Dinah Laurel Lance. Eldest daughter of the world famous Lance family. Top among her class. A young woman that could always be seen with a smile across her face.
A smile unknown to most was always forced. Always forced truly denying what she was truly feeling deep inside.
Feeling devastated. Feeling so alone in this world. A world that has been so cruel to her. Ever since that night.
The night her whole entire life changed forever with a simple call. An call that had caused her heart to break.
Caused her to fall down to her knees and sob uncontrollably. The call of a certain demise taking place. The demise of her long remembered boyfriend by the name of Oliver Queen.
The eldest child of the Queen family. A young man that had captured her heart during their very first encounter.
A heart that would forever belong to him. And that is what has made this even harder for her. Harder for her to continue living he was not here.
Not here with her but instead be reported to have been lost out in sea along with the rest of the men and women that had set sail with him and his father on that fateful day.
A day that she would remember forever. A day that continues to haunt her dreams each and every single night.
Such distress that she would not show to anyone as she clutches her school books close to her chest and waives occasional to every single resident that looks her way while she travels down the long hallway leading to her apartment.
Her sacationary. Her salvation before she would drop the forced smile and allow her true emotions to break free.
An apartment that she enters slowly applying every single lock at her disposal after giving her neighbor a friendly gesture in the form of a smile and wave before as the last lock is applied she lets out a sigh and allows the smile to drop from her face.
Despoisting her purse down on a nearby nightstand along with the keyring in her hand causing them to hit the wood with a loud clang stepping out of her shoes and leaving them nearby turning on her heels slowly she makes her way into her living room and deposits her school books down on her living room table before she takes a seat on her couch.
Takes a seat only to reach up almost instantly to take her face in her hands before after a couple of seconds taking a deep breathe slowly she lowers her hands down to look towards the far end of the room only to have the first legitimate smile to come across her face.
A corner filled with so many objects. A table with many picture frames displaying so many of her happiest moments.
Pictures of her with her lost boyfriend in their younger years. One showing her in her old cheerleader outfit as he holds her high up in the air. Another showing them at the last Christmas party that they gone too showing them with matching sweaters.
But some others were different. One displaying her and who she refers to as her adopted sister smiling up towards the camera while the ocean can be seen behind them.
Others showing the rest of her family. One being a large group shot of the famous Lance family. Another showing her father hugging her smiling up towards the camera.
But her favorite out of that bunch had to be the one near the forefront. A picture that she had taken the day that her father had finally approved Oliver to be her boyfriend.
A picture of her father with a very forced smile shaking Oliver's hand. A picture that was truly worth a thousand words.
Pictures that each told a different story. But pictures that wasn't drawing her attention at this very moment.
No it was what was set up blocking the pictures from her. A white board. A very large white board that covers most of the corner of the living room.
A white board that has shown what she has been truly up to for the past couple of months. A board that told it all.
Countless weather reports from every single news outlet. Clippings of climate reports. Countless maps showing the entire globe with one almost covering the whole entire board.
A large map. A map that was much different than the rest. A map showing a marker line leading from Starling City all the way towards where the world famous Queen's Gambit had been lost.
An board that as though it was calling to her makes her get up from her seat and stop before it only for her to reach out and gently remove a small picture pinned to the board.
One of her very favorite pictures. A picture of her and Oliver laying down on her living room couch with his head in her lap as she grins down towards him.
A picture that would always bring a smile to her face from seeing the terrified look in his face once he had found out the news that his little sister had a crush on one of his best friends causing her to comfort him before as though he knew it was coming it smiles just in time for the picture to be taken by his little sister.
The very same smile she can feel tugging at her lips threatening to break free while her thumb gently traces his smiling face.
" I'll find you. I promise."
Unable to keep her eyes staring forward due to the sudden bright flash erupting shielding her eyes with her hands and closing her eyes shut after a couple of seconds as she sees the brightness disappear just as she is about to open her eyes instantly as a familaur giggle echoes through the air suddenly Laurel snaps open her eyes and lowers her hands down only for her eyes to go as wide as saucers.
Wide as saucers as she finds herself once again back on the Starling City docks. Back to where her true nightmare that first began.
Only this time things were different. Only this time she was reliving her last moments with the man that she loves through her very eyes.
A moment that she would never forget. Never forget how nervous she had felt that whole entire day as she tried to muster up her courage to ask him to move in with her.
Courage that she had suddenly found on these docks almost to instantly leap into his arms when the answer of him saying yes followed by her delighted squeal echoed through the air.
