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Kendra pulled off her cardigan, using it to wipe the sweat from her brow before shoving it in her backpack. She could wash it in the river later—it had been a few days since she’d done laundry and a cool dip sounded perfect after hiking for so long.
According to her map, Kendra was somewhere in Yunnan Province. She’d never been to China before—at least not in this lifetime—which she guessed was the point of this whole trip. With Carter dead and Vandal finally gone, there was nothing left to do but figure out who she was when no one else was watching.
There appeared to be a village up ahead and Kendra redirected her course. Maybe she could finally find some real food. Learning to forage had given her a strange sense of independence, but sometimes you just wanted clean hair and a full stomach.
As she got closer, Kendra realised that it wasn’t a village, exactly. There were multiple buildings, bright white walls with green tiled roofs sloping over them, but they enclosed a wide garden. There, sitting in the middle, was a familiar face. For a moment, Kendra thought she was dreaming.
“Wally West?”
“Hawkgirl,” Wally said, his face cracking into a bright smile. Kendra scanned the area to see if anyone had heard him shout, but Wally shook his head.
“There’s no one else for miles. That’s kind of the point of this whole place.”
“You live here?” Kendra asked, her face coloured with disbelief. She’d heard a lot about Wally from Barry and Cisco—he'd sounded like an outgoing, ambitious kid. Here, with this hair pulled back and his certain gait navigating over rocks and puddles as he came towards her, he looked more mature than any of them.
“Do you want to come in?” he asked, gesturing towards his house. She nodded and followed him inside. It was a small room, candles littered across every available surface, and a wide bed that reached just a few inches above the floor. Wally sat on the floor and crossed his legs, leaning back against the edge of the bed, waiting for her to settle in. She did, opting for a large clay-coloured pillow on the floor across from him.
“If you came to find me on behalf of Barry, let me know now,” Wally said. “Whatever it is, I don’t want any part of it. “
“Barry doesn’t even know where I am,” Kendra replied. “This is a total coincidence. If such a thing even exists in our world.”
Wally laughed. “Then what brings you here, of all places?”
“Trying to find myself, I guess,” Kendra said. She shifted her gaze to the floor, embarrassed.
“That makes two of us,” Wally said. She looked up at him and his face was calm and open. Carter had always been so intense, and Vandal—well, intense wasn’t a strong enough word. She’d forgotten what it felt like to have a conversation without feeling pressured.
“I have all of these powers,” Kendra said, “But I feel so disconnected. I’m supposed to be some high priestess but all I feel like is a barista from Central City. I thought if I got away from all of the drama and expectations, maybe I could figure it all out.”
“And how’s that going for you?”
“Fine.” Kendra shrugged. “I feel less afraid all the time. That’s something. Though I could use a real shower and some processed sugar.”
Wally laughed again. Kendra noticed how often he did that, so loud and open. He dragged a box out from under his bed, opening it to retrieve a neon green bag and a small circular flask.
“Sour Skittles,” Wally said, holding it out. “I don’t think sugar gets more processed.”
“Yes to the Skittles,” Kendra said, grabbing the bag from Wally’s hand. “No to alcohol.”
“No?” Wally said, his eyebrows raising in surprise as he held it out one more time. Kendra shook her head.
“I feel relaxed enough already.”
Wally smiled and threw the flask over his shoulder haphazardly. “Me too.”
“Where did you even find these?” Kendra asked, grabbing a handful of Skittles and returning the purple ones before shoving them into her mouth. She coughed a little, unused to the artificial sourness, and Wally stood up to get her a glass of water.
“I smuggled them from Central City,” he said. “The solitude is great but not the most convenient. Sometimes a dude just needs his candy.”
“I guess you could always run and grab some,” Kendra joked. Now it was Wally’s turn to avoid her gaze.
“I’m not doing that anymore,” he said, handing her the water and returning to his place on the floor. “I thought I’d try to live life a little bit slower.”
“A kindred spirit,” Kendra said, passing him the bag of Skittles. He took a handful and leaned his head back against the bed frame, chewing them thoughtfully. A rumble of thunder shook the sky outside and Kendra turned around just in time to see rain start falling outside of the open door.
“You should stay here tonight,” Wally said, as if reading her thoughts.
“I couldn’t,” Kendra said, eyeing the single bed. Wally’s cheeks flushed.
“Yeah, I don’t have a guest room or anything. I don’t get too many of those out here. But I do have a real shower.”
“And processed sugar,” Kendra said, reaching her hand out for the bag of Skittles. Instead, Wally cupped her hand gently in his own and tapped some out into her palm. His skin was warm and soft, and she tried her best not to shiver.
“Thanks,” Kendra said, pulling her hand away. Wally stopped her and picked a lone purple Skittle out of her palm, throwing it into his mouth. Kendra smiled.
“Observant.”
“I’ve learned to pay attention to the things worth noticing.” Wally leaned back against the bed and his shirt rode up at the waist. Kendra felt her heart start to beat faster.
“We could share the bed,” she blurted. If she wasn’t mistaken, Wally’s cheeks turned pinker than they’d been a few seconds ago.
“I can sleep on the floor,” he stammered, running his finger along the green carpet. Kendra suppressed a smile. Bold felt good on her.
“Only if you want to,” she replied. Wally’s eyes met hers, and this time neither of them looked away.
“I don’t,” Wally replied. His voice had gone low and quiet. Kendra stood up, making her way to the bed as the rain pattered gently against the roof. Wally joined her, all warmth and laughter and smooth skin and gentle eyes. So unlike anything she’d known before.
When the morning sun eventually filtered in, painting Wally’s hair in golden light, she thought for the first time that maybe she could find peace.