Cataclysm (Tsukino Akume, Drama/Friendship)
Holy crap, I'm actually working on this again! -Crosses fingers and continues attempting to torture Carlos-
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #2. Paradise Lost
Author's Notes/: For starandrea, because re-reading Lands' End made me think of this story long enough to work on it again. And giggle lots, because I adore her version of Lost Galaxy. And her Leo. ♥
Love and adoration to lunaria_kitty, who made considerable effort to run beta on this from the hospital. ♥
"Are we ready?" T.J. asked.
"No," Ashley said immediately, hugging her binder to her chest.
"Huff," Carlos answered through a mouthful a toast. He was grabbing his backpack, which Cassie assumed meant it was supposed to be a yes.
"Do we have to?" she asked plaintively, biting her lip.
T.J. sighed, but his expression was sympathetic. "Guys, we already talked about this. We can't keep avoiding school forever. And if we ever want things to go back to normal, we have to start acting like it." He moved to wrap an arm around Ashley, who leaned into him with a sigh and a troubled expression. "It's gonna be weird, and it's gonna be hard, but we'll get through it. If the Power Rangers can survive Astronema, we can survive high school."
"Speak for yourself, man," Carlos argued, sticking his plate in the synthetron. "I'll take Astronema over chemistry any day. At least she makes *sense*."
"Should I be flattered?"
He turned to grin at Karone as she blinked at them from the doorway. "Yes," he promised.
"Probably not, considering how much Carlos hates chemistry," Cassie teased, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach. The decision to go back to school *had* been a team decision, and T.J. was right: the longer they waited, the worse it would be. But that didn't make it any easier.
"You guys are gonna be late if you don't go now," Andros warned as he and Zhane came up behind Karone. He frowned, moving to give Ashley a hug and whispering something in her ear that got a weak smile in return.
"We can always fake an emergency of you if you need one," Zhane offered, looking hopeful. He ignored the dark look Andros shot him.
"You'll be fine," Andros said firmly. "And we'll be here when you get out."
Cassie got up with a slow sigh, pausing to kiss Karone's cheek and hug Zhane. "We'll probably be running up here once we're free," she admitted.
Zhane pouted at her. "What, no kiss for me?"
She laughed as Karone giggled, and kissed his cheek, too. "Keep them in line for us," she warned.
He saluted, and she tried not to laugh more as Andros glared at them both.
"The time in Angel Grove is 7:30," D.E.C.A. informed them
Grabbing her backpack, she moved to stand with the others. "Okay," she said finally, taking a deep breath to brace herself. "Let's do this."
"It's really not going to be that bad," T.J. promised. "You're all making a big deal out of nothing. You'll see."
Carlos shot him a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, Teej," he muttered, reaching for his morpher.
Cassie took another breath, squeezing back just as tight when Ashley's fingers fumbled for hers. Big deal out of nothing, she promised herself. It's just high school.
It's just high school.
****
"Not a big deal, huh Teej?" Cassie muttered under her breath as she fought to get to her locker. Making it through the reporters waiting outside Angel Grove High had been bad enough, but getting inside was no better. Now she had people who 'knew' her, trying to call out to her like they were old friends, begging for an autograph, or just to talk to her at all. She couldn't shove them out of the way because she might accidentally hurt someone, and being polite was pointless because no one was actually listening to her.
I wonder if I can get Zhane to play bodyguard. Just long enough to get me to and from classes, she mused silently, finally managing to open her locker and grab her books. She usually only carried what she needed, but this time she went ahead and stuffed them all into her bag at once. Fighting to get to them had been hard enough this time; she really didn't care do to it again later.
Glancing up as she went to close the door, she caught sight of another open locker a few feet down the hall and froze. She didn't recognize the boy standing at it, but she certainly recognized the picture taped inside. It was of *her*, the same shot that had been taken outside the Hammond's window last week. As she stared in horror and embarrassment, the boy grabbed his books, pausing long enough to blow a kiss to the picture before shutting the door and heading off down the hall.
