Becoming Family
What happens when Leo and Karone adopt a little girl with a mysterious past?
Read "It's hard to fall in love" by Arwennicole to understand what happened to Zhane. (That's how they spelled it.) This isn't exactly like the original version.
Disclaimer: I only own the kids. I came up with pictorial teleportation. Information from /wg
The girls' bedroom at The Reef side Orphan's Home was filled with cots with blankets and pillows. There were twelve cots in all. One was occupied by a little girl about eleven years old. The orphanage head led the couple to her. "This is Kiya Jessica. She will be eleven in March." That month was February. "She was left here on the orphanage's steps when she was ten days old. She's a little short for her age, but she makes up for it in other ways. She's attending Reef side Middle and doing fairly well. "
"Do you have a birth certificate for her?" the man asked.
"Yes. It's in her bag, which is packed and under the bed. It also contains a photo album of her from ten days old until now. I have a photographer friend who specializes in photos of children. He uses copies of the orphan's photos to advertise his business. I let him take yearly photos of the children until they get adopted. That makes the transition a little easier. So does not using last names. Yes, they have last names at school, but not official last names. She was so excited last night that she couldn't sleep." She felt herself be picked up.
"The names of her parents have been blotted out since the day I found her on the steps. It looks deliberate. The note she was left with said that they would try to come back for her in ten years at the most. They haven't yet, so she's up for adoption. Yes, the city put her up for adoption before the ten years was up, but I knew that if her parents came, they would recognize her. How do you forget your own child?"
"Thank you." The woman said. Kiya decided to meet her prospective parents. She opened her eyes and saw a blonde haired woman with brown eyes looking down on her. (According to /wg, Karone had brown eyes when disguised as a teenager) She wore a blue cashmere sweater with white clouds stitched all over it, with a black turtle neck under it.
"Hello, sleepy head. I am Karone Vulcan and this is my husband Leo Corbett. We're going to take you home now."
Kiya decided to make a good first impression and not demand to be put down.
"Karone, she's old enough to walk." The man-Leo- said. Kiya turned to look at him. He was a Caucasian male with dark hair.
Karone put her down. Kiya saw that she was wearing blue jeans and blue low-tops. She stood up, grabbed her school bag and slung it over her shoulder, and took Karone's hand. "Bye, Miss Katherine."
"Good-bye, Kiya. Be a good girl." Leo and Karone led her to their car. Kiya got into the back seat and took her bag from Leo. Karone got into the passenger side. Leo got into the driver's seat and started the car. He backed out.
"We have four children. Zhane, Jr. is twelve, Lucas- we call him Luke- is ten, Katherine-we call her Kathy-is nine, and Kelly is three."
"Zhane, Jr.? Who is named after? I'm sorry. I had no right to ask that."
"Yes, you do. If we're going to adopt you, you should know all there is to know about our family. Leo is my second husband. Have you ever heard of the Power Rangers?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Well. Leo and I were on a team together, and so were my brother Andros and first husband Zhane Silver. I kept my maiden name. Zhane, Jr. was born two years before his father went to help the Aquitarians. He was attacked by aliens from an unknown galaxy. He had to blow up his own ship to defeat them. It wasn't until years later that I started dating Leo."
"We were married seven years ago. Kathy and Luke are actually orphans that we took in from the street. They're brother and sister. We found them in an alley." Leo said.
"Yes, sir. So you know nothing of their past?"
"Kathy told us a little of what she remembered from living with her parents."
"She said they just left them one day and never came back. They got their clothes packed up and left the house one day and never looked back." Leo said.
"I'm looking forward to meeting them."
"They're excited about meeting you, too." Leo said.
"What grade are you in? Ms. Katherine just said you were at Reef Side Middle." Karone asked.
"I'm in fifth grade."
"What's your favorite subject?" Leo asked, turning left.
"Reading. I read every chance I get. Mysteries, trivia, science fiction, classic Literature…all different kinds of reading."
"That's good. Do you like music?" Karone asked.
"Not a whole lot, but I do listen to it when I get a chance to."
"What else do you like to do?" Leo asked. They had reached a two-story house with white siding and blue trim.
