Mantid #1: Origins

School Day???

Blaze's alarm on her radio woke her to get ready. She begrudgingly shut the radio off, and rolled out of bed. Blaze changed from her pajamas into a pair of black, skinny bermuda shorts and a Hatsune Miku Expo tank top. She then started to brush her bedhead into the usual fluffy, side-swept pixie cut. Blaze put in a pair of faux, grey pearl earrings. Then she applied some liquid eyeliner - Not too much, but still noticeable. She checked herself in the mirror to see how she looked, and she was pleased that her eyeliner wings weren't too uneven this time. Blaze ruffled her hair, and flew down the stairs to go brush her teeth. After she was done with that, she went into the kitchen to make herself and her grandfather some fruity oatmeal.

Blaze greeted, "Good morning."

There was no answer.

Blaze looked around and then facepalmed, "It's Saturday..."

She started chuckling at herself as she gathered the supplies she needed for the oatmeal.

*Papa should be awake by time it's done being made.*

Fifteen minutes later, the oatmeal was made, and her grandfather shuffled into the kitchen.

He yawned, "Morning."

"Good morning," She replied.

"You're up early."

She blushed, "I thought it was a school day."

He laughed, "I thought you didn't like school."

Blaze admitted as she handed him a bowl of oatmeal, "I don't... I guess I'm just a creature of habit."

"That's an understatement..."

Blaze poured a bowl for herself and sat down at the small, retro table across from her father. Both of them finished their meals quickly, and they migrated to the living room to watch the news.

Blaze pulled out her phone and played Flappy Bird while listening to the news report; or as she liked to call it, "The Murder Report."

All the awful things in the world sickened her to no end; she wanted to help stop it. She originally wanted to be a police officer, but she wanted to do something about it right now, not years later. So, she decided that she would take matters into her own hands, and protect as many people as she could. Blaze knew it would be dangerous, but she would rather die than do nothing.

After a half hour of lounging on the couch, Blaze got up, "I'm going to collect more cans."

"Okay, be careful," Her grandfather replied.

"I will be," She said, walking to the door, "Bye papa."

"Bye."

Blaze opened the door and jogged down the steps of the house. She walked to the garage, opened it, and toted her bike and trailer to the sidewalk. She hopped on, and started riding.

After an hour of picking up metal, She decided to head home; she had enough metal to make the mantis claws now.

When she got to the corner of her block, she stopped because she saw something fluffy in the street ahead. Blaze parked her bike, and walked toward whatever it was in the street. She checked to see that nobody was coming, and then she trotted up to it; it was a fox squirrel. She checked to see if the squirrel was alive, and upon feeling Blaze's hand, the squirrel blinked its eyes open.

Blaze breathed a sigh of relief, and gently picked up the furry animal, and set him (she checked to see what gender he was) in the front basket of her bike, and slowly pedaled home.

Once she got back, she put her bike in the garage, and gingerly lifted the animal out of the basket, and carried him inside with her.

Her grandfather saw the long, fluffy tail, "Another squirrel?"

"Yeah," Blaze replied as she rushed upstairs.

Once she arrived at her room, she opened the door and set the squirrel on her bed. She pulled out her handmade cage with a cardboard box in it. She opened her bottom dresser drawer, and then retrieved a blanket which she put into the box. Blaze stood up, picked up the squirrel, and put him in the box, and folded the blanket over him.

He looked up at Blaze and blinked at her, gratefully.

After pouring some water in the tiny bowl inside of the cage, she closed and latched the door, "Get well!"

Blaze watched the animal for a while to make sure he would be alright. Then, she started to sketch what she wanted her leotard and body armor to look like. After she was done drawing, she hid her sketchbook under her pillow.