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The bell rang at the normal time; 8.50 AM. Shikuku ran down the hallway dodging others who were going to be late for homeroom. She shouldn’t have been talking in the girl’s bathroom, but talking was a talent of hers and she liked to share it. She didn’t have too many friends at Roswell High, she was an outcast. She was different, she knew it, the rest of the school knew it, the whole town knew it. It wasn’t just her purple hair, or her starry, extremely pale blue eyes, it was an energy she emanated. Those around the pretty girl were always aware of her ‘strangeness.’ She was known by a variety of nicknames, some flattering, some not. The kids at school called her ‘the Brain.’ She was the first person her teachers looked to when something was broken. Shikuku could fix a computer with her eyes closed, she didn’t even need to be told what was wrong with it, she just knew. It was something she sensed, almost as if she were being guided by something.
"Sumarutsu Shikuku, you are late!" It was her homeroom teacher, Ms Johnson. It figures. She’d get in trouble for sure now. She started to explain why she was late, but was silenced by the stern looking teacher.
"I don’t care to hear any of your excuses young lady! You get to detention this instant!"
"Detention? For being late…once?" Her teacher pointed her finger in the direction of the detention room. Shikuku lowered her head and headed for the room.
She was happy to notice she was the only person in the room. Even the detention teacher was absent. She threw her books onto the nearest desk and flopped into the chair.
How unfair! She was late once! Her life began to seem more and more boring by the day. Sometimes she didn’t know how she was going to get through the day. She yawned. It was early, and she could use some sleep before her teacher came in. She laid her head down on her folded arms and closed her eyes.
"I wish," she whispered in her head, "I wish my life were something more. I wish that I were with people who understood me…"
Her reality faded into a dream, and she found herself standing in a strange room. She glanced around the room and found herself alone, again. This doesn’t surprise me, she thought. A gate in the north was slightly ajar, with a white light shooting out from it.
Shikuku’s curiosity won her over and she walked toward the gate. She started to open it, but a loud noise caught her attention. She snapped open her eyes. The detention teacher stood next to her desk. He slapped a ruler on the table to wake her.
"We do not sleep in this class Shikuku!"
"Yes sir."
The rest of the day dragged as slowly as possible. Each minute seemed like an hour. All the while Shikuku’s thoughts were brought back to the strange room in her dreams, and the gate that beckoned to her to enter. She couldn’t wait to get home. When the bell rang, she grabbed her books and ran home, her legs shaking. It started to rain when she turned onto her street. Thunder and lightning danced in the dark grey clouds above her head, and the wind whipped her hair in front of her eyes. She stumbled onto the street, into the path of a big truck. She saw the truck, but it was too late, she squeezed her eyes shut to prepare for the impact of getting hit by the massive automobile.
Nothing happened.
She opened her eyes. The truck was still in front of her, but it didn’t look like it was moving. She stood in front of the truck, staring at it in disbelief. She turned in a circle, noticing the wind had stopped blowing and the trees were stuck in place. Several birds lay hung, suspended in mid-air.
"What’s going on?," Shikuku asked out loud, "Am I dead?" Tears filled her eyes.
"No, you are not dead, I’ve just stopped time," a voice behind her said. Shikuku spun around to face a strange woman. She had orange red hair and was wearing what looked like an outfit from that TV show, Sailor Moon. The woman held a long staff and she stepped out of the same gate that Shikuku saw in her dream. Two cats came out with her.
"Hey Ralltiir baby!," one of the cats said.
"A talking cat?!?," Shikuku stammered.
"Yeah gorgeous, I can talk. It’s about time I found you. Well, you sort of found us, I guess," the cat laughed.
The redheaded woman smiled, "My name is Sailor Yavin, I am the Guardian of the gates of time and space. Earlier today I sensed a presence approaching the gates. I’m not sure how you got there, but I definitely knew you were there. Solai, here," she said pointing to the cat to her right, "Solai also recognised you, as Sailor Ralltiir."
"Sailor Ralltiir? Who’s that?"
"That’s you, angel face!"
"What?"
The other cat, Schylar, jumped into the air, did a flip and produced a beautiful stick. Sailor Yavin handed it to the scared purple haired girl. "Here, this is your Henshin stick. Raise it in the air and say, "Ralltiir Electricity Power Make Up!"
Shikuku was scared and nervous, but she didn’t want to wake up from what ever dream she thought she was having. She raised her arm that was holding the stick and yelled, "Ralltiir Electricity Power Make Up!" A strange pull inside her body wrapped around her and transformed her.
"I am the senshi of Technology and Intelligence, Sailor Ralltiir! And on behalf of my planet, you’ll be punished!"
Shikuku was stunned! She looked down at herself and saw her clothes had become an outfit just like the woman, Sailor Yavin, wore. Except hers was coloured in blue, grey and purple. Her three favourite colours.
Sailor Yavin spoke, "You have to make a choice. You can either come with me, to fulfil your destiny, or you can remain here. We’ll erase your memory and deposit you safely at your door. The choice is yours. And I hate to rush you, but I can’t keep time frozen forever," she smiled.
Shikuku didn’t have to think about it, she knew what she wanted.
"I’m ready to go with you, Sailor Yavin."
"Good, I’m glad. Follow me." They started to walk through the gate, but Sailor Ralltiir stopped her.
"Are there others like you…and me?," she asked.
Yavin laughed, "Oh yes! There are others, lots of others. Don’t worry, you’ll meet them all."
Shikuku looked one last time at the place she thought was her home before stepping through the gate.
