Hey guys, I'm looking forward to continuing with my Karate Forces story, but I decided to give my characters some more spotlight and give you guys more of a glimpse of how their lives played out. Today, we will start with Maya, the Yellow Ranger.


Preschool

"Daddy, I don't want to go!" The Hispanic toddler whined as she hung onto her father's leg.

"Sweetie, you have to." The older man spoke softly to his daughter.

The young girl looked up at her father. Her eyes turned damp. "You're going to leave me?"

The man shook his head and knelt at his daughter's level. "Maya, you are getting older. And big girls go to school. Daddy has to help Mommy out at work. I promise I'll be there to pick you up afterward."

Maya sniffled. "You promise?"

The man kissed her daughter's head and hugged her. "I promise."

A New Brother

"Maya, come on, there is someone I'd like you to meet." Her father said, smiling as he led the two-year-old girl into her mother's hospital room.

Once they were inside, Maya spotted her mother on a bed holding a bundle. Her mother looked down at her and smiled.

"Mija, there is someone I'd like you to meet." She said. Maya's father picked her up and sat her next to her mother.

"Maya, this is your new brother, Pablo."

Maya looked over at saw her newborn brother's face and she smiled. Little did she know this boy would soon be considered the most obnoxious person she has ever met.

New Friends

After having to move to the suburbs of the city, Maya was a quite shy girl when it came to meeting new people. She sat right next to a red-haired boy who was busy doodling in his notebook.

She smiled and asked. "Can I try?"

The boy just smiled and gave her the notepad. Maya took several glances at the boy as she sketched in his notebook. She then showed her art to him and he was blown away by how she was able to draw and perfectly good portrait of him.

"Cool!" He exclaimed. He then looked up at her and offered the girl a handshake. "I'm Max."

The girl smiled sweetly as she spoke. "I'm Maya."

It was a start of a beautiful friendship...well, not a great start until a certain other boy popped up.

"Hey, Max! Who's the chick?"

Maya looked over and saw a dark-skinned boy walking toward them, holding a can of soda. Maya watched disgustedly as the boy chugged the soda before letting out a huge belch, which got Max to chuckle slightly.

Max leaned over and whispered. "That's DJ. Don't worry, you'll like him."

Maya rolled her eyes. She only wished Max was right.

Grief

Maya's mother collapsed to the ground and began crying very loudly as a military officer came over to break some tragic news to her. Once Maya's brother heard the news, he held onto Mrs. Garcia and the two cried in agony.

Maya did not understand what was going on, but then the officer walked over to her and spoke.

"Are you Diego Garcia's daughter?"

The 10-year-old replied. "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry to say this, but your father is dead."

Maya felt like the entire world had stopped spinning. Her voice hitched and tears began to spring into her eyes. Her father...was gone.

Three weeks later at the funeral, Maya couldn't take it anymore. Her tears were already staining her dress as she approached her father's closed casket. She just broke down on her knees right there. Both DJ and Max, who had attended the funeral to support her friend, rushed over and spent God knows how long trying to calm her down, but it only barely worked.

Comfort

Maya was lost at the moment. The eleven-year-old just felt so lonely at the time without her father. She even thought of harming herself at least once or twice, but her friends and family were what kept her from going over the edge She sat with her head down on a picnic table when she felt someone lay a cup of orange soda in front of her, her favorite drink. She looked up at who offered it to her and smiled.

"Thanks, dude..."

Max hugged her as he spoke. "Of course..."

A huge step toward Adulthood

Maya found her mother waving a new set of car keys in her hand. She gasped.

"Are you serious?"

Her mother giggled and led her to the garage. Maya's excitement soon diminished as she took a good look at her new car. It was dusty and needed some maintenance. She glanced over at her mother, who scowled at her.

"Don't be ungrateful. I didn't get my first car until I was 25."

Maya rolled her eyes. "How am I supposed to drive me and my friends to class, Mama?"

Maybe Max's father could help her trick it out.

Something to never take for granted

Maya looked down as DJ and Max leaned against her on both sides as the movie finished. Despite already having a brother, there was no one closer to Maya than these two doofuses. And she couldn't think of a better team to fight against evil than them.