Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter ten of "Dark Desire." I'm glad it took just three days to get out. This chapter features Tommy's accidentally teleporting to an uninhabited world. Stay tuned for chapter eleven.
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Chapter 10: From Nowhere to Anywhere
Kim and Trini bit into their burgers as they sat at the Hart residence's kitchen table in the early afternoon. The former sat at the head. The latter was to the left of her. They laid them down while chewing slowly but surely. They swallowed with loud gulps. Trini nodded in approval after turning to Kim. She broke a chip in half and popped it into her mouth. She chewed quickly and swallowed.
"This burger you made is great, Kim," Trini complimented.
"Thanks, Trini," Kim answered. "If it weren't for my parents teaching me to cook, I wouldn't be able to survive here by myself."
"How about I give them big smooches for teaching you to cook so well when they get home?" Trini teased with a laugh.
"You're a weirdo, Trini," Kim retorted playfully.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Trini responded and made a funny noise.
"A weirdo," Kim said with a playful growl.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Trini said and snorted.
"A weirdo," Kim said and cleared her throat.
"I know you are, but what am I?" Trini murmured and chuckled.
"A weirdo," Kim said while pointing her finger at her.
Trini smirked. "It takes one to know one."
Kim giggled. "Good one."
Trini picked up her burger to take a big bite. She chewed slowly but surely. She swallowed while laying it down. Trini tilted her head somewhat as she stared at her best friend's hair. She tore a big piece off her burger to pop into her mouth. She chewed before swallowing with a loud gulp. She let out a small giggle, causing Kim to look at her weirdly.
"What is so funny?" Kim asked.
"I was just thinking about your hair," Trini answered honestly. "It's so pretty being long."
"So is yours," Kim said and emitted a soft snort. "In fact, it looks good enough to eat. I should put mustard all over it and chomp it all off." She snickered under her breath.
"You can do that on one condition," Trini said, holding up a finger.
"What's that?" Kim wondered and raised an eyebrow.
"You have to let me put mustard in your hair, so I can eat it," Trini said and wiggled her eyebrows.
"No, thank you," Kim said, shaking her head rapidly.
"Then you shouldn't have said that you should put mustard all over my hair, so you can eat it," Trini growled playfully and smacked her in the back of her head.
"Oh, shut up," Kim yelled in mock anger.
"No, you shut up," Trini retorted and blew a raspberry. "You need to get out of town by sundown."
Kim mouthed Trini's words in a mocking way. She tweaked her nose before smacking her upside the head.
"I say you need a new hobby, Trini," Kim said.
"What hobbies might you be suggesting?" Trini wondered and smirked.
"Why don't you go outside and collect some leaves? You could put them in a scrapbook or something," Kim suggested.
"No. I don't want bugs crawling all over me," Trini shouted, shaking her head rapidly.
"You'd look cute with bugs all over you," Kim said and giggled.
"Maybe I should get some and put them on you. Then you'd look as cute as me," Trini joked.
"You wish, Trini," Kim retorted and made a funny noise. "You wish."
Kim stuck her tongue out at Trini, who mimicked her with hers. They pulled them back into their mouths. Trini stood up. She went over to her and tickled her sides. Kim screamed with laughter and pushed her off. She pretended to punch her in the chin. Trini stumbled backward and fell on her back. She let out a small groan before losing consciousness. Kim got up. She approached her carefully. She leaned downward. She yelled in surprise when Trini sprang to life and roared as if she were a bear. She smacked her on the shoulder. Trini sat up with a laugh.
"You're mean!" Kim shouted in mock annoyance.
"I'm proud to be mean," Trini said and laughed. "If you think you can change me, you got another thing coming."
Kim smirked. "Oh, yeah? I think I can change your mind."
Kim brought her hand to Trini's side to launch a tickle attack. Trini roared with laughter while her best friend moved her hand up and down her side. She flipped her over and grabbed her wrists. She pinned them above her head. She struggled against his grasp to no avail.
"Come on, Trini," Kim begged. "Let me go."
"Stop struggling, little girl," Trini said in an evil-sounding voice. "It's useless."
"All right, I surrender!" Kim shouted and ceased her struggles.
Trini showed smugness. "Good. Remember. I always win."
Kim smirked. "That's what you think."
Trini got off Kim. She grabbed her hands, pulling her to feet. Kim went to the table to get their plates. She approached the trashcan and dumped their food in. She headed to the sink. Trini stood up to follow her. She leaned back against the counter near her. She watched her turn on the water and place the plates in the sink. Kim proceeded to clean the first plate.
