It was night. It was raining and dark. Lightning flashed against the sky, and thunder boomed from the clouds. The wind howled a lonely hymn outside, rattling windows and churning the waves.
Cyborg and Beast Boy were in the TV room, playing video games. Their fingers jabbed excitedly against the controls, each one trying to set the new high score. Starfire was watching Cyborg and Beast Boy, cheering even though she had no clue what was going on. Robin was downstairs, practicing his martial arts. Raven was nowhere to be seen, presumably in her room meditating.
There was a resounding knock on the door. All the alarms in the Tower went off. Everyone jumped, startled. Stunned silence and then ---no, wait for it--- a mad dash to the front door. Because he was closest, Beast Boy got there first and opened the door. The others screeched to a halt behind him.
Five left eyebrows shot up. A figure, barely visible against the black background of night and rain, moved forward towards the heat and light. It was a girl. Or a woman. The rain made it hard to tell just how old she was, but she could have been anywhere from the age of 16 to 25 if she wanted to.
"My name is Wren, and it is very cold and wet out here. Can I come in?" the rainy female asked.
"I won't tell you where I'm from, only that I ran away. I am 17. It was time for me to go," said Wren, pulling the thick blanket tighter around herself.
Her clothes were very ragged, with just enough thread left on them to make them discernable as clothes. What had once been blue jeans hung loosely around her waist and legs. The old tatters of a flannel shirt and a man's muscle shirt kept her top covered. Her hair was extremely long, down past her hips, and it hadn't been brushed in some time, for their were knots the size of eggs in it. She wore taped and scratched eyeglasses over her amazing bright green eyes. The only thing on her feet had been a cheap pair of flip-flops. But she still had an unusual prettiness to her, even in rags like these.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about your past, most of us here prefer to keep that a secret. But we need to know why you are here," said Robin. The girl smirked, as if she had known exactly what he was thinking.
"You are alwaysthe one to ask those questions before anyone else gets the chance. I will tell you, though. It is because I have nowhere else to go." Wren tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I have no desire to be a Titan, because I have no extraordinary qualities. I will tell you what I do have: I have a small knowledge of magic, but it is limited--" she looked at Raven, who did not look away "—and I have an interest in technology--" she turned to Cyborg. A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. "I love animals, and the color green--" Beast Boy stuck out his chest "And I am strong." Her gaze rested on Robin. Then she turned and looked at Starfire. "But I can't throw green flames. I can't shape shift. I don't know any way to fight except by tooth and nail." She looked down at her hands.
"I only want to stay here for a while. I promise not to get in anyone's way. I can cook, and I'll help clean up. All I need is somewhere to stay and get my act together, then I can move on," she concluded, and gave one last glance around the room, looking into everybody's eyes.
"We'll need to think about it. You can stay here tonight at least, and we'll decide tomorrow. For now, I think we should all get some rest," said Robin, and everyone got up to get to bed.
"I shall get you some more blankets, and you may sleep in my room," said Starfire, smiling excitedly. She grabbed Wren's hand. "Oh, it will be glorious! We shall stay up late, and tell scary stories, and talk about boys!" Wren followed her, head bowed and a little smile on her mouth.
"I don't know, Robin. At least she was honest when she said she didn't have any special talents, but how do we know that she's not in trouble for a good reason? What if she broke the law and hoped we would hide her?" said Cyborg.
"I don't know either, Cyborg. But we'll see how she is tomorrow. Who knows, maybe she can be useful around the Tower. It might be nice to have someone new around, ya know?" Robin scratched his head and went down the hall to his room. Cyborg sighed and did the same. Beast Boy had his ears pressed up against Starfire's door, trying to hear what she and Wren might be talking about. Raven merely went to bed, saying and doing nothing about the new girl in the Tower.
