Hi guys, I'm back with more chapters! Thank you so much for the notes of encouragement, the favorites and the follows. I really hope you enjoy the next few chapters. Heather's Drive is an important chunk of the story (2-3 chapters). There's a lot to take in, so let me know if something makes no sense at all. I'll try to explain without giving anything away. Also this is my first go at writing anything creepy/spooky (but not too scary, as I'm kind of a chicken shit) so let me know how I do! Again thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy :)
This chapter is dedicated everyone who favorited, followed and reviewed this story. Thank you guys so much for the encouragement!
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, just my characters and this story.
Passion in the Palace
Chapter 10: Heather's Drive (Pt 1)
Warm, gentle sunlight filtered into the lavish music room. A beautiful slender lady gracefully floated around her favorite instrument, a grand 47 string concert pedal harp, standing six feet tall in the center of the room. She seated herself on the edge of the bench, her fingers outstretched and poised on either side of the glowing strings. With warmth in her heart, she smiled to the austere audience of one. 'This one,' she murmured, feeling love swell in her heart, 'I made for the baby.' With a resonate run of her fingers across the strings, she poured her soul into her melodious masterpiece, enchanting her listener and melting his strife away…
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As the teens nervously approached the shadowy, awaiting mansion, Robin realized that he had two uneasy feelings coming from two different places. The first was looming up from this silently disturbing Heather's Drive. As the group of teens unconsciously bunched together on the asphalt driveway, he kept feeling that something inside that house was whispering out to someone. It was just the atmosphere playing tricks on him, he told himself; but the sense of the house seeking out someone was stirring in him the need to protect. Taking in a deep breath, the prince moved to the front of the group so he could lead them to this unsettling mansion.
Raven, who he had been walking beside, looked startled when he moved to lead the group. She scratched her arm, and Robin narrowed his eyes. Since they got out of the truck and started walking, Raven had been scratching her left arm, which was strange since she was usually as fidgety as a tombstone. He wanted to ask her if she was okay, but he didn't want to upset her any more than he did outside The Pizza Joint earlier. Their argument, along with Raven's strange words, left them both shaken. He still didn't even know if she accepted his apology. As Robin lead the group closer to the mansion's veranda, he heard Raven scratch the length of her arm and again wanted to ask if she was okay, but kept silent.
"I'm fine, Robin." Raven muttered as she pulled the ends of her sleeves over her knuckles.
To her side, Allikat gave her a weird sideways glance. "No one said anything…" But Raven didn't seem to be paying attention.
And that was the second source of Robin's uneasiness: Raven. Even as Starfire levitated to him to hold his hand for comfort, Robin kept getting weird vibes when he was around the dark princess. People having powers wasn't something that was new to Robin. He understood that Raven could teleport and levitate and move objects with her mind, or rather, with the control of her emotions. But what else was there? Was there a cost? Yes, she was frustrating and emotionless and used words to express herself in the iciest manners. But when she opened up, wonderful things happened, like her rare smiling, interacting, blushing, even dancing with him, bonding with him… it became one of the most interesting and warming things about his new life as a prince; he no longer denied that much. But also when she opened up, scary and ominous things happened, like her powers going haywire and destroying things around her, like the dreams she has at night that leave her pale as paper when she finally wakes up, like the inhuman rage that seems to try to consume her when her eyes glow white with anger… "You, more than anyone else here, remind me that I'm not human. And you seem to do it just because you can." She had said to him. Did he do this to her? Did he truly make her feel less human? And if she wasn't just a human with powers, what was she?
"Ouch!" Robin jerked his hand away from Starfire's hot palm. He frowned at her as he rubbed his burnt hand.
"I am so sorry Robin," she said quietly. "I am still gaining the control over them, however this place is making it harder for me to do so."
"It's fine, Star. Just try to keep it together ok?"
Raven tapped Cyborg who was walking in front of her. "What was that about?"
"Starfire can generate star bolts and beams with her hands and eyes," Cyborg explained. "She's almost got perfect control over it, but being away from her planet makes it harder to control. And since this place is already weird, I imagine that it's even more difficult to control when she's nervous or stressed."
"Hah!" Beast Boy laughed nervously. "There's nothing to be afraid of Star! Remember, if any mean zombies try to get us, I can change into an alligator and scare them all away!"
"It's a haunted house, Beast Boy. Not the apocalypse." Allikat muttered.
"He has a point though," Cyborg said. "It's not like we can't protect ourselves. If there is anything in this 'haunted house' then my systems can pick up on it easy."
"Hold on guys," Speedy spoke up. "The whole point in coming here was to have fun, and get scared shitless. What's the point in coming here when we can just fly away or scientifically justify anything that goes on in there?"
"To avoid going insane?" Starfire offered.
"We won't go insane. Well, maybe a little bit. But look, if we go in there, we go in there as normal Joes. If we want the experience to be the most fulfilling, we can't go in there sporting unfair advantages. Got me? No cowards, only Normal Joes."
