Chapter Text
[And now over to Terisse Chen at the weather desk. Terisse?]
[Thank you, Harry,] chirped K-Grove News’s morning “weather girl” via the Hillards’ living room TV. The two listeners at this TV set, the Yellow and Pink ZEO Rangers, suddenly abandoned their sleepy apathy toward the morning newscast and sat forward expectantly. It was a Saturday, which was why, at 8:52am, the “sisters Hillard” were still folded in sleepy poses on the living room couch. What they would do later on mostly depended on how unutterably hot the weather planned to get on that particular June day. The official count for the day before was 105 degrees, a figure which sent even Angel Grove and Serengeti Desert natives diving for air-conditioned cover.
Ms. Terisse Chen, a young Chinese-African-American, flashed a bright smile at the camera. [Well, I guess the question of the day is: will this heat spell last? We got up to 105 yesterday, and to a high of 106 on Thursday-]
“We know, we were there,” Tanya grumbled at the TV, drawing a chuckle from her “sister.”
[-and yesterday, all evidence pointed to a weekend which would continue the trend of rising temperatures and low humidity.]
Both teens groaned in disappointment.
[However,] Terisse continued, [for reasons beyond my meteorological knowledge, I am pleased to inform you, ladies and gentlemen of Stone County, that the weather has reversed dramatically. Today’s projected high of 83 degrees, I don’t have to tell you, is all-but unheard of for this calendar date and will be the coldest June 22nd in Stone County since the Great Rain of 1869.]
Kat and Tanya cheered at the TV. “83 degrees! What are we going to do with ourselves?” Kat marveled.
[According to local legend,] continued Terisse Chen with the satisfied tone of a newsreader who’s finished giving all the important news in her segment and can now prattle on to the captive hundreds awaiting the next segment of the news, [the Great Rain was actually caused by a sorcerer whose spell backfired, causing enormous stormclouds to roll in over the county. Of course,] chuckled Ms. Chen, [that’s just a legend...]
*****
In another pleasantly sleepy neighborhood of Angel Grove, another pair of teens were watching the same broadcast. One of them had, to the confusion of his comrade, just thrown the last bite of his toast at the TV.
“Not a sorcerer!” the toast-throwing teen cried in annoyance. He was a bleached-blond, beige-skinned young man still dressed in his typical night garb of a pair of old gray sweatpants. He shook his head at Ms. Chen. “It was a Dragonheart wizard! Sheesh! Either get it right or don’t report it at all!”
[...and I certainly don’t see any stormclouds on the horizon! However, I do see myself skipping the five-day forecast today — since this cold snap was totally unpredicted, I can’t predict how long it’ll last. Just get out there and enjoy yourselves while you can! Back to you, Harry!]
“I take it,” said the other teen, Jason Lee Scott, dryly, as he reached over to turn off the TV, “that you know the legend?”
“Know it?” said Billy Cranston in disbelief. “Know it? Come on, Jase, back me up here. You have to at least have heard about the Rain of ‘69.”
“Sounds a little familiar. Covered it in AGMS history class?”
“Yeah, we did — both years, and in Freshman physics. But that’s not why I was complaining. The ‘sorcerer’ was one of Nate’s relatives!”
Jason frowned. “You’re joking, right?”
“No way. She got in big trouble with the family, too. They were all terrified for a few weeks that they’d be found out. A county-wide summer rainstorm is a bit of a giveaway, you know. I mean, can you imagine a natural rainstorm at the end of June?”
Jason shook his head. “Guess not. It’s just weird to think about sorcerers and ‘Dragon-wizards’ running around Stone County a century ago. I mean, I only found out about all this Tuesday. By the way,” the Gold Ranger said, rubbing his still-tender face, “you pack one heck of a punch when you’re scared.”
Billy laughed. “Oh, only when I’m scared? You wound me, sensei!” he laughed.
“Not as much as you wound me, lemme tell you,” Jason replied without resentment. “I’ve thought that something was up with you since you got back from Aquitar that last time, but I’d’ve kept my nose out of it if I knew what a headache I’d get for my trouble,” he joked.
“I’m glad you didn’t, Jase,” Billy said quietly. “It’s good to have someone ‘in on it’ who I can actually talk to in public.”
Jason chuckled. “This whole thing is such a trip,” he said.
“Yeah, it is,” Billy sighed, not unhappily. His thoughts drifted off until, predictably, they came to rest on the events of the day before. He gave a soft sigh of bliss.
Jason’s smile took on a mischevious tilt. “So,” he said, elbowing his companion gently, “time to fess up.”
“What?” Billy said distractedly.
“You know what,” Jason said. “What happened yesterday between you and Trini.”
Billy tried to look bemused. “You know, the typical kidnapping stuff. I tried to save her life, she tried to save mine... nothing special...” He trailed off, knowing by the look in his years-long friend’s eyes that Jason wasn’t buying it.
“Come on, bro. You go through something as painful and terrifying as you did, and you wake up with a grin on your face? Did you kiss her?”
“Jason!” Billy cried, turning scarlet.
“Okay, I’ll take that as a no,” Jason chuckled. “But you did tell each other how you feel, at least.”
Billy’s flush deepened.
“About time, man,” the Gold Ranger grinned. “Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Billy said while glaring at him from behind a blush-concealing throw pillow.
Jason recovered his orange juice and piece of toast from the Cranston living room coffee table. He took a sip of the juice.
“So,” Billy began his vengeance, “how’s Moira?”
Jason choked on his orange juice. Setting it down very quickly, Jason glared in his turn at Billy.
“What?” Billy asked innocently.
