Legal Disclaimer: All characters are owned by Saban Entertainment. Except for the ones that you don't recognize. This story came about after I watched Jurassic Park and was reading the Animorphs book 'In the Time of Dinosaurs.' So, it may seem a little similar.
Thank you: For reading at least this far.
Blast into the Past
by Siberian Tiger
It was a rainy day and everybody was hoping a crisis would not occur. That Rita or Zedd or Divatox wouldn't be bored today. It was a day of relaxation. It was my birthday.
My name is Mercedes Morrison, but I'll just refer to myself as Cedes. Since that's what everybody calls me. I'm 16 and I'm not your typical California girl. I'm probably the strangest one you'll ever meet.
We were on a yacht, out in the middle of the ocean. It was raining so it wasn't very romantic. But my best friends were out there hanging with me, so I was happy.
My best friends aren't exactly what you would call normal. I'll give you a brief run-down.
First there's Kim. We've been best friends since third grade and she's always been there for me. Especially the past couple of years. She's had bad luck with guys a couple times, but she scored on this last one.
Her boyfriend is Tommy. We got to know each other by me talking to him on the first day of school at the Gym and Juice Bar. He was having trouble with something and I helped him through it. He's the 'leader' of our little group.
His best friend and my boyfriend is Jason. I love him so much. I remember when he first told me that he loved me. It made me so happy to realize that I wasn't falling in love with somebody and they were just keeping me there to give me hope. But he actually loves me and I know he means it when he tells me that he does.
Next is Billy and Beamer. The two smartest of the bunch but also the weirdest. They have a strange way of getting together. They say that they are doing Health homework, but we are known to think otherwise.
After that weird couple, you have Rocky and Max. Max is pretty normal, but it's Rocky that you have to watch out for. That boy, WHEW! He's always wired and lucky Max is at his side to keep him calm. Because if I were his girlfriend, all would be doomed.
Probably the most normal couple out of us all is Aisha and Adam. They don't fight, they are very calm and are very affectionate towards each other.
But then, you have the single one out of us, Skyy. She's definantly had bad luck with the guys. Her first boyfriend, Angel left town the day after they got together. And a potential boyfriend wanted to control her and take over the world. Not to mention me. (I always seem to get the bad end of the deal.)
Anyway, we were hanging out on Beamer's yacht and just having a good time being together. We didn't have to worry about Zords and Morphing and all that other great stuff that comes with being a Power Ranger. We were just enjoying life for the first time in a long while . . .
"You know what you guys?" I asked.
"What Cedes?" Kim looked at me.
"It's been awhile since we've done this."
Jason looked at me with a glitter in his eyes, "Done what?"
"Hung out together," I said rolling my eyes.
"Yeah, but do you know what we haven't done in awhile?" Jason whispered into my ear.
"Yes, I do know, but wait," I whispered.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Max asked.
"How about we play Truth or Dare?" Rocky suggested.
"Rocky, we already know each other very well, we really don't need to play Truth or Dare," Beamer being her smart self noted.
"Yeah, but I know some of you have got some dirty little secrets," Rocky said.
"Okay," I groaned.
"I think Cedes should go first since it's her birthday," Skyy suggested.
"Oh! I got one!" Aisha exclaimed. "What is the most romantic thing Jason has ever done for you?"
"Ummmmm . . ." I was thinking.
"Come on! Spill!" Kim said.
"It would have to be the first time he told me that he loved me. It was four o'clock in the morning and he came over. We sat on the couch and he told me. It still makes me tear up when I think I about it," I answered. I squeezed Jason's hand.
"Awwwwww," all the girls sighed. The guys just sat there.
"Wait a sec! Whatever happened to asking me truth or dare?" I asked.
"Because we knew you'd pick truth," Aisha said.
"You know me all too well."
"I think---" Kim began, but she was interrupted by a huge explosion that sent water flying onto the boat. The windows shattered sending shards of glass flying through the air. The last thing I remember before unconsciousness was Jason grabbing me and diving on top of me to protect me from the glass. Then after that . . . darkness.
I awoke to a blinding light. It had stopped raining and the sun was high in the sky. I was in the water floating on a board, but the yacht was nowhere in sight. It must have blown up, I thought. Jason! My boyfriend's face appeared in my mind as I laid there in the hot sun on the board. "Jason!!!" I tried to scream, but my voice was hoarse. I tried again, "Jason!" There much better.
"Cedes?" I heard a meek voice ask.
"Kim?"
"No, it's me," the voice said.
"Rocky?" I asked.
"Yeah," he answered.
I swam to him and embraced him tightly. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I remember playing Truth or Dare and then this huge explosion! And then I remember seeing a volcano," he said half dazed.
"What? Come again? A volcano?" I looked around and sure enough there was a volcano rising above the ocean's surface. I looked through the surface of the ocean and saw something dark move. It was big.
"Uh, Cedes? Did you feel that?"
"Yeah," I answered, my voice shaking.
"Maybe it was a whale. You know, nature's gentle giant?" Rocky had hope.
"It looked bigger than a whale." Then behind Rocky's head a long neck broke through the surface of the green ocean water and howled.
"I don't even want to look," Rocky started to cry. The tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.
"No way! That's a, uh . . .oh my gosh! Kronosaurus!" I screamed. Now I wished that I wasn't so into dinosaurs when I was younger.
"What?" Rocky screamed, panicked.
Just then, a strong arm reached down and pulled me out of the water. I didn't have time to thank my rescuer when the Kronosaurus struck. It flipped Rocky and I into the air like rag dolls. I was in the air, plummeting towards the choppy ocean waves. Rocky and I lined ourselves up for the perfect dive. I sliced through the water, diving twenty feet below the surface before resurfacing. Rocky came back up after me.
"Should we morph?" Rocky screamed over the Kronosaurus' cries of fury. It wasn't able to catch us.
"We should try. Zordon just gave us new powers that he said were unique. So, I guess. But let's not try them until we get to the shore. If we ever get to the shore," I added that last part under my breath.
"It's Morphin' Time!" I yelled.
"Ape!"
"Siberian Ti--" Rocky and I were launched into the air again, in the direction of the shore.
