I tapped my fingers nervously against keyboard of the computer that Barry had set up in the guest room.

"Everyone, this is Wally, he'll be joining us for history and English," said a voice through the speaker.

Greetings from the others in the class popped up on the class-chat screen, there were a dozen or so comments ranging from "welcome" to "good luck."

"Wally, tell the class fun fact about yourself."

My mind went blank as the teacher switched on my mic so I could reply.

"Um-"

Fun fact? I don't know. What do I like to do? What are my hobbies? What-

My eyes landed on a half-eaten apple on my desk.

"-I like apples," I said dumbly.

A few comments of "lol" filled the comments section and the teacher switched off my mic and began addressing the class again.

"If you're going to be homeschooled you should join a more interactive online class," Barry had said. "Iris and I work all day and it'll be lonely for you to just sit here by yourself all the time. This could be fun! Besides, you need to know how to socialize if you want to work in the field. Think of it as training!" Barry had said.

I'm going to kill him, I thought moodily as I stared at the comment one of my new "classmates" had posted.

Don't be nervous, Wally! We're all friends here! :)

I groaned.

Has it seriously only been two weeks since Joan and Jay left?

I knew living with Barry and his wife would be awkward but I hadn't been prepared for just how awkward it would be. I always felt like he'd bench me from hero work if I did something wrong. Also, it felt weird to ask him for things that I needed. It took me half an hour to figure out how to ask for toothpaste! It was stupid, but for some reason I couldn't help but think he'd send me away if he decided I was too demanding.

The teacher continued to talk and I stared at my bed, wondering if anyone would notice if I just stepped off camera and crawled into it. It was only ten in the morning but I was exhausted. For some reason my nightmares had gotten worse since moving in with Iris and Barry. I wasn't sure why, but they were happening every night now, sometimes two or three times. I'd woken up at two am in a cold sweat last night and I didn't fall asleep again until five, which was awful because I had to get up at six to shovel the neighbor's driveway. The woman had a bad back and had promised me five dollars for each morning I cleared out her driveway and sidewalk before she had to leave for work.

Should have used that five dollars for toothpaste. I mused. It would have saved me the trouble of trying to ask Barry for some...Then again I need to save up. What if he gets sick of me and kicks me out? I need to have money saved up just in case.

"Can anyone tell me the year, Wally?"

I typed 1865 into the class chat.

"Correct," said the teacher. "So, what were some things that happened in the aftermath of the Civil War? Can anyone tell me?"

She turned on a students mic and the girl who said she'd be my friend chirped a reply.

I almost beat my head against the keyboard when I registered what she'd just said.

"No, The Civil Rights Movement didn't start until later. We'll talk more about that in May," said the teacher.

Later? More like the next century.

I rolled my eyes.

This was going to be a long day.

I sluggishly moved through my lessons and when "school" was over I went downstairs and flopped onto the couch, turning on the news.

"In other news, Iron Heights Prison is still rebuilding after the prison break last month during which time several dangerous criminals, including Mirror Master, Weather Wizard, and Captain Cold, escaped. While Captain Cold has been captured by the Flash, Mirror Master and Weather Wizard are still at large."

I sighed as I watched the report. After Captain Cold attacked me, Barry had been slammed with cases at his civilian job so he hadn't been able to train me at all lately. I asked if I could patrol with him, but he said I wasn't ready. I was really mad, mostly because he was kind of right. I hadn't been ready to face Cold and I doubted I would be ready to face the other rogues, who were still on the lose. It was frustrating though. I wanted to get better, be faster. When I was on my own, I always felt like I was doing a good job. Now that I was working with Flash though? I knew there was so much stuff I had to learn and I felt like I wasn't learning any of it fast enough. I needed to train. Maybe I could convince Barry to spar with me...

I glanced at the clock on the cable box and sulked. Barry wouldn't be home for at least another two hours. If he wasn't staying late again.

I swatted angrily at a pillow on the couch and leaned back against it with a pout.

Maybe I can get him to spar with me, and if he can't maybe he can get Robin to write me another hacking program, and if he can't...My eyes slowly slid shut and the newsman's voice became nothing but a low buzz.