Jason’s retort was cut off by the familiar chime of a communicator — Billy’s, to be specific. Groaning, Billy answered it.
“Yeah?” he grumbled. If his communicator had gone off and not also Jason’s, something was sure to have broken down in the Power Chamber. Unless Tommy had crashed his ‘cycle in the last battle again and hadn’t mentioned it, leaving it to Alpha’s maintenance checks to discover... again... For once, he was enjoying being away from the Power Chamber.
[Good morning to you, too,] Trini’s voice came over the channel. Billy’s cheeks resumed their former bright tint, and Jason had to work hard to keep from laughing. He got up and wandered with pointed nonchalance into another room. He actually whistled, just for effect.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t know-” Billy fumbled.
[That’s all right,] she said, her smile coming through clearly. [I just wanted to check whether you’re free tonight.]
Billy blinked at the communicator. His heart soared. “Oh, well, now that you mention it, I do have a very busy evening schedule. First, I have to do Nothing. Afterward, I’m eating leftovers — by myself. Then I’ve got some more Nothing to do. And-”
Trini laughed. It was a wonderful, light laugh. [I get the general picture. How does dinner sound?]
“Great. Where?”
[Oh no, that’s a surprise. I’ll pick you up at seven?]
“Sure,” said a confused but very happy Billy.
[I love you,] she said, her voice low and dreamy.
“I love you, too,” he answered. The channel closed.
“Safe to come out yet?” Jason called out.
“Yeah,” Billy replied. “Sure. Anything.”
Jason came back and immediately broke into laughter. “Man, I don’t believe it! That grin's even bigger than yesterday’s!”
*****
“Seven o’clock, huh? Where are you going?” Rita asked.
“None of your business,” replied the Green Venusian loftily.
“Why not?” pursued the second-oldest DeSantos sibling. She followed her Teammate back into their living room.
“Because I don’t want anything ‘odd’ happening in the middle of my date.”
Rita held the back of her hand to her brow as if about to faint. “Ay ya, amiga mía, ¿porqué piensas así? ¿Porqué-”
“Quick, I need a translator! I think she’s saying Timmy’s down a well!”
“Bruja!” Rita laughed. Kim and Ish also laughed from their snuggle on the living room couch. Kim clicked off their TV and stood, stretching.
“So, unexpected nice weather,” the Team’s leader said. “How should we use it?”
“We could always save it for a rainy day,” Moira said quietly. Her Teammates stared at her for the moment it took them to realize she'd really made a joke, on purpose, then laughed appreciatively.
“Good one,” Ish grinned.
“There is not much point in planning for the day, though, is there?” Rita said.
“Oh?” Trini asked. “Oh, I see: there will be a monster attack.”
“No — well, probably. I just mean that someone probably beat us to planning.”
“Already?”
“Beep-beep-beep-beep-beep-beep!”
“This is Kim,” the Purple Venusian answered her communicator.
[Hey, morning!] Adam’s voice came brightly. [Made any plans yet?]
The Venusians exchanged looks full of laughter. “Not yet,” Kim replied. “What have you got in mind?”
[Well, Stone Canyon put the Street Faire on hold last week because of the weather, but now they’re talking about doing it today to take advantage of the change.]
“Ooh, is that that big sidewalkey thing downtown with all the music and wandering performers and art classes and cute crafty things?” Kim enthused.
[Technically, yes,] the Stone Canyon native replied dryly.
Kim glanced around at the rest and got a mixture of nods, shrugs, and lack-of-reaction (from Moira). “Cool, we’ll be there! When does it start?”
[Not before eleven, for sure. They scheduled it for tomorrow and called it off officially last Wednesday, so it’ll take awhile to get the word out to enough of the performers and merchants.]
“Great! We’ll meet you guys at Willowtree Park at eleven,” Kim said happily. She shut off the line and turned to Rita. “You, my friend, are a prophetess.”
“I do what I can,” Rita grinned, bowing deeply. “Soo... I’ll meet you guys there, then,” she said, sneaking toward the door.
“Oh?” Ish asked, brow furrowed in confusion. But she realized quickly why Rita needed to disappear and said, “Oh! Right.”
Rita didn’t comment but merely slipped out the door. Once she was out of earshot, she activated her communicator. “Ready, Kat?” she asked softly.
[Oh... what, now?] came the Pink Ranger’s suddenly-wide-awake voice.
“We’ve got until eleven, that will be enough for a lesson or two.”
[All right,] she said reluctantly. [Where do we go this time?]
“I know a place. I’ll pick you up, all right?”
[Oh, sure,] Kat said. She sounded anything but thrilled.
“On my way.” Rita shut off the connection and frowned down at her communicator. Hopefully, once Kat could control her magical abilities, she’d stop wishing that she didn’t have them. This would be their second session, and yesterday’s had ended with Kat in tears of frustration.
*****
As soon as Adam hung up, he had second thoughts. He bit his lip as he turned to his best friend. “Um, was that okay?”
“Huh? What?” Rocky had been distracted. Pedro, his seven-year-old brother, had jumped on him, and the pair seemed to be debating between whether they were wrestling or doing a piggyback ride.
Adam had stayed over at Rocky’s house last night, and though it had been an innocent hangout to Mama DeSantos and Rocky’s little siblings, for Rocky it had been a lifeline. As resilient and oblivious as his friend usually was, both knew that night would be rough. Sure enough, Rocky had woken up three times with nightmares, and Adam had talked him down from panic each time. Apparently the sadistic Demnen that had possessed him had made his prison look like his own bedroom, and each time Rocky woke up he was terrified he was still trapped in his own mind. Around dawn, they’d given up and started rearranging Rocky’s furniture. The room looked pretty different now, but they’d erred on the side of an early breakfast and playing with his little siblings in the backyard anyway - much to the little ones’ delight, who were used to their oldest brother sleeping in. Adam knew that ordinarily a party, let alone their own hometown Street Faire, would be just the right medicine to perk Rocky up, but now he was having second thoughts. Maybe Rocky wouldn’t want that. Maybe he’d even be mad...
