Aftermath: Kimberly

*One year ago…*

*The moment she teleported back to her apartment, Kimberly couldn't hold back her tears anymore. This couldn't be happening. In all her years as a ranger, she had never imagined any of them would lose their lives, especially after so long…*

*The risk had always been there but after a while, fighting villains in spandex became second nature and the anxiety had faded away, leaving only the thrill of battle and the adrenaline rush.*

*Trini was her best friend, her sister in all but blood… She was the first person Kim would call whenever she had any news to share, good or bad. Trini was the one who always knew what to do or say in times of crisis.*

*Kim might have been the heart of the team, but Trini was the glue that kept everyone together, the one who sorted out miscommunications before they turned into arguments.*

*This was so wrong.*

*Kim wiped away her tears with the back of her hand.*

*She needed to go back, but she couldn't let Minh see her like this.*

*Minh was the one whose world shattered in a single moment, not her.*

*She owed it to Trini to look after her daughter.*

*Her phone rang. She took it out from her jacket and saw the caller ID.*

*Lila.*

*Her daughter loved her aunt Trini so much…*

*Kim sniffed. Trini had been there for her when she had discovered her pregnancy, more than her own family or even the father of her child.*

*How was she supposed to tell that Trini was gone to a child who viewed her as a second mother?*

*This was all so wrong.*

*She steeled her breath, swiping right on her phone and answering the call.*

*"Mom, you won't believe it, I got the internship!" Lila screamed excitedly.*

*"That's…" Kim broke into sobs.*

*"Mom?" Lila asked. "What is wrong?"*

*Kim couldn't say anything.*

*"Mom?"*

*"Yes, sweetheart." Kim managed between sobs. "Something happened today. Something horrible."*

*Lila needed to know. Despite how much it would sadden her, she deserved to know. Trini did so much for her and her daughter.*

*"Mom, you are scaring me." Came the panicked reply.*

*"It's your aunt Trini. She is gone." Kim sobbed, pressing her back against the wall as she slumped down to her knees.*

*"What do you mean… gone?"*

*"Mom?"*

*"What happened?"*

*Kim sniffed, not knowing what to say. Lila, like many of their kids, didn't know that their parents were moonlighting as superheroes for the better part of three decades.*

*"There was an accident." Kim said through her teeth. "Trini… She didn't… She didn't make it."*

*Lila cried from the other side.*

*"Why? How?"*

*"I don't know, sweetheart." Kim sniffed. "She is gone."*

*"Minh?" Lila asked.*

*"She knows. She… She is a kid, Lila and she… I should get back to her." Kim said.*

*"I am coming too." Her daughter said, her voice trembling yet full of conviction. "I* *am booking the first flight back home."*

*"Lila…"*

*"Aunt Trini is... was family. Minh is family. All of us need to be there for her."*

*"Okay…"*

*"And mom, take care of yourself too." Lila said.*

*"Yes, sweetheart." Kim promised, cutting the call, and looking up at the ceiling.*

*How was this fair? Any of this?*

*Why now?*

*Trini was a good person… a hero in every sense of the word.*

*Why was she taken away from them so soon?*