Legacy Rangers (Book Two of the Chosen Universe)

Chapter Thirteen

THORN

He was beating up the kickboxing station again. Thorn felt the anger boiling inside of him. He needed to release it. He tried to put all of that rage and all of that pain into his hits and kicks, but it wasn't enough.

He kept going, waiting for something to finally help. He hated feeling this way. Thorn had always been able to keep perspective on things. He was the calm, rational voice of reason among his friends. Nothing ever messed with his mind like this.

He flashed back suddenly to the day everything had changed. Caleb lay dead in his arms, murdered by his aunt simply because she'd chosen to turn evil. Caleb had been completely innocent, and Thorn's aunt had ripped his life away from him.

He flashed on Taylor, who'd seemed so harmless. He remembered what they'd done and it killed something inside of him. He wasn't like the others. He and Sage understood magical entities. Why hadn't he realized what Taylor was sooner? He'd let that creep use him just so he could forget his pain for a few precious minutes. Caleb might have forgiven him, but how could Thorn ever forgive himself?

If I ever see him again, he's dead, Thorn thought. The old Thorn would never have harmed someone unless left with absolutely no other choice, but that Thorn had died with Caleb. Taylor had to pay for what he'd done.

He began punching the station harder. He couldn't feel it anyway. He imagined Taylor's face, and then he imagined Kat's. His aunt had paid for her actions. Katie had seen to that... But Taylor was still out there somewhere, along with Thorn's power coin, and that idea made Thorn sick.

He couldn't breathe. He didn't stop attacking the station. Finally, someone grabbed him. He was going to swing at whoever it was, but he realized it was Josh.

"Are you okay?" Josh asked.

"I'm fine," Thorn said automatically.

Josh hesitated before gently pulling off Thorn's gloves. His knuckles were bleeding and bruised. Josh didn't say anything as he started cleaning his hands up. After he'd gotten them to stop bleeding, he walked back to the supply closet and returned with an ice pack.

"Ice them both. It will help with the swelling," Josh said.

"Thanks," Thorn said. Neither of them said another word until Jayden and the others arrived for training.

SKULL

He was starting to get frustrated. He stood in the lab with Lieutenant Stone, Spike, and the man who might be Bulk's last hope and stared at the forensic evidence they'd looked over a dozen times before. An old friend... emphasis on old... of his and Bulk's had come out to take a look at what they had. Skull had only called him in desperation. He was mildly surprised the guy hadn't died yet, but maybe he'd discovered a cure for that.

"Ahhh... I cannot help you," Professor Phenomenus Ingenious said after an eternity of studying the evidence.

"Why not?" Skull asked.

"This was not aliens!" Professor Phenomenus replied as if that should have been obvious.

"Aliens?" Lt. Stone repeated skeptically.

"Aliens?!" Spike asked with much more enthusiasm.

"Yes! Aliens! Like that shifty-looking fellow right over there on the windowsill!" He pointed to his target.

"That's a squirrel," Lt. Stone said.

Professor Phenomenus laughed. "Ha! Perhaps to the untrained eye!"