Title: Glass Rose - Chapter 4
Author: Azure
E-mail: shakira642@hotmail.com
Standard Disclaimer Apply

    "Serena! Garlic isn't going to help stabilize your metabolism!"
    Darien, a renowned actor, actually had to struggle to suppress his laugh 
and keep his face straight. Ha! The mere idea of his beautiful, slender 
stepdaughter adding some pounds onto her thighs was almost ridiculous. 
Besides, he'd never liked women who labored over a thin body. Curves added 
flavor to a girl's body, and certainly he didn't want to hold and caress a 
stick figure. No, Serena had nothing to worry about. In fact, this woman, 
this Rita Merceds who wildly *claimed* to be a close friend of Serena's, had 
much unneeded fat on her stomach. Not that he was complaining, of course.
    "Thank you, Rita," Serena answered bitingly. Suddenly, she'd lost her 
ravenous appetite and listlessly dropped her fork on the plate with a clank. 
She pursed her lips, silently listening to the foolishly flirtatious 
conversation Rita had managed to perk up with Darien.
    "I just cannot believe that Serena didn't mention anything about this! 
Then again, she was meeting you, and naturally she wanted to keep it all to 
herself..." Rita drawled, flashing her widest and phoniest grin.
    Darien shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Yet, he handled her with the 
grace and poise only he could have. Running his fingers through his hair, he 
returned her toothy smile. "You and Serena haven't fully explained to me 
about your relationship," he countered, his eyes radiating brilliance.
    Rita laughed, flipping her rich auburn-brown hair over her shoulder. 
With a provocative gaze, she answered slowly, "I went to the same university 
with Andrew. He introduced us and we hit it off immediately!"
    "Andrew?"
    With a surprised glance at Serena, Rita replied, "Oh Ser! Don't tell me 
that you didn't inform your good old stepdaddy about Drew!"
    Darien felt a spurt of jealousy open up inside of him. Of course, he 
knew, he had no reason, no right to be envious. Serena was not his, and 
certainly he should be liable to feel only protectiveness and fatherly love 
towards her. For goodness sakes! What was wrong with him? Why was this, this 
innocent and baby-faced 'country girl' stirring something ancient and 
forgotten within him? What were these explosions of desires and permissive 
longings? Why in hell did Serena trigger such responses to his mind and his 
body? He clenched his fists, until the knuckles were deathly white. And as 
Serena's deliciously feminine lavendar scent overcame his nostrils, he 
suddenly wondered what it would be like to slowly strip off every article of 
clothing-inch by inch-hiding her secreted treasures. What it would do to 
him, to hear her moan with pleasure, expressing her need of him in a way he 
could not express his need for her. And he wondered how it would be, to 
finally batter down her virgin wall and fill her as no other man in the past 
had been allowed to.
    "Darien."
    His wrist snapped, shocked by the abrupt disruption from his fantastical 
daydream. He flushed, attempting to force those sinful thoughts from his 
mind. How could he think of his precious stepdaughter in that manner of way? 
Guilt flooded his brain, causing his cheeks to flush in wonderment. And in 
complete embarrassment, he wondered if maybe Serena knew what darkness he 
had just experienced.
    "Drew is Ser's boyfriend! They've been together for..hmm...let me see. 
Has it been three years?"
    Serena laughed nervously. Bitch, she thought. How lovely it is to be 
explaining to Darien my current love life! But seriously, why did she care 
so much? It wasn't as if she was trying to make Darien believe she was 
single. What did it matter to him? He's married, she reminded herself. And 
with my mother, too! No, Darien didn't give a damn about her boyfriend as 
long as he wasn't a druggie or some other troublemaker. Darien would never 
give her the time of day if it wasn't for Olivia's pesterings and pleadings. 
Yes, because there was no doubt in Serena's mind that Darien's courtesy and 
politeness was not a mask while his geniality was a facade created for him 
via Olivia.
    "Three years? That's...that's quite...serious..." said Darien, jolted 
out of his reverie by this incredible revelation.
    "I suppose," murmured Serena, not quite aware of what she was saying. 
But with Darien's incredulous gaze, she realized exactly what he might think 
of her. "Oh, oh no!" she recovered, shaking her head vigorously. "It's just 
