Chapter 4

(Jinx POV)

Running I couldn't stop because if I did 'They' would get me. Just a little further I kept telling myself as my foot splashed in a puddle rain still pouring down. It was cold but what did I expect it was October. All that was left now was cold dark nights and rainy days. I was almost there, the little shelter I had found up the the trees of the woods, when I first found it the roof was almost off and the window had been smashed but overtime I had fixed these issues and had made it my perfect little home.

I was only nine I had been on my own for just under a year now and this tree house was my home, it was the only place I could go that was safe. Cutting down the paths I was just a few more feet away once I got up in the trees they wouldn't be able to find me but today I wasn't so lucky. A strong arm grabbed the back of my jumped and hurled me back. I tried to get up to start running again but I couldn't a sharp pain in my ankle made me collapse as I put my weight on it. The rest of them finally caught up with me and that was it….

Before the rest of my memory could play out I jumped awake to the sound of something hitting the floor hard. I held my right hand out while little pink sparks jumped from finger to finger, the other hand gripped the blanket that had been placed around me while I slept. Looking up I saw a familiar speedster holding his hands up in defence as he looked at my sparking hand.

"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you" he said as he put his hands down. I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding and lowered my hand.

"It's fine" I grumbled and flopped back onto the pillow.

"Do you want anything to eat?" I heard Kid Flash ask from the kitchen, this sparked my interest. I was pretty hungry and I hadn't eaten the night before.

"Got any cereal?" I asked as I sat myself back up on the couch, crossing my legs as I watched him play about.

"I sure do what do you fancy I've got, Froot Loops, Lucky Charms, Cornflakes, Frosted flakes, some chocolate pillows and if none of that takes your fancy I have a wide selection of pop tarts" he read off the cereal as he looked through the cupboard next to the fridge before standing up and waiting for my answer.

"Ummm can I have Lucky Charms….. Also you can keep the pop tarts I've never been a fan" I answered as I looked over to the television that was still on. Had it been playing all night?

"Hang on you don't like pop tarts" I looked back over to him, he was now leaning on his hands on a different counter looking at me with a shocked expression.

"Nope they're gross" he gasped while placing one of the red gloved hands over his mouth, as much as I didn't want to admit it I did find his expression funny.

"Take that back"

"No way, how can you like them? They have no real flavour and are just filled with sugar"

"That's the best bit" he whined before letting out a huff and his signature smile coming back.

"Oh well more for me then I guess. Um Jinx there was something I wanted to ask you" I raised an eyebrow waiting for him to continue.

"Well seeing as today is the 14th of February I was wondering if you'd be my Valentine?" he scratched his head and looked down as he said the last bit.

"I don't do Valentines day", I said blunty.

"Come on Jinx be my Valentine?" Kid Flash pouted as I told him no while shaking my head, this boy really wasn't letting up.

"Will you at least tell me why you don't want to be?" he asked as he handed me a bowl of cereal and sat on the sofa with me, legs resting on the coffee table he still hadn't moved back from the night before.

"I just don't understand why people celebrate it, love is overrated, Also if you love someone so much why is it just this one day you're meant to make such a big deal? Personally I think it's just a way for companies to make money off idiots" I said twirling my spoon in the air after I had finished my little rant. The whole time he sat there munching on his cereal letting me rant away, swallowing his last spoonful he put the bowl down and turned his attention back to me.

"Yeah I understand what you mean, I never understood the whole one day a year to show someone you love them. You should do that everyday while you're with them" I nodded in agreement when he paused for a second, at least he agreed that it was a stupid holiday.

"I guess I asked because I've never had a Valentine and thought it would be something…" I cut him off before he could continue.

"Wait, what do you mean you've never had a Valentine?" I put my bowl on the table and turned back to the speedster confused, had I heard him correctly.

"I mean I've never celebrated this holiday with anyone?" he answered me.

"You're lying" I said blankly, narrowing my cat like eyes at him.

"Why would I lie about something so silly" he did have a point.

"But you're Kid Flash girls practically throw themselves at you, you're a major flirt I might add as well. So it seems a little far fetched that you haven't celebrated Valentine's day, heck I have and I'm a villain"

"Well yeah girls do tend to do that but if you didn't notice Jinxie I'm kind of busy doing hero work and yes I might flirt back with some of them but it's harmless I don't want to date any of them. Plus before I came Flash girls didn't really see me in that kind of way and I wasn't really interested in girls." he answered.

