I suppose it could be considered Kirommy, since that's who's going to mentor this Ranger team, But I thought I'd try my own original team this time around. Any and all comments are welcomed, even constructive criticism. Time for the usual stuff.
Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated names, characters, events etc. Any names, characters, events that are not covered by the rights mentioned above are to be considered purely the creation of the author. The poem recited by Colin in this chapter is attributed to poet Robert Burns.
Rating: T – mild language, themes and violence. Some references to adult material such as drug use, though references will be mild.
Timeline: This story will be written in the same cannon as my other Kirommy fics. It's not necessary for this story, but if you want to check out my previous works for background information I wouldn't object. (Order in timeline, Fateful Homecoming, First Christmas, Race to the Aisle, Baby Blues and Baby Proofing.)
New Beginning: Part One
Inspecting some artefacts in the ancient, Incan ruins he was excavating deep in South America, Anton Mercer was interrupted as one of his interns brought him a long, bright red crytsal and a stone plaque.
"Dr. Mercer look at what I found in the burial chamber." He began, placing them down carefully on a wooden table. "The tablet refers to an ancient legend. The legend of the Soul Fire Warriors!"
Inspecting the tablet, Anton became intrigued.
"Legend has it that some day this crystal will unite with the most powerful good souls on earth, who's soul fire will ascend in the planet's time of need to light our darkest day."
"An intriguing legend." Anton told his intern. "Thank you for bringing this to me. I know someone who might want to look at this."
As the intern left, Anton pulled out his cell phone and hit the speed dial of the one number he never would have foreseen calling again.
"Tommy, it's Anton." He began. "Listen I've found something and I'm going to Fed-Ex it to you. I believe it's more your area of expertise than mine." Pausing as the man on the other end responded, he looked to make sure no-one was listening. "No not dinosaurs. Your OTHER area of expertise."
Charisma groaned loudly, as she turned over in her bed, mashing her hand down on the alarm clock that was wrenching her from her sleep. She still couldn't believe her dad had insisted on moving to Vegas' artificial neon hell and taking her away from all her friends back in Detroit. She still hadn't deigned to speak to him since he made the announcement the previous week, and she wasn't planning on forgiving him anytime soon.
She was about 5'6" tall, with an athletic build acquired through her years training in Jiu Jitsu back in Detroit, yet another reason she hated having to move, as it meant she couldn't attend those lessons anymore. Shoulder-length brunette hair with blonde streaks dyed through it cascaded in all directions as she rubbed open her dark brown eyes. The most striking thing about her was the sleeve tattoo which ran the entire length of her left arm. A Chinese style dragon which snaked it's way around her arm, interspersed with pink Lillis, finishing at the wrist with a band of Chinese characters running around the circumference of her wrist. Her Uncle had given her the tattoo a couple of months ago, and while not strictly done legally, the design had meant the world to her, and so he agreed to do it.
After a quick shower, she began looking out an outfit for her first day in the new academic prison her father had chosen as the best place for her to finish her education. She had never really liked school back home, but at least she could tolerate it because of her friends. She wasn't really holding out much hope of finding a group she could be similarly close to here, she wasn't exactly a normal teenager in her outlook on life, and spending her childhood growing up in the murder capital of the United States, she had grown to be fiercely independent and assertive to the point of outright hostility, meaning it was sometimes hard for her to let anyone into her life and make friends.
Pulling on a sleeveless, graffiti art t-shirt depicting her favourite punk band and a pair of baggy black bondage pants, she sorted out her hair as much as she could be bothered to. Her dad had told her to make an effort to make a good impression on her first day, but she never usually listened to him anyway, and she didn't plan on starting today. She figured she was only here for her final year, and it didn't really make any difference to her whether or not the usual cliques liked her. Applying her heavy eye makeup and checking her appearance in the mirror, she completed the look as she had done every day for the past three years by taking a thick marker pen and drawing a large black X across the back of her left hand.
Heading downstairs and grabbing her backpack and wallet, she took the opportunity before her dad finished washing up to leave the apartment and spare herself the inevitable screaming match that generally started most mornings these days. She could really live without another one of those today, she just didn't have the energy for it right now. She couldn't get over the feeling that this was going to be a very long year.
