TUESDAY

It was still quiet when Sydney's eyes opened. Reluctantly she peeked at the alarm clock that was fast becoming her enemy. 6:00 am it read in bright red numbers as if mocking her lack of sleep. With an oath, she got out of bed and decided to try one of Sky's tactics for sleeplessness. She put on her running shoes and headed outside to the track, hoping the exercise would be a jolt to her system and provide her enough energy to get through the day.

When she returned from her run, she found her mail waiting for her on the bed. She quickly scanned it for anything interesting when she noticed the familiar white envelope that was the Parents weekend invitation. Confused she picked it up wondering why it had come back to her. The truth hit her like a blow to the stomach as she saw the red letters stamped on the front, "Return to Sender". It had never been opened; her dad had simply sent it back.

Stunned, Sydney slid down to the floor still staring at the envelope. Since she had left her house, her relationship with her dad was strained at best. He still sent money every week, but that was all the communication that existed between the two. She had tried to call him, but he would screen his calls and never return her messages. Discouraged she gave up and was waiting for her father to make the effort to have a relationship. 'Why won't he forgive me?' she cried out in irritation.

She struggled with being good enough all through her adolescent years. Trying to be pretty enough, popular enough, smart enough. Nothing she did was good enough for her overprotective and distant father. By the time she was sixteen she was desperate to get out of the house. She went on line and applied to the SPD academy. If she thought her dad was upset about the brochure she had received, she was not prepared for the anger he tossed at her when she told him she was leaving.

Images flashed through her head rapidly and she was unable to stop them.

"What have you done?" Jonathan screamed at the tiny girl before him as he tried shaking her back to her senses. "How could you?" he continued shouting. He hadn't seen this betrayal coming. "I've given you everything!"

"Everything but love and acceptance. You're never here for me!" Sydney shouted back. " You didn't love her enough to make her stay and you don't love me enough so I want to leave!" A stinging pain came across her cheek as she realized horrified that it was her dad's hand that connected with her face.

Wearing long sleeve shirts to school to cover the bruises on her arms from where he had grabbed her. Lying to friends and teachers about why she had a black eye. "I fell in dance class." She lied weakly, ashamed of the truth. Her dad's anger had been out of control as he slapped her across her face. Stunned she backed away from him in fear. He was just as ashamed as he turned away from his daughter, afraid to face her. He had become even more distant then.

She remembered the day she left for SPD. He barely acknowledged her departure.

"I love you Daddy." Sixteen-year-old Sydney desperately wanted him to return her affection as he turned away from her hug.

"You've made your decision." He replied coldly. "I hope it works out for you." He declared ambiguously. She knew he had been upset with her choice, but thought he would realize it was her choice to make. She was starting to understand how angry he still was at her mother for choosing SPD over him. But she wasn't choosing SPD over him; she still wanted to have a relationship with her father. He was the one who was choosing to ignore her, to deny that she was his daughter.

Despite her lack of relationship with her father, Sydney never regretted her decision. It hadn't been easy at the Academy, but somehow she survived. And not just survive, but thrive. It wasn't until she arrived at SPD that she found that she could be good at other things as well. She had taken like a fish to water to the computer systems, engineering the complete overhaul of the security systems and helping design the SWAT gear to upgrade their arsenal. It gave her great pride and sense of purpose to be a vital part of a team, to be recognized for more than her looks. She had made great friends at the academy as well and was generally pleased about how her life had turned out.

The only downside in Sydney's life was the lack of family. The busyness of being a power ranger and technology expert kept her from dwelling on the lows too much. However, with the parent's weekend upcoming it was all she could think about. And it was driving her crazy. Every doubt and insecurity she had was at the forefront of her mind, threatening to overcome her instincts. And the mental weariness she was feeling was starting to leak into her physical strength.

She looked at the clock and realized she had spent an hour sitting on the floor obsessing over her father and the returned invitation. She didn't want Z to find her there, it would only raise more questions then they all ready had. Throwing the invitation in her journal she hurried down to the visitors center to start the rooming assignments for the weekend. It was none too soon. As soon as she turned the corner, Z was coming down the stairs hoping to find the pink ranger.

"Okay, I'll have Sky's mom in Room 212." Sydney said aloud as she assigned rooms to the incoming guests. She checked off the information on the data pad as she continued with B-squad's assignments. "Z's mom and dad and younger brother can stay in Suite 214, and Jack's parents will be across the hall in 215." She decided with a yawn. It was 3:30 in the afternoon and she had been doing rooming assignments all day. She could have chosen decorations like she'd always done, but she was in no mood to be that involved with the parents weekend. Here at least she could hide in the visitor's center from the cadets eagerly waiting for Friday to come.

'Pull it together Syd.' She chastised herself as she continued down the list. "Carson- 11 family members." She read off the RSVP sheet with a laugh. "I'll put Bridge's mom and dad in room 216, his 3 sisters in 217, his two brothers in 218, grandma and grandpa in 219, and his aunt and uncle in 220." Syd realized that Bridge had a large family, one that she had always wished for. But there had only been her and her parents until they divorced. Then it was just Syd and her dad. And now there was just her. 'Some family.' She sighed sadly.

As the years went by, Jonathan Drew spent more time at work and less time with his daughter. She often wondered what it would have been like to have siblings. A sister to confide in and go shopping with, or a brother to protect her and give her advice. The past year Z had become like a sister to her and Bridge and Jack becoming like brothers she never had. She enjoyed the closeness they shared and how they had become like a family. But with parents weekend approaching, she was reminded that they weren't really a family. Unlike her, the others all had family who were still part of their lives and coming to visit. It only reminded her of how alone she was.

"She's not missing another meal." Jack declared at Sydney's absence from dinner.

"Syd's working too hard." Sky agreed much to the amusement of Z and Bridge. He shot them a glare at their laughter. "What?" he asked roughly, putting down his hamburger to stare at his teammates.

"Don't you think its funny, you calling anyone else a workaholic?" Bridge teased his roommate. "I mean if anyone called you a workaholic, you would totally go off on them, even though they would be right. Not that they would tell you to your face…"

"Whatever." Sky replied interrupting the green ranger, though there was a small smile with his statement. "Let's go find her." The others were just as concerned, which is how the four of them went to the visitor's center to find their teammate.

It didn't take long to find her. She was about 200 yards up the hallway, but was standing stone still. "Syd?" Z called out to the girl standing in the middle of the hallway. She got no response.

"Syd!" Bridge tried louder than the yellow ranger, as they got closer to the pink ranger.

Exasperated and concerned four rangers yelled, "SYDNEY!" The tiny girl started at the loud intrusion to her solitude, the data pad dropping to the floor with a crash.

"What?" She asked equally exasperated and confused at their sudden appearance as she pushed all emotion off her face.

It's time for dinner." Sky told her as he bent down to pick up the fallen data pad. "Come on." He encouraged her shutting the door behind her.

She looked reluctant to leave her work so Jack stepped in. "that's an order." He demanded only half jokingly. Syd allowed herself to be cajoled away for dinner and had no good reason to miss movie night either. The others were quite engaged in watching "Sahara", but Syd's mind was elsewhere; despite her love of Matthew McConaughey.