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

nervous girl. "It's just part of Kim's routine."

"Oookay," Jocelyn sighed, peering into the small mirror and toying with her forelocks.

"Hey gang," another voice called. Jocelyn looked in her mirror, and smiled as Zack approached.

"Any luck?" Jason wondered.

"Zordon said the storm has slowed down, and he's scanning more easily. But there's still some weirdness up at the Pole, which means that the portal, or at least a remnant, is still floating around."

Jocelyn's grin widened. "Thank God for that!"

"We're all gonna check it out after school," Zack informed the group. "Zordon said he'll keep us posted if anything particularly weird pops up in the meantime."

"Sounds like a plan," Alexis agreed. "Then let's book it to homeroom; that's where the test will be held."

"Who's in Kim's homeroom?" Jason wondered.

"Me and Billy," Alexis confirmed. "Where is he, anyway?"

"Over there," Zack noted, waving him and Trini over. The two remaining Rangers wove through the crowded halls, and met the group.

"Jocelyn, I hope your eyes aren't too sensitive," Billy began, pulling a small plastic case from his pocket.

"I don't think so," she informed him, taking the small, two-compartment container. She slowly unscrewed the cap.

"Brown contact lenses?"

"Just to complete the illusion," Trini explained. "Billy can show you how to put them on."

Jocelyn frowned. "Not here he can't. This mirror's too small, and he can't come with me to the girls' room."

"The biology laboratory has a full sink and mirror, and it should be empty," Billy explained. "We'll get these lenses in, and I'll bring you to homeroom."

Jocelyn nodded, closing Kimberly's locker. She grinned at the other Rangers, holding Kim's file tightly. "Wish me luck!"

Trini smiled warmly. "You'll do fine. And thanks again for helping us out."

Tommy leaned against the lockers, watching Billy lead Jocelyn down the hall. "You guys think this will work?"

"I'll be keeping my fingers crossed," Zack responded, glancing again at the clock. "We'd better move it, or we can add detention to our list of problems."

The group waved their farewells and separated, hurrying to homeroom while trying to turn their thoughts away from their predicament with Kimberly and Jocelyn, and back to the subjects at hand: language and mathematics.
Chapter Thirty-Two

Aisha winced as she watched Rocky adjust the band of Alexis' watch-like device. The band was uncomfortably small for him, but he hadn't been able to figure out how to expand it. Also, the deep purple streaks decorating the silver band looked awful beside the scarlet of his shirt.

Of course, it would match perfectly with the largely purple wardrobe of the Purple Power Ranger.

Once a person knew who the Rangers were, recognizing the machine wasn't difficult. Aisha noticed the same unit on Zack and Kim's wrists, and each was color-coded. But what Aisha didn't

know was what the unit actually did. What if it was a weapon? What if Rocky accidentally activated it?

What could she do about it? On the one hand, if she didn't get that thing off Rocky, he could hurt himself. But on the other, she'd promised not to reveal the Rangers' identities.

I've got to tell him the truth,

she realized, glancing down at her interlaced fingers. Hopefully Zordon will understand. If Rocky disappears, or turns into a monster, or blows himself up, or does whatever

that thing does, it'll be my fault. She grimaced. It's not like Rocky can't keep a secret. I mean, what's the harm in letting him know? So long as he swears

to keep his mouth shut.

She glanced up as the door opened, and Alexis walked into the classroom. Since she sat near the front, and Aisha and Rocky sat in the back two seats due to their mid-semester transfer, Alexis probably didn't even know they were there.

But Rocky didn't simply sit in his seat and wait. Instead, he rose to his feet, and strolled right to Alexis' desk.

"Hey Lex?"

Alexis glanced up from her backpack, postponing her search for her calculator. She met Rocky's deep brown gaze, and smiled warmly.

"What's up, Rocky?"

"Do you by any chance have an extra #2 pencil? I must've left mine in my locker."

