Reality Check : : Barry Allen/The Flash

20

It's quiet.

Ben's asleep upstairs and I'm lying here in my bed, trying to do the same. Wolfgang's sleeping on the other half of my double bed and Robin is sitting on air currents again in the corner. I really don't know how to tell if it's sleeping or not. Actually, I have no idea if it even can sleep.

Back home as Elise, I normally get out my laptop and flick through old pictures or listen to music on my phone if I can't sleep. Here, it doesn't feel right to do either of those things.

Somehow, I feel that if I bring too many Elise habits, I'll be saying that this is home now and that I don't need to get back. I can't have that. I need to get home, and I only have five weeks to do so.

I sigh quietly, rubbing my hands over my face. I've been lying here with millions of thoughts rushing around my head for the past few hours, and I'm still in the same dilemma I was in when I turned out the light and first started to stare up at the ceiling. I'm still stuck in a world that's not mine, in a life that's not mine, in a body that's not mine, in a house that's not mine, surrounded by family and friends that aren't mine.

I'm about to roll onto my side when Wolfgang's head pops up suddenly and he stares at the door. I can see his ears twitching back and forth in the dim light of my room.

"Wolfy? What is it?" I ask, fear creeping through every part of me, any traces of exhaustion gone. He stands, still staring at the door. I reach over to my bedside table and turn on the lamp, only to find that the water from a glass I brought in earlier is floating right out of the cup.

Oh god, please no.

I panic, shakily doing the Katniss whistle and trying to think of something I can do. I may not remember key things about Reverse Flash, but I know for certain that he's here.

Wolfgang gets to my door just as it bursts open and suddenly I'm no longer in bed. A hand is wrapped firmly around my throat, and all I can see is a pair of burning red eyes surrounded by yellow.

"Cara Quick." His voice is deep and menacing, and honestly, I think I might pee myself. "You are too interested in the Flash. Stop looking for him." Suddenly we're at the top of the stairs in my apartment. I can hear a frantic scratching at the front door. "You don't belong here. You're too different. Your future can't be allowed to happen."

I squeeze my eyes shut and try to focus, breathing as deeply as I can with his hand around my throat. I can hear my speeding heartbeat and my head hurts, fighting for the oxygen it can't get.

Focus. Don't think, just feel.

Reverse Flash laughs and pulls me closer to him, about to say something when we both hear the front door click open.

"What?" The red-eyed man holding me screams in rage and suddenly we're in the kitchen. "That was a sneaky little trick... I don't think I can kill you now." He drops me roughly. I gasp in as much air as I can, glad to breathe even though my back hurts just like when Snart dropped me. "Be thankful I'm sparing your miserable life; next time you won't be so lucky." And with that, he's gone.

You are bleeding.

I scan over my body until I see one of the kitchen knives sticking out of my leg.

"BEN!! HELP!!" I yell at the top of my lungs, tears streaming down my face. Those burning red eyes flash through my mind and my whole body starts to shake in fear.

I could've died.

"Cara?!" My brother's voice only makes my sobs worse. He comes into the kitchen and sees me lying here helplessly. "What happened?!"

"T-there was a m-man and he--" The red eyes flash through my mind again and I can't finish my sentence.

Nobody can know. Tell him it was a burglar.

"What's going on? Is everything okay?" Cisco?

"Oh my god is that a knife?" Caitlin?

"Ben, what happened?" And Barry. Of course.

"I don't know. There was a guy in here, that's all she said." Ben's panicking. "Someone call the police or an ambulance or something."

Cisco pulls out his phone and goes to do just that, Caitlin comes over and starts looking for any other injuries on me, Barry comforts Ben and my brother just freaks out.

I'm not crying anymore. I'm definitely shaking, but not crying. Those red eyes keep going through my head and his sinister laugh echoes around my mind on an endless repeat.

My future can't be allowed to happen. Why? What do I do in the future that's so bad for him? Why didn't he want to kill me after he saw the door open by itself? Does he know I'm a meta?

All thoughts of Reverse Flash vanish when Ben leaves my side. Barry takes his place, pulling me almost onto his lap.

"B-Ben!" I call desperately, reaching for my brother. Then I notice the cops pouring into the apartment and the paramedics rushing over to me. Caitlin and Cisco disappear and Barry goes to talk to Joe. I'm alone again.

"Sweetie, we have to remove the knife now."

And that's when I scream.