Mind over Magic Read online

  Squatt nodded. “Yeah! It was supposed to read minds, but I sneaked into his garage and messed with it, and he wound up swapping bodies with the Pink Ranger. Hee-hee. Sure was fun . . . until they beat us again . . .”

  “Shut it!” Rita said, loud enough for Squatt to leap a foot off the ground.

  Narrowing her evil eyes, she turned to the vampire bat-like Baboo and said, “Why don’t we have one of those? Then I could switch Tommy with Bones and have my Green Ranger back!”

  Baboo scratched his head. “Well . . . uh . . . ,” he said. “I suppose if Squatt described what he saw, I might be able to copy it.”

  Already forgetting what he was shivering about, Squatt shrugged and said, “It was big.”

  “Big?” Baboo asked, hoping for more.

  “Uh-huh.” Squatt nodded cheerfully.

  Baboo gestured in the air with his long claws, trying to get Squatt to say more. When Squatt looked confused, Baboo sighed and asked, “Can you remember anything else about it?”

  Squatt scratched his head, his chin, and then his head again.

  “Did I mention it was big?” he said.

  Baboo looked nervously at Rita. “Uh . . . I think this is going to take a while,” he said.

  “I’ll give you half an hour,” she screamed, “then I’ll burn you in oil!”

  Squatt gasped and started talking. “It was about six feet tall, with space for two humans to stand in. In the middle, there was a thing with three buttons and a lever.”

  Baboo grabbed a piece of paper and started writing. “How many buttons did you say?” he asked.

  Ignored again, Finster pouted. Rita should have asked me to make the machine, he thought. Not that bumbling bat-face. Oh well, at least it’ll be my monster leading us to victory!

  Sometime later, after a lot of questions and hard work, Baboo had a plan.

  “I did it, I did it! Yes, indeedy!” Baboo said.

  “And I helped!” Squatt chimed in.

  “Give it here!” Rita commanded.

  Baboo handed her what looked like a ray gun. But rather than one barrel, it had two, each pointing in a different direction.

  More annoyed than curious, Rita eyed the two barrels. “Why two? You think I can’t aim? Is that it? That I’m nearsighted, like you salad brains?”

  “No, no, your total greatness,” Baboo said. “The Blue Ranger’s machine was, well, as you heard Squatt say, big. The subjects had to get inside and hold hands. Thanks to my genius, I’ve shrunk it down to this convenient handheld size. Just aim the Mind-Swapper between two targets, pull the trigger, and the auto-sensors will lock on and switch their minds!”

  Understanding, Rita stroked the Mind-Swapper with her long fingernails. “Not bad, not bad,” she said. “Much better than your usual lamebrain failures.”

  “Thank you, I think,” Baboo said. “Just one more thing . . .”

  “It better be good!” Rita warned.

  “Oh, it is!” Baboo said. “If the mind swap lasts long enough, a human victim will start to doubt whom they really are. Eventually, Tommy will start to think he really is Bones! Better still, it’s not the same for a monster. Bones will always be Bones.”

  Rita was beside herself with joy. “Ha-ha-ha! Then I get my Green Ranger and Tommy back. Baboo, I’d kiss you if you weren’t so ugly! Time to destroy the Power Rangers once and for all!”

  Baboo thought about mentioning how many times Rita had said those exact same words (forty-seven, he believed), but then he thought better of it and remained silent.

  Chapter 4

  Feeling good from his shower, Tommy strolled along on his way back to the Youth Center. What with the Power Rangers always teleporting here and there, he didn’t always have time to appreciate the great weather. He was looking forward to the chance to sit and talk with his teammates, and not just because he liked their company.

  Part of Tommy still felt terrible about all the evil things he’d done while under the influence of Rita. A smaller part worried that it might somehow happen again. The Power Rangers and Zordon had not only saved him, but they’d forgiven him and taken him in as one of their own. To this day, he looked forward to any opportunity to prove himself worthy of that trust.

  He’d also gotten the impression that Kimberly liked him in more than a friendly, teammate way. Sometimes the same sort of feelings for her stirred in his heart, but Tommy wasn’t sure what to do with them. Sharing some juice seemed the perfect place to start.

