* cracks knuckles * okay then... new story, first chapter.

…...

~1st person

Ahh...life was good. Well, sorta. Skipping school and cruising around in a car that hadn't cost me a dime certainly seemed good. I, being bored, pulled up to my uncle's garage and repair shop, getting out of my car and tossing my black hair streaked with purple out of my face. My uncle came out, wiping his hands off on a red rag.

"Yo, Crystal, what are you doing here?" he asked. I smiled and shrugged.

"Didn't feel like going to school. Thought I'd come here instead." I said. My uncle, named Robert though everyone called him Buddy, motioned for me to give him a hug.

"Bring it in girl." he said. I laughed and did as he said. He smelled like grease and gasoline and sweat, just like I was used to. He looked past me to my car.

"The pretty girl giving you any problems?" he asked. I disengaged myself from him and shook my head. By 'pretty girl' he meant my ride.

"Nah, she's doing fine." I said, glancing back at my car, a 2012 lavender Toyota Supra. My uncle had bought it wrecked and fixed for me, it was my sweet 16 present. I gave a small smirk and leaned in.

"Can I tell you something? She won last night, smoked them all." I said. My uncle grinned, trying to be serious but failing.

"You know racing is illegal...but that's my girl." my uncle Buddy said.

"I got an invite for tonight, the dried up sluices by the research plant." I said. My uncle gave me a thumbs up, and I waved as I went back to my car.

"Gotta go get ready, gonna make our girl shine!" I said. I glanced thoughtfully at the vinyl decal in my rear window, it was the Autobot insignia. I also had a metal insignia on a chain that was currently stuck down my shirt. The only thing I loved more than racing was Transformers, and I wished with all my heart that I could be with them someday. I drove back to my house, coasting up so my engine made no noise.

I noticed in relief that my father's car wasn't in the driveway...but my older brother's was. Mentally groaning, I just told myself to grab what I needed and leave, no matter what he said or did. I got out, as quietly as I could going in the front door and to my room. I stuffed a few bills in my pocket for a car wash and turned to leave, nearly having a heart attack when I saw my brother standing in the doorway.

"Hey lil sis, what are you doing out of school so early?" he said with a sneer. I glared at him, trying to shove past.

"Move Jeremy." I said sternly. He merely shoved me into my room, knocking me to the floor. In the process, my necklace got pulled out of my shirt and now the insignia was lying on my chest. My brother scoffed.

"Why do you wear that stupid thing? You know Autobots aren't real. As for Decepticons...well, their intentions I think exist. What do you think, sis?" Jeremy said, pulling out his pocket knife and flicking it open. My heart thudded in my chest, and I tried to get up before he pinned me to the ground and jerked up my pant leg to my knee. I thrashed as he placed the blade against my skin.

"No! Let! Me! Go!" I said, twisting with each word. He sneered, digging the tip of the blade deep into my leg and causing me to scream. Desperate, I writhed, got my foot free, and smashed it with all my might right where it counts. Heaving in air, I scrambled out the door and out of my house, leaping in my car and tearing off.

…...

I tried to lose myself in washing my car, but it didn't help, especially since I got a call from my dad in the process. Ignoring it, I turned my phone off and finished washing my car.

…...

Needless to say, I won again later that night, earning me major status and serious bragging rights as a racer, especially since I was a girl...an abused one at that. My mother died when I was little, and my father is an alcoholic. He used to beat both my brother and I, though now Jeremy seems to be on his side, and I get the worst of it. Jeremy is even more cruel, I have multiple scars from him, and my father has scarred me more than I would have thought possible, but his torture is mental. He screams that I am worthless, that I shouldn't even have been born. He denies me any sort of food, so if I'm starving I at least have to show up to school for lunch. Not to brag, I'm a smart kid, but I hate any sympathy, and if I went too much, people would notice the bruises and cuts and would call someone. I also hate ANY doctor's visit, so that was another reason.

I pulled in to my house later, noting with a slight twist in my gut that my dad was home. I reluctantly went inside, trying to quietly go to my room. A dark shadow stepped in front of me when I did. My father.

I ducked my head away from him and looked as submissive as I could. Even from here, I could smell the booze on his breath and knew I was in deep shit.

