Volcana:
Claire Selton's story began where all miserable stories begin:
With her placed in a plastic bag in front of an orphanage on a cold, rainy night. Sickly and pale, hers was not a good condition. The place took her in, and over years she grew. However there was something noticed very quickly about her, as she began to leave childhood. Around her, fire seemed to flare brighter, burn hotter. Nothing obvious, but it was clear that something...strange was about her. It was thus here that she was finally adopted by the Selton family. Rich and wealthy, they noticed their new daughter first for her powers, and it showed. She was a lonely child, and they were a cold people.
Eventually, though, they noticed something: Her powers were growing stronger. Eventually, they grew too strong for her to control without some damage-- fire-extinguishers and burn medicines became a necessity in the Selton household. Seeing the danger, her parents-- both wealthy-- pulled strings and contacted the Center of Paranormal Studies even as a certain mild-mannered reporter was earning his Journalism degree in Metropolis. She made the friend that would change her life forever: Kristine Kaspar. Having monstrous strength, the two struck up a quick rapport; all seemed well. Though her teachers were cold and made her go by her code-name, Volcana, in class they were teaching her well.
Then, in a fit of cosmic tragedy her parents were slain.
And the whole world just watched. The next day, she still came into her classes. Her teachers planned a livefire demonstration, where Kristine and Volcana were to destroy a robot, recently escaped from Lex-Corp.
And just as they were about to enter combat... her powers failed, blocked . The robot advanced on her, and Karl watched as it did. Her teachers simply listened to her screams.
And she realized-- all they cared for, was Volcana. Not Claire.
In a rush of anger, and hate, and fear, she evaporated a hundred yards. Karl, the robot, her teachers... all of it. Ash.
Walking away, in a daze of emotions, she wandered back to the house she had once called home.
She ruined it.
Lethargic, she only really survived, not truly living. She had nothing, and believed in less. Wandering from place to place she took what she wanted, caring little for who she hurt. Eventually, though she stumbled on someone very important: her mother.
This might have ended happily.
It did not.
There had been a little hope in Volcana's chest that out of all the world someone else might have cared solely for her. Might simply have been incapable of raising her, for one reason or another.
It was dashed on the rocks.
Her mother had been fully wealthy then. Only unwilling. Worse, she, too, had not cared to speak to her daughter until she found that said daughter had powers...powers that could earn her money from a show she was running on in the city.
It was lucky for her mother that a blue blur carried her away just before she could be struck down. On the plus side, Volcana at least cared about something: killing her mother and the remaining members of the Center.
