Sailor Moon: Hidden Memories

Chapter 2

Kendon Residence,

Manhattan, New York City:

Breakfast at the Kendon household was usually somewhat strained. This is what Tanya had learned during the time she'd spent living with her cousin Anna, uncle James Kendon, and his new wife Leslie. Anna's mother had died years ago in a tragic car accident, and James had gotten remarried a mere 9 months later...much to Anna's displeasure, even at the young age she was.

To say Anna disliked her stepmother was an understatement. But not even the word "hatred" could justify her feelings about her father: Anna flat out detested the man. This was never more obvious than when the family tried to sit down to a normal meal. She had found out only a couple years ago that just before the accident that killed her mother, her father was having a secret affair with his secretary...now his wife, and when her mother found out, she immediately started the procedure for getting a divorce. Anna's mother was devastated of course, and Anna knew that could have contributed to her having that accident.

Anna munched her cereal with banana slices cut into it, as did Tanya. James Kendon sipped coffee while reading the paper. Leslie, Anna's stepmother, was eating a doughnut, looking out the window. Her blue eyes seemed almost vacant and detached, as though she wanted to be anywhere else besides in such a tension-filled room. Her long blonde hair hung in waves down to the middle of her back and she crossed her shapely legs nervously. For long moments, no one said anything, and it nearly unnerved Tanya as she munched on her cereal.

Eventually, Mr. Kendon set down the paper and turned to his daughter. "Don't forget, Anna. Today, I'll be picking you up at twelve-thirty-"

"I know!" Anna interrupted, slamming her glass of orange juice down onto the table. Everyone else looked up in shock. "You've picked me up at twelve-thirty every day for the past two weeks! I haven't been to any of my afternoon classes in ages, and I'm in danger of failing the final exam next month because of it!"

"Anna..." Tanya started, hoping to calm down her cousin before she got into another argument with her father. But she was cut off by the girl as she stared at her father with distaste.

"Not that you'd care. Not as long as I get first place in the competition!" Anna finished, either ignoring or not hearing her cousin's interruption.

"Anna," James said warningly, pausing to see if the angry teen would be quiet while he spoke. He had gone through this many times with his daughter and was used to it by now, but damn it, wouldn't she even give him a chance to finish? He watched as she crossed her arms and glared at him but was silent. "We'll hire you a private tutor after school to make sure you catch up."

"I don't want a tutor!" Anna yelled. "After school is usually the only free time I have because you make me practice all evening! And lately...I haven't even had that free time! Not that you'd care!" She stood up violently to leave the table.

"Sit down," James commanded immediately, narrowing his eyes.

"No!" Anna snarled back.

"Anna Linette Kendon, you will sit down and finish your breakfast!" The tall man got up from his sit, his hand balling in to a fist. He was hoping...oh he was hoping that today could have been a quiet, peaceful breakfast!

"I'm already done," she muttered, turning her back and stalking out of the dining room as her father watched in disbelief. Leslie only hung her blonde head nervously. Anna ran like mad up the stairs to her bedroom and began shoving textbooks into her backpack, all the while complaining to her dog, Diefenbakar.

"He doesn't care about me at all!" She gave her trusty guardian dog a sad look with tears in her eyes. "All he wants is a champion in the family. It doesn't matter that I didn't even want to be a gymnast, he decided it for me!" She finished getting her things together, grabbed a jacket, and scratched Dief's head. The black-furred dog opened his mouth to say something...anything, to sooth and comfort his mistress, but decided against it. Young Anna was filled with a lot of anger and tension, and it was up to her to work it out with her father. I hope it's soon, the canine thought, Very soon.

"See you this evening, Dief," she told him, pulling on her jacket.

"Have a good day," Dief replied. Most people would have been scared to hear a dog talk, but Anna was used to it. She took a deep breath, prepared herself to run past her father if she needed to, and headed towards the door out of their apartment. She made it without interruptions and waited at the elevator for Tanya.

Several moments later, the shorter girl caught up with her, panting hard as she was running to catch up to her. This was where they met in the morning if Anna got mad and left before Tanya did. "I hate him," was all Anna had to say, and Tanya nodded that she understood as they entered the elevator and began the decent to the ground floor. Both girls were silent during the trip to school. Tanya may not have had the turbulent relationship with her father as Anna did, but she understood nonetheless. The smaller girl's father was barely around for her to form a close relationship with as she would have liked. He was always off in some country or the other, being a doctor as well as a missionary to spread Christianity. Sometimes though, Tanya missed him so much, it hurt. She often went to bed crying her heart out, wishing her father was there to hold her. As much as Tanya hoped she grew out of needing her father, she knew she would always need him in some way. On their way to school, Tanya looked at her cousin from the corner of her eye. With all her heart, she wished that Anna would learn to overcome her anger. But until then, you know I'm here for you, Tanya thought hopefully.

