Chapter 1

Alixina "Alix" Evanston sat quietly in the backseat of her parents' car as they drove to Amber Beach to drop her off at her grandmother Beatrice's house from Reefside. Alix's parents thought that a change of scenery would be nice as she stayed holed up in her room like the hermit she was. The cause of that behavior was due to the fact that the teenager was an only child and bullied growing up. Because of this, she became very meek, timid, quiet, soft-spoken and wary of people other than her family as she would often run from others or hide behind her parents. Alix was afraid that if she tried to make friends with anyone, she'd get bullied again so she started sitting in the very back of the classroom in every class and avoided people like the plague.

Alix was very beautiful for a 17-year-old girl, having long, luxurious black hair that fell to her thighs often tied at the ends with a clip or ribbon(making her look like Tifa Lockhart from FINAL FANTASY VII or Garnet/Sarah/Dagger from IX), serene blue eyes that were slightly almond shaped from her Japanese heritage(only 1/8), fair skin, wore a brown long sleeved shirt, black pants and converse over white socks. She was average in height and weight, thus having a slim figure.

Alix resembled both of her parents in appearance, having her father's hair color and her mother's beauty. On her neck was a gold pendant with an odd stone colored brown that was given to her by her grandfather on her 10th birthday before he passed away. He told her that the stone had mysterious powers that would activate if something good happened to her later in life. She didn't understand it then and probably couldn't now.

She pressed her head to the glass of her passenger door and stared out the window. Her mother Luna turned around to check on her. "Alix, sweetie, are you alright back there?" she asked.

"I'm okay, Mom," Alix said as she lifted her head from the window. "How much longer till we get to Grandma's?"

Alix's father Gregory who was doing the driving decided to answer, "About twenty more minutes, Sweet Pea. If you're tired take a nap or do what you normally do when you get to pass the time." He smiled at his daughter through the rear view mirror, "Amber Beach's about as big as Reefside, maybe even bigger. Besides, it'll be fun visiting again since last time."

'If you say so', she thought reluctantly.

A quiet sigh escaped her lips as the ravenhead turned her head to the book in her lap. It was a book about dinosaurs that ranged from the many different kinds to where they lived, what they ate and such. She flipped open the book and turned to the page she bookmarked and started to read. The twenty minutes soon went by as the car pulled up in front of a house in town that appeared to be Beatrice's house.

"We're here, honey," Luna called from the front. All three Evanstons unbuckled their seat belts and stepped outside after grabbing some stuff from the backseat of the car. They proceeded up the sidewalk leading to the house and driveway where another car was parked presumably Beatrice's and rang the doorbell. A few moments passed before a somewhat middle aged-to-elderly woman assumed to be Beatrice opened the door and greeted the family. Beatrice's red hair was graying a bit, her skin had a few wrinkles here and there, with some around her hazel brown eyes and she was dressed in a blue shirt and pants.

"Oh my, Alix! It's been some time since I last saw you. My have you grown," She said as she hugged and kissed her granddaughter before doing the same to her son and daughter in-law. "And you two look the same as ever. You can take those bags upstairs to the guest room."

The bags that were taken to the guest room were some clothes, a few books, Alix's tablet, laptop, Wii U and a few games to keep herself occupied during her stay. The room's layout was simple: a bed that was neatly made, an ornately painted dresser with an antique mirror, a table with a TV that was plugged into the wall next to the bookshelf, purple elegant curtains decorated the windows and a nightstand with a clock and lamp sat next to the bed on one side.

After unpacking, Alix plugged up her electronic devices then sat on the bed. She looked at her parents with a forlorn expression as if they were abandoning her. Sensing this, Gregory and Luna hugged their daughter.

"We're not abandoning you, Sweet Pea if that's what you're thinking. We'll call or drop by to check on you from time to time."

"And if you need anything, you can call us. We're only 45 minutes away," Luna chimed in while smiling at her daughter. "Besides, you had fun the last time we brought you here to visit didn't you?"

"W-Well, I uh..." Alix fidgeted and blushed in embarrassment earning chuckle from her father. Something rubbed against her arm and Alix was about to jump in her father's arms until she realized what it was. It was a cat with white and gray spotted fur.

