Reality Check : : Barry Allen (REWRITING)

04

"Elise! Get up!" Patricia's voice is annoying first thing in the morning, especially when she's yelling. I stretch as I sit up, Wolfgang lifting his head tiredly to look up at me.

"I'm awake. What d'you want?" I ask groggily. I was awake until three in the morning because Patty wouldn't go to bed and kept vomiting when we got back to my place. We always crash here after a party; Mum makes the best hangover breakfasts.

"Food." She says simply. I roll my eyes and run my hands through my long hair, knowing already that it's a mess.

"I'll ask Mum to make us some pancakes." I say through a small yawn. Wolfgang comes over and licks my face as a way of saying good morning and Patty sits at the end of my bed with her legs folded at awkward angles under her.

"So how's your hand?" She asks. I look down at the knuckles of my right hand and find them slightly grazed.

"Pretty good." I shrug. Wolfgang licks my knuckles, which makes me smile and scratch his head affectionately.

"I bet that guy is really regretting trying to kiss you; you really know how to punch." Patty grins proudly.

"Boxing generally teaches you that kind of thing." I point out. See, I used to do boxing. And tennis. And horse-riding. And baseball. Basically I was a very sporty person through high school and college. Yeah, I went to college too. But I don't wanna think about that right now.

"So are you still coming tonight?" Patty asks. I raise an eyebrow for her to explain, which makes her sigh. "I knew you'd forget. Tonight's that double date I asked you about a while back. You said you'd come to make sure this guy is a good one, remember?"

"Yeah, I do." I say, nodding. "Todd, right?" She grins and gets all giddy like she used to in high school.

"Yep. He's so sweet and I think he really likes me. I just hope he gets your approval; you know how much I trust your opinion." She says.

"I'm glad you learned your lesson last time." I smirk. "That one was so obvious that even he knew he was a jerk. I was honestly really surprised when you called me saying you were planning to go out with him more."

"Don't remind me." She says in disgust, eyes glassy like she's remembering everything that happened between herself and that jerk.

"Hey," I say with a smile. "This is what friends are for, right? To support each other and help with relationship stuff."

"I'm so glad you aren't the one coming to me for advice though; you'd be a goner." Patty laughs. I'm about to comment when Wolfgang starts barking angrily and his whole body goes rigid. He dashes for the door, and Patty gives me a confused look as the dog disappears.

"C'mon." I tell her, a frown of confusion and worry on my face as we rush out of my room and follow the sounds of barking until we arrive in the living room where Mum is watching the Hunger Games. Wolfgang is standing between her and the TV, barking at the screen.

"What's going on?" Mum asks, looking up at me with a frown that matches my own. She pauses the movie and Wolfgang's barking slowly dies down to a growl, then a quiet whimper, then nothing at all.

"That was weird." Patty says. Mum nods as I look between her, my dog and the TV. The movie's up to the part where Katniss is whistling to say she's done her job and the birds are copying her but there's no reply. Wait, she's whistling.

"Hey guys?" I say, my eyes staying on Wolfgang as he stares at the TV screen. Mum and Patty look at me expectantly. "Don't freak out." I take a breath, then quietly do the whistle pattern that Katniss uses in the movie. Wolfgang's head snaps around so that he's looking at me and he starts barking again, running over to me and getting all protective.