Riley made his way into the Zandar play park, finding Leanne sitting on a swing set, completely oblivious to her surroundings. She was just gently swaying back and forward on the swing set, looking down to the ground. He approached her slowly, hoping that she wouldn't run off. She didn't look up as he approached, but she suddenly stopped swinging.
"I wanted to be alone Riley." She told him. Riley was a little impressed. Normally, he could get pretty close to the animals back home before they noticed him. He had to presume that heightened senses was just one of her 'gifts'.
"I thought it would be harder to find you." Riley commented as he approached. "I remember you saying this is one of your favourite places in the city. This is pretty much the first place I looked."
"Riley, I really just want to be alone." She reiterated. "Please."
"Sorry, but I don't believe in leaving friends alone when they're upset." He told her, taking a seat on the swing next to hers. "Leanne..."
"Are you sure you want to be so close to a vampire?" She asked him. He just shrugged.
"You've not given me any reason to think you were a danger to me." Riley said as he looked to her. Leanne just looked up to him with tears in her eyes. "You're one of the sweetest, kindest people I've ever met. The way you've stood up for Allison, for all of us was incredible."
"Mom always warned me that I couldn't tell anyone about me." She told him. "I guess I can understand why people might be uncomfortable."
"Maybe if all they think about is all the movies they've seen." He replied.
"Whatever you do, do NOT mention Twilight!" She begged him. "We're not offended by it or anything, it just sucks!"
"Yeah, I noticed you don't sparkle in sunlight." He responded. "Actually...you've been out in the day a lot...how does that work?"
"My grandmother is the Queen of the Vampires. It comes with a few privileges." She told him.
"Your Grandmother?" He asked. "So, you weren't..."
"I'm what we call a Pureblood." She confirmed with a nod. "I was born a vampire. I've never been human."
"So, the whole blood-drinking thing?" He asked her.
"It's more of a craving than a necessity." She told him. "We can get by with relatively little, but sometimes it's more difficult than others, like when we're hurt, or...when we see it..."
"So when Allison cut herself on the jar, you didn't run out because you were squeamish..."
"Now you know why I don't tell people." Leanne interrupted him. "I doubt Allison would love to work with me knowing I was seriously tempted..."
"But you didn't do it, that's what matters." He stated. "Leanne, Ms Morgan already told me, you've got a job there as long as you want it."
"I'm...not fired?" She asked him.
"Chase almost burned down the restaurant because he was too busy flirting with one of the customers." Riley told her. "If he didn't get fired for THAT, I think you're safe for a little non-disclosure on an application that doesn't even ask if you're a vampire."
"And you really don't mind?" She asked him.
"We have a nasty habit of running off and leaving the restaurant unguarded. I'm pretty sure Chase would love the idea of someone being around that can take care of themselves, especially when Allison's on shift." He said with a bright smile. "And hey, from the looks of Heckyl, I think we can safely say you can take care of yourself."
"And it doesn't bother you...you know...my little 'dietary requirement'?" She asked him.
"You seem to have a pretty good handle on it, and if we speak to Ms Morgan, maybe she can come up with something to make things a little easier." Riley stated. He then started to roll up his sleeve.
"What...what are you doing?" Leanne asked him.
"You said you were hurt in the fight." Riley reminded her, presenting his arm to her. "You got hurt helping us. If this can help..."
"Riley, you really don't..."
"I trust you." Riley assured her. "I wouldn't offer if I didn't."
Leanne took his arm, and checking to ensure he didn't change his mind, she closed her mouth around it. He didn't even feel her fangs go in they were so sharp. Leanne released him after a short time, taking only a little. Riley pulled down his sleeve, but continued to stare at her. She rolled her eyes.
"It's not like the movies Riley, I'm not going to start healing in front of your eyes." She told him. "I heal quickly after I eat, but not THAT quickly. It'll take a couple of hours."
"I just have one more question." He said to her. "You always cover your mouth when you laugh..."
She lifted up her lip, exposing one of her canines.
"Mom says I'll be able to retract them some day, but apparently it's not uncommon while we're young." She confirmed. "Its fine when I'm talking and stuff, but I just got used to hiding it."
"You shouldn't, at least, not around your friends." He stated. "If you ask me, I think they're kind of cute."
"Cute?" She asked him. "The fangs I have specifically for drawing blood from others are cute?"
"Hey, I grew up on a farm!" He chuckled. "Once you've seen a cow birthing, NOTHING makes you squeamish!"
He leaned across, putting his arm around her. Leanne leaned into him.
"So...how old ARE you?" He asked her. She just laughed.
"I'm 16 brainiac!" She giggled. "Just because we live a long time doesn't mean we're all static in age. If we were, I'd still be an infant!"
As she leaned into him, taking comfort in his hug, she noticed something up in the sky.
"Hey, a shooting star." She remarked. "Want to make a wish?"
"Nah, I'm good." He replied, holding her warmly. "What would I want to wish for?"
