Power Rangers: The Alternate
Chapter 11: Double-Entendre
Disclaimer: The Power Rangers belong to Saban and Disney.
The story takes place in an alternate universe
Tommy's chest felt like it would crush inward at any moment. His heart pounded and sweat beaded against his forehead as he ran forward. His apartment building was swaying back and forth as the monster batted it around like a punching bag. Pieces of concrete flew everywhere, smashing against the street below and sending people screaming in all directions.
He didn't know where his mom was. She should be getting home from work at anytime. He didn't know if she'd go straight back to the apartment or detour and go to the store or out to check on the new house. It was the not knowing that was the worst.
He was adopted, he'd always known that he was adopted, but his mom meant everything to him. He couldn't love her more if she was his biological mother. His adoption had been a last ditch effort to save a failing marriage. His mom and dad thought that their problems stemmed from not being able to have children, not being a real family, but it hadn't worked. His dad had always been a good dad, and he loved him, but there had always been a distance between them. There had always been the adoption between them. His dad always brought it up, swore it didn't matter to him, but then always brought it up again as if it answered some unvoiced question.
He was different; that was the issue. His dad had played football and baseball in high school. Tommy was in love with martial arts. He loved history; his dad taught science. Their taste in food was even different. They were just not…. alike. Still, it had hurt like hell when his dad had walked off with a new girlfriend and not even asked for partial custody. They'd gotten a little closer now that he was older, but Tommy wasn't sure if that was because he now lived in California and only saw him once or twice a year.
It was totally different with his mom. He loved her more than anything. True, she embarrassed him more times than not, but that was just because she was his mom. She'd always been there for him, always encouraged him, valued him, loved him more than anyone else. He could talk to her about anything; well, almost. The thought of her in that swaying building was so terrifyingly painful he couldn't stand it.
It was his fault. The monster targeted his building because Kimberly wanted revenge on him.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?" A fireman said as he and a comrade tackled Tommy and pulled him back.
"My mom!" Tommy protested. "My mom's in that building!"
"I don't know how you got past the barrier kid." One of the firemen said as they both drug him backward, kicking and trying to wrestle loose, "But you need to stay back where it's safe. That building's about to fall."
"All the more reason I gotta get her out!" Tommy argued, cursing under his breath that he couldn't morph on the one occasion he really needed to.
"Look kid, that's our job, not yours."
"But…"
"If you don't stay back here behind the barricade," The fireman said forcefully, waving to two uniformed police officers setting up a fence in front of two sideways parked squad cars, "These nice policemen are going to put you in their car and take you to a shelter until the monster attack is over. Do you understand?"
Tommy looked up at the firemen, then over to the police, thinking none of them of them could handle a monster half as well as he could, but also knowing none of them would believe him if he said anything. He was out numbered.
He allowed his shoulders to slump as if in defeat and the policemen to lead him outside the barricade, walking slowly away until he was just out of their sight; then broke out in a run. If he could make it to the alley, he might be able to slip in via the fire escape.
"Well, well, well…" The morphed ghost of the other Kimberly said snidely. "If it isn't the mortal remains…"
"Isn't this what you wanted?" Kim asked, facing off against her. "A showdown between just the two of us?"
"You look like you're more ready for a hoedown than a showdown." The ghost replied.
"It doesn't have to be like this." Kim said, trying one last time to make the ghost see reason.
"So I've been told…" The ghost replied in a bored tone.
"If I destroy you now, you'll remain an evil spirit forever. Is that what you want? Didn't your life mean anything to you?"
"That's fairly amusing coming from a lifeless shell." The ghost observed.
"Don't you get it?" Kim spat back. "Zedd lied to you, I'm not a soulless shell, you need life energy to morph. I'm you. Kimberly. Kill me and you kill everything that's left of you in this world."
"Liar!" The ghost screamed. "You're not me, you're just a body that forgot to die after the demon left you!"
"And you've become nothing more than that very demon!" Kim spat back. "Is it worth it? To become your own killer?" She asked and the ghost screamed at her in rage, lunging forward, but the Alternate was ready and met her head on.
Her first thought, as she was pummeled and thrown back, was astonishment for how powerful the ghost Ranger was. She was her, or rather, they were both Kimberly, and Kim was supposedly the better Ranger. What was the difference?