an on-and-off thing. Not serious at all!"
    Rita rolled her eyes. "By the way, Ser, you *do* know that Drew's in 
town with me?"
    Serena slapped her hand on the table countertop and snapped her head 
around with a gasp. Her soft lips quivered and her eyebrows furrowed with an 
inquiring expression. "What do you mean?"
    Rita winked seductively, a gesture obviously meant for Darien although 
her gaze was fixed on the other girl. "Didn't he tell you? Drew's here for a 
medical convention and since you left us without a moment's notice he so 
kindly asked me to accompany him!"
    Darien turned his attention to the woman, the woman who had caused such 
turmoil in his stepdaughter and who now lavished him with a flirtatious 
smile. She was a tall female, almost as tall as him in her classic black 
heels. Her fabulously highlighted wavy brown hair settled softy around her 
shoulders and her pale blue eyes were set startlingly against her tanned 
face. But besides the mediocre features...she wasn't really anything 
spectacular to look at. Her nose was too sharp, her lips too thin, her 
cheekbones too high. She was just all angles and terseness. A woman who 
demanded authority and respect and one that would receive it. She was 
dressed casually but expensively in a cream-white skirt and peach silk top, 
both in brand names.
    This woman, this woman obviously of prominence and importance, was not 
one whom Serena held dear and close to her heart. Despite the grand 
pretenses, such as kissing Rita's cheeks Paris-style, it was apparent to him 
that Serena disliked the older girl. And the more acquianted Darien became 
to Rita, he found himself cringing away from her. Just in the several 
minutes he'd known her, Darien had already discovered she was rude, 
manipulative, and of course, extremely snobby and self-centered.
    "You say it's a medical convention?" Serena asked, cocking her head 
sideways. Her thick, glossy golden strands slid off her shoulders and 
settled along her arm.
    "A lecture, nothing you'd be interested in," Rita retorted smartly.
    Oh Lord! Serena thought. Not this again! Rita was a *scientist*, a point 
she loved to emphasize. Of course, it made perfectly good sense to the girl 
that a botany researcher should go well with a surgeon...oh what a surprise! 
Andrew's a neurologist! What Serena wanted to know was what in hell did 
studying plants have to do with cutting open human brains?
    Seriously, it wasn't Rita's position that made Serena shudder. It was 
the way she was treated by the older woman. Just because Serena had chosen 
to wait before attending college, Rita automatically assumed that the girl 
hadn't been accepted into any. Then, she quickly put on a false pretense of 
sympathy. But it was obvious that Rita thought herself more experienced, 
intelligent, and beautiful than Serena. Well if that was so true, why wasn't 
Andrew crawling on his knees for Rita?
Sure, she shouldn't judge Rita when she didn't exactly know her too well. 
And sometimes she felt guilty for being so distant and cold to her. But 
there was no doubt in her mind that Rita equally despised her, and their 
feelings for one another was mutual. In fact, Serena was convinced that the 
only reason Rita even pretended to be kind with her was because she was 
after Andrew. Tall, handsome, all-American Andrew. The funny thing was, 
Serena wouldn't mind if Andrew suddenly fell in love with Rita and left her. 
Serena didn't love Andrew. Sure, he was a nice guy; really sweet and gentle. 
But there was nothing special about him. He was just too...ordinary. His 
looks, his successes, they just made him incredibly boring. And as much as 
Serena liked him, she didn't know how much longer she could go on dating 
him. It just saddened her so much that she would have to injure Andrew so. 
Andrew loved her, purely, and she really didn't deserve him. And though she 
wasn't the right woman for him, he would be extremely depressed until *the* 
woman did come. Who knew how long it took for Ms. or Mr. Right to cross 
paths with you...
    "It's alright, Ser. Drew will be just fine without you. I'll be with him 
of course," Rita added, clucking her tongue.
    Serena smiled sweetly. "Oh but Rita, when Drew finds out I'm here he'll 
be heartbroken if I don't accompany him. And hon, really, please *refrain* 
from calling my sweetie Drew. It's really just my pet nickname for him and I 
don't believe lovers should share their special secrets with others. Don't 
you?"

