Emmett Coupland

[Emmett Coupland]

Emmett Rylie Coupland
FACE CLAIM: Lyndsey Gunnulfsen
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AGE: Twenty-four
GENDER: Female
ORIENTATION: Homosexual
POSITION: Local - Mechanic and Garage Owner

POWER: Enhanced Agility
Emmett's agility is highly advanced for the average person. She has a great sense of coordination and balance, making physical tasks come easier to her than normal. This means she can jump higher and further, sprint short distances quickly, have faster reflexes, and moves more flexibly.

LIMITATIONS:
Emmett is limited to what the human body can handle, just that these things come naturally to her. For example, she can jump high enough to dunk a basket despite her height of 5'4", yet would not be able to jump on top of a building or some other great height. If it is possible for the human body to physically handle it, she can do it. With that said, she has no super abilities.

SIDE-EFFECTS:
Side-effects include extreme fatigue if pushing herself past her own limits, aching muscles and cramps, sore joints, and she is more likely to develop arthritis than the average person. Also, she runs the risk of seriously injuring herself if not paying enough attention. Restlessness can be a common problem for her.

I don't want to talk about him.

Why? Is your relationship with your father all that bad?

We haven't talked in years, so why does it matter?

And then I'd ask about the girls he'd date
    Behind our backs when mom would stay up late

"Have you thought about joining the softball team?" The asshole sports that she never played, the ones he always asked about. Pretending to be interested. Pretending to care. Fingers tightened around her knees from under the table, the pressure keeping her grounded. Or, at least, it was supposed to. It was a purposeful, verbal stab.

The brunette replied with a shrug of her shoulders. She had no interest in joining a formal team, even for the recreational sports she did choose to play in her free time. "How's Diane?" She asked instead. Fight fire with fire, as they say.

She knew. She even had her name. The woman he did when mom was away for business. Only thirteen, Emmett was still young, but not stupid.

He shrugged too. End of conversation, as they always went.

----------

I know everyone had to leave home, but there's no comfort in knowing you're all in it together. Least not for me.

How'd it happen?

I was fucking around, what else?

The kids still move to a steady beat
    Even if it's bombs landing at their feet

"You're never gonna make it!"

"Shut up!" Emmett was nothing if she wasn't stubborn. Borderline stupid, even. She was probably going to get in trouble. Most definitely going to get in trouble. Climbing up to the roof of the neighboring high school to change the time - just by a few hours - wasn't exactly anyone's idea of a great plan. But it was epic - and it was everything to give a person status going into high school next year.

What other thirteen year old would try this?

There was a small number of people that followed her, even less that were actually her friends. Most went to egg her on. Others to watch her fail.

"Emmett, don't!" She was there. Her best friend, and she was worried.

"I got this." Emmett shouted down from the small height she managed to already climb. Her mind was already set, she just had to make this jump. Were it not for the adrenaline, she probably would have realized that she couldn't make it. Then again; thirteen and stupid.

Her sneaker managed to hit the opposite edge, but balance wasn't in the young girl's favor as she topped backwards. Instinct took over when she used the small plane she had footing on to kick back. It gave her enough force to reach for a horizontal bar, and she took hold. What felt like luck was so much more than that to the awestruck students watching from below.

As well as the cops that just pulled in to investigate the ruckus.

Emmett never did make it to the clock face. Or even to her first year of high school at Roosevelt High. She was busy being scolded and then told she had to leave Oregon the next day.

----------

She had spent a lot of time in my dorm before we actually hooked up.

She?

Yeah. My first crush was on a girl. They're always on girls.

Can never say never; I got the life
    But that girl bites like a wolf

"I dare you to kiss Emmett!" Dark eyes widened when her name was called out, seemingly from nowhere. There was always a game that ended up happening in the dorms, and this one happened to be within her own. Looking up from comic she held, surprise briefly colored her features at the finger pointing at her.

A tilt of her head, and she offered a lazy glance to girl in question. The one who had been dared to kiss her. Moments later, she offered a laugh. Loud. Enough to cover the sudden stint of nerves that kicked into her stomach.

It was just a brush of lips, but still enough to drive her pulse into her ears. It held on for just a little too long - only a spare moment, but it was enough to know.

So when she pulled away, Emmett raised a hand, pressing it to her cheek to pull her back in.

----------

I like it, and I mean I'm good at it, you know? I didn't think I'd be good at anything.

When did you first start working on cars?

When mine broke down.

Find a little fight in those eyes
    And awaken to light across the sky

A month after she bought the damn thing, and here it was, broken down on the highway. No warranty. No money.

Gritted teeth and a clench fists, a booted foot kicked at the black paint of her car door. "Fuck!" A harsh, uneven breath. "Fuck you!"