In another part of town, Shelby got back to her place with Kendall, making her way inside. She found her dad waiting for her in the Living Room. Shelby took a deep breath, figuring that he must have already heard that she ran out on her test in the middle of the day.
"Ms Morgan, this is a surprise." He commented as he noticed her. "Thank you for bringing Shelby home."
"Dad, we..."
"...Really need to talk." They ended up saying together. He looked to Ms Morgan. "Would you mind..."
"I'd really like it if she could stay." Shelby told him. Mr Watkins didn't seem to like this, but he conceded the point, gesturing to the couch.
"Dad, about the test..."
"You know Shelby, my dad was a carpenter." He began to tell her. "He used to love it, and he showed me everything he knew, but the one thing that I loved about everything was the pride he used to always have when he told me how it was his business, how he was his own boss and no one could ever tell him what to do."
He took a deep breath as he continued.
"Having my own business was always a dream of mine. Right from when I bought that clapped out old leaky van to run my first ice-cream truck right through to running multi-national Watkins' Ice Cream."
"Yeah, that's great." Shelby said, feeling a little uneasy about this. He then looked to her.
"That was MY dream, MY passion." He told her. "I guess I forgot that just because that's my dream doesn't mean it has to be yours, any more than carpentry wasn't my passion."
He leaned forward a little.
"Besides, you saw what happened the last time I tried to put together an IKEA book shelf." He said with a smile. "I might not get it, but Dinosaurs...that's your passion. If you're really that set on it..."
"I just want you and mom to be proud of me." Shelby interrupted him. Mr Watkins got up and walked across the room, hugging her.
"Your mom and I could not be prouder." Mr Watkins told her. "But if this is what's going to make you happy, then I guess I'm behind you."
"You really don't know how happy I am to hear you say that." Shelby said, a few tears beginning to form as she prepared to tell him her news. "Because, Ms Morgan and I, we have some news."
"I've recommended Shelby to some of my colleagues in the university." Kendall told him. "I've put together a work placement, not like the one she had before, this one would be a legitimate academic scholarship. She'll get classes at the university together with shifts at the museum for class credit. It's a full degree, and it's a full-ride scholarship."
"Shelby, that's wonderful!" Mr Watkins congratulated her. He couldn't claim to know what the attraction was to Dinosaurs and fossils, but if she was going to pursue her chosen passion, it sounded like this was a pretty great start on that road. He looked to Kendall. "I don't know what to say!"
"It's really nothing that Shelby hasn't earned." Kendall assured him.
"There's one more thing." Shelby told him as she parted from him. "Ms Morgan and I have been talking and...I'm moving out."
"Moving out?" He asked her. "Shelby, the university is only a few blocks from here! You don't need to do that, you'd be wasting a fortune..."
"It's something we discussed, I'd be moving into Ms Morgan's apartment." Shelby told him. She took her dad's hands softly in her own. "Dad, I know neither of us wanted this, but the way we've been fighting...I hate it. We used to be so close, and I really want to get that back."
"By moving away?" He asked her.
"By getting a little space." She clarified. "Dad, for a long time we've just been treading on each other's toes or avoiding each other and snapping at each other. I don't want that anymore, and I really think, maybe if we took a little time apart, we could maybe start to work on just being able to talk to each other again?"
"You're absolutely serious about this?" He asked. He just looked down and away, but went to his chair, picking up a bag from a book shop. "Well then, I was going to give this to you as a present, but I suppose it could be more of a housewarming gift."
Shelby went into the bag, and pulled out the book. Her face lit up as she saw it was a brand new copy of the puppet-dinosaur book he used to read to her as a little girl.
"Dad, you...you shouldn't have!" She shrieked, hugging him tightly. Mr Watkins just smiled as he hugged her back.
"It was my pleasure." He told her. Kendall just got up and started to gather her things. "Ms Morgan, aren't you staying...?"
"I really don't think I'd be great company tonight. We've had an exhausting couple of days." She told him. "I'll come around tomorrow to help you move."
With that, Kendall left them, but as she did, she happened to look up and see a shooting star streaking across the sky. She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
"Maybe another time Kendall." She remarked to herself. "Star gazing can wait."
At the apartment the guys shared, Tyler, Chase, Riley and Ivan were all finally getting a chance to rest. They had all gone to bed almost immediately as soon as they had gotten back to the apartment. After two full days without sleep, none of them really felt like doing much else other than catching up on some much needed sleep.
Tyler woke up, the unfortunate side-effect of going to bed so early. Even though he was still tired, he could tell after a while of tossing and turning that he was unlikely to get back to sleep any time soon.
He made his way out to the kitchen, taking care not to wake either of the other guys. Opening the fridge, he pulled out some milk and poured himself a glass. Seeing Ivan snoring loudly on the couch, he knew he couldn't turn on the television, and so he went to the window instead.
The city was still and peaceful at this time of night. There were always a few people milling about, mostly those going home from the local bars and clubs. Watching from the window, Tyler found his eyes drawn skyward as he noticed a flaming streak surging across the sky. He could remember his dad taking him star-gazing one time when he took him camping. He had told Tyler about how they could make a wish on a shooting star. It was a moot point right now; there was only one thing he would wish for.