"Joan?" I asked, moving through the Garrick's house. "Jay?"

I looked around and the more I did the more I noticed the boxes. There were piles and piles of boxes, stacked from the floor to the ceiling.

I turned around and suddenly Joan and Jay were there, arguing with each other.

"I don't want to take him to California!" said Jay hatefully and I jumped because I'd never heard Jay sound that angry.

"Well we have to take him, no one else wants him," said Joan.

"I'm not taking him with us. If he'd never come to live with us, you'd have never had that stroke," said Jay.

My heart clenched.

That's not true! Flash told me it's not. A little voice in the back of my mind said.

"Well Barry doesn't want him. Barry thinks he's too slow, he'll never make it as a sidekick. He had to save Wally from Captain Cold because Wally wasn't strong enough to fight him," said Joan.

"He's weak," Jay agreed. "He was too weak to save his parents and he was too weak to save himself!"

"I'm not weak!" I cried, tears slipping down my face.

"Yes you are," said a voice behind me.

I turned around and Barry was there. He was standing in his Flash costume, but the hood was pulled down. He looked disgusted.

"Why do you think I cancelled training this week? I didn't have extra work. I just don't think you're worth the effort," he said coldly.

Anxiety filled me and I tried to argue.

"That's not true! I helped with that fire the one time, and that bomber and..."

"Please, that's nothing. You think saving a couple lives means you're cut out for this line of work? You're hopeless. That's why everyone leaves you. Your parents, Joan and Jay. It's only a matter of time before I kick you to the curb."

I cried as Joan, Jay, and Barry turned around and began walking out the door.

"Wait! I'll be better, I promise!" I sobbed. "I'm sorry!"

"Kid, Wally, wake up!"

I sat up with a startled screech and Barry jumped back as I swung a fist with him.

"Kid! It's okay, it's okay, you were dreaming. You're alright, I promise."

I looked at Barry, my eyes full of tears.

"You okay, buddy?" he asked, looking concerned.

I rubbed my eyes and looked around, realizing I'd fallen asleep in front of the television.

"I'm fine," I lied, sniffing and rubbing my eyes.

I heard him sigh softly as he sat next to me on the couch.

"You've been having a lot of nightmares lately, haven't you?"

"No," I lied, glaring at the carpet.

"I think you have," said Barry gently. "You've looked really tired lately and Iris says she heard you talk in your sleep yesterday."

I blushed, glaring at the ground.

"Is it Joan and Jay? Do you miss them?"

"No!" I lied again. "I told you, I'm fine!"

Barry looked at me patiently, like he was waiting for me to say something.

I ignored him and turned my attention back to the news, which was still playing on the television.

Just then I noticed the red bar moving across the screen.

"Over a hundred cars piled up on the highway, emergency teams are preparing to respond."

I stood up, my mouth falling open as a helicopter zoomed in on the highway, which was covered in wrecked cars and scattered metal.

Barry stood up and stared at the screen.

"Oh man," he breathed.

I looked up at Barry with a determined expression.

He met my gaze and grimaced.

"An accident like that isn't pretty. Chances are there's going to be a lot of blood and some bodies, some of them might be kids."

"I can do this," I told Barry, firmly.

He hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

I dashed upstairs to grab my costume, eager for the chance to help.

I'm not weak. I'm not! I'll show him I can do this.

We'd been sitting in the treehouse debating whether I should ask for cake and ice cream or ice cream cake for my ninth birthday. James was saying that when he turned ten in a few months he would have ice cream cake because it was better than regular cake...

Ice. It feels icy here. Cold.

...Then the sirens sounded. We looked out through the treehouse window, which was letting in rain from the storm outside and we saw the tinge of green in the sky. I climbed out of the tree and started running. I was almost within sight of James's house, debris flying around with a strange mix of rain and hail. Then I glanced back and saw that James wasn't behind me. I paused.

"James!" I yelled, looking into the trees behind me with fear...

Fear. Something scary happened. What happened?

...I couldn't see him and for a moment I hesitated.

Should I leave him and tell his parents he wouldn't come with me? That's what Mom would want me to do, she would have wanted me to run...

