The Girl From the Destroyed Future

Chapter five

When I was born, my parents were already living together in a small, toffee house. I'd never seen the separate places they lived before their marriage, and I'd never cared. However, after seeing the inside of Caitlin's house, I started to wonder what my parents' houses looked like.

"This is very neat," I said, whistling. Caitlin smiled modestly.

"I like to clean," she said.

I felt a stab of sadness. I was standing right in front of my mother, and she didn't know it. Well, technically she wasn't really my mother, but a doppelganger of her, sort of.

"The guest bedroom is right around the corner, first door to the right," Caitlin instructed, "make yourself at home. I'll make a little snack, do you like tea?" I nodded.

"I don't care what kind," I said, "I'm not picky."

"Great," she said, still smiling.

I trudged to the guest room. It was small, half the size of my old room, with a twin-sized bed pushed up against the corner and a little desk by the door. A dresser sat next to a window that overlooked a neat neighborhood.

I flunked down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling, which was covered in stars. I smiled fondly at the stars, remembering one day when my family had all sat outside to watch our neighbors set off their fireworks. 

Tears filled my eyes as I thought about my mom and dad, who I would probably never see again. I lay there for what seemed to be forever, just trying to recall every day with my parents.

Hearing footsteps, I wiped my eyes and sat up.

"How do you like it?" Caitlin asked. I looked around, taking in the blue walls and fluffy carpet.

"It reminds me a lot of my old home," I answered truthfully. "My mom really liked blue, so most of our house was decorated with that color."

"Your mother had great taste," Caitlin answered, beckoning for me to follow her. "I hope you don't mind the temperature, I have to keep it kinda cold." I frowned and looked around.

"I actually didn't notice. Cold doesn't bother me as much as it does others." I followed Caitlin out into her kitchen. I sat down across from her and accepted the warm cup of tea. I looked down at it, thinking of possible topics that would keep her from discovering the truth.

"How did you get your powers?" Caitlin asked. My eyes must have widened, because she immediately told me that I didn't have to answer.

"No, it's fine," I said. "I, um, was . . . a . . . person . . . who got . . . powers . . . somehow." I frowned and tried again. "It was probably when I was electrocuted during a storm when that crazy-scientist guy's machine went off. I was too young to realize it."

Caitlin was nodding, listening to the story. If this Caitlin was anything like my mother, she would know that I was lying – although my mother would have an unfair advantage, because she knew I was never electrocuted during a storm.

"Hmm, you know Barry was struck by lightning the night Harrison, no, Eobard Thawne's particle accelerator exploded, and that's how he gained his superspeed."

"Really?" I said, intrigued. My parents had never told me the origin of their superpowers because there was no point, or reason, to bring up something from the past that would never be used again. "The Flash was struck by lightning at the same time dark matter traveled through the area . . . There has to be more to that though, because just those two couldn't be all that it takes to become a speedster, right?"

Caitlin's eyebrows raised. "Does everyone know Barry is the Flash, in the future?"

"I didn't say that, did I?" I asked, quickly going over my words again.