The Commencing.
Chapter Three
…
Raven sat on the creaky old mattress, locked in her room. She felt uncomfortable, but safe, as she read the book that was open on her lap. A sudden knock on the door startled her, and one of the many emblems that hung on the wall fell to the floor.
"Come in." Raven said, before getting up and picking up the cross from the ground.
There was the sound of many locks being unlocked before the door opened. "How are you, dear? Are you settling in well?" Mother Superior asked with a caring smile, as she held a tray of breakfast.
"Yes, thank you." Raven said, returning the minuscule smile.
"How was your first night? Did you sleep well?" She asked, placing the tray on the dresser.
"Yes." Raven lied, trying to forget the long night she had in the cold room. Forcing herself to ignore her inner thoughts, and the darkness that beckoned her.
"I'm so glad to have you home safe." Mother Superior said, grabbing Raven's hands and doing a small prayer. "The lord will protect you." She finished with a smile, before walking towards the door.
"I will check up on you later." She told her, before leaving the room.
Raven sighed as she heard the many locks lock back up, before she turned back to her book in her lap. It was quit, when she heard a venomous chuckle, and she closed her eyes trying to ignore it.
"They think they are protecting you by locking you up like a monster."
"I am a monster." Raven sighed.
"You are much more than that. You are more powerful than any of them could imagine." It told her from the large mirror over the dresser. "Just let me out, and we can show everyone how powerful you can be." It hissed.
"I will never let you out." Raven said sternly, forcing herself to look away from the mirror.
"You are only avoiding the inevitable. You can't ignore me forever! You will break, and I will take control!"
"I will not lose control." Raven told it sternly, clenching her fists.
"Oh, but you have so many times before. You aren't safe here. This house of god, can't protect you."
"Maybe not, but at least it can keep the people around me safe." She told it, but it only laughed at her.
"Everyone you care about. Everything you hold dear, will be demolished by your doing. You can't stop it! You can't control it! Stop avoiding the unavoidable!" It demanded.
Raven got up angrily and grabbed a cross from her nightstand, before holding it up to her evil reflection in the mirror.
"You know as well as I do, that that thing doesn't work." It said with a smile. "Nothing can protect you from yourself. So, stop fighting it, and let me out!"
"SHUT UP!" Raven yelled, throwing the cross at the reflection, cracking the mirror! She took a deep breath and tried to control herself and calm down. "I am in control. I am in control." She repeated, but it only chuckled at her efforts. She turned and stared shakily at the many dark faces of her reflection in shards of glass, as it continued to chortle.
"You were never in control."
"Stop it!" She shouted, but she could feel it, she could feel herself breaking. Her inner shields were slowly cracking, and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Stop being so weak, and embrace me! Embrace the darkness!"
"No!" She yelled, slamming her fist onto the broken glass, cutting her hands. But no matter what she did, the faces wouldn't go away; The voice couldn't be silenced…
"That's right, break! Give in! Embrace me!"
Raven's body shook, as she felt the last bit of restraint she had crumble from the pressure. She closed her eyes, as her face contorted and let out a horrific scream. The light bulbs in the room shattered, sending glass everywhere. All the crosses on the wall shook violently before falling to the ground. All the books on the bookshelf, along with any other miscellaneous things in the room, shot forward, as the dark energy shot out of her body violently. The objects collided with energy, creating a storm of chaos.
Raven sat on the floor, her face emotionless, with her hollow black eyes. Everything swirled around her in a chaotic store of her power instability.
But the chaos wasn't just occurring in her room. The convent was falling victim to her as well. Furniture began to shake, as lights flickered, and the flames in the candles around the convent increased, catching things around them on fire.
…
Even though Richard wanted nothing more than to leave Gotham, he found her was unable to leave Raven behind. He was never one to ignore his intuitions, and it said he couldn't leave without her.
So, he sat in a hotel room, his computer open on a desk, as he continued to research the mysterious girl. He discovered one of the reasons they were forced to move around, was because every time Raven publicly lost control, they had to vacate the state, erasing any evidence that she was once there. But there was always something left behind… like internet videos.
Richard wasn't surprised to find some shaky phone recordings of Raven in grade school, losing control in a classroom, hallway, or even a pep-rally. Using his high-tech computer, and hacking skills, he deleted all the videos he could find of her; permanently erasing an evidence of her existence.
