Barry and I were patrolling one night, when we were notified there was a car accident in which the car had flipped, and there was electricity sparking all around them. The firefighters were already getting there, but we were gonna get there too.
Barry saved the man in the car, and got him to safety.
"Singer Girl!" Barry called to me. "Check on him for me!"
I nodded, and went over to the man while Barry went for the woman still stuck in the car.
I asked the man if he was alright or hurt.
That's when the electricity sparked massively and an electric fire started, and the car erupted in flames, similar to an atomic bomb. I moved the man away just in time.
But then I realized Barry was still in the car.
"Dana!" The man cried.
"Flash!" I cried. "No!"
The fire was too big to be put out with a single fire extinguisher, if I created it with the Rooster Miraculous. The firefighters went to extinguish the car.
That's when behind us, Barry had saved the woman, which relieved me and the man.
"Flash!" I exclaimed, going over to him and hugging him, clinging onto his torso like a koala.
"How did. . .?" The man couldn't even finish sentence, before going to hug his significant other. The man thanked us, and Barry and I ran off.
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco was marveling how awesome what we had done was, after we got out of our suits.
In the meantime, I kept rereading the letter Percy had sent me.
Dear Isa,
It's good to hear from you. I hope you're doing better after the suicidal episode. I'm glad you're making new friends. And with the guy you don't trust, continue to trust your gut. Your gut is telling you that this man could be dangerous, and he could very well be. It's the same way you felt with Luke. You need to tell me all the stories that you've been experiencing. I'm really interested. Just don't try to replace me, okay?
I'm just kidding with you. I know you'd never do that. Your stories and songs have been the only thing keeping me sane and entertained at this point. They're also the only thing keeping me cheery while you're gone. Just hearing from you makes me feel better. You need to keep telling me these, that way I'm all caught up when you return. I do miss you, believe it or not.
There hasn't been much action here. No monsters, surprisingly. Except one thing. We got a new student. The school is doing a program to educate a homeless kid who can't afford schooling, giving him a scholarship. His name is Tyson. He's a big dude, but he's in reality, like a ginormous teddy bear, incredibly sensitive. Some of the kids here keep teasing him, and I've been trying to protect him, but it's not easy, when I'm considered one of the most unpopular kids, and I'm also a victim of teasing. Sometimes I just wish you'd come here and go rampage mode on them. In fact, no girl here would be caught dead talking to me, much less calling my name. I'm pretty sure you're the only girl my age that talks to me right now.
Despite this, just hearing from you makes me not get discouraged from this treatment. And I've been really getting into your music. It's very different from what I usually listen to, but hearing your voice is comforting. You know, I can never be this honest with Annabeth. You're the only one of our group who I can fully open up to, without fear of being ridiculed. And that's what I love about you. You don't mock me, like everyone else. Just keep updating me, as often as you can. I love hearing from you, and making sure you're alright. And yes, I would very much like to see your recordings of Between the Lines, and hear the music. Please, do send it.
And remember, you're amazing, and you are capable of so much, as long as you put your mind to it. You're kind, brave, caring, and empathetic. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. And I'm always here for you, when you need someone to hold.
Sincerely, Percy.
He was so sweet. I couldn't wait to start on another letter to him. But not much had happened in the days since the last episode, except saving the couple in the car accident. So, I instead started focusing on the second song that had been on the list, which I had been stumped on. The song was supposed to be a solo song for the main character, Delilah, being completely smitten over Prince Oliver, who had come alive from the book, and by the time this song happens, they have had a lot of conversations.
I was also focused on learning other things, like learning more Japanese, and other subjects.
"I mean, I'm having a hard time getting mad at you for dirtying up my suit," Cisco was continuing.
"Okay, when are we going to start considering it my suit?" Barry asked.
"I'd be comfortable calling it our suit."
My head jerked up. I looked up the Soviet Union anthem earrape, and blasted it on my speaker, which was connected to my phone, at full volume.
Barry got so startled, he fell off his chair. But he started laughing. "Isa, what is that?"
"The anthem of the Communist Soviet Union," I smirked. "With earrape. . .Our suit."
Barry started laughing even harder. "Okay, that's too perfect!"
"I don't get it," Cisco said, confused.
"Our suit, Cisco!" Barry got to his feet, but he couldn't stop laughing because the anthem was still going.
Dr. Wells gave an amused chuckle. "It's history, Cisco. The communist party was known for their ideals where they share everything, and everything is the same for everyone. Same pay, same amount of control over an object, same everything. So the word 'our' was used a lot. Therefore, 'our suit' sounds communist. And the Soviet Union was communist. It was perfect timing."
I laughed turning off the music, "History joke! I made a joke! Yay!"
Barry finally settled down. "Isa, you made me laugh really hard just now. Where did you even learn that?"
I held up my history textbook on my iPad. "History."
"Speaking of perfect timing," Caitlin came in, "Tonight was the fastest you both have ever run."
"Yes, your training is paying off," Dr. Wells said. "That couple is alive tonight because of you."
"I can still get faster," Barry said. "I know I can."
"And you will one day," Dr. Wells rolled out of the desk. "But for today, I'd say you fulfilled your saved quota. Proper rest is what you need, as do we all."
"Better yet, what we all need is a proper drink." Cisco said. "Who's up for a round?"
My head once again jerked up, not for a good reason though. "Barry!"
I ran over to him, and crawled onto him just like a koala again, but clinging even harder.
"Cisco, you know one, Isa is underage, and two, she won't touch a drop," Barry said. "At least wait until she's not in the area to mention drinks. Plus, it's movie night with Joe, I can't. But we'll see you guys tommorow, alright?"
Barry managed to get me down, and we walked out of S.T.A.R. Labs.
Back at the house, I decided not to participate in movie night. I wanted to focus on this song, because I had ideas popping into my head left and right, and I couldn't lose them.
I'm starting to believe what he tells me
I see myself the way that he does
Smiling cause the way he after looked at me
It's got me on a dopamine buzz
I've noticed that the world is looking brighter
So bright when I'm talkin' to Oliver
I know all my cares would float away
If he were holding my hand
I know everything will be A-okay
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
Suddenly the scenery suits me
The hallways have a happier tune
And not a thing can bother me or bring me down
I'm too busy being over the moon
I've noticed that the clocks have stopped their ticking
Time stops when I'm talkin' to Oliver
Can't see clearly when I look around
I've got my head in the clouds
I fly twenty feet above the ground
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
Why is it I find myself dreaming, (Talkin' to Oliver)
Thinking of the life that we'd share? (Talkin' to Oliver)
The world can laugh and tell me I'm a lunatic (Talkin' to Oliver)
But I don't even think that I'd care (Talkin' To Oliver)
That's when Barry came into my room. "You coming to movie night?"
