The six of us all crammed into Jason and Trini's house. Very few words had been spoken since our departure from the Command Center. We each donned our old communicators, the silver wristlets feeling a lot heavier than I remembered. Billy and Zack sat on the couch, both looking exhausted from their travels here. Tommy was perched on the arm of the recliner next to me. Trini was tucked into the corner of the sectional on the floor, deep in thought as she stared out into space. Jason stood in front of us all, pacing now and then. Finally, he sighed and threw his hands up in the air. "How could Zordon tell us all of this information and then just send us on our merry way as if nothing was happening?" He asked, looking at us.
"What did you want him to do? We can't use our powers until the gems are here and transferred to us. It's not like we can run over there and attack her now." Trini said, glancing up at her husband.
"Trini's right, man. We need to wait until Zordon figures everything out. He's never let us down before. We gotta have faith." Zack said. Jase nodded, rubbing his temple with his forefingers.
"So now what?"
"We need to stick with our routines. If we don't, people are going to start thinking something is going on. We don't know who we can trust right now." Trini replied, standing.
"What does that mean?"
"It means we all need to go to the reunion tonight like nothing is trying to destroy the world." I said, looking at all my friends.
"Kimmy, I think we have more important things to do right now than hang out with a bunch of idiots we went to school with." Jase said. Billy shook his head.
"Kimberly is correct. If we attend the reunion, it will seem we are only in town for that occasion. It'll draw attention away from us and anyone who might have knowledge of our prior association as Power Rangers." Sighing, Billy climbed to his feet. "I need to head over to my father's house to see if I can build a device to contact Aquitar. I was taken so suddenly I didn't have a chance to tell my wife I was leaving. She'll be worried."
"I can give you a ride, Billy." Tommy said, standing. "Kim and I need to head back to the hotel anyway to get ready." He paused, turning towards me. "Is that okay with you?" I nodded.
"Yes."
"The hotel where that woman is?" Zack asked. Tommy nodded. "I don't know, man. Maybe you two shouldn't be there. You never know."
"It's better to have eyes in the inside." Tommy replied. "We both already met Rosita. If we can try to figure out more about the hotel and her, we might be able to come up with a plan to stop her. Make sure everyone keeps their communicators on. We will meet at the juice bar at 6, alright?" Tommy asked. The group collectively nodded.
Billy, Tommy and I climbed into his jeep. Zack had decided to stay with Jason and Trini, thinking it was a better idea than staying in the next town over with everything that was going on. Tommy dropped Billy off at his father's house before heading towards the hotel. Nerves began to flutter in my stomach at the thought of being back there now that I knew what was going on. The debris from the earthquake had been cleaned out of the streets and most of the buildings had been deemed safe to return to. The same must have been said for the hotel because people were walking in and out of it as Tommy pulled into the parking lot. He killed the engine of the jeep and face me in his seat.
"When we go in there, I think it might be a good idea that we act normal. Rosita already knows that we know each other. I don't believe she knows who we are though." He said. I nodded, wiping the sweat from my palms on my jeans.
"Okay. I'll head to my room and get ready. I can meet you in the lobby at 5:30."
"Sounds like a plan." Climbing from the jeep, we headed inside the hotel. It appeared as though nothing had happened. The mess had been cleaned up and the broken pieces of the building had been repairs already. People mingled here and there in the lobby, the nightly reception moved here due to the damage done by the quake. I glanced over at Tommy as he called the elevator. He flashed me a smile as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can I guess what color you're wearing?" I shot him a glare, a smirk coming to my lips.
"Shut up, Oliver." I muttered, shaking my head. The doors of the elevator opened and we climbed in. I pressed my floor number and he pressed his. The buttons lit up as the doors closed. "So, Kat didn't want to come back for the reunion?" I asked. He shook his head.
"From what Rocky tells me, she felt like she had done enough time here in Angel Grove. Her work in London probably has her going too much for her to come." He replied. Silence fell over us, reminding me of everything that had happened before this morning. The elevator stopped, dinging as the doors opened to my floor.
"Well, this is me. I'll see you in a little bit." I said, stepping off. Turning, I looked back at him.
