Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
Those were the noises Jinx got most familiar with in her life.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
With each step she took, the sound went from disgusting to comforting to her. Before the Hive Five. And before she ever really learned to walk first. It was always that particular sound to her.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag as she ran through life blindly, going from one extreme to the next. And not far behind life seemed to call to her. Yet she had always ignored the sing song voice that she felt mocked her on her life's journey.
Then again, Jinx never had been one to look back at past mistakes, thrills, and joys. It was all about the future. It didn't matter which road it took or how long, she just needed to get somewhere.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
First it was pick pocketing in the streets nearly starved. Jinx recalled how her ribs peeked through her clothing and how frail she was. The only food source was from stealing or mooching off of innocent pedestrians.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
Brother Blood had found her and given her the only home she'd ever known. The Hive Academy. There she was paired up with, who at the time, people she considered close friends. Family. Although, living with them was not a piece of cake and most of the time she acted like their mother, she grew to just accept her new role and like it. It was tiring to be apart of a team where only she seemed to have the brains, it was better than being on the streets, alone, cold, and nearly starved.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
And then she heard the second pair of footsteps behind her. How Jinx loathed the twin sound running so close behind her and feeling the breeze on her back from someone being so close. Too close.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
Kid Flash, like the wind itself, came out of no where and without a sound. And it seemed that no matter how fast she went, no matter how many turns she made, he was always right there in step with her. He never left her alone after their first encounter in the museum and when they took the steps in defeating Rouge.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
His feet always landed perfectly where hers had been. Not even faltering for a second. And Jinx hated how she always seemed so surprised and intrigued when he did. After realizing that every time her thoughts pulled her out of reality, she slowed down, and she'd pick up her pace once again.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
Now every turn she made a rose was right there waiting for her and she'd always skid before making another dash to God knows where. But of course, another one would always be waiting for her.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
She didn't know why she even showed up at the battle between the Titans and the villains. Most importantly, she didn't understand why she wasn't on the side she was on all of her life. And with every step she took she watched with eyes wide open as her former family was iced to oblivion along with anyone else she had considered a 'comrade.' But not before long she made another turn.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
By now she was running blindly. Really not caring now where she went or how she got there. What 'there' even was. She just wanted to run. Not for a purpose. Just because.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
Jinx didn't get what had possessed her to keep running anymore. All she knew was that she had to keep running. If she had known better she would have learned from the literature found on the shelves of her former home. From the mistakes of Oedipus and Macbeth and Creon and how the more you try to escape fate, the more and more you'll get tangled up from the kismet you dare try to run away from. Like a fly in a spider's web.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
When Jinx finally opened her eyes again was when she realized that the whole time it wasn't her being chased but her chasing him the whole time. And Kid Flash had dared to slow down for her to fall into place with him, one step and rose at a time. There she learned the hard way that the more you try to run away from fate, the more you are running towards it. The faster you are, the harder you will fall.
Step, clack, scuffle, drag.
She didn't know where she was being led to at this point in time, but she gladly followed, her eyes glued to his back and not slowing down for a second in fear of losing what seemed to be her future. Whether he was out of her reach or not, he was still there within her eyesight. And sometimes...sometimes...if she really focused, she'd swear he'd slow down more and more till they're even closer than before. Jinx could feel the sincerity wash from him with every twitch of his muscle and every inch he moved. She learned to love the thing that she thought she hated the most and hated what she had thought she loved. Wherever Kid Flash was going, she was going too. She couldn't argue with that. And where they were going, if it was for better or for worst, they ran together, step, clack, scuffle, and dragging to the future. Not as two different people, but as one.