Disclaimer- Don't own anyone (Well maybe Cael, Tynan, and Talon since I created them for this story)
Last time- Ashley went out with her new friend and savior Cael. Zhane worried for his friend follows but is later attacked by some monster. Cassie, Carlos and TJ come to his rescue and are able to get the monster to leave. When Ashley returns from her dinner, she finds out that Alpha had tried to contact her. What happened to Ashley to make her not yet the message? What's going to happen this time?
Never what it seems to be
Chapter 3- You would look beautiful in black
Ashley stood there for a long time, horrified. How could she have not heard her communicator? Her hands began to shake as she continued to listen to her friends. She looked at her morpher and then placed a hand over it. Biting on her lower lip, she took a step forward and into the room where all her friends were. "I'm sorry." She said instantly catching the gaze of everyone. "I did not mean to… it… I swear I did not hear it." She began to felt stupid for her excuse. How could she not hear it? The restaurant was not like the club where it was loud. It was like the time at the coffee shop with Cael. It was as if she had lost herself talking to her rescuer.
"Where were you?" Karone asked sadly. "I checked your room but you were not there." Ashley hung her head low, staring at her boots while feeling ashamed. "I was down on Earth." She muttered solemnly. The group stared at her, Zhane however stood up. "It's nothing really I knew she was down there." He tried to cover up. "No Zhane." Ashley cut in, "I should have been there to help you. You are hurt now and it was my fault. I was out with a friend of mine and I'm really sorry." Her hands were clutched into tight fists.
"It's okay Ash." Cassie said putting a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "Zhane will be okay we got there in time. Everyone makes mistakes, we are only human." Ashley gave her friend a small smile. Zhane smiled, trying to hide the pain, not wanting to make Ashley feel bad or make her wonder what he was doing on Earth. "It's late." The blond ranger said. "Let's go to bed, and then tomorrow we can find out where that monster came from." Everyone agreed and headed toward their rooms. Ashley on the other hand held back to talk to Zhane.
Automatically the Sliver space ranger thought he had been busted. He looked down at his shoes, becoming suddenly interested in his boots. He then looked up at Ashley as if surprised that she was still around.
"I'm really sorry," she insisted.
"It's okay really I will be fine." He replied with a gentle smile.
The yellow ranger heaved a big sigh and sat next to him on the examination table. She looked greatly distraught. "You really miss Andros don't you?" he said breaking the silence that had fallen on them. She nodded solemnly. "I guess I could tell it's been bothering you a lot but he'll be back soon. I am glad you are going out too. All of us were somewhat sad on how depressed you became. We like seeing you happy Ash." She smiled at him. "Yeah I know." She responded. She then hopped off the table and headed for the door. "Take care." Then she headed for her room.
Tynan stretched out his massive wings as he landed on the ground in a crooked ally. Sitting on a crate with a handful of shopping bags was the beautiful blond, Talon. "Looking as gruesome as usual," came Talon's swift remark. Tynan folded his wings, wrapping them around him like a cape. His piercing blood red eyes stared at her and then in a blink of an eye he was back to his human form. Quickly he ran his hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. The amber-eyed female vampire was now sporting a black turtleneck and jeans. She had on a pair of flip-flops on her dainty feet, her toenails now colored in a deep red.
"You destroy any of the rangers yet?" She questioned. Tynan grunted. "I would have had not the pink ranger have this weapon." His voice was husky and painful. The female vampire's amber eyes flickered up, in a concern look. She walked over to the brown haired vampire and placed her arms around him. "My poor Tynan." She cooed. "Next time I might just help you, unless I find a cute outfit." Tynan laughed and then tugged at her blond locks. Just then, there was a slight snicker. The two servants looked over and saw their master, Cael.
"I would think the other female ranger would be an easy kill." Cael said harshly, "Not only that they were not even a full team. The yellow ranger was with me and there were how many?" Tynan looked away and muttered, "Four." The number seemed obsolete to Cael. He threw his head back and laughed. "Five including Ashley." said Tynan. Cael thought for a moment. "Perhaps more… she was describing her friends and there were six of them." Tynan let out a growl his eyes hinting red. Talon placed her small hand on his shoulder.