"You're in luck, DeSantos," she answered with a smirk. She opened the outer pocket of the bag, and pulled out two extra pencils. "Don't leave home without 'em."

"You're a life-saver," Rocky commented, reaching out his left hand. Alexis moved to lay the pencils in his palm, when her eyes fell upon his watch.

Her jaw dropping, she let the pencils fall to the floor.

Rocky hid a triumphant smirk by bending to pick up the pencils. "You okay? You might want to get that depth-perception checked; you missed my hand by a good half a foot!"

Alexis shook herself. "Uh, sorry… I just remembered something I have to do."

"Now? The bell rings in less than a minute-"

But Alexis was already out the door.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Dammit, dammit, dammit!

Alexis lamented, hurrying down the mostly-empty hallway. How could I be so stupid??

She skidded to a halt when she finally found Billy and Jocelyn. The latter was blinking furiously, occasionally rubbing her eyes as she got accustomed to the lenses that transformed her eyes into the soft brown that mirrored Kimberly's.

"Billy, we've got a problem," Alexis gasped.

Jocelyn looked alarmed. "Another one?"

"What's wrong?" Billy pressed.

Alexis lifted her wrist. "Remember the communicator I had before this one? The one I lost when the Misfits attacked last week? Well… Rocky DeSantos found it."

Billy grimaced. "Then our communications with the Command Center may be compromised. We need to determine whether or not it's functional."

Just then, the bell rang.

"We'll have to deal with it later," Billy decided, heading towards homeroom. "Zordon said he wouldn't interrupt the test, so hopefully we can reach him before he sends out a signal."

"But I lost it last week! Zordon's already contacted us since then. If my old communicator is still on the network, Rocky may have heard everything

!"

Billy rubbed his chin. "Did Rocky give you any inclination that he knew anything? Did he make any double entendres?"

"Any what

?"

"Did he say anything that might have a double meaning, that suggests he knows who you are?" Jocelyn elaborated.

Alexis swore under her breath. "Yes! He called me a life-saver when I gave him a pencil!"

Billy laid a hand on her shoulder. "Alexis, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's just take this test. I'll contact Zordon as soon as the period is over. Okay?"

The trio stepped into the homeroom, where Ms. Applebee was already distributing copies of the examination.

"Now that we're all here

," she answered pointedly, "we can begin the overview of instructions."

Jocelyn felt her cheeks burn as she made her way to the seat Billy indicated, trying her best to ignore the stares of the rest of the class. Soon she sank into the hard plastic chair, clenching her fists to keep her fingers from shaking.

I can do this, I can do this…

Then, a test landed on her desk. "Kimberly, are you all right?"

Jocelyn held her breath as she looked up, and met the teacher's worried gaze.

"You look a little pale, and your eyes are red."

Jocelyn cleared her suddenly clogged throat, remembering Tommy's instructions from earlier. "I've got a cold," she explained, her voice raw.

Ms. Applebee only nodded, patting her shoulder. "Let me know if you need some air, okay?"

"Thanks."

The teacher continued distributing exam booklets, reciting the instructions for everyone. Jocelyn settled in her seat, grasping her pencil tightly as she carefully filled in the personal data.

Then, the time came to tear open the exam booklets, and Jocelyn's eyes fell to the first question. A small smirk forming, she filled in the answer, and proceeded to the next one.

Her confidence soared as she turned the page, long before anyone else in the class. Kim's making out like a bandit on this one!

Chapter Thirty-Four

Langstrum Alps

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Rachel pushed open the front door, tossing her jacket on the couch as she scanned the small apartment.

"Tammy? Kim?"

Her face gradually fell as she opened each of the three bedrooms, and found no one in sight. By the time she searched the bathroom and hall closet, she was positively thunderous.

"I should've known

she wouldn't be able to resist!" she sighed, tearing the receiver off the kitchen phone. Tense fingers stabbed a familiar phone number as she began breathing deliberately, hoping to rein in her temper before she found her wayward roommate.

Chapter Thirty-Five