Disclaimer: same as chapter one
CHAPTER 2 Introductions and Mysteries
Leila and Laura worked straight into the night. Laura was had a habit of starting things and wanting to get things done straight away, so Leila was the same way. The moving van had shown up before they had expected, so they were overwhelmed with things to unpack and find a place for. Leila had gotten her room done and helped her mom for a little while but had to get some sleep. She didn't realize how long her mom had worked into the night until she got up the next morning at ten to see her mom collapsed on the couch. Leila grabbed a shower, got dressed, got a quick bite to eat, and decided to not wake her mom. She wrote her mom a quick note, threw a blanket over her, and walked out of the house. She had seen Hayley's Cyberspace Café during the drive into town yesterday, so she was okay with getting there. Her mom had told her that it was a school holiday so Dr. Oliver had agreed to meet them early in the day. Leila still felt a sting in her from the all the secrecy her family had held around her whole life. She decided that she could at least take care of registering for school on her own. She was almost seventeen and her family, as much as she loved them, still treated her like she was five. Her friends at the Thunder Academy had given her the relief she had needed from family pressures, now she didn't have that. She had to start over but Reefside didn't seem like it was a terrible town. Leila came out of her trance when she heard whistling. She looked into the street and saw a car full of guys passing her and whistling at her. Leila smiled at them, waved, and kept walking. She never stopped to think about her looks a lot of the time but she did get a lot of attention from guys. Most of the time, it just rolled off her shoulders because it got old. As pretty as she was, she had only had one serious relationship before she had met her current boyfriend but he had to stay at the academy. The fact that he did not see distance as a reason to break-up gave Leila more hope that the move would not be that bad. Leila smiled when she finally saw Hayley's Cyberspace Café. She walked in and took in her surroundings.
"Not bad," she said to herself. Being a school holiday, the place was already crawling with kids. It was definitely a good place to be after school with all the computers, video games, and obviously a band that played every now and then. Leila walked to open table and sat down with her book bag. She did not notice the guy nearby staring at her.
"Whoa, who is that?" Conner asked his friends, obviously attracted to Leila.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her here before," Trent said as he wiped the counter down.
"She must be new," Kira commented. They all saw Hayley walk over to Leila who had taken out what looked like a journal and was writing in it.
"Welcome to Hayley's, what can I get for you?" Hayley asked.
"Uh, strawberry smoothie?" Leila asked, not sure of what the menu was. Hayley smiled.
"Sure. Anything else?" she asked. Leila relaxed a little and smiled.
"Yea, you wouldn't happen to know who Dr. Oliver is would you? He's supposed to help me registered for school," Leila explained. Hayley gave her a questioning look.
"Are you Leila Omano?" she asked. Leila realized who she was.
"Your Hayley, aren't you?" Leila asked. The two smiled and shook hands.
"Where's your mom?" Hayley asked.
"Asleep, she stayed up all night finding 'the right place' for everything," Leila explained. Hayley laughed.
"Yep, that's your mom. She hasn't changed much. Come over here, I want you to meet some people," Hayley said.
"Okay," Leila said as she grabbed her book bag.
"Guys this is Leila Omano. Leila, this is Ethan, Kira, Conner, and Trent, my favorite employee," Hayley said, slightly sarcastically.
"Your only employee," Trent added as he gave Leila her smoothie.
"Thanks," she said, taking it and sipping on it.
"So, Leila, last I heard you were into dance on top of all the martial arts you did," Hayley said.
"I still dance, I still study martial arts, on top of motocross," Leila explained.
"Motocross?" Ethan asked.
"It's kind of a popular sport back at home," Leila said.
"So are you going to Reefside High?" Kira asked.
"Yea, I'm supposed to meet a Dr. Oliver here today. He was going to help me register for my classes so I could start Monday or Tuesday," Leila explained right before she saw Anton Mercer walk into the café.
"Is that him?" she asked.
"No, that's my dad," Trent said as Anton walked over. He ignored the cold glares from Ethan, Kira, Conner, and Hayley.
"Hey dad, what are you doing here?" Trent asked.
"I was just stopping by to see if there was any chance you'd be home early tonight. There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about," Anton said, glancing at Leila.
"It's hard to say dad. It's a Friday AND a school holiday. I won't really know until later tonight," Trent explained.
"Well, that's fine. Just give me a call at home, I'll be working from there today. I'm sorry, you look awfully familiar, have we met before?" Anton asked of Leila.
"We might have, sir. I don't remember you though," Leila explained. Anton was still confused at how familiar she seemed but then realized he had not introduced himself.
"Oh, I'm Anton Mercer," he said, putting his hand out.
"Leila Omano," she replied, shaking his hand. Anton's face fell.
"I'm sorry...did you say Omano?" he asked.
"Yes, do you know my mom or aunt?" Leila questioned. Anton quickly composed himself.
"No, I'm sorry. I must have been thinking of someone else. It was nice meeting you Leila. Trent, I will see you later tonight," Anton said before rushing out of the café.
"What was that all about?" Conner asked.
"I wish I knew," Trent said.
"So do I," Leila replied.
Meanwhile, at Dr. Oliver's house, Tommy was tracking something that had appeared on his computer.
"What is that? It can't be a dino gem, not with these readings," he said to himself.
What is Dr. Oliver sensing? What was wrong with Anton Mercer when he met Leila? Find out all this and more in Chapter 3. Leila starts at Reefside high and gets to know the rangers better. Right as they become friends, the rangers become suspicious of Leila when they see her use her ninja skills more than once. Leila becomes suspicious of the secrets her family are keeping from her when her powers mysteriously grow and she has more encounters with Anton Mercer.