  A few blocks from the Youth Center, he heard a strange noise coming from a dingy alley. It sounded like the wind chimes at his old dojo, but rather than being pleasant, this noise was awful, as if the chimes were made out of bones.

  Plus, Tommy realized, chimes can’t make noise without wind, and there isn’t any.

  Curious, he entered the alley, carefully scanning this way and that. After all the karate competitions he’d won, he was used to surprises in the ring. Being a Power Ranger had also taught him to be ready for anything outside the ring.

  “Heads up!” someone with a slight British accent said.

  The voice sounded bony, too: hollow and raspy. When the tall caped figure stepped into the light, Tommy understood why: It was a skeleton!

  What could be keeping him together? Tommy wondered. Then he remembered Billy handing him a thick dossier packed with information about the monsters the Rangers had fought before he’d joined them. This skeleton was one of them.

  At the time, Tommy had been a little impatient with all the long words and details Billy used, and he’d mostly read the dossier headings. Now he was grateful. Thanks to Billy, he had a good idea what to expect. Even so, he was surprised to actually see the monster remove his head and doff it like a hat.

  “Let me introduce myself,” the monster said. “I’m Bones, and you are out of luck!”

  More skeletal creatures stepped from the darkness behind Bones. They were shorter, thinner, and all carrying smaller swords, but there were lots of them.

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Tommy said. Years of training had made him ready for a fight no matter the circumstance. But a Power Ranger would never strike the first blow, so he waited, ready to counter what they threw at him.

  “How foolish!” Bones answered. But he didn’t attack. Bones just crossed his bony arms, in a way that reminded Tommy of the skull and crossbones on a pirate flag, and stood there.

  Tommy was about to use his wrist-communicator to alert the team when yet another figure emerged from the shadows. This one had a pointy hairdo and carried a crescent moon–tipped wand. Tommy would recognize her silhouette anywhere.

  “Rita!” he said. “Whatever foul plan you’ve got, the Power Rangers will stop you, like we always do!”

  “Is that a nice way to say hello to your first boss?” she asked with a grin. “I’m only here ’cause I missed ya! In fact, Tommy boy, I missed you so much I’ve come to take you back into the fold. Hear that? We’re going to be together again!”

  After a sharp cackle, she took a device from the folds of her cloak. As she fiddled with it, she said, “Just a sec . . . Now how the heck did Baboo say this darn thing worked?”

  “I’d never join your side again, Rita,” Tommy said. “No matter what you—”

  Two thin orange rays shot from the device. One hit Tommy; the other hit Bones. As an orange haze covered them both, a cackling Rita said, “Yeah, yeah. Well, I’m not asking, I’m taking!”

  The next moment, Tommy found himself turned around and in another part of the alley. Stranger still, someone else was standing where he’d been—someone who looked exactly like him!

  “I don’t know what kind of trick you’re trying to pull,” Tommy said. “But it won’t work.”

  His voice sounded wrong. It was deeper, hollower, and had a slight British accent.

  When he took a combat stance
again, his body clicked all over. He looked at his hands. They were bones! He looked down. His body had become a skeleton!

  No, not my body, he realized. Somehow that ray put me in Bones’s body! Does that mean . . .

  Tommy watched as the figure that looked like him tugged at its human head as if expecting it to come off.

  Then he heard his own voice say, “Ah! This one’s attached! I like it!”

  It’s true, Tommy thought. Bones is in my body! I’ve got to warn everyone!

  He raised his wrist, but his communicator wasn’t there.

  Of course not, Tommy thought. It’s with my body! And so is my Power Coin. I’ve got to fix this.

  Tommy dove at Rita, planning to grab the Mind-Swapper. His movements were slow and clunky, and she easily teleported out of the way, reappearing deeper in the alley. There, she looked up, put two fingers into her mouth, and whistled.

  “Quick, nitwit!” Rita commanded. “Before he figures out how to use his new body!”

  Squatt, sitting above on a fire escape, squealed as he tossed something round and black.

  “Bombs away!” Squatt said.