"Before you became Kid Flash?" I was so confused so he was a normal guy before and became Kid Flash but how? I wanted answers.

"Right let's make a deal I'll tell you more about me if you let me take you out today" he waggled his eyebrows at me, damn he got me I was a sucker for information and he knew I wouldn't just let it go.

"Fine but it's not a date we're going out as friends and it better be juicy information or I'll give you the hex of a lifetime" I held my hand out ready for him to shake it which he did eagerly.

"You have a deal Jinxie, now where would you like to go? We can go anywhere in the world"

"Anywhere?"

"That's right" this got me thinking where did I want to go, there were so many different places we could visit but there was one place I had been dying to go to.

"Italy that's where I want to go"

"Anywhere in particular" he asked.

"Surprise me" I said shrugging my shoulders, he smiled before scooping me up from the couch and running off. In the next breath we were in Italy and I was feeling very nauseous.

"M'lady I give you Venic, Italy. What do you think?" He asked putting me down on the ground and spinning me to face the view that was in front of us. At that moment I forgot how nauseous I felt the view was beautiful, we stood at the edge of one of the canals the water was so blue the buildings around were breathtaking.

"Yeah I do" was all I could get out.

"So what do you want to do first?" He was now stood by my side looking at the view.

"I would love to draw this view" I said barely audible.

"Give me a second" Kid Flash said and with that a gust of wind blew a stray pink strand in front of my face. He was no more than a minute before he was back with multiple art supplies in his hand.

"I wasn't sure what to get ya so I just got everything" He started to hand items from the bag.

"Thanks you didn't have to get me all this" I smiled at him as I took the items from him.

"Well I thought it might be fun to draw, you seem to like it a lot" he then sat down on the steps that were behind us taking out a sketch pad.

"Can you draw?" I asked slightly surprised.

"Nope but how hard can it be?" he answered as I sat down next to him on the step getting the sketch book out he had handed me. We sat there for about fifteen minutes before either of us spoke.

"So what do you wanna know first?" I felt Kid Flash's eyes on me before I put down my sketch and looked at him. I thought about it for a moment how much would he tell me, how much did I want to know?

"You said earlier before you became the Flash does that mean you were normal before?"

"Nobody is normal but yeah I wasn't born with powers I was just like every other guy"

"So how did you get them?" I asked him even more curious of how the boy became a speedster.

"Well that's kind of a long one but I'll give you the short story, I was struck by lightning and that's how I became Kid Flash"

"You were struck by lightning? How did you not die? That makes no sense" I rambled on.

"Yeah it does sound a bit far fetched but one day i'll tell you the whole story. It's how me and that Flash got our powers… Jinx was you born with your powers?". He paused before asking that last part unsure if he should, letting out a sigh I thought if he was opening up surely I should a little.

"Yeah I was born with my powers" I sighed, I was born unlucky. He clearly saw the discomfort in my voice so he asked a different question.

"If you could have any power in the world what would you have? I think if I could have any power I would like to shapeshift" he answered.

"What? like beast boy?" I asked I couldn't imagine him being green, would he still have ginger hair and green skin?

"No no no, I wouldn't want to be green. Like shapeshift into other people imagine all the fun you could have with that" he smiled clearly thinking of something.

"Or all the trouble you could cause" I smiled at the thought while he just frowned not impressed with my answer.

"I think if I could be anyone I would want to be a normal person, yano?" I answered looking at him, he was clearly thinking about what I had just said.

"Being normal would be boring though?"

"Maybe but I think I'd like it or even just to not look like this" I said looking myself up and down. Every now and again I just wanted to be normal, to go out in public and not have people stare at my hair or eyes, maybe go to the mall or school and not hear people whispering about me.

"But I think you look nice" Kid Flash snapped me from my thoughts, a blush crossing his face when he realised he'd given me a compliment.

"It's not that I'm not happy with myself Kid just sometimes I wish I was able to be someone else other than Jinx. When you take your mask off you're not Kid Flash you get to be someone else, were as with me I'm Jinx full time there's no taking off a mask."

"I never thought about that" he said almost ashamed that he didn't know. The look didn't last long before that signature smile was back on his face.

"Wanna grab something to eat?" he asked, I was feeling a bit peckish so I nodded.

"I know the perfect place" he gathered up the art supplies before zooming off only to return a few seconds later with nothing in his arms. Holding his hand out to me I took it, pulling me close he started to run again I buried my head into his shoulder until he suddenly stopped.

