Hey guys! I'm back with another one! Hopefully there will be more tonight and throughout the day as I'm probably writing more as you read this, so keep an eye out in case I can get those out! Oh, and contrary to the name of this chapter, no actual politics will be involved in this chapter. Hope you enjoy it!
Jackie stumbled to her feet and tried to stand tall, her breath coming out in short but heavy pants. She looked around, seeing all of her friends laying prone on the ground, demorphed and injured badly.
Before her stood a giant, one she recognized as Enceladus. This particular giant was the one who fought Minerva in the battle between the Gods and giants for control over the cosmos.
She knew he had a grudge against her mother, and therefore was more interested in her than anyone else. That fact made her feel a pang of guilt in her chest at the sight of all of her friends on the ground, as he had just come after her, not them.
They were the ones that paid the price, however; not her. Jackie was demorphed as well, but she could still stand in front of Enceladus and fight, which is exactly what she intended to do.
It was a strange feeling that she was having. She was always accustomed to using logic to her full advantage, rather than let emotions cloud her judgement.
Right now, though, all Jackie felt was rage.
Rage that her friends were hurt because of her. Rage that this giant had tried to take out her mother at one point. Rage that he had come after all of them in the first place. Rage about this whole situation.
This anger was not something she felt totally comfortable with, but it was consuming her. She couldn't control it, and she wasn't really sure if she wanted to. When Jackie looked back at Enceladus and saw him smile at her threateningly, his sharpened teeth baring at her, she felt something snap inside.
All of a sudden, she felt all practicality fly out the window. It was just her and him right now, and all she wanted to do was rip his head from his body.
"You'll never beat me, little girl." He snarled. "Your mother could only contain me, and you're not even close to her abilities. What would ever make you believe you could actually stand against me?"
Her blood boiled. "I will take you down, if it's the last thing I do." Jackie said lowly, just before she rushed at him.
Suddenly, Jackie bolted up in her bed, a thin layer of cold sweat covering her body. She frowned and pushed some of her messy hair from her face, looking around the room in shock that it was just a dream.
For being a dream, it had felt exactly like she had been there - like it had been real.
Taking a deep breath, he shoved her blankets off of her and began to get ready for the day, not wanting to think about it anymore. She changed her clothes and made herself look presentable, before exiting her room and walking downstairs.
In the kitchen, she found her father, Eric, sitting at the island while reading the newspaper and sipping on coffee. He was dressed professionally, and had a slightly different look to him than usual, though Jackie couldn't put her finger on what was different.
He looked up when she came into the room, watching her go to the fridge for food. "Morning, Jackie," He greeted, smiling.
"Good morning, dad," She replied, glancing briefly at him while she poured a glass of juice.
"So, you all ready for the dinner party tonight?" Eric asked, giving her a look.
Jackie turned around completely, having completely forgotten about her breakfast. "Dinner party? That's occurring tonight?"
"Yes," Her father nodded slowly. "And you're gonna be there to support me, right? Maybe you could bring a friend or a date or something," He suggested.
She smiled half-heartedly. "Of course. I will collect my friends to join me tonight. I will let you know who is attending."
Eric looked pleased. "Great." He stood from his seat, walking over to give her a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be off work early today, so I'll be here when you get back from school. Oh, and bring whoever you want - I'm always happy to meet your friends." He said goodbye before he left to go to work.
"This is not good," She leaned against the counter, feeling a bit of dread rise up in her. Jackie did truly love other people, but she had such a hard time connecting with them that she had become introverted and shy.
This meant that a dinner party was not a good place for her, at all. Especially one that was as important as this one was.
Her father worked as a politician for the city, and he often attended events where he would try to gain notoriety and votes from the people. This party was something he was hosting to impress some higher up people to support him in the upcoming reelection for city council members.
Instead of going for the same job he has, however, Eric wants to run for mayor, and has already announced his intent to campaign for it. Now, he was trying to garner attention and supporters of a higher caliber so that they would advocate for him.
That told Jackie just how important this was to him, and it scared her to think she could mess things up for him.
