Chapter 4

Wired

The loud, pulsating music that boomed in the room covered up the sounds of their shoes squeaking and stomping against the floor as their bodies moved in unison to the preset steps given to them. There was nothing like a good dance class to make Sage feel as if she were on top of the world. Her movements were fluid, each step merging into the next one as muscle memory worked to help her perform. She loved the lemon-like smell that permeated throughout the room.

She loved the way her heart appeared to beat in time with the music as she danced with the other girls. She loved the sense of freedom and clarity that being wrapped up in the music could provide. And the fact that she could share the experience with other girls in her class was a blessing. Music could relieve pain and take the listener to a suspended sense of reality in a three second and thirty minute time span. It was a magical thing that Sage held dear.

She wasn't a weirdo when she was on the dance floor. She wasn't a monster. She wasn't a killer. She couldn't wreak havoc and lose control with her mind focused on the steps. She could be herself. She could be normal. Her dance class was the only time she felt like her old self. It was astounding how a short span of nine months could make her feel like a completely different person.

"Okay girls, that's enough for today!" the woman at the front of the room called while clapping her hands together. "Good practice. See you all next time." She turned away from the group of girls who were now milling about and spoke quietly to the man that had been watching them dance from their first sequence. The girls would have ignored him if it weren't for his briefcase and the large, dark sunglasses covering his eyes. Who wore sunglasses indoors anyway?

Sage crossed the room to where her gym bag laid waiting for her. Chest heaving as she worked to get her breath back, she grabbed a bottle of water that was in it and then went for her phone. Her eyebrows crinkled at the blinking blue light in the top right corner, signaling she had a message of some sort. Her eyebrows came together even further when the screen lit up and she saw the amount of texts that were waiting to be read. Her thumb hovered over the screen as she took a swig of her water, only to spit it out when one of the other dancers, Lennox, slapped her on the back.

"So who do you think he's going to pick?" Lennox whispered, her eyes trained on the man.

Sage wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and glanced over at the man herself. "Who? Him? Pick for what? Does he need people to help him make an entrance into the room or something? I mean, it'd be less conspicuous than just bursting in on a bunch of girls dancing. And less creepy."

Lennox rolled her eyes. "No! Sage, don't you know who that is?" She hissed.

Sage twisted her mouth to the side. "Uh….James Bond?" she guessed.

Lennox grabbed Sage's arm and gave it a squeeze. "That's a scout. But not just a scout. The scout. Jeremy Fox. He's partnered up with the Queens and is looking for new talent to perform some nights out in Starling City. You gotta have it all, the moves, the voice, the charisma. They want a new act for Verdant."

"Verdant's reopening?" Sage asked, her eyes widening. Verdant was Starling City's hottest nightclub. It helped that it was run by the Queens. Everything they touched turned to gold. But then Queen Consolidated got bought out and Verdant shut down. New nightclubs had opened up but they never lived up to what the Queens had built. Of course there were nightclubs in Central City but nothing could compare to Verdant.

Iris and Sage had attended once before when they took a Girls Trip out there. There was a lot of pouting and begging to let Joe allow them to go and he did. Eventually. With the promise that they had to call him every hour and that they were to text him every time they left the hotel or went somewhere new so he had tabs on their location.

The trip ended up a blast. They explored the city, visited Verdant, ate some of the local cuisine, and took part in a few tours. (Sage tried to coax out Iris's natural journalistic curiosity in an attempt to see The Glades but Iris shot that down.) It would have been the perfect weekend had Joe not sent Chyre after them to spy. "Recon," Joe said. "Stalking," Iris shot back. It was still brought up whenever they thought Joe was getting a bit out of hand with his protective nature.

"Yep." Lennox nodded. "And I hear whoever gets the gig they'll cover transportation and housing depending how far they're traveling. They're looking for the best of the best."

Sage's nose wrinkled. "And they came here? I mean, don't get me wrong, I love the girls but Susie has flat feet and I don't think Kelly can tell her left from her right sometimes and Michelle—" Lennox elbowed Sage in the side and she cut off her teasing remark by sticking out her tongue. "But dude! This is so cool! Whoever he chooses is gonna have it made." She sighed. "Imagine having Oliver Queen watch you perform."

"Imaging having Thea Queen watch you perform," Lennox shot back with a smirk.

Sage laughed. "We're never going to agree on that front are we?"

"No. But I will agree with you on the fact that they have really good genes." Chuckling, Lennox flashed a peace sign and joined the mass clog the girls had made on their way out the door. Sage shook her head and knelt to zip up her bag. Lennox was a trip. She was glad to have a friend in the class. It made her feel less…strange.

With a grunt, Sage grabbed the strap on her bag and lifted it up. The weight on her shoulder made her sway a little on the spot but she regained her balance. She waved goodbye to their instructor and followed the trickle of students out the door. Her attention then switched to her phone in her hand to see what had gone on that was so important that she had been bombarded with texts from Iris.

