Streaks of Purple Saga/Spectrum Force by Heather Ray (classic books for 13 year olds .TXT) 📖

"Rocky, we're gonna be late!"

The teen flashed a mischievous smirk at the rearview mirror as he parked in the lot beside an unusually quiet strip mall near the border of Stone Canyon and Angel Grove. It was so quiet because the majority of the shops didn't open for business until ten a.m.

Rocky didn't flinch as his glance met the frustrated glare of one of his oldest friends. After growing up together, Aisha was wholly immune to Rocky's easy-going charm.

"We have the PSAT today," she reminded him, folding her arms. "If you'd told me you had to run an errand on the way to school, I would've asked Adam to drive."

"No can do," Adam reminded her from the front seat, "Car's in for service, remember?"

"Will you guys just relax?" Rocky sighed, stepping out the door, "I already called Rico, and he told me he'd be in early today so I can pick up the watch before school. It'll take two seconds, I promise!"

He slammed the door closed before Aisha's impatient sigh could reach his ears. He quickly jogged to the small jewelry store, the bell chiming as he pushed the door open.

Ricardo Vera, first cousin on Rocky's mother's side, was standing behind the counter. He gave the teen a tight grin as Rocky approached the counter.

"Okay Kid," Rico stated, "where the heck

did you get this watch?"

Rocky blinked at the question. "It belongs to a friend of mine. Why?"

"Did you even look at this thing? I've never seen anything like it."

Rocky stared as Rico opened a plastic box, revealing the watch. All the bloodstains had been removed, restoring the silver and purple band to a new shine. Also the clasp had been replaced, and the numbers on the digital watch face had returned.

"The watch is a secondary function," Rico elaborated. "Under the face, most of the components are for something else. It looks like a walkie-talkie, at least in part."

"A walkie-talkie?" Rocky repeated, staring at the watch anew. "That's weird."

"It is," Rico agreed. "And there's some high tech microchips that I can't even begin to guess what they do. Did you get this from a cop? Or some kind of engineer?"

Rocky's mind raced. A space-age walkie-talkie/watch combo? Where did Alexis get this thing? And… who does she use this thing to communicate with?

"Rocky?"

The teen snapped out of his thoughts and gave his cousin a quick smile. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, "I was just thinking. It belongs to one of my friends at school, but… uh… I think her father works at some big-shot tech company back East. She must've got it from him."

Rocky maintained his nonchalance, hoping his fib would appease Rico's curiosity. Finally, the older man shrugged.

"Well, do me a favor; ask your friend if she can get me in touch with her father. Watches like these would sell like hotcakes! Though, the design department definitely needs to put more work into it. Retro sci-fi styles aren't doing well."

"I'm pretty sure this is a prototype, but I'll do what I can. And thanks again for your help."

"Don't thank me," Rico answered, holding out the watch box. "Just remember you're babysitting Friday."

Rocky smirked at the thought of spending a perfectly-good Friday night with his hyperactive ten year-old second cousin, wondering if Alexis would appreciate his efforts to repair her watch… or, watch-like thing.

What is this thing?

Rocky wondered, opening the box while he made his way to his car. His fingers traced seven buttons lining the edges, and his frown deepened.

Images of Halloween night flashed through his head. It was easily the most memorable night of his life: getting paired with Alexis Darling to chaperon a group of eager Trick or Treaters, only for the two dressed as Power Rangers to transform into alien maniacs.

The monsters focused their attack on Alexis, grabbing her while he'd been at a door with the other children. He'd managed to save her, and they'd made an escape into the bushes. But the creatures caught up with them, playing a sadistic form of "tag," and finally knocking Rocky out with one painfully sharp punch.

Rocky winced at the memory, his free hand absently rubbing his stomach.

He had no idea how long he was unconscious, but it was the Purple Ranger that woke him up. And when he'd asked about Alexis, the Purple Ranger informed him that she was at a local hospital.

No wait… I assumed

Alexis was at a hospital. The Purple Ranger said she was 'fine.' And she wouldn't give me any details.

Rocky glanced down at the watch once again, and slowly, his imagination began to conjure ideas that, an hour ago, he wouldn't have considered vaguely possible.

Nah, that's just ridiculous. Alexis isn't a Power Ranger! She's not even a martial artist! But…

she's pretty brave, though. She didn't freak out at all when those monsters attacked us.

The sound of a horn drew Rocky out of his musings.

"You're not counting the cracks on the sidewalk again, are you?" Aisha called through the window.

"Will you relax

?" he laughed, jogging to the car. He slid into the front seat, tossing the box into Adam's lap.

"Take a look at that watch," he suggested, buckling his seatbelt.

