"You know you can pretty much make all this digital, right?"
Doctor Oliver looked over to see her flipping through a stack of papers that consisted mainly of old school records, college work, and job applications after the island he and Mercer had worked on, exploded. "Most of it is over ten years old," he answered. "There's no point in digitalising it. Besides, I wouldn't know where to start."
"Ethan or Hayley could help you out there," said Anabel.
"But then I'd lose my excuse to spend time with you," Doctor Oliver muttered, turning away.
"What was that?" Anabel asked, her lips curving into a smile.
"You heard."
Anabel chuckled and turned back to the pile of papers. She rifled through them, remembering what Doctor Oliver had said about what could and couldn't be thrown away. If it was dated before the earlier 2000s then it could be thrown away, anything from 2000 to now was to be kept.
"Hey, Anabel, what did you get for number five on Mercer's homework?" Circe asked. She was sitting cross-legged on the stairs leading out of the lab. Her science book was open on her lap, and a homework book was laying across it. "I can't make heads or tail of it, especially when the answer seems to be pretty logical."
Anabel paused. "Refresh my memory," she said. "What was question number five?"
"What is a dinosaur?" Circe answered. "I mean, the logical answer would be a reptile from 65 million years ago, or is that not true anymore?"
Before Anabel had a chance to answer, Doctor Oliver did.
"It sounds like Anton is looking for a deeper understanding on your knowledge," he said. "When most people say 'dinosaur' they think 'big, scaly, dangerous lizards' when in fact they are so much more than that."
Circe furrowed her brow. "But, they were just large reptiles, weren't they?" she asked.
"Not always," said Doctor Oliver. "When you consider modern times, and think of a reptile, what comes to mind?"
"Crocodile or turtles."
"Snakes," Anabel said. She had diverted her attention once again to the pile of papers in front of her.
Circe pointed at her in agreement. "I hate snakes, but yes, snakes. You trying to tell me that Dinosaurs weren't reptiles?" she asked.
"The Dinosaurs were reptiles," Doctor Oliver assured. "But they did descend from Mammals."
Glancing over her shoulder, Anabel spotted the blank stare that Circe was giving her homework. She turned and nudged Doctor Oliver's leg, seeing as he was standing closer than she had anticipated, and got up from her chair. "Just put that it comes down to classification," she said, leaning against the railing. "And that dinosaurs are divided into two groups - Saurischian and Ornithischian."
"Thank you," Circe said, smiling up at Anabel.
Anabel winked and returned to her seat.
"Show off," Doctor Oliver teased.
"Personally, I feel you should be proud of that," said Anabel. "I mean, my dad hasn't taught us for very long, so everything I have written on my homework sheet is from what you've taught us."
"Change show off to suck up then."
Anabel grinned and, leaning back in her seat, looked up. She couldn't seen his face, but she had a very good idea that she had met his gaze as he was looking down. "I don't need to show off my dino knowledge to be a suck up, Doctor O," she said.
Doctor Oliver cleared his throat and turned away from Anabel's chair. He could hear her laughing as she dived back into the workload before her, and chanced a glance in her direction. Why was he feeling this way? She was his student, for crying out loud!
Pulling herself to her feet, Circe turned and headed upstairs to the kitchen. "I'm going go make sure I have everything packed," she said.
"Wow," Anabel gasped as Circe disappeared. Doctor Oliver could hear the grin in her voice. She spun around on the chair, waving a picture of him, Billy, Jason, Zack, Trini, and Kim at him. "Nice hair."
"Hey, it was in style back then," Doctor Oliver replied, snatching the image. He stared at it, a small bubble of guilt pooling in his stomach as his gaze landed on Kimberly. His former girlfriend. He looked up when he realised Anabel hadn't said anything in return, and found her staring at him. "What?"
Anabel shrugged. "I'm trying to imagine you with long hair," she said, closing her eyes. She snapped them open after a second and spun away again. "Nope. Short hair is better."
"You got a problem with long hair on guys?"
"No. Not a problem," Anabel answered. "Short hair just makes it easier to run your fingers through."
Doctor Oliver bit back a groan. Why was she having this effect on him?
"Hey, is this what I think it is?" Anabel spoke again. This time her voice was shallow and timid, like whatever she was looking at was making her scared.
Glancing over her shoulder, Doctor Oliver grabbed a second chair, pulled it up behind her and sat down, taking the next image. It was of him and her father at a dig site.