At first, she had been confused about why he wanted her there so badly, especially when he knew how her social skills were. He explained that it was helpful for him to have his daughter there to support him.
After that, she didn't question it further, even though she did have more things she wanted to say. Jackie considered it, but decided it wasn't in her place to do so.
She startled when her phone beeped, and took it out to see that it was just her alarm going off, letting her know that it was time to leave. Jackie usually didn't need it since she was very timely, but set it just in case.
Now, she was grateful to have it as she would be late if she hadn't been taken out of her train of thought. She walked over to the coat rack and grabbed her backpack off it, looking at her house one time before she left.
- Cue Opening 2 -
Jackie made it to school just in time to get to first period before she was late. She walked in quietly and made her way to the back of the chemistry classroom, sitting at her lab table with October and Luca.
The two had been idly chatting before she came, but looked over when she sat down. At first, no one said anything much, listening to the teacher tell them their assignment for the day.
Once he was done telling them and let them start, October spoke up. "Hey, you were almost late today," She commented, raising an eyebrow. "I've never seen that happen. Usually you're here at least ten minutes before the bell rings."
"I am aware," Jackie nodded, distractedly. "I was just thinking about this dinner party that my father wants me to attend tonight."
Luca raised an eyebrow. "A dinner party? What for?"
She sighed, "My father is running for mayor, so he would like to appeal to sponsors. He has asked me to attend in support of him, though I'm wary of doing so. I have been told that I'm not very good with people." Jackie gave them a hopeful look. "Would you like to accompany me?"
"We would, but we can't." October said apologetically. "Aiden and I are going out on a double date with Luca and Alice. I'm sorry."
"You know, I could ask Eliza if she wants to go," Luca offered. "I know you guys used to be friends on Mount Olympus and she could really love to have a friend to hang out with after everything."
"That sounds exceptional," Jackie nodded. "I've already invited Bella as well."
October smiled. "You and Bella are really good friends, aren't you?"
"Yes, that is an accurate statement." Jackie responded. "She and I have become good friends ever since we became rangers. We are together a lot."
"It's good you guys are so close," Luca commented. "I've only been here for a year or so, but I haven't really seen Bella get close to anyone in anyway since I've been here."
Jackie made a face. "I don't see why, but that's irrelevant. I don't see a lot of things others do," She shook her head, before turning to October sheepishly. "There's only one person I haven't asked yet, but I don't know if it is appropriate."
"Who...?" October frowned in confusion, before it dawned on her. She raised an eyebrow at Jackie, though not judgmentally. "You want to invite Ryder?"
She was quick to respond, "I would like any of my comrades that are free to be there. I am not inviting out a romantic notions, to ease your concern - I do not really understand the appeal of romance."
The pink ranger nodded slowly. "Alright, so what are you asking me?"
"Is he capable of attending?" Jackie asked, straightforward. "I know of his recent injuries and struggles, so I was unaware if it was proper to ask. I decided to ask you instead because you are his sister and a parental figure."
October was taken aback slightly, not really knowing how to answer her question. "Honestly, I'm not sure if he would be comfortable with it or not. I'm completely fine with him going, and I actually hope he does because it might help him get out of his mind a bit, but I don't know if he will feel the same way." She explained. "He's sensitive right now so it's a fragile situation. You can ask, just don't get too disappointed if he says no, alright?"
"I am much obliged." Jackie thanked her, before looking at her worksheet. "Shall we get to work on our experiment?"
- PRGG -
At lunch time, Aiden was sitting at the table, waiting for October and the others to show up as he had gotten there first. He was hoping October would get to him next so they could talk a bit before everyone else showed up and their date later that night, but that didn't seem to be the case when Bella and Alice came over first.
The two sat down across from him, and Aiden inwardly cringed when he saw that Bella had a pleasant, but cautious look on her face. It was obvious she was still a bit hurt over the way he had treated her a few weeks earlier.
Since then, Bella had been nice to him, but it was clear that she was trying to remain distant. Whether that was because she wanted to make sure he knew she was upset or because she didn't want to bother him, he wasn't sure about.
To him, the only thing he did know was that he did feel bad about it and knew he should apologize.
