Mighty Morphin Power Rangers by Heather Ray (early reader chapter books TXT) 📖

she reasoned, "I'll just melt away from his consciousness, until I'm... I'm..."

Kim then realized how much it hurt her to even think of Tommy forgetting her. She trembled with inner cold, clenching her fists so tightly her knuckles grew white.

"No," she decided, "that's not the way to do this. At least... not yet. Tommy and I are a serious couple. He can't just slowly forget I exist. His guilt would certainly hinder him from living his life to the fullest. I've got to give him a clean break, not some wishy-washy fading away."

Kim then willed the rose quartz stones to vanish from this plane of existence, and began drumming her fingers on her soft bed in thought.

"How do I do it?" she pondered, "How do I... break up with Tommy?"

It was an action that had never occurred to her before.

"I can't tell him the truth, so... I'll have to make something up. But, it has to be something final, so he won't try to make me change my mind about us. I can't just tell him I want him to be happy, or something like that. It'll have to be a completely selfish reason. He always puts my happiness above his own."

Kimberly swallowed nervously. What reason could she give to force a wedge between them? What could she tell him to completely disintegrate their relationship? Would she have the willpower to lie to him so brutally, to treat him so unkindly, even if it was for his own good? Would he even believe it's true, keeping in mind how well the young man knew her?

"I can't lie to him face to face, or on the phone," she decided, "because he'll certainly tell from my tone that I'm lying. I'm not a very good liar. I can never make eye contact, and my voice kinda wavers. So... it'll have to be a letter."

Kimberly willed a note pad and a pen to materialize into existence. Her hand shaking slightly, she picked the pen from the folds of her unmade bed, and tapped her chin as ideas sailed through her head. She had broken up with guys several times before, but she was always very honest about her feelings, and never was so cold to send a letter. It was excruciating for her to even think about breaking up with the one man she really did love, truly and deeply; and with a letter, no less.

Absently, she turned her head from the blank note pad to the Death Orb. The clear glass sphere still rotated on its own axis, suspended on a small white pillar beside Kim's bed. She placed it there as a cold reminder, in case she ever wavered in her determination to be the Avatar. Just thinking about the horrible fate that would face her beloved was enough to force Kimberly to collect her thoughts, and place her pen to the paper.

"Dear Tommy,"

she said aloud, writing as the words occurred to her,

"I have something important to tell you..."

Kim's perky nose wrinkled into a frown, as she tore the sheet from the notebook and crumpled it into a ball. "No... it's too formal. Maybe I should throw in a bit of fluff?"

Starting with a fresh sheet, Kimberly scribed the date, and a new opening.

"Dear Tommy, everything is going great here in Florida. Coach Schmidt has me as ready as I'll ever be for the competition."

That's as much beating around the bush as she'd permit. This letter was very difficult for her to write, despite her determination to her new cause.

"If I want this to be believable, I have to be as honest as can be, despite the fact it's mostly a lie," Kim decided, beginning a new paragraph, "Tommy, this is the hardest letter that I'll ever write. You've always been my best friend, and in some ways you're like a brother to me."

Kim stopped, reading over the last two lines. It was very candid and truthful. This was the hardest letter she had ever written, and Tommy was certainly a cherished companion in every sense of the word. He was more than her love. He was her friend, and in many instances, her family as well. Considering how rocky her own family was, with various divorces and remarriages, and thousands of miles of separation, she came to rely on Tommy as a protective brother, trusted companion, and even kindred spirit, considering he also had difficulty with his family. Since he was adopted, he didn't even know his true family.

So far, so good. Now came the hard part.

Kim took a deep, calming breath to stop her hand from shaking. Then, she continued to write what came to mind.

"But, something has happened here that I can't explain. It's both been wonderful and painful at the same time. Tommy, I've met someone else."

It wasn't until after the words appeared in the flowing blue ink that Kimberly realized what she had done. It was heart-wrenching to read over that last sentence, but it made perfect sense. It was the only way to put a definitive end to their relationship, without placing any blame on Tommy himself. Now, it was totally her fault. She was being selfish. She knew Tommy wouldn't question her reasoning, since he always tried so hard to give her exactly what she wanted.