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Morning classes passed uneventfully at the old St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic High School. Tanya and Anna only had two of the four morning classes together, then lunch. They met in the cafeteria and ate together in silence, and several minutes before the period ended, Anna had to leave. It was almost twelve-thirty.

"Tell Father Renard I won't be in English class again," she said. "Bye, Tanya. I'll see you tonight." Tanya nodded as both girls walked somberly through the wide halls of the old school, wishing they could just spend more time with each other. Tanya was new and still a little nervous about the school. But both knew that Anna's busy schedule barely gave them enough time to do that, and they could only make the best of the time they did have together.

"Try not to fight with your dad, okay?" The girl gave her cousin a worried look.

"I'll try," Anna promised. Both girls doubted it would work. Anna then grabbed her bag and dashed to her locker before signing out to meet her father in the parking lot.

"You're late," he commented as she climbed into the car.

"Only by two minutes!" Anna said defensively, tossing her bag into the back seat and glaring out the window. The rest of the ride passed in silence until the car stopped in front of the New York City Gym.

"Leslie will pick you up tonight, I have a meeting. Then we'll be going out for dinner, as you will be leaving for Boston tomorrow," her father informed her.

Anna looked at her father nervously. "But Dad, I don't want to-"

"I've also decided that Tanya will go with you. I don't want her to think it's unfair that you got out of school so much and she hasn't."

Anna started to object that she hadn't wanted to miss school..well, at least not to do gymnastics.., but stopped, remembering her promise to Tanya. Besides, even though she was still mad at her father, she was glad Tanya would be coming along. The girls were best friends as well as cousins.

"Fine!" she breathed out. Anna fished around for her backpack when they pulled up to the gymnasium, and her father opened the trunk so she could grab the faded blue duffel bag that held her practice clothes. She made her way to the locker room to change after saying a stiff goodbye to her father, trying to push her anger to the back of her mind.

She was actually looking forward to practice. True, it would be long and hard, as it was the last practice before the competition in Boston. However, practicing also made Anna clear her mind, and she felt refreshed afterwards.

Anna met her instructor and coach, George Mason, and practice began. She began to feel better after a few back flips and cartwheels, and let the morning's argument go. In fact, she began to feel very positive about the upcoming competition, which her coach assured her might very well end up qualifying her for the Olympics. Anna smiled and nodded, her heart skipping in excitement as she thought about tomorrow. "Thanks Coach Mason. I'll definitely do my best tomorrow!"

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Later that night, both girls prepared for the big travel, Tanya the most. For her first time in America, she wanted to see and experience everything! "This is going to be SO exciting!" Tanya said happily as Anna smiled. Anna was more than willing to tell her everything she knew about the city of Boston, having passed through it just a few times before, but never really touring. For hours, the girls didn't talk or even think about anything else but their trip and being normal girls. For now, they didn't want to think about being Sailor Senshi, and being the only people who could save the world from evil along with the original Sailor Senshi of Japan. Everything seemed to be going so well. What mattered to them now was being together, and helping each other through their problems. But the girls had yet to know that there was an evil brewing, awaiting them when they arrived in Boston the next day.

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When Tanya and Anna got off the airplane, they were bubbling over with excitement, yet nervousness. Both skimmed the crowd for the new coach who was supposed to be meeting them and making sure they got where they needed to go. They didn't know who it would be, as they only found out when a note was handed to them as the boarded the plane,telling them plans had changed for the person who was supposed to meet them. Tanya looked around her for long moments, confusion on her face, until she gave a shout of excitement. "Anna, look over there!" She tapped her cousin on the shoulder and pointed. There standing alone a few feet away was a man holding up a large sign that said, "ANNA & TANYA" in big, black letters.

The man was tall and well-muscled with smooth, very dark skin. His eyes were deep brown and his hair was cut short. He wore a pair of khakis and a dark blue sweatshirt with the logo of the gymnastics competition on it. "Hi," he greeted as they walked up to him. "My name's Travis Mirange, I'm supposed to be meeting you. Your regular coach...errr...had other plans." He looked the two girls up and down, "So, who's who?"

"I'm Tanya, and this is Anna. She's the one competing," Tanya smiled proudly at the taller girl next to her.

"Great! I understand you two have a pair of dogs waiting for you?" Travis asked.

The girls nodded.

"Well, let's go claim them!"

As they walked, the girls learned through polite conversation that Travis was nineteen years old and a gymnast himself. He'd be competing in the men's competition, but had volunteered to help some of the younger competitors get settled in. He also explained that Anna's coach had run into a family crisis and wouldn't be able to join them, so that left Anna and Tanya without supervision while they were in Boston and him being the one to coach them until further notice.

