Mantid #1: Origins

Prologue

 A teenaged girl rode her bicycle up and down the streets of Detroit in search of cans and scrap metal. As she pedaled her cruiser, she found some nuts and bolts just off the curb. The girl dismounted the bike and ruffled her asymmetrical, candy-apple red hair. She wheeled the bike and its trailer along with her, and bent down - still holding the bicycle up with one arm - and picked up the fasteners. She placed them in her wooden wine crate-trailer, mounted her bike, and kept searching for metal.

About thirty minutes later, evening came. The girl wheeled her bike and trailer into the tiny family garage, and walked up the steps to the quaint English tudor house, then she let herself in with the keys on her bedazzled lanyard.

She went into the house, and searched for her grandfather in the livingroom, "Papa, I'm back!"

"I'm in here, Blaze!" Her grandfather's voice answered from the kitchen.

Blaze slipped her nebula-patterned ballet flats off, and trudged across the carpeted floor, tired from riding her bike all day after school and homework.

Her grandfather looked up from his tablet at her, folded it, and stuck it in the front pocket of his polo shirt, "So, how did you do?"

Blaze pulled out a chair and sat down, "I did pretty good. I found about 40 cans... Give or take..."

"Not bad."

"Thanks."

Blaze rested for a minute, then she went to the sink to wash her hands. She opened the overhead cupboard and made a mental note of the types of ramen noodles that were in there.

"Chicken teriyaki, shrimp, or beef?"

Her grandfather thought for a few seconds, then he decided, "Beef."

"Okay," She stood on her toes, and stretched for the package... But she was too short to reach it (4' 11" tall).

Blaze irritatedly looked for the stepstool, nudged it over with her foot, and stood on it. She grabbed the packages of ramen, and then stepped down. Blaze then proceeded to make the noodles.

After the ramen was made, the two talked about their days as they ate. After they ate, Blaze climbed the stairs to her room, sat on her bed, and turned on the radio on her nightstand to listen to The Archivist - A station that tells true and interesting life experiences.

"And then, there was literally spaghetti, like, spilled all over me! Like... That was like super embarrassing. And she was like laughing at me..."

Blaze cackled in laughter, "I wonder why... Valley girls - Gotta love 'em."

She cracked a Gatorade bottle open and took a sip.

"So, how did you react, Allie?"

Blaze choked on her Gatorade, "Allie? As in Alison Beattie?!"

"So then, I like dumped a literal gallon of my chocolate milk on her head. It like, destroyed her hair."

"Oh no... I have to call Sydney..."

Blaze went to her computer, and Skyped her friend, "Pick up."

Sydney's face popped up on the screen, "Hi! What's up?"

"Turn on The Archivist... You've gotta hear this for yourself."

"What? Well... Okay..."

Blaze waited silently for her reaction.

"Oh no... She's at it again..." She listened for a bit, "What?! This is from fourth grade! Why is she bringing this up now?! Idiot. I'll show her! She knows what happened the last-"

"You'll just get into trouble. You won't help anything by beating her up again."

"If that won't then what will?!"

Blaze smirked, "I just started recording it. That way when I bring this to the principal, she can't deny anything, and her friends can't cover for her."

"Smart," Sydney paused and looked over her shoulder, "My parents just got back, and they have Chinese food. Gotta go, bye!"

"Bye!"

"And then she like started sobbing. Like, what a weakling!"

The host was obviously uncomfortable, so he ended the special early, "Sorry miss, but I have to disconnect you. That's all the time we have here for this story! Next let's listen to our next caller!"

Blaze saved the audio file, and then sat back and listened to the radio until the program ended. Then she shut off the radio and pulled out her kraft sketchbook. Blaze flipped through the pages until she reached the one she wanted - It was a diagram of a mechanical mantis pincher that folded into a bracelet-like structure.

*I have almost enough metal to make it. One more trip should do it.*

After daydreaming for a bit, she closed her sketchbook and put it on top of the radio. Then she went downstairs to say goodnight to her grandfather.

Blaze hugged him, "Goodnight, papa."

"Goodnight."

Blaze walked back upstairs, slipped under her yellow covers, and turned off her lamp.