Nightmares were always something that haunted me at night. They'd always leave me sweating and waking up with a startle, but I always managed to calm myself down. Waking up was always my escape. Usually they were about the monsters under the bed or zombies chasing me, but never did I imagine that I'd wake up one night and find myself still stuck in a nightmare.

I was only 11 years old the night my life changed. My nightmares had gotten worse after the particle accelerator failed and sent a wave of dark matter across the city, leaving me wide awake as I sat in bed, staring at the clock ticking beside my bed. It was only eleven thirteen, but I was too tired to sleep. My throat was parched, so I decided to go downstairs to get a glass of water.

My young mind flashed to my nightmares about the hands reaching out from under the bed and grabbing my ankles, pulling me under and not leaving a trace of me. I felt my heart start to race a little faster in my chest as I gripped the sheets at the end of my bed, closing my eyes before leaping a good three feet away. When I landed, I looked back and smiled in satisfaction, glad that the monsters didn't win this time.

As I walked out of the door and down the hall, my eyes skimmed the photos of my parents and I hanging up on the wall. I always stared at them and brushed my fingers across the wall when I headed downstairs; it just became a habit of mine. For some reason this time though, something felt different, and I didn't like it.

When I reached the kitchen, I found that my father was sitting there at the table still reading something. The reading glasses on his face reflected the cup of milk he had sitting there next to him; the mug being one I had made for him for father's day last year. His dark eyes watch me as I step inside, lifting his head to say something.

"What are you doing up, Raven?" he says softly, not angry. He knew that I had nightmares and frequently fought against sleep. "Another nightmare?"

I shake my head slowly. "No. I keep thinking about the particle accelerator exploding."

"It's all over now," he calmly says as he lowers his paper, staring at me. "Harrison Wells assured us that it was all a mistake and that it won't ever happen again."

I nod my head, already remembering seeing his face on the TV screen. "I know. I just...I need a glass of water."

My father's eyes flick towards the fridge before he's standing, getting the glass of water for me. I couldn't quite reach the cabinet yet where the glasses were kept, so I always relied on either my mom or dad to get it for me. I pulled out the chair at the table where my father was sitting and sat down, watching him carefully as he poured the water into the small glass and set it on the table.

"Thank you," I say, staring at the glass as I set my elbows on the table. My chin rests against the palms of my hands as my father sits back down, staring at me as I stared at the glass.

"Hurry up and finish it," he says to me, a gentle look on his face. "You need some sleep. You still have school tomorrow."

I groan lowly. "Do I have to go?"

"Of course you have to go, Raven," he smiles as I reach for the glass of water, but right as soon as my hand rests against the glass, something odd happened. When I grabbed it, the water inside started to rise into the air; seamlessly floating.

My mind first went to when the particle accelerator exploded; since the same exact thing had happened then. I quickly pulled my hand away as I grabbed my wrist, breathing hard. As soon as I let go though, the water fell back into the glass and splashed all around the edges.

My father stares at the glass for a long moment before back at me, starstruck. "Raven, what-"

That was the last thing I heard my father ever speak again. I remembered seeing a bright blue flash zoom into the room before my father was gone, no where in sight. My mind was stuck on the fact that he was just there and suddenly was gone, but then I screamed. I screamed so loud, I almost didn't hear my mother screaming in the other room as well.

"Raven, run!" she screams at me, but I wasn't sure what was going on. I tried to get up and run to find her, but then the house went silent. I stopped in my tracks as I tried to hear something...someone at the very least. But there was nothing.

I was so afraid. I remembered feeling so weak and so scared for my life at that very moment. I had seen the horror movies; the ones where a girl's parents are kidnapped and she has to live in orphanages for the rest of her life. I couldn't be the girl; I wasn't going to be that girl.

That was when the flash of blue light reappeared, but this time, I saw that it was a man. Streaks of blue lightning dance around his skin as he stared down at me, something in his eyes that terrified me. He stares at me for what seemed like forever, but then his hand buzzes before grabbing my wrist.

"Let me go!" I scream as I tug away, my feet creating traction as I tugged myself away. My mother's words were still ringing in my head as I turned to run, but when I did, it was like time itself sped up. I found myself at the end of the hall then, face pressed into the wall from the impact of running so fast in that little amount of time.

The man behind me laughs to himself. "W-What's your name?"

I look over my shoulder, tears starting to fall down my face. "Where are my parents?"

His face goes soft, but not the kind of soft my father always showed. No, his was more crazy appearing. "Don't cry, please. I didn't mean to make you cry."

I turn around then, facing him. "Raven."

He smiles slyly, giving me goosebumps. "Raven. Now tell me Raven, who do you think I am?"

My eyes stare at his face for a long moment, not triggering any memories. But then my eyes trailed down to the black suit he was wearing, the lightning bolt in the symbol making me know instantly who he was. "You're The Flash."

"Exactly," he smiles, walking forwards and kneeling in front of me. "Your parents did something bad, Raven. Your parents did me wrong, so they had to have their punishment. You understand that, don't you?"

I shake my head, trying to make sense of what he was saying. "No, they never did anything wrong-"

"I'm afraid they did," he says. "I took them somewhere where all bad people go, and they told me to take care of you for them."

I couldn't believe this was happening. "I want to see them-"

"I'm sorry, but you can't see them ever again," he says, and that was when the tears really came. I found my face buried in his shoulder as I sobbed, his hand resting against my back. It reminded me of a motion my father always did when I was upset, but now he was gone.

I continue to cry as he says slowly, a phrase that still echoed in my mind. "I'll take care of you."

And so, he did. The next fourteen years he helped me better control my abilities as I worked alongside him; wrecking havoc and bringing chaos to the city that I used to know. Before long, it was all that I grew to know, and he was all that I had. Raven became a foreign name to everyone other than Jay, who was the only one who knew my real name. I went by another name that made everyone shudder at the thought; something that I worked hard to achieve.

Silver Trickster.

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HOW WAS THAT? Holy cow, I spent forever working out how this was going to work. I'm super pumped to do this story line, mostly because I have it better mapped out than the last time. Let's hope it works!

Huge thanks to greynightmares for making me that awesome GIF up there; literally, I can't stop watching it cause it's so addicting. Love you sm Bree <33

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