"Wow," he said. "This seems like a lifetime ago."
"It's labelled 1998."
"It was taken during our first dig," said Doctor Oliver. "I hadn't even graduated college yet."
Leaning closer, Anabel pointed at the third person in the picture. "Who is that guy?" she asked.
"His name is Terence Smith," Doctor Oliver answered. "We all called him Smitty."
"What happened to him?"
"It's kind of sad, really," said Doctor Oliver. "He and I were up for the same job at Anton Mercer industries. Anton chose me."
"Bromance privileges," Anabel muttered.
Despite rolling his eyes, Doctor Oliver smiled. "Smitty went to work for another company," he continued.
"I sense the sadness aspect coming on," said Anabel.
"There was an accident and Smitty never made it out," said Doctor Oliver.
Anabel offered him a sad smile. "Not exactly a happy family moment then," she said.
"I don't even know where it came from," said Doctor Oliver, shaking his head. "Just put it in the trash pile."
"You sure?" Anabel asked, taking the image back. "I mean, I can cut Terence out if you want to keep the blossoming bromance of you and my -" she shrieked as Doctor Oliver poked her side.
With a chuckle, Doctor Oliver reached forward with his free hand, tickling her opposite side and causing her to jump and squirm in her seat.
Dropping the image, Anabel wound her fingers around Doctor Oliver's wrists, holding them firmly against her waist. He was still sitting, but leaning so far out of his seat that he was closer than he should've been, and she could feel the intensity of his gaze through the visor.
The space between them seemed to crackle, and Anabel felt her breath catch in the back of her throat. "Doctor O -" she started.
"Anabel, if we don't go now we're going to late!" Circe called, bouncing back into the lab. She paused as she caught Doctor Oliver shoving his chair backwards, spinning it around and standing. He strode away, heading for a second workstation that was covered in papers.
Anabel, meanwhile, was slouched in her seat, her chest heaving and her face flushed.
"Uh, did I interrupt something?" Circe asked.
Anabel swallowed and shook her head. "No," she answered, standing. She looked a little shaky, but managed to hold herself up as she snatched her backpack from the floor and head towards Circe. She paused at the foot of the stairs and glanced at her teacher. "See you later, Doctor Oliver," she said, before disappearing upstairs.
Circe furrowed her brow and followed.
Releasing the breath he had been holding, Doctor Oliver paused in his work. His mind still reeling.
~X~
Circe sat up a little straighter as they pulled into the school parking lot. Her attention was drawn across the to the side courtyard where she could see Ethan, Zeltrax, and a large monster. "Uh, Anabel…" she trailed, pointing.
"Oh no," Anabel murmured. She turned off the engine and got out of the car, turning to look at Circe from across the top. "You can either join me, wait here, or head on in to class. We're not late yet, but -"
Circe cut her off by shaking her head. "I'll wait," she said. "I'd rather be punished for being late to class, than punished because you got hurt on my watch."
Anabel chewed her bottom lip and then nodded. Who was she to argue with her detail protection? After all, Circe was there to protect her. "Okay. I'll make it as quick as I can," she said.
As Circe got back into the car, Anabel rushed across to the awning and slid behind a stone pillar, out of sight. "Dino Thunder, Power Up!" she called, hitting the square red button on her morpher. She felt the familiar surge of energy, and ducked out from behind the pillar again.
Racing towards Ethan, Anabel kicked off from the ground and cartwheeled over him, unsheathing her Thundermax blaster and opening fire on Zeltrax.
"Little boy," Anabel said, holding both Zeltrax and the monster at blaster point.
Ethan gaped. "Little boy?" he asked, indignantly.
"Go on," Anabel hissed, nodding towards the archway. "Go!"
"Oh, right," said Ethan. He stood and rushed away.
Anabel caught him duck behind a stone pillar just as she turned her attention to Zeltrax. "Hold it right there," she warned.
"Perfect. Just the Ranger we were looking for," said Zeltrax.
Anabel furrowed her brow. What did that mean? Why were they attacking the school while looking for her?
Raising his sword, Zeltrax charged. Anabel ducked, the blazing sword narrowly missing her head as avoided it; lurching forward, she pivoted and raised her leg, kicking the monster as it rushed at her from the right. She grunted when a foot collided with her back, and she stumbled forward.
Spinning around, Anabel found Zeltrax bearing down on her. She tightened the grip of her blaster and aimed, but Zeltrax merely knocked it aside with his sword.