At first she thought the old western grid just didn't have enough power to let her fight like she should, then she worried maybe this wasn't the other Kimberly's ghost at all, but a remnant of Kemora. She jumped up and charged again, only to be trounced a second time. Confused, she stayed down a few seconds longer to consider what was happening.
"If I'm nothing more than a soulless shell, why do you want to finish me off so bad?" She asked, still lying on her stomach, but raising herself up enough to see the other Ranger.
"You will die." The ghost Ranger hissed.
"Why? If you're so mad about being dead, why destroy what's left of you?" Kim asked, and had the satisfaction of seeing the ghost pause.
"You're messing everything up…" The ghost countered lamely.
"Of course I am." Kim countered simply. "The things that mattered the most to you, left with you, the stuff that matters most to me stayed with me. We're the same, both Kimberly, just different. Don't you see that? By killing me, you're destroying yourself and condemning us both!"
"I…" The ghost answered, then paused, obviously struggling.
"Let's end this now…let me help you." Kim said earnestly.
"Yes…" The ghost hissed evilly and a cold chill of foreboding shivered down Kim's spine. "Let's end this…now."
Tommy's curse was silenced between clenched teeth. He was caught. Again. Some great leader of the Power Rangers he was. He'd been in and out of Rita's dungeons, in and out of countless dire situations, and successful on more than one odd quest…yet here he was, caught twice in the first ten minutes by yet another set of Angel Grove's finest. In a way, it was embarrassing…but he was really too pissed to care.
He didn't resist as he was handcuffed and marched to a waiting squad car, but he did manage a good glower that gave one of the officers reason to pause. He looked up and was able to get one last look at the building as the officer pushed his head inside and closed the door. As he watched, the monster was engulfed in a golden glow and then vanished. He grinned madly, knowing Kim must have succeeded, only to watch in horror as his apartment building swayed twice, then quickly collapsed in on itself. He reared up, hands still bound behind him, head pushed against the glass, and screamed as the dust and debris engulfed the car.
Kim was getting tired. She wasn't sure how much longer she could keep it up. The ghost Ranger seemed un-phased, willing to patiently let her recover just enough to catch her breath and attack again before pounding her backward. She was on the offensive and the ghost was baiting her, waiting for the attack and then countering it.
"This is getting old." Kim huffed, trying desperately to catch her breath as she rolled over and staggered back into a standing position.
"And yet you still get up." The Ghost observed.
"What would you have done?" Kim asked, still gasping for air. The ghost Ranger shrugged and simply waited.
Kim didn't have much time left. She could feel her powers fading. This was a one-shot deal and she was blowing it. But what was the key? How could the ghost be so much stronger? She'd used every trick she had, yet the ghost was nonplused. There had to be some difference. Some weakness that would destroy her. Something that would give her just enough of an edge, make the ghost show her hand.
"You know what your problem is?" Kim asked, pretending to be more tired and out of breath than she actually was.
"What?" The ghost asked in a bored tone.
"You're mad because you wasted your life." Kim said evenly. "Instead of enjoying what was going on, instead of living every moment as if it was your last, you lived it like a spoiled princess… nothing was good enough for you, you had to have more…what could people do for you instead of what could you do for them.
"Stop it." The ghost spat, becoming agitated.
"You had it all and you acted like it bored you. You never appreciated it."
"That's not true, I loved my life and it was stolen from me!"
"Fool yourself if you want to sweetie, but I am you. I know the truth."
"Liar!" The ghost screeched.
"Hit a nerve didn't I?" Kim taunted. "You were a Power Ranger Kimberly…you were going to the Pan Games…You had a mom and a Grandma who adored you…and you wasted it, just like your dad wasted his life."
"Enough!" The ghost screamed.
She reared back and the golden object began to appear in her hand, but Kim was ready. Recovering instantly from her feigned fatigue, she called her Western style pistols and fired off a rapid volley of shots, scoring a direct hit on the box and the ghost Ranger's neck, chest and belt.
The next few seconds played out in slow motion and was almost like watching a TV screen instead of real life. The golden box exploded, the ghost Ranger lurched…first forward and then back, and then Kim watched in horror as the other pink Ranger simply began to dissolve in a shower of golden sparks.
"Mom!" Tommy exclaimed and all but jumped across the reception area where he'd been told to sit and stay quiet. His mom met him half way and he hugged her so hard he picked her up and all but swung her around.
