The Terran Ranger Saga Volume 6, Heather Ray [top 10 motivational books .txt] 📗

like that!"

Alexis took a deep breath, leaping off the cot so she could meet Rocky eye to eye. "It's my Power Coin, my Zord, and my life

! Who the hell do you think you are, anyway...my father

?"

"So, you value the opinion of the man who abandoned your entire family over mine?" Rocky shouted back, with matching anger.

However, as soon as those hurtful words passed between his lips, Rocky instantly regretted it. He knew he had gone too far.

He watched speechlessly as Alexis' eyes widened in surprise, and her lips parted in disbelief. Her lower lip trembled ever so slightly, and a glassy film coated her eyes.

Slowly, she stepped away from him, backing away from the confrontation. After a few steps, she stumbled over the cot behind her, and nearly fell to the floor. Rocky was quick to catch her, but she instantly struck his hand, forcing him to let her go.

"Don't touch me," she growled malevolently, her teary eyes narrowing with fury. Rocky stepped back, and watched as she turned her back to him, quickly activating her wrist unit.

He was still speechless as she vanished in a column of violet energy.

"Wow..." said Zack from behind, "I sure wish I didn't witness that!"

Rocky slowly turned, and noticed that Kimberly, Katherine, Tanya, Adam, Zack, Jason, Billy and Aisha were all staring at him in surprise. Rocky released a deep sigh, and grabbed his forehead.

"Not the best thing to say," he admitted, shaking his head, "I can't believe I came down on her like that."

"You did have a point," Adam ventured, "but...you came across as a bit paternal."

"...and that crack about her father was waaay

out of line," Kim added. "You know she's really sensitive about her family."

"It wasn't a 'crack'

about her father," Rocky defended, "I was right!" He sighed again, his forehead wrinkling. "Right?"

He sighed again as silence answered him. He then pursed his lips, and tightly gripped the bridge of his nose. "I'd better apologize. Now, she actually has a reason

to be mad at me."

Chapter Fifty-Five

Tommy continued to take in the warm scene from a distance, until a hand fell on his shoulder. He turned around, and saw Trini Mitchell's smiling face. "Thank you," she said, "Without your help, the Starlight Rangers never would have succeeded. Thanks for taking the chance, and letting us use the arrowhead."

Tommy shrugged modestly. "It's the least we could do."

"Now, are you ready to go home?"

Tommy nodded, glancing back at the joyous group one last time. "My job's done."

Trini opened her hand, revealing the completed arrowhead. "Here," she said, placing it in Tommy's open palm and closing his fingers around it. "You'll probably want to keep this."

Anthony turned away from his family, and caught Tommy preparing to leave. He began waving frantically, hurrying towards Will. "Tommy," he called, "wait a second?"

Tommy watched in surprise as Anthony and Will discussed something for a few moments. Will then nodded, and pointed to the main computer console. Anthony rushed to the console, picked something up, and went back to Tommy.

"We've decided that we should give you guys..."

"It's really not necessary," Tommy interrupted. "With all the help your mother gave us with Solar, it's the least we could do."

"Still, you're going to need this," Anthony said, taking Tommy's hand. He slipped a small mini-disc into Tommy's grasp.

"What's this?" the Red Ranger inquired.

"It's all the information Will compiled about the Starlight Rangers. It took him two decades of research and experimentation to make the Starlight Rangers what they are now, and considering the monster you guys fought today, you'll need the boost. The schematics for the Star Discs and the Starzords are all on this, and Will included some step-by-step information on the process. I'm sure your Billy can work this out, and in a week or so, you can have your own team of Starlight Rangers."

"Are you serious?" Tommy whispered in an awed voice.

"You bet. Will actually thought it was a great idea. We Rangers gotta help each other out."

Tommy grinned, and tightly clasped Anthony's hand. "Good luck, Red Ranger," he said, "I can tell you're going to make a terrific leader."

Anthony beamed at the compliment. "I'll do my best to live up to your legend."

