"Hey!" Sarah heard Serena call and looked up from her tools to see the white Samurai looking to her strangely. "You okay?"

"Huh?" Sarah asked and Serena frowned deeply.

"Are you okay, kid?" Serena asked. "You aren't saying much."

"I'm fine."

"Hey," Serena said and put her hand over Sarah's, keeping her from her work. "Look, I'm not just here as a TA. I'm here to help you. Be it academic, personal, or Ranger stuff, I'm all ears."

"That's great, but I'm fine," Sarah whispered, then threw down her tools in frustration. She still couldn't figure out how to give power to the Stars and time was ticking.

"This is pretty tough work. Maybe you should take a break?" Serena suggested.

"I have to finish the Power Stars."

"You're not finishing those in a day," Serena said. "Take a quick nap, if you want. I'm sure Madam Oedius won't strike in the next few hours."

"I can't save anyone if I'm napping."

"You'll save yourself, and that's just as important," Serena told her sternly, then removed the tools from her hands. "Look, kid, here is how this works. You're obviously not yourself today, so you get two choices. You either tell me what's going on, no matter how stupid you think it is, or you head to the Ranger base and let yourself have a quick nap."

"Fine," Sarah muttered and stormed off, abandoning her tools at the table as she ducked into the Ranger base. Serena sighed as she watched her go. She saw Mick coming over and turned to the shop teacher.

"I'm worried about her. Something about her feels… off."

"Could it be too much pressure?" Mick asked. "I mean, she has just been tasked with creating six, fully functioning Power Stars from nothing."

"With no realistic timeline," Serena added, then nodded her head. "It could be."

"A nap may be all she needs," Mick reasoned. "The body and the mind don't function well on no rest. Why don't you head home for the day and I'll check up on her after class?"

"I think it's best if I stay here," Serena said. "I'm not just here because the school hired me. Helping kids who need it is who I am. If she needs someone to talk to, I know I can help."

"And if she chooses to speak to you, then I'll give you a call," Mick promised. "But wouldn't it be best if you give her a little space. Let her come to you?"

"Mick…"

"You were a sixteen-year-old girl, once," Mick said. "Would you really have wanted your teachers breathing down your neck all the time when you already feel so vulnerable?"

"Probably not," Serena reasoned.

"Sarah's found herself in quite a bit of trouble lately, but she always finds her way out as well," Mick said. "As much as you want to help, you are still new. The more you poke and prod, the less trust you'll have. You can take a step back, knowing she's in safe hands."

"I'll see you in the morning, then," Serena conceded and picked up her bag. "I'm here for the long haul. For all the Rangers."

"I'll let you know whatever comes up," Mick said, then waved goodbye as Serena reluctantly walked out. He glanced over to the other Rangers, who were the only other students who were in his senior shop class this semester, then pointed to the Ranger base. "I'll go check up on her. Keep working until the bell, alright?"

-Ninja-Steel-

While it was true Sarah needed to get some rest, she couldn't sleep. Not after the nightmares she had the night before. It still played over in her mind whenever she closed her eyes.

"You don't look well," she heard RedBot say and turned to see the robot had glanced away from his work to find her. Since the Rangers had now moved most of their equipment to the Romero barn, the Ranger base could finally be returned to a paint room. RedBot had offered to do the rebuild himself to keep busy. Until Madam Oedius turned up, there was really nothing more for him to do here on Earth.

"I… I'm not feeling great," Sarah answered honestly. "Actually, RedBot, can you tell the others I went home?"

"You don't want to wait?" RedBot asked. "School is almost over. One of your friends might want to walk you home, especially if you aren't feeling well."

"I'll take my hoverboard. That'll get me home faster so I can rest," Sarah told him. She knew her mother and Shane weren't expecting her home right after school, so they wouldn't worry if she wasn't home right away, and the Rangers wouldn't be the wiser to her sneaking off.

"Okay. I'll let them know you went home sick," RedBot promised, but Sarah shook her head.

"I went home to rest," she said. "I'll be sleeping." She didn't want them to come and check up on her. If Kelly or Preston went to her house and asked Shane or Jenny if they could check up on Sarah, they would know she had lied about going home. "You can tell them I'll text them when I'm feeling a bit better."

"If that's what you want," RedBot said and Sarah nodded her head. He waved her off as she grabbed her board and left.

Outside in the garage, Sarah hopped on her board and started to ride. She wasn't completely sure where she wanted to go, but she knew she wanted to get away. Maybe she would ride to the outskirts of the city and be somewhere alone to recollect her thoughts; maybe find a way to finish the Power Stars quickly.

As she went down the street, she heard someone calling out to her and stopped. Worried that she had been distracted and almost bumped into someone, she stopped and hopped off her board. When she turned around, a man several years older than her rushed over. There was something about him that seemed familiar, but Sarah couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hoverboard?" he asked and pointed to her board. Sarah sighed, but nodded as she held it up. Her hoverboard was one of a kind, so it gathered a lot of attention. He wasn't the first person to stop her in the streets to ask her where she had gotten it from. "Did you make that?"

"I did," Sarah said. Normally, if the person was interested, she would tell them a little about how it worked, but she really wasn't in the mood for that today. She was hoping this man would just say 'cool' then walk off.

"That's pretty sweet," he said, then offered his hand, "Sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Thomas."

There was no need for it, but Sarah didn't want to be rude. She shook his hand.

"Sarah."

"I know," he said and right away Sarah felt red flags go up in her head. There was something about this man that seemed familiar, but she didn't know what and so it was odd that he would already know her name.

"Uh, not to worry," he added when he saw panic cross her face, "Actually, all I know is your name and that you have a real, working hoverboard. My grandmother told me about it. She said you visited her a little while back."

"I… I did?"

"Lindsay Baker," Thomas said. "You and I… we share a mother."

Sarah frowned deeply, "What?"

"My grandmother said she told you about me. Twenty-five years ago, our mother came to her pregnant and she turned her away."

"But she said she had no idea what happened to that baby," Sarah said, recalling the conversation. When she had been to visit her biological grandmother, she had shared that Kathryn had come home many times seeking help in the form of money and that, one of those times, she had been pregnant. It was twenty-five years before, so the baby couldn't have been Sarah. This mean, if the baby had survived, Sarah had a sibling.

And by the looks of it, he had found her.

"She lied," Thomas said with a shrug. "Probably didn't want you coming around and looking for me before she talked to me about it. You know, in case I didn't want a little sister."

"But… but…" Sarah frowned and shook her head.

"There's a lot to explain," Thomas said and offered Sarah a smile as he pointed just down the street to a busy coffee shop, "If you're willing, maybe we can grab a cup of coffee or something and get to know each other a bit."

"I…"

"Come on. It's not every day you meet your big brother," Thomas said and flashed her a charming smile. "You can tell me how you survived our mother, and I can tell you what happened with me."

Sarah looked to the busy coffee shop, then back up at her brother. His face seemed so familiar, she had to trust that he wasn't lying. Not to mention, Sarah hadn't told anyone about her visit to her biological grandmother. For him to know meant he had to be her brother.

"Okay," Sarah said with a nod.