Category: TV Show ? Power Rangers

Author: Twix3780

Language: English

Rated: Fiction T

Genre: Fantasy/Family

Warnings: Eventual Teacher/Student relationship.

Disclaimer: I don't own Power Rangers.

Author's Note: Welcome to the Dino Thunder portion of the Hellhound universe.


POWER RANGERS APPEAR IN OCEAN BLUFF

For fifteen years, Power Rangers have protected this planet from Alien beings. Starting way back in 1993 with the Mighty Morphin' Rangers in Angel Grove, all the way up to the new bloods that appeared in Ocean Bluff this past weekend.

The Jungle Fury Rangers seem to be an elite team of three individuals that appear to harness the power of animal spirits to their bidding.

But this reporter only has one question on her mind. Three years ago, we saw the rise of the Mystic Rangers in Briarwood, with the team revealing their identities at the end of their run, six weeks later then Black Ranger - Kali Briar popped up in Blue Bay Harbour during the fight between the Ninja Storm Rangers and Lothor, only for her to disappear when they did.

Coincidence, I think not?

So, my lovely readers, do you think that the infamous Black Ranger (yes, Briar, we know it's you, but we'll play along for now), will make an appearance this time? And, if she does, will we finally find out why she's going from city to city fighting monsters?

Keep an eye on this blog for more information.

Kisses,

C.C - Reefside News.

Anabel Brookes rolled her eyes as she switched off the blog post. When she had agreed to start a News Blog at the school, she hadn't expected Cassidy to use it for her own personal investigations, plus, she hadn't approved this story on the Jungle Fury Rangers to even be posted.

"I swear, Cass, you're a worst pain than I could possibly imagine," Anabel muttered, opening a separate chat box and firing off a quick message. Once it had sent, she checked her other messages, and then slid her phone closed, returning it to her pocket and finishing the last of her breakfast, before dispensing of the bowl in the fridge.

"Anabel, what do you think of this?" her mother, Zoey, asked as she waltzed into the room. She was dressed up in a red suit jacket with a pencil skirt, and red pumps that made her appear taller than she actually was.

Anabel smiled. "You look amazing, mum," she said. "I'm guessing it's a big day at the City Hall, huh?"

"You know I can't talk about it."

Anabel nodded. Being the daughter of the Mayor was tough at times, especially when her mother came home from work with folders upon folders and she couldn't do anything to help, except maybe prepare coffee and food, and sometimes even a blanket and pillow for when Zoey fell asleep on the couch, folder in hand.

Checking her watch, Zoey's eyes widened. "I'm going to be late," she gasped, dropping her arm. "I'm not ready. Are you okay to drive to school?"

"Mum, breathe," said Anabel, standing from the kitchen table. She pulled her bag strap over her head and grabbed her backpack, hauling it onto her shoulder. "I'll grab the mail on my way out. Anything important, I'll keep in my car until later."

"Thank you," said Zoey. "I may not be home until late this evening, are you okay to -"

"I have practice after school," said Anabel. "I'll probably get food with the others or pick up takeaway on my way home."

Zoey smiled and kissed her daughter's cheek. "I love you," she said.

"Love you, too, mum," said Anabel. "Good luck today."

As Zoey headed back upstairs, Anabel slipped into her trainers which were by the front door, grabbed her keys from the hook, and after one more shout to her mother she left.

Checking her phone as she approached her car, Anabel hit the unlock button her car keys and heard the distinct click of her car unlocking. She stored her bags in the back seat and the got into the front, pulling out of the drive. She paused at the mailbox and reached inside, pulling out a parcel and stared at the name.

Anabel Brookes

3150 Doctors Drive

Reefside,

California

Brow furrowed, Anabel turned off her car and used the sharp edge of her key to open the box. Her confusion turned to concern as she removed all the excess packaging, tossing it into the back seat, and found a black velvet pouch at the bottom of the box. Opening the pouch, Anabel turned it over and a green gem that fit snugly in the palm of her hand, rolled out. It looked… prehistoric. Like a stone from a dig or something.

