Author's note:

This is ultimately a love story between Optimus Prime and my OC – Orianna Connors. (Pronounced oh-rye-ah-nah meant to be like Orion but the female version 😊). Funny story, as I was writing this I couldn't think of a name for my main character. I thought about using my real name (insert beep here), but it just didn't seem right. So, I just referred to her as ''OC'' - 'cause, you know, she was my original character. After a while, I liked the nickname so worked a name around those initials. Hence Orianna Connors or OC for short.

It is a slow burn people, so I hope you are here to enjoy the ride. I PROMISE Optimus will feature heavily, we just gotta set it all up. If you like descriptive literary style stories with character building, angst/romance/hurt/comfort/adventure then you have come to the right story. If you prefer to get straight to the point – you might want to move on – or skip to the preferred chapter.πŸ˜‰

It follows the Michael LaBay Transformers Movies deviating slightly at times and with certain events, to suit my own purposes. You may or may not agree with them. As always, I welcome constructive criticism and feedback, but as my mumma says, ''if you can't say anything nice – don't say anything at all!''

Throughout the story:

/denotes internal thoughts/

/denotes recalled conversations/

::denotes commlink discussions::

Warning:

This story will contain swearing, some violence, a smattering of what I hope passes as humour, suggested adult themes and a truck load of self-denial and hurt/comfort/angst. If that sounds like your thang – welcome! If not – thanks for lasting this long.

Let's get to it… Enjoy.

What if we rewrite the stars?
Say you were made to be mine
Nothing could keep us apart
You'd be the one I was meant to find

(Rewrite the Stars by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul)

Chapter 1: Heaven Sent

The heavens.

I had always been drawn to the inky vastness of the night sky. The countless stars twinkled like silent sentries standing watch as the very fabric of the universe unravelled before them, and a myriad of fates followed their paths towards their destinies.

I had lost track of how long I had been laying on the cool earth, my arms propped under my head as a makeshift pillow, whilst I reflected on my current situation. The cool night air caressed and tickled my face and tugged playfully at the loose strands of long black hair that had fallen out of my ponytail. Never one to care too much about appearances, I let them dance about my face rather than tuck them back into subordination. I raised one of my legs and crossed it over my other knee, tapping it in time to a soundless rhythm, as I replayed the day's events in my mind.

I'd lost my job, my ''home'' and my boyfriend all in one day, not a bad effort – or a colossal fuck up – depending on your point of view.

I hadn't decided where I stood on the matter yet, I was still processing.

To be fair, losing my ''home'' and my boyfriend weren't my fault. I came home early from work, having been fired, and well, caught my boyfriend cheating on me. Not too surprising I have to admit as I sensed this was coming, I had noticed he was becoming more and more detached from me, distant. I guess I could have tried to do something, but past experiences have taught me better. I simply grabbed my few belongings and wordlessly left him, and his '''friend with benefits,'' in an awkward position and silently and purposefully walked out his life.

As for the job, the words of my mother, /take responsibility for your actions/ suddenly came unbidden into my mind, echoing through my thoughts. A ghost of a smile formed at the corners of my full lips. Yes, that HAD been my fault.

I am not a perfect person, far from it. I have my faults and failings, as do most of us. However, one thing I am is fair minded. I cannot stand injustice. Apparently, from a very young age I would always champion the underdog and stand up for those who could not do so for themselves. A noble quality? Perhaps. Today, at my previous place of employment, my ex-boss was berating a new employee for not doing something quickly enough. Who knew you had to set a new land speed record when filing record cards!

I had watched the interchange for about five mins, watching the new trainee turn darker shades of red on her dainty cheeks and her eyes mist up with tears before I could feel a white-hot rage start to course through me. Without a second thought I rose from my desk and tipped over the pile of record cards awaiting filing and stalked over to my boss who paused momentarily from his stream of expletives. I deliberately placed myself between him and the girl and in a saccharine sweet voice laced with sarcasm I glared at him, ''Didn't your mother ever teach you if you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all?"'

His face turned a delightful shade of aubergine as he managed to splutter out, "Orianna Connors! What the hell do you think you're doing? Get your fucking nose out of my fucking business and get back to fucking work!"' His sausage like finger drilled holes into my chest with each expletive that spewed forth from his frothing mouth.

Naturally, I ignored him and instead opted to raise both my hands and "shove him"' across the room. When I say ''shove'' I mean fling him clear across the room to land in an unceremonious pile of blubbering nonsense. The girl was staring at me wide eyed; half impressed, half terrified. I turned to her and encouraged her, ''You don't have to put up with that shit." After a thoughtful pause I added, "'Come to think of it neither do I." She simply mutely nodded her head in agreeance. ''I suggest you follow my lead and find employment elsewhere.'' With that I started to collect my things and walk towards the exit.

A vitriolic volcano in the form of my boss erupted from across the room, 'You're fucking finished you hear me Orianna! You'll never work for me again!"' he screamed. I could feel his anger radiating off him in thick waves.

''Oh, I plan on that dickhead,'' I yelled as I casually waved in his direction and strode out the door. I didn't even look over my shoulder as I stalked out the office and into my car, an old Coniston green 1997 Land Rover Discovery called ''Relda'', short for ''Esmeralda.'' She was not much to look at, but then again neither was I really. But she was tough and reliable, bit like me actually. /Well /, came the sarcastic thought, like a mental boil that needed lancing, /I can ALWAYS be relied upon to stuff things up – again/.

