To Be Like Me

By LaraMoon <laramoon@mac.com>

Rating G

Submitted: July 2006

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Author's note: I wrote most of this in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep. The idea just kept tossing and turning in my head, so I finally got up and wrote it! It didn't take very long to get from my brain to my laptop so I'm not sure how brilliant this really is... Unless this is me getting better at writing stories in English? Who knows!

Huge thanks to everyone who answered my questions about high school and chemistry and commented on the story when I posted it on the boards [http://www.lcficmbs.com/index2.html]. I really appreciate it! :D

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Do you ever feel like breaking down? Do you ever feel out of place? Like somehow you just don't belong And no one understands you

"Welcome to my Life" by Simple Plan

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Dear Diary, Oh, hang on, that sounds way too girly!

Dear Journal, Nah... Sounds the same as diary to me. And 'Dear Friend' sounds even worse, I'm not friends with inanimate objects, I'm not crazy! Do I really need to make this like I'm writing a letter, anyway?

This is the thing: I need to talk to someone, but I really don't know who to turn to. I can't go to Mom and Dad - I mean, yeah, they keep telling me I can talk to them about anything, but... this? It would just kill them! Or they'll hate me. Well, perhaps not hate me, but you know... how could they possibly love me after I told them about this? So there, this is what you're for, dear blank sheet of paper, you'll serve as a sympathetic ear for now.

Something's happened today. Something that's not normal. I don't know how or why it happened exactly, I'm not sure how such a thing is even possible! I think - are you ready for this? - I think I'm a mutant. Yeah, a mutant. What else could it be? I see no other logical explanation! I must be the result of some sort of genetic accident. Have you any idea how scary a thought this is? *I*am a freak.

I was sitting in the chemistry lab at school, we were doing an experiment with... ummm, I don't even remember what it was exactly; I wasn't really paying much attention at the time. I know, I know, I should listen in class... and I would, too, if the teacher wasn't so dull! Anyway, it doesn't matter what the experiment was. The point is we were supposed to heat up a certain liquid and then pour that in with another and watch the reaction. Impressive, for sure. Now, there are only two Bunsen burners we can use (oh, there's more in the lab, but we're not allowed to turn them on ourselves: they don't trust fourteen year olds with fire and gas; not that I really blame them!) ok, so two Bunsen burners... We take turns going up to them and heating up the liquid in our little test tubes. Then it's back to our station to pour the hot liquid into the other cooler one and hope something happens. Lucky me, I usually end up last in line for these things. I sat at my place, waiting for my turn to come, just staring at my tube and wishing it would heat up on its own somehow so I wouldn't have to wait like 10 more minutes before I could go use the burner. That's when it happened. The liquid started boiling. All I did was look at it and the liquid started boiling in the tube! I swear! It was all I could do not to scream in horror. How could I have done that?! No matter how bad I wanted the liquid to heat up, willing it to do so is not supposed to be possible!

The rest is a bit of a blur... I was seriously panicked, as you can imagine! All I know is I managed to get the boiling liquid into the second tube and get the reaction going as it should - I even got an A for it, this is so insane! - but I have no idea how it is that no one noticed I never actually put the first tube over the burner! I guess I should be thankful they didn't or mass hysteria would likely have broken out.

At first I wasn't sure it was me. I didn't want to believe it was something I could have done, anyhow. But it was; I know that now. I know because I tried a few "experiments" before I got home and the thing is... if I stare at something and kind of concentrate on it hard enough, well I can make it heat up. Just like that! It goes beyond just heat, though, 'cause I burned a hole right through a cardboard box. It's like I can turn my vision into a laser. Imagine that, I have laser vision. How crazy is that?

I absolutely don't want anyone at school to figure out what's going on, I'm way too afraid to even think what would happen if they knew I was "different" - being different is the single worst thing you can be in high school! And you see why I can't talk to Mom and Dad, either. For God's sake, I am a freak! It's going to break their hearts to find out. How does one even being to explain such a thing to their parents anyway? "Hey, Mom, Dad, guess what? You know how you always wanted me to do something special with my life? Well you don't know the half of it!" Yeah, right... Like this is what they wanted their son to be when he grew up... I'm afraid they're going to be scared of me. What if they throw me out because I'm a mutant? They wouldn't do that, would they? Oh, man, I hope not!

I wish there was someone I could talk to who wouldn't be totally horrified and run away from me once they knew. But I can't imagine anyone not reacting that way. Unless... oh, why didn't I think of that before? I do know someone I might be able to talk to; I don't see him freaking out about it either. It's kind of a long shot though... I'm not at all convinced Superman would have time to chat with a high school kid, even one with a weird mutant power. Then again, he knows my folks pretty well - that's how they get exclusive interviews for the newspaper all the time, in case you didn't know. Think he might be inclined to make time for one of the Kent kids?

If I only knew how to get a hold of him without going through Mom or Dad...

~The End~

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(What can I say, I love surprise endings!)

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