Microstory 182: Diane Ghoti

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The events surrounding Diane Ghoti’s birth were all very mysterious and unusual. Her parents only ever told her that she was adopted after they had disowned her, but they never revealed how they found her in the first place. This was something she would not understand for many years. She had a very happy childhood growing up in a wealthy family, and always had everything she ever wanted. One day when her parents were arguing in front of her, Diane grew angry, and unwittingly released her pyrokinetic ability. Fire raged throughout the entire mansion, burning everything in its path. Once the flames had dissipated, her parents were left horrified and disgusted. They never stopped to think about why it was that Diane’s fire had not killed them. The fact was that, though Diane’s power was out of her control due to her young age, it was still limited to her wishes. Diane did not want to kill her parents, and so the fire spared them. As they say, the tail does not wag the dog. Diane was kicked out of the house, and sent off to live with her grandfather in Usonia, eventually attending college there. She spent her free time learning control, and soon discovered that she could also fly. The fact that she had two separate abilities was unique to her. Fate later intervened and pushed her to contact Cosmo Drexler, hoping that he could use his background in physics to help her understand where her abilities came from, not knowing that he had an ability of his own. The two of them ended up going to the United Kingdom and meeting the other four members of their little group. Diane was one of the first people to be affected by the deadly pathogen that spread through Bellevue several months after joining. Each patient was affected differently, based on whatever their ability was, which meant that each patient would need to be treated and cured differently. Diane’s body overheated, and began to produce fire uncontrollably. She was placed into a quarantine freezer. This slew down the symptoms, but they were unable to find a cure. Her fire ultimately overcame her, and she was torn asunder. Fortunately for her, she was not only an anomaly, but another special breed. She didn’t die, but she was never the same, and she never returned home.