Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Two, Heather Ray [story read aloud txt] 📗

A soft scratch disturbed the sleepy silence of the bedroom.

A girl groaned, lifting her heavy head from the textbook that served as her pillow through the night. She blindly pushed back the reddish-brown hair that hung in her face as she sat up.

Green eyes swept the room in confusion. Sunlight trickled through the windows, illuminating the primarily cream-colored room. Her bed was still neatly made from the previous day.

The scratching sound began again, this time accompanied by a soft meow.

Alexis Darling smiled, walking to the door to the bedroom and pulled it open. A small gray cat pushed against the door, meowing beseechingly and rubbing against her ankle.

“Morning, April,” she yawned, bending to rub the imploring cat’s head. She then turned to the clock beside her bed.

“Wow. I might actually be on time.”

Amanda Darling leaned against the countertop as she poured a serving of coffee. In silence, she added the customary cream and sugar, and sat at the small table adjacent to the kitchenette.

She looked up from the mail she was reading when she heard footsteps approach. She stared in confusion as her daughter stepped into the kitchen, fully dressed in a crop top and flare jeans, and began searching the cabinets.

"Lex, it's six-thirty. What are you doing up?"

"Mr. Wilton is giving a quiz tomorrow. Since we're flying to England tonight, I'm going to miss it."

She found a box of cat food, and kneeled on the floor beside a plastic tray.

"I'd rather get it over with now then have it hang over my head during Nana's party."

Alexis watched April approach the food, and then pulled a box of cereal from another cabinet. She managed to balance the cereal, milk, and bowl in her arms, and carry a spoon in her hand. She set the objects on the table, and sat across from her mother.

As she reached for the cereal, her gaze fell upon her mother's coffee mug. It was a large mug of white glass with violet words painted on it. Written diagonally, vertically, and horizontally was the word "King" in about a dozen languages.

Her eyes hardened as she stared at her mother. Amanda felt the chill, and looked up from yesterday's mail.

"Where did you find that cup?"

Amanda looked away for a moment, taking a deep breath. "I had just gotten around to emptying some of those odds and ends left over from the move. I found it in one of the boxes yesterday."

Alexis' jaw set as she studied her mother's reaction. Amanda gazed at the mug wistfully, lifting it with her fingers and turning it slowly.

"It was the first present you bought for him for Father's Day. We were in Macy's, and you wandered away when I was looking at utensil sets. You pulled me to the mug display, pointed at it, and said 'Daddy would love

this! If I'm the princess, he must be the king!' You paid for it with your birthday money, and you actually waited until Father's Day to give it to him. He wouldn't drink his morning coffee from another mug since."

She paused for a moment, a film of moisture coating her eyes. "Ten years of memories... in a piece of glass."

She fell into silence, taking another sip of coffee and closing her eyes. Alexis stared into her bowl, dunking the Cheerios as she slowly chewed on a spoonful.

"You should throw it away," Alexis decided. "He didn't take it with him, so he obviously didn't want it."

Amanda flinched at the chill in her daughter's tone. She set the cup down, and fixed her daughter with a searching gaze.

"Lex, we never really... talked about what happened. It's been three months since your father left-"

"There's nothing to talk about," Alexis interrupted, picking herself up from her seat. "Mid-life crisis hit him like the atomic bomb, and he decided he wasn't happy with how his life turned out. So he dropped us like a bad habit to start a whole new life for himself." She sat on the floor near the front door, and tied on her black roller-blades. "And we decided the best way to cope was to start fresh 3,000 miles away from the city I was born and raised in."

Amanda cringed as the door slammed, and watched out the window as Alexis glided down the driveway and onto the sidewalk. She sighed wearily, gazing at the full bowl of cereal seated on the table before her.

Alexis ascended the stairs of Angel Grove High School, her roller blades hanging from her fist. She stared up at the clock above the large double doors leading to the main hall.

“I’m fifteen minutes early,” she realized with slight annoyance, “I guess I skated a bit hard today.”

She walked into the school absently, her mind wandering.

She hadn’t meant to be so sharp with her mother. She never really meant to be harsh to anyone, but whenever she felt threatened, she flew on the defensive with a surprising amount of cruelty.

Ever since Peter Darling shattered their happy family with his long-hidden lack of fulfillment, Alexis hadn’t been the same. It hurt so much to discover that her father, a man whom she had loved more than anyone else, could just leave her behind without a second thought. The fact that he actually had it in him to leave their comfortable home in Philadelphia gave her a whole new outlook on the world.

The world was a cold, cruel place, with very few people worth trusting.
She wanted so much to push him out of her mind, and all that would trigger memories of a happier time. But it was impossible. Her mother clung so desperately to his memory, as if by drinking from his mug or wearing his shirt she would be close to him. She hadn’t given up hope that he’d come to his senses and reconcile, despite the fact that she constantly denied it.

The small, desperate family tried to deal with the shocking upheaval.

Amanda immediately had gone about finding employment as far away from the northeast as possible, as if distance could separate her from the pain. She and Alexis crossed the country, opting to live in a small city named Angel Grove. Despite the fact that the town was notorious for alien attacks and Power Ranger sightings, it was a charming place to live.

A city that could endure interplanetary war must have the strength to inspire the Darlings to be strong as well, and cope with their change in situation.

She walked through the empty halls slowly, her shoulders heaving under the weight of her musings.

This weekend was her grandmother’s birthday. What if her father showed up for the party? It wasn’t likely, considering how he’d never gotten along with his mother. In fact, Nana had often said to Amanda that she was by far a more loving daughter than Peter was a son, despite the fact that Amanda was only her daughter through marriage.

But if Dad does show…things’ll be…weird.

She paused as a clanging sound reached her ear. She noticed she was passing the weight room, and glanced through the window curiously. Lying on the bench, grunting as he lifted the heavy dumbbell, was a tall, muscled student. His expression was pure concentration, a shiny film of sweat coating his tan skin and a sharp frown narrowing his dark eyes. He clenched his teeth tightly, giving him an almost feral look that was so intense it was almost frightening.

Ironically, despite his powerful presence, he was the nicest, most considerate guy she’d met in Angel Grove. But his mannerism demanded respect. Sensitivity and power, rolled into one human being. Strength of body, mind, and will, yet somehow with a nurturing spirit. It was an odd, and intriguing combination.

Jason Scott was a puzzle she had been considering since she first saw him in her Chemistry class.

He settled the weight on its stand and sat up, wrapping a towel around his neck.

When he turned around, his eyes met hers through the glass. He smiled in greeting, invoking her to smile in return…despite the embarrassed flush that tinged her cheeks.

Way to go, gawking at the guy. Jeez…

She held her breath as he approached.

“Looking for something?” Jason inquired, leaning upon the door.

“No,” she answered quickly, “I’m just a bit early for an appointment with Mr. Wilton.”

“I’m surprised to see you. There’s never anyone

here this early, except for a few industrious teachers and janitors.”

Her fingers tightened on her roller blades. “So, what are you doing here?”

He smirked as he gestured to the weight room. “I thought it was obvious.”

She pursed her lips tightly, inwardly scolding herself for being so inept during this conversation.

“I usually work out at the Youth Center, but it’s not open this early,” he explained after a brief silence.

Alexis watched as he tugged on his towel thoughtfully. There was an odd tone in his voice. He