Chapter Nine: Math Class
The next day the two sat in class doing what was assigned waiting for the teacher to start class. The man was writing on the board a math problem. Raven was following along trying to figure it out so she could give the answer. Once the teacher was done he sat down and pointed to the problem.
"Solve this problem once finished raise your hand to let me know." The class got going on the problem within minutes Garfield's hand went up and he smiled. Getting up the teacher walked over and looked at his work. Nodding in agreement with his work the teacher walked away. Rachel stared in amazement he beat her to the answer. Just how smart was he really and not let the rest of them know? Rachel finishing the problem raised her hand as well and also got an approving nod. After five minutes the teacher sighed in frustration.
"Alright I can see only two of you are going to finish this problem. It also just happens to be the two new students. Well then why don't you two come up here and put the problem's work on the board." Rachel looked on in fear of this request. She didn't want to be noticed but she knew she had to show off her brains if they wanted the talent snatcher to come after her.
"Sure thing sir, it's a pretty simple problem after all." Raven looked over at Beast Boy he was more confident than he was back at the tower she noticed. It was like he was in his element here. Maybe they were wrong to make this be about her as bait. Shacking that thought from her head she walked up with him. Together they solved the problem on the board. Smiling the whole time he was up there. He really did seem to be at home here, in class at the school. Allowing the small smile to grace her lips she looked away from him.
"Answer is 15." Looking back to the class they all had blank confused faces. She almost laughed at this thinking back to Beast Boy's face when they talk about engineering with him. Walking back to their seats Raven began to wonder.
'Where had he learned all of this?' Talking with her emotions she ignored the rest of the class lecture. She knew of this already she didn't need to listen. By the end of it Beast Boy was poking her in her shoulder.
"What?" she snapped at him
"Well I thought you'd like to know class has ended and your break has begun. I'm going to class I'll see you for lunch if you want." Getting up he walked away from her. Looking after him she began to wonder again.
'I think I'll go back to our room. I need to finish the Art project anyway.'
They had been at the school for almost two months now. They had met the victims of the attacks and each was missing something that made them great. What really bummed out Raven and Beast Boy was it seemed those who were good in specific subject matter were the first to lose their talents. This meant that Raven would be in trouble since the person already had already gotten to them. Next to have their talents taken from them were the students who were good at sports. They weren't going to have any luck in that department.
Raven didn't 'do' sports or 'fun' so she wouldn't join one. Beast Boy was always gone during the sports practice times going who knows what.
"Raven calling Robin, come in Robin." Raven was giving a status report one day while Beast Boy was out doing whatever he does.
"Hey Raven, how are things going?"
"Not so good. We've check out all the victims so far and everything I'm able to do has already been taken. Not to mention any sport Beast Boy can get involved with and be decent at has been taken as well."
"So do you guys thing you'll be able to continue the mission then?"
"To be honest Rob, I'm not sure. Unless one of us makes it big in our art or music class I don't think so." Raven was sitting in her room waiting for Beast Boy while talking to Robin. They were trying to figure out a way to either find out who the next victim is or to get themselves captured. While they were talking the soft sounds of a piano could be heard. Thinking nothing of it Raven continued talking with Robin.
"Raven is that a piano in the background?" Looking up and listening hard Raven nodded.
"Yeah it sounds like Mozart's Sonata K311 Allegretto." Getting up and looking around for the computer or recording device that was making the noise she discovered that it was coming from the spare room. Opening the door she saw the normal form of Beast Boy sitting at the piano playing it beautifully. Robin on the other end has his jaw on the floor in shock. Calling over the other Titans they watched as Beast Boy practiced on the piano.
"Raven is that Beast Boy?" Raven nodded to Cyborg as her eyes grew wide noticing that he truly was playing the piano like that. Beast Boy finished playing the piano and closed the lid gently. Standing up and turning around he stopped dead in his tracks seeing Raven standing there with her communicator open for the others to see too.
"Hey guys, um, did you, ah, hear and see that?" By this time he was blushing pretty hard when the others and Raven nodded in unison at the question.
