She was haunted by nightmares. A man with a sinister orange face mask cut her down with a large sword, and countless other people as she lay, useless, bleeding onto the cement. She suddenly awoke to a gentle shaking, and opened her eyes to meet the face of a Cyborg. She gasped and reached for the sword she didn't have, but instead called one of the small blades she had bound to her lower arms into her hands. Those too, sported carved runes.
Get away from me, she growled. Her voice sounded in Cyborg's head as he put his hands to his ears in attempt to block it out.
"We aren't gonna hurt you girl now cut that out!" he cried. She next came face to face with a suspicious Raven.
"Put it down. We aren't going to hurt you." She did not lower her blade. Looking through the corners of her eyes, she found herself in a bed in a white room with medical equipment around her and another bed next to her with Beast Boy laying on it. Starfire and Robin, whose arm was in a sling but otherwise fine, stood by his bed.
"We were worried that you wouldn't make it" Robin said, as he moved towards her. She did not trust his movement and brought another blade to face Robin, with the other still pointed at Raven. She sat up more, only to have a searing pain race across her torso. She suppressed a scream as she fell back on the bed. She did not let go of the blades, but her hands shook as they lay tensed over the edges of the bed. Raven moved forward with cooling black hands, but the girl's pushed her away.
Don't touch me. Her voice sounded in all of their heads, and they looked on in confusion as she fought for control until her face no longer reflected her pain.
"She can help with the pain. It will cool the burn" Starfire offered, but her steeled eyes once again silenced her.
Don't touch me, she repeated.
"What's your name?" Robin asked curiously.
No answer.
"If we were going to hurt you, we would have done it before now, before you were conscious, wouldn't we?" asked Raven. She met the girl's eyes squarely, refusing to turn away.
"Can you speak without using your mind?" asked Cyborg, trying a different tactic.
Yes. I simply chose not to.
"Where are you from? And do you have any powers? Where is your family?" badgered Starfire. Robin tried to hold her back but her bubbly personality failed to comprehend.
That you have no right to ask or know, she shot back. Starfire looked hurt, but was distracted by Beast Boy's sudden stirrings in his sleep. The girl looked over, and steeled herself as she moved her legs over the bed and slowly stood.
"You shouldn't…" began Robin, but he was cut off by the wave of the girl's angry hand. Standing over Beast Boy, she placed her hands over his temple. She closed her eyes, and her hands suddenly began to glow a soft silver color. When she opened her eyes, no color remained but a solid sheet of that same eerie silver. She placed her hand directly on Beast Boy's head, and the cut instantly disappeared. She slowly moved her hands across his body, healing any injuries, and working slowing over the large cut on his thigh she left nothing but a small line down the leg. She closed and opened her eyes again, revealing once again the piercing but tired green. She shuddered and collapsed, but before she hit the ground she was caught by Beast Boy who now sat up fully awake in his bed. He looked curiously at the girl in his arms.
"Her name is Brynn."
"You're alright! But wait! She told you? How?"
"When she was healing me. She said we share some common bond that I cannot break and therefore she can give her trust."
"What was she talking about?"
"I have no idea, but we have to get her back into bed. She's starting to shake."
The titan's eyes turned back towards Brynn still in Beast Boy's arms who had begun to shiver.
"Will she be okay?" asked a concerned Starfire.
"I hope so."
-
Brynn woke again in the white hospital wing, though this time alone. Her head swam as she tried to sit up, but the fever forced her back down. She shook uncontrollably as she tried to shift onto a warmer spot on the bed. She had been through worse than this before. She could handle this. She always did. Closing her eyes and breathing, she slowly brought control over the shaking until it could barely be seen. Opening her eyes again, she found Beast Boy standing in front of her.
"How can you do that?" he asked.
Control, came the curt reply.
Beast Boy eyed her closely. Then, taking a tentative hand, he walked over to the side of the bed and pulled back the sheet. Brynn watched him, warily, but did not move. Instead, she allowed him to run his hands over her torso to check her wounds.
"You were amazing with that sword," he said as he nodded towards the scabbard that lay on the table just out of Brynn reach.
Again, a short reply. Practice.
"I still don't get how could still move after you got this though." He meant the large cut across her stomach that would inevitably leave a scar.
I've had worse, she replied.
Beast Boy looked at her with almost compassion in his eyes. Brynn sensed this, and returned the look with a glare.
I do not want your sympathy.
The response surprised him. Instead, he asked,
"Can you heal yourself?"
No. Only others.
"I wanted to thank you, by the way, for what you did."
You were in pain.
"Well thank you. And what did you mean when you told me that we were connected?"
Brynn looked at him, but said nothing.
"You know, I am not going to hurt you. You can trust me."
Brynn paused, but nodded. Slowly, she sat up, controlled her dizziness, and stood. Once again, she stopped to breathe and bring under control the pain that was making her head throb. Counts of seven pushed the pain into the back on her mind. Beast Boy watched, trying to help but was unsuccessful. Brynn suddenly wavered, but found Beast Boy's strong arm supporting her. She looked as if she would refuse it for a moment, but then allowed his help for once. Besides, he was warm, and though she was no longer shaking as visibly she was still chilled.
"You shouldn't be standing" Beast Boy chastised.
I have no choice. The sooner I heal, the sooner I can leave.
"Wait, you're leaving so soon? But where will you go?"
Anywhere. I can't stay in one place too long.
"How long have you been living like this?"
Long enough.
Beast Boy knew this was as much as he was going to get out of her today. He helped her back into bed after a few minutes, and opened the window at her request. But her already short replies were getting shorter, and he knew that she was no longer in the mood for tolerating his company. Before leaving, he turned and watched Brynn tenderly shift herself towards the open window.