Hello my lovelies! Sorry about the delay but this one is way longer, I swear. Happy new year and may the odds be ever in your favor!
Warning! This chapter contains some extremely vulgar language so proceed at your own risk. Robstar's here faintly but BB's still too thick.
Disclaimer: If someone told you that I owned the Teen Titans, someone lied. (Ha, Original Spider Man references. Sorry.) All I own is a bad obsession for Nightcore and Rock, far too many pens and far too little blue-tack.
"Those bastards!" A fuming Blair Anders smashed a fist into the dashboard of her car, gritting her teeth. "My band and I was kicked from it!" Groping around in the centre console, Blair pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniel's Whisky and lifted it to her lips. The drink swirled down her throat and scorched her mouth. Blair didn't want to care about the Titans any more. Caring was out of the equation anymore and Blair would make a smash on the music scene, ruining the Titans while she was at it. The dark-haired woman dropped her foot onto the accelerator and pulled away from the tower that watched the city. The radio blasted into life and, as if mocking her, it was playing songs that spoke of not being adequate, friends turning their backs on people and suicide.
"Stop. No. I am worth this. I will be fine. I will live for the music. For myself. Dick will regret kicking me out!" Her angry snarl was followed by a palm to the radio power button. Blair niffed in anger and shifted gear, pulling out of the T-junction and ignoring the people carrier that passed. The screeching of tyres burning against asphalt and crunch of the cars being crushed like tin cans. A third car added to the devastation of the pile up and soon, people were beginning to stop and make a pointless attempt at helping the victims of the pile up.
Back in the penthouse, Terra was scowling at a blank faced Beast Boy.
"Wuddidido?" his garbled question tumbled from his mouth as Victor exchanged a look of hopelessness. Terra slapped her forehead and sighed exasperatedly. Gar gulped and flopped onto a beanbag, the cushion object crunching under his weight.
"Well, Garfield, you made a girl mad. Yo-" Terra's lecture froze on her tongue as a pristine sound filled the air.
"Clocks…" Gar whispered and Vic raised an eyebrow. "Coldplay? Brilliant song. The devil to play though." He stood and followed the sound, stepping lightly almost as if he was scared to shatter the pure music. Richard followed due to pure curiosity. This ballad was new to him however the noise was pleasurable. The green haired boy tentatively poked his head through the doorway and raised an eyebrow. On the stool racing the keys of the old blackened piano sat Rachel, fingers delicately skipping the keys. She was swaying slightly and hadn't noticed the three boys who stood at the door, blocking her escape. Kori noticed the trio and waved silently, raising her index finger to her lips in a silent plea for them to stay silent. Dick nodded and blushed, giving Vic a hard elbow in his ribs when he opened his mouth. The notes faded out and a new melody filled the room. This time, angelic voices accompanied the notes.
"Oshiete oshiete yo sono shikumi o boku na naka ni dare ga iru no. Kowareta kowareta yo kono sekai de kimi ga warau nani mo miezu ni.
Kowareta boku nante sa iki o tomete." The two girls paused and Rachel's fingers flashed across the keys faster, the tempo increasing.
"Kowaseru kowasenai kurueru kuruenai anata o mitsukete sekai ni dandan boku wa sukitōtte meinakunatte mitsukenaide boku no koto o mitsumenaide dareka ga egatia sekai no naka de anata o kizutsuketaku wa nai yo oboeteite boku no koto o." With the final word, Rachel repeated the first two lines as it would be written and removed her fingers from the ivories. She released a breath and smiled slightly.
"Kori, you're really good at languages. It's great to have someone else to sing with that won't judge me." Rachel turned her head, dark violet hair swaying slightly.
"Thank you, Rachel. I am most pleased that you do not treat me as others have. There will always be people who say mean words because you are different Sometimes their minds cannot be changed. But there are many more people who do not judge people on where they came from and how they look. Those are the people whose words truly matter." The taller girl replied, smiling. Rachel nodded and stood, turning to leave the room. However, she found her path blocked by three male teenagers.
"What even was that language?" Victor and Garfield chorused.
"What is wrong with you? Did you listen to everything that we just spoke about? Have you even heard of privacy? You dicks!" Rachel screamed and pushed past them, Kori in fast pursuit. Her muttered apology didn't go unnoticed by the boys, a guilty wave crashing into the three.
