I have a few author's notes before we begin.
1) This is the typical high school fic with my way of seeing it. Yeah, I'm gonna put this into actual experiences on me and my sister's part.
2) My main characters will be Raven (Rachel Roth), Jinx (Jennifer Mallory Hex), Cheshire (Jade Nguyen), Argent (Toni Moretti), Robin (Richard Grayson), Starfire (Kori Anders), Speedy (Mia Dearden), and Omen (Lillith Clay). Many of these are from the comics, and not just the Teen Titans comics. Not all will be introduced right away either and there will be others.
3) My additional characters will be introduced as the story progresses. The main ones that you should know are Kitten (Kitten Moth), Terra (Tara Markov), Bumble Bee (Karen Beecher), Kid Flash (Wally West), Blackfire (Connie Anders), Beast Boy (Garfield Logan), Arsenal (Roy Harper), Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Ravager (Rose Wilson), Wonder Girl (Donna Troy), and Isis (Adrianna Tomaz). I have nothing against the people who play my villains; I just think they'd be cool baddies.
4) This story was slow for a while but now I am ready to jump back into it. There will be some MAJOR changes to the story, to further aid plot development. I have a ton of ideas listed in my lovely blue, 200 page notebook. May the story live on.
5) Jump City is the place. It's classic. The city, in my opinion, has a bunch of rich neighborhoods to the north, the slums to the east, the shopping district to the west, and the suburbs to the south. In the center is the high school, a bunch of warehouses, an abandoned gas station, an apartment complex or two, some office buildings, and three churches. It's a pretty big city too, with interesting things in the middle and the shopping part of town. This story will focus on the center of town, the east, and the north. I'm sure, as schools traditionally host dances, that we shall make a trip to the west.
6) Keep in mind that this is a slowly progressive story. Sometimes it takes me a while to post chapters. Also, I may keep going back to change things, so, please, bear with me.
7) And, now, onto the actual story that I have updated and modified so many times that I have ink all over my hands and my fingers hurt. I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: Riiiight…if I owned Teen Titans then I'd have kept it on the air and not ruined it for the millions of people that watch it.
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If you traveled far enough into the city of Jump, you would likely find some interesting things. You may find that the police station is corrupt, or that teenagers have more control over the city than anyone knows. You may search for the caped crusaders or maybe the high school's underground pipes. You won't find them, just like you won't find anything that is meant to be hidden. In Jump City, California, interesting things, strange and scary things, were beginning to happen. Jump City High was about to be in the middle of a war, a war that most of the student body was unaware of, outside of the occasional newspaper story, or whisperings. This tale is about heroes. Isn't it always?
It all began on a bright, cheerful morning in August. Most people were still asleep at 4 a.m., but Rachel Roth was no ordinary girl. She enjoyed tea, silence, and the company of her best and only friend. She believed that she didn't need friends, and instead was enthralled in books, reading everything from Kafka to Tolstoy, with no issues understanding the vocabulary. She read all day, every day. Reading was the reason she was up so early in the morning, but why she was in the closet, maybe she didn't even know. She was deep into a heavy tome that she had switched for the Amy Tan book that she had discarded earlier. It is impossible to read with such little light. It must be at least four by now. Maybe I should have slept last night; first day of junior year and all. Rachel sighed mentally and closed her book. I should IM Jen and tell her to wait by the oak tree instead of the dogwood. She had learned from Jen last year that the "popular" crowd had begun to like the spot under the dogwood tree. She should steer clear from there for a while. Rachel opened her state-of-the-art laptop and keyed in her password for AOL.
DarkDemonGirl713 has signed in at 4:09:54 a.m.
DarkDemonGirl713: Jenny?
JinxQueen666: Hey Rae
DarkDemonGirl713: Please call me Rachel, Jennifer
JinxQueen666: Loosen up a bit, girly. Whaddya need me for?
DarkDemonGirl713: No dogwood tree today. Oak.
JinxQueen666: Cause of the pops?
DarkDemonGirl713: Yeah. Don't want a chance encounter with the lovely Tara Markov.
JinxQueen666: That's cool. Might be a bit late; Selinda won't get out of the shower.
DarkDemonGirl713: Aw, sisterly bonding. I might just puke.
JinxQueen666: Oh thanks =P
DarkDemonGirl713: See you at 7, then?
JinxQueen666: See ya then!
JinxQueen666: Wear something cute =D
DarkDemonGirl713: Jen…
JinxQueen666: Oh, and we're hanging with Jade Nguyen today, okay?
DarkDemonGirl713: She's fine. No Coliana Lamb, got it? She is way too hyper.
JinxQueen666: Okay, fine. See you at school Rae!
JinxQueen666 has signed out at 4:11:26 a.m.
DarkDemonGirl713: I'm going to kill you one of these days.
DarkDemonGirl713 has signed out at 4:11:54 a.m.
