Chapter 1- The Truth, Part I

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As morning dawned on the city of Amber Beach, a peaceful aura settled over the town. Every person and being felt at peace- except one. A brown-haired girl with glasses darted through the grass in the shine of the early dawn, a briefcase grasped in her tan hand. Kendall glanced left and right, clearly lost, as she tried to find her way to the Amber Beach Museum. She had never stayed anywhere else before and didn't know where to go. She hadn't slept all night, so she was exhausted and could hardly walk.

"Where could it be?" Kendall wondered as she collapsed back against a tree. Her head hit the ground hard and she grunted with pain, biting her tongue so hard that she tasted blood. Irritated, she stood up again and grabbed the briefcase, her face hot with shame, hating to be seen like this. She took out her violet ponytail and let her dark hair cascade over her shoulder. Cautiously, she stepped forward.

"Miss Morgan?" A voice from behind her made her yelp with surprise as she spun around and lashed out at the young, dark-skinned girl behind her. Shelby gasped in shock as Kendall's fist struck her head and she fell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Shelby yelled angrily. She thrust her leg out and caught Kendall on the ankle, unbalancing her, and she slammed to the ground. Her glasses flew off and her head hit a root, making the world spin around her.

"Shelby..." Vision blurring, her eyes closed. Shelby stood over her, glaring. Then, she seemed to break out of her trance and leaned down beside the fallen scientist.

"Miss Morgan, I'm so sorry! Miss Morgan? Kendall! Say something!" She shook her gently. Kendall didn't stir.

"No sleep, huh?" Shelby rolled her eyes. She put her hand under Kendall and slung her arm around her shoulder, standing her up as she grabbed the briefcase and her glasses. The museum was right around the corner, so she staggered over to the dinosaur by it. The mouth opened and she managed to pick up Kendall and push her into the lab. She slid down the slide and lay motionless in a heap at the bottom. Shelby cautiously followed, careful not to step on the sleepy girl.

"What happened?" Kendall groaned as she vainly tried to sit up. Then she remembered. "Shelby, I'm sorry I hurt you. But you took me by surprise."

A hint of orange fire flared in Shelby's eyes. "Maybe I should just put you out of your misery now," she muttered.

"What did you say?"

Shelby pushed Kendall's glasses back onto her face as she got to her feet. When she did, she saw Prince Phillip entering the room from the other side. Shelby whispered something in his ear as he came closer to her. He nodded and the neutral look on his handsome face twisted into an evil grin.

"Prince Phillip?" Kendall nervously edged closer to him, astonished by the change in his expression. All of a sudden, his foot flashed out and hit her straight in the chest. She flew backwards and crumpled against the wall as she tried to register what had just happened. Were the Rangers turning against her? Did they want to protect the world, but destroy her too? She sat up and immediately, she felt pressure on her neck and suddenly, Prince Phillip and Shelby were pushing her up against the wall, holding her by the throat. Then Shelby's hand darted out and snatched the Purple Energem from the chain around her neck. Letting go of Kendall, she moved backwards and threw the Energem against the wall as hard as she could. To Kendall's horror, the gem shattered against the bricks.

"Why did you do that?" Kendall shouted.

Neither of them said a word, but instead morphed into the Pink and Graphite Rangers. They stuck their own Energems into their blasters and prepared to fire, the weapons quickly charging up.

"Please... no... don't do it..." But deep down, Kendall knew she couldn't stop it. These weren't her friends. These were not Shelby and Prince Phillip.

"Fire!"

Kendall squeezed her eyes shut and almost instantaneously, a gargantuan wave of agony overcame her as fire burned in her chest. She threw her head back and screamed, every inch of her body burning and her mind begging the torture to stop. Tears streamed down her face as the laceration overwhelmed her.

"Please..." she whispered. Her Energem had been destroyed, her energy was gone, her will to live was disappearing fast, and she had been betrayed by two of her closest friends. I need to tell the others about this? But who knows if any of the other Rangers might be a part of this conspiracy too?

"STOP!" she wailed. "You're hurting me! I can't take any more!"

The pain abruptly stopped and Kendall looked up. Her face paled when she saw that another Ranger had joined the traitors. It was Riley. "No..."

"That's not all, Miss Morgan," the Green Ranger snarled, preparing to fire his blaster, combined with the others. "Definitely not all."

"Don't hurt me!" Kendall gasped frantically.

Riley lowered the blaster, but instead rushed forward and grabbed her by the arm, twisting it hard, but not breaking it. Then he let go. Kendall cried out, overwhelmed by the agonizing pain and shame. It was too much to hope that it would be quick. They wanted her to suffer.

"Koda will be part of this too." Shelby smiled maliciously. "He will be here soon. The four of us will make sure you wish you'd never been born."

Kendall felt as if she'd literally been stabbed in the back with a sharp knife. She bit her lip and tasted blood. Shelby, Prince Phillip, Riley, and Koda, They all wanted her in pain. Or worse, possibly dead. Or maybe just scared. But she hated it any way.

Then Koda arrived, entering through the same door that the prince and Riley had used. He swaggered over to Riley, Shelby, and Prince Phillip, who greeted him heartily. Kendall gulped. Now she was really in trouble.

Is this the end? Am I destined to die at the hands of who I thought were my friends?

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