Richard sighed, and ran his hand down his face, before he heard firetruck and ambulance sirens speed past his hotel. He quickly got up and ran outside, watching as the vehicles turned down the road, heading towards the convent…
"Raven." He said in alarm.
…
Raven coughed a few times before her eyes opened, and she stared at the fireman carrying her. "Are you okay, Miss?" He asked in concern.
"What happened?" Raven asked faintly.
"There was a fire." He told her, gently setting her down.
Regaining her composure, Raven promptly looked up at the convent consumed in flames. "No! Mother Superior! The Sisters!" She cried frantically.
"Come on, we need to take you to a hospital." An EMT told her, as he tried to escort her to the ambulance.
"You will be the undoing. No one around you is safe." The darkness reminded her.
"No!" Raven said in a panicked tone, before bolting away from the EMT. "No one is safe." She spoke, before frantically running into the woods behind the convent.
Raven was once again running from the inevitable. There was nowhere for her to go, yet she still ran, trying to get away from everyone and everything. The feeling of hopelessness wade on her, and she didn't know what to do.
The convent was in flames, all the innocent people inside, perished by her hand. Her destiny was going to follow her everywhere she went. Devastation and destruction was unavoidable, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. She could only attempt to stay away from people, innocent individuals, that didn't deserve demise.
She continued to run deep into the woods, glancing back occasionally to make sure she wasn't being followed, when her body hit someone, and she fell backwards…
"Oh geez, are you okay?"
Raven opened her eyes, and looked up to see a green hand reach out to help her up. In a panic she got up and stared at him in alarm. "You'll just keep coming back, won't you?" She asked harshly, glaring at him.
The boy stared at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. "Excuse me?"
She continued to look at him, but as she stared at his jeans and hooded jacket, she began to doubt her original assumption of him being another one of her father's minions.
"Aren't you a demon sent by my father to retrieve me?" She questioned hesitantly, though now that she said it out loud it sounded ridiculous.
"A demon?" He laughed. "Ouch, that's a new one." He said sketching the back of his neck, awkwardly. "And I thought being called a gremlin was bad." He grimaced.
She began to feel remorseful for having such an assumption. But in her defense, he had had similar features, and she didn't think the demonic color pallet was strictly retracted to red.
"If you're not one of my father's minions, what are you?" She asked, looking at him questionably.
"I'm a person." He clarified in an annoyed tone.
"Sorry." She said regretfully, shaking her head. "Who are you." She corrected.
"I'm Garfield, your average sixteen-year-old." He said with a smile and hand out to shake.
"Average?" Raven questioned, staring at him as she awkwardly shook his hand.
"More or less." He shrugged. "So, what are you doing out in the middle of the woods? Normally there's never anyone out here." He questioned, glancing around the vacant timber.
"I'm just trying to get away from people before I hurt anyone else." She said, holding her arm timidly.
He looked at her and laughed. "And how have you hurt people?" He asked skeptically.
"I have dark powers that I struggle to control. So, I recommend you stay away before something else happens." She advised in a serious tone of voice, as she started walking away from him.
"I'm not scared." He said casually as he walked with her.
"You should be." She warned, "I've done bad things. I've hurt innocent people." She spoke soberly.
"We all have our demons." He shrugged, his hands in his pockets.
"Mine are more literal." She said quietly, as they continued to walk.
…
Meanwhile, Richard pulled up to the convent, and hastily got out of his car. He stared in shock at the smoky ruins of what was left of the building.
"Excuse me." He said, catching up to a Fireman. "What happened?"
The man shook his head. "The whole thing was in flames." He simplified. "We're struggling to find the source, But It looks like every candle in the building just... erupted, igniting everything around them." He said in disbelief.
"Were there any survivors?" Richard asked desperately.
"There was one, a young girl." He answered. "Though we aren't sure how she was able to survive without any injuries."
"Where is she?" Richard asked.
"She bolted into the woods." He told him, glancing over into the terrain.
Richard's expression furrowed, as he stared into the large forest. He let out a long sigh, before turning around, and getting back into his car.
…
"So, I didn't catch your name." Garfield asked as he and Raven continued to walk through the woods.
"It's Raven." She answered quietly.
"That's cool." He said casually. "So, where are you heading?"