"Tell me why you weren't in school?" His mother reprimanded, but he could tell she was as relieved to see him as he was her. "Of all the days to play hooky young man." She scolded.
"I was worried about you." He said lamely.
"Come on." She said, grabbing his arm like he was a two year old and leading him out of the Police Station. "I was one of the first to be evacuated." She said as they walked down the steps. "I saw where the monster was headed, dumped the laundry and started packing whatever I could find."
"Tommy!" Aisha called, and he looked up to see his three friends running towards him.
"We uh…heard you might need a little help." Rocky said, jerking his chin toward the station behind him.
"They called my Uncle." Tommy said sheepishly, "He knew where my mom was."
"So…are you…uh…free to help us with some … homework?" Adam asked, not exactly sure what to say in front of Tommy's mother. For all they knew he was grounded for life.
"Oh…uh…yeah….that is…" He stumbled, turning to his mother. "Do you need help with the stuff from the apartment?"
Tommy's mother got the hint. He was happy to see her, but his social life was calling. "I'm fine honey…go play with your friends."
"If you need help…I can stay." Tommy said, honestly torn. He really did want to stay with his mother, kind of felt he should stay with her…their home was gone, even if it had been a temporary home, and there was a transition period to adjust to…but his duty as a Ranger came first; even if he couldn't tell her that's where he was going.
"No….go. I'm serious. It's only one laundry basket. Thank God most of our stuff is still in storage…we lost all the clothes and furniture…but I did manage to get some photos and your old blanket out of your room."
"My karate stuff?" He asked hopefully, his friends, just for the moment, forgotten as she shook her head and gave him almost an apologetic look. For the first time, it dawned on him that all his stuff was gone.
"Just your pillowcase with the blanket inside it." She said. "That was all I could think of."
"Mom…I had hundreds of dollars of equipment in my room…and you saved my old blanket?" Tommy asked incredulously.
"Honey, I had less than five minutes and one laundry basket. All I could think of that fast was Mr. Woobiewoo…" She said earnestly, and Tommy's eyes softened a little towards her, only to turn and glower at the snickering of his friends behind him. "I'm sorry honey," His mom admitted, realizing she'd managed to embarrass him again in front of his friends. She stretched up and ruffled his hair. "Well, it was important to me at least." She said, trying to help him save a little face.
"Yeah… alright mom…" He said, torn between hugging her and hitting one of his friends. "Thanks again for coming to get me, but…can I…maybe…meet you later?"
"Oh…sure…" She answered, trying hard to be the understanding mom who'd let him run off with his friends when all she wanted to do was take him home and make sure he stayed safe. "We're going to be staying over at your Uncle John's for a while."
"Great." He said, smiling thinly. She returned the same thin smile and held her hand up in a goodbye. He returned the gesture, then she turned and walked back to the car, thinking that sometimes she wished he was still a child instead of half grown and pretending he didn't need her anymore. Only as she opened her car door did she realize she'd forgotten to ground him for skipping school, but he was already off in the other direction with his friends.
"Mr. Woobiewoo?" Aisha snickered as they turned as a group and walked in the other direction.
"I was two." He snarled and the other three snickered again.
"And yet it was still under your pillow…" She giggled.
"I use it as a pillow." He said firmly. "How's Kim doing?" He asked, changing the subject, the snarl still in his voice. "I think I saw the monster disappear."
"The monster's gone." Adam said, trying his best not to grin. "But we still don't have our powers back."
"Let's get back to the Power Chamber then." He said firmly.
"Michael!" Kim shouted, as she ran forward to where her brother was lying face down in the grass. He wasn't anywhere near the collapsed apartment building. Alpha had located him back in the park, near the school. "Are you alright?" She asked, kneeling down to help him.
"Where am I?" He asked in a daze.
"You're all right now." She said gently, handing him his blue box of cards.
"Whoa….the pink Ranger!" He squealed, voice raising about four octaves, and only then did Kim remember that she was still morphed. "Wait…Kimberly said that the Pink Ranger wasn't really the pink Ranger."
"It's ok." Kim assured him. "I need to take you home now."
"You're not going anywhere." Her own voice came back at her.
As one, she and Michael both looked up, and both saw the ghostly image of the resident Kimberly standing a few feet away from them.
"But if the box is destroyed, why don't we have our powers back yet?" Rocky asked.
"I am unsure." Zordon responded solemnly. "It is possible that the freeze on your powers is only temporary now that Zedd's golden box has been destroyed or it could be that the pink Ranger's spirit still remains in this dimension."