In fact, he had known this for a while, but he hadn't done it yet. Perhaps he was just being stubborn, but he figured it was more because he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be friends with her anyways.
Despite having a while to process it, Mari's death was still a sore spot for him. He knew Bella had proven herself as the yellow ranger, and she wasn't a bad person, but he still felt wrong in a way he couldn't describe. He just knew that he would feel like he had lost the last lingering memory of Mari he had if he just accepted her like that.
Not only that, but he didn't understand why he was the only one still acting affected by it, besides Ryder, of course. He knew the others were affected by it because it was truly difficult on all of them. The thing was that they weren't acting on their feelings about it.
Ryder was the only one he could relate to on that, but even he was moving on. He had just come back to school a week and a half ago, having recovered enough to do so, and he was quiet but he was seeming to do better. Actually, Aiden was almost sure he saw him greet Eliza the other day, even though neither of them had talked to her since Mari's death.
Everyone else was moving on while he was still moping around about it. He did, if he really thought about it, knew that one reason he was still broken up about it was because he was the leader.
He felt like it was his job to protect his teammates and make sure they're capable of protecting themselves. He tried to make sure he knew every plan and watched out for his team in battle.
That was the one time he had truly failed, and he couldn't get over it. It made him feel insecure and like he wasn't a good leader.
Aiden wasn't going to tell anyone that, though. Just the thought itself was a selfish reason to be thinking of one of his close friend's death, and he hated that it was even in his mind, let alone out in the world.
"Aiden," A voice brought him out of his thoughts suddenly. He looked to see Alice raising an eyebrow at him. "You okay? You were totally spaced out."
"Yeah, I'm fine." He assured her. "I was just thinking."
She accepted his answer, nodding in response. "So, how is it over at your new home?" Alice asked after a few moments, shooting him a smirk.
"It's good," Aiden responded, returning the smirk. "October and I are great, since I know that's what you mean by that. You know, if we talk about all of this stuff now, we're not gonna have anything to talk about on the double date tonight."
Alice gave him an amused look. "Okay, well, you can tell me how else it's going over there."
He frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Well, I know you and Ryder never really got along before now," Alice pointed out, making him rub the back of his head awkwardly. "So, how's that?"
"Honestly, it's not bad. We actually get along really well, which is kinda weird, but I obviously don't mind it. I'd rather get along with him than not," Aiden responded, shrugging casually.
"That's good, and surprising," Alice smiled. "Mostly good, though. Aren't you so glad you have a place to stay now?"
Aiden nodded. "Definitely." He looked over at Bella, who was eating her lunch in silence, and decided to finally do something. "And it was all because of you guys. You talked to October beforehand, and Bella talked to me about it. Thank you, really."
Bella looked up, surprised to be involved in the conversation. "Oh, you're welcome. I'm just glad I could help, especially if you like it there."
"I do, a lot," Aiden said, politely. "It's really great."
The red ranger watched Bella give him a small smile, thinking about how it might be time for him to move on too, before Alice began rambling on about something to the two of them.
Meanwhile, Jackie had been looking all over campus for Ryder, but wasn't able to find him. She thought briefly about giving up her search and just going with Eliza and Bella, when she saw the figure she had been looking for. He was sitting alone at the bleachers, looking out into the field contemplatively.
She took a deep breath and walked towards him. Jackie observed him as she did so, taking in how he seemed lost in thought and wondered if it was alright to bother him. She also glanced at the sling he still had from his broken collarbone, but no longer had the crutches, so that seemed like a good sign.
When she got close to him, she almost considered walking away when he broke out of his thoughts and glanced back at her.
"Hello," Jackie said awkwardly as she walked up the few steps onto and bleachers and sat next to him.
He tilted his head to the side, a barely concealed expression of amusement on his face. "Hey," He replied, as if he were waiting for her to say more. When she didn't, he continued. "What's up?"
"How are you feeling?" Jackie asked quickly, not knowing what else to say.
"I'm doing better," Ryder looked her up and down, his expression telling her he knew she was there for more than that. "How are you feeling?"
Jackie cleared her throat. "I feel a tad anxious."
