Chapter Two:
Blue Bay Harbor, March 2003:
Merrick and Zen-Aku had been staying in Blue Bay Harbor since December. Merrick had no intention on being there for so long, but it just happened. Zen-Aku, in the meantime, found a way to get involved as a mole with Lothor's gang of space ninjas and monsters. He was feeding information to Merrick who, in turn, was tipping off the Wind Rangers. This came in handy when two new, evil, Rangers came to Blue Bay Harbor. These new Rangers were proving to be a threat to Tori, Dustin, and Shane. As a way of thanking them for all of their help, Merrick stepped into their battle with them.
"Are you sure you are prepared to fight against other Power Rangers, Merrick?" Sensei asked.
"If there is any good left in these Rangers, I will help your Rangers remind them of what it is," Merrick replied. "Regardless, your pupils are in danger and my powers, weapons, and Wild Zords are more powerful. I will not let anything happen to them. I must go to them."
Merrick gave a slight nod as a sign of respect to the Sensei before running out. His wolf Wild Zord turned into the Wolf Savage Cycle, bringing him to the site of the battle. Merrick got there quickly to find Shane, Tori, and Dustin facing off against Navy and Crimson colored Rangers. Their uniforms looked similar to the Wind Rangers, but the symbol on them were different. Merrick quickly figured out they were also Ninja Rangers, from a different school, with different powers than the Wind Rangers.
Reefside High School:
Kira was just trying to get through her junior year with minimal issues. So far, that hadn't been too difficult. She had made some friends and they had helped to guard her from the jerks that wanted to take advantage of her inability to remember anything before she hit her head in the woods. Her music was her solace for the hard days, though she was finding she had fewer of them.
The only time things got weird still was when she slept. When Kira slept, she still had dreams of Merrick, the man who vowed to find her. She still wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing, but she knew the two of them had to share some kind of connection. It was the only reason she could think of to explain how or why he was able to appear in her dreams the way he did when she had no idea who he really was. For all Kira knew Merrick could be some kind of serial killer who had decided she would be his next target.
Could that be why he's always in my head? Kira wondered to herself during history class. She knew some of the dreams showed him calling her sister, but serial killers weren't exactly known to be stable members of society. Maybe that's how she got her and lost her memories. Maybe she had been running from him.
"Kira?" asked Mr. Murphy.
"Sorry?" Kira replied sheepishly. "What was the question you asked me, Mr. Murphy?"
"I asked you, when and why did the American Civil War start?"
Kira thought about it for a minute. She knew the answer. She had picked up history easier than some of the other subjects she had to learn since she got out of the hospital.
"Um…" she started, "in the presidential election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the presidency, but his name wasn't on the ballot in all of the states in the south. After he won, they wanted to form their own country, the Confederate States, but nobody took them serious as their own country. Even the Union States kept hold of military bases in the south. There was already fighting about whether or not to free slaves, with the southern states wanting to keep slavery because it was an easy way to have free labor to mind the plantations, but the northern states wanted to end slavery because they thought the slaves deserved better. Lincoln was anti-slavery, which enraged the south. The final straw came in April of 1861… April 12th I think… when the Confederate States attacked the major army fort in Charleston, South Carolina, Fort Sumter. The battle lasted over a day, ending with the union army soldiers surrendering the fort and Lincoln rallying the northern states to come together to give more troops to recapture the fallen fort and protect the others in the south."
Mr. Murphy looked at Kira impressed. He obviously hadn't thought she'd known the answer since she had disappeared into her head again.
"See me after class, Kira."
Kira shrugged and tried her best to focus on the rest of the class period. When the bell to end her history class rang, she waited until the class cleared, taking her time getting her things together before going up to Mr. Murphy.
"Kira, how did you know that answer? I had been watching you for at least ten minutes as I explained what happened to start the civil war. Your eyes were glazed over like you were somewhere else. Are you okay?"
Kira looked at Mr. Murphy. He didn't seem angry. In fact, he looked genuinely concerned.
