The Terran Ranger Saga - The Preliminaries Volume 3 - Heather Ray (reading tree txt) 📗

Alexis, "a year and a half!" Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she turned to Adam. "What would happen if the Power Rangers were chosen to go? Each of the others fit that description to a T!"

"I'm sure Zordon had prepared for that possibility," said Adam reassuringly, "but maybe we should ask him next time we see him."

Rocky parked the car and the four teenagers piled out. Rocky looked at his watch.

"We have just over ten minutes until the homeroom bell," he announced. "So let's hustle!"

The four teens ran into the building and went their separate ways. Alexis made her way to her locker and started working on her combination. She searched for her copy of Romeo and Juliet when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Tommy's smiling face. However Alexis, being very perceptive, noticed that the smile looked forced.

"Hey, Lex. How're you feeling?" he asked politely, purposely not looking directly at her.

"Drained, but otherwise I'm okay," answered Alexis dryly, returning to her search. He's worried about me,

she thought. He doesn't think I'll be able to pull through this!

"Look, uh, I know what it's like to have your powers weaken. It happened to me several times," said Tommy, staring at his feet uncomfortably, "I just want you to know that, well, the six of us are here for you, and we understand what you're going through."

"Tommy, you're talking as if someone just died! You really need to stop worrying so much about me. Look, Alpha and Billy said this power loss is temporary, so I'll be back in my shimmering spandex before you know it! So in the meantime, make sure to whip those baddies without depending on me to save your hide!!"

Tommy couldn't help but smile at Alexis' brash comment. Wow, she really has spirit. I wish I could have had that kinda faith when I was losing my Green Ranger powers. Still, there's something she's not telling me. She's hiding something...

Alexis finally found her book and slammed her locker shut. She turned around and smiled up at Tommy.

"Catch you later," she called, rushing to homeroom. Tommy made his way up the stairs, where the other five Power Rangers waited for him.

"So, how is she?" asked Jason.

"She's taking this power loss much better than I did," said Tommy with a sigh, "but I know she's not being totally open with us. She's holding back--I can see it in her eyes."

"What can we do?" asked Kimberly, her voice filled with sympathy.

"We can't do anything," said Tommy quietly. "Trust me, I know. She's got to sort this out for herself. We can't impose. Besides, she probably feels uncomfortable around us. When I lost my powers, I avoided you guys like the plague. I guess I just didn't feel like I belonged anymore. I wasn't a member of the team anymore."

"You should know better than that, Tommy!" said Trini, surprised. "We're bonded by friendship, not power!"

"That's easy for you to say, Trini," said Tommy. "After all, the five of you were all best friends way before the Power Rangers existed. Now Alexis and I became friends with you after we had received the power, as if this circle of friends was mutually exclusive. It seems to us like a Power Coin was the only thing that brought us into this little club."

"Well, if that's how Alexis thinks, then we have to change her mind!" said Kimberly authoritatively. "Let's say we all have a picnic in the park after school?"

"Great idea!" said Zack, starting to get excited. "We can just sit out in the sun and chill!"

"Perhaps we can invite Aisha, Adam, and Rocky," added Billy.

"Good idea," said Jason. "They're nice people, and expert martial artists. I'd like to get to know them better."

"So its agreed then?" asked Kimberly. "By the lake at about five? That should give us enough time to get things ready."

"Affirmative," said Billy.

"Awesome!" said Zack.

"Sounds great!" said Trini.

"Absolutely," said Jason.

"Why not?" said Tommy with a smile. "So, who's gonna coordinate this little party?"

"Did you have to ask?" asked Kimberly with a superior smile, "I'll call each of you and tell you what you need to bring."

Just then, the first bell rang.

"Uh oh, we're late," said Jason, starting up the stairs, "We'll talk at lunch!"

With that, the six friends hurried to their homerooms.

Chapter Two

After school, the ten teenagers met by the lake to enjoy good food and good fellowship. Adam showed Zack a few moves by the lake while Billy and Trini unloaded a few blankets and laid them out on the freshly cut green grass. Aisha and Alexis helped Kimberly unload a few coolers from her car. Jason and Tommy carried a cooler each, loaded with soda cans and water bottles. Rocky walked over from his car with a huge white pastry box.

"What's in the box, Rocko?" asked Zack, walking over to the blankets when he saw Rocky.

"Chocolate cake," said Rocky with a smile. He sat the large box on the blanket and openned it, revealing a two-layer square chocolate cake with vanilla frosting and rainbow sprinkles. Zack began rubbing his hands together.