She wondered if he had sent it. It would fit, seeing as she used to collect weird gems. But she hadn't seen him in years, and she had moved on to bigger and better things than pretty crystals.

"Look, daddy, look what I found -"

Anabel shook her head, clearing the memory before it had a chance to take root and play in her head. She had forced all feelings of him from her life, and she didn't intend on letting him weasel is way back in with some half-assed present to win her trust. She tossed the gem back into its box, stored the box on her passenger seat, and restarted the car.

Just as she turned onto the road, Zoey stepped out of the house and waved to her daughter as she headed towards her own car.

"Bye mum," Anabel called as she rolled through the window.

Zoey blew a kiss and Anabel smiled as she drove off the drive, towards Reefside High.

~X~

Anabel arrived at Reefside High with half an hour to spare. She pulled into an empty slot in the school parking lot and turned off the car. Pulling down the sun cover, she stared at her reflection but found her attention drifting back to the box in her front seat.

I haven't seen him since I was five years old, she thought. Why should I care if he has sent me something?

Pulling the box onto her lap, Anabel plucked the gem out again and stared at it. Whatever it was, it really did look pretty. The way the light glinted off it as it passed through the window, to the way it seemed to shimmer as she turned it over in her hands.

Clutching the gem in one hand, Anabel reached into the pack seat and pulled out her PDA from her backpack. "I'm sure a new teacher is starting today," she muttered, powering it up and checking her emails. "Doctor Thomas Oliver. PhD in Paleontology."

Smiling, Anabel turned off the PDA and returned it to her bag. She then returned her attention to the gem, before storing it safely in the front pocket of her overhead bag. She'd keep it safe until she could speak with Dr. Oliver, probably after free period or even during lunch.

Checking the time, Anabel threw open her door, colliding it with an individual who had been walking passed.

"Oof!" the guy cried, doubling at the waist.

"Omg!" Anabel cried diving out of her car. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry!"

The guy nodded, although he didn't look okay. He did, however, look familiar. Tall, lean-build, longer brown hair - longer than most girls, Anabel noted - blue eyes and a square jaw. Anabel's own jaw dropped as she realised where she had seen him before.

"Holy shit, you're -"

"Christopher Haynes, yeah," the guy said. He had got his wind back and had now straightened up. He towered over her by a good foot, but he didn't look intimidating or angry, instead he looked quite nervous and anxious.

Anabel opened her mouth to speak, but Christopher cut her off.

"Save it. I don't care what you have to say," said Chris. "I just want to pick up where I left off, and finish school with minimal incident."

"But I -" Anabel tried.

Christopher shook his head. "I know you're type," he said. "You're a journalist. You probably work for Cassidy - and I've had my fair share of journalists poking their nose into my business. The articles are all the same - Bad Boy Christopher Denies Murder Charges - but I've had enough. You ruined my life."

Anabel rose an eyebrow at her. "I was just going to say welcome back," she said, once he had finished ranting. She opened her back door, pulled out her things, and slammed the door shut, locking it behind her. She offered Chris a sharp look and bypassed him, heading towards the white-stone building at the end of the road.

Stopping at her locker on her way to homeroom, Anabel took a business card from the peg inside the door and scribbled out her message on the back - Editor's Office: 3:30. A. Brookes. Drop a reply in locker 22. - and slipped it through a particular locker further down the hall.

Upon entering Home Room, Anabel quickly located Cassidy and Devon and made her way towards them.

"You almost missed the bell," said Devin. "You never almost miss the bell."

Anabel shook her head.

"I've got the next big scoop for the paper," said Cassidy, excitedly. "We have a new student, a new teacher, and a new principal."

"Do you think you can remain objective this time?" Anabel asked.

Cassidy furrowed her brow.

"Don't act coy, Cass," said Anabel. "The school year hasn't even started yet, and you're sprouting conspiracy nonsense on the school blog. I didn't even set that up yet, it was on the agenda for today."

