Power Rangers In Space/Power Rangers Lost Galaxy - Heather Ray (books for 5 year olds to read themselves txt) 📗

feelings swell within me. I know that voice! "Kendrix!"

I dash toward the sound of the voice, my joy boundless as I yearn to welcome my dear friend back!

We have all been weighed down by Kendrix's death. It was as if a thick miasma of sorrow hung in the air, making each breath arduous, depriving us of any enthusiasm or energy. Damon has holed himself in the Megaship, busy with some project beyond my understanding. Kai has only endured the days through a rigid schedule, keeping his attention on his duties so as to prevent his mind from wandering. Mike has also taken refuge in his responsibilities, maintaining a notable distance from the rest of us. And Leo...only the Gods know what he's been up to the past few days, but our paths have not crossed since it happened.

But it doesn't matter anymore. Now, the nightmare of Rashon can finally be put behind us!

"Gods, Kendrix!" I gasp, "We've..."

My cheer sinks into sickened despair so quickly my knees grow rigid. I freeze in my tracks a few paces from my best friend's...ghost

.

After Rashon, I had slowly resigned myself to the grim truth that Kendrix had died to save us all. Still, it's harsh reality to see this confirmation, floating in the dark, cold air with its hands clasped tightly.

My tears fall freely as I look up into the faded blue eyes of my spirit sister. Only one thought forms in my dazed mind. "We miss you so much."

I peer at the spirit, trying to see through the bright light framing her to make out her expression. But while I don't see her sorrow, I hear it in her voice.

"I miss you too, Maya. All of you, so much it hurts."

I wish so fervently I could hug her, but while I've never seen a ghost before personally, I know otherworldly spirits cannot be touched by mortal hands. "We all wish we could've saved you," I tell her, moved by a desperate need to unburden my conscience. "I'm sorry you had to face Psycho Pink without us... I'm sorry we let you down."

I feel the warmth of her smile. "Nobody let me down. I took matters into my own hands, and I don't regret what I did."

I struggle for composure, wiping hot tears with both hands like a heartbroken child. "You don't have to be so brave, Kendrix...I know you better than that. I know you're angry, and I know you feel cheated. Your life was cut so short

...it's tragic, for a Ranger, or anyone else!"

I think I surprised her with that observation. When will she learn that she doesn't have to keep up her perfect façade? That she has every right to feel miserable

...that she can't ease our pain with kind lies?

She stays silent for a long moment, before finally responding. "I'm not angry...because I'm not

dead."

Her revelation so startles me I stumble forward, as if freed from shackles that had bound me. "You're...not

a ghost?"

She shakes her head.

"Then...where are you? What happened

to you??"

She lifted her hand. "I'm still figuring it out. All I know now is, I'm trapped in a pocket dimension called the Nexus."

She must have seen the horror on my face, for she hastily adds: "Don't worry, I'm in a wonderful place! I'm not being held captive, and I'm not in any danger. I'm just...stranded

."

I'm so overwhelmed, my lips tremble as I stammer an assurance. "We'll find you, Kendrix. I swear we'll-"

"No!"

I wince at the sharpness of her voice. "Please, Maya...you can't afford to invest too much time or energy into searching for me; not with Trakeena lurking around Terra Venture, and my Saber missing!"

I flinch again as I consider the fate of the enchanted Quasar Saber. I had assumed it was destroyed in the explosion, but now that I know Kendrix has been transported to another dimension, perhaps something similar had happened to her weapon?

"The Saber isn't in the Nexus with you?"

"No, it's not. I started feeling a pull, not too long ago. I think my Saber is in danger. It's now in evil hands, on a planet named Guinit."

"Guinit," I repeat, pressing the unfamiliar name to my memory. "But Kendrix, even if we find the Saber, it will not yield its power to anyone but you. You were Chosen!"

"As Rangers, our first priority is to defend the defenseless,"

Kendrix asserts. "We have to do everything in our power to protect Terra Venture. Without my Saber, the team is far from full strength. And if my Saber is compromised by evil, we may never be able to restore it. Please, Maya, go to Guinit. Find my Saber! And don't worry about me...I'm okay."

And then, she begins to fade.

"Kendrix, wait!" I beg, reaching futily to grasp the air. As soon as my fingers feel the warmth that is my best friend's presence...

