Matches: Unleashed
Wow….I only got two reviews for this story……pity. I figured I'd give it another try…..
Chapter-Two
Examination
I was awake. But, I didn't open my eyes. It's kind of like I don't want to wake up so I just keep them shut. From what I can tell, I'm in a medical room, not a hospital, something more private than that. I can hear someone talking and shuffling through papers. It sounds like Raven and Robin. They sounded like they were arguing, but in a much more toned down level. They were talking about me.
"I can't believe what I did to her…." he said.
"It wasn't your fault. You didn't know."
"But, it's not like me to jump to conclusions like this, Raven. You know me better than that."
There was a pause.
"Would you have done the same thing?" he asked.
No answer.
"Would you?"
"How can you ask me something like that? You know I can't release my emotions. And the anger you were feeling….it would be impossible. You know it would."
"I'm sorry. I-I just—" he said, his voice cracking. I felt kind of intrusive. This seemed like a private moment. But, they would never know.
"Lost it?" she asked.
"Yeah…"
"Robin, I don't know what I would have done. And honestly, I don't think I will ever be put in that situation. But, the fact that she lost her father yesterday—"
I was out that long?
"—makes me pity her. And you know that I don't just hand that out."
Raven, the ice princess who never said a word on television and always made sarcastic remarks, pitied me? I guess there really is more than meets the eye.
"What else did you find when you searched her?"
"She has powers…"
What!
"She doesn't know it though."
"What do you mean?"
"She's a pyro, Robin."
Oh my God, I can't believe this is happening. I stir for a second and they rush over. I flutter my eyes and gently opening them, acting like I just woke up.
"Get the bandages," says Robin sharply. He hovers over me, checking to make sure nothing is wrong.
"Where—"
"Hush," he says as Raven hands him the dressings. I try to sit up, but the pain is excruciating.
"The after-effects of forced mind reading," says Raven, "They will wear off."
"I hope so," I say as Robin cleans the wound he inflicted on my forehead. It stings. He grabs tweezers off the tray.
"Whoa, whoa wait. What are you doing with those?" I ask, eyeing the device.
"You still have some splinters."
"Don't touch it," I say and sit up, gritting my teeth through the pain. He looks at me like I slapped him in the face, when circumstances were completely opposite.
"I don't want the person that caused this wound to clean it, thank you. I can do it myself." I walk over to the sink. I can tell that they are looking at each other. I hear Robin walk behind me. He puts a hand on my shoulder.
"Don't touch me," I snap, wriggling out of his comforting gesture. I can't admit it, but I'm afraid of him. He hurt me so bad.
"Angie, were just—" Raven says, but I cut her off.
"—trying to help? Thanks, but I think you've helped all you can."
"If you would just—"
"I'm not going to take this from you!" I yell, "I've had enough!" I walk briskly out of the room and I hear Robin follow me. Jesus Christ, where am I? Am I in Titans Tower? Did they take me to their home? Why would they do that?
I decide to take the stairs.
"Angie! Angie, wait!"
I start to run down the staircase, skipping every other stair. I hear the door slam as Robin comes in right behind me. I get to the bottom one and fling it open. It looks like I'm in a hangar or something. I went to this Air Force Academy thing when our school decided to take a field trip, and I got to see all the cool jets and everything. They had the exact same stuff. But, their jet was cooler. It looked orange and round and had five glass cockpits on it. They had the same equipment and everything.
For some reason, I start crying. I hear that's what happens when people lose someone they love. They just spontaneously burst into tears. I feel them run down my bandaged face. I'm desperate for an exit. Then I see a door. God, thank you. I run over to it and expect it to open. It's locked.
"Shit," I say, under my breath, jiggling the handle some more. I know I can't win, so I sink to my knees and continue to cry, not caring if the most sought after guy in Jump City sees me bawl.
He runs up behind me and catches me before I fall. Why doesn't he just leave me alone? I just want to think without interruption? Can't I get that?
"I know how you're feeling, Angie. We can help you, and we feel responsible for what happened."
"Bullshit, you have no idea how I feel."
"I lost both my parents and my brother. Why do you think the Titans are like my family?" I sniff.
"I was s-so mean t-to him," I wail, "b-before he got sh-shot…."
"I am so sorry that I did that to you. I didn't even know—"
"And n-now he's gone."
I've never felt like this before. Ever. It's like my heart is breaking in two and then being mashed to bits. Like a cold, iron fist just punched its way through my chest and grabbed my throbbing heart like a toy and then squeezed it until it stopped beating. I sob so hard I think I could fill an ocean with my tears. And inside me, I feel the same way I felt when I ran screaming away from the psycho who shot my father and the car exploded. Is Raven right? Am I a pyro? Are these feeling interlinked?
"I have nowhere to go," I tell him, tears still streaming down my face. I turn to look at him, sitting against the door. He kneels down in front of me as I hug my legs against my body, making myself as small as possible.
"What about your mom? Isn't she still in town?"
"I…I can't go back to her."
"Why not?" he asks.
"I just can't," I say bluntly.
"Angie…wh—"
"She beat me. That's why I was so unwilling to fight when you chased me in the woods. I used to just take it from her. And yesterday brought back memories from—from when she…." I could feel my voice stop permitting me to talk. It was like my vocal chords stopped working. A lump formed in the back of my throat.
"Oh, God," he said, massaging the bridge of his nose. He seemed so sorry that I couldn't help but forgive him. He was the most mature guy I'd ever seen. Sorry for things that he didn't even cause. "Words can't even describe how devastating that kind of thing is. Why didn't you get help?"
"I don't know….It was my way of life. A daily routine. I get home; she throws some punches at me and then fixes dinner for my Dad. After he eats and I do the dishes, she makes me throw up to make sure I haven't eaten any leftovers."
I don't even know Robin, but he pulls me into a hug. And for once, I'm not scared of him.
"You can stay with us," he whispers in my ear, but this time, I don't feel threatened.
"I can try it."
"I know you'll like it," he says, standing up and giving me a hand off the ground.
"Come on," he offers, "Let's go meet the others."
"Awww, no you don't man!"
"Awww, yes I do!"
A giant man, known to the city as Cyborg, and a small green boy, about my height which is almost as tall as Robin, known as Beast Boy, are sitting on the couch and playing a video game. Cyborg pauses it. Him and Beast Boy come over and stand in front of me.
"That's Cyborg," says Robin, "And that's Beast Boy. I'm sure you already know Raven." He points to the Goth who is sitting on the couch and acknowledges me by coughing. "Hey Star, I have someone for you to meet," he says to a pretty, red-haired girl who is cooking something I can't pronounce. She looks up
"Oh! Is your name Angie? Mine is Starfire! I come from Tamaran."
"I come from Earth," I joke, making the "Star-Trek 'we come in peace'" sign with my fingers. I smile, which I haven't done in what seems like forever.
Starfire makes a move towards me.
"Uh…Star? Can we cut back on the hugs? She's still recovering from Raven's…." his voice drifts off. He obviously doesn't want to talk about it.
"I understand," she says cheerfully, "Perhaps she would like to try some of my homemade Yuglork?"
"Actually," I cut in, "I'm not really hungry."
"It's not food…" he says.
I stare at him. I can feel my eyes widen.
"Welcome to the family…"
Titan009- I'm hoping I'll have better luck on this one. Please review! Adios muchachos!