"Mr. Murphy, I'm sorry. I know I wasn't paying attention and I should have. You're a really good teacher. I actually like your class. It's kinda nice considering some of my other classes still confuse me. But I'm really sorry I wasn't paying attention. I'll try harder to. I promise."
"But what was going on with you, Kira? Does this have to do with your head injury from last year? Do you need help or something?"
"No… Yes… I don't know." Kira replied in frustration.
"Do you want me to call your mother to help you?"
"No," Kira said quickly.
"Is everything alright at home, Kira?"
"Yeah, everything is fine at home. It's not like that. Mom and I are fine."
"Then what is it?"
"Honestly?"
"Yes."
"Promise me you won't tell anyone?"
"If someone is hurting you, I have to report it. State law, my hands are tied on that one. If it's something that's just making you distracted, you have my word, Kira."
Kira was fidgeting with her hands for a minute. She took a deep breath before she opened her mouth to explain what things had been like for her since she'd woken up, how she'd had weird dreams. She left the serial killer theory to herself, however, because that seemed like something that he would have to report.
Blue Bay Harbor:
Merrick watched as Tori, Dustin, and Shane were knocked out of their Morphs. As the other Rangers who had attacked them when to attack them, he sprang into action, blocking their attack on the young Wind Rangers.
"Weren't you ever taught there is no honor in attacking an opponent who is already down?" Merrick asked the Navy and Crimson Rangers.
The Crimson Ranger took a swing at Merrick, which he easily deflected, knocking him to the ground in the process. He is obviously impulsive and hot-headed, Merrick noted to himself. Merrick looked at the Navy Ranger. Even though his helmet prevented him from seeing his eyes, Merrick knew he was weighing his options, making a plan before he made a move. This one is the one with the discipline. He will be slightly more of a nuisance than the Crimson Ranger, Merrick thought to himself. And with that, the Navy Ranger attacked.
Quickly, Merrick used his Lunar Caller and Morphed into the Lunar Wolf Ranger. He unsheathed his Lunar Cue. As the Navy Ranger attacked, he used it as a saber, though it had other modes, which Merrick had mastered long ago. He had the Navy Ranger on his toes, even if he wasn't putting in as much effort as he made it look like.
Out of the corner of his eye, Merrick saw the Crimson Ranger get back to his feet.He quickly changed the Lunar Cue from saber to sniper mode and began shooting at the two Rangers, blasting them back about ten feet. When he saw they were both struggling to get to their feet, he ran to check on the Wind Rangers.
"Are you three, okay?" he asked them.
"Yeah, thanks, Merrick. What made you come?" Shane asked.
"The wind called me here."
"The wind?" Tori asked. "You'll need to explain that to us sometime. But for now, I think the three of us have a battle to finish."
As the three got to their feet to Morph, the four of them noticed the Navy and Crimson Rangers had called Zords. The Wind Rangers would need time to Morph and get their Zords there.
"Do what you have to. I'll hold them off until your Zords get here," Merrick told them.
"But how, Dude? Those Zords are no joke," Dustin replied.
"Like this," Merrick said, pulling out his three Wild Zord crystals and setting his Lunar Cue to breaker mode. "Wild Zords! Descend!" Merrick called as he shot the crystals up into the sky as if they were pool balls. When the Zords quickly appeared, Merrick continued, "Wild Zords! Combine!"
Tori, Shane, and Dustin looked impressed as Merrick's Wolf, Alligator, and Hammerhead Shark Wild Zords combined into a powerful looking Zord. As Merrick entered that Zord, two other Wild Zords, was all the three Wind Rangers could assume at least, came up to them. They looked like a polar bear and a black bear. The two bears started to get close to the three Wind Rangers. Tori and Shane backed up but Dustin, always being curious, got closer to the Wild Zords.
"You guys look so cool," Dustin said to the Bear Brothers as he rubbed their heads.
He noticed as he did, the pain he felt from his injuries started to fade.
"Are you guys doing that? Making me feel better?" Dustin asked them.
The Bear Brothers looked at him and moved their heads in what Dustin could only describe as a nod. He looked back at Shane and Tori.
"Guys, you have to come here. These two bears are totally cool," Dustin said. "I think they want to help us feel better before we go back to battle."
