The girl tried to make herself invisible as she huddled in the doorway of long-closed shop, attempting to stay out of the ice-cold rain that fell with no sign of stopping. She pulled her hood closer around her face and warily watched the street through the small gap over her knees. All her life, she had never really felt safe - how could someone who knew each day, the end of everything grew closer - but she had never felt so alone. Not that she had expected the city to welcome her with open arms, she had heard too many stories from her mother's home city to be that naive, but she hadn't expected to be left sleeping on the streets either. She had spent months planning her approach only for it to start crumbling to pieces the moment she arrived on earth.

Movement made her jump to her feet and she watched in horror as a large rat ran by her feet. She refused to move until it had moved out of site, stepping onto the pavement and back out into the rain. It had been days since she'd last had a good night's sleep, and the door way was relatively dry and sheltered from the elements, however sleeping near vermin didn't appeal to her and thoughts of the animals crawling over her hastened her steps. She had no direction to go in so continued to follow the road, trying to ignore the rain as it soaked through her cloak.

The sound of music drifted to her from a nearby building, loud with crude lyrics. The sound of laughter came with it but the girl didn't find herself tempted to get any closer. Her first two days on earth Raven had approached several people in a bid to find Earths heroes. Those who hadn't ignored at her had called her a freak, among other names, and made it clear the girl wasn't going to get anywhere that way. The laughter seemed to grow louder, and Raven moved her gaze up from the sidewalk to find two women, one leaning into an open car window. She didn't want to go any closer to them than she had to and after a moment's hesitation took a sharp left, off the street and down an alleyway. It split off several ways at the end and she stopped as she decided which way to go. A few days ago she would have chosen it as somewhere to sleep, the tall buildings blocking most of the rain, however she had also found the alleys around the city to be a haven to more than people trying to find a quiet spot. Rats, men with knives and guns waiting to take advantage of unwitting citizens. She did her best to avoid the garbage bags that lined the walls as she chose the alleyway to her right. Raven had only taken a few steps when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She continued forward, refusing to look behind her.

"You're being followed."

Raven shook her head and tried to ignore the voice that always filled her with fear. Nothing good would come of it, as she had been told countless times. The voice was evil, from a part of her that had been locked away a long time ago. From a part that craved destruction. Her pace quickened.

"We're in danger. Let me kill them. They can't hurt us if they're dead."

"No," Raven spoke quietly, not wanting to be overheard in case she was indeed being followed. She also needed the voice to stop speaking - her heart was racing from fear and unless she calmed down, something bad would happen, something she wouldn't be able to control. The voice had been easier to control back at her home and the girl wondered if her lack of sleep had anything to do with that. She couldn't remember ever feeling so exhausted before and knew that would affect her control.

She followed the alley around the corner and stopped. With her own footsteps quiet she was able to hear another set, getting closer. Her heart skipped a beat as she quickly continued forward, not realising until she had lifted her gaze that she'd run into a dead end. She turned around and watched the darkness before her for movement as she backed up against the wall. Maybe she was paranoid, and someone else had been trying to find a different way through the city, like she had. Or maybe it was someone like the people she had already seen, using the alleys to rob and hurt. As she waited for the person to appear she tried to think through her options. She could fly - it would get her out of the alley but possibly bring way too much attention to her if she was seen. She didn't know where the wall at her back led, so phasing through was out of the question. She could try and run past him. The alley was wide enough, just.

The shadows at the end of the alley seemed to grow darker, and she watched as a figure moved into view. The man was walking slowly, his steps lazy. She could feel his excitement and she knew he'd been aware she was heading towards a dead end.

"Let me kill him. Let me in, Raven."

It was barely more than a whisper this time, though somehow that made it worse. She hesitated, her fear catching up with her, before she shook her head at herself. "No."

"He wants to hurt you. They all do."

The voice had said the same thing about the people in Azarath, she tried to reason, though no one in Azarath had ever hurt her. She did her best to block it out, trying to steady her nerves. It would try to feed off her fears, she had always known that.

"Not it. You. Me. Us. I am you. Just stronger. Not weak. Not pathetic. I can help you."

The man stopped several feet away from her, one hand in the tattered pocket of his black hoody. He had the hood pulled up to hide his features. Raven wore her hood as it made her feel safe, secure. She didn't think this man did it for the same reasons.