Run. Flash would have wanted me to run, I tried to run, I tried.

...I glanced down at the Superman t-shirt I was wearing and scowled.

No. I'm not going to leave him there. Superman would never leave his friends, even if going back to save them was scary.

I ran back, back towards the treehouse, my legs moved as fast as they could as I fought against the swirling pull of the wind.

When I made it back to the treehouse I saw him sitting inside still, a pair of binoculars pasted to his face.

"James! Get DOWN from there!" I hollered, but he couldn't hear me over the screaming wind...

Wind. There had been wind. It was all around me, lifting me up, throwing me into the wall.

...My heart was pounding in fear.

I climbed up the ladder that was nailed to the tree trunk and dragged myself into the treehouse. It was shaking back and forth so violently it felt like an earthquake and James was in the middle of it all with his binoculars. I looked out the window and from this height I could see the cyclone. It was winding through the field next to the small patch of woods we were sitting in and it was moving right towards us.

"Wally!" said James happily when he saw me sitting there. "We're going to see OZ!"

"James there is no OZ!" I shouted. "We need to get down from here!"

James continued to watch the tornado in awe and I realized that James didn't understand.

I grabbed his arm and started pulling him towards the treehouse exit.

"James, we have to go, we can't stay here!" I tried to explain...

Can't stay here. I have to go. I have to get up.

...He struggled for a moment. "But Wally we're gonna go see the emerald city, and the flying monkeys!" Impatiently, I ripped the binoculars out of his hands and threw them through the hole in the treehouse...

Gone. My backpack was gone. They took it.

..."My binoculars!" cried James.

"Let's go get them," I said, knowing it was the quickest way to get him down from the treehouse.

I went down first, maybe if I grabbed the binoculars before he could he would follow me.

I was on the ground and James was on the ladder when all of the sudden the trees nearby started breaking James was pulled off the ladder with the force of the wind. I watched him slide across the ground like he was being dragged by a ghost.

The twister was right on top of us and my hand flew to the inhibitor bracelet strapped around my wrist. With a few strategic taps it released and for the first time in my life my powers were unbound. A rush of energy flew through me and for a moment I thought I was going to lift off from the ground and soar like Superman. Then everything got slow and my body hummed with energy.

Every muscle in my body went tense and I ran...

Run. I need to get up and run

My head pounded as I slowly regained consciousness. My body felt battered, like I'd been pulled through a twister, but no...No I was just dreaming about the day I first used my powers. But why did I feel like there was another tornado? Why was it so cold? I opened my eyes, or at least I tried to. Something was over my face and as I turned my head again the pounding increased. I felt something wet slide down my face. I tried to brush it off but my hands were pulled tight behind by back and as I pulled I recognized the binding grip of duct tape.

"Good morning sunshine," said a mocking voice.

It came back to me then. There had been a massive accident. A flash freeze had struck and the highway got icy. The cars had piled up like dominos, one smashing into the next. It was the worst pileup in Missouri history. I had worked with the police to clear the roads leading from the highway to the hospital so the ambulances had a clear shot. Flash ran medics out to the site to tend to people who couldn't wait for treatment. We both helped them set up triage in the gym of a school just off the highway.

One of medics had sent me to a storage building in the city to get some back up supplies I'd run off. It had been a trap though. It had all been a trap. The icy on the road, the pile-up, the medic, and the storage building. Weather Wizard had been waiting for me there along with Captain Boomerang. I had fought hard, and I did fine for a bit, but in the end I didn't stand a chance against the small tornado Weather Wizard created. Now I was here.

I tried to sit up, but my legs were bound and there was something heavy strapped to my chest.

"I wouldn't wriggle around too much if I were you," said the voice gleefully. "You've got enough explosives strapped to you to take out the whole block."

I froze and the man chuckled.

"Hey, Captain Cold warned you," said a second voice, this one with a deep Australian accent.

Boomerang. That makes the other guy Weather Wizard.

"He told you this city was no place for sidekicks, but you didn't listen, and we're not as soft as he is."

My heart was pounding as my mind clicked into overdrive.