"When I'd clean the dishes after Jason and I finished eating, he would come up behind me and pull my hair aside. He would kiss my neck. I'd try to push him off, but I couldn't. He'd turn off the water and pull me away from the sink. We'd undress each other and make love on the kitchen floor," Trini explained.
"You are so lucky to have such a great boyfriend," Kim said happily, as she turned to her. "I hope I find one who is just like Jason."
"Me too," Trini agreed and pointed her finger at her in the shape of a gun.
"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Kim yelled as she held up her hands. "I surrender!"
"Okay," Trini replied and pulled her finger back.
"Whew!" Kim said in relief. "That was close. I really did think you would shoot me."
"If we could shoot bullets from our fingers, they'd be flying off the shelves," Trini said matter-of-factly.
"That is true," Kim agreed while nodding slowly. "The downside of shooting bullets from fingers is the possibility of them accidentally going off."
"It irritates me when people act irresponsibly with their guns. They leave them laying around while loaded. That is an accident waiting to happen, especially when it comes to children," Trini said in disgust.
"The best ways to avoid accidental shootings are leaving guns unloaded when they are not in use and teaching children how to operate them safely," Kim explained. "Dad taught me how to use his handgun when I was ten years old. I don't dare touch that thing unless I ask him."
"Dad did the same thing with me, except I was eight when he did. I don't ever touch his gun unless I ask him," Trini said in a low yet stern voice. "He also told me to always treat a gun like it's loaded if I found one."
"Dad did too. Many accidental shootings occur because people mistakenly thought the guns weren't loaded when they began fooling around with them," Kim grumbled, rolling her eyes.
"Talk about lacking common sense," Trini mumbled and scoffed.
Kim nodded sharply. "You got that right. The victims may have also been dared to play with the guns."
Trini shrugged. "Most likely."
Kim turned back to the plate and continued cleaning it. Trini ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth.
"I hope the plates don't come to life and eat us," Trini quipped with a snicker.
"If they do, I hope they eat you first," Kim retorted in much playfulness.
"They will eat you first because they find brown-haired girls to be tastier," Trini said while moving her eyebrows up and down.
"Yeah, right," Kim said sarcastically. She finished cleaning the plate and handed it to Trini, who opened the dishwasher and placed it on the bottom part. She got the second plate and proceeded to clean it.
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Kim sipped ice tea from a glass while looking out the sink window thirty minutes later. She placed her other hand on it. She watched two northern mockingbirds fly around in a playful chase. She listened to their chirping. They went out of sight, their chirps echoing on the wind. She took another sip of tea. She smacked her lips.
She cleared her throat as she thought about her parents. She was glad they were having a good time as Caroline told her when she called fifteen minutes ago. She enjoyed talking to her and Daryl. She told them she would love to go with them to Los Angeles the next time they planned a trip. Caroline replied that they would love it if she went with them.
Her thoughts shifted to Tommy. She wondered if he was having lunch right now. If he wasn't, she believed he was spending time at the Lunar Palace since it was Saturday. She prayed with all her heart that she and her teammates would break the spell and get him on their side very soon. She had little doubt he would feel remorse for the things he had done under Rita's power. After all, she and Billy were like that after they were cured of the punk potion.
Kim snapped out of her thoughts at the phone ringing loudly. She turned toward in a slow yet steady manner. She didn't think it was her parents calling because she just spoke with them. She had never liked it when they called often while on a trip. She hoped it was one of her friends. She would love nothing more than to talk to them on a Saturday afternoon. She approached the phone. She picked it up in the middle of the third ring. She put it to her ear.
"Hello?" Kim asked.
"Happy New Year! Happy New Year!" a boy shouted.
"What?" Kim muttered confusingly.
"Yippee! Hooray! Happy New Year!" the boy said.
"Ha, ha, ha. That's really funny, kid. New Year's Day is a little over two months away," Kim retorted in annoyance. "You were dared to make this phone call and say that. Then you were called chicken when you refused. Please, don't call here again."
Kim hung up the phone and shook her head in disbelief. She wished people would stop making prank calls to her house. That was the second one in just twenty-four hours. It was times like this that she wanted to destroy every phone in the house, so no one could prank call it. Then again, that meant Daryl and Caroline wouldn't be able to reach her.