"Aren't you a special kind of freak? What's wrong? Got lost on your way to a costume party?"

The man started shuffling towards her and Raven shrank back as far as she could, overwhelmed by the emotions she could feel from him.

"He's going to hurt us. Let me help you."

The voice was becoming louder, more insistent, but it only distracted her from the human in front of her. She held her hand out towards the man, feebly warning him, "Stay back. I don't want to hurt you."

The man laughed. "Maybe I want to hurt you."

Raven ran forward, her shoulder brushing the wall as she tried to slip past him. She gasped as she felt him grab hold of her arm and spun around to find him in time to see him pull his hand from his pocket. Seeing the knife he held, it was like something flipped a switch. Raven didn't wait to see what he would say next. She moved to push him but it wasn't just her hand that connected. The man was thrown back, his hold of Raven breaking. He hit the brick wall with a loud thud, his feet off the ground. He fell to the floor, a noise of pain telling her he was still conscious. Raven was still afraid, but the emotion was secondary now, no longer taking over her mind. Instead, she was angry, the emotion warm and inviting, giving her purpose.

"Fucking freak!" The man started to scramble to his feet.

Raven reacted before he could find his balance, pointing at him. Dark energy encased him and with a flick of her hand he was airborne again. He crumpled against the opposite wall, dropping his knife as a sickening crunch told her she'd broken something in his body. She waited to see if he would move again, her fear fighting for control once more as the seconds passed and with it, regret. Guilt. Panic. Her gaze changed from cold to wide-eyed panic.

She had hurt people before - done bad things - but it had always been an accident. Unprovoked. A slip of her powers and control, and it hadn't happened since she was a young girl. She hadn't wanted to hurt him - she didn't want to hurt anyone - but it had felt good. She fought the urge to run away and walked over to the man, kneeling beside him. She relaxed slightly when she saw he was still breathing but remained knelt beside him. Twice he had called her a freak, and he wasn't the first to do so on Earth. Raven understood her clothes were different to the ones here. When she had first considered running to earth, she hadn't contemplated it as well as she should have. Letting out a shaky breath Raven gripped the man's shoulders and rolled him enough to fight with the straps of a backpack he wore, sliding it down his arm. Raven worked as quickly as she could, trying to ignore the dirt visibly ingrained into his clothes as she struggled to remove his hoody and jeans. She winced as she lifted his head and her hand came away sticky and warm. The empath removed her cloak before pulling the black hoody over her head. It was too big for her but it would draw less attention than her usual attire. The jeans dragged on the floor but she rolled up the hems before going through the backpack. A packet of tissues, someone's purse, another top. Raven tipped the bag upside down and emptied the contents onto the floor next to the man. She found $40 in the purse which she stuffed into the pocket of her jeans along with $3 in change. She put her cloak into the bag and put it over her shoulders before heading back the way she'd come. The two women and the car were no longer there when she found the main street again so she continued on her original path, letting her feet guide her deeper into the city. She felt exhausted but knew there was no way she could event attempt to sleep now. If he had attacked her who else would?

"Everyone will hurt you. You're alone. You always will be."

Raven picked up her pace, running from the man in the alley, from the enjoyment she'd felt attacking him, from the darkness that spoke to her. Daylight had broken before Raven let her lack of sleep catch up with her. Her feet dragged along the sidewalk. She didn't know where she was - she could have wandered in circles for all she knew - but the area seemed slightly safer. As morning had broken, the sidewalks had filled with men in suits and women in dresses, walking briskly with purpose. She didn't get so much as a second glance from anyone as she looked for a suitable place to rest. A diner caught her attention and Raven quickly crossed the road. A bell chimed as she opened the door and she was quickly greeted with the smell off cooking food and a shout from an older woman in an apron.

"Take a seat. Be with you in a minute."

Raven took a moment to study the room. A few people were sat along the bar eating breakfast. Three more sat huddled in separate booths. It was quiet, the main noise coming from a TV mounted on the wall. The girl tried to choose a booth away from everyone else, her back to the corner. She felt better knowing no one could sneak up behind her. She watched the two servers move around the room, the one who had spoken to her grabbing a plate of pancakes from a hole in the wall before putting it in front of a man in a suit. She lifted a coffee pot off the counter before making her way over to Raven. She stopped just short of the table, eyeing the girl before stating, "We don't give handouts here. If you can't pay, I suggest you leave now."