It was stupid to get angry, but it was stupid for this to happen, too. After paying for a tow, she had pennies to work with. Finding someone to fix it? That'd be impossible. But hard work washing dishes turned pennies into nickles. Any job would do, and soon she had enough. At least for the parts.

Returning to the car she abandoned in Bellefonte's parking lot, dark eyes narrowed on the engine as she lifted the hood. This wouldn't be too hard, right?

----------

It was really shitty when my parents finally broke it off.

The separation must have bothered you.

No, it bothered her.

With the deafening sound
    We watched them all go down

A divorce. Really, she'd seen it coming for years. But did they have to wait until Christmas break to announce it? It was something to be said in person, her mother explained. It still felt fresh. An open wound that refused to heal. She could see it in the water that lined her mother's eyes.

Sixteen, and she had no idea what to do. How to bring comfort to the strongest person she knew.

So she hugged her. Held her as she cried. Parted lips wished to offer something, wanting to say that it was okay. But it wasn't okay. It hadn't been for years.

----------

I wasn't really qualified when I started at the garage.

But he still hired you?

Yeah. Said he saw my potential. Knew I was a hard worker, too.

I think I like today, I think it's good
    It's something I can't get my head around

She was sure she heard him wrong, so much that Emmett cocked her head to the side. She stared at him like he was the stupid one, and it dragged a laugh out of the grease covered man. It confused her more. "What?"

"I'm sayin' you're in here enough, with all your questions and parts. I might as well pay ya for it."

He had to be kidding. "You fucking with me, old man?" By then, they'd developed enough of a friendship - or whatever this strange bond was - to joke around. She'd spent hours in there just watching. Learning. Barely paid attention to her classes, but this was different.

"Do you want it or not? Jesus."

He wasn't kidding.

Emmett jumped to her feet, a large grin taking over her features. "Hell yeah." He tossed her a set of blue coveralls, Emmett already embroidered above the garage's name.

----------

This life sort of fell into my lap. I mean it's not bad, but it wasn't what I had planned, either.

Did you have a plan?

No, not really, but who really plans to stay in Montana when they have a choice? I never thought I'd stick around, and now look at me. It's pretty crazy.

There's something here
    It calls to me

"Ma, just hear me out. Please." She wasn't, but Emmett still tried. "He wants me to take it over." It wasn't the best time to give such news. Things like this should be said in person, but shock still ran fresh through the teenager's veins. She was barely making it to graduation. Life had little expectations of her, yet someone saw potential. Someone was giving her a chance.

"You're still a high schooler, how does he expect you to run a garage by yourself?"

Irritation sparked in the back of her mind, pushed away despite the desire to argue that she wasn't as useless as she seemed. That she'd worked there two years and proved herself. "I know this place like the back of my hand, and he's going to teach me the finances before he retires." Graduation was only a month away; once she got passed that, all of her time could be dedicated to the garage without worries of school.

"You want to stay in Montana?" Emmett squeezed her eyes shut, tossing herself down onto the dormitory bed with a heavy sigh. It wasn't hard to hear the disappointment through the receiver of her phone.

"I do, yeah."

----------

And you've been in the garage ever since?

You know it. Frye retired, 'bout a year ago, so now it's just a one woman show. I mean, I live above the garage. Everything I could want is right there.

Everything?

Most everything. You know how it is.

I promise you this
    A little's enough

"Frye's Auto." Six AM. There was always someone that needed something. Damn her for keeping her phone right next to the bed. She sounded half asleep, because well, she was. "Emergency tow? Yeah, I can do that." God, why did she advertise for that? Right. Money.

Barely awake, she reached over to grab a pen and paper. "Yeah. Yeah." Emmett could only hope she'd be able to read her own handwriting once she'd woken up more. "I can be there in twenty."

Disgruntled, the mechanic still pulled herself out of bed and reached for a pair of jeans left abandoned on the floor. They were clean, or at least clean enough for her standards. Next: coffee. God, she needed coffee.

It only took minutes before she was ready. Before someone else stirred under the covers. Shit. She knew she was forgetting something.

"Hey there." Emmett pulled her arms through the sleeves of her jacket, fingers curling around the collar to adjust it against her shoulders. The woman in question looked confused, and if not just as tired as Emmett. "There's coffee on. I gotta run though, so feel free to show yourself out whenever."

She tossed up a hand, dismissing herself as she walked out. "Nice meeting you!"

SAMPLE: See Penelope Blaise.

USERNAME: Sai

AGE GROUP: Twenty-five

EXPERIENCE: A bit, yeah?

WHERE DID YOU FIND US? Oh, you know.

[Emmett Coupland]

Finished bae!

[Deleted]