Streaks of Purple Saga Volume Three, Heather Ray [good non fiction books to read TXT] 📗

a fire-breathing dragon, or saving the universe from a dark evil with my light saber. That kind of thing."

His smile widened, and he thumped his chest proudly. "This year, I'm the knight in shining armor. Last year, I was the masked superhero. The year before, I was the fearless cowboy."

Alexis leaned back, an amused grin on her lips. "I'm getting the picture."

"So, what's your

fantasy? Think about it."

And so she did. She reflected on her youth... not that long ago, but for some reason it felt so far away the past few months. She thought about the carefree imagination that drove her parents to insanity, as she bound through the hallways as Wonder Woman, slid down the staircase atop a flattened cardboard box like a champion skier, or even huddled around the corner with her trusted water pistol as an intrepid British super spy.

What hadn't she dreamed to be? At some point she had been everything from G.I. Joe to Jem... how could she choose?

The knight noticed her overwhelmed expression, and smiled. "Hard to pick one, eh?"

"Yeah," she noted, absently fondling a lock of dark red hair, "How do I?"

"The next step is to focus on a theme- something that pervaded your dreams. Not a character, necessarily... but some aspect of a character that you cherish most. For me it's being heroic. Is there something you always wanted to experience?"

Then it dawned on her.

The thrill of sticking her head out the car window when her father sped down the highway, despite her mother's shrill demands for her to sit down and buckle her seatbelt. The rush that flooded her when she sat on the tire-swing in the middle school playground, always pulling her body higher. The feel of utter freedom when she swam in her grandmother's large pool, closing her eyes and just floating. The winter winds biting her cheeks as she glided along a frozen lake, only the thin blade of her skates touching the earth.

The feeling of freedom. Weightlessness. Full range of motion.

She had always wanted to fly.

Despite herself, she began chuckling. That's pretty stupid... I can

fly! I've got wings now, for Pete's sake!

But the fantasy of flight was far different from reality. True, she could fly under her own power, but she couldn't really experience the pure thrill of it. She knew the rules... the Power was only to be used when necessary; and there was no time for dilly-dallying in the air during one of Lord Zedd's assaults.

The idealized dream was of hanging in the air, her hair free and floating in a glossy halo around her face. Her own wings... extensions of her body, not her uniform... holding her aloft. Cool breezes of the atmosphere tickling her flesh, contrasting with the warm glow of the sun that beat overhead. It was a far cry from reality, where her dense armor blocked out all the sensation... all the freedom she actually dreamed about.

And so, with a half-dreamy smile spreading her lips, she answered him. "I want wings."

From there it was easy to find the perfect costume. After fifteen more minutes, during which the knight helped her select accessories to truly personalize the costume, he escorted her to the register, where a cappuccino-skinned clown stood waiting.

"By the way, Bel, she gets 10% off," the knight informed the cashier.

Belinda smirked at him as she scanned the purchases. "Get back in place, good Sir Knight," she advised him, "before you miss your chance to spook another customer."

Alexis giggled, paid for her costume, and then moved toward the front of the store. She noticed Angela was waiting for her, leaning against the wall and holding a Masquerade shopping bag in addition to her previous purchases.

Angela smirked triumphantly. "I knew

you'd find something," she teased.

"Well, I couldn't resist," Alexis admitted, as the pair moved to the exit side by side. On her way out, her gaze lingered on the silver knight, who had once again donned his helmet and taken his position beside the door. "So, what did you wind up buying?"

Angela's smile lit up. "The cutest frog-man helped me out, and I got this terrific

belly-dancing outfit! Perfect chance to show off the fruits of all those crunches I added to my exercise routine. And get this, the frog was so adorable... he turned red as a tomato when I asked him how he thought it'd look on me..."

The girls then fell out of earshot, but the smirk on the knight's hidden face didn't budge. His hidden gaze swept towards the door, where Kermit the Frog watched the girls leave.

"Belinda says you gave the redhead a discount," Kermit noted, turning to face the knight while pulling off the large, cumbersome headpiece, "So how many girls did you try to charm so far?"

The knight chuckled, lazily tapping his sword against his shoulder. "For your information, just this one."

The frog's eyebrow quirked. "Only one? That's not the Rocky DeSantos I know!"

Rocky smirked mischievously, and pointed the tip of his rubber-sword at his friend's chest. "You'd better get back to your place, Park... or I'll be having frog's legs for dinner."

Adam laughed, sliding the "blade" away from him with his fingertip. "No... if Mrs. Campbell sees us goofing off again, she'll have both of us for dinner!"