"I can pay," Raven told her quietly.

"Alright then, what can I get you?" She moved closer to the table. "Coffee?"

Raven had never had coffee before but nodded. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had something to drink. The waitress pulled one of the cups over from the other end of the table and began pouring.

"Anything to eat?"

Raven didn't have a clue what to ask for - what they would to and if it would be the same as at her home. Not that it was her home anymore. "What would you recommend?"

"Tom makes some of the best waffles in Gotham City."

"Sounds good."

The woman nodded and walked away. Raven pulled the mug closer to her and leaned down to sniff the black liquid. She wrinkled her nose at the bitterness but quickly drank the content of the mug, her eyes going over to the TV and a woman in a smart suit who was going over the weather. Rain, rain and more rain. She looked down again as her heart sank. Raven kept her hands around her mug as she stared at the grain on the wooden table. She had more important worries than the weather look out, but she couldn't help but think some sun would help make things a lot easier. Her biggest worry, however, was finding help. Raven knew her arrival on earth would have created shock waves of magical energy - some of it dark - and had hoped that influx of energy would have been noticed. The girl had waited at the site of her entrance for three hours and no one had shown. Raven had read about some of earth's heroes at Azarath, the city a wealth of knowledge. Superman, Martian Manhunter. Batman. Wonder Woman. It was the non-human members who had piqued her interest. Beings that would potentially be strong enough to make a difference. Beings who should have investigated the spikes of energy. Raven had no idea how to even being looking for them. Many, she knew, spent time off Earth. The homo-magi travelled the world selling shows of her 'magic acts' for the regular person to watch. Only the human Batman seemed to have a set location, within the very city her mother had once called home. He was also the least public facing of the group of heroes. Finding him wasn't going to be easy and it certainly wasn't going to happen by chance.

She looked up as the waitress walked back over and placed a plate in front of her, coffee pot in the other hand. "More coffee?"

Raven nodded as she pulled the plate closer, grabbing a knife and fork from the metal container on the table before she began eating. Covered in some syrup it was too sweet for her usual tastes but her body didn't protest. After a minute of watching her the woman asked, "How long have you been on the streets?"

Raven paused, studying her a moment before quietly answering, "A few days."

Raven watched her as she grabbed a napkin off the table before writing something down and handing it to her. "The local homeless shelter. Some of the staff there will be able to get you to a youth shelter. You're lucky - kids get more help than adults around here."

She studied the writing a moment - an address - before asking, "How do I find it?"

"Not local, huh?" The woman sighed and glanced over her shoulder. "Sit tight, eat your food and we'll talk afterwards."

Raven went back to her food as the woman walked off, turning her attention back to the TV. The women in the suit had gone, replaced by a man sat behind a desk. It took her a moment to realise he was giving updates in city events. Several arrests, information on an ongoing investigation into the death of a mother and child. A serious car accident that had shut a road. Raven was surprised by the lack of anything positive. News on Azarath was compiled of birthday celebrations, new births, dates of joinings between citizens, upcoming visitors expected - though they were few and far between. The picture changed to a street, cordoned off with red and white tape.

"Currently there's not much information available. In an earlier police statement, Commissioner Gordon informed the press that a body had been found in the alley currently behind me. The death is being treated as suspitious, due to evidence of an assault."

Raven's fork clattered to her plate as she realised where the news reporter was, her attention fixed entirely on the screen.

"Do the police have any suspects?"

"No, not at present. The body was found by bin men completing their rounds earlier this morning. The police are asking anyone who saw anything to get in touch. They believe the incident took place between midnight and early hours of this morning. Anyone with information can get in touch via the following means-"

The sound of the bell chiming drew Raven's attention and she glanced around in time to see a man in police uniform enter the shop. He looked around, eyes meeting with the empath's a moment before she dropped her gaze to stare at her plate. The street on the TV was undoubtably the one she'd been on. She felt sick. She'd left him alive. Injured, maybe, but breathing non of the less. She hastily got to her feet, her hand digging into her pocket for the money she'd taken from the man in the alley, dumping it on the table. She kept her eyes on the floor as she moved towards the door, picking up her pace as the woman who'd served her started to walk towards her.

