Dying Star (Power Rangers SPD - Bridge Carson)

~ SUN ~

At just about a month old, Astrid was left inside a dumpster. She was found hours later when a homeless couple heard her nonstop crying.

You would expect them to take pity on the poor baby, care for her like she was their own child. Or maybe even take her to the police for safety. But they had other plans. They used her to their advantage, having let people take pity on the homeless "family" with an infant daughter. And it always worked. They always got what they needed, leaving little for the girl. Since then, all Astrid wished  for was to somehow get away from these people. But that was a lot harder to do than expected.

They weren't the caring family she wanted. They were abusive, verbally and mentally. Often punishing her if she did something wrong, or even when asking a simple question. And just to make her feel worse, they would constantly remind her that she wasn't wanted, always telling her the story of finding her in that dumpster. And she always believed them.

Astrid believed that whoever gave her a life never wanted a child. So they left her to rot in that dumpster. Astrid would have preferred that then to have the cliff she was currently living. It was already hard dealing with the pain in her heart. So why was she to deal with these monsters?

Since she was able to walk, the couple realized that she wasn't like any normal child. She was fast, maybe a bit too fast. It was as if she ran at the speed of light. When they realized that they wouldn't get away with using the child for pity for much longer, they started using her speed to their advantage.

They would take her to markets or rich neighborhoods so she could steal. It worked a hundred percent of the time, because no one was able to see her from how fast she was.

But once again, they'd leave her with very little, taking everything else for themselves. But Astrid didn't need any of that junk.

Despite not having an education, Astrid was still very smart. The couple didn't know about the big brain she had. If they had paid any attention, the probably could have also used that.

Though she was fast, why not run. Why not find somewhere safer? Why not run away from these horrid people?

Maybe because she had nowhere to go. At least with them, she often had food and somewhere to sleep. And she didn't have anywhere to go.

Astrid always dreamed what it would be like if she wasn't left in that dumpster. She'd have bothers and sisters. She'd have loving parents. She would sleep in a house with her own room on a comfortable bed.

Instead she was left living with these thieves under an old bridge inside a tent. It was always cold with Astrid only having thin clothes to wear and a single blanket.

Many other's in the community knew of her situation. They all took pity on the poor girl. They were the ones that were mainly feeding her, giving her something warm to wear on cold days, and keeping her company when no one else would. But other than that, she never really got any help from those who actually had money.

At nine years old, Astrid had met Z and Jack, two others that were similar to her. They got along great. They treated her like a sister. They were the light she needed in her life. But yet, it still wasn't bright enough. But thing's got better.

At ten years old, the police had finally found out about the robberies from the past couple of years. Everyone knew who it was, but they were scared of the harm that it would cause Astrid if they were to tell the truth, so no one ever did. But after years of investigating, the police finally talked to someone who was willing to tell the truth. Or at least a little part of it.

When Astrid wasn't home, the police raided the tent and found all the stolen objects. The whole community watched as the couple were arrested. Astrid arrived just on time to see everything happen.

When the couple spotted her in the crowd, they waisted no time in blaming it on her. "It was her! She stole it! She's framing us!"

Astrid stared, not bothering to say a word. The police rolled their eyes, not believing a word of what the couple was saying. How could the robberies from the past few years happen because of a single child.

One of them grabbed the girls arm and began pulling it. "Tell them the truth! You can't leave us like this!"

Astrid was left in shock. Fear washed over her as they squeezed her arm tighter and tighter. "Tell them!"

In seconds, Jack and Z came to the rescue. They pulled the crazy person's arm off Astrid and pushed the girl behind them. "Lay off her!"

They finally pushed them into the car, and that was the last Astrid would see of them ever again. Jack and Z grabbed her hand. "Let's go."

The three turned around and started leaving. Astrid tightly held onto them, scared that they would leave her. But they didn't plan to let that happen.

Even after they were finally gone, Astrid still never got her happy ending. She had to find a way to live. It was easier as a child. People basically just handed things to her in pity. But as she grew older, no one was really willing to help.

She still lived on the streets, often having to go a few days without food. It angered her that people with money were only willing to help people that looked like they deserved the help, even if they didn't deserve it.

Astrid still ended up having to steal food to survive. And after a while, she stole food for anyone else that needed it. At one point, it was food and clothes. It didn't take long for Z and Jack to join. And with the powers the three had, they were basically unstoppable. People tried stopping them, but nothing ever worked out for them. 

After every tiring day, Astrid would climb an old broken ladder to a broken down building. Up at the roof, was a small tent. For some reason, the vents to the building still worked, so she still had a bit of warmth at the night.

She grabbed her blanket and pillows from inside the tent and brought them out. She laid outside on the floor staring up at the stars. Astrid started asking herself some questions

Why give her this life? Why bother helping others? Why stick around in this cruel world? Why bother to find a way to live?

These were questions she asked herself every time she looked up at the stars. She hoped that they would give her an answer. But of course, she got nothing.

She thought of herself as a star. Because they had a time limit. Only difference was that hers was a much shorter limit. And that would soon come to an end.