Anabel wobbled slightly as she stood at the top of the cheer squads pyramid but managed to catch her balance at the last second. She took a deep breath, and placed her hands on her thighs, running them down until they wrapped around her ankles before the girls beneath her pushed her into the air, she flipped over twice and then landed into the arms of the two spotters behind the pyramid, both of whom tossed her back up and then caught her feet as she landed again.
Bleep. Bleep. Bleep.
Glancing at her wrist, Anabel tapped her spotters shoulder and he set her back on her feet. "Thanks, Jeffrey," she said with a smile. "Take a break, guys," she added to the others, as she excused herself to the benches. "What's up, Dr. Oliver? It's Anabel."
"Anabel, can you meet me and Ethan out at Riverside road in an hour?"
"Sure. Is everything okay?"
"Just be there and I'll fill you in."
The line cut off and Anabel lowered her arm just as another cheerleader approached. "Hey, Susan, everything okay?" she asked, looking up at the redhead.
"I was just wondering you'd be okay with me leaving?" Susan asked. "Mum just called, she's had to work and wants me to watch my little brother."
Anabel smiled and nodded. Normally she had a policy about girls leaving practice early, unless it was an emergency. But they didn't have any competitions coming up and the next soccer match against Briarwood wasn't for a few weeks. They had plenty of time to nail the routine. "Yeah, sure, go ahead," she said. "I'm going to call practice now, anyway, I have something to take care of."
"Great. Thanks, Cap," Susan said, turning and walking off.
Anabel watched her and then called for the others to fall in.
~X~
An hour later, Anabel met Ethan and Dr. Oliver at the Riverside Road. Dr. Oliver had a backpack with him while Ethan had been asking questions when Anabel had arrived. They both gave her the once over as she climbed out of her car.
"Did we interrupt something?" Dr. Oliver asked.
Anabel looked down at her cheer outfit. "I scheduled a practice for this morning," she answered. "But it's okay. How did it go with the others at Hayley's?" she added to Ethan. She had dropped by there earlier in the morning and had left by the time the others had arrived.
"Conner's a little sceptical," Ethan replied.
"Naturally. Jocks and technology never mix," Anabel said, flipping her brown hair over her shoulder. She had plaited it so that it wouldn't interfere with her routine. Accidents could happen if she or the other girls who had long hair couldn't see what they were doing due to their hair being in the faces.
"Wouldn't that include you?" Ethan asked. "I mean, isn't cheerleading a sport?"
"But I'm not just a cheerleader," said Anabel. "I'm a journalist, too. Conner is a soccer player, first and foremost."
Ethan pursed his lips and then shrugged.
"So, what are we doing out here?" Anabel asked Dr. Oliver.
Dr. Oliver indicated with his head towards the tree line. "In here," he said, leading them deeper. "After the island exploded, some of my experiments were scatted all throughout this area. There…" he indicated to a nest beneath an oak tree.
Anabel noticed for eggs nestled inside the bed of leaves, each one pulsating a different colour - Red, Blue, Yellow, Green. "What are they?" she asked.
"Eggs," Dr. Oliver answered.
Anabel quirked an eyebrow at her teacher. "Do they pay you to be obvious?" she asked. "I mean what's inside them?"
Dr. Oliver chuckled.
"Something that is going to be very useful to us."
Ethan looked between the pair of them. "How useful?" he asked.
"Put it this way, when these things hatch you'll be able to ride them," Dr. Oliver explained.
"Did he just say ride them?" Ethan asked Anabel.
Anabel nodded.
"That still doesn't answer my question," said Anabel. "What exactly can we, as Rangers, ride them? I'm guessing they aren't bikes. You know, like the Ninja Rangers had - the Tsunami Cycles."
"You know why too much about the Ninja Rangers and their weapons," said Ethan, suspiciously.
"I'm a journalist," said Anabel. "It's my job to know these things."
"No. They're not like the Tsunami Cycles," Dr. Oliver reassured her. "But they will come in handy. Trust me."
Anabel considered him and then nodded. "Of course, I trust you," she said. "So, how do we hatch them?"