Out on the street she quickly looked around before crossing the road, ignoring the horns of angry drivers. She stumbled over the curb, tripping into a man who shouted at her, but she didn't hear him. Panic gripped her chest like a vice, squeezing until she felt like breathing was impossible. The streetlights above her shattered and she heard someone scream in alarm as people stumbled back in shock. Their gazes her fixed on the street lamps, but Raven felt as though they were staring at her. That they knew what she had done. She didn't remember running, but she had reached the end of the street before those she'd left behind had recovered from their shock. Wanting to get away from everyone, she almost turned down another alley but hesitated. What if something happened again? She kept heading straight until she came across a park. The green looked empty, and she slipped through the gates, her pace slowing to a jog, her lungs burning as she fought to get enough air. Once she was sure no one could see her, she let her legs collapse, dropping to her knees as her hands gripped her head, her mind struggling to process what she had seen on the TV.

"Azar, what have I done?"

She didn't get an answer, not that she'd been expecting one. She tried to slow her breathing. Maybe it was someone else they had found? Maybe it wasn't the man she'd attacked. The man she'd robbed and left. Had the TV not shown her the city was full of people getting hurt and being killed? She felt chill on her knees as water seeped through her jeans from the grass underneath her and tried to focus on that feeling. She needed to calm down. She was over-reacting. She had almost hurt people again in her panic. She didn't want to hurt people.

"You okay miss?"

The voice startled her and Raven jumped to her feet, hands raised as she whirled around. She faulted as she saw a man in police uniform approach her, his own hands raised to show he was unarmed.

"It's alright miss. I'm a cop. I can help you." He approached her slowly. "I saw you running. Was someone chasing you?"

Raven couldn't shake the feeling he looked familiar, but didn't respond to him, slowly moving back away from him.

"The lady in the diner told me you're homeless. I might be able to help with that. Come on - you're not in trouble. I can take you to the station. We'll get you some help."

"He's lying."

The voice made her startle, and the police officer stopped moving, as though he'd spooked her, unable to hear the voice that plagued Raven. She wanted to ignore it, but it had been right about the man in the alley. She stopped backing away. Maybe he was lying. But about what? Being a cop? Going to the station? About her not being in trouble? What if someone had seen her?

"I need to find the justice league," Raven told him cautiously. "I need their help."

"Don't we all," the man laughed, before asking, "Why do you need their help?"

Raven knew he was mocking her, but if he didn't have the answers, she needed she could always just run again. "I... can do things. Like them. I need them to help me."

"...Alright then. Look, from what I've heard Commissioner Gordon is friends with the Bat. He's part of Justice League, right? Maybe he can get you in touch with them, but I need you to come to the station if we're gonna help you."

"Run. We need to run."

She hesitated, drawn to listening to the voice. It had helped her once. Why wouldn't it a second time?

"You can't trust these humans. They know what you are. They'll want to hurt us."

"...Okay." She stepped towards the officer as she tried to ignore the scream of rage in her head. The voice had told her to attack the other man too, and she may have killed him.

The officer smiled and motioned for him to follow her. "Come on, my car's this way."

Raven stayed several steps behind him as she followed him back through the park.

"You never mentioned why you were running. Is someone after you?"

"I don't know," Raven told him quietly.

"Must be pretty tough, living on these streets at your age. Once we get you to the station, we can help you find a bed somewhere. Keep you safe."

She didn't respond and he didn't try to fill the silence. A static-filled voice came from somewhere on the man, and he flashed Raven a smile before switching the radio off attached to his jacket. "Don't want you to have to listen to that dribble. No doubt you've already seen enough of what the city has to offer."

He led her out the gates and towards a parked patrol car. He opened the back passenger door and held it for her, motioning her to her to get in. She glanced inside, unnerved at the metal cage that separated the front from back and hesitated.

"Don't worry, you're not under arrest. Just got protocols to follow. Passengers have to sit in the back. Your comfort aint worth me losing my job." He smiled at her. Raven was sure he was trying to appear reassuring, but it put her on alert. She tried to ignore it and climbed in, the man shutting the door behind her.

He got behind the wheel and Raven tried to stay calm as she heard the sound of the doors locking. He switched the engine on and pulled away from the sidewalk as one hand removed the radio piece from the car, switching it off.