"I'm not sure." She admitted. "Somewhere safe. But I honestly don't think there's any such place."
"Well, my place isn't that far. You can crash there for a bit." He suggested, with a friendly smile.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea." She said hesitantly, "I think I'm better off alone."
He glanced towards her as they walked. "No one should be alone." He told her genuinely.
She stopped walking. "I don't think you understand." She said sternly, turning to face him. "I don't have control of my powers. People have died from my doing." She tried to explain to him, but he seemed unfazed.
"I think we all struggle with control." He told her, disregarding her apprehensions. "Maybe not to your extent, but I have trouble with my instincts."
She huffed, rolling her eyes. "Please don't give me the teenage boy, sympathy impulses."
"Ha, not those instincts." He laughed. "Mine are more… primal…" He explained vaguely.
She raised an eyebrow. "Primal?" She questioned suspiciously.
"You know this look isn't just for show." He said with a toothy grin, pointing a thumb at himself. "I might have my own set of abilities." He told her, piquing her interest.
"Really?" She asked intrigued. "What can you do?"
"I'm a shape shifter." He said proudly, a smirk adorning his lips.
"So, you choose to look like that?" She asked, giving him a once-over.
"Ha, I'm going to try and not take that offensively." He laughed humorlessly. "No, actually my features are a side effect of my powers. I can't change the way I look in human form." He attempted to explain, but he just further confused her.
"Human form?" She repeated. "What exactly can you change into?" She asked, her patience growing thin with his evading.
"Oh, it's super cool!" He said excitedly. "Wait here." He told her, before animatedly running behind a large bush. "No peeking!" He hollered, causing her to roll her eyes.
Raven waited, staring at the bush inquisitively as she heard a strange bone-crackling noise. "Are you okay?" She questioned as soon as the noises stopped. But before she could investigate, a large green tiger revealed himself from behind the brush. Her eyes widened, as he slowly approached her and growled dramatically. She took a step back in recollection, as the tiger retreated back behind the bush.
Garfield quickly revealed himself back in human form, as he swiftly put on his jacket. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, hastily running back to her.
Her eyes were still wide in disbelief, but not for the reasons he thought. "You're the green tiger." She said in recognition.
"Yes?..." He acknowledged questionably.
"I've dreamt about you." She told him, staring at him eagerly.
"Heh, wow… never heard a girl say that before." He smirked, nonchalantly.
"You had experiments done on you." She said unexpectedly, remembering details of the dream.
His face suddenly went serious. "How did you know about that?"
"Lately I've had these dreams, or visions… and you were one of them." She said, suddenly grabbing his hands. "I saw what you've been through. I can sense your emotions. I could feel everything you felt." She told him sympathetically. "Every bit of fear and anger. I felt your pain, degradation, and sadness." She said to him, before furrowing her brow in realization, as she looked down at their touching hand. Garfield's emotions were surprisingly easy to interpret, unlike Richards.
At the realization of her able to sense his emotions, he promptly yanked his hands away. "You know sensing someone's feelings can be kind of personal." He said awkwardly looking away, his face flushing slightly.
"I'm sorry." She said quickly. "I didn't mean to intrude."
"Um… my house is right over there." He said, quickly changing the subject. "And don't worry, my family is special too." He said with a reassuring smile.
Her face slowly fell. "I'm not special, I'm dangerous." She huffed quietly, reluctantly following him.
Raven was hesitant regarding this entire situation. Following Garfield, a guy she bumped into in the middle of the woods, was definitely on the stranger danger list. And she still felt that she needed to stay away from people, for their own safety. But she couldn't ignore the fact that Garfield was another subject of her dreams. So, even though it seemed ill advised, she reluctantly followed him to his house.
Garfield slowly pushed some branches aside, revealing his house. "And here we are!" He said excitedly as Raven stared in surprise.
"You live here?" She questioned in disbelief at the towering mansion before them.
He smiled before quickly rushing forward. "Come on!" He said excitedly, as he led her inside.
Raven walked inside the house, her eyes immediately going to the antique furniture and decor. But she didn't have enough time to admire it all, as Garfield pulled her away. She noticed he was acting strange, as he anxiously looked around. He kept peeking around corners, as he rushed her passed doorways and up the staircase, before quickly pulling her into his room.
