Love is blind
The sky was dark, the wind was cool and the campfire was still burning. It was a really idyllic picture and even the chirping crickets added to the nice peaceful quiet that surrounded the 3 girls in their small tent.
Terra and her friends had planned this for some time now and she decided that this was one of the best activities she's ever done outdoors. Well, except for one particular day where she and the Titans had been on a vacation in Spain and relaxed by the beach.
The girl squeezed her eyes tighter, hoping that the happy memories of her past would fade - they only hurt. But they didn't as Beast Boy began to tell her another one of his numerous puns by the balcony of their hotel room and Terra stood up since she couldn't take anymore.
She went out and sat quietly on a log by the still lit campfire and gazed into the flames and let her head fall into her hands. The fire was nice and warm, especially since the breeze blowing through the trees was cool.
When would she forget her time as Titan?
Why was she dreaming those things anyways?
As Terra pondered, her gaze shifted to the trees and she enjoyed the rustling of the leaves. It reminded her a little bit of her time before being a Titan - a time where it was only her. She shut her eyes and let the wind and crackling fire serenade her ears.
Until she heard a voice...
"Terra..."
Terra gasped and her eyes snapped open as she recognized the voice of the shape-shifter at once. Did he follow her until here? Why was he still after her?
She spun towards the direction the sound came from...but all that greeted her were tall trees.
Terra let out a scoff. "Get yourself together," she told herself quietly and shook her head. She needed to get back to sleep. What time was it anyways?
But she knew she couldn't so she decided that ignoring her thoughts was better.
So once again she focused on the gently waving trees and saw a raven perched onto one of the branches before it took off and flew into the woods. Having seen that animal, she wondered suddenly how the Titans were doing before she ran a hand through her hair.
Why was she thinking about them at all?
She had her own life to focus on. A life with new friends.
"Terra. I found you."
Terra's heart skipped a beat at hearing his voice again and she felt also a horrible amount of anger build up inside her. "Where are you?" she called...but then, everything was quiet again. "If you don't leave now, I'll make serious trouble for you," she growled but apparently, he got her message and Terra let out a sigh of relief.
She had to be careful not to wake Amber and Dionne up or they'll be in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day.
Terra shifted her attention to her little flower hairclip as she ran a finger over it. Amber had given it to her since she got 6th place in running track. It wasn't very fancy but she anyways liked it simple.
A small smile appeared on her face at remembering that moment she received it. But the memory didn't last long as suddenly, a loud screech sounded through the woods before a bird suddenly had his talons in her hair and began pulling.
"Let go!" Terra cried, swinging her arm to get the animal away. And she did scare it away but unfortunately, it pulled out her hairclip and took flight. "No! That's mine!" Terra cried and rushed after the bird.
The light from the moon reflected onto her ornament and the girl briefly shut her eyes. She couldn't let him get away!
Quickly, she opened her eyes again but to her surprise, the bird wasn't there.
She glanced left and right to see if she could see it but once she realized that he wasn't there, she stopped and turned around, looking as far as she could. But the only thing she saw were tall trees and their even taller shadows.
She shut her eyes, letting out a sigh. Another ornament she lost. She must have been cursed!
Terra turned around to go back to her friends when she noticed something glinting on the ground. She picked it up and squinted her eyes when suddenly, she realized what it was!
It wasn't her flower-shaped hairclip - it was a shape of a butterfly!
She dropped it and spun around, eyes wide. What kind of sick game was he playing?
"Where are you, Beast Boy?" she called, her voice not having much of their anger left.
A gust of wind blew, fluttering her school uniform and Terra briefly wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered.
But the wind spoke - in his voice.
"Closer than you think."
Terra took a step back, eyes going from one tree to the next before she ran.
She was running like a hunted animal trying to escape her predator as she unknowingly ran even further from her friends and deeper into the unknown.
And that was what made the whole thing more interesting.
Terra almost tripped over a log but she avoided a fall and continued running until she was out of breath and stopped, leaning against one of the numerous trees that stretched into the sky. Did she lose him? The girl slowly peeked behind of her but she couldn't see him.
Only more trees. She was beginning to think that she imagined all this but something proved her wrong.
"You can run but you can't hide."
Terra felt her heart beat in her throat before she turned back only for a hand to grab her by the throat and she stared wide-eyed at the familiar face that seemed to be a complete stranger at the same time.
The changeling sneered at her but what was noticeable was the grey skin and red eyes that contrasted so much with that of her former friend's.