"Why?" He frowned. "Is something going on?"
Despite all Ryder had been through lately, he felt that he was truly getting better. He had been going to therapy more and was really working on himself. If he was honest with himself, he actually felt better than he had in a long time.
Because of this, he could tell that he was getting back to his real self - someone he thought was gone when his and October's parents died. Feeling like himself again was something Ryder enjoyed, and it was something he was going to make sure he didn't lose again.
"Not to most people," Jackie responded after a moment. "But I seem to suffer from a lack of social prowess. You see, there is a dinner party tonight at my home and I've tried to invite everyone, but only Bella and Eliza are free. I was wondering if you were as well?"
Ryder raised an eyebrow, trying to think of how comfortable he felt with that. He hadn't really been out like that since his accident, and he may be feeling much better, but he knew he was still recovering physically and mentally. "What's it for?" He decided to ask.
"My father is running for mayor, and he's trying to appeal to his sponsors," Jackie explained. "He figured it would be to his advantage to have me there, and would like me to bring friends. I assume we don't have to do anything except talk amongst ourselves and eat."
"So, it's just going to be you, me, Bella, and Eliza talking and eating with a bunch of people around?" Ryder questioned. "Like, it's not too big or anything like that, right?"
"Yes, that would be an appropriate way to put it." Jackie answered.
He thought for a moment, before nodding. "Alright, I'll go. October probably wants me to get out anyways," He chuckled. "Not just for me,"
She had a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"For her and Aiden too," Ryder clarified, forgetting that Jackie didn't catch onto social cues like others. "You know, so they can be alone together."
"I see," Jackie responded in understanding. "For sexual activity, you mean?"
Ryder stifled a laugh. "Yeah, that's what I mean." He shook his head in amusement. "So you'll text me with the details, right?"
Jackie nodded. "Of course." She said. "Your presence will be much appreciated."
"It's no big deal." Ryder assured her as she stood and walked away without saying goodbye. He knew not to take it personally, as that was the way Jackie was, and just went back to looking over the field and thinking to himself.
- PRGG -
A few hours after school, Ryder was getting ready in his room. He had just gingerly pulled a long sleeve button-up shirt on and closed the front before carefully putting his sling back on. His collarbone was much better and would be healed up within a week or two, but it was still a bit sore when he jostled it too much.
Thankfully, he could definitely tell that the pain was lessening and his doctor assured him that it would be gone very soon.
Adjusting his sling to fit right, a knock on his door startled him. He figured it was October checking on him, but then he remembered that she had already done so and raised an eyebrow as he went over to the door and opened it, only to find Aiden standing there.
"Hey, man," Ryder greeted, allowing him to come in the room. He walked back over to the mirror and continued his task. "What's up?"
The red ranger shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'm coming to see how you're doing." He responded, nonchalantly. "I know you've been having a tough time lately and I figured it would be good to see what's up."
Ryder nodded slowly, a smirk on his face. "I'm good," He chuckled. "I would ask if October sent you, but you wouldn't be as awkward about it if she did."
"Yeah, I just.. you're my girlfriend's brother and my friend, so I'm trying to get to know you more," Aiden said, awkwardly. "Since we haven't much before, you know?"
"Okay," Ryder still looked amused. "Well, if you have to know, I'm going out to a dinner party with Jackie, Bella, and Eliza."
Aiden gave a small simper. "Wow, you're gonna be out with all the ladies tonight."
"Oh yeah, it's gonna be something." Ryder rolled his eyes, but not in poor taste. "Especially with Jackie who doesn't do romance and Bella who I've never seen with a boyfriend in my life."
"And Eliza too," Aiden pointed out, making him shrug a bit. "What?"
He shrugged again. "Eliza's not that bad. I mean, I've been thinking about everything that happened and October was right about her." Ryder looked away from Aiden, trying not to catch his eye. "She didn't want what happened to happen, and I think the only reason we all ganged up on her was because it was still fresh. Plus, I was going through some shit and I shouldn't have been aloud up there in the first place."
"You think so? Really?" Aiden raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't think Ryder was the type to easily forgive, or change his mind on things for someone he wasn't very well acquainted with. "I didn't know you two were close."
