My mind slowly became aware as I came to. Where am I? A warm breath tickled my cheek. I blindly reached my hand to feel what was breathing on me, and it collided with something solid, right above me. My eyes snapped open, and found a pair of light blue eyes staring back at me, no more than four inches away. I shrieked and instinctively lashed out and my hand collided with Nachts blue face. Then, he was gone.... just gone. I sat up, looking around the cheep apartment. Had I been dreaming?
No...Roni.
I struggled to my feet, panting. She was here! I had seen her!! She had been sitting at that table! I looked to the chair.... it was empty.
I touched the seat of the chair; it was still warm, from when Roni had been sitting. I backed out of the kitchen slowly, my eyes wide. I searched the apartment.
The bedroom. Empty.
The bathroom. Empty.
The hallway. Empty.
The main room. Empty.
All empty.
I had been so close.... so close.... I sank to my knees, covering my face with my forearms, and screamed in frustration. Swearing myself out. Calling myself all the hard names I could think of.
I was so stupid. So incredibly stupid.
I desperately wanted to break something. Anything. I wanted to shatter it. I just wanted to take my frustration on something. Crush it to dust.
I wasn't thinking straight. My mind felt so distant to me, like there were millions of voices screaming inside my head, but I couldn't hear my own.
Furious tears spilt from my eyes, and seemed to burn my cheeks as they rolled down. I suddenly felt very weak, as if I would collapse over at any moment. I uncovered my face, to set my hands on the ground, to keep from falling over. I gritted my teeth, digging my fingernails into the carpet until they split all the way to my finger.
I wanted to think. I wanted to get up. I wanted to call my friends. But I couldn't. I couldn't do anything but kneel on my hands and knees on the floor. For a minute, I couldn't even remember my own name.
Then I realized that, those weren't just my tears on my cheek. Water was streaming all over my body. I stopped my silent crying, and looked around. It was raining...indoors.
I looked up to the ceiling, two cool drops of water fell directly into my eyes, that seemed to burn from crying. I rubbed my eyes, standing up. How could it rain indoors? Was it Nacht?
"Nacht!!" I yelled, rainwater filling my mouth. I spluttered on the rain. Then as soon as it had come, it left. The last drop of rain dripped from the ceiling, and fell into the three inches of water that had collected on the floor.
My head snapped around. Voices! I could hear –
"Naomi!!" Robin jumped over the door I had knocked down, looking dazed when he landed in water. He looked to me, his mouth held at a funny angle.
"Naomi?" he asked, "What the fuck happened?"
I couldn't answer. I couldn't. I couldn't tell him how I had lost little Roni. How she had been in my very arms reach, and I failed.
"Damn," Ravens voice echoed from the outside hall.
"Yeah, looks like we missed quite a party," Beastboy voice said sarcastically.
"A party of broken doors and water?" Starfire guessed, floating inside the room. She noticed me and gasped.
"Friend! What is the matter? Is Roni injured? Why.... have you engaged in the tears of unhappiness?"
"How could you tell?" I muttered, not looking up at her.
"Your appearance enhancer, it...is currently streaked across you face...unless it is purposely as it is."
I bent down over the water, looking at my reflection. My tears had drug my black eyeliner down my cheeks, all the way down to my lips. I was discussed. I kicked the water with my foot, sending my reflection askew.
"Naomi?" I looked up, directly into Beastboys face. "What happened?" he asked, gripping my shoulder with his hand.
Without warning, white-hot anger flare up inside me. I felt so.... unbalanced. I was so angry. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to do...something. It was a good thing that the room was so wet, or my angry sparks might have caught flame.
"I...I..." My voice was strangely loud. I didn't mean it to be, "I lost her. I lost her ok?" Angry sparks exploded from my fingertips, skipping across the shallow water like skipping stones, before sizzling out.
"How?" Beastboy asked calmly, but I could see the desperation burning through his emerald eyes.
"I...I was so close!!" I was shaking, so badly, I almost couldn't speak. I couldn't stop shaking.
