Morning sunlight filtered through Barry's curtains as music pulsed through his headphones. He moved freely around his room, humming along, completely in the rhythm.
After a final spin, he glanced at the clock.
10:30 A.M.
"Perfect," he muttered. "Time to meet Steve."
He placed the headphones neatly on his desk and stepped out of his room. As he climbed down the ladder toward the lower floor, a familiar smell drifted through the air.
"Mooom! What are you cooki—"
Before he could finish, someone covered his eyes from behind.
"Guess who?"
Barry froze for a second, then broke into a grin. "What? You're back? Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Did you guess who I am?" the voice teased.
Barry laughed. "Did you really think I wouldn't recognize you, big sis?"
Her hands lifted from his eyes, and the next moment he was pulled into a tight embrace.
"Correct," Nancy said warmly. "And your reward is a sweet hug from your sister."
Their mother walked in from the kitchen, wiping her hands. "Nancy! We were supposed to surprise him later."
Nancy smiled. "It's fine. He's surprised enough."
Barry folded his arms playfully. "So there was a surprise planned for me, huh? And you two were cooking something special."
"Well," his mother sighed dramatically, "there goes the surprise."
Barry grinned, then hesitated. "By the way, when are we celebrating? I was heading out to meet a friend. I'll be back before it starts."
"Tonight," his mother replied. "Seven o'clock. But don't stay out too long. Be home by noon."
"Got it."
Nancy narrowed her eyes. "Where do you think you're going? It hasn't even been long since the lightning incident. And I just got back."
"Hey, I have something important to do," Barry protested.
Nancy pulled him slightly aside and lowered her voice. "Are you meeting your girlfriend? Rishika? Going to her house?"
Barry nearly choked. "No! Where did you even get that idea? I told you I'm not interested in anyone. There's no girl better than you and Mom."
Nancy gave him a suspicious look. "Then stay home."
"I really have to go. I will be fine."
Their mother intervened gently. "Nancy, let him go. He's not a child anymore."
After a moment, Nancy relented. "Fine. But don't do anything reckless."
"Never even think of it." Barry replied with a grin.
He rushed toward the door. "Bye, Mom! Bye, sis!"
"Be back on time!" his mother called.
"Bye!" Nancy added.
Barry stepped out through the mansion gates and began walking toward the city, hands tucked behind his head.
As he walked, his thoughts drifted.
Nancy isn't his sister by blood.
But she is his sister in every way that mattered.
I had been eight years old when we met.
The Past Memory
My father and we had been on a business trip in another country, and once the work was done, we decided to explore the city. While eating at a restaurant, I had noticed something strange outside—a man whose hair was glowing bright under the sun.
Curiosity won.
I slipped out quietly and followed the man farther than I should have—past busy streets and into a run-down slum area. By the time I stopped, the man had disappeared.
And I was lost.
The narrow alleyways were unfamiliar. The buildings were cracked and stained. I went in the slums without thinking carefully. People stared at me—a well-dressed child standing out like a misplaced painting.
A large man stepped in front of me.
"Hey, kid. Are you lost?"
I swallowed. "No. Just… walking around."
"Where are your parents?"
"They're nearby," I lied. "At the start of the road."
The man's expression shifted.
Without warning, he grabbed my wrist.
"Oh really. So, Come with me."
Fear surged through my body. I cried and screamed "No! Let me go!"
"Stop crying," the man hissed. "Or I'll throw you in that filthy water."
I struggled, twisting and pulling until I slipped from the man's grip and fell into the muddy ground. My clothes were stained. My locket—one I always wore which I cared a lot—was smeared with dirt.
And then—
"Uncle, what are you doing?"
A girl's voice cut through the tension.
"Don't bully a kid."
Nancy stepped forward.
She knelt beside me, pulling me gently into her arms. "It's okay. He won't hurt you."
I slowly stopped crying.
"You're dirty," she said softly. "Let's fix that."
She raised her hand.
Mud and dirt peeled away from my clothes and skin as if obeying her will, it gathers into a small floating sphere near her palm.
Within seconds, I was clean.
I stared at her in surprise.
Before I could speak, his parents' voices echoed from down the alley.
