Author's Note: Sailor Moon and all related characters are the property of Takeuchi Naoko, Toei Animation and DIC. All references to Vulcan are the province of Gene Roddenberry and Paramount Studios. So, please, don't sue me because I haven't any money. I do this strictly for entertainment purposes, not copyright infringement.
The Witches Of Philadelphia
by Jeffrey C. Branch
Chapter Seven: Could It Be Magic?
Rating: PG-13
Two minutes earlier....
Squatting behind hedges across the street from the home of Blair Witasick, Sailor Mars suddenly and loudly gasped as she felt a deep and terrible chill that reached deep down to the pit of her soul and made her tremble like a leaf. It was the dark, unnerving chill of foul, monstrous evil.
"Oh, God," the fire Scout whispered. Her body shuddered while her eyes were wide from fright. "Oh, my God."
"Raye? What is it? What's wrong?" Sailor Venus asked.
"We've been tricked! The evil force from the Darkhold! It's been freed!"
At that moment, Sailor Vulcan clutched her head and cried out as a sharp, searing pain assailed her mind. What was worse for her was what happened after the pain subsided. She could no longer feel Serena's mind through the telepathic link the Vulcan girl shared with her. That frightened her as only one thing could terminate the link.
Serena's death.
Visibly shaken, her heart in her throat, Vulcan rose to her feet. "We must get inside. Immediately."
"Whoa! Whoa! What's going on, Tal?" Sailor Jupiter wanted to know.
"Don't waste time talking, dammit! Serena's in danger! Let's go!" shouted an angry Vulcan. Without waiting for a response, she jumped to her feet and bolted across the street.
The others, stunned to hear their stoic teammate raise her voice and curse did a double take, but recovered quickly and followed her. No sooner had the Scouts dashed onto the property and rushed inside when they were struck by an immensely powerful mindblast. Unconsciousness claimed the Scouts before they could scream and their bodies hit the floor.
Staring up at Susannah Martin, the malevolent creature in black that used to be Sailor Moon, Charlotte McCoy, immobilized from a mindblast as was Sailor Mercury gulped, gripped by a fear that stemmed from the horrific evil that radiated from the woman like heat waves and seared her mind.
"Lord Almighty. We are in seriously deep shit," the black woman whispered.
"You would be correct, my dark skinned beauty," Martin said to McCoy in her inhuman echo of a voice. Her devilish, shark-like grin further unnerved the black woman. Martin then turned to Blair and the girls. "The four of you have done well. You have my thanks for helping facilitate my rebirth."
The girls bowed as one. "We live to serve you, mistress," said Blair.
Sailor Mercury was wide eyed and beside herself from shock and horror. She found it hard to believe that her best friend had turned into a monster. "I....I don't understand. How could this have happened?"
Blair smirked at her. "To give you the Reader's Digest version, Sailor Moon's been possessed."
"Possessed'? Like in 'The Exorcist"? NO! I don't believe it! I refuse to believe it!"
"Why's that, Amy'? Because it doesn't fit into your neat and tidy world of books and computers?" a sneering Samantha asked. "Wake up and smell the coffee, you bitch! There are forces in this world that have nothing to do with science or technology!"
"Yes. Magic has existed in many different forms for thousands of years. It even predates the fall of Atlantis and the birth of Christ. It's a power that transcends time itself," Sabrina added.
"Sabrina is correct, Sailor Mercury. Witchcraft is an elemental force, one that's older than recorded history. To satisfy your curiosity, when Serena was attacked by Blair with her rnindpower Thursday afternoon, my essence, which dwelled within her soul invaded Serena's subconscious," Martin explained. "Every time Serena slept, I grew stronger while safely hidden from Raye's psychic powers and Talia's telepathic abilities. Last night while Serena slumbered, she told me about your scheme, Dr. McCoy, and through her, I informed Blair of your impending visit."
McCoy scowled. "Son of a bitch! We were set up!"
"You betcha! We knew you were coming from jump street," said a grinning Jeannie.
