I'll Be There in a Flash

5

We both get to S.T.A.R. Labs and Barry storms into the room yelling at Dr. Wells, "I wasn't the only one affected by the particle accelerator explosion, was I?!". "We don't know for sure." Dr. Wells says and I just glare at him. "How can you not know for sure!" I yell at Dr. Wells and he looks at me shocked. "You said the city was safe. That there was no residual danger. But that's not true, so what really happened that night?!" Barry yells again and we both stare at Dr. Wells. Dr. Wells looks back at Caitlin and Cisco and then back at us. "Well, the accelerator went active, we all felt like heroes, and then it all went wrong." he says turning something on and me and Barry turn around. "A dimensional barrier ruptured unleashing unknown energy into our world." he says and he starts to list the energy's that were released. Then I remembered the night the accelerator exploded. A force hit me and I fell to the ground. But I didn't feel anything weird or unnatural.

I snap out of my thoughts and look back at Dr. Wells. "Those are all theoretical." Barry says and I look at him. "And how theoretical are you?" Dr. Wells asks and Barry looks back at me and then at Dr. Wells with realization on his face. "We mapped the dispersion throughout and around Central City that we have no way of exactly of what or who was exposed, but we've been searching for other metahumans. Like yourself." he says to Barry. "Metahumans?" me and Barry ask at the same time wondering what these "metahumans" are. "That's what were calling them." Caitlin says and we stare at him. Then I wonder again if that force actually made me into a metahuman. But if it did wouldn't I have powers like Barry and Mardon. I faintly hear Barry explain to the others about how we saw a metahuman, he was talking about Mardon. I would talk too but I was too caught up in my thoughts thinking about the force that hit me nine months ago.

"This just keeps getting cooler." I hear Cisco say.

I would turn and glare, but again I'm too caught up in my thoughts. "That is not cool." Barry says and I look up at him. "Alright, a man died." he says and Cisco and Caitlin look at him seriously. "Mardon must have got his powers the same way I did. From the storm cloud. He's still out there. We have to stop him, before he hurts anyone else." Barry says and I look at him start to walk out. "Barry, that's a job for the police." Dr. Wells says and I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I work for the police." Barry says and I nod slightly. "As a forensic assistant." Dr. Wells says and I look down at my feet. I look at Barry and know what he's gonna say, "You're responsible for this. For him." he says. "What's important is you! Not me. I lost everything." he says and I hear him list everything he lost. I look at Dr. Wells and I have to say I have a hard time believing that. "You're not a hero. You're just a young man who just got struck by lightning." he says. I look at Dr. Wells and squint my eyes at him, "You don't know Barry. He could be a hero if he wanted to. He doesn't need a lightning bolt or skill to be one. Besides he's a good hero by being a scientist." I say to him coldly. Barry storms out of the room without looking at any of them and I just glare at the three. "Don't lie to someone when you know that they're gonna figure it out later in the future." I say and storm out.

*~*~

I try to run after Barry outside, but before I could, he sped off probably trying to clear his head. I grab my phone out of my purse and text Barry to meet me at my house after his run. I start to walk home when I remember that night. I can't seem to get it out of my head lately. I mean it was a tragedy for me and Barry, Barry the most though, but I was still heartbroken by it. I walk into the house and see my dad passed out on the couch. The TV was still on and it was on the sports channel. Now that I'm 25, my dad doesn't worry that much for me on late nights anymore. I pull the blanket over my dad and reach to grab the remote when it moves by itself. "What the-" I start to say and I reach for it again and it moves again. I look at my hand then at the remote in confusion trying one more time and finally grabbing the remote.

I turn off the TV and head upstairs to practice my performances for work. After a few hours of practicing I take out my phone and look at a picture of me and Barry from the carnival. I remember that day exactly. Barry, me, and Iris were supposed to go to the carnival together, but Iris had an last minute assignment for her journalism class and it was just me and Barry from there. We rode every ride and played some of the games. Barry played the milk bottle game and won me a stuffed panda that I still had in the closet. I hear a knock on my window and I see Barry on a tree branch. "Barry?!" I ask shocked to see him there. I open the window and he hops into my room. "I got your text to come to your house after my run, so here I am." he says and I smile and laugh.

"Where did you go?" I ask him.

"I went to Starling City to talk to Oliver." he says and I raise my eyebrows.

"You went to go see Oliver Queen without me?" I say pretty angry.

"I'm sorry I know you and him are friends too, Tori, but it was a private talk." he says.

When I went to Starling University to study music and art, there was a school wide assembly with Oliver Queen talking about his mother's business. I had no idea why this was a school wide assembly, but Oliver Queen was a star in Starling City. I remember Oliver looking for an intern for a short amount of time to work for him, free of pay, of course. I didn't want to be his intern, having not heard of him back at Central City that much because everything is about S.T.A.R. Labs back there, but slowly getting there. I was the only one in the room not raising my hand, but being the only one not raising your hand brings attention to yourself, and of course, Oliver picked me. I wasn't that happy to be picked, but after a few months of getting to know Oliver, he was sweet and kind and I knew he was a playboy, but once you get used to him, you'll know the real him. I knew that me and him would be friends for a long time.

"It's ok, Bar. But next time you see Oliver, I better come along." I say and he nods.

"Thanks for stepping up for me back there at S.T.A.R. Labs, Tori." he says and I smile at him.

"It's no problem, Barry." I say to him and everything was awkwardly quiet.

Barry looks over to my closet and sees something. I watch him walk over and grab the stuffed panda and I smile. "You kept this?" he asks and I just blush and nod. "Of course, why wouldn't I. It's the most thoughtful gift someone has ever given me." I say and he smiles. He walks back to my bed with the stuffed panda and hands it to me. I grab the stuffed panda and hold it tightly. I look into Barry's green eyes and he stares into my brown eyes. I get lost in his eyes and soon his eyes look at my lips and I just smile. When Barry was about to talk, I hear my dad yelling from downstairs. "You better go, before my dad sees you up here." I say and he nods. "I'll see you tomorrow, Tori." he says to me as he climbs out of the window and onto the tree branch. "See you tomorrow, Bar." I say hugging him and soon he speeds away and I head downstairs with a smile plastered on my face and I just can't seem to get it off.