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⠀⠀𝐋𝐈𝐙𝐙𝐈𝐄 𝐇𝐀𝐃 𝐁𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐖𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐋𝐅 like a hawk. Paying attention for any unnatural symptoms or anything that might suggest she had meta-human-like abilities. Meta-humans. That's what Wells had called them, Lizzie didn't ask where the word came from but she had a feeling it was out of metamorphosis. Denoting a change of position or condition.
⠀⠀She didn't know what to feel about her current predicament. Did she want abilities that only people such as Superman or Wonder Woman had? A few years ago, yes. Right now, she didn't know.
⠀⠀Barry would help her understand this, right? When he woke up? Or maybe not, as he'd probably be busy considering his own abilities. He healed fast and his heartbeat was more accelerated than that of an average person at times. And he was ripped now, which was somehow still difficult for Lizzie to wrap her head around. Even when they were children — before Mom died — Serenity had always been the athletic one out of the three. Of course, she was mostly into martial arts but if you challenged her to basketball you had to prepare to get shot down (Henry had taken great joy bragging about it to neighbors even when his wife sent him looks).
⠀⠀Of course, the entire situation was something she couldn't wrap her head around but that seemed to be the theme of her life these days.
⠀⠀Either way no abilities or not, Lizzie stuck to her daily timetable. And another month passed while Barry was still not up.
⠀⠀. . . . And then January 21 rolled along and Lizzie turned 15.
⠀⠀Her birthday had been a big deal in the West-Allen household, and she'd loved it every year. There was cake, presents, they brought another Christmas tree which was decorated because Lizzie loved Christmas and this was her own mini Christmas. It had been happening since she was two and the odd tradition kept repeating the years that followed, even after her mom died because Joe West wouldn't hear otherwise. No one complained, even if Lizzie spent two hours crying about how it was just her and Barry there, but then she smiled because Joe and Iris were there too.
⠀⠀Nothing of that sort happened this time, even if it did, Joe and Iris seemed to have taken a hint that she wasn't in the mood of celebrating. She somehow doubted they even remembered what the date was, considering recent events. Joe didn't even remember to eat unless Iris reminded him. This sucked, if Lizzie truly wanted a birthday gift it was for Barry to wake up.
⠀⠀School was horrible to no one's surprise. She'd almost wanted to skip classes for a while, Joe had given an okay for it, but she hardly doubted that would be in her favor. Leawood School of Science and Technology was a prestigious school, one Joe couldn't afford for her even with the subsidy checks he received from the state, he'd put her in the same high school Barry and Iris attended but his plans had changed when Lizzie got a scholarship from Leawood. She'd suspected Rome's mother was involved since her parents who were both scientists working at Mercury Labs, could afford the prestigious school, and their status as extremely brilliant researchers might have been at hand when it came to Lizzie's admission. But Rome had told Lizzie that her parents had simply suggested her name, everything after that was based on the auburn-haired girl's merit. It had a comforting thought, it was what got her through when listening to the jeers of some classmates who seemed to know just about everything about her.