"Precisely. When my spirit was locked into the Darkhold three hundred years ago, Satan told me that the only way I could be resurrected was for the virgin blood of a pure and untainted soul be spilled on the book. And Serena's soul was the purest of all, making her the perfect choice as my host," Martin said. "Serena was under my subtle influence when she insisted on coming inside. From there, I led her to Blair while you and Mercury sought to incapacitate her parents whom she had already killed. Once Serena's blood was spilt, my spirit gained control of her body, and her soul took my place inside the book. Thank you for being so unwittingly cooperative, Doctor."
"You're welcome," growled McCoy. She was furious as she now knew what Father Francesca hid from her when she was hired by the Archdiocese of Boston to find the Darkhold. "What's next on your agenda?"
"The obvious! Let's kill them both!" Samantha snarled, glaring at the helpless Mercury.
Martin thought it over for several moments, then shook her head. "No."
Samantha was incensed. "What do you mean no? They're they enemy! They've got to die!"
Martin glared menacingly at Samantha. The Imperium Silver Crystal, imbedded in her chest glowed and Samantha suddenly screamed from endless, horrific pain and collapsed. The others were shocked at what they saw. Martin grabbed a handful of Samantha's hair and roughed hauled her up.
"Understand this, Asian, because I will not repeat myself My word is law, and my orders are to be obeyed without debate! Understood?" Samantha, feeling like her body had been dropped into molten lava could only whimper and nod. Martin then glared at the others. "The same goes for the rest of you. If anyone questions my commands, I'll expose you to suffering so horrific, you'll beg screaming for death!"
Blair and the others, openly afraid said nothing. With a cruel smirk, Martin let go of Samantha who crumpled sobbing to the floor. "Very good. Even though Mercury and McCoy are the enemy, they are also female, and now that I am corporeal once again, I will not see any woman killed in my presence---EVER! Is that clear?"
The girls nodded. "Yes, mistress," they all replied.
"Gloat all you want, creature! The Scouts will rescue us!" said Mercury.
Martin shook her head. "I'm afraid not. Your friends outside were incapacitated at the same time you and the Doctor were. I would invite the lot of you to join us in the new world order that I will soon bring about, but I doubt you would accept, given your foolishly outdated concepts of good and evil."
"You got that right, sister!" McCoy snarled.
"Have it your way. While I won't kill you because you're women, I will see to it that you and your friends do not hinder me from completing my mission." Again, the crystal glowed brightly, then Mercury was enveloped in silvery energy, changing her back to Amy Anderson.
"Your friends have also reverted back to their civilian guises. As long as I will it, you will not be able to transform. Now, if you would, Blair, carry out the next phase."
With a nod, Blair, still holding the ceremonial dagger, walked up to the lifeless bodies of her parents. Then, to the shock of the girls, Amy and McCoy, Blair plunged the dagger into her father's body a dozen times, then repeated the act with her mother. All the while, her face was a stone mask.
"Merciful God! Blair! Your parents! Bad enough that you murdered them! How could you mutilate their bodies like that?" cried a sickened Amy.
Blair turned to glare at Amy. "How? Easy. They're not my parents."
Everyone, save for Martin who knew the truth were stunned from Blair's revelation. Sabrina was left reeling. "Not....your parents? I....I don't understand," said the blonde.
"I'm an orphan, Bree. The Witasicks adopted me when I was two. I never knew my biological parents. Almost from the day they brought me home, I could never connect with them. I felt like a stranger, like I didn't belong," Blair explained, her voice thick with hurt and anger. "They sensed how I felt, so, on my tenth birthday, they told me the truth. That wrecked my entire world. Imagine being told at so young an age that I wasn't really their child. I never let it show, never let them know, but from that moment on, I hated them for that. Killing them an hour ago was a sweet release for me."
Sabrina, tears in her eyes, laid a hand on Blair's shoulder. 'Oh, Blair. I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Blair angrily brushed off Sabrina's hand. "Of course not. I didn't want you, or anyone to know. It doesn't matter anymore. Neither do the Witasicks. But they'll serve one last function."
The redhead picked up the telephone and dialed a number. When it was answered, Blair launched into sudden hysterics. "Police? Oh, God! Help me! Help me! Someone broke into my house! They killed my mom and dad! Please help me!" As the others watched in confusion, Blair rattled off her address then hung up. Smiling, she turned to Martin. "How was that, mistress'?"
