Hello!!Sorry to have kept you waiting, thank you so much for your reviews! They were great!I've just finished chapter 9 and halfway through chapter10 I've been hit by a creative beam LOL!!So last time we saw Nick and Claire come back to Briarwood!!So i'll stop oing on or else i'll have told the story. So here it is Chapter 8 of Facing your fears!
I don't own the power Rangers etc.
Power Rangers Mystic Force
Facing your fears
Chapter 8
"Hey guys!" Claire said not noticing the uneasy atmosphere in the cave. Claire hadn't changed a lot, her hair had grown a lot and she had grown a bit taller and of course she had her trademark dirt smudge on her face. Nick looked bolder than they had last seen him, he was wearing golden armour with a red gem in the middle, and he had blood trickling down his forehead and was a large gash was on his arm in his arms he held a red, blood soaked cloak. Claire had small cuts on her face and across her arms but nothing too serious.
"What's happening in the Magic Realms?" Assam demanded. The rangers looked at each other worriedly, Claire's upbeat attitude vanished and Nick looked towards the ground.
"Udonna's been captured…Leanbow's vanished, Koragg and Genji…were still fighting…the whole place is in ruins…Udonna sent me to get help but I was attacked by this creature…then Nick saved my butt, I guess we must've teleported here during the panic." Claire said before tears fell down her face.
"Well you're safe at Rootcore." Maddie said firmly. Nick looked up at Maddie, she had a large bruise now forming around her neck and she had a small gash above her eyebrow that she didn't notice. He looked at the others, they had large bruises and cuts across their body, they looked like they had been involved in a serious fight.
"How did you get those marks?" He asked pointing towards Maddie's neck. She looked at him angrily.
"We got beaten up by Kartik." Vida said. "We couldn't morph because a 'certain' person banned our powers when we fought against the enemy because we went to the Magic Realms without permission!" Somehow she felt angrier than she was letting on.
"We were at a party when it happened." Maddie said. Nick nodded but couldn't help notice an evil glare that Vida was throwing at Xander.
"Someone was hanging out with the wrong crowd started it." Vida said at Maddie. The two adults and Nick stared at Vida then at Maddie.
"I just hung out with them for a bit. Nothing serious. And they are not bad! Adam was nice!"
"So drinking until you let weirdos like Nathan start feeling you up? Not to mention smoking with them!"
"So you're suggesting that I shouldn't have fun? I mean Maddie's hanging out with cool kids better watch out encase I steal your limelight!"
"What happened when you guys slipped off into a room? He locked the doors seeing you weren't even capable to do anything!" This raised eyebrows.
"Maddie? What happened?" Xander said looking at Maddie.
"You can talk 'Mr I'll make out with my best friend's sister'!" Vida said glaring at Xander.
"It was an accident! We were dancing and it just happened!" Xander said shrugging his shoulders frantically.
"So it was by accident you were kissing? And you didn't even pull away!" Vida said.
"Why are you so upset about this?" Maddie argued back.
"Because I didn't want my sister to be labelled a 'slut' at school!" Vida said. "You go into a room with Nathan and come back even more drunk! You make out with our best friend and you still don't understand!"
"Nothing happened! We just hung out!" Maddie said hysterically.
"Really? Tell me what really happened!"
"Nothing! We just made out for a bit! Nothing big!" She screamed.
"Hey! Hey V, back off Maddie, will you?" Xander said blocking Vida and Maddie.
"You back off!" Vida's temper had come back with the passion.
"Guys? Let's just-" Chip began but was cut off by the rest of the team.
"CHIP JUST SHUT UP!"
"V! I will kiss who I want!" Maddie screamed.
"And be called a slut?" Vida yelled
"If I knew you would act like this then I wouldn't of kissed Maddie!" Xander shouted.
"SILENCE!" Assam shouted. "You are supposed to be the Mystic Power Rangers and all I can see are a bunch of spoilt brats!" They had the decency to look away. "Now from what I've heard you all acted irresponsible! I understand that at parties you act like this but you have a duty!"