Adam waited until Rocky had chased a shrieking Pedro back inside, where the younger child was forced into a seat for breakfast, and come back to the yard. “Sorry, what?” Rocky asked Adam again.
“The Street Faire-“
“Oh yeah! So cool that it’s back on!” Rocky said. One of their middle-school friends had called to enthuse at them about the change a half hour before.
“So, I called Kim and Tommy and Jason, and-“
“Wait, when?”
A little more uncertainty leaked into Adam’s belly. Rocky hadn’t noticed? What would he think? “While you and Rosa were picking table flowers. Anyway, I thought we could all go together. But was that...”
The grin that burst onto Rocky’s face let Adam trail off with a sigh of relief. “Awesome!” Rocky fist-pumped the air. “Best idea ever, Adam!”
“Great. Thanks,” Adam smiled back. “So, you’re up for it?”
Rocky blinked at him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
Adam hesitated. “Um.” He weighed his options and settled on, “No reason.”
Rocky slapped him on the back affectionately, said, “I’ll go tell Mama, she’ll pack us snacks!” and bounded away inside the DeSantoses’ house.
*****
The morning’s magic training session was little better than yesterday’s. “No, not like-!” Rita cried, but a second too late. The healer had to duck as Kat’s fourth leavender-core pink fireball broke free of its creator’s grip and sailed straight at Rita’s head. It impacted against an ancient tree, leaving a blackened circle a foot in diameter across the surface of its bark.
They were in a northerly section of Angel Grove Forest, in a secluded spot off of the park trail that Tommy had recommended. He had used it as a place to practice martial arts away from prying eyes back when the talk of the Angel Grove martial arts circle was the mysterious new kid who’d tied their homegrown hero, Jason Scott, in the latest tournament. Now two other Rangers needed it for just the same reason: to practice away from curious eyes.
Kat let out a wail and sank to the leaf-littered ground, head in her hands. With a sigh, Rita straightened and walked to the tree. Gently, she placed a hand on the ancient trunk and healed the damage.
“It’s okay,” Rita sighed. “Magic isn’t easy. You’re not supposed to master it in one day.”
“Master it?” Kat cried. “*Master* it! I can’t even make a fireball stay in my hand! And why should I be able to control a fireball? I’ve only done it perfectly by accident with one hand behind my back when I was so angry I couldn’t see straight!”
“But that’s why it worked then,” Rita explained again. “For you, anger helps focus your power.”
“Great. We all know how easily I get upset. Why couldn’t this happen to *Jason*?”
Rita chuckled. Jason’s short temper featured in some of Kim and Trini’s favorite stories. “How about we take a break?” she said gently.
“God yes,” Kat sighed instantly.
Rita sat down beside Kat on the slightly-damp forest floor. The sun was just beginning to rise above the tops of the trees around them. The moisture of the night was evaporating off of the trees, brush, and leaf litter, enveloping the two Rangers in sunshine-filled mist. Kat looked around at the display as Rita unwrapped the food she’d brought. As Kat had very quickly found out, her type of magic burned calories like crazy. Though she’d had a full breakfast, she was starving again at 10am.
Fortuantely, Rita DeSantos had packed a lunch appropriate to her surname. “Chicken pot pie, mashed potatoes; chips — sour cream and onion, regular, and barbecue, I don’t know which you like; peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, turkey and cheese sandwiches; orange juice, apple juice, Jolt-”
“Mercy!” Kat laughed. Rita stopped and sat back, looking at the Zeo in a satisfied way.
“Well, at least you’re not so upset that nothing will make you laugh,” she said.
“Not yet, at least,” Kat agreed. “Ooh, are those ham and cheese croissants?”
Rita laughed as Kat liberated one of the aforementioned croissants from the very large cloth sack. Rita chose several items for herself, and the pair sat down to a meal full of good food and beautiful forest. It was even colder in the upper Forest than in the abnormally temperate city below, so both had light sweaters on for protection. Rita’s black chenille sweater now had a 2-inch burn in the side, but it still kept her warm.
“Sorry about that again,” Kat said sheepishly, again spotting the mark from her second failed attempt of the morning.
Rita frowned for a moment in confusion, then remembered her sweater and laughed. “No problemo, amiga. Forgiv-”
A chill swept through the forest. It didn’t rustle a single leaf in its path. Instead, it chilled Rita to the marrow. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself, eyes wide in fear. “Did you feel that?” she asked. Her voice had automatically dropped to a whisper.
“Yeah, I think so,” Kat said, also quiet. “It’s... I haven’t felt anything like that before.”
“Maybe you wouldn’t have,” Rita said. “Kat, I have a very bad feeling about this. We need to check in, see if anyone else felt it.”
“All right,” Kat said. “Tommy, come in.”
After a moment, she heard, [Hey, Kat! Anything wrong?]
“That’s what I’m calling to ask you. Did you just feel something... like a weird chill?”
[No,] Tommy said slowly. [Why?]
“Just checking,” Kat said. "It's probably nothing."
[Oh. Sure. See you at Willowtree Park?]
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Kat confirmed, smiling despite her worry. She doubted very much that Tommy was double-checking to make sure Kim was coming. The line closed, and Kat turned to Rita.
