***
Cassie woke up early, her eyes wide and ready to remain open for the day, even though the day in question had barely begun to arrive.
It was, admittedly, unlike her lately to be up so early, and as she rolled over onto her side and stared blankly into her quarters, she sighed.
"5:30." Her voice muttered with a touch of annoyance. "Great."
Rolling back over and sitting up, she tugged at her shirt, which had tangled around her legs in her slumber. After a few minutes of sitting there, she hopped off her bed and exited the room. Passing all the other rangers' quarters, she realized that she wasn't the only one up, and in fact it was likely that there was even someone on the bridge. Of course, she wasn't about to go running to the bridge in her pajamas, but it sort of comforted her to know that she wasn't alone.
She walked into the informal lounge which led to the separate bathing areas and washrooms, and she nodded when she saw Carlos in the corner, pulling on long black socks under his gray uniform pants.
"Not even a good morning?" Carlos asked.
"Nope." She replied teasingly.
"Well, you suck."
"What you say??" Cassie exclaimed in an exaggeratedly bad accent.
"What are you even doing up this early, anyway?" Carlos asked, putting on his shoe.
"I don't know.. I think God was beckoning me here to tell you that you need to wash your socks." She flashed him a grin and ducked as he tossed his other shoe at her.
"You're lucky. You're lucky." He said, pointing at her with one eye squinted. She giggled, sticking her tongue out and bouncing around. She picked up his shoe and waved it in the air mockingly.
"Okay, that's it. Now you die!" Carlos yelled, leaping at her. She shrieked as he grabbed her from behind, wrenching the shoe out of her grasp. He held it up like it was a sword, and Cassie struck a fighting pose.
"Bring it on, pretty boy!" She snarled, laughing.
He grinned and whacked her with the shoe. She frowned and rubbed her shoulder. "Owww. That kinda hurt."
.
"That's what happens!" He shot back, twirling around. "When you incur the wrath of Caaaarlos."
"The wrath of Caaaarlos." She snickered, shaking her head. "Okay, Caaaaaarlos, take pity on me, I gotta go brush my teeth."
"I will spare you.. THIS TIME." Carlos cackled after her.
She sighed and leaned over one of the sinks, eager to splash her face with nice, cold water.
Unfortunately, this wasn't what happened. She turned the faucet, and to her surprise, no water came out.
"Oh jeez, come on..." She said, turning it a couple of more times, but with no luck. "Hey Carlos, you still there?"
"Yeah?" He replied, walking into the room.
"Dude... there's something wrong with the sink." She turned around to meet his eyes.
"I didn't do it." Carlos said, reaching past her and fiddling with the faucet. "This ship has a soul of its own, it really tends to show through when there's no one around to see it."
Cassie murmured in concurrance, crossing her arms.
"I dunno, try another one... we're gonna need to go in for repairs once we get to KO35."
She nodded, moving down to the sink next to her. This one worked perfectly, and she sighed happily, submurging her face in waves of blessedly cool water.
"Well, I'm going to the bridge." Carlos reported, loudly enough for her to hear his voice over the sound of the rushing water. "Maybe I'll run a couple analyses to find out what else doesn't work."
"Good luck. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
After he'd gone, and she had the entire bathroom to herself, she switched off the water and crossed the tile floor to use the facilities. On her way back to the sink, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the room-length mirror and gasped at the strangely womanly features that she identified as her own.
Seeing herself every day always made changes in appearance seem almost nonexistant, or so she thought. But instead, it was as though she had simply gone a year into the future, to see what she looked like as an adult.
But, Carlos had looked no different, so she was most likely not trapped in some sort of time warp.
No... but nevertheless, something had changed. Her eyes didn't seem to have the same youthful sparkle they'd had only a few weeks ago. True, they had beheld such atrocities that it wouldn't seem fitting for them to still have the same optimism. Because even though her cuts and bruises no longer bled or hurt, and even though she'd found a happy medium between forced jubilation and the tears and anger that had come so naturally whenever she had to look at yet another giddy human being who "couldn't believe she was really the pink ranger!!", she was still a different person than she was before.
She'd barely been home in a month. Sure, she stopped in to see the folks and listen to her aunts and uncles gush about how proud they were. But then, somewhere along the line, she grew uncomfortable. She couldn't even sit in her room and listen to CDs for an afternoon without the phone ringing. Or someone coming to the door... and the people that came! Well they were people she'd totally forgotten about.