For a moment she could only stare at the locker, wondering how many more of them had pictures of her inside. Was this how celebrities felt, having their privacy violated? Being idolized for no reason at all?
She shuddered, clutching her binder closer to her chest. I could really use that emergency right now, Zhane.
"Will Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vargas please report to the principal's office," the PA squawked. "Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vargas to the principal's office, please,"
Groaning, she dropped her head back against the wall. "I hate my life."
It took her several more minutes to fight her way back through the crowd, and another five to make it to the office. She slipped inside the door and nearly slammed it behind her, leaning against it in relief. The moment she looked up again and saw T.J., she marched up to him and punched him in the arm.
"Ow!" He turned to glare at her. "I get it, okay? I was wrong, and I'm sorry!"
"You should be," Carlos muttered on his other side, looking harassed. He had an arm around Ashley, who looked torn between laughing at T.J. and bursting into tears. "If Caplan wants an autograph, I am not responsible for what I do."
"Good morning so far?" Cassie asked him dryly, amused despite the situation.
He eyed her. "You know those letters I've been getting? Apparently they're from someone who goes here."
She winced, moving around T.J. to give him a hug. "You okay, Ash?" She eyed the other girl carefully.
Ashley managed a weak smile in return. "Yeah. It's just ... more than I was expecting, you know?" She swallowed. "What about you?"
Cassie shuddered without meaning to, which instantly had all of their attention on her. "Cass?" T.J. asked lowly, moving closer. "What happened?"
"I'm fine," she muttered, swallowing. "It's just ... There was someone with a picture of me in their locker."
Carlos' expression darkened as T.J. put his arm around her shoulders. "You know who it was?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't recognize him." She paused, realizing why he was asking, and gave him a look. "And I don't need you beating people up for me." She wouldn't say it, but the offer did make her feel a little better.
"Hey, anyone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us, remember?" T.J. murmured in her ear, squeezing slightly. "If it gets out of hand, we'll take care of it."
She shoved him lightly, trying not to smile. "I can handle it on my own," she reminded them pointedly. She hesitated. "But thanks."
"It's what we're here for," Ashley reminded her softly, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder.
"E-excuse me?"
They all turned to see Mrs. Parker, the office secretary, staring at them as she gripped a stack of papers so tightly they wrinkled. "Principal Caplan will, um, see you now," she stammered, looking flustered.
"Thank you, ma'am," Ashley spoke up, offering a smile.
Mrs. Parker jumped slightly, flushing. "You're ... you're welcome," she mumbled, hurrying back to her seat.
Cassie swallowed, reaching for Ashley's hand again. The grip on her fingers was painful, but reassuring.
T.J. lead the way, Cassie and Ashley following together while Carlos brought up the rear. If she wasn't busy trying to reassure herself and Ashley at the same time, she might have been offended instead of mildly annoyed. She knew neither of them were consciously hovering over the two of them, and both guys knew that they were perfectly capable of protecting themselves, but it was still irritating. She already had an overprotective big brother; she didn't need two more.
Then she sighed, because she knew arguing the point would get her nowhere. Team was Team, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not that she really wanted to, but there were times ...
Caplan was standing when they came into his office, looking at them all with a strangely serious expression rather than the awestruck one on everyone else they'd seen so far. "Miss Hammond, Miss Chan. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Vargas," he greeted politely, gesturing to the two chairs across from his desk. "Please, have a seat."
They exchanged glances, Ashley moving slowly to sink down into one of the chairs. Cassie and Carlos had a silent debate, glaring at one another until at last Carlos sighed audibly and took the other chair. Cassie moved to stand behind him, watching Caplan warily as she resisted the urge to fold her arms. T.J. remained near the door, radiating tension and distrust.
Caplan looked at them all for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "I assume your morning so far has been eventful."
Carlos snorted. "That's one way of putting it. Sir," he added belatedly.
Caplan eyed him for a moment before nodding as if that had been nothing more than what he'd expected. "These things tend to happen with celebrity students," he agreed.
