CHAPTER TEN

BIRTHDAY BASH

“Hey, what day is it today?” Mina asked.

“Isn’t it near the end of June? The 25th or 26th?” Jenny replied.

“No, it’s the 24^th,” Lita corrected.

“So what?” Raye demanded.

The four of them were sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the number 7 to go downtown. Amy, Luna, and Artemis were at Serena’s house, trying to help her study. Serena’s mother had decided to enroll her daughter in summer school to bring up her math, science and English marks. Amy had agreed to sacrifice every Saturday for three weeks to help Serena pass.

“What do you mean ‘so what’? Have you any idea what day it is on the 30th?” Mina asked.

“Friday?” Jenny offered.

Mina shook her head. “No, I mean yes, but that’s not important.”

Raye, Lita and Jenny were completely confused. They stared at their friend with wide eyes. Mina waited for them to realize their ignorance.

“Spit it out all ready, what day is it on the 30th?” Raye blurted finally, breaking the silence.

“It’s Serena’s birthday!” Mina said.

“Serena’s birthday?” Lita repeated.

“Are you sure?” Raye asked.

Mina nodded sagely. The bus pulled up and the four friends stood to board. They settled into seats near the back.

“Cool! We need to plan a major bash!” Jenny cried as the bus lurched forward.

Mina smiled. “My thoughts exactly.”

*****

“Oooh, math’s too hard! And science makes no sense and English is way too complicated!” Serena wailed.

Amy covered her ears with her hands as Serena’s cries rose. Beside her, Luna buried her head under a pillow and Artemis came awake with a start.

“Take is easy! Let’s go over this English again. Pay attention. What is a noun Serena?” Amy asked.

Serena sniffed. “I don’t know! I give up! When in my life will I need to know what a noun is?”

Amy sighed and closed her book.

“Besides, I’m never going somewhere where they speak English,” Serena huffed, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

“Maybe we need a break,” Luna suggested. Artemis rose to his feet and stretched.

“Yeah, we’ve been doing this for almost three hours and my ears are starting to hurt,” Artemis agreed.

Luna looked at him sternly. “Did we interrupt your cat nap?” she asked coldly.

Artemis cringed and shrunk away.

“Who ever invented summer school should be locked up!” Serena declared.

Amy perked up. “Good Serena, now what’s the noun in that sentence?”

Serena threw a pillow at her friend. “Stop talking like a teacher, you’re starting to scare me!”

*****

The number 7 bus pulled away from the stop four hours later. Raye, Mina, Lita and Jenny were left standing where they had begun, only now they were loaded down with bags filled with things for Serena’s party.

“Okay, we’ve got streamers?” Mina said.

“Check, and they’re pink,” Jenny said.

“How about balloons?”

“Right here, blue and pink,” Raye said.

“Okay . . gifts?”

“Check for me, check for you, check for Mina, check for Jenny, check for Amy, and check,” Lita said, rummaging through the bags.

“Who’s that last check from?” Jenny asked.

Lita held up a pair of pink barrettes.

“Luna and Artemis, of course,” she answered.

“And the food?”

“It’s on reserve at the bakery. I got pastries, a cake, and some pink candies,” Lita answered. “I’ll make the main course myself.”

“Boy, this is gonna be the pinkest party in the world,” Raye muttered.

“As long as Serena likes it,” Jenny said. She paused for a second as a thought occurred to her. “We don’t have to wear pink, do we?”

The others laughed and they headed for Raye’s temple to plan the celebration.

“We can have it here. Grandpa doesn’t mind,” Raye said as they sat in her room.

“Great. We only have a week. Who’ll make invitations?” Mina asked.

“I will,” Jenny volunteered.

“Perfect. We’ll invite the scouts, of course, Molly and Melvin, those girls Serena hangs out with at school,” Lita began.

“I think their names are Cathy, Sally, and Linda,” Jenny said.

Lita nodded. “Don’t forget Darien, Andrew, Luna, and Artemis.”

“That’s thirteen invitations. I can have them ready by Monday,” Jenny said.

“Monday?” Mina asked, her eyes focused on a clipboard of preparations. “You can do them over night and . . “

Mina lowered her clipboard as Jenny’s face tightened. “Sorry,” Mina said.

“It’s okay,” Jenny assured her. “It’ll just take some getting used to.”

“Don’t worry, we’re all working on a solution to your problem,” Raye said with a smile. “And we’ll have it solved before we’re ‘used to’ it.”

Jenny smiled uneasily, picked up her bag.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll phone Amy and clue her in,” she called over her shoulder. “Bye!”

“Do you think I upset her?” Mina asked.

Lita watched Jenny disappear down the steps. “She’s strong. I don’t think she’s mad at you.”

“I guess we’ll see tonight,” Raye added softly.