“Mine neither,” Rita said — she had just ended her own conversation with Kim at their apartment. None of them had felt anything odd. “Kat, that chill was not just in the Forest, I’m sure of it.”
“So what do we do?”
Rita thought a moment, then sighed. “There is nothing we *can* do yet. But we should stay on alert. We don’t want to miss it if it happens again.”
“If that happens again, I don’t think I’ll be able to miss it,” Kat shuddered.
“It might not be the same sign next time,” Rita said. “Let’s just keep our eyes open for anything odd.”
“Okay,” Kat said softly.
Rita grinned. “You know what this means?” Kat shook her head curiously. “You’re officially a mage!”
“Why?” Kat asked.
“If we’re the only ones who felt something like that, it’s because we’re the only mage-Rangers. Mages are sensitive to things that others just can’t feel,” Rita explained. After a moment, she added, “Though I’m not really a mage, of course. Just a monotalent. I can’t cast spells or anything,” she said.
“And I can?” Kat said pointedly.
“Well... you will be able to. We just have to keep working.”
Kat groaned.
*****
Stone County hadn’t yet broken 70 degrees by 11am. All eleven Rangers teleported into a thicket of trees near the heart of the large Willowtree Park with button-ups and long-sleeved blouses either on or tied around their shoulders or waists. No one minded the chilly air, not after a straight week of 95-plus temperatures. The Zeo Rangers and Billy had brought along Tommy’s twin brother, David Trueheart. They introduced him to the Venusians and explained that he knew the Rangers’ secret and briefly how: that a few months ago, David had come to Angel Grove from the Cahuilla Reservation to tell Tommy he existed, King Mondo had predictably kidnapped him, and while rescuing him, the Rangers had had to reveal their identities. Since then, David had joined them irregularly for hangouts, and Tommy had delighted in having a blood brother. Once that was all relayed and the Venusians introduced to David, the teens excitedly turned their focus toward the just-opening event.
For Tommy, Tanya, Kat, and Moira, the Stone Canyon Street Faire was a new experience. For the rest — the native and long-time Stone County residents — the sights and sounds of the Faire were a homecoming. The Stone Canyon Street Faire was by far the most boisterous and largest of the annual Stone County cultural events. The city closed down several streets in each direction around large, downtown Willowtree Park to make room for the Faire. The Faire used every foot of this space. It had clowns, mimes, minstrels, and performers on stilts, among many others, wandering around; plus painters, sculptors, potters, eclectic merchants, and all manner of other artists set up in the streets and sidewalks surrounding Willowtree Park. Bands, comics, actors, acrobats, and many others shared several stages set up around the periphery of the large Park. And, of course, both wandering through the crowd and set up in booths, were food sellers.
“I tried Thai food for the first time at one of these,” Billy said fondly as the group moved out of the heart of the Park and toward the event proper.
“Oh?” Ish said with interest. “What did you think?”
“I hated it!” Billy laughed. “I was eight. I didn’t even like pepper.”
“Max?” Rocky cried. He jogged toward a well-toned thirtysomething man in a light gray suit who was speaking earnestly with a trio of clowns. “Hey! Max! Maximus!”
The man turned sharply at that name. “Rockford!” he cried in return. James Max excused himself from the clowns and jogged over to Rocky. Adam and Ish were close on Rocky’s heels. The rest followed more slowly. He embraced Rocky firmly, then mussed his short, dark hair. “Man, it’s been... what, four years?”
“Something like that, Max,” Rocky grinned.
“Hey, Adam!” Max cried, suddenly noticing the less-conspicuous teen. He wrapped Adam in a hug, too.
“What am I, chopped liver?” Ish fake-pouted.
Max turned to her, and for a moment his eyes seemed to brighten, but the look vanished before it really formed. “Okay, boys, introduce me to the lady,” he said. He tried to muss up Adam’s hair, too, but Adam dodged easily.
Ish’s dark eyes flashed with hurt. Behind Max’s back, Adam and Rocky exchanged horrified looks. Tommy stepped in quickly. “This is Aisha Campbell, and I’m Tommy Oliver-”
“Oh, yeah, I’ve heard of you,” Max winked. “The ‘Great Upset of ’94,’ who could forget? And there’s the ‘tie-ee,’ if I’m not mistaken!” he added, spotting Jason in the small crowd of teens.
“Tommy, everyone, meet our first sensei, James Max,” Rocky said, pulling himself out of shock.
Tommy’s brows shot up. “This is your sensei?”
“Was,” Max said. “Not what you expected, eh?” Returning his attention to his two former students, he said, “I’m coordinating the Street Faire this year, boys, didn’t you hear?”
“Didn’t have a clue, sir,” Rocky grinned. “So you’re the brave soul who decided to get the Faire going with four hours’ notice?”
“Yep, my call and I made it right,” Max said proudly. “Can you believe this weather? Before we called it off, we were collecting water bottles and paramedics — we figured we’d be dealing with heat stroke, not frostbite!” he joked.
“Wish I’d had him as my first sensei,” Kat muttered a bit jealously to Trini.
“He certainly seems like a fun person,” Trini smiled.
“Quite a little flock of friends you’ve gathered, boys,” Max continued, looking over the group. “Don’t stand around here, get out there and have fun! That’s what we’re doing all this for!”
“Yessensei,” both boys said quickly, bowing.
Max laughed happily and made shooing motions at them. “And... Aisha, was it?” he said, turning to the orange Ranger. He pulled out her hand and kissed the air above it. “Charmed.”
She gave a feeble smile and turned away very quickly. The group moved on out of the park.