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At school, Rachel met up with Jen under the oak tree. Jennifer Mallory Hex was probably one of the prettiest girls at Jump City High School, and probably one of the smartest. No one cared. They only cared that her hair was blonde with pink swirls; she wore clothes from thrift stores that would look terrible on anyone else; and she hung out with that creepy Rachel Roth. Jen had been Rachel's best friend since 3rd grade. Generally, Rachel gave off the "don't get near me" vibe, but that day in art class, the new girl just plopped down next to Rachel, grabbed a pink crayon, and they had been best friends ever since. No one else talked to them that much. In their sophomore year, Jen had met a few girls including but not limited to: Jade Nguyen, Coliana Lamb, Toni Monetti, and Mia Dearden. Rachel never enjoyed Coliana's presence that much, but Jade and Toni seemed nice enough. She wasn't so sure about Mia though.
Finally, Jen! God, when she said she was going to be late, I didn't think three minutes before bell! I better have some classes with her this year.
"Hey Rachel," said Jen, "What's shakin'?"
"I'm really tired. I was up all night reading the Joy Luck Club, and then I started reading the Book of Obfirmo Sursum Affectus." Rachel replied, eyeing the old dogwood tree.
"Are you ever gonna tell me what that funky Latin gibberish means?"
"No."
Jen sighed. "Stop looking over there."
Rachel looked at her, eyebrow quirked. "Looking where, friend of mine?"
"Over at those lame girls and their posse." Jen said in exasperation.
Rachel was spared a response by the morning bell ringing. She looked one last time over at the tree before running up the steps with Jen.
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"Yes! Lunch! Finally! God, I'm starved. Let's eat outside, too." Jen said, rapidly. Rachel barely had time to register the fact that Jen had run off before she had a gently tap on the shoulder. She turned and saw Jade Nguyen and Toni Moretti standing behind her, the former being the tapper. Rachel looked at them, waiting for conversation.
"Right, um, hey Rachel. Jennifer said that we're to sit with you guys today, seeing as it is the first day of school and all," Jade said, while Toni began laughing.
"Hey guys!" Jen had turned up behind Rachel, balancing four sodas on an already heaping tray. "Let's go outside." Jen began slowly walking outside, trying to keep the sodas balanced. A few people laughed. Tara Markov glared.
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The history between Tara Markov and Rachel Roth is impossible to explain. They completely loathe each other, and they are the only two to know why. Rachel told Jen that they had issues from the past. Tara told her friends that Rachel had done something to her once, but given no details. Once upon a time, Rachel Roth and Tara Markov had been the best of friends. They did everything together. Barbies, hide and go seek, climbing trees; they did everything with each other. Sadly, one day, a girl named Connie tore them apart. Connie had told Tara that Rachel had taken embarrassing photos and posted them in the boy's bathroom. Tara was mortified. She checked the boy's bathroom and there they were. Of course, Rachel would never do such a thing, seeing it as below herself. Tara immediately believed Connie, stopped talking to Rachel, and became everything she knew Rachel was not. When their friendship was broken, it was only 2nd grade. They were innocent children. Thankfully Jennifer Hex came along or who knows how long Rachel Roth would have been in solitude.
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Rachel was miffed. Yes, miffed. She had been dragged out into the heat to sit with people she barely knows. Jen kept the conversation going and Rachel was actually beginning to have a good time. Near the end of lunch, they exchanged emails and promised to IM each other that very night. Rachel sighed.
Well, I'm glad that's over. Rachel
Rachel sighed yet again. She still had AP Chemistry, Drawing and Painting I, and American History to go. Good thing she had Chem with Jen. She knew that Tara and Kitten were both in her last period. Well, at least they're not in every class. Plus, they probably won't bother me. I'll just read.
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Rachel Roth did not read very much in that first American History Class. What she did was copy notes, draw, do a worksheet, get mocked, and get laughed at. She ignored everything. RING!
The bell rang and everyone rushed out of the room. Rachel walked slowly to her locker, wanting to yell at anyone who looked at her. When she finally met up with Jen, Jen knew something was up.
"You're walking like the dead, you didn't say anything when I mentioned Homecoming, and there is less emotion on your face than there usually is. What's up?"
"I'm fine. Am Hist was just amazingly boring. I have Tara and Kitten in there. I'm good."
"Ooooookkkkkkkaaaaaayyyyyy." Said Jen slowly, smiling all the while. They made a turn north and then a left.
"See ya later, Rach. Get that Calc done!" Jen called as she walked up her driveway. Rachel nodded, took a right at the stop sign, and stopped. I can barely think. I need some tea. She began walking again and then remembered that there was none of her favorite tea left at home right now, and that's what she needed. She went back a ways and went to the east, where she knew the closest mart to be. She knew she was in the slums, but she knew judo and was ready to protect herself.