"What, no house tour?" She asked sarcastically.
"Honestly, my room is the best part of the house." He said turning on the light. Truthfully, Raven wasn't too amazed. Yes, his room was big, but she wasn't that impressed by the fancy gaming consoles like he was.
"Wanna play something?" He asked excitedly. "I got X-Box, GameCube, PlayStation..."
"I'm not really a video game person." She told him.
"Well, what do you do for fun?" He asked curiously.
"I read a lot." She answered with a light shrug.
"Oh, I got lots of things to read!" He said, running over to a bookshelf full of comic books.
"Picture books?" She questioned.
"There not picture books, they're graphic novels." He clarified, before pulling some off the shelves. "I got Spider-man, Daredevil, X-Men…"
But Raven wasn't listening, and instead focused on the framed picture on the shelf of the little blond-haired boy with his parents. "Who's this?" She asked.
Garfield stopped and looked up. "Oh, that's me and my parents." He said softly, but she could sense the mourning he felt behind in his tone.
She stared at the picture curiously. "You're not…?"
"Nope, I wasn't back then." He told her calmly, glancing back at his comics.
"How did it happen?" She asked hesitantly. "If you don't mind me asking?"
He paused for a moment, before speaking. "My parents were remarkable scientists, who traveled to Africa, so they could study this rear deadly disease. And I was just a kid who got a little too curious when it came to wild animals." He shrugged nonchalantly, disregarding the discomfort he felt explaining his backstory. "I got bit, and was infected with said disease. Animals were the only creatures known to survive it, so, thinking fast, my father tested their experimental drug on... me."
Raven looked at him curiously, as he talked about something that was clearly painful for him, like it was nothing serious.
"The side effects were a little extreme... with the green skin, and pointy ears. But hey, it also gave me some pretty cool powers." He finished on a positive side with a smile.
"I sense your sorrow when you look at them." She said, glancing at the picture again. "What happened to them."
"They died in a boating accident." He said with a frown. "At the time I didn't know how to change into a big enough animal to save them." He spoke, the sorrow apparent in his tone.
"I recently lost my mother. So, I know how you're feeling." She told him sympathetically.
He turned to her, looking at her questionably. "You didn't even touch me? How do you know how I'm feeling?"
"I don't need to touch you if the emotion is strong enough." She informed him, before a question emerged in her head. "If your parents are gone, then who will live here with you?" She asked.
"My adopted family." He answered, before they heard a loud knock on his door. "Ah, Oh..."
"What?" Raven asked, sensing Garfield's anxiety as he quickly put his comics down.
"So, I'm not exactly supposed to have guests." He admitted sheepishly.
"What!"
"Yeah, I'm not even supposed to leave the house." He confessed, before pushing her towards his closet door. "So, I need you to hide." He told her quickly.
"You have to be kidding me." Raven said in irritation.
"Gar, you in there?" They heard from the door.
"Just a minute!" Garfield answered, before shoving a reluctant Raven into the closet.
"Come on Gar, answer the door." The voice said irritably.
Garfield quickly opened his door with an awkward smile. "Hey, Cliff." He attempted to say calmly, but his anxiety was very eminent.
"What are you doing in there?" Cliff asked, narrowing his robotic eyes suspiciously.
"You know, playing video games." Garfield tried to say causally.
"Well, then you wouldn't mind me coming in then." Cliff said, barging his way into the room.
"Of course not, why would I?" Garfield said, as Raven barged out of the closet.
"I am not hiding, especially in a stinky closet!" She said angrily, crossing her arms.
Cliff immediately turned to Garfield, who awkwardly smiled as scratched his neck. "Heh... Cliff, this is Raven. Raven, this is Cliff."
"Really Gar, sneaking a girl into your room." Cliff said, crossing his robot arms disapprovingly.
"Well don't make it sound dirty." Garfield responded, awkwardly.
"You're sneaking out again, aren't you? What if someone sees you?" Cliff scolded.
"I wear a hat." Garfield defended.
"A hat isn't going to cover that green face of yours, Gar." Cliff spoke, gesturing at him. "And what if Steve finds out you're doing this?"
"He doesn't need to know."
"Oh yeah, and how are you explaining her, to him?" Cliff asked, gesturing to Raven.
"I'm standing right here." Raven said in minor annoyance.
