AngelJedi

A group of friends set out to bind themselves as witches based on the instructions in an inherited spellbook. But the results have unintended consequences.

After a group of friends are led to some necklaces, their life is changed forever as they are called upon to protect the world from a new menace. This is my take on the Power Rangers in honor of the 30th Anniversary (2023) but it is not fan fiction and is a standalone story outside of the Power Rangers universe.

An errant Christmas wish is answered in unexpected ways.

This year had been the most incredible year of my life and it was coming to a close.

The stage was dark. The only noise to be heard was the dull roar of the crowd as they waited.

I was in excellent shape, but it had been about a month and a half since I'd performed a concert and I ached from all the practice.

Even though it was the beginning of December the weather was excellent and it would be a nice day for a party.

By lunch we had managed to finish the first four songs, including my two duets with Ethan.

Apparently Aunt Judy wanted us to have a talent show today, and I couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't some excuse for her to hear Sarah sing again.

"This sucks," I told her. "I don't want rumors about Sarah to ruin my friendship with him! Last night was so much fun, and I don't want it spoiled!"

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Ethan as the limo approached the drop off point for the red carpet.

The smiles that greeted me when I followed Scott inside the control room told me that Sam's Town was excited to work with me.

I nervously exited the vehicle when we pulled up in front of Paul's house, and the front door opened before I made it even halfway up the walk. Paul came rushing out excitedly, and I once more thought about calling this whole thing off.

When I opened my locker to get my books for Study Hall I was surprised to find a number of rose petals and a folded up note inside.

When I arrived I only had a moment to take a deep breath before Cole opened the door. Mr. Benson was talking to the class, but he quickly lost their attention when they saw me enter the room.

I was saddened that the concert tour had ended. But Amy informed me that I would still be just as busy.

When Stacy's drums and Connor's bass boomed into the darkness the crowd went into a frenzy. I could barely hear the music coming from my earpiece over the roar of the crowd as Jason joined them. Then, with a burst of light around the auditorium the concert began in earnest. Somehow, somewhere, the crowd managed to increase their volume again.

"The Starshine meeting should be starting in about 10 minutes," she told me. "I just wanted to let you know so you could get ready."

After marking down attendance for the day Mr. Benson turned my life upside down. He did the one thing that he agreed he wouldn't do in this class.

Once everyone realized that I was in charge of inviting people to the Star Party for the school concert, they had suddenly become my best friends. As if I wouldn't be able to tell what they were doing. I wasn't dumb enough to give them a backstage pass just because they suddenly were nice to me.

I turned the corner just in time to see a girl punch someone in the stomach. He doubled over and I watched as the girls started laughing before turning and walking away.

"We are here to present the award for Best Pop Video," Kristy said into the microphone. "The nominees are..." I watched, mesmerized, as scenes from my own music video were broadcasting. "Sarah Carerra," the voice said one last time. "'You Can't Hurt Me'."

"Hi, Sarah," he replied. "It's nice to see you again." At least his smile seemed genuine. We had both hurt each other at our respective concerts, but I still hoped that we could be friends.

Practice Tuesday evening was the worst sound check I'd ever had. I felt rushed the entire night because we wanted to get in as many attempts as we could on the actual stage before our time ended.

The sun lit a bright, blue sky that illuminated one of the most spectacular sights I had ever seen. It was breathtaking to have such a background behind me as I performed the last concert on my tour.

Katy's eyes opened wide immediately, and no sound came out of her mouth. That silence was all I needed to start strumming my guitar while singing 'Happy Birthday' to her.

The princess sang softly about how unfair her life was. About how unfair her father was being because he kept her from attending her prom.

Somewhere out on the first row Chloe was staring up at that screen, and I hoped that she wasn't crying...yet.

I felt a tear roll down my cheek. The solemn tone of his words told me everything I needed to know. Sarah Carerra's career had come to an end.

What I found as we gazed at each other shook me to my core. The hurt, the heartache, the overwhelming desire I'd had to run off the stage came rushing back to me immediately.

Mr. Benson had an excited gleam in his eyes when I sat down, and when he was excited, it usually meant doing something I didn't want to do. Last time I'd had to get up and sing my solo for the class.

When I stepped into The Observatory for the Starshine meeting later that afternoon I was met with a shriek. Shrieks weren't uncommon during this part of the day, but this shriek was not one of excitement.