"Even if they were a hundred pathetic power rangers Tynan could defeat them all." She said, buttering him up. With a slight grin, she slipped past the two men. "Besides, next time when you fight the rangers just steal that stupid weapon." Tynan cocked his head as the female vampire walked off, her hips swaying as she did. That was easier said than done. Quickly the two followed.
The three walked down the sidewalk, looking powerful, unapproachable. They seemed to radiate with power, with hauntingly good looks. They seemed too good to be true. Talon with her long blond hair and petite look made her look incredibly sexy. Tynan was muscular, ruggedly handsome, and tall. Cael was shorter then the brown haired vampire but not by much. He was well built, dark, and extremely mysterious. The few people who were out this late stared at the three. No one would assume that they were vampires, then again who would believe them. Besides being pale, no one would think they were some evil creature. Vampires were now nothing but a myth, a fairytale. These three were true vampires. Evil beings bent on getting what they want and having the power to get it.
With superhuman strength, immortality, telepathy, shape shifting, and hypnotizing powers, who could stop them? Zordon did, but it proved to fail for as soon as he was gone, so was the hold binding them in stasis. What other powers did they have?
"So do we get to meet little yellow?" Talon asked referring to Ashley. "Of course tomorrow night at eight o'clock we will be meeting her at that shopping center." Cael replied with a small smile. "How wonderful maybe I can get her to wear some black. Yellow is so bright… it makes me sick." The amber-eyed vampire suggested. The two men snickered and then stopped walking when the noticed their short companion, stop. Looking forward the two men saw several men, looking as if they were going to start something. There were five in all.
"Well, look what we have here." One said who seemed to be the leader. "What a pretty girl we have here." He touched Talon's hair; she looked at his grimy and calloused fingers, touching HER blond locks. "Why not leave these two wimps and come party with some real men." Talon continued to stare; rather annoyed with the way he began to rub her hair. Tynan crossed his arms across his chest. Cael rolled his eyes. Neither man cared for the pathetic insult coming from the troublemaker. "I do not party with mortals." Talon said sounding emotionless. The person continued to touch her hair, while his posse was snickering, flexing their muscles as if trying to intimidate Cael and Tynan. Of course, neither of the two males looked impressed. When the man grabbed Talon by the wrist, she yanked it away, yet remained calm. "Come on babe." He said trying to coax her.
Show him what you can do, Talon. Tynan said telepathically.
"All right, come this way." Talon turned a corner into a dark ally. "I'll show you something… to die for." The man "flirting" with Talon followed. He had a big smile on his face. The rest of the posse stayed, eyeing Cael and Tynan. While in the darkness of the alley, the man watched Talon's silhouette. A cold draft hit the man making him shudder. He then reached his hand over to the blonde-haired girl and said, "Well babe?"
Suddenly Talon's hand clamped onto his wrist, surprising the man. Her grip was like a vise. "What the hell?" the man gasped as her grip became tighter. Just then, she turned around her eyes glowing crimson red, her fangs exploding out. "I told you this would be something to die for." She smirked. Then before he could react, Talon clamped her mouth against his jugular, drinking deeply.
Moments later Talon emerged from the alley looking cocky. She flipped her long blond locks and then joined her two companions, while the posse waited for their boss. After a few minutes, the four men checked on their boss. They headed into the back alley looking for him. Once arriving in the back they stared in horror as there boss lied dead. He was lying, his body in a heap, and two tiny holes in his neck. The four stared in horror, unsure what to do or say. "What the heck is going on?" one of the men managed to say.
"He should not have touched my hair. I despise mortals and now he paid the price. Now it is your turn." Talon grinned as she, Tynan, and Cael's eyes began to turn red. The four men began to back away only to stumble over the body of their dead leader. Then there complete silence and the stench of death.
At 8 o'clock the next night, Ashley was sitting inside the Angel Grove Mall. She was staring down at her yellow sandals. She was sporting a short, yellow hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans, her hair loose and straitened. She scanned the area of the mall again looking for her new friend and his companions. Letting out a small breath she looked around for any sign of Cael. If his friends had walked in, she would have no idea who they were. She stared at her watch and noted that three minutes have passed. It did not mean that they were not coming. They were just three minutes late. Ashley began to nervously fold and unfold her hands. She was not sure whether his friends would even like her.