"Damn straight about that! We are tired of being left into the dark! Tonight we thought we were going to die! Maddie was being choked to death! Chip saved her butt and you can't do anything! You say it's your fight with him but how come he doesn't get the message?" Vida shouted.
"Then you know what to do! But right now my home, my family and friends are in danger! My sister might die because the rangers she gloats so much about think more about their stupid social life than the real problems at hand!" Assam replied.
Suddenly the room was filled with Claire screaming her head off. They stopped what they were doing and stared at her. "STOP IT!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FIGHTING!!" she screamed pulling at her hair.
The rangers looked around uncomfortably. Nick left the room heading outside. Maddie watched him, she wanted to say something to him but what could she say, after what she had done? "I'm sorry…you're right…we're acting stupid…" Xander said sincerely.
"I'm sorry too you guys." Vida said uncomfortably.
"Me too." Maddie said, the twins embraced each other. Then Xander and Chip joined in. They left soon after heading back to Xander's to stay for the night.
--
Claire found Nick on the edge of the entrance to Rootcore. "You thinking about your friends?" She said softly. He let out a sigh.
"I thought things couldn't get any worse…they just did." Nick said gesturing to the jeep's fading light. "What can I do?"
Claire patted her cousins back. "Do the best you can. It's normal they're angry, they feel betrayed that you didn't help them when they needed you the most…give them time. Anyway you've got me…"
"Thanks…" Nick said sadly. "I think I'm going to get some shut eye." He finished his sentence by a loud yawn.
Claire fumbled into her pockets and pulled out a small photo of the team before they left Briarwood. Chip had one hand draped around Vida with his free hand he was waving, Vida held onto Chip's hand around her neck and put her other hand in her 'V' sign. Xander posed like a model with one hand on his hip and the other one outstretched. Maddie had her hands behind her, Nick had one hand on Maddie's shoulder and his other hand was in his pocket. Claire was at the back waving at the camera, Udonna was next to her smiling towards her rangers. They were all smiling, like nothing could split them up. "I guess I was wrong." She said looking into the midnight sky.
--
Maddie didn't sleep all night, she felt confused about everything, the Magic Realms, the party and Nick. In the end she decided to meditate. Sitting beside her sister's bed she closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Instead of focusing on her power she focused on the Magic Realms. It felt strange; she could feel more magic flow through her veins. She tried really hard to focus on the Magic Realms, it was hard at first but suddenly she found herself actually in the Realms. "Oh my god…" She looked around, the sky was a deathly pale grey, pieces of rubble were on the ground; it felt rough and warm. Everything felt out of place, nothing felt alive. It had been only a few days since she had been here and it scared her how quickly things had changed. She began to walk towards what was left of the watchtower. "Hello?" Maddie said shifting some rubble with her foot.
A loud creaking sound made Maddie face the gate a wounded centaur laid beside the gate. "H-help…" It said his breathing becoming less. Maddie rushed towards the creature.
"What happened?" She said as she looked for the fatal wound that was making the creature die.
"H-help…me!" The creature repeated holing out his hands. Maddie noticed a large gash in the centaur's side. Placing her hands gently on it, she focused her magic to heal it, everytime the centaur let out a moan Maddie focused even harder. The wound was slowly healing thanks to Maddie's magic. It drained a lot of her energy out making her feel dizzy and weak. Slowly getting up she wiped her bloodied hands on the grass. "Th-thank you…blue ranger." Maddie faced the centaur. He was awake and breathing normally but he was still too weak to get up.
"Are you ok now?" Maddie said. The centaur shook his head.
"You used a lot of magic to save my life…all my wounds are gone." He said. He gestured at a small rock for Maddie to sit on. "For saying thank you…here…" he took something out from a small back tied around his waist. "Use it against the evil one…he seeks to split you up…" He gave Maddie a small silver ring with ancient writing all around it. "It say's 'Facing your worst fears make you stronger.'"
The centaur fainted just as he gave the ring to Maddie. As she placed it on her finger she felt something leave her, thinking it was her strength about to give way she focused back to her body, where she last was, lying still beside her sister's bed.
