Song of the chapter: World Gone Mad by Bastille
"Olivia, Jason Scott is here for you!" Jen yells from the bottom of the stair case. I take one last look in the mirror. I know I'm technically going to a funeral and I'm supposed to be solemn and sad, but I look good in black. The black fit and flare dress hugs my torso nicely while flowing out past the waist and stopping just above the knees. My grey wool coat complements it nicely and my hair flows naturally over my shoulders. I grab my phone and my coin, heading down stairs and listening to the soft click of my black wedges on the stairs.
"Are you..." Jason's voice trails off as he looks at me. Isn't that supposed to happen while you're walking down the stairs in your prom dress, not a funeral dress? I shrug.
"It's all I had." I smile softly, ushering him out the door. Jen yells goodbye as I close the door behind me and follow Jason towards his dad's car.
"It looks-You look great..." I smile softly.
"You don't look too bad yourself, Scott." I climb into the car and smile at his little sister. The car takes off as rain drips down the window, settling my growing uneasy feeling about being at a cemetery. Sure, I didn't know these men, but Jason's dad worked with them and you never feel particularly good about being in a cemetery.
The Saint Andrews Cemetery sign creeps up faster than I had anticipated, and I start to feel anxious. I don't know why, I shouldn't feel this way. Should I? The car stops and I open the door, climbing out and feeling a rain drop hit my cheek. Jason opens up an umbrella and steps closer to me, shielding me from the sky. His free hand gently slips into mine as we follow his dad and his sister to where the fishermen are being buried. Jason asked me to come with him for an unknown reason, but I agreed regardless.
We stand in silence as people come up to talk about the two men, most likely family members and close friends. You can really hear the heartbreak and the pain they feel as they talk about fond memories, old stories, or they just express how much they cared about these men and how much they will be missed.
Eventually, they begin to lower the caskets into the ground and we begin to leave so that the family can bury their loved ones in peace. Jason and I walk through the rows of graves and I'm careful as to where I step. I may be a bitch sometimes but when it comes to respecting the dead and their families, that's very important to me. I silently read some of the names and years on the head stones, finding ones as old as a woman who was born in the mid 1800's.
As I'm reading the names, one sticks out to me and locks up my joints. Jason doesn't notice until his arm is pulled back as he tries to take another step.
"Vi?" 'Grace Joy Giles. Born November 15, 1975. Passed June 27, 2008. Loving Mother and Wife. You will be missed dearly. You will be loved in death as you were in life. Cancer may have taken you from the world, but not from our hearts.' My eyes sting as the world around me grows dark. That can't be her, can it? Would my dad really lie to me all this time? "Olivia?" My head snaps up to meet Jason, and I shake the thoughts from my mind.
"Sorry, I thought I recognized one of the names." I smile, squeezing his hand and following him back to the car. He glances at me every once in a while, as if to check on my mental state.
The car ride home is just as quiet as the car ride there. Once Mr. Scott pulls up out front of my house, I quietly thank him for bringing me home and hop out, rushing into the house and closing the door. A tear slips from my eye and I take my coat off and hang it up.
"Hey sweetie, how was it?" Jen asks as she turns the corner.
"Is it true?" I ask, avoiding eye contact. "Did she really die in 2008?" I take her silence as a confirmation and tear my shoes off, rushing up into my room. All this time, I thought my mom left because of how often her and my dad argued. He didn't even let me say goodbye to her.
So many questions run through my mind, begging to be answered. My tears soak my pillow case once again, and the gloomy sky casts a grey tone throughout the room. I wasn't expecting to find out something so heavy from attending a stranger's funeral, but in a way I'm glad I went. At least now I know.
***
"If Rita manages to create Goldar-" Alpha hops down the ledge, leading us farther into the cave.
"Are you listening to me?" He yells back as Zack helps me down off of the ledge. "And he rips the crystal from the ground, it'll be like ten thousand nuclear bombs washing over Earth."
"Supposed to freak us out?" Zack asks.
"You keep making this harder. We're busting our asses, feel free to throw us a bone at some point." Jason snaps, looking down at Alpha.
