Power Rangers Literati
"Spirited Beginnings"
'Part Two, The Awakenings Begin'
By J.T. Magnus, "Turbo"
Highway 2 is THE store in Scenic City, books, movies, musics, video games, anime and manga along with the toys from them, even music instruments. With the employee discount, working there is considered one step away from heaven. Working there with your friends is considered a half-step closer, though. Working there, with your friends, on a slow day with no customers, well... as close as you can get without losing anything.
Justin groaned from behind the counter, "Not again..."
The store's speaker system began playing 'Great Balls of Fire', which was what had become dubbed as a 'warning song'. That meant that when it started to play, J.T. was up to something, and if it was in the store, Justin knew what it was. He only hoped the teen didn't damage any merchandise...
In the music section, Amanda was throwing CDs in their cases to J.T., who was catching them and sticking them in their places while singing and dancing along to the song.
It caught everyone off guard when J.T. growled, then let loose a roar.
Amanda stopped before another throw, "What was that for?"
J.T. shook his head, "I don't know... I've been having the urge to do that all day, ever since that dream I had last night."
The CD fell into the box it had just been taken out of, "Dream?"
"Yeah, it was weird, even for me... I dreamt I was this giant black dragon, and there were these other colored people and animals with me..."
"Was one of them a witch dressed in yellow?"
"Yeah," J.T. asked, shocked, "How did you...?"
Daniel leaned over the rack, "A blue demon?"
J.T. laughed to cover up the nervousness that was beginning to develop, "What, you dreamed you were Nightcrawler or something?"
Yolanda had been in the next aisle over helping Daniel stock there, so she added, "What about a pink siren?"
"You know... I saw the same things in my dream, only I was... get this; a green phoenix," Jessica added as she sat down the box of CDs she had brought out from the back to be stocked.
Justin had left the counter to tell J.T. to behave and so had caught the conversation, "And a red knight..."
Jon didn't walk, he more like swaggered up to the others, "And then the good fairy came down from the sky to give you all candy? Come on, guys, what? Eat some bad pizza or something?"
One of the reasons J.T. filled the 'leader' role of the group was because of his drive, that was also the reason he was the shift manager at Highway 2...
"Maxwell, you're two hours late... with no excuse..."
"I had better things to do," Jon answered dismissively.
"Jon, you're usually pretty good about being here on time, but if you start slipping... you might have better things to do elsewhere, but you won't have anything to do here."
In a citadel deep within the mountains outside Scenic City, the sorceror known as Malleus Maleficarum, the Witch Hammer, ponders the recent turn of events...
"So... Once again the Power has been awakened..."
With a flair of the volumous sleeves of his robe, Malleus sat before a large circle and waved his hand across it, causing it to show Highway 2...
"Damn," Daniel swore, "I'm gonna be late again!"
Stopping only long enough to grab his pack from behind the counter, Daniel was running out the door.
J.T. looked over at Amanda, "And you say I'm not all there?"
"Shut. Up. Magnus."
Jon crossed his arms and glared, "You'll get on my case for being late, but not his?"
Turning to face him, J.T. hit Jon with his own glare, one that had a lot more practice thanks to glare-downs between him and Amanda, "That's because YOU were late getting HERE, where I'm in charge and in trouble when you're late. HE's late getting to the college, where HE's the only one in trouble for him being late."
"So you're not just a jerk, you're a self-serving jerk?" Jon asked sarcasticly.
"You know what, Jon? Why don't you just go home, take a sick day - because we're rapidly getting sick of your attitude today," Amanda said.
"Fine, I have better things to do than hang around you guys anyway!" Jon said, walking toward the door.
"'We are not!'" Amanda joked.
The others were so busy laughing at Amanda's recollection of MASH jokes that none of them noticed J.T. put his hand to his forehead and wince...
While his eyes flashed black.
"Darkness resides in this one... It is making its way out, soon to be unleashed..."
With another wave of his hand, the view changed to Daniel at college, being reprimanded by his teacher for being late to class, but Malleus' attention was not on Daniel himself, but on another student in the class, one laughing at Daniel's misfortune...
Marius Orbensky was the best student in class, in his opinion - or at least he would be if it wasn't for Daniel Curtindolph who went out of his way to show Marius up, again, in his opinion. As far as Daniel was concerned, he and Marius were both top students and it didn't matter who was best. As far as Marius was concerned, each day was a new chance to prove he was better than Daniel at EVERYTHING.
"...Murphy, Ninety-eight; McMicheals, ninety-nine; Orbensky, one-hundred; Curtindolph, one-hundred. Those who scored less than an eighty on this test, please stay after class."
"Looks like cheating pays off, Curtindolph," Marius hissed under his breath.
Daniel, in a show of infinate wit, rolled his eyes and tucked his books back in his pack. Closing his eyes slightly, the blue glow coming from them was easily mistaken for light shining in the window of the classroom...