Martin, also smiling, nodded appreciatively. "Excellent, my dear. Exactly what I wanted." She then smirked at McCoy and Amy. "When the authorities arrive, they'll find the two of you here and your friends just inside the back door. While you're in jail, charged with murder, we'll be preparing to bring about the new world order. Clever, isn't it?"
"Clever? No. Twisted, yes," McCoy growled.
"That depends on your point of view, my sweet. Twelve hours from now at the great gathering, this world will be forever changed." Martin lovingly fingered the crystal. "Thanks to this powerful diadem I now possess, my dream to make over this planet in the female image will soon become a reality."
Amy was confused. "What do you mean by that?"
Martin chuckled. "I am going exact my revenge on the world of man by killing every last filthy, repugnant and loathsome male on this planet. Unborns, infants, adolescents to adults, all males will be erased from the face of the Earth. And Sailor Moon's crystal will help me accomplish my goal."
Amy gasped, wide eyed from a horror she thought would still her heart. "Dear Lord. You can't! That's insane!"
"So was what happened to me three centuries ago when I was murdered! Now I'm going to get my long delayed revenge for that indignity!" In the distance, sirens could be heard. "Come, my servants. It is time to leave. Preparations must be made prior to the great gathering this afternoon. Farewell, Amy, Doctor."
The crystal flashed and the minds of Amy and McCoy exploded in pain and they slumped into unconsciousness. Martin smiled, pleased with herself Blair and the girls formed a circle with Martin in the middle. She tilted back her head and concentrated. "Corporeous....Energitious....TRANSPORTUM!"
In a flash of silvery light, Martin and the girls disappeared. Moments later, a police car pulled up to the house.
Inside the Darkhold....
A cool, mild breeze wafted over Serena's face, helping to wake her up. When she opened her eyes, she received a shock on two fronts.
The first shock was where she found herself, a mossy clearing in a wooded area near a dirt road at midday. Serena looked up and was puzzled to see the sun shining high in the sky. Serena scratched her head, unable to comprehend her surroundings.
"What the heck?" Serena wondered as she sat up. "The last thing I remember was entering Blair Witasick's house, in the suburbs----at night! How'd I wind up here? And where are the guys?"
The second shock Serena got was what she was wearing. Instead of her Scout uniform, Serena wore a dark blue waistcoat with a starched white blouse buttoned high on her neck under it, a white apron over an ankle length, dark blue skirt and black oxford shoes. Serena reached up with trembling hands to find a white linen cap on her head while her hair was tied in a single long braid.
Serena slowly stood up and stared down at herself in utter confusion. "Hold the phone! This gets crazier by the minute! What's going on?"
Nervous, Serena checked her pockets for her brooch and whimpered when she couldn't find it. That meant she couldn't become Sailor Moon. She pulled up her left sleeve to use her Scout communicator but it too was missing. When Serena's right hand suddenly throbbed from a stinging pain, she glanced down at it and gasped at seeing an angry scar across the length of her palm. That escalated her nervousness into near full blown panic.
"Oh, God! What happened to me?" she cried, tears spilling from her eyes as she sank to her knees. Serena could feel her fear overwhelming her and it was all she could do to keep from screaming.
With a considerable amount of effort, Serena forced herself to calm down. Pulling a sleeve across her eyes, Serena became angry over her behavior. "C'mon, Meatball Head! Grow up! This is no time to act like a baby! Pull yourself together and think! Your life may depend on it!"
Standing back up, Serena looked down at the outfit she wore, it faintly reminded her of pictures she had seen in her American History textbooks, but she couldn't place the period. Serena took a long, deep breath, the air was fresh, sweet and scented from flora, totally unlike what she was used to, living in the world's largest city with it's omnipresent pollution from thousands upon thousands of cars, trucks and buses.
Okay, I'm in the countryside. That's easy enough to figure out, Serena thought, looking all around her. But, that still doesn't explain the time of day, or this hokey outfit I've got on.
With no other course of action open to her, Serena sighed and started walking, hoping to find a town or a house with a phone. Serena took in the scenery and found it pleasing, even soothing. Everything was quiet and peaceful as she heard the chirping of insects and the melodic songs of birds in the trees. For half an hour Serena walked, the only sounds outside of the fauna being her own footsteps and the soft rustle of petticoats under her skirt.