***

    Lita precariously glanced at her watch for the fiftieth time, wondering 
where in hell Darien could be. She wasn't sure exactly what was getting to 
him, but the star's performance had definitely been slipping recently. She'd 
had blamed the abrupt appearance of Olivia's daughter, except she'd smelled 
this coming on for quite sometime. And this morning, on the telephone, 
Darien had been positively out of it. Why, he hadn't uttered a single 
negative comment about today's meeting or the 'Tantalizing' premiere. How 
very un-Darien like. Sure, Lita was fond of him. He was a great person to be 
with, talented, with his priorities set straight. But no one could exactly 
call him an optimist. Often, he could be cold and indifferent. Lita had 
always thought it was his troubled childhood, with his slut of a mother and 
almost nonexistent father completely ignoring him from day one. It'd been 
his nurse, and later on, nanny, Molly, who nutured and cared for him. When 
the Shields' had died in that tragic car accident, Lita doubted Darien had 
felt a physical difference. Why, the boy didn't see his parents for 
practically a year at times, so it wasn't as if he 'missed' them. But 
believing your parents are out there somewhere is always more comforting 
than knowing they no longer grace the Earth and there will be no chance of 
return.
    "Darien better have a solid excuse," Michelle growled. "I'm hot, I'm 
sweaty, and he's an hour late! Doesn't he think I have a life?"
    "Aww, Shelly. Itching for your sweet Amara?" An amused, joking, deep 
male voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
    Lita looked up into Darien's icy blue eyes with a crooked grin. "We were 
waiting for so long," she scolded in a mock-stern tone.
    Darien returned her cocky smile, a rare boyish charm exuberating from 
his prominently male frame. Yes, there was something definitely different 
about him. Lita just couldn't put her finger on it. She glanced sideways, 
Olivia's daughter was clasping his big hand. With a raised eyebrow, she 
thrust out her arm for a shake. She wondered, just how much of an influence 
this seventeen-year-old woman-child could be having on him. Well, she was 
certainly pretty. With her animated, charming girl-face and curvy, womanly 
body Lita didn't doubt that men fell over themselves for her attention.
    "I'm sorry, Lita," the daughter said breathlessly, offering a friendly, 
slightly-embarrassed smile. "It's my fault."
    "Hardly," Darien retorted. "We met up with a very talkative old friend 
of hers. Seems like Serena's boyfriend is in town."
    Lita raised her eyebrows and nodded slowly. "Oh is that so? Is he here 
to survey UCLA's campus?"
    Serena shook her head. "Andrew's a neurologist," she told them proudly. 
"Already graduated medical school. He's here for some kind of convention."
    "Really? How old is he, then?"
    Serena smiled. "Twenty-eight, I believe the same age as Darien, right?"
    He gave her a curt nod, then immediately turned away from her to take a 
seat next to Michelle. Confused by Darien's sudden cold shoulder, Serena bit 
her lip and reluctantly sat beside Lita. She wasn't sure, exactly, how she 
felt about the director. Sometimes Lita seemed like a *person* with hopes 
and fears. But other times, Lita gave off the impression of a conniving 
bitch who cared only for herself and went through the motions only for her 
own benefit.
    The foursome were dining at a Los Angeles cafe,  appropriately called 
Cosmo, neighboring one of Bloomingdale's most posh districts. Men wearing 
three-piece suits and ravishingly dressed women talked business over 
steaming cups of coffee and biscuits. It was the time of day that the rich 
and famous of Beverly Hills called siesta. Instead of taking a nap, however, 
the Hollywood-ers made their way to various coffee shops and chatted 
casually about their personal and public affairs. As Serena surveyed the 
small but glamorous cafe, she spotted Patricia Haruna, Lesley Meyers, and 
Eric Grant in a glance. And she thought she caught a sight of Ashley Dylan, 
her favorite singer and personal role model during high school. She'd 
worshipped Ashley Dylan, constantly wishing she could be as beautiful and 
poised and confident. Serena remembered imitating the celebrity's style, 
wearing neon colors and short racket skirts and tennis dresses. Creativity 
had not been her strong point and the only original bit about her had been 
her hairstyle. Serena refused to change her hair for three years, her 
pigtails, because her mother had loved to fix her hair in that way.
    Following Serena's gaze, Michelle grimaced and asked, "Are you a fan of 
Ashley Dylan?"
    Serena turned to face her, a crooked grin on her sweet face. "I was in 
high school. Back then, every guy wanted her and every girl wanted to be 
like her. Including me."
    Darien rolled his eyes. "Ashley's a slut, I swear. Last year, she tried 
to get Chad to sleep with her. It was really disgusting."
    "Ha, that's nothing compared to what she tried with you," Michelle 
