Opal Nora Peery was born in the fall of 1945. Her father was a military officer, and her mother just a housewife. Most of the time, it was just Katherine and Opal around the house, as her father's work kept him away much of the time. Fortunately, it paid well.
She grew fast, as children are known to do. No matter what was going on, Opal, from the time she could, always loved to carry a book with her. More than anything, books were her passion in life. She was a pretty girl, but preferred books to the company of her peers. Sure, she had her friends, but they just couldn't compare to the things that she could find in books. Books were the gateways to imagination after all.
She never went to college, but she DID choose to go into the workforce after school. Of course, at that time, there weren't a lot of jobs that people felt women were suited for. She chose to work in a library, so that she could at least have a job dealing with things she really enjoyed.
It was at the library that Opal met the man that would become her husband. Jameson Falke. Jameson was, much like Opal herself, a reader. They dated for a year before choosing to take the next step to marriage. He was a lineman for the electric company, spending much time outside the house, but when he was home, curled up with a book near Opal.
It didn't take long, though, for Opal to give birth to her own first child, Albert Falke. Albert was always a distant child, wanting to learn about new places and things. He swore that one day he would make enough money to go visit Germany to see their ancestors' home. Of course, Opal encouraged him in his dreams. As time passed, Opal ended up a mother of four. Albert, born first, right after their marriage, Theresa, Lita, and Jim.
Opal took a few years off to take care of the children until they were all school aged. Once they were all in the education system, she went back to working the day shift at the library, as someone else had become a mother, freeing up the time slot.
Honestly, Opal never thought she was anything special. She was a good mother, and a good librarian, but nothing extraordinary. As time passed, and her children grew, they each went their own way. Albert went to Germany, got married, and had a child named Roselyn. However, after she was born, Albert stopped calling her, and Opal never could find out anything about him. Theresa, Jim, and Lita all moved off on their own, leaving Opal and Jameson on their own.
It wasn't much, but it was the quiet life that Opal enjoyed. Working at the library during the day, and coming home to her husband at night. What more could she want with her life? They had their own home in Brooklyn. They had raised their children. Life was good. However, things are always up for change.
1995, During a storm, Jameson was killed. He had been on call for potential damages from the weather. Going out on said call, the wind hit hard, snapping a powerline that landed right on him. Opal saw all of her children, with the exception of Albert, at his funeral. Albert had been a part of her life for so long, that it was hard to figure out what to do with herself after that. However, perhaps because of his death, or just because she was tired of holding things in, she stopped restricting what she said. Sure, when she was at work, she was as prim and proper as ever, but without Jameson, she figured there was no need to hold herself to conventional standards.
Her children… thought she had lost her mind. She no longer bothered watching her mouth around them, telling them exactly how she felt about situations, sometimes rudely. They attempted to talk her into living with friends of hers or somewhere where she could be helped, but she was too independent to give up all of her own freedom. While many of her family feel she's lost herself, in truth, Opal finally has found herself in her loneliness.
For the past few years, Opal's been keeping her house tidy while working and reading and minding her own business. Her family checks in on her from time to time, but she still prefers to live on her own. She's taken up a few new hobbies, despite many thinking she's too old for them. After Jameson's death, she began taking more care of her body, because she felt she still had many years left to her. Along with that, she began taking computer courses, in order to understand the blasted things. But that's not what made things get weird.
In the past year, she's noticed things. Things that were heavy to her in the past, simply aren't so much anymore. She's able to lift and move heavy furniture on her own without help. She attributes it to healthy, clean living and lots of exercise, but there's something more than even she realizes. The only interesting thing she knows that she can do for a fact, however, is crack nuts open in the palm of her hand. Though, with mentions of evolved, she's begun doing a little more web-browsing, trying to find information. She just… doesn't know yet if she really is something different.
