Cancer. What a horrible word. Teens aren’t supposed to get cancer. They’re supposed to run around and be happy. Not be dying of cancer cells around her heart. I glanced again at the screen on the wall across from me and felt the tears slowly come. If only they could take the cancer cells out, but no, they’re surrounding the heart and she wouldn’t live through surgery. I glanced toward the others looking for support. Justin had tears in his eyes and Cassie was still staring at the screen in disbelief.

Carlos looked dazed as if this wasn’t happening and T.J., the leader of their group, just stood there with his hands in his pockets staring off into space. I glanced down at my hands that were trembling ever so slightly.

I glanced up at Dr. Peters.

"Ashley you can go home now. I want to see you every week to look for changes. You need to take it easy from now on, it’s not a great thing to hear but it’s true, your days are numbered and you want as many of them as possible."

I nodded and hopped off the table. I placed my hand on Justin’s shoulder and he looked up at me with his big brown eyes.

"Please don’t die Ashley." He said quietly slipping his short arms around me.

What was I supposed to say to that. I wouldn’t live for six months. I would change it if I could but I couldn’t. It was too late. I wrapped my own arms around Justin and laid my head on his. He was just the right height for it.

He finally pulled back and wiped the tears from his eyes. Maybe we shouldn’t have brought him. He’s only 12. He doesn’t understand death yet. I thought silently. But we just thought it was cold when we came and it turns out to be cancer.

They slowly left the doctors office. They were all trying to take heed to what just happened. They walked me home and left me in my empty house. My parents were out of country and wouldn’t be back for two weeks. I reached for the phone and dialed the number they had left in case of emergency.

"Hello?" My mom’s voice answered.

"Mom?" My voice was shaky.

"Ashley, honey is that you. What’s wrong baby?"

"Umm…Well I went to the doctors today cause I thought I had the flue and I wanted to get medicine before it got worse. Well it wasn’t the flue, mom."

"What is it honey? What’s the matter?"

"They found cancer mom. Around my heart. I’m only going to live for a month."

That ended the conversation. She promised to take the next flight out with my dad and they would be home immediately. I put the phone back and made my way over to the couch. I climbed onto it and curled into a ball. I sat there for a moment trying to be strong trying to think of something, anything other than dying but it was useless. One tear came followed by thousands of others. I let them flow down my cheeks freely. I just couldn’t believe it. My life would end in a month. That was it. Gone forever. That was too much to handle. I must have cried for hours. When I finally stopped it was dark outside and I heard a key in my front door. My parents rushed over to me and wrapped their arms tightly around me. Then I cried again.

I finally dragged myself up to my room and crawled into my bed. As I laid there, my thoughts drifted back to all my good memories. Being a Power Ranger was the best thing that ever happened to me. Fighting Divatox and her stupid sidekicks. Being with the others and having so much fun together. Carlos just asked me out two weeks ago. And now it was over just like that. At sixteen my life was going to end. Everything that I had dreamed of doing would never happen just be buried with me under the dirt. How could I get cancer? It can’t be possible. I don’t want to die. I’m not ready! No! I refuse. I’m not leaving until I’m good and old. I finally fell asleep and dreamed of all the good times that were supposed to happen.

The days passed slowly. I spent most of my time sitting in the window seat staring out over the neighborhood. Justin and Carlos came by every day trying to get me to go out with them and the others. I refused telling them I’d rather sit and think. I told them that every day until one time Justin exploded.

"Ashley knock it off! All you do is sit around and mope. I’m sick of it! We want to spend time with you! I don’t want you to die but I don’t have a choice! You do however have choice whether or not to sit around and mope or go outside with us and go to movies and out to dinner! You only have three weeks left! You are the most special person I know, but you are being horribly selfish! All you care about is yourself! We care about you with all of our hearts right now and all you do is turn us away! You’re being a horrible spoiled brat and I hate it!" When he finished tears were running down his face.

I lost my temper and slapped him. "How dare you tell me I’m a selfish spoiled brat! I’m going to die and I’ll spend my last days however I want too! Go away and leave me alone! Both of you! I don’t ever want to see you again!"