Cassie blinked. "But we're not celebrities," she protested.
He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "I'm afraid so, Miss Chan. Now that your ... identities, have been revealed, you are very much celebrities. Especially to Angel Grove."
"But that's silly," Ashley argued. "We haven't done anything special. We just - " She faltered as he frowned at her. "We just did what needed to be done," she finished uncertainly.
"Hmm," Caplan said neutrally. "Be that as it may, you will find that attending school will be ... difficult. The reason I summoned you here was to discuss other options for earning your diploma."
"Wait a minute," T.J. interrupted, straightening up from the wall with a frown. "We don't need any special treatment."
"And I'm glad to hear that," Caplan said calmly, "But that's not what I was referring to."
"What *were* you referring to?" Ashley asked slowly.
He sighed. "With your new celebrity status, it will be difficult to attend classes as ordinary students. It may also serve as a distraction to your peers. There are other options, such as adult school, alternative high schools, or simply taking the G.E.D. Being that you are all exceptional students - barring a few attendance problems which, may now be explained, I would recommend the G.E.D. testing as your best choice."
Cassie blinked slowly as everything around her seemed to dim. Distantly she could hear T.J. arguing that they weren't interested in the G.E.D. They just wanted to be normal students.
Can we be normal? she wondered. If even Caplan doesn't think we can ...
"Is there anything else Sir, or may we go to class?" T.J. asked flatly, eyes narrowing.
Caplan sighed. "No, I suppose that will be all for now. You're all free to go."
"Thank you, Sir," Ashley said softly as she stood.
They left in silence, pausing just in front of the office door. Ashley swallowed, and T.J. reached up to grip her shoulder. "It'll be fine," he insisted. "Caplan's just blowing things out of proportion. Once everything settles down, it won't be a big deal. You'll see." He gave her one last squeeze before heading out the door.
"If he's wrong," Carlos muttered as they followed him reluctantly, "I call dibs."
"Get in line," Cassie murmured back.
****
Halfway through the day, and Cassie was ready to scream.
People were either too intimidated to talk to her now, spending whole class periods just staring at her, or they couldn't seem to stop trying to get her attention. Even the teachers were acting oddly, barring one or two exceptions. Some of them would try not to stare along with the class, while others deliberately tried to ignore her. Then there was Mr. Frankman's chemistry lecture about how human metamorphosis was scientifically impossible, and spandex could never be used as a feasible form of body armor that had her staring at her notebook for the entire period, resisting the urge to morph then and there just so he could see how 'impossible' it is.
She'd never appreciated just how unflappable Ms. Applebee really was before.
English ended with a new affection for her favorite teacher and a migraine from everyone else as she fought her way through another crowd, trying to think of places she could hide long enough to eat her lunch. She'd just made it out of the room when she bumped someone. Looking up - well, down - she found herself looking at a familiar face.
"Justin!" she said in surprise.
There was a flicker of something in his eyes before he blinked at her. "Um, hi," he muttered, ducking his head as if he was shy.
She stared at him for a moment before it dawned on her. No one knows he's a Ranger, dummy, she berated herself. Announce it to the whole school, why don't you?
She tried for an awkward smile. "Hi. I, um ... How have you been?" she asked hesitantly, as if she hadn't seen him four days ago.
"F-fine," he mumbled, and she had to fight not to grin. Justin had *never* been this shy. Normally it was hard to get him to stop talking.
He hesitated again. "Can ... can I have your autograph?" he whispered, biting his lip.
She blinked. What in the world ... ? "Sure," she told him automatically, flashing him a warm smile. "Anything for an old friend."
There was that flash of something in his eyes again, but it was gone before she could identify it.
"Do you have something for me to sign?" she pressed gently, fighting to keep from asking him then and there what was wrong.
"Um, yeah. Just ... just a second."