I listened to footsteps move across the floor. Concrete. The floor was concrete. I could feel it underneath me. Just as I could feel the tape pulling at my clothes and bomb on my chest.

I have a bomb...strapped to my chest.

"Pathetic..."

I can't move.

"Can't believe Flash was so stupid..."

I can't see.

I knew they were talking but I couldn't focus on the words. I was too scared. The bomb on my chest felt like it was crushing me. I couldn't breathe. Tears started in the corners of my eyes and were soaked up by the constricting blindfold.

Help...

My heart was pounding so hard it hurt. I hadn't been so scared since the night my parents died.

"Look at him! He's shaking," said one of them, nudging the side of my face with their boot and laughing cruelly.

I was startled by the kick and a little shriek escaped my throat.

"Listen to the baby cry," said the other, making a patronizing sound.

The contact snapped me back into the present.

Think, think, think, think! You've trained for this, Canary trained you for this. You can figure this out. Okay, they said the bomb has enough power to blow up the block, but they're here with me and even though I'm restrained so much that I can move a bit, so obviously they picked one that can handle a little jostling. Probably. Should I risk it?

Well if the block blows up it won't just be me that gets taken down. Innocent civilians will die too...

I gritted my teeth and stayed still, wondering how I was going to get out of this.

I pulled slightly against the duct tape again because I'd done that before without setting off the bomb.

There was a strange sound I'd never heard before and a strangely garbled voice said:

"Flash is close to pinpointing the tracker's location. You two need to come through now."

"See you down under, Kid," said Captain Boomerang and I felt my panic return.

I didn't hear a door close, but the strange sound came again and I could tell by the absence of heartbeats that they were gone.

I pulled carefully at the duct tape again. If they were sending Flash to my location and they left. That meant they were going to set off the bomb when they he got here, which meant I had to try and disarm it before he arrived. Otherwise the whole block could go down.

My heart was pounding. One wrong move and I was dead. I started to hyperventilate so I held my breath for a moment, willing myself to calm down.

You can do this, you can do this, just breathe.

I vibrated my hand carefully, keeping my core tight so the vibrations wouldn't spread up though my chest and disturb the bomb. My shoulder ached but sweat began to accumulate, greasing the tape. The vibrations caused the tape to stretch and after a few moments I was able to slip an arm through it.

My shoulder popped and I grunted in pain. Carefully, I pulled up the arm I'd freed and tugged at the blindfold on my face. It slipped off and finally I was able to see. I was in a small room with concrete walls. It was full of junk and there were only two sources of light. One came from a naked bulb dangling overhead and the other came from underneath what looked like a garage door.

Im probably in a storage unit, I realized. I looked down at the monstrosity strapped to my chest and gasped. I knew this kind of bomb. I could tell by the wiring, the paneling, the whole freaking design. This was the kind of bomb that Canary would tell me to run over the bay. There were two minutes on the clock and the device had been tied to me with leather straps. I found the fastenings and undid the bomb, carefully laying it on the concrete. This bomb wasn't designed to go off through being jostled but I still had to be careful. I wrestled the tape off of my legs and took off, forcing the door to the storage shed open. Freezing air hit my face and I looked around frantically. I saw a fast food restaurant, a car dealership and instantly recognized my location. I was miles from the bay.

With a curse I ran back to the bomb, which had less than a minute left and I ran, tugging on my goggles.

I moved down the busiest roads I could find because I knew the less frequented roads hadn't been salted and if I slipped on the ice I could set the bomb off. My heart was thundering the whole time though and I had no idea whether I was making the right call, but there was no time to hesitate so I just ran faster.

There was a familiar rush of air next to me and Flash was suddenly there, matching my speed.

"Talk to me," he ordered.

"Bomb. Can't disarm. Dropping it in the bay," I stuttered, adrenaline making it hard to speak coherently.

"Give it to me," demanded Flash.

I passed it over without hesitation and there was a pop as he broke the sound barrier. I lost track of him so I kept running for the bay.

Flash is faster, he'll get it out of the city in time. I thought with relief. Then we'll catch Weather Wizard and Boomerang.

I came to a stop at the edge of the dock on the bay, preparing to wait for Flash. He was skimming across the water...