"Pretty." Kiya said, as Leo parked.
"Thank you." Karone said, getting out. Kiya and Leo followed suit. Kiya had her bag and Leo carried her backpack.
"My brother is watching the children." Karone said, leading the way up the front. She's a take charge kind of person. Kiya realized.
"Yes, I am. You sort of have to be with four children."
"How did you know….?"
"What you were thinking? My family is Karovan. Yours must be, too, if you're telepathic." They had reached the front porch.
"I don't know."
"No, of course not." The front door-which was blue-opened.
"Mom, Dad! You're back." The girl who had opened the door looked to be about nine years old, had shoulder- length blonde hair, wore a green sweater with a yellow turtle neck under it, blue jeans, and red high tops. "You must be Kathy. I'm Kiya." Kiya held out her hand and Kathy shook it.
"Won't you come in, Kiya? We won't bite." Kathy moved to let her parents in.
"I hope not." Kiya laughed as she walked in.
"They've all outgrown biting." Leo said. The eldest boy-short blonde hair, red sweater, blue turtle neck, black jeans, and gray socks- took her bag. Kiya held out her hand. "I got the mail." Kathy said.
"You must be Zhane, Jr." He shook her hand.
"I am. Let me show you to your room."
"Let her meet everyone, son. She'll have plenty of time to see her room later." Leo said, handing Kiya her backpack. Zhane took her bag.
"Espe-ci-ally if she gets in twouble." A little girl said behind Kiya. Kiya turned around. The little girl looked to be three. She wore blue jeans, a red open chest sweater with a blue turtle-neck under it, and white socks. Her blonde hair was in a braid to her shoulders. Then it ended. Kiya was wearing a blue sweater with a green turtle neck, blue jeans-although she was flooding- red socks and shabby looking white low-tops that had certainly seen better days. Her brown hair was in a pony-tail. (A/N: "Flooding" means that her jeans were a little short.)
"You must be Kelly." Kiya held out her hand for Kelly to shake. Zhane still had her bag. The youngest boy stepped up to her. He had dark hair like his adopted father, and he was wearing a brown sweater with a green turtle neck under it, blue jeans, and red socks. "Luke, I presume?" Kiya stuck out her hand.
"Yes." Luke shook her hand.
"I guess I'm not going to meet my newest niece?" A male voice asked. Everyone turned toward the kitchen. There stood a man about twenty-two years old, wearing a blue sweater, with a red turtle neck under it, blue jeans and black loafers. His two tone hair reached his shoulders.
"Uncle Andros." Kathy said, smiling at him.
Kiya went over to him and stuck out her hand. He pulled her into a hug. "I only live two houses south of here." He said, after he released her. "So if there's any trouble, just come and get me, or talk to my wife if Karone's not around."
"Yes, sir. Same side of the street?"
"Yes. I'll be on my way. You need to meet Atarah, Darnell, Vera, Andrew, and Ashley."
He has a lot of kids. "Yes, sir."
Not anymore than Leo and Karone.
Yeah. He doesn't have any more than we do. Ashley is his wife. She was also the Yellow Astro Ranger. My father was the Silver Ranger. They didn't have last names on KO-35. Zhane told her through telepathy.
Kiya smiled and hugged Andros. Zhane pulled her away from him.
He needs to go home. "See you tomorrow, Andros?" Leo asked.
"Yeah. We need to bring anything?"
"Just your appetites."
"I'm pretty sure Darnell will handle that." Andros left. Zhane told Kiya Let's take that tour, now, huh?
Okay. I need to settle in, anyway. Zhane turned to his family and said "I'm going to take Kiya on that tour of the house."
"Alright. Dinner will be in ten minutes." Kathy told him. She had put it in the oven.
Oh, Kiya. Do you have any food allergies? Can you eat meat? Karone asked.
No, to the allergies, and yes I can eat meat. Should I call you two Karone and Leo or Mr. Corbett and Mrs. Vulcan?
Leo and Karone will be fine, thanks.
Kiya followed Zhane, Jr. down the hall. The first room on the left of the hall was the bathroom. "But you'll have your own."