"Nah, maybe next time, I'm on a roll here," I said. "I've already written five stanzas in just ten minutes! The ideas are flowing and I can't lose it."
"Well, you can show it to me afterwards, then," Barry smiled. "It better be good."
"It will!" I exclaimed.
I knew the reason why the ideas were flowing so well, were because I was describing the feeling I was having while reading Percy's letters. I was smitten too. I was using that to make the song.
I continued writing:
I'm marching to a different kind of drummer
(Boom, boom!) When I'm talkin' to Oliver.
I hear music in my hum-drum world
And I'm a-humming a song
Sweet as chocolate fudge and ice cream swirl
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
My heart beats like a fanfare (bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. . .)
Trumpets blare! (bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. . .)
Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da (ooh) (bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. . .)
Ba-da-da-da-da-da-da, ba-da-da-da-da-da (ooh) (bum-bum-bum-bum-bum. . .)
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
When I'm talkin' to Oliver, ah
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
When I'm talkin' to Oliver
I threw my hands up in accomplishment. "Whoo! New personal record! Done in twenty minutes! It's done!"
I felt extremely accomplished, and put my song notebook away, and went to bed. I decided to call it "Talkin' To Oliver."
The next morning, we found out there had been a prison break at Iron Heights, where Barry's dad was being kept. Somebody had come and broken a prisoner out of jail. Barry brought me to the scene, and I was already working on the fourth song on the list. The first cast meetup for Between The Lines was soon, and the songs were due after then. I was on a record, especially now, because this new song had to be a sort of solo love song for Prince Oliver. My vision of it was based off Percy, so of course ideas were still flowing. And I was writing them down.
"Hey," Joe came into the cell which Barry was investigating. "The security cameras in half the prison are shut down. Then Clay Parker, according to this log, who was locked in his cell, somehow vanishes."
"Not completely," Barry said, showing Joe a vial.
"What's that?"
"It's a kind of organic particulate residual," Barry explained. "I found it on the floor in here, just outside the cell, out in the hallway. The trail led me all the way outside."
That's when an officer brought in a prisoner. He had a round face, and brown hair turning grey. He had a scruffy beard, but he didn't have the intimidating aura like all the other prisoners. No, it was friendly. It felt like how I felt whenever I was around my oldest biological brother, Alexander. A fatherly aura.
Barry smiled when seeing him. "Dad."
He touched his father's hand, and it seemed incredibly meaningful for him, since he hadn't been able to do that in years, since he was a little kid.
"So word is around here that Parker pulled a Shawshank?" Barry's father asked.
"Yep, and none of the other prisoners heard or saw anything," Joe confirmed.
"They wouldn't talk to you about it," Barry's father shook his head.
"Leaves us with not a lot to go on," Barry said.
"Well, if there's anyone who could figure out how Parker got out of here, it's you, son," Barry's father told his son. Then he noticed me. "And who's this little lady you have with you?"
"Oh, that's Isa, we've been fostering her. She got kicked out of an orphanage for no reason, and she's been a lot happier with us," Barry explained. "She's been with us so long, she's starting to feel like a little sister. We don't really send her to school, because her IQ is so high, that she just teaches herself. I mean, just yesterday, I found her teaching herself World History, and was on a chapter about the Soviet Union. And the second somebody claimed something as 'our' she started playing the Soviet Union anthem. She's also very musically gifted. Just yesterday, she wrote an entire song in just twenty minutes."
"Well, it's lovely to meet you," Barry's father smiled at me.
I smiled back at him.
"Allen, it's time to go," the guard said.
"Well, duty calls," Barry's father said.
The guard took Barry's father away, and Barry watched them leave. "So, my dad just happened to come by?"
Joe shrugged. "The guard owed me a favor."
"Thank you."
While I was there, I had the chance to write three stanzas. The song was supposed to be short, just six stanzas. But that wouldn't stop me from making it absolutely beautiful. Best part, I was writing the instrumental music too.
Just this once before you go
Just one dance, it's only you and me
Don't be scared, I'll help you through
I'll give you something to hold on to
All my life I never dreamed, that
I could be as happy as this, as this
I'm right here, always for you
This is our something to hold on to
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
This is as free as I'll ever feel, ooh
We went to S.T.A.R. Labs, and the team started to examine the evidence.
"I've never seen anything like this," Caitlin said. "Not even Barry's cells move that fast."
"So Clay Parker is a metahuman?" Joe asked.
"Not so fast," Dr. Wells said. "The particulate residue that Barry gathered at Iron Heights does contain Clay Parker's DNA but also DNA of a woman."
"Run her DNA against the C.C.P.D. criminal database," Barry said. "See if you get a match."
Cisco began typing on the screen, and then we got a match. The woman looked a bit like a gypsy combined with emo, with eyeliner. She had dark eyes, and short-length dark curly hair, as well as darker skin. "Yahtzee," Cisco said. "Her name is Shawna Baez. Mostly petty crimes, and this girl likes to party, apparently. A long list of disorderly conducts at bars."
"So, I'm guessing we find her, we find Clay Parker," Joe concluded. "Barry?"
"Yeah," Barry responded. "Isa, come with."
"Okay, coming," I followed them out.
Later, we went to Jitters with Iris, and I got myself a tea.
"What's that smile about?" Iris asked Barry.
I was continuing to write the rest of the new song.
"I saw my dad today," Barry told her. "No glass, no phones. Just me and him face-to-face. Joe arranged it."
"That must have been amazing, Barry," Iris said.
"Yeah, I really needed it." Barry said, sipping out of his cup. "Isa got to meet him for the first time too, because she tagged along."
"That man isn't a criminal, he doesn't belong there," I commented, sipping my tea. "I know it. I got a different feeling from him than the other criminals we passed. He doesn't belong there at all."
"I'm sure he needed it too," Iris sipped out of hers. "Were you there investigating the breakout?"
"Mmm-hmm," Barry nodded.
"That is a big story which I am not a part of. My editor wants me writing about the Flash and Singer Girl and only the Flash and Singer Girl."
"Is that a bad thing?" Barry asked, looking confused.
"I don't know," Iris shrugged. "I would just like to be thought of as more than the Flash and Singer Girl PR flack. I mean, if I don't write something soon, I think I might lose my job."
"Hey, we will find you a great story to write about," Barry said. "Together. Okay? You know I'm always here for you."
Iris smiled, and placed her hand on Barry's, "I know."
