Little House • Power Rangers RPM

Chapter 11

Summer was asleep when Pamela made it back to the room. She put her bag under the bed, took off her shoes, and hid under the covers.

Robin was alive. She couldn't find a word to describe how relieved she was. But did it make her selfish to think having her aunt back wasn't enough? She wanted to see her friends again... and she needed to see her parents again. She knew the latter was impossible; no matter how many times she fantasized about it, they were never coming back. And it hurt. It hurt too much, and she let out a quiet sob.

"Hey, are you alright?" She heard Summer whisper. So she hadn't been in deep sleep after all.

Pamela turned around and opened her eyes to look at her. She hoped her tears would be invisible in the dark. "No, not really... I can't talk about it."

"It's okay. You don't have to."

"Thanks."

Summer was so gentle. They were pretty much strangers, but here she was, being kind and understanding. Pamela didn't want to admit it, but she was now curious about her. How did she become a Ranger? Where did she learn to fight like that? Dillon was no longer the only ranger that intrigued her.

"You told me you rescued Scott after you made it here, right? But how..." She gulped, batting her eyelashes. "...how did you get here?"

Summer remained silent for a moment, and then Pamela heard her sigh. Maybe I shouldn't have asked.

"It was my birthday party, and my parents weren't at home with me. I was in my room when I first heard the airstrikes, and I ran outside with all my friends. But they left me by myself, until my butler Andrews came to my rescue. We almost made it to Corinth, until a group of grinders attacked us, and Andrews sacrificed himself to save me."

Damn it. I really shouldn't have asked.

Summer didn't say anything for a while after that. Pamela couldn't understand what type of friends would abandon someone during the end of the world, and she imagined how painful it must have been for her to watch her butler die. And he probably wasn't going to come back like Robin did. She then realized that Summer's birthday had been a day right after her own. She couldn't bring herself to mention the coincidence though.

"When I made it, my parents were already here." Her voice startled Pamela. But she was glad that Summer's tale wasn't over. "I heard Scott asking for help over the radio, and I just knew I needed to help him. I wasn't a very good person before, you know? I used to only think of parties, clothes... and boys." Summer giggled. "But these past couple of days... I've been trying to be better. And when I heard of Dr. K and his ranger morphers, I knew I had to be a part of it. Being a Power Ranger and helping save the city is the only thing I want to do now."

Pamela felt oddly humbled that Summer trusted her with her story. It was hard for her to believe that the Yellow Ranger hadn't been a good person before, but nobody was ever truly perfect, right? She wanted to give her some words of reassurance, so the blonde wouldn't think she didn't appreciate her honesty.

"I'm not good with... talking about my feelings. I'm grateful that you told me your story, and maybe one day I'll tell you mine. I just can't talk now."

"It's okay. You don't owe me anything. I'm glad Dillon convinced Scott to let you come back with us. You're a good listener."

Pamela was even more inquisitive now. "What did Dillon say?"

"He said that you hadn't done anything wrong and that all you wanted was a place to stay. He also said that you were too nice to be in prison."

Pamela didn't know what to think of that. She was now close to the point of sleep and didn't want to think anymore. "Okay, thank you for telling me. Good night."