"Then rain!!" I spluttered, nearly falling over from my quaking. Beastboy pressed my to his chest, trying to stable my shaking, but I pushed him away. I could hear myself screaming at him, but I couldn't understand what I was saying. Was I even talking in real words? Beastboy made a lunge at me, gripping me tightly.
"I knew it!!" He yelled over my ramblings, "You can't do this to yourself! You can't work on empty! I told you! You haven't slept or eaten in two days!!"
I felt so unstable...was I even standing up?
"Shut up Naomi!! Just shut up!!!" His harsh words pierced through my mind. I finally looked to him, finally being able to see him. "Your...unstable. You need food. Sleep."
Sleep? Sleep sounds good. It sounds good right now. My legs gave way, but I never hit the ground. Beastboy lifted my exhausted body up, and carried me out of the room.
To where? I don't know. I fell asleep in his arms.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
I had troubled dreams. Dreams of fiery tornados, swallowing me whole in their thick crushing heat.
A flame that sucked in everything, and returned only ash. I dreamt that I stood in the middle, in the eye of the blazing tornado, watching charred skeletons spin around me in the blaze. Grinning skeletons, with all the flesh charred off them.
But.... I felt fine. Watching all this hell, but knowing that this is life. To burn...it to renew. And.... I felt tranquility.
I do not know how long I spent in that fiery tornado, but I do know that I awoke. I rubbed my eyes tiredly, smearing eyeliner all over my knuckles.
I must look absolutely wretched, I decided as I left my room and dragged myself down the hall to the bathroom Starfire and I share. I examined myself in the mirror.
My eyes were red and swollen, black eyeliner streaking down. The piggy tail holders were almost ripped out of my messy hair. I sighed, and turned on the silver tap, watching the clear cool water flow. I cupped my hands under the stream of clean water, then splashed my face with it.
I tilt my head back, letting the drops trickle down my cheeks. I reached for a fluffy white hand towel and rubbed my face, rubbing my skin until it was red.
It wasn't until then that I felt my hunger tear through me, as a blade would tear through tissue paper. I cupped my hands under the water again, but this time brought it to my lips. I hoped that the water would help with, my hunger, but it worsened it. Now it screamed inside me, the most primal instinct roaring to be satisfied.
I left the bathroom, and slowly made my way down the hall, and down the elevator and to the kitchen. I paused to the kitchen door, hearing a voice inside.
"She's a danger to herself!" Beastboy hissed from within the kitchen. I stopped, pressing my ear up to the door.
"Robin, just listen to me, she cant do this anymore." Beastboys voice sounded determined. My eyes widened. He didn't mean...
"Beastboy, please reconsider..." Starfires voice pleaded.
"No, I made up my mind."
"Beastboy, she made a mistake. We all did. We'll watch her more closely next time."
"That's the point! There isn't going to be a next time!"
Then Ravens harsh voice muttered something inaudible.
"No...I don't care," Beastboy, replied, "I need to do what's best for Naomi."
Once again, I couldn't make out what Raven grumbled to Beastboy.
"I can protect her. And I will."
"Yeah, since you've done such a fantastic job lastly," Raven growled, this time loud enough for me to hear. There was a silence form Beastboy.
"It's not going to happen again." He murmured, barley loud enough to hear, "I'm not kidding. Naomi and I are out - don't look at me like that Robin! I'm doing it for Naomi."
That was it. I threw open the door. Everyone looked to me, looking guilty for talking about me when I wasn't around. Beastboy was leaning on the counter, a determined look etched on his green face.
Raven was sitting at the table, refusing to make eye contact with anyone, her arms and legs crossed. Cyborg was standing next to Robin, whose fists were clenched at his sides. Starfire looked near tears, turning away from me, hoping I couldn't see the pained expression on her face.
"How long was I out?" I asked, my voice feeling like sandpaper from dehydration.