After having covered little over a mile, seeing nothing in the way of human habitation, Serena, fearing she might never see another soul suddenly heard voices from just up ahead. Excited, Serena hiked her skirt in both hands and trotted up to where she heard the voices.
Leaving the road, Serena cautiously and quietly moved forward into the woods where she heard the voices until she stopped at the entrance to a clearing. Peering through bushes, Serena saw six women, two of them teenagers and all dressed like her. They stood in a circle some ten feet away, holding hands and chanting. A small fire burned in the center of the circle. What Serena saw reminded her of the four witches she and the girls fought yesterday. Could they be mixed up with them, she wondered.
Automatically wary, Serena decided it would be best to avoid the women and continue on her way. As she stood up to leave, Serena caught a foot on the hem of her skirt and fell forward, stumbling through the bushes and into the clearing, surprising the women who stopped chanting and gasped at Serena, sprawled on the ground.
Smooth, Tsukino. Real smooth. Those cat-like reflexes of yours came in handy again.
One of the women, taller and older than her companions with long, thick, dark hair that fell below her shoulders and piercing, bright blue eyes slowly approached Serena, a look of suspicion evident on her face. "Thou didst startled us, sister. Who be thou?"
Who be thou? Oh, yeah. Who am I. "Uh, hello. My name's Serena. Sorry to bother you. I was, uh, passing through when I heard you chanting."
"Art thou hurt, sister?" asked the woman, helping Serena to her feet. The suspicious look she wore faded, replaced by one of concern. "Twas a nasty fall thou took."
"No. I'm okay. I....I mean, uh, I am well," Serena replied. She couldn't help but feel somewhat unnerved in the presence of the woman who was incredibly attractive yet mysterious.
"We have not seen thee in these parts before, sister. Where art thou from?" asked another woman.
"Uh, I am not from here. I lost my way and do not know where I am," Serena explained. "Could you be so good as to tell me what town I am near?"
"Thou art near our home, sister," said one of the teenagers, a perky looking brunette who gave Serena a friendly smile. "We art from Salem."
Serena's eyes widened. "Salem? Massachusetts?"
"Yes. Please forgive my grievous lack of manners, sister. Thou didst tell me your name, but I failed to give you mine." The woman smiled at Serena and held out her hand. "I am Susannah Martin. Tis a pleasure to meet thee."
When Mina came to, shocked to find herself back in human guise, she faced her least favorite people in the world: cops.
She, Raye, Lita and Talia, sitting on the floor of the Witasick home stared up at two grim faced police officers. Openly puzzled, Mina gave the cops an inquisitive stare. "What....what happened?" she asked.
"You tell us," one of the cops growled. He was short, stout and muscular with a moustache and a glowering look on his face. The name badge above the left breast pocket of his shirt read 'Sipowicz'. "Two of your friends are upstairs with a murdered couple. Looks like a botched robbery to me. Or a ritual killing. Care to explain?"
"No, we would not," Talia replied calmly. But on the inside, she was terribly worried about Serena. "Unless my knowledge of the legal system is faulty, you are required to read us our Miranda rights before we talk to you. Failure to do so would automatically disqualify any confessions we make or any evidence produced against us in a court of law. Even then, we are under no obligation to answer your questions."
Sipowicz fumed at being lectured and glared menacingly at Talia, hoping to rattle her, a favorite tactic of his with hoods and lowlives. However, Talia, unfazed, defiantly returned the cop's stare. "Okay. You want to play games? Fine. You'll have lots of time for that in jail."
Upstairs, Amy was falling apart. Her best friend was possessed by a demon, she watched two murdered people mutilated before her eyes, and now she faced two cops who blamed her and McCoy for their deaths. It was proving to be too much for her to handle.
"Officer! Please! You have to believe me! We had nothing to do with this!" Amy pleaded to the cops who were stern faced, silent and unmoved.
"Don't waste your breath, girlfriend. They're not buying what we're selling," McCoy said casually. Her stomach rumbled, making her wish she had eaten before she left. "Can't say I blame 'em. At face value, the evidence is stacked against us like pancakes on an NFL lineman's breakfast table."