"How do you know that, Dustin?" Tori asked.
Shane looked at Dustin carefully.
"Tori, look at him. I mean, really look at him," Shane said. "Most of his injuries from the battle are gone. What's not is barely noticeable."
Tori looked at Dustin. Shane was right.
"How did they do that, Dustin?" Tori asked him.
"I was just petting them while telling them they were awesome. I started to feel better," Dustin said as he turned back to the two bears, petting their heads again. "Isn't that right, you two awesome dudes?"
Tori and Shane started to pet the bears like Dustin was doing. Soon, all three Wind Rangers were healed. They bowed to the Bear Brothers in thanks. They were shocked when it looked like they were bowing back at them. Finally, they Morphed and told Cam to send them the Zords.
Merrick looked down to see what had taken so long for the Wind Rangers to Morph. That's when he saw them. The Bear Brothers. They had decided to heal the young Rangers before sending them back into battle. As the Wind Rangers were Morphing and calling on their Zords, the other Rangers, who seem to harness the power of thunder, tried to make a cheap shot on them. Merrick had no worries for the young Wind Rangers. The Bear Brothers had decided to heal them. They would also protect them until they had the protection of their Zords.
When the Navy Ranger's Beetlezord and the Crimson Ranger's Insectizord got close enough to attack, the Bear Brothers let loose an attack of their own. They began to shoot fire and ice beams from their mouths. Those beams were more powerful than one would think, and these two Thunder Rangers realized the Bear Brothers, even without being part of a Megazord, easily overpowered their Zords. The Wind Rangers finished their Morph as the Bear Brothers and the Predazord held them back, giving them room to breathe until they got their Zords and were able to form their own Megazord. Once they did, Merrick took the five Zords, and returned to Ninja Ops.
"I've never seen the Bear Zords, other than the crystals. They are very interesting. Did they really heal Dustin, Shane, and Tori?" Cam asked.
"Yes, they did. It is one of the things they can do if they feel the person is worthy of their help. Once they feel someone is worthy of their help, they will not just heal them, but they will protect them fiercely. Which is why, when those other Rangers got around the Predazord, the Bear Brothers attacked them. They would not allow them to attack the Wind Rangers when they were vulnerable."
"So, you're basically telling me that even though they are Zords, the Zords you carry are also fully sentient beings?" Cam asked.
"Yes, they are. It is why they can't just be given to a Ranger like the Zords your Rangers have. And I'm not saying this to insult any Zord that isn't a Wild Zord, Cam. It's just that with the Wild Zords, there is a connection between the Ranger and the Zord you can't find with other Zords. There is trust between both of them that they will protect each other, they each believe not only in the fight they are fighting, but also in the value of the other's life."
"The Wild Zords are more like animals aren't they? That is what the people of your kingdom treated them as before the destruction?" Sensei asked.
"Yes, Sensei," Merrick replied. "In Animaria, the Wild Zords roamed freely among everyone. Some more than others, but they were not stored away from the public. We all lived in peace. The Bear Brothers and my sister had an intense bond. I almost lost her before the Great War began. If it hadn't have been for those Wild Zords, I would have lost Caelia."
"Do you mind if I ask what happened?" Cam asked.
Merrick looked haunted as he flashed on his sister looking so close to death against the tree trunk.
"We had already learned about the Orgs. When they had made themselves known in Animaria, it was discreetly at first. Toxic puddles were turning up in random places around the kingdom. People were getting deathly ill from the toxins, and there was not much we could do to help. We'd never seen these toxins before. There was no pollution or toxins in the world back then. The people all took care of each other. Compared to the way things are now, I guess you could call it a utopia.
"I was with Shayla for the day. As her royal protector, I was tasked to be with her, especially if she was not in the castle. When I went home, Caelia was not in the house as she usually was. She decided at some point after we lost our father that she would cook dinner and clean our home before I would return home from my post each night. Her not being there set off alarms for me. I ran out of our home and quickly found her… Leaning against a tree trunk, looking like she was not long for this world at all, with some of the toxins on her foot. One of the toxic puddles had appeared close to our home, and when she went outside to investigate some noises that did not sound like Wild Zords, she stepped in the puddle."