--
"Do you think she's ok?" A loud voice echoed.
"What was she trying to do?" Another voice echoed.
"Look! She's stirring!" A very loud voice echoed. Maddie's face twitched a little, as she opened her eyes slowly everything was a blur, she blinked again and it became a bit clearer, she noticed she had a bad headache.
"Maddie?" Vida's voice drifted into Maddie's mind, she let out a large moan.
"Are you ok?" Chip's voice said softly. Maddie's view became normal again, she realised she was sitting on a large bed with very soft pillows, Chip and Vida's faces looked at her while Xander was rinsing something out.
"You gave us quite a scare, I mean you fell on the ground and then you started shaking all over and got a temperature, we were about to call Claire." Xander said as he placed a dap cloth on Maddie's forehead.
"I focused my mind to enter the Magic Realms." Maddie said suddenly. "It looked horrible, death loomed everywhere, just like my dream, I found a wounded centaur and I healed it…it took a lot of my energy to save him."
"That explains the fit that you had." Chip said.
"But you just entered the Magic Realms by your mind? You didn't need to transform?" Vida said confused.
"No…I just entered with no problems." Maddie said like it was nothing. "I'm sure we all can."
"It would be cool!" Chip said excitedly. "I mean we could look like we're taking a nap when actually we're in the Magic Realms!"
Vida whacked him across the head. "And then wake up in hospital when we start having fits, how would we explain that? We will automatically use magic there."
"Then we try and use as little as possible." Chip argued back, rubbing where Vida had whacked him.
Maddie gingerly touched her forehead. It felt like someone had struck her with a metal bar. She looked at her fingers; the silver ring was still there. Twirling it around she felt the same presence that entered her body when she put on the ring. Xander caught her twirling it around. "Nice ring." He said making Maddie look up.
"Oh this? It's nothing." She lied. She didn't want them to know about her small adventure in the Magic Realms. It was her little thing.
"It's got small writing on it." Vida noticed now entering the conversation.
"It's old carvings." Maddie said nervously. "Probably around Udonna's time."
"Maybe Assam or Claire knows what it means." Chip suggested excitedly holding Maddie's hand. Taking it back she looked at the ring.
"We should get some sleep…its what…" She glanced at the clock on the bedside table. "3 o'clock? If we're going to ask for a translation off Claire or Assam we're going to need some sleep!" She gave off a fake yawn and snuggled down into the covers.
Vida glanced at Chip then Xander, they knew Maddie since they were toddlers, and so they knew when she was hiding something. They guessed it had something to do with her weird mind trip to the Magic Realms. Later on when they made sure Maddie was asleep they had a small discussion in the kitchen. They sat around the kitchen table sipping tea or water.
"Something's not right with Maddie… it's like she's hiding something that she doesn't want us to know about." Vida said worriedly as she placed her weak tea on the table.
"It got something to do with her ring. I'm sure of it." Xander added putting down his tea.
"So why won't she tell us?" Chip said sipping his water. The others stared at him.
"I've got an idea!" Xander said suddenly clapping his fists together. The others looked at him. "We get her ring! It's happened because of her ring, so if we take off the ring we would know what her problem was!"
"Get her ring." Vida said giving him a glare that said 'Do it or else'. He left quietly and returned seconds later, his face grim.
"It won't come off. It's glued to it by some dark spell, I've tried using my magic, and when I tried to take it off it seemed to get a bit tighter around her finger." Xander said slowly.
"My sister is chained to a ring by some dark spell? What's next? Chip gets turned into a goldfish? I get turned into a pixie?" Vida said panicking looking at her friends worriedly.
"He's messing with us." Chip said facing his friends. "He's taking us down one by one to get Nick out of hiding."
The clock chimed in the living room and suddenly Chips words began to sink in, it seemed to be chiming phrases saying 'the end is near'.
A spooky end i think, next chapter there is alot of fighting. Which means the great war is on!!
Don't forget to Review!!
