I have a really hard time connecting with people, but I can get along with anyone. It may seem contradictory, I know. Though I've always fancied myself a great mind reader—as in I understand human emotion pretty well. When I'm waiting in line at a supermarket, my favorite thing to do is read the line. Who's in a rush? Who's frustrated? I watch them closely, not creepily though. I just watch them. It's like a moment of vulnerability. They are trapped there in that line with nothing else to do but wait. It's like a peek into their real selves. This is unusual to witness since not many truly let their walls down.
Today is like any other day at Central City's supermarket. I wait in line and do my usual people watching. The mother in front of me is resisting the urge to slap her whiny 6-year-old son who is shoving Kit Kats in his pockets thinking his mom isn't watching. You can see the frustration sketched within the lines on her face. I place my things on the turn style and look back to see if anyone was behind me to place a separator. There was a man with one item, a box wine. He's wearing a black hoody over his head with only his dark eyes peering underneath. He nods at me when I look at him.
I immediately get that feeling in my stomach like when you missed a step while walking down stairs. That sinking feeling that makes your hands tingle. Something wasn't right about the guy in the hood. I actually started to get that tingly sensation only it was in the core of my abdomen. It was powerful. It almost made me feel sick. I swallowed hard and turned around. The hooded man was gone, but his wine still remained. The struggling mother in front of me was finished so I moved forward for the cashier to ring me up.
I smiled at her as she slid my items through. I turned to look for the hooded man, but he was nowhere in sight. The cashier asked if the box wine was mine and I began to shake my head when I heard screams. I step out of the check stand to find the hooded man with a gun directed at the cashier's head behind me. I quickly hunched down behind the counter looking over at the scene. There weren't many of us in the store today, thankfully. I was glad the mother made it out safely.
That tingly sensation took over my whole body now. I watched as the cashier started piling the money into the man's backpack he held out for her. He quickly zipped his pack when she was done filling it, looked around scanning the room with his gun and ran out of the store. I felt a pulling sensation as I watched the criminal run out of the store. I couldn't tell what the feeling was, whether it was him pulling me or me pulling him back. All I kept thinking is I wished I could get the money back. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief once the man was out of sight, but I still felt the pulling.
My cashier quickly picked up her phone and dialed the police. I heard gasps coming from behind me. When I turned, I couldn't believe what I saw. It was the hooded criminal scuffling in with his backpack. He appeared… apologetic. Before we could handle that image, a streak of light zoomed past us and The Flash stopped and stared at the hooded man with us, stunned. The hood looked to The Flash, "I'm sorry," he said, "take it," he unzipped his backpack showing the cash to The Flash and to the cashier he stole from. "Take it all back. I'm sorry." We all stood there gaping. The hooded man glanced over at me. It almost seemed as though he felt the pull too. Maybe it was me who actually did pull him in. Naw, I thought. Strange things have been happening around here, but certainly not to me. The Flash caught the man's glance to me, studied me for a moment and zoomed away with the hooded criminal, leaving the backpack full of cash behind.
When I arrived back home, I kept thinking about that pulling sensation. It was like an invisible link. And that tingly sensation when I saw the hooded man and how strong it became. It was as though… Oh this is crazy. It was as though I made him change his mind. With resolution, I thought, crazy or not, I had to find out if I should commit myself to the mental hospital. No one was home, so I decided to go to the liquor store since it's the only place close to my house where I know someone will be.
I enter the liquor store and pretend to look around. No one is there. I wait a bit longer for someone to walk in, picking up a pack of chocolate Donettes, my guilty pleasure, but I put them back. Looking over at the Coca Colas, I tried to find my name on one of them, but of course they didn't have it. Unfortunately, after a few moments, still no one walked in.
"You need help finding anything, Miss?" I hear the employee call out to me. Shoot! I need to come up with something soon. "No, I'm fine." I answered.
In order to truly test out this newfound maybe-totally-crazy-ability I may have developed since the particle accelerator, I needed it to be something that I couldn't sway someone easily to let me do. So, against my better judgment, I decided to see if I could get away with stealing something. It had to be something that this employee would care about me stealing, and it had to be blatantly obvious I was stealing it. Although I am completely against stealing and breaking the law in general, this was for science, which made me laugh because I am not at all a science person. I'm an English professor after all. So I went over to the employee.
He was a sweet looking man, probably in his late 30's. I looked into his kind eyes. "Excuse me," I began, "Could I see the vodka right there." I pointed towards the more pricey alcohol stored behind the counter. The employee whose name is Ron, as noted on his nametag, looked in the direction I pointed, "This one?" He asked. "Yes, that one." I know nothing about vodka, or alcohol for that matter, but I picked the most expensive looking bottle.
"Would you like this one, Miss?" He smiled congenially.
"Yes, please." I responded. He began to bag it for me and ring it up.
"Oh," I tried to stop him, "I'll just be taking that to go," I watched as his facial expression turned perplexed. Where's that tingly feeling? Shoot. Is it working? I smiled at Ron, hoping I was exuding some kind of persuasion.