Barry then looked at me. "You still haven't shown me the song you were so focused on yesterday."
"That's because I've started working on another one, I've just finished this one for lyrics," I said excitedly. "Masterpieces! Now I just have to put the music together like I did with 'Whole New Story'!"
While I was there, I had finished this song with:
And just because it's fiction
Doesn't mean it's not real
Take my hand, I'll guide the way
Rest your head be in the now, right now
Nothing else can ever undo
Our something to hold on to
I'll be your something to hold on to
Hold on to me
Hold on to me
Hold on
I'll be your something to hold on to
I was calling this one "Something To Hold On To."
I could edit "Say It In Other Words" now that this one was done. The last song I needed to write, I wanted to hold off a bit, until the cast meetup, because of the fact that there was always at least a bit of beef between certain cast members, which was sort of what the song was supposed to be revolving around.
Barry and Joe went to speak with Barry's dad, Henry Allen, about the investigation, and I came with.
"What do you mean you've been asking around?" Barry asked.
"Do you know a Marcus Stockheimer?" Henry asked.
"Sure," Joe said. "He's some midlevel gangster. Works mainly on the south side."
"Word is Clay Parker was a runner for Marcus," Henry said. "When Clay got pinched, Marcus lost a lot of money. Apparently, Marcus doesn't like losing money."
"So Parker can't leave Central City until he's paid off his debt?" Barry concluded.
"From what I'm told, if you're a member of the Stockheimer crew, and you get out, the first thing you do is pay them a visit or suffer the consequences," Henry shrugged.
"All right," Barry told his father. "No more playing cop. Promise me."
"I hear you."
"Alright."
We went back to S.T.A.R. Labs, where we met Caitlin.
"I was analyzing the particulates that Clay Parker and Shauna Baez left behind," Caitlin said. "And I found something very interesting. When Clay's cells come into contact with Shauna's, they adopt her properties."
They were silent for a few seconds.
"Something bothering you?" Barry asked her.
"Why would you ask that?" Caitlin asked.
"You're doing that biting-your-lower-lip thing you do when something's bothering you," Barry smirked.
"Good observation skills, Barry," I said. "I saw that too. Just like how I noticed the thing my chorus teacher does whenever she hears something she doesn't like, when listening to us practice. She starts with smiling, but the second she hears a mistake or a sour note, that smile turns to a frown. I swear, it happens every time."
"Cisco says I don't have a life," Caitlin crossed her arms.
"You don't, do you?" Barry was trying hard not to smirk.
"I do!" Caitlin retorted. "I cook and I eat, and I read and I help you."
"So what you're saying is, you do everything that has nothing to do with having a life," Barry concluded.
"You don't have to be rude about it," Caitlin said.
Barry laughed. "Hey, I'm not doing any better than you. My social life consists of running at superhuman speed and Netflix. The only one of us who seems to have anything of a social life is Isa, socializing with the regulars at the restaurant she performs at. And it's gonna get better once the Between the Lines cast meetup happens."
"The regulars adore me," I said. "I can't help it! Listen, what Cisco means by that, is that you have a life, but you don't live it. Take some risks. Go on an adventure. Go skydiving. Go out, make friends. That's what Cisco means."
That's when the screen started beeping.
"There's an armed robbery in progress," Caitlin said. "Two suspects, male and female, in their twenties. Sounds like our metahuman Bonnie and Clyde are at it again."
"Time to ruin their social life," Barry smirked. "Come on, Isa, let's go."
Barry and I suited up and raced off to the crime scene. There, we confronted Shauna, who was putting bags of money in the back of their car.
"Oh, I've read about you," Shauna told us. "You're the Flash and Singer Girl. I've heard you're real fast. Let's see if it's true."
Then she vanished into thin air, and appeared in another spot. "Catch me if you can."
Barry ran and I ran after her.
"We can," Barry told her.
Shauna teleported away from us, up the outside fire escape stairs of the building.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Barry said.
We raced after her, but she kept teleporting away.
Eventually, Barry grabbed onto her, but she teleported away with him, and they reappeared farther up the building, with Barry dangling over the edge, by holding onto the railing.
I raced over, just as Shauna told him, "Not many men can keep up with me."
Then she teleported away from him, just as Barry, with his speed was able to get out of the position he was in, and reach Shauna again.
That's when Parker shot a gun at Barry, who with his super speed just barely managed to keep the bullet, still making a wound, which knocked him down.
"Flash!" I cried.
I raced over, but that was just enough time for Shauna to grab the bags, and start getting to Parker. Before they could teleport themselves away, I quickly disarmed Parker, taking his pistol. Then Shauna teleported themselves away.
I went over to Barry, "You okay? Come on, we need to get you back to S.T.A.R. Labs."
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin examined Barry. "This is a bullet wound. You're lucky it barely broke the skin."
I stood next to Barry, nuzzling into him. I was glad he was okay.
"Guess I'm a lot faster than a speeding bullet," Barry chuckled. "Shauna Baez. She can teleport."
"As in 'Beam me up, Shauna'?" Caitlin asked.
"Yes, of course," Dr. Wells said. "Quantum entanglement. The ability to manipulate interconnected particles over an infinite distance. Or as Einstein put it, 'Spooky action at a distance.'"
"Every time I got close, she'd disappear. It was like we were playing a game of—"
"Peek-A-Boo," Caitlin finished. "Come on, can't I name one?"
"How are we supposed to catch her if we don't know where she's gonna be?" Barry asked.
"Everybody has limits Mr. Allen," Dr. Wells said. "Now that we know Shauna's powers, we'll focus on those limits."
I began to think for a moment. "Ooh! I have an idea!"
"What is it?" Barry asked.
"You know how I've been creating that magical accessories with the powers right, in case of emergency?"
"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?" Caitlin asked.
"Well, the powers are all based off a concept, that exists as one whole," I said. "For example, I have made fourteen Miraculouses in total. The Ladybug is Creation. The Butterfly is Transmission. The Fox is Illusion. The Bee is Action. The Peacock is Emotion. The Tiger is Elation. The Horse is Migration. The Rooster is Pretension. Cerberus is Order. The Raven is Death. The Blue Phoenix is Life. The Mantis is Patience. Hippo is Nurturing. And The Yeti is Intensity. It's all based off concepts. There can't be two of one concept. I can make a Miraculous of Weakness, that can allow us to see her limits and weakness."
"Good idea," Barry said. "Can you get started on that? Well, let me know. I'm gonna change, I gotta go help Iris."
I nodded. "I'm coming with you. I can brainstorm on the way."
We went back to the precinct, where we met Iris with Eddie, that evening.