As she was pondering this thought, a hand fell onto her shoulder. Ashley jumped and turned around to see Cael. "You scared me." She admitted instantly. "I apologize." He responded sweetly. Ashley smiled and then noticed the two people right behind him. One was a beautiful petite blond and the other a handsome brown muscular man. She held out her hand to introduce herself. "Hi I'm Ashley Hammond." She said. "Talon…" she trailed off and then said, "Talon Amaya." She gingerly took the yellow rangers hand and smiled a small smile. She then turned toward Tynan. He was a very intimidating man but Ashley managed to smile warmly at him. Holding out her hand, he gripped it tightly. "Tynan Faolan," he said simply. He let go of her hand and Ashley placed it at her side.
"Don't mind Tynan." Talon snickered looping her arm around Ashley. "He is like a big… teddy bear." Of course, the blond was joking. Tynan was far from being a 'teddy bear.' He was incredibly ruthless but the simple joke made Ashley smile and eased the tension. "So care to go hit the stores with me?" she tried adding more slang to her speech. The yellow ranger looked into her amber eyes and nodded and then Talon was able to drag her off with ease.
At the same time on the megaship, TJ and Carlos were on the bridge, scanning the earth for trouble, such as monsters attacks but there was none. "Nothing but your normal crimes, the police can handle them." Carlos said as he pressed a button on the control panel. The blue ranger sighed slouching in his chair. Carlos pressed another button on the control panel. "I wonder if that monster that attacked Zhane is going to show up again. It is a good thing we were here. I just wonder why it would attack Zhane like that." The black ranger pondered.
"Well it was out at night and probably thought Zhane was an easy target." TJ suggested. "Except he didn't know he was a ranger." Carlos nodded sweeping his black hair out of his face with his hand. Just then, the bridge doors opened and Zhane along with Alpha walked in.
"Anything?" the injured silver ranger questioned. The blue and black rangers shook their heads in union. "Not a trace." TJ confirmed. Zhane hovered over them, watching the screens as Carlos showed him nothing on the scanners. Zhane cursed under his breath, wishing they had taken out the monster. Alpha busied himself on the other side of the room, doing a routine check. The three male rangers continued looking when Cassie walked in reading a newspaper.
"Hey guys!" Cassie said. She waited for a response but the three were absorbed in the scanning. Rolling her eyes, she took a seat in a chair and continued to read an interesting article. After a few minutes, they looked up, knowing if the monster did return DECA would be able to find them. It was then they had noticed Cassie reading. "Hey Cassie," Carlos greeted but the pink ranger ignored him. She had become entranced with the article she was now reading.
"HELLO CASSIE!" TJ yelled out getting her attention finally. Just then, her head snapped up and she looked at them. "Sorry," she replied. "It's just that I got the paper today and it says how these three hikers have disappeared for a few days now. The police have searched the park where they would normally go hiking but never found a trace, no foot print, anything!" She continued to read, Carlos and TJ joined her in reading the article, and there were even pictures of the three people who were missing. Then the blue astro noticed another article. "Look," he pointed out.
"Five men were found dead last night in a back alley." He read aloud. "There had been no flesh wounds or anything, and police speculated that it could have been drug overdose but there were no signs of it. The bodies were found lying as if they had just dropped down dead."
The three rangers looked up and noticed Zhane was listening. "Could this be the cause of the monster who attacked you, Zhane?" Cassie asked. The color drained from the Silver rangers face. "If it is… then why has DECA been unable to find out?"
At the same time the rangers were discussing, Ashley and Talon were standing in a store. Talon had already picked out a number of outfits, all black. "Find something you like?" Talon asked. Ashley looked through a rack and found a sexy looking halter top. The blond haired girl hated the brightness of the color yellow. Snatching it out of Ashley's hands, she examined it. "Do you ever get tired of yellow?" Talon said examining at Ashley's outfit. Ashley looked at her own outfit not really understanding what was wrong. She then looked up at Cael's friend and arched an eyebrow.
"My friends say I look good in yellow." Ashley stated. Talon nodded slowly and then placed the halter top back on the rack. "You know I can tell a lot about you, Ashley." She stated with a smile. "Yellow is a warm, friendly color like you. I bet you are also loyal and very caring. You worry about the people close to you and you always have a shoulder someone could lean on, right?" Everything she said was true. That was what her friends saw in her and that was how she saw herself.
