelia was turning around again, there was a stronger gust of wind, and then another, which flapped up the hanging papers on the shelves.
Something was distinctly wrong.
Wanting to ask Beatrice about it, Eumelia headed towards a tucked-away corner. Reaching into her purse for her compact, Eumelia was confronted with the apparent source of the wind.
A tall, slender, pale woman was standing there. Long white hair whipped around her. Cupped in the woman's hand was a glowing white stone. The wind clearly came from this point, and it seemed to be getting stronger every second.
The woman's eyes were closed, but as Eumelia drew near, they opened, and looked straight at her.
Looking into those piercing white eyes, Eumelia was caught off guard. And then, the woman took her chance.
The wind died. The stone glowed with a glaring white light, which then narrowed and focused on Eumelia, who gasped as the beam wrapped itself around her throat.
Instinctively, Eumelia grabbed at the light, which she found was strangely soft and solid. Prying it away from her throat, she quickly ducked out of the loop, then bolted away.
In her flight, Eumelia ran straight into Aella, who had just been going to find her. The blonde looked a little shocked at her friend was behaving. “Eumelia! What's going on?” she asked.
“No time to explain!” Eumelia answered. Noticing that the woman was approaching, she grabbed Aella's wrist. “Come with me!”
Pulling Aella (who was protesting loudly) after her, Eumelia ran into the food court, then down a short hallway to the bathrooms. Closing the door behind her, Eumelia sighed. Then she turned to Aella, looking resigned. “I really need you to keep this a secret.”
At Aella's nod, Eumelia continued. “Please don't freak out...” Aella nodded again.
Apprehensively, Eumelia threw her hand up, and transformed.
When the light was gone, Aella looked as if she had just been told the world was going to implode in five seconds.
But there wasn't much time left for wondering, because the bathroom door banged open. The woman stood there, her light immediately expanded into the same rope, trying to knot itself around Lyra's throat.
But she was ready. Jumping back, the senshi quickly retaliated. “Lyra Foaming Wave!”
The light rapidly formed a shield. Then the wave of water crashed against it, and was reflected back towards Lyra, who shrieked in pain and shock as the ware hit her, knocking her to the ground.
Aella, too, was thrown to the floor. Gasping for breath, she pushed herself up, and saw, to her horror, Eumelia was being strangled by the rope.
Lyra scratched at it, and managed to slip one hand under it. Pushing it away, and idea flashed into her mind.
Summoning her compact, she threw it at Aella, who, unfortunately, missed it, and it skittered across the tile. “Open it!” she choked out. “Say 'Theia' into the mirror and tell her I need help!”
Aella grabbed the compact. She fumbled with it, then managed to open it. Glancing at Eumelia, who was trying to kick her adversary, she cried “Theia!” hoarsely.
Breathless seconds passed, then the face of a girl appeared in the mirror. She frowned. “Who are you?”
“Never mind that! Sailor Lyra needs help! We're at Northpark Mall!”
Theia paused for a minute, then said, “Okay, I'm coming.”
When the redhead's face disappeared, Aella snapped the compact shut, then looked again at the battle. Eumelia had managed to escape again, and was now simply trying to avoid the enemy.
Aella narrowed her eyes as she stared at the stone. It was the source of the light, that was plain as day. So if the stoned was destroyed, then there would be no rope to hurt her friend.
She picked herself up off the floor. “Hey, you!” Aella shouted, and hurled her purse at the lady's head. It hit her in the ear.
There was a sort of strange silence, in which Aella and Eumelia (who was standing on top of a toilet in one of the stalls) both winced inwardly.
Then the woman turned, slowly, deliberately, towards Aella. She ran one finger over her stone, and then...Aella braced herself....
Nothing happened.
Well, other then a voice yelling, “Auriga Flame Ray!”
A stream of fire came from the door entrance. It hit the woman in the leg, and left a smoldering hole in the yellow robe she had been wearing.
There was a cheering of “Auriga! Auriga! Yay!” from inside one of the stalls. Aella blinked, and saw the red-headed girl she'd talked to standing in the doorway, rolling her eyes. She wore an outfit similar to Lyra's.
Ah. Sailor Auriga...she showed up at West Music too, didn't she? Aella thought, but then there was a sparkle in the air directly in front of her eyes.
A sliver locket appeared, suspended in the air. Sailor Auriga's eyes grew big, and so did Eumelia. Etched onto the top of it was a symbol of two diamonds inside of each other, with a central dot.
“She's...a senshi, too?” Eumelia said, sounding shocked. But then she saw the woman was standing up from her injury. Kicking her from behind, she shouted, “Aella! Take the locket! You're like us!”
Aella blinked. “But...”
And then she remembered, like a distant call, herself speaking, such a short while ago. I wish I could be just like her....
Be careful what you wish for, Aella thought wryly, and grabbed the locket. The words formed in her wind, and she stood up, and yelled, “Cygnus Constellation Power, Make-up!”
There was a pale blue light, and a feeling like a breeze. And then it was gone, and Aella stood there, in an outfit of pale blue and yellow. Birds were on the tops of her heeled shoes.
She looked startled. “Oh...I would be Sailor Cygnus, wouldn't I? Well this is bizarre.”
Cygnus closed her eyes, thinking hard on what her attack would be.
“Cygnus Cloud Chain!”
Lyra winced, because her attack was just like the woman's...a chain of light, only this was more like clouds.
Cygnus used it pin the lady's arms to her side. “Quick, Lyra!”
Sailor Lyra nodded. “Lyra Foaming Wave!”
This time, the water wasn't reflected. It washed over the lady, and there was a flash. Then...the lady was gone. All that was left was the stone, lying on the ground. Sailor Cygnus bent to pick it up, but then it disappeared in a burst of smoke, and far away, the three thought they could hear a scream of frustration....
Preview
Chapter 4: Wilds
“Good, I was just going to suggest that myself,” Theia responded. Aella nodded, and they wandered off in search of a particularly appealing scent: that of frying hamburgers and French fries.
The source of the smell came from a small booth at the end of Pershing Street. A sign on the front read West High School Environmental Club: All proceeds go towards a garden at Credit Island Park. Several students in street clothes were behind the counter, either cooking the hamburgers, dumping fries in hot oil, serving the food, or taking money and orders.
“What would you like, girls?” said one of them, a tall, sturdy girl or the same age. She had loosely curled black hair tied into a ponytail with a big green bow and bright green eyes.
Astraia was just opening her mouth to say something, when she stiffened. “Hold on. Do you feel like we're being watched?”
The four feel silent with her comments, concentrating on their surroundings.
“No,” Aella said, but Eumelia and Theia answered affirmatively.
There was a tense silence, and suddenly, Eumelia looked closely at Astraia, narrowing her eyes.
She ate her food quickly, the threw her trash into the nearest garbage can. “I'm going to go see a friend that's here really fast, okay?” She looked meaningfully at Aella and Theia, who looked confused, then caught her meaning.