She watched with a slight smile as he dug through his backpack for several minutes, past piles of books both school-related and not. Eventually he yanked out his binder, flipping through it for an empty page before searching for a pen. "Here," he offered brightly, holding it out with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes though, which worried her all the more.
She took the notebook and pen with a smile of her own, scribbling a note as fast as she could before anyone could begin to wonder. U O.K.? Need 2 talk soon. Missed you. She added her signature with a quick flourish several lines down, just in case anyone actually asked him to see it, before handing it back. "There you go."
His eyes flickered over the note briefly. "Thanks," he murmured. He closed the notebook, hitching his backpack back onto his shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Eventually," he added under his breath as he walked past her, sounding bitter.
She turned to stare after him blankly. What was *that* about?
After a minute she shook her head. She needed to get moving and find the others if she had any plans of escaping the crowds long enough to eat lunch. And as tempting as it was to just teleport up to the megaship and skip out on the rest of the day, they'd all agreed to stick it out no matter what.
T.J. was seriously going to pay for this later.
It took ten minutes to find T.J. and Carlos, who were hiding in behind a corner of the gym that was usually saved for students sneaking off to have a cigarette. "Where's Ashley?" she asked with a frown.
"Your guess is as good as ours," T.J. said with a shrug.
She hesitated, eyeing Carlos as he paced, muttering under his breath. " ... Are you okay?"
He glanced up. "You have Frankman yet?"
She winced. "Yeah."
He smiled bitterly. "Apparently being 'celebrities' doesn't mean we can't get detention for arguing with a teacher. Even if he *is* wrong," he muttered darkly.
She glanced at T.J.. 'Bad day', he mouthed with a shrug.
She bit her lip. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Ash."
"Be careful," T.J. warned.
She rolled her eyes at him as she walked away. Sure, *now* he was worried about the crowds.
It took her another fifteen minutes of searching to finally track down Ashley.
She was hiding in the bathroom. Crying.
"Ash ... ?" Cassie asked tentatively, knocking on the stall door. If she hadn't seen Ashley's shoes, she wouldn't have even known she was in there.
Silence.
She swallowed. "Talk to me?"
There was a quiet sniffle, and after a moment the door opened slowly. Ashley looked up with a miserable expression and red eyes. The sleeve on her jacket was torn, and she was missing one of the barrettes she'd been wearing earlier.
Cassie's eyes went wide even as she caught her best friend in a tight hug. "What happened?" she demanded.
Ashley shivered slightly, burying her face against Cassie's shoulder. "They were ... I couldn't get through," she mumbled, sniffling again. I was trying not to panic, but there were people *everywhere* and ... I think I pushed somebody into a locker. I just ... I couldn't breathe," she whimpered.
Cassie closed her eyes, squeezing tighter as comprehension dawned. She hadn't been afraid to elbow her way through some of the pushier people in the crowds she'd been dealing with all morning, but Ashley wouldn't have wanted to hurt anyone. She'd always been a little anxious about their enhanced strength, ever since the first time she'd gotten angry enough to throw something and put a hole in her bedroom wall and the one behind it.
"I hate this," Ashley whispered, and Cassie felt her shoulder getting wet. "Going to school used to be fun. We got to be just like everybody else. To be ... to be *normal*. And now ... " She trailed off into another sob.
Cassie fought back tears of her own. And now they were anything but normal.
"I just want to be normal again," Ashley choked out.
The pain in her voice made Cassie's heart ache in sympathy. And all she could do was hold on as Ashley cried. Because there was nothing she could say.
Because they'd never be normal again.
Title/: Cataclysm
Author/: Tsukino Akume
Relationship/: Andros/Ashley, Zhane/Karone, mentions of Cassie/Phantom
Rating/: K+
Warnings/: emotional trauma, mentally disturbed people, depression
Disclaimer/: If I owned the Power Rangers, this universe would exist. We would have known who the Phantom Ranger was - and it *would* have been a girl because I'm weird like that - and team snuggles would be mandatory every episode. As none of that is cannon, it's safe to assume that I don't.
