A/N: Wassup? =D Idk what to say....sooo let's hit it off!! xD Oh! I know what to say! I wanna say a special thanks to two of my reviewers, Nightstar919 and Ams (they're good friends of mine, part of a roleplay group on Youtube, where I rp Bella). That was so sweet to take the time to review. Thankies! ^_^ And another thanks to WindBlown101, mah faithful bff Jessie!! You rock! 8D Okies, let's hit it off now. I'm excited to write this chapter (I'm in a writing mood, I've been reading all day) soooo booyah!!....xDD Idk. Hope you like it!
Cheeks flushed with heat and lavender-purple eyes sparkling, Bella was outside, picking flowers and humming to herself. It was a beautiful day and flowers had begun to bloom in the grassy field outside the tower, and when Starfire and Raven had suggested for her to pick flowers to decorate her room with, she leapt at the chance. Bella herself had never done this before, being isolated from society back in Azarath all her life, and the opportunity to participate in activities even as small as picking flowers tickled her.
Raven was meditating in the mainroom in front of the window, opening one eye every now and again to watch her sister, (literally) keeping an eye on her.
Her arms full of colorful daisies and wildflowers, Bella was about to head back inside when she heard voices. Curious, Bella crept over to the source of the voices, them leading her to the training field. Bella crept close enough to hear but far enough to not be seen. Crouching and flowers hugged to her chest, she cocked her head and listened intently to Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg. Voices drifted to her ears and she had to strain to make out the words.
"Bella looks a lot happier now. Back when we first found her, she was down in the dumps for a few days."
"Dude, that's like saying tofu's disgusting! Bellz was BUMMED!"
"Tofu is disgusting, BB." Cyborg crossed his arms.
"Says you!"
Robin held up a hand, silencing them. "So..how Bella got here is teleportation? Doesn't it seem a little odd that she happened to arrive in Jump City without knowing the whereabouts of Raven? It seems like more than just a little luck to me."
"What're you trying to say, man?"
"I'm saying...there's more than meets the eye to this. I have good mind to believe Trigon's somehow involved with this."
"Duuude!! Did you NOT see the red demon guy go down?! Raven BEAT him! He's gone! KAPOOSH!"
"I know what I saw, Beast Boy." Robin's forehead creased in consideration. "But...it also seems a little strange that Trigon went down that easily..I mean, he's Trigon the Terrible. Scath."
Cyborg nodded, frowning. "I get what you're sayin'. Good point."
"But wouldn't Bella TELL us somethin' that big?" Beast Boy crossed his arms. "I mean, IF Trigon is alive and all, wouldn't he be controlling her? Or wouldn't the world be burned to a crisp by now?"
"That's a good point too."
Cyborg stepped forward. "Why don't we get Rae to ask her? She has a better chance of it than any of us do. I mean, for cryin' out loud, Bella might as well think Raven hung the moon."
"..Uh..?"
"..It means she admires Raven, Beast Boy." BB could've sworn that Robin rolled his eyes behind the mask.
Bella by now had started shaking, eyes wide. ..I can't tell nobody. Not even Sissy Rae.
"Speakin' of Raven...you guys notice that she looks happier now too?"
"Uh, DUH! She hardly calls me stupid anymore!! And get this- she actually smiles!!"
"Beast Boy makes a valid point," Robin pointed out. "Raven does come out of her room more often too. It's good to see her enjoying herself...with the whole ordeal with Trigon, not to mention Malchior...she was down for a while."
Beast Boy nodded in agreement, darkening at the mention of Malchior. Cyborg nodded too. "Maybe Bella coming has been good for all of us."
Bella stood when her legs could finally hold her up and stop shaking. She took a deep breath then frowned. Malc-yor? Who's dat? She started to walk toward them and ask but stopped in midstep. If she asked, they would know she'd been spying. And if they knew that, they'd start asking questions about Daddy. And she didn't want that...at all.
Bella quickly turned around and ran out of sight, flowers crumpled and bent from being squeezed to her chest. But she didn't mind now. Panicked and fidgety, Bella hurried inside the tower and ran to her room, to her only solace...Mr. Fuzzlebums. He was a good listener because he always listened and couldn't tell anybody what she said, because he couldn't talk.
"I can't tell nobody 'bout Daddy 'scept you, Mr. Fuzzlebums." Blinking back tears, Bella hugged the bear tightly, hearing Trigon's voice in her mind again.