Sarah McDochen had even come to the door, and Cassie had had to stifle a laugh. In 6th grade, Sarah was her "best friend", but their friendship suddenly ended when the chubby redhead told the entire class that she saw Cassie picking her jeans out of a dumpster. But of course now, suddenly, Sarah wanted to be best friends again and even had the GALL to say she always loved how Cassie dressed.
She'd suddenly found herself packing up even more of her already paltry still-at-home wardrobe and hurriedly explaining to her mom that she really had to run but she loved her very much, and won't-you-please-tell-Dad-I'll-write, but everything'll-be-okay-but-I-really-have-to-get-back-to-the-ship, and oh-yes-don't-you-let-me-forget-to-show-you-the-ship-but-oh-gosh-you-don't-want-to-see-it-now-it's-such-a-mess.
"Going back into space will be nice for a change." She suddenly said. "We won't feel so much like we're hiding out."
It was interesting the way her face moved when she said it. She really did look different, she truly did. Laughing suddenly, she twisted her hair into a sloppy updo and seductively lifted one shoulder. Then, she blew a kiss at the mirror.
"Yes, Cassandra Chan, you are one sexy lady.", She purred, her mouth exaggeratedly enunciating every syllable.
"Now this is sad. We're not even in space yet, and already she's gone mad." TJ's voice suddenly echoed from the other room.
Cassie shot a sideways glare in his direction, and continued her masquerade. "Yess, daahling. Mad in every sense of the word. Now won't you fetch me my lambskin slippers and my dressing gown. I've an appointment to dine with the Prime Minister and heaven knows I mustn't be tardy."
TJ appeared in the mirror behind her, his head held high. "Goodness no, you must be joking. They won't accept a woman of your stature. You'll absolutely dwarf the poor man with your gargantuan head."
"Well then it's off to the water closet with me." She said, whirling around. For a moment, she scrutinized his facial features, and when she found them to be utterly unchanged from the last time she saw him, she added a "Ta-ta, Junior."
"Junior." He repeated.
***
Cassie woke up early, her eyes wide and ready to remain open for the day, even though the day in question had barely begun to arrive.
It was, admittedly, unlike her lately to be up so early, and as she rolled over onto her side and stared blankly into her quarters, she sighed.
"5:30." Her voice muttered with a touch of annoyance. "Great."
Rolling back over and sitting up, she tugged at her shirt, which had tangled around her legs in her slumber. After a few minutes of sitting there, she hopped off her bed and exited the room. Passing all the other rangers' quarters, she realized that she wasn't the only one up, and in fact it was likely that there was even someone on the bridge. Of course, she wasn't about to go running to the bridge in her pajamas, but it sort of comforted her to know that she wasn't alone.
She walked into the informal lounge which led to the separate bathing areas and washrooms, and she nodded when she saw Carlos in the corner, pulling on long black socks under his gray uniform pants.
"Not even a good morning?" Carlos asked.
"Nope." She replied teasingly.
"Well, you suck."
"What you say??" Cassie exclaimed in an exaggeratedly bad accent.
"What are you even doing up this early, anyway?" Carlos asked, putting on his shoe.
"I don't know.. I think God was beckoning me here to tell you that you need to wash your socks." She flashed him a grin and ducked as he tossed his other shoe at her.
"You're lucky. You're lucky." He said, pointing at her with one eye squinted. She giggled, sticking her tongue out and bouncing around. She picked up his shoe and waved it in the air mockingly.
"Okay, that's it. Now you die!" Carlos yelled, leaping at her. She shrieked as he grabbed her from behind, wrenching the shoe out of her grasp. He held it up like it was a sword, and Cassie struck a fighting pose.
"Bring it on, pretty boy!" She snarled, laughing.
He grinned and whacked her with the shoe. She frowned and rubbed her shoulder. "Owww. That kinda hurt."
.
"That's what happens!" He shot back, twirling around. "When you incur the wrath of Caaaarlos."
"The wrath of Caaaarlos." She snickered, shaking her head. "Okay, Caaaaaarlos, take pity on me, I gotta go brush my teeth."
"I will spare you.. THIS TIME." Carlos cackled after her.
She sighed and leaned over one of the sinks, eager to splash her face with nice, cold water.