"Yes, I see you busting your asses. So, I've decided to give you some inspiration." Billy looks down at me happily and I shrug lightly, following the group. "What you find beyond this wall will forever change your lives." Alpha announces, making it seem like we're about to meet God. Once we all reach the top, we stop and stare at the sight in front of us, pretty amazed. Jason helps me up the rest of the way, then pulls me aside.
"Are you sure you're okay? You haven't been yourself lately, and you still haven't told me what you were upset about the other day at school." I nod my head.
"I know, and I promise I'll explain everything, but right now we have stuff to do." He nods, walking beside me as we catch up with the rest of the group.
"The Zords!" Alpha gestures to the giant mechanical dinosaurs before us. Each of us has a separate machine, mine being a Velociraptor. Sweet. "Pretty cool, right? They take on the form of the most powerful organism on the planet. When these Zords formed, dinosaurs reigned supreme. They will be an extension of you. And their power is all but limitless." Billy lets out an excited shout, making me smile. "But, you're not ready for this power. When you morph, your armor will make you one with the Zords. So come on, let's go train. Today's the day you become Rangers! I can feel it!" We all take off to follow Alpha, and I for one feel very inspired by this new information to kick some ass and become a Power Ranger.
"This is so cool!" Billy squeaks as we head back into the pit, prepared for whatever is ahead.
"You have to remember that in today's training lesson, the important thing is to- wait. Where's Zack?" We all glance around, no sign of the crazy kid anywhere.
"Seriously?" Jason groans. The ground starts to shake lightly and suddenly the walls begin to crumble. Alpha screams and Jason grabs my hand, pulling me along behind him. I grab onto Billy's collar as we pass by him, careful not to choke him. Zack's Zord comes crashing into the pit, skidding along the ground. Dust flies everywhere as we all jump up onto the ledge. I breathe in some of the dust and immediately cough, pushing myself up off of the ground and groaning. Alpha stands up and shakes some of the dust off of himself.
"Alright, my bad, my bad. That's on me, right there." Zack chuckles, climbing out of the Zord.
"Are you insane?" I snarl, pointing at him. "You could've killed us, or yourself!" He rolls his eyes, shoving me away from him.
"Back off, boss lady."
"Hey!" Jason grabs him, throwing a punch and knocking him over.
"Oh, come on guys, wow!" Billy yells, trying to get them to stop. Zack stands up and punches back. I jump out of the way, not wanting to be landed on or hit. The fight starts to escalate, Alpha begging them to knock it off.
"You guys, stop it!" I yell, watching them go at each other's throats.
"Just stop fighting, please!" Billy yells, shoving them apart. As if by some force of magic, Billy morphs right in front of us all. I step up beside Jason, watching as Billy's face disappears behind his blue suit of armor.
"That's dope." Trini smiles, and Billy finally realizes what happened. He looks down at himself, excitement evident in his voice.
"Okay, now that's cool!" Billy exclaims. Zack reaches his hand out to touch Billy's arm despite being told not to, and suddenly the armor disappears.
"Where'd it go? Bring it back." Zack demands. "Bring it back, dude."
"Get out." Zordon's voice booms through the pit. "Training is over for today. Go home."
"I'm sorry, he just morphed." Kim says, pointing at Billy. "He did it. You saw it, right?"
"Do it again." Zordon asks as we all turn to Billy. "All of you. Any of you."
"Billy, how'd you do it, Billy?" Jason asks quietly. We all start encouraging him to do it again, and he squeezes his eyes shut, acting like he's constipated. Everyone starts to yell at him and he reassures us that he's trying, but nothing happens. Kim looks as if something is bothering her.
"Okay, we don't know how." Jason yells.
"That's what I thought. If you can't morph, you are not Rangers. Go home, all of you." Everybody sighs in defeat and heads back out of the pit. I throw the jacket back on as we exit the ship and make our trek back down to the main path.
"Hey, guys, look. Imma stay up here tonight. Make a fire. I got some food if you guys wanna stay." Zack offers, gesturing to his train car.
"I'm down." Trini smiles.
"Me too." I nod, walking back towards Zack. Billy comes too, and Kim hesitantly follows after. Jason is nowhere to be found, probably got caught up in the ship doing something.
