Author: Since this is a site is to improve a writer's skill (if you can even call me that) Critiques would be greatly appreciated. What can I do to improve? I would assume there's much to improve on. Thank you for taking the time to read, and hopefully review.
Chapter 1: Betrayal
"You were the best friend I ever had" apparently she scoffed inwardly
"Terra, no…"
"I'm the only one who can stop it" and I don't really care what happens to me now anyway. Nothing makes sense; at least staying around here definitely doesn't…
"Terra it's too late!"
"It's never to late remember?" She forced a smile. At least it's not for the city, but it is much too late for me.
Terra let out a guttural yell a yellow glow surrounding her.
I'm going to ruin everything he worked for; I'm going to stop this.
Terra stood breathing hard exhausted.
Tears streamed down her face.
"No…I'm not going to cry! You can't make me cry. Not anymore." she stood defiant, fist to elbow she pulled the lava back down around back to the belly of the volcano.
She didn't expect the second…it surrounded her but the yellow energy produced a barrier protecting her from the sweltering degrees of the lava.
The yellow glow seemed to protect her from being burned alive but couldn't stop it from turning her into a monument. Before she was completely stone she raised her hands. The volcano stopped.
Chapter 2: At Mind
Terra stood or existed in a seemingly bottomless pit A blinding light was somehow shining above her. Blinking under the beaming light, realizing she was in her traveling clothes that she had worn since she had been banished from Markovia or rather since she had destroyed it. She tried to pierce her ebony surroundings her cerulean eyes wide. The pure darkness surrounding her was almost suffocating; with uncertainty she ventured to break the unreal silence that seemed to blanket over this place…where ever this 'place' is.
"H-hello is anyone there? Her voice echoed in the 'abyss'
"Of course there is, I am always here"
She turned around, nonplussed, recognizing the voice in a heartbeat
"No not you"
"Oh, but it is. Surprised? You shouldn't be"
He seemed to materialize right before her eyes, she couldn't tell if he was angry the mask saw to that.
"No, I killed you" she glared backing up, motioning to use her powers
"You'll find your powers, quite useless here"
She stared at him skeptical
"Where is here?" She asked"Well, that would ruin everything" he replied cryptically
"I hate you" she half whispered choking out the words like vile."Why would you say that, my dear apprentice?"
Looking up surprisingly then dredging up the courage she didn't feel, pointing at him accusingly
"I hate you because…when I came back you were no better than—you had promised to keep care of me, you beat me simply because-"
"You failed, if you would have done as you were told to in the first place you wouldn't be in this situation at all. Don't brand me as the result of your fate. Even I have a limit to my patience, Terra"
My fate? What…why is he always…how does he do this!
Terra covered her ears
"Shut up!" she said angrily backing away from him—
Only to find out the 'ground' here wasn't to be depended on, she fell through the black. Arms flailing but only grasping air.
Slade looked down calmly.
"I could have warned you…"
"Ahhh…!"
Falling at an unreal speed that even if she could; her powers would be of no use.
She yelped landing hard on a cold metal floor. Slowly she began standing up rubbing her head painfully. She was quick to realize she wasn't in her traveling clothes anymore instead she was garbed in her Titan tank top and knee length yellow shorts.
The black void was replaced with a familiar setting, Terra examined her surrounding incredulously. The soft glow of the monitors played on her face monitors displaying the Titans semantics
She turned at the sound of clinking metal a barely visible staircase that Terra undoubtedly recognized. Slade was walking deliberately down them stopping at the bottom step to look at her
"You could have taken the stairs…"
Terra stared mouth agape speechless.
She followed his striding form, now standing, his back to her studying the monitors
He looked over his shoulder eyeing her.
"Good times" he said it almost as if it was a boring, but good joke
"When I was with the Titans" Terra recited to her self
"No, when you were with me" Slade corrected Terra directed her gaze sharply on Slade
"All you ever did was lie to me" she said furiously fists clenching at her sides
Slade shrugged.
"Perhaps, I pawned and manipulated my dear Terra, but I never lied"
"Is there a difference?"
