A/N: I don't own the Teen Titans. In this first scene, the hilled forest across from where the houses being threatened by the flame monster in "Forces of Nature" is where I imagined Slade's lair would be. To keep it close to the Teen Titans style, all vampires and werewolves have the same eye colors as they do in the show. Enjoy!
Flowers that Wilt in the Sun
Chapter One: Lessons to Learn
It was late afternoon in early January in Jump City as three children, two boys and a girl, played soccer behind their houses near a hilled forest. It was a peaceful day, though grey clouds threatened the coming of rain. The children quickly turned their game into a challenge to kick the ball up the hill while avoiding trees and bushes. They could barely feel the drops of rain beginning to drizzle from the sky as they made their way up the hill. Suddenly, the trio came to a halt as they saw a large mansion hidden amongst the trees.
The building looked like that from a horror movie, and as they stared at the magnificent house, there was a figure of a young girl in the window. However, as the first bolt of lightning lit the sky and thunder roared, they saw her skin was pale and her eyes glowing blue. The three children screamed bloody murder and ran down the hill with the soccer ball rolling down the hill with them.
"Tara, come away from the window," said a tall man with a cold look in his eye as he stood behind the girl, lingering in the shadows. He wore a very nice suit of black and orange and had an eye patch over his right eye. "You don't want to risk turning to ashes, and someday I might not be lurking nearby to warn you before you start to smolder. Madam Rouge is waiting."
"Yes, Master," sighed Tara as a maid with pale skin and glowing eyes led her away from the window and another servant closed the drapes. The girl had long, blonde hair, death-pale skin, and blue eyes surrounded by heavy mascara. She wore a black and green plaid corset with a matching skirt, a belt with metal hoops attached, fishnet arm warmers, black leggings with holes in them, and calf-length boots.
All around the mansion, undead minions dressed as servants dusted and polished, and yet, the mansion continued to look dark and dismal. Tara walked down the halls until she came to a room that looked like a classroom where a woman with short black hair, blood red lips, and blue eyes was waiting for her, tapped a ruler against her palm. She wore a red and black blazer with matching skirt and black pumps.
"Glad you could join us Miss Tara. Sit down," the woman growled in her thick accent, with its traces of French and Russian.
The blonde sat between two other girls, one with short violet-black hair, deep violet eyes, and a book in her hands, the other with bone-white hair and and grey eyes. The first girl wore a blue dress in Victorian style and a velvet choker. The second girl wore a grey denim jacket, a midriff zip-up black tank top, blue jeans, and black boots.
"What's sadder? A bird that can't see the sky from its cage... or a bird that can?" Tara groaned.
"Looking out the window again, huh?" asked her pale-haired friend Rose, knowingly.
"Do you want humans to know we exist?" her violet-haired friend asked in a monotone, not once looking up from her book. "Do you want to risk angry mobs beating down our door, waving crucifixes and strings of garlic?"
"No," replied Tara as she cringed at the thought. "But, Raven, didn't you ever want to leave this place? Don't you and Malchior want to run away together?"
Raven looked at her boyfriend Malchior who sat a few seats away from them. He had long, white hair, red eyes, a white, ruffled shirt, black pants, and black shoes. She had met him years ago as a lonely high school student. Malchior promised her an eternity of fulfillment and happiness if she became a vampire to which she accepted without hesitation. Since that day they had been in a romantic relationship.
"You know this house is only safe place for us. We're not birds, Tara. We don't migrate, we don't leave the nest, we add steel reinforced walls and digital surveillance systems. That's what makes us strong," replied Raven. "Only a idiot would be wandering around alone out there."
"I hear there's a new slayer in the city," said Rose. "Supposedly he came from that big security company, the one that took down those clans in Gotham City."
"You hear a lot of things," Raven said, still without looking up from her book. "If you ever hear that he brought the company with him, let me know. Otherwise, they're still Gotham's problem."
Suddenly, Madam Rouge hit her ruler against her palm to get the girls' attention and they fell silent. She turned back to the chalkboard. "Now, as I was saying, the Marquis Donatien Alphonse François de Sade became a vampire in the year 1814, on the day of his supposed death. His disdain for his fellow man in his human life was matched by his love for his fellow vampires, and his drive to advance our kind to the same level of prosperity and nobility that he had long enjoyed. His contributions to vampiric literature stand today as a poetic declaration of the superiority of our people over the human race."
Meanwhile, in the streets of Jump City, a dark haired vampire with red eyes was running for his life. Rain poured down as he came to an alleyway where he hid from his attacker. Just then, a young man in a white trench coat with a red shirt, black pants, and black shoes jumped in front of him. He had black, spiked hair and wore sunglasses. "Hey, aren't you with…?" the vampire began.