***
"If I weren't stuck in this wall, I would eat that junk food!" We all chuckle as Zack does various imitations of Zordon. I hear footsteps behind me and turn to see Jason. Look who finally showed up. "What happened back there?" Zack asks.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it." He says, taking a seat next to me on an old log. "Billy, how'd you do it?" He asks, looking down at his lap. "How'd you morph?"
"I don't know." He looks around at all of us.
"What are you guys thinking about when we're trying to morph?" Jason asks. Kim stands up and waves a piece of wood around.
"You must shed your masks to wear this armor." She deepens her voice and dramatically imitates Zordon. Jason smiles lightly.
"Think only of each other and the Morphing Grid will open to you." Zack adds in. I chuckle, lightly leaning my head back.
"Yeah, that's better." I say, squinting at the fire with a small smile.
"Maybe it's because we don't know each other. Maybe that's why we can't morph." Zack suggests, his eyes scanning the circle of people. "I'm serious. Let's do this. For real." He stands up, the fire crackling and placing an orange glow on his face. "I'm Zack. And I'm a Power Ranger." Everyone laughs, then we all say a small hello. "Truth. I live in the Melody Mobile Home Park. It's just me and my mom. And my mom? My mom is the best!" He yells, earning a smile from me. "But my mom, she's sick. I do what I can, but..." His voice cracks slightly. "But I'm scared. Sometimes I get too scared to stay there at night, 'cause... 'cause I'm afraid she can't make it. And if she goes... When she goes, I got nobody else." We all share sympathetic looks, unsure of what to say. "Look, I think being with you guys is good for me."
"Let's do that. Let's tell our secrets, you know? It'll help us." Billy says. "Okay, I got a secret. I like country music." I let out a snort, earning a surprised yet amused look from Jason. "No, matter of fact, I love country music. And I don't... I don't miss my dad as much. I mean, coming to the mine with him was all I had. But, coming to the mine with you guys is just as good." He says. My chest tightens a little.
"Bigger secret is, why were you in detention?" Jason asks.
"Oh, I blew up my lunchbox." Billy says like it's the most obvious thing ever. Everyone laughs, totally confused. "But it was a accident, okay? My lunchbox was in my locker. Boom goes the lunch box, in detention goes Billy." I laugh, leaning my head on Jason's shoulder. "But, let's not forget that Kimberly Hart was also in detention too."
"Not tonight. Skip me." She throws more wood into the fire and glances at me. I lift my head off of Jason's shoulder and sigh.
"At this point, everyone knows why I was in detention." I shrug.
"Okay, well then what's something none of us know?" Zack asks.
"Uh, the other day, after the funeral they held for those two fishermen, I was reading the names on some of the headstones and..." My voice shakes a little. "By some random chance, I found my mother's name. I didn't know she was dead, my dad never told me. I was around eight or nine at the time, and I just thought my mom had left. I guess not." By the end of my sentence, my voice is barely above a whisper and everyone is silent.
"Vi, how come you didn't tell me?" He asks. There's that nickname again. I think he used it at the funeral when I saw my mom's grave. I actually don't mind it.
"Guess I just didn't know how. What about you?" I ask, regaining my confident voice.
"Everyone knows exactly who I am." He leans back, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me into him.
"What about you, crazy girl?" Zack asks, looking at Trini.
"I could tell you anything and you'd have to believe me." She smiles. Everyone looks at her expectantly and she sighs. "Okay, uh, I'm the new girl. Always. Three schools in three years. What's crazy is I like it that way, you know, it's just easier. Nobody ever has to get to know me and my parents don't have to worry about my relationships."
"Boyfriend troubles?" Zack asks.
"Yeah. Boyfriend troubles." She says, hinting that it's not boyfriend troubles.
"Girlfriend troubles?" Zack asks again. She takes a deep breath.
"My family is so normal. Too normal. They believe in labels. They'd like for me to, uh, dress differently. Talk more. Have the kind of friends they want me to have. I just, don't know how to tell them what's really going on with me." She leans forward, taking in a sharp breath. "And, I've never said any of this out loud."
"Well it's cool. You're with us now." Billy smiles, holding out his fist. She tilts her head.