"There is a considerable difference, my dear…"
"You see everything I told you was true. You know that I gave you what you wanted"
"You betrayed me"
"No, you betrayed me by…failing--miserably I might add simply because of you and your infatuation"
Chapter 3: Failure Comes in Different FormsHe seemed to turn to smoke Terra turned searching-suddenly the familiar semblance of jagged molten rock appeared. No longer in her titans uniform instead it was replaced with the suit Slade had given her.
The one that had branded her his property permanently claiming her as his. She once again could feel it's cold metal on her skin, it's power. At the time it had been comforting to belong to him he had made her feel safe. He also gave her the assurance of vindication on Beast Boy who had rejected her in her one time of need. It had been his fault and he had plastered her with guilt, labeling her as the only one in the wrong. This one above all the others felt more real to her; she looked down at her self-her mind reeling
This couldn't be real this can't be reality. It just can't. But the suit, I can feel it just like before…I can feel everything, but it can't be real…
Slade suddenly from behind her in the corner of the dark lair took a sharp intake of breath"Brings back memories doesn't it?"
She looked up turning sharply at his now visible form surveying the caverns "Not any good ones" She growled"None?"
"Shut up"
"You don't speak to me that way" His tones were clipped with anger
"I killed you"
"What a ridiculous thing to say…" he said calmly with a certain humorous tone.
"As you can see I'm very much alive" he finished
Terra's sense of déjà vu was almost overwhelming he stopped in front of her ruffly as if to call her to attention
"I wish you weren't," she said angrily
"You're wrong Terra because I know your secret, you wouldn't wish me dead knowing what I am…would you?"Terra took a moment looking up at him her eyes filled with the undeniable sense of confusion
"What, what are you talking about?"
Clasping his hands behind his back casually
"You know what I'm talking about"
Terra shook her head backing away from him hitting the volcanic rock wall. Memories began to form back in to her mind as if they had been locked away suddenly became real
"No, you don't know" she said with sudden conviction.
"No matter how many times you say that youcan'tmake it true my dear, dear apprentice"
"You can't know…i-it's not possible" she whispered harshly
"I'm afraid it is"
"How could you know?" she choked it was like a horrible nightmare that played over and over in you head endlessly torturing.
"I know everything about you Terra I always have, and always will you can't hide from me, and you know that. Don't you?"
"Stop it you-you can't …you just can't!" she feel to her knees desperately holding her head forcing back tears.
"I do and you know I'll find a way to make you suffer for it here in you mind or in reality if it comes to it, which I doubt will ever come to pass"
"My mind…" realization hit her like a ton of bricks. Slade was dead she had killed him. Everything flooded her mind undoubtedly an odd sensation. She was dreaming, but why it was so realistic is a science beyond Terra.
"Why of course…silly girl" Slade turned away walking to the jagged outlines looking at them in admiration, then turning back to Terra. She was just now noticing how unanimated her surroundings where
How unreal they are
"I give you too much credit I assumed you already knew…"
"Quite foolish of me…"
She stood up shakily
"You're not real—none of this is real." I have to get out of here, but how?
Walking quickly away into the darkness stopping as Slade appears in front of her
"Oh but that's quite impossible" he said mere inches from her face
She could smell the metallic tint from his mask
"Get away from me!" Terra stood quickly the room began to shake
Slade looked up at the rocks falling from the ceiling.
"Losing control Terra? Of course you are."
He said my powers wouldn't work!"I can't take this anymore, its not real, it's not…" glass seemed to form in her throat
"Maybe not, but you're never waking up and I'll be here forever and so will you, I'll make sure of it" He said viciously grabbing her shoulders
"NO! I'm leaving this I'm…" Terra growled shaking his hands off her.
He seemed to chuckle
"You're actually waking up. Impressive but it's doubtful you'll find it any less sufferable than here, Terra"
Your wrong, because in the real world you dead..
It was an odd sensation like she was waking up in slow motion Slade's voice was distant almost a whisper, but she could still hear his last words.