Summary/: When Astronema was defeated, the Astro Rangers gave up more than their Powers. Reporters, fans, and long-lost relatives are coming out of the woodwork as the team struggles to adjust to it all. Bright Skies Universe.
Theme/: #2. Paradise Lost
Author's Notes/: For starandrea, because re-reading Lands' End made me think of this story long enough to work on it again. And giggle lots, because I adore her version of Lost Galaxy. And her Leo. ♥
Love and adoration to lunaria_kitty, who made considerable effort to run beta on this from the hospital. ♥
"Are we ready?" T.J. asked.
"No," Ashley said immediately, hugging her binder to her chest.
"Huff," Carlos answered through a mouthful a toast. He was grabbing his backpack, which Cassie assumed meant it was supposed to be a yes.
"Do we have to?" she asked plaintively, biting her lip.
T.J. sighed, but his expression was sympathetic. "Guys, we already talked about this. We can't keep avoiding school forever. And if we ever want things to go back to normal, we have to start acting like it." He moved to wrap an arm around Ashley, who leaned into him with a sigh and a troubled expression. "It's gonna be weird, and it's gonna be hard, but we'll get through it. If the Power Rangers can survive Astronema, we can survive high school."
"Speak for yourself, man," Carlos argued, sticking his plate in the synthetron. "I'll take Astronema over chemistry any day. At least she makes *sense*."
"Should I be flattered?"
He turned to grin at Karone as she blinked at them from the doorway. "Yes," he promised.
"Probably not, considering how much Carlos hates chemistry," Cassie teased, trying to ignore the churning in her stomach. The decision to go back to school *had* been a team decision, and T.J. was right: the longer they waited, the worse it would be. But that didn't make it any easier.
"You guys are gonna be late if you don't go now," Andros warned as he and Zhane came up behind Karone. He frowned, moving to give Ashley a hug and whispering something in her ear that got a weak smile in return.
"We can always fake an emergency of you if you need one," Zhane offered, looking hopeful. He ignored the dark look Andros shot him.
"You'll be fine," Andros said firmly. "And we'll be here when you get out."
Cassie got up with a slow sigh, pausing to kiss Karone's cheek and hug Zhane. "We'll probably be running up here once we're free," she admitted.
Zhane pouted at her. "What, no kiss for me?"
She laughed as Karone giggled, and kissed his cheek, too. "Keep them in line for us," she warned.
He saluted, and she tried not to laugh more as Andros glared at them both.
"The time in Angel Grove is 7:30," D.E.C.A. informed them
Grabbing her backpack, she moved to stand with the others. "Okay," she said finally, taking a deep breath to brace herself. "Let's do this."
"It's really not going to be that bad," T.J. promised. "You're all making a big deal out of nothing. You'll see."
Carlos shot him a skeptical look. "Whatever you say, Teej," he muttered, reaching for his morpher.
Cassie took another breath, squeezing back just as tight when Ashley's fingers fumbled for hers. Big deal out of nothing, she promised herself. It's just high school.
It's just high school.
****
"Not a big deal, huh Teej?" Cassie muttered under her breath as she fought to get to her locker. Making it through the reporters waiting outside Angel Grove High had been bad enough, but getting inside was no better. Now she had people who 'knew' her, trying to call out to her like they were old friends, begging for an autograph, or just to talk to her at all. She couldn't shove them out of the way because she might accidentally hurt someone, and being polite was pointless because no one was actually listening to her.
I wonder if I can get Zhane to play bodyguard. Just long enough to get me to and from classes, she mused silently, finally managing to open her locker and grab her books. She usually only carried what she needed, but this time she went ahead and stuffed them all into her bag at once. Fighting to get to them had been hard enough this time; she really didn't care do to it again later.
Glancing up as she went to close the door, she caught sight of another open locker a few feet down the hall and froze. She didn't recognize the boy standing at it, but she certainly recognized the picture taped inside. It was of *her*, the same shot that had been taken outside the Hammond's window last week. As she stared in horror and embarrassment, the boy grabbed his books, pausing long enough to blow a kiss to the picture before shutting the door and heading off down the hall.