Amy glared McCoy. "How can you be so calm at a time like this?"
McCoy chuckled. "Experience. Honey child, if I had a dollar for every time I've been busted over the last fifteen years. I'd be a rich woman. I take it you've never been arrested before."
"No! I haven't! What are we going to do?"
"How about keeping quiet! Both of you," growled one of the cops. "The detectives will be here in five minutes to sort this all out."
McCoy grinned. "Keep quiet. A wonderful idea, officer. Excuse me." As the cops looked at her like she was crazy, the parapsychologist lowered her head, closed her eyes and concentrated, overcoming her weakness from Martin's mindblast to use her telepathic powers.
Raye! Talia! You awake? Can you hear me?
Yes! Yes I can, said a startled Raye wordlessly.
Fascinating. You established a telepathic rapport with us. No doubt as a result from our minds having been joined yesterday, Talia replied.
McCoy: Smart girl. You'll go far. I take it the boys in blue are keeping you company downstairs.
Raye: Yeah! They are! And we've changed back! What the hell happened? One minute we're rushing into the house, then nothing! What's going on?
McCoy: It's a long story, sugar. One I don't have time to tell right now. We've got to jet before more cops show up. Hang tight. Amy and I will be down in a minute.
Talia: You and Amy? What happened to Serena?
McCoy: She's part of that long story. And it ain't pretty. I'll fill everyone in after we're outta here. Over and out.
After terminating the mindlink, McCoy opened her eyes and stared up at the two cops. "Officers? I have something very important to tell you."
The officers leaned close, anticipating a confession from the woman. "What is it?" one cop asked.
McCoy grinned and said: "You're under my spell."
The two cops suddenly bolted to attention while their eyes glazed over. McCoy chuckled while Amy was annoyed.
"What took you so long?" the blue haired girl demanded.
"It takes additional willpower to take over another person's mind. And I needed time to recover from Martin's whammy before I could try," said McCoy as she rose from the floor, then helped Amy to her feet. "C'mon, darling. Just like on '60 Minutes', the clock's ticking."
Downstairs, Sipowicz and his partner turned at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. They gasped from shock at seeing their fellow officers enter the kitchen, guns in hand and aimed at them, followed by McCoy and Amy.
"Malloy! Reed! What the hell are you doing?" demanded Sipowicz, reaching for his weapon.
"Don't even think about clearing leather, chunky," growled one of the entranced cops, McCoy's words coming out of his mouth which she whispered. "If you and your buddy wanna live long enough to scarf down donuts tomorrow, raise your hands."
Scowling, the two cops didn't budge. Angry, McCoy had the cops under her control cock the hammers on their weapons. "Are you deaf or just plain stupid? I said raise your hands, or I'll blow your heads off! NOW!"
Reluctantly, Sipowicz and his partner did as they were told. "Ladies, relieve these gents of their firearms," ordered McCoy.
Lita and Mina quickly disarmed Sipowicz and his partner while McCoy had the entranced cops stand next to the other two so they could be disarmed by Talia and Raye.
"What are you psychos gonna do? Kill us?" Sipowicz wanted to know.
McCoy shook her head. "Nah. Not my style." Her brows furrowed and the squat cop and his partner stiffened and went glassy eyed. "Okay, boys, listen up. You never saw us. Period. Not even in your dreams. Nod if you understand."
The four entranced cops nodded. Talia, with her enhanced hearing could hear cars approaching. "Charlie, we must leave. Quickly. Reinforcements are coming," she said.
"Out the back! Hurry! Get on Lancaster Avenue and head east! I'll catch up!" said McCoy. The girls wasted no time making a mad dash out the back. She glared at the four cops. "Count down from one hundred then wake up." The black woman then bolted for the rear door as the cops began counting. Moments later, two additional police cars arrived on the scene.
Although it was early September and the summer season officially over, not every beachfront vacation house in Ventnor, New Jersey was unoccupied.
In one of those lavish houses which was owned by the Witasicks, the resurrected Susannah Martin stared out the living room window at the ocean and the waves crashing onto the beach. A look of rapt fascination, even awe was on her face, softening her demonic features. Blair and the girls sat on the leather sectional sofa, quietly observing her.
