Chapter 10: Foras
A WEEK LATER:
Barry gasped. Len was letting him out of the house. "Really? I can go outside?" Barry asked, his eyes swelling with tears. Len gave him a big smile. "Yes, Barry. You can go outside. Go for a walk. Go do something you love." Len said, Barry jumping into the elder vampire's arms. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he cried, hugging Len crazy tight. "Have fun!" Mick called from the other room. "Don't talk to strangers!" Lisa called as Barry raced to the door, standing in front of it in a flash of lightning. He had his phone, his wallet, a hoodie. He was set. He opened the door and stepped out into the fresh sunshine, smiling at the cool breeze that blew around him. Where would he go? Pulling up his hood, he started walking, his mind in another place. 'I could go to the movies, or the park, or Jitters, or the bakery, or the library, or the station….' Barry's thoughts trailed off as he walked. 'Okay, maybe not the station. I could be reported as a missing person.' he thought, heading to the park as a first shot. He walked around the massive area, taking in all the sights of children playing, the pond with the gigantic fountain, the green aspens, and finally his eyes settled on an ice cream cart. Smiling wide, he walked over to it, seeing three people in line. He patiently waited, examining the flavors before he found his favorite: Rocky Road, a combination of milk chocolate, dark chocolate bites, and marshmallows. Barry's mouth was watering as the two people in line in front of him left with their flavors, leaving just one more. The third person was a little girl, maybe seven, with long blonde hair and a pink dress. She held up two dollars to the vendor, who shook his head. "It's five for a double scoop, kid, not two." he repeated to the girl. "But, my grandma gave me this and said it was two." the girl insisted. "Sorry, sweetheart. Check the sign. It's not two, it's five." the vendor repeated, pointing to the price clearly marked on the small sign on the side of his cart. The girl looked down and read it, looking back up. Barry was still holding his wallet, so why not help out? He leaned over the girl with three dollars in his hand, shaking it lightly so she would notice. She reached up and gently took the money, turning around. "Get what'd you like." Barry smiled, the girl's eyes lighting up. "I wanna Rainbow Twister, double scoop, please." she said, turning to the vendor. The vendor smiled, took the money and deposited the treat as requested in her little hands. "Have a good day, kiddo." he said, turning to Barry. "I haven't seen a stunt like that in years. People around here are just too stuck up these days. Good to see that some still have a heart. What can I get you?" the vendor asked. "A double cup of Rocky Road, please." Barry smiled, holding out a five. As soon as he got his ice cream, he was away, wandering through the park again. He was passing another of the four playgrounds when he heard someone running up behind him. "Mister! Mister!" a tiny voice was calling. Barry turned around, seeing the little girl running towards him. "What's wrong?" Barry asked, letting her catch her breath. "Nothing's wrong, mister. My grandma just wanted to meet you." the girl said. Barry let the girl take his hand and lead him back towards a bench on the far side of the playground, where an old woman with a tank of oxygen sat. "Grandma! I caught him!" the girl cried proudly. The woman's head slowly turned to look up, her old eyes scanning over Barry's tall slender form. "Oh, you sure did, Marina." the old woman said, attempting to stand up. "You don't have to stand up, mam. I can sit down next to you, if you'd like." Barry said, carefully sitting next to the woman as she settled back down. "I just wanted to say thank you for helping my little Marina pay for her ice cream. Things around here have changed so much. I didn't think the price went up in so little time." the woman said. "It's not a problem, mam. Lots of people in Central are willing to help you, as long as you find a way to get our attention." Barry said. "Ah. As you can probably tell, we're not from around here." the woman said. "I did notice that." Barry said. "We're from Gotham. Marina's parents had a business trip here, so they brought us with them. Marina's such a sweetheart, isn't she?" the woman asked, Barry nodding. The old woman turned and gently took Barry's hand, holding it softly. "Anyway, thank you for helping us out, young man. It's good to see that people your age still have a heart." she said, smiling as Barry looked at her. "No problem, mam. Times are changing, and it's good to expect that." he said, standing up. He said his farewells before walking away, heading towards the library. He finished his treat and recycled the cup, walking lightly towards his favorite childhood hideout. He surrounded himself with books once inside, reading dozens by the hour. DNA research, evolutionary theories, galilean cosmology, and new research for CSI processes were all in his brain by the second, his hands flipping through page after page of journals, books, papers and charts. He tried his best not to set the material on fire, slowing his speed down to about ten miles an hour to avoid it. He'd secluded himself in a corner of the library floor that didn't have any cameras aimed at it, stacking books around him to hide his use of his ability. Eventually, he checked his watch, finding that four hours had passed since he'd walked in. 'Two already? Wow, I'm fast. And now, to check for movies.' Barry said, pulling out his phone. Only two movies showed at two thirty today: Black Panther and Alien: Covenant. Barry considered his choices….Smiling, he stood and put his books away. 'Alien: Covenant. Has to be Aliens. Can't miss that for the world.' he thought as he made his way out of the library and down the street. He made it to the theater in less than fifteen minutes, finding no line waiting anywhere for the alien movie. He bought his ticket and got his popcorn and soda, sitting down to enjoy the movie. Just five minutes before the movie was to start, his phone buzzed in his pocket. It was Lisa texting him:
L: WHAT'S UP, SON?
B: JUST CHILLING AT THE NEW ALIEN: COVENANT MOVIE. YOU?
L: MADE A CAKE. TIGER BUTTER :)
B: SWEET, CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT. BE HOME SOON. MOVIE LASTS ABOUT 2H 3M.
L: DAMN THAT BE A LONG ASS MOVIE. LEN'S AT WORK AND MICK WENT OUT WITH FRIENDS. I'M SO ALONE. :(
B: YOU'RE TALKING TO ME, AREN'T YOU?
L: YEAH, SO?
B: YOU AIN'T ALONE. BE HOME SOON. :3
Barry pocketed his phone and sat as the movie started, smiling at the stupid moments and laughing with the rest of the people in the theater with him.