retorted. "She practically raped you."
    Serena burst out laughing, her cheeks flushed and animated. "Oh, Darien, 
that's so hard to picture."
    Darien sent Michelle a dirty look and grunted his reply. But Serena saw 
a hint of an amused smile on his darkly tanned face. She sighed. His 
chiseled Greek features were enchanting, to use an old-fashioned word. But 
there was simply no other way to describe him. He was more than just 
handsome. He was, well, more like ravishing! She wondered how her mother had 
caught such a man. Olivia was pretty, by anyone's standards, but there were 
many more beautiful than her. Mina Aino for instance. And suddenly, Serena 
thought about the gorgeous actress. Last night, she'd caught Darien and Mina 
giving each other meaningful glances. What did they mean? For some reason, 
Serena was sure Mina loved Darien. It wasn't apparent, at least she didn't 
make it obvious. But if you watched how she interacted with Darien... It was 
as if Mina was a candle, inanimate and dark, until Darien, the flame lit her 
up and she was a burning fire. What if the rumors were true? What if Darien 
had betrayed her mother and had an affair with Mina? And as angry as she was 
with Olivia at the moment, Serena couldn't bear seeing her deeply hurt.
    "I tried to get Lesandra Williams for the new role, but her agent has 
this thing against me and convinced her to reject it," Lita's sharp voice 
cut through Serena's disturbing thoughts.
    "Are you sure this is a good idea? It seems really contrived to me," 
Darien told her, frowning.
    "I know it sounds really melodramatic but I think it's what the media 
needs right now. And, of course, the fans will eat it all up. The critics 
will be doubtful but it doesn't matter," said Lita, taking a sip of her 
whipped cream espresso.
    "I agree. We're not trying to make an Oscar-winner, Darry. Just trying 
to make some easy money," Michelle explained. She tossed her aquamarine 
curls so that it caught the light and glistened beautifully.
    Darien's expression was blank but Serena could tell from the look in his 
eyes that he heavily disagreed. She could hear the wheels turning in his 
head, his millions of reasons why he thought they were wrong. But he kept 
silent, he kept cool, and raised an eyebrow to voice his opinion simply and 
clearly.
    "I'm desperate. Who do we cast for Cordelia?" Lita asked, slamming her 
hands on the table.
    "She's young right? What about that new girl. Ann Reyes. Alan Reyes' 
girlfriend. She has that seductive-yet-sweet look," Michelle suggested.
    Lita tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Well...so does 
Serena..."
    Darien's head snapped up as he became aware that the women were entering 
dangerous ground. Shaking his head, he watched Lita and Michelle give Serena 
the once over. "No," he protested. "Lita, Ann Reyes will do just fine."
    "Serena's prettier," Michelle said decisively. "And cheaper. You know 
that Reyes is going to cost us a lot. Olivia will be sure to give us a good 
price."
    Darien snorted in disgust. How could they talk about Serena as if she 
was an object! Something to be bought and used! Something to bargain for, 
something to begotten easily and without flaws or problems. Oh, if they 
wanted Serena, they could work to get her. He would make sure that Olivia 
offered a hard and cruel price. And they would pay for being such monsters. 
Bitches. He crossed his arms across his chest and licked his lips.
    "I...I don't know..." Serena answered softly. "I mean, I won't be 
staying too long. And I really, seriously can't act."
    "Honey, there's nothing to really act. All you have to do is kiss 
Darien, have a catfight with Michelle, and it's over. Please, sweetie? You'd 
be doing us such a favor and we'd been in your debt forever," Lita pleaded.
    "What do you want?" Michelle piped up. "A car? Clothes? VIP passes? 
We'll get it for you!"
    Frowning, Serena shook her head. "No, no I don't want anything. It's 
just...well, Darien what do you think?"
    Lita flashed him a cold, hard stare and Michelle violently kicked his 
shin from under the table. Wincing from his costar's unladylike contact, he 
heaved a sigh and pretended to give over. "Okay, okay. Since you're going to 
resort to beating up poor old me, yes Serena, I think you should do it."
    They bought it immediately. Lita smiled brightly, and winked thankfully. 
Michelle blew him a kiss, one which he returned with vigor. Ha! They didn't 
call him a talented actor for nothing did they? He could fool his agent and 
old friend without interruption. Suddenly, satisfaction warmed his heart and 
flushed his face. Slinging his arm over his stepdaughter's shoulders, he 
gazed at her pretty face inquiringly.
    Biting her lip in uncertainty, her answer was prolonged and reluctant. 
"Alright...but I warned you."
    "Not to worry!" Lita reassured perkily. She snapped open her purse, 
taking out a writing pad and a ballpoint pen. "Let's get down to business."

