Author's Note: Thanks to all readers/reviewers who have come back to read the story! And, as promised, the story keeps rolling with the next chapter updated here!
Somewhere Only We Know: Chapter IX
Conner just didn't understand anymore. He was completely confused as to what he was supposed to do now. What was he doing anyway? What was he thinking? He cursed himself for thinking he could become the triumphant one. So there were some downsides to his somewhat cocky attitude and thinking. But could he really blame himself? He had it all figured out, and he was oh-so sure that things would go as planned for him. But then, he came along, Trent Fernandez. All of a sudden, everything that Conner had planned for completely dissolved right in front of his eyes.
What did Kira see in Trent anyway?
This guy, this new guy, had only been around town for less than two weeks and true to Ethan's words, Kira was definitely swooning. When Conner had met Kira in the beginning of the year, all he got from her was an angry glare and chastisement for calling her 'babe'. So what did Trent have that he didn't?
Wait. Did he just admit defeat? And why the hell was this bothering him in the first place?
Oh, yeah: the plan.
And to make things even more complicated in Conner's life, he had the whole White Ranger thing to deal with. They had been dealing with Mesogog's freaks for a while now, but really? Another ranger? An evil ranger? Where in the world did he come from? Even Doctor O said he never saw him before. Conner just wished all of this wasn't happening at the same time. He knew he could charge through all these obstacles with flying colors, but if things just changed on him without notification, it became a lot more complicated.
"Hey, I've been looking for you," Kira said as she spotted Trent on a bench next to the pond. He seemed surprised and closed his notebook quickly so that Kira couldn't see the contents. "Is everything okay?" she asked looking at him nervously.
"Can I trust you, Kira?" Trent asked quietly. Kira gave him a quizzical look.
"Of course," she answered. Slowly, Trent opened the notebook he had just closed when Kira approached her. Trent already told her about his drawing talents and she admired her pictures. But when she looked down at his drawings, there was something off, something wrong. The pictures showed the White Ranger.
"Trent, if you're going to dream about being a superhero, the White Ranger is not who you want to be," she informed skeptically.
"I wish I had a choice," Trent murmured looking away as Kira's eyes dug into him.
"What are you saying?" Kira asked persistently. Trent looked back at her. He felt bad, felt guilty. He really did wish he had a choice because he would never choose this. He would never choose to go against the Power Rangers. Slowly and reluctantly, he turned his wrist over and showed Kira the white morpher he wore.
"You?" Kira snapped. Trent could immediately tell that Kira was upset now, angry even. He nodded slowly in response. "But you almost annihilated me!" she shouted. Trent closed his eyes for a moment, still looking away.
"But I didn't!" Trent said trying to defend himself. But he knew he wasn't going to win this one. He was the White Ranger, the ones that had tried to destroy the Power Rangers. "Once I knew it was you-" he tried to explain as he took Kira's hand.
"Let go of me!" Kira shouted again as she pulled her hand away and backed away from Trent.
"Kira, I couldn't help it!" Trent explained. "The gem, it's changed me. I can't take it off or control what I'm doing," he continued as he looked at Kira. "You gotta believe me," he said quietly, almost pleading with her. She had to understand. He wouldn't even choose this kind of power. He wouldn't ever.
"Why should I?" she shot back.
"Because I would never intentionally hurt anyone, Kira," he said. "Especially you." He had to make her believe it was true.
"Okay," Kira said in response. "I think I know some people who can help. I'm gonna get Conner and Ethan," she continued.
"Why them?" Trent questioned. What did they have to do with anything? But when he looked back at Kira, everything made sense.
"Well, becauseā¦"
"Wait a minute, them too?" Trent said.
"Hard to believe, but true," Kira responded in her usual way. Well, Trent wasn't sure what the usual way really was considering that their ranger identities were probably hidden from the public. But it was a Kira kind of response and that was when Trent knew he had succeeded. He had Kira's trust. "Look, I need you to wait here until I come back," she told Trent. He nodded as she took off.
Hopefully, this would work.
Kira had the entire road to figure out what she was going to say to the rest of the team. She knew better than anyone else that it wasn't going to go smoothly. Ethan and Conner weren't just about to forgive one of their classmates that easily for trying to destroy them. Kira herself had a hard time believing when she found out.
But this was Trent she was talking about. Trent would never hurt them intentionally, like he said. It had to be a mistake. He didn't have a choice and they needed to help them change. If anything, this could be beneficial to the team if they could turn Trent's powers around to good. Maybe that's where her argument would come then because she couldn't think of another way to get them to understand and help her help Trent.
"Trent?" Ethan exclaimed once Kira broke the news to the team. "There's no way!"