Terra tried to push him away but he slammed her hand against the bark of the tree she was pinned against. This...couldn't be Beast Boy, could it?
"Surprised to see me?" he asked amused and Terra looked at him in confusion.
"Who...are you?" she asked in a strained voice since she couldn't speak properly due to the grip the grey changeling used on her.
A chuckle was her reply and she felt dread form in the pit of her stomach.
He leaned close to her and Terra wanted to sink back - something to get away from this nightmare. Maybe that was all he was, right?
"Someone that gives you what you deserve," he muttered and proved to her that this wasn't a dream by finishing what she and Beast Boy had started on the Ferris wheel. Terra couldn't believe what was happening - she couldn't really understand what actually was happening before she shut her eyes, wondering if she was maybe just daydreaming.
He parted with her, letting last words register in her ear. "And you deserve only the best."
But all that came to her next was an ever tighter grip on her throat and some last, breathless moments before her world slowly began to fade into darkness.
Terra knew it was over! Everywhere was darkness and she felt nothing at all. But suddenly, she heard faint voices and they were gradually becoming louder.
"Are you alright?"
Terra's eyes slowly opened before she took a few deep breaths as her vision returned to normal. Looking around still a little confused, she began to realize that she was sitting against a tree.
But where was Beast Boy?
"Was the tent not big enough for you or why did you choose to sleep here?" Dionne asked teasingly and Terra shook her head.
"N-no. I didn't sleep here. Someone - someone called me here and I...fainted. I think he attacked me," she stammered and both girls looked at her surprised.
"What? Who?"
Terra hesitated - it wasn't really Beast Boy. He didn't really look like him. Maybe...maybe she had just really fallen asleep after chasing that raven and she had just a nightmare. "Nobody. I think...it was just a bad dream."
"You sure?" both of her friends asked and she nodded before feeling for her hairclip. It wasn't there - but neither was the butterfly one.
So maybe she just had a nightmare.
"Then let's get you back to the tent before you catch a cold," Amber chuckled and pulled her back, not noticing something glinting on the ground as they made their way back to the tent.
Soon, Terra was again slipping under her covers, her friends sleeping next to her and she pulled the blanket almost up to her chin as she curled up a bit. For just a bad dream, it had felt very real. Terra shut her eyes, trying to force all thoughts out of her mind but for some strange reason, she felt cold. Could it be the wind that made her feel this way? She concentrated on said sound, wondering if she heard a voice.
But the only thing she heard was the rustling of the leaves as the wind passed through the trees.
A small smile formed on her face as the simple sound of the wind calmed her nerves. "It was just a dream. No need to get so worked up," she muttered to herself and tried to get back to sleep.
But that was easier said than done as Terra turned to her side after a few moments and then onto her stomach to find a comfortable position. But nothing worked. Maybe she was just too thirsty to sleep.
Thinking that this could be the reason for her restlessness, Terra sat up and grabbed her water bottle from the corner of the tent and took a large sip before she heard the caw of a crow. She rolled her eyes. Great! Hopefully that bird wouldn't caw the whole night long!
And as if it could read her mind, the crow made that sound again as Terra closed her bottle and lied down back to sleep. Terra shut her eyes, slowly drifting farther and farther into sleep...but the crow had also a say in this and like an alarm, it woke her from her almost trance-like state and Terra felt her patience run thin before she sat up and poked her head out of the tent.
"Shhh! Some people are trying to sleep in here! Shoo!" she said, waving it off and the bird (which was a raven actually but Terra was too tired to care) flew off the branch before landing somewhere further away, minding its own business.
The blonde-haired fell back onto her pillow and shut her eyes yet again, ready to go to dream land...until a thought crossed her mind.
Could this bird be the same one that took her hairclip?
It would be stupid to go after it now but Terra's curiosity wouldn't let go now so she stood up and walked out of the tent, looking around for said bird.
It couldn't have gotten far, right?
She walked a little farther than her campfire before she stopped. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to wander off alone - even less for some simple hairclip. She heard the bird's caw echo in the distance, not that far from where she was actually.
As if it was calling her...
Terra looked back to the tent where her friends were probably sleeping and then back into the woods before she noticed something glinting in the distance.
What would be the chances that the bird had her hairclip in its beak?
She took a few steps forward, hoping that it wouldn't be that far until she could reach her possession before suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew against her, fluttering her clothes and giving her goosebumps - as if it was trying to push her back.
