Transdimensional Archives

 

Additional Credits: My undying thanks to Cheryl Roberts for all her help with this entire story. Cheryl, if it weren't for you, this would probably still be in my computer collecting dust!

Tortured Souls: Chapter 2
By Mary "Signkat", Sara "Trini", and Dawn

Upon stepping through the giant plate glass doors, Kim's feet sank into the plush carpet. Gentle piano music floated through the lobby, and the sweet scent of fresh cut flowers filled the air. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, she took a moment to regain her senses before heading for the elevators. Stepping into one of the lifts, the gymnast took one last look as the doors slid shut. The hum of the elevator slowly began to quiet her anxieties as it reaches its destination. Stepping out, she glanced down the halls of the third floor, as she made her way towards room #314. Taking one more deep breath, Kim lightly knocked on the door before her. Suddenly, it was thrown open from the inside, and a familiar face filled the doorway.

"Jason!" Kim exclaimed, bouncing with excitement, "I've missed you! I can't believe you guys are really here!"

"Long time, huh? It's good to see you again, Kim!" He pulled her into a bear hug. "Trini's still getting ready in the bathroom; she should be out shortly," Jason supplied as he ushered his long time friend into the room, shutting the door behind her.

"So, how are things going for the two of you?" Kim queried.

"Couldn't be better! How have you been?" Jason asked in his normal brotherly fashion.

"I'm fine, just a little tired. Thankfully, we just have practice tomorrow then Coach is giving us the next ten days off. Are you coming to dinner with us?"

Jason caught Trini's eye as she emerged from the bathroom, on the far side of the room, and paused momentarily before answering. "Uh no, I'm really tired, but you two go ahead and have fun; tomorrow we can all do something," he replied.

"Ready to go?" Trini picked up her jacket from the bed, and Kim turned her attention towards her friend.

"Whenever you are. Where do you wanna eat?" Kimberly asked, picking up her purse from where she had laid it on the table.

"What are you asking me for? You're the one who lives here!" Trini bantered. To her boyfriend she said, "See ya later, hon."

Jason gave her a quick kiss. "Have fun you two!"

~*~

The crowded restaurant seemed to hum with the flurry of Friday night activity: laughter from a large party, a baby crying, wait staff busily taking orders and bringing drinks. The busboys cleared vacated tables and booths, just in time for them to be filled again.

In a booth to one side of the restaurant, the surroundings seemed to stand still as two best friends were deep in conversation.

"I signed the lease two weeks ago; Mom and Dad like the apartment, but I think it'll take a while for them to get used to the idea of me having my own place. Anyway, it has two bedrooms, a full bath and a half bath, a big kitchen and living room, a patio –all the main floor apartments have their own patio and separate front doors. And the greatest part is that it's only two blocks from campus!" Trini concluded, sipping her drink.

"WOW! That does sound great!" Kim exclaimed, proud of her friend's housing search success.

"Sometimes I swear the guys will never grow up." Trini scoffed. "Jason, Rocky, Zack and Adam were helping move our stuff from my parents house. The entire time, they kept making bets on how many boxes were mine or yours."

Kim snorted, "They can be so immature! I still can't believe that Rocky and Jase are gonna be roommates! I'd love to be a fly on the wall when they move in together!"

Shaking her head, Trini responded with a bright grin, "I know. I'm just hoping Rocky doesn't get him started with drinking Jolt!"

The gymnast snickered, "Oh, I could just see that –having to pull two of them off the ceiling!" Then, more hesitantly, Kim asked, "So, what has everyone else been up to?"

Taking a sip of her soda, Trini recalled, "Let's see…. Rocky and Adam are still teaching at the Juice Bar part time and going to A.G.U… oh, and you probably know that Ernie's back, right?"

"That's great – the juice bar wasn't even close to being the same without him," Kim agreed, her mouth watering at the thought of his famous smoothies.

Trini continued from where she left off on her imaginary checklist of friends. "A few days after we got back from Switzerland, Zack, Jason and I were at the mall. We ran in to Angela –she was there with her boyfriend."

"Oh, no," sighed Kim. "How did Zack take it?"

"You know Zack, he acted as though everything was fine. Even though he won't admit it, I can tell that he was a little bummed. Actually, he's teaching his hip-hopkido at the Juice Bar three times a week and working over at Sam's Coffee House, so that helps keep him busy. He's doing good though." She paused long enough to take a bite of pasta before continuing. "Adam can't stand his dorm mate –he got stuck with a junior who's a major jock! I mean, you thought that Tommy's room was always a mess? This guy outdoes him by at least three times!"