Colin was wakened by his uncle early in the morning. He hadn't wanted to come to Vegas for his final year at school, but his parents had sent him to live with his uncle to escape the trouble he was getting into back home in Glasgow. They knew that he needed a fresh start, and to get away from his past. He wasn't a bad person, he just had a habit of talking his way into trouble. He'd always had a smart mouth on him, and just seemed unable to find the 'off' switch at times.
He wasn't an especially tall guy, only around 5'9" or so, and he'd already found 6' plus people to grow on trees over here, which he found slightly intimidating as he'd been used to being about average back home.. He was quite broad and relatively muscular. Thick, brown hair that was just a little too long and occasionally would fall into his face topped his head, concealing slightly his bright, green eyes. Pulling on his jeans and a plain, grey t-shirt, he checked himself in the mirror, stroking a hand across his chin and figuring that this was yet another day he did not need to shave. Making his way down from the apartment, he found his uncle in the old theatre he owned rehearsing "Past the Point of no Return" from phantom of the opera, preparing for the opening night performance he had optimistically scheduled for the end of that week.
"Don't you need someone to play Christine?" He asked in his thickly accented voice which betrayed his origins in Scotland. "And you're flat on the crescendo by the way."
"Everyone's a critic." His uncle chuckled. "Are you ready for your first day?"
"It's a school Uncle Al." He groaned. "It'll be exactly the same as any other."
"Well just try to make a good impression." Al told him. "You really don't need to get into any more trouble."
"It's not as if I went looking for trouble." Colin protested.
"No, it pretty much knew where you were most of the time." His uncle responded. "Just keep your head down and don't draw attention to yourself."
"I wasn't planning to." Colin answered as he threw on his ankle-length leather trench coat, quickly checking the pocket to make sure his note book was there. It was the only thing that really mattered to him. He'd always been a keen poet and always carried around a note book and pens, just in case the muse descended. Writing was one of the few things that made him happy. "Anyway, I'll see you tonight. If you're doing the shopping, I'm out of vodka." He informed his uncle. Because his birthday was early in the year, he had already turned 18 and had begun drinking back home. His uncle had already explained that the legal age of consumption was 21 here, but Colin just ignored him. He had instead resigned himself to the fact that at least if he drank in the apartment, then he wouldn't get hassle from the local police. Watching his nephew leave the old theatre, his uncle couldn't help but get the feeling that this was going to be a busy year for Colin.
Serendipity raised herself painfully from her bed, cursing once again the juvenile arthritis that had plagued her since her early teens. This wasn't the worst she'd felt, but the stiffness and dull ache still caused her great discomfort. Her back and her hands regularly hurt so bad that she could barely move, and her doctor was loathe to prescribe medication because of her age, a fact which frustrated her even more on some of her worse days.
She was a remarkably tall teenager, around 5'8" with long, flowing blonde hair that she just kind of let do it's own thing most days. Bright hazel eyes shone with an uncharacteristic optimism for a teenager. She was quite skinny, though not unhealthily so. Throwing on a light, airy blouse and a pair of torn jeans, she picked up a denim jacket on which she had dyed a CND symbol across the back. Making her way through to the living room, her mother handed her a mug of tea.
"There you go dear." She greeted her daughter. "Are you looking forward to going back to school?"
"Yeah, I kind of missed it over the summer." She beamed broadly as she thought about it. She was a slightly unusual kid, she didn't really have many friends, and her political views and outspoken habit of taking every opportunity to demonstrate against some injustice or other perpetuated by her own government had often caused her to end up being marginalised by the others. It was her schoolwork she enjoyed though. She was a bright kid, and was usually well ahead of the class. She had actually been skipped forward a year, and so was going to be the youngest person in all her classes at 16 years of age. Yet another reason she wasn't well liked by most of her peers.
"Has Dr. Oliver talked to you about more babysitting?" Her dad asked her.
"He said he'll call when he has some work for me." She replied. "He and Kira are spending a lot of time with the kids, but it's coming up to her birthday soon, so I'm sure they'll probably want another night out in the not too distant future."
Her parents didn't have much in the way of money, but they had enough to get by. Her dad ran an organic fruit shop on the edge of town, while her mother made her own money doing clothing repairs. She'd often thought that the principal, Dr. Oliver had began asking her to do occasional babysitting duties as a kind of charity, though she wasn't too proud to accept it. She loved kids and hoped to become a childminder or teacher herself one day. Making sure her mother wasn't watching, she reached into the tea jar and spooned some of the leaves into a little plastic bag, wrapping it up and shoving it into her pocket.