"I have an incubator back at the base," said Dr. Oliver.
"All right. Whatever you say," said Ethan. He reached for the blue glowing egg and passed it to Dr. Oliver's backpack.
Feeling the hairs on her neck prickle, Anabel glanced around. She furrowed her brow as she saw a shadow flitter between the trees ahead of her. "Guys, I don't think we're alone out here," she said.
Ethan stood and scanned the area. "I don't see anything," he said, turning to Anabel. "You sure you saw something?"
"I saw a shadow.
"A shadow?"
Anabel cocked her head at him. "And I can feel someone watching me," she replied.
A whisper of wind fluttered around the clearing causing the trio to close ranks. Dr. Oliver gripped his backpack tightly in his arms and looked at his students, both of whom were still bickering about whether or not there was something in the trees.
A clap of thunder deposited Tyrannodrones in the area.
"I told you!" Anabel hissed at Ethan.
"Why are they here?" Ethan asked.
"They want the eggs," said Dr. Oliver.
"Why?" Anabel asked.
"So, you can't harness their power," Dr. Oliver answered.
"Exactly."
Anabel looked around as a familiar looking woman stepped out from behind a tree, the Cyborg that she now knew to be called Zeltrax appeared next.
"I'm starting to have my doubts about your intelligence, Dr. Oliver," said Zeltrax.
Feeling a tickle on her neck, Anabel whipped around and kicked up at the Tyrannodrone that had tried sneaking up on them. It stumbled and tripped over a fallen log, landing with a crunch in a bed of leaves.
"Hey!" Dr. Oliver yelled as a second Tyrannodrone tried to steal his backpack.
"Attack!" Zeltrax ordered.
As Ethan struggled to get the Tyrannodrone to release his teacher's backpack, Anabel rushed forward and jumped, latched onto a low hanging branch and flipped herself into the air. She landed on the shoulders of a Tyrannodrone and blocked another from hitting her with his short-sword arm by blocking it with her foot.
The Tyrannodrone that Anabel was standing on shrugged, launching her into the air and causing her to flip over and land in a ditch. She fell backwards against the left side and planted her foot into the chest plate of another Tyrannodrone as it rushed at her. Flipping backward out the ditch, Anabel looked around at caught Ethan's eye, the pair nodded and pulled their wrists up to their chests, their morpher's appearing in an instant.
"Ready!" they both called.
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
Glancing to her left, Anabel swung her Thundermax Sabre up and clashed it against the broad sword of an oncoming Tyrannodrone. She kicked him in the chest to shove him back, and then screamed as another grabbed her shoulders and hauled her into the air.
"Gotcha!" said Conner, catching her and setting her back down. "You okay?"
"Nice catch," Anabel said.
Conner chuckled and nodded. This was the first time she had said anything to him since their incident, not including their agreement deal about working together whilst being Rangers. "Quick question, though, you couldn't have done this another day?" he asked.
"Don't ask me that," said Anabel, ducking as a broad sword swept over her head. "Ask them," she kicked behind her, knocking back another Tyrannodrone. She'd lost count of how many she had knocked down, but she knew that for everyone she did, another popped straight up.
"Let's make this quick," said Conner.
The pair split off.
"Compy Claws!" Anabel said, summoning the weapons from her belt. She rushed through the trees, cutting down Tyrannodrones as she headed towards where Dr. Oliver was fighting both Zeltrax and the familiar looking woman. She jumped up as a Tyrannodrone blocked her path and flipped over his head, spinning around and raking her claws down his back.
As the woman raised her sword, swinging it towards Dr. Oliver, Anabel halted between them and raised her claws, crossing them over one another and blocking the blade. Shoving up, Anabel knocked the woman back and then raised her knee, connecting it with the woman's side and sending her stumbling.
The woman glared at Anabel, raising her sword over her shoulder as Anabel held up her claws, ready for another attack.
"Elsa!" Zeltrax yelled, abandoning his fight with Dr. Oliver and running to the woman's side. He shielded her, like a lover would, and set his sights on Anabel.
Elsa seethed and stood, dropping her sword to her side as the others arrived to back up their teammate and mentor.