"So how did the Bear Brothers help? Did you call to them?"
"No, I didn't. I didn't have the bond to them Caelia did. Even if I had, it would have taken too long to find them and bring them to her. She would have been lost forever," Merrick explained. "I washed the toxins off of her foot, which was a feeble attempt to do anything, but I knew it wouldn't do much. Right after I did, Shayla arrived with the Bear Brothers."
"Did the princess call them?"
"No, Cam. Actually, the Bear Brothers called the princess to come with them to Caelia," Merrick explained. "Caelia weakly pet the Bear Brothers, and I knew we were in trouble. The Bear Brothers were her favorite of all the Wild Zords. If Shayla had not required she learn about all of the Wild Zords, she would have spent all of her time with them. The fact that she could barely muster up the energy to pet them showed us that I wasn't wrong, and she was not long for this world.
"The Bear Brothers stood on their hind legs, making them tower of my weak sister. They stood on either side of her, making sure she was between them. After a bit they seemed to emit a golden light between them. Not long after that, my sister looked normal again. She could move again. And the first thing she did was have a conversation with the Bear Brothers."
"Wait, the people of Animaria could talk with the Wild Zords?"
"Some more than others. Shayla and Caelia could understand all of the Wild Zords. Others could understand 1 or 2, others a few more, and then there were those who were chosen to be guardians of the Wild Zords and could understand their Zords. I can only understand my three Wild Zords. I can't communicate with the Bear Brothers."
"Then why did you bring them?" Cam asked.
"They were supposed to stay with Caelia," Merrick started. "They were supposed to protect my sister, who they do hold an extraordinary bond with. I'm hoping they can help me find her. Only they know where she cast the spell. They were the only ones who were with her when she put herself into the suspended sleep."
Merrick started gripping the ring around his neck again.
"You feel the wind carrying you away from Blue Bay Harbor, don't you, Merrick?" Sensei asked.
"I do. I'm sorry, but it is time for me to go. I have to continue my journey. Cam, if those scans ever finish, you know how to reach me on my Lunar Caller. If you need me in an emergency, I will feel it in the wind and I will come. Until then," Merrick started as he bowed in respect to Sensei and Cam, "thank you for everything you have done for me."
"Thank you for helping us when we needed it, Merrick," Sensei replied. "Safe travels."
Merrick turned and left. As he reached to city limits of Blue Bay Harbor, Zen-Aku joined him.
"We're finally leaving this place?" Zen-Aku asked.
"Yes. I stayed far too long. I should have left right after I went back to their base of operations."
"So why did you stay?"
"They have a way to search for Caelia. It's just taking much longer than planned."
"The Bear Brothers and Predazord were active in a battle meant for the Wind Rangers today. Why?"
"Only as back-up. I gave them breathing room to get back on their feet. As for the Bear Brothers… they've decided the Wind Rangers are pure of heart and wanted to help them. So they healed them and protected them until they could Morph and call on their own Zords. Once the Wind Rangers were up and had their Zords, I left, taking the Bear Brothers and Predazord with me. You know my mind well. You know my battle skills with and without the Predazord. The Navy and Crimson Rangers who attacked the Wind Rangers are efficient warriors, but they are no match for me. The little bit of damage I did do was without effort on my part. I could have ended the battle if I had put in some effort. That is not my path. My path is to find Caelia. If I can help along that path, that's fine, but I'm not fighting others' battles for them."
"I understand."
"Your information was very helpful, by the way," Merrick said to Zen-Aku, shocking the Org.
"You are complimenting me?"
"Our plans changed and you improvised. You kept yourself out of trouble and continued on your road to redemption by alerting me to anything major that would affect the Wind Rangers. So, yes, I guess I am complimenting you, Zen-Aku. You did a good job."
Reefside High:
"So," Mr. Murphy started, "you're problem isn't that you're being abused at home, but you're not allowing yourself to sleep much? Why, Kira?"