"I never said we were," Ryder said quickly, before rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "But I can't say we weren't before everything. I was actually about to go on a date with her," He admitted.
"What?" Aiden's eyes widened in surprise. "That's a lot closer than I thought."
Ryder sighed. "Yeah, I haven't told anyone about it, but she was interested and so was I, and we kissed. We never did get to go on a date, but I wanted to."
"Do you still want to?" Aiden asked, raising his eyebrows at Ryder.
"Maybe," He shrugged. "I don't know. We aren't talking like we used to, so I have to figure it out. I'm hoping that I'll be able to do that tonight." Ryder saw the look Aiden had on his face and ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I know you're still having a hard time with everything, but it wasn't anyone's fault. You just have to think about it, and it all cools downs."
Aiden nodded. "I will, I just don't know if I'm ready to let all of that go yet."
"I get what you mean completely," Ryder said, finishing getting ready and turning to him. "But once you do, you and everyone else will feel a lot better." He clapped him on the shoulder with his good hand and passed by him, leaving Aiden to himself.
- PRGG -
Jackie was pacing around her room anxiously, waiting for one of her friends to get there. So far, only her father's co-workers and other important people had shown up, but Bella, Eliza, nor Ryder had come over yet.
It was nerve-wracking to be downstairs with them alone, as Jackie didn't know what to say or how to speak to them, so she had decided to go upstairs until someone for her showed up. She knew that once one of them were there, it would be much easier to handle the stress of the dinner party.
A knock at her door startled her out of her thoughts, and she opened it to find Bella standing in the hallway and smiling at her. She waved Bella into her room and shut the door behind them.
"What's wrong?" Bella asked, frowning at the way Jackie was acting. "You seem nervous."
"I do seem to feel that way." Jackie confirmed. "I don't know how to handle this social event. I have been told many times that it is not my forte."
Bella grabbed her by the shoulders before she could begin pacing again and held her in one spot. "Hey, listen to me. I am going to tell you something very important, alright?" Jackie nodded, so she continued. "You are not as others say you are. This whole time you've always said how other people don't think you're a certain way, but that mean nothing. Screw what others say about you, because what they say is just a load of crap."
"But..."
"No," Bella cut her off. "You can't get all worked up thinking about something someone else thinks of you. Everyone's always going to judge you, but they'll never know who you really are. Not even your closest friends or family know who you really are, Jackie. Only you know that." She told her. "Now, are you gonna let what they say make you who you are, or are you going to show them they're wrong?"
She stared up at Bella, taking a deep breath. "Okay, I will do it."
Meanwhile, Eliza was standing at a table downstairs by herself, waiting for Jackie to come down. She was sipping patiently at a water and looking around idly when she felt a hand tap her on the shoulder. She turned and found, to her surprise, Ryder standing behind her.
"Uh.. hey," She responded, not knowing what else to say. "I didn't know you were coming."
He shrugged. "Yeah, I figured I should probably get out." Ryder looked her over. "You look nice."
"Thank you." Eliza blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "So do you,"
"Even with the sling?" He smirked.
"Even with that." She responded, looking down and smiling. Eliza then cleared her throat and looked back up. "So, how're you doing, anyways? After everything that's happened, I mean."
Ryder watched her move a bit awkwardly in her position. "I'm doing good. You know, it seems everyone's been asking me that lately," He teased. "But you seem to be the most shy one about it."
Eliza looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I just.. it's been a while."
"I know," He nodded, apologetically. "That's completely my fault. I was going through a hard time and I blamed it on you when it wasn't you, it was me. I'm so sorry for that."
She stared up at him in surprise. "Really?"
"Yeah," Ryder gave her a small smile. "I guess I'm also the one who prevented that date, huh? Unless, you weren't interested when I started acting like a jerk."
"Oh, I guess you were, in that case." Eliza returned the smile, sweetly. "Because I was definitely interested,"
He chuckled, "Well, if you're still interested, maybe we could do something about that."
"Maybe we should," Eliza agreed.