  It was only when it landed at his skeletal feet that Tommy realized it was a bomb. An instant later, it exploded!

  Tommy didn’t feel any pain, but the bony pieces of his body flew in all directions. His skull landed sideways against a garbage can, giving him a lopsided view of his arms, legs, and torso.

  Bones could reassemble himself, but how do I do that? Tommy wondered. His limbs still felt as if they were part of him, as if he should be able to move them, but before he could try, Rita issued another command.

  “Skeleton Warriors, you take your orders from me now!” the sorceress said. “Quickly, get him in those sacks!”

  The skeletons each withdrew a brown sack. Tommy felt his parts being lifted and bagged, but he couldn’t do a thing about it.

  As one of the warriors picked up Tommy’s head, he caught a glimpse of the sidewalk. There, a cheerful Kimberly walked along, totally unaware of what was happening in the alley.

  She must be on her way to the Juice Bar, Tommy thought. I’ve got to warn her!

  “Kimber—mmff!” he said as his skull was stuffed into a sack.

  All Tommy could see now was darkness, but he heard his own voice say, “One of the others is outside the alley. Shall I attack her?”

  Rita snickered and said, “No, no! I’ve got a better idea. You’re going to pretend to be Tommy and meet her. Then, when they least expect it, we’ll destroy the putrid Power Rangers from within!”

  “As you command,” Bones answered.

  Tommy could barely believe it. His worst nightmare was happening all over again. The Green Ranger was once again the enemy of the Power Rangers, even though it wasn’t him!

  Chapter 5

  When Kimberly saw Tommy’s familiar form emerge from the alley, her smile grew wider. Of course she had no clue that her teammate’s body had been occupied by the mind of a monster.

  Bones, not used to acting like a human, bowed stiffly and said, “Greetings, Kimberly Ann Hart. I am . . . Tommy.”

  Kimberly grinned and curtsied. “Uh . . . thank you, kind sir, but I already knew that!” she said. “I’m not used to you joking around. It’s nice.”

  Unsure what she meant, Bones had to think about it. “A joke,” he said. “Of course. Ha. It is good to laugh, is it not?”

  “Sure is,” she said, still smiling. “You’re usually pretty serious.”

  When he didn’t say anything, Kimberly worried she had offended him. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being serious!” she added. “I really admire your discipline, actually.”

  “Thank you,” Bones said. Thinking a human would return the compliment, he said, “And may I say that you have a fine head on your shoulders. Can it come off?”

  Still thinking he was kidding around, Kimberly answered, “I hope not!” She nodded toward the Youth Center and said, “Juice Bar?”

  “Is it?” Bones said.

  “We’re meeting with the others at the Youth Center, remember?” Kimberly asked.

  “Of course,” Bones said. “Where is my head?” He put his hands to his scalp and tried to twist it loose. “Ah, right here, of course! It doesn’t seem loose or anything, does it?”

  Kimberly patted him on the shoulder. “Uh, on second thought, maybe you should leave the jokes to Zack,” she said. “Shall we get going?”

  “Of course. I could use a drink,” Bones said. “I’m bone-dry. I mean . . . I am very thirsty!”

  The juice and gym area of the Youth Center was a wide-open space full of mats and exercise equipment. One wall had old-style coin-operated arcade games. The Juice Bar, operated by Ernie, provided a variety of tasty, healthy drinks. It was the perfect place for the Rangers. They could exercise, practice, and just hang out.

  When Kimberly entered with Bones, she noticed that the others hadn’t arrived yet.

  Good, she thought. It’ll be nice to have some alone time with Tommy.

  But they weren’t exactly alone. Bulk and Skull were also on their way in. Bulk was carrying Stinkerbell and Lady Fluff under his arms. Neither of the bullies looked very happy, until Skull spotted Kimberly. Then his face lit up and he came toward them.

  Skull’s big, goofy grin made his crush on Kimberly painfully clear. I hope I’m not that obvious about my feelings for Tommy, she thought.

  “What happened to your Pet Fu shoot?” she asked, trying to be nice.

  “Oh, we’re taking a break,” Skull said, “on account of Bulk got mad and caused a camera malfunction by throwing my phone against the wall.”