"Would you mind just handing that to me now? No need to charge me." I was tensing my stomach at this point trying to resurrect that sensation I felt earlier at the supermarket, but I felt nothing.
I noticed Ron subtly touch something under the desk. My palms felt sweaty. Really? Do I look like a real threat?
"Ron…" I spoke calmly and sweetly. "I don't really need the liquor. I've changed my mind thank you anyway." I began to back away from the counter. I could already hear the sirens from the police cars screeching into the parking lot. Really? Seriously? For me? Well I guess you can't blame Ron. There have been some weird stuff going on around here. I guess even the most innocuous of people can be the most dangerous. I started to run faster, toward my car, but of course, The Flash grabbed me, knocking me to the ground. Once he finally looked at me, he realized he recognized me from earlier. Oh my gosh! The Flash is on top of me. He got off me and backed away appearing quizzical at my existence and then he was gone.
An officer ran to me and began to do a quick search of my body and belongings. Seeing that I had nothing on me, no stolen items, no weapons, he walked me into the liquor store. "Excuse me, sir?" He called to Ron. "Was this woman causing you any problems?"
Ron looked a bit frazzled. "She try to steal liquor. Another man came in here last week. Same thing. Looked nice enough, but he killed a co-worker with lasers from his eyes. This girl could have been same." He pointed at me like I was a villain.
The officers studied my petite frame. I lifted my hands up and shrugged.
Since Ron didn't want to press charges, I was set free from the officer's grasp and free from the crazy notion that I actually have a special ability. I roll my eyes just thinking about it.
A couple days later, I get that tingly feeling again while admiring the David Yurman Jewelry at the mall. I was drooling over a necklace with a pendant that was a starburst embedded with diamonds and a pair of earrings that matched the pendant. Although the price tag read well over a thousand for each, when the saleswoman asked if I wanted to try anything on, I didn't hesitate to direct her towards the necklace and earrings.
My reflection in the mirror with the beautiful pendant resting on my chest is astonishing. There's something about expensive jewelry that is transformative to the wearer. I sighed yearningly at what the reflection revealed. As I noticed the salesperson watching my pathetic desire for something I couldn't afford, that tingle began to build in the core of my stomach. I started getting that sick feeling again. I look at the saleswoman and she says for me to take the jewelry. It's on her. She smiles at me and I decided not to question her and thank the gods that this happened. I walk out of the store thinking I am very lucky, until I was being chased after mall security. I run for some reason and then I am scooped up and away. All I see is a flurry of red and yellow and stars… stars?
I wake up in a tiny glass capsule with strange tubular lighting surrounding me. I look around for a door, a way out, but there's nothing. Where the heck am I? I start to bang on the glass. "Help!" I cry out. "Let me out!" There's no reaction. Nothing stirs. Once I finally exhaust myself, I slump down to the ground and clutch my knees to my chest. How did I get myself in this mess?
Right when I was about to cry, a big spaceship-like door opened. The Flash stepped inside and walked closer to my confinement. I actually have always kind of dreamed of this moment, but I would never have dreamt it to be with me in this predicament.
"I've seen you before, right?" He watched me as I slowly released my knees.
I wasn't sure if I had something to hide, but I assume he doesn't miss much so there's no sense in lying.
"Yes." I answer meekly.
"The market, the liquor store, and today at the mall, right?"
I nodded.
"I got a call about stolen jewelry. Did you steal it?" I took a few steps closer to the glass that separates us.
"No. The girl… she said they were on her."
"So you're saying the employee just let you walk out without paying thousands of dollars worth of jewelry?"
I'm really confused as to why this is something of concern to The Flash. Must be a slow crime week. "Yes. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's—"
"I've heard and even seen unbelievable, but this I believe." He stepped back and leaned against the wall beside the glass confinement.
"You believe me?" I stood up.
"Yep. My colleague ran some tests on you because of the unusual nature of your robbery."
Someone ran tests on me? I must have been out for a while.
"She says you have unusual brain activity. Another colleague of mine has a theory as to what's going on with you, but we have nothing solid, yet."
"Really? You mean… I'm not crazy?" I pressed my hands against the glass.
"That's still on the table." He smirked, but I wouldn't blame him if he was somewhat serious about that comment.
"So, am I free? Will you let me go now?"
"Well, sort of." He stood up away from the wall he was leaning on. " I can let you go, but you have to stay here. We need to figure out what's going on with you. In order for me to let you out, you have to agree to that. What do ya say?"
"Yes, I can do that. I'm agreeable."
The glass opened up. The Flash smiled as I jumped out of there and gave him a hug. "Thank you, thank you! You have no idea what it's been like…" My hand slipped to the emblem on his chest. "Well, maybe you do know what it's like not knowing..."
"It's fine." He pulled me away to look at me. "We can help you." His smile was the most genuine smile I've seen. It was almost like I could feel his honesty and compassion.