...I leap from my bed sheets as if I've been electrified.

My breath comes in rapid puffs as I stare into the darkness of the too large, too empty quarters I shared...share

...with Kendrix. The disorientation of deep sleep slowly ebbs, leaving my senses sharp and clear.

It wasn't a dream. I know I wasn't dreaming.

Kendrix came to me. She spoke to me. And she told me exactly what to do.

Chapter Eight

-Kendrix-

I watch, grinning with satisfaction, as my best friend dashes down the quiet hall of Terra Venture, whispering into her communicator along the way.

Then, a hand touches my face, breaking the connection.

I glare at the Caretaker of the Nexus. I refuse to even acknowledge his resemblance to Mike...he is nothing like my friend.

"Once your Saber has been rescued from evil hands, you will no longer feel the pain of its corruption."

"Maybe not," I concede, "but that won't sever my connection to the Saber, and to the real world. Maya said that I was Chosen for the Saber...I can't just give it to someone else. And I believe her."

"The Yellow Ranger knows the legends of the Sabers, but she does not know them intimately. The Power is woven throughout the universe, and is tapped through certain rare outlets. One such outlet is the planet of Mirinoi, and the Quasar Sabers, forged in the scalding heat of the planet's core, are the foci of this energy. You were Chosen to be the Pink Ranger, Ranger of Life, because you were deemed worthy to defend the galaxy. However, even though you pulled the Saber from the stone, you are not the only one who can use it. Did not your friend Mike extract the Red Saber? Who uses it now?"

The Caretaker's cold logic extinguishes my optimism like a candle caught in a draft. I had forgotten that Leo wasn't the one to pull the Red Saber.

"In times of crisis, the Power can be transferred to another worthy individual. Once a worthy soul touches your Saber, you will feel the pull. And once you relinquish the Power, you will be free from your reality."

And suddenly, he is gone.

No longer am I surrounded by featureless sands. Instead, I hear the soft rumble of waves breaking against the shore. Above me, the sun bathes the beach in its gentle warmth. Behind me, the creaking of feet against wooden steps alerts me to another presence.

"Kendrix? Keni, what's wrong?"

He hurries toward me, laying one hand steady on my shoulder as the other lifts my chin. My gaze meets the concerned Peridot of his own, and my vision blurs anew.

He doesn't say another word. Instead, he wraps his strong arms around me, urging my face into his broad chest. And as I breathe him in, savoring the scent, touch, and sight that is uniquely Leo, the tears come freely.

I know for certain that this isn't Leo. It is an image, constructed from my memories and impressions. It is no more alive than a mirage, and can't truly feel. It only feels what I think Leo would feel... or more accurately, what I want Leo to feel.

I should be repulsed by this doppelganger. I should pull away from his embrace, and will him away. If this Nexus is truly a malleable environment, I should have the ability to make him disappear.

Only, I can't. I don't have the willpower to make him go away.

I need him. I...don't want to be alone.

Chapter Nine

-Leo-

I hate

being alone.

It's just too quiet...too easy to get lost in thoughts and memories I don't want to revisit.

But I don't have a choice. This office is off-limits during the main shift, so my only option is to come at night. And if any of Terra Venture's Cultural Analysis team finds "Lieutenant Corbett's stowaway brother" rummaging through the translation of the Galaxy Book, eyebrows would definitely rise.

Not that I'm all that concerned about keeping my secret identity. It's funny how things that used to be important just fade into nothing...and little things that used to mean nothing suddenly become the axis the world revolves around.

Like the way she glared at me when I tried to sneak a taste of Damon's birthday cake. Or when she snatched the Lights of Orion from me, thinking I'd find a way to break a chunk of solid rock.

The scent of her perfume, a muted vanilla that only registers when she's very near. I first caught a whiff when I bowled her over, as I ran from the security guards at Terra Venture's launch. Sweet, modest, and alluring...just like Kendrix.

I can still smell it. Here, in this seat she'd spent hours in, studying the Galaxy Book with the kind of studious attention that makes my head spin. That's one reason why I do this... why I spend my nights at this computer terminal. Here, sitting on the seat she occupied, typing on the keyboard her fingers last touched, breathing in the scent of her, I feel closer to her.

Of course, that's not the only reason