Chapter Two |
Serena Tsukino woke up at around seven thirty at night, Central
Standard Time. Her parents had ordered pizza for dinner, and they
were beginning on dinner as Serena trudged downstairs sleepily.
When she saw the pizza boxes, she immediately perked up.
"Pizza!
Mmmmmm!" she murmured, and helped herself to three slices.
She and her family ate in silence. "Kinda quiet in
here." she commented.
"Just thinking,
dear. You start school at Calvary Christian Academy next week, on
Monday. We're sending you there because your friend Lita goes
there." Mr. Tsukino mused. Serena nodded.
"I can't wait to
see Lita. She's got a mean foster mother." Serena said. Then
the phone rang. Serena jumped up and answered it. "Tsukino
residence."
"Serena, you've
gotta help me. Fiona's gone crazy. She cut herself and she's
bleeding everywhere, and she's chasing me with a bat, trying to
beat me 'cause she found out about that phone call - OWW! Leave
me alone you madwoman!" Lita gasped on the other line.
Serena noded grimly.
"I'll get over
there as soon as I can. I'm bringing my dad." she said
soberly. She heard some muffled screaming, and then Lita's voice
over the phone.
"Please do."
then the line went dead. Serena placed the handle on the cradle
and looked at her father.
"Lita's in
trouble at home. Can you come with me to check her out?"
Serena asked. Mr. Tsukino nodded and the two walked out the front
door and down the street.
"How many times
do I have to tell you, you complete idiot?? No international
calls!" a mad Fiona Johnson raged. Fiona raised the bat
high, her blue eyes reflecting pure madness.
"Goodness, Fiona,
Serena called me! I didn't call her. It was on her phone bill.
You don't have to cut yourself over it." Lita said calmly,
her eyes fixed on the bat.
"Yes I do! You
all think that I have a perfect life! Well, I don't! You make
stupid three dollar a minute phone calls to Tokyo, you e-mail
stupid messages to people you don't know, you're always in
trouble at school, you're failing all of your classes -"
"I am not failing
all of my classes, and I only have one detention for yelling at
Mr. Adams - ONLY ONE!" Lita shrieked. Fiona glared at Lita,
and hit Lita's knees with the bat.
"Who do you think
you are, you little brat?? Huh? Talking to me like that!"
Fiona raged as Lita cried out in pain. "You use up all of my
money for your stupid CDs and your stupid little snacks! You've
gained at least thirty pounds from eating that junk food! You
waste my money on crap you don't need!" Fiona continued,
hitting Lita with the bat, the blood from her slashed wrists
flying onto the wall as Lita screamed. Just then the doorbell
rang. Fiona stopped hitting Lita and went to answer the door.
"Yeah? Who're
you?" she asked in a blunt voice. Serena glared at her.
"I heard you
beating my friend in there. I'm Serena Tsukino. I moved here from
Tokyo today, and Lita phoned me, telling me that you were beating
her over a little phone call I made to her a couple of weeks ago,
a phone call my parents paid for." she snapped. Fiona
flinched. She turned to Mr.Tsukino.
"Didn't you teach
that pig-tailed brat any respect? Here she is, snappin' at me for
something that isn't her business. I think she needs a beatin'.
If I were you, I'd beat the life out of her." Fiona said
cruelly.
"Well, Mrs.
Johnson, I have taught my daughter discipline. I've taught her
well. But she's worried that her friend Lita may be hurt from you
beating her as if she were some hound. I did pay for that phone
call, and it wasn't expensive because they didn't talk long. I'm
sorry for disturbing you, but we'd like to talk to Lita, if you
don't mind." Mr. Tsukino replied. Fiona shook her head.
"No can do. She's
being punished." And with that, Fiona slammed the door in
the two's face.
The following Monday
Lita met Serena in their sophomore homeroom. Lita wasn't bruised
in body, but she was bruised in spirit.
"Serena, Fiona's
absolutely crazy. She really needs professional help." Lita
said glumly as they walked to their desks. Their homeroom teacher
Mr. Adams was calling roll and announcing the classroom rules.
Lita's face slowly went from sad and melancholy to happy and
animated.
Later, after school,
Lita and Serena were walking along their street, singing a parody
of the Spice Girls' 'Wannabe' at the top of their lungs. The
lyrics were based on a ridiculous summer camp they'd attended the
previous summer:
"Yo, I'll tell ya what I want, what I really really want!
So tell me what you want, what you really, really want!
I'll tell ya what I want, what I
really want - I really, really, really wanna Wannapuka!"
The camp's name was Hanapuka, but they called it Wannapuka - for
'I wanna puke' - in private. They were singing this ribald
version of the hit song when a dark shadow was cast over the
girls. It was a Negamonstor, but the girls did not know it. The
shadow grew larger and darker as it descended on the singing
girls.