Chapter 4 Dealing
"So you had to confront her about the past?" William Mitchell asked turning to his son his eyes narrowed.
Ryan didn't know what to say to that, he'd never really thought about what things must have been like for her other than what he'd always thought and the little bit his father had told him.
"She let them slam her…"
"She was keeping them occupied long enough for the others to help her out. You saw that while the kids were scared they were not harmed one BIT."
"But did you see her arm?"
"Ryan, Dana knows her job and does it better than most."
"Yeah…" Ryan's mind went back over the last things she threw at him, other than the clock.
"You want my life take it! Or better yet call on your axe and finish what you started!" She'd shouted ant there were not ears in her voice, her eyes were dry just furious. "He wants my life well then big brother can have it, all of the time you made me work out, all of the lessons so your little girl could be the best at everything and all of the discipline!" What did that mean? Hadn't she wanted to be a perfectionist? Hadn't she wanted to be the pink ranger? Then her parting shot went through his mind with more impact than before. "Calm down, be the perfect little daughter. Ryan you think things were so great take the guilt too. The fact that Dad saved you in freaking stead!" Had his father not been exaggerating? Did she remember more than he'd thought? Man, he needed to think.
Not saying another word to his father Ryan strode from the room and headed back down the hall.
***
***
Dana stalked into the training room and didn't even grab a pair of gloves as she headed right for the punching bag.
From where he was running on a tread mill Carter frowned. She looked fit to be tied and yet there was an odd shine to her eyes, was it tears? He wondered what to say to her, if he should say anything or if he should just let her go. She'd been through every much as Ryan and had just as much right to be upset.
Still, Carter stopped the exercise machine and walked over to where she was knocking the hell out of the bag.
"Want to talk?"
"Talking doesn't always help everything." She grunted and continued to bloody her hands with blow after blow.
"But it might save your hands."
"I don't care about my stupid hands, just go away Carter."
Carter didn't let her words hurt, she was upset. Instead he caught her hands in his and began pulling her out of the room.
"Carter what are you doing?"
"You need air and I feel like a drive."
"But you don't have a car and we're not supposed to just…"
"Hey I'm being spontaneous." He said and she would have smiled at him if she'd not been quite so upset.
***
Ryan stalked around the corridors and tried to think of a place he could just sit and think with out being at risk. After all he was confused not suicidal.
Finally he settled on a store room with a locked door. It looked as if no one had used it in a long time; there were smudges of dust on the door release. He said a magic word and it slid open.
It was dark and dank and he was glad, he had found himself above to think in the dark much better, not that it had been of necessity, Skull cavern had plenty of rooms but none that made him feel ok. He'd found a room in one of the torture chambers and had taken to sitting in there when the words of the demons got to be too much.
Now he moved to sit with his back beside a wall, crates on either side of him. Ahhh, he thought just like home. That was odd this was supposed to be his home, so why was it that seemed more like that. It had brought him motivation, strength and comfort, what little he'd been able to find.
Idly he wondered where his sister went to find comfort, obviously not with their father. It seemed he was as strict as ever and just as demanding. How had Dana managed to survive like that? He tried again to remember her before the accident but there was very little, she with the teddy bear she'd pegged him with, her in their mother's lap. Then it hit him, she'd really been that little when it had happened, she'd been changed by it… Closing his eyes even tighter he forced his mind to clear and soon more was coming to him, the memory of that last Halloween, Dana in her little princess costume, he in his Spiderman costume and the bullies…
"Hey you shrimps."
"Get away from us." Dana shouted and the kid had laughed.
"Awe what the little baby gonna do call on Spiderman" then he shoved her.
"You leave my sister alone you dumb bully!" Ryan shouted and ran at him head lowered. He hit hard and the bully stumbled back. Then Ryan found himself grabbed by the bully's friend.
Then before the other boy could get up the boys were yelping in pain as Ryan saw his little sister pelting them with candy.
"Told you to get away!" Dana yelled and continued to hit them until the two ran away.
Then she had run to him and they'd headed off. She'd not complained once about losing her candy. She'd just acted like nothing had happened. She'd even lied to Dad. Heavens how had he forgotten that? How had he let himself forget that?
"And I thought I was the only one who comes here to think." A voice said and Ryan was on his feet and in a fighting stance before he could think about who it could be. "Relax Silver boy it's just me."
"Kelsey what are you doing lurking in hear?" He asked relaxing his posture.
"I like to come here and think." She told him and he finally managed to pin point her location. She was seated atop a stack f crates.
"How did you get up there?"
"Hello I used to go mountain climbing whenever I needed to think." Then he noted the other boxes near her perch.
"Oh," what could he say to that? She was her own person just as they wall were. Besides in all of the months he'd studied the rangers fighting styles he'd noticed she was the risk taker.
"Sorry if I interrupted you." She said. "But I didn't want you thinking I was snooping."
"Right, well it makes sense. And thanks. I'll go and…"
"No, it's ok, there's plenty of darkness for the both of us." She said and he frowned, she liked the dark too?
"You hang out in the dark to think too?" He asked setting in to sit again. It was odd but it felt ok to have Kelsey there. She didn't seem like the intrusive type. Sure she could be chatty but she also knew when to be quiet. He wondered if any of the others knew she could be this way. She was usually just so upbeat. Maybe that was why she and Dana were such good friends. Maybe they had more in common than anyone would think.
"Yeah, it's easier when you have nothing to distract you."
"'Yeah, that's true."
***
Carter got his pickup out of the employee lot topside and then they headed up the coast. They drove around for a while then Dana had Carter drop her off at the library.
"I want to do some research on the tattoo."
"Dane, maybe I should tag, if the demons…?
"Thanks for being so great lately Carter but I'm ok, and I can handle a little reading." When it looked as if he might argue she added. "I'll call if I need anything."
"Alright, just be careful ok?"
"Deal." She smiled and distractedly got out of the pickup.
***
Neither really said much and when they returned she had him drop her at the library.
"I want to do some research on the tattoo."
"Dane, maybe I should come along, if the demons…?
"Thanks for being so great lately Carter but I'm ok, and I can handle a little reading." When it looked as if he might argue she added. "I'll call if I need anything."
"Alright, just be careful Ok?"
"Deal." She smiled and distractedly got out of the pickup.
TBC
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Well, what do you think? I've got the next chapters almost done so if I should post them PLZ R&R and let me know.