escape ➹ roy harper (prequel) [DISCONTINUED]

01. the origin story

"Are you sure about this, Spence?"

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Spencer Kress was currently in her bedroom, packing as many of her belongings as she could into the two suitcases she owned. Under normal circumstances, she'd be able to go out and buy another, but her money situation was a little complicated.

Before explaining any further, we need to go back to the very beginning of the story.

Spencer was born on December 4, 1990 in Central City to parents Daniel and Victoria Kress. The two of them were well known in the area as the proud co-CEOs of Kress Industries. So, Spencer grew up in a very well-off family and everyone throughout elementary, middle and high school knew who she was. Though, most either resented her out of jealousy or pretended to like her for the perks of having a rich friend.

The only exception to this was her best friend Ronnie Raymond, who she has known since she was five. They had always been inseparable- as close as a girl and guy could be without any romantic feelings. They were family.

Unfortunately, Ronnie's family treated her better than her own most of them time. All they cared about was fortune and fame. They were neglectful and only paid her mind when they disagreed with something Spencer said or did.

This brings us to their biggest disagreement to date- Spencer's career choice. She had always been intelligent, with a love for science, so she wanted to go to school for bio-engineering and forensics. However, her parents thought it was "absurd", "boring", and "a waste of time". They just wanted her to follow in their business shoe footsteps.

She was about to begin her senior of college at Central City's most high acclaimed university when her parents decided they were done supporting her ridiculous career and threatened to stop funding her education if she didn't switch to business. However, Spencer had been saving her money up for years, figuring they'd drop her eventually and all but begged them to cut her off. So, she found a college far enough away from them so she could finish her degree in peace.

And that is why she is packing her things whilst listening to the concerned comments of her best friend.

"But what about your life here?" Ronnie continued to pester her about her choice to move.

"To be honest, there isn't much of a life here. The only thing that matters here is you."

"Are you saying I'm not enough to make you stay?" he returned, a look of mock-hurt etched onto his face.

Spencer gave him a sympathetic smile. "Aw, Ron. You know I love you. But you also understand why I need to get out of here right?"

He nodded. "I know. It's just- I'm going to miss you."

"I'm going to miss you, too. But you know, Starling City isn't that far away."

He groaned slightly. "Why did it have to be Starling City; this city infamous for its crime rates."

The red head rolled her eyes. "It's not that bad."

He scoffed. "There have been three high-scale robberies reported just this week. I know because I've checked."

"It's really sweet that you worry but I'm going to be fine." She assured. She zipped up her suitcase and set it on the ground. "Well, that's it I guess. And my train leaves in," she glanced at the digital clock on the dresser, "Twenty five minutes. I've gotta get moving."

Ronnie helped her carry her bags to his car, as he was driving her to the train station. The entire duration of the five minute drive was filled with Ronnie attempting to convince her to stay.

"Ron, for the millionth time I'm going whether you like it or not." She insisted, getting out of the car.

"But aren't you going to miss the people in your classes?" he asked, as his final pathetic attempt to stop her from going.

She scoffed, "Yeah right. Everyone barely acknowledges me or flat out hates me."

Ronnie sighed in defeat as he pulled her bags out of his trunk. He turned to his red haired friend, his heart sinking as it finally set in that she was leaving. She felt the ache in her chest too, as her eyes filled with tears.

"Hey, don't do that." He scolded. "If you start crying, I'm going down with you."

She giggled, rubbing away the moisture with the sleeve of her shirt. "I'm sorry. It's just going to be hard not seeing you all the time."

"Yeah, but it's not like we're not going to see each other at all. We'll call. I'll visit. You're 21st is coming up and you know I won't miss that."

"You better not."

"Come here." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in for the tightest hug. Normally she'd complain about loss of air but she welcomed it right now. She needed it right now. "I'm going to miss you Kress."

"I'm going to miss you, too, Raymond." They pulled away, exchanging bitter sweet smiles. "I guess I better get on that train."

Ronnie nodded. "Stay safe. Good luck."

She grabbed onto the handles of her suitcases. "Thanks. Same to you."

With one last smile and goodbye, Spencer turned away from her oldest friend and boarded the train. Within ten minutes, it departed from the station and she waved goodbye to Ronnie as she passed.

After a few minutes, she took a deep breath, finally allowing herself to reflect on all that was happening her life. She was moving away from her home to Starling City, a new and dangerous place. It wasn't her first time there. She'd been on business trips with her parents and she'd gone a few weeks ago to pick out a small apartment with Ronnie. She'd also toured the college she'd be attending to finally get her degree in Bio-Engineering with a minor in Forensics. She was doing what made her happy, despite what her parents wanted. She should be excited. But instead she was scared as hell.

Author's Note: Soooo, what'd you think? I know it's my first chapter and it's pretty short but it's going to get better. I basically wrote this chapter to set everything up and obviously because I had to include Ronnie Raymond. Duh.

Also in regards to the timeline of everything, I've got it figured out. Oliver is missing/presumed dead from 2007-2012 I believe (because 2012 is when Arrow starts). So Spencer would be 18 in 2008 when she starts college. 2009 would be her sophomore year, 2010 her junior and 2011 her senior year. So, Escape is taking place in the time period of her senior year from fall 2011 to spring/summer 2012- basically the year before Arrow would've started. And I believe that makes Spencer only months younger than Barry. See guys, I've got it all figured out. I'm proud of myself.

Don't forget to vote and let me know what you thought. I'm really excited about this because I'm a big Roy lover and I won't have to go word for word of the show since there is no show yet at this point. I love you guys for reading!

xoMegan