In a Flash (A Flash Fanfiction)

Chapter 12 - When I was 11

Clarity's POV
I tapped the end of my pen on the table, multiple times. "Will you please stop that?" Barry asked me.

"Sorry," I mumbled.

"Something wrong, Miss Parker?" Dr. Wells asked me.

"Nothing," I replied. "Just that it's September 20," I mumbled.

"What's September 20?" Cisco asked me. Barry ran his hands through his hair.

"No. I totally forgot. I'm so sorry, Clarity. How can I forget?" He asked as he slammed his hand down on the table.

"What did you forget?" Dr. Wells asked him.

"Today's my 25 birthday," I replied.

"Happy birthday," Caitlin smiled.

"Yeah. Happy birthday," I muttered. I stood up and walked out of the lab.

****

Barry's POV
"What's wrong with Clarity?" Cisco asked me. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know that as a kid, the teachers and I were the only ones who knew her birthday. Never knew why she didn't want people to know, I just kept the secret," I explained.

"Everyone loves their birthday. Clarity seems like the person who would too," Cisco said.

****

Clarity's POV

"I HATE YOU!" I yelled.

"We know you don't mean that, Clarity," My mom replied.

"No. I do. I mean that. You took away my friends!" I snarled.

"The only thing we did is change your classes," My dad replied.

"Because Zoe was in them? I'm sorry if you don't trust her, but I do. I WISH I WASN'T YOUR DAUGHTER!" I screamed and stomped up to my room.

I woke up to the sound of something breaking downstairs. I looked at my glass of water and saw the water floating in the air. I ran downstairs and saw a ball of red and yellow lightning surrounding my parents. "Mom!" I yelled.

"Clarity run!" She screamed.

"Mom!" I shouted.

"Clarity run!" My dad told me.

"Mom!" I cried. Next thing I knew I was outside, 2 blocks away.

I ran inside my house and saw a blue tarp, over two bodies. "You can't be in here," A cop told me. I shoved his arm away and moved the tarp a little off of the bodies. I dropped to my knees when I saw the two faces.

"Mom? Dad?" I asked, a tear running down my face. I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder.

"Clarity?" Jake asked. I broke down in my 18 year old brother's arms.

****

I watched out the window of S.T.A.R. Labs as I remembered that night. "Kay?" I heard someone ask. I turned around and saw Jake.

"Hey." I smiled and threw my arms around him.

"What are you doing all the way in Central City?" I asked my brother.

"Starling is only 600 miles away. Plus, it's your birthday. I had to see my little sister," He smiled. I laughed a little.

"You know I don't like it when people celebrate my birthday. Or when you call me Kay," I told him.

"I know, I know. I don't like what happened on your 11th birthday either. But you have to celebrate. Plus, it's your 25th birthday," He sang.

"And you want to take me drinking, like every year since I turned 21." I rolled my eyes.

"Of course I do," He smiled.

"Clarity. Who's this?" I heard Barry ask.

"Barry." The smile on my face dropped when I saw him.

"This is Jake. Jake, this is Barry," I introduced.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Jake asked me. I shook my head.

"No. He's my best friend. Has been since the incident. Which was 14 years ago," I said and walked away.

****

Barry's POV

"What happened 14 years ago?" I asked Jake.

"Our parents were murdered. Clarity claims to have seen a man in red and yellow lightning. No one believed her, even me. I was 18 at the time. She was 11. It happened on her birthday," He explained.

"I need to talk to her. Thank you," I told him and ran, at a normal speed, after Clarity.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked her once I finally caught up.

"You didn't need to know," She whispered.

"Of course I did. I could've been there for you," I placed my hand on her shoulder but she just shrugged it off.

"You wouldn't understand what it's like. To have your brother who's old enough to take you in, not want want you. You're an only child. Joe took you in, took care of you. I was in the system because my brother wouldn't even look at me. You don't know what it's like to have your brother look at you like, like you killed your own parents," She explained.

I took her chin in my hands and looked her in her icy blue eyes that are filled with sadness. "Clarity Parker, I may not understand your brother, but I do understand you and what happened to your parents. My dad's in jail and my mother is dead," I said. She leaned in and placed her lips on mine.

"You only understand half of me," She whispered.

"How do I understand half of you?" I asked her. She looked to ground, stepping back a little. I dropped my arms to my sides.

"Clar. What don't I understand?" I asked her.

"What my life was like. I always got in trouble, told my parents I hated them. The last conversation I had with them was a fight," She took a deep breath and choked back the tears.

"I told them I hated them. They had switched all of my classes that I had with my best friend. Her friend had caused drama in 4th grade which caused my parents to hate her. Her name was Zoe Petrucci. I seriously regret that night. My own brother wouldn't even take me in, let alone pretend to believe me about the man in lightning," She explained.

I pulled her into hug. That when the waterworks started. "Barry," She cried. "I wish I was nicer and better behaved. I wish I never said those things to them." She started sobbing.

"Clarity, if they could see you now they'd be so, very proud of who you've become. You've trained with the Arrow and became a superhero. I think that makes up for that night," I told her. She shook her head and stepped back again. She wiped the tears away, smudging some mascara.

"I better go clean up then head home. I might go to Iris' and talk with her and Joe. I just can't be here," She said and pointed to the floor. I nodded.

"I understand," I gave her a small smile as she walked towards the bathroom.

"Hey Barry. Have you seen Clarity?" Caitlin asked me as I walked in the lab.

"She went home," I replied.

"Why?" Cisco asked, looking up from his, whatever he's playing with.

"She had some bad memories on her birthday. She likes to be alone," I told them and shrugged.