Catherine's Interview with the HIA

Thank you for coming here. Can you tell us your name, please?

Catherine Belle

Thank you. Now can you tell us what your powers are?

Yes, I have the power to absorb sound waves and redirect them or amplify them. However, you have noticed how my voice doesn't get absorbed. That's because whenever I make sounds it comes from the reserve I've built up. That being said if I begin to ramble, please bear with me as it is one of the ways I release sound so that my reserves don't build up too much for me to handle. Next question, please.

How did you discover this power?

I was a little girl when I attended a concert for one of my favorite bands. Their sound equipment started to fail for some reason and not to be disappointed I remember just lifting my head up and began singing. It was so low and clear that everyone in the stadium could hear me. The people next to me went deaf shortly after I started singing. Later on, I realized that my clapping could cause audio equipment to fail. I also learned that if I snap my fingers it hits a frequency that makes dogs feel like they're hearing a really loud dog whistle. So simply put I can't sing without causing people to go deaf, I can't clap for people or I create sound waves that send people flying. Next question, please.

How old were you when that happened?

Twelve, I think. I know though I'm not too sure. I know my parents remember that event because they went deaf for a couple of days. My siblings might remember like Kattie, but then there's Josh who is fifty-fifty it just depends on if he was paying attention or not. Next question, please.

You said you can absorb sound waves. Can you elaborate on that?

Basically, whenever I hear a sound the energy from it is stored in my hands and throat so whenever I clap or sing the energy is released. I do my best to release the energy before it builds up because if I don't sing or clap it's enough to shake buildings and rooms. Which spooks a lot of people. Next question, please.

Do you know how and why you're able to talk normally but not control your singing?

I don't know. I thought this place would help me find that out. I've only had these powers for about five years now and have done very little experimentation with them.

What makes you think the HIA could help you?

Your whole agency is studying and helping superpowered people. Is it not? That is why you guys are here, right?

That is correct. However, any insight into how one's powers work can be useful to find counters and empower even further. Anyway, does your power only activate when you are singing or does it have to reach a certain level of loudness?

Both. Like even if I sing softly I send a huge amount of sound energy from my mouth. If I hum the energy will bust my lips. However, if I yell. I release a ton of energy. This can cause my throat to be sore, or make me unable to speak for a couple of days.

How does using your powers feel does your throat hurt when you sing, does your hands feel swollen when you absorb too much sound?

My singing voice feels fine unless I hit certain notes really high for very long periods of time. I do get worn out a lot from singing especially if I'm constantly draining my reserves. Like this one time where I was seeing how long I could hit a particular note only for one of my hands to start to feel like it was shivering up, but it wasn't. It was normal, but it felt like my hand was shrinking. There was also this other time when I was at a movie theater, it was a loud action movie and by the end of it I absorbed so much sound I felt sick and my hands began to swell up and even my throat began to itch uncontrollably.

Interesting, Does your family know about your power?

Oh yeah, they suffer the most from it. All of my family has to wear earplugs while in the house. We've had to learn sign language just to prevent me from talking. However, They have begun to add soundproof material to the walls, ceiling, and floors, so things will be closer to normal. Before that though, they weren't able to play any music or turn on the radio. They rarely watched movies, which forced them to eat at the table where we sometimes ate in silence or talked about our day. Honestly, now that I think about it, it's almost like my family has gotten closer to each other because of my powers.

Interesting. Does anyone in your family have powers?

Not that I know of. However, they're probably still dominant, or they've just hidden them really, really well. Which I don't doubt.

Do you know anyone who has similar powers?

Not personally, but there was this one guy who could see sound waves. I accidentally made him deaf and now has to wear a hearing aid for the rest of his life. Then there was this other girl who could mimic any sound or voice with her mouth. However, she can't mimic my singing or clapping since it makes her throat also rip itself apart. I only had limited interactions with them, so I don't know the rest of their abilities.

So do you happen to have a hero name, just so we can keep your family and identity a secret?

I haven't put much thought into it. My family has tried to give me some options like Sound Princess, WaveMaker, or Sound Catcher. Yet nothing has really stood out to me.

So one last question. Do you wish to push your powers further?

Absolutely. I want to see how loud I can be. I want to be helpful and not a burden. I want my power to be seen as a gift, not as a curse. I want to do more than just be a loud lady.

Well thank you for coming and we will see if you are qualified to join us. We will contact you when we make our decision. Thank you.

Thank you.