Innocence and Telekinesis

Part One: Lexington

Seclusion. Is it actually considered as such if you have no knowledge of the outside world? Living day-to-day, looking at the same walls that you have seen since you were four? The apartment was pleasant enough, with a living area, kitchenette, bedroom and bathroom; although the only window was a two-way mirror, so people on the outside could see in, but the apartment's only occupant couldn't see out. Webster defines prison as: a building in which people are legally held as a punishment for a crime they have committed or while awaiting trial. Was this a prison? The occupant couldn't come and go of her own free will, yet she hadn't been accused or convicted of any crime. But are you a prisoner if this is the only life you truly know?

Amenities? Of course: Flat-screen plasma HD TV, stereo system, Playstation and X-Box, laptop; everything a modern person could need. But everything was regulated. No cable, no internet, no actual choice. Movies? Only the best, but regulated. Star Wars, Battlestar Galatica, Star Trek... the very best of modern sci-fi, with the emphasis on fiction. The Wizard of Oz was a personal favorite, as was Willy Wonka... just not the first twenty minutes which depicted people living (relatively) normal lives. Television shows? Heavily regulated. Doctor Who is popular, but only the episodes that happened on distant planets. Video games? All of the most popular that showed the world from a surreal or skewed view. Skyrim, Fallout and Mass Effect... fun, but unrealistic; and none of which showed the world for what it actually was... or is.

The world was hidden. America's favorite shows like Friends, Mike & Molly and Breaking Bad were playing on millions of televisions across the country, but for all of their unrealistic aspects, they showed people living their lives. Being married, going to work, falling in love, breaking the law, betraying their spouse... things that actually happened every day. But in this 650 square foot apartment, the realities of life beyond were unknown.

Amy Beth Callahan was not a normal girl. Normal girls have jobs, boyfriends and cats. Normal girls struggle with anxiety, depression and weight loss; drive cars, listen to music and interact with people. Normal girls wake up each morning, shower and apply makeup, and then leave their homes to enter the world. Amy has never touched a cat, at least not one she can remember. She has a crush on Chris Pratt, but more for the characters he portrays than the actor himself, as she knows very little about him. She deals with some anxiety, but since her diet is heavily regulated, weight loss isn't an issue. She does go outside, and she likes riding her bicycle around the track in the courtyard, but she doesn't see anything except the walls around her as the yard is surrounded by the three story building in which she has spent her life. She dabbles with makeup, but only because one of her handlers decided that a grown woman should try it. Normal girls don't have handlers. Normal girls don't live in comfortable prisons. Normal girls aren't like Amy.

Amy was born on February 23rd, 1991, in Omaha, Nebraska. She had two average parents, and as life happens, those parents divorced when she was two. So she was raised until the age of four by her mother and her absentee father, who usually only appeared around once a month or on birthdays and holidays. However, at age four things began happening. When a four year old girl doesn't get her way, she typically throws a tantrum; as most children do. But when Amy became upset, things broke. Yes, small children can scream and thrash around and break lamps and knock picture frames off tables, but pictures on walls? Lamps in other rooms? After several weeks of this, her mother took her to see a doctor, and after two visits he could find nothing wrong besides an exasperated parent. In an attempt to satisfy her constant insistence that her child had some mysterious power, the family doctor suggested a psychiatric clinic in Kansas City. So Mrs. Callahan left her job waiting tables at the local Denny's and drove to Missouri to prove that her daughter was indeed special, and that she herself wasn't completely crazy.