"I was waiting for someone to bring the n word up again," Raven said. The dread in the pit of her stomach was making her feel less normal than she had in all her life. She couldn't tell if the unintelligible voices were being carried by the cold, wispy air or her own demonic madness trying to surface. Trying her biggest effort to brush the feeling off, she scratched the itching on her arm and swiftly restored her hood to her head.
"Starting with you, Raven," Speedy said, snatching the fabric from her head. "No powers, okay? No levitating, no telekinesis, no going through walls, none of that dark magician girl stuff."
"Hah! Great reference!"
"Beast Boy," Speedy turned to the green nerd. "While you are on this property, you shall remain Beast BOY, at ALL TIMES. Clear?"
"Whatever dude! I'm gonna own this bitch!"
"Robin, if you see stairs, take the stairs. If you feel the urge to spider monkey up the ceiling and run along the walls, please refrain. In other words, keep the artsy-fartsy boy wonder stuff to the minimum, okay? We're going for Average Joe. Not acrobatic black belt." Speedy turned to Starfire. "Star, I heard you get the itch sometimes, but no starbolts. And no flying either."
"I suppose I can manage…"
"Cyborg: Hi-tech stuff, shut it down. The most critical of your functions, okay, but nothing that has an advantage over the human parts of you. Safe mode. Got it?"
"Whatever man."
"I swear I won't touch my bow and arrows, and I'll try to keep my good looks under control. Allikat…"
Everyone looked at the very normal teenaged girl, clutching her beloved mp3 player in her hands.
"Just keep those headphones out of your gorgeous little head. We don't want you trying to drown the creepy ambiance out with music."
Allikat shot a furious offended glare at Speedy before jamming her music gear into her pocket. Scowling, she pushed past her peers and stormed angrily down the driveway.
"Dammit I pissed her off again! What did I say this time?"
"You just never learn," Raven said, starting after Allikat's new lead. The rest of the group followed until they were all standing on the waiting mansion's veranda.
-x-
Upon reaching the front door, the group had huddled together, their eyes locked on the doorknob. "So uh... do we knock?" Beast Boy asked.
"Well, it seems that there is no one here, perhaps we should return to the truck of monsters now, yes it looks much safer and we can return to the palace before this place—"
"There is no way we are going back to the palace any time soon," Raven said to Starfire. "Besides, do you really want to return to my rampaging Aunt, and go through that—" Raven pointed a hand at the sea of tall grey grasses that was the front terrace "—to get there?"
Starfire uneasily studied the front lawn, her eyes slipping to the driveway. She saw what looked like her reflection standing on the asphalt many yards away, but it disappeared when she stared at it. Pushing her fear away, she said, "Then perhaps you shall lead us in?"
Raven shoved her small body through everyone and stood before the door. "You guys are pathetic," she said, as she brought her hand to the door. On contact, a numbing cold flooded through her fingers and hand, reminding her of the failed wars in her nightmares. Apprehension seeped into her. She fought the silly feeling, refusing to succumb to whatever tricks this house may try to play.
"I'll do it," Robin said exasperated, and pushed the door open before anyone was ready.
With a groaning hiss of an answer from the house, each person was greeted with a cold, black gust of old smelling house. Peering in, they could see that the lobby beyond the door frame seemed to be in kept condition, just frozen with dust in time. Though it was night, and from the outside all the windows looked tinted black, the moonlight shown in through the tall slender windows allowing each person to soak in their surroundings with just barely enough light. The room was spacious with scattered furnishings, some pieces appeared to be missing while what was left lay silenced by a coat of dust. On either sides of the room, two great hallways lead away from the room to places they felt compelled to explore.
Cyborg was the first to speak. "Well, it looks normal enough. Let's go in."
"Hold on guys," Robin spoke. "I got a weird feeling about this place." He looked to Raven, who was rubbing the back of her neck. "What if this place isn't safe?"
"Well I could do a quick scan of the first floor and detect any suspicious—"
"NO, Cyborg," Speedy cut him off. "Average Joes. We explore this place like normal, scared, defenseless human beings."
"This isn't smart," Robin said. "We should be prepared just in case."
"Oui, just in case," Allikat suddenly said. "Because should anything happen, we should all be able to just fly away!"
Allikat's voice traveled above to the high, darkly ornate ceiling. A strange, low wooden moan dragged on for about eight seconds and ended in a shrill, metallic screech, leaving everyone stiff with fear.
"S-so I g-guess this place is kinda ha-haunted after all," Beast Boy squeaked while stepping behind Raven.
Letting out a breath, Speedy addressed Allikat. "Alli, if you're afraid, I'll protect you. We all will."
"I don't need anyone to protect me, I can take care of myself! So please don't let Average Josie get in your way of having fun!" Allikat avoided Speedy's contact and took off down the left moonlit hall.
"WAIT! Friend Allikat! We must stick TOGETHER!" Starfire screamed after her.