To: Sage
From: Iris
Text me back as soon
as you get this.

To: Sage
From: Iris
It's important! Text me!

To: Sage
From: Iris
Barry knows about Eddie.
He saw us at Jitters. SOS!

To: Sage
From: Iris
Almost got hit by a car.
Barry and dad are fighting.
Need to talk NOW!

Sage would have rolled her eyes and thought that Iris was being a tad overdramatic as usual until she read the last text. Her breath cut off and she had to stop walking to reread the text a few times to be sure she hadn't made up what it said. Questions shot through her head but none managed to stick on any sort of answer that could even potentially be formed in her mind.

Yelling a goodbye to the woman at the front desk of the dance studio, Sage grabbed her bag to keep it from slapping against her side as she ran down the street to CC Jitters. She mumbled apologies as she ran, doing her best to avoid knocking into people. But with her bag as an extended version of her, she wasn't doing a good job due to her haste.

Her heart pounded against her chest and her sides ached from how fast she ran. Wind whistled in her ears and tugged on her clothes and her bag to slow her down. The traffic on one corner was what finally made her take pause. She leaned against a nearby pole to recoup, her eyes jumping from the traffic lights to the cars as she waited for a break to jog across.

The lights changed from green to yellow. Sage placed her hand on the pole to keep herself up as her world tilted. She gave her head a shake and looked around again. The sidewalk came up at an angle. Her once hard beating heart began to slow to irregular beats. She felt as if an elephant was sitting on her chest, keeping her from getting proper air. A jackhammer went off in her head. A pool of sour tasting saliva pooled on her tongue as her stomach turned and flopped.

No. Not now! Please not now!

Her knuckles turned white as she put her weight on her palm to keep herself up. She tried to wrack her brain and figure out how long it had been since she last had a cup of coffee but it wouldn't cooperate. The busy city scene in front of her dipped and swayed and all of the colors began to blend together, like a rainbow being sucked down a drain.

"Hey? Are you okay?" Sage blinked a few times and looked up to see a man looking at her in a peculiar way. "It says walk." He pointed to the indicator on the other side of the street that outlined a white walking figure.

"Th-thanks," Sage gasped and sprinted forward. Her once quick movements felt slow, like trudging through mud that clawed and reached for her feet, dragging her down. But she fought on. Each step made her head throb with an ache that she was sure equated to having a drill pressed to her head.

Finally CC Jitters came into view. Sage was staggering by that point. Her knees bent but it didn't help her carry herself that far. People stared at her, their concern a fleeting expression that was then switched over to disgust. Sage stumbled through the front door of Jitters and made a beeline for Tracy behind the counter.

"Hey Sage. Let me guess you're here for—whoa!" Tracy's eyebrows jumped up and her mouth fell open at the sight of Sage's disheveled hair and her pale face and trembling body. "Sage, are you alright? You look sick. Do you need a doctor?"

"N-no," Sage uttered despite the strong tremors shooting through her body. "Just n-need c-coffee. Now."

"Lady, can't you see there's a line?" a disgruntled man in a business suit demanded from behind her. "A line of paying customers?"

"Hey, sorry. It's alright, she's with me," Iris apologized, coming out of the back room. She flashed a smile to the customers in line and grabbed Sage by the upper arm, pulling her away. "But Tracy's right, you don't look so good." Iris placed a hand on Sage's forehead. "Hmm. You're not burning up. But you're really cold."

"You sh-should f-feel my h-h-hands," Sage replied, her teeth chattering seemingly in time with her new round of shivers. "J-just…gimmie some c-c-coffee. Please."

"Sage, I really think—"

"Now, Iris!"

"Okay, okay," Iris muttered, hurrying behind the counter. Sage stumbled over to a nearby high-top table and used it to help keep her up. Her slow beating heart thudded hard against her chest and her head held painful explosions, like fireworks being shot off in the confined space. "Here ya go," Iris said, announcing her presence as she came back with the steaming mug of coffee.

Sage couldn't get her gloves off fast enough. She had to bite on the tip of one of the fingers to pull the other off. In a flash she grasped the mug in her hands and began to chug the steaming liquid. Ignoring the expression on her cousins' face and the strong burning sensation on her tongue she kept drinking, feeling heat fill her up from her feet up to her head. She set the mug down with a clamor and exhaled a long, satisfied breath.

The pain pangs on her head ebbed away as the seconds ticked by. She could feel the heat in the mug slowly seep into her palms and warm up the cold, tingling fingers that curled around the heat source. She waited breathing and exhaling deeply as her heart beat fell back into its normal rhythm and her body tremors slowed. Only when she felt like she could stand on her own two feet without passing out did she drop into the chair and manage a smile. "Can I have another?"