She had a feeling she was gonna have nightmares again that night.
The next day, Bella skipped into Raven's room, the previous day's events forgotten for the moment. The entire team seemed stressed. Robin was looking through some files in his office, Cyborg was at the super computer in the mainroom running some data, and Beast Boy and Starfire were watching security tapes.
She found Raven leafing through several book at one time with telekinesis, frowning as she searched for something.
"Whatcha doooin'?" Bella tilted her head curiously, stopping in the middle of the room.
"..You shouldn't be in here." Raven rolled her eyes. "I'm on an assignment for Robin. He wants me to find a particular spell to reverse Mad Mod's old-age effects, but so far I haven't found anything. Why don't you go play?"
"But I can't play alone! An' Mr. Fuzzlebums is takin' a nap! Can I help ya find the spellbook? Pretty please?" Bella bounced.
Raven groaned. "Fine. Just...don't mess up anything."
"Okie dokie!" Bella trotted over to her bookcase and took out several spellbooks. "Umm...how do I know which one's the right one?"
"..Just look for a spell that reverses the effect of old-age...all my spellbooks are pretty specific, so it shouldn't be too difficult to find." Raven returned to her spellbooks.
"Umm...ok!" Eager to please, Bella paged through the books carelessly, occasionally reading certain phrases out to herself, then stood, looking around for another book. A light brown trunk at the corner of the room caught her attention. Curious, Bella trotted over to it and pulled it open to find a white book neatly placed in the middle. "Finded one!" She picked up the book and opened it.
Raven glanced over and her eyes widened. In one quick movement she thrust her hand and sent the book spiraling back into the chest and slammed it shut with telekinesis. "Bella! Don't you ever open that again!" Her violet eyes blazed.
Bella, wide-eyed in fear, fiddled with her purple cape. "I..I...I'm sorry....w..why?"
Raven sighed, searching her mind for a way to explain. "..Just don't. Trust me."
Bella gazed back down at the chest and slunk away from it in fear. Suddenly she remembered the name Robin had said the day before: Malchior. And that was the same name she had read slowly and quietly to herself when she opened the book.
"Sissy Rae...wh..who's Malc-yor?"
Raven slammed her book shut as her face darkened. "What?! Who told you about Malchior?!"
"I...I heared Robin an' Beast Boy talkin' bout him.." Bella's voice shook. "...Is..is he a bad guy..? Or....your boyfriend?"
"NO!" Raven responded too quickly. "He..uh...tricked me into releasing him from that book you were just holding. I trusted him.." Her eyes started to glow black. "..and all I got was a hole in my ceiling and a dragon who had been let loose because he had lied about his identity..." Raven took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When they opened they were returned to normal.
Bella stood shaking in terror in the middle of the room. "O..Oh...so he IS a bad guy...I-I'm sorry, Raven.." She didn't really understand half of what Raven had just said..but she didn't really want to know anymore.
Raven put her hands together. "Azarath Metrion Zinthos.." she breathed out. She opened her eyes again. "He was an evil that took advantage of me. It's not your fault, Bella."
"He was really a dragon?" Her fear slowly dissolved and her interest started to pique, however hesitant it was.
"..Yeah. He pretended to be my...friend..and just used me and my spells for his own benefit." Raven inhaled.
Bella frowned, discouraged at seeing her sister so upset. She scurried over and threw her arms around Raven, who was obviously startled at the impact, then briefly allowed a smile.
Suddenly Raven remembered what Robin had asked her to do that morning..and now was a good time. "Bella..I need to ask you a question. Remember what you said about Trigon being the reason of your arrival?"
Bella jerked back and averted her eyes, silent. Raven took that as a yes.
"Does that mean he's.."
Suddenly the alarm system went off and the whole tower flashed red. Bella screamed.
Robin lightly knocked on Raven's door as he ran by. "Trouble!"
Raven inwardly groaned. ..Great. Yet again, perfect timing. She slipped her hood on with telekinesis and took her sister's hand. "C'mon."
Bella was wordless and tightlipped the whole way.
A/N: Meh...that chapter didn't turn out how I wanted it to..but I guess it's ok. I don't really like it. ^^ But you reviewers are the judge of that, I guess. :) I'd appreciate some feedback and helpful tips, or even an idea for a future chapter. Now, REVIEW! XD Thankies! I'm out. ^.^