"I'll see you tonight." She said cheerily, kissing her mother on the cheek and hugging her dad quickly before leaving the house. She couldn't wait to get back to the school, just one more year and she could do anything she wanted. She just got this feeling that this would be a great year.
Colin had arrived in a small bagel shop only a short way from the school, having opted to stop off for his newfound favourite snack. He'd never really been fond of American culture back home, and the past couple of months in Vegas had done little to change his mind on the subject, but since arriving he had acquired a great love for bagels. Accepting his breakfast from the counter assistant, he quickly shoved the small paper bag into the side pocket of his trench coat, as he suddenly got some inspiration from a conversation he overheard between a young mother and her son. Absent-mindedly pulling out his notebook, he began logging his thoughts as he headed out the door, accidentally bumping into someone.
Looking up he noticed the young girl looking back at him more than a little annoyed. Brushing the hair from his eyes, he began to shift awkwardly as he spoke.
"Look, I'm sorry about that." He began. "I was just writing and I guess…"
"Yeah, writing and walking at the same time!" Charisma interrupted him aggressively. "Try watching where you're going in future."
As she brushed past him, storming her way over to the counter, Colin gave a little shrug. "Looks like the weather's warmer than the welcome around here." He commented as he put away his note book and resigned himself to the fact that he probably wouldn't see her again anyway, and didn't really worry too much about the fact that she never allowed him to apologise.
Serendipity arrived at the school early, making her way past the group of jocks outside the gym across the street. Ignoring all the catcalls and taunts they bombarded her with, she made her way inside. Quickly finding her locker, she threw it open, looking out her biology text book. Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted as a teenager approached from behind her and addressed her in a thickly accented voice.
"I see you've got biology." Colin remarked, gesturing to the book. "My name's Colin, I just started here. This place is a bit of a maze, can you let me know where period 1 biology is?"
"I'm Serendipity." She introduced herself with a handshake. "I'm just heading there myself. Want to drop your bag off in your locker first?"
"Right, the entry letter Dr. Oliver said I've got…" He rifled through his pockets, finding the letter. "Locker 315."
"Great, that's just on the way." She commented, nodding her head in the direction of the lockers and leading him up the corridor. "I love your accent by the way, where are you from?"
"Glasgow." He replied. "I just got into the country a couple of weeks back."
"Well there's a few jerks here." She commented. "But on the whole most of them are quite nice." She suddenly got stopped in her tracks as she beheld a small commotion in front of them, right by Colin's locker. "Maybe you should just take your bag with you for now."
"I'll be fine." Colin informed her, making his way over.
Charisma was collecting her books from her locker when a tall, muscular teenager approached her and leaned on the locker beside her.
"Hey babe." He greeted her with an artificially white grin. "I haven't seen you around here before. Wanna get a drink sometime and I'll show you the sights?"
Turning to look at him thoughtfully, she took in his appearance and immediately rolled her eyes. "Wrestling or Football?" She asked.
"Huh?" He grunted ignorantly.
"The bleach blonde hair, the expensive orthodontics, the letter man jacket, the 'cool guy' pose." She numbered off his personal features on her fingers. "The fact that you actually think I'm going to fall for probably the lamest come-on in history! You're either the school football star, or the school wrestling star."
"Hey Brad, way to get burned!" One of his friends laughed from across the hall. Brad shot him a cold stare before turning his attention back to Charisma.
"Hey, I'm just trying to be friendly." He told her. "I'm the captain of the wrestling team, I run this school. Being my girl makes being here a pretty easy ride."
"So that I can be the subject of your childish boasting in the communal showers with the other Neanderthals?" She shot back. "Sorry, not interested. Oh, by the way I don't drink." She continued, displaying the X on the back of her left hand. "But even if I did, I'm very choosy about who I spend time with. Trust me blondie, it's not going to happen."
As she made to leave, he slammed his hand into the locker a little way past her head in an attempt to intimidate her. It didn't work, instead Charisma prepared to defend herself before Colin arrived behind Brad, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me." He addressed the massive Jock. "That's my locker, can I get past please?"
"Beat it paddy!" Brad spat aggressively. "Punky Perkins here and I are talking."
"Firstly, that's just rude." Colin answered. "Secondly, I'm Scottish, not Irish and thirdly, where I come from when a lady tells you to get lost and then prepares to kick your ass up and down the corridor, we take the hint that the conversation's over."
"Are you seriously looking for trouble Mr. Goth reject?" Brad asked him.