"Your brother says you skipped school again, you've been racing. He also said you kicked him in his boys for no reason." My dad slurred. I simply opened my mouth to protest when a blinding blow hit me on the side of the head and I staggered back. I knew this was going to be bad, I could only hope to bear it until my dad wore himself out. He approached me, and I backed away instinctively.

"Don't you run from me girl!" He growled. A silent tear tracked from the corner of my eye and my dad punched me hard in the gut. I gasped and hit the floor, curling into a ball as I quietly sobbed. He started kicking me then, his boot-clad foot smashing into my ribs, back, and head over and over. By the time his blows started to lessen, I had trouble breathing and I knew I would have to wear long sleeves and heavy makeup the next day...

I dragged myself to my feet after my dad had had enough, staggering out the door and slumping in the drivers seat of my car. I started it and sprayed gravel as I backed out of the driveway very fast. I drove to a country rode, mostly unused, and floored it. The engine in my durable import roared, as the speedometer climbed steadily.

Driving at high speeds helped me focus, and soon I had relaxed enough that the pain of my injuries was becoming apparent. It actually kept building, the pain, until my senses started fading and I just had time to realize I was passing out and slam on the brakes before darkness swamped me.

…...

When I pried myself off of my steering wheel, I nearly groaned in grief when I saw where I was. My beloved car's hood was crumpled in around a tree I had smashed into. The windshield was cracked, and I noticed there was blood on the top of my steering wheel. Putting a hand to my aching head, I soon found that I had evidently bashed my forehead on the wheel. I sighed, about to rest my head back down when a familiar noise reached my ears. It couldn't be... It was the sound of a ground bridge opening.

I searched quickly for the source, fumbling with the buckle on my seat belt before I got it undone. I located the ground bridge, though I still couldn't believe it. A heavy footstep shook the ground and the next thing I knew, Optimus Prime himself was kneeling next to my car. I'm pretty sure a bug couldv'e crawled down my throat right then if it wanted to, my mouth was hanging open so far. All I managed to stammer out was,

"Y-you're real...?!" Yeah...not my most intelligent comment. Optimus smiled very faintly, which I found odd because he hardly ever smiles.

"As are you." he said. With a second voice, I realized that he had brought Arcee with him.

"Optimus, the insignia on her vehicle..." Arcee trailed off. I started feeling like I was going to pass out again, managing to explain before I did.

"My car...Isn't an Autobot...neither am I... but I'd love to be a part of your cause." I said before felt my eyes roll back and my head loll as I blacked out again.

~Normal POV

"Optimus, the necklace..." Arcee said.

"I know." Optimus responded. "I believe she is in danger, if a Decepticon located her and saw her wearing our insignia, they could kill her on the spot."

"She's obviously injured too."

"Understood... I think it best we take her back to base and keep her under our care. We cannot afford to put even a single human at stake." Optimus said. Arcee nodded, gently extracting the unconscious girl from her car. Optimus contacted Ratchet before they came back through the ground bridge.

"Ratchet, prepare sick-bay." he said. Ratchet called back, concerned.

"Is Arcee injured?" he asked.

"No, a human. It appears that the magnetic fluctuation you detected was exactly in the location that she wrecked her car." Optimus said. Ratchet affirmed.

"Hmph, that's odd. Bring her through, I'll see what I can do." Ratchet said. Arcee carried the girl through the ground bridge, stepping into the base. The human stirred slightly, cracking open her eyes and letting out a groan. Arcee laid her on a table in the med-bay, stepping out of Ratchet's way. The girl's eyes darted around the room, though when she seemed to realize she was in sick-bay, she started struggling.

"N-no...I don't do hospitals..." she wheezed, struggling to sit up. Ratchet glanced at Arcee, then gently pinned the girl to the table. She winced in pain, and he felt bad that he had to do it to her, but nevertheless he injected a sedative into the human female and retracted his hand when she blacked out a few seconds later.

Ratchet ran a thorough scan on her, frowning at his findings.

"Optimus, this is unusual. It appears she had a contusion to her head during the crash and a bruise from her seat belt, but her other injuries took place before then. I'm seeing at least two broken ribs, a cracked collarbone, and she's got countless bruises, as well as a gash in her leg." Ratchet said, looking down at the girl.

"Strange, can you repair her?" Optimus asked. Ratchet shrugged.