BOOM

I yelled in shock as a fireball erupted over the water. It was close, too close to the city. Flash would never have let it go off that close to the city.

I gasped and stared as the fireball spread over the water.

My hands were clumsy as I fumbled with my goggles, using them to zoom in on the explosion site.

I saw a flash of red skid across the bay, which had iced over from the winter chill. There was a splash as something fell through a thin patch of ice into the water.

I stared at the place where I'd seen movement, not quite processing what I'd seen until I saw a red gloved hand slip beneath the surface of the water.

I screamed, my hands flying to my hair.

My heart was pounding.

Oh no. Oh no! I need to go get him...but the rogues took my backpack and it had my rebreather!

My eyes scanned the water, waiting for him to come back up.

He didn't.

No. No. I can't lose him. He can't drown.

My mind flashed the the twisted image in my dream, of him walking out on me with Joan and Jay.

No.

I zipped up to one of the boats, breaking into the cabin and grabbing two life preservers. Then I sprinted towards the place where Flash went under.

I stopped feet away from the place he went down in, but in my rush to save him I hadn't considered the slick surface. I fell down onto the ice and slid. I barely had time to take a deep breath before I fell into the same hole Flash had fallen into.

I knew what it felt like to be in extremely cold water, but that didn't make it any less horrible. It hurt and I wanted out. I fought against the instinct to reach for superspeed because my powers required oxygen, which was something I didn't have underwater.

My limbs kicked sluggishly. It was dark under the ice and I couldn't see anything at all.

I forced my ears to listen through the water and I heard a heartbeat.

I followed the sound, but it was hard to track Flash just by sound. I kept feeling like I was getting closer, but I couldn't seem to find where Flash had gone. My chest began to hurt; I was running out of air. I started to swim towards the surface to snitch a breath, but my limbs were moving too slow. There was a tightness in my chest and fear hit me as I tried to move towards the surface. It was then that I realized that I'd drifted too far from the hole I'd come through, the light was no longer above me, but off to the side.

I swam towards the light, the pressure in my chest increasing. I tried to swim faster, frantically heading towards the light. My lungs hurt, I couldn't hold my breath for much longer.

I'm going to drown. I realized. I let Flash down and now we're both going to drown. That was the only thought that filled my head as I kicked. A few bubbles escaped my mouth as I struggled not to inhale. It was hopeless though, I'd failed because I wasn't strong enough. I was weak and now Flash and I were going to die.

Suddenly, a figure popped up in front of me. They grabbed my nose and pinched it shut while simultaneously forcing something into my mouth.

I gasped in surprise and my lungs filled with...air. My lungs were filling with air.

I gasped for breath as an arm wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards the opening in the ice.

My hands floundered when I broke the surface and I instinctively grabbed one of the life vests that I'd dropped into the water. I looked around and saw Flash, who had grabbed the other life vest and was gasping for air.

My body was numb and my head was foggy. Everything was so cold. I shivered so hard that my teeth clicked against each other. I began to reach for a chunk of ice to pull myself our of the water when suddenly a green light wrapped me and pulled me from the water.

Green Lantern was there. It wasn't Hal though, I'd heard Barry refer to this Lantern as John when he was talking to Iris.

I sat next to Flash on the green disk this lantern had created to pull us from the icy bay.

"You two okay?" asked the lantern.

Barry vibrated for a moment to warm his system back up.

"Fine," he said, his speech a little slurred from the cold.

He turned to me.

"Kid?"

I looked up at Flash.

He didn't drown.

"I need to get him warmed up," Flash said to Green Lantern. "Just set us down and I'll get him to HQ."

"You got it," said Lantern. "I'll get a doctor and bring them to HQ."

"Thanks," Barry told him.

Lantern set us on the ground and in moments Flash scooped me up and zoomed me to the DC infirmary.

"Hang on, kid," said Flash, setting me on the bed the moment we arrived.

He started opening the cupboards frantically, pulling out bundles of cloth.

I was so cold that I could barely move.

Flash started tugging off my wet clothes and he wrapped me in several blankets, laying me down on my side.