"Where did you learn how to do that?" Robin was so shocked that Cyborg had to ask the question for him. Beast Boy looked from his three friends on the communicator to Raven in front of him.
"I've been able to do that since I was about two years old. Remember when I told you my parents gave me a formal and jungle education. When I said formal I really meant formal. Ballroom dancing, Latin dancing, and traditional dancing from the village; music in several forms but my favorite was the piano." They just stared at him like he was crazy. Then Robin and Raven smiled and glanced at each other.
"Hey Robin I think we have our bait." Robin nodding in agreement, smiled as the new plan formed in his mind.
"Alright shift focus. Raven you're not the protection for BB. BB you're now the bait for the talent stealer. I want you to show off that skill right there. Everywhere you go if there is a piano play it. Contests, talent shows, you name it you do it." Nodding Beast Boy looked at Raven. He looked and he felt like a bundle of nerves. Saying their good bye to their friends back at the tower they hung up.
"Gar, are you alright?" He looked back at her and gave a small soft smile.
"Yeah, I think so. I've never played for anyone but Uncle Jeff, the village, and my parents before." She looked at him unbelievingly at him.
"No, that can't be right; you play way too well for you not to have played other places." Blushing a little bit Beast Boy smiled.
"I grew up in Africa Rae. Not really talent scouts every other turn in the African jungles." Laughing he walked back to the piano, sat back down and opened the top. "Might as well practice if I'm going to get captured right?" Smiling he sat down and though about his next practice song.
"Well if you don't mind I've got some homework in Art class I need to finish, would it be alright if I stayed?" nodding he smiled while she set up her paints and stand. As she started to paint she listened to him play the piano. Listening closely to the music she noticed it was the first part of the Disney Classic Beauty and the Beast. The part of the movie about the Beast's rose. Raven smiled behind her art project just thinking about the Disney classic, it was one of her favorites.
Then suddenly the music changed from the soft beginnings of Beauty and the Beast to the fast paced sounds. He was playing 'The Flight of the Bumble Bee'. Half way through the song he stopped and started to laugh pretty hard.
"What are you laughing at?" She looked over at him hiding the shock of him being able to move his hands and fingers that fast a crossed the key board.
"This song makes me think of Bumble Bee." Raven gave him a blank stare. "The first time I saw her fly I had the sudden urge to play this song unfortunately I didn't have a piano and I was hiding the fact I could play it from you guys. I just moved my fingers like I would if I was on the key board." He started to laugh again but sobered up pretty quick right afterwards. Raven gave him a soft smile before returning to her work. She didn't have much more she could do with it.
"Well I'm done for today, how about you?" They had been in there for a couple hours just working in silence. Well in as much silence as there could be with the piano being played. Beast Boy shrugged and looked at the keyboard.
"Yeah I think I'm done for a little while I have homework to finish anyway." Getting up they walked to the living area of the dorm room. As they entered Beast Boy's stomach growled causing him to laugh and blush.
"What you do, forget to eat?" Smiling at the thought of him forgetting she almost laughed at it till he answered her.
"Yep, I don't think I've eaten at all today." Laughing he walked to the kitchen and pulled out some tofu and eggs. "Do you want some?" Raven looked at the tofu a little hesitant about it.
"I don't know." He gave a quick smile and picked some of it out of the pan with a fork and held it out to her. She looked at it wondering what he was doing.
"Well go on, try it." Looking at it again she leaned forward and took the bite offered to her. She was surprised to find that it tasted alright. Better then alright in fact it was delicious.
"That is surprisingly good." Giving her a smirk he added more to it. Once it was done they sat at the table in silence, just enjoying the others company as they ate. Raven sat there and read the book Robin gave her for her birthday. She was on the chapter on love. So far it was pretty good and it helped her greatly in keeping control of her emotions. She hadn't given them away since they got here with her emotions going haywire. Beast Boy sat a crossed from her working on his homework. He had finished his math, animal science, English, history, and computer homework. That left only his music homework. He looked frustrated over it.
