Lindsay’s (Extra)ordinary Life

  In her second year Lindsay took an elective in Robotics.  The course was a curious crossover between engineering and the mechanics of humanoid bodies.  The brainchild of one of the professors, the study was designed to entice students from both computer and biological based fields and get them talking.  Lindsay was hooked almost immediately. Given her new interests, Lindsay quit the soccer team.  Though she did take up yoga as an alternative.  She wasn't very good at first. And there were always other ways to stay active.  Lindsay loved the warmer months when she could spend time outdoors. Lindsay made new friends.   Kylee was a bit of a computer geek and a vegetarian to boot, but Lindsay didn't hold that against her.   She had the best laugh and because she loved  dancing, Kylee almost always knew about the next big party. "San Myshuno is hosting the Humor and Hijinks festival this weekend" Kylee chirped "You HAVE to come!" ...

  So it was that Lindsay moved into the Briny Tower dormitory.   She met many fellow students with interesting  tastes in fashion.   So many in fact that it quickly became impossible to remember names or who was a fellow resident and who was doing which major.  Lindsay was so used to being self-sufficient by now that she actually preferred solitude and the number of strangers made her nervous.   She got some sideways looks when she sleepily went to the bathroom one morning clad in nothing but her t-shirt and red underwear.  Had it really been that long since she had shared living space with others? Anyway, classes started and the work set in.   Lindsay was studying a full load in order to qualify as soon as possible.  Her scholarships were also dependent on her maintaining a certain level of performance and one even required her participation on the campus soccer team.  Between lectures, study and practice, Lindsay slept s...

Lindsay did make many memories over the next two years.   They helped ease the pain of her past and her circumstances.    She attended Geek Con and cheerleading competitions.   Spent a summer practicing photography and playing chess with Elosie.  Went swimming in the lake.  Lindsay even made a number of friends at school.   Chadwick was good looking and handy with group projects.   They could have made a great couple but Chadwick friend-zoned Lindsay hard.  Janice was fun, except when she was being a total ___, but that was just a quirk of hers.    At the time Lindsay thought she was pretty happy.   Maturity and hindsight would reveal that she had kept all relationships at a distance, a protective mechanism to prevent the shattering of her fragile world. In the end, Chadwick was the only one Lindsay found for sure knew she was squatting on National Park grounds.   Something about GPS and a sne...

  In the spirit of her New Year's Resolution, Lindsay put effort into living as normal a life as possible.  For example, she tried ice skating (at the rink on the pier) with mixed results. She played chess and talked fashion with Eloise (that counted as having friends, right?) And when the latest internet fad/craze (the T-Pose Challenge) came along, Lindsay set to with gusto. But there were still nights battling near-blizzards because she had no parent with a warm car to collect her. Still solo meals of carnival burrito eaten in the open. Still no electricity to light her late-night homework. The season changed and the weather turned warmer.  Lindsay turned sixteen years old without much fanfare.   Ms. Coombes had the class sing an obligatory round of "Happy Birthday" but that was about all that marked the occasion.   No cards, no presents, no cake.  That night Lindsay skipped the usual odd jobs and treated herself to an early bedtime.  Sixte...

  Despite all the junk food she was eating, Lindsay stayed fit riding her bike around.  Not only was it good fitness, but it beat hanging around an empty park and risking being discovered.   Lindsay swapped between her blazer, her black t-shirt and her purple school sports jacket; hoping it was enough to stop some busy body from seeing she wasn't exactly changing clothes every day.   Thank heaven for hard wearing jeans!   That was when she discovered ThrifTea.   This quirky little setup with bubble tea, a secondhand clothing swap, a microphone for poetry night and a colorful blonde named Eloise Hiddlestix.  Eloise was so trusting that even the staff kitchen and bathroom were open for public access.  The near-ancient PC in the shop corner even had internet access (though slow), meaning more opportunity for Linsay to check for messages and odd jobs.  By now Lindsay was delivering takeout to people too lazy to collect it, pac...