A/N: Hey, I'm going to be alternating between posting chapters for this story, and my other story, The Untold Truth. I will try to post a chapter a week for at least one of them. I am having some family stuff going on, so that is probably not going to be the case. Please read both of my fics and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Wicked, Son of a Witch, or Gregory Maguire. I also do not own Power Rangers or Harry Potter. I do own Fernando. (As I re-read over this fic, I realize how weird that last bit sounded. I kept it for you to enjoy the awkwardness of it!)
Kevin dodges an attack and counters with a roundhouse kick that his green opponent nearly escapes. Mike throws a sloppy punch, which Kevin takes advantage of. He grabs hold of Mike's arm, spins him around, and twists his arm behind his back.
"That's enough," Ji commands. Kevin releases Mike and the two face Ji. "That was good. Mike, if you put a little less force behind your attack and worried more about precision, that match would have ended much differently. As for you, Kevin, your accuracy is practically perfect. You need to worry less, and fight more. You can not plan your moves if it means distracting you from the present match. I'm going to go check on Emily and Jayden on the punching bag. Continue sparring, but don't kill each other." Mike smirks and turns to face Kevin. As Mentor walks inside, he notices a potted plant floating over the door slowly making its way across the training yard. He chuckles to himself and redirects his path to the pink ranger. She sits awkwardly on a stool in front of the counter by the grill. Her samuraizer is pointed at the bonsai and slowly moves pulls it towards herself, gently guiding the plant without spilling a spec of soil. He quietly stands next to her without making a sound. She successfully pulls the plant over Mike and Kevin and makes it land on her lap. She smiles to herself, yet she has a sad look in her eyes. Ji slips onto the seat next to her. Ji picks up the plant and says, "It has been quite some time since I have seen someone use symbol power to levitate something. You are attempting some very difficult symbols with ease."
"Well, that's what happens when you can't do anything else for a whole month," she mumbles, "I can't believe that it's only halfway over! Feels like forever."
Ji rolls his eyes at her exaggeration and replies, "Well, while I have nothing against pushing your limits, could I make a request?" Mia nods. "Please refrain from pushing your limits over your team mate's heads. We don't need any more rangers in the hospital."
Mia blushes and sheepishly murmurs, "Yeah, sorry."
"It's fine, but I want my bonsai back in one piece when you are done." Hearing this she just smiles. Ji stands up and walks inside. Mia longingly looks over to Kevin and Mike sparring. She sighs and bitterly turns back to the plant. She puts the plant on the counter and pokes it with her samuraizer.
"I am so board!" she mumbles to herself. She continues to float the plant several more times without breaking it. "You're a wizard, Mia!" she chuckles, "I wonder if Harry Potter ever got bored with magic. It seems so cool, but I'm essentially doing magic, and it's putting me to sleep!"
Mike and Kevin walk inside discussing lunch . Mia looks down at her watch and sees that it is 3:00 pm. "Well, I guess I sat here all day making a plant fly. Very productive, Mia." she sarcastically jokes to herself. She cautiously guides herself off the stool and walks inside.
On her way to the kitchen, Mia hears Jayden in a heated argument on the land line phone in the living room. She quietly moves to the open door to eavesdrop. Just before she can hear anything interesting, Jayden hangs up. She tries to walk away as fast as she can, but thanks to the brace, she does not get very far.
"Mia!" Jayden says, shocked to see her there. She stops in her tracks.
"Who were you talking to in there?" she asks.
"No one important. You don't have to worry," Jayden replies.
Mia purses her lips and retorts, "We both know that the land line means nothing good, Jayden. We are not supposed to use that unless it is an emergency. Anyways, it sounded like something serious."
Jayden sighs, "Mia, it is nothing like that. I need you to not tell Ji I was using that, okay? Nothing bad. Just, since Antonio is off fishing, I was making a call regarding his birthday present. I am trying to get him this lure for his birthday. Some fishing company started making one that looks just like the octo zord. The issue is that apparently it is in high demand, and the store owner who is saving it for me threatened to sell it if I don't show up within the week. I try to go, but the shop is all the way across town, and every time I sneak off to go pick it up, a nighlock attacks!"
"I'll go for you. Just give me the information and call ahead so he knows that I'll be picking it up. It's not like I have anything else to do," Mia offers.
"No, it's too far. Walking all the way down there would not be good for your back," Jayden retorts.