"I think you're taking your addiction to a whole new level," Iris muttered.

"Lay off, will you?" Sage grumbled, her words taking on more bite than she had intended. But she wasn't sorry. If she wanted someone to nag her all day about the choices she was making she'd go back home. Iris's eyebrows crinkled and she muttered incoherent words beneath her breath as she regained her composure. "So you're awfully calm for someone who almost got hit by a car," Sage pointed out, looking Iris over as best as she could with the counter in the way. There were no bumps or bruises or scratches on her as far as she could see. "What in the world were you doing in the street anyway?"

"I wasn't in the street," Iris replied while combining ingredients for Sage's caramel macchiato. "Barry and I were walking and talking and some car jumped the curb and almost hit us but Barry got us out of the way."

"Barry Allen?" Sage repeated, one of her eyebrows lifting. "Scrawny, string bean Barry Allen knocked you out of the way of a car?" When Iris nodded she snorted. "Does that sound funny outloud to only me? I mean, this is the same guy who once gave himself a blackeye with a pizza box. A pizza box."

Iris did her best not to smile at the memory. Instead she shrugged and said, "Yeah, that Barry Allen."

"What were you talking about?"

Iris didn't respond right away. She took her time adding whipped cream to the drink and carried it over to the table. She set it down and lifted herself up into the seat opposite her cousin. Iris tapped her finger against the table and waited for Sage to take another sip of her drink before answering. "Barry knows about me and Eddie."

"Mmm," Sage hummed. She licked excess whipped cream off of her mouth. "I still don't get what you see in the Nick Carter wannabe."

"Sage, he's not a Nick Carter wannabe," Iris admonished.

"Yeah he is! Look at him. Blond hair. Blue eyes. A pretty boy. Check, check, and check. At least NC doesn't brag about all his feats. I mean, how many times did I have to hear about you telling me about his record of…detectiveness?" Sage didn't wait for Iris to answer. "Too many, Iris." She leaned forward until only a little space remained between their faces and she whispered, "Too many."

"You're grossly exaggerating," Iris said, clicking her tongue. "Anyway, that's not the point."

"What is the point then?"

Sage sat back and listened as she explained everything that had gone on earlier that day: that Barry kept disappearing and they ended up talking about her dating Eddie and how Uncle Joe still didn't know and that she almost got hit by a car that Barry claimed to have been driven by Clyde Mardon. But that wasn't the weird part. Well, Clyde Mardon apparently being alive and robbing banks was weird but it was the fact that he would disappear as storms broke out of nowhere.

It sounded like something in a comic book.

"So…someone's going around robbing banks and during each robbery some freak storm pops up?" Sage asked slowly as her mind tried to process what she had just heard. None of this could be true but, then again, she never thought she would have to worry about freezing anyone to death. "So he tackled you out of the way of a car, got into a fight with Uncle Joe, and now he's…gone?"

"Yeah," Iris relied. "I tried calling him, texting him…do you think he's okay?"

"It's Barry. When has he ever been 'okay' to start with?" Sage asked in a dry manner. But Iris didn't crack a smile at Sage's teasing. Sage cleared her throat and brushed her hand across her nose while clearing her throat. "Okay, sorry, not funny. Ris, he's probably fine. How many fights has he gotten into? Despite all that he's managed to live to see twenty-five. I think he can handle himself."

"But he just got out of a coma," Iris pointed out. "We don't know if it had any side effects. What if he lost some of his memory? What if he's wandering around somewhere?"

"Relax," Sage uttered. "He's like a puppy. He'll come back around dinnertime. Anyway, let me tell you about my news. Some scout came by dance practice today and he's looking for a new act to perform at Verdant."

"No!" Iris gasped, covering her mouth with her hands. "They're reopening!?"

"They are! Can you believe it? God, I hope I get it. Free trip."

"Free drinks hopefully." At the shocked expression on Sage's face Iris continued, "Hey, I provide the coffee, you provide the alcohol."

"Fine, deal," Sage laughed, sticking out her tongue. "But don't go dreaming about the vacation just yet. He might not pick any of us."

"Then he's an idiot who doesn't know a good dancer when he sees it," Iris replied, her nose scrunching up in a rabbit-like way as she smiled.

Sage drained her mug and glanced at the clock on her phone. She made a mental note of at what time she got her caffeine and then slid off the chair. "Alright, I have homework so I might as well give it a shot so I'll see you later, Cuzzo."

"Be careful," Iris commented, looking over her shoulder and out the window. "It looks like a storm's coming."

"Well, look who's finally up," Joe commented as Sage trudged down the stairs the next morning. He turned away from the refrigerator, shaking a carton of orange juice while watching her walk straight to the kitchen table and flop down in a chair. "You look well rested."

