AN: Stories like these are not to be butchered or rewritten. Simply put: A story such as this is hard to write because it's difficult for a person to admit their disorder. In one way or another, this story is very different from the others. I want to spread the word that Asperger's Syndrome exists. I have my reasons for wanting to spread the word about Asperger's Syndrome, which is an Autism Spectrum Disorder. This is no joking matter regarding what I'm about to put on my story. A story can be fiction or non-fiction. Parts of the story is actually based on research. I'm a researcher. I research everything and analyze everything around me. That's just me with the exception of what goes on with the character with Asperger's Moments which are really zoning out which I do tend to do a lot under stress. My moments aren't seizures though.
People may react negativity which they did and were trying to dissuade me from writing this because of the POV's in this story. By choice, first, second, or third person can be used by the discretion of the Author. Writing a story takes time, effort, and a lot of patience.
The characters in this story are fictitious, but some events are based on researching and experience from my own views on my disorder. Yes, I have Autism Spectrum Disorder and Adult ADD. The character in this story is younger than me, is not me, and is no where related to me. Sharing the same interests with the character? No. My interests are astronomy, gardening, animal husbandry, and research. The character in this story shares only one interest and that's writing.
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Chapter One
Dani's POV
I'm Danielle Evans. Dani for short. I'm 14 years old with shoulder length brown hair, chocolate brown eyes, and a disorder that makes any kind of socializing difficult. When I was a few years old, I was diagnosed with a high functioning disorder and I struggle with ADD as well! I struggle daily in school, have very little friends except two small gerbils, and write or read a lot of books to take get away from the taunts from other teens in my class.
One particular day after school, a group of known bullies surrounded my locker. I didn't want to engage them so I decided to forgo the locker. I knew they were waiting for me to go there so they could do something terrible to me. I'm known as a coward for my actions! I'm not brave. But I didn't want my heart's desire, a book I've been writing for three years to be suddenly torn to pieces and spat on! That's what the bullies do to me when they find out I've been acting abnormally in their eyes. I write my frustrations in science fiction and fantasy. I clutch my composition book against my chest as I leave the building.
"Well, well, well! Look who tried to sneak by us, guys! Little Miss Bookworm!" A guy named Pierce Antony taunted. His remark brought others toward me and I knew I was going to have to clutch the book closer to my chest! "Oooh! What's this? Another stupid story!" Pierce exclaimed, reaching for the composition book. I jerked away from him, protecting the book.
Suddenly, Pierce's lackey's grabbed my backpack as he fought me for my composition book! I froze as he read it! "Trash! Trash-"
Abruptly, we all heard a siren from behind Pierce. Pierce turned around and sneered at the cop car and a black haired man emerging from the cruiser, "This doesn't concern you."
"Oh! But it does! Release the girl and give her back her book!" the man growled.
Pierce smirked. "No." He said, opening the composition book and holding onto a page.
"Noooo!" I exclaimed hysterically and tears began to fall from my cheeks. I was beginning to get frustrated. "No! Please! Pierce! Anything but that!" I begged hoarsely.
The ones behind me laughed and I heard the dreaded sound. A page being torn out and before Pierce could rip the page into tiny pieces, the cop behind him grasped his arms and pushed against the car. "Hey man! That girl is an alien! She writes stupid things!"
"Shut up! All of you go home! NOW!" The man said, releasing Pierce and pushing him away from the girl. "If I catch you here, I will haul you up to the station."
The others let me go as I bent down to look at the composition book. It had only one page torn out! But that was like writing it from scratch again! Mom and Dad wouldn't buy me another one if Pierce tore through them all.
The man bent down and asked, "Are you all right?"
It took a minute for me to understand the question before I nodded. "It's ruined." I said, softly. "All of it."
"No it's not." He said. "You're holding your page in your hand. It's not ruined."
"I spent three years writing this piece."
"I spent more years on this planet and studied all it's inhabitants. I do not particularly like bullies. They prey on the weak."
"I must be going home. I've got chores to do."
I stood up, putting the torn page into the composition book. "Thank you." I said slowly as I walked away from the man.
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Barricade's POV
The man watched his target walk away. There was something about the girl that baffled him and he hated any kind of weakness. He didn't want to show his evil side just yet! Barricade knew what to do next and phase two of his plan had to begin now. He grumbled, "Younglings these days."