They found me quickly—my father had installed a tracker in my locket long ago for safety.
"What are you doing here? You shouldn't be here." his father demanded, relief and anger mixing in his voice.
"Don't start scolding him here. At least we found him," my mother said gently. Then she turned to Nancy. "Thank you for helping him."
"It was nothing," Nancy replied quietly.
Then when my mom tried to take me, I clung to her. "I want to stay with big sis."
Both parents froze. "What?"
Nancy blinked. "When did I become your big sister?"
"You are," I insisted stubbornly.
His father sighed. "Barry, you can't just call a stranger your sister."
"She's not a stranger," I said firmly. "She's special. She has a pure heart as her."
I mentioned someone from past. Someone who was important to me.
The large man from earlier stepped forward and clapped his hands to draw attention.
"I have a solution," he said.
He introduced himself as Nancy's uncle and guardian.
"I'll let her go with you," he said flatly. "For two million."
In Nancy's arms I didn't understand. How could someone sell a person?
My dad questioned,"What about what she wants."
Then that uncle asked Nancy,"Tell me, do you have any problem?"
She replied in low and sad tone,"No, I don't have any problem with this."
My parents stepped aside to speak privately.
My dad doesn't wanted to do this but he would not let her alone with that man. He could sell her to anyone.
After several tense minutes, my father returned.
"One and a half million," he said. "And we do this legally. You relinquish all rights."
The uncle agreed without hesitation.
Papers were drawn. Signatures made.
Nancy left with us that day.
When we returned home, she bowed slightly. "Thank you for taking me in. I'll do whatever I can to repay you."
"You don't owe us anything," my father replied. "You're part of this family now."
Nancy shook her head. "Please. Let me do something."
I, inspired by too many anime series, blurted out, "She can be a maid!"
My father stared at me. "Where do you get that idea?"
Nancy smiled faintly. "I don't mind. My powers can be useful in maid works."
After a long pause, my father sighed. "Fine. But you're not just a maid. You're my daughter. Barry's sister."
And he added and asked," You should be Barry's personal maid. Are you ok with that Nancy?"
Nancy replied with a smile,"Yes, I am with my all heart. As he is my younger brother."
And that is how Nancy became part of our family.
Not by blood.
But by heart.
Back To Present
Barry blinked as the memory faded.
He was now standing in front of Steve's office building.
"Steve!" he shouted. "I'm here!"
A window slid open.
"Steve's not here," one of his friends called out. "He said he was going to your house."
"What? Why?"
"He said you two had something to do and told you to wait for him."
Barry," Did he really said that." He scratched his head. "Oh. Right. I forgot."
He waved. "If you see him, tell him to go to the ruined building!"
He turned and went back.
Before long, he meet with Steve on the sidewalk.
"What are you doing here?" Steve demanded. "I told you to wait at home!"
"It is getting late," Barry replied quickly. "I have to be back by noon. Let's finish our meeting fast."
"Don't change the subject. Why didn't you wait? Tell me."
"I forgot, ok. But we meet, don't we?"
Steve sighed. "You! Whatever let's go."
They walked toward the abandoned building—a structure damaged in a past conflict and never repaired.
Dust lingered in the air. Broken pillars cast long shadows.
Barry sat against one of the cracked supports. "So. Shall we begin?"
They told each other everything—how they got their powers, what they experienced.
When Barry finished listening to Steve's story, he shook his head. "That experiment… it was brutal. I can't believe you went through that and came back unchanged."
Steve crossed his arms. "Your lightning survival is just as mysterious. Almost dying and waking up with powers. There is something that doesn't add up in it."
Barry clenched his fist, faint sparks dancing across his knuckles.
"Whatever the reason… I finally have the power I always dreamed of. Now, I can become a hero."
Steve raised an eyebrow. "A hero, huh?"
"Don't you?"Barry asked.
"It's not that simple. If we're serious, we need training. We need to understand our limits. Our weaknesses."
Barry grinned.
"Then why don't we start now."
Electricity crackled around his arm as he launched forward.
"Wait—!" Steve shouted. "Barry, stop!"
Too late.
The first strike of their training began.