"Complete the morphing process! You won't be able to land!" Rocky screamed as we plummeted to our doom.
"Siberian Tiger!" I yelled into the rushing wind before I landed on the sandy beach in a little wading pool. I climbed out wishing that I could see Jason one more time. He was probably the one that pulled me out of the water. I started to cry.
"DeEnergize," I whispered. I threw my morpher into the sand. Rocky walked over to me and sat down beside me. I looked into his brown eyes and collapsed into his arms.
"Shh . . .it's gonna be okay. Everything will be fine," he soothed. He was such a good friend to me. Even though I found out he wasn't my brother, he still treats me like his little sister. He's always looking out for me.
We fell asleep on the beach hoping that a dinosaur wouldn't come and pick us off while we were sleeping.
"Cedes!" The voice in my dream sounded louder than before.
"Rocky!" There were two voices now. I slowly opened my eyes preparing to be blinded. The sun was down and a cool breeze was blowing off of the ocean. I looked up into the face standing above me.
"Jason?" I whispered.
"Yeah, it's me," he whispered. He dropped to his knees beside me in the sand. I sat up and he wrapped his strong arms around me in a tight embrace.
"Never leave me again," I whispered into his ear.
"Don't you worry baby," he pulled me away from him and looked into my eyes. He combed my hair out of my face and kissed me tenderly on the lips.
Beside me, Rocky and Tommy were hugging each other as best friends would do.
"Hey stud," I whispered as Tommy drew me in for a quick hug.
"Where are the others?" Rocky asked.
"They're down at the camp that we set up with a fire," Jason explained. We stood up and started walking south along the beach. I stepped and fell into the wading pool. I climbed back out it again and looked at it. I sat down, hard.
"What is it?" Tommy asked.
All I could do was point at the footprint that was in front of me. Everybody looked and gasped.
"Hey, Cedes. Your the expert on dinosaurs here, what dino made that footprint?" Rocky asked, already knowing the answer.
"Ty-Tyranosaurus Rex," I stammered.
"Oh my," Tommy and Rocky both groaned at the same time.
"Come on, let's get out of here before it decides that it didn't get it's fill of the beach," Jason said grabbing my arm and dragging me around the footprint. We ran down the beach towards the campsite, never looking back.
Max jumped up at the sight of Rocky. She ran through the low brush and jumped into his arms, strattling his waist. Thousands of kisses followed. "I love you! I love you!" she said very quickly. I stood there gazing at the two. Jason came up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me into his chest and kissed me on the nose.
"I love you. Never again go swimming with a Krono - what's it's face, for me please," my boyfriend looked into my eyes.
"I love you, too. And no, I'll never again go swimming with a Kronosaurus," I said. I kissed him on the cheek and walked over to Kim who was sleeping by the fire. Her hair was down and flowing behind her. Tommy knelt down beside her and gathered her up in his arms.
"Kim, wake up. There's somebody here who wants to talk to you," Tommy whispered into her ear.
"Who?" she whispered, waking up from a sleep that kept her worrying about me and Rocky all day.
"Hey girl," I said kneeling down beside my best friend. I wrapped her in my arms letting her know that everything was all right.
"Oh, Cedes I was so worried about you and Rocky!" Kim said, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Shh . . . come on now, you don't need to cry. I'm right here," I sat down on the sand with her head in my lap. I scratched her head until she fell asleep. My dear friend had been through so much. We thought living with our parents back home in San Diego was hard enough. I loved her so much like my little sister. I sort of wished we could go back to those days.
Tommy walked over and woke me up to take my place as Kim's pillow. He was her rightful pillow anyway. I stood up and stretched and walked over to Jason. I lied down beside him and snuggled up close. I looked at Adam sitting with his back to the fire. He was sitting up, keeping watch. "Good night Adam," I whispered, but he couldn't hear me over the roar of the fire.
The next morning I woke up to Jason's light breathing. He was fast asleep. Adam was awake. He had stayed up all night. I slipped out from underneath Jason's protection and crawled over to Adam.
"Hey gorgeous, what's up?" he asked.
"A beautiful sky, and you and me!" I answered.
He laughed, "You and Rocky always have humor no matter what time of day."
"Thank you!"
"I tried to rescue you two yesterday out of the water, but that damn dinosaur sort of got in the way."
"Oh, so that was you?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks. I never really did get to thank you."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"When I first met you, I thought you were really cute, and I had a slight crush on you."
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did. You and Max both."
"That's cute." I looked to my left and cried out.
"What?"
I pointed at the baby Apatosaurus beside me and Adam gasped.
"Isn't that a Brontosaurus?"
"That's what people call them but they are actually called Apatosaurus."
"Is it a meat-a-saurus?"
"Do you mean carnivore?"
"Yeah."
"No, it's an herbivore," Adam looked at me strangely, "A veggiesaurus."
"Oh, Okay."
"I swear sometimes, you act like Rocky."
Jason turned over in his sleep. He was moaning. "Jason, you okay babe?" I asked. To Adam I said, "I'm gonna go check on him." I crawled back over to Jason and shook him.
"Mmm . . .Cedes? I need you right now. I just need your touch. Please, hold me," he whispered. This was the first in a long while that I had actually comforted Jason.
I held him in my arms like he did for me so many times in my life. I stroked his cheek until he was breathing easier. I let out a heavy sigh. Poor thing, I thought. I bent down and kissed his forehead lightly.
I wished it wasn't my birthday. Then we never would have been on that damn yacht. We would never been taken back in time. I hated my life. Only the parts where I caused the trouble. And it always happened in a battle.
"Cedes, you all right over there?" It was Adam. He had seen the tears welling up in my eyes.
"No," I answered.
"Cedes? What's wrong?" Jason was now wide awake. He seemed to have this uncanning ability to know when I was upset.
"No, I don't feel like talking about it right now when we have bigger fish to fry. Although I highly doubt fish even exist in this time period."
"Cedes, come on. Tell me what's wrong," Jason pleaded with me.
I breathed in sharply. I couldn't believe I was refusing to talk to Jason about my problems. That was unheard of. "Okay, but can we walk somewhere out of earshot? I'm sorry Adam, it's just that I only want to share this with Jason," I apologized to my best friend.
