A/N: Hey guys! First off, I'm so sorry that it took me this long to do something with this story. Second, I'm deleting the other chapters and starting fresh. I consulted one of my loyal readers and asked him/her if they thought I should rewrite it, plus I wasn't getting anywhere with the way it was originally going. Sorry again.
Disclaimer: I own all four of Carrie Underwood's CD's, and one of Kelly Clarkson's, Taylor Swift's, and The Band Perry's (which I'm listening to right now), but I still don't own Teen Titans.
I looked around the room, making sure I had everything I needed. Spell books? Check. Food and water? Check. First Aid Kit? Check. Clean Underwear? Check.
When I'd first moved to Earth four years ago I never thought I would run away from home. But now I am. I poked my head through door, looking down both ends of the hallway to make sure no one was up. Of course not - it was about one forty-five in the morning. But my sister, Yvonne, was just dumped by her boyfriend of two weeks, and well, she had a tendency to get up in the middle of the night and start screaming his name for no damn reason. It was really annoying, especially since I barely got enough sleep as it is (insomnia and nightmares do NOT mix).
I slid the door quietly shut and crept over to my bed, sitting down for a brief moment to pull on my boots. Good, sturdy boots normally for hiking, and comfortable for long-distance walking. I put the note I had made last night on the desk.
Let's get out of this town tonight. Nothin' but dust in the shadows. Gone by morning light. Somewhere we won't ever get caught, ever be found. Baby, let's just get out of this town. Sick and tired of being bullied and treated like a servant by my own family - well, I'm not your burden anymore. Long gone, baby.
Calypso
It was not like I'd be missed anyway. My folks could care less if I was gone or not.. I picked up a duffel bag and a backpack - the only things I'd need after tonight - and walked over to the window, which was open and waiting. This was it. It was now or never. I tossed the bags out, pulled up the hood of my sweatshirt, then swung my legs over the windowsill and jumped out, landing squarely on my feet. I shut the window again, then picked up my bags and signed myself with the Triple Goddess.
"Nyx, please protect and guide me on my journey," I prayed, looking skywards. "But most of all, please, please, please, help me find a new home, for the building I stand before is not my home anymore. Blessed be." One last glance at what used to be my bedroom and I walked off, between the house and the fence until I got to the sidewalk.
Maxwell, California is a very small town, the population of roughly one thousand, four hundred, seventeen - now sixteen - people. This one-stoplight town is more of an extension of Jump City than an actual town itself, separated only by a wall of forest, surrounding the entire city. Many of Maxwell's citizens - including my father and step-mother - work there. Jump City is also the proud home of the Teen Titans. It was also where I was headed.
Aside from cutting through backyards, climbing fences, and in one case having to hide inside a kid's playhouse when someone came outside to smoke a cigarette, it was fairly easy getting to the city limits. Now came the hard part. You see, the forest between Maxwell and Jump City is twelve miles long. I shifted the duffel and retied my shoelaces, making they were tight and to double-knot them, then once again started walking.
The forest was creepy, even walking along the side of the road where there were streetlamps spread out every ten to fifteen feet. Before I thought the forest was cool, riding in the car, especially at night. Now I found myself fisting my hands at my sides, ready to use my powers if confronted by danger. Same place, different scenarios - it was kinda funny in an ironical way.
After quite some time, I stopped under a streetlight to take a breath and figure out how far I was. From what I read on the internet the day before, it usually takes about eight to ten minutes to walk a mile. I looked at my watch; it was nearing 2:00 a.m. when I reached city limits and it was about 2:29 right now, so I had walked roughly three miles. Not bad.
I took a minute to rest before starting again. Three miles wasn't bad progress, but there was still another nine miles ahead of me, and I wanted to try and make it there before the sun rises. I walked past another three streetlights when the sound of a distant engine behind me made me jump. A circle of light appeared on the road - small and dim at first but slowly becoming bigger and brighter - and I turned around to see a guy slightly older than me on a motorcycle. Clenching my fists, I walked at a faster pace, the words to summon my powers swirling around in my head as I hoped like hell that the guy would ignore me and speed past.
Sadly, my hopes rarely (if ever) come true. As he grew closer, the boy slowed his bike - which I vaguely noted was a Harley - and lifted the shield of his helmet.
"What are you doing out here this late?" The boy asked.