*****

“That’s a terrific idea. I’ll keep Serena busy until next Saturday,” Amy said over the phone that evening.

“Perfect.” Jenny looked out her window and noticed the sun was beginning to set. “I’d better go, it’s getting late.”

“No problem, I’ll warn the others,” Amy replied. “We’ll be on guard.”

They said good bye and hung up. Jenny sat down on her bed and waited for the inevitable to happen while, at the same time, wondering how she was going to decorate the invitations.

*****

The next morning, Jenny woke up somewhere other than her house. She was in a small alley and had a thin blanket draped over her. She sat up carefully and looked around. A few feet away sat a small old man wearing old, dirty clothes and a ratty hat. He smiled as she stirred and came over to her.

“So, you’re finally awake,” he said, crouching next to her.

“What happened?” Jenny asked.

She rose to her feet and the man took back his blanket and stood with her.

He looked up at her and smiled a toothless grin. “I found ya.”
“Where did you find me?”

“Right here. You was cold and I thought you was dead but here ya are, as fresh as a daisy,” he said, folding up his blanket.

“Thank you,” Jenny said.

The man smiled and pushed her towards the street.

“You go on now, I bet there’s a family waiting for you somewhere,” he said.

Jenny looked back at the homeless man. She pulled her wallet out of her pocket and handed him some money.

“Here, take this,” she offered.

The man backed away, holding up his hands.

“Sorry miss, I can’t take money from youngun’s,” he said. Then, with a wink, he added. “Besides, if I wanted money, I would’ve taken it from you when you was asleep.”

Jenny smiled, thanked him again and left the alley to find out where in Tokyo she was.

*****

She blinked in the sunlight and looked around. To her right was the Crown Arcade where Serena had said her friend Andrew worked. She decided to check if anyone was there.

“Hi,” Andrew called as she walked in.

The young man was standing behind the counter, selling tokens to the midmorning summer crowd. Jenny smiled at him and walked up to the counter, looking around as she did for signs of her friends.

“You’re Andrew, right?” Jenny asked.

He nodded.

“Have you seen Serena or Lita around?”

“Hey!” Andrew said suddenly. “You must be Jenny! Serena’s told me about you. Nice to meet you.”

He held out his hand in greeting and Jenny shook it. Andrew smiled warmly at her.

“I haven’t seen Serena in days, and Lita hasn’t been here yet. She usually doesn’t come in until the afternoon. I can tell them you were here, when I see them,” he offered.

Jenny nodded gratefully. “Thanks. I’ll go look for them somewhere else. Nice meeting you!”

Jenny turned and left the arcade. She wandered further downtown, hoping to catch the bus to Raye’s temple, but her thoughts lingered on Andrew.

Wow! He’s cute and nice. No wonder Lita and Serena both had major crushes on him! Jenny thought as she walked down the street.

Up ahead, the number 3 bus heading for the Cherry Hill Temple honked its horn, signaling its departure.

“Hey! Wait for me!” she yelled as she ran to catch it.

*****

Raye’s boyfriend, Chad was outside sweeping the stairs of the Temple. He was tall with long, brown hair that covered his blue eyes. Jenny liked him as a friend, even though she couldn’t see what Raye saw in him as a boyfriend.

“Hey, hi Jenny!” he called as Jenny ran up the stairs.

“Hi Chad, is Raye around?” Jenny asked, slowing to catch her breath.

Chad stopped his work and rested his weight on the broom. He smiled at Jenny.

“She’s, like, inside. You know, Serena’s birthday is on Friday and Raye’s planning a party, or something.”

Jenny forced herself to smile at him.

“I know. I made invitations. They’ll be ready tomorrow.”

“Cool. Am I, uh, invited?” he asked.

Jenny started to walk into the Temple.

“Of course you are. See you tomorrow!”

He’s so stunned. What does Raye see in him? Jenny wondered.

*****

Inside Raye’s room was a total disaster area. There were bags and wrappers every where. Pink ribbons and blue balloons hung from the ceiling, with the leftovers shoved into overflowing corners. Raye was sitting on the floor, looking over a list. Jenny knocked politely on the door. Raye looked up and smiled.

“Come on in,” Raye said.

Jenny came in and sat beside her friend. She looked over Raye’s shoulder at the list.

“So, what horrible things did I do last night?” Jenny asked.

“Nothing much. You just terrorized an old folks home. I have no idea why. The elderly don’t have much energy to spare,” Raye answered.

“Sorry,” Jenny apologized, lowering her eyes in shame.

Raye put down her list and looked at Jenny with gentle, forgiving eyes.

“Don’t worry. You can’t control yourself when you’re like that. Now that’s you’re here, you can help me with Serena’s party. Mina and Lita are at the movies and Amy is with Serena, somewhere,” Raye said.