"Twelve hours." Robin muttered, refusing to turn away as Star had done. I gave him a quick nod, and then crossed the kitchen to the refrigerator. I was walking funny, partly because my stomach was slightly caved in from my fast. I wrenched open the door, willing to eat anything.
"Naomi, no." Beastboys voice came from behind me. I slowly straightened up, and turned to face him.
"And why not?" I asked sarcastically. He glared,
"Ever heard of the story of the starving old woman found in the woods? After she was rescued, she gorged on so much food she died the next day. You can have a bowl of soup every forty five minutes."
"Who the hell do you think you are?!?!" I exploded at him, not even truly angry about the soup, "Where do you get off thinking you know what's best for me?"
I don't know why I was so angry with him He just.... thought he knew so much more than I did. He was trying so hard to take care of me, he was reminding me of my father. And my father and I were never generally on good terms when I had hit adolescents.
And he was trying to take me away!! Away from the tower! Away from my friends! Away from my life!
"Naomi, I know how to take care of you. I promise. Just listen-"
"I listen to Robin." Those words hit him like a sack of wet cement. His eyes widened, and he took a step back.
It's just.... Robin had always felt like...not a father exactly...but someone who knows what to do. Someone you ask advice. It's like, the way you'd feel if your divorced parents were trying to remarry. You feel insulted when the new parent tries to fill the place of your parent.
Beastboy blinked, looking confused. Then he looked angry.
"Oh, is that so?" his voice dripped with scorn.
"As a matter of fact it is. You! You think you know so much! You think you can earn respect from people you were flicking spitballs at yesterday!! I don't need-"
"You don't need? Of course you need Naomi!! You need food! And need sleep! All the things you've been denying yourself lately!! You think your, just so above all earthy things! But your not! Your...just a stupid girl."
I could have slapped him. I could have smacked him so hard, he wouldn't be able to feel his skin. But I hurt him much deeper than any knife could pierce.
"Your right. I do need a lot of things. But I do know of one thing I don't. I don't need you." His emerald eyes widened as I continued, "I don't need, you protecting me. I don't need you feeding me. I don't need you saving me. I don't need you at all."
"You...you didn't mean that." He whispered, his green eyes dulling.
"Don't you dare tell me what I feel."
That was too much for Starfire. She burst into tears, swearing in her native tongue. I turned away from Beastboy, not daring to look into his eyes. Thankfully, I didn't have to. The kitchen door slammed behind him.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Robin slowly introduced food back into my body, giving me a bowl of soup every forty-five minutes, while Starfire made me some sort of fruit drink. And finally, in about five hours, I felt better. Better enough to retell the events of what had happened with Nacht.
"Rain?" asked Raven, arching an eyebrow, "Was it from Nacht?"
"Yeah, I think it's his powers or something. Not a whole lot you can do with rain though."
"Well, not necessarily," Cyborg mused, "I bet he could cause a flash flood if he wanted to."
"Hmmmm, or maybe he did it so dogs couldn't follow his sent, I mean, with BBs nose-" Robin stopped, noting my expression, "I mean...yeah. That's a possibility."
"What action is to be in use?" Starfire asked, her eyes puffy, as she clutch Robins arm, slightly clingy.
"Naomi's taking the day off, that's for sure. Star? Stay with her. Raven, Cyborg, come with me. Were going to go back to Nachts apartment, to look for more clues."
Everyone nodded.
"Right. Titans go. Naomi stay."
And so they did, and so I didn't.
I sighed, wishing I could go as well, but Robin said no. I looked to Starfire, who immediately glanced away, trying to make it seem like she hadn't been staring at me.
"I vastly recommend some more unconscious time for you friend. Shall I arrange it?"
I giggled.
"What is amusing friend?"
I giggled again.
"Sorry Star, its just the way you said it. It sounded like you were going to sedate me."
"If you do not get some sleep, I will have to resort to it." She smiled.
"Ha, you could try." She smiled, finally looking me in the eye.
"Shall you sleep before I do sedate you?"
