8 years ago
Silence. That's all that I gave to Jay for the past week. When he tried to strike up a conversation, I avoided it. When he sat down at the diner table to eat, I took my food to my room. When he tried so hard to get me to say anything, I held my tongue.
It wasn't like I had nothing to say, because I had plenty I wanted to get off of my chest. I kept quiet because I knew that it would slowly start to drive him mad. I was the only person who knew his identity...who really knew him, and not being able to talk to someone as his full self was bound to start getting to him.
Plus, I was all that he had left that did care about him. I hoped that him losing that would make him come to his senses.
And eventually, it did. The silent stares, the never-ending privacy, and the wistful movements finally got under his skin. I was just finishing the burger I had gotten from Big Belly Burger in my room when he flashes through the door, locking it behind him.
Finally, I speak. "You do know I can phase right through that, right?"
He looked angry, but not at me...at himself. "Finally, she speaks."
I give him a pathetic look before I look back down at my burger, taking another bite and chewing in silence. My eyes drift away from him, pretending as if he wasn't even there in the first place. For awhile, we bask in each other's presence before he finally speaks, sounding almost annoyed now.
"When's this stupid little joke of yours going to end?" he asks me first, waiting for an answer, but I continue to munch away at my burger, snagging some fries as well that I had lying there. "Seriously Raven, grow up."
I puff out my bottom lip then as I look, cocking my head. "Me, grow up? You're seriously telling me that? If you want me to grow up so damn bad, then maybe you should try letting me do things on my own for a change."
He starts to say something, but soon stops himself. His facial expression changes slightly. "You can't still be mad about what happened with Caitlin-"
"I had things under control. I just wanted to show you that I could come up with my own ideas and take matters into my own hands sometimes. I wanted her to die..I want her to die." I pause for a moment, clenching my teeth. "But just because a new idea comes along and I start to grow some independence, you have to take the situation away from me. Why is that, Jay? Why do you claim so much damn ownership over me? Is it because I'm just another Caitlin Snow that you like to play around with to do your dirty work?"
For a moment, I wasn't sure that I even said that last part. I was surprised to hear it come out of my mouth. I guess I was just so outraged and curious to know if what I said was the truth; if I was just another chess piece on his board. A part of me knew that I wasn't, but the other sensed that there was some truth behind the idea.
Jay stands there for a second, processing what I just said before finally speaking. "You seriously think that I see you on the same level as...her? Raven, she's powerful, but not like you are. I keep you close because you...you're the only person that I know will stick by my side always. You're the only person that knows my identify, and you will be the only one, you hear me?"
What he said made me feel better, but for some reason, some of the words that he spoke were laced in a lie, but I couldn't put the pieces together to figure out which part of it was. So, instead I simply nod my head. "I'm almost 18 now, Jay. I understand that you want to protect me, but I need to do things on my own, okay? I want to do some things my way."
He stands there for a moment, thinking about my proposal before he nods his head, but I could sense his disapproval in the air. "Alright. So no more ignoring, right? I'm tired of eating dinner alone."
I faintly smile, but it wasn't real. "No more ignoring."
Jay seems content in that moment as he nods his head, glad that I was finally talking to him once again. "Glad to hear."
He turns and races out of my room then, leaving me alone with my half eaten burger in my lap. For a moment, but just a moment, I wonder to myself what was the truth and what was a lie anymore, but then it was like I forget it all and everything in the world was right again.
I take another bite of my burger, not a care in the world on my mind.
-*+*-
Present
"Your vitals are still looking good," Cisco says to me as he takes off the blood pressure band around my arm, the velcro making me cringe slightly from the sound. "I think you're permanently cured."
I clench and unclench my fist for a moment to get the blood flow back in my arm. "Best news I've heard in awhile."
Cisco looks over his shoulder at me as he places the band on the table, turning back around and leaning his right hand against the table top. "Raven, about what I said earlier, before we got Barry out of the speed force-"
"Don't worry about it," I say as I stand slowly, my thigh no longer hurting. "You have every right to hate me, and what you said I completely understand."
He stands there for a moment to swallow my words, but then he acts out against them. "No, it wasn't okay. I wasn't taking things from your perspective; I didn't stop to wonder how and why you came to be what you were. I just...ever since what happened last year, I've had major trust issues, and for someone else to betray us again, it was hard to get that same trust back."
"Like I said, Cisco, don't worry about it. I'm just grateful that you guys were able to forgive me...well, at least to let me help you. I just want to be free of him...I want to have my freedom back." I pause for a moment, my eyes searching the floor. "It's not you who should be apologizing, it's me."
Cisco looks as if he's about say something else, but then he simply steps up and wraps his arms around me in a caring way, causing a faint smile to appear on my face. "We'll get you your freedom back. I promise."
Just before I can say anything more, some type of alarm goes off in Cisco's pocket as he pulls away from me and gets out his phone, a sigh escaping his lips. He's then dashing over to his computers and pressing the button to Barry's coms, speaking into it.
"We have metahuman activity on 5th and Main," he says as I raise my eyebrows, wondering what this could be about. Barry replies back that he got the intel before my eyes drift to the screen where Cisco threw up the street cams, revealing the back of some woman standing in the far off corner. It was too hard to tell who it could be.
I wanted to race out of that lab right then to go help Barry, but that would sacrifice the one thing we had against Hunter right now, and I knew I couldn't risk that. Before long, Barry is in the picture then, standing there as cocky as he always was when it came to fighting metahumans.
"And what can I call you?" he shouts out to her, her back still turned. For a moment, I feel an odd sense of familiarity as I stare at the blurry image. Something about the stance and figure of the person made me feel as if it was someone I knew, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.
It wasn't until the figure turns and faces Barry that my teeth clench, realizing now who it was all along. Barry seems stunned as so does Cisco, but I wasn't quite sure why. "It's always so hard to pick which building to watch crumble to the ground."
Cisco speaks before Barry can. "Please tell me my eyes are playing tricks on me Barry, right? There's no way in hell that's-"
"Black Siren," I finish for him, an odd feeling settling in my gut as I look at her. I couldn't believe that she was standing there right in front of Barry.
Cisco looks up at me, shock on his face. "No, that's Laurel Lance-"
"Used to be," I correct him, shaking my head. "She's not that person anymore, I can assure you that much."
I turn back towards the screen, staring at her blurry figure brought back so many awful yet good memories. It seemed like yesterday I had seen her back on my earth, but I guess it had been much longer than that, due to her appearance change. She had a new suit and everything; she looked good, but something about her made my stomach churn.
"Laurel Lance," Barry says out lout this time, the two of them starting to pace around in a circle at the four way.
"Laurel Lance is dead," she breathes. "At least, on this earth anyway. Poor Black Canary...bye, bye birdie."
Barry takes another step. "And I presume you're called Black Siren?"
A devilish smirk appears on her face. "The one and only."
Cisco's eyes flash back up to me in that moment as I watch the screen closely, worried for Barry now more than ever. I knew what she was capable of so long ago; who knew what she could do now. However, Cisco asks me the one question I wasn't quite ready to hear yet.
"How do you know her?" he asks me casually, a hint of broken-ness in his tone.
I take a deep breath as I think back to everything, answering with the most simple of answer I could come up with to sum it all up. However, I knew her better than almost anyone else, and that was where we had yet another advantage.
"She didn't always used to be Black Siren," I fade out, my eyes glued on the screen. "Before she was, she was my best friend."
-*+*-
Short af chapter but sort of a plot twist ?? you guys will get all of the details later, I promise you on that one!
who watched the flash tonight though?? emo barry had me in the feels LMAO
don't forget to vote and comment!! xx