The two of them worked for the rest of the day. At about noon, Lita and Mina came over with take-out burgers for them. At six, Raye’s grandfather called them for supper. Jenny looked at her watch.

“I’d better go, I haven’t been home all day,” she said.

“Why? Didn’t you end up at home last night?” Mina asked.

Jenny shook her head. “No, I woke up outside the arcade. I finally met Andrew.”

“Do you like him?” Lita asked with a smile.

Jenny returned the grin. “I can see what you and Serena see in him, if that’s what you mean.”

Mina and Raye laughed as Lita blushed. Jenny rose to her feet and headed for the door.

“It’s almost sunset, so I’d better get home,” Jenny said.

“Okay, we’ll see you tonight and tell you about it tomorrow,” Lita said.

Jenny left to catch the bus to her house.

*****

Finally it was Friday. The guests had arrived, the house was decorated and the presents were wrapped. They were all waiting for Serena to show up with Amy.

“I can’t wait to see the look on her face!” Mina said.

Raye sipped her juice and smiled.

“Yeah, she’s gonna go through the roof,” Lita agreed.

Jenny glanced nervously out the window at the blue sky.

“Are you sure the party’s gonna end before sunset?” she asked.

Raye put her hand on Jenny’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.”

They waited for a few hours, eating and talking to the guests before the birthday girl arrived.

“She’s coming up the stairs!” Andrew called from the doorway.

All the guests except the scouts and Jenny hid. Luna and Artemis pretended to be sleeping on Raye’s bed. The door opened and Amy came in followed by Serena.

“Hi guys! Guess what today is?” Serena asked.

“Friday?” Jenny answered.

That was the guests’ cue. They all jumped out of their hiding places and yelled “SURPRISE!”

Serena blinked and looked around the room. All her dearest friends were smiling at her.

“Thank you,” she said to the scouts in front of her.

The party continued for hours. As the guests danced, Jenny noticed in alarm that the sun was almost gone. She felt the now familiar pain in her stomach as her ring began to glow.

“Oh no! We didn’t pay any attention to the time!” Amy cried softly to the other scouts as she watched Jenny fall to the ground.

In a flash, Darien was by Jenny’s side. He picked her up and brought her safely outside. Hiding her behind the large wish tree, he watched as Jenny transformed into the Dark Scout and quickly vanished into the Negaverse.

“Poor girl,” he said, shaking his head.

*****

Serena and Amy found Darien minutes later. He was still standing outside, staring at the place where Jenny had been moments before.

“The sun went down, is Jenny . . ?” she whispered.

They both nodded sadly. Serena bowed her head and a single tear slid down her cheek.

“Are we ready for cake?” Raye called cheerfully from inside. Serena smiled bravely to Amy and Darien and the trio went inside.

The guests sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Serena as Lita, Mina and Raye brought in a giant pink cake. It was covered in pink candles.

*****

Outside, the Dark Scout watched. She was sheltered by the wish tree, but could see the party clearly. She felt no guilt at her next thought.

“How cute, a pink cake. Let’s break up this celebration, shall we?”

From the shadows behind her, a monster bowed and vanished. The Dark Scout laughed wickedly and continued to observe the party.

*****

There was a polite knock on the door. Raye moved over to answer it. The party was still in full swing, and hardly anyone had noticed the disappearance of Jenny. Serena had cheered up quite a bit and was opening gifts from her friends.

“Can I help you?” Raye asked the young woman standing outside.

The woman was about Raye’s height with short black hair and dark eyes. She wore wire framed glasses, a loose fitting blouse, and blue jeans. In her hand, she carried a large case.

“I’m the guitarist you hired for the party,” she said with a slight smile.

Raye blinked in surprise. “I didn’t hire anybody. Sorry, you must have the wrong address.”

Raye began to close the door, but the woman blocked it with one foot. Raye gasped and took a step back, allowing room for the woman to enter. She headed for the center of the room and opened the black case she held. Inside was an orange acoustic guitar, which she strummed to tune. Raye watched in shock as the woman clapped her hands loudly to get everyone’s attention.

“Attention everybody!” she called.

The noise of the party stopped and all eyes turned to the entertainer. The woman smiled and struck a chord on her guitar. Serena squealed with joy as the girl began to sing. The music was strangely haunting, yet no one seemed to be able to tear themselves away from it. One by one, the guests’ eyes grew heavy and they dropped to the floor as the eerie singing continued.

“What’s going on?” Serena asked, looking around at her unconscious friends in confusion.

Mina and Amy were standing by the hallway door when they felt hands on their shoulders. They turned to see Lita, who quickly pulled them into the hall and closed the door behind them. The muted music continued.

“We’d better do something before that monster gets all their energy,” Amy said, suppressing a yawn.