"You really like these odds?" Ethan asked. "Cause you look busted to me."
"We're not through with you Power Rangers!" Elsa promised.
"Nor you, Dr. Oliver," Zeltrax added.
Elsa raised her sword into the air and, with a clap of thunder an invisiportal opened and the pair disappeared.
The Rangers relaxed.
"They're a pleasant couple," said Kira.
"Mhm," Anabel agreed. She had seen the way Zeltrax had protected Elsa and was sure that the cyborg had some form of romantic attachment to the woman, even if she didn't recuperate those feelings.
"We better get these back to my place," said Dr. Oliver, cradling the backpack.
"What are they?" Kira asked.
"We're going to ride them," said Ethan.
Anabel rolled her eyes.
"Look, I have to go back to try-outs," said Conner. "Do you think you guys can handle it from here?"
Ethan, Anabel, and Kira nodded.
"Yeah, go ahead, Conner," Dr. Oliver agreed. "They can fill you in later."
"Great." Conner said, running off.
"Good luck!" Ethan called after him.
Anabel furrowed her brow and turned to the others. "Try-outs?" she asked.
"Reefside Wave," Kira answered.
"Oh." Anabel paused. Being a professional soccer player was all Conner had ever wanted to be, but there was one thing nagging at her. If he got his chance now with the Wave, then how would his schedule co-exist with him being a Power Ranger?
"Hello, Anabel, you in there?" Ethan asked, rapping his knuckles against the side of Anabel's helmet. She pulled her head away and swatted at his hand.
Ethan chuckled.
"Come on, you two," said Dr. Oliver, shaking his head.
Slapping Ethan's shoulder, Anabel followed her teacher back to the road.
~X~
After escorting Dr. Oliver home, Anabel drove Kira and Ethan back into town and parked outside the Cybercafe. The trio headed inside and found two empty tables, pulling them together and setting up their work stations. While Ethan and Kira prepared their laptops, Anabel headed to the bar and smiled at the older woman behind the counter.
"You must be Hayley," said Anabel.
"Anabel, right?" Hayley asked. "What can I get you?"
"Apple juice, smoothie, and a water, please," Anabel replied.
"Coming up," said Hayley. She grabbed three glasses and opened the freezer, taking out three bags of fruit and one of ice, all of which she added to a blender. "You're a journalist, right?"
Surprised that Hayley was talking to her, Anabel's eyes widened as she met the older woman's gaze. "Sorry," she apologised, quickly. "Yeah. I'm a journalist for my high school's newspaper."
"I was just wondering if you've put forward an application for the job offer with Reefside Newsroom?"
Anabel cocked her head to the side. "They're hiring?" she asked. "They've only just filled a position."
"One of the main reporters left for maternity," Hayley asked. "I've read a few of your articles. You're really good."
"Thanks," said Anabel. "I'll check out the website," She held up her credit card when Hayley set the drinks on a tray.
"It's on the house," said Hayley, shooing the card away.
"Are you sure?" Anabel asked.
Hayley smiled and turned away.
Shaking her head, Anabel grasped the tray and took it back to her table. She served the drinks, and sat down with her water, as she set up her laptop.
"He's really… wow… isn't he…?" Kira said, breathlessly.
Brow furrowed; Anabel looked up to see Kira staring at the young lad that had just entered the cafe. He was chatting with another customer and seemed to be looking for someone in particular.
"Are you okay?" Ethan asked, waving his hand in front of Kira's face. "Maybe I could get you a glass of water, maybe an oxygen mask?"
Anabel rolled her eyes.
"Quiet!" Kira hissed. "He's coming over here." She turned back to her laptop.
"Hey," the guy said. "Have you seen Hayley? I'm supposed to start work today."
"She's out back," said Anabel, pointing with her thumb towards the back room.
"Haven't I seen you at Reefside High?" Ethan asked.
The guy nodded. "Yeah, I moved here last week. The name's Trent," he introduced, shaking Ethan's hand.
"Ethan. That's Anabel," Ethan nodded at the girl across from him, "and this is Kira," he nodded at the girl at his side.
"Hey," Anabel smiled.
