*all rights to the original author*
I used to wish on stars that one day I’d be able to escape the tiny hick town I grew up in. But I guess I wasn’t specific enough, because Sacramento suburbia? Big step down. Driving through its dull brown neighborhoods is a lot like passing through all those cornfields I used to hate so much in Illinois, only not so glamorous.
Yup, there’s nothing like an endless row of tract homes rolling past your window to make a long stretch of awkward silence seem even longer. When we finally reached the end of my neighborhood Lauren broke the quiet with a measly "Where to?"
The sound of her voice startled me so badly that I accidentally let out a burst of energy that not only blitzed the radio and the lights on her dashboard, but actually revved the engine of the truck. Lauren tapped the gauges on the dash with a frown and started to say something, but I screamed before she could get any words out.
"Stop the car!"
Lauren looked at me, a little stunned, but pulled the truck to a stop. I immediately jumped out before I fried the car and her along with it. As I started walking away I felt electricity pulsing through my body, and I was too upset to stop it.
"Stop!" I screamed when Lauren came running after me. "Don’t touch me!" She stopped only for a second because I’d startled her, but then she slowly reached out for me.
"I mean it, Lauren! Don’t come any closer!" I backed away from her again. "I don’t want to hurt you!"
Lauren didn’t just look confused; she looked scared. Sadly, she was right to be afraid. I was dangerous. "What do you mean, ‘hurt’ me?"
"I can’t control it!"
"Control what?"
The more upset Lauren got, the more frantic I became. I clenched my hands into tight fists when I felt them start to heat up, and suddenly the streetlight I was standing under lit up and exploded.
After Lauren ducked the shower of glass, I watched her make the connection between her truck, the broken lamp, and me. The way her mouth dropped open made me feel sick. It was probably one of the most awful moments of my life, and I wanted to run. After all, what did it matter at this point if I just disappeared? Lauren clearly knew I was different.
But for some reason, I couldn’t make myself move. I couldn’t think straight. I couldn’t even breathe. In fact, Lauren was the first to come to her senses. She held her hands out and slowly stepped back.
"Okay, I’m backing up now." Her voice was low and forceful but very soothing, and the distance she put between us helped a great deal. "Take a deep breath," she instructed, "and let’s try to stay calm." Lauren inhaled deeply as if she was coaching herself to breathe and not actually talking to me at all, but I obeyed her orders anyway. I could feel my muscles start to relax when I focused on the sound of her breathing.
As I calmed down, the low hum of the streetlamp faded, and eventually I was able to take that deep breath I desperately needed. It felt good to breathe. It was also easier to settle down now that I could see that Lauren wasn’t panicking or anything. I closed my eyes and took several more deep breaths.
"Are you ready to talk to me?" Lauren asked when she was sure that speaking wouldn’t set me off again.
I was as ready as I would ever be, so I shrugged my defeat. I headed back to her truck in a bit of a daze, but when I started to climb back into the passenger seat I realized that Lauren was still standing a good ten feet away. She swallowed uneasily, like she didn’t want to have to ask me her next question but had no choice.
