Chapter Nineteen

The party at the Youth Center was nothing like Melissa would ever have suspected. Ernie had hung streamers and inflated some balloons that he'd found in the storage room, so it would at least look a little bit decorated. There was also a banner that said: Bon Voyage, Melissa, which looked like it had just been made right before the party.

It seemed as though Kimberly had called a few people who would be able to help decorate, also while telling the others about their friend leaving. This made Melissa smile. She didn't realize how many people she had actually met and was "friends" with in Angel Grove. Either that or people just came because it was a party, which didn't bother her.

"Guys, this is too much. You shouldn't've done all of this." Melissa said, looking around at all of their smiling faces.

"We wanted to… All of us." Aisha said, motioning to all of the others teenagers in the room and Ernie.

"Yeah, there's no real reason why we shouldn't have." Adam said. "You deserve everything."

"You are so kind to everyone you meet. So, they, in turn, wanted to show you how great of a person you really are." Kimberly said.

"I guess being around you guys brought that out in me. I never would've been able to do any of what I did if it wasn't for you." Melissa pointed out.

"Yeah, but, you're the one who chose to befriend us. Your choices in life are what make you who you are, not who your friends are." Rocky said.

"And besides, what good is it if you don't have friends?" Billy asked.

"You guys are so great." Melissa said.

"We're not done, yet." Tommy said, handing her a small box, wrapped in silver paper with a green bow on top. "We want you to have this."

She gave the box a puzzled look as she slowly opened it to see what was inside. Her eyes went wide at the beauty of the silver and green ring. "Oh, my God." She said, looking at all of them in turn. "I can't believe this."

"Like it?" Kimberly asked.

Melissa smiled at it. "It's beautiful." Her smile then faded. "But, I can't take this."

"Yes, you can." Kimberly said. "It's our gift to you."

Melissa took the ring out of the box and looked closely at it. She couldn't remember ever getting a gift like this before; especially from her friends. But, she couldn't keep it. It would just remind her of what she was going to leave behind. "I can't." She placed the ring in Tommy's hand. "I can't take something so wonderful from you guys. You've already given me so much."

Tommy nodded. "Okay. But, we want you to know that we'll never forget you. You'll always be with us." A small smile spread across his lips.

"I'll miss you guys so much."

His smile widened into a sly grin. "And that is why we got you something… so you'd never forget us." He took her hand and set the ring back into it. "And we're not going to take no for an answer."

She smiled. "You really didn't have to do this." She said as she placed the ring on her right ring finger. "But, I'll never forget you guys... I promise."

"I never did forget you." She said as she remembered the say she's received the ring.

"Neither did we." Tommy said.

She let out a low growl as she clutched her head. A searing pain had begun to shoot through it. It made her feel as though her brain was going to burst, it hurt so much. "No! I mustn't weaken!... But, I want to be the real me… I must marry Mesogog… I must become his queen!" She was now kneeling on the floor. The pain was slowly subsiding as she let go of her head and looked at Tommy.

"Mel?" He asked.

She didn't speak as she reached into the pouch that still hung from her waist. She pulled out the gold bracelet with the black gem in it. She looked at it for only a second before she threw it at him. "You'd better hurry up and get out of here. I don't want you to be here when I marry Mesogog."

Tommy didn't get a chance to speak to her again as she quickly walked away from him. He quickly proceeded to put on his bracelet and teleported out of there.

Hayley jumped as she saw Tommy appear right in front of her. "Tommy?" She asked as she looked into the tired eyes of her friend. "How?"

"There's no time to explain. Where are the kids?" He asked, as if nothing had happened to him.

"They just went to go rescue you…" She paused as she stared at him in awe. She still couldn't believe he was there.

"Oh, no. That's not good."

"Why?"

"The old Mel is beginning to come back and she's going to be angry when she realizes what happened."

"So?" She asked.

"You haven't seen her when she gets angry… and now that she can control the weather… there's no telling what'll happen."

Hayley bit her tongue as she heard Melissa's name. She's been trying to hold in what she wanted to say to Tommy. "Tommy, there's something I think we need to talk about."

"What?" He asked, trying to get a hold of the teens to tell them to back down, but he wasn't getting a signal. They must've been in Mesogog's lair already.

"It's about Melissa." Tommy stopped what he was doing and looked at her. "I know that you two were really good friends, I understand that. But, there's just something about her that I don't like."

"What are you saying?"

"I just… don't trust her… I mean, you two haven't spoken in years and suddenly she winds up on your doorstep. It just doesn't seem right to me for some reason." She couldn't believe the evil glare that Tommy was giving her.

Tommy couldn't beleive that she was saying these things. She was narmally such a trusting person. Perhaps it was the fact that Hayley was an expert in information and she knew nothing about Melissa. But, it still hurt him to hear her say such things. "I can't believe what you're saying, Hayley. You are the most trusting person I know and you say something like that? Mel is my friend and I trust her with my life." He flicked his wrist so his morpher would appear.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to help her." He said. "Dino Thunder, Power Up! Ha!"

The teens slowly sneaked around Mesogog's lair, finding every corridor and passage empty. There was no reason for them to be empty. Something was up and it was beginning to creep them out.

"So, where is everyone?" Ethan asked.

"I dunno, but keep a sharp eye out." Conner said as he slowly led the way.

"Shh!" Kira said. "Listen!" Both guys stopped and listened closely. They could hear someone talking.

"Where's it coming from?" Ethan asked.

"Over here." Came a voice that was all too familiar. The teens turned quickly to see the Black Ranger standing in front of them.

"Dr. O.?" Kira asked.

"Yeah. It's me."

"How'd you escape?" Conner asked.

"I didn't… There's no time to explain. We have to get Mel out of here."

"Right." The teens said.

"But, where is she?" Ethan asked.

"Stay close and follow me. I know where they are."

They slowly crept down a long, dark corridor, making sure that they wouldn't be caught. Of course, nothing was ever as simple as they wanted it to be. They ran into the one person they hoped that they wouldn't.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" Come the menacing voice of Mesogog.

"Let me take care of them, my king." Melissa spoke up from behind Mesogog, her white wedding dress still flowing around her.

"Of course, my queen." He said as she stood in front of him.

"Green Dino Raptor, Power Up!"

The rangers stood back slightly as the stared at the Green Ranger. They weren't exactly sure of what she was going to do to them.

"Now, my queen, destroy them!" Mesogog ordered.

She only nodded as she faced her fellow rangers. She didn't get into her fighting stance, which was making the teens nervous. But, Tommy was smiling and she could tell that he was.

"What are you waiting for? Destroy them!" Mesogog ordered.

She turned to her evil leader. "There's a problem, my lord."

"And what is that?"

"What is it that you say? Oh, yes… Humans can't be trusted." He was only able to give her a puzzled look as she pulled out her power saber and attacked him.

The teens gave shocked gasps, while Tommy cheered loudly. "Yes! I knew it worked!"

Mel joined her teammates, liking the welcoming feeling she was getting from them all.

"Welcome back." Tommy said.

"Thanks. It's good to be back." She said as she and the others got into their fighting stances and charged at their foes.