Letita Piper

Letita Piper was born in a dilapidated house far from the city. The youngest of eight, she was often neglected by her parents. Her siblings took up some of the slack, but resented her for being another mouth to feed.

Four years later, a violent sandstorm ripped through Letita’s home, killing her parents and two of her sisters. Letita’s remaining siblings abandoned her to pursue a better life in the city, far from the poverty facing them.

Her earliest happy memory was of the day her Granddad arrived. He lifted her into his arms and carried her away from the wreckage of her home and life. As they soared away, the hum of the powerful turbine engine lulled her to sleep. She loved all things mechanical after that day, and became deeply devoted to her Granddad.

Letita’s bond with her Granddad only strengthened as she grew up amidst the clamor and clangor of his airfield: her new home. Her lullaby could be heard in the purrs, growls and roars of engines. Her playground became the hollows and interiors of aircraft. As she played, she learned the inner workings of the machines and how to repair and even build them.

Letita had only a few friends, and these were people she worked alongside. Children either ignored or bullied her at every opportunity, until the summer of her eighth year. On a stifling afternoon, Letita was surrounded by a group of six boys. She picked up a heavy wrench, the closest object she could find to use for defense. As her tormentors closed in, Letita began wildly swinging her weapon, releasing the flood of fears and frustrations built up during her childhood. Soon, she was surrounded by six would-be attackers who were unconscious and groaning. She ran for home. From that day on, the bullying ceased.

Letita’s Granddad recognized early-on her superb mechanical abilities. By the time she was 11, he began to express a desire for her to one day compete with the Sprocket Junkies. As she grew, his requests turned to urgings and even pleadings. She stubbornly refused, preferring anonymity to the glare of the spotlight.

Letita was devastated when her beloved Granddad passed away shortly after her 16th birthday. She withdrew and suffered a year of isolation and despair. Loneliness and exhaustion were her only companions. Deep guilt pierced her soul at her Granddad’s unfulfilled dream. Finally, on the one-year anniversary of his death, she vowed to emerge and fulfill his dream.

In his memory, Letita became the youngest of the Sprocket Junkies. The competition helped to heal her wounds, and she rose rapidly among the ranks. Now, at the age of 23, she is a veteran of the sport; an impassioned and fierce competitor, fueled by her emotional scars.