The Voices Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Power Rangers, it's characters, places, etc., they are owned by Saban.
Setting: Pan Global tryouts in Florida. Kimberly Hart, our sweetheart from California has finally reached her dreams. Before she can be accepted, she must tryout.
"Go for it, Kim" said coach, clapping his hands.
On the balance beam stepped Kimberly Ann Hart, a petite, but beautiful girl, bounded chestnut hair, gorgeous body in a tight pink outfit. "Go for it" Coach ebbed her on. Kim smiled at him with a bright set of teeth, straightened up, then marched down the beam in perfect long strides, one foot in front of the other all the way to the opposite end. Once there, she back flipped all the way to the end, hand over heels. "That's it!" she thought to herself, "One more alteration and I got it knocked" confident she was that her place on the team would be assured that she let the thought cloud her judgment. When a foot touched the very edge of the beam, she straightened up for a big finish when it seemed that the beam gave way. Next thing she remembered is staring up at the ceiling with it's bright Florissant lights beaming down on her. Groan, "What happened?" whipping her head of sweat. Able to sit up, she checked herself over.
"Nice going, klutz!" someone shouted.
Kim staggered to her feet, dizzy, but uninjured. Wanting to find the person that said that harsh remark, she approached a group of onlookers not far away.
"It's okay, sweetheart. Get up and try it again." Coach said.
Scoff. Taking his order, Kim climbed back onto the beam, drawing stares, snickers. How they were just waiting for her to mess up again. To show off, she struck a pose, more snickers, then went through the same routine again, from one end to the other. This time it was flawless. Finished once more, she struck another pose, hands and face reaching for the sky, "Yes! I did it!" she thought, "It's okay, just a slip up. Don't worry about it" shaking off that previous upset. The girls got a laugh out it and so did Kim.
"Alright, Kim!" Coach clapped, she turned to look at him, "You come on down from there so we can talk."
Those were the words that she wanted to hear. She was going to make the team! Kim turned about on the balance beam, took one step and wound up kissing the mat a second time. In her joy, she had forgotten that there was no steps, striking the safety blue mat with a sickening, hollow thud, this time face first, injuring her hand slightly.
Laughter erupted. Kimberly staggered up, cradling her injured hand with the other, watery eyed. It hurt greatly, not the physical pain but emotional one. Girls lined up, laughing, pointing, balling over one another.
"Why are you laughing?" whimpering lowly, "Why are you laughing at me? Can't you see I'm hurt?" then she realized that Coach was also laughing, hiding his face behind a clip board. That hurt even worse.
"You are so stupid!" one badgered.
Tears streamed down her once rosy cheeks.
"Oh, look, she's crying" one of them began pointing out.
Fed up, Kim stomped off the mat, heading for the locker room. On the edge of the mat, her foot tripped and fell once more. A sinister voice entered her ears, "You're a failure" It rang in her ears like deafening thunder. Simply relentless. Cat calls, laughter followed poor Kimberly. She wanted to confront her antagonists, but her heart gave way, she just wanted out now.
"Hey, Kim, why don't you go back to California where you belong!" a voice sneered.
Stop, turn about, find that voice. Several hid behind Coach, all with smiles on their faces. "Why are they doing this to me?" she thought, looking at them, each of their faces, "We had been together for so long, they were my friends and now they are treating me like this, why?"
A simple shake of the head, all of those precious memories were erased. Gritting her teeth, balling her good fist, she announced, "I hate all of you!" shaking it at them then turned and ducked into the locker room.
"Kim, wait." Coach vainly tried to reason with her, only to be acknowledged with the slam of a door.
Even with the door closed, Kim could hear the taunting, jiving, sneered remarks coming from abroad. It seemed to be coming from every direction. Broken down, she cried, sitting against the cold metal door with her knees tucked up to her chin. Why was this happening? "Why?" whimpering loudly. At her locker, she tried to open the lock. her hands twitched violently, the key refused to be inserted. Frustrated, she fumbled, then rested her head against the door.
"Failure!" someone sneered.
"Leave me alone!" she shouted.
"Mistake!"
AAUGGGH!
In raged, Kim pounded her tiny fists against her locker, denting it slightly. When the lock finally opened, she hastily grabbed a pink bag with her name embroiled in yellow stitching, placed it a bench and began stuffing it full of clothes, pictures, toiletries all the while muttering to herself, "If they don't want me, I'll just leave. Nobody wants to work out with a failure" still sobering.
"That's right!" a voice sneered.
Kim stood erect, looked about. "Who's there?"
No response.
"Listen, if there is anyone in here, just leave men alone!" she commanded.