"So, how long you been in Gotham for?"

Raven watched him adjust his rear-view mirror until he could see her, and adverted her gaze out of the window. "A few days."

"Didn't think you were local. So, you really a super?"

"A what?" The question caught her off guard, and she turned to look at him in the mirror.

"You have powers? Like Superman?" When she didn't answer, he continued, "Explains your skin. Where's your parents' kid?"

Raven shrugged and turned her gaze to the window again.

"Not one for small talk, huh?" he muttered quietly and Raven was under the impression that he thought she couldn't hear him. "Hopefully more like him than we thought."

"What did you say?" Raven suddenly felt cold. Her eyes were fixed on the back of the man's head.

"Don't worry about it. Say, what do you think the Justice League can help with anyway?"

"We're heading out of the main city." Raven told him slowly. "I thought you were taking me to the station."

"Turns out Commissioner Gordon is out on a case. Thought we could drop him a visit. Try and get you help quicker."

Raven slowly moved to grip the door handle. He'd unplugged the radio. He hadn't spoken to anyone. She couldn't understand how he would know that. "Let me out."

"I'm trying to help you, here."

"I don't want your help. Let me out." Raven pulled on the handle, but the door wouldn't open.

"Look you try and bail while we're travelling at this speed, you're gonna hurt yourself, human or not. We're not far away now, Raven. We're gonna help you, okay?"

She pulled on the door handle harder, alarmed when it snapped off in her hand. "How do you know my name?" Deciding the information wasn't important she told him again, "Let me out!"

Raven clambered onto her knees on the seat and slammed her elbow into the window, then again when it didn't break.

"Hey, you need to calm down," The man had started to sweat, barely watching the road as he watched her instead. "I don't wanna be in a car wreck, okay?"

"Then...let...me...go," With each word she continued her assault on the window.

He spun them around a corner and she lost her balance, grabbing onto the head rest as she tried to stay upright. "I can't do that. We can help you, more than the justice league can. Don't you know what those so-called heroes will do if they see you? They see you as a threat, Raven. They don't understand that we're simply trying to purge the world of the unworthy."

"What?" Raven had heard those words before, spoken by someone else in warning. A stillness had settled over her. Her driver mistook it for the girl calming down.

"Brother Blood said those fake priests might have twisted the truth - that's why we couldn't approach you directly. You understand, right? Azarath likes to think of itself as high and mighty - they created Him, then turned against him. They're like everyone else, hiding from problems they caused, pretending to be someone they're not."

Raven had only ever heard of one Brother Blood. The man who had welcomed her mother, and given her shelter off the streets. Who had made her feel wanted, special, safe and then handed her over to a demon. "How did you find me?"

"How many people do you know with grey skin and purple hair? Brother Blood felt the shift in energy when you arrived. Didn't think we'd find you so quickly though."

"Let me help you. You know I can."

Raven glanced out the window. They were driving through slums, the city behind them. She needed to escape. "I'll ask once more. Let me out."

"Can't do that. I know you're probably scared but things will make sense once we're there. I promise."

Raven hesitated, before turning her focus inward to the dark energy that was always fighting to be free. She ripped apart the blocks she had spent years building, let that energy out with a yell of fear, not sure what the effect would be. The car exploded, metal and rubber flying in all directions. She felt herself go with it, her skin tearing as she hit the tarmac and skidded to a stop. Several alarms were going off - other cars or the surrounding buildings, Raven didn't know. Slowly, she rolled onto her knees and looked where the car should have been. Something was burning, though it didn't look much like a car anymore, the street littered with debris. The car wasn't the only thing she had touched. Several street lamps had been knocked over; others bent. She could see people staring in fear out of their smashed windows. She couldn't see the police man. Raven got to her feet, faltering when her leg protested. Blood had stained the left pant leg and she winced as she touched it. Slowly, different alarms drowned out those on the street and the girl looked around as she tried to figure out what was making the noise, until the surrounding building started flashing blue and red. Raven started running. If that police man had been part of the Church of Blood, who else would be?

She ran past the remains of the car and continued out of the city. Part of her was more than aware it was the same direction he'd been taking her but it didn't matter right then. The police were coming from behind her. Raven ran until she couldn't run anymore, leaning against a building for support as she tried to catch her breath. Her leg had stopped hurting, and she poked it, relieved when no more pain answered. She pushed herself off the wall and started to walk again when a voice stopped her.