"Jeeze, Starfire!" Beast Boy squealed. "Why are you screaming like that?!"
"You do not feel it?" She said very warily, her eyes darting to and fro. "There is someone here… watching us…"
"It's a haunted house," Raven said flatly. "There's always someone watching you."
"But…"
"I'll go after Allikat." Cyborg said, turning to follow her.
"I will join you," Starfire walked to Cyborg's side. "I do not wish to see her so angry and… well… defenseless."
"Wait," Robin said. "If we're really going to split up, we should plan to meet back here, in this lobby. So we can all leave safely and together."
"Alright man, we'll meet here. Just remember y'all got nothing to worry about. It's just a house." And with that Cyborg and Starfire left to catch up with Allikat.
Robin stared after the three. "I just hope they remember to stick together."
-x-
"Yo Allikat! Wait up!"
Allikat looked behind her to see Starfire and Cyborg running down the hallway to catch up with her. While their long strides rapidly closed the gap between them and herself, she noticed it was strange seeing Starfire actually running. Just one way to dumb down their powers to be normal, and even then they were so much faster than she could ever hope to be. Allikat was again reminded how weak she was compared to the others when Starfire gave her a painful bone-cracking hug, which the others seemed to merely brush off.
"I'm fine," Allikat growled as Starfire set her down.
"We are not fine," Starfire moved in front of Allikat. "This place is cursed and there is someone here watching us."
"This place is not cursed, Star," Cyborg sighed. "Allikat, what's gotten into you? Why did you run off?"
"I didn't want to get in anyone's way," she mumbled forcefully, walking quickly past Starfire. Immediately they were by her sides again.
"You're not in anyone's way, Alli. We all came here together, remember?"
"Oui."
"'Yes'? That's all you have to say?"
"Oui," she said again, except this time tears were threatening to pour down her eyes. A strange sensation ran about her spine, as if someone was trying to comfort her…
"Oui, Oui, Oui what's gotten into you Allikat? You're acting like we aren't even friends!" Cyborg started to shout.
"Friends? And for how long are we gonna be amis, Cyborg? How long until you guys realize that I'm nothing like you!"
"Somebody is behind that rotted plant…" Starfire nervously wriggled her fingers.
"What are you talking about 'nothing like' us? You ARE one of us!"
"No! I'm a plain, simple, stupid ex-dough roller with nothing to say for my life. Our group gets bigger and I feel smaller as you guys talk about all this stuff that I can't do. Speedy said it all, the most I can do is… zone into music because that's the only thing I got!"
"You are not plain nor stupid nor simple," Starfire said suddenly. "You are strong and beautiful and are able to keep the eyes of whom you fancy. I am very grateful to meet and befriend someone as interesting as you."
"Says the girl who becomes enthralled with fungus and doilies. And no, I am not able to keep the eyes of 'whom I fancy' because he forgets me at the first sight of a skirt!"
"Is that what this is about?" Cyborg stopped Allikat from going any further. "You think you are too normal to keep Speedy interested?"
Allikat looked pained but didn't say anything.
"Look Alli. I'm not excusing the way Speedy is, but some dudes got weird ways of trying to get the girl he likes. And you are not just a 'normal' girl."
"It's not just about Speedy. But like him, you'll all get bored of plain, uninteresting me and I'll have to go yet somewhere else to prove that I'm not… I'm not just a nobody, I am more than this!"
"Perhaps we should keep moving," Starfire untwined and intertwined her fingers together repeatedly. "The plant is gone and now I think someone is behind that curtain."
Cyborg sighed and gave Allikat a hug. "If you decide to leave, that's your choice. But just know that none of us believe you are anything close to commonplace. So you don't melt objects with your emotions, nor have you spent years training in martial arts like you have no life. Nor are you a complete idiot like BB. Big whoop. At the end of the day, that's not what keeps us together. At the end of the day, we're just happy that we can all look at each other and feel happy with ourselves, after all the scrutiny and alienation we get from the 'normal society'. You're as strange as any of us, only difference is that you could live in the world that none of us can."
Allikat pulled away from Cyborg. "Merci," she said, truly grateful as Cyborg's words sank in. Though she still felt incredibly lame and embarrassed about her outburst, she did feel that maybe she could have a semi-important role in their dynamic after all. Growing up as a ward of the state, she was familiar with living apart from the norm. When she left the states to start a new life in Silver Stone, Speedy did follow her, so she must be a little less boring than she thought herself to be…
"Merci, Cyborg. I'm sorry for my freak out. I just wish that I had something special too."
"It's all good," he smiled. "If we didn't have you and your immaculate taste in music, we'd still be listening to Beast Boy's bluegrass k-pop."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of this hallway, its giving me the creeps."
"Yeah, I keep feeling like someone is laughing at me."
The two walked onward.
"Wait… where's Star?"
-x-x-x-
"Dude… this place isn't right."
"What gave that away?" Raven asked sarcastically as Beast Boy insisted on clinging to her arm.
