Chapter 1: Control

Terra.

Something was off with that girl. She just had yet to see it. Something was just deeply unsettling about her. It was as if she was a walking time bomb, ready to explode. Raven found herself contemplating this for the past few hours in her room after Terra had crashed into the Titans Tower for the night.

It was more than that though; Terra's interaction with Beast Boy had bothered her. The way Beast Boy was all over Terra disgusted her. It brought a foul taste to her mouth. Not that she was jealous or anything, that thought was ridiculous. She did not feel jealousy.

They had met her for the first time just today and already she and Beast Boy were exhibiting those detestable signs of romantic interest. What shallow thing did Beast Boy see in that girl? Was it her looks? Her personality? How come he had never treated her in that manner?

Well in a way he did, but you gave him the whole I'm queen of doom and gloom. So he's always been trying desperately to get to kn-

Shut up.

She didn't need her stupid emotions trying to tell her that she had made mistakes because they weren't mistakes; it was what she had to do. Her destiny was fixed. Trigon would return and he would destroy her and the world in the process. A part of her, the soul that resided within her, protested this, surely there was a way to stop the plagues and destruction that Trigon would bring? No, there was no point in getting overly attached to someone; it would just hurt more in the end if she wasn't able to stop it.

Then why did you even make friends at all?

She let out a groan of frustration. She didn't need her emotions trying to be logical of all things. She needed to get some herbal tea.

She exited her room in a huff, however she bumped into Cyborg along the way. He could tell something was off with her, as a closer bond and better understanding had come between them after the fiasco with Overload taking over Cyborg's car. He acted like an older brother figure to her.

He could tell that she was troubled by something.

"Raven, are you okay?" asked Cyborg looking at her concerned, "It won't be that hard to get rid of the mud that Terra left behind in the bathtub."

"That's not what I'm worried about," said Raven.

"Then what is it?"

She was frowning under her cloak.

"I don't trust Terra."

"Oh c'mon Raven, you just met her!"

Raven shook her head.

"You don't get it, something about her makes me nervous."

It was the feeling, aching deep in her demonic bones that screamed of treachery and the preservation of what was hers. Both sides of her felt the terrible darkness that lingered in Terra's soul.

"You're starting to sound like Robin, it's his job to be paranoid about things like this."

"I've already talked to Robin about this. He told me himself that something about his didn't feel right. I could sense that he was uneasy about her, but he buried it away in his desire to want another team member, but I have no such desires as he does."

"But Raven," Cyborg said, looking at her seriously, "we both know you have a hard time warming up to us, let alone others, so why are you already passing judgment on Terra without even getting to know her?"

Raven was stricken by his final words. Passing judgment… What right did she, the spawn of evil, have to castigate Terra into the realm of damnation, when she herself was born unclean?

"I'm sorry, forget what I said about her," said Raven as she walked by Cyborg without another word.

Cyborg watched her past by, but he did not stop her. He did not know a lot about her because she was the team introvert, but he was hoping he could be a better friend to her considering he owed her for the time she sympathized with him when he had been forced to destroy his "baby" after Overload had possessed it. He and Beast Boy had even visited Nevermore, the realm where her emotions resided. Yet the team collectively did not know a whole lot about her. Though to be fair in general nobody ever talked about their past, heck no one even knew what each other's real names were. It was one of the few things that were the unspoken rules around here. Starfire was the only one whose past was somewhat known due to her circumstances involved with the Gordanians and Blackfire but everything else was just speculation and common knowledge.

The herbal tea helped make her calmer than she was before, but it still didn't get rid of those penetrating and troubling thoughts in her head. She needed to see what that girl was up to.

She opened one of the windows with her powers and floated outside to see that Beast Boy was sitting on the rocks with Terra. She eyed the scene warily.

She was ashamed to admit it, but she technically was spying on Beast Boy and Terra. However she was doing it because she was concerned for Beast Boy as a teammate, not because of some other reason that wouldn't leave her. Damn it, she did not these thoughts right now when she was trying to figure out something about Terra's character.

"Come on. You know you want to say. We've got free cable, an indoor swimming pool, and all the tofu you can eat."

"Tofu? You sure know how to charm a girl. I-I guess I could hang out for one more day."

"Awesome! We're gonna have so much fun! And I can't wait to see what your powers do when you really cut 'em loose."

Suddenly Terra's eyes glowed yellow in terror and her hair stood up straight as the rock that Beast Boy was sitting on suddenly slipped out from under him. With a yelp, Beast Boy fell painfully and the rock that hit the water caused a huge splash, soaking him completely.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, I'm so stupid! Don't tell! Please don't tell!

"Terra, it's okay. You can't totally control you powers. So what?"

"Promise you won't tell anybody, ever!"

"Sure"

"Swear it"

"Okay, Okay, I promise. But really, it's no big deal. If my friends knew, they'd still like you."

She highly doubted that statement being true for her. This scene just proved her suspicions from before; this girl was dangerous. Robin, as leader of the group, let his guard down far too easily for this girl when he knew nothing about her. She now knew what this girl was capable of. Destruction.

But are you not being hypocritical? You know what you yourself are destined to do. Have you forgotten the prophecy of your birth?

Rage, the red-cloaked emotion, spoke to her in a condescending fashion in the bowels of her mind.

Don't remind me, Rage, I know what I am doing with this girl. My past has nothing to do with this.

So you say, but remember ultimately your actions will bring the entire world to its knees.

"You just don't understand," Terra said with her head down.

Beast Boy just looked at Terra, not knowing what to say.

Oh I understand all the right.

The words that Rage had spoken to her had angered her because they were true, and she could not refute them.

I will kill you Terra, if you hurt my team, my family.