"From what I know of human medicine, rest will be her main treatment until her bones mend. I'll have to inquire about her other injuries when she wakes." Ratchet said. Optimus nodded.

"I am curious about her too, old friend. What of that magnetic fluctuation you detected?" Optimus asked, looking over at the terminal in the main hangar. Ratchet glanced down at the girl before returning the terminal.

"It appears as though it's a powerful surge, once about every three hours and lasting about two minutes. As for what's causing it, I'll have to do some research, but it certainly is strange..." Ratchet said, peering closer at the terminal screen. He leaned back, looking over at the girl unconscious in sick-bay again.

"I'm also wondering about that necklace of hers. Where on earth did she find our insignia? And what would prompt her to wear it with so many Decepticons about?" Ratchet said. Optimus agreed.

"It was on her vehicle as well. Autobot she may not be, but it appears we at least have an ally." Optimus said. Ratchet had to hold off a scoff.

"Hardly, she panicked in the med-bay, I had to sedate her. I think she may fear us." Ratchet said. Optimus looked over at the girl as well.

"I doubt it, old friend. I believe she was frightened not by us, but by the fact she was in an accident and was already injured." Optimus reassured. "We shall just have to hear her side of the story when she wakes."

…...

~Crystal's POV

The last thing I remembered was being in my car, and the next thing I know, the Autobots have taken me to their base... I knew all their names, well...they were on T.V... but I thought that's only where they existed. Arcee laid me on a table and I have to admit I panicked a bit at the medical setting. The next thing I remember is waking up with Ratchet and Optimus standing over me. It hurt to breathe, and I assumed my dad had broken a few of my ribs...again. I sat up with a grimace, even though Ratchet tried to dissuade me.

"I'll be fine, Ratchet." I said absently. Both bots recoiled.

"How do you know my name?" Ratchet said. I looked at him, confused, before I got a hunch.

"Uh..why wouldn't I? You guys are on T.V all the time." I said, curious for their reaction. Optimus looked at Ratchet, frowning, before looking at me.

"You mean to say our security has been compromised?" Optimus said. I shook my head.

"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore..." I muttered. Ratchet answered.

"No, you're in Jasper, Nevada." he remarked. I shook my head again.

"It's an expression. I meant, I don't even think I'm in the right dimension." I said. Ratchet scoffed.

"How is that possible? There are no entries to alternate dimensions, and even if there were, we wouldn't know how to send you back." Ratchet said. I muttered again.

"I wouldn't want to go back..."

"Maybe our new young friend is correct in her assumptions. The magnetic flux you detected could play a part in this. Perhaps she was just in the right place at the right time." Optimus said, looking down at me. "What is your name?"

"I'm Crystal. If I'm right, there's also Bumblebee, Arcee, and Bulkhead at the base, and Wheeljack is off somewhere with his ship." I said. The bots still didn't seem to grasp the fact that in my world, I knew everything about them.

"Alright then, Crystal. Would you care to explain how you obtained your injuries? I also noticed you have a much lower body mass than most females your age, indicating you haven't been getting proper nutrition." Ratchet said. I tried to search for an excuse like I had so many times before when I had to explain why I was black and blue before I realized I could just tell the bots the truth.

"I'm sure you figured out the bruises and broken bones aren't from the wreck... they're actually from my father. My mom died when I was young, so my dad raised my brother and I. After mom passed away, he turned alcoholic and would beat my brother and I. Now...well, I get most of the punishment. My brother has become just as cruel, the gash on my leg is from him, and a lot of the older scars are his doing." I said. Optimus seemed astonished.

"It doesn't seem reasonable that your own creator would abuse you this way." he remarked. I scoffed.

"You're telling me. I'm skinny because he doesn't let me eat, I get lunch at school, maybe, and that's all I eat for that day. At home, he screams that I'm worthless and he calls me a mistake..." I said, hearing my dad's voice echo in my head. Optimus leaned down to me.

"Your father is wrong. If you wish it, you may stay with us as long as you like." Optimus said. I looked up at him, smiling, and nodded my consent.

…...

I enjoyed the first chapter of this, hopefully it will get popular. I WILL RESPOND TO ALL REVIEWS! I will make that known now. Thank you! Aurrawings out!