"Stay where you are."

She froze, silently wondering when the universe was going to give her a break, wishing she'd ignored the rat and never left that doorway.

"Turn around, slowly. Give up peacefully, and I won't have to hurt you."

The voice was deep and gravelly, and Raven wondered who she was dealing with now. She was sure she would have heard the police if they'd caught up with her. She didn't really fancy it being another member of Brother Blood's cult. She refused to turn. The police would give her another chance to follow their rules. She doubted the same from the cult members.

She heard movement, quick and precise, and only just managed to evade the man's grip as he tried to grab her arm. She spun around, hands raised, ready to fight back, and froze.

Dressed head to foot in black, there was no mistaking who it was. She didn't even attempt to move out the way as Batman's fist connected with her stomach. She dropped to the floor, winded, and the man was quick to grab her arms, pulling them together before putting handcuffs around her wrists.

Raven laughed. She wasn't sure what had taken hold of her. For days, she had been looking for the Justice League to help her. She had been asking and wandering round the city, and it took blowing up a police car to find one of them. Her laughter was cut short as the man jerked her upright, to her feet. The masked man didn't say anything, just shoved her forward.

"I've been looking for you. Well, not you. One of the Justice League." She still didn't get a response, so told him, "That man in the car wasn't an officer."

"That man in the car was Officer Samuel Newthorpe. He'd been serving 5 years. The car's cameras caught you do something that triggered the patrol car to explode."

"That man was part of a cult worshiping a demon." Raven spoke quickly, digging her heels into the ground once she saw where he was taking her. The sleek black car looked every part as dangerous as the man stood behind her. Raven knew this was probably the only chance she was going to get. "The cult want to bring that demon to Earth."

The man hesitated. "What are you talking about?"

"I didn't come here to hurt people. I came here to Earth to get help from the Justice League. That's what you do, right? You help people. In three years' time late into the Summer, your dimension will become host to an unimaginable evil. I need your help to make sure it doesn't come to pass."

Raven stumbled and she was whirled around to face him. His mask stopped her from reading his expressions, and she didn't get much more through her empathy. "Who are you?"

"She is Raven, Daughter of Trigon."

Raven flinched and tried to look around. The man walking towards her had green skin, his outfit a stark contrast of white, blue and red. "Martian Manhunter." She fought to block her mind, not sure if she was doing it right, when the man smiled at her.

"Someone has done their research." He looked at his colleague. "Zatanna felt a surge of energy a few days ago. We've been trying to locate the cause. You would have known that if you answered your messages once in a while. This here is your cause apparently. There was the same energy spike in the early hours of this morning and again about twenty minutes ago."

"She blew up a police car." Batman told him.

"That wasn't a police officer!" Raven quickly defended herself.

"It is best we talk off the streets," Martian Manhunter told them calmly. "The others are on their way to the meeting point. Zatanna and Doctor Fate are helping ensure everyone arrives on time. It's not far away."

"You know something?" Batman asked.

"You have handcuffed a demon halfling. Lucky for you, she was telling the truth when she told you she doesn't want to hurt people."

"Was there some newsletter I missed?" The man asked, following the alien as he began walking, one hand pulling Raven along by her arm. "A note on the Calander?"

"No. Nabu no doubt knows a lot more than any of us, though Zatanna knew it was something demonic."

"And you?"

"She'd left her mind unguarded."

"You don't like reading people," Batman frowned.

"I don't. I also don't like to hear about demons wandering the earth."

"Then you know why I'm here," Raven asked. "I needed to talk to you - you might be the only ones with the power to help me."

"This evil you mentioned?" Batman asked.

Raven opened her mouth to explain but before she could speak, the telepath told them, "Later, when everyone is present."

They were only walking for a few minutes before Martian Manhunter led them into an old warehouse. A group had gathered in the middle, and Raven hung back as the other two walked towards them. Raven found that she could not only feel their emotions, but their energy signatures too. Only two were quiet - Batman, and another human dressed in black and green. The dark knight turned to his companion.

"I thought you said everyone would be present."

"Flash is currently dealing with concerns of his own. He said he would join us if he can." The man shrugged.

