Chapter Three: Echoes of My Silence
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
But the silence was unbroken, and the darkness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, Lenore!'
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, Lenore!'
Merely this and nothing more.
Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
Surely,' said I, surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore -
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore; -
'Tis the wind and nothing more!'
Several weeks passed, and Raven hadn't left her room, except when trouble arose. When it did happen, Raven never said a word, only fought and followed orders. She refused to make eye contact with Robin, though she followed his orders. She became ruthless and brutal in battle, and a phantom at home. Sounds of breaking glass, splintering wood, and inexplicable crashes were often heard coming from her room.
Robin, too, had changed. He had become more aloof and bipolar. A few days after he'd brought Raven back to the Tower, Star had asked him if he wanted to go to 'The House of Moving Pictures' with her. Robin had been deep in thought, and hadn't budged from his spot on the couch for an hour or more. Her words jerked him back to reality. "No, Starfire. I'm busy." His words were cold and flat.
"Fine. Continue with your 'work'. I will see if there is someone less 'busy' who will go with me." she had said, hurt evident in her voice. She floated off toward the door to the hallway.
"Star, wait! I'll go with you." he had said just before she left the room. He was smiling at her. She looked confused.
"But you just said--"
"Never mind what I just said. I'd like to go with you."
"Glorious!" she had exclaimed happily, though still a little confused.
Beast Boy began routinely making guesses at what was going on in Robin's head, but only telling Cyborg. Some were attempts at humor, in which cases Cyborg had tried to glare at him, but couldn't suppress a smile. Inside, however, the boys and Starfire were deeply worried about their leader, and their dark friend.
A raven called in the dark. Robin opened his eyes. A dense fog had set in, and he couldn't see two steps ahead. He walked forward cautiously, his footsteps echoing on the cobblestone ground. Somewhere in the twilight, there was a sound of birds taking to their wings. Robin stopped. Someone was sobbing, and he could hear a heartbeat. There was no way to tell where the sounds were coming from, or where he was going. Robin ran forward, straining his eyes to see something that wasn't really there. The sobbing grew louder, more desperate. "Raven!" Robin yelled, more birds taking flight in the prosaic void. The heartbeat grew steadily faster and louder. The sobs became raucous, as though someone were slowly dying. "Raven, where are you?!" Robin was terrified. The heartbeat had tripled in frequency and volume. The sobs had become tortured screams. Robin felt his blood run cold as a final, vital shriek echoed in the translucent gloom. "RAVEN!" All was silent, all was still. The mist parted enough to reveal Raven's flaccid and broken body. Birds took flight around her. He ran forward, and cradled her head. Her eyes flew open, and all was dark.
Robin woke in a cold sweat. "Nightmare..." he muttered to no one in particular. He sat up, and looked over at the clock. 5:06 A.M. Sunrise would begin soon. Robin got out of bed, and walked out of his room. Violet eyes watched as he climbed the stairs to the roof, and vanished around the corner and through their owner's door.
The sky was a deep blue, gray on the horizon. A silver haze hung over the bay. The iridescent drops scattered the first pale rays of the rising sun as it appeared slowly, a huge red orb of flame, burning where the sky and the Earth met. A perfect autumn sunrise. Robin sighed, the gentle breeze sending a shiver up his spine.
Suddenly, a minor earthquake shook the Tower, the epicenter directly underfoot. The shockwave was visible as it spread outward, rolling beneath the surface of the water and earth. Black energy flickered between the telephone poles, creating several steep arcs. "Raven." Robin muttered, running through the door and down the stairs. He ran into Beast Boy and Cyborg in the hallway at the foot of the stairs. The quake had originated in the room around the corner; Raven's room.
"What's going on? Where's Starfire and Raven?" Cyborg asked, sleep still evident in his voice, though he appeared awake.
"Raven caused the quake."
"Dude, Raven did that? Wait... How do you know that?" Beast Boy said, looking toward Raven's room, then back at Robin suspiciously.
"BB's got a good question. How do you know it was her? Last time you were this secretive, you were lying to us." Cyborg looked Robin in the eyes. Behind the mask, there was a secret in Robin's eyes.
"Look, I'll tell you guys later. Right now, we need to find Starfire, and check on Raven." Robin said, dreading the time when he would tell them what had happened between himself and Raven. "Please, trust me now, if never again." There was no lie in his voice.
"Okay, but as soon as everything is figured out, you have to spill what happened between you and Raven." Beast Boy said. Just then, Starfire appeared in the hallway, her room being the next one down from Raven's. She flew down the hallway, passing Raven's door.
"I heard a very loud crash in Raven's room. What is happen--AHH!" she cried out as Raven's door glowed black, and flew off its hinges, slamming into her.
"STARFIRE!!" Robin yelled. The sheet of steel fell to the ground with a loud clang. Starfire slumped against the wall, unconscious. Robin ran to her side, followed by Beast Boy and Cyborg.
"I'll take her to the Med. Lab. You go see what's up with Raven." Cyborg picked up the still form of the Tamarinian girl, and took off toward the Med. Lab.
"What 's Raven's problem?!" Beast Boy yelled after recovering from watching Star knocked senseless. Robin stared into the inky shadows of Raven's room, his fist clenched in self-control.
Robin was mad. Raven had hurt one of their own. Moreover, she had hurt Starfire. Robin might have been able to forgive her if it had been anyone else, even him, but not Star. His own code of honor did not permit him to be closer to anybody than his or her friend, but, several times, he had nearly let his feelings for her show. He loved Starfire, and refused to forgive anyone that hurt her. Even his own teammate. "Beast Boy, I need to talk to Raven alone. Go help Cyborg with Starfire." Beast Boy opened his mouth to argue, but changed his mind when he read the threatening tone in Robin's voice.
"No problem." He then realized that an angry Raven is a dangerous one, and decided that the farther away he was, the safer he was. He took off down the same hallway Cyborg had taken.
Robin walked into Raven's room. It looked as though a bomb had gone
off within its dark confines. A certain sinister looking mirror resting on the
wrecked dresser caught Robin's eye. He started to examine it closer, momentarily abandoning anger for curiosity. The peculiar mirror had a very strange frame, and, despite the devastation reeked upon the room, this object had not a scratch.
"R...Robin... " came Raven's voice from her ruined bed. He rushed over to where she lay. She was unconscious, and she had called out to him in her reverie. He looked her over, and saw that her cuts had disappeared without a trace. Without warning, she seized up, and a wave of power exploded from her body, and rippled outward. The Tower shook, knocking Robin off his feet. The mirror landed nearby, its surface gleaming with a dark purpose. Robin picked up Raven's body, and carried it to the Med. Lab. It was time to unlock the mysterious girl behind the apathetic facade.
A.N. Open your eyes and return to fantasy. Forget not that existance is imaginary.