***

    No letter. No e-mail. No phone call. Kenji dropped his face into his 
hands, reveling in the darkness that enclosed him and whisked him away from 
the cruel, cruel world. How could Usako do this to him? He'd made her 
promise to contact him everyday, no matter the time, no matter the risk. Was 
she really so caught up in the Hollywood glitz and glamour? Well, let her. 
He didn't mind. Her exceptional beauty wouldn't allow her stay unnoticed too 
much longer. But more likely, and more fitting of her character, she had 
fallen in love with her mother and stepfather's lifestyle. And though she 
was almost eighteen anyway, Kenji couldn't bear the thought that his 
daughter preferred another home to his.
    "Kenji, honey. Aren't you going to eat?" Chelsea's nasal voice came from 
the foot of the staircase.
    "I'm not hungry," he answered dully, his voice muffled and scratched.
    "Kenji, it's Friday. Your mother is here. What am I supposed to say?" 
Chelsea whined.
    Suddenly, Kenji had the urge to troop down the staircase and destroy 
that glamorous, perfectly made-up face of hers. He could imagine the peace 
and bliss that flow through him as his strong, solid fist came in contact 
with her precious nose. No loss, it was probably plastic anyway.
    "Nothing. Molly and Shingo will take care of her. Eat in the kitchen or 
something if you want to avoid her."
    He knew he should be with his mother right now, eating with her, talking 
with her. He owed her that much. But at the moment, he just wanted to be 
with himself, thinking about his precious daughter. And he prayed to God, 
the God whom he had abandoned since he stopped going to Sunday School in the 
eighth grade, he prayed to that God that his Usako would be returned to him 
soon, safe and unchanged.

