𝐒𝐰𝐢𝐟𝐭¹ − b. allen

∟ 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧. ✔️

out of time
part one

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THE APARTMENT FELT empty—emptier than it had when the three girls first moved in and it actually was empty.

Without Emily in the apartment now, it was less cheerful; there were no laughs about burnt pancakes, no arguments about what to watch on Netflix in the living room after their late-night dinners—there was nothing in their apartment that reminded them of Emily besides the few pictures on the wall of the three girls that had been taken of the years, and the giant framed photo of the three girls of Emily's wedding day that was hung up between two windows above their sofa.

Anna wrapped her other hand around her warm cup of hot chocolate, bringing the cup to her lips and taking a sip as she leaned up against the frame of Emily's old bedroom that looked horribly empty—everything had been taken out and shipped off to Emily's new house three hours away. She pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes scanning the empty walls and barren floor. "Can't believe she's actually gone," she whispered and glanced over her shoulder at Shannon who was standing behind her, her hands wrapped around a cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream.

"She moved out a week ago, Anna. I miss her too, but it's time to move on, don't you think?" Shannon questioned and rested her cheek against Anna's shoulder, tilting her head back slightly to look at the brunette. "We'll go see her sometime, alright? I'll drop us through a portal right in her living room, cool?"

Anna nodded and leaned forward, grabbing the doorknob and closing the door to her best friend's old room. "We should definitely find a new roommate though. The rent is pretty expensive in this place," she said and turned so she was facing Shannon, pressing her back up against the bedroom door.

"What about Iris? You two are pals now, aren't you?" Shannon questioned and began walking down the hall, causing Anna to chase after her, being careful not to spill her fresh cup of hot chocolate.

"She lives with Eddie, Shan," Anna replied and cleared her throat once she took another sip of her hot beverage. "And besides, we aren't really that close. We've only chatted and went out for coffee a couple times."

"Sounds like you're dating her," Shannon teased and set her hot chocolate down on the dining room table, digging through the pocket of her cardigan to grab her ringing phone. "Oh, it's Cisco!" She exclaimed happily and brought the phone to her ear once she answered the call. "Hi, baby," her eyebrows furrowed and she rolled her eyes. "This is about work, isn't it? You didn't call to have a conversation, huh?"

"We'll be there in a second, Cisco!" Anna called out and put her cup down next to Shannon's. She grabbed her friend's torso tightly in her arms and began running, dashing down the streets of Central City quickly.

The two girls skidded to a stop in the Cortex, everyone's eyebrows raising at the newcomers. Shannon let out a dry cough and stuffed her phone into her pocket. Anna ran her fingers through her tangled hair and smiled at her friends and her uncle, her eyes falling to a baton-looking object on a stand next to Cisco.

"Ooh! What's that thing?" Anna questioned and trotted over behind her uncle, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning forward slightly.

"You're overly happy this morning," Caitlin said and looked over her shoulder at the brunette, a smile tugging at her lips. "It's good to see you smiling, Anna. Looks good on you."

"Thanks, Cait," the brunette said softly and returned the same smile. "What's happening? Someone fill me in. No one tells me anything, remember?"

"Clyde Mardon, you remember him? The tornado guy? Yeah, his brother's back and he wants revenge," Cisco explained and folded his arms over his chest, flashing a small smile at his girlfriend before looking back at Anna. "I made this weapon to counteract his powers—weaken him, if you will."

"If I have to run into another tornado on my first day back I will not be happy, let me tell you that," Anna muttered and huffed out a sigh, glancing to Barry who smiled at her and let out a small laugh. "That'll be your job, slow poke."

"Slow poke? Excuse me, Anna, it's not my fault that you're a little faster than me," Barry defended and furrowed his eyebrows, glaring playfully at the brunette.

"A little? May I remind you of the first day of training? I kicked your ass, Allen!" Anna continued and stuck her tongue out at the boy once he rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Alright, baby, so what is this thing?" Shannon asked, breaking up the harmless "fight" between her two partners and took a spot near Barry, folding her arms over her chest as she watched her boyfriend.

Cisco nodded and turned around, picking up the object from the stand carefully. "I call it the Wizard's Wand," he said and slowly turned around, revealing the thing to his friends.

"Subtle. How does it work?" Caitlin asked and propped her hands up on her hips, tilting her head to the side.

"Just think of it like an active lightning rod. You just point it at the sky and it'll suck up whatever energy's floating around like a sponge," Cisco replied and pointed the top of the weapon upward, his eyes scanning the group slowly.

"And it'll stop Mardon?" Barry asked and walked forward, taking the object from Cisco's hands to inspect it.

"It'll certainly slow him down. If there's no atmospheric electrons available to him, there's no way for him to control the weather," Harrison explained as Barry used the weapon as a pretend baseball bat, causing him and Cisco to smile at each other. "Good work, Cisco. As always," he added and began wheeling forward, causing Anna's hands to slip off his shoulders. "Excuse me. I'm gonna go stretch my legs."

Barry watched Harrison leave and then leaned up against the curved desk, propping his hands up against the short barrier of glass. His smile faded and he looked down at his feet, causing Anna to furrow her eyebrows and cross her arms over her chest as she studied him. "You okay, Barr?" She questioned and walked toward the brown-haired boy.

"Yeah, uh, somebody at Picture News got into Iris's head that something suspicious is going on with Dr. Wells," Barry replied and looked away from the brunette, his eyes drifting to Caitlin and Cisco.