"It's okay don't worry about it," he turned to face the beach again, watching for the Tyranosaurus and any other Cretaceous creature that wanted to bother the Power Rangers.
Jason and I walked ten feet away. We stopped under a palm tree and a cluster of ferns. I looked up into his face and sighed. He was so good to me over the past year.
"Baby, tell me what's wrong," he asked of me.
"Jason, I don't know how you guys can deal with me being a Power Ranger! I'm always causing so much problems. Like the time I was killed. I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm always getting in the way of things. Tell me, what qualities do I have that makes me qualify to be a Power Ranger?" Jason stood there while I vented. His strong hand was on my shoulder, comforting me. Letting me know that he was there when I needed him.
"Cedes, you're clever, funny, smart, you can do some serious damage, and . . ."
I looked at him, "And what else?"
"You're my girlfriend." His brown eyes locked onto my own and my knees got weak. He pulled me gently towards him and kissed me softly on my lips until our kiss grew into a feverish pace. When we broke the kiss, I looked at him and whispered so lightly I doubt he heard me, but I know he knew what I was thinking, "I love you."
"I hate to break up your little love fest, but. . . RUN!" Rocky yelled. I looked towards the beach and the Tyrannosaurus was running towards us.
"No! Wait! You guys! FREEZE! He can't see us if we don't move," I screamed in my panic run. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! In four steps the T-Rex caught up to us. We were frozen to the spot. He couldn't see us, but he knew that we were there. His snout came within inches of my face, sniffing me. I stared him down cold. His huge tongue slipped out of his mouth and began to lick me on the face. It took all the will power I had to not move. Finally, the Rex turned around and gave up on the hunt. We waited till he was out of sight and turned around and ran.
"We need to get somewhere up high," Beamer said.
"Beamer, I hate to insult your intelligence, but that just puts us within good biting distance," I said, hoping I didn't hurt the girl's feelings.
"We got new powers, maybe we should try them out. Zordon said they were unique. But he said something about only being able to morph twice a day and only allowed to morph for three hours at a time. Oh, and we have two animals," Jason recollected.
"They are all dinosaurs aren't they?" Billy asked.
"Everybody, name your dino," Aisha said.
"Velicoraptor and Pterodactly," I said.
"I have the same as Cedes," Kim said.
"Me, too," Aisha said.
"Count us in," Max said about her, Beamer, and Skyy.
"It seems to me that all the girls have Velicoraptor and Pteredactly. One deadly land animal and a flying dino," I said.
"Now the question is, what do the guys have? Tommy?" Kim asked.
"Tyrannosaurus and Pternadon."
"I take it all the guys have those same dinos?" Beamer asked.
The guys nodded their response.
"That's good. We all saw how fast the T-Rex is and Raptors can get pretty nasty. But what's so unique about them?" I said.
"Let's morph and find out," Kim said.
"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy yelled. But none of us didn't have to yell out our animal spirits. We actually started to change.
My arms shrunk down to form small forearms. My legs extended out and became leathery as my skin turned to scales. I looked at my arms and realized that I was a Velicoraptor. I looked over at Kim and the others and they were their animal spirits. Weird, I thought.
Whoa! This is different! I thought.
Hey! Who said that? Jason asked.
What do you mean who said -- dude! We're telepathic! Rocky exclaimed.
Duh, Rocky what did you expect? Dinosaurs really don't have the lips to talk. Beamer said.
Hey, look at the little guys. Rocky said, totally ignoring Beamer.
What do you mean 'little guys?' We're the girls. Kim explained.
Yeah, but we're big mean T-Rex's. Rocky said, trying to make a point.
Oh yeah? We're small, highly dangerous, highly smart, very fast Velicoraptors. I said.
Yeah, go Cedes. That's my dino girl. Jason said.
Honey, don't even attempt at a high five. I said, making everybody laugh.
Well, what should we do? Billy asked.
We should find a better campsite where we can have running water and something so we can make weapons, I said.
How do you know so much about survival skills? Adam asked.
I watched a lot of 'jungle' movies when I was younger. I explained.
Oh, you mean like Rambo and stuff? Rocky asked.
Yes, and don't get her started. Kim cut in.
Well, let's travel now. We have less than three hours to get to wherever God intends us to be. Beamer said.
We started to walk. I was hungry. I think we all were. I felt better now that I'd talked to Jason. I'll have to thank him later. I sighed and continued walking towards the rising sun. We wanted the sun in front of us.
You know what guys? Rocky asked.
What? We asked simultaneously.
It's not like we'll find civilization if we keep walking, so I say we plop down right here and deEnergize.
You know, that is a good idea. Jason said.
DeEnergize Tommy said in the back of the group. He had drifted to the back for protection for the rest of the Rangers.
We all demorphed and were back to our normal -- okay well not 'normal' but regular selves. Jason walked over to me and grabbed my hand. We had been through so much the past couple of months. Our love just grew stronger with each passing day.
"Hey Cedes, I have a question for you and Rocky," Kim said. "How did you two get separated from the rest of us?"
"I don't know, it's Cedes and me," Rocky said, giving the perfect answer.
"I totally agree," Aisha said.
"I have a question for you guys," Rocky started. "Do you laugh at my jokes because they're funny, or do you laugh at my jokes because they suck?"
"Rocky, you are hilarious," Tommy said. We all looked at him, because he was usually the one reprimanding Rocky and I for acting stupid.
Rocky stared, not being able to believe that Tommy had just told him that he was funny. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, very. You and Cedes both ease the tension on the battlefield if things get out of hand and we're all fighting amongst one another," Tommy answered.
"Wow! It's nice to know that you love me man!" Rocky walked up and gave Tommy a hug.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," I said, not being able to help myself.
"Hey, Skyy. You've been pretty quiet lately. What's been up?" Kim asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking," she said softly.
"Hey, do you wanna talk?" I asked, walking up and putting my arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
"Oh, trust me hun, I don't."
"Yeah, trust her. She didn't mind talking to a complete and total stranger," Tommy said.
"What?" I asked.
"You know, the Gym and Juice Bar?" he asked.
"Oh. Right," I said, giving my best 'Emperor's New Groove' impersonation.
"Oh, boy. . . " Jason began.