For a moment she could only stare at the locker, wondering how many more of them had pictures of her inside. Was this how celebrities felt, having their privacy violated? Being idolized for no reason at all?
She shuddered, clutching her binder closer to her chest. I could really use that emergency right now, Zhane.
"Will Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vargas please report to the principal's office," the PA squawked. "Cassie Chan, Ashley Hammond, T.J. Johnson, and Carlos Vargas to the principal's office, please,"
Groaning, she dropped her head back against the wall. "I hate my life."
It took her several more minutes to fight her way back through the crowd, and another five to make it to the office. She slipped inside the door and nearly slammed it behind her, leaning against it in relief. The moment she looked up again and saw T.J., she marched up to him and punched him in the arm.
"Ow!" He turned to glare at her. "I get it, okay? I was wrong, and I'm sorry!"
"You should be," Carlos muttered on his other side, looking harassed. He had an arm around Ashley, who looked torn between laughing at T.J. and bursting into tears. "If Caplan wants an autograph, I am not responsible for what I do."
"Good morning so far?" Cassie asked him dryly, amused despite the situation.
He eyed her. "You know those letters I've been getting? Apparently they're from someone who goes here."
She winced, moving around T.J. to give him a hug. "You okay, Ash?" She eyed the other girl carefully.
Ashley managed a weak smile in return. "Yeah. It's just ... more than I was expecting, you know?" She swallowed. "What about you?"
Cassie shuddered without meaning to, which instantly had all of their attention on her. "Cass?" T.J. asked lowly, moving closer. "What happened?"
"I'm fine," she muttered, swallowing. "It's just ... There was someone with a picture of me in their locker."
Carlos' expression darkened as T.J. put his arm around her shoulders. "You know who it was?"
She shook her head. "No. I didn't recognize him." She paused, realizing why he was asking, and gave him a look. "And I don't need you beating people up for me." She wouldn't say it, but the offer did make her feel a little better.
"Hey, anyone messes with one of us, they mess with all of us, remember?" T.J. murmured in her ear, squeezing slightly. "If it gets out of hand, we'll take care of it."
She shoved him lightly, trying not to smile. "I can handle it on my own," she reminded them pointedly. She hesitated. "But thanks."
"It's what we're here for," Ashley reminded her softly, reaching up to squeeze her shoulder.
"E-excuse me?"
They all turned to see Mrs. Parker, the office secretary, staring at them as she gripped a stack of papers so tightly they wrinkled. "Principal Caplan will, um, see you now," she stammered, looking flustered.
"Thank you, ma'am," Ashley spoke up, offering a smile.
Mrs. Parker jumped slightly, flushing. "You're ... you're welcome," she mumbled, hurrying back to her seat.
Cassie swallowed, reaching for Ashley's hand again. The grip on her fingers was painful, but reassuring.
T.J. lead the way, Cassie and Ashley following together while Carlos brought up the rear. If she wasn't busy trying to reassure herself and Ashley at the same time, she might have been offended instead of mildly annoyed. She knew neither of them were consciously hovering over the two of them, and both guys knew that they were perfectly capable of protecting themselves, but it was still irritating. She already had an overprotective big brother; she didn't need two more.
Then she sighed, because she knew arguing the point would get her nowhere. Team was Team, and there was nothing she could do about it. Not that she really wanted to, but there were times ...
Caplan was standing when they came into his office, looking at them all with a strangely serious expression rather than the awestruck one on everyone else they'd seen so far. "Miss Hammond, Miss Chan. Mr. Johnson, Mr. Vargas," he greeted politely, gesturing to the two chairs across from his desk. "Please, have a seat."
They exchanged glances, Ashley moving slowly to sink down into one of the chairs. Cassie and Carlos had a silent debate, glaring at one another until at last Carlos sighed audibly and took the other chair. Cassie moved to stand behind him, watching Caplan warily as she resisted the urge to fold her arms. T.J. remained near the door, radiating tension and distrust.