"I'll take the bus. It'll be fine! I have nothing to do, and you and I both know that you'll never get down there on your own! Just give me the address," Mia pleads.
"Fine!" he says, "I'll get you the address after lunch. Then I'll call ahead, but how are you going to get Mentor to let you go?"
"I've been meaning to go to the library to return a book I borrowed. I'm sure he'll let me out of one practice in order to preserve my library card. One more overdue book and the librarian will deactivate it! Now that I have nothing to do, this card essentially provides me with a sliver of sanity."
Jayden laughs, "Ok, that's a good plan, but I think you're exaggerating a bit!"
Mia bluntly replies, "You go one whole month where the only activity you can do aside from reading is writing one symbol on a piece of paper over and over and over and over and over and…"
"I get it!" Jayden interrupts, "Symbol power is boring." He chuckles and gently wraps his arm around her shoulder. They walk into the kitchen chatting about the boringness of symbol power, and what Harry Potter would think about their opinion. Like a gentleman, Jayden pulls out a stool and helps Mia up onto it. Then he hops into the seat next to her.
"So, Kev, what's on today's menu?" Mia asks.
"I was thinking a chicken salad." He replies.
Mike interjects, "I was thinking a couple slices of pizza."
"Pizza is not a part of a samurai diet." Kevin interjects. Mia and Jayden roll their eyes as Kevin and Mike go off about what a "proper samurai" should eat. Jayden sneaks behind the two pulls out some jelly from the refrigerator. Then he goes to the cabinets and gets some peanut butter, bread, and two plates. He makes two sandwiches and grabs a banana for each of them, and finally he puts a stack of baby carrots on the side. He then pours two glasses of chocolate milk. He slides one plate and one glass over to Mia and keeps the other for himself. Mia thanks him. Jayden then turns to Mike and Kevin and clears his throat.
"This is what I call a balanced diet. Not a heart attack in a box, but also, not a stack of tofu. I left the ingredients out if you would like to duplicate it. I am also here if you need me to give you instructions, but I honestly hope you two know how to make a PB 'n' J!" Jayden joked. The guys grumble and begin making their sandwiches. Emily pops in just in time.
"Hey! What's for lunch?" she asks.
"PB 'n' J, banana, carrots, and chocolate milk. The stuff is already out, so just make your own," Jayden replies. She nods and skips behind the counter to starts making her meal. Jayden picks up his napkin and pulls a pen out of his pocket. He scribbles something down on it and passes it over to Mia under the counter. She glances down at it and sees the address for the shop. She gives him a wink and finishes up her meal. She puts her dishes in the dishwasher and begins to walk out, but Ji, who walks in just at that moment, stops her before she can leave.
"Where are you going?" he asks.
She replies, "Library. I have to turn in a book or else the librarian is going to deactivate my card. The nighlocks normally get in the way of my to do list, library included."
"How are you planning on getting there?" he counters.
"Bus," she answers.
Satisfied, he smiles and says, "Be quick and be careful."
"I will, Ji." As she walks away she catches Jayden's eye. He gives her a grateful smile. She goes to her room and picks up the copy of, Wicked, off her bedside table and walks outside. "I didn't lie to him, I just didn't tell him the full story," she thinks to herself as she makes her way to the bus stop.
Once the bus arrives she climbs in and hands her fare to the driver. As she makes her way to the back, she notices two people sitting next to each other in the fourth row. One was a large bald man with pale skin and a kind face, who looked to be in his thirties. The next was a scrawny teenager with long, spiked up hair. Both are dressed as if they are members of a biker gang, but there is an unseen goofiness about them that makes them look less threatening than they probably intended. Mia recognizes them from the battles. They are infamous around the rangers for being in the wrong place at the wrong time every time. Mia smiles, sits down in a seat, and stares out the window as the bus begins to move. She watches as the buildings and the people go by. Everyone seems to have a place to be.
"Hey! What happened to you?" the bald man asks.
"Long story short, my oven blew up," Mia replies.
"That sounds painful!" the teen interjects.
Mia laughs, "Yeah, it kinda was."
The bus stops right outside a very large, stone building with big pillars and a huge set of stairs leading up to the elegant front doors: The Panorama Library. Mia climbs up the staircase and opens up the big, mahogany doors. As she passes the librarian, she smiles and waves.
"Hi, Miss Margaret!" Mia exclaims
"I see you have finally turned in a book on time. What's the occasion, Ms. Watanabe?" she sneers. When she does this her beak-like nose and crow eyes pinch up towards her tight grey bun.