I didn't get to hear him finish his sentence, because I walked off with Skyy to a secure location. I wasn't sure if Skyy wanted to let everybody else listen in.
"So, Skyy, what's been buggin' ya?" I asked.
"It's Angel. I haven't heard from him in over a month and he promised to always write me back. I'm afraid something happened to him."
"Oh, hun! It's all right. I'm sure he's okay."
"Do you really think so?" She wasn't crying, but she was surely upset. Skyy wasn't the type of person to cry. She was strong. I admired her for that.
"Are you gonna be okay? Because we shouldn't be standing here."
"Why not?"
I couldn't answer. I had seen something move in the trees. Something quick. I was afraid that I was right on what it was.
I quickly grabbed Skyy's arm and dragged her back to the rest of the gang.
"Everybody morph," I commanded.
"Why? What's wrong?" Tommy asked.
"We're about to be attacked by Velciraptors," I said.
Tommy's eyes grew dark. "It's Morphin Time," he whispered, knowing what I was thinking. We had to be quiet, as not to let the Velciraptors know that we knew they were there.
"We have to able to fly. So think about your flying dinosaur," I said.
We quickly started to change. My arms stretched out to form a wingspan of 10 feet. I felt my body shrink as my head grew out to become the head of a Pterydactoyl.
A few minutes later, my morphing was complete. A few seconds after that, the Raptor attacked.
Everybody! Fly! Jason screamed in our heads.
We took off at full speed. It was an amazing feeling to be flying. I could feel the wind carrying me up and away from the ground towards Heaven.
Guys, I think I've figured out how we got here in the first place! Kim exclaimed, two hours later as we continued to fly, looking for a good resting place for us humans.
What's that Kimberly? Billy asked.
See, I believe that there are individual time lines set for each of us. And I figure that our time lines interlocked with each other's because of our Powers and our close bond.
And your saying this because? Adam asked. He was grouchy and he was worried about Aisha and the rest of out condition. Adam's like that.
I think that that huge explosion interrupted our time line and sent us hurtling back into the time of dinosaurs. Now, all we have to do is wait for another explosion to get us back to our time period. Kim said finishing up her theory.
That's a great idea! One problem, Skyy started.
What is that? Kim asked.
How are we gonna get an explosion? Skyy asked.
Well, Cedes, what time period of dinosaurs do you think we're in? she asked me.
Cretaceous.
How are you so sure? Billy asked me.
Because flowers existed during the Cretaceous and there is only one dinosaur that lived during this time period that didn't exist in any other. I said.
And that is? Rocky asked.
We landed, Tyrannosaurus.
DeEnergize, Tommy sighed.
Two minutes later we were back in human form. I was hungry and totally exhausted.
"Well, how are we supposed to find an explosive device?" Adam asked.
I looked up, sullen expression on my face, "We head back to the ocean. This is the last age of dinosaurs. A supposed comet destroyed them. I believe that would be a big enough explosion for us to get back home," I said.
"We need to go back to where we first came," Beamer said, figuring it all out.
"Exactly. Don't even say it," I looked at Kim.
"What?" she asked.
The two of us started to laugh. It was the first good laugh that we had in days.
"We, should get to sleep. We have no clue when this comet is gonna hit us," Jason said.
"Yeah we do," Adam said, taking everybody by surprise.
"How?" Everybody asked.
"I've been watching it. I saw it last night. I have a major in astronomy and I know this kind of stuff. It's gonna hit tonight."
"Well, why didn't you tell us?" Tommy demanded. I was surprised, I had never seen Tommy so upset before.
"Tommy, calm down. We need to pull ourselves together and get to the ocean," Kim said, gently pulling on his arm.
"We only traveled along the banks, so we're only about a half mile away from the shoreline," Billy estimated.
"All right, let's get walking," Aisha said.
Jason walked over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. I caught his gaze and wondered what he was thinking. Probably thinks I'm psychotic. He's probably wondering why he got involved with me in the first place, I thought.
"Cedes I don't like that look you have on your face," he said.
"Don't worry. I'll tell you later." We had reached the edge of the water where the waves gently lapped up on shore. I stood with my toes in the water.
"Here it comes," Adam yelled. He grabbed Aisha and hit the dirt with her in his arms. We all screamed as we the comet hit behind the palm trees. Jason's strong arms held onto me tight and wouldn't let me go. The blast hit me with such force that the heat burned my skin. I quickly crawled to the water and prayed that we made it through the night.
My eyes flickered open in my own bedroom. I was beginning to wonder if it was all a dream. I looked at the calendar, October 13. So it really happened. It all happened yesterday. But it felt like two days.
I heard a slight knock on the door. It was Jason, coming to bring me some tea. He had a movie in his hand.
"Come on, I got something for you to watch," he said.
"If it's episodes of Baywatch, I'm really not interested in seeing silicon and extensions running along happily on the beach in red bathing suits."
"Oh no, don't worry," Jason said as Rocky and Max walked into the room. Rocky was holding a bowl of popcorn in his hand.
"Hey! Where's the party at?" Adam and Aisha asked as they walked into the room, also carrying a bowl of popcorn. They also had presents.
Rocky pulled out his gift as everybody assembled themselves in the room. He handed it to me. I gently tore off the paper and threw it aside. It was a book. I looked at the cover and laughed.
I read it outloud, "Using Crossbows for Dummies. Cute Rocky."
Jason handed me his gift. It was small. I quickly opened it and gasped. It was a ring. I looked at Jason.
"I think you know what the question is," he said slyly.
"I think you know what the answer is," I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Holding the celebration off till that night.
"Here Cedes, this is from me and Kim," Tommy said, handing me a huge plastic bag. I pulled the stuffed animal out and looked at it. It was a huge Siberian Tiger.
"Thanks guys! That's sweet!" I exclaimed.
"But wait till you see the tape. Go ahead Jason," Max said.
Jason popped in the VHS and pushed PLAY. I looked at the screen and heard the familiar theme song.
"Welcome, to Jurassic Park," You - know - who said.
"Very funny Adam."
We laughed . . . actually enjoying life for the first time.
Thank you: For reading at least this far.