"Still… What language were they singing in?" Dick sweatdropped and sighed exasperatedly.
"Japanese, Gar. It's called Unravel." Gar's mouth formed a small 'o', then his brow furrowed. "Why would they si-" "Shut up Garfield!" Terra stormed down the passage and slapped the boy on the back of his head. Gar clamped his hand over the point of contact and winced. "Rachel is in the kitchen panicking because you three spied on them. She thinks you're judging her. Rachel has a few self-confidence issues." lectures from Terra weren't an uncommon feature of the three's rockstar agenda so they were used to them- for the most part. "So get your sorry arses in there and apologize!" the trio were roughly shoved down the passage and towards the kitchen where the two girls resided.
Kori looked up as the door opened and three heads poked through. The slight increase of her heart rate was dismissed as panic as Dick stepped in.
"Yes?" Kori's innocent question made Dick gulp and grab the wrists of his pale blonde and Afro-American friends, dragging them through the doorway in a combined, almost titanic, effort.
"We just wanted to say that we're sorry for spying on you and that we didn't mean to make you self-conscious and that we're really sorry and that we'll try and make sure it won't happen again." The words tumbled out in a flurry, making Kori giggle slightly.
"That hardly sounded genuine." Rachel growled from her seat at the breakfast bar, pale hands wrapped around a steaming cup of herbal tea.
"Please don't make us say it all again, it's a nightmare to do choral speaking and remember all of that stuff we just said." Gar whined, dragging out the all.
"Well if you can't damn remember it then you blatantly didn't mean it!" the snappy sarcastic reply slapped Gar in the face.
"Please, friends. Do not fight! I do not enjoy it in the least!" Kori's emerald eyes glistened with tears and fresh wave of guilt hit Dick.
"Hey, hey sorry. We didn't mean to make you cry." Kori's sniffles ceased as he felt Dick's arms around her. Her cheeks coloured and she gasped slightly, making her hiccough and splutter. Rachel rolled her eyes and tutted, lifting the steaming cup to her lips.
"Holy shit. Guys, you're gonna wanna see this." Vic's deep voice rumbled and snapped everyone away from the situation at hand only to look at the newspaper report open on his phone.
'Popular lead singer of growing Rock band The Teen Titans, Blair Anders, has been involved in a crash involving two other vehicles. It appears the woman is under the influence of alcohol and in charge of a vehicle. We are trying to have an interview with the band that recently revealed their plans to take a break from their careers. Their manager, Terra Markov, revealed in a statement this afternoon, that Blair is no longer a member of the band due to antisocial and drink related issues. More information will be revealed in time.' The article went on to claim that traces of class A illegal drugs were found in the car, and would be used in court against Blair when she was well enough to attend. 'With regards to Miss Anders' injuries, she sustained a major breakage in her left leg and has a few fractured ribs. Alongside this, she has internal bleeding in her major organs caused by shards of ribs. Doctors are currently working to stabilize her condition.' by this point, Kori was scrambling for her phone, lifting it to her ear.
"Please, father, pick up… pick up. Oh no! Come on, pick up…" Rachel was desperately trying to find the location of Blair's hospital stop, skin deathly pale.
"Father! Blair was in a car crash and is in a critical condition she is at," the redhead glanced at Rachel and she held up her phone, containing the location. "Jump City Central Hospital. I'll meet you there in twenty minutes. Yes, Rachel and I are fine. No, we're still at the tower. Yes, we'll meet you there in twenty. Twenty, Father. Ok, goodbye. Love you too." Kori sighed, ending the call.
"Vic, can we borrow your car?" Rachel croaked.
Within five minutes, Victor was pulling out of the car park and racing towards the hospital. Kori was sobbing into Rachel's shoulder and Dick was fiddling with his glasses and hair.
"He guys, why did the chicken cross the road?" Gar asked, receiving a glare from Rachel. "Maybe to beat up the idiot telling jokes about him?" "Ow, Rae. That hurt. I'm not that unfunny."
