Why We Wear Red
Summary: At sixteen years of age Thea faces the ruins of her city. (One-Shot A/U)
She put on the red hood and instantly felt reconnected.
Cold wind bit through her threads.
Thea stared out at her city.
This mask…made her feel strong.
It made her feel like Ollie and her father were still alive.
This outfit she wore made her forget who she was.
Every scar, every mark Thea remembered.
Remembered her mission.
Guard and protect the innocence.
Kill the ones that brought ruin to Starling.
Her mother had absolutely no idea her sixteen year old daughter was running around as a vigilante.
She had absolutely no idea she had a daughter.
From the instant that yacht went down Thea Queen didn't exist.
5 years in hell.
5 years after losing everything.
5 years of sitting in front of Oliver's headstone and talking for hours.
5 years of drowning.
Fighting.
Working.
Working to accept that her whole world slipped from her fingers.
Working to accept her brother was dead.
Working to accept she was no longer the person he knew.
Thea's green eyes flicked up angrily.
An arrow shot across the next rooftop.
She ran forwards and zipped lined onto it.
There was a reason for this.
She came crashing through a window.
There had to be a reason.
Maybe it was Ollie…
Her rotten mother and Walter.
May be it was because she was alone.
Alone at school.
Alone at home.
Just…alone.
Thea Queen stopped existing the moment that yacht went down.
She was no longer Speedy.
She was no longer Oliver Queen's baby sister.
She was forgotten.
Just like this city.
Glass shards flew everywhere as bullets did the same.
The young girl ducked for cover firing off a round of red arrows.
Oliver wasn't here.
She kicked a man backwards.
Her brother was dead.
A knife cut through the leather on her arm.
If he was still alive…
If he came back tomorrow:
He would laugh.
Oliver would shake his head, call her Speedy and yank on her threads.
Thea grunted and pulled out her sword.
He would probably throw a party.
And his little crime-fighting sister would be left to rot.
But that reality would never be.
Not again.
She was no longer twelve and helpless, Thea would fight.
Fight for this city and everybody in it.
The blade cut through the man's skin.
Through his armor.
Through his soul.
Dark liquid poured from his mouth.
She quickly pulled it out.
She had to help her father.
Cross every name off that list.
Whether she knew them or not.
Star City needed a hero.
Not a monster.
But right now, she could only do the best with what she had to work with.
Fin.
Author Notes: I'm not sure if I should continue with this. I'll let you decide. Wildcat probably trained her, if you were wondering ;)