"Hey, Barry," Eddie said. "Hey Isabella."
"Hey Eddie," Barry and I said.
"What are you doing here?" Iris asked.
"We thought we'd see if you wanted any help writing your story," Barry said.
"Oh that is so sweet," Iris said. "I would love to, but we're going to dinner with Eddie's mom tonight."
"And we're late," Eddie added.
"Can we do it another time?" Iris asked.
"Yeah, yeah, alright," Barry said.
Then Iris and Eddie walked off, after we said our farewells.
"I swear, if she doesn't take initiative, I'm gonna go to her workplace and take care of her editor myself," I said, cracking my knuckles.
"You aren't gonna do what you did to Rathaway to Iris's editor, are you?"
"I very well plan on doing it. Just to a lesser degree," I responded, cracking my neck. "Why?"
"You went demon Lucifer on him!" Barry whisper yelled. "I'm not gonna let you do that."
"I said to a lesser degree, so my secret identity isn't revealed," I told him. "A much lesser degree. I have five levels of anger. Demon Lucifer is level five. I'll give him a level two. Level one is just a scolding. Level two is a scolding with a minimum of three slaps if necessary. Level three is scolding, with a minimum of five hits anywhere, with cursing in German. Level four is scolding, with an infinite amount of hits, with English cursing. Level five is scolding, infinite hits, cursing in both English and German, and power hits. I won't hurt the editor that bad."
"Only do it if it's absolutely necessary, if he causes something to fight about."
Then Barry called Caitlin. "Uh, what bars do Clay and Shauna frequent?"
"Mostly south-side dive bars," Caitlin told him. "Why?"
"I was just gonna check them out," Barry told her. "See if they fall into any old habits."
"Good idea," Caitlin said. "I'll join you."
I moaned. "You know I can't help you when you're inside a bar! I'm way underage."
"Don't you have work tonight?" Barry asked. "I'll let you know, alright?"
I sighed. "Fine. I'll see you later, Barry."
I raced back to the house, changed into some nice performing clothes, raced to the restaurant, and waited backstage for my shift to start. I made sure I was completely alone backstage. I created a glove, with a deer kwami, I named it Stagg. I gave the supersuit the weapon of the slingshot, and the power called "True-sight" to show the opponent's weakness. I brought it all to life then put it away.
That's when my manager came into the room. "It's your turn to go up."
I nodded, getting up, and went on stage. The people at the tables below me cheered when they saw me.
"How is everyone tonight?" I exclaimed.
Everyone let out a big cheer.
"Good to hear!" I said. "Let's start the night then!"
I began singing.
One minute I'm in Central Park
Then, I'm down on Delancey Street
Said, from the Bow'ry to St Mark's
There's a syncopated beat. Right
I said, Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
I'm streetwise
I can improvise
I said, Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
I'm streetsmart
I've got New York City heart
Why should I worry?
Why should I care?
I may not have a dime
But I got street savoir faire
Why should I worry?
Why should I care?
It's just be-bopulation
And I got street savoir faire
The rhythm of the city
But once you get it down
Said, then you can own this town
You can wear the crown
Why should I worry? Tell me
Why should I care?
I Said, I may not have a dime. Oh
But I got street savoir faire
Why should I worry?
Why should I care?
It's just doo-bopulation
And I got street savoir faire
Ev'rything goes
Ev'rything fits
They love me at the Chelsea
They adore me at the Ritz
Why should I worry?
Why should I care?
And even when I cross that line
I got street savoir faire
I said, Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
I said, Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
I said whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
Whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo, whoo
During the middle of the shift, I got to sing "Talkin' To Oliver."
That's when I saw them. Clay Parker and Shauna Baez, walking into the restaurant. Barry and Caitlin had no idea that they were here instead. My heart started to beat faster, but I acted cool, like nothing was happening, and nothing was wrong. I needed to call them somehow, before the couple left.
In the meantime, the rest of the customers were bopping along to "Talkin' To Oliver," laughing at certain parts where I intended to make it funny.
When I finished singing that song, I got a loud applause, just as Shawna and Parker were sitting down.
"Now for this next song, we're going to have a little fun. I'm going to need two extra microphones on stage, because I'll be getting volunteers from the audience, so I'll be right back!" I said. I quickly ran backstage, and went onto my phone.
The restaurant manager came into the room. "Isabella, what are you doing? This isn't a karaoke bar!"
"I needed to create a reason to leave stage," I told him, calling Barry. "This will be the only one time, I promise. It's just that, my friend is in Crime Scene Investigation, and he's investigating a breakout of Iron Heights. My friend shows me pictures of these people, so that if I ever encounter them when I'm alone, I can let him know. The one who broke out, is in the audience, as well as his girlfriend/accomplice who got him out. I have to call my friend, because if not, nobody here is safe."
The manager gasped, and nodded with understanding. "Then go ahead. Do the right thing."
"Thanks for understanding," I said.
"Oh, of course. This is serious. Thank you, for wanting to protect our establishment. From now on, getting volunteers to come on stage will be code for if there's danger."
"Good plan."
I quickly called Barry. He didn't seem to be picking up though.
"He's not picking up," I said. "But maybe I can try his other friends."
I called Caitlin. She wasn't picking up either. Then I tried Cisco. Still nothing. I had two more options, before I had to resort to calling Dr. Wells. That was Joe or Eddie. I called Joe. Still nothing. So I resorted to Eddie. His phone picked up.
"Oh thank God you picked up!" I said.
"Why? Isa, what's wrong," Eddie asked.
"I'm so sorry to be disturbing your dinner," I began, "but nobody else was picking up. Not even Barry and Joe. I don't know why they aren't answering their phones. Remember the guy you were investigating from the breakout of Iron Heights? He's here, at Musical Tavern."
"Okay, listen carefully," Eddie told me. "Are you on break?"
"No, not really, I called as soon as I could get backstage," I said. "I have to get back on stage in a minute."
"Okay, when you go back on, I want you to act completely normal. But keep an eye on them. And whatever you do, don't let them leave. I'll try to get in contact with Joe."
"Okay," I nodded to myself. "Thanks, Eddie."
I hung up, and looked at my manager. "Make sure they don't leave yet. At least until help arrives. Can you keep an eye on my phone, when you get back, just in case I get any calls back? But act normal."
The manager nodded. "Will do."
He left the room, and I took out the Deer Miraculous glove, and put it on. "Stagg, antlers up."
My outfit became a light brown supersuit with white spots, and deer ears on my head, with antlers, despite the fact I was a female. It also gave me a slingshot. I snapped twice to turn invisible, and peeked at the audience. I stared at Shauna, "True-sight."
