Second Chances: Flash

Chapter 29

Allegra Garcia was in a very good mood, since today was career day at Central City High and both her adoptive mother Cecille and her sister Iris were present to represent their respective businesses, since Iris was looking for more interns like her from her school for the Citizen and her mother Cecille was here to increase awareness of her new metahuman defense practice. Yeah, that had been a shock for Allegra to find out that her mother, since she considered Joe and Cecille to be her real parents instead of her birth ones, since she didn't even know what happened to them or where they were, but anyways, finding out that her mom had left her job as the district attorney to start up a practice specifically tailored to the defense of metahumans, but then she remembered how much Joe and Cecille had done for her since they took her in. Thanks to them, Allegra had gotten her life back on track. Before them, she'd been forced to be a member of her cousin's gang, she'd had a record of carjacking, living on the streets, dropping out of school, all of that, even some stents in juvie. But Joe and Cecille had taken a chance on her and given her a second chance to get her life right. She'd returned to school, had taken an internship at her older sister Iris's newspaper, the Central City Citizen, and she was even set to have her record expunged and sealed when she turned 18 in a few months.

And considering how many people in this city that she knew didn't see metahumans as actual people, she was thrilled that her adoptive mother was taking action to help metas get the same rights they deserved. Her past was also a part of why she tended to avoid the popular cliques at school. She didn't want to risk anyone finding out that she was a criminal. She put on a tough girl act, though there was one person in the entire school who saw through her facade and saw the real her and knew her history.

Her best and only friend, Chester P Runk, Central City High's resident genius. They'd met back during science class on Allegra's first day back at school and he'd helped her catch up. And in return, she'd saved his ass from the stereotype bullies who wanted to pick on the class nerd. It was at that point they'd worked out a deal. Allegra would provide Chester with protection from the bullies and in exchange, he would tutor her to make sure that she'd be able to graduate with everyone else in their year. Or at least, that was how it had started. Over time, they'd grown closer and become actual friends, which had led to Allegra eventually revealing her past to Chester.

Anyways, Allegra couldn't deny that she was excited to hear her family's pitches, though she had to admit, she was kind of glad that Joe wasn't here, just because then that would be the whole family and she didn't need that kind of reputation.

Anyways, Iris had just finished her presentation about the Citizen to her class and Allegra could tell that several of her classmates were interested and Allegra had a feeling that she'd start seeing more of her classmates at the Citizen as interns and that some of them may even try to use her to tip the odds in their favor for the internships, since the Citizen was one of the most popular media outlets in the city. However, she knew that anyone who attempted to use her to better their chances would just end up destroying them, since Iris did not appreciate suck ups.

Anyways, now it was Cecille's turn to talk, and while Allegra noticed that not quite as many of her classmates were interested in what Cecille had to say, what she really noticed was a bright light out the window.

Very bright. Like she wasn't sure how no one else could see it, but then, suddenly, the far wall was blasted apart, sending everyone flying.

"What the hell?" Cecille asked as she got up to see Ultraviolet enter the room.

"Iris." Cecille said.

"Already hit my panic button and I just need a diversion to slip out of here so Celestial can appear." Iris agreed as Ultraviolet looked around the room.

"Estoy aquí por mi traicionera prima pequeña. Si ella viene silenciosamente, esto puede terminar fácilmente sin que nadie salga lastimado. (I'm here for my treacherous little cousin. If she comes quietly, this can be over easily with no one getting hurt)." Ultraviolet spoke in spanish, her eyes scanning the room until she found Allegra.

"Ahí eres prima pequeña. (There you are little cousin)." Ultraviolet said to her.

"¿Qué haces aquí Esperanza? (What are you doing here Esperanza?)" Allegra asked, slipping into Spanish as she looked at her apparently metahuman cousin, judging by how her hands were glowing.

"Buscándote. ¿De verdad pensaste que podrías alejarte de mí sin consecuencias? (Looking for you. Did you really think you could just walk away from me without consequences?)" Ultraviolet asked her.

"No soy como tú. Nunca quise serlo. (I'm not like you. I never wanted to be.)" Allegra responded.

"¿Quién dice que tienes otra opción, Allegra? No puedes darme la espalda. Después de todo, somos sangre. Somos familia y no puedes darle la espalda a la familia. (Who says you have a choice, Allegra. you can't turn your back on me. After all, we're blood. We're family and you can't turn your back on family.)" Ultraviolet said to her.

"Por favor, no hagas esto, no con toda esta gente inocente aquí.(Please, don't do this, not with all these innocent people here.)" Allegra begged, trying to reason with someone who was clearly beyond reason. And she saw how much good it did when she had to duck to just barely miss a blast to the head from her cousin.

"Sólo hay una manera de que esto termine, primita. O vienes conmigo o mueres. (There is only one way this ends little cousin. Either you come with me or you die.)" Ultraviolet said as her eyes began to glow.

Allegra knew that her cousin wouldn't back down, knew it from personal experience and she was tired of being afraid of Esperanza.

"Ya no te tengo miedo Esperanza. (I'm not afraid of you anymore Esperanza.)" Allegra said, her fear towards her cousin turning to anger for how much Esperanza had done to ruin her life. And it felt like that anger was unlocking something inside of her.

"Palabras atrevidas, lástima que no sean ciertas. Puedo ver el miedo en tus ojos Allegra. (Bold words, too bad they aren't true. I can see the fear in your eyes Allegra.)" Esperanza said as she prepared to blast her again, but hesitated when she saw something glowing her cousin's eyes.

"Eso no es miedo. (That's not fear.)" Allegra said, right as, to her cousin, mother and sister's shock, light began to emanate from her and she somehow instinctively knew to blast Esperanza right back out of the hole she'd entered from.

"How did I do?" Allegra asked, looking down at her hands before passing out in exhaustion from what she'd just done.