Speedy looked down the hall and noticed that an intersection was coming up. "I feel like nothing is really going to happen so long as we're in a big group."
"No way are we splitting up again," Robin said. "We need to stick together." Robin couldn't care less if Speedy went off on his own, but he was weary about being away from Raven, and even Beast Boy. He wanted to make sure that they were okay. He trusted Cyborg to take care of Starfire and Allikat. Which was strange that Speedy hadn't opted to go with them… unless of course he was looking for the opportunity to be with Raven.
"Why didn't you go after Allikat after pissing her off like that?" Robin prompted.
"Because she needs space before she recognizes that I'm even speaking English, let alone trying to apologize... Look guys I seriously think we need to split up," Speedy said, staring straight at Robin. "Seriously."
Robin stared back and let out a forceful sigh. "Fine," he said, understanding the look Speedy gave him. As long as Speedy didn't think he was getting the chance to make off with Raven again. This uncanny old house couldn't possibly bring anyone any actual harm. He'd go with Speedy and prove to him that the archer had nothing on the Boy Wonder. He'd put Speedy in his place and perhaps then he would back off Raven, Starfire and even Allikat who seemed to run in the opposite direction whenever Speedy tried talking to her. Yes, isolate Speedy, crush him, and carry on peacefully with life.
"Fine, but you and I go—"
"Come on Beast Boy, I heard there are zombies near the courtyard."
Beast Boy bugged out at Speedy. "Z-zombies? I thought you guys said—"
"Come on, I'm starting to see your green chicken feathers falling to the ground! Are you gonna be a man and own this bitch or what?!"
Beast Boy gave a glance to Raven. "I… YEAH!" He beamed, partly to show Raven he wasn't chicken, and mostly to tell himself he wasn't scared shitless. "Zombies got nothin' on me! Hold me back bro, I'm going in. Raven—" Beast Boy casted a serious look to the dark, unimpressed princess "—Don't be afraid. If Boy Wonder gets too scared, you know my name. Call me, and I'll protect you."
"Much appreciated," Raven said flatly.
Robin and Raven stared after the two as they made a left down the next hallway. Robin didn't understand why Speedy purposely let him and Raven be alone, but if he were to be honest, Robin was thankful. Even if it was now awkward and a bit tense. Robin cleared his throat. "So um… I guess we can go straight ahead."
Raven simply walked alongside Robin as he led them down the hallway. She didn't seem to particularly care if she was with him or not, she just looked on at the slowly decaying wallpaper and the smudged out portraits that hung along the walls. Then she started scratching at her arm again.
"Raven… what's with your arm?"
"I don't know Robin, but if you ask me one more time, I'm going to think you actually care, and that's going to piss me off."
Robin stopped them in the hallway. "I never asked you a first time! And why would it piss you off so much if I cared?"
Raven glared at him, "Because you don't. So back off. I could have been with anyone, even Starfire, but fate would have it that I get to spend the next hour with you. So just shut up and stop asking me questions." Raven shoved up the sleeves to her hoodie and started scratching both of her forearms. It was driving Robin crazy.
"I haven't said a word to you since we left the Pizza Joint. I've been trying to give you space."
Raven eyed his face, a sudden dark curiosity lingering on hers. "Trying?"
"Yeah," he said, feeling like he'd said too much. "I said I was sorry about earlier… I didn't mean to make you feel like… like… dammit Raven quit scratching your arm!" Robin made the move to pull her sleeves back down, but before he could touch her, Raven's eyes flashed a bright glowing crimson. After a brief moment, they faded to her usual white, then back to her violet narrowed eyes.
"Don't." was all she said, her voice a strange echo.
Robin's frown pressed into a thin line and he continued forward. 'I make you feel not human, huh?' he thought, and tried his best not to pull a Speedy and piss Raven off even more. White glowing eyes, he's seen from her. Red on the other hand was something new and even creepier. Gods, what happened next? Her eyes start to glow silver and blue liked this awful striped wallpaper?
Robin tried to swallow down the weird mix of feelings that swam around the pit of his stomach like lead fish. Dread, annoyance, curiosity, fear, defiance, despair, protect, alone. It throbbed in his belly, nearly enough to make him sick. He couldn't figure how he would be feeling all of those one after the other. There was a brief lull of panic that made his breath catch, just as he saw a short bolt of black energy come from Raven's chest. The heavy swirl of emotions dropped and Raven stood still for a moment, And then Robin realized that these feelings weren't his own…
-x-
"I am right here," Starfire stepped up to Cyborg and Allikat. She looked exceptionally pale, her voice a tad wispy.
"Where did you go?" Cyborg asked, relief returning to his chest. For the smallest moment, he thought that Star could have been taken. Silly! There was no one, or no thing here that could cause them harm.
"I saw.. I thought I saw... myself. But it was... it was only my reflection."
Allikat laughed, making both Cy and Star feel easy again. "Your reflection? As in a mirror? Is that who you've seen 'watching us'?"