"Yeah, sure." I stood up, and heard a tiny crinkly in my pocket.
"What the..." I reached into my pocket, pulling out a small slip of paper.
"Are you not coming friend?" Starfire called from the doorway, "Shall I find a bat of baseball?" She giggled, trying a little to hard to make things okay again. I didn't answer, but unfolded the paper.
TALK TO MY GRANDMOTHER (345) 234-8753.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO "Are you related to Nacht?" Cyborg asked the elderly lady, who introduced herself as Mrs. Emmerion.
"Is zat vhat he calls himself," She replied, stirring her mug off coffee her straw, "My grandson, his is zis Nacht?"
"Blue skin? Ring a bell?"
We were at Gothem National Airport. Mrs. Emmerion had flown down here all the way from Germany to talk to us about her grandson, who we hoped was Nacht. The woman stopped stirring her coffee, and raised her muddy brown eyes up to me.
"Vhat do you vant vith my grandson?" She whispered.
"Well, he has been a very busy boy lately," I replied carefully, not knowing how much Mrs. Emmerion knew about her own grandson, "With kidnappings and such."
The door to the lounge slammed shut behind Starfire.
"Oh, sorry," she whispered, walking to stand next to Robin. I looked to see if Beastboy was with her, but he was not. It was just us five.
We had rented an entire lounge area in the airport, special for talking to Mrs. Emmerion. Mrs. Emmerion squeezed her eyes shut, leaning back in one of the soft maroon chairs, surrounding a coffee table.
"His debt," she murmured, talking to herself.
"His what?" Robin asked, leaning on Starfire slightly.
"I...I have to tell you everyzing for it to make sense, and I'm sorry my English is not so good." I nodded, and sat down in the chair opposite to her, resting my elbows on the table.
"Well, my daughter. She vas not a happy person. How to say? Asocial? Anyvay, she did not like being.... vith people. Never did. Not even in before school."
I squinted my eyes; I think she was talking about preschool. I had this fleeting image in my mind of a small girl, sitting in a corner of a playroom all alone while children laughed and played around her. I don't know where it came from, maybe a movie I saw.
"As my daughter grew, she began to talk of children. Ze one zing she vanted more zan anyzing in the vorld vas a child. No husband. Just baby. But she was unable to have children."
"Why?" interrupted Robin, obviously having trouble fallowing along with the accent. And poor Star! She has enough trouble speaking English, with out a heavy German accent added!
"She had...I do not know how to say.... ovary disorder? She could not have eggs come out. Hurt insides, you know?"
I nodded slightly, so asocial woman wants baby. Asocial lady probably is suffering from damaged fallopian tubes, making it unable to carry to egg to be fertilized. Got it so far.
"Zen, ve heard of some American Doctor. He could make babies! Outside ze body."
"Vitro Fertilization," Raven murmured, "Fertilizing the egg while it is outside the body in a cryogenic state."
"I suppose.... my English, it is not so good."
"Eggs?" Starfire looked to Robin, "I was under the impression that humans were mammals, and gave birth to live young, not hatch-"
"Star its ok, well talk later," Robin promised, giving her hand a squeeze, then looked up to Mrs. Emmerion, "Please, continue."
"Yes, vell, we moved to America. And my daughter vhen to see ze doctor. I ask her if she's sure, and she says yes. The doctor.... take egg out of her, and put in small tray, vith liquid.... I don't know how to say, but to keep egg safe."
I decided it was better to let her speak than try to correct her.
"Zen, doctors take... sperm? Yes, sperm from a donor. And...it all vas put back into my daughter. But something vhen vrong."
Yup, I could tell that was going to happen.
"Vhen, egg was outside ze body, somezing contaminated ze safe liquid, so it vas no so safe. I don't know vhat happened, but egg was not safe. It could have been a speck of dust, I do not know. But vhatever it was, it damages him. At zat time, we have no idea. Ve zought operation vas a success.
