Episode 3

For Those We Love

"Move… step… strike; slow…" Ray instructed calmly. His body slowly shifted in demonstration, slowly transitioning between the stances as the three followed behind him. "Good; again. Remember, it's not about power, it's about control."

The morning breeze rippled across the water, flowing low to brush against their ankles as they stood along the jetty. It was nice; a calm way to start the morning, and a serene tranquility settled against Abbey's nerves as Ray stepped them through the stances at a gentle, steady pace.

"The tul is key," Ray explained, as they began to repeat the sequence. "It teaches you a pattern of movements, it chains them together. That way, when you need them, you won't need to think; your bodies will know what to do."

That part made Abbey less enthusiastic. Learning about her body, and the different ways it can improve on efficiency of movement? Awesome. Improving physical discipline? Fantastic. Having to throw a punch in the heat of battle? Not so much.

If she had it her way, she'd rather not fight at all.

They finished the pattern, returning to a calming, central stance as Ray turned to face his new students. "All right. That's enough of the theory. Let's work on the practice."

With a grin, he motioned away from the jetty, to where a small sports bag was sitting by the path. As the teens followed Ray to the grassy hill, he produced a small pair of pads and strapped them to his hands.

"Line up, we'll go one at a time," he explained. "Hit the pad, move to the back, next person steps up. Erika, let's start with you."

With an all too eager grin, the team's Red Ranger stepped forward. Behind her Zeke, motioned to Abbey with a nervous smile.

"Want to go next?" he offered.

"No, that's okay," Abbey replied. "You take a turn."

Smack smack smack!

Erika finished the chain, her hands and feet connecting with the pad as Ray reacted.

"Good," he encouraged. "Careful not to over-commit. You've got the power, but there can be such a thing as too much."

Erika nodded, recovering her breath as she stepped back and Zeke moved in. Just like Erika, the boy launched into the pads, stepping with every strike as he followed Ray's direction.

"Awesome," Ray congratulated. "Try to keep your movements tighter, closer to your body. Wide swings might feel strong, but they're slower and expose you when you strike."

Bouncing with excitement, Zeke moved back as well. Now it was Abbey's turn.

Great.

Gulping down her trepidation, Abbey stepped up to their awaiting mentor, nervously planting her feet as instructed in preparation to strike. But as Ray stared back at her, Abbey felt the pause, the hesitation. Like there were strings on her arms, keep them pulled tight to her chest and begging her not to move.

"All right, Abbey," Ray encouraged. "You've got this."

"I… I don't want to hurt you," she admitted.

"It's okay," Ray replied, tapping the pads together. "These are meant to be hit. It's all cushioned, perfectly safe."

If he said so…

Abbey shot a wary look behind her. Zeke was grinning with encouragement while Erika stood with her arms folded, watching with equal parts impatience and curiosity. Like she was wondering what Abbey would do.

Okay, here goes.

She shot out her fist, tapping the pad as she stepped.

"Good," Ray pushed. "But you can hit it harder than that."

Abbey struck again, this time a solid whump sounded from the impact.

"Great job! Keep going!"

"You can do it, Abbey!" Zeke cried behind her.

She kept going, hitting the pads, time after time, with every step. Every movement built momentum, every blow cracking harder. Then she finished the chain, leaping into a spinning kick as the flat of Abbey's foot collided with the pad.

SMACK!

The pad went flying, soaring away as Ray winced and shook his now bare hand. Abbey's heart seized; her eyes widening as she realized she'd hit it way too hard and hurt him. "I'm sorry!"

So much for 'perfectly safe'.

But Ray seemed far from concerned; in fact, he was laughing. "Don't be. It was a good kick; I'm the one who should have been ready."

"Is your hand okay?'

"Yeah, it's fine, don't worry about it."

"You did great Abbey," said Zeke enthusiastically as he appeared at her side.

"Umm… thanks?" Because she just loved being good at hurting people…

"Hard at work I see," called a voice down the path. All four heads looked across to see Hilary walking along the lake. Dressed in a long beige coat, her sunglasses blocking the morning glare, she approached them with a tray of coffee in her hand.

"Figured you guys could do with a break," she decided as she handed one of the cups to Ray. "And a reminder that you all have somewhere to be."

Ray nodded in concession as he checked his watch. Abbey did the same and she realized that Hilary was right; they all needed to be at school very soon. Abbey even needed to be early.