"Amazing. This is the first time I have ever seen the ocean. It is so magnificent," Martin said in a respectful voice. "During my first life in Salem, I never traveled more than a few miles beyond the town's limits. I never got to see what the world had to offer and had to settle for listening to the stories of others who journeyed far and encountered fantastic wonders."
"Perhaps after today, we can travel. See the world," Blair suggested.
Martin nodded. "Yes, Blair. That would be acceptable. Once this planet has been cleansed of the horrid male disease, we can do whatever we want."
"Uh, mistress? Does that mean all men?" asked Jeannie, thinking about her father and her boyfriend.
"All men. No exceptions. Not even loved ones. As long as I live and breathe, I will not allow males to exist. Not when I have the power to destroy them all!" said Martin, her voice rising in her mania. She then brought herself under control. "And, at the great gathering this afternoon, I will gain the means to exact my revenge! Do any of you have a problem with that?"
The girls were silent. They knew they could not refuse the demon they now served.
"Very good. Now, if you will excuse me, I am going to indulge in a long forgotten pleasure." The crystal glowed and Martin's gown vanished, leaving her nude and barefoot. "When I was a child, I loved to swim in the rivers and streams near my home. The ocean is calling me. I am going to answer it. Then we shall rest prior to the gathering."
Martin the turned her back on the others and walked out the door. The girls walked up to the window and saw the demon run towards the ocean. They could almost swear they heard Martin laugh from delight as she waded into the surf. The girls then looked at each other, concern was written all over the faces of Sabrina and Jeannie.
"That creeps me out," Sabrina muttered.
"Tell me about it," Jeannie grumbled. "You guys get the feeling we've made a deal with the Devil? And we're not gonna be able to afford the bill when it comes due?"
"Does it matter anymore, Jean?" said a stone faced Samantha, her thoughts consumed with killing Sailor Mercury, despite Martin's orders. "We're all in this for our own reasons. You wanted power, Jean, Sabrina joined out of loyalty to Blair while I came in out of curiosity. It's way too late for any of us to back out now."
"Sam's right. We forfeited our souls on the day we spilled our blood on the book. Like it or not, we're in this to the bitter end," Blair added. She glanced behind her at the Darkhold, sitting on the coffee table. "By tonight, you'll all be orphans like me. The only family we'll have from that point on will be each other. You'd better get used to that here and now."
Blair turned her back on the others and, picking up the book, went to one of the bedrooms to sleep, leaving the others to wallow in their own dark and foreboding thoughts.
Inside the Darkhold...
Under normal circumstances, Serena would never have dined with someone she identified as the enemy. However, as usual, her stomach overrode her caution as she ate in Susannah Martin's home.
When Serena learned that the woman she had met was the same monstrous specter that would haunt her dreams, she was wary, even distrustful and afraid at first, but something inside her heart told Serena that she could trust Susannah. She sensed right away that this Susannah wasn't a monster, rather, she was a kind and giving soul. And, above all else in her life, Serena always listened to what her heart told her.
"Thou must have been famished, Serena. That was the second bowl of stew thou hath finished," said a bemused Susannah.
Serena, having just realized that her ravenous appetite had gotten the better of her manners, sat back and grinned embarrassedly. "Really? I'm sorry, Susannah. I didn't mean to eat so much, but it was really good. Er, could I have some more, please?"
Susannah chuckled as she ladled more hot stew into Serena's bowl. "Of course. I have found that food always tastes better when it is shared with others. I am glad to have shared with thee."
Serena smiled at her host, feeling a genuine warmth in her heart as she enjoyed another spoonful, washing it down with fresh goat's milk. Wow! Susannah's really a nice lady. Nothing at all like the monster in that book. And she makes the best beef stew I've ever had! "Well, I am glad that you opened your home to me. That was most kind of you."
"Twas my pleasure. So, where were thou headest, Serena?"
"Um, Boston. I have family there that I have not seen in a long time," Serena replied haltingly. Her knowledge of American geography was limited to watching NBA games with Darien on his satellite. She faintly remembered that the Boston Celtics were his favorite team and the city was in Massachusetts.
A look of concern darkened Susannah's face. "And thou were traveling alone? That was not a wise thing to do, sister."
