The Future of Us

(4) Lost in Darkness

Darkness. That's all there is. Everything around her is pitch black. No light. No path. Just what feels like an empty endless room. She tries to look down at her hand but, her eyes are still having trouble adjusting to the dark. All she can see is darkness.

The sound of her breathing is the only noise that fills her ears. She wraps her arms around herself seeking warmth as a slight chill engulfs the area. She bites on her lip, debating her thoughts before trying to clear her throat.

"Hello?" her small voice echoes. She sniffs, fear consuming her body. "Whe- where am I?" her voice shakes as she searches the darkness.

Taking a leap of faith she takes a step forward as her foot feels around with each step after. However, it seems she is just walking endlessly to nowhere. Her shoulders shrug - giving up on looking. She feels so empty - so cold - unlike her normal cool body temperature, thanks to her mother's alter ego this cold feeling is different. It feels deathlike and it is scaring her.

"Mom?" she cries. "Mommy where are you?" her tears running down her cheeks in defeat. "I want my mommy!" she screams, falling onto her knees. Her little chest is hyperventilating with each growing second and it then clicks to her. Her powers are not working.

It's too overwhelming. She feels faint until it hits her - the last memory she can recall. She was in StarLabs with her mother and Uncle Cisco after a horrible episode. So now how did she get here? Before her thoughts start to plug pieces together a voice sounds through her mind.

'Close your eyes'

"Who said that? Who's there?" she rambles, looking around to no avail.

'Close your eyes Valerie'

The voice is firm but having a slight calmness to get. As if from a memory that she just couldn't pinpoint at the moment. "Who are you?" she questions as her eyebrow scrunch in confusion, debating to trust the hidden voice.

'Trust me. Close your eyes and you will get your answers.'

For some reason, she can picture the person smiling - a sweet smile - a mothering smile. She takes a deep breath and slowly shuts her eyes tight as images of her mother float in her head. "I want my mommy," she whispers under her breath.

Suddenly, a whoosh motion jolts her up in fear. Her eyes are wide open as she looks around and finds herself in a bedroom - a boy's bedroom - on the bed. The scene is strange but, the room is familiar in a sense. Slowly, she gets off the bed, lightly stepping on the wood floors. She looks for clues on her whereabouts mixed with the blue walls, book and puzzles, a telescope, and dinosaur posters.

"Am I-" she mumbles, looking around, and sets her eyes on a picture frame on the bedside table. She walks towards it, the image growing bigger with the family portrait. Her breath hitches, "Da- dad?"

A knock on the door causes her to jump and look directly at the entrance. There stood an older woman with long red hair that she had only seen in pictures. Her mouth drops in shock, finding it hard to breathe. "Gra- grandma?" she squeals in confusion.

"Kinda," she smiles, cocking her head. "Come follow me," she says, reaching out her hand.

Without much of a fight, Val quickly runs to the woman's side, taking her hand tightly in her grasp. "Where am I?" her voice small - almost babyish - as her nerves quicken.

Guiding the child down the stairs into the living room of the Allen household, the woman remains silent. She only smiles at the little girl, who contains wonder and confusion in her eyes. She leads them to sit on the couch, Valerie practically on top of her craving answers.