"Oh would God the gift tae gie's,
tae see oorsel's as others see's." Colin replied.
"Back off Sir Galahad." Charisma interjected. "I've got this covered."
"Too late." Brad told him, grabbing his T-shirt and pulling him close. "You've just earned yourself a beating."
Without warning, Colin grabbed Brad's hair and pulled his forehead aggressively into his nose, shattering the cartilage and sending him crashing to the floor, cradling his broken nose. "Where I come from that's called a Glasgow Kiss." He told him.
Charisma leapt forward tackling one of Brad's friends as two of them slammed Colin forcefully into the steel lockers, before throwing him to the ground and beginning to pound on him ferociously. Colin threw fists wildly left and right as he rolled around the floor with his attackers.
Charisma was faring a lot better with her own opponent, throwing him skilfully over her shoulder and dumping him on his head before rushing over and yanking one of Colin's attackers off him, kicking him powerfully across the corridor causing the crowd of students who'd gathered to collapse in all directions. Serendipity landed in a crumpled heap a short distance away as the fight continued. Only the arrival of the wrestling coach caused the chaos to dissipate.
"Break it up!" He roared as he yanked Charisma aside. "What the hell's going on?"
"This guy just broke Brad's nose!" One of the thugs barked.
"What's your name kid?" He asked, drawing himself over to Colin as he stood back up.
"Colin McDougall." He answered.
"Well congratulations Mr. McDougall." He responded sarcastically. "You've probably just set the record for the SHORTEST stay in this school ever!"
As Serendipity and Charisma were about to protest, a man in his early thirties with short, spiky hair and glasses approached them. "Actually I think you'll find I decide who gets expelled Coach Andrews." He stated with authority. "Personally I'd like to hear all sides of the story."
"This kid just broke Brad's nose, and the two of them have roughed up a couple of my kids pretty good." Coach Andrews began. "They should…"
"Like I said, I'd like to hear all sides of the story before making a decision. I believe as Principal that's my job." He interrupted him as he bent down, picking up a small plastic bag containing some finely ground green leaves. Sniffing it, his eyebrows shot up. "Who does this belong to?" He asked. No-one confessed.
"Coach Andrews, take Brad and the others to the school nurse to get his nose looked at. You three." He pointed to Charisma, Colin and Serendipity. "Come with me."
"Yes Dr. Oliver." Serendipity groaned as she collected her belongings.
A short time later, they found themselves sitting in his office as he paced the room.
"We'll get to the issue of the weed in a second." He began. "I'd like to know what happened."
"The big guy grabbed me." Colin told him. "I made him let go."
"The dumb musclehead wouldn't take the hint that I wasn't interested." Charisma interjected. "Then Sir Galahad here takes it on himself to get involved."
"If that's your way of saying 'thank you', then seriously, take some more English classes." Colin replied sarcastically.
"Did I ask for help?" She snapped. "I would have dealt with it myself!"
"Enough!" Tommy yelled, interrupting their argument. "Point is, I will not tolerate fighting in my school, and like it or not I've got a kid with a broken nose whose parents are probably going to file a lawsuit. Colin, I'm sorry, I'm sure you had your reasons, but I'm going to have to suspend you for a week."
"But…" Serendipity began to protest before catching a glare from Tommy telling her to drop it.
"Coach Andrews wanted you expelled. This is the least I can get away with giving you without having the education board investigate. I'll have your teachers forward your work so you don't fall behind." Colin groaned and left the room as Tommy gestured to the door. "As for you Charisma, I'm sure you'll take a weeks detention as a suitable punishment."
She got up to leave before Tommy called her back.
"By the way, you handled yourself really well. If you want more lessons, my friend Adam owns the gym across the street." He told her. "I'm sure he'd gladly give you some tuition. And you might want to thank Colin. I'm not saying you couldn't have handled it yourself, given the state of the other kids, I know you could, but not many people would have the integrity to stand up for a complete stranger."
Charisma stormed from the room leaving Serendipity alone with Tommy. "I can't prove this is yours, but I know about your arthritis." He stated picking up the cannabis. "Dippy, I can understand why you take it, and what you do in your own time and in your own home is your business. But if I find you with this in my home, or in school again, I'll have no choice but to report the issue."
She got up and turned to leave without protest. She knew better than to try and protest, much less ask for it back.
"First day!" He groaned. "Why does it never go smoothly?"