"Am I?" Billy puts his hand down. "What does that mean? When all of this is over. Are we Power Rangers or are we friends?" She has a point. What if all of this bonding and togetherness is just for show. After we morph and defeat Rita, will we really still be friends?
After a while I head home, changing into a pair of joggers and a black t-shirt. Jen comes in and says goodnight, letting me know that they've gone to bed. My mind wanders back to when I promised to explain things to Jason, so out of quick thinking, I slip on a hoodie and my sneakers. I jump out of my window, landing on my feet and hurrying towards Jason's house. He deserves an explanation, and I kinda want to know what's happening between us. Maybe this way I'll find out.
I round the corner onto his street, hoping that he isn't totally asleep yet. I don't want to wake him or his parents. I probably should've texted him but this was kind of an impulsive thing so I didn't think about it. My eyes scan his dark house as I stop at the end of his driveway. I watch as Kimberly climbs into his bedroom window, sitting down on his bed. My chest tightens a little bit, and I turn on my heel, making my way back to my house.
Does she have feelings for him? If she does, why didn't she tell me? I wipe my hand down my face, scolding myself. I have no right to be mad, me and Jason aren't together. He can do whatever he wants, and if he has feelings for her, so be it. Plus it wouldn't be Kim's fault, and if she didn't want to tell me she didn't have to. I'm overreacting.
I climb back up into my window, my heart clenching tighter and tighter each time I think about how she so easily climbed into his bedroom like she's done it before. I flop down on my bed, closing my eyes and trying to forget it all.
Right before I doze off, my phone buzzes from the night stand next to my bed. I lazily lift it up and groan when I see a group text notification. Trini texted us asking if we could meet her in the football field ASAP. I unlock my phone and type a quick confirmation. I clean myself up, putting on some high waisted skinny jeans, leaving on my black sweater, and my white sneakers. My eyes fall on Jason's jacket, but I decide not to wear it.
***
"So, we all got the same text, where is she?" Kim's voice rings out through the field and I spot her and Jason walking together. My heart stings a little more. Billy shivers slightly next to me, and I regret not grabbing the jacket a little bit.
"Right here." She groans, stepping down the bleachers. Jason looks over at me, his face full of concern as Trini bears a couple wounds on her face. "Look, Rita came to my house tonight."
"What?" Kim asks.
"Yeah, she's real." Trini asks. She shows the extent of her wounds, earning sympathetic and concerned looks from everyone. "Insane. She nearly killed me. She was trying to get me to join her." I start fidgeting with my sweater sleeves. "She said that she'd spare me if I kept her secret."
"What secret?" Zack asks.
"Destruction of Angel Grove starts tomorrow at dawn." Kim shakes her head.
"This is real. This is the end." Kim panics. Jason sighs.
"No it's not. Where is she?"
"She told me to meet her where the dead ships live." Trini says.
"Okay, that's the boatyard by the docks, right? Let's go." Jason begins climbing the stairs and everyone looks at him like he's crazy. "Are you serious? No one?"
"Jason, we're not even Power Rangers yet."
"I say we go back to Zordon." Billy chimes in, and it looks like it struck a chord in Jason.
"Okay, the only reason Zordon wanted us to become Power Rangers is so that he can come back to life." Billy gives me a confused look, and I give him one in return.
"What makes you say that?"
"Because he told me."
"Wait, so this all is a lie?" Billy asks. It hurts, knowing my best friend is upset.
"Of course it was a lie, Billy. We failed. Let's stop being delusional about being a team of superheroes. We're all screw-ups." He glances at Kim, then at me. "And as much as I hate this scrubby, bullshit town, I don't wanna just sit around and watch it die, okay? Let's go and do the one thing that's been asked of us and kill Rita."
"You know this is a really bad idea, right?" I ask, crossing my arms.
"The worst." He shrugs. "Let's vote. Show of hands." I look around momentarily before raising my hand. Trini follows after me, then Kim, then the others. "Let's do it." Jason says, leading us all out of the football stadium.
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Shit's getting real! Hope you enjoyed, and more will be available soon! Hope I didn't hurt your hearts too badly...