“I’m sorry,” Rocky said to her, anguished, once they were out of Max’s hearing. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t think...”
“It’s okay,” Ish whispered. “I forgot, too.”
Because of the traces of the Power in their systems, the Rangers had all retained two sets of memories: those memories before and after Master Vile’s Orb of Doom (and Aisha’s choice to stay and aid Tanya’s village) changed the timeline. The ordinary person, even a beloved teacher and role model, had no memory of the old timeline where Aisha grew up in Stone Canyon.
Ish dabbed at her eyes furiously. “Damn,” she whispered. “Damn, damn, damn!”
“Hey,” Adam said gently, his brow furrowing with concern. To the surprise of most of the teens, the shy young man wrapped Ish in a warm hug. “It’s okay. You remember, I remember. It was real, and nobody can take that away from us.” She sniffed softly, and after a moment pulled gently out of his arms.
“Thanks,” she whispered.
“Any time,” Adam answered softly.
The rest of the group had stopped to wait for them and were now trying to look as if they hadn’t noticed the intimate moment. Kat’s eyes flicked to her “sister,” but Tanya’s expression was carefully neutral. Rocky smiled at his childhood friends, then cast about for something to set the “party” going again. “Ooh, look! Free food!” he cried, pointing at one of the food stalls nearby.
“*Rocky*!” the group chorused. He dodged the several things which were thrown at him and darted toward the stand. It turned out to have free samples of an experimental new specialty pizza.
“Cool!” Rocky cried, accepting one of the samples.
“Well... it certainly looks artistic,” Adam said, looking at the samples doubtfully.
“Rocky, no, that’s gross!” Kim protested as it became evident that Rocky actually meant to eat the sample.
“What? Pizza, good. M&Ms, good!” Rocky grinned. He put the little pizza square in his mouth and chomped down... and abruptly his expression changed. His sister, who had been examining the remaining samples by scent, grinned.
“Soy sauce, bad,” Rita informed them smugly.
With an effort, Rocky swallowed the sample and politely thanked the mustached “pizza artist.” The party moved on quickly. They emerged from the gently swaying willow trees of the park and into the Faire proper.
“Oh. Wow,” breathed Tanya.
Moonbow Avenue ran along the curved north edge of Willowtree Park. It marked the beginning of the business sector of downtown Stone Canyon. In front of them and all down the adjoining side streets, four- and five-story office buildings were decorated with streamers, helium balloons fluttering out of office windows, and cheerful banners announcing the 51st Annual Stone Canyon Street Faire. Meanwhile, Moonbow Avenue itself was full of activity. Rita and the Stone Canyon trio were off almost instantly to a large kung fu demonstration which already had a crowd around it. Tanya and David disappeared almost as quickly at the first strains of a folk band starting up. Billy spotted an audience-participation science experiment involving balloons and confetti and went happily, arm in arm with Trini, to join in. Kim dragged Moira off to an informal class on mixed-media sculpture. Despite herself, Kat was hopelessly intrigued by a seminar on wire jewelry-making techniques, and Rocky went with “just to keep her company.” They noticed later in the day, however, that he was wearing a rather nice-looking link bracelet of Blue wire.
Only Tommy and Jason remained immune. The pair wandered aimlessly through the Faire, for once able to talk as best friends and not as leader and second-in-command. They hadn’t had much opportunity to just talk since Jason’s return to Angel Grove. Tommy quizzed Jason thoroughly about the Peace Conference. They sympathized with each other about the “horrible” AGH teachers they had to endure separately — now that they had completed most or all of their general education requirements, each of the Zeo Rangers was taking at least one elective which no other Ranger was. All the while, Jason was steering them around his favorite Faire spots, making sure Tommy got the full effect. Although Jason had never lived in Stone Canyon, the Scotts had come to the Faire almost every year since he was a baby; on the other hand, though Tommy had lived in Stone County for three years, he hadn’t even heard of the Street Faire. They sat down briefly to listen to an insult comic’s routine. Both secretly pictured one villain or another in the role of “Yo mama”’s child.
Around noon, they spotted Kim and Moira under one of the painters’ canopies. Kim was haggling rather successfully with the proprietor, a pointillist, over a black-and-white rendering of a koala to which she’d taken a liking. Jason raised an eyebrow to Tommy and stepped inside.
“Mr. Wighte,” he began, snatching the name quickly off one of the signed artworks for sale, “may I introduce to you Ms. Kimberly Ann Hart.” He placed a heavy emphasis on her surname. Mr. Wighte, a balding, middle-aged black man, looked at Jason in confusion for a moment, then his eyes widened.
“Ms. Hart, did you say?” he repeated. “Not of the *Seattle* Harts?” Jason nodded.
Kimberly’s cheeks flushed. “So, we were agreed on 38?” she said hastily.
Mr. Wighte regarded her coolly. “I believe,” he said, “our last figure was 45.”
Kim paid him the $45 and left. Her cheeks still shone when she emerged. “You wanna explain that, Jase?” she said sharply.
“Kim,” Jason sighed, “your father’s a millionaire not counting assets and your mom’s married to a very successful French artist. Don’t begrudge the man seven bucks; it’ll probably go to rent.”
She glowered at him. “It’ll go to his third swimming pool: that’s Gerald Wighte of the Manhattan Wightes!”
Tommy couldn’t hold in a laugh at the look on Jason’s face. “Not the point,” Jason managed after a moment. Then, incredulously, “What on Earth is a Manhattan Wighte doing out here?”
“Probably wondering the same thing about a Seattle Hart,” she replied tartly. Sighing, she added, “But you’re right, Jase: that’s not the point. Quality price for quality work. Hey, you guys wanna meet up sometime later for lunch?”
