A cold sweat dripped from Lily's face as she sat up in bed and leaned forward, trying to process what was going through her head. She was still very unsettled and very paranoid, according to her friends. RJ had told everyone, Lily included considering she had no recollection of the event, about Lily's little bout of paranoia when he found her on the streets. She had claimed that there were things everywhere, watching her every move and working with Hunter and all the other ninjas in order to take her and the rest of the Pai Zhuq out.
But those fears had been calmed, or so Lily thought, when Hunter finally admitted to being a Ninja and assured Lily that he wasn't a threat. Lily took his word for it. After all, her friends believed him, and after hearing the words coming from Hunter's mouth, Lily realised that while Hunter had been mean towards Kelly, he had never done anything to hurt her physically. To top it all off, he had proven he was a good guy when he set his feelings aside to help Alex, proving to Lily that the Thunder Ninjas weren't enemies.
Lily still felt threatened, though. She was still on high alert. She hardly had an appetite anymore, she had trouble focusing and concentrating, and she had trouble sleeping. When her body did finally shut down, usually after hours of trying, Lily's mind was plague with nightmares and flashbacks. She was relieving her journey to Corinth, with very different outcomes, none of which were pleasant.
Fran and Kelly figured out about the nightmares rather quickly. It was easy for them to see because they shared a room with Lily. Many nights Lily would wake up screaming and Fran and Kelly would have to jump to her rescue (Fran didn't do as much jumping as Kelly, though. The older woman sometimes had to hop right out of her bed and jump on top of Lily to hold her down as she panicked). After a few nights of that happening, the girls talked with the boys, with Lily present, to try and figure out what was happening.
There wasn't much that came from that conversation, though. While Lily was relieved to find out that she wasn't the only one being haunted by nightmares of the journey to Corinth, she was still a bit unsettled because she was the only one suffering from the haunting.
RJ concluded that Lily, and everyone else, was still jumpy about the sudden attacks from the Venjix virus that had claimed the world. It was natural to be jumpy, on high alert, terrified and just plain freaked out after having spent days living through a war that ended the world, and running around, almost aimlessly, in hopes of maybe finding some shelter. RJ admitted to having moments of terror, or panic attacks. Hunter did as well. Alex was very open about anything in this new city that made him uncomfortable. So open, in fact, that he would reveal anytime his stomach felt uncomfortable due to gas. Good warning, but bad table manners. Casey admitted to having a slight fear of the microwave beeping, due to the microwave at JKP beeping only seconds before the first bomb hit Ocean Bluff. Theo admitted to being uncomfortable unless he knew where to find food or water, as a result of wandering through the wastelands for days, with only a limited supply of food and water. But aside from a few new and minor phobias, everyone seemed to be leading normal lives.
RJ was really busy with his renovations for the new JKP, and he was always asking for help from the boys and Fran. Even Alex was helping out where he could. The work was a nice distraction from his foot, and kept his busy during the day. Fran and Kelly were usually out searching for another store location. Fran had offered to help Kelly find somewhere she could set up Storm Chargers.
With the Ninjas, Hunter would spend a lot of time visiting Blake, Dustin, Shane and Cam. He rekindled his relationship with his brother, which had been tense due to them fighting for Tori. Some days, Hunter would visit with Tori, just to see how she was doing, like the rest of the boys would do. It was their way of staying in contact with the Ranger who couldn't leave the garage.
So, with everyone adjusting to their new routines, and actually enjoying it, Lily felt like there was something wrong with her. In her conversations with her friends, Lily admitted to having a few minor fears. She told everyone about her fear of whistling, which reminded her of the sounds of the bombs dropping. She told them about her fear of loud noises, which made her think of the explosions. As a result of her discussing her fears, Lily noticed that the house seemed a little quieter. No one whistled, at least, not in her presence, and nothing ever made any loud noises. The volume on the TV was always turned down; no one drummed on the tables when they were bored.
But Lily never told anyone about some of her other fears. Every time she saw the TV on, or the microwave plugged in, or anything technological, she could feel her heart racing, as if she was going to have a panic attacks once again. As a result, Lily always made sure that everything around her was unplugged, especially when she was alone and during the night.
When the cheetah finally calmed herself from her most recent nightmare she pushed off the blankets and crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Fran or Kelly. She opened the bedroom door, without making any noise, and closed it in the same way. She tiptoed her way across the main living area, hoping to reach the bathroom. Of course, Murphy's Law was always a bitch to those who were filled with anxiety. It seemed as though Lily found the only creaking floorboard in the entire loft. As she placed her foot on the slightly unsettled ground, a very minor creak echoed in the darkness. Normally Lily's reaction would have been to pause for a second and look around, just to make sure she hadn't woken anyone up, but tonight, like every other night – or day – since the Venjix, Lily was on high-alert. When the floorboard creaked, Lily jumped and let out a yelp. She quickly glanced around the room to make sure she was alone, before she darted to the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She checked behind the shower curtains to make sure nothing was hiding behind them, and then sank down on the toilet, cradling her head in her hands. She stayed locked in there for the rest of the night, jumping at every sound she heard and waiting for the threat to pass.