"I suppose that was..." Of all words she knew in the English language, Starfire disliked this word most. "...naive of me."
Allikat chuckled to the bashful alien. "No, no, it's just funny. We all have those moments."
"Well since we're all good, let's keep exploring!" Cyborg beamed. "We can't let the other team have all the fun."
Starfire nodded happily as they continued down the large hall. It was nice. They all felt comforted, excited to see what goodies the house hid. Allikat even started humming a little tune until she stopped in front of a door. Cyborg ran his hand across the dust that exposed the shiny plaque next it.
"Concert Hall," he read.
"Lily's favorite place," Allikat said thoughtfully. "She would play her melodies here.. Beautiful melodies."
"Who is Lily?" Starfire asked.
"I don't know," Allikat said.
"Then how do you even know that stuff?" Cyborg asked.
"I, I don't know..." Allikat touched her hand to the door's surface. "Guys..." She said, suddenly turning to the both of them. "I want to go in here."
"Okay," Cy said. "Let's check out what's inside."
"I mean alone," Allikat said, her mind made up. For some reason she felt protective of this place, as if it belonged to her.
"Look I don't think it's a good idea for us to split up again. There's three of us now, and who knows what could happen. We need to look out for each other."
"Oh come on, Cy. You said it yourself, this is just a house. Are you afraid I can't protect myself?" Allikat rolled her eyes, feeling irritated that they were likely seeing her as a plain human being again. "Oh look out," she mocked. "Alli's gonna get ambushed by flying trumpets, better pull out our machines and starbolts cus that dusty tuba could seriuosly break her little legs off.' Pfft guys c'mon, it's a concert hall. Just give me this!"
Starfire giggled. "Cyborg, if I may say, I do believe that if anyone could fight musical enemies, it would be her."
Cyborg studied both girls. "I don't know..."
"I promise I'll be back in like, 15 minutes. You guys go ahead! Hell, you can cheat while I'm gone for all I care. I'll be back!"
"Okay fine," Cyborg said. It was just a concert hall for 15 minutes, he and Star would be back to pick her up. Besides, he kept hearing faint sounds of laughter.. He was itching to turn on some sensors to see what could be making that noise. "We'll be back. If anything happens.. You know just... scream I guess."
"You got it!"
Allikat stared after Cyborg and Starfire as they walked away. She waited, watching them until they turned a corner before she exhaled a jittery breath and entered the music room.
"Hmm... I suddenly do not feel as confident in our decision." Starfire said after they walked on.
"Yeah.. Its like she took a bubble of safety with her. Well.. Let's keep going."
Starfire nodded, staying close to Cyborg. There were many eerie paintings on the walls, some of servants, some of a thin man with white hair and ice colored eyes. She paused in front of a painting with two women, one holding a baby.
"Hey Star," Cyborg said from the other wall. "Check this picture out." Starfire came to his side and looked at the picture. There were the same two women, one holding a small harp, the other holding a baby wrapped in cloth. "Does that woman not look like Raven?" he said pointing to the one holding the baby.
She did, with long purple hair and a diamond chakra on her forehead. It was unmistakable that this woman was Raven's mother as the diamond crown and resemblance gave it away. But what was this picture doing here? "It must be the former queen, holding baby Raven." Starfire said.
"But who is that woman with the harp? And.. Who is that?" Cyborg pointed to a thin shadowy figure standing in the background. The person was nearly out of focus, but his dark thin frame and long hair was standing ominously to the edge of the picture.
"I do not like that being," Starfire said. As an odd feeling creeped into her, she held on to Cyborg's arm to keep the fear from seizing her. "Friend Cyborg.. M-may I hold your hand?"
Cyborg swallowed and nodded. This was getting weird. "I'm gonna take a picture of this, maybe Raven knows something about it." Cyborg snapped a few pictures with his robotic eye, and a couple of the ones Starfire came across. They continued down the hall in silence, their eyes darting from the different pictures to random furniture and gaps in the walls. Starfire's hand began to get hot, but she squeezed Cyborg's to keep from expelling any bolts.
Cyborg led them on for nearly ten minutes, keeping tabs on the time. He wondered how Robin, Raven, Beast Boy and Speedy were doing, if they had found anything out of the ordinary. He was growing weary of the foreign.. feelings he was getting all over his body. Then he heard a fleeting buzzing sound and looked around. From what he could see in the dim light, nothing seemed out of place. Only old, dust covered hallway tables and a few pictures and paintings attached to the walls.
Bzzzfft-fft-fft.
The buzzing sounded like wings. Cyborg stopped and glanced around.
"What is it Cyborg?"
Cyborg coughed. "Nothing, I..."
More laughter he could hear, and he spun around. "I swear I thought I heard something that sounded like..."
Starfire stared at him wearily, clearly she heard nothing.
"Never mind, let's just go."
"Friend Cyborg... I do not like this house." she said quietly.