Caplan looked at them all for a moment before letting out a long sigh. "I assume your morning so far has been eventful."
Carlos snorted. "That's one way of putting it. Sir," he added belatedly.
Caplan eyed him for a moment before nodding as if that had been nothing more than what he'd expected. "These things tend to happen with celebrity students," he agreed.
Cassie blinked. "But we're not celebrities," she protested.
He looked at her for a moment before shaking his head with a sigh. "I'm afraid so, Miss Chan. Now that your ... identities, have been revealed, you are very much celebrities. Especially to Angel Grove."
"But that's silly," Ashley argued. "We haven't done anything special. We just - " She faltered as he frowned at her. "We just did what needed to be done," she finished uncertainly.
"Hmm," Caplan said neutrally. "Be that as it may, you will find that attending school will be ... difficult. The reason I summoned you here was to discuss other options for earning your diploma."
"Wait a minute," T.J. interrupted, straightening up from the wall with a frown. "We don't need any special treatment."
"And I'm glad to hear that," Caplan said calmly, "But that's not what I was referring to."
"What *were* you referring to?" Ashley asked slowly.
He sighed. "With your new celebrity status, it will be difficult to attend classes as ordinary students. It may also serve as a distraction to your peers. There are other options, such as adult school, alternative high schools, or simply taking the G.E.D. Being that you are all exceptional students - barring a few attendance problems which, may now be explained, I would recommend the G.E.D. testing as your best choice."
Cassie blinked slowly as everything around her seemed to dim. Distantly she could hear T.J. arguing that they weren't interested in the G.E.D. They just wanted to be normal students.
Can we be normal? she wondered. If even Caplan doesn't think we can ...
"Is there anything else Sir, or may we go to class?" T.J. asked flatly, eyes narrowing.
Caplan sighed. "No, I suppose that will be all for now. You're all free to go."
"Thank you, Sir," Ashley said softly as she stood.
They left in silence, pausing just in front of the office door. Ashley swallowed, and T.J. reached up to grip her shoulder. "It'll be fine," he insisted. "Caplan's just blowing things out of proportion. Once everything settles down, it won't be a big deal. You'll see." He gave her one last squeeze before heading out the door.
"If he's wrong," Carlos muttered as they followed him reluctantly, "I call dibs."
"Get in line," Cassie murmured back.
****
Halfway through the day, and Cassie was ready to scream.
People were either too intimidated to talk to her now, spending whole class periods just staring at her, or they couldn't seem to stop trying to get her attention. Even the teachers were acting oddly, barring one or two exceptions. Some of them would try not to stare along with the class, while others deliberately tried to ignore her. Then there was Mr. Frankman's chemistry lecture about how human metamorphosis was scientifically impossible, and spandex could never be used as a feasible form of body armor that had her staring at her notebook for the entire period, resisting the urge to morph then and there just so he could see how 'impossible' it is.
She'd never appreciated just how unflappable Ms. Applebee really was before.
English ended with a new affection for her favorite teacher and a migraine from everyone else as she fought her way through another crowd, trying to think of places she could hide long enough to eat her lunch. She'd just made it out of the room when she bumped someone. Looking up - well, down - she found herself looking at a familiar face.
"Justin!" she said in surprise.
There was a flicker of something in his eyes before he blinked at her. "Um, hi," he muttered, ducking his head as if he was shy.
She stared at him for a moment before it dawned on her. No one knows he's a Ranger, dummy, she berated herself. Announce it to the whole school, why don't you?
She tried for an awkward smile. "Hi. I, um ... How have you been?" she asked hesitantly, as if she hadn't seen him four days ago.
"F-fine," he mumbled, and she had to fight not to grin. Justin had *never* been this shy. Normally it was hard to get him to stop talking.
He hesitated again. "Can ... can I have your autograph?" he whispered, biting his lip.