We stopped outside a quaint restaurant, it had big windows with black frames, the door was made fully out of glass. Walking inside I noticed all the tables were covered in a white table cloth with a lit candle and bread basket. The place was busy with people waiting to be seated, stepping in front Kid went to the desk and spoke to the lady that occupied it. Smiling at him she nodded and began to lead him to a table that was empty, he turned to me and motioned for me to follow him. Once seated the lady handed us a menu then turned to leave us to order not before smiling once more at Kid and giving him a wink.

I don't know what it was but her winking at him really boiled my blood, it isn't like we're dating or even on a date, heck I didn't even like the guy most days but it still really annoyed me.

I went back to looking at my menu trying to decide what I wanted or if I even felt like eating right them. The menu didn't have my attention long as whispers pulled me away from it, slightly glancing to my right I noticed a young couple maybe a few years older than me point over at our table and begin to talk. The women looked me up and down before saying something else to the man she was with. I was used to people whispering and saying stuff about me but for one night I thought it could be different. Kid clearly noticed my sudden change as I put the menu down and let out a little sigh, his eyes looked over to the table that was whispering before putting his menu down and standing.

"You know what I think we should get outta here" he said as he walked to my chair and held his hand out which I accepted.

"We don't have to go" I whispered to him as we made our way to the door.

"I won't have people being rude about you while I'm here" he said loud enough for the table and people close by to hear, the couple put their heads down realising what they had done. I don't know why but that made my heart skip a little, no one had ever stuck up for me like that and it was strange, I kinda liked it.

"Close your eyes" Kid Flash said as soon as we stepped outside, I looked at him eyebrow raised but did so anyway. Suddenly I felt the world moving around us again, I knew he had picked me up to rush me off somewhere and for once I wasn't going to complain.

I opened my eyes slowly when I felt him stop and took in my surroundings, we weren't in Venice anymore that was for sure. We were surrounded by grass, the sun was slowly setting wherever we were, a couple steps in front was a red patchwork picnic blanket which we made our way over to.

"So what else do you want to know?" Kid Flash asked breaking the silence that fell over the field.

I waited a moment and thought.

"How did you get your apartment" I figured start off small before asking more in depth questions, plus I was curious how he got the place.

"I didn't want to stay at the tower so they rented the apartment we're staying in until the titans get back" he answered before getting up and running off only to then return with a picnic blanket and rose.

"For you" he handed me the rose which I accepted, lifting the flower to my nose and smelling its beauty. You could tell it was fresh not just by the smell but the fact it still had little water droplets running off its petals.

"So what are you going to do when the Titans return?" I asked slowly putting the flower on my lap.

"Probably stick around till I find a new place back home"

"A new place?" I asked what happened to his old place? Why did he need a new one?

"Yeah you see before I came here to cover for the Titans I was living with my Aunt and Uncle. Coming here was kinda a trial to see if I could be trusted living alone." he confessed almost embarrassed that he was living with family and didn't already have his own place.

"Wait so your family knows you're Kid Flash?."

"Some do yeah and they're totally fine with it", that shocked me his family knew and accepted him for his powers even though he was different.

"Imagine that" I muttered.

"Umm Jinx if you don't mind me asking but where are your parents" I let out a sigh I had a feeling this would come up at some point but the question is am I ready to talk about it just yet? There was only one person I trusted to tell what happened to me and that was Stone and look where that got me.

"They're not around anymore" was all that came out barely audible.

"Are they yano, up there?" Kid Flash pointed his thumb up to the sky.

"No, no, they're not dead, they're just not around anymore….. Can we talk about something else I don't feel like talking about them tonight" I wasn't ready to let him in just yet, could I trust him or was he going to betray me like stone?

"Maybe another night" he said while placing a hand on my leg.

"Umm sure" I answered giving him a weak smile which he returned. Normally I would have hexed him for touching me but for tonight I would let him have this.

We spent most the night talking about random things from favorite food and colour to talking about dinosaurs. A few hours passed before yet again his communicator went off letting out a heavy sigh he packed up the picnic and took us home. Just as he was about to leave I shouted to him.

"Hey Kid" he stopped in the doorway and turned back to me.

"Thanks for the date, I had a nice time" I smiled from the sofa spinning the rose he had given me in my hand.

"Me too" he smiled back before rushing off.