"It's okay Star..." Cyborg swallowed. "It's gon' be alright."
"I keep feeling that someone is watching me." A pair of eyes there were.. she could feel them lurking. Starfire was no Earthling, but she could feel the air change as something ran through. It was so hard to see when her green eyes glazed in fear, her nerves were itching to form a bolt of protection. She walked nearer to Cyborg. "Perhaps we can turn around to find the others, I have heard there is safety and numbers and-"
"STAR!" Cyborg turned around with a deep blush swirling with the shadows on his face.
"What is the matter?" She asked, suddenly more aware of Cyborg's alarm than the feeling of someone behind her.
"Did you just... just..."
"Did I do what?"
"Did you just grab my ass?"
"Your, ass...?" Starfire asked confused, feeling a blush ride to her face. That word was so familiar sounding. Ass... ass... What was the ass? "I am sorry, the ass is..."
"My BUTT, Star!" Cyborg shouted. "My can. My behind, the opposite side of my junk, my backside-"
"No no no!" Starfire squealed, burning with flames. "I did not touch it! I did not touch your... ass. I wish not to violate any of my friends!"
Cyborg started to look especially stricken, his blush turning into a sick blue. "Something keeps touching me... in the wrong places." When the laughter bordered on uncontrollable, Cyborg threw his hands up, his temper flaring. "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" he bellowed. This was messed up. The laughter was echoing behind him—a female laugh—and it pissed him off. He turned back to Starfire to finally explain what he was hearing, but she was gone.
-x-
"Buaak, buk-buk-buk Bwuaak!" Speedy teased Beast Boy as they entered what looked like a decently large utility room. It was slightly warmer than the rest of the house, the floor feeling harder and more solid than that of the hardwood hallways.
"Dude, I'm no chicken okay? I'm still Beast Boy, just like you said. And you better not tell the ladies anything else!"
"Nope, I won't tell them how you crept in like a mouse, AS a mouse, into that office. You freaking chicken!" Speedy laughed.
It was annoying Beast Boy that Speedy didn't seem scared at all, even though Allikat said he was a scaredy cat the last time they tried to come here. Normally Beast Boy would be chirpy and joking around, coping with the fear and anxiety through humor. But Speedy said there were zombies. And the whole idea of undead anything freaked him out most, especially if it was in the real world!
"Do you really think it was a such a good idea to leave Robin and Raven alone, together like that?" Beast Boy said. Yes, he wanted to be with them, but he also knew that the two of them alone could spell trouble.
"Of course, they obviously needed it."
"Need it? Those two don't exactly see eye to eye. They are probably killing each other without us there! They've been wicked tense lately."
"Beast Boy," Speedy began condescendingly. "I know you're only fifteen, but when you reach my age, you learn that love works in mysterious ways. Take me and Alli for example. She hates my guts. But I know she still loves me."
"You aren't making any sense right now," Beast Boy said, taking into account that Speedy was a notorious flirt and Allikat hated his guts.
Speedy laughed and cleared thick cobwebs away from his face. "You'll see, I bet if Raven left Silver Stone, Robin would follow her. Just like I followed Alli."
"You sure he wouldn't just marry Starfire? She's a princess. And I think she likes him."
"Nah. You'll see, BB. Those two will come around."
"Wait, what makes you so sure? I thought YOU were trying to put moves on Raven!"
Speedy laughed again and slapped the changeling on his back. "Are you kidding? I don't stand a chance with Raven. Most of that flirting and teasing is just to get under Robin's skin. Besides, I couldn't be with anyone else, no matter how hard I try. Alli's like a drug. Despite how much we fight, we need each other. She doesn't know how amazing she is and she thinks she can just run away again. But I know her, and I know us. And I'll be damned if I let her slip away, thinking she's anything less than the feisty, beautiful ass-kicking girl I know she is."
Beast Boy looked to Speedy, a pleasant and surprised respect in his eyes. "Huh, who woulda knew that the skirt-chasing narcissist was actually a wise old guy in love with Allikat."
Speedy grinned, "Yeah and don't you go blabbering that out. Can't let people think I've gone soft on the inside."
"Hah! We already know you're a virgin!"
"Just shut up BB ok?"
"Woa, wait.. Did you see that?" Beast Boy halted their steps and stared in the far corner of the appliance filled room.
"What did you see?"
They stepped over a few baskets and into a pile of squishy fabrics before climbing on top of an industrial dryer. Some dust lifted into the air, causing Speedy to sneeze.
"Here, I saw something climb up here and go up, only there's no vent or anything."
"But there's that.." Speedy pointed down below. Right before their eyes, they saw the smallest, barefoot footprint, right in the dusty floor.
"Whaat the heelll..." They stared closely. Suddenly another one appeared, and then another and another as the 'steps' took off, ending at the tiled wall.
"Oh shit, oh fuck oh SHIT OH FUCK!" Beast Boy screamed, scampering and crawling on top of Speedy's shoulder and head. "OH SHIT WE'RE DONE FOR MAN!"