"Oh, Xelha you almost scared me half to death!" Xelha purred and meowed at the attention she received then licked Alix's hand affectionately as if apologizing to the girl. The cat had apparently missed the teen since her last visit.

A/N: Yes the cat is named after Xelha from Baten Kaitos. I've seen gameplay but never played the game myself. I might eventually though if I manage to get the game. But it seems Alix has played it, no wonder she named the cat that.

"It seems someone missed you." Mother, father and daughter looked up to see Beatrice standing in the doorway. She now wore an apron assuming that she was baking.

"Yeah," Alix nodded as she petted Xelha who was now sprawled out in her lap while nibbling and pawing at her fingers. It made the 17-year old giggle at how playful the cat acted. Xelha may look like a grown up cat, but she was still a kitten on the inside and playful at heart.

"So," her grandmother began, "Do you want to help me bake cookies? They're mixed with milk and white chocolate chips and chunks."

They made their way to the kitchen with Luna, Gregory and Xelha following behind. Xelha trotted over to her bowl and meowed that she wanted to be fed. Beatrice, noticing this asked her granddaughter to grab one of the cans of chewy cat food in the cabinet to feed the cat. Alix did what she was asked and proceeded to feed her.

"So," her grandmother began, "How's school?" Alix froze at the subject. She assumed that Beatrice was asking if she got bullied again or if the teenager made any friends yet. "Good," she replied flatly.

"Are you making any friends yet?"

"Grandma-"

"Sweetheart, you can't be timid all your life now. One of these days you might have to come out of that shell of yours and make friends eventually."

"But what if I get bullied again?"

Beatrice put a hand on Alix's shoulder, "You don't know that yet. You might end up meeting people who wouldn't even think of picking on those weaker than themselves like the Power Rangers."

The ravenhaired teenager let her grandmother's words sink in for a bit, but she still wondered if she'd get bullied again. She wasn't very good at meeting other people and breaking the ice with them due to her timid nature. Alix quietly turned to the materials needed to make the cookies, and helped Beatrice measure everything exactly what the recipe said.

After measuring and mixing the ingredients, the two women then poured the dough into a tray and set it in the oven to bake for an hour. Either one of them, Gregory or Luna checked periodically to see if the cookies were golden brown. When the hour was up, the baked goods were removed from the oven to cool.

"Wow, they smell nice," Alix happily noted that the treats came out well to her satisfaction. Her mouth began to water from the delicious smell permeating throughout the house. She wanted to grab one and take a bite, but decided against it as they were still hot as she didn't want to burn her mouth. By then, it was time for her parents to go.

"You're leaving already?" Alix asked a bit dejectedly. Gregory pressed a kiss to his daughter's temple, "We just wanted to make it back before it gets dark, Alix. As we said before, call us if you need anything." Before they could leave out the door, Alix ran back to the kitchen and handed them some cookies. "You might need these on the trip back just in case." Luna took the small bag then hugged her and Beatrice along with Gregory before saying their goodbyes.

"I'd wish they'd stay a bit longer," the 17-year-old sighed sadly.

"Me too, dear," her grandmother agreed as she grabbed one of the baked treats and began eating. It tasted like she always made them, sweet and chocolatey. The redhaired woman noticed Alix was fidgeting with the hem of her shirt. The teen always did that when she was either in a sad or bored mood. Even Xelha saw this and rubbed against her leg, eager to get the girl's attention. Alix bent down and petted the cat as her way of telling Xelha she was alright. Then Beatrice got an idea.

"How about I take us both out to eat?" she suggested.

The teen nervously bit her lower lip as she knew that her grandmother was taking her to a public place, and at public places were tons of people she didn't know. She wanted to protest but her stomach let out a loud growl, thus cutting her off at the pass before Alix could utter a word. "Sure I guess," she sighed reluctantly.

Beatrice nodded then proceeded to grab her keys and purse containing her wallet. "Ready to go?" She asked her granddaughter to get a nod as a reply. The two women made their way outside and let Xelha out to play as they walked to the car. The engine hummed to life as Beatrice inserted the key into the ignition and started down the road.