"Oh, I set the blog up over the weekend," said Cassidy. "The world needed to know about the Jungle Fury Rangers, immediately, and you weren't back from the south of France - how was it, by the way? Meet any cute guys?"

Anabel rolled her eyes. Normally Cassidy's one-track mind was on the next scoop she could get for the school newspaper, and not the love-life of the girls in her class. However, Anabel and Cassidy had been friends for a lot longer than most people in Reefside.

"No," said Anabel. "I want the Jungle Fury post removed by lunch period."

"Why?"

"Just do it," said Anabel. "I also want the details to the blog on my desk by the end of the day. We need to discuss the blog before we post to it."

Cassidy rolled her eyes.

The door opened and 30-something-year-old man stepped inside. He was wearing a white lab coat over a pink checked shirt and pale brown pants. He had short, brown hair with thin glasses and was carrying several folders under his arm.

"Hello…" said Cassidy, swiveling around in her seat.

Anabel shook her head. "He can't be our new teacher," she murmured.

"Guys, settle down," the new teacher called, setting his stuff on the desk. "Take your seats, please." As everyone took their seat, the new teacher folded his hands in front of him and surveyed them all. "I'm Dr. Oliver, and this is first period science. Before we start, are there any questions?"

Cassidy met Anabel's gaze as she raised her hand.

"Yes," Dr. Oliver said, pointing at her.

"Cassidy. Cassidy Cornell."

The class groaned and Anabel had to roll her eyes. It was common knowledge that Cassidy wasn't the nicest of reporters at the school. She was pushy, rude, conceited, and narcissistic at best, but she had always dreamed of being a reporter, and she did good when she put her mind to it.

"Dr. Oliver, as you know, I'm the anchor and field reporter for our school TV station," Cassidy continued, despite the groans coming from our classmates. "Anyway, I'm sure our viewers are wondering — well, you don't really look old enough to be a teacher."

Anabel sighed heavily and caught Devin's eye from across the table as Cassidy snapped at him for 'getting the shot'.

"Cassidy, I promise you, I'm old enough," Dr. Oliver reassured her. "So, let's put the camera away. For now, let's talk about you guys, and what you expect of yourselves in this class because that's what's really important." He cast his gaze around and landed on an empty stool at the edge of the desk near the door. "Is someone missing?"

"That'd be Conner McKnight," said Anabel. She had done a quick head check when she had entered the room but couldn't see the tall brown-haired soccer player that she had shared Homeroom with for the last four years. "He's probably out on the soccer field."

"He does realise it is the first day of school?" Dr. Oliver asked.

Anabel shrugged. "He's a jock," she said. "Sometimes he thinks the rules don't apply to him."

Dr. Oliver raised an eyebrow at her.

~X~

With the first half of the day over with, Anabel headed back to her locker and opened the door. Inside she found her business card, with a reply beneath her original message. - Monday. 3:30. C. Haynes. Locker 78 - she smiled and crumpled it up in her hand.

As she was putting away her stuff, Anabel's hand brushed against the gem in the front of her bag, and she reached in carefully. She glanced around, making sure that no one could see what she was doing and then licked her lips. Lunch had been in session for only ten minutes, and while she did have others thing to be getting on with in the Editors office, she also figured now would be the best time to speak with Dr. Oliver about the gem.

Packing away her things, Anabel slammed her locker closed and headed back down the hall to her first period science classroom. She peered in through the closed door and found Dr. Oliver sitting at his desk. He was rapping a pencil on the table but didn't seem to be concentrating on the work in front of him.

Knocking, Anabel smiled as Dr. Oliver looked up and waved her in.

"Anabel, what can I do for you?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Dr. Oliver, but I was wonder if you could take a look at something for me?"

Dr. Oliver raised an eyebrow. "I'm no good at editorial articles," he said, chuckling.

"No, it's not that, I promise," said Anabel.

"Maybe a quote on how jocks get away with everything?"