"Just moved here," replied the young man as he produced a gun-like device from his coat. "And I work alone." With that, the young man pulled the trigger. A light, bright as the sun, flashed as the vampire was vanquished.
"Did you get him?" asked a man's voice through an ear-piece in the young man's ear.
"Yeah," replied the young man with a half grin.
"Good. That's the last one on the radar today. Want me to call in for pizza?" asked the voice on the ear-piece.
The young man's grin turned to a full smile. "Sure." He walked through the streets until he came to a triangular shaped building and walked into an elevator. The man pushed a button, the door closed, and the elevator went up to the top floor. He was greeted by a muscular African American man in a high-tech wheelchair who held a slice of pizza on a plate for him.
"I love having a pizza shop attached to this place," said the man in the wheelchair.
"Why do you think I bought this office?" asked the cloaked man as he took a bite.
Richard Grayson and Victor Stone, two men that, even at their young age, had been marked by darkness and left their own mark in return. Richard's parents had been killed by vampires when he was ten. He was adopted by Bruce Van Wayne, son of the famous physician and paranormal scientist, Dr. Thomas Van Wayne. When Bruce was a boy, his parents had also been killed by a vampire. He spent his life since then slaying vampires.
Richard grew up reading medical books under the influence of Thomas and learning martial arts from Bruce. When he was old enough, he was recruited to a slaying society called Bureau of Underworld Militarized Police, or B.U.M.P. Shortly after, he met Victor Stone who had lost his legs in a car accident, a car that had swerved to avoid a vaguely man-shaped creature that had run across the road. Victor had built himself a wheelchair that made living on his own much easier and, with the help of Richard, made some modifications that even let him go out into the field, on occasion.
Two years in the service, Richard saw the group only going after clans of vampires instead of helping people on the streets. After much dispute with the leaders of the group, he and Victor left and took an office in Jump City. Here, they were starting their own fight with the supernatural world of vampires and werewolves.
"So Rich, did you see B.U.M.P's new commercial yet?" asked Vic.
Richard shook his head, his mouth full of pizza. Vic turned on the television to a program he had recorded. He fast-forwarded to the commercial. There was a vampire hissing, then a werewolf growling, and finally the sound of a gun-shot. A voice could be heard. "When things go bump in the night, we B.U.M.P back."
The two men looked at each other, unimpressed. "The same slogan for the past five years," muttered Richard.
At the mansion, Tara and the other young vampires walked down the halls to the dining hall where dinner was to be served. An older boy with orange hair and blue eyes came up to Tara. He wore a long-sleeved shirt of gold and burgundy stripes with black pants and black shoes. "Hey, Tara, why were you late to class?" he asked.
Tara's older brother Brion, and her hero, was now more of a tragic hero, and it was because of her. The night Tara became a vampire, she had ran away from home after a fight with her parents. Brion had gone looking for her only to meet Slade, the vampire who had turned his sister. Slade offered a chance to be with his sister if he became a vampire and joined his clan. Brion agreed only so that he could protect his sister.
"I lost track of time," sighed Tara.
"This is the third time this week you were late. I know you're restless," said Brion. "Maybe you can go out tonight."
"Not like Slade will let me after I was late to bloodsucker school," Tara sighed yet again.
"Just talk to him," smiled Rose who had listened in on their conversation. "I'm sure he'll let you go... out."
At dinner, all the clan members sat at a long table with Slade at the head with Madam Rouge on his right in a stunning black and red dress. Slade's son Joseph sat on his left with Rose next to him followed by herself and Brion. Malchior and Raven sat next to Madam Rouge. Slade's long-time companion, Wintergreen, served the vampires their meals. Tara looked timidly at Slade as he drank his blood as she hesitantly spoke to him.
"Master, may I go out tonight?" Tara asked.
Slade turned a cold eye to Tara which made her cringe.
"If I may, Master Slade," said Madam Rouge, "Tara has been late to class three times this week alone."
Tara glared at Madam Rouge when she wasn't looking. Oh how she hated that woman. However, what Slade said next nearly made her fall out of her seat.
"You may go out," he said, "provided you return home at a reasonable hour and don't miss class again."
Tara smiled at him. "Thank you, Master."
"Now, finish your dinner," said Slade sternly.
Tara drank her blood as she looked at Brion with a smile she couldn't erase for she now had freedom.
To be continued...
A/N: Special thanks to Brother Bludgeon for all his help with this story.