"It's a date." He winked at me as the doors shut. A faint blush filled my cheeks as I made my way to my room. Unlocking the door, I stepped inside. To my surprise, my cell phone was resting on the pillow of the bed. Taking a fighting stance, I looked around the room for any sign of an intruder. I know I had left it on the table in the dining area. The ceiling had crashed right on top of it. The screen was unharmed though as I picked it up. I saw that I had a dozen missed calls from Trini and Jason, probably when they were trying to get ahold of me when the earthquake happened. Shrugging, I tossed it back on the bed and headed into the bathroom to get ready.
After a quick shower, I dried and curled my hair slightly around my head. Pinning the brown locks towards the top of my head, I smiled at my reflection. It was weird seeing the communicator there. It had been ten years since I had one around my wrist. It felt natural, like it was meant to be there. Still wrapped in the white towel, I walked over to the closet in the room and grabbed the dress bag I had hung up there from my arrival. Unzipping it, I chuckled at the comment Tommy had made when I was getting off the elevator. The pink lace dress looked as if the tulle skirt trying to escape the bag. I slid it out by the hanger, pulling it over my head carefully. The top of the dress was heart shaped, the built-in bra supporting me as I zipped up the back of the dress. It was a delicate pink lace, the fabric following down over the skirt, layers of tulle making it poof out slightly. It was a dress I had bought last year for the high school prom I was chaperoning. I had briefly worked at a high school for troubled students and I volunteered to watch over them for the night. It had been fun but made me think of that fact I had missed my own prom. Shrugging off the thought, I returned to the bathroom and applied a light layer of makeup on my face. Sliding my feet into pink ballet flats, I gave myself a quick look over. My nerves were beginning to jump under my skin. Was I nervous? Why? I mean, I knew there was danger around but this was a different kind of nervous. Very similar to the first time I had spoken to Tommy. Was that why I was nervous?
Grabbing my smaller black purse, I tucked my phone and keycard into the pocket before leaving the room. It was nearing 5:30 and I had promised to meet Tommy in the lobby then. Taking deep breaths, I did my best to try and calm my nerves. I was 28 years old. There was no reason for me to feel like a school girl on the way to her first dance. Climbing into the elevator, I was able to relax myself and bring my heart rate down. It was just a night out with my friends. There was no need for me to feel like I was about to face a firing squad. The doors opened again on the lobby and I slowly made my way out. Glancing around the lobby, I saw that people were still sitting around the free food and booze at the make shift bar they had set up. I turned my attention from there towards the front door of the lobby.
Standing by the glass windows was Tommy. He was leaning against the wall next to it, staring off into space as he thought. He was dressed in a dark green fitted oxford dress shirt. Black slacks traveled from his waist down to his feet where a new pair of black dress shoes were laced. His hair had been combed to the side and the smell of his aftershave filled the air as I approached. My heart rate climbed again as I looked at the most handsome man I had ever seen. "Tommy?" I said, trying my best to not let my voice crack. He turned to face me, my voice breaking through his thoughts.
"Huh? Oh! Sorry." His face shifted from acknowledgement to slight surprise when he saw me. I felt his eyes travel from my legs up, taking in my attire and my face. "Kim, you look beautiful." He said softly, giving me a smile.
"Thank you. I have to say that you clean up well yourself." I replied, winking at him. Glancing at the time, I headed towards the door. "We should get going if we're going to meet the others on time."
"Right." Standing up straight, he jumped forward to open the door for me. I led the way towards his jeep, the only noise coming from the traffic behind the hotel. Jogging ahead, Tommy opened the door for me. Giving him another smile, I slid into the seat and allowed him to shut the door once I was inside. He climbed into his seat next, starting the engine. "I can play music if you'd like. Not quite sure what CD is in but there's always the radio." He said, pulling into traffic. He headed for the highway that led to the heart of town where the juice bar was.
"Alright." Extending my hand, I pressed the play button on his stereo. The heavy beat of a drum began to fill the jeep and the notes for a rock song followed. "Kansas?" I asked. He nodded, shrugging his shoulder. I hit next, the starting melody of a Def Leopard song coming on.