"Now I'm getting hungry!" he said. The others all started laughing and made themselves comfortable on the blankets. They sat in a circle around the picnic spread, which consisted of macaroni salad, potato chips, tortilla chips, salsa, a variety of cold cuts, stacks of bread, condiments, chicken salad, and Rocky's cake. Alexis sat in the shade of the oak tree, and beside her sat Aisha to the left. To her left sat Kimberly, then Tommy, Jason, Billy, Trini, Rocky, Zack, and Adam, who sat to Alexis' right, completing the circle. Aisha started passing out the paper plates while Kim passed out the plastic utensils.

"Dig in, guys!" said Kim, and that's just what they did.

"This is an extremely impressive selection," said Billy, fixing a chicken salad sandwich. "How did you manage to prepare so much food in so little time?"

"Well," said Kimberly, "I made the chicken salad, Aisha and Adam went to the deli to get the cold cuts and mac salad. Jason, Zack, and Tommy bought the sodas, chips, condiments, plates, and utensils, you and Trini brought the blankets, and Rocky went to the bakery to get bread and dessert."

"Wow," said Alexis. "You really made a group effort. Why didn't you tell me sooner about this picnic, Kim? I could have brought something..."

"Don't worry about it, Lex," said Kim with a smile, handing her friend a can of ginger ale. "Just relax and enjoy yourself, 'kay?"

After the meal was eaten, Rocky cut up the cake and served it. Jason got a couple gallons of milk from the cooler and some paper cups. Once dessert was finished, Billy, Trini and Kim started to pack up the leftovers while Jason, Tommy, Rocky, Adam, Zack, and Aisha practice different fighting styles. Alexis, who was already worn out from a long day of school, was sleeping peacefully under the oak tree.

"Wow, she's out like a light," said Kim with a smile, "I sure hope its not because of our company!"

"Her body is still suffering from her use of the Supreme Bomb Attack last week," said Billy, loading the used paper plates in a big black garbage bag. "The Purple Ranger was never meant to harness so much raw power. She is lucky--I expected her to fall into a perpetual coma from the extreme exertion. At least she can still function. She just can't morph or exert herself too much."

"But, will she ever completely recover?" whispered Kimberly as she watched her friend sleep soundly.

"Her power is in the process of regenerating her," said Billy, "but it is a slow process. Since Alexis is bonded to the Eagle coin, the coin itself will assist her healing. But she still isn't strong enough to call on the full power of the coin, so she can't morph."

Just then, a ringing could be heard from Alexis' backpack. The sound stirred her awake, and she pulled out her cellular telephone.

"Hello?" she answered, sitting up. "Oh, hi, Ma. I'm at the park with Kim and the others. Huh? What's wrong? Okay, I'll be right there."

Alexis quickly stood up and collected her belongings. She put on her backpack and made her way to Kim, Billy, and Trini.

"My mother just called me," she explained quickly, "I have to go home now. It's been a real blast!"

"Wait!" called Kimberly, "is something wrong?"

"I'm not sure, but she said it was important. I'd better not keep her waiting."

Alexis waved to her three friends and made her way to the lake, where the others watched Adam perform an impressive kata.

"Wow," commented Zack, "his feet barely even touched the ground."

Adam completed the exhibition and bows. His audience clapped excitedly.

"Way to go, Bud!" said Rocky, slapping Adam on the back. Alexis walked over with a smile.

"Yeah, great show," she said. "Look guys, it's been a blast, but I gotta go home. See ya tomorrow at the Youth Center."

"Need a lift, Lex?" offered Jason.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks, Jay!"

Jason and Alexis walked over to Jason's Honda, and in a few minutes, they pulled into Alexis' driveway. Alexis unstrapped her seatbelt and climbed out.

"Thanks for the lift, Jay," she said with a charming smile.

"No problem," said Jason, smiling back.

Alexis slammed the door and made her way to the front door of her house. He turned back to wave as Jason drove away.

"Definitely a hunk," she whispered to herself as she turned the knob of the door. To her surprise, the door was unlocked.

"Ma?" she called, walking into the family room. "Are you here?"

Alexis went to her mother's bedroom and knocked on the door. She could hear muffled sobs.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she opened the door. She saw her mother sitting on the corner of her bed, with her face in her hands, shaking with sobs. Alexis also noticed a bottle of scotch beside an empty glass on the night table. Alexis' concern tripled as she remembered the last time her mother drank liquor -- about two months ago, when her father left for good. Alexis sat beside her mother and embraced her.

"Oh, honey," sobbed Amanda, crying on her youngest daughter's shoulder, "I got a call from the Ben Franklin General Hospital in Philadelphia--"

"Did something happen to Johnathan or Denise?" asked Alexis in a voice barely above a whisper. Tears began streaming down her face as she thought of what horrible fate could have befallen her big sister