She blinked. What in the world ... ? "Sure," she told him automatically, flashing him a warm smile. "Anything for an old friend."
There was that flash of something in his eyes again, but it was gone before she could identify it.
"Do you have something for me to sign?" she pressed gently, fighting to keep from asking him then and there what was wrong.
"Um, yeah. Just ... just a second."
She watched with a slight smile as he dug through his backpack for several minutes, past piles of books both school-related and not. Eventually he yanked out his binder, flipping through it for an empty page before searching for a pen. "Here," he offered brightly, holding it out with a smile. It didn't reach his eyes though, which worried her all the more.
She took the notebook and pen with a smile of her own, scribbling a note as fast as she could before anyone could begin to wonder. U O.K.? Need 2 talk soon. Missed you. She added her signature with a quick flourish several lines down, just in case anyone actually asked him to see it, before handing it back. "There you go."
His eyes flickered over the note briefly. "Thanks," he murmured. He closed the notebook, hitching his backpack back onto his shoulder. "Maybe I'll see you around sometime. Eventually," he added under his breath as he walked past her, sounding bitter.
She turned to stare after him blankly. What was *that* about?
After a minute she shook her head. She needed to get moving and find the others if she had any plans of escaping the crowds long enough to eat lunch. And as tempting as it was to just teleport up to the megaship and skip out on the rest of the day, they'd all agreed to stick it out no matter what.
T.J. was seriously going to pay for this later.
It took ten minutes to find T.J. and Carlos, who were hiding in behind a corner of the gym that was usually saved for students sneaking off to have a cigarette. "Where's Ashley?" she asked with a frown.
"Your guess is as good as ours," T.J. said with a shrug.
She hesitated, eyeing Carlos as he paced, muttering under his breath. " ... Are you okay?"
He glanced up. "You have Frankman yet?"
She winced. "Yeah."
He smiled bitterly. "Apparently being 'celebrities' doesn't mean we can't get detention for arguing with a teacher. Even if he *is* wrong," he muttered darkly.
She glanced at T.J.. 'Bad day', he mouthed with a shrug.
She bit her lip. "I'm gonna go see if I can find Ash."
"Be careful," T.J. warned.
She rolled her eyes at him as she walked away. Sure, *now* he was worried about the crowds.
It took her another fifteen minutes of searching to finally track down Ashley.
She was hiding in the bathroom. Crying.
"Ash ... ?" Cassie asked tentatively, knocking on the stall door. If she hadn't seen Ashley's shoes, she wouldn't have even known she was in there.
Silence.
She swallowed. "Talk to me?"
There was a quiet sniffle, and after a moment the door opened slowly. Ashley looked up with a miserable expression and red eyes. The sleeve on her jacket was torn, and she was missing one of the barrettes she'd been wearing earlier.
Cassie's eyes went wide even as she caught her best friend in a tight hug. "What happened?" she demanded.
Ashley shivered slightly, burying her face against Cassie's shoulder. "They were ... I couldn't get through," she mumbled, sniffling again. I was trying not to panic, but there were people *everywhere* and ... I think I pushed somebody into a locker. I just ... I couldn't breathe," she whimpered.
Cassie closed her eyes, squeezing tighter as comprehension dawned. She hadn't been afraid to elbow her way through some of the pushier people in the crowds she'd been dealing with all morning, but Ashley wouldn't have wanted to hurt anyone. She'd always been a little anxious about their enhanced strength, ever since the first time she'd gotten angry enough to throw something and put a hole in her bedroom wall and the one behind it.
"I hate this," Ashley whispered, and Cassie felt her shoulder getting wet. "Going to school used to be fun. We got to be just like everybody else. To be ... to be *normal*. And now ... " She trailed off into another sob.
Cassie fought back tears of her own. And now they were anything but normal.
"I just want to be normal again," Ashley choked out.
The pain in her voice made Cassie's heart ache in sympathy. And all she could do was hold on as Ashley cried. Because there was nothing she could say.
Because they'd never be normal again.