"Ravens like us." Garfield tried to explain. "She has powers, I thought she could stay here and..."
"If you think Steve is going to be okay with this, be my guest. But I'm not going to be the one to tell him." Cliff said pointing a metal finger at Garfield.
"Maybe Steve can help her like he helped us." Garfield told him.
"Who's Steve?" Raven asked.
"He's the guy that adopted me. This is his house." Garfield said, motioning around him. "He takes in people that don't exactly fit into society. Like my buddy Cliff here." He gestured to the tall robotic man.
"Watch it." Cliff responded, noticeably glaring at him.
"Cliff used to be a race car driver, when he got into an accident. The only viable thing was his brain, so they put it in a robot body." Garfield explained, before knocking on Cliffs tin head.
"Thanks for the recap." Cliff said sarcastically. "Look, dinner is almost ready. I'll tell Larry to set an extra spot at the table, and that's all I'm doing." He said sternly, before leaving the room.
"Thanks Cliff." Garfield hollered, before turning back to Raven. "Come on, I can't wait for you to meet everyone else." He said excitedly.
Garfield eagerly walked Raven down the staircase and into the dining room, where Larry was setting the table. "Larry, this is Raven." He introduced excitedly.
"Nice to see little Garfield got himself a girlfriend." Larry teased, continuing to set the table.
"She's not my girlfriend." Garfield awkwardly shot back, as Cliff laughed from the other end of the table. Garfield quickly cleared his throat, before changing the subject. "Larry was a test pilot, but during a flight test to break though the earth's atmosphere, the jets guidance system broke and sent Larry into a field of deadly radiation." He said simply, as Raven stared impassively at the bandaged-up man.
"So how do you like your steak? Or am I dealing with another vegetarian." Larry asked towards Raven.
But before Raven could answer, someone entered the room. "I didn't know we had a guest." A woman said with a cheerful grin.
"Rita, this is Raven." Garfield introduced with a smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Dear." Rita said, before sitting down at the table. "It's so nice to have company for a change." She said warmly.
"Rita was a famous actress in the 50s. But while filming, she was exposed to chemicals in a toxic lake that caused the cells in her skin to develop elasticity." Garfield explained, sitting down at the table.
"You look so young? How could you have even been alive in the 50s?" Raven asked, sitting next to him.
Rita smiled as she lightly touched her face. "The elasticity of my skin prevents me from ageing. A convenient side-effect." She said with a grin, as Larry began serving them.
"Okay guys, dig in." Larry said proudly, at the feast he had prepared.
Raven glanced down at the plate of food before her. It looked amazing, but she found herself unable to actually eat. Her appetite had been nonexistent as of late, and the thought of eating felt almost nauseating at the moment.
Garfield turned to her, noticing her pushing her fork around her plate. "Is something wrong with the food?" He asked.
"Not my food." Larry said defensively.
"No, it's not that." Raven began. "The events that have occurred lately have made it difficult for me to stomach food." She said hesitantly, before turning to Garfield's meat-less plate. "You aren't eating steak?"
"Garfield is a vegetarian." Rita informed her.
"Heartbreaking I know." Larry added.
"The fact that I can turn into the animal, makes eating meat kind of nauseating." He said taking a bite of his caret.
"It's sad, the poor kid will never know how well I can cook a steak." Larry sighed dramatically, as the doors to the dining room opened. The table went quiet, as a man entered the room, his eyes immediately honing in on Raven.
"Steve, Darling, your home." Rita greeted. "Garfield here brought us a guest." She said, trying to break the obvious tension.
"I see." He said coldly, turning his glaring gaze towards Garfield.
"This is Raven." Garfield introduced nervously. "She has powers like us, and could use some help."
Raven could immediately sense the anger that started to develop in Steve. "I think I should go." She said, quickly standing up.
"Raven wait!" Garfield objective, getting up as well. "Steve, she needs our help." He said, looking back at him seriously.
"You are risking everything we have here, Garfield. Our sanctuary!" Steve reprimanded. "You keep exposing yourself to the outside world, if you are seen, or caught… Are you prepared to suffer the consequences?!" He asked harshly. "Or do you want to go back to being experimented on like a lab rat?!"