Words that only I could see appeared next her, "Darkness."
How was darkness her weakness? That didn't quite make sense. I didn't have time to figure it out right now.
I snapped twice again to turn visible once I was backstage again. "Antlers down."
My outfit went back to normal, and I put the Deer Miraculous away again.
I grabbed the two extra microphones and mic stands, bringing them on stage, "Thank you for waiting, apologies for the delay. Now, are there any Hamilton fans in the audience?"
A bunch of people in random spots around the restaurant began waving their hands around.
"Good to hear," I said. "The song is 'Washington On Your Side.' Now, who knows it and wants to come up and sing the parts of Burr and Madison?"
Two people came up, and I gave them microphones. It was a man and a woman, two of the regulars who came here, Sarah and Robert, so we began singing. And they had pretty good voices for this type of music.
[Sarah as Burr]
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
[Me as Jefferson]
Ev'ry action has its equal, opposite reactions
Thanks to Hamilton, our cab'net's fractured into factions
Try not to crack under the stress, we're breaking down like fractions
We smack each other in the press, and we don't print retractions
I get no satisfaction witnessing his fits of passion
The way he primps and preens and dresses like the pits of fashion
Our poorest citizens, our farmers, live ration to ration
As Wall Street robs 'em blind in search of chips to cash in
This prick is askin' for someone to bring him to task
Somebody gimme some dirt on this vacuous mass so we can at last unmask him
I'll pull the trigger on him, someone load the gun and cock it
While we were all watching, he got Washington in his pocket
[Sarah as Burr and me as Jefferson]
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
Look back at the Bill of Rights
[Robert as Madison]
Which I wrote
[Sarah as Burr, Me as Jefferson, Robert as Madison]
The ink hasn't dried
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
[Robert as Madison]
So he's doubled the size of the government
Wasn't the trouble with much of our previous government size?
[Sarah as Burr]
Look in his eyes!
[Me as Jefferson]
See how he lies
[Robert as Madison]
Follow the scent of his enterprise
[Me as Jefferson]
Centralizing national credit
And making American credit competitive
[Robert as Madison]
If we don't stop it we aid and abet it
[Me as Jefferson]
I have to resign
[Robert as Madison]
Somebody has to stand up for the South!
[Sarah as Burr]
Somebody has to stand up to his mouth!
[Me as Jefferson]
If there's a fire you're trying to douse
[Robert as Madison and Me as Jefferson]
You can't put it out from inside the house
[Me as Jefferson]
I'm in the cabinet. I am complicit in
Watching him grabbin' at power and kiss it
If Washington isn't gon' listen
To disciplined dissidents, this is the difference:
This kid is out!
When I did the really fast rap in that stanza, the audience started cheering, and even doing the "Oh"'s in the next stanza. I was still keeping an eye on Parker and Shauna. They were ordering their drinks.
[Robert as Madison/Sarah as Burr/Me as Jefferson]
Oh!
This immigrant isn't somebody we chose
Oh!
This immigrant's keeping us all on our toes
Oh!
Let's show these Federalists who they're up against!
Oh!
[Me as Jefferson/Robert as Madison]
Southern motherfuckin'—
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
Democratic-Republicans!
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison/Audience as Ensemble]
Oh!
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
Let's follow the money and see where it goes
[Audience as Ensemble]
Oh!
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
Because every second the Treasury grows
[Audience as Ensemble]
Oh!
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
If we follow the money and see where it leads
Get in the weeds, look for the seeds of
Hamilton's misdeeds
It must be nice. It must be nice
[Robert as Madison]
Follow the money and see where it goes
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
It must be nice. It must be nice
[Me as Jefferson]
The emperor has no clothes
[Me as Jefferson/Sarah as Burr/Robert as Madison]
We won't be invisible. We won't be denied
Still
It must be nice, it must be nice to have
Washington on your side
The song ended, and I thanked the volunteers, and made a quick intermission to put the microphones backstage again. In the meantime, I saw that Shauna and Parker got their drinks.
"Somebody returned your call," the manager said. "He said his name was Officer and Detective Joe West."
"Oh, good," I said, taking my phone, and calling him back. "Keep an eye on them, for me."
The manager left backstage.
"Joe?" I asked, as the phone was picked up.
"Isa, what's going on?" Joe asked over phone. "Eddie said you were frantic, that you interrupted their dinner. He said you were trying to get in contact with me. What's wrong?
"Clay Parker and Shauna Baez are here," I said. "I was performing, when they walked in. I've been keeping an eye on them, but they haven't caused havoc yet. They just got their drinks. And I can't do anything until I get off shift. It's the middle of my shift."
"Did you try calling Barry?"
"Yes, but he wasn't answering. He and Caitlin went to one of the dive bars that Shauna and Parker used to frequent, to see if they could catch them there. But they're here instead!"
"Did you try Caitlin?"
"Yeah, she's not responding either."
"Cisco?"
"Nothing."
"Dr. Wells?"
"Joe, you know I'm not about to call Dr. Wells right now."
"Okay, I want you to let them be there. And I know where they're going next, a team is ready to ambush them at the warehouse. So just continue to act normal, unless they start chaos."
"Okay," I said. "Thanks, Joe."
I hung up, let the manager know, and went back on stage, to finish my shift. I got to sing "Something To Hold On To", as well. No chaos happened, surprisingly. They left without a single incident.
After I finished my shift, Barry called me back. "Hey, I have several missed calls from you, what happened?"
"Clay Parker and Shauna Baez were briefly at the Musical Tavern, while I was working," I told him. "And when I needed you, you wouldn't even answer your calls. They got away, because I was working and couldn't do anything. The police sent a team after them, I don't know what happened. What on earth were you doing?"
"Would getting more of a social life suffice for an explanation?"
"That depends."
"Caitlin got drunk on just a couple drinks, and then made me get on the stage for karaoke, and that's when you were calling, then I got a girl's number, and then Caitlin didn't feel good."
"And this is the reason I will not be touching a drop of alcohol in my life, not only because of my past with it, but because of the fact that women get drunk more easily with less drinks. Hell no. No thank you. I will never step foot into a bar in my life. I don't know what foolish thing I'll do if I ever get drunk. I don't trust that. My family back home, the ones who can drink legally, don't even drink alcohol. In fact, only one of my siblings is legal drinking age, and he's my oldest brother. My two alive grandparents, my aunt, and uncle are also over drinking age, and they have never touched a drop."
"Well, I'm just glad you're safe," Barry said. "They didn't do anything, right?"