She stopped, wrapping her arms around herself before a sense of deja-vu crossed her and she stopped walking. Just like in her dream. "Maybe...I shouldn't do this," she said to herself, eyes catching the glinting light that was only a few steps away from here. If she walked for some more...maybe she could...
But Terra shook her head. What was she doing in the middle of the night? She should be asleep by now, not chasing after some bird - it could even fly away with her ornament and she'd just waste her time trying to catch it.
Terra turned around and started to walk back to her friends...when she heard fast approaching footsteps. Was she being followed? She turned around but all that she registered next was a sharp pain in her side before she tumbled backwards onto the ground.
"Ooh...what's going on?" she groaned, hand going to her hurting side before she gasped at feeling something wet and she looked down with squinted eyes before said eyes widened in shock.
Her side was bleeding!
Slowly, she sat up even though it hurt to do so.
"Don't come closer or I'll call the police!" she growled at what she thought would be an armed attacker.
But to her surprise, nobody was there.
And that's when Terra felt that something was wrong. But she tried to swallow her fear. "Come out now or I'll call the police!" she shouted, hoping that Amber and Dionne might hear.
But what if she was too far from them?
She tried to get up when suddenly she heard footsteps again and looked up to see a wolf approaching her. Oh great! Could this day get any worse?
Terra slowly got on her feet before flinching from her wound before focusing on the wolf...that for some reason stopped approaching her as it stood just a few steps away from her. And as it stared at her, the girl noticed the red eyes and her heart hammered in her chest at the sense of familiarity.
She took a step back and then another before the wolf vanished to become her former friend - the strange looking Titan from her dream. Eyes widened and Terra felt her heart want to break out of her chest - it was strange. She had never been afraid of Beast Boy - not even when he was her enemy.
"You! What do you...want from me?" she asked and stopped as her back hit a tree. Why did those trees stand in the way all the time?
An amused smile formed on the other's face as he started to approach her. "Why so angry, Terra?"
The girl took a careful, yet small step to the side, preparing to run before she flinched again from the pain that seemed to have only gotten stronger. "I'm not Terra. Now leave me alone."
She moved quickly and ran...before tripping on an uplifted root and fell down. She spun around and got into sitting position first before trying to lift herself to call for help. But he was already in front of her.
"I just wanna give this back to you," he said and Terra shut her eyes on instinct as he extended his arm before feeling her hair carefully being pulled back.
Eyes widened at feeling something stuck in her hair and her fingers traced the shape of the ornament.
"No," she muttered, feeling the butterfly- shaped hairclip fastened in her hair and nausea rose in her stomach before her instinct told her what to do and she lashed out with a fist.
Only for him to catch it.
"What? Didn't like it?"
"Let me go," she muttered, voice low and Terra hoped it sounded more threatening than tired. Keeping her hand on her side wasn't going to work...she had to do something - anything!
"Not until you say it."
"What?"
"The truth."
The girl shut her eyes briefly as a wave of dizziness passed through her. She wasn't going to hold out in the long run and slowly, Terra let go of her side that was stained in a dark color. "But...I..."
And as she started her reply, she noticed her last chance of escape lying on the ground next to her - a large rock that fit just in her hand. And Terra decided to go all out and quickly focused her attention back on him.
"...love you too much to have told you the truth," she muttered before leaning closer to him, repeating what he had done to her earlier tonight. Keeping one of her arms around his shoulder, she slowly wrapped her blood stained hand around the rock and lifted it quickly to slam it against the back of his head.
But she only got it above her own when a sudden grip on her throat and a strong push, brought her down onto the ground and she grunted in pain as the air got knocked out of her.
"Cheap move, Terra. And I thought you hated liars," he sneered at her as Terra struggled to get his hand off her. "Unless that was some sort of joke," he added before leaning a little closer.
The girl shut her eyes as once again she felt the air leaving her lungs as she was held in a vice grip but this time, she felt too weak to push him away properly and hated herself for what he made her do.
Slowly, she opened her mouth, a throaty voice escaping her lungs. "So...rry..."
But her heart dropped, seeing that mischievous grin on his face. "What was that? How about you speak up, Terra?"
Her head felt heavy and she suddenly wished, that she had just stayed in her tent the whole time. "I'm...sorry for...every...thing..." she croaked which didn't really sound louder in her opinion but to her relief, she felt the hand remove and she decided to use her chance and her last remains of her energy to jump up and run as fast as she could.
But a sinking feeling spread in her, realizing that she already felt too tired to get up as she struggled for air. Slowly her hand moved to push against the ground so she could lift herself up...but all she could do was feel the ever growing puddle of blood under her.