"The man in my dreams… he feels so familiar to me, Mr. Murphy. But I have no idea who he is. In my dreams I feel like I remember doing things, things that make me feel normal, but I find out they're things I've never done before. So, I sleep the minimal amount I need to function, drink caffeine, study for school, and work on songs."
"You do realize that sleeping is necessary, don't you, Kira?"
"I know. I just need to figure out why this one guy I've never seen before keeps appearing in my dreams. It's why I was dazed out earlier. I'm so sorry, Mr. Murphy. I was thinking about the guy in my dreams, not in a hormonal way or anything like that, but just trying to figure out why he's almost always there."
"Maybe you should see a therapist. They could try hypnotherapy?"
"I like having control of my mind. And since I only have access to what I've learned since I left the hospital, I'd rather not have anyone poking around in my head. Thanks."
"Are you sure, Kira?"
"Yeah. I'll try harder to focus, Mr. Murphy. But I'll be fine."
Six Months Later:
Summer had been pretty uneventful. Kira spent her time writing music and trying to work out the mystery of Merrick, the man in her dreams. While Merrick was still a mystery, she had written quite a few new songs. Still, the only thing that got her out of bed on the first day of school was knowing it was the first day of her senior year of high school. At the end of this year she would graduate and, depending on whether she decided to go to college or to try to get a recording contract, she would likely hardly ever see the kids from Reefside ever again.
When she reached Reefside High, the school was buzzing with gossip. There were two new staff members and nobody had any information on either of them. The first and most important of these new staff members was the principal. In absence of real information, people were saying Ms. Randall was some crazy ex-prison guard. The second new staff member was a science teacher named Doctor Oliver. Rumors were spreading that he was some lunatic recluse who took the open science position to torture and kidnap kids. Already the school year seemed like it was going to be interesting. Kira secured her guitar case on her back and her messenger bag on her shoulder and made her way to her first period class.
Kira sat in the middle of her science class and started writing lyrics in the back of her notebook. When the late bell rang, a teacher she'd never seen on campus walked in and started handing out the syllabus. He introduced himself… as Doctor Oliver. Immediately Cassidy jumped up trying to "interview him," but he shut her down before Devin could even get his camera ready, after assuring her that he was, in fact, old enough to be a teacher. Kira found it funny and felt like the year might be better… until her free period when she was playing music outside with some friends.
"Ms. Ford, I'm afraid you need written permission to play on school grounds," a woman Kira could only guess to be Ms. Randall said to her, as she wrote in her portfolio. "Let's go."
"Are you aware that kids who play an instrument have a 50% higher chance of getting into college?" Kira replied instead of moving.
"Well, you're hardly college material now, are you, Ms. Ford?" Ms. Randall shot back at her. "Now, come with me."
Too shocked at what the principal said to her, Kira grabbed her guitar and followed her. She also noticed that Connor McKnight was following, the school's star soccer player. Kira guessed he was on the soccer field instead of first period and Randall busted him. As they were walking, the school's sprinkler system suddenly went off. Kira panicked, her guitar was getting wet. She did her best to protect it from the water while she herself got soaked.
"Ethan James," Principal Randall said, glaring at the boy from Kira's first period science class, the only person walking through the showers with an umbrella. "I should've known."
Principal Randall made Ethan join Connor and Kira wherever she was taking them. When they got into the school building she brought them by her office. It was clear she was pissed off.
"SIT!" she shouted, pointing at the seats outside her office.
The three students sat down as they were told, not sure what she would do if they didn't.
"Principal Randall," Ethan started, "I'd just like to mention the fact that there's absolutely no hard evidence linking me to that unfortunate sprinkler incident."
"Save it for Judge Judy, Mr. James," she said to Ethan before looking at all of them. "The three of you have detention, for one week. Starting today. Now, if there are no further questions…"
At this point, Connor, Kira, and Ethan went from looking at Principal Randall with confusion and annoyance to protesting. Connor was complaining about missing soccer practice, Kira about missing rehearsals, and Ethan about missing computer club.
"I didn't think so!" Randall finished her statement, effectively cutting off her students' protests at being given detention for a week, before she stormed off into her office leaving them outside.