"I've got to see that one!" Kim forced a chuckle out, shaking her head in amazement. "Rocky actually called me a few weeks ago; he kept jabbering about how he was looking forward to actually being able to have some peace and quiet in the dorm…."

"Yeah, going to college to get away from the rugrats –that's a new solution!" Trini rolled her eyes as she giggled. "Anyway, a few days ago, the guys started discussing the option of maybe trying to pool their resources and rent a house near school. You know about Jason's teaching job at the new Dojo; we're both gonna start classes winter semester with Tommy. Billy's on Aquitar still. Gosh, I can't imagine living on a water world!"

"Has anyone heard from Billy?" Kim piped up, hoping to steer the subject of conversation as far away from her ex-boyfriend as possible.

Shaking her head as she cut her meat, Trini replied, "Not that I know of. The last I heard from him was the letter he sent me when he left Angel Grove." Concerned by Kim's sudden silence, Trini looked up from her plate to find a faraway look in her best friend's eyes as she played with the straw in her soda glass –an old nervous habit the Asian girl had seen many times over the past few years. "Kim, I don't mean to pry." Trini began hesitantly.

"What's up?" Kim responded, making a futile attempt to sound cheerful.

Trini saw right through the girl's masquerade. "I was just wondering when was the last time you spoke to Tommy."

Finally, Kim looked up from the flimsy plastic tube. Judging from the look she was receiving from across the table, she knew there was no dodging the subject any longer. "Christmas…." she admitted remorsefully.

Pure astonishment flashed across Trini's features; she couldn't believe her ears. "You mean to tell me you haven't spoken to him in almost seven months?"

Shifting her eyes away from her best friend, embarrassment flushed Kim's cheeks. For the last few months, she had secretly felt like a complete coward for not actively searching Tommy out and explaining the letter to him. Obviously, Trini had assumed that she had talked to him. Kim knew there was no way to take to words –the truth– back now; she might as well lay it all out on the table. "Well, the last few times I had called him, he wasn't home. I left messages, but Tommy never returned my calls, so I figured there was probably someone else, and he didn't want to talk to me." Kim shifted uncomfortably under her friend's gaze.

"Kim, what exactly did you say in that letter?" Trini queried with interest.

Twisting a lock of her chestnut hair around her finger, Kim replied, "Basically, I told him that I had found someone else, that I was happy, and I hoped he would find someone else," Kim recalled, shivering at the thought of writing it.

A hopeful smile tugging at her lips, Trini pressed on. "Really? So who's this new guy you're going with? Someone from the team?"

"Actually, there never was anyone else," Kimberly admitted in a whisper.

Trini sat there, stunned, for the second time. "Kim, why did you lie to him?"

"Look, even before I left Angel Grove, Kat was already trying to get his attention all the time. Towards the end, I noticed he was paying attention to her more than before." Her hazel eyes began to well up with all the unshed tears from the past months, but she managed to stay in control. "Besides, I couldn't handle being 5,000 miles away from him and still trying to maintain a relationship. With prom and everything…. Tommy should be happy, and if it's with Kat, then so be it, I guess," Kim confessed, trying not to show her heartache.

Recovering from her shock, Trini pursued, "So, I take it you and Kat aren't on talking terms either then?"

Kim shrugged. "We kind of were when I left, and I figured it would look pretty bad if I didn't let her keep my Power Coin after all that had happened with Rita. It was just kind of left at the 'call me when you get settled in and we can chat' stuff, but I never called her. When we were all together at Christmas, Kat went to visit her relatives back in Australia. I guess I just felt like she already had everything else of mine, so why not have my boyfriend too." Although she had lost all appetite by now, Kim looked down at the remaining plateful of food in front of her. Reaching for her fork, she half-heartedly stabbed a piece of chicken.

"I see; no one else has told you then?" Trini asked, now realizing how much Kim had been left out of the information loop.

Kim's mind immediately began to race. *Oh God, they got married! If she says that, I'm gonna puke!* she screamed inwardly. After a long pause, she was able to find the inner strength to ask the ten-billion-dollar question, "Told me what?" and braced herself for the proverbial anvil that was about to hit her.

"I'm rather surprised you don't already know," Trini explained, "but Kat's even further away than you are. She started college in England a month ago!"

Halting in mid-bite, Kim asked, "So her and Tommy…. Wait. What happened to cause that?"