There were a number of people gawking from the edge of Uncle Kevin's property. This would definitely be a different kind of vacation, since I was going to be wearing the wig the whole time.

I couldn't believe it! Someone had actually found a castle to film the music video at! Right here in the hills above Santa Monica!

She always stopped to listen when I sang this song. I always turned my attention to her as I sang this verse. Many of my songs had emotional ties that made them great. But no other song was imbued with emotions like this song was.

I was dreading Chorus as I walked down the hall toward my last class of the day, however. Today would be the first day that the "groupies", as Ethan had started calling them, would be in the class.

The happy, carefree aura that had settled on the venue was now going to be singed by the blackness of hatred. With a single word I would convert all of the positive energy in the amphitheatre into a powerful force that I could direct into one of my favorite songs to perform.

"The ten of you were specially selected to be here tonight," I told them. "And I'm very honored to meet all of you. Every single one of you has the power to be a star, and when you leave here tonight I hope that all of you shine as much as I try to."

"I know some of you have concerns about Megan being in this class," Coach Anderson started as she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. The sneers and scowls that appeared on some of their faces were disheartening, but not surprising to me.

"You know Sarah, right?" she asked me before holding up the magazine so that I could see the cover. This time it was my eyes that boggled! Staring back at me was a picture of Sarah.

The bell rang, and a few students rushed in quickly as Ms. Carson reached for her roll. Whether I liked what would come in the future or not, school was back in session.

I finally get to go back home. But being back home brings its own set of problems: the end of the school year, facing my family, and worry over what Justin will do next. I can only hope everything will turn out okay...

This whole summer had been a whirlwind of new adventures and experiences. My life had completely changed. I was no longer the shy boy who I had grown up believing myself to be. I was now a beautiful young woman with a very exciting life ahead of her.

Soon the lights dimmed, and a hush fell over the crowd. The excitement in the air was palpable, and it reminded me of the anticipation I always felt as I approached the stage for one of my concerts. I couldn't believe that people were so excited about a music player, even if it was ten times better than my iPod had been!

Every day that I stepped out as Sarah brought the risk that the secret would be revealed. The more I interacted with people who knew me, the greater the chance that they would see through my disguise. And there were the missing parts of Sarah's life that people would start to question.

The sun was starting to light the sky as our car pulled up to the drop-off point near Rumsey Playfield. The sky was clear and the weather was welcoming as I walked toward the backstage area.

I nodded as we continued to watch a big ship pass by in front of us. The Nautica Pavilion was built on a bend near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Austin and I were sitting in a pair of lawn chairs that had been set up outside my tour bus, which was parked within view of the river. We had watched a number of ships pass by since we had arrived. It was going to be an interesting show, because I was sure they wouldn't be stopping just because I was performing.

"I want to go on some of the rides," Austin said. I did too. He and my parents had enjoyed the California Mid-State Fair while I was forced to wait on the bus. I wanted to experience at least one of the fairs that I was going to be performing at. This seemed like a good one.

Two hours later, I was contentedly resting on the couch in my bus as we made our way east. It was going to be a long trip to Indiana, but at least the bus was very comfortable to travel on.

Friday morning proved to be as horrible as I was afraid it would be. My name and face were plastered all over the entertainment sections of most of the newspapers that Dad had delivered to our house.

What was really worrying me was the thought of spending all of that time in the presence of friends and family who didn't know the truth about me. I only knew them as Megan, yet they were here to meet Sarah.

Joe asked me to sit down in a chair while he walked over to a wall of guitars. There was a large crowd of people looking on now, while he pointed to a large red guitar that was hanging on the wall.

The Paramount Theatre was the smallest venue on the tour, seating slightly less than 3,000 people. But the noise those fans generated rivaled anywhere else I had performed as it reverberated around the small theatre that had been designed with acoustics in mind.

Each step toward the stage brought the level of the rush I had been feeling all day closer and closer to the storm that I knew was coming. Each step closer provided me with a louder and louder roar from the crowd.

There was a small stack of presents on the table that we made Mom open before I had to go get ready, and by the time I stepped into Sarah's room to put on the wig I knew that she had already had a great day.My song was totally going to make it the best birthday ever.

We were driving up a fairly busy street when I first got a glimpse of it. I noticed a small group of people congregating around a chain-link fence; they were pointing in at a parking lot while taking pictures.A moment later it came into view.

While I was fast-forwarding through the second commercial break, something caught my eye. It looked like me! I immediately hit play again and the image on the screen solidified into a picture of Sarah! Seconds later I heard my voice come from the speakers!