Blast into the Past
by Siberian Tiger
It was a rainy day and everybody was hoping a crisis would not occur. That Rita or Zedd or Divatox wouldn't be bored today. It was a day of relaxation. It was my birthday.
My name is Mercedes Morrison, but I'll just refer to myself as Cedes. Since that's what everybody calls me. I'm 16 and I'm not your typical California girl. I'm probably the strangest one you'll ever meet.
We were on a yacht, out in the middle of the ocean. It was raining so it wasn't very romantic. But my best friends were out there hanging with me, so I was happy.
My best friends aren't exactly what you would call normal. I'll give you a brief run-down.
First there's Kim. We've been best friends since third grade and she's always been there for me. Especially the past couple of years. She's had bad luck with guys a couple times, but she scored on this last one.
Her boyfriend is Tommy. We got to know each other by me talking to him on the first day of school at the Gym and Juice Bar. He was having trouble with something and I helped him through it. He's the 'leader' of our little group.
His best friend and my boyfriend is Jason. I love him so much. I remember when he first told me that he loved me. It made me so happy to realize that I wasn't falling in love with somebody and they were just keeping me there to give me hope. But he actually loves me and I know he means it when he tells me that he does.
Next is Billy and Beamer. The two smartest of the bunch but also the weirdest. They have a strange way of getting together. They say that they are doing Health homework, but we are known to think otherwise.
After that weird couple, you have Rocky and Max. Max is pretty normal, but it's Rocky that you have to watch out for. That boy, WHEW! He's always wired and lucky Max is at his side to keep him calm. Because if I were his girlfriend, all would be doomed.
Probably the most normal couple out of us all is Aisha and Adam. They don't fight, they are very calm and are very affectionate towards each other.
But then, you have the single one out of us, Skyy. She's definantly had bad luck with the guys. Her first boyfriend, Angel left town the day after they got together. And a potential boyfriend wanted to control her and take over the world. Not to mention me. (I always seem to get the bad end of the deal.)
Anyway, we were hanging out on Beamer's yacht and just having a good time being together. We didn't have to worry about Zords and Morphing and all that other great stuff that comes with being a Power Ranger. We were just enjoying life for the first time in a long while . . .
"You know what you guys?" I asked.
"What Cedes?" Kim looked at me.
"It's been awhile since we've done this."
Jason looked at me with a glitter in his eyes, "Done what?"
"Hung out together," I said rolling my eyes.
"Yeah, but do you know what we haven't done in awhile?" Jason whispered into my ear.
"Yes, I do know, but wait," I whispered.
"So, what do you guys want to do?" Max asked.
"How about we play Truth or Dare?" Rocky suggested.
"Rocky, we already know each other very well, we really don't need to play Truth or Dare," Beamer being her smart self noted.
"Yeah, but I know some of you have got some dirty little secrets," Rocky said.
"Okay," I groaned.
"I think Cedes should go first since it's her birthday," Skyy suggested.
"Oh! I got one!" Aisha exclaimed. "What is the most romantic thing Jason has ever done for you?"
"Ummmmm . . ." I was thinking.
"Come on! Spill!" Kim said.
"It would have to be the first time he told me that he loved me. It was four o'clock in the morning and he came over. We sat on the couch and he told me. It still makes me tear up when I think I about it," I answered. I squeezed Jason's hand.
"Awwwwww," all the girls sighed. The guys just sat there.
"Wait a sec! Whatever happened to asking me truth or dare?" I asked.
"Because we knew you'd pick truth," Aisha said.
"You know me all too well."
"I think---" Kim began, but she was interrupted by a huge explosion that sent water flying onto the boat. The windows shattered sending shards of glass flying through the air. The last thing I remember before unconsciousness was Jason grabbing me and diving on top of me to protect me from the glass. Then after that . . . darkness.
I awoke to a blinding light. It had stopped raining and the sun was high in the sky. I was in the water floating on a board, but the yacht was nowhere in sight. It must have blown up, I thought. Jason! My boyfriend's face appeared in my mind as I laid there in the hot sun on the board. "Jason!!!" I tried to scream, but my voice was hoarse. I tried again, "Jason!" There much better.
"Cedes?" I heard a meek voice ask.
"Kim?"
"No, it's me," the voice said.
"Rocky?" I asked.
"Yeah," he answered.
I swam to him and embraced him tightly. "What happened?"
"I don't know. I remember playing Truth or Dare and then this huge explosion! And then I remember seeing a volcano," he said half dazed.
"What? Come again? A volcano?" I looked around and sure enough there was a volcano rising above the ocean's surface. I looked through the surface of the ocean and saw something dark move. It was big.
"Uh, Cedes? Did you feel that?"
"Yeah," I answered, my voice shaking.
"Maybe it was a whale. You know, nature's gentle giant?" Rocky had hope.
"It looked bigger than a whale." Then behind Rocky's head a long neck broke through the surface of the green ocean water and howled.
"I don't even want to look," Rocky started to cry. The tears slowly rolling down his cheeks.
"No way! That's a, uh . . .oh my gosh! Kronosaurus!" I screamed. Now I wished that I wasn't so into dinosaurs when I was younger.
"What?" Rocky screamed, panicked.
Just then, a strong arm reached down and pulled me out of the water. I didn't have time to thank my rescuer when the Kronosaurus struck. It flipped Rocky and I into the air like rag dolls. I was in the air, plummeting towards the choppy ocean waves. Rocky and I lined ourselves up for the perfect dive. I sliced through the water, diving twenty feet below the surface before resurfacing. Rocky came back up after me.
"Should we morph?" Rocky screamed over the Kronosaurus' cries of fury. It wasn't able to catch us.
"We should try. Zordon just gave us new powers that he said were unique. So, I guess. But let's not try them until we get to the shore. If we ever get to the shore," I added that last part under my breath.
"It's Morphin' Time!" I yelled.
"Ape!"
"Siberian Ti--" Rocky and I were launched into the air again, in the direction of the shore.
"Complete the morphing process! You won't be able to land!" Rocky screamed as we plummeted to our doom.
"Siberian Tiger!" I yelled into the rushing wind before I landed on the sandy beach in a little wading pool. I climbed out wishing that I could see Jason one more time. He was probably the one that pulled me out of the water. I started to cry.
