Serenay Moon
Episode 1: Free fall
©2001 Kitty Ocean
Edited by: Archmage Lia

His mother shut down the television. She pushed away the tapes of the Moon Tournament she had been looking at. She knew she shouldn't look at those; it would make her sad, knowing this would also happen to her son. Sure, there would be medical centers, but still,.... this was her little boy. She laughed at herself. Little boy... yeah, a little boy of 17 years old. She smiled at him, standing in the doorway.

His father joined them. He patted him on the back. "Well, son, this is it! Don't let us down!"

His mother stepped next to him. "Just be careful, okay darling? It's a great honor you got selected."

He knew what she meant. Being chosen to enter the Moon Tournament was a great honor. Everybody dreamed of fighting on Serenay Moon, the far away planet. This year, the year 3713, was going to be his year! He practiced all his life and he
was ready to win this fighting tournament.

"No sweat mom. I'll bring home a trophy!" He smiled.

"You're my boy." His father laughed. "I just wished I was chosen when I had your age. I remember well that...."

His mother interrupted him. "Honey, don't start again. Zach has a long way to go. He'd better leave now." She closed his jacket, which he immediately opened again. "I'm sorry we don't have money enough to pay a direct trip. I just wished
you didn't have to walk. You never know what might happen."

"It's okay mom, and I'm big enough to walk. I'll write and call you as often as I can." He quickly kissed his mother and then shook his father's hand. He stepped out of the door, but seemed he forgot something because he turned back. He gave his father a firm hug. "See you later dad. Don't forget to watch it on television!"

His mother and father waved him goodbye while Zach got on his way to Serenay Moon. He knew it was going to be a long way, but he would get in time there.


Zach whistled his way to the nearest city, but it seemed further away than he expected. After a while, he already wasn't in the mood for whistling any more. Zach knew he had to walk for 2 more hours before he would reach Tryono City. While he was walking, Zach tried to imagine how it would look like and what kind of adventures he would make. And whatever he dreamed, he was certain of one thing... making it to the top.

Zach saw himself standing in the middle of the stadium on Serenay Moon, being cheered at by thousands of creatures. He hoped they would be from every planet in the galaxy, so the whole universe would know he was the best!


"Hey, watch it!"

Zach snapped awake from his daydream and noticed he had reached Tryono City. It was a lot bigger than he expected and he gazed with his eyes wide open. He looked at the buildings, the restaurants and the many gift shops. They even had a M.C (Medical Center) and a training gym for those who wanted to get an invitation for the Moon Tournament. He wondered if he should call his mother, but he decided not to. He just had left home. But maybe he should buy something for her.

He sat down and put his backpack next to him. It was peaceful here in this little part of the town. He sat in the shade of two trees and he relaxed a bit.

His mind wandered off again and already he saw himself winning the tournament again. He even wouldn't need to visit the MC, not even after the first round! He would win it, without a scratch and....

"Hey! That's my bag!" Zach jumped up and ran after the person that took his backpack. But this person seemed to be a lot faster and none of the creatures in the city tried to stop it. 'Great', Zach cursed, 'I've been here for half an hour and already I get robbed. And those aliens don't even stop to help me.' He saw some aliens laughing at him, while he tried to keep up with his thief.

Zach wasn't too pleased that his bag was stolen, but he hated it much more that he couldn't keep up with her. He had already seen it was a girl, with hair like fire and a black jacket. She shouldn't be hard to miss if he lost her, but he didn't plan to do that. He just had to follow her until she got tired.


The girl ran out of the city and Zach still followed her. He saw she headed towards the bridge. He thought she was stupid; if she got tired on this large bridge, she couldn't hide anywhere. She seemed to get tired, because he gained on her.

Zach ran on the bridge. Space cars raced next to him, but he didn't care. That  it started to rain didn't matter to him also. The bridge became slippery and Zach sometimes slipped, but noting would stop him. He smiled. The girl he followed suddenly slipped and crashed on the concrete bridge. "Gotcha!" He yelled and grabbed her. He looked at her.

"Let me go!" She screamed and tried to get lose.

Zach laughed. "Now why would I do that? You stole my backpack!"

"I would have returned it." She said. "I was just hungry. Now let me go!"

Zach didn't let her go. "You are just a little girl. Why didn't you just ask for food?"

"I have my pride. And I'm not a little girl! I'm 18 years old!" She twisted around a few more times.

"Stop that!" Zach ordered. "Do you want to fall from the bridge?"

"Doesn't matter to me!" She yelled and smacked him in the face.