"I don't know the whole story, but from what Jason told me, things had always stayed on the cooler side between them. However much of a relationship they had, Tommy ended it just before she got her scholarship to some prestigious fine arts college," Trini summed up. "As far as the prom, Adam, Rocky and their dates doubled. Tommy didn't even go."

Kim beamed almost hopefully. "Really?"

"Just from what Adam was telling me the other day, I guess no one has heard much from Kat except for the couple of letters that Tommy received. It kinda sounds like they have talked on the phone once or twice, but nothing much else." Even though Kim didn't like hearing the truth, Trini knew her friend had to know.

Kim returned to poking at her salad. "Oh, that's polite of Katherine to write," she fumed.

"I'm sure it's nothing, Kim. They're friends, just like you and Jason are." Kim just rolled her eyes at the girl. Before the gymnast could offer a rebuttal, Trini changed the subject. "So, what about after the Games? You're still coming home, aren't you? I've put your stuff in the second bedroom already; It'll be so great to have you as a roomie again!"

After pondering the new question for a moment, Kim replied, "I haven't really given much thought to it; I'm supposed to go to visit my mom for a couple months in France. Of course, she wants me to move there permanently." Kim shook her head negatively at the thought. "I don't know what I want to do. Maybe I'll just stay here and go to school."

Trini studied her friend's face for a moment, considering the saddened look that came over her face since the very first moment that Tommy's name was mentioned. "How can you say that when you're obviously not happy?" she demanded, grabbing Kim's attention from her thoughts.

"Huh? It'd be worse in France –please! French people are so stuck up!" the gymnast retorted in confusion.

"Kimberly, I'm not talking about France, and you know it! Fess up; you still love Tommy, don't you?" Trini added sternly.

"Why do you say that?" Kim challenged, knowing full well it was another losing battle.

"The look on your face, for one. It's the same look you had the day we were in my room and you told me about the invitation to the Pan-Global Games; it's the same expression you had when you realized that meant having to leave Tommy behind." Trini pointed out matter-of-factly, studying Kim's watery eyes for an answer. "Admit it, Kim."

Feeling as though she were a small child being pushed into a corner with nowhere else to turn, Kim erupted, "Fine. I never stopped loving him, but I couldn't risk losing him because I wasn't there. Tommy deserves better than me!"

Trini immediately regretted causing her friend such obvious pain. Quietly, she responded, "No, Tommy just deserves to know the truth. Jason said that he almost gave up being a Ranger when he got that letter. Kim, his life revolves around the Rangers, karate, and you –not necessarily in that order. Your letter almost killed him."

Sitting back in the booth, allowing the hurtful truth to sink in, Kim sniffled, "I'd be surprised if he'd even speak to me after what I did!"

"You don't know until you try! Give him a chance, Kim. Just talk to him." Trini tried to reassure her. She held her hand out to her friend.

Pulling herself back together, Kim answered, "All right, I'll think about it, but I'm not gonna promise anything!" She extended her hand as if to shake on the deal.

"I know," Trini murmured, squeezing Kim's hand in return, "but at least you'll quit beating yourself up over it and have your answer!"

A moment later the waitress approached, picking up their now emptied plates. "I hope you ladies have saved room for dessert!"

Kim and Trini looked at each other, instantly knowing what the other was thinking. Kim turned to the server and said, "Yes, we'd like whatever you offer that has the most chocolate!"

"That would be our famous Killer Chocolate Triple Fudge Cake. Two pieces coming right up!" With a smile, the woman headed towards the kitchen to retrieve the high calorie confections as the two friends began to giggle.

"What food group has a way of solving all of life's problems?" Trini teased.

Kim chimed in, "Chocolate and lots of it!"

~*~

The following afternoon, the gym was bustling with activity as the U.S. gymnastics team practiced for the last time before vacation. Kim was on the beam with her roommate, Renee, spotting her. For the umpteenth time, Kim lost her balance and fell off during her second layout. Getting right back up, she began the routine again. Coach Schmidt had been watching from across the room; quietly, he approached Renee, whispered something that she readily agreed to, then walked back over to the uneven bars.

Turning back to her roommate, Renee called, "Kim, come on; let's take a break."

"I just have to get this pass down first," Kim adamantly refused.

Insistently, Renee approached the end of the beam closest to her. "You've been at it for the last hour, it won't hurt to give yourself a breather." Her voice took on a stern tone.

Kim lost her footing once again, almost falling off the beam. "I guess your right," she confessed as she jumped down. The two girls walked over to the bench where their gym bags and water bottles awaited.

"So, did you ever make a decision about if you were going to go back home for vacation?" Renee asked.

