Prologue
         I believe that everything happens for a reason and that it will make you stronger in the long run.  Whether it’s winning the lottery or suffering a serious accident, but they all occur for a reason.  I believe that those instances are checkpoints from God to see what you will do.  For me, my accident turned out to be a very good thing; but my accident isn’t as extreme as you might think it may be.  The day my life changed was on a Saturday afternoon, at a quarter after one o’ clock, at the Polk County Fair when I was 12 years old.
         What I didn’t know or would find out later was that the night before the fair, the rides were being transported on a train.  The last car contained all of the rides for the fair, but in the car ahead, there was toxic waste being transported to a facility that would dispose of it properly.  On the train’s course, at approximately 8:00 P.M. it derailed.  When the cars fell off of the railroad tracks the toxic waste spilled onto all of the rides.  Workers were sent to clean off every ride in order to get the toxic waste off and deliver the rides in time for the Polk County Fair, but they didn’t clean off all of the toxic waste off.  One ride seemed untouched by the waste, but a small puddle, the size of a dime, rested on the top of the front of the ride labeled Catching Air.
                                     Chapter 1
         All I could see was red, and my blood was gushing out of my forehead.  A person gave me their red flannel jacket to put pressure on my head to prevent further bleeding.  I remember the roar of the crowd as people were shouting for the security so they would come and take me and my sister to the medical tent.  While this was going on, my oldest brother was sprinting to the tent that held the talent show where my mother was watching people sing and dance.  I have absolutely no idea what to do because the biggest cut I’ve had before then was when I nicked myself peeling potatoes with my mom. 
         As I went on the four-wheeler with the security guard, I had my sister by my side.  I can’t even remember the ride to the medical camp they had set up there, it’s just a blur.  The medical team uncontaminated my cut really fast and I didn’t even need stitches.  They gave me a butterfly stitch, however.  When I was getting cleaned up I wondered how big my laceration on my forehead was, and the main paramedic that took care of me had sunglasses on that were a red-orange, with mirrored lenses that I could see my reflection.  I saw that my cut was literally one-centimeter-long and I was surprised because there was so much blood.  All right by now you are probably lost, so let’s back up to the beginning of the day.
         This day, so far, had been amazing because I was privileged enough to hang out with my family and have a good time.  We went on those humongous slides that were 100 feet tall and were sky-blue, dark-orange, and as yellow as sunshine.  We also went on the Ferris Wheel, the Scrambler, and a kiddy rollercoaster.  The booths that we played at were the water balloon challenge, a race of who could fill up the water balloon the fastest, the basketball challenge where they make the hoop big enough so the ball will fit snuggly once it went through the net, the ring toss which is completely rigged (like all of the other games), and ski ball which is my absolute favorite booth at the whole fair, except for the food booths.  By this time, it was around 1:00 P.M.  My mom went to watch a talent show with my aunt while my siblings and I stayed and rode rides. 
         We decided to go on Catching Air, which was a ride that went around in a circle and half of the ride is a hill and the other half is flat.  Everything was going fine until we went down one hill which threw my head forward, and I hit the front of the car with my forehead without noticing it.  At first I thought it was just a bump, but then I couldn’t see because all the blood was running into my eyes.  I turned to look at my twin sister who was in the same car as I was, and her eyes were as big as cereal bowls.  “Your head!” she exclaimed.  I reached up to touch my forehead, and felt the warm, sticky wetness of my own blood.  My sister and I started yelling for the carnie to stop the ride, and I could hear my brother join in from the ground.  By the time the carnie realized what was going on, we had gone around eight times.
          On the ninth time around, the ride operator stopped the ride and helped me out.  That’s when my brother grabbed me, while someone shoved a red flannel jacket onto my head, and the sheriff’s four-wheeler came to take me to the first aid tent.  I heard my oldest sister yelling at the ride operator to let her off as they took me away.  I felt kinda dizzy as the paramedics looked at and cleaned up my head.  Then I waited.  I waited and waited and waited.  My sister assured me that my brother had went to go fetch my mom, but I had almost given up when she finally made her way to the first aid tent with my dad, aunt, sisters, and two older brothers.  After debating with the paramedics about if I would need stitches, we headed to the van to go home.  I often wonder if anything would have been different had we went to the doctor, got my cut more thoroughly cleaned out and stitched up, but I guess I’ll never know. 
         After I got home, I went right to my bed.  My head hurt and the dizzy feeling turned into the shakes.  I’m did not tell my mom, as I was sure she would make me go to the doctor, and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.  I fell asleep to the sound of my teeth chattering.