Just as she said this, the house shook slightly, making everyone look around in alarm and hold onto things nearby. Jackie and Bella rushed downstairs as this was occurring, meeting up with Eliza and Ryder. "What's going on?" Bella asked, keeping herself steady.
"Earthquake?" Ryder suggested, but Jackie shook her head.
"No, this can't be," She disagreed. "I have looked outside and the surrounding area does not appear to be shaking like we are."
Suddenly, a loud explosion sound came from the front door, making everyone turn in horror to see a large, menacing figure in the doorway. While no one else knew who it was, Jackie immediately recognized the giant as Enceladus, from her dream.
"You!" He boom, pointing to her with a large staff in hand. "Daughter of Athena! You will pay for your mother's sins!"
Jackie just glared as she morphed instantly and jumped into action, before anyone else could stop her. Ryder, Bella, and Eliza watched Jackie in shock for a few moments before also getting to work. Bella morphed as well, while Eliza and Ryder, who still couldn't fight, moved to get everyone else out of the room.
The white ranger was completely oblivious to everything going on around her, however, as she focused solely on Enceladus in front of her. She blasted at him a few times, watching as he deflected the blasts easily, before putting her blaster back in it's holster and pulling out her sword.
She ran forward, clashing her sword with his staff. He was extremely strong, but she was determined not to let him beat her. The anger she had felt from her dream was still very fresh in her mind as she fought back.
Before Jackie realized it, Bella had joined the fight, moving to blast Enceladus while she was locked in combat with him. She jumped back when Enceladus stumbled forward and went in for a hit on him, but he swung his staff back and hit her sword out of her hands instead.
Unfortunately, as he did this, his staff went further than he tried to swing and hit Bella hard, knocking her down instantly.
At this, Jackie's blood boiled. She saw her best friend laying on the ground and Enceladus smiling at her with rotten teeth, and something in her snapped.
Taking a deep breath, she grabbed her sword off of the ground and fought back hard, before he could even see her coming. She swatted his staff away from her and used her sword to plunge right into his chest.
It seemed like time had stopped. Enceladus choked out a gasp and looked down to see Jackie's sword impaling him completely through. He fell to his knees as Jackie ripped the sword back out and glared at her with his remaining strength.
"The rangers will never take down Saturn." He whispered harshly, grabbing onto her and not letting go. "Never."
His hand fell from her as he did, disintegrating into dust at her feet, much to everyone's shock. She heard everyone around her begin to talk once more, asking questions and whispering fears to each other, and thought about ignoring them.
However, as she saw Bella get to her feet and demorph with her, she decided to turn around instead to address everyone. "I apologize for what's happened here tonight, everyone, but I hope you'll understand that this is not my father's doing. This was a random attack and none of us had any idea this would occur. I sincerely believe that this incident should not change your opinions about the man my father is, as he is an excellent person."
Jackie nodded once to herself with a small smile, before allowing the party to continue.
Next time on Power Rangers Guardians of the Galaxy: Bella struggles to accept her father's marriage to her home economics teacher, Lisa, and lashes out at the way Lisa treats her in class. Meanwhile, Ryder fears that getting back to his ranger duties will make him revert back to his old self.
Next Chapter Title: Fair
So, this one was more of a filler for Jackie's character development, but I hope you guys liked it! I really figured that she needed some development since she hasn't really since she's been here, so here it is! The next one is focusing on Bella's home life and such, so you'll be getting development for her as well.
Because my 5th anniversary is this weekend, I'm basically gonna be getting these chapters out to you in a marathon fashion, with chapter after chapter coming out all day until the 4th. Just letting you guys know, and I hope you'll enjoy it!
Anyways, here are the upcoming five chapters!
Ep 23: Middle of Nowhere - Luca focused chapter.
Ep 24: Diamond's Shine - New rangers! *Title with ('s) is not a typo.*
Ep 25: Fame Isn't Easy - New rangers focused chapter.
Ep 26: Is Love Real? - All focused chapter.
Ep 27: Jealousy Is Not A Virtue - Aiden focused chapter.
I hope you guys liked this chapter, and I'll be back with the next one soon!
© Copyrighted by Charlotte 'Charlie' Hartley