"Hey." Trent looked at Kira, but she didn't reply nor look at him. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"She doesn't speak," said Ethan, "We've been trying for years but we just can't get through."
Anabel held her breath as she bit back a smile.
Kira glared sideways. "I'm fine. It's nice to meet you," she added to Trent.
Ethan snickered.
"Trent, great timing," said Hayley, approaching the table. "If you'll come with me I'll you started."
Trent looked back at the trio. "I guess I'll see you guys around," he said.
"See you," Anabel said, waving him off. She looked back at Kira, smiling devilishly. "You'd make a cute couple," she teased.
Kira glared back.
"Hey," said Ethan, breaking the tension between the two girls. They each looked up to see Conner had joined them, he looked dejected, and was fiddling with the small, red soccer ball in his hands.
"How did it go?" Kira asked.
"How did it go?" Conner repeated. "It's over, the coach basically said forget it, and who can blame him? I mean, I left in the middle of practice."
"Well, it's not like you didn't have a good excuse," said Kira.
"Right, well, maybe next time I'll bring a note from our teacher," said Conner, stalking away from the table. "'Sorry, Conner, couldn't make it to practice today, he was busy fighting freaky looking dinosaur things in the forest.'"
Jumping up, Ethan and Kira grabbed Conner's arms and dragged him out of earshot of anyone else. Closing her laptop, Anabel followed, perching herself on the edge of the table in front of the three-seater sofa where the others were sat.
"No one can blame you for being original," said Ethan.
"Whatever," said Conner. "Look, the point is, what was I supposed to say? Man, this whole 'saving the world' deal is seriously starting to bum me out."
Anabel rolled her eyes.
"What?" Conner asked.
"Given the mood you're in, I don't think you'll want to hear what I am thinking," said Anabel.
Conner glared at her. "If it's about me being selfish then you're right, I don't want to hear it," he said.
"Oh, I don't think you're being selfish," said Anabel, shaking her head. "But, as per usual, you're self-sabotaging."
"Here we go," Conner muttered. "How am I self-sabotaging now?"
"We've been rangers, for what? A week?" Anabel looked to Ethan. He quickly counted the days, looking uncertainly back at her. "Give or take," she added. "And already, it's bumming you out? You haven't even given it a chance and want to quit."
"All I have ever wanted to be is a -"
"Soccer player, I know," Anabel interrupted. "I know that better than most people, Conner, but I also know what we're doing is more important. Being a Ranger means that there will be a Reefside Wave team still going when we finish."
"If we don't finish?" Conner sighed.
"All Ranger teams come to an end," said Anabel. "Ranger History proves that enough. Why don't you talk to Dr. Oliver? See if he can suggest something."
Conner fell back with a huff.
"I think Doctor Oliver may be kind of busy," said Kira, staring at Anabel.
"Too bad," said Conner, sitting up. "I was busy today, didn't stop him from screwing up my life." He stood and strode away.
"What are you doing?" Ethan hissed.
"He's doubting," said Anabel. "Dr. Oliver may have some words of wisdom to pass on. Plus, this gives us an excuse to see what was in those eggs."
Kira and Ethan shared a look, then sprung from the sofa.
"Wait for us!" they called, following Anabel from the cafe.
~X~
Pulling over onto the side of the road, Anabel got out of her car and gave the others an odd look. "Why are we in the middle of the woods?" she asked.
"The secret tunnel is this way," said Kira. "This is the path we took when we found our Dino Gems. Well, it's the path we took out of the base."
Anabel followed the others through the trees, jumped over a dirt ditch that Kira explained she had fallen in a few weeks previous while being chased by Tyrannodrones, up a small incline and stopped outside a dark circle in the side of a mountain,
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Anabel asked, resting a hand above her head. The rock was rough against her palm, but it was a safe haven compared to the darkness ahead. "I mean, wouldn't it be easier to just go the front way?"
"You're not scared of the dark, are you?" Ethan asked.
Anabel shook her head.
"She's afraid of getting hurt in the dark," Conner replied. "There's nothing blocking your path. It's straight down, a left turn, and straight on again. I promise you; you'll be fine."