I took a seat next to Holly and the rest of the band, who were looking at the proceedings with the same confused look that was plastered on my face. None of us really understood what was going on.

Scott wanted me to write another song for the concert tour. I had been trying to find the emotions and feelings that were always the beginning of the inspiration for a song. Staring up into my mother's eyes, I found it.

I arrived home shortly after noon to find my mom excitedly waiting for me. She had a big smile on her face as she waited for me to change. Once I was out of Sarah's clothes and into one of my own dresses, she dragged me back out to her car, refusing to tell me where we were going or why she was so excited.

"My first guest of the evening has managed to capture the hearts of America in a very short amount of time. Her first album, 'Intuition', is currently on track to go platinum within the first month of its release. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the lovely and talented, Sarah Carerra!"

When we finished playing each of the songs, we'd have a brief discussion about whether to include it in the tour or not. Truthfully, I didn't think anyone was going to say 'no' to any of them. It felt slightly like we were just going through the motions when everyone already knew they would be included. They probably just wanted to hear them.

The one thing I liked least about Sarah Carerra was her crazy schedule. I knew that I was up early so that I could be interviewed on a number of radio shows.

There it was - the real reason that Ethan had been so awkward around me since the concert in Salt Lake City.

It was so nice to just hang out with the band for a while. When we got together most of the time, all we did was work. I knew we needed to have another type of relationship if we really wanted to be successful.

With a great amount of trepidation, I got out of my car and headed for the front door. Ringing the doorbell was almost enough to make me want to head back home. I hadn't had to face anyone who knew me as my old self in over a month and a half.

The arena was alive with sound as we approached the doors onto the floor. I smiled to myself as I felt the rush start to creep into my bones. When my escort opened the door, the rush intensified immensely at the sound of Josh singing and the roar of the crowd. The place was awash with energy, and I couldn't help but bask in it.

I loved Austin. I knew that I had been taking a lot of my parents' attention this summer. I didn't mean to make him feel left out at all.

The house itself was something I had only ever seen in movies before. I knew that my family lived in a nice house that would get us a pretty penny if we ever sold it, but this place put to shame the home I'd known my entire life. I was really intimidated as I stepped out of my car and approached the front door. I really wished I had Mom and Dad, or even Emily or Ethan with me to help keep me from turning and running away.

When I awoke on Thursday morning, I couldn't contain the excitement level that started to rise within me. Not only was I going to get the chance to sing and interact with a number of my fans, but I was also going to release my first album!

A large grin spread across his face when he saw me, and my heart nearly melted. I had forgotten how cute that smile was.

Dad and I had signed a contract with Starlight for at least three commercials over the next year. This first one, along with the print ad, was focusing on the 'Night Sky' eye shadow collection that Stephanie had been using to give me my signature look.

"What do you have going on today?" Mom asked. "I've got a meeting with the people who make the perfume we wanted to endorse," I told her. Then I thought of something that I hoped would really make her happy. It would make me happy, at least. "Do you want to come?"

"Can you sing?" Katy piped up. She looked surprised at this information. Naturally, I hadn't sung much around Mom's family before, so few of them knew about my singing ability."She is really good," Tracy told her. Katy looked at me with a puzzled expression. This was a side of me she had never seen, never even considered before.

I smiled when I stepped into my own closet to get ready for the day. No glam outfits, no wigs, no Sarah for the whole weekend. I smiled at the opportunity to just be myself.

I'd spent the whole week living Sarah's life alone when I had a perfectly good friend sitting at home bored out of his mind. I was going to get Ethan off his parents' couch and into my car if it was the last thing I did. Calling him wasn't going to get me anywhere; he probably wouldn't answer anyway. But he couldn't really ignore it when a #1 recording artist was ringing his doorbell.

"That's a wrap!" Jonothon finally called. I smiled. It had been a long, hot day, but I had no doubt that it was all worth it. This video was going to rock.

"Action!" Jonothon yelled, and I took a step forward. I took a total of five steps before I reached the sign pointing down the alley. I could hear the cameras behind me as I ran my fingers over the top of the sign while turning to walk down the alley. When I was two steps into the alley, Jonothon yelled, "Cut!"

I had stepped over to the small table in the studio that held my water bottle and wet my throat. Then I turned toward the control booth to hear what Scott had to say about our latest attempt. But instead of Scott, my eyes connected to similar, emerald-green eyes on the boy who had just stepped inside from the hallway.Johnny. Johnny Crawford.