If she was lucky, he wouldn't even call for confirmation. Hopefully, he'd just accept the letter for what it was, sulk for a short while, and then continue with his life.

Kimberly blinked when she saw a small drop fall onto the letter, smearing the ink and bubbling the paper where it hit. She didn't even feel the teardrop trek down her cheek, numb and unfeeling as her skin had become. She swallowed, and wiped her eyes with the back of her delicate hand.

"Almost done," she uttered, steeling herself, "almost done..."

But would it be done? Could it be that simple? Would Tommy move on with his life? Could she live with herself if she caused him this much pain?

"I have no choice. This is how it will be. And I'll watch him, to see how he takes the letter. If it turns out he takes this really hard, I'll give him a Forget-Me Stone to ease his recovery. He'll be over me within a week."

Terribly depressed, yet oddly satisfied, Kimberly pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and copied down the letter, being careful not to smudge this third draft.

Chapter Eight

Castimonia walked through the immaculate halls slowly, her hands clamped in front of her. During the approximate six hours of the day thus far, she had worked diligently with Kimberly, highlighting the most important powers of the Avatar, glossing over the force of evil known as Corruption, and outlining the skills of the Huntress form. Castimonia was, in fact, quite impressed with Kimberly's adjustment to her new abilities. She wasn't enthusiastic about it, not by any means, yet she was determined to learn as much as possible.

All in all, Castimonia pitied the brave young human, and felt empathy for all she had sacrificed on behalf of the world, and of her love. It actually mirrored Castimonia's own existence.

As a Servon, Castimonia had to abandon the simple pleasures of being with her people. Of the hundreds of her race that came to Earth, only she remained in the solar system to guard against Corruption. As more time passed, and the Conflict drew near, Castimonia spent more and more time locked in her own palace, separated from others, devoted to protecting Purity. She spent a great deal of her own energy creating the Zeo Crystal, and tried to help humanity in several indirect ways.

The more time that passed, the more seldom she heard from her loved ones. Until... she didn't hear from them at all any longer.

Still, with all the loneliness that accompanied her separation from her family, it was the separation from the man she loved that hurt the most.

A noble, knowledgeable being, whose cold exterior always faltered to tenderness whenever the two were together. Ironically close, yet so far away. As long as she served Purity, she had to deny herself the luxury of falling so deeply in love that she'd forget all else. Both noble Servons have tried to cool the flames of passion with an air of inner coldness. That is the primary reason why, despite their celestial proximity, they never saw one another.

Castimonia had to suffer the coldness of solitude, and accept it with feigned indifference. She couldn't let her mind dwell on all that she had to sacrifice, on behalf of Purity.

With a sigh of emotional exhaustion, Castimonia gently knocked on Kimberly's bedroom door.

"Come in," Kimberly called. Castimonia pushed the door open, and saw Kimberly sitting on her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees and her body quaking slightly. Castimonia walked into the room, and took a seat on the edge of Kimberly's bed. She then noticed the half dozen Forget-Me Stones, and a white envelope, sealed and stamped, all lying on the silver sheets.

"I... I decided to get to work," Kim said, her voice unsteady, "I figured I'd give Forget-Me Stones to my mother, her husband, my brother, my father, my roommate, and Coach Schmidt, since he'd probably try to get in contact with me to convince me to come back to train. Um... I didn't think a stone was the best way to deal with Tommy, so I wrote him a Dear John letter."

Castimonia didn't quite understand what a Dear John letter was, but from the ghostly look on Kimberly's face she could discern its unhappy contents. A bit awkwardly, Castimonia lay her hand on Kimberly's shoulder. "You know, you don't have to do this right now," she said gently, "Perhaps you should spend your time acclimating to your new powers, and think about how you want to handle this later?"

"No," Kim answered, "I do

have to do this now, before I lose my nerve. I'm sure that, once I see Tommy again tonight, my resolve will evaporate. Besides, the letter's done. All I have to do now is mail it, deliver these stones, and talk to Coach Schmidt and my parents. Then, I'll pack my things and come back."

"You have plenty of time," Castimonia said, "It is only noon in California. You have nearly twelve hours until Tommy's accident."

Kim shuddered. "Don't worry, I won't drag my feet. I just want to get this over with as quickly as possible."