She turned at a sudden noise. She saw a beefy man beating a woman who was obviously much younger than him in the alleyway. She stared for a moment, recognizing the girl as Lilith Clay, a girl in her AP ELC and American History classes. Lilith was bleeding a lot; from the nose, the lip and the thighs. The thighs! Rachel ran towards the man, not thinking. She made a quick jab at his neck with her index and middle finger and he was down. She kicked him aside with her foot and reached down.
"Lilith! Are you okay?"
The girl stood shakily, grasping at Rachel and the wall. "I'm okay, a little shaken, but okay. That was…amazing."
"The blood on your thighs?" Rachel asked cautiously, not responding to the compliment.
"Scraped on the wall. I thought I was going to be raped, Rachel!" Lilith broke down, sobbing into Rachel's shoulder. Rachel was shocked for a moment, not used to emotions all over the place and hugging, but she allowed it because the girl was in such distress. She even patted her on the back a bit.
"I'm sorry about this, Lilith. Here, walk with me, I'll get you to your home."
So, leaning on Rachel, the girl pointed out where she lived. Rachel helped her hobble there, but before she sat her down, looked at her ankle, and pronounced it broken. "You need to get a cast on that, okay?"
"Okay. Thanks a lot for getting me home Rachel. A lot of people told me you were a mean bitch, but I don't think that. Especially now. Thanks." And with that, Lilith hobbled off to her front door.
As Rachel watched her go she wondered how many women were getting raped, right now. It was darker out, probably about 5:00. She should get home. I knew that Jump had a really high crime rate, but this is terrible.
When she got home she went up the large front stairs, took a left, walked down a very long hallway and opened the door at the very end of the hall. It was a very foreboding door, made of heavy walnut. The floors of Rachel's room were walnut also, but she had a large black rug laid out on the floor. Everything in her room was either black or purple. The only thing she had that wasn't was a beautiful, ornately done hand mirror, given to her by her mother, who had passed away. Rachel stared at herself in the mirror. Short cropped black hair, actually amethyst eyes, pale skin. She knew that many people found her pretty, but all she saw was her mother, weak before she died. She knew who killed her, and she hated him.
Suddenly, Rachel ripped open a drawer of her dresser and shoved the mirror inside. She hated looking like the mother that she had loved so much, that she had lost so early. She sighed and sat down at her computer, logging into AOL and her IM.
DarkDemonGirl713 has signed on at 5:54:35 p.m.
JinxQueen666: Hey Rach. You were s'posed to be on an hour ago. What's up?
DarkDemonGirl713: Went to go buy tea, saw Lilith Clay about to be raped or brutally murdered, knocked man out with pressure point jabs, and helped Lilith get home.
JinxQueen666: Srsly? That's like whoa! We should have her sit with us at lunch tomorrow.
JinxQueen666: Speaking of lunch, how much would you mind if Jade and Toni joined us from now on?
DarkDemonGirl713: I'll live, but we need to stop adding people or we'll need a whole table.
JinxQueen666: So true.
CheshireCatGrin has signed on at 5:56:11
CheshireCatGrin: Hey Jen, hey Rachel
JinxQueen666: She said yessssssss
CheshireCatGrin: Woot! Hang on; I'm calling Toni to tell her to get online.
xxMorettiJewelxx has signed on at 5:59:58
xxMorettiJewlxx: Hola girlies
DarkDemonGirl713: I said yes.
xxMorettiJewelxx: Yeahhhhhh babayyyyy. Thanks. Had fun today.
JinxQueen666: Gotta go. Menstrual unit is making me wash dishes XP
CheshireCatGrin: Same, but it's my bedroom. See ya
DarkDemonGirl713: Bye.
xxMorettiJewelxx: Adios, chica. Gosh, I'm on a Spanish kick. I'm gonna go too. Lots of homework for Law Studies. Ugh.
DarkDemonGirl713: See you guys.
DarkDemonGirl713 has signed out at 6:02:03
JinxQueen666 has signed out at 6:02:05
CheshireCatGrin signed out at 6:02: 08
xxMorettiJewelxx signed out at 6:02:13
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That's the rewrite for Something's Different. You'll see what happens. Four chapters are written on paper, thanks to my abysmally boring American Government class. Coach Martin gives me time to write.
Just a few things to say:
Obfirmo Sursum Affectus – that's Latin for "locking up emotions". Sadly, Jen doesn't know that…yet.
Early on in this chapter, I wrote that Selinda won't get out of the shower at Jen's house. Well, Selinda is actually a comic book character called Shimmer. She's Mammoth's sister who is killed but brought back to life. She has the power to change, say, sand, into fire. But only for three minutes, ish.
All of the classes are based off of the Courses section on my school's website. We are an IB, AP, Honors, Dual Enrollment school, so we pretty fly, haha.
REVIEW!!!!
With all of my love, Titangirl797