In a time not so long ago in a land not so far away (a.k.a. Nevada), there lived a girl. I know, there are like a billion girls in Nevada, but this chick was pretty special, that’s why there’s a story being written about her. Makes sense, right?
Well before I sound too conceited, I’m the girl and I’m not that awesome, ok? I do some awesome things though. Everyone said I was crazy when I tried to tell them about it and wouldn’t let me finish my story. They can’t interrupt me on paper, though. So sit back and for the love of God please read this the whole way through.
I guess I should start at the beginning but there’s no real beginning to start at. Maybe I was born with it, maybe it really did just show up around two years ago, maybe it’s Maybelline. The ‘it’ I keep referring to is my power. That’s no less vague, is it? I think the scientific term is telekinesis, that’s when you can move things with your mind, right? Yea, I just Googled it, and it is. Oh my gosh, I’m like Matilda! Except I’m not that smart, so maybe not.
Before you put this down and call an asylum to see if they have a deluxe suite for me and my ego, let me just tell you that this is actually really hard for me to say. I’m really self-conscious about it, I mean how would you feel if you suddenly started shattering things that were across the room just because you felt mad or you made the lights brighter and burst light bulbs just because you were happy. Yea, it’s scary and abnormal and you wouldn’t want to talk about it. So sit your butt back down and read.
Okay, moving on, I’m telling you this because some people did believe me but it wasn’t the people I wanted. I wanted my mom, sister, and best friend to believe me. My best friend, Val, was all for it, I did a couple tricks for her and she said, “okay Stacy, I believe you, let’s go play Mario karts.” My sister told me to shut up, and my mom told me to use it to do my chores and then laughed because that was apparently the funniest thing ever. The people who did believe me though (excluding Val) weren’t the best people. They were horrible and mean and sadistic and the first time I saw them they wore these suits and looked so cliché I swear I had to look around for a movie crew because there was no way these guys would’ve come into our dirty little town otherwise.
They thought they were so cool, whipping off their glasses and asking my mom in their deep voices if I was home. My mom’s kinda cool herself though so she said “I’m sorry was I supposed to dress up, too? I never got the memo. Stacy might’ve, though, ‘cause I haven’t seen her in quite a while, she might be getting on a dress. Why do you need her anyways?” I love my mom. The bizarre men pulled out some badges and said something about being part of the government. I didn’t like the sound of that, and neither did Val, because she then shoved me into my closet and told me to shut up. I could just barely see her put on my favorite shirt and flounce downstairs. It was so hard to hear what was going on and I wanted to do something so bad but I didn’t even know how to fully control my power back then. All I could do was pick up light objects, and I don’t think a hairbrush or a pencil would’ve been able to help them.
Everything was muffled until the screaming. That pierced through everything, it ricocheted through my bones and stopped my heart for way too long. I knew it was my mom, because Val would’ve been more high-pitched but I was scared for the both of them. If they were hurting my mom, they would hurt Val, too, wouldn’t they?
I flew downstairs, and all but crashed into the first suited man. “Ah, Miss Pewter, it’s nice of you to finally join us.” He said smirking, and evil glint in his eye. Eyeing them both I replied, “You’re in my house, doesn’t that mean you’re joining me? And where’s my mom and friend? And while you’re at it why don’t you tell me why you need me.” They laughed a mean, robotic laugh at then grabbed me by the hair. I don’t want to waste time talking about the car ride because there isn’t much to tell, but I will say this: their trunk smelled like fish sticks and urine, so they sound get that cleaned out before they through another teenage girl in there, it’s just not polite to keep it all nasty like that.
So getting back on track, when they actually got me to wherever we were going I was exhausted and starving. I was placid for them once they let me out, but if they were going to be cheesy movie villains, I was totally going to be the hard-core hero figure. I shrugged their hands off my shoulders, stood tall, and took long strides until I was toe to toe with the guy I assumed was their leader. Luckily, I guessed right, because that would’ve been awkward. There was a row of soldier-looking guys on either side of him leading back to the car so it looked like I wouldn’t be able to make a great escape right then. On the bright side, there were no more stupid suits. On the not so bright side, we were heading towards a huge building in the middle of some desert and these guys didn’t look like the joking type.
It’s hard to talk about what happened in that building. Partly because I just can’t remember it, partly because the things I do remember are atrocious and scarring, and partly because I’d probably make a joke about it (my mom says she’s worried I’m manic, I tell her I’m just hilarious). I’ll spit out a couple juicy details for you, though, because I just love you all so much.