"Ai yi yi!" Alpha fretted, hands gyrating widely, "Zordon, I'm picking up Kimberly…I mean our Kimberly…I mean not the Alternate Kimberly… Ai yi yi, I don't know what I mean. The sensors are picking up two identical life forces for Kimberly in the Park!"
"How is that possible?" Adam asked as they all crowded around the viewing globe.
"I only see Kimberly and her brother…I mean, the Alternate Kimberly and her …uhm, brother…" Rocky said hesitantly.
"Zordon, if we don't have our powers… and Alpha's picking up two Kimberlys…"
"Yes Tommy, your perception is accurate. Apparently the Alternate was successful in destroying Zedd's link to the morphin grid, but not the spirit of your former teammate." Zordon answered.
"Zordon I need to help her." Tommy insisted.
"I am afraid this is an encounter that Kimberly must face alone."
"At least let me help Michael….get him out of there and take him home….Give Kim one less thing to worry about."
"Very well Tommy, but you must not interfere with the Alternate's interaction with the resident Kimberly's spirit. I feel this is an important juncture and one that the two Kimberlys must decide between themselves.
"I promise Zordon." Tommy assured, quickly transporting out before Zordon could change his mind. He couldn't let Kim face the ghost on her own again, he had to find some way to help. If anything happened to her…
"But what about the ghost?"
"Michael get out of here! Go home…"
"But…that's my sister!" He screeched, pointing at the specter. "She's…she's….dead!"
"Michael…calm down…it's not what you think" She said, putting both gloved hands on either side of his face in an effort to draw his attention away from the ghostly image. She wasn't sure why the specter hadn't attacked again, but she wasn't going to take any chances with Michael being there. "Look…" Taking a huge risk of de-morphing, she popped the latches on her helmet and pulled it off to reveal her face. "I'm just fine. I'm alright. I'm right here."
"How?" Her brother asked incredulously, eyes wide.
"You know I got hurt right? This demon she…well never mind how it happened, but the truth is we're kind of like two halves of the same coin that got split somehow. I'm what's left of the living and breathing Kimberly, I'm still alive, but…I'm kind of lost." She said as honestly as she could. "The ghost is Kimberly too, the Kimberly you remember… who loved gymnastics and fighting with you. We're different, but we're both Kimberly."
"So the ghost got broken off when you got hurt?" He asked cautiously.
"More like, I'm the Kim that survived and woke up to find myself lost in a strange world and She's the Kimberly that didn't survive and found that her world was lost to her …"
"So what do we do about her?" Michael asked earnestly. "I mean, do we have to put her back inside you or something?"
"I don't know what to do with her." Kim said honestly. "But I do know you have to get out of here before she gets angry again. Please…go home."
"But…what about you?"
"Just leave the ghost to me, ok?" She said, ruffling his hair gently.
"You're really a Power Ranger?" He asked a bit incredulously, hesitantly touching the pink spandex of her uniform with a cautious finger.
"Always have been." She said flippantly. "But you can't say anything Michael." She added seriously. "If anyone knew you … I could really use your help, especially with mom, but if you don't think you can keep this to yourself…well, there are ways to make you forget…"
"No way!" Her brother all but shouted. "This is the coolest thing in the entire universe! My sister's a Power Ranger!"
"We'll see how cool you think it is when you keep having to make excuses for me." She said wryly.
"Are you kidding?" He said in a sassy voice. "I've been making excuses for you for years." He said with a twinkle in his eye.
"Alright then. Let's start now. Go home and tell mom I'm safe and I'll be home after the all clear sounds."
"You bet!" He said, spinning around, and running towards the house.
Kim sighed heavily. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to involve an eleven year old in Ranger secrets, but she had to make him leave and, she had to admit, it would to be really nice to have another ally in this world.
She lifted her helmet, but as she began to put it back on, she caught a brief blue flash from the corner of her eye fly directly towards her. She whirled and faced the ghost of her alternate head on. "I don't want to fight you Kimberly. I didn't ask to survive."
"I know that." The ghost answered calmly, surprising her. "Don't worry," She said, holding up a shimmering hand. "I'm not here to fight. Zedd's not in control of me anymore. I just want answers."
"He's not?" Kim asked, surprised and a little confused.