Unfortunately, this wasn't what happened. She turned the faucet, and to her surprise, no water came out.
"Oh jeez, come on..." She said, turning it a couple of more times, but with no luck. "Hey Carlos, you still there?"
"Yeah?" He replied, walking into the room.
"Dude... there's something wrong with the sink." She turned around to meet his eyes.
"I didn't do it." Carlos said, reaching past her and fiddling with the faucet. "This ship has a soul of its own, it really tends to show through when there's no one around to see it."
Cassie murmured in concurrance, crossing her arms.
"I dunno, try another one... we're gonna need to go in for repairs once we get to KO35."
She nodded, moving down to the sink next to her. This one worked perfectly, and she sighed happily, submurging her face in waves of blessedly cool water.
"Well, I'm going to the bridge." Carlos reported, loudly enough for her to hear his voice over the sound of the rushing water. "Maybe I'll run a couple analyses to find out what else doesn't work."
"Good luck. I'll be there in a couple of minutes."
After he'd gone, and she had the entire bathroom to herself, she switched off the water and crossed the tile floor to use the facilities. On her way back to the sink, she caught a glimpse of her reflection in the room-length mirror and gasped at the strangely womanly features that she identified as her own.
Seeing herself every day always made changes in appearance seem almost nonexistant, or so she thought. But instead, it was as though she had simply gone a year into the future, to see what she looked like as an adult.
But, Carlos had looked no different, so she was most likely not trapped in some sort of time warp.
No... but nevertheless, something had changed. Her eyes didn't seem to have the same youthful sparkle they'd had only a few weeks ago. True, they had beheld such atrocities that it wouldn't seem fitting for them to still have the same optimism. Because even though her cuts and bruises no longer bled or hurt, and even though she'd found a happy medium between forced jubilation and the tears and anger that had come so naturally whenever she had to look at yet another giddy human being who "couldn't believe she was really the pink ranger!!", she was still a different person than she was before.
She'd barely been home in a month. Sure, she stopped in to see the folks and listen to her aunts and uncles gush about how proud they were. But then, somewhere along the line, she grew uncomfortable. She couldn't even sit in her room and listen to CDs for an afternoon without the phone ringing. Or someone coming to the door... and the people that came! Well they were people she'd totally forgotten about.
Sarah McDochen had even come to the door, and Cassie had had to stifle a laugh. In 6th grade, Sarah was her "best friend", but their friendship suddenly ended when the chubby redhead told the entire class that she saw Cassie picking her jeans out of a dumpster. But of course now, suddenly, Sarah wanted to be best friends again and even had the GALL to say she always loved how Cassie dressed.
She'd suddenly found herself packing up even more of her already paltry still-at-home wardrobe and hurriedly explaining to her mom that she really had to run but she loved her very much, and won't-you-please-tell-Dad-I'll-write, but everything'll-be-okay-but-I-really-have-to-get-back-to-the-ship, and oh-yes-don't-you-let-me-forget-to-show-you-the-ship-but-oh-gosh-you-don't-want-to-see-it-now-it's-such-a-mess.
"Going back into space will be nice for a change." She suddenly said. "We won't feel so much like we're hiding out."
It was interesting the way her face moved when she said it. She really did look different, she truly did. Laughing suddenly, she twisted her hair into a sloppy updo and seductively lifted one shoulder. Then, she blew a kiss at the mirror.
"Yes, Cassandra Chan, you are one sexy lady.", She purred, her mouth exaggeratedly enunciating every syllable.
"Now this is sad. We're not even in space yet, and already she's gone mad." TJ's voice suddenly echoed from the other room.
Cassie shot a sideways glare in his direction, and continued her masquerade. "Yess, daahling. Mad in every sense of the word. Now won't you fetch me my lambskin slippers and my dressing gown. I've an appointment to dine with the Prime Minister and heaven knows I mustn't be tardy."
TJ appeared in the mirror behind her, his head held high. "Goodness no, you must be joking. They won't accept a woman of your stature. You'll absolutely dwarf the poor man with your gargantuan head."
"Well then it's off to the water closet with me." She said, whirling around. For a moment, she scrutinized his facial features, and when she found them to be utterly unchanged from the last time she saw him, she added a "Ta-ta, Junior."
"Junior." He repeated.
***