"Nice. Pretending to be our friend one minute, and then kicking our butts the next," Conner responded. Kira knew Conner definitely wouldn't take it well. He seemed to have some extra loathing towards Trent. "I can't believe I fell for it!" he said more berating himself than anything else. He was the Red Ranger after all; he must have felt more responsible for not being careful enough.
"I told you he can't help it!" Kira cried out after their responses. "The gem is too powerful."
"Stop defending him!" Conner retorted as he looked at Kira. That made it worse for him, to know that Kira was on Trent's side, and not his. The only thing Kira cares about is Trent ever since he moved to Reefside. Other than ranger duties and her music, everyone else suddenly became exactly just everyone else, and Trent became the center of attention. Conner thought he had a right to be angry not only at the situation but also at Kira.
"I'm with Conner on this one. I mean, look what he did to Doctor O!" Ethan included as he pointed to Doctor O who was behind the group still frozen in his ranger suit.
"Hayley?" Kira said hesitantly. "He needs our help." Kira was almost going to plead. There had to be someone who understood her fight for Trent. If only they could see that Trent was really a good person. It was the gem that was powering his mind during those fights.
"I don't know if there's anything I can do," Hayley said honestly taking a neutral stance. "But I'll try," she said to help Kira out since she was outnumbered. She turned to leave.
"Hey," Conner interjected. "Don't go without us. I got some things I like to say to that guy," he said. The disbelief and hint of anger was still visible on his face.
"No doubt," Ethan added sticking with Conner. Kira sighed and followed them out.
The group had raced back to the pond to meet Trent. But to Kira's surprise, Trent had left, leaving only his notebook lying on the ground.
"He was supposed to wait right here!" she said in disbelief as she picked up his notebook.
"This is a surprise. He lied to us again," Conner said as his voice was laced with more sarcasm and hatred than before. "Kira, I'm telling you. Trent can't be trusted," he said firmly. Why would she listen to Trent and not to him? Oh yeah, it was Trent. And Conner? He was just some friend, just someone else, just a fellow ranger. He wasn't anyone important, not compared to Trent at least.
"I'm going back to see if I can find a signal or anything on his whereabouts," Hayley said as she turned back.
"Yeah, I'll go with you," Ethan said quickly as he followed Hayley, leaving Kira and Conner by themselves.
"Something must have happened. He must have been taken or something," Kira tried to reason. There had to be a reason he just disappeared and left his notebook on the ground. He wouldn't just leave it like that. "There has to be something wrong. Trent wouldn't just leave," she continued. "You didn't see him before. He was honest about it. He's not lying. He needs help."
"Would you listen to yourself?" Conner snapped, maybe a bit too harshly as Kira flinched at the sound of his voice. "How much do you know about him? I'm mean, really. How long have you know Trent? We find out that he's the White Ranger and all of a sudden you're taking his side claiming that he needs help?" he exclaimed. He was getting wild.
"Why would he tell me then? Why would he show me these drawings and tell me he didn't want it and he didn't have a choice?" Kira countered.
"To do this!" Conner shouted. "This exactly! He knew all along that he could get you to believe him, to believe anything he would say. He's using you to make us weak. He's using you to make him stronger."
"I don't know what your problem is," Kira said shaking her head. "I don't know what kind of grudge you're holding against him. But this is clearly about more than just being rangers and saving the world. Then again, I don't know what's more important than that," Kira shot smugly. Conner glared at her for the longest time.
But Kira didn't know what to make of it. She really didn't know. It almost scared her.
"I'm the one looking out for the team," Conner said sternly. "Without Doctor O here, I'm in charge. I say that guy is bad news and that's that."
"You didn't even want this job! You didn't even want to be a ranger!" Kira shouted at him, reminding him of how he had previously wanted to give up. With his soccer career in jeopardy, Conner didn't want ranger duties. But with persuasion, he stayed with the group.
"You did too!" Conner retorted.
"We didn't know anything then! We just picked up the gems and were attacked by tyrannodrones! But I've changed! You're the one that hasn't."
"Oh, I haven't changed?" Conner asked with venom.
"You're the one still going around school like you're the most popular person in the world. You're still the one that thinks everyone loves you and worships you. You're the one that tries to go out with every other girl in school. So, yeah. I don't think you've changed, not one bit," Kira said. "So, why don't you find another date, you know? Or go out with Krista again, because that date went so well," she said sarcastically.
Conner glared at her again, for a long time.
Those words, were they really hers? Or was it just the anger that was getting to her?
"I'm not the one who is in love with someone jeopardizing Doctor O's future," Conner said quietly compared to the shouting match they just had. "I'm not the one who is in love with someone that holds power that can destroy not only us, but the town, and maybe the world."