“Sure,” Jason said automatically before he saw that Kim’s eyes were focused on Tommy. Behind her, Moira emerged very suddenly from Mr. Wighte’s canvas pavilion, looking brightly at Jason. Both had the words “double date” written all over their faces. “Er... that is...” he stumbled, looking quickly and apologetically at Tommy. His best friend had been avoiding Kim like the plague very successfully. Though Jason didn’t really approve of this approach, he hadn’t meant to blow it up for him.
“Uh... Jase is showing me around,” Tommy said. “It wouldn’t be fair to you to make a plan like that; we’d probably look at our watches two hours late and realize we forgot about it.”
“Yeah,” Jason agreed. “Pretty intoxicating place, you know.”
“Oh, sure,” Kim agreed. If she was disappointed, she didn’t show it. Moira, however, gave Jason an unfriendly look and darted back inside the pavilion. “See ya,” Kim said cheerfully and followed Moira.
The two boys walked on. After about ten steps, Jason quietly cursed.
“You really like her, bro?” Tommy asked curiously. He’d been wondering off and on what Jason actually felt for Moira, but he’d never gotten the chance to ask.
Jason blushed a little, startling Tommy. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Jason blush. “Yeah, I think I do. It’s weird — I hardly even know her — but... yeah, bro, I do. A lot.”
“Cool,” Tommy grinned. Jason looked at him curiously. Tommy elbowed him lightly. “Jason’s in love! The teasing season is finally open!”
“Don’t you dare!” Jason grinned.
“Ooh, wait ‘til Rocky hears about this!”
“I’m warning you!”
Tommy laughed, both at Jason and at something else which he’d just then spotted. “Oh man, look!” he said, pointing. Jason followed his line of sight.
“I don’t believe it,” Jason laughed.
Farkus Bulkmeyer and Eugene Skullovich had apparently made the trip from Angel Grove to Stone Canyon as well. The pair of private detectives had commandeered one of the stages and were trying to take over the microphones to announce about a Faire theft they were trying to solve. A stage hand ordered them to give up the stage to the next scheduled group of performers. Bulk and Skull stopped arguing with him mid-sentence when they saw what the next group was: a Polynesian dance troupe, complete with a dozen young ladies in grass skirts and coconut bras.
“Wow,” Tommy said.
“Yeah,” Jason agreed.
“Say, Jase?”
“Yeah?”
“How do ya figure those coconuts stay on?”
“Not really sure, bro.”
A passing female overheard their conversation and humphed, “Men!” as she walked by.
Tommy and Jason looked at each other awkwardly, then broke up in laughs. They continued their wanderings, though both for awhile looked back over their shoulders every few seconds at the now-gyrating Polynesian dancers.
After awhile, they ran across another of their number: Rita. She had splintered off from the kung fu demonstration awhile ago and started contentedly strolling about on her own. She, like Kim, had taken a small amount of money with her and rather wanted to spend it, so she’d veered away from the educational and experimental demonstrations and sought out the artists. The two Zeos found her in one of these high-artist areas at around 1pm.
Part of the reason for the Street Faire’s success was that the organizers asked only a small fee to rent the space for a table at the Faire. However, they required that vendors sold only handmade items. The organizers preferred that the items be made by the people selling them, but they didn’t really insist on that. As long as an individual skilled craftsperson made the items and not a factory, the organizers were content. This requirement meant that there was a wider variety of things for sale at the Street Faire than one could normally find anywhere, and they were mostly high quality. In other words, it was the perfect place to have a spare buck.
Rita had toured around the mercantile sections happily, examining many shops which contained marvelous baubles too expensive by far for her. When Jason and Tommy found her, however, she was doing more than “window shopping.” Rita had settled over a particular table, looking at a particular item, and the two Zeos recognized the look in the proprietor’s eyes as the happy gleam of someone who expected shortly to make a good deal of money.
Still a safe distance from Rita’s ears, Jason muttered, “Just when I’m sure Rocky has a pure tomboy for a sister, she goes and surprises again. Come on, I’ve gotta check this out.”
Confused, Tommy followed. He realized as they got closer what Jason was talking about: Rita’s attention was not fixated on a bladed weapon, martial arts equipment, or even a strategy game — nothing that the boys’ knowledge of Rita would account for. The black Ninjetti’s face was glowing with delight over... a piece of jewelry.
“Pretty,” Tommy remarked to her as they approached. He meant it, too: the pendant in her hands was a bit of gold wire encasing a large, soft translucent stone with iridescent streaks of tan-gold and olive green. Though he didn't care much about jewelry, this piece struck him as unusually beautiful. Rita looked up when she heard Tommy’s voice.
“Isn’t it?” she agreed, smiling. Her attention returned to it quickly. Apparently she had only just fallen in love with it, because she now looked at the price tag — and the look of delight was replaced by gently resigned despair.
“Never mind that,” said the woman behind the table. Her face was slightly shadowed by the pavilion roof over her head, but they could see light green eyes, pale gray hair of considerable length, and a warm smile. “I can see you two are meant for each other,” she continued to Rita, who stared at her in disbelief. “How much have you got?”
Rita floundered. “Not nearly... I mean...” she trailed off. She touched the teardrop pendant wistfully and put it back on the velvet-covered table. “I just could not ask you to take so little.”
The two best friends looked at each other. Jason reached out to the price tag on the item, flipping it over to read the number. He grimaced. “Will you take forty?” he asked the proprietor. It was marked at $70.
“No,” she said flatly. “Not a penny over thirty-eight. I do, unfortunately, have to pay for this table.”