"You're coming with us!" Zeltrax said.
"Get real, Zeltrax!" Anabel said.
"Get her, Termitetron!"
Anabel backed away as the monster leapt into the air. He was less than a meter from her when Ethan collided with him, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"This guys bugs me," said Ethan, clenching his fists.
Growling, Zeltrax raced forward. He shoved at Anabel's shoulder, knocking her backwards and away from the others. "You will come with me!" he roared.
"Not… a… chance!" Anabel argued, twisting out of his grasp and planting a foot into his stomach. She pushed backwards, flipping over and pulling her Thundermax sabre free she landed.
Raising her arm back, Anabel hesitated as Devin and Cassidy run across her path.
"Oh cool, a girly Ranger!" Cassidy cried.
Grabbing Cassidy's arm, Anabel dragged her away, with Devin ducking around as Zeltrax slashed down with his sword. "Not now!" she told the pair, raising her sabre to block Zeltrax.
"Just stop resisting!" Zeltrax hissed.
"You hard of hearing or something?" Anabel asked. "I said no!"
Dragging his finger across his blade, Zeltrax rolled it over in his hand and then stabbed it at Anabel. The blast hit her square in the chest and knocked her backwards, she yelped as she landed on the ground, losing the grip on her Thundermax in the process.
"You are defeated," said Zeltrax, walking towards her, his sword raised. "You will make the perfect message for the Black Ranger."
Anabel scrambled backwards.
"Hey!"
Both Anabel and Zeltrax looked around as Circe rushed around the corner. She held up her hands, palms facing Zeltrax, as if she were leaning against some invisible barrier.
"Circe, what are you doing?" Anabel asked. "Get out of here!"
"Do not interfere!" Zeltrax hissed, turning on the new comer. He raised his sword, stabbing it at Circe, and unleashing a blast of energy. There was a crack, like a whip, as the attack hit the barrier before fizzling out.
Anabel gasped as Circe raised her head. Her eyes were almost as black as coal and when she spoke, her voice was deep.
"Darkness Flare!" Circe muttered. She shoved her hands forward, and next second, Zeltrax was thrown into the side of the school. He crumpled to the ground, his body armour flickering and sparking at random.
Anabel's eyes widened as she looked at Zeltrax, she then felt hands on her shoulders and realised that Circe was helping her stand.
"Anabel!" Ethan called, running over. "Are you okay?"
"I-I think so," Anabel stammered, tearing her gaze from Zeltrax and turning to Circe. "What - how -?"
Circe shrugged. "You were in trouble," she answered.
Zeltrax moved, startling the trio. He stabbed the tip of his sword into the floor and used it to force himself to his feet. He raised his head, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't over!" he swore. "Mark my words, Green Ranger, I will get you, one way or another."
He threw up a hand as Termitetron returned to his side, and they both disappeared through an Invisiportal.
~X~
Anabel ignored her father's stare as she filed out of the room with Circe and the others. "Great. Detention," she grumbled, heading down the hall. "I've never had a detention before, this is going to stain my school record."
"You've never had a detention before?" Kira asked. "Really?"
"You're kidding? Of course the poster child for good behaviour isn't going to tarnish her reputation," said Conner.
Anabel threw him a cold glare.
"Someone want to tell me what detention is?" Circe asked. "We don't really have this in my world."
"It's a form of punishment," said Ethan. "Where we're forced to sit in the science classroom for an hour and finish up the work we missed."
Circe shrugged. "Sounds just like what we do in class," she replied. "I fail to see how it's a punishment."
"Because after school detention cuts into our free time," said Ethan. "We're forced to do school work when we should be outside, having fun."
"But you have homework to do after school," said Circe, still confused. "So, school work cuts into your free time anyway."
Ethan shook his head and turned to Anabel. "Take over, please," he begged.
Anabel shook her head with a smile. She stopped beside her locker and spun the dial. "You're going to tell Doctor Oliver about Zeltrax, right?" she asked Kira and Conner.
The pair nodded.
"But what about you Ethan?" Conner asked.
"What about me?" Ethan asked.
"The fight."
Anabel frowned as she pushed her science folder into her locker, and pulled out her history and journalism folders. "What fight?" she asked.
"Conner's bull-head of a friend kicked a ball into Ethan's laptop," said Kira. "He's now telling everyone that he's going to kick his butt after school."
"Wait, you're talking about Derrick?" Anabel asked. "That guy that tripped you earlier?"