"No." The ghost said, shaking her head. The loose brown curls seemed to hover around her eerily. She seemed perfectly calm, almost floatingly serine. "I want to know who you are."
Kim paused. She just couldn't trust that the ghost wasn't trying to trick her. She couldn't chance revealing herself. The risk was too great. "I don't know what you mean. I'm you."
"No." The ghost said, shaking her head and again the curls bounced around her. "You're not. You're something different. Me…but not me."
"I'm the you that has to go on here, that has to stay here and fight with the Rangers and keep this world safe."
The ghost seemed to consider this, tilting her head to one side. "But not the me that wants to go to the Pan Games and loved my room and all my stuffed animals…"
"True. I think that part stayed with you." Kim said hesitantly. The ghost's eyes seemed to narrow on her, watching, waiting.
"I don't want it to be over yet." She said at last. "I don't trust you with my life here."
"Kemora destroyed both our lives. Can't you understand I had everything taken from me too? I'm starting completely over in a strange world that I know nothing about…or what I do know is all mixed up."
"Oh please, you just walked into my life like I never left.: The ghost argued. "It's not fair. You're going around and cancelling out everything that was ever important to me. My music, my collections, gymnastics, school…."
"You hated that life." Kim said evenly. "I read your diaries."
"I didn't hate it." The ghost said sullenly. "I didn't like some parts of it, but I really wanted to go to the Games. There was a huge part of me that was so proud of myself for that…mom was so proud of me for that… and you just ran out and gave it up like it meant nothing."
"She would have been proud of you regardless." Kim said seriously. "Some part of you knows that don't you? She'd have wanted you to be happy."
"Like she wants you to be happy?" The ghost countered and Kim nodded.
"She loves us." Kim said.
"She loved me!" The ghost shrieked and Kim regretted her words. For a moment, she thought she might actually get through to her. "I want my life back! " The ghost howled at her. "You're just going to mess everything up!"
"Probably." Kim said flatly and the ghost stopped railing and seemed to stare at her with huge mournful eyes. "Look, I'm not you…you're taking you with you." She said earnestly. "I'm me. Supposedly we're the same person, but I'm making different choices for myself." She said earnestly.
"That's obvious." The ghost said waspishly. "It's not fair that you get to live my life and I don't."
"No," Kim said firmly. "I don't get to live your life. I get a life…one, singular. A place to keep on living because I can't change what happened anymore than you can. I can't live your life the way you wanted it, but I can start over again and try to make one for myself."
"My mom doesn't even know what happened to me!" The ghost wailed.
"Your mom misses you." Kim answered. "I'm you, but I'm also not you. Somewhere inside she's grieving for that difference. Your friends also miss you and, whether or not he knows it, your brother misses you too."
The ghost just stared at her. If ghosts had tears, it seemed to Kim that she was crying. The vision blurred a bit and crossed her arms impatiently.
"Zordon's right Kimberly." Kim said, taking a more confident step forward. "You can't stay here. You have to make peace with what happened or you're gonna wander around forever. It's not fair that Kemora destroyed both our lives, but I can't help it that I didn't die. All we can do now is go on like we're supposed to. Me back to the Rangers and to fighting to save this world and everything you loved so much in it… and you to whatever destiny the Power is calling you to."
"I don't want to go." The ghost said with heartbreaking sadness.
"I know." Kim responded with equal melancholy. "Believe me, I didn't want to stay."
"So what do we do now?" He alternate asked her.
"What can we do? We have to forgive ourselves and go on from there." Kim said, huge wet tears rolling down her face in a steady stream. "Neither of us are guilty of letting anyone down Kimberly. Neither of us failed either the Rangers, or our families, or even ouselves. We did what fate and the Power decided for us."
"You'll take care of mom?" The ghost asked her cautiously. "She just pretends to be strong; the divorce crushed her you know. She really needs me…you."
"I can do that." Kim said hesitantly. "I can try harder to be a little more…diplomatic."
"And don't give away Grumble." The ghost said firmly.
"What?"
"Grumble the Magic Elf. It's a storybook and doll that my dad gave me. Don't give them away. It's one of the few good memories I have of him and his dad."
"Okay." Kim said hesitantly. "I'll go find them and bring them back in."
The ghost nodded as if satisfied and the two stared at each other for a few moments. "Where am I going now?" She asked.
"I don't know." Kim said honestly. "I suppose you're starting over just like I am."
