Jen woke with a start and sat straight up. Or at least she tried to sit up, but found that she was curled into a small ball between Alex and Katie.
"Great," she whispered. She tried to move but her legs had fallen fast asleep and refused to straighten, no matter how much she willed them to.
Giving up she rested her head back on Alex's chest and listened to the sounds of thunder echoing faintly in the distance. A few moments later lightening arched across the sky and filled the tiny apartment with bright white light before disappearing and leaving her momentarily blind. She smiled and started counting the seconds under her breath until the next thunderclap. It was a trick she had learned from Wes during the brief time she had spent in the past. He said that you could count the number of seconds between the flash and the next roll of thunder and tell how far away the storm was.
Jen smiled, "1 one thousand, 2 one thousand, 3 one thousand…" she wasn't sure if she believed the old wives tale or not, but it made her feel closer to Wes.
As suddenly as the smile came, it vanished completely. Slowly, she tipped her head up to look at the man who shared the couch with her and Katie.
Alex was the mirror image of Wes, physically at least. Emotionally and psychologically it was a whole different ball game. Wes was funny and quirky, while Alex was harsh and stoic. There had been a time when Alex had been more like Wes in a lot of ways, but that was before…before Ransik.
Jen sighed, she hoped that one day he'd be more like his old self again; he was so much more pleasant when he was laughing and smiling. But time had changed, and apparently so had he, but watching the slow rise and fall of his chest and the way the lighting fell across his face, she couldn't help but hope…hope that maybe one day things would go back to normal. Whatever normal was…
"Jen?" A sleep voice brought her back to the moment and she jerked her eyes away from her former fiancée's face.
"Hmm?"
Trip rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. "Can we please read some more?"
"Sure, "she replied. She was careful to keep her voice low so as not to disturb the others. They were worn out and could use the extra rest.
The green haired boy nodded and grabbed the book with a grin. "Come on!"
Jen carefully disentangled herself from her companions and forced her shaking legs to stand and support her weight. Carefully, so as not to wake her snoozing friends, she rearranged the light blanket to cover them both, a feat in itself seeing as they were on opposite ends of the small couch. Then she forced her tingling legs to carry across the room to where Trip sat, eagerly awaiting to delve back into the world of times gone by…
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421. Do NOT make fun of formerly evil Rangers. Conner, Kira, Ethan: Trent's getting a little annoyed with you signing "We're off the see the lizard" when you visit his dad.
422. If other members of your team get new weapons or bikes, and you don't, don't complain about it to the person who built them. If you don't like it, build your own stuff, or shut up. (That means YOU, Sky.)
423. The Little Mermaid jokes about Maddie's Mystic Titan need to cease. (Now she may not say anything about it but she's getting really annoyed by it. When Maddie is annoyed Nick isn't happy...you really want to piss off the ranger that has control over fire?)
424. Its ok to be afraid of the girls on your team. (Seriously they can definitely cause more damage to you then monsters. Admit fear and live with it)
425. Don't turn your back on a monster till you KNOW that it's dead. (So Many Rangers have been hit from behind because of this that it's not funny)
426. Balloon animals are not as fun as you think they are, Bridge (Sky is not amused and neither is the monster.)
427. Please do not joke about not becoming a Ranger, you'll short out the robot and he could explode. (Poor Alpha was three seconds from going kaboom if Kim hadn't said she was joking.)
428. Please refrain from singing the kit kat bar theme song to any person named Kat. (They too are rangers and will kick your ass.)
429. Say it with me: all the new teams get the power-ups...but the earlier teams didn't NEED them. (In your face Conner – Jason.)
430. STOP using your ranger stuff as your screen names. Yes, I'm talking to you "I wanna be red" and you, "Pretty in pink." Oh, and Cam? "Samurai Storm, Ranger From" Isn't very smart...
431. Stop torturing Kim about the letter she sent Tommy! They're together now so it's null and void!
432. If you really want to annoy your teammates switch all their soda to caffeine free and take away their chocolate. Then after a brief period, in which they become zombies, switch back to caffeinated. (Dustin then suggests that you hide for a few…months…until they cool off.)
433. Your iPods do not need to be hooked up to the speakers in your zords. (Especially when they screech Britney Spears at all hours of the night!)
434. If you really want to get back at one of the guys, ladies, put makeup on them while they're dead asleep and paint their fingernails hot pink. Then take pictures and post them on the Web.
435. When asked where you learned to fight, "Karate Club" is not a good answer; especially when your school doesn't even have said club. (Smooth Conner, real smooth.)
436. Birthdays are important and, as such, a ranger should never be forced to work on their birthday! (Jack learned this the hard way.)
437. Objects now banned: silly string, 20 questions: the game, and duct tape. (Grow up already!)
438. The midnight skateboarding competitions between teams need to stop. (Believe it or not there is traffic in downtown Reefside at such hours and the next person who causes a wreck because they flew out in front of a car will answer to Jason.)
439. No, Tommy and Kim do not run a restaurant out of their house. Yes, they will kick your ass if you don't stop showing up for dinner Conner. (They are planning your demise as we speak…)
440. Principle Randall is not to be referred to as the 'wicked witch'. (While funny and true, this will result in a variety of very unpleasant punishments.)
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He wasn't sure what made him do it, it was completely insane. In fact, the word 'suicidal' came to mind. But there he sat, alone in the darkness, plundering through Dr. O's desk drawers', hoping that he wasn't making enough noise to wake Kimberly up; fortunately Tommy was on his way home from LA and a teachers convention and would not be back until midnight. Heaven help him if his teacher caught him now, he'd never hear the end of…that was if he had any ears left by the time Dr. O got through with him.