Finished, Kim looked inside her locker, found a hanging on the inside of the door. Holding it with on the edges, she looked at it. It was of her team when they first arrived in Florida, Kim was right in the middle with a wide smile on her face, an arm wrapped around her shoulder by Coach. "I remember, it was at the Coyote Canyon restaurant" wiping a tear. Looked up, remembering meeting all of the girls for the first time.
Her sadness turned to anger, promptly ripping it up, tossing it's pieces to the bottom of the locker before shutting the door. Putting her shoes on, a voice came back, "Kimberly, you are a failure no matter what you do."
"Leave me alone!" Kim cried. "I'll show you, I'll show all of you!" proclaiming loudly. Little did she realize that she was still alone.
Throwing her little bag over one shoulder, she marched out proudly, lower lip turned up, throwing the door out, marching past the coach and girls without saying a word heading for the gym's main doors.
Within an arms reach of it, the doors suddenly flew in her direction, smacking Kim right in the face, knocking her down. More laughter followed, this time some were rolling on the ground. It was the most hilarious episode they had ever seen.
The person that came through that door turned out to be Trini, Kimberly's best friend from California. Realizing that someone had been hit, Trini looked around the door to see a tiny body curled up against the wall, knees tucked up to her chin, sobbing. The pink bag sprawled across her feet was a dead give away for Kim.
"Kim? Are you all right? Why are you crying?" she asked in a soft voice, holding out a hand. Once her hand touched Kim's soft shoulder, Kimberly snapped, slapping away her hand standing up, blood dripping down her nose and in to her mouth. "Leave me alone!" she yelled then stomped out, leaving her gear behind.
Walking down some sidewalks, the voice hit again with brute force, "You are a failure. Admit it! Nobody loves a failure!"
"Leave me alone!" she pleaded, dashing into a hallway flanked on both sides were double stacked lockers. For a moment there was a respite. Given a time to breathe, Kim found herself alone.
"All right, what just happened?" clearing away some tears. "Well, I was on the beam and I slipped. Dang, I slipped. How can I be so stupid?" sitting down against one of the lockers, then it hit again with intense force.
"You are stupid"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she pleaded, slamming the back of her head against the locker, believing it would jar it loose, it only caused more pain. Covering her ears, teary eyed, "Why are you doing this?".
A familiar voice came, "You were an accident. A mistake. I wanted to leave you when you were born or have an abortion"
"Mother?" her voice was so real that she could feel it. "Mother why are you doing this?" that voice faded away, then another one came, "You are a failure, Kimberly. No one will ever love a failure. No body wants you, nobody ever will"
"Father?"
Their voices were echoing, deep, as if it were reading her thoughts. Simply relentless, they seem to be driving poor Kim towards self destruction.
"Why? It was just one simple mistake," she whimpered.
"No, it wasn't. There are no simple mistakes. You blew your chance at greatness, now you are nothing"
Kimberly prayed as hard as she could, "God...please...please help me" trying to find sanctuary. Nothing.
"You are always a failure, Kimberly Ann Hart. You couldn't hack it in California, you cant hack it in Florida"
"No! No! Leave me alone!" yelling with a voice now hoarse, staggered up and ran outside from which she came in. Running only a few paces, the voice stopped.
A bright sun was beaming down on her, Kim paused to gather her thoughts. Whew. Clear away some of the snot, blood, and tears on her face. "That was quite an incident," trying to put humor onto it. Looking around, she found a street that ran by the gym. Looking about, she could see Coach talking to Trini whom was shaking her head. No doubt about her. Several other girls were there to. They turned and ran in different direction, possibly looking for her.
"Oh, God what have I done?" asking herself, running fingers through her hair. "I better go back and apologize to Coach" chuckle, it would be difficult trying to come up with a story.
"Why? Why should you apologize to them? You think they would accept you back? No! They don't accept failures. Only the elite will succeed"
Breaking down again, "You're right. No! No! What do I have to do to get rid of you?" screaming whilst looking about.
"You cant" it hissed.
A car passed on the street at remarkable speed. At first she paid no attention, still yelling, then drew considerable interest when another, also fast, came by.
"You don't have the guts" it hissed.
"I'll show you. Won't wont hurt me any more!" she said, stepping out onto the street.
The driver came around a blind corner, picking up speed. When he saw her, he could not slam on the brakes because another car was directly behind him and another car was in the opposite lane. Unable to take evasive action, he honked the horn loudly at this young women standing in the road, tears streaming down her cheeks, screaming, arms outreached to him, begged loudly for him to kill her.
"Kill me! Please kill me!"