"DeEnergize," I whispered. I threw my morpher into the sand. Rocky walked over to me and sat down beside me. I looked into his brown eyes and collapsed into his arms.
"Shh . . .it's gonna be okay. Everything will be fine," he soothed. He was such a good friend to me. Even though I found out he wasn't my brother, he still treats me like his little sister. He's always looking out for me.
We fell asleep on the beach hoping that a dinosaur wouldn't come and pick us off while we were sleeping.
"Cedes!" The voice in my dream sounded louder than before.
"Rocky!" There were two voices now. I slowly opened my eyes preparing to be blinded. The sun was down and a cool breeze was blowing off of the ocean. I looked up into the face standing above me.
"Jason?" I whispered.
"Yeah, it's me," he whispered. He dropped to his knees beside me in the sand. I sat up and he wrapped his strong arms around me in a tight embrace.
"Never leave me again," I whispered into his ear.
"Don't you worry baby," he pulled me away from him and looked into my eyes. He combed my hair out of my face and kissed me tenderly on the lips.
Beside me, Rocky and Tommy were hugging each other as best friends would do.
"Hey stud," I whispered as Tommy drew me in for a quick hug.
"Where are the others?" Rocky asked.
"They're down at the camp that we set up with a fire," Jason explained. We stood up and started walking south along the beach. I stepped and fell into the wading pool. I climbed back out it again and looked at it. I sat down, hard.
"What is it?" Tommy asked.
All I could do was point at the footprint that was in front of me. Everybody looked and gasped.
"Hey, Cedes. Your the expert on dinosaurs here, what dino made that footprint?" Rocky asked, already knowing the answer.
"Ty-Tyranosaurus Rex," I stammered.
"Oh my," Tommy and Rocky both groaned at the same time.
"Come on, let's get out of here before it decides that it didn't get it's fill of the beach," Jason said grabbing my arm and dragging me around the footprint. We ran down the beach towards the campsite, never looking back.
Max jumped up at the sight of Rocky. She ran through the low brush and jumped into his arms, strattling his waist. Thousands of kisses followed. "I love you! I love you!" she said very quickly. I stood there gazing at the two. Jason came up and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He pulled me into his chest and kissed me on the nose.
"I love you. Never again go swimming with a Krono - what's it's face, for me please," my boyfriend looked into my eyes.
"I love you, too. And no, I'll never again go swimming with a Kronosaurus," I said. I kissed him on the cheek and walked over to Kim who was sleeping by the fire. Her hair was down and flowing behind her. Tommy knelt down beside her and gathered her up in his arms.
"Kim, wake up. There's somebody here who wants to talk to you," Tommy whispered into her ear.
"Who?" she whispered, waking up from a sleep that kept her worrying about me and Rocky all day.
"Hey girl," I said kneeling down beside my best friend. I wrapped her in my arms letting her know that everything was all right.
"Oh, Cedes I was so worried about you and Rocky!" Kim said, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
"Shh . . . come on now, you don't need to cry. I'm right here," I sat down on the sand with her head in my lap. I scratched her head until she fell asleep. My dear friend had been through so much. We thought living with our parents back home in San Diego was hard enough. I loved her so much like my little sister. I sort of wished we could go back to those days.
Tommy walked over and woke me up to take my place as Kim's pillow. He was her rightful pillow anyway. I stood up and stretched and walked over to Jason. I lied down beside him and snuggled up close. I looked at Adam sitting with his back to the fire. He was sitting up, keeping watch. "Good night Adam," I whispered, but he couldn't hear me over the roar of the fire.
The next morning I woke up to Jason's light breathing. He was fast asleep. Adam was awake. He had stayed up all night. I slipped out from underneath Jason's protection and crawled over to Adam.
"Hey gorgeous, what's up?" he asked.
"A beautiful sky, and you and me!" I answered.
He laughed, "You and Rocky always have humor no matter what time of day."
"Thank you!"
"I tried to rescue you two yesterday out of the water, but that damn dinosaur sort of got in the way."
"Oh, so that was you?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks. I never really did get to thank you."
"You know what?"
"What?"
"When I first met you, I thought you were really cute, and I had a slight crush on you."
"You did?"
"Yeah, I did. You and Max both."
"That's cute." I looked to my left and cried out.
"What?"
I pointed at the baby Apatosaurus beside me and Adam gasped.
"Isn't that a Brontosaurus?"
"That's what people call them but they are actually called Apatosaurus."
"Is it a meat-a-saurus?"
"Do you mean carnivore?"
"Yeah."
"No, it's an herbivore," Adam looked at me strangely, "A veggiesaurus."
"Oh, Okay."
"I swear sometimes, you act like Rocky."
Jason turned over in his sleep. He was moaning. "Jason, you okay babe?" I asked. To Adam I said, "I'm gonna go check on him." I crawled back over to Jason and shook him.
"Mmm . . .Cedes? I need you right now. I just need your touch. Please, hold me," he whispered. This was the first in a long while that I had actually comforted Jason.
I held him in my arms like he did for me so many times in my life. I stroked his cheek until he was breathing easier. I let out a heavy sigh. Poor thing, I thought. I bent down and kissed his forehead lightly.
I wished it wasn't my birthday. Then we never would have been on that damn yacht. We would never been taken back in time. I hated my life. Only the parts where I caused the trouble. And it always happened in a battle.
"Cedes, you all right over there?" It was Adam. He had seen the tears welling up in my eyes.
"No," I answered.
"Cedes? What's wrong?" Jason was now wide awake. He seemed to have this uncanning ability to know when I was upset.
"No, I don't feel like talking about it right now when we have bigger fish to fry. Although I highly doubt fish even exist in this time period."
"Cedes, come on. Tell me what's wrong," Jason pleaded with me.
I breathed in sharply. I couldn't believe I was refusing to talk to Jason about my problems. That was unheard of. "Okay, but can we walk somewhere out of earshot? I'm sorry Adam, it's just that I only want to share this with Jason," I apologized to my best friend.
"It's okay don't worry about it," he turned to face the beach again, watching for the Tyranosaurus and any other Cretaceous creature that wanted to bother the Power Rangers.