Anabel nodded.
Kira and Ethan shared a look.
Following the others into the cave, Anabel sighed in relief as they came upon what appeared to be a dead-end, now, normally that would have frustrated and angered most people, but the wall pushed inwards and slowly moved up, revealing a spacious den as they approached.
"Don't come in, it's not safe!" Dr. Oliver called. He sounded strained, like he was fighting with something that the others couldn't see, but if the strange noises were anything to go by, they were happy that they couldn't.
"We kind of got that," said Kira, her eyes wide in shock.
Dr. Oliver yelled as a blue tail hit him in the back and tossed him across the base towards his students. He landed with a thud on the floor, his breathing heavy.
"Is that what was in those eggs?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah. I'm trying to train them," Dr. Oliver answered.
"How's it coming?"
"Slow, I'm guessing," said Anabel, her eyes widening as a green creature ran past. It stopped near the steps leading to Dr. Oliver's house and turned its head towards her.
"Uh-oh," said Kira.
Anabel felt Conner's hand on her shoulder as the creature squawked and made a beeline for them.
"No!" Dr. Oliver yelled, throwing himself in front of his students. With Anabel out of its sight, the creature diverted at the last second and run off to join the others as they continued to destroy the lab.
Anabel stared at Dr. Oliver with wide eyes as he turned to face her. "Look out!" she exclaimed as a red tail soared overhead. It crashed against the wall above Dr. Oliver and then withdrew, sending dust and stone to the floor.
"Look, I can see that you're busy with… whatever," said Conner. "But, I gotta talk."
A yellow tail whipped out of nowhere, caught Dr. Oliver in the back and propelled him forward. The second he was outside the wall started to descend and Ethan had to duck out of the way, to avoid being hit.
"I guess I could take a break," said Dr. Oliver. He accepted Ethan's offer to help, transferring the goo on his hands to the blue ranger.
Ethan grimaced.
"All right, what's up?" Dr. Oliver asked Conner.
"You got to find somebody to replace me," said Conner.
Ethan and Kira whipped around, shocked at the confession, while Anabel wrapped her arms around herself. She had seen this coming from the very moment they had told her Conner was trying out for the Wave.
"What's the problem?" Dr. Oliver asked.
"I'm a soccer player. That's all I've ever wanted to do," said Conner. "You know, every moment of my life has led up to playing for a pro team, and I get the greatest chance of my life, and I blow it."
Anabel nodded to herself.
"I understand, and you're right," said Dr. Oliver, much to everyone's surprise.
"You're agreeing with him?" Ethan exclaimed.
Anabel tapped Ethan's shoulder.
"Conner, I know how you feel 'cause I felt that way before," Dr. Oliver continued. "But I want you to think about this before you do anything."
"I told him that," said Anabel.
"Look, I've got things I want to do," said Kira. "But I'm here. I'm dealing."
"Good for you," Conner sighed. "I guess I'm just different." He looked around at the others and then walked away.
Ethan scoffed. "I thought the red guy was supposed to be the leader," he muttered.
"Not always," Anabel replied.
~X~
"… alright. I'll let you know."
Anabel looked up from her phone as she followed Ethan and Kira across the soccer field.
"Hey, bro," said Ethan, earning them Conner's attention.
"Everything go okay with the coach?" Kira asked.
Conner grinned. "Yeah," he said, although he didn't sound at all enthusiastic about his new prospects. "Listen, I'm sorry, you guys. You gotta understand —"
"Why are you apologising for following your dreams?" Anabel asked. "I mean, sure, it's going to be disappointing that you aren't kicking ass with us, but this is all you've ever wanted. You don't have to apologise to us."
Kira nodded in agreement.
"They understand more than I do," said Ethan. "But, if this is what you really want?"
Conner offered them half a smile.
"Guys, we have a situation," said Dr. Oliver. His voice breaking the tense silence that had fallen. "There's a monster attack in the city. People are in danger."
Kira, Anabel, and Ethan shared looks and then turned to Conner.
"Okay, but this is the last time," Conner said, sighing.
Stepping away from one another, the four glanced around, making sure there was no one present to witness their newfound secret identities.
"Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up!"
~X~
Anabel wrinkled her nose as she spotted the monster terrorising the city centre. "I hate birds!" she whined.
"Let's do it!" said Conner, leading the charge. He raced towards the big bird and aimed a punch but missed and was flipped over at the birds' feet.
Jumping over Conner, Ethan and Anabel aimed a single punch and kick to the monster. He blocked both of them and lifted them up, flipping them over backwards. They groaned as they hit the ground side-by-side.
Popping up behind the monster, Kira kicked and double jabbed the bird causing it to turn on her. It grabbed her wrist, spun her around and then kicked her in the small of her back, pushing her through the air.
"Kira!" Anabel called.
"Hey, bird brain!" Ethan called, jumping to his feet and running at the monster with Conner. "Thundermax!"
The pair fired and the bird stumbled.
"Thanks, guys," Kira winced. She smiled lightly as Anabel appeared at her side and helped her stand.
Stopping beside their teammates, Conner and Ethan stepped around them and levelled their Thundermax blasters at the bird again.
"Give up?" Conner asked.
"Catch me if you can!" the monster mocked. He took off, racing through the streets at top speed.
Anabel sighed. Both in relief that he was gone - she really didn't like birds - and that the fact that they would now never catch him, at least not on foot.
"What are we going to do now?" Kira asked.
"I got you covered. Meet your new Raptor Riders," said Dr. Oliver.
A shrieking caw echoed from behind and the four Rangers turned to see four massive dinosaurs racing towards them. Each one imbued with its correspondent Ranger colour.
"Oh, yeah!" Conner laughed, racing forward. He caught the reigns of the Red Raptor and pulled himself up onto its back.
As the others followed suit, Anabel spotted the green Raptor from the lab heading towards her. She smiled and raised her hand, petting its snout as it stopped beside her. "Hey, girl," she said.
"Come on, Anabel," Conner called. "I know you don't like birds, but we need you."
"Okay. I'm coming!" Anabel replied. She climbed aboard her Raptor and took the reins. Compared to the other three, Anabel noticed, her Raptor was a little on the smaller side. Not that it mattered to her, personally. Smaller didn't mean less dangerous.
As she reached the others, Anabel noticed Conner break off and tilted her head sideways, watching as he galloped towards a small girl hiding behind the stairs whilst a Tyrannodrone towered over her.
"Ethan, go after Kira!" Anabel called.
Ethan nodded and took off down the street after Kira and the monster, while Anabel veered off to the side and followed Conner. She squeezed the sides of her Raptor with her knees and then kicked her feet up, pressing them firmly against the raptors back and vaulted herself into the air.
"Compy-Claws!" Anabel called, summoning her weapons from her belt. She landed amongst a hoard of Tyrannodrones and spun in a complete circle, raking her claws across their chests.
They howled and fell back, disappearing into an invisiportal.
With the girl and other civilians safe, Anabel and Conner remounted their Raptor Riders and went in search of their friends, they found them at the city plaza, holding the monster back with their weapons.
"Guys!" Anabel called, jumping from her raptor rider and racing over.
Conner followed. "Tyranno Staff!" he called, summoning his weapon.
"Z-Rex Blaster! Firing!"
The ball of energy zig-zagged through the streets and collided with the big bird, causing him to explode.
"Yeah!" the team cheered, high-fiving one another.
Suddenly the skies darkened as a black storm cloud appeared, literally, from nowhere, and opened at the brim, unleashing a torrent of rain water onto the city.
"At least we're wearing a helmet," said Anabel, looking around as the raindrops run down her visor.
Ethan nodded.
Then, a shadow loomed over them.
Craning her neck, Anabel gasped and took a step backwards as the monster loomed over them, bigger than before. Much bigger.
"Dr. O, we may have a problem on our hands," said Conner, lifting his arm and speaking into his morpher.
"Let me guess. A thirty-foot version of that guy you were just fighting?"
Anabel furrowed her brow and looked down at her arm. How did he know?
"You've done this before, haven't you?" Ethan accused.
Dr. Oliver sighed. "Once or twice," he confirmed.