Ethan nodded.
Anabel turned to Conner. "You're team captain," she said. "You can step in here, you know? If one of my team mates were bullying someone, I'd step in and threaten them with a bench or a removal."
"I can't just do that," said Conner. "I need to talk it out with Coach first. Shauna's different with you. She's got a different temperament."
"You could still do something," Anabel insisted. "Derrick looks up to you. Has done since freshman year."
Conner sighed. "It doesn't matter," he said. "Derrick feels that Ethan hurt his pride or something for standing up to him. He's not going to be happy until he settles the playing field."
"The worst part is that the whole school knows about it," said Kira. "So, it's not like it's something we can keep under warps."
Turning the corner, talking rapidly with Devin, Cassidy almost collided with the group. She pulled up short, smiling widely at Anabel before her gaze found Ethan. "Oh, Ethan, hello. Okay, good luck for today, and if you happen to fall over, fall towards the camera. That would be really great for me."
"Cassidy!" Anabel hissed.
Cassidy rolled her eyes, flicked her hair over her shoulder, and flounced away with Devin in tow.
Ethan groaned.
"Look, regardless of what people think, say or do," said Kira. "We're your friends. So, Derrick is a bully that can kick your butt, who cares?" She paused, her face turning serious as she considered Ethan. "Wait, you're not going to use your Dino powers on him, are you?"
"No, I'm not going to use my Dino powers," Ethan replied, exasperated.
"Dude, no offence, but without it," said Conner.
Ethan scowled. "There are other ways to deal with a bully," he snapped, before storming off.
Anabel sighed as she watched him disappear and then turned to Circe. "You don't have detention in the Magical Realm?" she asked.
~X~
Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.
Anabel glanced at her phone as it vibrated against the desk. She was sitting beside Circe and opposite Ethan in the science classroom, filling in the work she had missed in her father's lesson. She was partway through question 10 on her worksheet when the messages came pouring in. Setting down her pen, Anabel picked up the device, as three more messages slid into her in-box.
"Everything okay?" Circe asked.
Anabel shrugged and unlocked the phone. She opened her messages, her brow furrowing as she saw each one was from Doctor Oliver. She felt her stomach flutter, like a swarm of butterflies had just burst to life and scrolled to the bottom to read from the beginning.
D.O: Anabel, we need to talk about this morning.
D.O: It shouldn't have happened. It was inappropriate.
D.O: I'm your teacher.
D.O: I crossed a line.
D.O: I dread to think what would have happened if I hadn't have been morphed.
D.O: Hello?
D.O: Anabel?
D.O: You can't ignore this. We can't ignore it.
D.O:… are you even getting these?
"What did happen this morning?" Circe asked.
Anabel yelped, drawing attention from Ethan, Derrick, and her father. She smiled sheepishly at them, as she turned to Circe, hiding her phone from view. "I don't mean this nasty, but reading someone's personal messages is considered rude in the human world," she said.
"Oh," said Circe, sliding away. "Sorry."
"It's okay. You didn't know," said Anabel, shaking her head. She glanced at her father and then back at Circe. "I'll explain later what happened."
"You may leave."
Surprised, Anabel looked up at the clock and saw that it was 4pm, signalling the end of the day. She gathered her things, packing most of them into her backpack, and relocked her phone, promising to message Doctor Oliver when she got in the car.
Derrick led the way out of the lab, turning briefly to grin at Ethan as he cracked his knuckles.
Ethan avoided his gaze and turned back to the girls', he figured that Anabel would want to stop by her locker on the way out, and they needed to check in with the others before heading to the soccer field where Derrick would be waiting for him.
"Anabel, a word," Mercer said, catching her arm as she passed. "Maybe you can explain to me how you managed to land yourself in detention?"
"Explain myself?" Anabel repeated, wrenching her arm away. "The only person I have to explain myself to is my mother."
"I am your father and I deserve to know, too," Mercer replied.
"You don't get to come back into my life after thirteen years and play the overprotective parent," Anabel scoffed. "Like I said, I will explain myself to my mother, but I certainly don't have to explain myself to you, Doctor Mercer."
And with that, she turned and left the room.
~X~
Just before they had reached the soccer field, Hayley had called to let Anabel and Ethan know that Kira, Conner, and Doctor Oliver had received an alert half an hour ago, and were getting their butts kicked at the abandoned warehouse at the docks.