Although sad that the gymnastics teacher was having family problems, the girls were excited to be on their own. It meant they could tour wherever they wanted to for as long as they wanted.

They picked up their bags and dogs- it had taken some conniving, but both Marco and Dief had been sent with them- and Travis led the way to his car.

All the while before, Anna was in a great mood, but now felt something....strange yet familiar about Travis, almost as if she'd met him before and knew him very well, but couldn't quite grasp when or where. What's this feeling I'm getting? I'm sure I've never seen him before in my life! She turned to look at the man's profile as he was driving the van, her brows nitted together in concentration. Tanya, sitting in the backseat, looked at Anna with concern. She was noticing the look her cousin was giving Travis, but deciding to ask about it later when they finally pulled up to their hotel.

They quickly checked in and made sure all of their things were their things were loaded and taken up to their room as they followed. As Travis turned to leave after everyting was put away, he looked at both girls curiously. That girl...Anna. What's this feeling I'm getting from her? But he shook his head to clear it, deciding it was nothing. "I'll see you girls tomorrow, okay?" He waved, and was gone as the girls looked on curiosity.

The next morning, Tanya excitedly ran over to the large bedroom windows in the hotel apartment they were staying in and looked out with wide eyes. She still couldn't get over the sheer beauty and size of the city of Boston. It was so much bigger and modern that what she was used to in her home country, and all the tall buildings and racing cars made her think of Tokyo, with all the bright lights and skyscrapers. Suddenly, a snow-flake whisked by the window pane, and Tanya smiled. This was her first Winter here in Boston, and she hoped it would be wonderful. She turned to Anna laying down on the bed on her stomach and looking over a book.

"Anna, it finally started to snow! Look outside!" the shorter dark-skinned girl said, excitement in her eyes.

Anna simply nodded her head and mumbled, "Mmmm hmm."

Tanya frowned slightly and crossed her arms over her chest. "Anna, I said it started SNOWING!"

"Mmm hmmm."

"They said on the news that it was going to turn into a blizzard."

"Mmmm hmmm."

Tanya frowned more. "And then a blazing giant meteor is going to come streaking out of the sky and destroy every living thing on Earth!"

"Mmmm hmm."

Deciding it was enough, Tanya stalked over and leaned over Anna's form to see what had intrigued her so. Her eyes narrowed in annoyance; the book Anna was "reading" was actually upside down. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, Tanya took a deep breath and yelled "ANNA!"

The tall girl jumped slightly and turned over to look with surprised eyes at Tanya, who was standing before her, her small feet tapping on the floor and her hands on her hips.

"OH! Sorry Tanya! What were you saying?" said Anna. She put a hand behind her hand and giggled nervously, then tossed the book on the dresser. Tanya sighed and sat down next to her cousin on the bed.

"I was SAYING that it just started snowing outside. I thought maybe we could go walk around in it before we have to go meet our tutor this morning," A worried look came on Tanya's dark face.

"Oh, well, I don't know, I've got a lot on my mind right now," said Anna as she sat up and drew her knees up to her chest. She sighed and ran a dark hand through her thick, dark brown hair.

"Oh no, are you still upset over your dad?" Tanya placed an arm around Anna's shoulder. It pained her a lot that her cousin didn't have the relationship she needed and deserved with her father. Thinking about all the arguing and fights she saw in the apartment back in New York made Tanya miss her own father more, but she kept that to herself and hope no one else noticed. She only wished she could be more help to Anna.

"Actually, for once, it's not about him," chuckled Anna as she turned to her cousin. "What do you think about that Travis guy? I mean, does he seem kind of...weird to you?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, a little bit," Tanya tugged nervously on a black strand of hair. "It's like...he's different from everybody else here. I can't explain it, but he gives me the creeps!"

"Yeah, same here." nodded Anna. She shrugged and jumped of the bed. "Well, it's no use just sitting here moping over it. I'm hungry, and I say we go get some more food before our boring lecture in class today." Anna raised her arms over her head and stretched her tall, perfectly shaped body.

"I'm with you! Let me get Marco and Dief, and we're outta here!" grinned Tanya as she jumped off the bed. As soon as the guardian dogs were rounded up, both girls and canines raced out of the apartment. Once again, all thoughts of evil left their minds, and the girls happily walked down the many flights of stairs to the main lobby. Talk of boys, fashion, and the latest movies and music dominated their conversation, happy to be distracted from the strange Travis and anything else unpleasant. But unknown to them, evil was watching them from a pair of glowing eyes belonging to a dark-skinned man, and waiting for it's moment to pounce.

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To Be Continued.

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