You see, I have a secret.

One that I have been trying, with differing degrees of success, to hide. Some may view my ''secret'' to be a blessing, a gift. I personally have trouble viewing it as such given it has done nothing but bring heartache and pain, especially since it started developing with awkward tenacity, much as I did through my teenage years. Navigating your way through puberty is a difficult enough challenge as it is; hormones, acne, excess hair, and all the other ''fun stuff'' that goes with becoming an adult as I now was, a woman of 40 years. When you threw into the mix my ''gift,'' well, shit happens! I exhaled out loud, releasing a breath I didn't even realise I had been holding in, as if the process itself could somehow cathartically rid me of all my woes.

You see, when you possess the power of psychokinesis life automatically becomes that much more difficult.

Now I know in the movies like X-Men and everything, it is amazing and everyone secretly, or not so secretly, wishes they could move things with their mind like Jean Grey, a bad ass character to be sure. But fiction and box offices are one thing – reality quite another.

We go to the movies to escape reality, immerse ourselves in worlds and storylines that don't exist, could not POSSIBLY exist in reality. However, when the lines between fiction and fact, pretend and real are blurred and, in my case, altogether erased, you find people a little less accepting of such gifts and a lot more scared, suspicious or hostile. Only natural, I guess. Maybe I am being a ''glass half empty'' kind of gal but when your gift becomes more of a curse, the rosy tint begins to wear off those glasses.

My ''gift'' tore my family apart, ensured I never had a stable home, having to always move on when people became suspicious of "'that funny girl''. I have been unable to hold down a job for any great length of time and, perhaps the most painful of all, has ALMOST guaranteed I will spend the rest of my days single and alone. At this thought a single tear coalesced at the corner of my eye and began to track its way down my lightly freckled cheek. I roughly wiped it away, I would not cry. /Besides/, I thought ruefully, /I really don't think I have anymore tears left/.

For what seemed the millionth time that night I exhaled my troubles away and began to mull over what I was going to do about my sleeping arrangements, or sudden lack thereof. Relda's boot was big enough for me to crash in tonight out here but it certainly wasn't a long-term solution. However, that was future Orianna's problem. Right now, I just wanted to sleep and maybe, hopefully, I would wake up and everything would have been a dream. My life would start to take a turn for the better. A girl can hope – can't she?

I slowly got to my feet as gracefully as my aching body would allow and started to make my way to my car. I had escaped to a seemingly quiet roadside out of town near a large field. I took one last look at the night sky and my beautiful stars. /If only I could rewrite MY stars and change my destiny/, I thought sullenly as I placed a hand on the boot handle.

It was then that I saw it.

What seemed to be a large incandescent, flaming fireball streaking across the night sky. It was both beautiful and terrifying at the same time. ''Maybe I am more tired than I thought'', I whispered to myself, as I rubbed my eyes. But no, this was very much real.

I tracked its approach towards earth, only belatedly realising it was going to impact not very far from where I now called ''home.'' I put my hands up in front of me to try and protect myself with my ''gift,'' ready to move or block flying debris should the need arise but instead, I was flung to the ground as the meteor smashed into the ground with a large ''BOOM'' and the earth shuddered under me. I got to my feet, almost instantly, in one swift motion, adrenaline coursing through my body.

''What. The. Hell. Was. That!'' I panted out loud as I scanned the field before me, searching desperately for the source of the explosion. My eyes came to rest on a column of smoke and a soft fiery glow emanating from a large crater in the ground. Without even realising it my feet began to move me towards the crater, almost of their own volition. I know I should have stayed away, should have run screaming in the opposite direction like any normal person would. However, I was not just any person and I was certainly not normal. Besides, something deep inside me urged me to go to it. That what lay beyond was of great importance to me, to my future.

I found myself gathering momentum, running as fast as I could towards the site. In the distance, also running towards the crater were two teenagers, a boy and a girl from what I could tell, /where had they come from?/. Not wanting to draw attention to myself I instinctively hunched down as I continued my approach. It was then that I saw… it.

A very large, very alien looking robotic form of some sort. It looked about as wary and frightened as I felt. It glanced frantically around itself, searching for something – shelter, protection - others? It showed no sign of hostility towards those two teenagers and instead ran in the opposite direction only to stand atop a high embankment beside a road.

I watched transfixed as it crouched down and a large Peterbuilt looking cab truck, with tacky blue and red flame decals drove past, oblivious to the alien lifeform watching it pass by. What happened next defied belief. It transformed – changed - from a skeletal looking robot to an imposing red and blue flame decaled truck! For what must have been the millionth time that day I cussed.

The teenagers had since run off towards a bright yellow muscle car of some sort, a Camaro, I think. /Gees, some one's daddy must be rich/, I thought absent mindedly, as the car started to follow the truck.

A million thoughts raced through my mind as I watched the yellow sports car tear off after the impressive truck, but I latched onto the only one I thought was important at the moment – /follow them!/.

I ran back towards my car and leapt inside. As I turned the key to Relda's ignition and she rumbled to life, a second thought snaked through my mind, /what could possibly go wrong?/.