Rita frowned. “But I have only fourteen dollars,” she told Jason, confused.
“It’s all right,” Tommy said. “We’ll make up the difference.”
She blinked at him for a full three seconds before his words seemed to sink in. “But... are you sure?” she asked. Her voice trembled like she was near tears.
Startled, Tommy said, “Of course we’re sure. Why not? You want it.”
“I guess I’m... not used to...” she fumbled, glanced at the jewel’s current owner, and looked away. The two Zeos quickly laid their $12 apiece on the table with her money and departed with her and her new jewel. “Sorry,” she said after walking with them in silence for a minute. “I didn’t mean to point it out like that. It’s just, ah… new. I didn’t exactly have money. Or friends...” Her eyes misted over.
Jason cursed silently. He hadn't wanted to make her think of Scorpina. “Don’t. Never feel bad on Faire day; don’t you know that?”
She smiled faintly, then broadly. “Thanks, guys,” she said. She fastened the heavy, round chain around her neck and shivered slightly at the cold metal against her skin. The two-inch-long teardrop pendant settled a couple inches above her bust, just low enough so that she could still admire it if she looked down. “Silliest thing I’ve done in awhile,” she chuckled.
“Silliness is good for ya,” Jason said.
“Let’s hope,” she replied. “You guys want to get some food?”
“Sure,” Tommy answered easily, ignoring their refusal to the same question when put by Kim. “Where?”
“Hey, how about the Greek place over by those benches?” Jason said, pointing it out. Tommy shrugged his acceptance and turned to the Ninjetti.
“You will have to recommend something — I have not had Greek food,” Rita said.
“Not a problem. Are you up for something new, though?” Tommy pursued.
Rita grinned as if it had been a challenge. “Siempre, amigo,” she said. “Always!”
Lunch was a pleasant little affair. The three managed to find an unoccupied half of a picnic bench — a true stroke of luck. It seemed like half the Fairegoers were eating lunch at the same time. Adam and Tanya passed by the trio toward the end of the latter group’s repast. They regarded the comfortably-seated trio with looks of exaggerated annoyance. Rita offered them the six inches of their bench which was unoccupied, but she was haughtily turned down.
“Just be that way, then!” she called after them. “You try to be generous, and what do you get for it? Nothing!”
“Friends of yours?” asked one of the strangers seated opposite them at the bench, another teen. The three laughed and nodded.
“How did you guess?” Rita asked jokingly.
“Just a hunch,” the stranger replied. He was a year or two older than Tommy and Jason, dark-complexioned with a short black afro. “Nigel,” he introduced himself.
“Jason.”
“Rita.”
“Tommy. Pleased to meet you,” Tommy said. “You live here?”
Nigel nodded. “Stone Canyon, born and bred. You?”
“Angel Grove, seven generations,” Jason answered fastest.
Nigel’s expression shifted slightly. “Yeah? Into any... sports?”
“Oh, sure,” Jason said. “Martial arts, among others. I think we’ve won the county karate tournament title... what is it now, 6 years in a row?”
“Yeah, I guess our guys’ve been working too hard on beating you at football and baseball,” Nigel countered. “And soccer.”
“Oh, I think you’re out of date on that last one,” Jason countered, “AGH won the summer tournament this year 3 games to 1.”
Tommy and Rita exchanged glances. “No good can come of this,” Rita said to the Red Zeo quietly.
“Jase?” Tommy said with only the slightest hint of warning.
Jason looked at them, then Nigel, then, reluctantly, stood. “I think my friends wanna get going. Have a good time, Nigel,” he said, extending his hand across the table. Nigel accepted it with a smile.
“You too. Maybe I’ll see you at the next Karate tournament,” he said.
Jason nodded. “Oh, I'll be there.”
“Okay, come on,” Tommy said, pulling Jason gently. The instant the three vacated their seats, a quartet of babbling preteens took their place.
“You,” Rita said, “are a dingbat.”
“Am not,” Jason said with mock indignance.
“Does anyone even know why Stone Canyon and Angel Grove are rivals?” she pursued.
He laughed. “Because they don’t want to admit we’re better than they are, of course. Rita, relax,” he added, “it’s just for fun. And profit. And King and Countr-”
“Dingbat!” Rita pronounced, and they all laughed.
“Rita!” someone called from the crowd. A moment later, Ish emerged at their side. An orange balloon animal followed in her wake, attached to the string around her wrist. “Come on, I’ve gotta show you this!” she said, grinning.
“What is it?” Rita asked suspiciously.
“Oh just come on!” Ish laughed. “They do custom animals!” Now that Ish had — almost — stopped moving, they could see that the orange balloon tied to her wrist looked very much like a bear. She tugged on Rita’s wrist again and Rita allowed herself to be dragged away.
“See you later!” the Black Ranger called to them as she disappeared.
“Bye!” they called. Once she was out of sight, Tommy turned to Jason.
“Soo... where were we?” he asked with a smile.
“You were telling me about meeting Sam Trueheart and finding David,” Jason said. The fact that Tommy now had a blood brother was one of those things which had never been adequately explained to him in the short time since he’d returned to the Rangers. It hadn’t been broken to him gently, either: he’d nearly gone into physical shock when he asked the identity of one of the teens practicing a kata on the mats at the Youth Center and was told that the “new guy” was Tommy’s twin.
“Oh, yeah!” Tommy recalled and continued the story.
The pair wandered about happily until three o’clock. By then, the temperature, which usually peaked at four p.m., had barely risen above the 70 degrees it had been at eleven, and both were reveling in the blissfully cool afternoon. They caught the second half of a hands-on archery lesson. It was good fun for Jason, although he had to work hard to not laugh at Tommy who, though they knew now was full-blooded Native American, was utterly hopeless with the bow and arrows.