Anabel took a deep breath. "Yeah, sorry about that," she apologised. "Conner and I were friends, but something happened that made me lose trust in him, and we haven't spoken since. But, again, that's not why I'm here."

"Okay. What can I do for you?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"Well, I received this in the post this morning," said Anabel, fishing the gem out of her back and setting it on the table. "I'm not entirely sure what it is, but it looks prehistoric, and you have a PhD in paleontology, I thought maybe you could tell me?"

But Dr. Oliver was no longer listening. Instead, he had picked up the gem, a notion that made Anabel gasped and then relax - Why did she feel so protective over the gem? It's not like she cared where it came from, or rather who it came from, also, if there was a chance that it was a rare artifact then she had a duty to return it to a museum or something, right?

"You say you got this in the mail?" Dr. Oliver asked.

Anabel nodded. "Yeah, it was in my mail box this morning," she answered. "Addressed to me and everything. I have the original packaging if you need to see it. But the gem itself was inside this." She showed him the velvet pouch.

"Do you know who sent it to you?"

Anabel hesitated and the shook her head.

"Anabel…?"

Anabel sighed. "Someone from my past," she answered. "But I haven't seen them since I was five years old."

Dr. Oliver cocked his head to the side. "I have seen something like this only once before," he said. "I was working with a man, a long time ago. We discovered a cluster of gems, similar to this one, and he made the comment about how his daughter would love one. He wanted to send it straight away, but we were bound to send them to a museum. Unfortunately, before we could do so, we were attacked, and the gems were lost."

"You think this gem is one of the cluster?" Anabel asked.

"It could be," Dr. Oliver said. "I would need to run some tests. Are you willing for me to keep hold of this for the time being?"

Again, Anabel hesitated. Why did she care what happened to the gem?

Seeing her hesitation, Dr. Oliver smiled and handed the gem back. "Actually, why don't you keep a hold of it for now?" He asked. "I'll write my address down and, if you want, you can bring it around later for me to check."

Anabel eyed him skeptically. "That sounds kind of dodgy, Dr. Oliver," she said. "I mean, you're my science teacher, and you're inviting me back to your place, after school hours. If anyone found out about that there'd be talk, an enquiry, and you could lose your job. I don't want to be the reason that happens to you, especially not on your first day here."

"Oh shoot, I didn't - no, Anabel, it's not like that, I…" Dr. Oliver stammered.

"Why don't you just bring what you need here, and I'll come find you tomorrow?" Anabel asked. "School is a safe place, after all."

"I think that would be a better idea, yeah," said Dr. Oliver.

Anabel nodded and smiled.

"Miss Brookes," interrupted a voice from the door.

Anabel turned and saw the new principal - Randall - glaring at her. "Principal Randal, nice to finally meet you," she said, smiling. "My mum has told me great things about you."

"All lies, I'm sure," Randall sneered.

"Indeed. Well, I'll, uh, get out of your way," said Anabel. She turned and smiled at Dr. Oliver. "Thank you for your help. I'll see you in class." She smiled at Randall and then left the room, pausing outside to listen in to the conversation before carrying on her way towards the Editors Office.

~X~

Knock. Knock.

Straightening up, Anabel looked around and smiled as the door opened and Dr. Oliver stepped inside. "Doctor Oliver, pretty sure you're not my three thirty," she said.

"Given that it is only 1pm, I'm going to say no," said Dr. Oliver.

Chucking, Anabel scooped up the last of the snack products she had been sorting through and stashed them away in the top shelf of the cupboard. Once satisfied, she closed the door and turned to her teacher. "As the chief editor of the school newspaper, it's my job to make sure that the snack cupboard is fully stocked," she explained.

"You get reimbursed for that money you spend?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"Sometimes," said Anabel. "We get a budget off the principal. If we go over the budget it comes out of our own pocket, but if it's within the budget then the school board will finance it. It's only fair, considering most of us spend a lot of late nights here, especially if we're writing a high-profile piece. Like, last year, for example, there was an incident in the school, a student died during a prank."