"No, they just had dinner and left without trouble," I said.
"I'm gonna take Caitlin back to her house, and then I'll be at the house, alright?"
"Okay, see you at the house."
The next morning, at S.T.A.R. Labs, Caitlin was experiencing an extreme hangover. Her body was completely covered, she had a scarf on, and was wearing sunglasses inside.
"Hi," Barry said to her, smirking.
"So loud," Caitlin whispered.
Barry chuckled, "Ho-ho-ho, I just wanted to make sure you're okay."
"Let's just say I envy your inability to get drunk, I don't remember much from last night." Caitlin said.
"Yeah," Barry said, "It's probably for the best. . .Summer-lovin'."
"Oh God. That I do remember."
Barry laughed.
"And that is why I will never be touching a drop of alcohol. I wouldn't be caught dead singing that song of all things. You should've come to the restaurant instead. You would've been able to catch Clay Parker and Shauna Baez getting a bite to eat." I said. "And you would've witnessed 'Something To Hold On To', 'Talkin' To Oliver', some other songs that I've written, the quick karaoke that we did. I'm not sure if you're aware, but the Musical Tavern they do have a bar section."
"You sang your songs?" Barry asked. "Aw, bummer."
"I got great feedback on them," I said. "A couple people said I should record them, along with my covers, for Spotify. Now I have to develop a recording studio for the house, once I get enough money to do so."
We went into the cortex, to see Cisco standing there with an ashamed face, and Dr. Wells glaring at him.
"What's wrong?" Barry asked.
"Cisco has something he needs to tell you," Dr. Wells said, with his arms crossed.
"Hartley's gone," Cisco said, grimly.
"He escaped from the pipeline?" Barry asked. "How's that even possible?"
"I let him out." Cisco said. I could see the look of sorrow in his eyes. He looked at Caitlin. "Are you mad? I can't tell with those glasses on."
"I'd like to yell and wave my arms, but I'm afraid I'd throw up," Caitlin said.
"Why? What were you thinking?" Barry asked. "You know how dangerous he is."
"Calm down, I'm sure he has an explanation," I told Barry.
"Hartley said he knew what happened to Ronnie," Cisco explained.
Caitlin took off her glasses. "I told you to let it go. I didn't want you looking into that for me."
"I wasn't doing it for you, I—. . .I sealed Ronnie into the accelerator before it blew," Cisco confessed. "He told me to wait two minutes. And I waited, but he didn't come back. And I can't stop thinking, ten. . .twenty seconds and. . .Ronnie wouldn't be like he is right now. I've wanted to tell you so many times. I'm so sorry."
"So you carried that around this whole time?" Caitlin asked. She walked around the desktop to him. "Do you know what Ronnie would say if he was here? He would say that you did the right thing. It wasn't your fault. What happened that night wasn't anybody's fault. Come on. Don't we have a teleporter to catch?"
Cisco smiled.
"We do have a teleporter to catch," Dr. Wells said. "And fortunately we do have a promising theory. Take a look at this."
He came over to the screens on the desktop, and pressed a few buttons. "Now, this is the normal behavior of the particulate that Shauna left behind."
The particles on the screen were appearing and disappearing.
"Watch what happens when we remove light," Dr. Wells droned.
The particles stopped appearing and disappearing. They stopped moving so fast.
"Shauna can only become entangled with something she can see," Dr. Wells explained. "Take away her ability to do that—"
"She can't teleport," Cisco finished.
"That explains why when I used the power of the Deer Miraculous of Weakness when Shauna was at Musical Tavern with Parker, the weakness it showed me, was darkness." I said.
"So, we just need to get her into a dark space," Caitlin concluded. "How do we do that?"
That's when Barry's phone started ringing. He took it out and began to answer it. "Hello?"
"That's a valid question," Dr. Wells said.
"That, I think I can probably handle," I said.
That's when Barry said, "What? Yeah, I'll be right there. Alright."
He got off the phone, but he looked tense.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Barry hesitated. "My dad. He's been stabbed."
Barry brought me back to Iron Heights, to visit his father, where we met Joe.
"Dad, what happened?" Barry asked.
"A rather stern reminder, I'd say, not to poke around Marcus Stockheimer's business," Henry sighed.
"Dad, I told you to stop," Barry said, sternly.
"Your dad called me with more intel," Joe said. "It helped us track down Clay and Shauna and arrest Stockheimer."
Henry said, "I managed to screw up Marcus' big heist too, so. . ."
"Joe, both of us know that's nonsense." I grumbled. "You could've caught Clay and Shauna more easily had you sent a team to Musical Tavern, when I called in the middle of my shift to alert that they were there! What if they didn't want to simply just stop there for dinner? They could've hurt people!"
"That doesn't matter now, because we caught them," Joe said.
"You two kept working together and didn't tell me?" Barry asked his two father figures, and looking at Joe.
"It isn't his fault," Henry told Barry. "I did it to help you."
"You getting stabbed and beaten is not helping me," Barry responded.
"Look," Henry stuttered, "I don't get to feel useful very much in here. So if I can help you for a change, I'm gonna want to be there for you. Just like you've been there for me all these years."
Barry nodded, and squeezed his hand. "Yeah."
"Man, why did I get the short end of the stick on father figures?" I grumbled. "The only father figure I've ever really had in my life for a while, abused me like I was his slave."
Barry chuckled. "Don't worry, Isa, things have been getting better, and will continue getting better for you eventually."
"You said Marcus had a big heist coming up?" Joe asked.
Henry nodded. "Mm."
"Do you know anything else about it?"
"Dad, tell me who did this to you," Barry said.
"It doesn't matter, slugger," Henry told Barry.
"You said you wanted to, so help me," Barry responded.
There was a few seconds of silence before Henry said, "One of Marcus's boys. Julius."
Barry nodded. "Okay. Joe, take Isa back home, I'll handle this."
I was brought back to the house, where I finished editing "Say It In Other Words," the song I had to edit. I was still pretty stumped on the last song though. Then, I started practicing how to use a theremin.
When Barry came back, I asked, "So, what did you find out?"
"He said it's a TDK money transfer truck coming from the federal reserve bank in St. Louis. It's supposed to be millions. The delivery is supposed to be around 8:00. Come on, suit up, we have to go. And. . .what exactly are you doing?"
"Practicing how to play the theremin," I said. "It makes creepy sounds, and my elemental instrument, when transformed into this, can control darkness."
"Oh, what I'd give to understand your little mind," Barry chuckled. "Let's go."
I suited up, and we ran to stop the heist. When we got there, we saw that their car had already gotten the money, so we ran after the car, and got in front of it in the tunnel, making the car stop.