“So?” Tommy defended himself afterward. “Maybe my ancestors were the great leaders, or the philosophers!”
“Yeah,” Jason chuckled, “that’d explain the memory. Absent-minded professors.”
“Will you ever stop needling me about that?” Tommy said with a slightly annoyed smile.
“As soon as you can remember what you had for breakfast.”
“I had toast!” Tommy said indignantly.
“Really?” Jason said. “So did we!”
“Small world. Who’s ‘we’?” Tommy asked.
Jason hoped that his split-second of hesitation went unnoticed. “Look over there!” he said, pointing out a pair of colorful performers on stilts to distract the Red Zeo. After all, he couldn’t lie to Tommy.
Tommy shaded his eyes and looked up at them. He frowned. “Um... Jase?” he said, “isn’t that your mom?”
The Gold Zeo Ranger’s eyes went wide. “Mom!?” Jason cried incredulously.
One of the pair of stiltwalkers squinted down, then waved. “Oh, hi, honey!” Mrs. Scott’s voice drifted down from twelve feet up. “Glad you could make it!”
Jason’s mouth hung open.
“A bunch of the street performers weren’t available!” Mrs. Scott called down. “Luckily, somebody on staff knew I used to work in the circus!”
Though still speechless, Jason managed to convey his astonishment.
“Well, I better get going!” his mother continued. “Be home for dinner at 7!” And she walked away.
Jason was too shocked still to protest the indignity that his curfew was enforced even on Faire Day. He just blinked after his mom as she glided through the crowd. “But... I... gahh?”
“I didn’t know your mom was in a circus.”
“Neither did I!” Jason burst out.
Tommy grinned. “It’s just a day of surprises, isn’t it.”
“Yeah, guess so,” Jason agreed. “Man...”
“Hey, look, it’s the Dweeb Duo!” a familiar voice sneered behind them. Rolling their eyes, Jason and Tommy turned and found Bulk and Skull behind them.
“Brilliant, Skull. Here we are, having a nice day, and you have to go and make the lamebrains talk to us!” Bulk growled.
Jason’s eyes flashed with annoyance. “Look, if you don’t want us to talk to you, that’s-”
“But Bulkie, they might be able to help!” Skull whined.
Bulk frowned at him, then smiled in astonishment. “Hey, Skull, that’s not a bad idea! Glad I thought of it!”
“What do you guys want?” Tommy sighed, resigned to his fate.
“We’re investigating a theft!” Bulk proclaimed proudly.
“So we heard,” Jason said.
“Have you seen any *thieves*?” Skull asked, giving them both piercing looks.
Jason and Tommy exchanged glances. “Um, do you have a description of the thief?” Jason asked. If there really had been a theft, they might as well keep an eye out.
“*Um*, yeah,” Bulk mocked. “Male, late teens, Caucasian, short dark hair.”
“Seen any of those around?” Skull asked.
“Well,” Tommy said, unable to resist, “I see you two.”
Bulk and Skull stared at him, then at each other with comically deep suspicion. Jason and Tommy left them to it.
The two Rangers waited until they were out of earshot, then, “Man,” said Jason as he burst into chuckles, “it’s good to know some things never change!”
“Not in a million.... Jase.” Suddenly Tommy’s voice sounded very different. Jason looked at his best friend, then followed his gaze.
The Rangers’ leader was staring through the entrance to a narrow alley. The pair were just at the edge of the Faire now, and the alley was clearly outside of the Faire area. It was empty of people.
...wasn’t it?
Tommy’s body language had changed. There was a subtly different set to his body that only Jason would have noticed – a tightening between his shoulders, a settling forward slightly onto the balls of his feet. Jason had seen it first when Tommy’s ex-girlfriend Angel had been around. It meant something had reminded Tommy of his nebulous past in LA – and that had never, ever been a good something.
“Watch my back,” Tommy said softly. He entered the alley. Jason followed closely, eyes scanning all around.
The sun was well past its zenith now, but that alone didn’t seem to account for the number of shadows in the alley. The alley had the usual amount of clutter, though: some garbage cans, various discarded possessions, a random cat. The two teens couldn’t see everything that the alley might contain. Jason had the fleeting fear that Tommy had seen a Nightmare and had lost his head enough to walk toward it. After a few steps, though, Jason spotted what Tommy had: a human foot sticking out from behind a stack of old cardboard boxes. Tommy looked around carefully for onlookers before kneeling next to the foot. Jason stayed on his feet and alert.
“Damn!” he heard Tommy say softly. “He’s dead.”
Jason stifled a cry of alarm and crouched down next to Tommy. The body was on its back, its brown eyes staring blankly into the sky. It had been a young man. Jason was sure for an irrational second that the Nightmares had broken out of the black forest and made it to Stone Canyon before his eyes processed that the body wasn’t grayed out. It still its natural colors: pale, pinkish skin, deep brown hair.
“He hasn’t been dead more than two hours,” Tommy said quietly. “Probably just long enough for the corpse to cool. I can’t see any injuries, though.”
Jason wasn’t really listening. His eyes were fixed on the dead teen’s Caucasian face and short, dark brown hair. An awful thought had occurred to him. Carefully, he turned the body’s clenched fist so that they could see what he’d been holding. The silver and gold chains of a pair of gemstone necklaces shone faintly between the dead man’s fingers. Tommy breathed in sharply.
“I think we found Bulk and Skull’s thief.”
“Yeah,” Tommy whispered.
End Part One