While Anabel gave Derrick an explanation, the trio took off to help their friends. When they arrived at the warehouse, Anabel turned to Circe, remembering how she had intervened with Zeltrax at the school. Seeing the look Anabel was giving her, Circe sighed and shook her head.
"I can't," Circe said, sounding sad. "Earlier was a one off thing. You needed help. And in truth, I'm not supposed to use the ability."
Anabel cocked her head. "I have so many questions," she said. "My main one being why not?"
"I'll explain later," said Circe. "Go. Help your friends."
"Anabel, come on," said Ethan, urging her away. The pair entered the warehouse, just in time to see Kira, Conner, and Doctor Oliver get thrown back by Termitetron.
"Guys!" Anabel called, racing over.
While Ethan helped Conner and Kira, Anabel turned her attention to Doctor Oliver. Her mind flashed back to his messages, still sitting unanswered in her phone; but now was not the time to unpack what had happened that morning. They would need too, she agreed with him on that point, but now was not the time nor place.
"Perfect timing," Termitetron said.
Turning her attention to Termitetron, Anabel found him staring at her. It reminded her of the way Zeltrax had reacted to her appearance earlier that day. "Where's Zeltrax?" she asked.
"I guess he's afraid to face us," said Doctor Oliver.
Anabel frowned. That didn't sound like Zeltrax, at least not after what had transpired earlier. Especially its last threat before he had left. Was he off making that a possibility? How would he make it a possibility? How was he going to 'get her' as he had said.
"He'll be here," Termitetron called. "He just had to make a stop first."
"What does that mean?" Conner asked.
Termitetron laughed. "You'll see," he replied. "Just think of me as the welcoming party for now."
"I guess we'd better change into our costumes then," Conner growled. He couldn't help but glance at Anabel, or stem his curiosity as to why either Zeltrax or Termitetron would be interested in her.
"You sure you can do this?" Kira asked Anabel.
Anabel nodded.
"Okay. Ready?" Conner asked.
"Ready!"
"Dino Thunder, Power Up! Dino Power!"
Termitetron laughed and squared himself off against the Rangers. "You posers are no match for me," he called, raising his arms and throwing out his hands, fingers stretched towards the air and floor. "Bug bombs!" The buzzing insects swarmed around the Rangers, pricking and poking their suits with their needle-like spikes.
Managing to wrangling himself out of the swarm, Conner unsheathed his blaster and fired it at the insects. They hit the floor and fizzled out as they died.
"Hey, those are my babies!" Termitetron cried.
"Feel this baby!" Conner yelled. He run forward, swinging his Tyranno Staff wildly.
Termitetron howled.
"Let's put them together!" Conner called, regrouping with the others. They each summoned their weapon and combined them, adding Doctor Oliver's staff on top of Conner's.
"Z-Rex Blaster!"
"Time to bug out!" Termitetron gasped, his eyes widening at the cannon.
"FIRE!" the ball of energy collided with the termite. It curled around him, surrounding him in flame before he exploded.
As Termitetron disappeared, an Invisiportal appeared, depositing Zeltrax in the centre of the warehouse. However, he wasn't alone.
"Mom!" Anabel cried, recognising the woman instantly.
The others gasped.
Zoey Brookes' struggled against Zeltrax hold. Her hands were bound and her face reflected the fear she felt, the same fear that Anabel felt. Upon hearing her daughter's voice, Zoey looked around wildly.
"Let her go, Zeltrax!" Doctor Oliver called, his hand on Anabel's shoulder, keeping her in place alongside him.
"I will," said Zeltrax, his gaze on Anabel. "But only as an exchange. You know my terms, Green Ranger. You for her."
"Why?" Anabel asked. Despite the severity of the situation, she was still curious as to what she could possibly offer Zeltrax. "What do you want from me?"
"You're a valuable asset to me," Zeltrax replied. "The same way your mother is, actually."
Anabel looked down. She had heard his words, but she couldn't fully comprehend them. Her mother was valuable to him because it put her on the back foot, but who was she valuable, too? Who could he use her against? His problem was with Doctor Oliver, why did he see her as a solution to a problem he could've had with -
"Oh," Anabel gasped. Her head snapped up and she glared at Zeltrax. "What? You don't have the strength to take him out yourself, so you think that by going through me will help you?!"
"Anabel, what are you talking about?" Ethan asked.
Although her gaze remained fixed on Zeltrax, Anabel shook her head at Ethan. "It won't work, Zeltrax! Even if I do give myself up to save my mother, you won't get what you want!"