"Okay. Somebody seriously needs a hug," Kira said.
"Dude… computer club?" Connor asked Ethan… the only thing he wanted to know after being sentenced to a week of detention.
Later that day, Connor, Kira, and Ethan were waiting to see what detention was going to be. Principal Randall showed up with Doctor Oliver. She told them they were going to have detention with him for the week. He informed them they would be heading to a museum.
When they got to the museum, it was closed. Doctor Oliver made a deal with them. If they could find anything prehistoric on the grounds of the museum, he would cancel detention for the week. He sent them off on their own as he looked for someone to find out when the museum was open.
Kira, Connor, and Ethan were walking in the woods not too far from the museum. Connor was making fun of Ethan for being in the computer club. Ethan was going on about urban myths he had read about on different websites, including ones about the woods they were in. Suddenly, they fell into sinkholes.
Realizing they couldn't get out of the hole they were in, they decided to look for a new one. Kira started singing to herself, nervous in the underground tunnels they found themselves in.
"Babe, can you keep it down? I'm trying to stay focused here," Connor said to Kira, pissing her off.
"Did you just call me Babe?" Kira asked Connor. Getting no answer she turned to Ethan. "Did he just call me Babe?"
"I don't know. I wasn't listening. I was still grooving to your tunes," Ethan answered.
Kira approached Connor angrily.
"What?" Connor asked, almost annoyed that she was near him. "Just chill out, why don't ya?"
"Listen, my name is Kira. Maybe you should write it on your hand or something, so you can remember," Kira said even more annoyed than she was earlier, but still not feeling connected to her name.
Further into the tunnels, they found a dinosaur skeleton.
"This screams Jurassic Park to me," Kira said.
"This'll get us out of detention forever," Connor agreed.
Connor went to grab the lower jaw of the dinosaur.
"Do you think you should…" Kira started, but Connor had already pulled down on the jaw… and it opened a door in the wall.
Behind the wall was a creepy but cool looking cave hideout. Kira loved it, thinking she could shoot a great music video there. Connor tried to make fun of Ethan saying the room was his geek mothership. Ethan wanted to argue, but admitted Connor was right. In the center of the room, they found three gems, red, yellow, and blue. Connor and Kira agreed they looked prehistoric even though Ethan thought they should think about taking them. In the end, they took them and found a way out of the underground tunnels.
When they made it outside, there were creepy looking things that appeared. They looked like something crossed with a dinosaur… and it was clear they were after Kira, Connor, and Ethan. The three teenagers made a run for it, but eventually the things caught up to them, so they split up, trying to figure out a way to stop them by minimizing their numbers.
A group of them followed Kira. Suddenly, she felt herself changing. She was something completely new. She looked down at the stone in her hand. It was glowing. When the things appeared, she began to fight like an expert combatant. The only thing was, she knew from photo albums and stories, Kira never so much as took a self-defense class. Finally, when she had the group all in one place, instinctively she screamed, and they flew back into tree trunks.
Silver Hills, Same Time:
Merrick had gone to see Wes Collins the Red Time Force Ranger and Eric Myers, the Quantum Ranger, and leaders of the Silver Guardians, to see if they could help him with any leads. They had worked with the Wild Force team before. After talking to Trip and Circuit, the only definitive information they were able to give Merrick is that he would find her path soon.
Suddenly, Merrick felt strange. He had never felt sensations like the ones he was feeling in that moment. In the distance he could feel Wes and Eric calling to him, but he couldn't respond. He wasn't even sure he was still in Silver Hills anymore.
Merrick could feel Caelia, but he couldn't see her. He was in a body, but not sure whose or where he was. When he stopped trying to fight the experience, he felt the movements the body was making. They were moves that were part of the fighting technique he had taught Caelia millennia ago! Something was coming back to her in her waking hours!
Then he realized, if she was awake and fighting, she must be in danger. Merrick kept himself from worrying, worried that it would break the connection that had formed. He watched as she fought like a true warrior. Soon the battle was over. He focused all of his energy, willing himself to stay where he was just a little longer. While it wouldn't work for long, he hoped it would work long enough to give him a solid clue as to where his sister had been for almost two years.