***

    Oh Lord, what a sight she was. Beautiful corn-silk hair the golden hue 
of flax of rich, thick curls cascading down her shoulders and swishing 
across her bare, perfectly-lined back. Although she was extremely short and 
petite, she had a luscious body-not at all the elbows and edges of one so 
thin. Her sleeveless lavendar gown accentuated her slight hips, her flat 
stomach, the gently molded breasts of a mature woman, her rounded shoulders, 
her creamy-white swan neck. The slit of her dress carefully extending to the 
top of her calf, exposing a shiny, curvaceous leg. She was no child, and had 
apparently the charms of a whore. Yet, there was still that aura of 
innocence about her. Her face, the flawless and magnificently ravishing 
features so seductively lovely. The full, rosebud mouth of soft, exquisite 
lips, the deceptively cute turned-up nose of a child, the royal high 
cheekbones, the enormous, come-hither eyes of inquisitive deep blue you 
could easily drown in. How gorgeous she was, a real woman of experience and 
maturity. At the same time, she was an adorable girl, who, despite her grand 
innocence and shield from the dark outside world, knew how to use her looks 
for her advantage. Yes, she might be young, she might be a virgin, and she 
might be his stepdaughter but he was convinced he was in the presence of the 
most beautiful lady anyone would be able to find. The dangerous combination 
of a courageous woman and a girl of spirit sent sparks into the air; warning 
those next to her of her special quality to charm and allure. Serena had 
charisma anyone could sense, a kind of grace that could enchant the hardest 
of men. She was just full of...zest...and energy! She was a girl...woman 
whose appeal touched just about all.
    Oh, and how lucky he felt to be the one who would be escorting this 
exquisite jewel to the premiere. He strutted down the plush red carpet, his 
heart full of pride and for the first time in his life, he wanted to show 
off his prize. He tightened his arm around her waist, brought her closer to 
him. The flashes of cameras and the frenzied shouts of reporters and 
fanatics didn't bother him anymore. In that moment, in that pure, lovely 
moment, nothing mattered in the world except for Serena and him. They were 
together and nothing could pull them apart. Nothing could tear them apart. 
They, who had been two, had become one.
    "Darien! You're late!"
    He was snapped rudely and abruptly out of his dreamworld. Extremely 
annoyed and ready to burst with anger, he turned to his speaker. Groaning 
inwardly, he recognized his costar, Camille Doube. Ultimately gorgeous and 
furiously and foolishly stupid. A woman who planned to succeed in life with 
her looks. It seemed as if it couldn't happen any other way, because not 
only was she academically primitive, she didn't have an ounce of common 
sense. Only trivial thoughts crossed her mind, such as what she would wear 
for a certain social event or if she should cut her lustrously long chestnut 
brown hair or not. He couldn't imagine anything even remotely intelligent 
escaping from those pouty red lips of hers.
    "Camille, Serena Tsukino. Ser, Camille Doube," Darien interceded, 
ignoring his costar's ridiculous question. Why the hell did she think he was 
late? Gosh, maybe he'd gone to get a manicure! He rolled his eyes 
sarcastically, strangely bitter at being jolted out of his perfect fantasy.
    "I see...uhh...are you an actress? A model? I'm terribly sorry but I 
haven't heard of you," purred Camille, her voice coated with fake syrupy 
sugar.
    Psh. To hell she was sorry. Darien felt like making fun of his costar. 
Sure, it was mean. But Camille's stupidity and arrogance was more than he 
could take. "Oh gosh, Camille, I can't believe you don't know the infamous 
Serena Tsukino! She's a HUGE porn star...the object of every man's wet 
dream!" Darien gushed with so much emphasis that only a total bitch or fool 
wouldn't be able to decipher his sarcasm.
    Camille's bottomless, seductively flashing green eyes widened. 
"Seriously? Goodness, Darien, think of what this is going to do to your 
reputation!"
    Darien and Serena glanced at each other in disbelief. They couldn't 
believe anyone was so...shallow and stupid. Incredulously, Serena replied as 
kindly as she could, "I...I think Darien was...eh...joking."
    Darien laughed. "Ha. Camille, Serena is Olivia's daughter. She's 
visiting us for the first time so I had to escort her to her first premiere. 
I'm hoping you don't take offense that I...eh...'ditched' you."
    Camille was speehless. She opened her mouth, groping desperately for 
words. It surprised her...and embarrassed her. She couldn't lose her 
composure! She was the ultimately beautiful and poised Camille Doube. She 
raised an elegant eyebrow into a perfect arch and shrugged her slight 
shoulders. Meaningfully, her silk shawl slipped off her creamy skin and slid 
onto the red carpet. A distinguished-looking man in a three piece suit 
walked by and accidentally trodded the designer cloth.
    Darien couldn't resist as a huge boyish grin split across his face. 
"Have fun! Ciao!" Quickly, he took Serena's arm and dragged her away, 
blowing Camille a mocking kiss.
    "Darien!" Serena scolded, trying her best to supress a smile but failing 
terribly. "That was cruel! Poor Camille!"
    "You were right," Darien whispered into her ear. "You are a bad 
actress." He smiled.
    "You're so charming and debonair," Serena retorted sarcastically, 
returning his joyful expression. "So," she coughed, changing the subject. 
"What does one...er...*do* at a premiere?"
    "Kiss up to people, basically," Darien answered, clucking his tongue. 
"Just give some fake grins to the cameras, say some polite words to the 
reporters, go in, watch the movie, applaud afterwards no matter how much it 
sucked, then go parrrrrtaaayyy!"

