The Big Reveal

Fantasia Artemis Voss has always disliked herself.

From her name to her inability to communicate properly, everyone has always found a reason to avoid her.

But, honestly, she's fine with that.

Its better that way, in the long run, seeing as she's hiding something big.

When she was little, Fantasia was stabbed in the stomach by her mother's ex-husband. It hit something vital, some organ or other that even she wasn't aware existed, causing her to go into an experimental drug trial.

Everyone else on that trial died. 22 other people, from age 4, her age, to 78, all dead because of it.

Some chemical found only in very rare cases was in her body, causing her to live. She was very lucky, and she knows it.

But that's not the point.

The point is, a few years later, a stray bullet hit her.

That bullet stopped midair before hitting her head, only a few inches in front of her right eye, before dropping to the ground. Nobody could explain it, so Fantasia set out to figure it out for herself by running away from home.

She lasted four months and could've lasted longer if not for the search party. When they found her, she was, for lack of better terms, different. The happy-go-lucky, below-average child was gone, replaced with a stoic genius. Even though it was only four months, she was found looking like a teenager and acting like one, so they thought it best to place her in a grade where she would fit in. They being her mother and the local government.

And here we are now. Sophomore-looking Fantasia, sitting on a bench, peacefully loathing every inch of her body. Nobody at school seemed to pay her any mind, save the few trying to make themselves feel better by putting others down. Her one friend, Clay Bosman, hasn't talked to her since the incident last year. Sure that was painful, but Fantasia understood and let it go.

So what did happen in those four short months away from home?

No one really knows, but this is the best guess, contributed to in part by Fantasia herself.

Interviewed by Loretta Mae Johnson.

Loretta Mae Johnson: "Can I ask you about your four months in the wilderness?"

Fantasia Voss: "You're certainly blunt, aren't you? No other reporter had the guts to ask that quickly, and for that reason, I'll tell you more than the others."

L. M. J.: "Thank you."

F. V.: "Actually, I'll give you the short answer. Ooh, this is gonna come back to hurt me, I know it, but whatever, it was time. So you heard about the bullet incident, correct?"

L. M. J: "Correct."

F. V.: "I learned why that happened, and how to use it to my advantage."

L. M. J.: "Is that all there is to the short answer?"

F. V.: "Yes. But I have about 9 more minutes, so I'll give you the medium answer. It's not like I've got anything better to do."

L. M. J.: "Okay."

F. V.: "So it turns out, if I'm in a really desperate situation, my body will kick into overdrive and I'll get, like, these 'mind powers' that protect me. One time, I tripped before stairs but was suspended at an odd angle before being released and not falling."

L. M. J.: "How did you come to this idea?"

F. V.: "I was attacked by a bear."

L. M. J.: "Oh. I'm sorry."

F. V.: "I'm fine now, aren't I? Though I do seem to attract trouble. Anyway-"

That was all that was left of the recording. A bomb went off in the building before they could finish. This was found a week after it happened, and the next day, Fantasia was taken away. Nobody's seen her since.

Her mother begged bureaucrats to release her daughter or to at least let her see Fantasia. She gathered crowds of thousands, from California to Maine, to protest her capture. All of her efforts were to no avail, the government claiming she was too dangerous to be released.

Though a tragic story, this did answer the question of many: what would happen if someone got superpowers? The answer was, clearly, not as they had hoped.

Rumors of seeing Fantasia's trademark hair, cut above her shoulders with green hair dye sloppily applied, though most likely false. Her other defining trait was her eyes. One blue, one honey.

Clay Bosman spoke out about the issue and, much to the dismay of Fantasia's mother, he wholeheartedly agreed with the government's decision to take her away.

To this day, it's still a controversial topic.

My name is James Smith and I worked on her capture.

I will be answering as many questions as I can.

1. Why did you take her from her family?
2. Did she ever escape?
3. Is she alive?
4. Is she being treated well?
5. Where is she?

A. It was my job. Sure, I didn't agree with it, but I had no power to stop it. Not to mention, she had no control over it and try to her word she attracted trouble. It was either she is taken away or who knows how many would die.

B. She did escape, twice actually. Once when she was 14, the other when 19. The first time, she didn't leave the property. The second, she tried to reach her home but was recognized and stopped.

C. Yes, she is alive.

D. To my knowledge, yes, she is being treated well, but this book will end my career in government.

E. That's more classified information than I'm willing to give you. Most of this already is, but if I go to jail, I go to jail.

I regret my part in her capture. Though she is dangerous, she has since learned to control it. I fear it may be too late to release her, though, seeing as she's so easily recognized and so famous. If I could help, I would, but my time in Federal Government is, as stated before, over.

This took three years of research into her background and more than 10 of working around her.

To Alex, her mother, I'm truly sorry.