Pretending not to notice the malice, Mia shrugs and says, "Well, I hurt my back, so I didn't have any of the regular chores to get in my way. Have you read this book? I think that it is really interesting. I saw the musical when it came to town…"
"I do not care for small talk, Miss Watanabe," she interrupts, "Just give me the book and be on your way." Mia reluctantly does so with a smile and walks back to the "M" section of the fiction area of the library. She gets down on her knees, as she can not bend over due to the brace, and runs her pointer finger across the spines of the books until she reaches "Gregory Maguire." She looks at the spines of the books with his name on it until she finds the sequel to Wicked, Son of a Witch. "Very punny," she thinks. Mia grabs the book off the shelf and with one hand on the shelf, she eases herself up. She turns and walks back to Miss Margaret. She holds the book out and the librarian begrudgingly stamps it.
"Have a nice day, Miss Margaret!" Mia cheerfully says. The old lady merely rolls her eyes. As Mia walks out she thinks to herself, "Who put crabapples in her lunch?" She pulls the address out of her pocket and takes a look at it. Once she figures out where she is going she heads down the street towards the little shop. She reaches a bridge with a sidewalk on one side and begins to cross. The moment she does, the potent smell of fish reaches her nose. "This is defiantly a place where Antonio would hand out!" she thinks to herself. She keeps walking down the road until she reaches a little shack with a sign outside that says, "Fernando's Fishing Depot." She pushes open the little door and gets hit in the face with the foul smell of fish and bait. Her stomach churns at the thought of the hundreds of worms that lurk inside. Mia tells herself to keep her composure and walks over to the counter, past the fishing poles and the reels.
The man at the counter looks up and nonchalantly asks, "Can I help you, little lady?"
"Yeah, my friend, Jayden, called in a while ago. He sent me here to pick up a golden lure for our friend's birthday," she answers.
"Ah, yes. I know what you are talking about," he says as he picks up a small box and reveals the octo zord lure with two hooks on the bottom hidden in the tentacles. Mia smiles and gives him the money thanking him. "Sweetie, what happened to your back? Your friend told me that a girl would come in wearing a back brace ands would pick up the lure, but he never said how you ended up in the brace."
Mia chuckles to herself and repeats the story she has told everyone who asked, "I blew myself up." The look of shock on the guy's face was priceless. Mia started to laugh even harder.
"How on earth did you do that, little lady?" he exclaims.
"Cooking," she replies, "and my name is Mia." She holds her hand out to shake his. He clasps hers with his strong, callused mitts and smiles.
"Fernando. I know your friend, Antonio, which is why I reserved the lure for your friend. Normally I don't do that," he says, "You, little lady…I mean Mia, need to keep out of trouble. No more explosions, ok?"
"In my line of work, that's kind of hard to do!" she exclaims without realizing it.
Immediately interested, Fernando asks, "What is your line of work?"
Mia stammers, "Uh…well…actually I'm a chemistry major at Panorama Tech." Mia fiddles with her bracelet. "Not a lie, I'm just taking the online courses for the time being," she thinks to herself.
"So, let me get this straight. You go to class and are around dangerous chemicals all day and the place where you blow yourself up is at home cooking?" he says in disbelief. Mia shrugs. Fernando begins to belly laugh. "I like you kid. If you are ever with Antonio, feel free to stop by!" Mia nods and walks out of the shop.
She begins to walk towards the bus stop when she hears a scream. A short distance from the shop, she sees a massive figure in a dark trench coat grab a little boy from his mother and run away. Mia, ignoring her back, sprints after him. The boy kicks and thrashes at the man, which allows Mia to catch up. She holds up her book and slams it into the head of the man. This loosens his grip and enables the boy to break free and run to his mother. The man angrily turns to face Mia.
"You shouldn't have done that, little girl!" he growls. "Now, you're going to pay!"
He launches himself at her and grabs her hair. Mia tries to fight him off but the brace stops her from doing anything very effective. He rips the book out of her hand and tosses it aside. She then takes multiple punches to the face. He releases her and she stumbles back. Just before she could attack, he hoists her up and throws her off of the bridge. The moment she hits the water, everything goes black.
A/N: Hey, guess what is directly under my author's note, is big, and has plenty of space for your ideas, comments, ect.? My good friend Mr. Review Box! He is getting lonely, so could you please put your ideas there so he won't feel neglected? THANK YOU!