"Yo!" Vic slammed the brakes and turned around, glaring at the two. "Stop arguing or you two's gonna walk to the damn hospital!" Gar and Rachel clamped their mouths shut and sat back in their seats. Kori sobbed louder in anguish and Rachel ran her fingers through the taller girl's hair, mimicking something that she had seen Kori's 'Father' do to comfort the girl. Her face fell back into its usual scowl and she reached for her hood that had fallen sometime through the escapade. The remainder of the panic filled journey was driven in silence with the exclusion of Kori's muffled sobs.
The minute the teens pulled up at the hospital, Kori stumbled out of the car and took off at an unsteady run, pushing past civilians that littered the sidewalk. Her breathing was ragged and panicked and her eyes were wide and red, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Rachel was after her like a shot, her attempt to catch up with the redhead was fruitless and she was soon lagging. The team regrouped at the front desk where a tall teen stood in hysterics.
"Please. Please may I see my sister? I need to see her! Please!" Kori fell against the desk as the receptionists looked on in concern.
"Blair Anders. This is Kori Anders. They're sisters. Blair was in a car crash. Is it possible to see her?" Dick growled, his glasses slightly askew. One receptionist nodded and sighed.
"Yes. But she's not awake. The doctors have only just stabilized her condition and it is likely that she will be taken in for emergency surgery.
"Kori." a deeper voice said. Kori whipped around and ran towards the bearer or the voice. Taller than Vic and bearing the same hair colour as Kori, the boys suddenly felt puny and intimidated.
"Father! I am sorry! I should have made Blair stay at the tower. It is all my fault! I am so sorry!" Kori blubbered and clung to the bear like man. "Kori, it is not your fault. I do not blame you. Blair has always been a difficult girl to read." A cough disrupted this scene of affection and the receptionist nodded to a nurse that stood by the lift. "Nurse Karen Beecher is going to show you to Blair's room."
The lift was loaded with the anxious bodies of friends and family of a particular rockstar and the nurse that accompanied them and space became very limited. Victor was giving the nurse an odd look and she was shifting under his gaze. Richard flicked him and the taller boy turned his gaze on the short guitarist. "What?" he asked and Dick smirked. "She's too old for you. Don't start chasing girls like a good barbeque." Vic rolled his eyes sarcastically. "Shut up dude." The lift shuddered to a halt and the doors slid open. Nurse Beecher stepped out and shot off down the corridor towards the emergency ward. Kori almost ran after her, closely followed by Rachel and Gary, Kori's adoptive father. The boys tumbled out of the metal box moments before the doors closed with a thunk.
The hall the group tore down the sterile halls and into an even more sterile ward. The only sound was a couple of nurses scurrying about and the constant beep of the heart rate machines. Kori made a high-pitched noise and rushed to the side of one bed. In said bed lay an almost carbon copy of Kori. The main difference was a number of cuts and bruises and the darker roots of her straight hair that was spread around her head like a maroon halo. There was blood beginning to crust in her hairline and a few large cuts on her forehead. Blair's hair seemed to be stained with blood. Kori almost choked on her own breath when she saw the damage.
"H-how did this happen? Please, how?" Kori asked, her voice shaking and dipping in pitch as she spoke.
"We believe that Blair was driving under the influence of alcohol. We're doing all we can. We'll keep you posted about the condition and you'll know the minute she regains consciousness." Karen nodded as Kori released a shaky breath.
"Thank you."
A few days had passed since Blair was hospitalised and Kori was gradually recovering from the shock. The girls had been allowed to stay at the tower with the Titans but Kori asked to stay at her house with Rachel and her father. This didn't stop the boys from arriving at the suburban structure at the most awkward hours. And if Dick caught wind that Kori had had another breakdown, even Gary, Kori's father, couldn't stop him from darting through the front door and cradling the redhead until she stopped crying. If anyone had asked Rachel, she may have said she was slightly impressed by the efficiency or Dick's work. That or she would have refused to answer. Life was slowly beginning to seem slightly more normal, despite the almost constant trips to hospital so Kori could reassure herself that Blair was fine.
One morning, fairly early in the morning for the boys, a sharp tapping followed by a familiar face interrupted their schedule of videogames and music.
"Boys," Rachel nodded curtly at the trio. "Blair's awake."
Aww! Mon babbies! Hope you enjoyed it, have fun in 2017!