Midnight Meetings of the Spirit

By: Harlequinranger 

Leo sat up, suddenly, in the darkness. He was gasping for breath, sweat trickling down his back and making his fringe stick to his forehead. This was just plain freaky. It was the third time that night he’d woken like this, for no apparent reason, having dreamt a dream he had no memory of, but knowing it had an important message. The other thing was that every time he woke up, the room was absolutely freezing. Icy cold. His quick breaths sending long, shimmering plumes of silver steam into the air. His blankets did little to keep the cold air at bay. Then, slowly, the atmosphere returned to its normal room temperature.

Yet this was getting more and more frequent. He hadn’t had a decent nights sleep since Kendrix had… since she… since she had gone. Less than a week ago. At first he had put it down to the trauma of loosing someone he was so close to. The others, when he had told them about it, still put it down to that. But he had the distinct feeling it was more than that. Something or someone was trying to tell him something.

Leo pulled his knees up to his chest and rocked slowly, back and forth, waiting for the temperature to return to normal. A prickle travelled down his spine. That distinct feeling of another presence… something other than himself in the room, and he didn’t mean his sleeping room mates. He blinked around him, trying to take in the space around him, but the shadows were playing tricks with his mind.

It’s two in the morning,

I’ll tell you why I’m awake,

There it goes,

That creepy feeling,

Round in my head,

Again, here in my head.

The curtains were moving. Fluttering slightly. How on earth… there was no wind in space so how could they be…

On impulse, Leo scrambled from is bed, darted to the window and grabbed the curtains to stop them moving. Yes, there it was, a definite breeze, forcing its way in, somehow, from the window. He place both hands against the glass and stared out into the open space beyond. The breeze stopped. But the temperature was still far bellow normal. He had goose bumps all the way up his arms. For a second he shut his eyes, I wish… I wish… I wish…

Cold air hit his neck. As if he could feel someone breathing on him.

With a yelp, Leo leapt away, opening his eyes. Was that… was that frost, on the other side of the glass? No, it was melting… Condensation. Condensation on the other side of the glass. No, that was impossible. It looked exactly as if someone had been pressing their face to the glass outside, peeping in, breathing onto the glass. And now it was fading away.

Here in the darkness,

Oh, there’s so many shades,

Shadows burn like faded flames,

And die into the night,

And fly up so high,

This was insane. How could condensation form on the outside of a pain of glass on a space station? Slowly, cautiously, Leo went back to the window and placed his hands against the glass. A star streaked past his view of space. A shooting star.

When a star falls, it means someone has died…

Leo remembered Mike telling him that, once, when they were both very, very small, and he’d first seen a shooting star from earth. Blinking, Leo looked back at the glass to clear his vision.

For a second, he could have sworn he’d seen her, on the other side of the glass, her hands pressed to the window opposite to his, so they would have been touching had it not been for the glass.

"Kendrix…" Leo breathed. But he blinked, and she was gone. Again he shut his eyes, and felt another shiver passing down his spine. Is it you, Kendrix? Is it you, waking me up at night? Are you trying to contact me, from where ever you are now?

He really was going nuts. This was beyond insane. He opened his eyes and turned round. He would go back to bed, go to sleep, and get counselling. Yet, in a way, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get rid of this ‘ghost’. In a way it was strangely comforting to think she was still out there, somewhere, and was trying to get to them. Or maybe he should be worried. If she was trying to contact her, was there something wrong? Was she even dead?

Are you a ghost?

Or are you alive?

Would you be here for me,

Be here for me now?

Imagination,

Or are you for real?

Just give me a sign,

And I’ll know.

Even when he’d seen her spirit disappear with the quasar sabre, he had never quite been able to convince himself that she really had gone.

A hand touched his shoulder. A cold, icy little hand.

Leo spun round, jumping about a foot into the air.

Nothing. No one there. Careful. Maybe all this was just his imagination. Maybe he was just skittish because of the darkness. Yet how could out explain the condensation outside of his window.

Then he got the fright of his life.

More condensation had been breathed onto the window. And written into it, in dripping letters, were the words:

Leo,

Kendrix, Karone.

Taking several deep breaths to steady his nerves, Leo went to get a better look. Who on earth was Karone? Wasn’t that… hadn’t Andros mentioned his sister, Karone? So what was this spirit trying to tell him? That Karone and Kendrix were linked in some way? How?

