Roses and Thorns

Chapter Twenty-Four

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Power Rangers, Ninja Storm or Power Rangers in Space, and I'm not making any money from this fic. I also don't own the original concept of vampires

Replies to reviews:

BlueAngel07: Yep, they are . Thanks for reviewing

Jorgitosbabe: Well, if I don't make it interesting, people are going to stop reading it . So, each chapter has to be reasonably interesting

garnetred: Well, the only Power Ranger Lila knows the identity of is Cally. And she can't go to her because she's technically not around. Anyways, there's a particular reason why Lila doesn't know the other Power Rangers' identity yet...

CamFan4Ever: I'm updating! Lol

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Lila ran.

She wasn't sure exactly where she was running to. The silver silk ranger hadn't been in Blue Bay Harbour long enough to get to know which places were safe and which weren't.

It was raining.

Lila had only been able to stop just long enough to grab a coat, so her feet were bare, and she kept on sliding on the pavement.

Is Peter dead? Lila wondered. The silver silk ranger had always felt that she'd know if her brother died... And she hadn't felt anything.

That wasn't Hunter, Lila tried to tell herself. Hunter would never do something like that. Especially not to me or my brother.

Lila knew that with a cold certainty. But she still had a hard time believing it. First, Hunter had seemed to be dead. Now, it seemed like there was a mistake. Hunter was back... But it looked like he had been changed somehow.

Lila finally slowed to a walk, confident that if Hunter hadn't caught up to her by now, he probably wouldn't for some time.

All right, now let's think about this logically, Lila told herself. Hunter appears to be some kind of... vampire, as much as that seems impossible.

At that thought, Lila suddenly remembered Hunter sinking what had to be his fangs into her throat. She put her hand up to her neck, where Hunter had bitten her, which felt quite tender. She then looked at her fingertips, and couldn't see any blood there. Good. The wound must have stopped bleeding, then. It can't have been very deep. Then again, how deep could vampire teeth go?

How do the vampires spread? Lila wondered. I'm sure that a simple bite doesn't turn someone into a vampire... Does it? The silver silk ranger had to wonder which vampire legends were true, and which were just myths.

Lila realised that she was outside a 24-hour cafe.

She felt in the pockets of the coat she was wearing, and felt relieved when she discovered that she'd grabbed the coat with her purse inside. That would turn out to be very handy. She wasn't going to get very far without money or her identification.

Lila walked into the cafe, and took a seat, ignoring the stares she got from the few people already sitting in there. She supposed that she looked odd, what with the fact that she wasn't wearing any shoes, and her hair was all messed up. Then, of course, she was wearing her nightdress under her coat, which, considering how short it was, probably looked like she was wearing a really short skirt underneath, or possibly nothing.

The silver silk ranger scanned the menu. There wasn't a lot to have this time of night, though coffee would be a good idea. She didn't like it, but it would go quite a way towards helping to keep her awake. Much better than coke would. Then, of course, there was the other problem. The rather obvious problem.

Where on earth am I going to be able to stay? Lila wondered. I suppose a hotel would be a good idea... But I'd only be able to stay a couple of nights before my money runs out. I guess I should probably try and get a job. After I get some clothes, that is...

"What would you like, hon?" a female voice asked, cutting into Lila's thoughts.

Lila looked up at a woman who was quite older than she was and a little plump, more motherly than seriously overweight. She had soft brown eyes and black hair, touched with grey, pulled into a loose ponytail.

The woman's expression suddenly became concerned. "Oh, honey, did your boyfriend hurt you?" she asked.

My boyfriend? Lila thought a little fuzzily. Oh, she means the bite on my neck, the silver silk ranger realised.

Lila hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to tell this woman. I should tell the truth as far as possible, she decided after a moment.

"I got bitten," Lila answered out loud. "By a... wild dog." She silently apologised to Hunter for referring to him as a 'wild dog'... She couldn't exactly tell the whole truth, though.

The woman winced a little. "You should get it seen to," she commented. "Get a doctor to look at it. It could turn bad."

"I'm sure it'll be all right," Lila smiled. "The... dog's had all of its shots."

"Is there a particular reason why you're not wearing any shoes?" the woman questioned.

"Um... I had to rush out of my house really quickly," Lila admitted. "I'd... really rather not talk about it." No one would believe her, anyway. Why should they? Vampires weren't supposed to exist. The moment she mentioned anything about what had really happened to her, she'd be packed up to the nearest mental hospital as quickly as possible.

