The vibration of the electric hair clippers in her hand was calming as Eliza shaved her head for the week. The blonde stubble had started to itch the night before, letting her know that it was too long and that she was due for a haircut. Tiny hairs filled the sink as she traced over her bald head several times to ensure that it was an even cut and not a hack job. She remembered the first time she decided to shave and how much of a mess it had looked afterwards. Who knew that cutting off all your hair could be so challenging.

The girl put down the clippers and ran her hands over the now smooth skin. It was always a surprise that it felt so good to be without hair. Eliza turned the sink on, rinsing away the evidence, and walked out of the bathroom. Her small apartment came to life as she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a random hat from the hall tree. Today’s choice was a red baseball cap she’d caught at a baseball game. It had been thrown by one of the mascots, not going very far but landing in Eliza’s outstretched hands.

A small closet held her coats and she put on a light jacket and left the apartment, making sure to lock the door behind her as the lights went out. She had woken up happy. There was something in the air that told her she was about to have a great day.

Eliza took the stairs one at a time, passing an older woman who was coming up and gave her a weird look. Ever since her decision to get rid of her hair people, usually older people, seemed to look at her funny. There was just something about seeing a bald woman that made them uncomfortable she assumed. She found it liberating. She felt free and alive, for more reasons than one.

The mailboxes that lined the wall caught the girl’s attention and she quickly found her own and inserted the key. Eliza pulled out two bills and a credit card application which she dumped in the trash. The bills found their way into her bag and out the door she went.

Cars drove past and people briskly walked to their various destinations as Eliza walked down the sidewalk, taking everything in. She liked to leave her apartment early so that she could walked slowly to work and not be in a rush. Too many people missed the world around them because they were in a hurry and Eliza refused to do that.

The wind seemed to be acting erratically when she saw a boy and an older woman flying through the air towards her. They didn’t look down or seem to notice the people below them as they soared by. Eliza felt her mouth fall open and a grin spread on her face. She knew it! She knew that she couldn’t be the only one. Almost as suddenly as they had a appeared, the duo in the air disappeared, followed by a pulse that made Eliza feel wobbly. She couldn’t remember why she was standing still on the sidewalk with a goofy smile and chose to continue walking to work.

People around her seemed to have the same problem but went on their way. The smell of coffee filled the air as a coffee shop came into view. People rushed in and out with their purchases and Eliza laughed at herself happy that she didn’t need caffeine to be wired. Instead, she felt the city around her as lights came on and turned off, as cell phones charged or slowly had their batteries depleted from frequent use, or as cars drove past with their built in computer systems. All around her was a buzz. It flow through her no matter where she went.

With that much electricity flowing through her, Eliza’s hair had become a problem. Whether she had awake or asleep, her blond locks would frizz and stick up on end. Figuring that she wore a hat anyway, she had decided to get rid of it entirely. Now there was no more static filled hair that let off zaps of electricity every so often causing people to stare at her.

Eliza walked to an ATM and stood in line behind a man with a briefcase. The line slowly moved forward as each person got their money and went about their business. When it was finally her turn, Eliza put her hand on the machine and acted like she was putting in her card and the information it requested. There was a flow of electricity between herself and the machine and it began to discharge bills until Eliza told it to stop. She grabbed the cash and briskly walked away, no one the wiser. Quickly counting the money and seeing that she’d nabbed close to five hundred dollars, the girl walked to the subway staircase and entered the earth. The resounding trains tunneled through as she stood on the platform and waited for the right one to stop.

Down in the subway there was less of a sporadic flow of electricity. On the surface, she was pulling from every little thing but down below she was pulling from a few bigger pieces of machinery. She liked it better that way. It made it easier for her to control herself when there weren’t so many sources.

The subway came and Eliza shuffled in with the crowd. There weren’t any seats available so she stood, holding onto the rail that was secure above her. When the train took off again, everyone lurched forward and someone bumped into her. Knowing the plot of pickpockets, Eliza let off a force field of electricity, zapping the person before they could potentially take anything off her person. The teenager let out a yelp but no one took notice or cared.

When they reached her destination, Eliza disembarked and found her way back to the surface. The music shop she worked in was a couple of blocks away and her stop at the ATM had taken more time than she had intended. She power walked to the shop and entered the back door, turning off the alarm system and waking the lights up as she stepped over the threshold. No one else was there yet, of course, so Eliza made her way to the front desk, signed in, and waited for her coworkers and boss to show up. It was ten minutes before the hour and more time went by when she heard the backdoor open and close. An older man with a bald spot and glasses came to the front with a bag slung over his shoulder.

“Oh Eliza!” he said surprised when he looked up from the ground. “I knew someone was here. Sorry I wasn’t here to let you in but it would appear that I have given you a key.” He sat down his bag and signed in as Eliza gave an awkward smile. They both knew he hadn’t given her a key.

“I wanted to get here early to work on the cello.” Eliza said hoping that the change of subject would bring no further questions.

“Of course. You can start on it if you’d like.”

Eliza nearly ran to the back room. She had been waiting to get her hands on the old instrument since it showed up days before. Someone had found the cello in the attic of a deceased relatives house. It was cracked and beaten up, but Eliza knew with a little love it would be beautiful and back to it’s old self in no time. She started by carefully removing the remnants of its strings and then put on gloves to begin sanding it down. The backdoor opened and closed twice more and customers came in through the front, but Eliza got lost on the cello. It’s surface called to her as she carefully sanded the varnish and stain from the wood grain. Before she knew it the clock struck noon. She put down her tools and made her way across the street to a sandwich shop.

“How ya doing Liza?” The man behind the counter asked when she walked in.

“Doing well Luis. Coming over to get some lunch.”

“You want the usual.” Luis asked grabbing a piece of parchment paper and laying it on the counter.

“Yes please” Eliza answered after he had already started constructing it.

She looked out the window as people walked by or came into the shop. The day was going good. She knew it was going to.