-Fight-Flight-
Tori smiled as she looked at the results of her Ranger's training sessions as they were being printed out. It had been a while already since Summer joined the team, but Tori was noticing quick improvement from the girl, as well as from Scott and Flynn, in every area they were being tested. They had all proven themselves to be the best possible candidates for the Project Ranger team, and Tori was satisfied.
Her team, however, was far from happy.
"Look," Flynn said as he pointed to the clock lazily while resting on the couch, "It's six in the morning and I'm already tired."
"You're tired?" Summer groaned as she flopped onto the other couch, "I didn't fall asleep until that alarm went off."
"You guys are going to have to be more alert than that," Scott chuckled as he rubbed Flynn's cheek, where a pink mark was temporarily stained from when Flynn had been hit by Tori's paintball exploding. "Danger can happen at any time of the day. We have to be ready."
"Says the man whose alarm goes off at five in the morning on weekends," Summer frowned.
"I bet you've never woken up early," Flynn commented. He couldn't help but laugh at the house Princess. She was fun to tease.
Summer wasn't as amused, though. She grabbed her pillow right from under her head and threw it at Flynn just as Tori walked into the room with the results. The former Blue Ranger chuckled as she watched her successor get beaten by a single pillow. She jotted a few extra notes down.
"Upper body strength for Ranger Series Yellow: Improving."
Summer smiled and went back to her semi-sleeping state on the couch. Flynn rubbed his nose where the pillow hit.
"What's the point of having a training session in the middle of the morning?" he asked his trainer as he turned to her. "We're half asleep anyways."
"So was I half the time Lothor attacked," Tori shrugged. Flynn found it suspicious that she was wide awake at this hour. Almost as if she knew ahead of time that there would be a surprise training session and had planned ahead to get enough sleep. He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, ready to sleep again. Before he drifted off, though, he muttered, "You're just rude."
"What?" Tori asked, turning to the blue Ranger, but Flynn was gone.
"I like his idea," Summer smirked. She rolled over on the couch and got comfortable, too lazy to gather her things and head up to bed.
Scott rolled his eyes. He was used to being up early in the morning. Therefore waking up at two thirty in the morning was less of an adjustment for him as it was for everybody else. The long training session and the sudden appearance of the paintball gun did make everything a little harder, but all in all he was proud of just how ready he felt to take on the Venjix.
Dr. K's computer screen started to light up, "Miss Hanson, are the Ranger results ready for me to examine."
"Do you not trust me yet, Doc?" Tori growled as she walked to the computer to transfer her information from her portable computer onto Dr. K's main systems. "You hired me to pick and train this team, and yet you're always breathing down my neck. Won't you believe me if I say they did well?"
"No," Dr. K stated flatly.
Tori growled under her breath as she transferred the files on the Rangers. Dr. K was really starting to piss her off.
"I think I'll get started on breakfast," Scott announced as he headed for the kitchenette. He was the only one not distracted by the doctor, or falling asleep in the middle of the morning. He figured he should put himself to use.
"Three waffles!" Flynn called out, suddenly awake again. Scott chuckled at the Blue Ranger's appetite. At least he was certain that food was never going to go to waste with Flynn in the room.
"You better help me out then," Scott told the Blue Ranger, "If you're eating half of what I'm making."
Flynn grumbled and groaned as he peeled himself off the couch to help his red Ranger. Summer woke up to the sound of the hungry and tired Blue Ranger. She pressed her face into the cushion, waiting for the noise to die, until she noticed Tori was all alone. Nervously, she walked up to her trainer.
"Tori, can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked. Tori looked up from her computer screen and nodded.
"Sure."
"Were you honest when you told Dr. K we all did well?" Summer asked. She lifted her sweater, revealing a beautiful assortment of colours that had been splashed on her during the training from Tori's paintball gun. Had the paintballs been real bullets or blasts, Summer was certain she was should have been dead. "I don't think I did as well as the others. Scott didn't get shot, and Flynn was only hit by the splash of the paintball when it hit the wall."
"You're doing fine, Summer, trust me," Tori assured her. "It takes a while to really get up to speed, but I'm sure once you're in real danger the adrenaline will kick in. And once we actually get you into the Ranger suits you'll feel a lot more confident."
"But I was shot," Summer frowned. "Twenty-seven times."
"And you'll continue to be shot," Tori nodded. "Those robots that Venjix created, Grinders, they're generally weak fighters, but at times they can have a very accurate shot. I can't even count the number of times a Kalzacks shot or slashed me with anything they could find. The Ranger suits protect you from that stuff, though."
"Are you sure?" Summer asked. "I just… I don't want to let anyone down."
Tori smiled, "Look, kid, you're here because you wanted to prove something to yourself. If I didn't think you had it in you to be a Ranger, I would let you know. And Dr. K doesn't hold back on the insults, so you would know if he wanted you gone. Just do your best, okay?"
Summer nodded and smiled back at her mentor, "Thanks."
-Fight-Flight-
"Wait, slow down," Shane frowned after listening to Hunter's story about finding Lily in the bathroom. "You mean she locked herself in the bathroom and hid in there, after having several severe freak-outs, and none of you guys are worried this is something serious?"