He walked back to his cruiser and followed her home to make sure she didn't run into those bullies. He did a bit of research to find out more about his target. Her name was Danielle Evans, born on August 1st 2011 to Robert Evans and Cherry Lee Evans. Address is 2110 Adelande Drive, NE.
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Regular POV
Dani walked up to the front door and pulled out her house key. She turned the key in the lock and opened the front door. She walked inside the house and gasped. "Oh my gosh!" She said, dropping her composition book to the floor.
She locked the door and called her Dad. On the third ring, her father answered, "Hello?"
"Dad?" Dani asked.
"Dani? What's wrong?"
"Someone trashed the house!"
"Okay! Just relax! Are they still there?"
"No."
Robert didn't speak for a while before issuing an order. "Go to the safe room, Dani."
"Okay, Dad."
Dani wasted no time gathering her composition book and walked to a door at the end of the hall. She took out another key from her pocket and opened the strange metal door. Walking into the safe room, she saw three computers flicker to life. All of them with a strange symbol on them. They looked like faces. She hadn't noticed them before and hadn't paid attention them. Dani made sure to close the door and lock it. She sat down in front of one of the computers and looked down at her composition book. Taking out the torn page, she mumbled, "I knew it was a wasted effort! Why did I even listen to that man?"
Dani wanted to throw away the book, but a computer began flashing in front of her face. She looked up and slowly hit the space bar. The screen changed from the friendly face to that of another face this time mechanical in nature, "Danielle Evans?" It inquired.
Dani jumped and pushed the chair away from the desk. She waited a minute to answer. "Yes?"
"Stay where you are. We are coming."
Dani didn't know what to do or say. It took her poor brain to figure out that whoever they were were coming to get her! It scared her and she began rocking back and forth.
"Calm yourself." the voice said.
It only fueled her into more rocking back and forth.
"I'm a friend of your fathers..."
Dani's eyes widened as she recalled that meeting...Robert Evans introduced two men to her and she hadn't taken it well. She ran away for the first time and rocked in her room. She wasn't used to new people. Robert had to come up there to soothe his Autistic daughter. "I'm sorry," He apologized to the two men, once he had calmed her down. Robert led the men into his office.
Dani, after, rocking, left her room and went in search of her Dad. She found him in his office talking to the two men.
"Listen, Optimus. I can't do this anymore! I'm worried sick about my daughter's safety! She doesn't know anything about the Decepticons or the Autobots! I don't want her to go through what I've been through! Your people are the only ones who can protect her! Please!"
"I'll do everything I can for your family. I will have my men set up a safe room in this house."
"You'll do that for me?"
"Yes. We will keep your daughter safe, but know this! Once she goes into the safe room, she becomes our ward. Is that what you want for your daughter?"
"Yes. It'll be too late and the Decepticons will have already killed me."
Dani couldn't listen anymore. Who were the Autobots and Decepticons? She walked back to her room and went to bed.
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Now Dani was standing there, looking at the computer, unable to move from her spot. She remembered that conversation and she knew that the men who had visited her father were on their way to get her. She even remembered what the man named Optimus said about being their ward once she stepped foot into the safe room! Her father told her to go to the safe room. Dani shifted foot to foot.
"What is your hobby?" the mechanical being asked.
Dani looked at him. "I like to write."
"You like to write? What do you write?"
"Yes." She said slowly.
"What do you write?" the mechanical being asked patiently.
"Science fiction and fentasy."
"You mean fantasy?"
"Yes."
"What happened to your book there?"
Dani looked at the composition book and rushed to her work. "Nothing."
The mechanical face narrowed his blue eyes at her. "Nothing?" He intoned. "I take it that you tore the first page?"
"Are you that man who visited me at school today?" She asked, her eyes widening and forming a kind of trust.
"No. Who visited you?"
"A man in a police car."
Dani heard something in a different language being said to the face on the screen. The face turned stern for a minute. "Danielle Evans, be truthful in what you say to me. Did you get a good look at the policeman?"
"No."
Dani felt sorry she didn't get a good look at the man. Instead, she looked at her composition book.
"Danielle Evans? Do you know who my organization is?"
Dani shook her head. "No."
"You will in a moment. Stand by. My team has arrived."