Again the ghost nodded and then looked over her shoulder as if someone had called to her. She looked back at Kim and smiled sadly. "Good luck with life Kim." She said and the image of her began to fade slowly.
"Good journey Kimberly." Kim responded.
The ghost waved slightly, still fading. "And good luck with Tommy…he really likes you ya know…" She said with a slight grin, then turned and walked slowly through the trees of the park. Eventually, Kim saw the light fade completely and she realized for the first time that the sun had set and the street lights were just beginning to flicker on. She started to put on her helmet again, then changed her mind and powered down; placing her coin in her pocket.
"That uhm…that was really well said." Tommy said hesitantly, stepping out from behind a rather large bush and genuinely scaring her. She jumped and he put out a cautious hand to steady her.
"How long have you been there?" She asked, heart pounding wildly in her chest and ears.
"Oh uhm…" He turned and gestured down the sidewalk. "Since you… you know, told your brother you're a Ranger."
"And you just stood there?"
"I didn't want to…well, I thought, well…what you were saying, I wasn't so sure you wanted company, but I also didn't want to move in case she saw me."
"So what was well said?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.
"I meant what you said about how the two of you can't feel guilty about it. That fate put you where you're supposed to be. You're right you know. It wasn't your fault that you lived and your team didn't anymore than it was my fault I couldn't save Kimberly from Kemora. I mean, I tried, I really did… and then I felt so guilty that I really like you being here. It was almost like I was being disloyal or something."
"You really like me being here?" She said with a small, almost coy smile, then caught herself. She was a replacement, nothing more, and she needed to remind herself of that and not change this world's timeline. Still, there was a little butterfly in her stomach that fluttered a bit, knowing her liked her there.
"Oh yeah!" He said enthusiastically, then stepped back a step, catching himself as well. "That is, I mean…you're a really good Ranger…I mean…really good. You're a real asset to the team." He added, grimacing a bit as the words tumbled out. " Kimberly tried, and she was a good team player, sometimes, but you…well you're a real fighter. The team's gonna do really well with you around." He finished in a rush, then kicked himself mentally. That wasn't at all what he'd wanted to say.
"Oh." She said simply, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. Of course that was what he meant. He liked having her around because she was good at what she did and he felt guilty because she was better at it than the Kimberly she'd replaced. Her mind drifted back to her Tommy and how enthralled he'd been with Katherine Hillard.
She'd been terribly disappointed her Tommy hadn't seen her romantically, but she'd been very happy for him when he found Kat; even though Kat had effectively banned her from hanging out with him anymore outside the Rangers. This Ranger crew might be older than she was, but time still had to play out the way it was supposed to. Once Rita came back, this Tommy would most likely fall head over heels for his Katherine too. It was better she squashed the butterflies now rather than be disappointed again later.
"Can I uhm…walk you home?" He asked hopefully. A slight breeze blew through her hair and he could smell the perfume of her shampoo. It was almost more than he could do not to reach out and touch the short brown strands, but he held himself absolutely still.
"Sure." She said with a slight smile and then turned down the sidewalk, arms tightly crossed across her chest. She liked this Tommy a lot; maybe even more than her Tommy. They seemed to have a lot more in common and it was so much easier to talk to him. She would miss him a lot more than her Tommy when the time came.
Maybe, she thought to herself as they walked silently down the sidewalk together, maybe she should help him out and introduce him to Katherine before Rita came back. Then maybe Kat wouldn't be quite as jealous of her. If she introduced them, encouraged them, then maybe they could all remain friends. A small little ache encircled her heart at the thought, but she squashed it. She had no right to change history; it could change the whole outcome of this world. Tommy belonged with Katherine, that's the way history had to play out and that was exactly what she was going to see happen.
Tommy walked next to her, honoring the silence that had fallen between them. His thoughts rambled along, just as hers did, but he found himself noticing how small she was, how her steps almost floated across the pavement. He watched as the wind ruffled her hair and noticed how her eyelashes fluttered up and down. She had to be the most perfect girl ever created.
She was the exact duplicate of the other Kimberly, yet she was so entirely different. He'd been a little attracted to the other Kimberly, but not like this. The others were right; he had it bad. He loved everything about this Kimberly, the way she walked, the way she talked, the way she smelled. He loved the fight in her eyes when they went into battle, adored listening to her confide in him. He just didn't know if she felt the same…and if she did…then how did he tell her?