"Are you sure it's okay for you to be out here?" Zeke asked Hilary. "I mean, what if Xaviax tries to jump you?"

"I've got Ray and three Power Rangers beside me right now," Hilary replied. "Plus a few tricks of my own. I think I can risk a stroll down to the lake."

"How about it?" Erika asked, handing the tossed pad back to Ray. "Ready to go one more round?"

But while one of them was more than enthusiastic to continue, another of them was happy to be done.

"You guys better do it without me," Abbey said to them. "I need to be in early today."

A truthful excuse, but were she being honest it remained an excuse all the same. Something Erika caught immediately.

"Why?" she asked. "We've still got time."

"Student Council stuff," Abbey explained. "I told them I'd greet the new students today."

"New students?" Zeke queried. "But hasn't school been back a week?"

Abbey could only shrug. "Must be late enrolments."

Erika just rolled her eyes and looked hopefully back to Ray. "You're still good to keep going though, right?"

"Sorry, eager beaver," the Guidance Counsellor chuckled. "But some of us get more than a tardy slip if we're late to school."

"And I like it when my husband holds on to his job," Hilary added with a smirk.

"We'll all go together then," said Zeke.

"I guess that's a good idea," Erika conceded. "I need to figure out where to change."

Another good point; having been training for an hour in activewear, all three teens were tired and sweaty. And there was no way Abbey was greeting new kids in a sweaty tank top.

"I'll show you where to go," Abbey decided. "Come on, we better move."

"Have a good day at school!" Hilary called out smugly as the four of them left the park and began walking to the high school. It was still early, with only a few students wandering in, which left plenty of privacy in the locker rooms for them to all get changed. Something Erika was only partially respectful of.

"So, what's up?" she asked from across the room, facing toward the wall and not looking at Abbey's change of clothes.

"What do you mean?"

"You didn't seem that keen this morning, is all I'm saying."

Abbey sighed; it was even more obvious than she assumed, then. "I guess I'm just not as thrilled about throwing down as you are."

"Didn't seem to have a problem last week."

"That was different," Abbey insisted. "We were running for our lives, and then people needed our help. We didn't have a choice."

"I think that's kind of the point," said Erika. "If there was a choice, the city wouldn't need Rangers, would it?"

Having pulled on her cardigan and tied her hair back over her shoulders, Abbey turned around to face her new friend. Erika too had retied her hair and was pulling her black leather jacket over a red t-shirt.

"I guess," said Abbey awkwardly. "I just don't want to hurt anyone."

Erika just scoffed. "You've got nothing to worry about then; robots aren't people, and I don't think those monsters are going to be all that diplomatic either."

"I guess…"

"Look, you've just got to get over your nerves," Erika insisted. "Once you whack a couple of pads, you'll feel better about it."

Said the girl who gleefully threw people into trashcans; but Abbey kept that thought to herself. Pulling her watch back on, she suddenly noticed the time.

"I've got to go!"

Bolting from the locker room before Erika had a chance to even wish her luck, Abbey headed out into the school hallway at a desperate pace, quickly stopping by her locker to drop off her bag before heading over to the front reception. Principal Goodson was already waiting for her.

A tall woman, even before considering the heels she was always wearing, Principal Goodson always dressed to mean business with her tightly wound black hair and thick-framed glasses. For most students, the mere idea of the woman striding toward them in her dark grey power suit was enough to fill them with abject terror. Abbey, however, had long learned better.

"Ms. Carmichael," Goodson smiled as Abbey rushed into the school's lobby.

"Sorry," Abbey replied sheepishly. "I got held up."

But the principal didn't look even the slightest bit annoyed. "Don't worry about it, you're still on time. You're actually doing me a favor; some rich guy wants to donate a new computer lab school, which means that I'll be stuck in a meeting all morning."

Then she led Abbey over to the couch beside reception, where a boy and a girl were sitting patiently. "Abbey, I would like to introduce our new students; this is Lena and Miguel."

Both rose nervously as Goodson called their names. The girl stood straight, her hand clasped to the backpack that slung on a shoulder, white jacket beneath the strap. Her hair was dark and deadly straight, draping past her shoulders as she looked to Abbey with an awkward smile, as if uncertain what to make of her. Her eyes were an almost decidedly unremarkable brown as if a statistical average had been distilled into the girl's image.