"I know. I thought I could make it there in a day, but I was wrong. If I had not come across you and your friends, I do not know what I would have done," said Serena, glad that Susannah bought her lie. Yet she felt guilty over having deceived a woman who opened her home to a complete stranger. And that guilt showed on her face with a frown.
Susannah smiled and laid a hand on Serena's arm. "Well, thine worries are now over, Serena. Thou art more than welcome to spend the night in my home. Then tomorrow, I shalt see to it that thou art taken to Boston. I will not allow a sister to fend for herself when help is available. So please, bless me with a smile. It suits thee much better than a frown."
Serena did just that, then giggled. So did Susannah, and the two women enjoyed a good laugh. Serena couldn't help but feel good around the dark haired woman. The more she was with Susannah, the more Serena liked her. Yet, at the same time, she was terribly confused about her situation.
Am I in a parallel world? Some sort of crazy illusion? Or have I actually gone back in time? If that's the case, then how do I get back home without the crystal, she wondered. On top of that, what if I screw up and do something that changes the future? Oh, man! Thinking about all this makes my head hurt!
There was one other question on Serena's mind, even though she already knew what the answer was. And that worried her. Still, she had to know. "Pardon me for asking, but what were you and your friends doing when I stumbled onto you?"
Susannah appeared furtive for a moment before she replied. "We were indulging in our passion. We practice the eldritch arts. Witchcraft. Hath thou heard of it?"
"Uh, a little. Isn't witchcraft, er, a blasphemy against God'?"
"That depends on which kind is practiced. We practice solely white magic. I am a midwife by trade, I employ spells of soothing to assist women in the birth of their children, then healing spells to help them recover from the trauma," Susannah explained earnestly. "My sisters use enchantments to help crops grow, retard illness, or to ward off diseases that surely would have decimated our beloved town. We seek not to commit evil, Serena. Please believe me. In this, the year of our Lord, sixteen eighty-nine, we only want to help preserve our way of life. Doth thee find that wrong? Or think me wicked?"
Serena lowered her head, her heart in turmoil. She remembered hearing the vengeful spirit of Susannah say almost those exact same words to her in her sleep three hundred years in the future. To hear those words come her lips, filled with devotion, conviction, even love made Serena wonder if her newfound friend really was a villain, or merely a victim of turbulent times.
"Susannah, it is not my place to judge you. I am only a stranger to whom you've shown uncommon generosity. As long as your mind and heart is set on doing good, then what you are doing is right. No matter what people like me may think."
"Thou art wise for one so tender in years," Susannah remarked.
"Thank you. I had to mature at an early age," Serena replied, thinking back to all her past missions over the last two years as Sailor Moon. The victories and the defeats, the successes and the failures, the joys and the tears, and how her responsibilities as the Champion of Love and Justice forced an immature, awkward, but fun loving 14 year old to grow up much sooner than she intended, or wanted. Many were the times when Serena felt that being a Sailor Scout stole away her youthful innocence, and she regularly mourned her painful loss.
"Yes. I can tell. I can see great strength, and crushing sadness in thine eyes. As if you experienced things that would hath crushed a lesser soul, but hardened you instead, though not without its cost to thine soul." Susannah then reached up and placed a hand on Serena's cheek. "Much to my regret, I hath never married, nor is it likely that I ever will. But if I had, and bore a loving husband a daughter, I would want her to grow up and be just like thee, Serena. Proud and strong."
Before she could stop herself, Serena lost control and collapsed sobbing in Susannah's arms. This kind, gentle woman had, in a very short time, touched Serena's heart in ways few ever had in her life.
It tore at her mercilessly to know what Susannah's future would be, one filled with pain, horror, suffering, hatred and the corruption of her very soul before death claimed her. And there was nothing Serena could do to prevent it, not without changing the course of history in a country which she was only a visitor. That was what agonized Serena most.
Susannah smiled as she held the shuddering Serena close and softly stroked her hair. "Morpheus....Enactum....Slumberous."
Almost immediately, the sobbing Serena rested her head in Susannah's lap and fell soundly asleep. "Rest well, my tortured sister. I will help thee find peace for thine troubled spirit."
NEXT: This Magic Moment