Dr. Oliver nodded. "I heard about that," he said. "You wrote the article?"

"Me and my team," Anabel nodded. She scrunched up the bag that had held the snacks and tossed it into her trashcan. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, Principal Randall has put me in charge of detention," said Dr. Oliver, "and I was hoping for you and I could continue our conversation from earlier. I was wondering if maybe you'd join me on this detention/field trip?"

Anabel cocked her head to the side. "Starting to get concerned about you, Dr. Oliver," she said.

"How so?"

"Well, earlier you gave me your address and told me to come around after school," said Anabel, folding her arms. "Now you're inviting me out on a detention date to continue talking. I'm starting to get mixed signals."

Seeing her teasing smirk, Dr. Oliver laughed. "You're a piece of work, aren't you?" he asked.

"Just a little bit," said Anabel, laughing. "But, my mum always told me that if you can't make fun of a situation then you probably shouldn't be in it to begin with."

"Sounds like some solid advice."

Anabel tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear. "She told me it after my dad left us," she said. "I've stuck by it all these years."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"How could you?" Anabel asked. She checked her watch. "Can you promise that I'll be back by three thirty?" she asked. "I really do have an appointment then."

Dr. Oliver nodded.

Anabel considered for a second and then smiled. "Okay then, I'll join you for this detention/field trip," she said.

"Slash date?" Dr. Oliver teased.

Anabel laughed as she grabbed her jacket from the back of the swivel chair. "If you want to put a label on it, you're welcome to, but if anyone else hears you there'll be a scandal…" she trailed off as she followed him out of the office, turning partially to close and lock the door in her wake.

"Point made," said Dr. Oliver. He gestured for her to walk ahead and then fell into step beside her.

~X~

"Whoa. Check out the T-Rex," Ethan exclaimed from behind Anabel. They had arrived at the museum outside of town in Dr. Oliver's jeep wrangler and had parked in the shadow of a giant monument dedicated to a prehistoric tyrant king.

Sliding from the passenger seat, Anabel caught Conner's eye and then looked away quickly. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head and found herself wishing and praying that he would look for something else to catch his attention.

"They know you're coming, right?" Anabel asked Dr. Oliver. "I mean, this place is more deserted than the US Action Games where when Lothor attacked two years ago."

"Didn't you cover that in the school newspaper?" Kira asked.

Anabel nodded.

Dr. Oliver glanced at her as he led the way up the path to the main doors. He stopped as he reached them, frowning at the sign that was hanging in the window. "That's weird," he said, but tried the doors anyway. They were locked.

"Oh well, no museum for us," Conner shrugged.

"Great! Let's go home," said Kira, hopefully.

Dr. Oliver turned to the trio. "Tell you what. Why don't you guys take a look around the grounds, if you find anything prehistoric, I'll cancel detention for the rest of the week," he said.

"Sweet," Ethan grinned.

"I'm going to see if I can find someone who knows when they're going to be opening up," Dr. Oliver added.

Kira and Ethan nodded and started to back away from the door. They paused when they realised Conner wasn't with them and turned back, only to find him staring at Anabel.

"You coming, bro?" Ethan asked.

"You're not coming with us?" Conner asked.

Anabel shook her head. She had no intention of being forced into an environment with Conner where she would need to confront what had happened between them two months ago. "I'm not the one that skipped class on the first day back and wound up in detention," she said.

"I thought we could use this time to talk," Conner suggested.

"I'm not ready to talk," said Anabel, shaking her head.

Conner sighed and joined Ethan and Kira. He glanced back once, met Anabel's gaze and then walked away.

Anabel closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then turned her attention to Dr. Oliver. He was staring at her, one eyebrow arched. "What?" she asked.

"You okay?" Dr. Oliver asked.

"Just teenage angst stuff," said Anabel. She passed him, trying to get a clearer view of the image in the door. "It says here that they should have opened last week, but a new management firm took over and now it's been pushed back. There's a case of emergency clause at the bottom."