A nurse came running in as Flash started hooking me up to monitors and she started taking my vitals.

"We'll get you warmed up in no time, kid. Don't you worry," Flash muttered, sounding a little frantic. He paused suddenly and stared at a spot near my hairline.

"He's bleeding," said the nurse, "Did you fall, sweetie?"

He's alive. He didn't drown.

I was so relieved, that was the only thing I could think of.

"Kid?" Flash said, "Come on, kid, say something." He looked concerned, not angry, like he did in my dream. He wasn't calling me weak or yelling at me or telling me I wasn't good enough, even though I'd failed.

A doctor came in and started flashing a light in my eyes, checking my forehead.

"Son, can you hear me?" the doctor was asking.

I blinked, flinching away from the light and staring up at Flash.

I found the words then, and they slipped between my lips in a slur as my teeth chattered.

"I thought you were dead," I told Flash.

"Kid Flash, did you hit your head?" asked the doctor, stepping in front of me and blocking Flash from my view.

I flinched away from the doctor, trying to see Flash again.

"Flash," I said, my voice becoming clearer as I tried to sit up.

There was a flash of red, and a hand landed on my shoulder and pushed me down.

"I'm here, it's okay," he said.

I latched onto Flash's hand with a weak grip and looked up at him, speaking to him through blue lips.

"I thought you were dead," I told him again.

I thought that you were going to drown. That I'd failed. That you were going to die like Mom and Dad.

"I'm okay. Everything's okay now, but you need to let the doctor look at you."

The doctor said something to me and Flash looked away, listening.

I furrowed my brow and tried to sit up again.

Flash held me down and calmly repeated what the doctor has said.

I responded sluggishly, gripping Flash's wrist the entire time as he kept a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to hold still while the nurse and Doctor moved around my bed, checking me for signs of shock.

The whole time all I could think about was the explosion, the ice, the pain in my lungs as I struggled not to inhale water. I would have died. Barry would have died because I failed to save him.

What if he realizes I'm useless and leaves like Joan and Jay?

After a few moments the doctor asked to speak to Flash in the hall. Flash let go of my shoulder and moved away, but paused when I tightened my grip on his wrist.

No. I don't want him to leave. Not yet. Maybe if I can explain myself...

"I'll be back in a moment, kid," he said, but I wouldn't let him go, I couldn't let him go. It was almost like the day I found out Mom was sick. I'd hung onto her for hours, as if I could save her from death's grasp by hanging on tighter than the grim reaper could. Barry wasn't like Mom though, he wasn't sick. Maybe, if I hung on tight enough I could stop him from disappearing.

"It'll just be a minute," Barry assured me, patting my hand and then breaking my grip. I didn't understand though. My brain was foggy and I couldn't hear what he was saying. I could only see him leaving.

Wait!" I chocked, unconsciously echoing the words from my dream. "I'll be better, I promise! I'm sorry!" I was too cold to cry, but my lips trembled as I whined pitifully. "Please don't leave."

For a moment Flash stared at me, looking heartbroken, then he turned to the doctor.

"Green Lantern is in the lounge," he said firmly. "You can tell him whatever we need to know."

The doctor and nurse looked at each other, the left the room.

The minute the door shut Flash crossed over to the bed, sat down, and pulled me into his lap.

I latched onto him and buried my face in his shoulder, shaking.

"I'm sorry," I muttered.

"Why are you sorry?" asked Flash, rubbing my back.

"I failed. I couldn't save you and I didn't know it was a trap and-"

"None of that is your fault," said Flash. Hanging onto me tightly. "You did great."

"You won't kick me out then?" I muttered.

"No!" said Flash sounding confused, "why would you think that?"

"I couldn't save Joan, so she left," I told him.

Flash tugged off his mask so he could look at me eye to eye.

"Hey, that is not why she left, okay?"

I blinked up at him, my eyes blank.

Flash sighed and looked down at me.

"Listen to me. I'm not going to leave you."

"But if-"

"No. There are no buts. I'm not going anywhere. Do you understand?"

I burned my face in Flash's shoulder and he patted my shoulder.

"I'm not leaving you," he repeated.

"Okay," I said.