Ethan had been as close to me as a brother while we had grown up. In some respects, he was closer to me than Austin was. Were these feelings the same feelings that I had for Austin now? Or were they more?

The last time I was here I had collapsed on stage. That wasn't likely to happen today, but that knowledge didn't make me feel any less nervous.

"Oh heaven above, I think that was it!" Jay said loudly. "Sarah, that was brilliant! Do it again."

As I stepped out of the car, I started to feel nervous. It looked like there was an area cordoned off for the shoot, but there were still many people milling about preparing for a day at the beach. I hadn't really been seen in public since the press conference, and this photo shoot might give me more exposure than I was ready for.

Dad looked back down at the folder before turning back to me. "Do you want to go over the endorsements?"

It was the presence of the band that was the real issue. The idea of not wearing the wig in front of them almost felt like I would be standing naked in front of them. It felt like I was being exposed more than I ever had before.

I smiled. This was the first time that I had seen the band since I had collapsed on stage. While I deeply regretted not calling them to let them know I was okay, I was happy that they cared enough to worry.

The press conference had taken away the one thing that I enjoyed most about being Sarah, and it left me shying away from the idea of performing again. The adrenaline rush that made it all worthwhile seemed to pale in comparison to what I was feeling now.

He stepped up to the microphone, and I stopped short just behind him, in plain view of the large number of people that filled the room. I had never seen so many reporters and photographers in one place before!

The constant hum of machinery and the intermittent beeping were the first things that I became aware of. The smell of antiseptic was next. I opened my eyes a moment later.

I was nervous. For the first time since before the concert, I was nervous."Please welcome Sarah Carerra!" I heard a male voice say. I knew that it was the voice of Matt Donaldson, one of the co-hosts of 'Wake Up!'.

I'd had two songs running around in my head since the concert - two songs that I wanted to write down on paper. It had been a while since I had written a song, but I needed to get these out of my head soon.

She too was taken aback by my appearance. For the first time since hearing that they were coming to visit, I was worried that my relationship with Madison might not survive the changes in my life.

It had been one month to the day since I had performed for Scott and he had offered me the chance to record a demo CD. In one month I went from being a nobody to having a number one hit and performing on a syndicated program like 'The Tonight Show'. It still amazed me at how popular I had become so quickly.

It had only been three weeks since I had sung karaoke at Johnny's party. His dad, Scott, worked for a record company, and I was signed within a week. Well, Sarah was signed within a week. Sarah Carerra was originally meant to be a way for me to keep my normal life out of the spotlight. But I had learned that Sarah was now an integral part of me. She was the part of me that loved to sing, that loved to perform.

I stood in the lounge talking to a few of the fans who had backstage passes. Apparently "mingling" was expected after one of Josh's concerts. It was interesting to talk to some of them, and I even signed a few autographs.

I suddenly had this overwhelming feeling of disbelief. I was about to sing a concert! I had never in my life thought that I would be doing something like this before!

All of the decorations were very modern and very expensive looking. I was hesitant to touch anything for fear I would have to pay for it. Staying in a hotel like this would definitely take some getting used to.

It felt like one of the most important performances of my life. Josh wouldn't be out there to see me sing later this evening, so I wanted him to enjoy this sound check like it was a concert.

The jealousy I felt at seeing her was surprising to me. Josh and I had only been on one date, and we hadn't had much contact with each other afterward. But he was my first love, or at least my first crush. It hurt to have him taken away before anything ever really got started.

Mary looked shocked again. I don't think I had ever seen her this flustered in one of our sessions before. She eventually saw my grin, and started laughing outright. It wasn't long before I had joined her.

I'd been dressed up in a lot of amazing looking clothes since my debut as Sarah, but nothing quite like this. It was obvious to me that these were stage clothes. I'd get some odd looks if I wore them walking down the street, but these clothes would rock on stage.

"I'm scared, Mom," I told her while we sat in the waiting room of Dr. Holbrook's office Friday morning."It'll be okay, Megan," she said and pulled me closer. I laid my head on her shoulder and felt comforted by her presence. "We'll get through whatever happens, I promise."

Up until this point in time, it had always been about me. Everything else had been pre-recorded, and I didn't have to worry about anything but singing my part. We were going to need to work together if we wanted to pull off this concert.

