Chapter 1
School Starts
My name is Terra Markov and my life has been a complete lie... I've given myself a new life... New friends... A semi-new family...
I walked through the hallways of Murakami High School... It's the only place I feel free... Free from all the lies... Free to be... normal, anything I want to be. I secretly, hated it... What am I doing with my life?
I shut my locker, walked down the hallways to meet my friends... Chelsea and Albetta. I looked at their faces...
They were different from the Teen Titans... A little... too different. It'd be too weird if I left them for the Titans, again. If I left them for Beastboy...
I clutched my books to my chest... My head sank... My heart cried...
I miss Beast Boy... His green face, his comedic words... but, I can't go back... I don't want to re-live the pain, I've gone through to get this far...
I choked all over my words, "Uh, so that History Project we gotta do!"
I'm glad, everyone in this school thought I was shy... If they didn't think that, I'd be sent to the Guidance Counselor, again... I hated, lying to her... I never knew what to say...
Chelsea looked at me, her flaming hair, glinting off the fluorescent lights, as she smiled... Her smile was almost little too bright... Too... Happy... Too perfect... "Yes! The Project!" She reminded me of Starfire a little, too much... "I haven't started it, yet!"
Her voice was always so giddy... It reminded me of when Starfire hugged me, too tight...
I was at the Titans' tower...
Starfire and Beast Boy were running over to me, filled with glee. I remember how Starfire and Beast Boy were fighting over, who should talk to me, first, because I just returned, from being gone for so long...
What I remember most, of that day, was Starfire hugged me, a little to tight... I choked... She was squeezing me so tight, I COULDN'T BREATHE! I didn't know, I was loved, so much...
I wanted to grab her attention, I truly did, but I couldn't get enough air out of my lung, to speak... I couldn't make a single sentence...
I miss that tower... The big lit up T! That beautiful place, I never wanted to leave... It was my home... It wasn't until, they found out my sick, secret...
My secret was Slade... He came into my life, when we were at the crime scene. He told me, everything will be okay... He said, he could help transform me from a piece of dirt, into a rare gem... He was like a father to me... The only thing that made him different, from your average, loving father, was this: He ripped me away from my friends -made Beast Boy, turn against me... He made everyone, I thought I knew, turn against me!
I learned to hate the Titans, all on my own... It wasn't a lie, when I said; "I have absolutely No Regrets..." I regretted nothing, but, now... I regret everything I did... I made the whole world, bow down to me... and it was all, for the sake of being normal...
My whole life, no ones understood me, until Beast Boy came along... He made me feel safe -like I wasn't a misfit, anymore, because he's a misfit too.. He has green skin...
One day, he told me, when he was very young, he had a rare illness... It was called, Sakutia... Then, he was experimented on, by his own parents...
They gave him an un-tested medication, that saved his life... little did his parents know, that it had side-effects... It turned his skin green, his hair an even darker green... It gave him the ability to transform into any given animal...
He told me, it was something he'd regret, at time... He told me, that, he always wondered what life would be like, if that never happened... If he refused that medication... If he just let himself die, as the days, passed...
It wasn't until, he said: "Slade was right... You don't have any friends..." I hated him. I wanted to kill him... So, I buried him it the dirt... I grounded everyone -all my friends- into the dirt, where they belonged... They didn't know me, anymore... They never knew me... I hate the Titans!
My eyes wandered to the floor... A tear stung my eye...
Albetta looked at me, "Hey, Sorya!" Her eyes were soft and caring... "Are you okay?"
She was African American -Just like Cyborg... She was also a happy-go-lucky, Stereotype... At least, that's what I've heard in the hallways... I thought that fact would give me Clarity... I thought, it wouldn't make me miss the Titans, so much... "Do you what to see the Guidance Counselor, again?"
I gave her a slight glare... No, I do not want to see the Guidance Counselor! I forgot to say it out loud...
I hate, when I forget to say things, out loud...
When I broke out, from being a stone, I felt funny.. dizzy... My head felt light, as a feather... Was I going into an anxiety attack?
I walked out of Slade's lair, filled with questions... Thoughts of my death -about saving the world- were still squirming around my head...
If I never stayed there, the city around Slade's lair, could've burned down... Just like Pompei... If I let it go, half the city, would have been destroyed...
I walked around town... Everyone was being animated from a stone to human... How did this happen? I didn't do that, did I? I mean, I could have...
I walked over to any random guy -a complete stranger. "Hey! What... happened?"
He looked at me, with his electrifying blue eyes... His hair, as dark as night... "Um... The end came,"
He gave me a reassuring smile and looked as carefree as Robin... Or Beast Boy... I could tell, he was hiding something... but, maybe he's just shy -Nervous or something... he was acting, rather sheepish...
I rose an eyebrow, "The end?" He rolled his eyes and began to walk away... I tried to keep up with his pace... His legs were slightly long and it was hard to keep up! "The end of what?"
His eyes twinkled under the sky, that was changing from a dark red to a bright, sky blue. His eyes and eyebrows took on a dark, evil look, "Look, I can't spend, too much time here!"
He was obviously getting annoyed, with me... "I just want to know, about, 'The End'..." He walked about ten paces in front of me... I ran up to him, again and gave him a smile, "If you tell me, I'll get out of your hair!"
The boy, turned around to face me. "Really?"
"Yeah, I'll leave you alone..."
I eyed the school uniform, he was wearing. He looked rich -he was so well-groomed. Maybe he goes to that private school, down the street. He sighed, "The end of the world... Where have you been?" He rose an eyebrow, "Under a rock?"
His features stood out more -like a sculpted statue, made, from stone... Or clay... I couldn't tell him, I was actually stone, that entire time... It'd be too weird... Yeah, I was was stone, even before you, turned to stone... "It's complicated..."
"Hm..." He looked at me, for about three seconds, then, continued... He waved his hand in the air, as if, to wave me away... Was he nervous, or just, in a hurry? "You know, what? I gotta go."
I noted the small box in his hand... It looked to be a suit-case. I smirked, "You look like you're going to work at a business complex!"
He turned around, "I gotta go to school! I can't be late, just because I'm talk to a stupid girl, like you!"
He ran off. I squished my eyebrows together, "I'm not stupid... I was a Teen Titans Girl..." I crossed my arms... "I... hate rich people..."
I shook my head and ran off into the town I used to know and love... I'm not gonna let a filthy rich kid, get the best of me.