The shock of Grayson’s death was still there. It had hit her, and then it hadn’t dulled, it hadn’t yet gone away. She could still remember him, remember how exactly he looked like, his bright smile, how gentle and nice he was to her, to everyone else. She had seemed to sober up pretty fast, although there was still this pain in her heart that she tried to quell. She had more important things to do, as a Princess, right?

She asked herself this question and then she laughed, as if it was hard for even her own self to believe. Things to do? Even Hero didn’t believe in her anymore, and Serenade could not blame her. She could never blame her Captain. Hero was right, after all, Serenade was a hopeless Princess.

She could only blame herself. She could only blame herself for being so weak.

She could only blame herself for forgetting that Elke too, was in hospital, and she could only blame herself for not visiting her earlier.

Serenade had walked to the hospital, all the way from Crystal Academy, and then stopped by the florist for some get well flowers for Elke. Something cheerful, she said, something with bright colors, something that looks happy, something that will make one forget all their troubles. The woman had smiled at her and told her what a nice friend she was and wished her a good day; Serenade managed a brief smile in return as she took the flowers.

She walked some more, went through the automatic doors of the hospital, still carrying the flowers. She glanced down at them, and then told herself, Serenade, be strong. Smile. Elke wouldn’t want to see you like this, not after Grayson’s death. She wouldn’t let Elke get worried about her anymore. She couldn’t. She needed to learn to be strong.

She knew the room number; she had gotten it when news of the car crash reached her ears but never had the time or the energy to make herself go. And then arguing with Hero had made her forget too. Serenade sighed, and then promised herself she wouldn’t sigh anymore in front of Elke, and approached the room door and opened it.

It was empty.

She couldn’t fathom why Elke wasn’t in the room. Was she already alright? Taken back home? The thought cheered Serenade up a bit. She probably hadn’t been informed yet because Elke needed to rest more. It was shocking, both emotionally and physically, she was sure.

She went out, asked a nurse passing by if Elke Arma had gone home. The nurse looked at her with a puzzled look and then directed her to the main counter. She went, still carrying the flowers, and asked the same question. The nurse there typed away at the computer, and then looked up at her with a grim look on her face.

Elke Arma has died.

Elke Arma has died.

Serenade looked at the nurse with eyes as wide as saucers and told the nurse, it couldn’t be. Elke was unhurt! She was unharmed by the accident! She didn’t die; it was Grayson Graves, they were mixing up the two people involved in the car accident. Serenade did not believe it. She could not believe it. Her mind was blank and she just stood there, trembling and breathing in deep breaths. This was wrong. It was wrong. Elke was dead. Elke could not die. She couldn’t. Not Elke. Not her. No. No. No. No. No!

People were staring at her now, and Serenade didn’t realize that she had screamed out loud. She didn’t know that her fingers were no longer functioning or listening to her, not that there was much to listen to. The bright arrangement of flowers dropped on the floor, but Serenade could not hear that. She couldn’t hear anything except her beating heart.

She turned and ran.

In television, when the girl ran like this, hoping that what she had just heard was not true, there was always that dramatic music that kept you riveted and at the edge of your seat. Serenade heard no such thing as she ran; she couldn’t even hear the people around her. She couldn’t hear the car horns, nor could she hear the rain when it started to fall on her, she could only hear her heart thumping in her chest and a voice whispering. No. No. It can’t be. I’ll go back to my dorm and she’ll be there. She’ll be there, in her bed. She’ll be laughing, and she’ll tell me she was playing a trick on me and she’s fine. She will be fine. Nothing can happen to her. Nothing. She wouldn’t do this to me. She wouldn’t.

The bright hope that was once in Serenade Soriano when she was young and ignorant had mostly disappeared, when Ally died, when Jude died, when Grayson died. Still, there was just a bit left. A bit left that was like a thin string of hope her heart was clinging to, hoping that this wasn’t real. This was a nightmare, and when she pinched herself, she would wake up.

She didn’t pinch herself.

Or maybe she did, but she couldn’t feel it. She couldn’t even feel the raindrops on her skin as she skidded into Crystal Academy, panting, and running through the hallways, not bothering or stopping to apologize when she accidently bumped into some girls along the way.

It couldn’t be, it couldn’t be, it couldn’t be.

Serenade stopped at the hallway that led to their dorm room and stared.

The door was open, people were moving things out. Elke’s things. She recognized them, she recognized that bear she had given to Elke the last time she had gotten into hospital because Obsidian beat her up. That bear with the virgo sign on the belly. Something hit her, shock, disbelief, and many other emotions that her head could still not register and she rushed at the movers, snatching the bear away from there, all while screaming No, over and over again.

“Why are you touching her things? You can’t touch her things! She’s coming back! She’s my roommate! Elke’s not leaving this room, you hear! Put it back! Put it all back! Don’t touch that! Let go! Let go! Go away! You’re not allowed to touch anything! It’s my room too! She’s my roommate, she stays here with me! She’s not going anywhere else! You can’t do this! Don’t take her away from me, don’t! Please!” While Serenade’s voice was raised, everything was a blur before her. She couldn’t comprehend her actions; she was pushing the men away, tearing the things away, and throwing them back into the room, even kicking them, tears running down her face. She did not see the odd looks they gave her, did not hear them trying to explain things to her. She didn’t want it. She didn’t want them.

She wanted Elke. Elke was her best friend, her roommate. Her birthday buddy. Do you know that? She shouted to the men. Do you know? I gave her that bear! Get out of our room! You’re all burglars! I’ll report you to the police! I’ll get the senshi to punish you!

She did not know the exact details, but the men were now out of their room, Serenade closing and locking the door behind her before pushing the dresser in front of the door to hinder them. They were not getting in. They were not touching Elke’s stuff. They would not take it away.

They couldn’t. They couldn’t take her away from her. Not Elke.

“Elke.” She whispered, choking back her tears as she hugged the bear to her chest tightly. That glimmer of hope, that string, had broken and her heart that was hanging on to it had crashed, and broke open, pieces of it everywhere, just like the ornaments on the floor she, no, the men, had broken in the tussle. “Elke, you can’t leave me. Not you. You can’t.”

“Stop taking them away from me!” Serenade screamed, shoulders shaking, trembling in a wet heap. “You took Ally away so that we could live! You took the person I loved the most away! Why do you have to continue taking them... Jude, Grayson and now Elke? Why do you have to do this to me? Why do you have to torture me?”

“Why did you even give back our lives?” She whispered, losing all will to continue screaming at the Space Cauldron when it could not hear her. It would not hear her; it would not listen to her pleas. It had already mocked her when Eon offered his life for the Zodiacs and her when she was begging it. She could almost imagine, in her memories, dimly, it laughing contemptuously, as they spiralled back into life again, telling her that she was weak. The Zodiacs were weak.

They would all die. It would take them all away from her until she truly had nothing left and then she would die too.

“Elke.” Serenade murmured, still clutching on to the bear. “Don’t let it take you too.”

It wasn’t fair. This wasn’t fair at all. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be fair in the first place.

She shuddered, and then closed her eyes. When she woke up, everything would be fine again. No one would have died. Especially not Elke. Not her roommate. Not her best friend.

She had been unharmed. Serenade told herself as she slowly lost consciousness. They said she was alright after the car accident. She must be alright.

She submitted herself to the calm depths of the blackness, telling herself that she would see Elke. Elke was not dead. She could not die. She would see her again. Elke would hug her and tell her she was being silly for having such a nightmare.

She could almost hear the Space Cauldron laughing again, in that cold mocking tone.

Four down, Eleven to go, Princess.

Four down, Eleven to go.