#1 Valerie Wolfe

“Me, take electrical engineering?  Like, at school?  Yeah, there aren’t words for how bad an idea that is.”

For reasons unknown, Valerie’s body produces an extraordinary amount of bio-electric energy for a human being.  Normally this manifests as a strong static field all around her – making doing her hair in the morning an absolute nightmare, she would observe – capable of delivering a painful, though not dangerous, shock to anyone who touched her.  At times, it can also severely interfere with electronic equipment.

Val’s condition is no secret amongst her family and some close friends; as she lives in a world where such abilities are completely unheard of outside of science fiction, being the subject of medical research has been a reality for most of her life.  Still, despite her relative celebrity in certain scientific circles, her identity is generally kept secret to protect her family’s privacy.

A tall, attractive blonde, Valerie easily drifted into the popular kids’ clique in school.  She enjoyed her status and participated in numerous popular extracurriculars, cultivating a sort of “head cheerleader” public personality – often at the expense of the opportunity to attend advanced academic programs.  Though she kept her intellect under wraps, she privately pursued a hobbyist interest in matters electrical, for obvious reasons; Valerie taught herself from internet resources and YouTube videos.  She experimented with using her natural bio-electric field to power small devices.  Her parents urged her on in this pursuit; despite numerous attempts, however, no one was ever able to convince Valerie to engage this hobby in a more public setting, for fear that it would tarnish her reputation.  (She had already raised a few questions when she cut her hair very short because of the havoc her static field played on it otherwise.)

Now nineteen, Valerie is heading to her first year of college.  Less than a year ago, her parents separated, leaving Val uncertain about the stability of family life.  She has brought along some of her favorite gadgets – fingerless gloves with built-in electromagnets and shoes to match, which allow her to adhere to anything magnetic when she powers them on – but is still uncertain how much to reveal her peculiar circumstances to classmates and teachers.  But this taste of freedom may also raise more questions – about herself, and about her origins – if she is compelled to seek the answers.

Category: 2011, Fantasy, Superhero