Chapter 2: Toys

The waves crashed against the rocks. The sun had just lifted off the water's surface. The cerulean sky was quickly shifting into lighter degrees of blue. The day was just beginning. She heard footsteps behind her. She didn't even have to turn around.

"So, are we here to discuss my brother or YOGA?"

"You heard me? Man! I thought I had that whole stealth thing going on," complained Dustin. He took a seat on the sand next to her. "I'm never going to make it as a Ninja," he mumbled.

"Ninja?" repeated Jules. The look on Dustin's face told her he had spoken of something that shouldn't have been said. She placed a hand on his arm. "It's ok, you don't have to tell me anything."

"Really?" he looked relieved.

She turned to face the ocean once again and continued her meditation. She felt him restless next to her. She opened her eyes and turned to face him. "What's on your mind?"

He messed with his hair again, searching for the words to say. By now Jules knew when he did that with his hair, he was thinking deeply. Ok, so he's cute when he thinks. So, they talked about how their sudden move to Blue Bay Harbor: the Gailes brothers were going to compete in the X-Games held in Blue Bay Harbor, which was of course, sponsored by Storm Chargers.

"Hey, speaking of local celebrities, I'd like to know about the Power Rangers," began Jules. She noticed Dustin stopped breathing and swerved to look at her.

"What?" he gasped, a disbelieving look on his face. "Are you serious?" she noticed his voice sounded hesitant, yet excited at the same time.

"What? I know they stay in Blue Bay. What's that look supposed to be? One that says 'There's no such thing as Power Rangers,' or 'Aren't you too old to talk about them?'" she joked.

"Ahm…" he took a minute to think about it."It's just that, not a lot of people would come out into the open and talk about them like that." He shifted in his seat, avoiding her eyes.

"Like what? Dustin, I don't understand. I mean, they're heroes, and you act like its wrong to talk about them?" she let out a disgusted sigh. She got up and walked away.

"No, wait, Jules, I didn't mean it like that," he jogged to catch up with her.

"Then what do you mean?" she faced him. It took him a while to explain.

"It's just that… the look on your face, I mean, like you really want to get to know them, the Power Rangers I mean," he let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Oh? I didn't know I had 'the look' on my face," giggled Jules. "I know the Power Rangers care enough to save our earth to stop Lothor and his henchmen from taking over." She looked and Dustin, and broke into laughter. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I didn't notice it at first!" she giggled harder and had to sit on the sand. Dustin just looked on, wondering what was going through her head.

"What?" he took his place next to her on the sand. When Jules caught her breath, she let out a long sigh.

"Dustin, no wonder you looked so guilty when I wanted to talk about the Power Rangers! I know your secret," she pointed an accusing finger at him, a smile on her face.

"Secret?" squeaked Dustin. "What secret?"

"Ah," Jules shook her head. "You're a fan of the Power Rangers like I am. I saw that spark in your eye when I first mentioned their names, and you looked like you wanted to boast but held it back. Am I right?" she poked his chest with her index finger, playing him. "I'm right, aren't I? Aren't I?"

Jules wanted to capture that confused - relieved - carefree look on Dustin's face forever. Too bad she didn't have a digital camera with her or her cellphone. I guess I'll have to store that into my memory then, she laughed.

"Ok, ok, you got me Jules, yes, I am a fan of them, a big one. I mean, I even have the collectibles and toys, everything!" he waved his arms in enthusiasm. Jules settled back onto the sand, enjoying this moment with him.

"Collectibles! How cute," she admitted, "Now we have something else to talk about besides moto-cross," she added. She propped herself on her elbows, watching the swells of the sea, the soft sun rays shining down on them, the beautiful caress of the wind, and her new friend, laughing beside her.

"You know what, Jules?" Dustin sank down on his elbows and joined Jules.

"What's that?"

"These past days have been awesome. I mean, look at it, it's not everyday I get to hang with one of the most famous extreme sports figures, all in one weekend!" he gushed. She rolled her eyes at him.

"So, it's my dad and brothers you're so psyched about, huh?" she got off her elbows and sat up. "So, what are you doing here with me when you should be off with them?" she felt him sit up and stare at her. She faced him. "You can catch them at the pits, go on," she cajoled. She turned to face the sea, closing her eyes.

She felt him sit right next to her.

"I forgot to add: I also met the most amazing girl at the same time."

His voice was soft and just inches from her ear. She could feel his body's heat along her right side. She opened her eyes and turned to face him. She was stunned by his Latin features, especially his eyes. Now it was her turn to be caught in his gaze.

"You're pretty amazing yourself," she whispered back.

A spell seemed to drape around them. The scene before them appeared to ebb away as fast as the swells of the incoming waves. The sand beneath them, the sun, the sky, the wind, all seemed to blend into each other. All she could sense was him, his steady breathing, and how the distance between them started to close. When he was centimeters away, she felt his hand over hers. She leaned in at the same time he did.

The atmosphere suddenly felt heavier, red lightning streaked across the now gray and black sky. As quickly as the "storm" came, it left, but something was standing in the sun's light.

"Mind if we cut it?"