"Wow…" Ashley managed to say. "What do you see in me?" Talon took her hands and stared strait into her eyes. "Mysterious… black is a mysterious yet cold color… your hands are cold." Ashley murmured. Talon smiled and then said, "You know, we have secretes, everyone does. That is why you would look good in black." Just then, Cael placed his hands on Ashley's shoulder and she looked up at him. "I agree you would look good in black." Talon handed her a black outfit and then pushed Ashley into a dressing room. The yellow ranger did not hesitate. She walked in and began to change.
"She is going under easier then I thought." Cael said. "I think tonight I shall begin the first of the exchanges." Tynan smirked and Talon arched an eyebrow. "What if she realizes it?" she asked rather concerned. "You and Tynan will keep her under as I begin. She will not know." As he finished his sentence, Ashley came out of the dressing room. She was now in black pants, black tube top, and a puffy black hat. Cael smiled as she stood there turning around so they could look at her.
After paying for the outfit, the four walked out of the mall. They came to Angel Grove Park and found a secluded area. The only light was the nearly full moon and the street lamps. The park had several people, mostly couples walking around now but where they were, no one was around. Tynan and Talon wanted to go for a drink but they knew Cael needed them now. Cael was hovering over Ashley, causing the yellow ranger some discomfort. She did not want him this close, he may have been her friend now, but it felt uncomfortable. She turned around and looked up at him, his hauntingly beautiful eyes.
"Did you have fun?" Cael asked staring into to her eyes. Ashley felt her body freeze up. She could not move or turn her head away. It felt once again as some unknown force was holding her, binding her to the spot. She then felt the bags slip out of her hand yet she could care less. Right now, she was drowning in his eyes. Unable to comprehend anything she stood, locked in place. Cael nodded to Tynan and Talon to hold her in place block her mind from comprehending anything that would happen.
Cael walked up to her. He placed one hand on her neck, using his thumb to rub the vein in her neck. He could feel her pulse rising as he gently brushed her. Her body responded yet she could not comprehend it, not when they mesmerized her. Bending hid head down, Cael slowly pierced the skin and began to drink her blood. Ashley became pale after he took a little more then a pint of her blood. He pulled away and licked the pinpricks closed, leaving no mark on her beautiful skin. Next, he took his wrist, made a small slash, and pressed it to Ashley's mouth. "Drink my dear," he coaxed. Ashley did as she was told, unknowingly. When she took some back, he pulled his wrist away and closed the slash he made.
After a moment, both Tynan and Talon pulled away allowing Ashley to think again. The yellow ranger began to move yet feeling incredibly weak at the same time. "Are you all right Ashley?" Cael asked tying to sound concern. "I feel so weak." She replied collapsing. Cael caught her into his arms and smiled without letting her see. "You should go home and rest." He said into her ear. He pushed into her mind, making her comply. "Go home and rest, but I'll see you again tomorrow night, go." Ashley nodded and then slowly walked off. Cael smiled and licked his lips.
"Only two more transfers and she will be one of us." He said to Tynan and Talon. "My queen…"
Ashley returned to the megaship. She was shuffling her feet as she walked and unable to walk strait. Once making it to her room, she closed the door and flopped on her bed. She closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep.
Outside her room though, Carlos stood noticing his friend's odd behavior. "DECA, what time is it?" he asked to which the computer replied, "Standard Angel Grove time is 10:45 pm." The black ranger stared at the door to Ashley's room. "How could she be dead tired, she sleeps all day and now she is tired?" he said to himself.
Author's note- Okay Carlos is suspicious now. Will he able to figure this out? Will Andros be back soon to save Ashley? Will Cael complete the exchange to make Ashley is queen? So many questions and they will be answered. Read and review
Questions and Answers- The reason why Ashley does not notice Cael is a vampire is every time they make eye contact Cael uses his power to manipulate her and make her think he is a normal person. He makes her think that he works a lot and goes to college and stuff so she thinks hanging out at night is normal.
The exchange is the way to turn a human, vampire. It takes three exchanges and both the vampire and the human have to drink the others blood. However, it has to be done in a certain period or the vampire blood will leave her body. (Her body will eventually reject)
Cael's last name is Drake.
If anyone else has any questions, I will try to answer them