"Steve, that is enough!" Rita said sternly, standing up. "He is still a child. Can you blame him for trying to reach out to the outside world?" She defended. "Unlike us, he didn't get a life before his powers. He didn't get to see what's out there."
The room went quiet as Steve glared at Rita, before turning to Garfield. He let out a long sigh before speaking. "You say she needs help?" He asked reluctantly.
"I don't think you can help me." Raven spoke up. "Honestly, I don't think anyone can."
"We thought that too." Rita began. "But Steve has amazing mental abilities." She explained. "He has helped us all gain control of our powers."
"He helped Cliff gain control of his robotic body. He helped Larry be able to stay in his. And he helped Rita be able to keep hers her original size." Garfield explained. "When I first met him, I could only change into small animals. But with his help, I can now change into any animal I want." He said enthusiastically.
"So, Raven, was it? How can I help you?" Steve asked her.
Raven sighed heavily. "I was born with a dark power. I don't even know what I am capable of. But it's all controlled by emotions. When I feel something too strongly, bad things happen, and people get hurt." She tried to explain.
"She can also sense emotions." Garfield added.
"That's called an empath, Dear." Rita informed him.
"Come with me." Steve said simply, before leaving the room. Raven hesitantly followed him, leaving the others at the table.
He led her down the hall to his study, before opening the doors, inviting her inside. "Lay down." He instructed impassively, as he gestured to the sofa. Cautiously she laid down, resting her head on a throw pillow, as he shut the doors to the room. "I need you to stay calm and relaxed." He told her, as he approached the end of the couch.
"Easier said than done." Raven commented quietly.
"Do not fear my touch." He said, as he closed his eyes and rested his hands on her temples. Raven took a deep breath, letting her eyes fall shut.
But her body instinctively tried to shield herself as he attempted to invade her psyche. The lack of control she had was clearly eminent, as the lights in the room started to flicker. Raven's breathing became heavy, as she struggled to keep herself together.
"Stay calm." Steve instructed, but Raven was straining.
"I can't." She said through gritted teeth.
"Raven, I need you to breath." He said sternly. "Think of something that makes you happy." He instructed, and suddenly the lights stopped flickering. Steve focused his ability on her mindset, and managed to access the brightest corner of her memory cortex.
Raven thought of her Mother, and the days they spent together. The good days, when nothing supernatural happened. The days they walked to the bookstore. Or watched a movie on the couch. Or cooked dinner in the kitchen.
"That's it, find your tranquility." Steve told her. "Raven, the key to your control is serenity."
Raven smiled lightly, as she thought of her mother's smile, and her laugh, and the way she said her name. 'Raven. Raven. Raven. Raven!' Suddenly Raven could see all the times she scared her mother. All the times she wasn't in control. 'Raven stop!' She could see the way her mother looked at her, when her eyes were black, and her voice was venomous. 'Raven!' The things she said when she wasn't herself. And all the pain she caused her…
"Raven, find your serenity." Steve instructed, as his grasp on her began to weaver, and the lights in the room began to flicker again.
'Raven Run!' Raven tensed as the image of her mother falling to the ground came to her. She clenched her jaw, as books began to fly off the bookshelves!
"Raven calm yourself!" Steve ordered.
Raven's haunting black eyes shot open, as her face remained emotionless. The lights in the room shattered, shooting glass everywhere, while random objects in the study spun around carelessly! Raven's dark energy steadily seeped out of body, drifting around the chaos.
The doors suddenly barged open, and the other members of the household came in, concerned.
"Steve what's happening?!" Rita asked in alarm.
Steve quickly released Raven, and fell backwards, as everything that was flying fell to the floor. The energy sucked back into Raven, as she rose with a gasp. She quickly looked around to see the room was a mess, and everyone staring at her in concern. She turned to Steve, as he slowly got off the ground, his face apprehensive.
"Were you able to help her?" Rita asked.
"I was able to help her temporarily with a meditation approach. But her problem with control management is a savior." He said straightening himself. "Emotions are such a critical piece to her control, that I think the best thing to do is shut off all connections to the limbic system."
"What are you saying?" Reta asked.
"I can perform a Lobotomy as a neurosurgical treatment." Steve clarified.
"Wont that make her brain-dead?" Larry asked in alarm.
"What!" Garfield shouted.
"She is extremely dangerous, and it's the best way to control her abilities without killing her." Steve informed them.