They taught me how to use the power, and they used brute force in order to make me compliant. I wanted to have found out how to use it on my own. Whips, tasers, fists, feet, words, there was nothing they wouldn’t use. Did I mention they were sadistic? One step out of line and bam, I was beat down to the floor. I’m not mad at them, though, so don’t get me wrong. I don’t want revenge, this isn’t what this paper’s about.
Here’s the climactic part I know you’ve been waiting for. So they didn’t just teach me how to use my telekinesis, they also educated me like I would’ve been in school and put me through a rigorous military program, where I learned how to fight and shoot a gun. They wanted me to be their secret government weapon. Pretty glamorous, right? Well, they’re not the brightest because they failed to note that I was not a robot that they could program to do whatever they wanted. I was around maybe 19 when I decided I had learned everything I wanted to. I was done with gruel dinners and a metal cot to sleep it. I wanted to see my mom, sister, and Valerie again. I wasn’t ‘weapon XV’, I’m Stacy Pewter, my mom may or may not have it going on, I like cats and the color yellow, because I like to remember the sun they hadn’t let me see in around 6 years.
So I got out of there. It wasn’t easy, it’s not like I just said “I kinda want to leave, okay? Okay. Glad we got that cleared up. I’ll miss you guys, keep me updated on the kids Carl! Alright, bye!” No. I knew the layout of the facility and on the way the cafeteria there’s a huge metal gate that leads to the world outside, where there’s a sun and a moon and pudding and most importantly (although pudding’s up there) my family.
On a sleepy Tuesday I decided to turn their world upside down. Almost literally. I have become really good with my power so it took a bit of focus but with adrenaline pumping it wasn’t too hard to swing the 6 soldiers that escorted me everywhere up onto the roof and then blast them and their guns to other sides of the hallway. With a clap of my hands I crushed the gate down to ground level. A couple of squadrons were filing in from both ends of the wide hallway, they crouched down and began firing tranquilizers. I’m their most powerful weapon, remember? They can’t kill me, their mistake. I stopped all the darts halfway through their course and flung them back and the soldiers. It was so cool, you should’ve been there, it was like the Matrix all over again. Soon all of them were on the ground snoozing. I made one of them stand out and lightly kick another, and mouth “Hey, no sleepin’ on the job” I actually produced the sound for it though, I don’t know how to control vocal cords. I was laughing so hard I barely made it out of there before the next wave of soldiers came. I pushed them back and flattened out a piece of metal I thought might be able to hold me. With my glorious mind powers I created a ‘magic carpet’ out of the metal and flew off into the first horizon I had seen for a long time.
I flew until the adrenaline wore off and all the exhaustion that should’ve taken over me in the midst of the shooting, came over me. I could barely land safely. I didn’t have any more juice left in me to even build a makeshift cave to sleep in, so my first free night was spent on the desert floor. I bet I accidentally ate like 5 spiders. Nasty. Anyways, when I awoke in what looked to be late morning by the position of the sun, which is a beautiful yellow by the way, my first order of business was to find the closest town and find something to eat.
Luckily, I landed near a highway. I didn’t even know it until I tried to walk across it and out of nowhere this truck came hurtling towards me. I almost made him flip over, the poor sap. He pulled over and leaned out of his window to ask, “Hey kid, you okay? What are you doin’ out here on your own?” I did not trust him but I could smell something in his truck that might have been edible so I replied, “I got lost on a walk. Do you think you could drive me to the nearest town? My mom must be worried.” Apparently that worked because he then unlocked the passenger side door and gestured for me to get in. it was a quiet car ride and when we reached what a sign deemed Carson City. “Thank God” I sighed to myself. When the man dropped me off in the downtown area I called back “Thank you-“. “Gary, hun, and good luck with your mom, I hope you don’t get in trouble!” He winked back at me. “Thanks Gary, I’m... Destiny. Yeah, Destiny.” A nice name to live up to, I thought.
I live in Reno, so it wasn’t hard to find a Greyhound bus headed straight there. I walked to my house from the bus stop and in 3 days I had made it home from Carson City. The thing is, my mom wasn’t in my house. A nice lady named Sherrie was and she told me that her realtor had told her that no one had lived in the house before her. There were simply no records of it.
So now I’m restlessly wandering America. One step, one hitchhike, one makeshift ‘magic carpet’ at a time, but I still haven’t found my family and Val. That’s where you come in. the reason I’m writing this is to tell you I need your help. Search your town for me, help me, please. It’s hard to believe me, I know, but I’m begging you. I know they’re not dead and I’m constantly on the run. I can’t always be looking for them, but if everyone were looking, then we could find them, right? I can barely remember their faces, but Val has green eyes you can’t miss and my mom and sister have identical dark blue eyes and sun-kissed skin. Please, just help a little, I need to find them. They can’t be dead. I need them, I love them. Please.