The Boy Made of Static

CH 1: Drowning Thoughts

It was just another day for Lyla Krane. Wake up, brush her teeth, take the bus to class, and try not to let everyone know her secret.

That was the thing about Lyla—everyone thought she was just a normal girl. Sandy blonde hair, a middle class family, glasses, it was like she was made to fit in. But Lyla wasn't like other girls. She wasn't like anybody else for that matter.

Lyla could read minds.

Everywhere she went she heard what others were thinking. Usually it was money, or sex, or some other needless judgment of another human being. The thoughts would rush to her like waves: never ending and eroding. They made her sick.

As a child, the flood of others' thoughts would overwhelm her. She would crawl into her closet or the space under her bed and cry, trying to drown out the ocean crashing in her ears. Incessant and so dreadfully negative, Lyla hated hearing other peoples' thoughts. She hated people for thinking of them. And most of all, she hated herself for hearing them.

But Lyla grew up and her tears turned dry. When someone is stripped down raw to their core, they have a decision. They can slip from their mind and become the evil that hurts them. Or, they can crawl onto their feet and stand strong, choosing to repudiate the madness and despair. Lyla chose the latter.

So now, Lyla focused on leading a regular life. She did her homework, went to work at the coffee shop, put her head down and grinded for a sense of normalcy. She did everything she could to just be like everyone else.

Until one day, she met the boy who changed everything.