The Lost Daughter - A Flash Story

~who is sara anderson?~

~owen snow~

"Dude, you totally should've seen the look on my dad's face when he found out I had broken one of his facial transmogrification devices. He cares too much about that stupid tech." Ian joked.

Well, he played it off like he was joking, but Ian's my best friend. I know he's a bit insecure about his dad caring more about tech than his own son. I grew up with the kid, I've seen how frantic his dad can be.

"What were you trying to even use that tech for?" Jenna asked.

Ian started to answer, but then he remembered:

"Bro, did we even get drinks?"

Jenna sighed, laughing a bit. I got up, pulling to stool out from the table and pushing it back in.

"I got it." I declared, pulling out my wallet and walking up to the counter.

A teenage girl about my age turned around and greeted me, and I suddenly forgot my own name.

"Hi! Welcome to CoJitters, what can I get started for you today?" She asked.

Oh, my God, that's Nora.

So many thoughts were running through my head. How did she get here? When did she get here?

I missed her.

She waited patiently for me to say something.

"Nora?" I asked, leaning into the counter a bit and lowering my voice.

She tilted her head, then looked at her name tag and laughed nervously.

"Did I pick up the wrong name- Sorry, it's Sara, I know it can be hard to read-" She started.

"No, I know your name is Nora, you can tell me."

I looked around.

"Wait, is there someone here you can't say your real name in front of?" I whispered.

"What- No! My name is Sara, I have no clue what you're talking about!" She stammered. I could tell she was getting really nervous.

A glass fell off the counter behind her all by itself. It hit the floor with a crash and shattered into a hundred pieces.

She turned around, holding her head.

"Crap," She whispered. It sounded like she was on the verge of tears, and I suddenly felt horrible.

"I am so sorry, please let me help you clean that. I... I-I'm sorry, I thought you were someone I knew as a kid." I explained, running behind the counter.

"It's okay, I totally get it. I've actually been getting similar greetings recently.." She laughed nervously, sweeping up the glass with a small broom as I held the dustpan.

A moment of uncomfortable silence went by as we quietly cleaned up the mess. I tried to act cool and come up with something to say.

"How'd that glass even fall? I mean, it's not like you have telekinesis or anything," I joked, breaking the silence.

She laughed, picking up the dustpan and sweeper.

"I dunno, I probably knocked it off the counter with my arm or something." She replied, moving back behind the cash register.

I suddenly heard distinct whisper-shouting of my name. I turned around to see Ian and Jenna staring at me with wide eyes, gesturing me to the table.

Oh, shit, they were watching this whole time.

As I walked over to the table and sat across from them, they looked at me in disbelief.

"Owen. Are you crazy?! You don't just ask some stranger if they're your missing childhood best friend from ten years ago!" Jenna scolded in a low voice.

I sighed. She was probably right. But I had this gut feeling, like something inside me was telling me it was her.

"I know, but-" I paused, leaning into the table. "I need you to read her when she gets here with our drinks."

~jenna west~

I stared at Owen in shock.

He knows I hate reading strangers!

I always feel so bad about it, and sometimes I can't handle people's emotions. But, before I could stop Owen-

"-Alright, here are your drinks! One Frost, and two iced mochas.." The girl said, setting our drinks on the table. Owen gave me a look, sipping his straw.

Do it, he mouthed.

I don't want to! I mouthed back. I nudged Ian, hoping maybe he would knock some sense into Owen. I quickly realized my mistake. 

He's gonna vibe her.

As soon as she started to go, he took hold of her arm. We watched as his expression changed from nonchalant to shock in a matter of seconds. Something about him touching her very obviously irked her, and she pulled away quickly.

Ian struggled to form a sentence. "Uh, could I get a couple of sugar packets?"

She nodded, quickly turning away. Ian faced us, leaning in.

"We need to go now. I'll explain once we get to S.T.A.R. Labs."

I was a little confused, but we nodded, quickly getting up and practically bolting out of the coffee shop.

By the time we got to the lab, we were all out of breath. Standing in the Cortex was practically everyone: my mom, Ian's dad, Barry, Iris, Donner, and Owen's mom.

My mom turned around to face us. "Hey, guys, how was CoJitters?"

Ian turned to Barry and Iris, still panting.

"We found your kid."

OMG HELLO HI I HOPE ALL OF YOU ARE DOING WELL!! my theatre season finished last week and i've been super busy trying to get my life back together :/ i'm going to try to get chapters out more often, so stay tuned! i love you, feel free to leave suggestions/comments!

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