"We're all still trying to cope," Hunter shrugged. "We all just do it differently. Lily, Casey and Theo are all still kids, barely twenty-one yet. This has to be rough for them."
"Dude, it would be harder on Alex," Dustin pointed out, finding himself on Shane's side. "He's sixteen and he doesn't have all his limbs. Yet he's the one cracking jokes about the Venjix day in and out, and mending your grown-up relationship with Kelly?"
"Like I said, we all cope differently. Alex and the boys, we're boys. We like to view ourselves as tough and unaffected by this, you should know that, "Hunter said.
"We know that," Shane nodded. "We are guys, remember. But…"
"Girls are emotional."
"But Kelly, Tori and Fran aren't freaking out," Dustin pointed out. "And last I saw, that Summer chick wasn't freaking out. This is just Lily. Doesn't that worry you?"
"Why do I have to be the one that worries?" Hunter asked. "I barely know the kid! I met her once before the Venjix thing and… I mean, she seemed fine and very different from whom she is now, but how would I know if this is abnormal for her?"
"I would talk to that RJ guy if I were you," Cam said as he joined his friends, balancing five breakfast plates on his arms. Of course, when it was his day to make breakfast, Hunter had to come and visit early. Fortunately, Blake was out of this house this morning, running a few personal errands. So while Cam had to adjust the portion so there would be enough food to satisfy Hunter, he didn't have to make an extra plate.
"She'll be fine!" Hunter sighed, exasperated by the annoying worries of his friends. They hadn't even met Lily yet. They had just heard the stories.
"He seemed worried about her," Cam said. He had met RJ a week ago, when Hunter brought him and the other Pai Zhuq to meet the Ninjas. When Casey, the Tiger Spirit, mentioned there was still one more person, RJ quickly stepped in saying Lily wasn't feeling well. Cam had been quick to notice the look of worry on RJ's face. To the Green Ranger, the worry RJ seemed to be feeling traveled deeper than what Hunter was making everything out to be.
"RJ was their Master," Hunter said. "He calls Casey, Theo and Lily his cubs. He treats them like he would his own kids or a pack or something. He's probably just trying to take care of her."
"Okay, I get that, but," Cam sat down as he tried to figure out how to say this. He did have a suspicion about Lily, but because he hadn't ever met her, and because he had never seen her strange behaviour, he wasn't sure it was his place to worry, "what if there is something more?"
"Like what?" Hunter asked. "We're all fine. You, me, them! Lily's just taking a little more time getting used to…"
"You say she spaces out," Cam interrupted. He at least wanted Hunter to hear him out before shooting him down. "She zones off for minutes at a time and then seems really terrified when she's back. She had nightmares, and lots of them, and she told you and the others they were all focused on her being in the wastelands. You mentioned her having an episode on the streets where she thought there was something watching her, ready to kill her. She's jumpy, she avoids the TV, the phone, the microwave, she's…"
"She's basically on high-alert," Hunter nodded. "Pretty much twenty-four seven."
"She stays home all the time too, right?" Shane asked. "RJ asks people to help him renovate and Lily always refuses."
"I do too," Hunter said.
"But you have a reason. You come visit us or Tor. Lily just stays home," Shane said. "My sister went through something like that after she got into a car accident. She was perfectly fine after the accident for like… a day or something, and then she started getting nightmares. She avoided cars and couldn't even think about ever driving one again. For a few months she would walk to work because she was so afraid of getting into another accident. And whenever she was on the streets she would jump if a car drove by, never mind how she freaked when she was when she saw Porter and I were watching a sweet car chase scene on TV and she walked in."
"Shane, what does that…"
Shane held his finger up and counted as he listed off symptoms, "Re-experiencing the event, avoidance, and hyper arousal. Those are the three symptoms the doctor told my mother when he diagnosed my sister with post-traumatic stress disorder."
"Post-Traumatic Stress?" Hunter scoffed. He shook his head, "No…"
"She has nightmares, she's avoiding things, she's starting to pull away from people, and she puked all over your shirt when all you did was put your hand on her shoulder."
"She can't have post-traumatic stress disorder," Hunter frowned. "And anyways, you're not a professional. It's not like you're right because you know someone who had it. Maybe Lily's different."
"Fine," Shane shrugged, "But if her little panic attacks don't start fading away soon, I would look at seeing if there are any therapists that survived the evacuations."
"I think I agree with Shane, dude," Dustin nodded. "Even if he's not right about the stress thing, maybe she does need help. If she's the only one still freaking out, doesn't that mean something's wrong."
Hunter groaned, "I'll keep an eye on her."
"Get everyone to keep an eye on her," Cam said.
Hunter rolled his eyes. He was waiting for the day when everything in his world would be peaceful. That meant no more being in love with his ex-fiancée, no more trying to help his little-brother/son Alex with his prosthetic leg, and absolutely no dealing with severe disorders.
"Okay, we'll all keep an eye out on her," he said. "But if this stuff starts to go away by the end of the week, Shane owes me twenty bucks. Now, can someone tell me why my brother decided to leave when he knew I would be coming over?"