  Plodding along behind, a sullen Bulk said, “The stupid thing posted a . . . well, never mind what he posted.”

  Skull told them, anyway. “It was the cutest video of Stinkerbell kissing his big nose,” Skull said. “On the bright side, our video has more than one thousand hits!”

  Annoyed, Bulk shoved Skull. “That is not the bright side, Skull!” he said.

  Hearing the bully’s nickname, Bones perked up.

  “Skull, eh?” Bones said. “A fine name!”

  Skull brightened at the compliment. “Thanks!” he said.

  But Bulk and Kimberly both furrowed their brows.

  Bulk nudged his sidekick in the ribs. “Don’t thank him!” he warned. “He’s one of them!”

  “Oh, we probably have more in common than you think,” Bones said.

  Kimberly shook her head, as if she hadn’t heard right. “Wait. What?” Turning to the bullies, she said, “Excuse us.” Then she tugged Bones away.

  As Skull watched them sit at a table, he fiddled with his phone, trying to get it to work.

  “That Tommy’s not so bad,” he said.

  Bulk made a face. “Cut it out. You’re embarrassing yourself,” he said.

  “Hey, I fixed it!” Skull said happily. “And look, our video’s up to one thousand five hundred and thirty-six hits! Talk about embarrassment!”

  Seeing the look in Bulk’s eyes, Skull backed up toward the exit. Bulk, who was still carrying Lady Fluff and Stinkerbell under his arms, stormed after him.

  At the table, a worried Kimberly leaned in to talk with Bones.

  “What were you saying back there?” she asked. “Skull and Bulk have been bullies for ages. Do you really think you have something in common with them?”

  Bones shrugged. “They seem fine to me,” he said. “I think that Skull fellow likes you. Maybe you should spend more time with him.”

  Confused, and now a little hurt, Kimberly sat back in her chair.

  Is this Tommy’s way of telling me he’s not interested in me? she wondered. Why else would he act this way?

  Chapter 6

  With the pieces of his new skeleton body trapped in the darkness of separate sacks
, Tommy didn’t know what was going on. He didn’t even realize Rita’s minions had teleported him to the Moon Palace until he heard a loud, magical pop and Squatt said, “Gee, it’s great to be back home in the Moon Palace!”

  Tommy knew one thing, though: He had to escape.

  If the Power Rangers think Bones is me, they’ll treat him as a teammate. He could do incredible damage! Tommy thought. This is as bad as when I was under Rita’s influence!

  “Hurry, hurry,” a fretful Baboo said. “That Green Ranger isn’t just strong, he’s crafty. I won’t relax until we get all these sacks locked in a cell, especially with the Skeleton Warriors still on Earth with Rita!”

  “Righty right!” Squatt answered.

  Carrying all the sacks between them, the two picked up speed until they were practically running. All the bouncing and shaking made the knot loosen on the sack holding Tommy’s skull. To help it along, he rolled his head back and forth until, bit by bit, the knot came undone, giving him a view of torches, stone walls, and a curved stairwell heading down.

  At least I can see, Tommy thought. But my best chance at escaping is learning how to use this monster body before they lock me up.

  He was surprised to discover that moving his arms and legs really wasn’t all that hard. Even though they were separate, they worked the same as if they were attached. At first, he had no idea which part of him was where, but by wriggling his fingers and toes, he quickly figured out which sack held what.

  Baboo held the sacks with Tommy’s head and torso. The bumbling Squatt carried the sacks with his arms and legs. Concentrating on his right hand, Tommy tried to untie the sack it was in. But this knot was tighter and if he moved too much, Squatt would notice.

  While he kept at it, the bumbling minions reached the bottom of the long flight of stairs and entered a creepy stone hallway.

  Guess this is the dungeon, Tommy thought. Which means I’m running out of time!

  He was right. Soon they stood before the iron bars of a rusty cell door. A fussy Baboo shifted the sack with Tommy’s skull and unlocked the door. As it creaked open, Squatt kept his eyes on the door, giving Tommy the chance he needed to finish untying the knot.