Footsteps caught the girl's attention. She put her glass on the counter. She went into the living room, seeing Trini come down the stairs wearing her backpack on her back and carrying her duffel bag over her shoulder. She stopped before them as her best friend reached the bottom of them. Trini adjusted the left strap on her backpack. She moved her hand down the straps of her bag.
"Who was on the phone?" Trini wondered.
"It was some kid playing around," Kim said and made a weird noise. "When will kids learn the phone isn't something to be played with?"
"Probably never," Trini grumbled while rolling her eyes. "They think no one should tell them what to do."
"Our parents expect us to obey authority, but it's only up to a point," Kim admitted softly. "Kids who have been raised to obey authority without question are at risk for exploitation."
"There have been many cases where kids were asked by adults to do something illegal. They obeyed them because adults were always right in their eyes. When they were arrested, they said they were following orders. They thought that would get them off the hook, but it didn't," Trini explained.
"It's their fault as much as the adults who made the orders," Kim said bluntly. "No ifs, ands, or buts."
Trini nodded in agreement. She looked at the front door for thirty seconds before turning back to Kim.
"I wish you didn't have to go, Trini," Kim said sadly.
"Me neither. However, I promised my parents I would be home sometime this afternoon," Trini responded seriously.
"I understand. Still, it doesn't seem fair," Kim said, frowning a bit.
"Look on the bright side. We will see each other in school on Monday," Trini pointed out in happiness.
Kim smiled. "That's true. I can't wait for Monday to come. I hope Rita will wait a while before she attacks again. I am sure she knows the zords are free of their lava prison."
"Me too. Let's not worry about her. Let's worry about resting for the rest of the weekend," Trini suggested.
"Sure," Kim said, nodding.
Trini flicked her best friend's nose. "See you Monday morning."
Trini headed for the front door. She was about to open it when Kim ran to her and touched her shoulder. She looked at her.
"Trini, would you like to get together at your house and hang out together Tuesday afternoon?" Kim suggested.
"I'd like that very much, Kim," Trini said, smiling warmly.
"Great," Kim squealed in delight and hugged her very tightly.
"Oh, no! You are hugging me to death!" Trini cried in fake fear.
"Oh, sorry," Kim commented and released her hold on her. "You want to make some popcorn and watch movies after we do our homework?"
"I'd love to do that. Just don't put too much salt in the popcorn like you did last time," Trini warned sternly.
"Of course not," Kim said with a roll of her eyes. "I didn't mean to do that, and you know it."
"I know. There is nothing like a reminder, is there?" Trini asked and wiggled her eyebrows.
"It's funny how popcorn starts off as tiny pieces of corn when you first cook them. Then they are all puffed up when they are finished cooking," Kim said in much amazement.
"Some people cook their popcorn on the stove," Trini murmured with raised eyebrows.
"Some people cook it in the microwave," Kim added and ran her tongue over her teeth. "If it is in a bag, that is."
"Of course," Trini said, laughing softly. "Well, I better go before my parents call the house to ask where I am."
"Sure," Kim responded, giving her a wink. "Bye."
"Bye," Trini said, ruffling the girl's hair.
Trini unlocked the door and opened it. She headed for the sidewalk as Kim went into the doorway. She proceeded to go down it once she reached it. She waved to Kim, who gave her a wave of her own. Kim watched her until she was out of sight. She went back inside, closing the door. She locked it and turned around to lean her back against it.
Kim sighed in much warmth. She couldn't wait to see Trini and the others on Monday. She felt so lucky to have such wonderful friends. She was determined to help them destroy the Sword of Darkness and free Tommy from Rita's control, so he could fight by their side. She went into the kitchen, stopping at the counter where her tea was. She picked it up and proceeded to sip it.
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A northern mockingbird sat on the Oliver residence's roof. It ran its beak through its back feathers. It did the same to the ones on its wings. It spread them and flew downward. It landed on a second-floor windowsill. It flapped its wings, airing them out. It folded them against its back and looked inside Tommy's room.
Suddenly, a flash of green-and-yellow fire appeared in front of the window. It vanished, revealing Tommy. The mockingbird became frightened. It took off into the sky, letting out fearful chirps. He stepped up to the bed, where his backpack lay. He opened and closed his hands to flex his fingers three times. He emitted a loud snort.
He rubbed his stomach while sighing in much content. He thought Finster's beef stew was the best he had ever tasted. He wished he could've had more, but he didn't want to end up full to the point that he would be too tired for teleportation practice. After all, eating more meant becoming less satisfied with the food.