"Why the hell do you care what we do?" Shauna teleported out of the car in front of us. "Are you guys cops or something?"
I got behind Barry. I knew that when I controlled darkness, I wouldn't be able to see. I knew I could rely on my super hearing, but I knew that would be difficult. I began to create a new Miraculous with night-vision contact lenses, assigning it with the animal of the hawk, and the concept of vigilance. I created the hawk kwami, naming it Opo, and then brought it to life with my breath. I gave the super suit a frisbee as the weapon.
"Something," Barry responded.
Then they began battling, with Shauna teleporting and attacking Barry faster than he could respond. They were fast.
"Singer Girl!" Barry called to me. "Do whatever it is you have to do!"
I looked behind me. Clay was in the car, looking like he was about ready to intervene. I looked around. The maintenance tunnel didn't have much for me to use. But that's when I saw a hammer.
I raced over and grabbed it. I snapped twice to turn invisible so he wouldn't see me coming. I raced over back to the car, and smashed all four door handles, locks and all, and I even smashed the trunk closed, so there would be no way out. I took out my elemental instrument and it was transformed into jingle bells, and I began singing, while playing it.
Did I hear correctly?
Did it really happen?
Was it simply done by writing down his name?
It made ice form out of my hands, and I put it all over the hood to cool it down.
Killing indirectly
Pen and ink and paper
Writing is the gun, I only have to aim
Could this be the hour?
Unimagined power
Waiting to devour who I say
I temporarily put my elemental instrument away, and opened the hood of the car, and smashed the locking mechanism just to be sure, and then I started smashing the engine to turn it off, as I snapped twice again to turn visible once more. I even briefly took out my sword, after putting the hammer down, and slashed three tires, for good measure.
"Oh come on!" Clay yelled at me.
I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Did you just slash his tires, Isa?" Cisco asked over the earpiece in my ear.
"I slashed three of them so he can't get insurance," I smirked. "I destroyed the car, smashed the locking mechanism, the engine, and the handles, so he can't get away."
"Good thinking so they can't escape," Dr. Wells said over coms. "Now, go help Barry."
I put on the contact lenses for the Hawk Miraculous, and said, "Opo, spread my wings!"
My super suit changed to shades of brown, and hanging from my arms, were wing-like feathers. My mask became brown, with a beak attached to it, covering my nose. I was given a frisbee, which I used to break the overhead lights, and I continued to sing, as I took out the theremin, and began playing it, as best as I could.
The hardest rains
The coldest winds
Are waiting for the hurricane
The human stains
And all their sins
Blown away
The earth will shake
The sky will scream
Once they feel the power of the hurricane!
The sound started to come out, as did shadows. All the surroundings started to turn pitch black, like a black hole, consuming all remaining light.
"Night-vision," I said, and the night vision activated. The vision wasn't just for night-vision though. It was for far away vision, close-up vision, even heat signature vision. All I needed to do was say what vision I wanted. For now, it was vision in the dark.
Finally a chance to
Find a little justice
There's nowhere to run to once the name is penned
Take what fortune grants you
Use it while you've got it
Once you have begun you write it to the end
Pitch black darkness surrounded us. I was the only one who could see. I saw Barry bumping into things because he couldn't see. It was sort of funny, not gonna lie. I saw Shauna looking around, trying to decipher anything, but couldn't. I just needed to continue having this darkness until I could get a hold of Shauna, and, I could grab me the handcuffs to diminish her powers from Barry.
Elegant solution
Flawless execution
Righteous retribution on the way
I started getting close to Barry, and I quickly took the handcuffs, and started walking towards Shauna.
I'll bring the rain
I'll bring the wind
I am the mighty hurricane
As I got closer, Shauna started to fight back, obviously hearing me. I began to fight her too, throwing punches and hits. I managed to grab her arm, and get her on the floor.
The human stains
And all their sins
Blown away
I'll bring the pain
So be afraid
I will bring the power of the hurricane
I got the handcuffs on her, and that should've worked to diminish her powers. My theremin transformed to a ukulele, which didn't seem to fit the song I was singing, but I wasn't going to question it, and I started playing the melody on it, to bring back light.
I am the God of a brave new world
Much better than the last
The time for talking is finally in the past
The hardest rains
The coldest winds
Are waiting for the hurricane
Light filled the surrounding area, so that everyone could see again.
"Opo, fold my wings," I said, and my supersuit went back to normal and pink, and I continued to sing, and play the ukulele, to bring back the light.
The human stains
And all their sins
Blown away
Barry stopped crashing into things, and he saw me holding Shauna down.
That's when I heard a crash, that sounded like glass shattering.
"Flash!" I cried.
"Yup!" Barry responded, racing over to me and holding Shauna down, while I turned around to respond to what had happened. Parker had gotten out by smashing the glass on the window. And he was armed. Gun shots. I don't know what went through me, but when the gun was pointed at me, it felt different. My feet couldn't move from their spot. My instrument dropped. All I could do was keep singing.
The hardest rains
The coldest winds
Are waiting for the hurricane
The human stains
And all their sins
Blown away
All of a sudden, the wind picked up, clouds formed around us, with lightning and thunder, and rain began to pour like a hurricane. It was all coming from me, as I just got louder. The wind was so strong that the gunshots just blew off-course.
The earth will shake
The sky will scream
Once they feel the power of the hurricane!
Unfortunately, that was the end of the song, and one single bullet didn't blow off course, when I stopped singing and the mini hurricane died down.
In a blink of an eye though, Barry rushed forward, catching the bullet before it could make an extreme penetration in my shoulder, but it did end up making a penetration on at least one layer of skin, and it was seeping blood, as I fell backward. It was worse than when Barry had gotten shot. My vision blurred a bit.
Barry kept catching the bullets, as I tried to get a sense of reality again. I held my shoulder with my hand. It was hard to get a grip on reality though, because I started to get a bit lightheaded. The gunshots were so loud. I remembered the shooting that had happened back at home, when I was at school. The fear I felt there, I was feeling now. The events from that day and after were playing out in front of me like flashbacks. I couldn't help but think, was this what Daphne had felt like when she had gotten shot? It had been a low-risk area, like mine.
(Author's note: Short story was deleted for safety purposes. The basic of it was a school shooting where my character couldn't save someone).
Then even thoughts faded. All that was present, was pain. Pain, pain, pain, with an extra side of loud gunshots going off, and one last thought: How much ammo does he even have, he must run out at some point, right?
