It was going to be a good day. It was the last day of school and after this period, summer would be the beginning of Emma's stress free vacation. Being both a ranger and a student had taken its toll, but after today, school would be the least of her worries. Sure she had a couple of summer assignments, but that was nothing compared to the workload she got every day.
After a long and grueling hour and a half, the bell finally rung and Emma rushed to the door, eager to leave. As she walked towards her locker, she saw her best friend waiting there already.
"Hey,' Emma greeted. "How was your last day?"
Gia rolled her eyes. "Extremely boring. We finish all of our exams and testing in May, so I don't get why we have to wait until June to get out of here.
"Tell me about it." Emma chuckled. She grabbed her remaining items and walked out. Gia and Emma weren't one to hate school. They were good students, great even. Straight A's were no stranger to their report cards and when one struggled, the other usually helped out. Their ranger jobs may have caused their grades to dip a little, but they still retained their A average.
Gia and Emma walked out and saw the guys waiting for them. None of them dared to eat the school's lunch food. No one knew what was actually in it, but they did know that your tooth shouldn't crack when you bite into a burger. Poor Johnny Davidson made that mistake on the first day and had to go to the dentist immediately. This was exactly why they were going to go grab a bite from anywhere that wasn't school.
"So where to?" Jake asked. He gently took Gia's bag and wrapped his arm around her lovingly. She gave him a small smile in return.
"There's a diner a couple of blocks away. We could go there?" Noah suggested. "My parents and I went a couple of week ago. It was pretty good."
"Sounds good to me." Troy said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. "Lead the way Noah."
Once the server sat them at a table, they talked about their last day of school and summer plans. During the school year, the five of them had gotten significantly closer; they were no longer just teammates. As time passed, they found themselves hanging out more and more, especially since Gia and Jake began dating. There would be many instances where Gia would get the opportunity to hang out with Jake and his best friend. It was the same for Jake with Emma. Troy would occasionally tag along, and before they knew it, their friendship morphed into a family.
Just as the group finished placing their order, a familiar beep went off.
"Ugh," Jake groaned. He grabbed his stomach sadly. "Can't this wait? I haven't eaten anything all day."
"Jake!" she slapped her boyfriend on the shoulder.
"Ow! What?" he rubbed his shoulder. "I'm hungry! Plus we already ordered the food! We can't just leave it!
"Yeah, you're right." Emma got up from her seat and pat Jake's shoulder. "Which is why you're paying."
Emma smirked as she raced out the diner with an exasperated Jake glaring at her. Troy and Noah were behind her tail, neither wanting to take the bill. Jake turned to the seat where Gia was supposed to be, but she was gone as well.
"Oh come on!"
-Revenge of the Blood-
The battle was tough, but at the end of the day, the rangers won. Like every other fight, it left a substantial amount of damage. They always tried to take it outside of the city, but this time, the monster attacked right in the heart of it. Several buildings were destroyed, roads were split open, and cars were smashed. As much as they wanted to keep everyone safe, the damage was inevitable.
Gia's parents were out of the city for the weekend, so the rangers decided to gather there. It was the perfect hideout for them to reconvene and recover. None of them had serious injuries, but a few cuts and bruises were always common.
As Emma searched for the first aid kit, Troy and Noah made themselves comfortable in the living room while Jake raided the kitchen. He grabbed the first thing he saw and dumped it in a bowl. In his own words, Jake was starving. None of them got a chance to eat earlier. He would eat anything, even if it just was a simple bowl of cereal. On the way back to the couch, he took the remote and turned the TV on.
"Hey look!" Jake turned up the volume. "It's us!"
The Power Rangers making news headlines was really no news. Ever since they appeared, several media outlets would focus all their resources on them. There was something about superheroes that the city couldn't get enough of. Action figures were sold in their name, games were made, and posters of them were plastered around the rooms of children. This time, the TV station was dedicated to their latest battle.
"And though the rangers saved the day, several buildings were demolished, one of which included the Harwood County Prison. Guards were able to initiate a lockdown, but twelve inmates in the north wing were able to escape. Seven of them have been apprehended, but five still remain free. If you have any information on where these fugitives may be, please call the city police. We assume that these escapees are dangerous, so please be cautious"
Pictures of the escaped inmates flashed on the screen. At first, no one really paid attention. It was the police's job to handle situations like these. But then Gia recognized a face. She snatched the remote from Jake, rewinded the TV, then paused it.
"Hey!"
"Shut up and look!" She pointed to the screen. If they weren't paying attention before, they definitely were now. Tension filled the air as a particular face and name stuck out.
"I found the first aid kit!" Emma called from upstairs. She went straight to the kitchen, skipping over the TV in favor of food. Like Jake, she was hungry as well. She set the first aid kit down and opened up the fridge. "There's some leftover spaghetti in here. I'm gonna warm up some for myself, does anyone else want some?"
There was no response. Confused, she walked out of the kitchen and found the group in the living room. "Guys?"
She turned to what seemed to be stealing their attention and froze.
Everyone looked at Emma nervously, unsure of how she would react. They then cast worried glances to another one. No one knew what to do. Gia took a small step forward.
"Em…"
Emma shook her head and backed away. Her eyes never left the TV screen. She silently walked into the living room, grabbing the remote in the process. She unpaused the TV and listened to what came next. The reporter repeated the names of the escapees, giving off a description as well as a picture.
"And our last escapee, Marc Goodall….."
There it was. That was all she needed to hear. Marc Goodall. The source of her pain for the past five years. This was supposed to be behind her. She promised herself she would never look back, but how could she when the face of the man she never thought she'd have to see again was staring right at her? The face of the man who in her eyes, was just scum. But more than that, it was the face of the man who absolutely terrified her.
It was not going to be a good day.
A/N: Hey there! I know it's been an EXTREMELY long time since I've posted anything new, but I was recently inspired by a new friend to continue this. I don't know how often I'll be updating, but do know that when I start something, I always finish it. I'd love to hear from you guys, but if not, that's okay too! Thanks for coming across this story! Until next time! :)