Our lunch conversation was light, bubbly, full of laughter and joking. All 6 rangers and me, sitting around the table, eating sandwiches and drinking the beverage Cassie often referred to as "pop". It was green, almost neon green, and it gave me a heavy feeling in the pit of my stomach.
Just one of those things.
I heard laughter rising above the rest of the chatter, and it caught my attention. I looked up and saw Zhane completely cracking up. When he saw me, however, he tried to conceal his amusement.
"What? What's so funny?" I asked.
"S-- I'm sorry, Karone," He managed to get out before erupting into another giggle.
"Hey, you two better not be doing anything under the table." Carlos mock-reprimanded us.
"Huh?!" I exclaimed, pushing my chair back.
The other rangers laughed boisterously while Zhane tried to compose himself. I felt my face growing red, and I looked at Carlos in smiling disbelief.
"No, no no. It wasn't even a big deal. See, Karone, you were sitting there..." He choked on the words, swallowed and continued. "Sitting there, staring into your pop, and it' was so green and it like.. reflected on your skin and you had this... other-wordly glow. It was creepy-looking. Sorry, Karone. I didn't mean to embarrass ya."
He flashed a grin, and I felt my face heating up even more.
"Oh." Was all I could think of to say. And then I began to laugh, too, at my own folly. "Well.."
The first silence of the lunch hour, while I tried to think of what the hell I was talking about.
"I bet I looked kind of like Zordon, huh?" I asked, forcing laughter out of my throat.
The second silence of the lunch hour.
No one seemed even remotely sure what to say. Believe me when I say it, because I had enough time, in just the moments between my little jest and the next words spoken, to take a good hard look at the expressions of everyone at that lunch table.
Everyone.
The emotions ran the line all the way from stunned apprehension (Andros) to baffled, timid amusement (Cassie), to a concerned glance in everyones' directions (Ashley), a speculative pondering gaze at me (TJ), a questioning look around to see who was still eating (Zhane) and even an incriminating glare, quickly replaced by a neutral taking-in of the table surface (Carlos).
And oddly enough, it was Carlos who first spoke.
"Zordon's energy tube was blue." He said.
I found myself smiling at that. Luckily, it was the kind of smile that could pass both as a sheepish, demure smile and a cold, chilling smirk.
"Was?" I asked. My voice was dripping with sweetness.
This was it. This HAD to be it. It had been inadvertant, but suddenly, I knew it was all within my reach. The Truth. The real, honest to god in heaven truth. The answer to everything I'd been questioning. Everything I'd agonized over.
It was time.
Ashley cleared her throat and I heard her ask if anyone would like some more carrot sticks. I turned to her, smiling widely.
"Just a minute, Ashley, won't you? Carlos hasn't answered my question yet."
He looked at me darkly, and I could feel Andros breathing apprehensively behind me.
Go on, brother. Go on and confess it. Confess the truth. The naked truth. End this all. Now.
Like that girl, Kendrix had said...
I won't shed any more blood for this. Or tears, for that matter.
"Did something happen?" I asked, my voice growing louder.
Carlos looked past me, to Andros. I exaggeratedly followed his glance and propped my elbows on the table. "Hey. What are you looking at Andros for?" I asked, looking at Andros the whole time. "He's not the one I asked."
"Karone.." Andros began.
"Yes, brother? What is it?" I inquired, my voice raising powerfully. My smile was gone.
"Look.. just... just calm down. Please."
"Calm down? I'd love to. But you see, Carlos here said something very very interesting, and I simply must know more! What is it, Andros, that happened to cause us to refer to Zordon in the past tense?"
I loved it. The raw energy pulsing through my veins. The fresh power I felt, dewy as the morning, brand new and ready for me. Only for me.
"Karone, we can't talk about this right now." He said quietly.
"Wrong answer, Andros." I whispered, the smile returning to my innocent face.
I remembered that kind of innocence. The innocence that fools trusted, that got them killed. It was a joke to call me innocent. It really was.
"Now, I don't know why we can't just discuss this maturely, like adults. Why does everything have to be 'later'? Why can't we discuss anything now? Is there something you're worried about? Because you know--" I got to my feet and leaned over the table. "...Adults don't put things off like this."
I laughed quietly and looked at the rest of the rangers, who were all clearly stunned.
