Chapter 12: The eyes of the dove

I was flying over the ocean, lost in my thoughts. I was going to fly back to Jump City, but without warning I tilted my wings to the right. I found myself in a city called Mictopia. People looked up at me when I flew pat, but thet didn't point or laugh. They seemed like they didn't even care. I landed in an empty, forgotten alley. There was a peice of dirty cardboard on the ground. I needed a place to sleep, but this would have to do. 'At least it's dry....' I sighed, plucked out a bunch of warm doun feathers one by one, then I made a make-shift nest. I tucked my wings under and drifted off.

(Raven's POV)

"So..... what do we do now?" Beast Boy said, scratching the back of his neck.

"We go after her!" Robin announced, making his "hopeless determined face" as I call it.

"No. She's long gone by now. The only way to find her is to look through her eyes." I paused, gathering my strength. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos...." I drifted into a trance. I felt my conciousness fan out in a wide radius. I looked long and hard, discarding many people that were nearby. After a half an hour, I finally got across the ocean. When I got to the continent across the sea, I felt a white mind that was unbelievably strong. It was Alexiel's. I enterered without permission. Her memories tried to push me out: A warm family in a small town. A truck with an eye insignia raced down a snowy road. White downy feathers float to a white floor.

I finally got past her memories and got to her eyes. I saw the backs of her eyelids.

'Alexiel. Wake up.'

(Alexiel's POV)

I opened my eyes with a groan. I hadn't been asleep long, and I was really tired. I heard something. A rustling, maybe? I stood and threw my senses. Nobody around for miles. Then I felt the reason. A black-purple aura was clouding my mind.

'Hello?'

'I'm here. It's Raven.'

'Why are you here? How did you-'

'That doesn't matter. I- I mean...WE. We want you back. Please come home. We....miss.....you. I guess.'

'I'm sorry Raven..... I can't go back. Not for a while, at least....'

My head turned up. It was pitch black outside. The stars were bright and perfect. The tears rolled off my chin and dropped to the pavement below.

(Beast Boy's POV)

"Dude..... is Raven crying??"

Raven had been looking for Alexiel for over an hour. I guess she finally found her.

The other titans turned around.

"Yeah, I think she is!" Cyborg said, pointing.

I felt bad that in a roundabout way, I was making Raven cry. Although I couldn't tell her and she could never love me back, I still did love her. I just couldn't let anyone know....

(Alexiel's POV)

I heard yelling in the street. I turned my head to the noise. There were two stumbling burly men coming out of a bar.

"Heeyy.... wha's tha?"

"I dunno......

They got really close to where I was. I could smell one guy's rancid breath. I held my breath and prayed for them to turn around. They did. A hard wind blew, and one feather from my makeshift nest was picked up and dropped on the back of the meaner of the two's neck. He whirled around and his eyes met mine. He smiled maliciously. He walked toward me.

"Why is a little lady like you out so late?"

The other guy said, "Yeah..... you got any money, you stupid girl?"

I shook my head.

They laughed at me. I looked to the sky, but I had no room to take off. They were cornering me.

'What do I do, Raven?'

'I can't help you, all I can do is watch.'

After a few more steps, they had me cornered. The man got so close I could see every pore. I closed my eyes. A white hot pain shot through my stomach. My eyes shot open, and I fell to my knees. I felt the purple-black in my mind rushed away.

(Beast Boy's POV)

Raven had been in her trance for a good while now. The other titans had long gone to bed, but I watched Raven silently, just looking how perfect her face was. She looked completely relaxed and calm; I knew her mind wasn't at the tower.

Without warning, she opened her eyes and fell to the ground, clutching the side of her stomach. I saw a small rosette of blood being absorbed by her leotard.

I rushed to her side, holding her head up with one hand.

"You guys?! Come quick!"

(Alexiel's POV)

With the knife still in my side, I stood up. Blood trickled down from my stomach to my thigh, but I could no longer feel the pain. The thugs stared at me in awe. One ran away. I took a step forward, and then another, until I was at the very end of the shadow cast by the alley. He saw my wings and fell over backwards. His friend ran away. I felt the control over my powers that Raven had briefly taught me swiftly slide away. The man shot into the clouds in a blink, and slammed onto the pavement below. I passed out from the loss of blood, knowing that killing someone was the last thing I would ever do.