A squeal followed by a kiss. A heated kiss that she can only watch now as though she was just a stranger in this memory.
Watch as the memory projection of her throws every ounce of love for the man that she loves into the kiss.
A kiss that she could remember like it was yesterday. Remember what his lips tasted like. Remember how happy she felt being in his arms.
Arms that were always like a safe haven for her. Like a barrier to the rest of the world leaving only them.
Leaving only her and the man that she loved. Something that she would always cherish each and every time she stepped into his arms knowing he would never hurt her.
Know that he would always protect her. Always cherish and love her. Feelings that only make her heart ache as she watches her memory projection reach into her pocket and give him a picture.
The very last gift that she had ever given to him. A small picture of herself smiling at the camera. A wallet sized picture with the very last words that she had ever spoken to him still fresh on her mind.
" In case you get lonely while out at sea."
Words that were too fresh. Words that have echoed through her head from time to time when she has been alone.
Painful words that make tears trickle down her cheeks unknown to her knowledge or care until the pain becomes too much.
Becomes way too much as she watches Oliver leave her projection and start to trek towards the waiting Queen's Gambit.
A long walk that she can't help but watch his retreating back get further and further away as her projection stands just watching him with a smile.
A projection that she completely ignores to stare at Oliver's retreating back seeing him nearing The Queen's Gambit before it becomes too much and she opens her mouth to yell out at the top of her lungs for him to stop.
To plead with him to come back only to find no words coming out of her mouth. For no sound to be heard.
A situation that makes her eyes go wide and her tears to intensify before she takes off in a run as fast as her legs will go towards The Queen's Gambit finding it slowly drifting away.
Drifting away further and further away off into the horizon as she comes to a stop at the end of the docks and watches the large vessel disappear into the horizon.
Snapping up to a sitting position blanket forgotten feeling her heart pounding hard in her chest and sweat dripping down her nude body unable to contain them instantly as a lone tear trickles down her cheek quickly followed by another than another reaching out Laurel clutches her blanket tight to herself as her hands clutch into tight fists causing her nails to dig into her palms.
Dip in before in a sudden motion she flips off the blanket causing it to soar to the ground and for her to snap up to her feet and exit out of her bedroom not ever bothering to cover herself.
Pacing around slowly through her dark living room trying her best to block out the images of her most recent nightmare that are so fresh on her mind coming to a stop to lean her hands up against the living room couch not even bothering to wipe away at her tears that continue to fall looking over towards the far end of the room where her white board is set up Laurel can't help but shake her head.
" Where are you?"
And that was the million dollar question. Where is he? A question that she wanted no needed to know. Needed to know with every fiber in her being.
Needed to know with every beat in her heart. A heart that had told her something. Something that she has gripped on to not ever thinking about letting go.
A small seed of hope. A seed that has blossomed causing her to take action. The hope that he was still out there somewhere.
That the man that she loves is still alive out there somewhere in an known territory. Still out there just trying to find a way back home to her.
Hope that has caused her to use every ounce of her time and energy to find a way to find him. To find a way that her heart was telling the truth.
The truth that he is still out there somewhere and she was damned if anyone else would tell her otherwise.
Not her friends. Not her own family. Nobody.
Furiously wiping away at her eyes taking her eyes away from the board moving across the apartment into her bathroom not even bothering to close the door behind her slowly Laurel strips out of her soaked underwear and gets into the shower before with a flick of her wrist as she feels the cold water hitting her skin leaning forward gently she rests her hands on the walls as she feels her long brunette hair getting drenched in water causing her hair to flow freely down her back.
Damn you Robert Queen! Damn you to hell! Why did you have to take him! Why did you insist on him going out with you!?
A statement that she has longed expressed on many nights. A statement that was so true in her mind. So true allowing her anger to be taken out upon.
Anger that she has never truly gotten out of her system. Anger that was boiling over with every passing day.
Days that have been so long for her. Days that seems never ending. Seemed like torture. Torture that has continued to bring her pain with every single breathe that she takes.
With every moment that she has with him not being there. With him not in her life. A thought that makes her facial features harden as her hands clutch into tight fists.
Damn you! Damn that fucking boat! Why did you have to go out to sea!
In a sudden move rearing back Laurel smashes her fists into the walls before as fresh tears trickle down her cheeks slowly she closes her eyes.
Closes her eyes before after a few seconds they instantly snap wide open and go as wide as saucers.
" The sea."