"Hey Gar, are you alright you look frustrated over that bit of homework." Looking up he gave a small smile.
"Yeah I'm fine. A little frustrated over it but it's nothing. It's not due for a while thank goodness." Raven looked at him closely to make sure he wasn't lying about it.
"Alright, well it's still early do you want to watch some T.V.?" He looked at her and smiled.
"Actually I'd like to go for an evening walk on one of the Trails in the national park. Would you like to join me?" She looked at him curiously. A walk this late on a trail, he has got to be out of his mind. He laughed a little bit and smiled at her. He knew what she was thinking she had that look. "Well you know I am a little out of my mind but that can't be helped. But I want to go on a short hike up to a lake and watch the sunset. You don't have to come if you don't want." He got up and walked to his room to grab his helmet and keys. Coming back out Raven sat at the couch with her helmet and smiled.
"I'm ready let's go." Nodding in agreement they went out to the bike. It was a 15 minute drive out to the trail head but it was a beautiful peaceful ride out there. Once they arrived they found they were not the only ones on the trail. Not far ahead of them was a cute young couple from the high school out for a stroll on the beautiful warm night.
Beast Boy and Raven stayed relatively quiet during the walk. She enjoyed the quite beauty around her. She never really took time or had the time back at the tower to go for walks in the local park. She never went with the others when they went for a walk in the national park there.
Beast Boy felt like he was back in his element. Natures, the natural beauty of things around him, the wild feelings around him are pure and wholesome. The animals all chattered away around him, they were happy and healthy. They were so unlike the tame wild the city animals had, but the animals here were a perfect wild, wild. They were the pure form of their cousins back in the city.
As they were walking they noticed the couple ahead of them. They were most defiantly a couple, a couple that was dating. They whispered things to each other as they walked and giggled quietly at what the other had to say. At one point the boy reached over and pulled the girl closer to him as they walked. Beast Boy smiled at the action and put his hand in his jacket pocket.
They reached the lake and found a spot to sit. While they were sitting at the beach front they started to look around. All around them were couples talking, laughing, and playing. Beast Boy smiled at the scene before him. Raven was also looking around but the she didn't notice the people she watched the animals. She saw all the baby animals running around and playing with their siblings. One caught her eye the most out of all the small animals.
A small wolf cub came bounding out of the woods later to be tackled by several others. Raven giggled a little bit as the cubs tackled and wrestling each other. Leaning back her hand landed on top of Beast Boy's. Shocked by the sudden contact they looked up suddenly. Soft blue eyes locked with teal green eyes. Their hearts started to pound and their minds were racing with so many thoughts.
'Kiss him!'
'What are you crazy?'
'Go on do it kiss him! You know you want to and he won't mind.'
'No I'm not going to! He will mind, who wants the devils daughter to kiss them?'
'He would. Besides he hasn't pulled away from you yet, has he?'
'No but that's because I look like Rachel not Raven. He's confused. But maybe just this once I can see what it feels like.' Before she could make her move the wolf cubs came running in between them growling and playing with each other. Shocked they both jumped backwards away from the cubs. Laughing Beast Boy stood up and held his hand out for Raven.
"The sun's almost down we should head back to the dorm." Nodding in agreement she took his hand and he pulled her up. Just before the sun went behind the mountains she gave him a small shy smile as they went back down the trail. Climbing back onto his bike Beast Boy shivered and gave a small smile unseen because of his helmet as Raven wrapped his arms around him.
'Wish it could be like this all the time.' He started off like a shot down the road only hitting one bump along the way causing Raven to hold on tighter.
'He's such a dream boat.'
'Love stop freaking out over him will you?' Raven's emotion smiled and responded.
'So you finally know who I am then?'
'Yes, now that I think about it, it's so obvious. I wish it was the green Beast Boy we debated on kissing though. Don't get me wrong this normal look is cute but I miss his green skin and jade eyes.' Her emotions nodded in agreement before they reached back to the dorm.
"Thanks Gar, I had fun."
"No problem Rae. We should go again sometime." She nodded and went into her room saying good night as she went.