Jason and I walked ten feet away. We stopped under a palm tree and a cluster of ferns. I looked up into his face and sighed. He was so good to me over the past year.
"Baby, tell me what's wrong," he asked of me.
"Jason, I don't know how you guys can deal with me being a Power Ranger! I'm always causing so much problems. Like the time I was killed. I don't know what's wrong with me! I'm always getting in the way of things. Tell me, what qualities do I have that makes me qualify to be a Power Ranger?" Jason stood there while I vented. His strong hand was on my shoulder, comforting me. Letting me know that he was there when I needed him.
"Cedes, you're clever, funny, smart, you can do some serious damage, and . . ."
I looked at him, "And what else?"
"You're my girlfriend." His brown eyes locked onto my own and my knees got weak. He pulled me gently towards him and kissed me softly on my lips until our kiss grew into a feverish pace. When we broke the kiss, I looked at him and whispered so lightly I doubt he heard me, but I know he knew what I was thinking, "I love you."
"I hate to break up your little love fest, but. . . RUN!" Rocky yelled. I looked towards the beach and the Tyrannosaurus was running towards us.
"No! Wait! You guys! FREEZE! He can't see us if we don't move," I screamed in my panic run. Everybody stopped dead in their tracks.
BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! BOOM!! In four steps the T-Rex caught up to us. We were frozen to the spot. He couldn't see us, but he knew that we were there. His snout came within inches of my face, sniffing me. I stared him down cold. His huge tongue slipped out of his mouth and began to lick me on the face. It took all the will power I had to not move. Finally, the Rex turned around and gave up on the hunt. We waited till he was out of sight and turned around and ran.
"We need to get somewhere up high," Beamer said.
"Beamer, I hate to insult your intelligence, but that just puts us within good biting distance," I said, hoping I didn't hurt the girl's feelings.
"We got new powers, maybe we should try them out. Zordon said they were unique. But he said something about only being able to morph twice a day and only allowed to morph for three hours at a time. Oh, and we have two animals," Jason recollected.
"They are all dinosaurs aren't they?" Billy asked.
"Everybody, name your dino," Aisha said.
"Velicoraptor and Pterodactly," I said.
"I have the same as Cedes," Kim said.
"Me, too," Aisha said.
"Count us in," Max said about her, Beamer, and Skyy.
"It seems to me that all the girls have Velicoraptor and Pteredactly. One deadly land animal and a flying dino," I said.
"Now the question is, what do the guys have? Tommy?" Kim asked.
"Tyrannosaurus and Pternadon."
"I take it all the guys have those same dinos?" Beamer asked.
The guys nodded their response.
"That's good. We all saw how fast the T-Rex is and Raptors can get pretty nasty. But what's so unique about them?" I said.
"Let's morph and find out," Kim said.
"It's Morphin Time!" Tommy yelled. But none of us didn't have to yell out our animal spirits. We actually started to change.
My arms shrunk down to form small forearms. My legs extended out and became leathery as my skin turned to scales. I looked at my arms and realized that I was a Velicoraptor. I looked over at Kim and the others and they were their animal spirits. Weird, I thought.
Whoa! This is different! I thought.
Hey! Who said that? Jason asked.
What do you mean who said -- dude! We're telepathic! Rocky exclaimed.
Duh, Rocky what did you expect? Dinosaurs really don't have the lips to talk. Beamer said.
Hey, look at the little guys. Rocky said, totally ignoring Beamer.
What do you mean 'little guys?' We're the girls. Kim explained.
Yeah, but we're big mean T-Rex's. Rocky said, trying to make a point.
Oh yeah? We're small, highly dangerous, highly smart, very fast Velicoraptors. I said.
Yeah, go Cedes. That's my dino girl. Jason said.
Honey, don't even attempt at a high five. I said, making everybody laugh.
Well, what should we do? Billy asked.
We should find a better campsite where we can have running water and something so we can make weapons, I said.
How do you know so much about survival skills? Adam asked.
I watched a lot of 'jungle' movies when I was younger. I explained.
Oh, you mean like Rambo and stuff? Rocky asked.
Yes, and don't get her started. Kim cut in.
Well, let's travel now. We have less than three hours to get to wherever God intends us to be. Beamer said.
We started to walk. I was hungry. I think we all were. I felt better now that I'd talked to Jason. I'll have to thank him later. I sighed and continued walking towards the rising sun. We wanted the sun in front of us.
You know what guys? Rocky asked.
What? We asked simultaneously.
It's not like we'll find civilization if we keep walking, so I say we plop down right here and deEnergize.
You know, that is a good idea. Jason said.
DeEnergize Tommy said in the back of the group. He had drifted to the back for protection for the rest of the Rangers.
We all demorphed and were back to our normal -- okay well not 'normal' but regular selves. Jason walked over to me and grabbed my hand. We had been through so much the past couple of months. Our love just grew stronger with each passing day.
"Hey Cedes, I have a question for you and Rocky," Kim said. "How did you two get separated from the rest of us?"
"I don't know, it's Cedes and me," Rocky said, giving the perfect answer.
"I totally agree," Aisha said.
"I have a question for you guys," Rocky started. "Do you laugh at my jokes because they're funny, or do you laugh at my jokes because they suck?"
"Rocky, you are hilarious," Tommy said. We all looked at him, because he was usually the one reprimanding Rocky and I for acting stupid.
Rocky stared, not being able to believe that Tommy had just told him that he was funny. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, very. You and Cedes both ease the tension on the battlefield if things get out of hand and we're all fighting amongst one another," Tommy answered.
"Wow! It's nice to know that you love me man!" Rocky walked up and gave Tommy a hug.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures," I said, not being able to help myself.
"Hey, Skyy. You've been pretty quiet lately. What's been up?" Kim asked.
"Oh, nothing. Just thinking," she said softly.
"Hey, do you wanna talk?" I asked, walking up and putting my arm around her shoulders.
"Yeah, if you don't mind."
"Oh, trust me hun, I don't."
"Yeah, trust her. She didn't mind talking to a complete and total stranger," Tommy said.
"What?" I asked.
"You know, the Gym and Juice Bar?" he asked.