"Did they give a name of the new management?" Dr. Oliver asked. "Or at least someone to call?"

Anabel swallowed as she read the name. "It can't be," she whispered, her heart beating a little faster as she read the name again, and again.

"Anabel?" Dr. Oliver asked. He peered over her shoulder; his own eyes widened as he read the name. "That's impossible," he murmured. Glancing at his student, Dr. Oliver frowned. "Do you know Anton Mercer?" he asked.

Anabel turned away from the door and swallowed. Tears pooled at the corner of her eyes, and she brushed them away with an angry swipe. She wouldn't cry for him.

"Anabel, do you know Anton Mercer?" Dr. Oliver repeated.

"You could say that," Anabel said. "I don't want to get into it," she added, shaking her head. "It's a personal matter, and it hurts to think about it. Please, don't ask me any more questions."

Dr. Oliver nodded. "Okay. But, you can talk to me if you feel you need to. I've been told I'm a good listener."

Anabel smiled. "I appreciate the offer, Dr. Oliver, but I'll be okay. Thanks," she said.

Turning his attention away from Anabel, Dr. Oliver turned back to the door. He stumbled as Anabel backed up into him and turned his head to see her staring at something at the end of the path, her eyes wide in fear.

"What is it?" Dr. Oliver asked, catching her shoulders as she backed up further, brushing past him until she was flat against the door. She raised her hand and pointed at something high up above them. Following her trajectory, Dr. Oliver gasped as the display dinosaur roared at them from over the museum rooftop.

Spying his car, directly at the end of the drive, Dr. Oliver turned and grasped Anabel's arm.

"What are you -?" Anabel yelped as he ran, dragging her behind him towards the jeep. She screamed as the ground shook underfoot, and indication that the dinosaur was following them; as Dr. Oliver let her go, Anabel clambered into the passenger seat. The lock clicked and she looked down, before turning to look at her teacher. "You're in a jeep wrangler and you lock the door?!"

Digging his keys out of his trouser pocket, Dr. Oliver jammed them into the ignition and fired it up. The engine spluttered and the dinosaur got closer. Despite knowing that the creature was mechanical, Anabel pushed herself back against the back of her seat and turned her head as the T-Rex lunged and roared.

Finally, the engine turned over and Dr. Oliver threw the car into reverse and hit the gas pedal. They flew backwards, Anabel gripping the side of her seat so tight her knuckles hurt with tension. Swinging the car around, Dr. Oliver threw the car back into drive and shot forward.

"What about the others?" Anabel asked.

"They're safer where they are," said Dr. Oliver. "We'll come back for them. Unless you want to wait?"

Anabel swallowed and, glancing behind her, saw that the T-Rex was more interested in following the car than it was waiting around for the others to return. "You're car, you're rules," she said, turning back to face the front. "That thing can't be real! Dinosaurs are extinct."

"What's your point?" Tommy asked, steering the car forward.

Anabel glanced behind them. "Well, if they're not real, why are we running away?" she asked. "It's animatronic. Like the ones they used in Jurassic Park. There's either an off switch on it somewhere, or someone is controlling it remotely."

"You're probably right," said Dr. Oliver. "But we're in no position to find out. We have to stop it another way."

Looking around, Anabel spotted a truck behind a cluster of trees and pointed it out to Dr. Oliver. "The bridge," she said. "If we can get it to chase underneath, then it should be low enough to stop it."

Dr. Oliver nodded and sped forward. He and Anabel crossed under the bridge within seconds and heard a loud crunch followed by a crash. Swerving the car around and stopping sharp, the pair glanced at one another and then carefully exited the vehicle. Anabel looked at Dr. Oliver as jogged around the back of the jeep and headed towards the dinosaur, she followed at a much slower pace.

There was a gaping hole in the side of the dinosaurs head. The leather texture of the skin had torn away, and wires sparked as they delivered electricity to a now non-working mechanical brain. The cogs of which were still churning, but the creature was no longer moving.

