The Second Curse: A TT Fanfic-CHAPTER 34
A/N: This is Chapter 34 of my OC Teen Titans Fanfic, The Second Curse. If you have not done so, please read the Prologue first, and then the chapters that precede this one. Note: there is no First Curse; this is not a sequel to anything. Hope you enjoy! : )
PS. I'm SO excited for these next few chapters! I've been planning this part of the story arc for months, and I have to make sure I do it justice by being very careful with how I do things from here. I don't want to finish it up and then wish I'd added something more, or said something differently. ALSO, I'm posting this story on Ao3 now, too (aka Archive Of Our Own) in an effort to reach a wider audience. Just fyi!
The days leading up to the Homecoming dance were miserable for Sabbath. Kara visited the Tower on multiple occasions, disappearing with Beast Boy to talk color schemes and proper dance apparel. The Titans tried to act as if her almost daily presence was nothing out of the ordinary, although Starfire seemed to be cleaning a lot more than usual, and Cyborg and Robin had hidden away nearly all signs of life in the Tower. Sabbath herself had initially spent the time between when school let out and when Kara's father picked her up from the Tower hold up in her room, silently fuming. Now, however, there were only three days left until the dance, and Sabbath's frustration with the whole scenario was only growing. She'd decided at last to just go about her life as usual, regardless of Kara's presence. 'I live here, why should I have to hide? If anything, she's the one who should feel uncomfortable…'
She stalked into the kitchen, shoulders squared with confidence she didn't completely feel. Starfire was standing behind the kitchen island, vigorously scrubbing the counters with a soapy sponge.
"Star, the counters are spotless. There's nothing more to clean. You don't have to keep at it like that."
"Friend Jane! I did not see you enter," Starfire replied with a start. "I was merely…tidying around. I prepared Robin and I the sandwiches a brief time ago, and did not wish for there to be the crumbs…"
Sabbath eyed the immaculate kitchen more closely. It looked like something out of a magazine; she barely recognized it. Forget crumbs, there were no personal items anywhere. Raven's tea kettle was missing from its spot by the sink, as was Robin's "GOTHAM CITY" coffee mug. The sink itself was empty of dishes, as was the drying rack. Even the trashcan had been tucked away somewhere.
"Star, there's no crumbs, relax," Sabbath said, taking the sponge from the alien girl and tossing it in the sink. "But if there were, who cares? It's not the end of the world." She could see the redhead beginning to form a rebuttal, but cut her off before she could put it into words. "We live here. We're allowed to make sandwiches without using plates. We're allowed to leave dishes in the sink. We're allowed to bury the coffee table in empty chip bags and DVD cases. This is our home."
Starfire didn't reply, but she did smile, and Sabbath found herself responding with a smile of her own. "Now come on," she continued, opening the fridge and pulling out two bottles; mustard for Starfire and a water for herself. "Let's see what's on TV."
"Perhaps you are right. And what a joyous idea, The World of Fungus should just now be beginning!" Starfire said at last.
Sabbath didn't allow her smile to falter, even though she wasn't exactly the biggest Fungus fan. She was sick of how gloomy it had been in the Tower lately, and was determined to change it. She was used to Raven's murky moods, and was no stranger herself to bouts of anger and frustration, but everyone being bogged down was too much to take. 'Although Beast Boy doesn't seem too upset. If anything I'd say he's happy to have the extra attention,' she thought bitterly. Leading the way to the sofa, Sabbath shook her head to clear away her sour thoughts. She was determined to bring back at least some measure of the usual homey cheer that usually filled the Tower. Starfire floated quickly along behind her, and the two girls settled onto the couch. Starfire eagerly fished out the remote from its usual spot between the cushions and flipped to the proper channel just as the opening theme song for The World of Fungus started up. Sabbath noticed the fascinated gleam in Starfire's eyes as the narrator introduced the different kinds of black mold that could be found in the average family home, and felt her shoulders relax. In spite of the gruesome images being displayed on the big screen TV, Sabbath felt a sense of rightness returning to the Tower. She hugged a throw pillow over her lap and kicked her stocking feet up on the clutter-free coffee table. Things still weren't exactly as they should be. The Tower was still too clean, and there were four Titans missing from their spots on the couch, but it was a start.