"Anyone care to start the story? I believe it begins... 'Once upon a time...'" I recited in a mock little girl's voice.
***
Just one of those things.
I heard laughter rising above the rest of the chatter, and it caught my attention. I looked up and saw Zhane completely cracking up. When he saw me, however, he tried to conceal his amusement.
"What? What's so funny?" I asked.
"S-- I'm sorry, Karone," He managed to get out before erupting into another giggle.
"Hey, you two better not be doing anything under the table." Carlos mock-reprimanded us.
"Huh?!" I exclaimed, pushing my chair back.
The other rangers laughed boisterously while Zhane tried to compose himself. I felt my face growing red, and I looked at Carlos in smiling disbelief.
"No, no no. It wasn't even a big deal. See, Karone, you were sitting there..." He choked on the words, swallowed and continued. "Sitting there, staring into your pop, and it' was so green and it like.. reflected on your skin and you had this... other-wordly glow. It was creepy-looking. Sorry, Karone. I didn't mean to embarrass ya."
He flashed a grin, and I felt my face heating up even more.
"Oh." Was all I could think of to say. And then I began to laugh, too, at my own folly. "Well.."
The first silence of the lunch hour, while I tried to think of what the hell I was talking about.
"I bet I looked kind of like Zordon, huh?" I asked, forcing laughter out of my throat.
The second silence of the lunch hour.
No one seemed even remotely sure what to say. Believe me when I say it, because I had enough time, in just the moments between my little jest and the next words spoken, to take a good hard look at the expressions of everyone at that lunch table.
Everyone.
The emotions ran the line all the way from stunned apprehension (Andros) to baffled, timid amusement (Cassie), to a concerned glance in everyones' directions (Ashley), a speculative pondering gaze at me (TJ), a questioning look around to see who was still eating (Zhane) and even an incriminating glare, quickly replaced by a neutral taking-in of the table surface (Carlos).
And oddly enough, it was Carlos who first spoke.
"Zordon's energy tube was blue." He said.
I found myself smiling at that. Luckily, it was the kind of smile that could pass both as a sheepish, demure smile and a cold, chilling smirk.
"Was?" I asked. My voice was dripping with sweetness.
This was it. This HAD to be it. It had been inadvertant, but suddenly, I knew it was all within my reach. The Truth. The real, honest to god in heaven truth. The answer to everything I'd been questioning. Everything I'd agonized over.
It was time.
Ashley cleared her throat and I heard her ask if anyone would like some more carrot sticks. I turned to her, smiling widely.
"Just a minute, Ashley, won't you? Carlos hasn't answered my question yet."
He looked at me darkly, and I could feel Andros breathing apprehensively behind me.
Go on, brother. Go on and confess it. Confess the truth. The naked truth. End this all. Now.
Like that girl, Kendrix had said...
I won't shed any more blood for this. Or tears, for that matter.
"Did something happen?" I asked, my voice growing louder.
Carlos looked past me, to Andros. I exaggeratedly followed his glance and propped my elbows on the table. "Hey. What are you looking at Andros for?" I asked, looking at Andros the whole time. "He's not the one I asked."
"Karone.." Andros began.
"Yes, brother? What is it?" I inquired, my voice raising powerfully. My smile was gone.
"Look.. just... just calm down. Please."
"Calm down? I'd love to. But you see, Carlos here said something very very interesting, and I simply must know more! What is it, Andros, that happened to cause us to refer to Zordon in the past tense?"
I loved it. The raw energy pulsing through my veins. The fresh power I felt, dewy as the morning, brand new and ready for me. Only for me.
"Karone, we can't talk about this right now." He said quietly.
"Wrong answer, Andros." I whispered, the smile returning to my innocent face.
I remembered that kind of innocence. The innocence that fools trusted, that got them killed. It was a joke to call me innocent. It really was.
"Now, I don't know why we can't just discuss this maturely, like adults. Why does everything have to be 'later'? Why can't we discuss anything now? Is there something you're worried about? Because you know--" I got to my feet and leaned over the table. "...Adults don't put things off like this."
I laughed quietly and looked at the rest of the rangers, who were all clearly stunned.
"Anyone care to start the story? I believe it begins... 'Once upon a time...'" I recited in a mock little girl's voice.
***