The boy beside her was dark and tanned, dressed in a black hoodie with a mane of dark hair that looked like it strongly objected to his attempts to comb it. As he looked up and saw her, the boy nervously snapped to his feet, causing his bag to tumble from his lap and spill its contents across the floor. As his eyes widened in horror, he scrambled to the ground to hurriedly clean up the spilled contents, and Abbey was just as quickly kneeling beside him to assist.

"Here," Abbey offered. "Let me help you with that."

"Thank you," said Miguel. "I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay," said Abbey. "It's your first day, it makes sense that you're nervous."

"It's not that," Miguel replied, shyly. "I guess I just got a little…"

As he tried to explain, he reached for a pen that was on the ground, at the exact same time that Abbey also moved toward it. Their hands nearly touched, almost brushing in a soft collision, and as both snapped away, something jolted at Abbey's chest as she realized what had nearly happened.

Her breath refused to leave, held in her chest as Abbey looked up to find herself staring into his deep brown eyes. There was a softness to them, a sensitivity she wouldn't have expected. And as she found falling into his gaze, he stared right back into hers. Her heart skipped; a light, involuntary flutter rippled through her chest as she peered through the windows of his soul to see a gentle gratitude staring back at her. For a moment, just one, the guilty thought floated through Abbey's mind, the realization she maybe wouldn't have minded if their hands had touched. And for that moment, and only that, it felt like nothing else mattered.

"Ummm, do you guys need a hand or anything?"

The voice above them snapped them back to reality, and Abbey looked up to see Lena staring at them in confusion.

"Nope," Abbey replied, whipping back up to her feet and recomposing herself just that little bit too hurriedly.

Miguel, meanwhile, picked up the rest of his things and pushed into his bag. "Everything's good here."

"Good to see you're all getting acquainted," said Principal Goodson. "Ms. Carmichael, I've got you covered for homeroom and first period, so take your time in showing them around."

"No problem, ma'am."

As the morning rolled on, Abbey and the pair wandered the full stretch of the school; the ins and outs, where to go and not, and which days to avoid cafeteria food.

"You don't have anywhere to sit at lunch," she realized as their tour came to a close. "You should totally come and sit with my friends."

It would mean they couldn't talk about Ranger business, but Abbey wasn't currently seeing that as a downside.

"I mean," Miguel said awkwardly, "if I'm not intruding."

"You're not," Abbey smiled. "We'd love you have you."

Then she shot a look over Miguel's shoulder to Lena and clarified before anything else could be inferred. "Both of you."

The girl just shrugged. "I've got nowhere to be just yet, I'll come."

Before they could go any further, the bell rang, signaling the end of the first period.

"Looks like our time's up," Abbey realized. "Come on, I'll help you find your first class."


Ender's eyes focused on the screen, punching at the keys as a render of his latest creation spun before him. Behind him, ArcKnight was making his impatience known.

"You know," Ender noted. "Every pace behind me adds to the time it takes to create. You can't rush genius, you know."

"If that were the case," ArcKnight snarled. "Then you would give me little reason to wait in the first place."

"Children, children," Xaviax said coolly as he swept into the room. "You know nothing comes from when you fight."

"My master," ArcKnight dropped to his knees in reverence. Ender kept working, nodding toward the presence in his lab but otherwise ignored him.

"There's something about eldest children," Ender sneered. "How eager they are to please."

"At least one of us is sincere about rectifying our previous defeat."

"And what do you think I'm doing?" Ender replied. "I'm simply working on my next project instead groveling like a simpleton. I believe the term is, 'actions speak louder than words'?"

The robotic knight growled but said nothing else.

"And what, pray you," Xaviax asked, "is your solution?"

At last, Ender turned from the screen, a smile splitting across his lips.

"Oh," he grinned. "I'm so glad you asked, my master."


Just as they'd had at lunch, Miguel and Lena met Abbey out the front after school. Zeke had already waiting for her as she'd arrived, at first eager to see her, only for his face to drop as he realized she'd invited company. Erika wandered out not long after.

"You don't have to wait for me, you know," she insisted, sending a pointed look to the two newcomers that Abbey had brought with her.

"I know," Abbey admitted. "But we wanted to. It's what friends do."

The teen just shrugged and began leading the way down the steps.