She tried to relax into the couch's now familiar lumps and crannies, and forget all the problems still swarming the back of her mind. She let her attention wander from the slimy images on the television to the gorgeous view displayed through the window just behind it. Usually when the television screen was activated, the large bay window would become tinted in an effort to not distract from the screen, but Sabbath could still make out the sparkling waves and city beyond.
The World of Fungus eventually ended, only to be immediately followed by a show about parasites. "Oh, we are in luck!" Starfire exclaimed. "This planet's parasites are truly fascinating! They remind me of the creatures found in the wilderness of Tamaran. Of course, ours were the size of your vehicles, but they still remind me of my younger days…"
Sabbath tried to hide the shudder that tickled her spine at the idea of a tapeworm the size of a bus. On screen, a fluke worm wriggled around in a petri dish, and Sabbath could feel her stomach clench in disgust.
"See how it dances!" Starfire beamed. "The V'aarkian Fang worms of my home planet were just as playful…"
"Uh, yeah…" Sabbath replied. She was beginning to remember exactly why she didn't watch TV with the alien girl all that often. She squeezed her now empty water bottle between her hands, and suddenly felt the need for a bathroom break. "I'll be right back, Star."
Sabbath stepped out into the hallway, and turned right to head towards the bathroom. She remembered how the hallways used to all look alike to her, and realized she could now navigate the Tower with her eyes shut. But then she spotted something in the shadows that definitely didn't belong there. A painfully familiar figure was standing near the door of the room next to hers, the room that was supposedly just for storage. A room that, if Sabbath wasn't welcome in, she could be sure the Titans definitely didn't want Kara snooping around in.
"Are you lost?" Sabbath called out, with no shortage of sarcasm. "Beast Boy's room is the other way," she added, pointing over her shoulder.
"No, I'm not," Kara replied, not seeming at all alarmed to be caught trying to get into a room that was clearly off limits. She stared up at the blank door, with its dusty outline of a sign long-since removed, with mild fascination. "Just curious. This must be where they kept the other one…"
"Other one what? What are you talking about? Actually, you know what, I don't want to hear it. This is storage. Private storage," she said, noticing how her words echoed the Boy Wonders almost exactly. "Now you can either leave on your own, or I can escort you out of this tower personally." Sabbath resisted the urge to summon a fireball in emphasis of that last statement, but hoped her wings flaring outward in agitation had the same effect.
"Save it, Hellingsworth, I was just on my way out anyway," Kara replied, finally taking her focus off the door as she turned to leave.
"How do you know my name?!" Sabbath demanded. She like to think her full name wasn't directly associated with her identity as a Titan.
"Maybe there's nothing that goes on in my school that I don't know about," she said over her shoulder. "Or maybe Beast Boy told me…"
Sabbath ground her teeth in frustration, and was about to follow the other girl around the corner, but decided against it when she heard the elevator ding. 'That's right, you better run,' she though half-heartedly. Once she heard the elevator doors slide shut, she listened closely to the sound of its car descending through the Tower's many floors, making sure it didn't make any unnecessary stops along the way. Sure enough, it only dinged faintly once it reached the bottom floor.
With an angry sigh, Sabbath turned away from the direction of the elevator and continued towards the bathroom. But she couldn't stop thinking about the door to the "storage" room. She paused in front of it, and tapped the control panel to open it. Instead of opening the door, however, the panel let out an angry beep, and the screen displayed a green, steadily blinking outline of a fingerprint. Knowing hers wouldn't be able to unlock the door, she gave up and continued down the hall.
"Maybe Cyborg's the only one who can get in,' Sabbath thought idly. 'Or maybe the Boy Wonder himself. Whatever, it probably is just storage. Still though…' As much as she tried not to think about it, Sabbath couldn't help but wonder about the room and what it hid. And the more she thought about it, the more she got the feeling Kara had been referring to a person…