"Have you ever had any dance training?" she asked."No," I told her while taking a seat in the chair she had indicated. "I'm a bit scared, actually."

I gulped, but stood up. I wasn't sure what they were looking for, and it was making me nervous."Come on back," the nurse said with a smile as I approached her. I looked over my shoulder to make sure that Mom was following me. There was no way I was doing this alone.

I sighed. I was sick of studying. At least when I crammed the music into my head it was fun. History and English didn't compare at all.

This was bad. This was really bad! I had just promised Dad that she wouldn't find out about Sarah until after the concert. I didn't even make it a day before she learned the secret!

Ethan looked up at my entrance and gave me a sour look. How had I let this rift in our friendship get so wide? I never should have listened to my dad!

I needed Emily and Ethan. I wouldn't be able to do this without them. In fact, I didn't want to do this without them! If Em and Ethan didn't learn my secret soon, Sarah Carerra's career would be over before it ever truly began.

"You're so beautiful," he replied. "They say you used to be a boy, but I find that insane. There's no way that could be true."

"There is one other option," Dad said, providing me with a ray of hope in the gloom that had settled into my heart."What is it?" I asked warily. I knew the look that he had on his face. It usually meant I would be doing something that I didn't like doing.

"Josh!" I gasped, not expecting to find Josh Holliday standing on my porch! "What are you doing here?"

"You guys want to go to the beach after school?" Emily asked while we walked to school.That question alone caused my heart rate to increase, and the beating in my chest helped fill me with more dread than I had felt since I had made my decision to become Megan!

My nervousness turned to outright anxiety when the door swung open and the inviting smell of a roast wafted out past my cousin Katy.

I made a decision Monday morning that had the potential to greatly affect my ability to attend school.

I'd spent a lot of my childhood over at Emily's house, but I was never so nervous to enter as I was then.

It was becoming harder and harder to find the boy I had been. It seemed like every day Brett slipped further and further into the background.

"Dude!" I heard one of his friends try to whisper. "Your sister is hot!"

Josh continued to exit the car, and I slid across the seat toward the open door. I was nervous. Heck, I was scared to death! But I knew that this was something I needed to do.

It had happened again. Why do I keep looking at guys now? Why do they look cute? What is happening to me?

I was silent for a moment. I think everyone in the room knew what had just happened, but I certainly didn't want to talk about it. My dad gave me an expression that seemed to say this was something I should not talk to him about. I would have to talk to Mom later or wait for my next session with Mary.

My dad rolled his eyes. He'd obviously worked with him before."Sarah, just..." Dad started. "Just don't take anything he says personally."

"MISTER Campbell," Principal Hall said after I had taken a seat in front of his desk. His emphasis on Mister didn't bode well for me. "Care to explain what you are doing?"

It wasn't until I saw the shocked look on Mom's face that I realized I was changing in front of two women. But I think she was more shocked to learn that I had been wearing panties to school!

"Campbell!" I heard someone say behind me. I was then spun around out of my control. I ended up face to face with Johnny Crawford.Emily gasped and my heart skipped a beat! He was staring at me like he couldn't believe what he was seeing! He'd made the connection! He knew I was Sarah Carerra!

"Is 7:30 too late for you?" Scott said feeling relieved despite my continued distress."No, that would work for us," my dad replied, finalizing my doom."Is..." I started, and the two grownups immediately looked back at me, surprised I was still in distress apparently. "Is Johnny going to be there?"

Sarah meets with the record company in the hope of getting a contract.

Sarah Carerra makes her first public appearance and meets with her image consultant.

Sarah finally hears back from the record company.

Megan's mom takes her to get a makeover to help complete her change. Sarah also gets the same treatment.

Megan returns to school, but in the process finds out more about herself than she possibly wanted to know.

With the acceptance of Scott, Megan makes the demo CD. Afterwards her mom decides it's time to build Megan's wardrobe.

It's time to make the demo CD, but before that can happen the truth about Megan's gender comes out. How will it affect her future?

With the upcoming demo CD looming, Brett must make some big decisions about his life.

Brett loves to sing and has a good voice. But will his high pitch and feminine looks cause him troubles when he's offered the chance to make a demo CD for a record label?

Who knew one test could lead to so many great changes? Brett finds more than just a nice job when a test leads him to be recruited to a new government agency.

I don't dream often. But this is a transcript of a dream I had recently that brought a lot of joy to my life, and I wanted to share it.