"Whoa," Anabel murmured.
"I'm sending the Dino Zords."
Anabel looked around as she heard the familiar screech of her compy. She grinned, rushed forward, and kicked off from the side walk, landing in the cockpit of her zord. "Online!" she confirmed.
"Thunder Zords, combine!" said Conner.
Using her telepathic connection, Anabel issued the order for her Zord to combine with the T-Rex Zord as the others did the same.
"Thundersaurus Megazord!"
Ethan raised his arm as the monster fired lasers at them. The beams bounced off the Triceratops arm and caused sparks to shower the city.
"I've got an idea!" said Kira, tapping her controls. "Ptera Rang!"
Ethan held up the boomerang-like Pterazord and threw it at the monster. It circled around, and then soared towards the big bird, slicing through him multiple times before returning.
Slamming her hands down on her controls, Anabel pushed the Megazord into the air as Conner initiated the Tyranno-drill. The tail spun rapidly, and the Rangers struck the bird in the chest with it, ripping through him.
As the monster exploded for the second time, Anabel felt a hand on her shoulder as she sighed in relief, again.
~X~
Next afternoon, Anabel sat at the bar at Hayley's Cyberspace with a portfolio and her laptop open. The cafe was bustling, as usual, and Hayley was serving the load of teenagers that were queued up on the other side of the bar, while Trent manned the tables in the cafe.
"Have you heard from Conner?" Ethan asked, sliding into a seat beside Anabel.
Anabel shook her head. "According to their website, though, the Waves have practice today at four. So…" she shrugged, trailing off.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Can I refuse to answer?"
Ethan chuckled. "You probably will," he said. "But, I'm going to ask anyway."
Anabel nodded; her eyes glued to her laptop. She already had pretty good idea what Ethan was going to ask, and she knew exactly what she was going to say in return.
"Last year, you and Conner were the power couple at Reefside," said Ethan. "Like, literally, the IT couple. But this year, you can barely look at each other, or rather, you won't look at him. You even had to make a deal to just work together as Rangers."
"You've lined up your shot more than once, Ethan," said Anabel, irritably. "Ask your question."
"What happened?"
Anabel sighed and paused in her writing. She had anticipated the question, but that didn't mean it hadn't taken her by surprise. It still did, even after all these month. She wasn't ready to delve into what had happened between her and Conner, she had done her best to ignore it for four months, and to open it now could've resulted in disaster.
"Hey, what are you doing here?" Ethan asked.
Lifting her gaze, Anabel saw that he was talking to Conner. She furrowed her brow at him and checked the time. It was after four.
"You're here," said Conner.
"What he means is, don't you have practice?" Anabel asked. "The Wave started practice like ten minutes ago."
Conner shrugged. "I quit," he admitted.
Anabel's eyes widened.
"I didn't self-sabotage," Conner explained, quickly. "That little girl made me realise that there is nothing more important than what we're doing. So, if you'll have me, I'd like to stay."
Anabel and Ethan shared a look.
"Welcome back, partner," Ethan said, clapping Conner on the shoulder.
Conner chuckled.
"Hey, you guys," called Hayley, as she walked around the bar. She was carrying two bottles and a glass of water. "Sorry you didn't make the team, Conner. These are on the house."
"I thought water was free, anyway?"
"Not always," said Hayley.
Anabel made a small face and sipped her drink.
Ethan frowned. "Do you drink anything other than water?" he asked. "It's tasteless."
"She takes her health seriously," said Conner.
"You make it sound like I'm a health nut," said Anabel, shaking her head. "I like water. It's good for you."
Ethan and Conner chuckled and turned towards the stage as Hayley spoke into the microphone.
"Thanks, guys. Tonight, we've got something really special for you — a young woman with a lot to say. Ladies and Gentlemen, Kira Ford!"
The crowd cheered and Anabel finished her report and closed her laptop as the first song began.
"Hey, wasn't Dr. O supposed to be here?" Ethan asked.
"Yeah, I wonder where he is?" Conner asked.
Anabel shrugged. "Maybe he got caught up doing paperwork or something?" she asked. "He'll turn up."