"Oh. Right," I said, giving my best 'Emperor's New Groove' impersonation.
"Oh, boy. . . " Jason began.
I didn't get to hear him finish his sentence, because I walked off with Skyy to a secure location. I wasn't sure if Skyy wanted to let everybody else listen in.
"So, Skyy, what's been buggin' ya?" I asked.
"It's Angel. I haven't heard from him in over a month and he promised to always write me back. I'm afraid something happened to him."
"Oh, hun! It's all right. I'm sure he's okay."
"Do you really think so?" She wasn't crying, but she was surely upset. Skyy wasn't the type of person to cry. She was strong. I admired her for that.
"Are you gonna be okay? Because we shouldn't be standing here."
"Why not?"
I couldn't answer. I had seen something move in the trees. Something quick. I was afraid that I was right on what it was.
I quickly grabbed Skyy's arm and dragged her back to the rest of the gang.
"Everybody morph," I commanded.
"Why? What's wrong?" Tommy asked.
"We're about to be attacked by Velciraptors," I said.
Tommy's eyes grew dark. "It's Morphin Time," he whispered, knowing what I was thinking. We had to be quiet, as not to let the Velciraptors know that we knew they were there.
"We have to able to fly. So think about your flying dinosaur," I said.
We quickly started to change. My arms stretched out to form a wingspan of 10 feet. I felt my body shrink as my head grew out to become the head of a Pterydactoyl.
A few minutes later, my morphing was complete. A few seconds after that, the Raptor attacked.
Everybody! Fly! Jason screamed in our heads.
We took off at full speed. It was an amazing feeling to be flying. I could feel the wind carrying me up and away from the ground towards Heaven.
Guys, I think I've figured out how we got here in the first place! Kim exclaimed, two hours later as we continued to fly, looking for a good resting place for us humans.
What's that Kimberly? Billy asked.
See, I believe that there are individual time lines set for each of us. And I figure that our time lines interlocked with each other's because of our Powers and our close bond.
And your saying this because? Adam asked. He was grouchy and he was worried about Aisha and the rest of out condition. Adam's like that.
I think that that huge explosion interrupted our time line and sent us hurtling back into the time of dinosaurs. Now, all we have to do is wait for another explosion to get us back to our time period. Kim said finishing up her theory.
That's a great idea! One problem, Skyy started.
What is that? Kim asked.
How are we gonna get an explosion? Skyy asked.
Well, Cedes, what time period of dinosaurs do you think we're in? she asked me.
Cretaceous.
How are you so sure? Billy asked me.
Because flowers existed during the Cretaceous and there is only one dinosaur that lived during this time period that didn't exist in any other. I said.
And that is? Rocky asked.
We landed, Tyrannosaurus.
DeEnergize, Tommy sighed.
Two minutes later we were back in human form. I was hungry and totally exhausted.
"Well, how are we supposed to find an explosive device?" Adam asked.
I looked up, sullen expression on my face, "We head back to the ocean. This is the last age of dinosaurs. A supposed comet destroyed them. I believe that would be a big enough explosion for us to get back home," I said.
"We need to go back to where we first came," Beamer said, figuring it all out.
"Exactly. Don't even say it," I looked at Kim.
"What?" she asked.
The two of us started to laugh. It was the first good laugh that we had in days.
"We, should get to sleep. We have no clue when this comet is gonna hit us," Jason said.
"Yeah we do," Adam said, taking everybody by surprise.
"How?" Everybody asked.
"I've been watching it. I saw it last night. I have a major in astronomy and I know this kind of stuff. It's gonna hit tonight."
"Well, why didn't you tell us?" Tommy demanded. I was surprised, I had never seen Tommy so upset before.
"Tommy, calm down. We need to pull ourselves together and get to the ocean," Kim said, gently pulling on his arm.
"We only traveled along the banks, so we're only about a half mile away from the shoreline," Billy estimated.
"All right, let's get walking," Aisha said.
Jason walked over and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. I caught his gaze and wondered what he was thinking. Probably thinks I'm psychotic. He's probably wondering why he got involved with me in the first place, I thought.
"Cedes I don't like that look you have on your face," he said.
"Don't worry. I'll tell you later." We had reached the edge of the water where the waves gently lapped up on shore. I stood with my toes in the water.
"Here it comes," Adam yelled. He grabbed Aisha and hit the dirt with her in his arms. We all screamed as we the comet hit behind the palm trees. Jason's strong arms held onto me tight and wouldn't let me go. The blast hit me with such force that the heat burned my skin. I quickly crawled to the water and prayed that we made it through the night.
My eyes flickered open in my own bedroom. I was beginning to wonder if it was all a dream. I looked at the calendar, October 13. So it really happened. It all happened yesterday. But it felt like two days.
I heard a slight knock on the door. It was Jason, coming to bring me some tea. He had a movie in his hand.
"Come on, I got something for you to watch," he said.
"If it's episodes of Baywatch, I'm really not interested in seeing silicon and extensions running along happily on the beach in red bathing suits."
"Oh no, don't worry," Jason said as Rocky and Max walked into the room. Rocky was holding a bowl of popcorn in his hand.
"Hey! Where's the party at?" Adam and Aisha asked as they walked into the room, also carrying a bowl of popcorn. They also had presents.
Rocky pulled out his gift as everybody assembled themselves in the room. He handed it to me. I gently tore off the paper and threw it aside. It was a book. I looked at the cover and laughed.
I read it outloud, "Using Crossbows for Dummies. Cute Rocky."
Jason handed me his gift. It was small. I quickly opened it and gasped. It was a ring. I looked at Jason.
"I think you know what the question is," he said slyly.
"I think you know what the answer is," I leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. Holding the celebration off till that night.
"Here Cedes, this is from me and Kim," Tommy said, handing me a huge plastic bag. I pulled the stuffed animal out and looked at it. It was a huge Siberian Tiger.
"Thanks guys! That's sweet!" I exclaimed.
"But wait till you see the tape. Go ahead Jason," Max said.
Jason popped in the VHS and pushed PLAY. I looked at the screen and heard the familiar theme song.
"Welcome, to Jurassic Park," You - know - who said.
"Very funny Adam."
We laughed . . . actually enjoying life for the first time.