Justin was still crying my hand mark clearly printed on his red cheek. I immediately felt horrible. How could I hit him? I pulled him into my arms and let him cry into my sweater. I started crying too and the tears dropped into his wavy dark hair. Carlos came over and kissed my cheek softly. I slowly pulled away from Justin showing him a smile and placed my self into Carlos’ arms. He ran his fingers through my hair and let my tears slip into his green T-shirt. I finally pulled away and let Carlos set a firm kiss on my lips.

They went downstairs while pulled on a pair of pale yellow overalls and a white T-shirt. I put my sneakers on and left my room for the first time in a week and a half.

Justin and Carlos were talking to my mom in the Family room and stopped quickly when I walked in.

I stared at them oddly. They got up and Carlos took my hand leading me out of the house into the warm sunshine.

We found Cassie and T.J. in the park playing basketball. I wasn’t allowed to play so I watched them play two on too. Cassie and Carlos and T.J. and Justin. Justin and T.J. won and T.J. lifted Justin to his shoulders and ran around the court yelling about he kicked their butts. I laughed watching them run around like a bunch of idiots. Cassie and Carlos stood watching and laughing knowing they had been beat as soon as the game had started. We walked to the mall and bought a white T-shirt and had our names printed on it. It took any hour and we waited on a bench in the middle of the mall. I suddenly realized as I was sitting there that I was no longer afraid to die. I had the best friends in the whole world and they were going to help me through it. I told them when we picked up the shirt that I wanted to buried in it. They looked at me and smiled. Then I told them I had better write my will. We bought a nice pad of stationary and sat down outside to write it.

I wrote where I wanted everything to go and what I wanted at my funeral. I took out a new sheet after I had written that and started explaining to them that I was a Power Ranger. We ran it by Dimitri and he said it was fine to tell my parents. I reveled all the identities of the others and told them that my last wish was for them to keep it to themselves and go on loving the others as they had loved me. They promised to give it to them at my funeral. As they walked me home I finally felt my life was complete. I may be about to die but I was ready and I knew that it was the plan for my life.

I walked into the house and turned on the lights.

"SURPRISE!"

There was about thirty people in my family room. A banner across the ceiling read ‘We love you Ashley!’

I turned toward the others behind me and grinned. They knew all about it.

I guess it seemed kind of morbid to have a going away party for some one that was definitely not coming back but I loved every moment of the party.

I went to sleep that night happy and full of life. (As full of life as I could be)

I woke up short of breath and my parents took me to the hospital where they told me the cancer had taken over my heart and I wouldn’t live to see tomorrow.

I refused to die in a hospital. I wanted to die someplace warm and friendly. Since it was my last wish they granted it and let me go home.

I of course had to have an oxygen tank. Even though I was going to die I sat in my window seat slowly letting the oxygen keep me alive. Carlos, Cassie, T.J. and Justin came by that afternoon and sat down on my bed talking to me as if nothing was going to happen. Before they left a few hours later I hugged each one of them tightly and told them I loved them and to give a good bye hug to Alpha for me.

"We don’t have to. You can do it yourself." Cassie told me smiling broadly.

At that moment Dimitri and Alpha appeared in my room.

"Dimitri! Won’t this make you lose powers?" I asked bewildered.

"It might. But I had to say I loved you. You are special and will be greatly missed."

I wrapped my arms around her thin frame. "I love you too."

I hugged Alpha too and told him not to be sad.

"Oh I almost. I know it’s not the most important thing here but I want to make a suggestion on the next Yellow Ranger."

"Anybody you want." Dimitri replied.

"I want you to give the powers to my cousin Kaya. She’s 16 and has a huge crush on Carlos and she’s also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do."

Carlos blushed.

"If that’s what you want Ashley then it shall be done."

They all left then leaving me alone to think to lie in bed breathing my last breath. Right before I felt myself collapse my last thoughts were:

I’ll miss you and I love you all.