"I'll be waiting" Chapter 4: Waking up to RealityThe statue of Terra's stone eyes cracked the particles of rock seeming to 'pop' off the statue. Glowing fissures begin to form along the trail of tears under her eyes then continuing around her skull. It follows down her breasts then her stomach tracing down her thigh cracking loudly. Forking off until the statue resembles that of a puzzle. The yellow glow throbs pieces of rock crumpling off the monument all simultaneously burst in a blinding flash of light. The base crumbles the plaque reading 'A Teen Titan a True Friend' turns to dust. Revealing Terra's ragged form bowled over. Hair obscuring her face
Her ragged form hardly the image of the once proud Titan or the evil vindictive apprentice of Slade himself. As her almost perfectly preserved suit portrays.
She slowly attempts to stand up awkwardly her toes pointing in. She fails falling back on her knees her landing creating a plume of dust of what once was her prison made of stone.
She coughs
Reaching a shaking hand to brush the hair from her face revealing dark circles under her blue eyes.
"I'm awake. You were wrong, Slade" she rasped
Somehow she manages to crawl her way out of the over hang her statue once resided peacefully under. She falls on her knees awkwardly wincing at contact she almost curses realizing she was somewhat thankful for the remaining bandages on her suit. She looks up at the overcast sky the smell of mud filling her nostrils she examines the dripping trees
I'm the luckiest girl in the world she thinks sarcasticallyShe struggles stumbling on unused legs, painfully.
Looking at her hands still gloved in their dark blue attire. Her face twisting in disgusts she rips the gloves of savagely.
Tossing them ungracefully to into a nearby undergrowth. Her little act of rebellion only causing her to lose her balance she falls sideways flinching as her bare hands make contact with cold stone her left hand managing to find a sharp rock begins to bleed. She struggles crawling unwary of the grounds unstable condition the ledge she fell on slick with mud begins to crack. Terra not being near her physical peak
Falls.
She cries out falling a good five-foot she lands face down.
She spits up a mixture of dirt a blood. A trickle of blood runs from her swollen noes.
"He said he make me suffer…" she laughed
It begins to drizzle
She looks up at the sky.
"…Bastard" she chokes a sick smile forming on her delicate, and from sun-deprivation pale features.
She feels her heart rate slow a fleeting feeling of weightlessness she blacks out. Her body goes limp.
Terra stood waiting, waiting for the hit
Turning as she heard the voice behind her in the darkness….
"You know what your problem is, Terra? You think to much, you think to much about your opponents strengths it clouds your judgment makes you…"
Terra feels a metal staff strike her legs tripping her
"Oomph!"
"Fail!" Slade stood angrily above her pointing the staff at her chin
"And you know that your mission, your duty to me leaves no room for failure concentrate on your opponent weaknesses your strengths only then will you have a ghost of a chance at success"
"I know, but why can't I just use my powers?"
"You can't fully rely on them—It's all about circumstance Terra"
"Are we done?"
He seemed to consider this standing up straight retracting the bo staff placing it in his belt.
"We're not done until I say we are done. You need to learn. No matter how much it hurts when you fall…you get back up"
"Get up"
Terra takes a sudden intake of breathSliding her knees up to her chest she flops clumsily on her butt leaning against the ledge.
She looks at the ugly gash on her hand
"En…dang it" She closes her eyes in pain tiredly she lays her head to the side.
Off in the distance she can see the faint outline of Titans Tower through the haze of fog created by the drizzle.
"They don't want me back. I can't go back not after what I've done there is no redeeming myself they're better off without me" She mumbles hugging herself shivering violently in the cold.
For after what seemed like eternity she forces her self to stand once more stumbling with the grace of a drunkard.
She reaches her uninjured hand out to the wall for support tapping it questioningly a few times as if to prove it's integrity, she leans on it's wet surface
Limping, her hair soaked by the constant drizzle
She sees the symbol still emblazoned on her chest she growls ripping it off.
She gasps eyes becoming saucers grasping her chest she crumples to the ground gasping in surprise and agony as she regains feeling in her spinal column then…she screams.
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Author: I hope it wasn't a horrible failure. Yes, I do have a plot in mind.