"I told you it was fake," said Anabel.

"I didn't doubt you," said Dr. Oliver. "But, it still begs the question." He stood up and glanced at her. "Who reprogrammed it, and why was it chasing us?"

Anabel sighed heavily and looked back at the dinosaur. "For the record that's two questions," she said.

As Dr. Oliver chuckled, Anabel smiled.

~X~

As promised, despite near death experience, Dr. Oliver had Anabel back at her desk in the Editors Office before 3:30pm. She was in the middle of removing the blog post on the Jungle Fury Rangers and changing the password on the main interface for the blog when there came a knock at the door. She glanced up, seeing the tall silhouette of her interviewee.

"It's open," Anabel called, looking back at the computer screen. She clicked the mouse and watched as the screen changed.

"I'm looking for A. Brooks," said a familiar voice.

Anabel met the guys gaze. It was the same kid from this morning. "Christopher Haynes?" she asked, smiling. She stood and held out her hand. "I'm A. Brooks - the A stands for Anabel."

"I met you this morning," said Christopher. "You hit me with your car door."

"Accidentally," said Anabel. "I apologised. Then you went full ice queen on me."

"You weren't exactly professional yourself," said Chris. "But, I'm not surprised at the coldness coming from the cheer captain."

Anabel rolled her eyes. There were times where she could be the stereotypical 'ice cold' Cheer Captain, but most often than not she was a rather helpful young woman who liked to use her position as both Cheer Captain and journalist to help people.

"If I had known it was you, I wouldn't have agreed to come here," said Chris.

"But yet you did," said Anabel. "Look, I know what Cassidy did to you and I apprehended her for it. I saw the article that she wanted to post, and I turned it down. She wasn't happy and I know she posted a lot of vile things on her personal blog, but I have no control over that."

"The entire school saw that post," said Chris. "But you didn't try and get her to remove it, or I didn't see any comments from you."

"Objectively, no," said Anabel. "I spoke my mind to Cassidy's face. Commenting on a blog post just increases her traffic and makes it easier for other people to find it. But even then I am a journalist, I need to remain objective about sensitive subject matters."

Chris scoffed. "Why did you ask me to come here?" he asked.

"Please, have a seat," said Anabel, gesturing to the comfy seats on one side of her desk.

"I'd rather not."

Anabel rolled her eyes and sat down. "Fine. Stand," she said. "I asked you here because I want to write about the incident last year -"

"I knew it!" Chris exclaimed. "You want to put your own spin on how much of a screw up I am."

"Actually," Anabel interrupted. "I want your take on subject - You want to know why I didn't comment on Cassidy's blog? This is why. I want the real story. I want to write your story. Not some exaggerated one from a journalist who only recorded one half of what happened. I want you to tell me everything. Why you did what you did, and how you felt after you realised that kid had died."

Chris stared Anabel in shock. No one had ever cared to get his side of the story before. Everyone who was anyone only wanted to see Cassidy's so-called evidence, and then criticize him for being a delinquent. "What's the catch?" he asked.

Anabel shook her head. "No catch," she said. "I'll even email you a copy of the article before it goes to print. You can tell me if there is anything you would like to be removed, although, if you're trying to clear your name then I wouldn't suggest leaving anything out. Or, if you want to add something, I can edit. You'll be in the know at all times. What do you say?"

Chris took a deep breath and then nodded. "Alright," he said. "When do we start?"

Unlocking the top drawer of her desk, Anabel removed a notebook and pen. "How about right now?" she suggested.


I do not own Christopher Haynes. I have had permission to moderate him and his history for the sake of my story. Check out "Starting Over." First part of the Coventry series by TheAwesomeWriter over on A03 for more adventures with him. You may even spot familiar faces :)

What did you think?

Leave me some feedback, please and thank you!

Also, don't forget to check out Jungle Fury: The Hellhound's Demon, which will be posted alongside this story. Both these teams are running at the exact same time within this universe.

Stay Safe!

~Twix