Chapter Fifty-Six

"Lousy, self-righteous, bossy, self-absorbed...jerk

!" Alexis growled, pacing across her room frantically. Tears spilled freely from her eyes, and her arms were crossed tightly over her chest. She stopped talking, pressing her trembling lips together as she continued the nervous movement, pounding her feet against the carpet as if she could stomp the anger out of her body.

"I can't believe he said that," she sniffled quietly, wiping her eyes with her fingers, "I can't believe he said that!"

The tension in her body building, Alexis came to a stop, rapidly clenching and unclenching her fists.

"And I can't believe I let myself cry over this

!" she growled, "I swore I'd never waste any more tears on him. But Rocky just had to bring him up..."

Don't cry.

Don't cry.

She kept repeating the command in her mind, trying desperately to regain some measure of composure. After her father's unexpected...and quite permanent...departure, Alexis had forced herself to be strong. She couldn't shatter every time she got hurt. If she did, then she'd never stop crying.

Someone would always hurt her...even the person she'd least suspect.

She couldn't believe Rocky had turned on her. He was always in her corner, assuring her that he had faith in her abilities, and appreciated the contributions she made as the Purple Ranger. She even let him see her cry, when Aisha was dying from the Space Virus.

He was a helping hand, and sometimes a slightly annoying one at that. But suddenly, she found herself slapped in the face by a completely different tone from the guy she thought was the most caring, gentle man on the planet.

"How dare

he?" she continued, the rage building once again. "How dare he treat me like a five-year-old

?!"

Her rage building to blinding proportions, Alexis stormed to her bed, and picked up her pillow. Without another thought, she threw the pillow across the room, causing it to crash into her dresser, and bowl over every article piled there.

The shrill crying of an child closely followed the loud crash, causing Alexis to deflate quickly.

"Terrific," she sighed, falling onto her bed.

"What's going on?" Amanda Darling demanded, throwing open the closed door, "Alexis, are you alright?"

"Just venting, Mom," she responded half-heartedly, turning away quickly so she wouldn't have to face her mother. The last thing she wanted was to have to explain what happened that day.

Amanda folded her arms, trying desperately not to shout at her youngest daughter. She easily recognized Alexis was hurting...she always threw a fit of anger when truly in pain. But she also knew Alexis didn't want her sympathy, nor support.

It was out of her hands.

"Fine," Amanda sighed, touching her forehead, "just try to vent a little less loudly? We have a baby in the house, and Denise is tired enough without having to put him to bed again."

"Okay," Alexis mumbled.

"I'll take care of Jonny. Good night, Alexis."

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Rocky shivered as the crash resounded in his ears. He bit his lip nervously, glancing up at Alexis' bedroom window from the paved walkway.

It was clear she hadn't calmed down.

"Maybe this was a bad idea," he muttered, slowly walking towards the front door. He paused his finger just inches from the doorbell, before something inside him stopped him from moving further.

"Okay," he whispered, turning away from the door and violently shoving his hands in his pockets, "Alexis...Lex...I'm really sorry about what I said. About everything I said. I was totally out of line, and I had no right to yell at you like I did. But you keep provoking me..."

He stopped, and shook his head. "No...bad idea

." he decided, licking his lips before he continued. "I had no right to yell at you like I did. I'm just really concerned. I know you've been kinda down lately, feeling like you're not helping the Rangers, but you don't need to take risks like that. You don't have to prove yourself."

He paused again, inclining his head towards the window again. "The Eaglezord is replaceable. You aren't."

A slight grin crossed his face, and he finally pressed the doorbell. He waited a few moments, listening as the echo of footprints slowly grew louder. Finally, he felt a presence behind the door.

"Go away."

Rocky blinked, looking back into the eyehole. "Lex, I need to --"

"Good night, Rocky."

He frowned slightly, listening as footsteps grew fainter.

She was leaving.

"Alexis!" he called into his wrist unit, "I really

need to talk to you!"

"And I don't feel like hearing it," she responded, loud enough for him to hear both through the communicator, and through the door.

His lips tight with determination, Rocky deactivated the signal. Wasting no time, he pressed a few buttons, and in a wash of white light, he vanished from the porch of the house, only to instantaneously reappear within the living room, just feet from Alexis, who was at