I ignored him and kept walking,
He waited a minute before repeating, "What are you doing out here?"
I gritted my teeth and trudged on.
"Are you deaf?" He asked with a harsh laugh. "I said what the hell are you doing out here this late?"
I ignored him some more, but he was persistant. Finally after what felt like hours of non-stop persistance, I turned around so fast he almost didn't stop in time and snapped, "What the hell does it look like I'm doing? I'm walking. And yes, it's late for me to be out here, but how old are you? Sixteen? Seems to me that it's late for you too, so leave me the hell alone!" With that, I spun on my heel and stomped off. He wasn't letting me off with that, however.
"Are you from Maxwell?" He asked. "Wait, stupid question. Of course, you from Maxwell. How old are you?" Now that he stopped asking what I was doing out this late, it seemed that he was now trying to pick me up.
"Oh for the love of Nyx!" I yelled loud enough for it to bounce off the streetlights and trees, creating an echo effect that at any other time I'd think was cool. Now? I barely noticed it as I went off on the boy, who just wouldn't take a hint. "Are you deaf? I said leave me the hell alone! Take a hint, stop harassing me, and go away! Damn, it's not that hard!" Before I could start running though, he grabbed my arm, causing me to trip over my boots and face-plant on the pavement, winced as my nose scraped against ground and something trickled out. I put my free hand to my nose and pulled it back so I could see it. It was red. The bastard gave me a nosebleed.
"What the fuck do you want, you son of a bitch?!" Okay, I was pissed. Normally, words such as 'fuck' and 'bitc'h were unnatural coming from my mouth, except when I was mad. And this guy will wish he hadn't set me off. "You gave me a nosebleed!"
"You didn't answer my question." Was the reply. Seriously? That idiot's gonna pay for grabbing my arm and tripping me over something as stupid as I didn't answer his question.
Okay, so maybe - repeat, maybe - he didn't deserve what I did next, but I didn't stop to think about. When he grabbed my arm he apparently put the kickstand out on his Harley, got off the bike, and knelt next to my back. Bad idea. Before he knew what was going on, I rolled onto my other side - feeling a twinge of pain at the unnatural position it put my other arm in - and kicked him. Hard. He swore and grabbed the place where I'd somehow managed to hit, (his groin) letting go of my arm in the process. I jumped up and took off running, hearing his footfalls behind me a minute later as he chased after me, seeming to have recovered awfully fast from me kicking him in his 'special spot.'
"Hey! Hey!" He yelled. I was a fairly good runner, better than most in my P.E class, but his footsteps were quickly closing the distance between us. I was a fairly good runner, but there was no way I could possibly outrun him.
"Then don't run," A voice in my head told me. "You've powers, duh. Use them, moron." I looked back for a moment - and shrieked. He was right there, arms length from me. A sick grin twisted the corners of his mouth up as he reached for me. Without thinking, I reached back and let my wrist brush his. A small jolt of electricity ran from my body to his. It hit him like brick wall, causing him to stumble, then face-plant like I had. I skidded to a stop and turned around. He was unconscious. Even though I knew for a fact that I'd only used about as much electricity as a Taser, I bent down next to him and checked his pulse. He was gonna be fine.
I glanced at his helmet, then at his Harley, which I'd momentarily forgotten. The wheels started rolling in my head. Walking would take a lot of energy out of me and it'd be possibly around five o'clock by the time I reached Jump. I could fly, but flying often takes a lot of concetration and energy, especially since I'd just recently learned that I could. Grand theft auto was a bad crime and I could end up in juvenile if caught. But then again, it'd be quicker, getting me to Jump City in a few minutes as opposed to a few hours and I knew how to drive one from being taught. All I really needed it for was to get through the woods quicker, and then I could quickly dispose of it.
The decision was rather easy. After dragging the man off the road and onto the pavement, I took his helmet and dashed over to the motorcycle. I looked at the unconscious male once more before sliding on the helmet and jumping on the bike, causing the windshield of the helmet fell down by itself. Amazingly, the loud sound of the engine being started up didn't wake him. I revved it once just for fun, then hit the gas and took off.
A/N: Okay, this has to be the longest chapter I've ever written. Also, instead of using a whole song this time, I quoted the chorus of one in the note. See if you can what song I used and who sung it! (Hint: it's from one of the CD's I own).