Standard disclaimer. Thanks so much for the reviews!!! And you know things can only get worse before they get better…
Chapter 9: Problems
Cam managed to avoid thinking about the previous night the entire way home. But the second that his father saw his son's disarrayed state combined with the time of his arrival, he had to ask what happened the night before.
And Cam wasn't coherent enough to stop himself.
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Blake put his and Hunter's coffee mugs into the sink. And Blake knew that he was sticking close to his older brother today. Between last night's events, and the fact that his brother downed not one but three cups of the extra strong coffee, he wasn't sure how much more his brother's nerves could take.
Cam didn't even turn to look when the two Thunder ninjas walked in. Sensei paired Shane with Hunter while Tori, Blake and Dustin sparred. Shane and Hunter were sent to the beach while the other three stayed in Ninja Ops. And while sparring, Blake couldn't help but glare at Cam's back.
The sparring went well until a frantic call from Shane came into Ninja Ops.
"We've got a huge problem!" Shane managed, then he screamed, "Hunter!"
"Dude, I'm fine!" they could hear Hunter call. "But I could use a little help when you have a minute."
"We're on our way!" Blake said, cutting Cam off.
The three Rangers stood in a line. "Ready?" Blake asked.
"Ready!" the other two answered simultaneously.
The three morphed and found their way to the beach, where they found Shane fighting an alien that resembled a cross between a wolf and a lion. Blake was about to ask for his brother when he saw a crimson streak land nearby.
"And where were you?" Blake asked.
"Zurgane felt the need to take me on a field trip into the forest."
"A field trip? Was it fun?"
Even with their visors shut, Blake knew the response was the familiar roll of the eyes and shake of the head. They rejoined the fight, with the Thunder Storm Cannon finally doing in the alien. The five waited for the alien to grow (they always did). They needed to combine their Zords to finish off the alien for good. And the five returned to Ninja Ops.
Although he was tired from sparring and fighting, Hunter was still a ball of nervous energy. So while the others sat on the floor and reviewed their latest battle, Hunter was bouncing on his feet, seemingly sparring with the air. Blake was half paying attention to the conversation, half watching his brother. And he was also trying to suppress a grin.
"Hunter! Will you please stop? You're making us dizzy!" Tori finally said.
Hunter stopped, and turned to face the others. "Huh?"
"Sit down, please!" Tori pleaded. "You're making us dizzy."
"Sorry, too much energy."
But Hunter couldn't sit still. He was either drumming his fingers on his boots, or constantly moving around. When Blake caught the exasperated looks from Sensei and the three Wind Rangers, he knew he needed to say something.
"Bro, I told you not to drink so much coffee," Blake said, placing a hand over his brother's.
"You didn't have to make extra high test for…" Hunter began, but stopped.
He turned his attention downward until he felt someone staring at him. And when he looked up, he noticed that Cam was facing him for the first time that day. And Hunter couldn't read anything about what Cam was thinking or feeling.
But Cam could read Hunter like an open book. And he didn't like it one bit. Cam turned his attention back to his computer just after Hunter looked over to his brother. Almost immediately, Cam felt someone staring at him and it made him uncomfortable. So he took the chance and turned slightly. Only it wasn't Hunter staring at him, he was too busy tracing the lines on his morpher with his finger. He matched eyes with Blake, whose expression screamed anger. Cam gave his best apologetic look before turning again in his chair. And he hoped that the Rangers left soon.