"Oh, all right." The woman looked a little disappointed, and Lila wondered if she had been looking for gossip. "What would you like to order?" the woman wanted to know. "Unless you've not finished looking yet, of course," she added.

"I'd like a cappuccino and a ham sandwich, please," Lila replied. She hesitated a moment, then asked, "Should I pay now, or after I've finished the food?"

"You can pay once you've finished," the woman shrugged. Lila saw from her name badge that her name was Sally. "I'll just go and get your order," Sally said, turning and walking into the kitchen area.

While she was gone, Lila kept her head down. She could feel everyone staring at her, and she didn't like it at all. She didn't particularly like being the center of attention. Knowing her luck, one of the people here would probably come and ask her what had happened to her if she made eye contact with any of them. So that was the last thing she was going to do. She didn't feel up to fielding awkward questions.

What can I do now? Lila wondered as she waited for her food. I have to try and enlist help... But how? I can't just put a poster up or something like that. I guess my first priority is getting some clothes, Lila decided. I am not going to wander around town in nothing but my nightdress and a coat! For one thing, it would get smelly. For another, people would probably guess at what I was really wearing. I guess my next priority will have to be finding a place to stay and then getting a job so that I have some sort of income coming in.

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Andros glanced sideways at Cally, who was staring at the hut in front of them like she was worried it was going to bite them.

"You ok?" Andros asked Cally.

The violet light ranger nodded slowly, her eyes fastened on the hut. She couldn't look away even if she wanted to. "I... guess so," she answered. "I just don't like the look of this place. It's creepy. What's something like this doing in the Forest of Feelings?"

"I know what you mean," Andros responded. "I somehow get the feeling that this hut doesn't belong here."

"You're right," one of the unicorns said from behind the two Power Rangers in a soft voice. "This hut doesn't belong here. Houses aren't supposed to be built here. The trees... aren't supposed to be cut down by anyone

Andros and Cally turned round to look at the two unicorns.

"What do you mean?" Andros asked with some confusion.

"This house was built from dead trees," Andros' unicorn explained. "The creator of this house chopped down a lot of trees to build this place... As a symbol of pure power."

"Who built it?" Cally wanted to know.

The two unicorns exchanged glances. Clearly, neither of them wanted to actually say anything. They'd avoid answering if they could.

"Come on, tell us!" Andros snapped. "You brought Cally here to do something, didn't you?"

"Actually, it was both of you who needed to be here," Cally's unicorn replied softly, lowering her head. "But we didn't know that until after you two had teamed up together."

"Why didn't you tell us?" Andros questioned, his voice dangerously low.

"We were forbidden to do so," Andros' unicorn told Andros and Cally. "You have to understand. The ones who make the rules... If we disobey, we will be punished."

"But some of the rules are just silly," Cally objected. "In any case, I thought that the unicorns were the ones who made the rules."

"No, we don't," Cally's unicorn said. "We have to follow the rules just like every other animal in this forest."

"Well, could you ask, or whatever, if we're allowed to know about whoever built this blasted hut?" Andros wanted to know, fast getting impatient. He was missing his friends a lot, and he really wanted to see them again.

The unicorns exchanged glances again, then Andros' unicorn concentrated for a long moment, its head on one side as though it was listening to something. Finally, it nodded. "We can tell you," it said. "But we have to be quick."

"We understand," Andros replied. "Just please tell us what's going on."

"The builder of that hut was a wizard," Cally's unicorn explained to the two Power Rangers. "Everything in this forest has magic inside of it. Only, the magic is supposed to leave once the living thing holding it dies."

"This wizard found a way of keeping the magic inside the trees once they had been killed." Andros' unicorn took over the telling of the story. "So he cut a whole load down, and built this hut. The hut has now become a focal point for magic, and the wizard has been trying to get even more powerful."

"How could he do that?" Cally wanted to know.

"He will take all of the good out of people," Cally's unicorn answered. "Leaving behind only evil stuck in the body of what you would call a vampire, though that is not the correct name for them. The goodness inside people, when mixed together, creates a very powerful form of magic called Soul Power. With enough Soul Power, this wizard would have enough magic at his disposal to rule every world in existence."

"But how will he get this Soul Power?" Andros questioned.

"He has already sent one of his creatures into your world, Cally," Andros' unicorn responded. "It is spreading its touch through anyone it can."

Cally closed her eyes. "Oh, no," she whispered.

"Is there any way of getting the souls back?" Andros asked the two unicorns.

Cally's opened its mouth to reply.

"Well, well," an oily voice said from behind them. "If I'd known that you wanted to come to my hut, I would have guided you there in person."

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