Zach let her go and grabbed his face. She could punch really hard! He stepped back. Zach cursed a few times. When he looked again, he saw she had started running again.

Quickly he followed her. Now he wouldn't be mister-nice-guy again. With all his strength he grabbed her, but she swung him away. Unfortunately, he didn't let go and he felt that the floor was vanishing underneath his feet. He saw the river suddenly coming so close.

Both fell from the bridge. The fall seemed to take hours, though it was so short. Zach fell on his flat back, while the girl hit the river a moment later. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed she was under water. She wanted to swim to the surface again, but suddenly noticed a shade next to her. Carefully she swam closer.

If she had the breath for it, she would be startled, but she knew there wasn't any time. She took Zach and lifted him to the surface. She just wanted to steal some food, not killing him! The river had become a bit wilder because of the rain, but she seemed to swim very easily to the shore.

The girl lifted Zach on the shore and listened. 'Thank god', she thought, 'he's still alive.' She climbed on the hill and walked to the road.

Lights blinded her. "Hey, what are you doing there!" The officer yelled at her.

"There is a boy down there who almost drowned!" She yelled and pointed down.

The policeman took his flashlight and looked down the muddy hill. He saw Zach lying there. "What the...?" He asked, but when he looked back with his flashlight, the girl was gone.


The next morning, in the Medical Center, someone stepped in the room from Zach. Her fire-like hair had lost its glow and her black jacket was still a bit muddy. The girl looked around to see if no one would see her. She looked at Zach, everything seemed all right.

Quietly, she laid the wet backpack on a chair and turned around. Suddenly, a hand grabbed her and she felt like screaming, but didn't. Shocked, she looked back. Zach was awake!

"I was awake, you know?" Zach said and saw the frightened eyes of the girl. He let her go and sat. "What did you come to do?"

She pointed at the wet backpack. "I... ehm... fished your backpack out of the river. I told you I would return it."

"And now I'm supposed to thank you?"

She shook her head. "So...." She started. "Are you alright?"

Zach nodded. "They'll let me go today."

"Cool." She said and walked away.

"Hey, where are you going?" He asked.

"Nowhere that interests you." She said. She looked at him and he took his backpack. "I didn't take anything from it. I don't like wet food."

"I'm not looking for that." Zach said and took an envelope. "I was looking for this. I'm glad it's still alright."

"What's it? A letter from your girl friend?" The girl laughed.

Zach shook his head. "You know the Moon Tournament on Serenay Moon?"

"Know it?!" The girl exclaimed. "It's the coolest thing on the world!"

"I'm invited to enter...."

The girl was shocked. "You... are... chosen?" She pointed at him in disbelief.

Zach nodded. "Have you ever been there?" She shook her head and wanted to say something, but Zach already continued. "Then why don't you come along?"

"Me?" She started. "Coming along with you? I almost drowned you! What kind of an idiot are you?"

"A nice and forgiving idiot." Zach smiled. "What do you say?" She didn't answer. "Okay, know what? I'll dress myself and if you're still there, then that means you are coming along."

Zach walked away. He didn't know why he was doing this and he didn't expect her to be still there when he was finished. "Mm, guess I have a new travel mate!" He smiled. He took his backpack. "But when we find a place to sleep, you got to
take a bath. You can't get to Serenay Moon with *that* hair."

The girl looked at it and noticed that it was as hard as a tree branch. "Kay, but not because you tell me to."


They walked out of the MC and towards the bridge again. Zach talked about his family and how he was going to enter the tournament and beat the crap out of everyone. The girl suddenly stopped.

"Okay, I know I agreed walking along with you, but there are a few rules."

"Like what firehead?" Zach asked.

The girl started walking again. "One, the name is Kitt."

"Just Kitt?"

"Just Kitt, so don't dare me call firehead or anything else without my permission again."

"Yes Miss!" Zach saluted.

"Two, don't ever tell me what to do again!"

"Sure!"

"Three, just that I'm coming along doesn't mean we are friends."

"Wouldn't dare to think that."

"Four, don't you dare start thinking pink is my favorite color!"

Zach smiled. "Isn't pink a lovely color?" He joked. Kitt smacked him upside his head. "I was only joking!" He whined.

"So was I." Kitt said. "Five, I'm older than you are, so that means...."

"Yes Ma'am!" Zach already yelled.

As an answer, Kitt smacked him again. "Six, never interrupt me again!"

Zach whined inside. How did he get stuck with such a girl?!
 

End of episode 1

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