The Radiant Rangers

Chapter 2

The sun was bright, radiating its warmth across the distance of the forest. Cynthia dashed through the woods, leaping over thin winding creaks and slippery rocks. She dodged and zipped past rotting oak trees and under low and snapped branches.

Everything blurred into a dizzying blend of terrestrial colors around her. The earth was wet and moist under her red vans. The woods began to widen and a thin layer of fallen pine needles and sentinels disguised the perilously rocky terrain.

She ran beside a twisted creek that mirrored the deep greens of the trees. She leaped over a fallen pine tree which had damned the flow.
The forest was ancient; from its' thick trees to its' twisted and gnarled roots.

Cynthia's ponytail trailed behind her in long waves of cherry hues. It was like a lions mane. She looked down at her clothing and noticed that the blood stains had vanished entirely. Her pink woolen sweater no longer had the scent of blood and her black shorts looked perfectly normal besides the small tear on the right side.

Cynthia didn't bother to call Juliet. Juliet was the type of person to sleep until dinner time on the weekends. This was an emergency and the only person Cynthia could tell was Juliet.  Juliet was like Cynthia. She had unnatural abilities as well; that's how the two of them became friends. Juliet had the ability to manipulate lightening. Large, dangerous bolts of blue lightening and electricity. Juliet had obtained these powers when she was ten years old as well.

Cynthia and Juliet met in middle school, both of them became friends without knowing the other had powers.

Juliet was the first true friend that Cynthia ever had and she trusted Juliet enough to share some of her deepest secrets. Juliet, unlike Cynthia, told nobody about the powers she obtained during the night of the Radiant Ranger's death. When Cynthia told Juliet about her powers, Juliet was in shock and told Cynthia she had gained strange powers as well. The two of them had been best friends ever since.

Cynthia ran out of the forest and made her way over to the street which lead to Juliet's neighborhood. Cynthia's house was safely hidden in the woods. It was going to be a long walk to Juliet's house but Cynthia had to meet with her as soon as she could.

The street wound itself over the hills like a belt, grey and cracked with age. On each side of the road, houses were separated by small yards. Some of the houses were big, others were small. Every building was different, borrowing this and that from another era. It made the place as glorious as a beloved grandmother's quilt; every patch was unique and as eye-catching as the one before it.

Juliet lived in a rather busy neighborhood.
The streets were jammed with cars, traffic was constantly at a crawl, and the town parking lot was always full. The Saturday morning shoppers hustled and bustled about the street markets. Streets were lined with stalls selling organic produce, fresh meat, local cheeses, baked goods, large iced cinnamon buns, home-made trinkets, and potted plants and herbs. Anything you needed it was here. Stall holders with chalk boards shouted about deals of the day and called out prices or special offers. Frantic shoppers hurried about to claim the hot deals. Mothers with strollers and toddlers roamed about. It was a very busy morning in Juliet's neighborhood.

It took Cynthia about fifteen minutes to finally arrive at Juliet's house. Cynthia looked around Juliet's front door step for signs of a cardboard box. Cynthia checked the mailbox, the large metal one by the street and the smaller one by the door itself. There were no cardboard boxes that had been aggressively wrapped in tape.

Box or not, Cynthia needed to talk to Juliet. Not sure if anyone was awake or not, Cynthia knocked gently on the door and opened it quietly.

Juliet's house was welcoming from the door to the wide hallway. The walls were busy, filled with photographs of children so obviously loved. The photos consisted of Juliet and her six brothers. Juliet was the only female in her family, but she didn't mind it. The floor was old-fashioned with a blend of deep homely browns and the walls were green and yellow like fresh summer gardens.