"She's just a kid?" Cliff protested, adding his concern.
"Oh, She's much more than that." Steve said looking back at Raven, causing her to lower her head shamefully.
"No! I won't let you do this!" Garfield yelled, standing himself in between Steve and Raven.
"Garfield, you didn't see what I saw. This girl can cause the end of the world." Steve told him sternly.
"I don't care! She's my friend and I won't let you turn her into a… vegetable!" He shouted.
The sudden knock from the front door interrupted the confrontation.
"Great, another surprise guest." Steve said harshly, as Rita went to answer the door.
"Hi, I'm detective Grayson, and I'm looking for a young girl-"
"Richard." Raven said in relief, as she quickly ran to the door.
Garfield quickly rushed after her. "Raven, you need to get out of here." He told her sternly.
"No, we need to talk about this." Steve said, joining them at the door.
"What's going on?" Richard asked.
"Garfield, she won't feel a thing. And once it's done, she can stay here with us. That's what you wanted, right." Steve tried to reassure him.
"And keep her trapped here too? No! I won't let you do this!" Garfield shouted.
"Can someone tell me what's going on?!" Richard demanded.
"I think we should do it." Raven said simply, and they all turned to her in surprise.
"Raven, no." Garfield said approaching her, his face contorted in concern.
"Garfield, you don't understand. I am destined for destruction and deviation. The world could end by my hand. And if Steve can stop it by shutting off my limbic system, then maybe that's what needs to be done." She said calmly.
"No Raven." Richard said sternly, grabbing her shoulders and forcing her to face him. "We will find another way. I will help you."
"You will only get hurt." Raven told him sadly. "And I'm tired of hurting people."
"What about the mediation thing Steve was doing?" Garfield mentioned. "He said it was working."
"The mediation technique was working, until she lost control." Steve explained. "But her lack of control is too big of a risk to exercise it."
"Well maybe if pursued the practice with caution, instead of jumping right in, things will go smoother." Richard suggested, glaring at Steve disapprovingly.
Without anyone knowing she had left; Rita approached the group with a couple of books on mediation in her hands.
"Here you go, Dear." She said, handing them to Raven.
"No, this is too risky!" Steve objected. "She needs to be sedated and-"
"She needs help." Richard interrupted. "And your limbic system plan isn't a salutation." He said sternly. "Come on Raven, we're leaving." He told her, putting his arm around her, escorting her out the door. Steve huffed before storming back inside, harshly shoving his way between Cliff and Larry as they approached the door.
Richard opened the car door, as Raven turned back to see Garfield sorrowfully waving goodbye. "Wait… Garfield needs to come with us." She told Richard.
"What?" He asked.
"He's the green tiger. The one my dream entailed." She explained. "He has to come with us."
Richard turned back to the green boy at the door, and then back to Raven, before sighing heavily. "Get in." He hollered unenthusiastically.
Surprised, Garfield turned back to his family, as Rita slowly approached him. "I think you should go." She told him.
"But…" Garfield objected.
"Go, have a life, Kid." Cliff encouraged, slowly padding him on the shoulder.
Garfield turned unsure back to Raven, before facing his family again. He quickly bolted forward and hugged Rita.
"I'll come back and visit, I promise." He told her, squeezing his eyes shut at the painful parting.
She smiled sweetly, hugging him back. "We're going to miss you." She told him wholeheartedly, as he pulled away and turned to Cliff and Larry.
"Don't forget to wear a stupid hat." Cliff said slapping a cap on his head.
"And stay out of trouble, okay?" Larry added.
"No promises." Garfield said with a smile, before giving a final farewell.
The Mercedes slowly pulled out of the long driveway, leaving the secluded mansion behind. But as it pulled onto the highway, Raven found herself looking towards Richard apprehensively. "Richard, where are we going?"
"We are going back to Jump City." He said, staring out at the road. "I know a safe house where we can stay."
Raven glanced out her window, catching her reflection leering at her in the rearview mirror. She let out a heavy sigh. "I'm not sure how safe it will be." She said quietly, before opening up one of her meditation books and began to read.
Garfield leaned forward in the middle of the back seat, noticeably excited for the adventure that awaited them. While Richard drove quietly before breaking the silence…
"Are we going to talk about the fact that he's green?"
...