Chapter Two

Alexis pushed through the door to the girl's locker room, knotting her coiffeur in a ponytail as the door swung closed behind her. She stepped onto the gym floor, and waved to catch Jason's eye.

He smiled at her in greeting, and then continued demonstrating a new block as a squad of about a dozen attentive middle-schoolers looked on.

Amazing

, Alexis marveled, I managed to hit the mall, go home and drop off all my stuff, change into my sweats, and still get here before Jason's class is over!

She then jogged over to the Juice Bar, plopping down on a stool beside Trini and Billy, who were also watching the class with interest.

"Hey guys."

"Hi Lex," Trini said with a smile, "Where'd you disappear to after school?"

Alexis shrugged. "Angela wanted to get a costume for Halloween, so I tagged along. I hadn't been shopping in weeks!"

"Did you buy anything?"

"You wouldn't believe

how much money I spent today."

Billy smirked, his eyes still on the mats. "And I hypothesize that everything you purchased this afternoon was of purple hue."

The Purple Ranger was so startled she nearly fell off the stool. "H...how did you...?"

"It is a proven phenomenon," the genius explained, sipping his blueberry milkshake, "When a Ranger becomes connected to the Power, he instantly develops an affinity to the color of his energy signature."

"You're kidding," Alexis mumbled.

Trini smiled knowingly. "Nope. When I first became the Yellow Ranger, I owned about three outfits that had yellow in them. Since then, I wear at least one article of yellow every day! And the weirdest thing is, I didn't even notice it at first. I just had an uncharacteristic urge to shop, and I wound up buying about five hundred dollars worth of clothes the first month. My parents thought I'd either gone crazy, or lent Kim my credit card."

Alexis chuckled at the mental picture. She sobered almost immediately. "Come to think of it... you do all wear your color. I didn't think anything of it!"

Billy suppressed a chuckle. "It gets worse."

"Worse?"

"Your color-preference will bleed into more than just clothing. Tell me Lex, what's you're favorite flavor ice cream?"

"Rocky Road."

"Well, don't be surprised if you develop a taste for grape."

Alexis gulped. "You've got to be joking now."

Billy shook his head, and held out his glass to Alexis. Her eyes widened when she noted the light blue hue of the ice cream.

She then glanced at Trini's empty bowl. "Trini...?"

"Lemon sherbet," the Yellow Ranger responded, "And no, I'm not joking."

Alexis shivered. "But... I don't even like grapes!"

Trini giggled. "Maybe not now, but that'll probably change. Once, Tommy ordered pistachio ice cream, completely disregarding the fact that he's allergic to pistachio nuts! We managed to get him to a hospital just in time to avert a real

disaster."

"And that also explains why Jason copiously drowns his French fries in ketchup, Zack can't consume enough licorice, and Kim masticates Bubble Yum regularly."

Alexis paled, leaning her elbow against the counter for support. "Oh my God," she gasped, "But... there aren't that many purple foods! I'll be living off of eggplants and the horseshoes in Lucky Charms!"

"Relax, Lex," Trini soothed, "It's not that irrational. You'll still be able to eat everything you used to. Just don't be surprised if your taste buds suddenly start craving purple foods more than before."

Despite the comforting thought, Alexis still grimaced at the future that lied before her formerly normal appetite.

"Hey Lex... you okay?"

She glanced up, and offered Jason a weak smile.

"We just went through the basics on our color-preferences," Billy informed him.

The leader of the Power Rangers grinned, and then waved at the bartender. "Hey Richie! Can I get a water?"

"You got it," the pleasant young man acknowledged. Moments later, he brought a clear plastic bottle to the athlete before attending other customers across the bar.

Alexis found herself relieved to note Jason didn't order fruit punch.

"So, ready for your lesson?"

She nodded, hopping off the stool with a new burst of energy. "Absolutely."

He gestured to the mats, where several students lingered. "We can get started when the kids clear out. In the meantime, you'd better start stretching."

She nodded, and bounded to a relatively empty section of the gym floor.

"So, how's she doing so far?" Trini inquired.

Jason took a long sip of water, and sighed his refreshment. "Pretty good, considering the only thing she knows about martial arts is Karate Kid. She skates a lot, so she's limber and has excellent balance. I'll give her the basics, and then I think Kim could show her some moves. She looks more like a gymnast than a martial artist, so those kind of flips and kicks might be easier for her to get the hang of."

He then glanced around the gym. "Speaking of Kim, where is she?"

Trini shook her head. "I think she went home right after school. She's been a bit depressed. You know... Tommy."

Jason frowned in concern as he polished off the remainder of the bottle. "Sometimes, it's like she's taking Tommy's power loss worse than he is."