"So, there's this really cool place," Abbey explained to Lena and Miguel as they walked. "We call it the Hub, it's the local community center but it's just a nice place to hang, you know? I work there sometimes, and so does Erika, but otherwise we just go there to-."

Her next words were cut off by the beeping at their wrists. Abbey's eyes snapped to it, realizing her watch was in perfect synch with Zeke and Erika's. And that it could only be one thing.

Show time.

"Oh, shoot," Zeke exclaimed. "We had that thing we needed to work on!"

"Oh, yeah," Erika agreed, catching his drift but striving to be a little more subtle. "That class project that we got last week, you know, the group one?"

Abbey nodded and turned to Miguel and Lena.

"Right…," she said nervously. "The thing; the group thing…"

"Your watches are synched?" noted Lena, scrunching her face in suspicion.

"We're just trying to be super organized," Erika butted in before Abbey could think of a better excuse. "Abbey here's super busy, and Zeke's super forgetful, so we set up a shared alarm to remind that if we don't go right away, we might fail that group assignment we've been given."

"Yeah," Zeke agreed stiffly. "And we wouldn't want that…"

The two of them started heading back inside the school, and as Abbey moved to follow, she paused to say goodbye.

"Looks like the Hub will have to wait," she apologized. "I'm sorry guys."

"That's cool," Lena shrugged. "We're big kids, we can look into it ourselves."

"I'm sorry that you're not able to show us yourself," Miguel admitted.

Man, she could just melt in those eyes, and at that moment, Abbey wanted nothing more than to take the boy's arm and show him where to go. But she steeled herself; not now, she had a responsibility. Everything else would have to wait.

"Me too," Abbey said sadly. "But we can go another time. I can show you a few ins and outs no one else knows about."

And then she rushed back to the school with her dread intensifying with every footstep. Her heart was pounding, her knees shaking as she braced herself for what was coming.

Battle.

She could do this.

She could do this.

Erika and Zeke were already at the rendezvous point, the rear carpark that was now devoid of any wandering eyes or students.

"Long farewell?" Erika smirked.

"Let's just get this over with," Abbey insisted instead.

"Hilary says there's some kind of commotion in the main square," Zeke explained. "She filled us in while you were saying goodbye to your… friend."

God, please don't have him start too.

Abbey shot them both a look to drop it, and Erika hit the button on her watch to flash her Morpher to full size. As the other two did the same, all three then pulled out their keycards.

"You guys ready?" Erika asked them.

"Ready!"

With one swift move, the trio wound back, slicing the cards through the port as they called the command. "Server Force! Login Access!"

The light burst from their morphers; red, blue, and yellow energy engulfing their bodies as the power unleashed to imbue them. As Abbey fell into the light, a strange sensation overcame her, like her body itself was merging with the energy as her sky-blue Ranger suit conformed to her shape. Then, as the helmet formed over her head and the visor slid into place, the light flashed away to reveal the chaotic square. Somehow, Hilary had set the morphing sequence to transport them straight to the action.

But Abbey didn't have time to question it, not while there were people in danger. Not when her teammates were already ahead of her. Cyberdrones were swarming the entire area, and at their very center stood the blue man they'd seen the week before, proudly heralding Xaviax's demands before the city.

Ender.

"Rangers!" he called proudly, "I was wondering when you'd be dropping by. It's been awfully boring without you."

"Funny," Erika shot back. "We were just saying how wonderful it's been without you."

Don't taunt him! Abbey groaned silently. Why are you taunting? It's only going to make things worse!

"Well," Ender chuckled, flipping up what appeared to be a baton and giving it a twirl. "I'm sorry to hear you feel that way about little old me—such a shame. But I know what might lighten the mood! Cyberdrones!"

Brilliant.

With the order given, the robots lunged, weapons in hand as they moved to surround the Rangers. The trio split, scattering and forcing the robot horde to separate.

It's not about power, Abbey breathed to herself, it's about control.

Her feet danced along the ground, moving and spinning between the strikes. Suddenly a robot tried to swipe overhead and her bow snapped up to block the strike. Then, just as Ray said it would, her body reacted, snapping back to crack the body of her weapon over the head. With the full force of the strike bearing down on the metal skull, the robot clattered to the ground. But even with one down, the others kept coming.

