Season: SPD

Characters: Bridge, Sky, Syd, Crougar, Kat

AN: Hey everyone, this is my first full length Power Ranger story (though I've started a few in the past). Four chapters are already done so updates will be quick. This was written for the prunited forum's Eating Disorder Challenge, and won first place in round 1. (I'm so excited!) The second part is due in May, but I hope to have it done much sooner. Anyway enough rambling, please enjoy!

To suppress the most basic needs is to strangle oneself—more slowly, but no less effectively than poison, a blade to the artery, a bullet aimed at the brain."-Laura Collins

Part 1

Chapter 1: The Gift

"Bridge Carson…is there a Bridge Carson here?"

The lanky teenager looked up, his dark brown hair falling over his eyes. He pulled himself up from the stiff metal chair and walked toward the tall doctor.

"My name is Dr. Stevens," the man said, offering his hand to the teenager only to be refused. The doctor settled for laying his hand on Bridge's shoulder. "Are you alone, son?" Bridge cast a weary glance at the waiting room.

"Yes…I'm alone."

--

Bridge pushed the door shut and cringed as it slammed, the sound vibrating through his already pounding head. No one was home, but he had not expected them to be. No one was ever home. As much as the loneliness was suffocating, he did relish the quiet—it was the one time in his day that the overwhelming force of other people's emotions did not reverberate in his head.

It was his "gift". The ability to see the color of a person, literally. The emotions and characteristics of the person floated about them like an aura, but only he could see it.

Bridge Carson hated his gift.

Along with this ability came the constant onslaught of their emotions into his head. And despite the fact it came in handy now and then, it was no gift to see people as they truly are. Every malicious, hateful, racist, vengeful or sadistic feeling was not hidden from him.

Sometimes it was not bad. Sometimes it was even a little helpful. Sometimes he could even ignore it. It was only a quiet, but constant mummer in the back of his mind. But then there were the moments when his hand brushed across someone else's, or he bumped into their shoulder…everything would come crashing in on him.

With a sigh Bridge rubbed his temples. At first he had tried to hide it, but it was no passing fluke. Finally he panicked and ran to his parents. At first they were shocked, but that quickly turned to shame and anger. Shame. Ashamed of him…

He sauntered to his room and sunk down on the bed, covering his eyes. The trip to the doctor had not been nearly as helpful as he had hoped. Dr. Stevens had explained that this gift was nothing to worry about, but it was part of who he was and there was no way to get rid of it.

He felt his pocket for the card. Stevens said he should call that number, but Bridge wondered why it mattered. The lady doctor he recommended would help Bridge, but even she would not be able to fix him.

No one could.

Bridge was not sure how much time passed before he pulled himself up and slunk out of his room. The waning sunlight through the windows provided the only illumination in the house. With a discontented sigh the teenager made his way toward the kitchen, his hand subconsciously going into his pocket. He felt the piece of paper against his fingers. He glanced at the number and grabbed the phone impulsively.

"Hello?"

Bridge scrunched his brow. That did not sound like a receptionist.

"Hellooo?"

"Is Dr. Manx there?" Bridge asked.

"That's me," the friendly female voice replied. "What do ya need?"

"I…was told to call you…by Dr. Stevens."

"Really? Well he should have told you to call me Kat." Bridge could almost hear the smile in her voice.

--

Bridge was never ill mannered. Bizarre on occasion, but never intentionally rude, but when he met Doctor Katharine "Kat" Manx, Bridge gapped. It was not her appearance—he had seen cat ears and alien features like hers before—but there was an entirely different reason for his shock.

She had asked to meet him outside the Ranger Academy, but he had never dreamed that she was in fact part of the Rangers. She smiled, flashing her pointed teeth.

"Bridge Carson?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am," he replied. Bridge felt calm radiating from her. She was trustworthy, at least for now.

"I have a few questions for you," she explained, jumping to the point. "Care to walk?" He nodded and followed as she began down the sidewalk. "How long have you noticed this ability?"

"It's been six months since it first manifested," Bridge explained, his brown eyes becoming distant.

"And how old are you?"

"Thirteen and a hundred and twenty-seven days," he replied flippantly. Kat smiled but didn't comment.

"I know Dr. Stevens mentioned that this gift is nothing to worry about, but I want to take that a step farther," Kat said, turning to face him. "You're not alone in this. Many students at the Academy have powers similar to yours." She watched as Bridge looked at her, his face was wrought with conflict but held a certain innocence just beneath the surface. He seemed entirely trusting, and at the same time unsure. She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I would like very much to see how your gift works."

"You keep calling it that," Bridge pointed out, then looked quickly away. "Sorry."

"No, go ahead…what were you going to say?" Kat probed.

"Just that, it doesn't seem much like a gift to me," Bridge explained "That's the way you see it, but I don't see it that way. It gets in the way and makes things more difficult. It's like this book I was reading… 'It doesn't matter how they look at you, it's how you look at them'. You know what I mean?" Kat narrowed her eyes in confusion.

Before she could respond a loud bang sounded off to the side. Their eyes darted to the source of the noise. A grotesque creature with limbs like wet noodles bellowed with rage. Kat narrowed her eyes.

"We've got trouble," she whispered. "Bridge, I want you to stay down ok?" With that she jumped up and ran closer to the scene, speaking into a communicator as she ran. Bridge kneeled down, using a park bench for cover. The monster was destructive, but obviously lacking in intelligence. Its arms slashed and stretched causing sever damage to the park.

People were screaming and running in every direction. The once serene square was turned into a chaotic mess. Bridge felt his heart banging against his rib cage, but not with fear. No, it went much deeper than his fear. His heart pounded with a need he could not explain.

He could see Kat trying to distract the creature, biding her time until the Rangers arrived. The monster, however, seemed to be distracted by something else. The teenager narrowed his eyes. There was a young girl sitting in the park, howling with sobs. The vile beast was heading right for her.

Bridge glanced at Kat. She would never get there in time. It was now or never. Swallowing his fear the teenager leapt up and ran toward the girl. Bridge kicked his heels into the ground and thrust himself toward the girl, knocking her out of the way, just as the creature swung. Though the arm looked like a limp noodle it felt like a jagged blade as it cut into his unprotected back.

Bridge could not stifle a cry as he fell, landing protectively over the girl. Scared blue eyes met his.

"Run," he whispered breathlessly. The little girl obeyed, taking off with speed only a child could muster. Bridge rolled out of the way just in time, the arm slapping harmlessly into the ground beside him.

Streaks of color filled his blurry vision as shouts rang out, and Bridge knew the Rangers had arrived. He laid his head back against the soft grass. Somewhere in his foggy mind he wondered why the pain was no longer so profound, but the thought quickly disappeared and he let go to the darkness around his vision.

TBC