Hey Everybody! This story was originally part of my From the First series but I was told it didn't really fit and could stand on it's own. So I'm removing it from that and putting it here on it's own.

I hope you all keep reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, but I've taken little liberties here in this chapter. Don't sue me for that either.

"Mom, I don't like peanut butter and banana." Irey West complained, picking at top sandwich on her plate. The nine year old redhead was sitting at the West household's kitchen table, a binder of math homework open in front of her. The sums were only half completed. Her mother raised an eyebrow from her place at the sink.

"Since when?"

"I'm sick of them." Irey's freckled nose curled. Linda West rolled her eyes outright. If her daughter hadn't eaten two loaves of bread and jar of peanut butter after every soccer game four days a week, maybe that wouldn't be the case. "Can I have something else?"

"Alright, we'll leave those for your brother." Jai was the second twin, who was wearing the pads of his thumbs flat upstairs in his bedroom on his game system. He was exactly like his father and would eat anything placed in front of him, if she managed to drag him down the stairs. Linda opened the fridge, taking out a bowl of fruit salad and giving it to her daughter with a clean spoon. Irey looked down glumly. "How's the homework, kiddo?"

"Math is boring. I want to go run." Irey said, fumbling with her pencil and flashing her mother unimpressed blue eyes.

"Irey," Linda ran her fingers through her daughters long red hair, taking a seat at the table. Irey was extremely smart but often got bored with her classes. She spent a lot of time with her various sports activities but more then anything she wanted to run. That was the problem. "One day when you're older, I promise."

Irey picked at her food, looking as sad as Linda felt for her. She knew what it was like to be different, to have instincts and be forced to keep them secret. It was for the best of their family though, and for Irey herself.

The West's weren't exactly normal.

Irey put her pencil to her math book, her arm blurring into the shades of green from her sweater. In less then thirty seconds she slammed the pencil down, her homework complete. She shot her mother an exasperated look, but Linda only sighed.

"I can feel the Speed Force now. It calls to me mom. I want to learn to use it, and I want to help Dad." Irey's face twisted, nothing but girlish honesty and hope.

Wally West didn't have normal job. At the moment he was on deck in the Justice League's Watchtower floating in the atmosphere around Earth. He defended it's citizens from various catastrophes, alien invasions, natural disasters or other dimensional travelers. He was the Flash, one of earth's mightiest heroes, despite his easy going attitude.

It was hard to explain to his children, that while it was a great honour, it was also extremely dangerous. Irey was stuck in the hero worship stage, glorifying every battle, ignoring every cut and demanding to be included in the Flash family. Her mother had halted that plan from day one.

Iris "Irey" West had been born first, her brother Jai following six minutes later, but had been running every moment from that to this. She'd inherited her father's super speed, although it remained untapped and untrained. Nine was simply too young, Linda could vouch for being a child weapon. She wanted her daughter to have the most normal childhood she could while she was young. Irey had all her teen years and adulthood to fight crime or use her superpowers if that's what she wanted when she mature enough to know what it meant. Once these times were gone it was gone forever. Linda also wanted to keep her kids away from all those super crazies. It was hard enough having to deal with the anxiety knowing her husband was fighting evil people that wanted to destroy the world, she'd have a heart attack if her nine year old daughter was out there too.

Linda sighed, wishing just for a moment that her daughter was more like her brother. Jai had no real interest in the Justice League, or crime fighting. He only had a fraction of the speed that Irey had, with no ability to compare to Wally at all, and instead lived his life like a normal nine-year old boy. He loved sports, baseball his specialty, and spent his downtime playing video games. He was a happy uncomplicated kid, except for having to deal with his family who were all obviously strong meta-humans.

"Let's not talk about being a sidekick, okay? You know how I feel about it." Linda said not unkindly.

One day Irey would learn there was more to superpowers then playing hero, but if Linda could help it, she'd be well into her twenties before she found out.

Irey was frustrated, and it it showed on her face. She didn't get why her mother had to always doubt her, always keep her life in slow motion. Her mother didn't get it. She was made to go fast, it was inside her, and pretending to be like everybody else in their boring civvie world was killing her.

Sitting in class and having to pretend she couldn't finish all the work in the time it took most of the other students to take out their books. Having to play goalkeeper in soccer at her mother's insistence 'cause when she got excited she slipped into speed-mode and it would give her away. Having to walk, step by painful step, knowing that if she just tried she could jog faster then most cars.

All her mom thought about was the stupid stuff.

'You can't risk it Irey, if anyone knew you had super speed they could link it to your father. It would put him and us in danger. Just be patient.'

'It's too much for someone your age. You have to trust me, I know what I'm talking about.'

'You just have to try to fit in, just for now. It's for your safety.'

Safety. Safety. Safety.

The little girl was sick of it. Her mom was old and boring, all she did was hang around the house all day and go to her stupid meetings with her stupid friends. She always moved slowly, she didn't know what it was like to go fast. All she wanted to do was drag her down with her.

'If only Dad was here.' Irey thought. 'He'd get it.'

Dad got everything. When Mom wasn't looking he sneak out with her. He would smile, and tie a dark mask around her eyes. They'd go running as fast and as far as she wanted. They'd talk about all kinds of things, and he'd sit with her when she got tired and tell funny stories. He was more then her dad, he was her friend too and she missed him when he was away working.

Irey had to do something. She just couldn't sit around and pretend anymore to be something she wasn't. She had a superpower, she had basic training and even if her Mom didn't believe in her, she was going to do it all by herself.

She was tired of being invisible. Irey wanted to be somebody.