"Gotta love the classics. Pretty sure it's a mixed CD that Connor and Ethan made me last year." He replied. "Connor thought it would help me with the ladies." I let out a laugh, shaking my head.
"Well, I sure hope he is smoother than he sounds because this is terrible."
"I believe he thought it was music that came out when I was their age since they think I'm a fossil sometimes." He sighed. "Of course, sometimes I feel like one too."
"You're only 29, Tommy. You have so much life left to live. Believe me. You are not old." Pressing next, the voices of the Red Hot Chili Peppers came from the speakers. "Okay. They did manage to pick one good song." We sat in silence, listening to the band sing as he drove towards the youth center. I could see Trini's mini van parked in the parking lot as Tommy pulled in. I motioned for him to park near it. Jason, Trini, Zack and Billy stood next to it talking. The boys were all dressed mostly alike, each where their prospective colors. Billy's shirt was a bit big for him, suggesting he was either wearing one of Jason's shirts or one his father had in his closet. Zack was in all black and Jason's red shirt was dark but bright at the same time. Next to them, Trini was dressed in a yellow cotton sun dress with white flowers printed on it. This wasn't the dress she was planning on wearing. She had raved about the black dress she had bought for the occasion, excited about showing it off to Jason. With everything that happened this afternoon, I understood why she changed her mind to show her colors. Tommy and I climbed out of the jeep and walked over to join them.
"Kim, you look great." Zack said, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek. Billy gave me a quick hug before Jason pulled me in for a tight squeeze. Trini wrapped her arm around my shoulders and smiled.
"I think we all clean up quite nicely if you ask me." She said.
"Hey, I always look this sharp." Zack said, doing a small dance move. "C'mon. This reunion isn't going to start until we get in there." Turning on his heel, he led the way inside the youth center. I smiled as I looked up at the metal letters over the door. It had been what felt like forever since I had been in the youth center. When I had left for Florida, I had imagined I would be back to at least graduate. With my accident though, I decided to give home schooling a try. My aunt helped me graduate with honors and I quickly transitioned from that to a community college down there. I was never able to experience a graduation, prom or the other things I always imagined I would go to while I was here. All because I let rumors and my own self-esteem ruin everything I had going for me.
The hallways of the youth center were decorated with streamers, balloons and signs in the school colors. Not much had changed since the last time I was here. The floors were the same turquoise color and the walls were a peach nightmare that made my eyes hurt still. Music was coming from the juice bar where a line of people was formed to get in. Two women were seated at a table by the door, taking names and giving out name tags as people passed. The woman on the left was Angela, Zack's ex-girlfriend. He stopped walking when he saw her, sweat forming on his brow. "Shit."
"What's up, bro?" Jase asked. "Didn't you think she would be here?"
"Well, yeah. I just thought I'd be able to work up the courage to talk to her first, ya know?" He gulped nervously. Reaching out, I put a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Zack, you'll be fine. Just talk to her." I said, giving him a little wink. Nodding, he walked over to the table. Angela looked up as he approached, a large smile crossing her face when she saw him.
"Hi, Zack. How are you?" She asked, standing. She walked around the table to give him a hug. While he hugged her, he gave us a thumb up behind her back.
"I'm fine. You look fantastic. How are you?" He asked, releasing her from the hug.
"Great. Give me a second and I'll get you and your friends name tags." She walked back over to the table and searched through a pile of tag. Grabbing some of them, she walked back over. "Here." She handed one to each of us, our names scribbled neatly on them. "I know we don't really need them but that's what the rest of the committee wants. It's mostly for the spouses I think. Who knows." Pealing the name tag from the adhesive covering, we all slapped them on our chest. She took the garbage from us, tossing it in the can next to the table. "Well, go on in! There's a DJ right now and an open bar. Dinner will be in about an hour and then the live band will be playing."
"Sounds fun." Zack said, smiling at her.
"Pretty sure you still owe me a dance, Zack." Angela replied, winking at him. He grinned, looking at his feet sheepishly.
"Well, I'll be sure to make that up to you tonight then."
