A/N
SheriaH - I'll try and I can't tell
RoBiNiSmYbOo - Well thank you, you just made my day (week even),I will, and I hope you decided to read further.
Disclaimer- I own, I don't own, I own, I don't own. Ahhhhh.
3. Shadows of the Past
Raven couldn't believe what Cyborg had just said. How could he end the Teen Titans? If that happened, Raven would go completely mad. Her emotions were already controlling her; she couldn't imagine what it'd be like alone, without Beast Boy's annoyingness to take her mind off of Robin, without Starfire's knowing eyes, without Cyborg's brotherly support. How could he pull her apart even more?
Starfire's numbness returned. Silky had gotten rid of it, but it had followed Cyborg's words. Her mind was numb. Her body was numb. Was she still even holding Silky?
Beast Boy wouldn't let Cyborg end the Titans. He had lost so many already. The Teen Titans would not end. Beast Boy would make sure of it. But how could Cyborg pull them all apart like that? Wasn't Robin enough? Why did the world hate Beast Boy?
Cyborg knew he shouldn't have said that. Raven face was blank but her eyes looked shattered. Starfire had a blank look on her face. Beast Boy had a determined look plastered on his face. He worried that he had permanently broken the girls.
Raven got up, with the broken look still in her eyes, and walked out, wordlessly. Starfire numbly followed, squeezing Silky so tight, Cyborg was sure the larva would explode. Beast Boy just sat there. He looked at Cyborg and said, "How could you even say that?" Cyborg could hear the hurt in his voice.
Raven was hurt. Hurt by Cyborg. Hurt by Starfire. Hurt by Robin. Hurt by the world. She was retreating to her room when she saw a shadow. It wasn't hers. There wasn't anything that could cast a shadow like that, anymore. It was a little smaller than her, moving across the wall, shaped like a person walking with gloves that went about to it's elbow and the were sticking out from it's arm. The back of the head had spikes on it and it was followed by what looked like a shadow of a cape. It looked like Robin's shadow.
Starfire numbly walked to her room. Her mind was frozen on a single thought. How could Cyborg end Robin's team just like that? She was so numb.
She knew her numbness would never end. Never. Robin should have never died. Never. Robin will never return to her. Never. The Titans can never end. Never. That seemed to be her new favorite word, never. Maybe before it was forever because that's how long everything felt like it would last. Forever. The word seemed empty now. Robin had promised her the Teen Titans would last forever. Robin had promised that he would be with her forever. He lied. Now Starfire knew she had to move on. Nothing could last forever. Not anymore. She closed her eyes and let go of him. Robin would never return to her. It was time to let go.
Raven's mind must have been playing tricks on her. He was dead, so why would his shadow be in the Tower. Unless… Raven thought she had read a book about a magician who and lost someone he loved and... She couldn't remember any more. It had been so long since she had even thought about the book.
She took a longer path to her room and pulled books off of every single shelf she could find until she found the book. It was a bright red book with a broken heart on the cover. On the book, written a very fancy fount, it said "Never Dying Love" Raven hadn't particularly enjoyed the book but she read it anyway. Thank God she had.
She opened it up to the third chapter and began to read.
I looked at her lifeless body in my arms. I had caused this. It was my fault she was dead. Right then and there, I vowed that I would find a way to bring her back from the dead.
Raven skipped some more.
I looked at the shadow on the wall. It was not my own, in act, it reminded me of Minnie (1). I knew it was impossible, but it seemed so real.
Chapter 6
It had been two months since I had seen Minnie's shadow in the old barn. Every day I returned, hoping to see the shadow again. I hadn't seen it since. No one knew about the shadow but me.
I was heading home, unsuccessful in finding the shadow, again. I was almost all of the way through town. There were only two other people out on the streets. I recognized them both. One was Mr. Frundle, the owner of the shoe shop, and the other was the taylor, Mr. Swiswenburg. When I got closer, I heard the last bit of their conversation. "… glad they are tearing down that old barn at the top of the hill. You know, I even heard that place is haunted." Mr. Swiswenburg told Mr. Frundle. "No kidding?"
Haunted. Did that mean that some else had seen Minnie's shadow? No, there had been rumors circling about the barn being haunted when Minnie was alive. All I knew was the barn couldn't be torn down. What if Minnie's spirit was trapped in that barn? Would she be destroyed along with the barn? All I knew was that I couldn't risk it. I would have to use my magic to stop it. If the villagers saw me, I would be chased out of town while they called me a demon. They might even kill me. Minnie was worth the risk.
Raven was intrigued. Could it really be Robin? She desperately wanted to believe so, but if she did, she could lose him again, even though he wasn't there. Just believing would be enough to cause more pain, in the end. Raven skipped ahead in the book.
I failed. I watched the barn I had seen Minnie's shadow in, collapse. I fell to my knees. How could this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?
I might have stayed there forever, or at least until I died, but…
Raven was interrupted by a knock at her door. Sighing, she marked her spot in the book, closed it and got up to answer her door.
(1) In Teutonic, Minnie means "Loving Memory"
A/N Next update, Friday. Now if you excuse me, my computer is hitting it's rebellious stage.