Finally, the gunshots stopped. My vision was still a bit blurry, my hand was soaked in blood. The pain was now combined with exhaustion. The mini hurricane that had suddenly come out of me had taken up so much of my energy. I couldn't move. And now that the gunshots had stopped, the flashbacks had too, and that had been the only thing keeping me alert. The fear and the adrenaline triggered by the sounds of the gun going off, had been keeping me awake. But now, my eyes were starting to grow heavy. I didn't know if Barry was okay, if he had caught Clay, or if Shauna was still in the area.
Barry rushed to me. "Just hold on, okay? I'll get you help, okay?"
But I just couldn't hold on for any longer. My eyes got too heavy, and it went dark.
I woke up in the S.T.A.R. Labs med-bay, in the bed. My shoulder was bandaged up.
"How many times am I gonna end up here before I finish my mission?" I groaned.
Barry was by my side, the only one in the room. "The better question is, how many times are you gonna scare me like this before your mission finishes?"
"I don't know, probably a lot. I'm surprised I've gone this long, doing what we do without getting a seizure. You have no idea."
"Why did you freeze up out there?" Barry squeezed my hand. "What happened? You're usually so fast to get away from danger, or repel it. Why didn't you keep singing? You were creating a mini-hurricane out there. Could you not keep going?"
"Nope. I just couldn't keep it up. I may be a skilled belter, but I have to breathe at some point."
"But that doesn't explain why you froze, you're usually moving around a lot more, like how you took down Shauna."
"It was the gun, and having it aimed at me," I sighed. "It's very personal."
"It's alright. You can tell me. I'll understand."
I chuckled. "No you won't. This world is in a different time than mine. My world is five years and three months ahead of yours. Here, it's 2015. In my world, although time is paused there until I get back, is in 2020. There's different issues in the world and the country. Different dangers."
"Yeah, I know that, but, what does that have to do with you freezing up out there?"
"Do you know what a lockdown drill is?"
"No, but I have a feeling it means something like a building being prepared for getting locked down for safety, right?"
I nodded. "My school has lockdown drills. You'd think there'd be no danger while being in schools, for there to be a need for the buildings to be locked down. Wrong. A school got shot up, and nobody was prepared for it. Many people died, both faculty and students. Since then, I swear, all I heard on the news was how another school shooting happened. Kids would lay in the blood of their dead friends, just to survive. Young kids. A kindergartener did that, and other elementary school children. High schools were involved too. No parent should ever have to experience hearing that their young child has died like that. So, schools came up with lock down drills. You'd lock the doors, block them, turn off the lights, and cover up the windows, and hide under the desks. Then my school got into one. The culprit, had no logical reason for it, none of them ever do. I was in chemistry class, doing an experiment. We did the protocol as soon as it was called over the loudspeakers. Someone called 911. But I wanted to make sure my closest friends in other classes were safe, so I jumped out the window, to go and find them. I was successful at first, until I had to get my senior friends out. I was getting them out of the window, when the shooter barged in, and shot my two senior friends. Daphne, she got an injury a lot like mine, a low risk area. Aubree, however, got one worse. In reality, the shooter was aiming for me, but Aubree saw it, and couldn't let it happen, and got in the way just in time, at the cost of her life. We had to carry her and Daphne, to the hospital, and escape the school. The sounds of gunshots were petrifying. Later, we found out, she was the only one who died, because my second oldest brother, Jack, who is a police officer was in the area, and confronted the shooter successfully, with his police dog, Lafayette. Aubree died that day in the hospital. Her dad blamed me for it, while I was at her memorial, and funeral. I blamed myself too, if I had just been fast enough, if I had used my abilities, just maybe, she wouldn't have died. They erected a statue of her in the middle of the school later on. I was never the same around guns. I flinch every time I hear one, even if it's in the hands of an officer. When I was confronted with Clay when he was shooting at me, I had a flashback of when the gun was aimed at me back then. The same petrifying fear I felt there, was felt in that moment."
"I had no idea," Barry said. "And you've just been holding all that in all this time?"
"I've told people, yes, but I don't tell many," I sighed.
"And you were just okay with me bringing you to the precinct so often, where all the officers have guns?"
"I was hesitant," I explained. "I was alert, with all the guns around, though it made me incredibly nervous and uncomfortable. I even got a bit nauseous, not gonna lie."
"You should've told me. I wouldn't have brought you so much."
"Well, it's not like I'll be going there so often once the Between The Lines rehearsals start," I said, "which will be soon."
"I understand now why you would freeze up like that, alright? You won't have to go to the precinct again if you don't want to."
"I can stay at home and figure out how to record my songs," I said. "Did you catch Clay?"
"No, he got away, but we got Shauna, she's now in the pipeline," Barry said, brightening up a bit. "The police should catch him though."
"What are you gonna do about Iris?"
"Well, I'm gonna give her a report on the Iron Heights breakout," Barry nodded. "Let's just hope she can trust the Flash again."
"You shouldn't keep being hung up on her," I said. "You need to move on, and for real this time, not just by going to the most random dive bar and letting Caitlin get drunk."
"Don't worry, that won't happen again."
"So, what are you gonna do with that girl's number? You gonna ask her out?"
"I don't know," Barry said. "Maybe I will. I just hope you won't get jealous if I stop giving you so much attention."
I laughed. "That's not likely. I'm not a very jealous type. I can't really give you advice because I've only gotten as far as having a crush in love. I'm wouldn't know what to tell you to do. All I can tell you is advice about women. First impressions are everything if you wanna get anywhere, so dress nice. Compliment her, women love compliments, but don't overstep it. Compliment her outfit, her eyes, her hair, her smile, that's what you can start with. And as a person who has fallen in love with fictional characters in the past, what will make her fall head over heels, is when you put your compliments like art, make them poetic, but not creepy. And make conversation, alright? The rest, you can probably ask your dad."
"Um, can you give me examples of poetic compliments? I'm not sure how to do that. . ."
"Okay," I giggled. "Give me a note paper, and a pencil. I'll write down a few examples for you, and if you end up going on a second date, you have to come up with the compliments, and they have to be new. Also get me my bottle of coconut water."
He grabbed that for me and I wrote down "I bet you look stunning in whatever you wear", "your beautiful eyes sparkle like jewels", "your confidence is outstanding", "I can't take my eyes off the beauty you radiate with that sparkling smile," and a couple others.
"Now go for it," I said.
Barry hugged me, nuzzling me the way I love doing to him, "Thanks, Isa, you're the best. Rest up, okay?"
He left the room, and I couldn't help but feel proud that he was finally going out into the world, and not getting hung up over Iris. I hoped things would work out with him and this Linda girl.