         When I woke up, I felt better, but strange at the same time.  I sat up and look around.  Everything seems to be super bright.  I assumed I must have slept through the night and into the afternoon, but then I saw that my twin sister was asleep in her bed.  That was strange.  I rose up and walked to the bathroom and then to my mom and dad’s room.  They were in bed too.  What was going on?  Why were they sleeping in the middle of the day?  My mom woke up and questioned me, “Are you okay?” 
         “Yeah, I think so,” I replied. “But why is everyone sleeping?”

         “Because it’s in the middle of the night, sweetie.” She glanced at her clock. “It’s 3:00 in the morning.” 
         “Then why is it so bright out?”  I asked.
         “What are you talking about?”  she asked.  “It’s pitch black.  The moon isn’t even out.  Are you okay?”
         Oh, my!  What could I say?  That everywhere and everything I look at could be seen perfectly?  Was it really dark?  How could I not know that?  Panic was starting to set in.
         Maybe I should take her to the emergency room.
         “What was that, mom?”  I asked.
         “I didn’t say anything, honey,” she said suspiciously.  Is she hearing things, too?  What if something is seriously wrong with her?
         “I really am okay, mom.  Why are you worrying so much?” I ask her.
         “Oh, I know you are alright.  Does your head hurt?  Should I get you some Tylenol?” she says as she got out of bed.
         “No, just a glass of water,” I answered as she led me back to my room.
         “Okay, honey.  You just lie down, and I’ll get you some water.” She tucked me into bed and left to go downstairs.  I rolled over and looked at my sister who was soundly sleeping.  And I want a pet unicorn! 
         Whoa….I could swear that I heard her talking, but she clearly wasn’t moving her lips.  And those things I thought I heard my mom say?  She wasn’t moving her lips either!  Could I……  No!  That’s impossible!  I couldn’t be reading their minds, could I?   
         “Here you go, sweetie.”  My mom said as she handed me a glass of water. I wonder if she has a concussion.  Maybe we should take her in, just to be sure.
         I was hearing her thoughts!  I was really hearing her thoughts!  “Maybe I’ll take that Tylenol after all.  I’m getting a headache!”  I groaned.  This couldn’t be happening!  It’s not possible!  Mom came back with some Tylenol, and I swallowed it and laid back down.  Mom kissed my head and shut off the light as she headed back to her room.  The room didn’t move into darkness.  Instead it seemed brighter somehow.  So, I could read people’s thoughts and see in the dark?  This was crazy!  Maybe it was all a dream.  I closed my eyes and went to sleep listening to my sister’s dreams. 
         It was six o’ clock A.M. when I woke up, according to my alarm clock which may be inaccurate.  Everything that came about to that point I thought was a dream, but then I noticed that I was floating above my twin size bed.  This day had been extremely confusing and what seemed impossible was now possible.  I had no clue what to do with these newfound powers.  So, I put these new powers aside and tried to go on like everything was normal, but that didn’t work.  After I tried ignore my powers, and during school my pencil started to float.  I know now I had to find a different way to deal with them.  It was hard to find a solution to this problem because there was nobody I could bounce my ideas off of.  But then it the light bulb in my head lit up, I would use my powers to help those in need.
         After school I was searching for people that I could help as a walked down Maple Street.  I saw that there was a blazing fire in an office building on the corner of Maple Street and Syrup Avenue with people stuck inside.  At that instant, I knew it was my chance to help, so I sprang into action.  I flew, yes flew, into the burning building as fast as I could, and I saw someone scrawny, bald, and pasty white fleeing the scene as I was flying in.  I could hear him thinking Nobody will know what I did, what a done deal. 
         I knew that was probably the person that started the fire, but I knew I had to save the people inside before I went after him.  I flew into the eighth floor searching for the people screaming for help.  I locate them in an office that was three doors down from where I came in through the window. 
         There were two people who were stuck, a mother and her child because it was bring-your-child-to-work day.  I grabbed the mother around her waist and I told her to hang onto her child and me.  I knew that I had to act quick because the floors above us were caving in and were about to fall.  I flew out of there as fast as I could and the building immediately began to collapse.  I felt a rush of adrenaline pumping through my veins, a thrill of adventure, and knowledge that I would be doing this for the rest of my life.  Then I thought about how all of this occurred and how I was the one to get these powers, this could’ve happened to anyone but it happened to me.  I was so lucky.  I knew at that moment that what happened to me did for a reason.  Since then I still haven’t been able to share my powers with anyone.  This life gets pretty lonely sometimes, but I am doing a lot of good so it’s worth it.