Conner had been dreading the coming of the weekend and the arrival of Jason, but as darkness fell that Friday afternoon he had come up with a plan.
"More like blackmail," he hissed to the darkness. "Potentially deadly blackmail…" He steadied his shaking hands and loosened his grip on the flashlight that was held firmly between his teeth. "I'm so glad Dr. O was called away yesterday…"
Conner gulped and wiped his sweaty brow for the hundredth time.
I should have worn gloves, he though conspiratorially, what if he checks for finger prints!
He shook his head and mentally slapped himself as he carefully replaced all the documents he had removed from the top draw back into their resting places. Now you're just being stupid McKnight! He'd never…
A sudden movement stopped him dead in his tracks. He froze, his ears straining to catch even the faintest sound. Slowly, painful so, he craned his neck towards the half open door. A sliver of orange light from a nightlight in the hallway shone through the narrow opening and on the other side, barely discernible against the murky blackness of the window was a tall, foreboding shadow. His eyes darted to the clock that sat so innocently on the desk, its luminous red numbers spelled out his death in the numbers that shone back at him. 12:34, thirty four minuets past Dr. O's arrival time. He was caught, trapped like deer in the headlights.
Conner felt his heart plummet to his knees and turn to ice. "Busted," he whispered. But just as he started to launch into a tirade of apologetic excuses the shadow moved and merged with the darkness. A few seconds later there was a heart stopping crash and the sound of shattering glass.
"What the hell!" He dropped the folder of papers and reached for his crutches. His initial worries were completely forgotten as they were replaced by a new onslaught of worries and indescribable panic. By the time he had stood he saw someone jump through the shattered window and start creeping towards the living room.
"A robber! Shit! I forgot to set the alarm like Kim told me too!" He waited until the dark shadow moved down the hall, and careful to keep him in sight, slowly made his way towards the door.
Think, Conner, what would Dr. O do? He desperately racked his brains, trying to think of how to handle the potentially devastating situation. What if the robber had a gun? He'd get himself shot, that's what. What if he had a knife? Ok, that was easy, he'd get stabbed. What could a crippled soccer player possible do to stop a rob—
Suddenly, a light went off in his head and he couldn't help but smile.
I might be crippled, he thought, but not completely helpless.
He crept out into the hallway where he had thrown his schoolbag after Kim picked him up. Beside it, sat his lucky red and black soccer ball. He used his crutch to pull it towards him and slowly lined it up for the perfect shot, one in a million shot that would make him the most famous soccer player ever—or at least he would make get his fifteen minutes of well deserved fame when his face was plastered across the morning news for bagging, or balling, the bad guy and saving the damsel in distress.
Except there is no damsel in distress moron, now focus!
Conner waited until the robber was right in front of the glass door leading out onto Dr. O's back porch, then he scooted as close as he dared, keeping to the shadows and watching the robbers every move.
"Come on," he breathed, just a little closer."
Then when the robber stood upright, holding his newly acquired merchandise and stuffing it into a bag, Conner made his move. His foot connected with the ball with such force that if it didn't knock the robber out it would at least daze him for a few seconds, long enough for Conner to reach Tommy's gun, hidden in the bottom of the stairs in a secret compartment.
The robber stumbled forward and almost lost his balance. The force of the kick sent him crashing head first into the glass doors, shattering them into a thousand tiny shards, but he didn't stay down. He was up in a flash, Conner, barely had time to register the ski mask that covered his face and the glint of something sinister in his right hand as the robber lunged for him.
Conner ducked away from the blade but was clotheslined by the robber's other arm. He fell hard, his crutches skidding out from under him as his hurt leg slammed into the wooden floor. Stars danced in front of his eyes as something sharp ripped into his shoulder. Hot blood spilled over onto his tattered shirt but he pushed past the pain and kicked the robber square in the face as he tried to deal a lethal blow. Conner felt his foot connect with the man's nose in a satisfying crunch of breaking bones.
"Know you know how I feel, "he shouted, cradling his injured leg and fighting back tears.
He watched in horror as the robber stood, and supported by the wall, raised the knife again.
This is it," he thought, I'm gonna die on the floor of my teachers house whimpering in pain like a baby.
But in the next instant he heard a gunshot and the robber screamed out in agony. He grabbed his leg but decided to take his chances. Jumping over Conner, and landing on his injured leg, he made a break for the window. Diving through it he landed on the grass outside and was immediately attacked by Tommy's two dogs.
"Where the hell where they earlier! Dumb animals!" Conner screamed and cursed the dogs for their sense of timing.
Kimberly shook her head as she reached his side, "are you ok," she asked. Her voice was tight and her face pale, but the hands that held the gun did not shake.
"No," he whimpered. "I'm not."
Kim nodded then went to check on the robber. He was pinned underneath the dog's bared fangs, his hands covering his face and his knife laying a few feet away. Confident that the dogs could handle the man, she returned to Conner.
"That was a very brave thing you did," she cooed, rubbing hid forehead. "But it was also very foolish! You could have been killed! You can't morph with that leg like that, hell you can barely walk –"
"Can you please save the lecture for later," he begged, "right now, all I want are some pain killers…and a 'thank you Conner for saving my life would be nice!"
Kim obliged, "Thank you Conner, you did a very good thing tonight."
He nodded, the movement making his head spin, but he accepted the pills and the cool, refreshing water that Kim offered him. He lay back, letting the sounds of two viciously growling dogs and distant sirens lull him to sleep.
See that little purplish button? Click it and make me smile. Oh, and keep all the great suggestions coming:)