Two boys walked over to her and started talking about the stones, calling her Kira. All three had stones in different colors. The creatures that attacked. Merrick swallowed his fear of what this might mean as he focused. Soon, an adult approached the three of them and they hid the stones from him. He asked if they were ready to go and they agreed, calling him Doctor Oliver. It would have to be enough.
"I need to find a teacher named Doctor Oliver," Merrick said suddenly, startling Wes and Eric.
"What? Why?" Wes asked.
"If I'm right, he has a student named Kira who found a yellow stone today. And if I'm correct about her, Kira is actually Caelia."
"What makes you think that, Merrick?" Eric asked.
"I was pulled to her, I was seeing through her eyes. She was fighting some creatures."
"So?" Eric asked.
"Eric, let him finish," Wes warned him.
"Before Animaria was destroyed, I went against many rules for Caelia. One of them was teaching her to fight, to wield a sword. Kira's fighting techniques are the same techniques I taught Caelia millennia ago… Techniques that wouldn't really be widely known anymore."
"We met a Tommy Oliver when we went on that mission to the moon with Cole," Wes said. "Maybe he's the Doctor Oliver you're looking for. I'll give him a call and ask him if he's teaching. If he is, I'll ask him if he has a student named Kira. I think we should leave out the fighting and stone part. What if Kira didn't tell him about it?"
Wes got up to make the phone call. Twenty minutes later he came back and sat down with Eric and Merrick.
"Well?" Merrick asked eagerly.
"It seems, Tommy actually is a doctor… of paleontology. He is teaching high school science and had three students in detention with him today. They were in the woods looking for something prehistoric. He did confirm one of them is named Kira Ford, who was in detention for playing her guitar at school without permission…" Wes started.
"What aren't you telling us?" Eric asked.
"Tommy looked at the student files for the three students who had detention today after they got back," Wes started. "I'm sorry, Merrick, but Kira was found almost two years ago in the woods on the outskirts of town. She had amnesia after hitting her head hard enough to put her into a coma for about two weeks. She was out of school for over a month. Her school records say she never got any of her memories back from before she hit her head."
For the first time in almost two years, everything made sense to Merrick. The Bear Brothers having difficulty pinning down Caelia's location, he himself thinking he felt her, but it not being her, it was all because she had no memories! Not consciously anyway. Merrick was sure that, especially by now, Caelia was remembering and just not telling anybody.
"Why are you smiling? Wes just told you this Kira-girl has no memories before the hospital," Eric inquired.
"Of course she doesn't," Merrick said. "Kira didn't exist before the hospital. Caelia did. I spoke with some other Rangers about this months ago. My sister practiced sorcery 3,000 years ago with Princess Shayla. Shayla was her teacher. According to these other Rangers and their mentor, a sorceress who had been dormant for that long builds up a lot of energy that just stays inside of her. So when she woke up, there would've been a huge release of that magical energy, 3,000 years of excess energy just being unleashed. It's the kind of thing that could create a new identity. The last spell Caelia did was a suspended sleep spell, to keep herself safe during the Org War. Her magic could have created Kira to everyone to keep her safe and help her blend in to this new world."
"But what was with the head injury?" Wes asked.
"When she did the suspended sleep spell, it was the first time she'd worked magic that advanced. Shayla had taught her the components, but it's not the kind of thing you can practice. It's powerful. So, if she cast it, not realizing how quickly it would take hold of her, she could have slammed her head onto a boulder or rock formation in the woods. With her being in a suspended sleep, the injury would also be suspended. It wouldn't bleed or otherwise affect her health until she woke again. That is most likely when she was brought to the hospital."
"Magic is weird," Eric said.
"But it saved my sister," Merrick said. "Where is Doctor Oliver, Wes?"
"Reefside. He teaches science at Reefside High School."
"Thank you both. But now, I have to go find my sister," Merrick said as he turned and left, starting his journey to a definitive point, Reefside, to where his sister had been since she had awoken.