A Thing of the Past, Chapter 9

"We did it together," Terra said as she began to advance towards me.

"No," I said tremulously, slowly backing away. "That can't be. I was at the Tower sleeping. I was there all night."

"Maybe you were, maybe you weren't," she said smugly. "What do you remember about last night?"

"Nothing," I said quickly, bumping into the wall and sending the already unstable mirror crashing to the floor. I jumped slightly at the noise, but never took my eyes off Terra. "I told you, I was sleeping."

She stopped only inches away from me. "Allow me to depict the events of last night," she said, lowering her voice and making it sound almost secretive. "You snuck down to the lab and stole some chloroform. Then you went to Raven's room, wanting to 'talk' about the little fight you two had. She invited you in and you jumped her from behind. She was able to get a few words out in an attempt to defend herself before passing out. Poor choice with the mirror. You were going to take her away through the front door, but thought you heard the others returning. You broke the window, changed into a pterodactyl, and flew Raven to her new whereabouts."

A part of my mind that I did not want to listen to was trying to tell me that it was all true. As Terra spoke, the images played out before me. It was like watching a movie. I saw myself doing all the things she described. And through it all, Terra was beside me, showing me which bottle to take, coaching me on what to say to Raven, encouraging me to hold on a little longer while Raven slipped into unconsciousness.

I closed my eyes tightly and tilted my head down. I was in a state a tiny bit beyond scared, where shock and dread stood as equals. "This can't be happening," I moaned. "Why would I ever do those things?"

"Because you knew it was the only way," she said in a quiet, level voice. "Now we don't have to worry and we can stay together. Isn't that what you want?"

I could feel her fingertips brush against my cheek. My eyes snapped open and I brought my head up quickly. "Don't touch me," I yelled, slapping her hand away from me. I shifted my eyes to the door and took a step in that direction, only to have Terra block my path.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked harshly.

"Anywhere, as long as you're not there," I retorted sharply.

She sighed. "I'm afraid that's not possible," she said calmly. "You see, we're stuck together." She bent down and picked up a large piece of the broken mirror, placing a corner against her cheek after standing up again. She cut herself, quickly and smoothly, yet I was the one who hissed at the stinging pain. I brought my hand up to my cheek and when I took it away, there was blood on my glove.

My eyes widened as my breathing became more rapid. I was on the verge of hysteria. I looked to Terra for answers only to find there were no cuts on her face. She held up her hands to show that they were empty. I looked down to find that I was holding the piece of mirror and dropped it instantly. I slid down to the floor, slowly, too confused to understand any of this.

"Impossible," I breathed. "You—How?—No—Why?" My thoughts were so cluttered, I couldn't even form a proper sentence. I chose to just sit there as the blood slipped down my cheek onto my shirt.

Terra sat down in front of me, crossing her legs and brushing aside any broken pieces of mirror that were in her way. She stared at me for a moment before speaking. "That's definitely going to leave a scar. Do you want me to get you a tissue or something?" she asked with genuine concern.

"Tell me what is going on, Terra," I pleaded as I looked at her.

She gave me a questioning look. "Haven't you figured it out yet?"

"Figured out what?" I asked, though I really didn't want to know the answer.

"I'm you. You're me. We share the same body," she answered as though it should have been completely obvious.

"No," I whispered after a few moments. "It can't be." I knew I was only lying to myself as I felt the evidence still dripping down my cheek.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get you something for your cut?" she asked.

"Damn it, forget about the cut," I yelled, slapping my hand over the cut and wincing slightly at the pain. "So, what, am I possessed or something?"

She must have liked that because she laughed. "If only it were that easy," she said while beaming. "No, see, sometimes you control the body, like when you're awake, and sometimes I control it, like when you're sleeping, though I have been able to get in a few times when you're awake, like with the mirror a few minutes ago."

"Who's in control now?" I asked cautiously.

"You are," she answered. "When we're together, in the same place like this, it's because you're imagining one of us here. Like last night, when we took Raven, I really did all the work, but you imagined that it was really you. Perhaps you have some issues with her, hmm? Of course, don't think that means you can just walk out of here." She tapped her cheek as a reminder.

"But we've been out in public together," I countered.

"You are the only one who can see me and interact with me," she explained. "Besides, since you were trying to make sure nobody knew I was back, most of the places we've gone to have been rather secluded."

She was right. I went back in my mind to all the times we'd been together, all the different places we were at, and I couldn't think of one person having talked to us or vice versa. I was beginning to feel ill. After all, it's not everyday one finds out he's crazy.

"So, how about we go check up on Raven?" Terra asked brightly as she stood up.

I looked at her, puzzled. "Where is she?"

"You tell me," she replied.

I sat there for a moment, looking at nothing in particular, when it dawned on me. "She's in the room next door."

"Very good," Terra responded, holding her hand out to me to help me up.

I reached out for her, still not totally understanding any of this, when I heard the voice.

"Beast Boy? Are you up there?" Robin called from downstairs.

My eyes widened in horror as I looked at Terra. I was frozen in mid-reach. She smiled, a sly sort of smile that seemed to cherish forbidden pleasure.

"This ought to be interesting," she commented as she pulled me up.

A/N: I only have one more chapter planned for this story and if all goes according to plan, it should be up in about two weeks. If that's too long for you, I'm sorry, but I have another story I'm working on at this time (I Miss My Mind the Most) and need to devote as much time to it as I do to this one.