Doctor put ze egg back inside my daughter. And she pregnant. At first, ve vere so happy. She grow bigger each day, and grow happier each day. She even talk to a stranger in grocery store. That vas big for my daughter.
She was just so happy to be a mommy.
Zen....he came. But...my daughter did not live. She died giving birth to him. I look to him, and I zink, 'he is blue, how? Vhy?' But I did not care. For a year, I raise him. And love him" Mrs. Emmerion rubbed her weathered eyes.
"Zen...the zreats come."
"Threats? From Slade I'm guessing."
"Ja, zreats to my grandson. Telling someone vould come and beat him to death in his crib if his debt vas not paid. I did not know vhat to do, I did not understand. I take young Rune, and we run."
"Rune? Is that his name?" I asked, my hands clasped thoughtful in front of me.
"Ja, in German, it mean Great Secret. And he was. The zreats come for him, so he vas a secret. I later learned zat, ze man, who donated his sperm for Runes birth, vas an evil man. An evil man vho vas in debt to zis, Slade man.
Slade promise zis man, zat until his debt vas paid, Slade come after mans family. He had none, so he donated sperm, to create son to pass his debt to."
"Damn," Starfire whispered. I funny expression crossed my face and I slowly turned my head to face Star, who looked quite pleased with herself, then motioned for Mrs. Emmerion to continue.
"Yes, ve run. We run to different countries. Ve run to states. Ve run to provinces. Ve run for fourteen years. Him growing the vhole time. As he grow, he start to notice zings. He notices zat he dose not go to school. He notices ve never live in same house for long.
Zen one day... he notices that he is different from other little boys. He noticed how he could not go outside alone, because of zreats. He notices how I cry at night.
Zen, he became man.
He run away from me two years ago. He run to ze problem haunting me for so long. He run to Slade, to give me peace."
Cyborg whispered wow, while Starfire looked confused.
Damn, that blue boys got balls!!!! I don't know if I'd be able to go through what he has.
"How much debt dose he have left?" Asked Raven, always seeming to know the right questions to ask.
"Not much, I do not know for sure, but I leave the door open for him to come home." Her voice quaked slightly as she pulled her dull green shawl around her shoulders tighter. She then reached down to her purse, and pulled out a bundle of old envelopes, that were torn and yellowed from age.
"I...have zese letters from Rune. You may read zem, keep them for a veek or so, but... please send zem back. I need zem."
She sounded like she was begging, like she thought that I had no intention of returning them at all.
"Of course I will," I replied, reaching out for the bundle, "Thank you for your cooperation. I am sure that your grandson will return safely to you."
She smiled, tears in her eyes.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
May 1. Hello Grandmama. How are you? I am fine. Nothing new here. I have to keep my letters short, because my new boss has to approve them before I can send them off. I'll come home as soon as I can. I love you, please don't worry about me. Rune
June 30. Hello Grandmama. You wont believe the weather here. Much warmer than in Germany, but it is hard because I have to wear my trench coat. I get very sweaty, just in case you wanted to know. My English is getting much better. I have to go now, the floor flooded last night Bye. Rune
August 23. Hello. It is me. I am sorry you can not send me any letters; my boss will not let you. But I promise you, I am happy. I am. Everyone one here is different, just like me. They laugh when I have a glitch in my English, but it is all nice. Bye. Rune
December 24. It is Christmas here. I wish I could send you a present, but all I would have to send is the mud that collected from the river. That was a joke. I would send you a thousand diamond earrings and those little maple sugar candies you like. And a dog, but not those wrinkly dogs. They do not live long. Merry Christmas. Nacht
January14 Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. I am finally old enough to drive, but I have no car. But that is ok. Maybe when I return I will get a car. We can drive all over Germany. Maybe even speed a little. Bye. Nacht
February 29 I'm going down to the reservoir today to intertube with my friends. Everyone here is so nice. I even have a girlfriend. She is nice too. Maybe you can meet her. And maybe you'll even become a great great grandmother. Don't worry!! That was a joke as well!! Nacht
Liar, fucking liar.