"Home? Where's that?" Kim half teased, taking a swig from her water bottle. "Actually, two of my friends just got into town last night, so I'm just going to hang around here."

Pulling a small gray towel out from her bag, Renee sarcastically retorted, "Oh, I see; that way you can get in all the practice you want so you can beat my ass at the Games!"

Kim smiled, although it faded quickly, "Oh yeah, 'Nea; you found me out!"

Recalling the sounds from the television that had woken her up in the wee hours, Renee ventured, "It didn't sound like you got much sleep last night. Are you all right?"

"No, I didn't. I guess my mind's somewhere else today…." Kim shrugged, rubbing her dark circled eyes with her fingers.

"It must be; last week you could do that pass perfectly in your sleep! What's going on?"

Kim half smiled at her roommate's insistence; she suddenly realized what it was about Renee that she liked so much. Trini would have said that if she were here. *I wonder if these two could have been sisters in a previous life!* she mused. Finally, she asked, "Renee, do you think that apologies can make up for major things –I mean like hurting someone?"

Taking a moment to consider the question, Renee replied, "I'm not sure; communication can do a lot, so I guess it could. Why do you ask?"

"I think I made a huge mistake sending Tommy that letter…." Kim admitted shamefully.

Putting an arm around her roommate's shoulders, Renee sighed, "Somehow I had a feeling that you would regret doing that. Please tell me that you've talked to him since the letter."

"No, I want to, but every time I've tried to call or sit down and start to write an apology letter, I get so scared… I just can't do it," Kim confided to her roommate, taking a sip from her own water bottle.

Shaking her head, Rene advised sternly, "Don't write him another letter, Kim."

Quickly wiping away a stray tear, the torn young woman admitted "I gave up on that anyway. I can't get past the 'Dear Tommy' part."

"What do you think he'd say if you did call?" Renee questioned, sneaking a look at the coach to find him still studying their teammate's routine on the uneven bars.

Kim contemplated the question for a moment. "Probably something like, 'Don't call me again, click'. I really hurt him; I might as well have gone and smacked him myself. I just wish I could take it all back!"

"Well, then I suggest you get your butt to a phone and call him, pronto! Waiting's not gonna make it any better, Kim! What's it gotten you so far?" With that, Renee set down her water bottle and headed over to one of the empty floor mats to practice her routine. Kim stood there for a moment, watching her go. Then with a small boost of confidence, she grabbed her warmup jacket and headed for the door.

A few minutes later, her heart racing with nervous adrenaline, Kim sat down on her bed, holding the phone. Her shaky fingers dialed the familiar numbers. The other end rang once, twice, three times, then it was picked up. Kim's breath caught in her throat, then the words met her ear:

*"Hey, you've reached the Olivers', we can't get to the phone right now, but leave a message and we'll get back to you as soon as we can…. BEEP!"*

Re-cradling the handset, Kim rested her face in her cupped hands, as hot, uncontrollable tears began to stream down her cheeks. Pushing the phone away, she curled up on her bed and allowed the emotions to take over.

Somewhere around two a.m., unable to sleep, Kim grabbed her remote and turned on the television.

Infomercial – FLIP – infomercial – FLIP – some guy preaching religion – FLIP – infomercial – FLIP – western movie – FLIP – infomercial.

*Well, there goes that idea!* she groaned as she threw the remote to the floor and rolled onto her other side, facing the wall. Listening to the breeze coming through her open window, her mind began to wander, contemplating the morning conversation about the letter with Renee, as well as the talk with Trini the previous night.

*Trini and Renee are right. I have to talk to him somehow; I just wish I had the courage to. God, what would I have done if he actually answered the phone earlier? Hung up on him probably! Damn, why did I ever send him that letter in the first place? It was selfish of me…. Here I thought it was the best thing to do, and I end up ruining his life!* she mentally reprimanded herself.

*Why do I feel like I gave up my life to fulfill someone else's dream? I hate myself! Why did I throw away the best thing in my life? Tommy was my strength since I met him, and I threw him away like yesterday's trash. I don't blame him for wanting nothing to do with me! *

Feeling another onslaught of tears rushing forward, Kim got out of bed and crossed the room. Opening her bottom dresser drawer, she reached under a few folded shirts and pulled out a stuffed green dragon, carrying it back to bed with her. She laid there, clutching it to her chest as though it would disappear the moment she let go. "I wish I never came to Florida! Help me, Draco; what am I going to do?" she asked aloud, as she stroked the animal's tail.

To Be Continued…

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