***

    Serena, always the obedient lady, faithfully followed Darien's orders. 
She managed to bless every visible camera with an angelic smile, although 
afterwards she felt as if her face was cracking. The few reporters allowed 
to question the celebrities, rushed over with comments. Vivian Liang, the 
fashion critic known for her sharp tongue, praised her choice of dress 
"classy but not over the top" and complimented her "natural hue and light 
makeup." Darien remained poised as journalists fired him ridiculous 
inquiries and saved Serena from answering such prying questions. She'd 
recoiled with shock when one asked what her opinion of her mother was. 
Fortunately, Darien had coolly told the woman, in different terms, of 
course, to go fuck herself. When time came for the showing, Darien glided 
her into the enormous theatre. Amazed at the sheer size and pleasantly 
surprised when Darien ushered her into box seats, much like an opera house, 
Serena could not remember a time when she had been so breathlessly and 
unworryingly blissful.
    The film, of course, was miraculous. She watched, completely mesmirized 
as the sweetly romantic story unfolded. Set during the French Revolution, 
where aristocrats lost their heads simply because of their position and 
money, Camille Doube played Marie Louise, the spoiled and indulged daughter 
of an extremely rich government official. After the slaughter of Marie 
Antoinette, Marie Louise and her eldest sister, Marguerita flee to 
Switzerland. But they are stopped by Bertrand, played by Darien Shields, a 
poor carpenter who supports the French Republic. Bertrand immediately falls 
in love with Marie Louise, and he must choose between duty and love. In the 
end, Bertrand helps Marie Louise and Marguerita away from France and harm, 
but he stays in France to bravely fight the war.
    "Darien, that's so beautiful!" Serena gushed, when the end credits were 
rolling, the lights had flickered into a dim, and the audience was 
applauding and hooting their appreciation.
    "Psh. It was so boring!" Darien complained. "Just because the girl and 
guy don't end up together doesn't automatically make it romantic."
    Serena smiled. "I thought it was. Really sad, too. I kinda wish they 
*had* ended up together. And Camille might be a little dense but she's a 
great actress!"
    Darien frowned in disbelief. "Huh. Oh, you mean in the end. When she was 
crying. All she had to do was scrunch up her face and we patted water down 
her cheeks. It wasn't real."
    "Seriously?" Serena asked, shocked. "They do that often? I thought it 
was always inspired."
    "Well, sometimes the actor just won't cooperate so they have to 
improvise. Most directors don't want to though, too risky."
    Serena grinned. "Well that looked realistic to me. So. What's next?"
    "You're relentless," Darien answered, his tone light and friendly. "It 
depends on you. Are you tired? Sleepy?"
    "Not at all," said Serena, truthfully. It was amazing how alert her body 
and brain were, at eleven-thirty. Usually, she was washed out by ten 
although she didn't hit the sack until midnight.
    "Up to some partying?"

***

    Serena glanced at her watch, her eyelids drooping sleepily. Three-fifty. 
Wow. She'd never stayed up so late when at home, much less at a party. 
Slipping off her sandals and rubbing her sore, blistered feet together, she 
watched Darien gracefully steer Patricia Haruna throughout the dance floor. 
The older woman's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes starry. Hollywood's 
knight-in-shining-armor had his effect on the elderly crowd as well, it 
seemed. Earlier, Darien's attentions and charms had been solely on her, as 
he offered her food and drinks every five minutes, and glided her in a 
dance. But it seemed he soon grew tired of her, and as soon as Serena showed 
signs of wearing out, he deposited her in the nearest chair and snatched 
Mina. Camille had been his next victim, then there'd been a few pretty young 
girls Serena didn't recognize. As the crowd was wearing thin, Darien hadn't 
a choice but to partner with Patricia.
    Feeling slightly neglected, Serena rested her head on the table. She 
felt a migraine coming on. Darien was a sweet man, really, she assured 
herself. He just had his way...with women, that is. He hadn't been rude and 
uncourteous to her on purpose. He wanted to have fun, he wanted to laugh and 
drink and dance, the life of the party, people often described him. And 
Serena had not been giving to his needs, complaining about her feet and her 
headache, not willing to keep him entertained. So he left her, but only 
after asking if Serena would be alright alone. He wouldn't dream of 
abandoning her without her *permission* of course. He went to women, Mina, 
Camille, Patricia, the others--women who knew much more about keeping men 
occupied than she did. And again, she was painfully aware of her naivete and 
young innocence next to Hollywood's finest and most beautiful.
    "Serena?"
    Turning awkwardly to face the voice whom the message belonged to, she 
was surprised to find Mina Aino. Why would the gorgeous and popular actress 
be bothering with lonely, little her? But strangely, Serena saw hurt in 
Mina's eyes, pain and unvoiced anguish. The actress's gaze was fixed on 
Darien, who had finally gotten rid of Patricia Haruna and pushed her aside 
for a much prettier, younger, and seductive woman in a deeply V-necked 
ensemble.
    "Darien always had to dance with every attractive woman at the party," 
Mina commented bitterly.
    Serena lowered her eyes with respect. "Mina, I'm fine with it. Really. 
It doesn't matter. I don't want him to drop everything for me. I'm just his 
wife's daughter anyway."
    Mina pursed her lips angrily, her knuckles clenched. "Yeah, maybe you 
don't mind. But I do. Serena, I do."

***

Another chapter done!!!!!!!! =)
I'm really sorry if it's dragging...
and please read my second story-in-progess Cruel Intentions!!

keep those e-mails coming...they really help!! they inspire me, keep me 
going, everything that writing needs.