“Yeah. Even if she wasn’t a monster, I’d fight her just to shut her up!” Lita agreed. “This is terrible!”

“Let’s go then!” Mina said.

She winked at her friends and checked to make sure the coast was clear. Then, she held up her star shaped power stick. Lita and Amy followed suit.

“Venus Star Power!” Mina cried.

“Mercury Star Power!” Amy yelled.

“Jupiter Star Power!” Lita shouted.

*****

The woman with the guitar laughed at her victims and slowly transformed into a creature with a guitar-like body and orange skin. The party-goers lay at her feet, moaning and struggling. She played her music until the last of them stopped moving. She could feel the energy in the air and it almost made her cold heart warm. She chuckled and kicked at one of the unconscious party-goers.

“Now, to collect the energy for the Negaverse!” the guitarist said.

She raised her hand and spread out her fingers. The energy from the people in the room cumulated into a single sphere on the monster’s outstretched palm.

“Good work,” a sinister voice praised.

From the shadows stepped the Dark Scout. She held out her hand and the energy ball passed from monster to Master. She nodded appreciatively at the energy taken, and returned the ball to her minion

“Stop that!” someone yelled. “Please, stop it!”

The Dark Scout raised her head and looked around the room to where Serena, Raye, and Darien knelt on the floor. They were weak and tried to rise as she approached them. Serena raised her head and stared at the newest Negaverse General with tear-filled eyes.

“Happy birthday,” the Dark Scout told her. “Unfortunately, the Negaverse will be getting the gift this year!”

The Dark Scout raised her hand and a black sword materialized. She raised it over the birthday girl’s head.

“Venus Crescent Beam Smash!” Sailor Venus called.

The beam cut the Dark Scout’s hands, making her drop the sword. It vanished before the black blade could touch the ground.

“Warrior Octaca, get them!” the Dark Scout ordered.

The monster from the Negaverse charged at the three sailor scouts while the Dark Scout returned to Serena. The ball of stolen energy hung unguarded where Octaca had left it.

“Please, stop,” Serena called weakly.

“Why should I?” the Dark Scout asked, summoning the sword once again.

Darien glared at the Dark Scout and stayed protectively close to Serena. Raye simply stared in outraged shock. Behind them, the battle continued.

“Jupiter Thunder Crash!”” Sailor Jupiter cried.

Octaca dodged the lightning bolt and began her own attack on the scouts, hurtling musical notes at them. They dodged easily, and resumed the offensive.

“Because, I’m your friend, Jenny,” Serena answered.

“I have no friends and I don’t know who Jenny is,” the Dark Scout yelled.

The sword rose again, high over Serena’s head. Realized arguing was futile, Serena closed her eyes to wait for the inevitable. A tear fell down her cheek as the sword rushed to her neck.

“Serena!” the scouts called as one.

Seconds before the sword reached Serena, a rose flew as if from nowhere and knocked the sword from the Dark Scout’s grip. It vanished again and the Dark Scout turned with an angry hiss to face her newest enemy. Tuxedo Mask stood in the doorway leading out of the room. Serena gasped as he ran to where the Dark Scout stood and grabbed her by the wrist.

“Listen, I don’t want to hurt you, but if I have to destroy you, I will,” he said.

The Dark Scout wrestled free.

“Thank you for the energy. Prince Rutile appreciates it. Now, Octaca will finish you off. I must be going.” She turned back to the shadows, facing Tuxedo Mask as she vanished. “I will meet you again, Tuxedo Mask, and our next meeting will not end pleasantly.”

Sailors Jupiter, Venus and Mercury were still battling the monster. Tuxedo Mask helped Serena and Raye to their feet.

“A little help,” Venus called.

Serena held up her locket. “Moon Crystal Power!”

Raye raised her power stick to transform, but Tuxedo Mask stopped her. “I think Sailor Moon can handle this one.”

Raye nodded, not at all happy that she could not join the battle. Sailor Moon took out her scepter and narrowed her eyes at the monster.

“Moon Scepter Elimination!” she called.

Warrior Octaca disappeared with a scream.

“Great party, guys,” Sailor Moon said with a tired grin. “Same plan for next year?”

*****

That night, Serena was in bed before Luna or her mother had to yell at her to sleep. She still felt somewhat weak from the fight that evening, but Luna had assured her it was nothing a good night sleep couldn’t fix.

I hope Jenny’s okay, Serena thought as she lay in bed, looking out her window at the stars.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Luna asked from where she lay at the foot of the bed.

“I’m fine, but I’m worried about Jenny,” Serena said. “Do you think she’ll be okay?”

Luna yawned. “I’m sure you’ll get a phone call tomorrow from Jenny apologizing for this. Just get some rest, okay?”

Please come home safely, Serena thought.