In light of everything that had happened to her lately, sitting down and mulling it over was the first and last thing Christa had thought of. She'd passed the initiation into the Blood Moon Court and was currently working with her cousin Melinda on their first operation as senshi under the new organization. Classes were finishing up and she was preparing to return home. Springing the news on her father and brother went over very well - they were both relieved and elated over reuniting what was left of the family. None of them had heard much from estranged wife Stephanie, but perhaps she was out and about on her own, thinking things over just as her daughter was doing now. Packing was easy as Christa had only brought a few things with her, like her bed and her desk. Everything else fit easily into several small boxes. Uncle Al allowed the use of his truck to move the heavier objects and everything could be done in one or two trips. Thankfully, neither household was very far apart from the other.

The gray haired teen was currently sitting at her desk, playing with her henshin pen. It was late at night on a Saturday and everyone in the house (save for her) were in bed. Just the act of twirling the pen in her hands like Europa did was comforting. The pen had come to represent a great many things to Christa - it was her connection to Kallichore the self, not just the moon, it was her link to the war, her link to her cousin outside of blood… It represented power, responsibility and freedom. It was odd to her to think of a simple object as representing so much, but as a writer, it all made sense. The henshin pen was a symbol that meant so much more beyond what it really was. No one in her family aside from Melinda knew about her position as a senshi, or knew what her goals were regarding it. The Blood Moon Court gave her structure and guidance, and she really felt like she could make a difference under their banner. Ares herself allowed her into the organization, and that meant something to Christa.

Sighing, the teen stood up from her desk and went to the small window that looked out into the backyard of the property. Since it was so low to the ground, Aunt Elizabeth didn't typically put any window treatment on it. The basement was used for storage and promptly turned into a bedroom once Christa had moved in. One of the resident cats, Charlie, was asleep on Christa's bed, purring like a small car. The light from outside seeped in through the small gap in the curtains Christa had put up just a week prior. Outside, she could see the light of the moon casting its silver glow across the lawn. That moon had once represented the centerpiece to a vast empire that spread across the solar system. The Blood Moon did not believe Serenity would return. Christa had her doubts and reservations about this as well, but still wondered if that person was still out there somewhere, waiting.

Either way, she was still learning a great deal about what it meant to be a senshi, and every day brought more and more challenges, questions and conflicts. Not that Christa minded. She rather liked being a senshi.

(570 words)