Nat: The Beginning

Childhood? No. Trauma? Yes.

Natalie Smith has gone by many names. Sure, while part of that comes with being a hero in training, it also doesn't help that she went on the run...multiple times. But of all the names she ever used, Natasha Mason was by far the one she despised the most. (This was rather unfortunate due to the fact that it was her given name).

Starting at the beginning, May 20th, many years ago, Natasha was born in a secluded room in a secluded building. It was honestly a miracle that she had even had the chance to make it into the world. Her mother, Melina, was reluctant to have a child. She had never intended to fall in love, let alone raise a baby. She didn't want to allow weakness into her life. Luckily, Natasha's father convinced her to follow through. Unluckily, he would disappear from the picture not too much later. Natasha never knew why. 

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Natasha spent most of her time with a nanny for the first four years of her life. Her mother was the head of her own criminal organization. She didn't have time to waste on children (or so she said). They were a happy four years, nothing but play and learning to navigate the halls of the criminal base. You know, normal childhood stuff. But soon Melina began to take greater interest in the girl. 

One day Natasha sneezed, sending her building blocks floating in the air for a brief moment. It soon became clear that the girl could move objects with her mind. She began intense training, learning to control her ability as best as her little brain could manage. Soon with more research, they began to understand her power more. 

She couldn't just move objects with her mind, she could control energy. She manipulated the energy surrounding and within people and objects. With enough concentration, she could even utilize energy from light and sound. 

Her training continued, though Natasha often stumbled and failed to meet her mother's high expectations. She learned fighting techniques and took lessons from a tutor that served as her education. It was hard, but she endured it. 

That was until her mother started her down a darker path. She Coerced Natasha to use her power for evil, torture even. So she ran away...

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Natasha stayed on the run for years. She decided to risk enrolling in a public middle school for a brief time before dropping out. That's when she first took on the alias she would use for many years to come: Natalie Smith. 

In her brief time there, she never made any real friends. The closest she came was with a girl with bright pink hair and pointy ears. They never got very close, but a silent agreement passed between them. They both had their secrets, but neither would ever try to pry. Middle school didn't last long. 

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Natasha knew very little about life outside the walls she grew up in. She had to learn to adapt, but she would also come to learn that she was more than just a quirk or just another one of her mother's puppets. It would just take a little time and a little...stalking?