"Did you find the demon?" A woman with long black hair asked. Her costume was clearly that - a stage costume - and Raven didn't need any help to guess who she was.

She slowly walked forward, deciding to move closer to the alien than Batman. His aura was calm, safer than what she felt from the others.

"I did. Consequently, she was looking for us also." The hero stepped aside, making sure everyone could see her.

All eyes fixed on her and she dropped her gaze under their stares, more than uncomfortable.

"niahC reh!"

The sudden shout startled her, and Raven glanced up to see the magician pointing at her, a line of chain forming as it shot towards her. The empath's eyes widened as in shock and the end of the chain was only millimetres away when she disappeared in a swirl of darkness. Zatanna quickly received scowls from others but before anyone could accuse her of chasing the demon off, Raven reappeared in the corner of the building, as far away from the group as she could get.

"Zatanna, the child is already handcuffed." Dr Fate spoke calmly.

"You know as well as I do handcuffs don't mean anything against the demonic."

"Neither did your spell."

"Demons are agents of chaos. We shouldn't be speaking with it. We need to get it off earth, now."

"I think you should hear her out," Dr Fate shook his head, watching Raven.

No one else spoke, Zatanna glaring at the man of order while the others all watched her. She quickly tried to explain herself, their expressions ranged from disbelief to fear, and Raven felt herself giving up hope.

The empath was ready to flee, when Wonder Woman spoke. "We should help her."

"Did you not just hear her? I would have thought you of all people to know who Trigon is. We can't trust her. We shouldn't even be talking to her," Zatanna scowled.

"I do know who Trigon is. I also have a powerful deity for a parent, or have you forgotten? Fortunately, I prefer to help humanity, rather than use them as toys like my own father. There is nothing to say this girl isn't the same."

"Run. Now. They're not going to help you. No one will help you."

Raven fidgeted as she listened to the voice, her eyes on the magi. They had already shown how much they trusted her - Raven didn't need anyone else to tell her that. As much as she hated to admit it, so far, the darker voice inside her had helped her more than anyone else. Still, she tried again. "The Church of Blood already know I am here. They worship Trigon. That man, in the police car, he was trying to take me to them. They will keep trying."

"Why don't you have a vote," Dr Fate suggested. When no one opposed him, he looked at the man in green and black. "Green Lantern?"

Raven felt uncomfortable under his gaze and looked away towards the floor. "You know I don't like magic, and I like demons even less. But if Zatanna says we shouldn't trust her I kinda feel like we should go with that. No."

"Manhunter?"

"She let me read her mind, despite her being able to block me out. She seems genuine. I think we should help."

"Zatanna?"

"No. No demon is good news. John, how do you know she didn't just show you what she wanted to see? If she can block you out, she's a powerful telepath in her own right. We shouldn't even be having this discussion."

"Batman?"

He didn't answer straight away, and Raven could feel his gaze on her. "I trust both Zatanna and John. If she's right in what she's saying, we'd be fools not to help however agents of chaos are tricky creatures and I'm yet to meet one who would do anything for the common good."

"She's only half demon," John spoke up. "And still a child."

"Well, I'm voting we help her," Wonder Woman butted in. "Did we not vow to protect people? How could we call ourselves heroes if we ignored such as threat?"

"No," The Arrow shook his head. "I know I'm not clued up on this kind of stuff but I don't like it one bit. Even if this threat does come, I think we'd be better sorting it on our own."

The empath started backing away, not needing to hear any more to know where this would go. Raven wasn't sure what would happen if they tried to banish her however, she didn't really want to find out.

"Batman, you're vote brings it to a draw."

Raven didn't wait for the answer, quickly bringing the darkness up to consume her. She didn't know where she would go, only knew she wasn't welcome in Gotham. Or anywhere on Earth, if the Justice League decided to move against her.

The empath ended up in California, more specifically, Jump City, a currently insignificant city that would one day become the centrepiece in the destruction of the planet. She heard screams as she let her dark energy drop and quickly put her head down and walked, wanting to get clear of the area. Bringing attention to herself had proven, several times, to be a bad idea. She needed to get out of sight. Remembering the blood-soaked jeans, she needed to change.