He was distracted though as he heard something, a car alarm was sounding. It was the alarm from his jeep! Looking to where it was parked, he could see someone standing by the jeep. It was dark, and much too far for him to see who it was.
He snatched up his keys, before running out of the apartment, heading down the hall and vaulting over the guard rail, skipping the stair-case altogether in his hurry to get out. He arrived to find the stranger was still standing by the jeep, looking a little panicked by the alarm.
"HEY!" Tyler called out. The stranger ran away, disappearing into the night. Tyler got to his jeep. "Yeah, you better run! If you've damaged my jeep I'm coming for you!"
He quickly checked over the jeep, looking to see if it was damaged. He couldn't see any damage to it. The jeep was open-topped, so if it was just someone looking for somewhere to sleep or trying to steal it, they could easily have gotten inside, so he figured they were probably more likely to just be trying to cause some damage. As he satisfied himself that there wasn't any, and it was likely someone just admiring the jeep, he found something pinned under the windshield wiper. It was an envelope addressed to him!
He tore open the envelope, finding a hand-written letter inside. He started to read it.
"Dear Tyler, sorry about the way this message is being delivered, but I only learned you were in Amber Beach recently.
I'm not sure if you remember me, I'm Rusty Galloway. I used to work with your dad on a number of digs, and I was the last to see your father before he disappeared."
He looked around for any sign of the man that had put the note on his car, but it seemed he was long gone. Rusty had probably not been willing to take the chance that it was someone other than Tyler when the alarm went off and run away. He continued reading.
"We were friends and colleagues and on that expedition, we were exploring deep caves when the ceiling collapsed. I'm doing some surveying work in the cliffs north of the city. If you want to talk, come and ask for me by name. Hopefully, I can help you find what you're looking for.
Sincerely, Rusty Galloway."
Tyler smiled and kissed the letter, before looking up to the skies.
"It looks like I got my wish after all." Tyler commented, but looking up, he couldn't see any sign of the shooting star. He just shrugged and headed back up to the apartment to get some sleep. Tomorrow, he was hoping he'd get some of the answers he'd been searching for for ten long years!
Over on the ship, Heckyl was in his chambers, inspecting his injuries. He had been so close to getting the Energems. He actually had them right there in his hand. If it hadn't been for that girl in the cafe, he would have them by now, and the Rangers would probably still be sleeping soundly, completely unaware.
Wrench came into the room, carrying a first aid kit.
"Fury's in his cell recovering." Wrench told him. "He said it was the Aqua Ranger."
"AQUA Ranger?" Heckyl yelled at him. "How could we be minutes from walking out with all the Energems and by the same evening have no Energems and a NINTH Ranger running around the place?"
"We knew there were other Energems." Wrench reminded him in a pathetic whimper.
"I wouldn't put it past Fury to have done that to himself to get some pity from me." Heckyl stated. "Well if he thinks I'm going to go easy on him, he has another..."
Suddenly, there was a huge crash, and the ground shook. Heckyl looked to Wrench.
"What was that?" He demanded. Wrench rushed to his control console and started checking some scans.
"Something hit nearby!" Wrench told him. Heckyl just glared at him.
"You don't say!" He said sarcastically.
"The scans say it came from low orbit." He told him. "I'm picking up life signs."
"Well then, let's get out there." Heckyl said in a cold tone, grabbing his coat and pulling it on. Wrench could already see the tattoo on his neck glowing. "Let's see who's new in the neighbourhood."
A little way from the ship, a meteorite had slammed into the ground, smashing through trees and imbedding itself in the ground. It opened up, and a creature pulled himself out of it.
He was mostly red, with some white coverings on his forearms and shins. The coverings looked a little like melted candle wax, while the rest of his body was vaguely reminiscent of flames, tipped with blue at the very peaks. He got out of the meteorite and looked around.
"Well, it looks like this is the place." He turned around just in time to see Wrench and Snide walking towards him. "And no doubt this is my welcoming committee."
"Who is that?" Wrench asked. Snide just snorted in derision, levelling his sword at the new arrival.
"Is there any reason I shouldn't slice you into smithereens?" He threatened him. The new arrival though seemed completely calm in the face of this threat. He placed a thumb and forefinger on the blade, moving it away.
"I wouldn't do that, IF you want the Energems." He said in a casual way. Wrench came up behind Snide.
"How does he know about the Energems?" He asked.
"Rumour has it that they're loose on this planet, and that you're willing to partner with anyone who can get them for you." The new arrival stated.
"What makes you think you can get the Energems?" Wrench asked him. "The Power Rangers protect them!"
"If you're worried if I'm tough enough to deal with some Earthlings, bear in mind I travel in a burning asteroid." He responded. Snide considered this for a moment. Besides, if I fail and I'm destroyed, you'll have lost nothing. What do you have to lose?"
"I like what I'm hearing." Snide replied. "What's your name?"
"They call me Singe." The creature replied, holding out a hand. "You can call me partner."
FIN