Dani spun around, holding the composition book to her chest. She heard the door open and two men stood there. Dani recognized the man who met her father. Seeing him without Dad was even more strange and scary. His blue eyes were calm as the sea, short brown hair with a tint of gray, and was wearing a sort of uniform with a strange symbol that was on the computer monitor that hadn't been touched since she was there.
"Danielle Evans?" the man asked. "My name is Orion Pax and I need you to come with us."
It took a minute for Dani to understand, but she didn't want to go, not without her Dad. "Daddy?"
"Do not worry about your Daddy. He is safe." Orion said.
Dani shook her head and held up a hand to her ear in frustration. She barely made any eye contact with Orion.
"Do you want me to buy you a new composition book, there?" Orion asked.
Dani looked up at him. "Daddy said he wouldn't buy me one because I have ten of them."
"Ten of them?"
"Yes." It was getting easier to talk to Orion now. She was loosening up to him.
The thing was Dani was shy around new people and once she got to know them or feel comfortable with them, she'd slowly open up to them. It had to be on her time.
"Ah! I see. Would you come with me and I'll help you pick out a new composition book to write your stories in?"
"Really?"
"Yes."
Dani smiled and followed another man out of the house. She paused in the middle of the room. She looked back at Orion, who was now talking to the mechanical man. One of the men who was next to her grabbed her arm. Dani shrieked.
"Ratchet." Orion said. "Her father warned us not to grab her hands or touch her."
The man looked at Dani and let go of her hand. Dani huffed and puffed. She ran upstairs to her bed room and sat on her bed. She began to rock back and forth.
Meanwhile, downstairs, Orion and Ratchet held a conversation. "Remember what her father said about her being autistic."
Ratchet nodded. He wished he could sedate her and take her in his alt-form. Then they wouldn't have to go at her pace. He had very little patience.
"Ratchet, my friend," Orion said, smoothly. "Go up to her room and soothe her."
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Dani felt herself calming down on her own. Usually her father calmed her down and then she began to think why she overreacted. She recognized both men from a previous meeting with her father. Hearing footsteps, she tensed and held her breath.
The door opened, revealing the man who scared her. He walked in with a friendly smile. "I'm sorry, Dani." He apologized. "I sure hope you will forgive an old timer."
The man who scared her looked older than Orion. He had gray hair, some wrinkles, a round face, with vibrant blue eyes. Dani thought she could swim in his eyes.
"Dani?" He questioned.
"You're a friend of Orion's?"
"Yes." Ratchet said, wondering about her more.
"Okay." She said getting up from her bed. Suddenly, she grabbed his hand and led him to a bookcase filled with all her composition books and notebook paper. "Look! I wrote all this!" She indicated. "Wrote this all."
"That's good."
"I take this with me?"
Ratchet's face fell and was about to shake his head. Instead, he said, "We'll see."
Dani frowned and said, "I like my composition books, please! Want to take them with me. I don't want anyone but me reading them."
"Dani. Listen to me..."
"NO! I WANT MY COMPOSITIONNNN BOOKS NOW!" Dani yelled. "NOOOO! MINE!"
"Listen to me!" Ratchet said, forgetting about not touching Dani. He grabbed her head and made her look into his intense eyes. They glowered and Dani shrunk back. "Now you see here, we will be back for all your stuff. Right now is not the time to bring these stories of yours to our base. Now! Let's get you packed and ready to go!"
Dani stifled a sob and ran away from Ratchet! She ran into her father's study, rocking back and forth. Finally, she began to cry out of frustration again. "Daddy!"
Chapter Two
Optimus sensed Dani running through the house and into her father's study. There she stayed there while Ratchet packed her clothes. Optimus directed his holoform towards the study. He wondered what prompted Dani to go into the study. Seeing her rocking back and forth and crying made him feel worse. What did Ratchet do to make her breakdown like this? He intended to find out. Walking slowly into the study, he leaned down next to her and said softly, "Dani? What's wrong?"
"Ratchet yelled at me." She said hoarsely. "Told me I couldn't bring my composition books with me."
"Did you yell at him? I heard your voice yelling first."
"Yes, but I'm sorry! I get confused and frustrated!"
Optimus nodded. "Let me introduce you to someone with a lot more patience than Ratchet."
"I heard that!" Ratchet said. "I packed the clothes and accessories she'll need for her duration."
"All right, old friend. Let's roll."