Her feet took her across the city, until there were no more people walking the streets, the buildings old and boarded up. She took her time to look round, no longer feeling the pressure of people watching her. The streets were old, the buildings built grandly. She passed an old court house and post office until she found herself in front of an old Library, something calling her to go inside. It wasn't her love of books, Raven doubting whether anything left in here would have actually survived.

She pushed against the front door, but it didn't budge, Raven frowning before opening a portal. She didn't step through, stood silently watching, not sure whether it was a good idea or not. The building, clearly abandoned, would give her somewhere to change, and stay – at least until she had figured out what she was doing. But so would all the other buildings in the area.

Figuring she had nothing to lose, the girl stepped through, emerging into a dark room, thick with dust and lined with rows of tall bookcases. She looked round, checking there were no visible entrances before quickly removing the oversized hoody and jeans, throwing them to one side. She would have burnt them; would it also remove what she had done. Instead, she pulled her cloak from the backpack and put it back on. Maybe this City wouldn't react as strongly to her clothes as Gotham had. If it did, she would find clothes. The backpack also got moved to the side before she moved deeper into the building, stopping to look at the few books left on the shelves.

Damp, pages thick with mould or the ink faded she couldn't find anything she would be able to read. She kept walking anyway, that feeling still calling to her, getting stronger. She had found a book, semi readable, on space travel when the noise of grating stone filled the building. The book hit her foot as she spun round, hands raised in front of her, the voice in her head strangely silent. She watched with shock as part of the back wall lowered into the floor, showing her a dark staircase leading below the building. She approached it slowly, hands still in front of her. The brickwork looked older than the rest of the building, large stone blocks coated with moss. The stairs looked as though, at some point, they had been travelled often, thinning towards the middle where they had worn down.

Raven looked behind her once more before deciding to go down, taking one step at a time. The door closed behind her, and she ran back up the steps, worried it wouldn't open again. She flinched as a red light shone through the stone, quickly taking the form of a symbol not too difference from an 'S' and froze, panic gripping at her. She tried to reach out with her empathy, to sense anyone who could have been in the building. She had potentially killed one member of the church of blood in Gotham, just to run straight into another of their temples. She must have stood still for a minute before deciding she really was alone, her fear changing into curiosity. Everything she had learnt about the Church had been through stories on Azarath. Almost as old as Trigon himself, they had always been led by the Blood Family, succession a messy business of son killing father for leadership. Sabastian Blood was the current head of the Church, and had been while Raven's mother had lived in Gotham. So far, he'd avoided having children in his attempt to hold on to the title. Deciding that seeing one of the temples of herself would be a far better learning experience than the stories told to her as a child – especially since the building seemed empty – she continued down the steps, trying not to turn round again as the door shut. She felt her way down carefully in the darkness, only just able to make out the step below her, and continued down for what seemed like hours, though couldn't have been more than a few minutes.

As she stepped into a room, away from the staircase, Raven was initially pleased at the pale blue light that lit up the room. She was less pleased with the creepy statues lining it, skeletons with wings and scythes, hoods pulled up over their heads as though they were monks of some type. She stepped forward, trying to keep her head down as the rushed past them, not wanting to linger round them any longer than possible.

She followed several more chambers before being led into an open cavern. Light filtered down from a skylight, highlighting the centre of the room, and a tall structure, like a spotlight. Raven lifted herself up into the air in order to get a better look, slowly moving towards the large structure. It was a hand, raising up towards the skylight, palm flat as though ready to hold something. Raven thought it was a little overdramatic, if not a completely pointless sculpture until she caught sight of the statues lining the edge of the large cavern. Holding up the roof above her where identical statues Raven couldn't mistake for anyone but herself. Their hoods up, faces blank of features, but it was almost like looking back in a mirror.

"This isn't a temple..." She told the empty room as she landed on the large hand, studying again the statues, the size of the room and the skylight which – she theorised – would align exactly with the moon on a given date in the calendar. Raven dropped to her knees, unable to believe her bad luck. For as long as she had memories, she had been told about her role in the world, her destiny to bring the dimension to its knees under her father as it's ruler. She had tried to fight against it, and found the very place build to be her stage.

A/N: It makes sense to me that, even before Slade made his appearance in TT as working for Trigon and starting the ball rolling, Rae would have access to the places that worshipped her father. I did however feel it would make more sense for those ghostie statues to only trigger as the time drew near – imagine how irritating it would be otherwise every time you had to pass one!