"Surrender to me at once. Or say goodbye."
Anabel clenched her hands into a fist.
"Anabel?" Zoey whimpered, her gaze locked on the Green Ranger. She knew her daughter was keeping something from her, but she had never expected this. How could she have considered this?
"So be it," said Zeltrax. He shoved Zoey forward and raised his sword. Swinging it above his head and then down towards the Mayor.
"NO!" the Rangers cried.
Zeltrax grunted as something invisible slammed into him. His feet left the ground and he hurtled across the warehouse, crashing through several boxes and metal barriers.
Zoey stumbled and Anabel dashed forward, wrapping her arms around her mother and supporting her weight so she wouldn't fall.
"Mom," Anabel gasped, looking into her face. "Mom, are you okay?"
"Anabel?" Zoey whispered, still unable to grasp the fact that her daughter was a Power Ranger.
"It's going to be okay, Mom. I'm going explain everything to you, I promise," said Anabel, shaking her head. "If I had known this would happen, I would've told you sooner. Oh my god, I can't believe…" she trailed off, although her mind kept racing.
"Anabel!" Circe called, rushing over. In tow was a tall man. He was dark-skinned, just like Circe, with short brown hair. His eyes were also dark, almost black, and when he spoke, his voice was deep.
"Mrs Brookes!" the man said. Anabel recognised him as Blade - Circe's older brother.
Zoey's gaze remained transfixed on Anabel.
Feeling the familiar prickle at the base of her neck, Anabel spied the ashed remains of Termitetron blowing in the breeze. A shadow blanketed the warehouse, and raindrops splashed down from a single storm cloud, which evaporated as soon as it was empty.
The roof of the warehouse exploded as Termitetron reappeared, bigger and better.
"Oh great," Kira said, looking up. "As if we don't have enough problems to deal with!"
Having regained his footing, Zeltrax surveyed the scene. He scoffed as Anabel stood, leaving her mother in the care of the two Mystic defenders, and turned to face him. "Give yourself up, Green Ranger, and I'll call Termitetron off," he said.
"You just don't learn, do you?" Anabel asked. She turned to look at Doctor Oliver. He nodded and raised his arm, calling into his morpher.
"So be it," Zeltrax growled.
"Circe, you and Blade get my mother out of here," said Anabel.
Circe nodded.
Anabel glanced at her mom. "I'll come find you when I'm done," she said, before running off with the others.
As the four teens run off to deal with Termitetron, and Circe, Blade, and the Mayor disappear in a flicker of magic, Doctor Oliver turned to Zeltrax. The others may not have figured out Zeltrax's plans for Anabel, but he had. And it brought a whole new meaning to the events that had occurred between him and her that morning. The need to talk to her now, before anything happened in the future, was his top priority. But something told him it wasn't going to be that easy.
~X~
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Conner asked Ethan as they walked away from Doctor Oliver's house. After the battle with Termitetron, they had all returned to the base, seeing as Circe had taken the Mayor back there for safekeeping.
"Would you just trust me for once?" Ethan asked, staring incredulously at the Red Ranger. He could understand Conner's concern, but he was sure that there was going to be no physical fighting between him and Derrick once they got to the school.
"Dude, the guys a jerk," said Conner. "You don't have to fight him."
"Who said I was going to?"
Anabel watched as the pair and Kira got into Conner's car and sped away. She sighed, and watched them disappear through the trees surrounding Doctor Oliver's home and then headed back inside. Her mother was sitting at the kitchen table with Blade, Circe, and Hayley, sipping a warm mug of camomile.
Zoey looked up as her daughter entered. There was so much they needed to talk about, but first Anabel had to see Doctor Oliver.
Offering her mother a small smile, Anabel headed down into the base, reaching into her pocket for her cellphone. "Nine messages?" she asked, stepping off the last step and heading for the main frame.
Doctor Oliver spun around in his seat.
"Were you that frantic about this morning that you couldn't just send one?" Anabel asked.
"Sorry. I just… couldn't think of how to word it, and then when I did, it just didn't seem enough," Doctor Oliver admitted. "But, everything I said was true. What happened this morning, it can't… we can't…" he trailed off, unsure on how to finish.
Anabel sighed and sat beside him in the vacant chair. "Don't you think we've already crossed a line?" she asked, picking on the one text that stuck out the most in her mind. "You and I have done nothing but flirt since the minute we laid eyes on each other at the beginning of term. Sure, it was a joke when you invited me on that detention trip, and I teasingly called it a date."