Abbey ducked again as a blade skidded across the cheek of her helmet. There were too many; she had to get out! Seeing her chance, Abbey caught a break in the horde and leaped, spinning back to fire her bow and unload a giant blast of energy. The shot hit the ground, exploding the footsoldiers' feet and scattering them.

Okay, that was taken care of. Now to regroup with the others.

"Hi there, girly!" giggled a voice behind her. "May I have this dance?"

Abbey spun, stifling a shriek as Ender popped up behind her. "Ew! In your dreams!"

"Oh, but what pleasant dreams they'll be!"

The cane snapped up, jutting like a sharp blade that Abbey barely dodged. She stumbled, feet keeping balance as Ender pressed on. She needed to move, fight back; do something!

The bow cracked down, sweeping at Ender's legs as he parried with the cane. Then it was Abbey's turn, pushing on the offense to spin into a kick. Swinging in from outside his guard, her boot caught him square in the shoulder, knocking Ender back as it hammered him.

Okay, that did feel pretty good.

After pausing to reposition, Abbey resumed her assault. Punch, chop, elbow! Step by step, exactly as Ray had shown her; every strike pummeling Ender's body and knocking him further back. Then she readied the final strike, roaring with all her might as she pirouetted on the spot to introduce her heel to his face.

Ender's eyes nearly popped from his head as the kick collided, sending him sprawling back across the street.

"Great job, Abbey!" she heard Hilary cheer in her ear. "Now take it home!"

Keeping up the pace, Abbey broke into a run before vaulting into the air, bow leveled on the crouching Ender. But as she raised her hand to draw, he spun around with his eyes filled with fear.

"NO!" he cried. "Wait! I'm being forced against my will!"

Abbey drew a sharp breath, grip loosening on her weapon as she reached her peak and began to descend. This.. this creature… he was being controlled?

She landed at his side, all aggression vanishing as she tenderly as she approached the cowering man.

"I'm sorry!" she insisted. "I didn't know!"

"Abbey, no!" Hilary cried in her ear. "It's a trap!"

But Ender sensed her hesitation, terror twisting into a devious grin as snapped up the baton. "Sucker!"

Light flashed from the end of the weapon, and Abbey's eyes widened as she realized her deadly mistake. Her body reacted on its own, the energy booming past as she barely dived in time. The blast soared through the air, bursting into a fiery display as it impacted the building behind her.

Then Abbey heard a scream.

The shot had loosened rubble from the building, debris raining down on the street. Below, a woman could only stare in horror as a giant piece of concrete hurled down toward her.

"I've got you!"

Zeke appeared out of nowhere, lunging from the horde of robots with his shield at the ready. He landed just in time, battering away the debris before it could make contact. The debris that had loosened because of her.

"Quite the show, my dear," Ender cackled. "I suppose, I'll have to thank you for your help."

She... she had done that.

"Hey!"

Now it was Erika's turn to vault from nowhere, springing from the horde with her axe held high. Ender dived out of the way as she swung it down, and the road where he'd had been standing shattered from the impact. With more distance between them, Erika shifted between Abbey and Ender, spinning the axe in her hand to glare down at him.

"Back off pal," she hissed. "You're not her type."

"Please," Ender scoffed. "I'm everyone's type."

"Not mine, you're not."

She flourished the axe, pointing the double-headed blades directly at him. Having got the woman to safety, Zeke leaped to join her. All of a sudden, the tables had turned, and now Ender found himself staring down all three Rangers.

"Well," he decided. "Even I can tell when I'm not wanted, rare as that may be."

"No; really?" Erika sneered. "I thought we were just getting started?"

Ender whipped into his coat, producing a small black orb. Abbey's eyes widened as she realized what it was.

Oh no.

"Perhaps another time, my dear," Ender bowed. "But until then… BOMB-voyage!"

He tossed them the ball, disappearing in a flash as the Rangers dived. The ball bounced along the ground, hissing for a single moment as the fuse sapped into ash. Then it detonated, booming into a ball of fire, a shockwave rippling through the flames like a disk. Still mid-air, Abbey was caught in the blast, hurled backward, and slammed into a nearby car. As she felt fresh bruises welling up her back, her suit flashed and disappeared.

Erika and Zeke leaped to her side, both of them still morphed.

"Hey," Zeke asked her, panic rising in his voice, "Hey are you alright?"