Adam's eyebrow quirked as he opened the box. "What about it?"

Aisha followed her friend's gaze, her brow furrowing. "Where'd you get this, Rocky?"

"Alexis. The weird thing is, Rico says he's never seen anything like it."

"It does look pretty weird," Adam admitted, tapping the green cover. "I think I've seen one before. I don't remember where, though."

"I'm gonna find out where it came from," Rocky announced, taking the watch from Adam. Steering with his knees, he slid the watch onto his wrist, and snapped it secure.

Aisha stared at the device warily. "Why don't you just give it back to Alexis? Wasn't that what you were planning to do?"

"Well, it was," Rocky confessed, "but now I'm curious. Let's see what kind of reaction I'll get out of her when she sees me wearing it."

Adam frowned. "Rocky, maybe you should… well… back off a little. I mean, it looks like Alexis and Jason are-"

"It's not about that," Rocky insisted, waving his hand to dismiss the idea. "I just have some questions, and I'd like some answers. That's all."

Adam shook his head, clearly not buying Rocky's excuse. "Hey Aisha, have you seen a watch like this before? You're the Queen of Accessories."

Aisha bit her lip. "I don't know… I don't think so," she answered noncommittally.

She then turned to stare out the window, and her discomfort brought a puzzled frown to Adam's face.

Fifteen minutes and a sixteen-ounce dose of French Roast later, Jocelyn stood at the threshold of Angel Grove High School. The steps were bustling with students, talking animatedly about the weekend's activities, Friday's dance, and the exam the junior class was about to take.

Tossing the empty Quick Stop cup into a trash bin, Jocelyn took a slow, calming breath.

Tommy loomed beside her, watching her nervously finger the shoulder strap of Kim's backpack. "Ready for this?" he whispered.

"Piece of cake," she responded. While the words were confident, her voice was anything but that.

After a few moments of debate, Tommy's sense of logic won out over his discomfort. He reached out his hand to Jocelyn.

"Just follow my lead, okay?"

Jocelyn's gaze leapt from Tommy's offered hand to his solemn face. "You don't have to-"

"We have to keep up appearances," he pointed out. "Just follow my lead, keep your talking to a minimum, and relax. You'll do fine."

Taking another deep breath, Jocelyn took his hand.

Tommy led her through the crowds, throwing waves and greetings at all sides. Jocelyn waved and smiled at everyone who made eye contact with her, trying her best to imitate the "popular cheerleader" persona she assumed Kimberly must have embodied.

Shortly, Tommy stopped at a locker. "Stay with me."

Jocelyn nodded, watching as he opened his locker and began exchanging the contents with those in his backpack.

"After Trini and I left you, we got back in touch with the others," he murmured. "We worked out a plan that should get us through the day. Just remember this: you're coming down with a cold, and your voice is scratchy. So don't talk unless you have to, and try to talk like you're losing your voice."

"Good idea," Jocelyn admitted, a small smile brightening her face. I just might pull this off after all!

"You only came in today to take the PSAT. So if we don't find Kim today, you can skip school tomorrow and hang out at the Command Center. It probably won't come to that, but just in case."

"Got it."

Tommy continued fumbling through the contents of his locker, and Jocelyn finally realized that he kept moving the same books between the locker and his bag.

"What are you doing?"

"Killing time until the others show up." Tommy glanced up at the wall clock, and grimaced. "They should get here soon."

"Hey guys!" a cheerful called. Jocelyn turned, and smiled as Alexis approached, with Jason at her shoulder.

"How'd you two make out?" Tommy asked.

Alexis smirked, pulling a folder from her backpack. "James Bond better eat his heart out."

Jocelyn accepted the file, and flipped through its contents. Her eyes widened in shock. "Is this…?"

"Kim's private record," Jason confirmed.

"But how?"

"Jase and I snuck into the main office last night and made a few copies," Alexis whispered. "Luckily the school hasn't installed video cameras, or we would've had a hard time explaining what the Red and Purple Rangers were doing in the file room."

"We only copied what we thought was critical," Jason explained. "Social Security number, birth date, address, current schedule, locker assignment. You might need some of this stuff to fill in the Personal Information part of the PSAT."

"Now that we have the combination to Kim's locker, we can head over there," Tommy decided, closing his locker. The group migrated across the hall, and Jocelyn's fingers hovered at the combination on the designated locker as Tommy read her the numbers.

She sighed in relief as the door creaked open, revealing the contents.

"Do I need anything in here?"

"Probably not," Jason admitted, "but you might want to fix your hair."

Jocelyn's hands rose to the nape of her neck. "Did it fall out?"

"You look fine," Alexis assured the