Sage resisted the urge to stick her middle finger out at him. Well-rested wasn't the word she would use for herself. Not when she didn't get any sleep at all due to the sudden storm that popped up. Wind battered the house, lightning flashed, and thunder cracked above her head to the point she wound up in her closet with a blanket wrapped around her holding onto a flashlight and clutching her phone. The radio had something about a tornado on the outskirts of the city and she had stayed glued in the small space well past the all-clear was given. She almost called her mother during the storm to have someone to calm her down but she nixed that idea. Her mom wouldn't be of any help anyway.

"You're not funny," she grumbled, rubbing at her eye with the heel of her palm. "Where's Iris?" she asked amidst a yawn.

Joe handed her a glass of orange juice. She quickly set it down on the table and pulled her hands into the sleeves of her longsleeved shirt. "It's past nine. She went to work," he replied.

"Oh yeah," she mumbled. "Forgot." She grasped the glass between her two covered hands and took a sip of it. "You got back late last night," she noted.

"Yeah, we had to follow a lead out to a farm," Joe replied, resting his back against a counter as he took a sip of his own orange juice.

"So Clyde was there? He's actually alive?" Sage asked.

"Now, Sage, you know I can't discuss police matters."

Sage blinked. "You just told me you were following a lead. Haven't you already crossed that line?" she pointed out.

Joe moved to open his mouth but a knock sounding on the door stopped him. Sage leaned back in her chair to see the door open and Barry stroll through a second later. "Well well, where've you been stranger?" she called out, draping one arm across the back of her chair. "You suddenly have a hot date you didn't tell us about? We girls are suckers for injury stories. Even when they're attached to nerds like yourself."

Barry didn't roll his eyes or smile patiently at her teasing as he used to. Instead he kept his eyes trained on her until he stood by the head of the table. He broke his stare, cleared his throat, and looked over at Joe. "D'you mind giving us a second?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Joe replied, setting his glass down. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I just need to ask her something," Barry replied.

Sage and Joe exchanged matching looks of confusion but Joe did what he was asked and left the room. Sage dropped her arm in favor of lowering her chair and turning sideways to address Barry. "What's going on, Bare?" she asked, her eyebrows coming together. "You look like you saw a ghost."

Barry licked his lips and crossed his arms over his chest. His eyes scanned her face and for a while he didn't say anything. Sage shifted in her seat under his gaze and began fidgeting with the hem of the sleeves that covered her hands. He was looking at her just like her father used to stare her down. She couldn't look back at him. Shifting her gaze, she had just grasped her glass of orange juice and was about to take a sip when he finally spoke.

"What happened to you when the particle accelerator exploded?" he asked.

She paused, the glass barely brushing her lips. She breathed out and a very light crackling sound reached her ears as a layer of ice appeared on the edge. She quickly licked it away and set her glass back down. "You already know," she replied. "I got hypothermia and was stuck in the hospital for two weeks."

"That's all?" Barry urged.

Sage nodded her head. "That's all," she replied.

He sighed and scratched behind his ear. She watched him carefully, her muscles tensing in her shoulders and her back. He looked at her again. "Why won't you pick up your glass?" he asked.

"What? Barry, you're being weird. I just picked it up. You saw me," Sage said, standing to get some space between them. She went to the refrigerator and pulled out a small container of yogurt.

"With your hand," he stated. Sage stood and looked at him over the top of the open door. He stared back at her, holding her gaze. "Why won't you touch anything with your hand?" he reiterated. "You always wear gloves. And now you're using your sleeve."

"I'm just…weird," Sage replied, closing the door. Her nose wrinkled at the excuse. Damn, you could've come up with something better than that. "Can we drop it?"

"No," Barry insisted. "Something…something happen to you that night, didn't it?" he asked, watching her. Sage tapped a finger against her sleeve and the container in her hand. "Something weird. Something you can't explain. Something…"

"…Impossible?" Sage filled in for him, her voice a whisper. Barry nodded. She mimicked his nod, biting her lip.

"I think we need to talk," he said.

a/n - And here we are with another update! I'm sorry it took so long. I was supposed to have it up on Tuesday to coincide with the Flash returning from hiatus but I kept getting distracted. But better late than never, right? So! Barry has deduced that Sage has powers, but how will this affect everyone? What did you think of Sage's symptoms?

Speaking of Tuesday's episodes, whoa. Revenge of the Rogues was a great start to the rest of the season, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Captain Cold/HeatWave dynamic was great (although a little cheesy sometimes) but overall the episode was great! It's turned be a bit into a Cisclin shipper (Cisco/Caitlin). They have a chemistry that I enjoy and I hope they implement that a little more in the future. What did you all think of it? And what did you think of this chapter? Please read and review!

P.S. I changed the cover image to a pic of Tinashe Kachingwe, the girl I'm using as Sage's "face".