His thoughts shifted to the Dragonzord. He couldn't wait to summon it, so he could see it in action. He was confident it would operate very well. He didn't blame Squatt and Baboo for being a bit uncertain. He had gone without turning on his Sega Genesis for six months last year. He was uncertain about playing it. However, he turned it on and found it worked perfectly.
He started thinking about the Power Rangers. He believed they were resting from fighting him this past week. He was eager to face them again when he attacked Angel Grove Park with a gang of Putties. He was determined to use the Sword of Darkness against them again. He had little doubt it would serve him well once more.
Tommy snapped out of his thoughts at the phone ringing loudly. He looked over at his nightstand. He hoped it wasn't a prank call. He had several of them as well as wrong numbers since he moved here. He wished they didn't happen. He made his way over to the nightstand. He picked up the phone in the middle of the second ring. He put it to his ear.
"Hello?" Tommy whispered.
"Hey, son," Lillian greeted.
"Hey yourself, Mom. How are you and Dad?" Tommy wondered in much curiosity.
"We're fine. Joel is cooking our hamburgers and hotdogs," Lillian explained. "What about you? Have you had lunch yet?"
"I am fine. I had a ham sandwich and chips for lunch," Tommy responded with a chuckle.
"That's my son. He loves his ham sandwiches and chips," Lillian teased and spoke gibberish.
"Yeah," Tommy agreed. "At least we don't have to worry about snakes crawling around our yard all the time just like in Moore."
"I've never liked snakes, not even the rubber ones," Lillian said, making a disgusted noise.
"I remember when I put a rubber snake in the washer. You opened the lid and screamed when you saw it. You were so loud that it echoed through the whole house!" Tommy yelled delightfully.
"Anyone would've reacted just like I did if someone found a snake in the washer," Lillian said truthfully.
"Snakes may not look very pretty, but they do a lot for farmers by eating pesky rats and insects," Tommy pointed out.
"It's unbelievable pythons can swallow antelopes whole," Lillian whispered in awe.
"Their unhinged jaws allow them to swallow things much bigger than their heads are. One meal can sustain them for months," Tommy explained. "Talk about a very full belly."
Tommy furrowed his brow before blinking twice. He placed his hand on his side. He tapped his fingers against it.
"The good thing is you laughed about it after you found out I was behind it," Tommy commented.
"It's nice to have parents who have a sense of humor," Lillian said, her voice showing much pride.
"The world would be such a dull place if no one laughed," Tommy said seriously.
"It'd be so boring that I'd fall asleep from it," Lillian said, pretending to snore.
"Don't start drooling, Mom, or someone will slip on the floor," Tommy warned with a chuckle.
"How about I make you snore and drool?" Lillian suggested.
He shook his head rapidly. "Oh, no, you're not making me do that!"
She growled playfully. "Oh, yes, I will!"
Tommy spoke gibberish. He formed his hand into a fist so tight that he would break a glass if he were holding one. He proceeded to hit himself with it.
"I need to stop hitting myself! I need to stop hitting myself! I need to stop hitting myself!" Tommy yelled gleefully.
"No, you need to keep hitting yourself!" Lillian insisted and sang nonsense.
"Unh-unh," Tommy retorted.
"Uh-huh," Lillian squealed in much glee.
"I got an idea. Why don't you two get out of town and hit yourselves after you do?" Tommy suggested.
Lillian hissed. "No, you get out of town and hit yourself, Tommy!"
Tommy smirked. "Okay."
Tommy acted as if he were going to hang up the phone and leave. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
"So, how many burgers and hotdogs will you eat?" he wondered.
"I plan to eat one of each," she answered and snorted. "Joel has Doritos of the cooler ranch flavor." She made a slurping sound.
"I love that flavor of Doritos. We have some right here at home," Tommy said eagerly. "Maybe I should've had that for lunch instead of Lays chips."
"It doesn't matter what you eat. It is up to you. Anyway, what will you do for the rest of the afternoon?" Lillian wondered.
"I plan to do some katas in my room," Tommy said, suppressing a yawn.
"I see," Lillian said. "You practice your karate skills all the time. It's no wonder you held your own against Jason so well."
"Jason has great karate skills himself. I heard around school that Bulk and Skull have tried to learn karate on their own and failed miserably. It takes a really good teacher to learn this old art of self-defense," Tommy said.