"Calm down, Beast Boy, it's just footsteps!" Speedy shouted. "We gotta remain calm! We're men, okay? We can handle this! We just have to-"
Beast Boy's butt hit the dryer hard as Speedy vanished from beneath him. His teeth ground together at the impact. He screeched, but Speedy was gone. There were no signs in the dust that he ran away or anything—Speedy really vanished from right beneath him! Before he would become completely paralyzed with fear in both mind and body, Beast Boy remembered this trick that Cyborg fashioned for him a long time ago: Don't think, just move. He repeated this to himself out loud, over and over again as he lifted himself off the dryer and moved back to the entrance of the room. Don't think, just move. He wouldn't think of how utterly frightened he was that his friend just completely disappeared in the same space he was. Don't think, just move. He wouldn't think about where Speedy went, what that could mean for either of them, or that he could be next. Don't think, just move. All he knew, as Cyborg had taught him, was that he had to get to a safe place, find other people, and then he could freak out. Don't think. Robin and Raven, they were the closest by. Just move.
Finally he re-entered the main hallway, but cursed when he saw that it wasn't the same one they came from. The hallway stretched far down into darkness. Just as he was going to turn away from it, a cool air settled in and he heard a child's voice, calling from down the hall.
"Laaaaaaaaaaassieeeee... oh Laaaaaaasssiieeee..."
"No, no, no, no, no, no!" He panicked, pulling his long ears down to the side of his face. "Please leave me alone, please leave me alone!"
"Coome heeere, boooy," Beast Boy heard the voice clearly whisper right behind him. When he spun around, heart pounding, there was only a single white ribbon floating to the floor. Confused, Beast Boy picked it up.
"Dude, chill out." He said to himself. "Just because this seems like an innocent old timey show gone completely wrong, doesn't mean that any of it's real." But there was a strange scent wafting from the silky white ribbon... It smelled like childhood... like baby buds blooming in Spring, like the powdery scent of a new baby doll, like mild soap from a toy-filled bubble bath, like lukewarm milk in a sippy cup, like fresh cotton laundry, like hot, pungent dog breath on the back of your neck...
Beast Boy looked up and behind him there was a zombie Collie, maggots crawling in its long, matted hair, blood instead of saliva dripping from its panting tongue onto Beast Boy's feet. Too shocked to speak, Beast Boy clenched the ribbon, staring into the empty eye sockets of the dog wagging its broken tail.
"YOU FOUND LASSIE!" The voice shouted from behind him, sending Beast Boy running down the hall screaming "FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"
-x-
Starfire was gone and Allikat away, and someone was laughing at him... though he didn't find anything fucking funny. "Who's out there?" Cyborg called. He was standing in a room that was filled with chaises, as if the house was suggesting he would be passing out soon. This was not the case of course, because there were others who needed him and he wasn't about to give into whatever tricks this house was playing. There was darkness seeping out from beneath the furniture and across the floor. How that made any sense, Cyborg didn't know and he didn't stick around to find out. He moved into another room and into yet a smaller room, hearing the laughter turn into a sigh, as if whoever was out there needed a break from laughing at him. Cyborg was beginning to really lose his nerve. He lifted his arm to access his controls but stopped, feeling that the house would have gotten the better of him if he did so. He got a weird feeling then, that the person was no longer laughing, but was intrigued by him. Intense intrigue plagued him so much that he started feeling self conscious, which was silly he reminded himself. There was no one here! But he couldn't be sure...
For security, Cyborg told himself, he was going to turn on his systems, just for a moment to verify that this was all psychological. All this nonsense was in his head, and his systems would verify the facts that there was nothing going on. Raising his arm again, he flipped open his shield and punched away at the interface to assess.
Immediately red lights flooded his robotic eye, urgently warning him of various dangers that didn't make any sense.
Extreme Heat!
Poisonous Air!
Unknown Activity!
Battery Draining Waves!
Past the alarms, Cyborg could only see an ordinary still, cold room. But with his human eye...
Cyborg swallowed as from the seeping darkness, a projection-like glow rose from the ground. When it came into focus, he was completely shocked to see that it was an apparition... of Bumblebee. It looked just like her, from her afro puffs, to her dark skinny jeans and plaid button down blouse. But what was most unsettling about her was that she was completely soundless—a translucent, colorless apparition. She smiled and floated up to him, seeming to make all his alarms calm and shut down. Stunned, Cyborg stared as the Bumblebee ghost soundlessly giggled and took his large robotic hand and placed it on her right breast. He can feel her warmth!
Cyborg shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts and mind. Through his robotic eye, he only saw his outstretched hand holding the cold nothing of an ordinary room. But when he looked through his human eye, Bee was there smiling, unbuttoning her shirt. With a start, Cy was reminded that there were indeed parts of him that were still very much human. To his embarrassment he was having a hard time controlling those parts as ghost Bumblebee's shirt soundlessly disappeared into the floor.