"A pretend date is one thing," said Doctor Oliver. "This morning? If I hadn't have been morphed…" he trailed off, shaking his head.
"What? If you hadn't have been morphed you would've what? Kissed me?" Anabel asked. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted you to? Or maybe I would've kissed you? I'm sorry if it freaks you out, Doctor Oliver, but I can't help how I feel."
Doctor Oliver continued to shake his head. "We can't cross that line," he said. "You're a child."
"I'm eighteen," Anabel replied.
"In the eyes of the education and the judicial system, you are a child," said Doctor Oliver. "Do you have any idea what could happen if anyone found out?"
"Yes. Which is why I know what you're saying is coming from a place of fear and that makes it very real," said Anabel. "I also know what you're saying is right, and you should know that I would never do anything that could get you in trouble. But it still doesn't change how I feel."
Doctor Oliver sighed. It didn't change how he felt either, but there was so much more than just his feelings at stake. His career and reputation were on the line, her future career was on the line, and in terms of their Ranger duties, her family was on the line.
Reaching for his hand, Anabel hesitated, drew her own hand back, and stood from her seat. While she wanted to sit here and work out what was going on between her and Doctor Oliver, she had more pressing issues to worry about. Mainly the fact that Zeltrax knew about her growing feelings for her teacher, and was willing to use her against him in his personal vendetta.
Then, there was her mother. The one person that Anabel cared about more than anyone else in her life, the very person that had been dragged into the Ranger life without permission, and the one person that Zeltrax knew he could use to get Anabel to do what he wanted.
How did Zeltrax know about Anabel and her mother? Why did he feel the need to draw her into his plans? And how desperate was he to get what he wanted? Would he go after her again? How much danger was her mother in? All these thoughts raced through Anabel's head as she considered her next words.
"My mom has to leave," Anabel said, finally. "Reefside's not safe for her anymore. We're not safe with her here."
"What do you want me to do?" Doctor Oliver asked. "Honestly, Smitty is my problem, you and your mother shouldn't be even involved with him. But you are because of me. I'll do anything, just tell me what it is you need?"
"I want you to stop blaming yourself, for starts," said Anabel. "It's not your fault Zeltrax went after my mother. He could've gone after her for a number of reasons."
"But we know why she was the target," said Doctor Oliver. "It's another reason why you and I -"
Anabel cut him off by shaking her head. "I don't care," she said.
"You should. I don't want to be the reason you lose your mother," said Doctor Oliver.
"Then let's make sure that I don't lose her," said Anabel. "Circe and Blade have said they can take her to the Mystic Realm, she'll be safe there. But I know Mom, she won't run. She's stubborn."
"Like mother, like daughter," Doctor Oliver muttered.
Anabel smiled. "I'll take that as a compliment," she said.
"It wasn't."
"I know." Anabel shrugged. "Blade has requested additional backup, and Root Core approved it. They're sending more defenders to cover my mother while she does her campaign. Although, she's going to a sort of safe house to do it."
"A safe house?" Doctor Oliver asked.
"It's a gated property that we own," Anabel replied. "You need a certain set of credentials to gain access. Root Core is also setting up patrols and protective spells around it right now, and my mother is heading there this evening. I'm going with her, just to make sure everything is okay, and she and I need to talk, but I'm coming back tomorrow."
Doctor Oliver scratched his neck, awkwardly. "You're staying alone in your Beverly Hills home?" he asked. He wasn't sure if he liked that idea or not.
"I'll have Circe," said Anabel. "She's pretty handy in a fight, and I trust her."
"I still don't like the idea," Doctor Oliver admitted.
Anabel shrugged. "It's not ideal," she agreed. "But it's better than nothing, right now."
There was a small silence, then Anabel checked her watch.
"Anabel, about this morning…"
Anabel sighed. "I -" she started.
"I know, you don't care," said Doctor Oliver, shaking his head. "While on some level, I don't either, I just want you to know that if… whatever this is…" he gestured between them, "puts you or your mother in trouble, I'll take full responsibility."
"You don't have to be the hero, Doctor Oliver," Anabel said. "Whatever happens between us from this point forward will be a joint problem. Besides, like I said, I won't do anything that could get you in trouble. I care about you to much too hurt you."
"Same," Doctor Oliver admitted.