"Kendrix, where are you?" He asked, out loud.

Cool wind is blowing,

Fingers through hair,

Standing in an empty room, alone,

It feels like you’re here,

Alone,

I know that you’re there.

Another cold breeze, this time on his cheek. And he could feel her too, so close, as if she was right there, next to him, like she always had been. I want to tell you, I want too tell you so much, but I’m not even sure myself…

"Kendrix?" Again Leo looked round, almost convinced she was in the same room. Had he really heard her voice, just then? Or was it the air conditioning?

Please…Let me stay, I have to tell him about Karone… Or he’ll never except her… please…it won’t take long, I promise… if I could just-

Abruptly, the shadow voice was cut off. But the presence was still there. Right beside him. He could almost feel the cold air, radiating from it. A single, tiny, cold hand touched his arm. That same, cold hand that was so warm only a few days ago. Slowly, taking soft, shallow breaths, Leo looked to the side.

Are you a ghost?

Or are you alive?

Would you be here for me,

Here for me now?

Imagination,

Or are you for real?

Just give me a sign and I’ll know.

Her face, as pale as the moon, hovered close to him. She was standing right next to him, peering at him in concern from behind a pair of ghostly spectacles.

"Yeesh!" Leo jumped away in fright. It nearly broke his heart. The pained look that crept across her translucent features. The hurt as she realised he was afraid of her. "Kendrix…" He reached for her and actually felt his hand brush something very close to solid. "Who’s Karone?"
"The new pink ranger…" Her voice sounded like the rustling of a thousand dead leaves. "You must except her or the team will suffer, Leo…"

"But…" A new pink ranger? Leo wasn’t entirely sure he could handle that. Another girl in the colour he so loyally considered to belong to Kendrix. So soon, as well.

"Leo, please," She placed her ghostly fingers against his chest, "For me?"

"I… suppose." Leo sighed, trying not to shiver. Her hands really did feel like wisps of ice.

"Thank you." She smiled at him. "I’ve hand chosen her. I think she will do a good job."

Leo managed to smile back, feeling week. "Anyone you’ve chosen must be good."

She placed her hands into his and smiled again. "I have to talk to Maya, because I’m afraid you’ll probably think this is a dream when you wake up tomorrow morning."

"I’ll try not to." He promised. Kendrix only shook her head, sadly. Something suddenly occurred to Leo, and he lifted her hand to inspect it. "How can I touch you? You can’t touch ghosts…"
Kendrix gave him a sage look. "Whoever said I was a ghost?"

"Huh?" Leo jumped again. "if you’re not a ghost… then… what are you?"
"Maybe I’ll tell you someday." Was the only reply he got, as she withdrew her hands from his. "I will always be with you, Leo, no matter what."

"I know." Leo replied, softly.

"Look out for Karone. Don’t ever forget me."

For a second he felt an icy butterfly kiss on his cheek, and then, with a fresh draft of cold air, she was gone. Leo looked at the spot she had been, as he felt the temperature return to normal. He blinked away the dew drop tears from his eye lashes, and went back to bed.

Look out for Karone. Don’t ever forget me.

Never could, Leo thought, never could…

I’ll tell you what,

I know,

I’ll tell you what,

I feel…

(*(*(*(*(*(*

Karone paused outside the door to the boys quarters as she went past, on her way to bed. It was late. The day had been a long one. But the cold prickle up her spine was eerily familiar. It was the same prickle she’d gotten right before Kendrix had stopped her from hitting the ground the day before.

Curiosity getting the better of her, she slid the door open a crack and peeped inside. There were the boys bunks. There was Damon, on the top bunk, sound asleep. There was Kai, in much the same state, in the bunk below. And there was Leo, in the other bunk, across the room.

And, knelt beside his bunk, gently pulling up the covers to cover the red ranger more efficiently, was Kendrix.

Karone watched, feeling her heart melt at the tragic tenderness of the situation, leaning against the door frame, as Kendrix tucked the duvet more securely about the sleeping young man, and stroked his hair out of his eyes.

A guardian angel, that’s what she is. Kendrix thought, turning away to leave the spirit to her work. A sweet little guardian angel.

Are you a ghost?

Or are you alive?

Would you be here for me,

Be here for me now?

Imagination,

Or are you for real?

Just give me a sign and I’ll know,

Just give me a sign…