CHAPTER 2 Introductions and Mysteries
Leila and Laura worked straight into the night. Laura was had a habit of starting things and wanting to get things done straight away, so Leila was the same way. The moving van had shown up before they had expected, so they were overwhelmed with things to unpack and find a place for. Leila had gotten her room done and helped her mom for a little while but had to get some sleep. She didn't realize how long her mom had worked into the night until she got up the next morning at ten to see her mom collapsed on the couch. Leila grabbed a shower, got dressed, got a quick bite to eat, and decided to not wake her mom. She wrote her mom a quick note, threw a blanket over her, and walked out of the house. She had seen Hayley's Cyberspace Café during the drive into town yesterday, so she was okay with getting there. Her mom had told her that it was a school holiday so Dr. Oliver had agreed to meet them early in the day. Leila still felt a sting in her from the all the secrecy her family had held around her whole life. She decided that she could at least take care of registering for school on her own. She was almost seventeen and her family, as much as she loved them, still treated her like she was five. Her friends at the Thunder Academy had given her the relief she had needed from family pressures, now she didn't have that. She had to start over but Reefside didn't seem like it was a terrible town. Leila came out of her trance when she heard whistling. She looked into the street and saw a car full of guys passing her and whistling at her. Leila smiled at them, waved, and kept walking. She never stopped to think about her looks a lot of the time but she did get a lot of attention from guys. Most of the time, it just rolled off her shoulders because it got old. As pretty as she was, she had only had one serious relationship before she had met her current boyfriend but he had to stay at the academy. The fact that he did not see distance as a reason to break-up gave Leila more hope that the move would not be that bad. Leila smiled when she finally saw Hayley's Cyberspace Café. She walked in and took in her surroundings.
"Not bad," she said to herself. Being a school holiday, the place was already crawling with kids. It was definitely a good place to be after school with all the computers, video games, and obviously a band that played every now and then. Leila walked to open table and sat down with her book bag. She did not notice the guy nearby staring at her.
"Whoa, who is that?" Conner asked his friends, obviously attracted to Leila.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her here before," Trent said as he wiped the counter down.
"She must be new," Kira commented. They all saw Hayley walk over to Leila who had taken out what looked like a journal and was writing in it.
"Welcome to Hayley's, what can I get for you?" Hayley asked.
"Uh, strawberry smoothie?" Leila asked, not sure of what the menu was. Hayley smiled.
"Sure. Anything else?" she asked. Leila relaxed a little and smiled.
"Yea, you wouldn't happen to know who Dr. Oliver is would you? He's supposed to help me registered for school," Leila explained. Hayley gave her a questioning look.
"Are you Leila Omano?" she asked. Leila realized who she was.
"Your Hayley, aren't you?" Leila asked. The two smiled and shook hands.
"Where's your mom?" Hayley asked.
"Asleep, she stayed up all night finding 'the right place' for everything," Leila explained. Hayley laughed.
"Yep, that's your mom. She hasn't changed much. Come over here, I want you to meet some people," Hayley said.
"Okay," Leila said as she grabbed her book bag.
"Guys this is Leila Omano. Leila, this is Ethan, Kira, Conner, and Trent, my favorite employee," Hayley said, slightly sarcastically.
"Your only employee," Trent added as he gave Leila her smoothie.
"Thanks," she said, taking it and sipping on it.
"So, Leila, last I heard you were into dance on top of all the martial arts you did," Hayley said.
"I still dance, I still study martial arts, on top of motocross," Leila explained.
"Motocross?" Ethan asked.
"It's kind of a popular sport back at home," Leila said.
"So are you going to Reefside High?" Kira asked.
"Yea, I'm supposed to meet a Dr. Oliver here today. He was going to help me register for my classes so I could start Monday or Tuesday," Leila explained right before she saw Anton Mercer walk into the café.
"Is that him?" she asked.
"No, that's my dad," Trent said as Anton walked over. He ignored the cold glares from Ethan, Kira, Conner, and Hayley.
"Hey dad, what are you doing here?" Trent asked.
"I was just stopping by to see if there was any chance you'd be home early tonight. There are a few things I'd like to talk to you about," Anton said, glancing at Leila.
"It's hard to say dad. It's a Friday AND a school holiday. I won't really know until later tonight," Trent explained.
"Well, that's fine. Just give me a call at home, I'll be working from there today. I'm sorry, you look awfully familiar, have we met before?" Anton asked of Leila.
"We might have, sir. I don't remember you though," Leila explained. Anton was still confused at how familiar she seemed but then realized he had not introduced himself.
"Oh, I'm Anton Mercer," he said, putting his hand out.
"Leila Omano," she replied, shaking his hand. Anton's face fell.
"I'm sorry...did you say Omano?" he asked.
"Yes, do you know my mom or aunt?" Leila questioned. Anton quickly composed himself.
"No, I'm sorry. I must have been thinking of someone else. It was nice meeting you Leila. Trent, I will see you later tonight," Anton said before rushing out of the café.
"What was that all about?" Conner asked.
"I wish I knew," Trent said.
"So do I," Leila replied.
Meanwhile, at Dr. Oliver's house, Tommy was tracking something that had appeared on his computer.
"What is that? It can't be a dino gem, not with these readings," he said to himself.
What is Dr. Oliver sensing? What was wrong with Anton Mercer when he met Leila? Find out all this and more in Chapter 3. Leila starts at Reefside high and gets to know the rangers better. Right as they become friends, the rangers become suspicious of Leila when they see her use her ninja skills more than once. Leila becomes suspicious of the secrets her family are keeping from her when her powers mysteriously grow and she has more encounters with Anton Mercer.