Slowly, Abbey allowed him to help her to her feet. Her body was stiff and sore, but otherwise fine.

"Yeah," she nodded. "Yeah. I'm okay."

"We better get out of here," Erika decided. "With those robots gone the crowds are bound to show up."

"Good idea," Hilary's voice confirmed through Abbey's morpher. "Get back to the Museum, we'll debrief there."


"Okay, look this way." Hilary spun the torch in Abbey's eyes and she followed as directed. Having been thrown out of morph, the doctor had insisted on a check-up. Finally concluding her examination, Hilary stepped away from Abbey so she could also see the others.

Zeke was practically by her side, fingers clasped and eyes pleading, while Erika leaned against the railing by the Digitizer, arms folded and looking far from impressed. Ray was sitting at the console, playing back the helmet footage that Hilary had collected from the battle.

"She's okay," Hilary nodded to her husband.

Ray breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, that was a hard blow you took back there. I'm glad you didn't sustain anything serious."

Lucky.

Meaning it could've been even worse. It certainly didn't feel like it when the blast caught her straight on. Beside her, Abbey watched Zeke relax at the news. Only Erika seemed to remain as tense as before.

"So," she asked, tone turning disgruntled, "are we just not going to talk about what happened back there?"

"Back off, Erika," Zeke warned.

"Don't tell me to back off," she snapped. "Abbey had the chance to take that guy out, and she blew it."

"Hey, that's not fair…!"

"No," Abbey said quietly as she stared at the floor. "It is."

Because she had blown it. Ender had seen straight through her and played her like a fiddle. And an innocent woman had nearly been hurt because of it. Zeke could defend her all he wanted, but it wouldn't make Erika any less right.

"I hesitated," Abbey agreed. "I didn't want to land the blow, and Ender took advantage of it."

"It's okay," Ray assured her. "Lessons are never easy to learn. They're hard, but they're important. Sometimes we have to see with our own eyes why something has to happen before-"

"But what I don't want to learn?"

Her words cut straight through, the admission Abbey had been holding back for almost as long as she'd had her Morpher.

She didn't want to fight.

"What if I don't want to learn why it's important to finish off my enemies?" she queried. "Why do I need to hit them while they're down? What if maybe I'm good going through life not knowing exactly the best way to kick someone's head off?"

"You've been through enormous stress," Hilary cautioned. "Maybe you should-"

"Should what?" Abbey demanded. "Wait for the next fight to come along, where I can put someone else in danger? Where I can throw a half-hearted punch because it's what's expected of me?"

The others continued to stare, none knowing quite what to say. But the more they did, the more Abbey began to realize the company she was in. And how she didn't fit with them at all.

Ray and Hilary were all hands, they'd done this all before. They didn't just know what they'd got into, they'd literally brought it with them. Erika was always done for a fight; hell, most days she seemed itching for one by noon. And Zeke… sweet as he was, Abbey knew how much he longed to play the hero, to live out his boyish fantasy of superheroes and adoring importance.

But her?

Fighting was the last thing she ever wanted to do. But if she couldn't fight, then what was she even doing there?

Did she even belong?

And slowly, as Abbey stood there, watching the confused faces stare back at her in a vain attempt to comfort, she realized that she didn't. That she was the last person in the world who was cut out to be a ranger. And it was going to get someone hurt.

"Abbey," Ray tried. "I get that this is a lot. But you'll get better. Most people start off as Rangers having no idea how to fight…"

"That's what I'm saying," Abbey insisted. "I don't want to get better. And if that's what I need to do, then…"

She trailed off, hand snapping to her wrist as she undid the clasp of her Morpher. With the device in one hand, she fished out the key card and held the two together.

"Then maybe I'm not the best person to have this," she decided.

She tossed the device onto the desk, Erika and Zeke staring in stunned silence. Hilary and Ray shared a look but said nothing.

"You guys need someone else watching your back," Abbey said sadly. "Someone you can rely on."

Then, spinning around before she could no longer hide the tears, she rushed out of the lab and into the elevator, closing the doors before anyone could rush to catch her. She held firm all the way up, waiting for the doors to open before hurrying out through the backdoor and out into the open street. It was only then, when she'd run out as far from the museum as she could and she was certain that no one had followed her, that Abbey relented to the stinging in her eyes and allowed herself to cry.