Prologue

Six years earlier…

It was dead silent. She lay on her bed with her pillow concealing her face. She held the telephone to her ear as she fought to find something…anything to say. The tears that ran down her cheeks were staining the covers on the bed. Her eyes burned, her throat closed and she felt herself begin to hyperventilate.

"Rae? You still there?" Terra's soft voice breaking the quiet caused Raven to jolt.

"Yeah…" It took a while before she could find her voice. And even when she did, her voice was quivering.

"I'm so sorry, Rae." Terra's voice was tender.

"How…" Her voice broke and she felt another stream of tears threatening her. After a few seconds, she gained enough stability to try again. "How…why?"

Raven was in complete disarray. Her mind was going mile a minute, and time seemed as though it was set on frame-by-frame. The ten year old had just come home to a world of pain. She was coming back from summer vacation in Japan with her aunt. She was so excited to share her newly created memories that were still fresh in her mind with her friends. The happiness and enthusiasm all ceased as she opened the door to her apartment that she shared with her father. Her mother had died while giving birth to her daughter. The moment she walked through the door she could smell it. A stench had taken over the house. Raven couldn't even breath it was so bad. Covering her mouth and nose with her sweatshirt's sleeve, she proceeded into the small apartment. She wondered through the compacted space until she came to the bathroom. There, her knees gave away and let up from under her. Her eyes watering, and her body grew limp. The overwhelming odor was decaying flesh. She curled into a ball and cried...cried at the bottom of her father's hanging body. He gently swayed back and forth with his head bowed over. He had hung himself from the shower curtain's bar.

Now, a week later, she lived with her other aunt and cousin. But she was still in a heap of hysteria. She called her best friend, Terra, everyday and just cried.

"I can't even imagine what you feel. But I'm here for you." Terra reassured her.

Raven did appreciate her. She appreciated everything she did. Terra always answered the phone even though she knew it was Raven on the other line and the conversation that followed would be nothing but silence or hysterical sobs.

"In fact, wait a sec…" There was silence as Terra left the phone to do something. Soon, Raven heard rustling and then Terra's voice again. "Come on over. I just asked my mom if it was okay, she said you could. Oh, and bring your over night stuff. You can sleep over."

"Thanks." It was all Raven could manage to say. Even then, it was barely audible.

A/N: Just so you know, this story will not be about Raven when she's ten. This is just the prologue; the next chapter will pick back up in the future when she is sixteen. Oh, and I know Raven wouldn't be crying on the phone to someone but she's ten and more vulnerable (remember how she acted in 'The End Part III?

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