Here's a new oneshot I cooked up. This time it's a Static Shock one, and it's from the point of view of Maureen Connor (aka Permafrost), who was the central character in the Season 2 episode "Frozen Out". I feel bad for her, as she had a troubled life. Her mother had died, and her stepfather didn't want anything to do with her. Before long, she was out on the streets. And I think her age was probably about 13 or 14 – she was old enough to be a teenager.
Plus, I got the idea for this from reading this really great oneshot "Permafrost" by PallaPlease.
Summary: Takes place after the episode Frozen Out. Permafrost's thoughts about the events that happened while she's there in the church.
Disclaimer: Genius Dwayne McDuffie owns Static Shock. I own the oneshots, poems and stories.
"Not Even There"
"Those families, all happy and warm in their homes... they have no idea how it is out here. When you're homeless, people look right through you. It's like you're not even there."
--Maureen Connor (Permafrost) to Static on being homeless from "Frozen Out".
Maureen's POV
My thoughts are all like a big tangle of balled-up yarn right now. I don't know where to begin. Well, I could start with how I like being here, in the church. Apparently, it's a nice place to be, and it feels safe too.
Plus, it feels like an angel – a real angel – is watching over me here.
However, I digress.
Before I met Static and joined the homeless program at the church, I was without a home at first. My sick mother had died a few seconds after my stepfather had left us. It was Christmas Eve.
But then it happened.
They call it the "Big Bang". One minute I was walking past the docks to the repair depot of the cable car company, with other homeless people. It was my temporary home, and it wasn't much; but it was home to me.
Then, there was this big purple cloud. Before I knew it, my chocolate locks had turned white, my skin turned light blue and my black eyes were now violet. Then I discovered something else: I was impervious to the snow and icy cold, I was able to make icicle spears (big or little), and I could even make snowstorms.
With my powers, I planned to ruin families, just as my own family had been ruined.
A year or so after the Big Bang, my activities reached the news. I froze the power station on Dakota Hills, causing most of the city to black out. Static showed up, but after he had thawed out the power station, I attacked him. Static came out alive, but managed to anger me even more by ignoring my request for some change (which I noticed he regretted later on).
The following day, as I was begging in the mall, my powers went haywire, causing a great panic among the shopping crowd. Panicking myself, I froze half the mall before Static arrived. Warding him off, I fled into a clothes store. There, I broke down as I saw a mother protecting her daughter – showing the kind of love I lost years before. I then fled, lamenting that I did not belong anywhere.
I met Static for the third time at the Dakota Turnpike, where my powers gridlocked Christmas traffic. Terrified of Static's imposing behavior, I fled and buried him in an avalanche of snow. Static chased me to my home in the repair depot, but found the place empty. I then saw Static fly off with my most prized possession – a photograph of my mother.
Now carrying a grudge against the hero, I attacked him at the tree lighting ceremony. Warding off my assault (and I have to admit he did a great job), I calmed down after hearing him refer to me by my real name – Maureen – and offered help.
I must admit, he was so nice in doing so. After all, I needed it. After consolidating my grief, he brought me to Reverend Anderson. He offered me the services of the Church's homeless program, which I gratefully accepted.
I remember when I looked up into Static's eyes at the church, and gave him a grateful smile.
"Thank you."
Those two words do mean a lot to someone.
But I still remember all those bad times.
Being shunned. Being turned away. And my requests were often ignored rather than resulting with my palm being filled with coins from a person with a heart of gold.
Being homeless sure didn't feel too good. After all, when you're homeless, as I remember telling Static, people do look right through you. It's like being see-through. You're a ghost. You don't exist. You're ignored. Or you're simply not even there.
And it hurts – bigtime.
But now, luckily, I have a warm home in the church, and Static visits often. He tells me about his own mother sometimes.
"What was she like?" I ask.
He smiles. "Well, Maureen, she was beautiful, and she was often quite stubborn too – which, now that I think about it, I got from her."
"She is proud of you, Static," I tell him, smiling as I put my hand on his shoulder. "And she may be gone physically, but her spirit remains within you and your family."
"Thanks, Maureen."
Static and I, we both have something in common: we lost our mothers. But I believe they're watching over the both of us, and smiling as they're looking down at us.
Well, I hope you like reading this; I worked my fingers to the bone on this one. After all, getting inside Permafrost's head was a tough challenge for me. But in the end, it's all been worth it.
~Nightcrawlerlover