"How does he do that?" Trini whispered in my ear. We giggled, hiding it behind our hands as our group walked into the juice bar. It didn't look like the juice bar. The lights were dimmed and pools of different colored lights shone from lighting fixtures that had been set up around the room. A DJ was set up in the far corner of the juice bar where Tommy and Jason used to practice martial arts. Speakers were compiled together with a laptop between them. People danced on the make shift dance floor that had been constructed in front of the DJ. Tables and chairs had been set up around the room, people sitting at them while others mingled. The bar was set up to be an alcoholic bar, a bartender behind it. I smiled when I saw the picture of Ernie on the wall behind it. Ernie had been the original owner of the youth center. He was such a nice man who at one time or another helped us out with our problems that seemed trivial now. Sadly, he passed away a few years after I left from a heart attack. Trini told me about it when she had returned home to visit her parents. Our group walked over to a free table and set our stuff down to reserve it. I tucked my purse in a chair out of sight before looking at everyone.
"Drinks?" I asked. Each of them nodded before heading towards the bar. Jason wrapped an arm around Trini's waist who looked up at him with a small grin and a wink. I smiled to myself at their affection. Zack made it to the bar first, slapping a fifty on the top of it. The bartender, a kid who looked like he wasn't even old enough to drink, took it and looked at Zack.
"What'll it be?" He asked.
"I'll take a gin and tonic. What about you ladies?" Zack asked, smiling at Trini and me.
"Whiskey sour, please." I replied. Trini nodded.
"That sounds good!" She responded. The bartender nodded, grabbing three glasses before scooping ice in them.
"Beer is good." Jason said, reaching into the inside of his jacket. He pulled out his wallet and fished out a fifty. "Add this to our tab as well." He set it on the bar where Zack's had been.
"Sure thing! What about you guys?" The kid asked, looking over at Tommy and Billy as he poured the mixed drinks.
"Water, please." Billy answered. Jason shot Billy a confused glance, shaking his head.
"Come on, Billy. Live a little!"
"I'm perfectly alright with just water." He replied though his cheeks tinged pink. Trini slapped Jason on the arm, giving him a scolding expression. He rubbed the back of his head, glancing at his feet in an ashamed manner.
"It's alright, Billy." Tommy said, patting him on the shoulder. "Water sounds good for me as well."
"Coming right up! I can have a waitress bring them to your table if you'd like." The bartender said.
"Great! C'mon, guys and gals." Zack said, heading back to the table. The youth center was beginning to fill up with more people as we sat down. Jason sat in between Trini and Zack, Billy on the right side of Trini. I took a seat next to Zack where I had set my purse. Tommy slid into the remaining chair between Billy and me. His knee brushed mine under the table as he pulled his chair in. He mumbled an apology to me that I waved off.
"So, besides the events of this afternoon, how has everyone been?" Billy asked, smiling politely at everyone around the table.
"We can go around the table. Might be easier." I suggested. Everyone nodded, honing their eyes on me. "Hey! I didn't say I was going to go first." I exclaimed, slumping back in my chair.
"Fine. I'll go." Zack said, leaning forward. "Well, ever since I left Angel Grove after the conferences, I've been living in New York. I went to NYU for music and dance. I graduated from there about a year ago. In the meantime, I've been working off Broadway in some shows and trying my best to make a name for myself. I guess it's finally paid off. I just landed a gig as one of the supporting characters in The Lion King. We start rehearsal once the summer is over and we go live in January."
"Zack, that's amazing!" Trini said, clasping his hand. "All the hard work and practicing finally came through. I told you that you could do it."
"Thanks. I'd love it if you'd all come to opening night. I'm going to reserve a whole row for whoever can make it."
"Well, I know we'll be there." Trini said, smiling. "I guess I'll go next. Though, I'm not sure if I'm anywhere close to topping that. As you all know, I married this idiot a few years ago. We have a bouncy eight-month-old baby now and things are going great. I'm currently working on getting my Master's degree in children's psychology. I tried the whole engineering field but I just found that working with kids is what I was meant to do. I graduate from my on-line program in the fall. After that, I move on to my PhD so that I can open my own practice."
"So, we'll have two doctors on our hands." I replied, winking at her and Tommy.
"I suppose we will." She replied. She opened her mouth to say something but closed it again. "That's it for me!" No one else seemed to notice her hesitation but me. I gave her a confused look but she shook her head at me.