"Uhh..." Cyborg said, not sure what to make of this situation. Ghost Bee quieted him by placing a finger on his lips, and beckoned for him to follow her into the closet nearest the mansion's entrance. What had Speedy said? Lady Heather would show you something you either secretly feared or secretly desired? Cyborg sighed. She seems harmless enough. He decided that this hallucination was just that: a hallucination. If he was going crazy, he decided, he might as well enjoy it. Cyborg cracked his knuckles together and followed the beautiful, topless ghost of Bumblebee into the closet.
-x-
This time, Starfire could have sworn there was another person nearby. She hated the fact that she was so naive to this planet. If her native friends said it was silly to believe that a duplicate of her was following her, then it must be so. If her friends said that no one was watching her at every corner, then it must be so. But there was something that looked exactly like her that darted into a nearby room, and she was determined for Cyborg to see it as well.
"Cyborg, there!" She called and pointed to the open-doored room. But Cyborg was already down the hall, entering a different room. She glanced back to the open door and saw the tips of boots she instantly recognized as high quality, battle style Tamaranian boots. She paused, and the boots stepped back into the room. She dashed over to the room but the door slammed in her face, causing her to shriek and expel a star bolt. She glanced around, wondering if anyone saw her mishap, but no one was watching her. Only the feeling. Staring at the new smoking hole in the door, Starfire could see into the dark bedroom a person sitting down at the vanity, their long hair falling down a tall slender torso. It is not me. But who is it?
Hope began to fill Starfire's chest. If it was not her, and this person clearly existed before her eyes, could it possibly be her sister? Had Blackfire survived, and come to find her younger sister on this Earth?
Tears welled in her eyes, as it could be the only explanation. She busted open the door and sprang inside. "Sister! Can it really be-"
But she was alone in the room. No one sat at the vanity. Crying, Starfire sat at the bench. It was her own fault for getting her hopes up. Leaning on the surface before the mirror, she openly sobbed. What was this cursed place? Why did it tease her so? The feeling of loss felt fresh, for there was no way to tell if her sister lived.
The damaged door creaked back, and the feeling of being watched was now hard on her. Too upset to feel afraid, she looked back to the door and yelled angrily, "What is it you want?! Go away or face me now!" She remembered that she was the intruder in someone else's home, so she amended, "...p-please."
Nothing happened.
Irritated and sad, she turned back to the mirror. Her reflection was there, sitting upright with glowing, green eyes. With a yelp she jumped back, as did the reflection. She slowly brought her hand to her face, she could feel when her eyes glowed but felt no such thing. As the reflection mirrored her movement, it began to smile wickedly. It's grin continuously stretched and widened over black teeth until the muscles pushed its glowing eyes up, distorting its face. Starfire stared back in horror as it smiled at her. In the reflection, she saw her sister appear in the doorway, with glowing pink eyes and a similar spreading grin. The Blackfire raised its hand, charging a pink star bolt to the back of her reflection's head. Neither reflection stopped smiling when the pink star bolt was released.
Screaming, Starfire turned away, blasting the mirror with both of her hands. She charged out of the room, stumbling into the hallway. A great hole lay in the wall where she destroyed the furniture, her hands itched to release more bolts. I must find Cyborg and Allikat immediately.
As Starfire flew down the hallway, she began to hear music. It was a very warm melodious sound, and it calmed her frazzled nerves when she listened to the melody. Could that be Allikat, in the concert hall? Starfire drifted on toward the enchanting sound.
A crash of broken pottery sounded nearby, jerking Starfire's attention. Speedy was there in the mess, rubbing his ass and looking really confused. "OU-CHA." He groaned angrily. And paused when he saw Starfire floating in the hall staring at him. "Hey! You're not supposed to be flying, Star!" he called.
Star flew over to him, helping him rid the dust and dirt from his body. "How were you able to get here so fast?"
"You can thank Lady Heather for that," he said. "Beast Boy must be freaked."
"And you are not?"
"Eh.. it seems pretty mild this time around. Maybe she likes me."
"Well she clearly does not like me. I have seen-"
"Shh, wait Star. Do you hear that?" Speedy listened to the ringing in the hall. "Its the sound of a harp," he said, enchanted.
"A harp?" Starfire repeated, feeling enthralled all over again. "It is beautiful, no?"
"Yeah... I think I'm in love."
Starfire giggled as they drifted together toward the sound, knowing it had to be Allikat. "If not the eyes, Allikat, most definitely the ears."
"Huh?"
"Nothing," she smiled, and they walked dreamily down the hall.
Gonna stop this chap here. D: what do you think? I thought long chapters were a good thing, but I'm starting to think maybe they are too long... At any rate, please review! I wanna know what you think!
The next chapter is nearly exclusively Robin x Raven, with the exception of this little thing Alli has going on. I'm working hard to get it published within the week, really don't want to let you guys down!