In Time | The Flash

Chapter Fifteen | Aspen

"Children are meant to grow up, and not to become Peter Pans. Not to lose innocence and wonder, but to proceed on the appointed journey: that journey upon which it is certainly not better to travel hopefully than to arrive, though we must travel hopefully if we are to arrive."

- J.R.R. Tolkien

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN

>>> Aspen's P.O.V. <<<

The world I enter after Benji's portal of light swallows us is strange to say the least. Trees are hanging from the sky, upside down, with their roots in the air. Clouds cover the ground, making the landscape look like it rained vanilla ice cream. The sky is a bright pink, the color of bubblegum, and the houses in the near distance are made of glimmering crystal. Even the "trees" and other flora sparkle unusually in the light blue light of the apparent sun above our heads. Everything looks like it's in a 90s video game, pixelated and block-ish.

Benji walks ahead of me, tugging my hand as I stare in awe at the strange world. "C'mon."

I press my ear piece, waiting for the signal to clear up. All I hear is white noise.

Moving beside Benji, his hand in mine, I ask, "Did you make all this?"

Benji huffs, as if impatient, and answers, "Yes. Dad used to read me a book, and this was one of the pictures. I made it after he died." He tightens his hand around mine, pointing to the large crystal building in the distance. "C'mon, I wanna show you my castle!"

I allow him to lead me along the golden path, through the glimmering trees and cloudy moss. If I weren't so concerned about my sister, my daughter, and the rest of Team Flash, I might even be amazed at Benji's powers. "How long have you been able to do this, Benji?" I ask.

Benji grins. "You like it? It started a little over a year ago. After that building exploded. Mom doesn't know. Pinky promise you won't tell her?" He extends his pinky, a very serious look on his face.

I link my pinky with his. "I promise."

Benji nods. "Good. I knew I could trust you, Aspen. That's why I brought you here. I get lonely when Mom's not home, so I come here and play with my friends. Frank can be mean sometime. He doesn't talk to me when I talk to him. I like it here better."

My heart breaks with every word he says, especially after seeing the bruise on his eye and cheek. I feel for Benji, but I know that if I'm going to get back to my sister and Barry, I'm going to have to talk Benji out of making us stay in his fantasy world. "I'm so sorry, Benji."

He shrugs, nonchalantly. "I have new friends now. I don't need Frank, or Mom. I have you!"

I tug back on Benji's hand, forcing him to stop in his trek down the golden path. I bend down to his level, giving a kind look as I explain, "Little one, I can't stay here. I wish I could, but I have a family back in the real world. I have a job to take care of people. I need to make sure my friends are safe. Do you understand?"

Suddenly, the bubblegum sky turns a grim purple as Benji's brows pull together in confusion. "My world is real. It's as real as any world."

I nod. "I know you feel it is, and it might be to you, but I can't stay, darling. And neither can you, not forever. Won't you miss your mom?"

Benji's dark eyes avert mine. "She's never around, anyway. She's always working."

I sigh, looking at the forest of sparkles around us. "I know that this is a place where you feel safe. I know you come here to play with your friends and get away from Frank and to feel closer to your dad, but I promise you that Frank is going away for a long time. He won't hurt you or you mom every again. I swear it."

Benji shakes his head in disbelief. "You can't make me leave. You can't leave, either. Only I can let us leave."

"Wouldn't your dad want you and your mom to stick together?" I ask, desperately. "Wouldn't he want you to be a brave boy for him?" Benji's scowl doesn't go away. I smile softly at him. "You have a great gift, Benji. You could do so much good with it, but running away from your pain isn't going to help you. Frank is gone. You and your mom are safe. You don't have anything to run from anymore."

"You don't know what it's like to lose your dad," Benji says, sniffling as his brown eyes tear up. The sky above us thunders red, and the trees floating in the air start to crackle in the lightning. "He died in a car crash. I never got to say goodbye. He said he would come home and he didn't! He promised!"

I open my arms and let Benji move into them. I hold him close, brushing a stray curl away from his face. "I lost my dad a few years ago, too," I reply, softer, as I sink down to the ground. Benji sits in my arms, sniffling. "It was a long time ago; you were probably just a baby. He died in a car crash, too. I felt just like you did. Afraid, lonely, and I regretted not spending more time with him. I was even mad at him for a while because he left without saying goodbye." I smile at the memory of my father, the only parent I ever had. "My dad was everything to me, but I know that he would want me to keep living. He wouldn't want me to hide in my own little world."

"Does it ever get easier?" Benji whispers.

I nod. "It does. In time, everything gets easier. I promise that if you go back your mom and tell her how you feel, she'll be able to help you. You can help each other heal. You'd make your dad proud, just like I made mine proud." I sigh. "I know it's hard to let go of something that hurt you for so long, but your dad and mine would want us to be happy, don't you think?"

Benji stands to his feet, wiping his eyes. His face is streaked with tears. "Maybe."

I let a moment pass. "Benji, we can't stay here. We have to go back."

Benji looks my way and shakes his head. "I bet I can convince you to stay." He waves his hand, and the sky goes back to normal. Another wave of his hand opens a white light portal, like the one that took us to this world to begin with. "Follow me. I have some friends I want you to meet."

I stand and take Benji's hand. He leads us forward, and I walk into the light.

END CHAPTER FIFTEEN