I looked at the letters spread face up over my bed. He was lying. It was so obvious. He didn't want his grandmother to worry. And halve way through his letters, he starts referring to himself as Nacht. And a girlfriend? The only girl that I know of that works for Slade is Jinx....
Trust me, Slade doesn't not do "happy" or "friends" and Slade will be damned before he'd let his minions go intertubing. Slades idea of fun intertubing would be to attach explosives to the-
Wait a second. I bent down over the letter. A reservoir? He said...that he now lived near a reservoir. There's only one in Gothem. I scanned the letters again.
".....the floor flooded last night....."
"....the mud that collected from the river....."
I sat up, Slades base.... could it be on the reservoir?
"ROBIN!!!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, "RAVEN!!! CYBORG!!! ST- oh screw it EVERONE COME HERE!!!"
"WHERE IS HERE??" yelled Cyborg from downstairs.
"MY ROOM!! Damn we need intercoms in this tower."
I sat waiting to be the brilliant mind of this operation. There was a knock on my door.
"Naomi? You screamed a lung out to get us here, now your door is locked," Robins voice loomed from outside the hall.
"Oh yeah," I bounced off my bed to open the door. Everyone filed into my room.
"What have you discovered?"
"It better be good, I was beating Robin at-"
"Shut up about your pathetic video games. No body cares."
"Shut up Raven!"
I rolled my eyes, "Everyone shut up," I pointed to my bed, "I think I have a lead."
"Naomi, we already looked at the letters, they're useless-"
"Take a closer look you guys!!" I looked up to everyone and saw Beastboy, hanging back in the corner of my room, looking away every time I looked up to him.
"Uh, right," I suddenly felt self-conscious and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. "Well, if you look to these letter, you see that almost in each of them, he mentions a reservoir, or something, see?" I pointed.
Robin's lips moved silently as he read them.
"So?"
"So? So the reservoir would be a perfect place to build a secret hideout for Slade!! Think about it, all the hydraulic energy you could ever need." That did it, Robins mouth hung open and Raven slapped her forehead, swearing something awful.
"DUH!!!" Cyborg commented helpfully, "All he need to do is to stick a hydraulic transfer into the water, and BAM!! He's got all the energy he ever needs, and with out a trace!"
I smiled proudly. Robin and Cyborg gave each other high fives, while Starfire watched in interest. Then Star tried to high five Raven, who wasn't cooperating, so Star wound up high fiveing Ravens face.
Poor Star, now Raven will kill her. I smiled again, until I remember Beastboy sulking in the corner.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
StArRy-Wow! Intense chapter!! I'm sorry, I wrote it at one o'clock last night, so the first bits a little delusional.
But oh my god. All that 'making babies' information you just read is real. I spent so long researching it!! You have noooooo idea!
Important- if any of you feel the strange urge to call that number I put for the grandmother, I highly suggest you don't. I made it up. You might call the King of France for all I know. I don't know why someone would call it... its just a bit of advice. Dude, now I want to call it. I want to know whose number it is. Oh no.
Brassbanna- yeah, your right. Its nice you believe in me to come up with my own ideas.
x-Raven-x- Well, now you know!!
TAK and CG- yeah, I was wondering where you guys were!! I read and reviewed for the new chapter in your story.
La Penguina Princessa de la Verde Fuego De La Azul Penguina, Bonita – Wow, do you know that your name is very long? Hehehe!! I actually loved the review you left me!! Its so nice when people tell me how much they enjoy my stories, I try very hard on them. Do you have a fanfact account?
Boobalago- yay! You were right!! You are a good guesser.
Ud the Imp- Thanks for your suggestion, I decided to use a little bit of it, so thank you! Thanks for the review.
Raven A Star- I'd laugh at you too! Hehehe! JK
Marshmello Da Strawberry Cow- Ohhh, I don't like gravy on my smashed potatoes! Hey, is it smashed potatoes, or mashed potatoes? I have no idea.....