"Right," Lillian agreed. "Anyway, I am going to let you go. You need to get practicing your katas."
"It was nice talking with you, Mom," Tommy said warmly. "Have a nice lunch."
"Thanks," Lillian responded in a sweet voice. "Talk to you soon. Bye."
Tommy hung up the phone and sighed to himself. He didn't want to lie to his mother, but he knew he had no choice. He couldn't let her become suspicious. At least he could take comfort in the fact that he had a nice talk with her. He grabbed his backpack. He put his over his shoulders. He adjusted the straps a little bit.
Tommy made his way to the window. He saw that the coast was clear. Of course, he knew no one would see him teleport from the second floor unless he or she was standing in front of his house. He returned to the side of the bed. He pressed his lips together before closing his eyes. He concentrated deeply. He vanished in a flash of green-and-yellow fire.
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The early afternoon sun beamed its rays on a rainforest. Sounds of bellowing tapirs and squawking parrots echoed in the distance. A mother jaguar lay near a bush. She was watching two of her cubs play around. Another was curled up next to her asleep. The first cub swiped its paw at the second, missing when it moved off to the side. It was pounced on by the other one. The third cub let out a long yawn and snuggled closer to its mother.
The cubs wrestled around, mewing playfully. They broke apart and encircled, neither one taking its eyes off the other. The first cub jumped at the second, only to collide with the ground when it ducked down. It turned around to face its sibling with an annoyed growl. The other cub stood tall and proud, its tongue hanging out. Their mother barked to them, causing the third pup to wake up.
Both cubs ran to their mother and nuzzled her affectionately. The jaguar licked each of them behind their ears. The third cub stood up to stretch its back. It shook the sleep from its body and approached its mother. It got a lick on the nose, followed by a nuzzle on the cheek from her. Its siblings jumped on it, and they started to play around. The jaguar watched them run away.
The cubs came to a halt when green-and-yellow fire appeared out of nowhere. It vanished in which it revealed Tommy. Their mother growled to them. All four of them scurried into the undergrowth. Their frightened cries filled the air. He took three steps forward as he looked around. He spotted a scarlet macaw sitting on a vine a short distance away. He saw a squirrel monkey jump from one tree trunk to the next. He couldn't help but smile.
"Wow. I am in the middle of a rainforest," Tommy whispered in much awe. "I must be somewhere in South America. I better walk around a little bit."
Tommy started walking north. He listened to the sound of screeching monkeys. He looked toward a peccary as it grazed on a bush. He stopped to watch it. It looked toward him, a leaf hanging out of its mouth. It snorted before gobbling the leaf down. It turned back to the bush and grabbed three more leaves. It proceeded to chew them.
Tommy resumed walking. He looked around, seeing a blue-and-yellow macaw fly a short distance away from him. He observed it going to an overhanging vine and landing on it. The macaw watched him pass underneath it. It ran its beak through its wing feathers. It did the same to the ones on its chest. It let out a soft squawk once it was finished.
He returned his attention to the path in front of him. He could see a clearing coming into view. His smile grew wider as he drew closer. It faded once he reached it. His eyes went wide with much surprise at what he was seeing. The clearing had crystals sticking out of the ground in various places. Most of them were short, and all of had pointed ends. They were of varying colors, mostly blue and green.
He came to a cluster of crystals and bent down. He ran his hand over a short one. He did the same to a long one while pressing his lips together. His face was full of confusion. He knew Earth's rainforests had no crystals on their surface and that they were all below ground. He began to realize that he was actually on an Earth-like world.
He took his hand away from the crystal and rose to his feet. He couldn't believe he had accidentally teleported to this world. He began to speculate that aliens visited Earth a long time ago and took many animal species in which they brought them here to live. He wondered if they created this world as well. He didn't doubt the animals were doing well. At least he could take comfort in the fact that this rainforest was filled with familiar species.
Tommy swallowed hard as he began to wonder if this world was uninhabited. He wouldn't know unless he did some exploring. He knew he would have to be much more aware of his surroundings because he had never been in a rainforest before. He didn't know what he would run into around a tree or a bush. He hoped it wouldn't be any predators or peccaries.
"I should get going," Tommy murmured and breathed deeply. "I can't spend all day standing around."
Tommy started going northeast. He grabbed both straps on his backpack and gripped them tightly. He showed much determination as he picked up his pace. He didn't see a peccary walk behind him. However, he did hear it oink three times. It raced into the undergrowth very quickly.