"Like my gorgeous wife said, we got married and have my boy, JC. He's going to be such a kick ass martial artist. You guys should see him go now and he's not even one! While Trini is busy being a beauty and smart, I'm running my own dojo while also helping out here at the youth center. I figured it's the least I can do since Ernie did so much to help us."
"That's great, man." Tommy said, smiling at Jason. "He'd be proud."
"I sure hope so. That guy was like a father to us. Almost as much as Zordon was. Well, I guess still is." Jason turned to Billy with an expectant glance. "You're up, Billy."
"On Aquitar, I've been researching and building scientific labs to expand on the creation of pharmaceutical practices. They are much more advanced technological wise that they have cures for illnesses that we could never even imagine of. I oversee the operation of several labs and the manufacturing of medicines for the entire planet. It's quite the position." Billy replied, fixing his glasses. We each sort of stared at him while we tried to decipher what he had just said. Finally, Jason looked over at Trini for an interpretation.
"He's basically a pharmacist and a scientist. Right, Billy?" Trini asked. Billy nodded, smiling at her.
"You could say that." A younger girl who appeared to be around our age approached our table, a tray of drinks in hand. Her long blonde hair was braided behind her back and she was dressed in a tight fitting white blouse and black slacks. She flashed a smile at us all as she set the drinks down.
"Thank you." Zack said, handing her a five-dollar tip. She grinned at him, shooting a wink before heading back to the bar. His eyes lingered behind her, ignoring the rest of us. I shook my head, grabbing my whiskey sour from the group of beverages. There were mistakenly three beers on the table instead of the waters Billy and Tommy had asked for. Sighing, Billy grabbed one of the bottle and took a small sip from it.
"Kim?" Zack asked, turning his drooling head back to us. "How have you been?"
"Oh! Let's see. After I was finished with the gymnastics program, I headed off to college for music. I earned my degree to teach and I'm currently working as a temporary music teacher for a school in Florida." I replied, sipping my drink. It was nice and cold, the cool liquid feeling wonderful on the back of my throat.
"What happened to the whole Olympics thing? Jason, Trini and I watched the whole thing but never saw you on it." Zack asked. I forgot he was the only one who hadn't been blessed with the news of my accident. Setting my glass on the table, I felt the tension around the table as they all glanced at one another.
"I had an accident. I fell down some stairs and shattered parts of my back. I'm fine now but the doctors told me I shouldn't do anything like gymnastics again. That's all." I replied, pushing my bangs out of my face.
"Oh, Kimmy. I'm so sorry. Glad you still have your music. Girl, you can sing for me any time." Zack shot me a wink as he reached over and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
"Thanks, Zack." I replied, turning my attention to Tommy. "Dr. Oliver?" I teased. He laughed, taking a long sip from the beer in front of him.
"As you all have mocked, I went to school and earned a PhD in paleontology. After graduating, I worked for a lab for Anton Mercer, researching the dino gems. Things kind of went a little wonky though and I ended up in Reefside looking for the gems. In the meantime, I became a high school science teacher. A couple of the kids in my class found the dino gems and became the Dini Thunder Power Rangers. I became their mentor and actually ended up being a ranger again myself. Once the big bad guy was defeated, I decided to stay and work as a teacher. I also run the Paleontology Club at the school as well."
"God, you're a nerd!" Jason said, everyone including Tommy chuckling.
"Yeah, yeah. I am. I still work on my karate though and teach a class at the dojo at Reefside. Nothing much. Just something to keep me busy."
"What occurred with your relationship with Kat?" Billy asked. Like before, the entire table seized with tension. Confused, Billy looked around. "Did I say something in mistake?"
"It's fine." Tommy said, shaking his head. "We broke up on good terms. We both just knew that we weren't the ones we wanted to be with. That's all. She's doing good in London. She's engaged to a great guy and they are getting married at the end of the summer."
"Excellent news!" Billy replied. He shot a glance over at me, equipped with a small smile. I shook my head at him. Billy was a lot wiser to social interactions than he lets people on to. He was only asking Tommy that for my sake. I made a mental note to kick him in the shin later.