The next room on the right was a bedroom. "This is mine." He turned on the light. It had blue walls with white border, a mahogany bed with a red bedspread, yellow carpet and a T.V. The pillow-with a white pillowcase-was on the floor. The bed had not been made. The curtains were red. Kiya turned the light off. The next room on the left- "This is Kathy's." He turned on the light. It had forest green walls with light yellow trim, a bed with a wicker headboard, a blue bed spread, and a pillow with a blue pillowcase propped up on the headboard. The chest of drawers was mahogany, the nightstands were as well. To the right of the bed were bookshelves. One shelf contained a stereo with the speakers to the left and right. To the immediate right of the bed, the nightstand had a white lamp with a white lampshade. The T.V. stood on top of the chest of drawers. The curtains were forest green. Kiya turned off the light.
The next bedroom had a little boy feel to it. "This is Kelly's." Zhane turned the light on. The room had brown walls with green trim. The bed was a red race car with a green bedspread. It had not been made. The curtains were brown. There was a night light. "A race car bed for a girl?" Kiya asked.
"She asked for one, so she got one."
Kiya turned off the light. "The next room"-on the right- "Is Mom and Dad's. I know he isn't my real dad, but I love him all the same." The next room would be Kiya's.
I suppose you two have reached your room. You can decorate it any way you like when we adopt you.
IF you adopt me, ma'am. You're the nineteenth family I've stayed with in nine years. None of the others wanted to adopt me. They never said why. I always behaved.
We'll love you even if you're the worst behaved child ever.
I wouldn't go testing that. Zhane said.
Thank you. Kiya took her bag from Zhane, thanked him, and went into her room for the first time. The light worked when she flipped the switch. The walls were pink with white trim. The bed was a twin, with a pink bedspread. I've never slept in an actual bed before! Kiya thought. She didn't accidently use her telepathy. She was learning to control it. That was the first time anyone else had received a telepathic message from her, but she knew they would teach her to control it. I think I'll have the walls painted green, or blue. I'll keep the trim. And replace the bedspread and curtains. The curtains were pink. Blue or green? Green is calming, but so is blue. The woodwork-nightstands, bookshelves, bureau- was mahogany. There was a white lamp with a blue shade on the right nightstand.
Just decide on the color. Andros is here and is going down the hall. He wants to test you on something.
Okay, but I don't test well. Karone laughed. It's not that kind of test.
Kiya started unpacking. She unzipped her bag. She pulled her clothes out; she only had a week's worth. She went to the closet and opened it. She pulled out seven racks and took them to her bed. She started putting her clothes on them. She got all of them put on racks, and started taking them and hanging them up. Andros started helping her with telekinesis. Kiya whipped around, gasped, and pressed her hands to her mouth. Andros chuckled. Kiya heard him and dropped into a fighting stance.
"Whoever you are, come out!"
Andros came further into the room. "You never discovered that power?"
"Once. I was playing around with some of the younger girls, and I pretended to move some clothes with my mind. When it actually happened, we screamed and told each other we had just been imagining it."
"That is such an Earthling reaction."
"Well, I grew up on Earth." Kiya said, defensively.
"True. Look, I know you're telepathic, and apparently, you're also telekinetic. Have you ever been able to picture a place and suddenly find yourself there?"
"No."
"Do you want to try it?"
"Maybe later."
"Alright. I'll let you settle in first. But tomorrow?"
"We'll see. What's that thing called?"
"Pictorial teleportation."
"Pictorial teleportation? Sounds easy and handy."
"It isn't but it is."
"Explain, please?"
"It's handy because you don't need a car; it isn't easy because you have to imagine the place exactly. The colors of the walls, the door, the number of windows, and so on. Not every Karovan can do it. My uncle Breck could. He died shortly after his daughter was born, and my aunt, Katrina, decided that she couldn't raise the child on her own, so she left the child on Earth at an orphanage."
"You think that child is me?"
"I think so, but we have to find out somehow. Maybe a DNA test? Do you know where your medical records are? The name of the doctor who delivered you, maybe?" Kiya went back to her bag and pulled out a binder. Andros had followed her. She opened it and pulled her birth certificate out of the pocket. She handed it to Andros.