The Disappearance of Taylor

Chapter 4

Cole ran back to his friends.

"Guys!" he yelled. Everyone turned in his direction. "You need to hear what the eagle zord just said to me!" He then told them that the eagle had said they could not find out why she had disappeared, leaving out what it had said about him.

"I still don't understand why," Merrick exclaimed after Cole had finished. "But I'll trust the word of a zord." The others nodded in agreement and Cole led the way back toward the room where Princess Shayla and Alyssa were. When they entered the room, Cole saw that Alyssa wasn't faring any better than when they had left. She had quieted down a bit, but she was still crying endlessly. Cole went over to Alyssa and Princess Shayla and motioned to the princess to let him take over. Princess Shayla reluctantly got up from the ledge and went to speak with Max, Danny, and Merrick.

Cole sat down beside Alyssa. Alyssa's eyes were red and tears still poured from them, but her voice had gone silent. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

From on the other side of the room, the others and Princess Shayla watched Cole caressing Alyssa in his arms.

"Alyssa's taking this really hard," Merrick remarked, keeping his voice low.

"All the more reason that you should start trying to find Taylor now." Princess Shayla couldn't bear to see one of her Ranger friends being so sad.

She motioned to Cole. Cole tried to get up, but Alyssa wouldn't let him go. He managed to get himself away from her and walked up to his friends.

"We need to start finding Taylor now," Princess Shayla said sternly. "Alyssa can't bear the fact that she's gone, and if we let it all go, we could lose her. You all know what I mean."

Everyone glanced over at Alyssa, who had collapsed on the hard stone floor, still whimpering.

"I don't want to think about it," Danny mumbled.

"Then let's bring her with us," Max exclaimed. "I'll go with Danny and Cole can go with Alyssa and Merrick."

Cole and Merrick exchanged glances, but didn't argue.

"So where should we search?" Cole asked.

"We don't know where she might be," Danny added. "Where would she be?"

Everyone was silent again for a moment.

Suddenly, Cole's eyes lit up. "I think I know!"

"Where?" Max looked curious.

"If an evil org had sent her somewhere," Cole explained. "She would probably be in a dark place, surrounded by shadows." He ran over to Alyssa and helped her up, letting her lean on his shoulder. Merrick rolled his eyes, but lent support to Alyssa as well.

"Let's go!" Cole shouted, and they set out on their journey down to Earth.

Once on Earth, the Rangers split up into their groups. Max and Danny went one way, while Cole, Alyssa, and Merrick went into the forest. Night was falling, though, and they had to stop and make camp.

"We'll search again tomorrow," Cole promised. But Alyssa shook her head vigorously.

"I don't want to stop," she moaned. "I want to find Taylor. I don't want to lose her."

"But Alyssa," Merrick protested. "We're all very tired and-" Again, Alyssa shook her head and slowly stood up.

"Alyssa, please don't. Go to sleep," Cole sighed.

As if she hadn't heard him, Alyssa started backing away from the fire that they were sitting around.

"Alyssa, no!" Cole yelled when Alyssa started running. He turned to Merrick. "Come on! I saw a ditch over that way earlier. We have to stop her." Merrick opened his mouth to say something, until he heard Alyssa scream from deep inside the darkness of the forest

"Alyssa!" Cole shouted. He got up and took off running in that direction. Merrick gasped and dashed after him.

Cole ran until he spotted a sheer drop in front of him and skidded to a stop at the end of it.

"Alyssa!" he called. No answer.

"Alyssa!" he called again. Still no answer. He turned to Merrick, who had just come up behind him. "Did you happen to bring a flashlight? I can't see anything in that ditch."

Merrick nodded and ran back to the campfire, soon returning with a flashlight tucked in his pocket. He pulled it out and gave it to Cole. Cole shined it into the ditch.

"See anything?" Merrick questioned. Cole shook his head, but suddenly gasped. "What is it, Cole?"

"I found her," Cole whispered. "But she's- she's hurt."