Doppelganger

I don't own the Titans

Author's Note: Sorry about taking so long to update, I've been more on an artistic kick lately.

Chapter 4 – Midnight Visits

The digital clock on the stove spelled out 12:00 in green glowing numbers. Doppelganger loosened the panel on her hiding place and crept through the dark. She loved the dark. She felt so protected within the shadows. It was because of her gray skin, the pigment was such that during the night, it was completely impossible for eyes to see her. She blended into the nothingness with ease. The carpet in the hall muffled her footsteps. Not that she needed the carpet. When she was four her mother began to train her in the ways of a doppelganger. She remembered the lessons well. She didn't really need them because at such a young age, she could feel the instincts of the doppelganger guiding her, pulling her. Her mother taught her how to be invisible, how to walk without a sound. It was quite easy. Everything about being a doppelganger was. It was innate, born into her by the thousands of doppelgangers that came before her. While she loved her abilities, and her heritage…in a way, she hated herself. Being only half of such a great thing. She was stuck in between two divided species. She wasn't quite a doppelganger, and she wasn't quite a human. She wasn't anything, she was just stuck in between. Dorinda angrily thought of her mother. 'How could she have married my father? How could she leave me to this life of stuck in between? How could she-' suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by footfalls.

Doppelganger flattened herself against the wall of the hall and began to transform. She could see clearly in the dark that the other person was Starfire. As Starfire walked down the hall she felt as if she were being watched. "Hello? Is anyone there?" she called out. 'Beast Boy' stepped out of the shadows. "Starfire, what are you doing out here?" 'he' said.

Starfire gasped in surprise, "Oh! Beast Boy, it is only you. You frightened me. What are you doing out here?"

"I was going to the bathroom, what are you doing?" 'he' responded.

"I was thirsty…"

"Well, goodnight Starfire." 'Beast Boy' said as 'he' walked down the hall and disappeared into the dark. Starfire looked after him…there was a strange feeling about him just now…after a moment she realized that the bathroom was in the other direction. As strange as he seemed to be acting, Starfire dismissed her worries.

A little way down the hall, Doppelganger transformed back into herself, fading into the shadows once more. She loved being Beast Boy. It was a thrill. It was almost as good as being close to the real thing…but not quite. She stopped just outside his door. She was on a mission tonight, but she couldn't keep herself from checking in on him at least one time. She cracked open the door, he was asleep on the top bunk again, snoring softly. She ghosted her way into the room. She loved the smell. It was earthy, like the fur of an animal that lived outside. She stood next to his bed and stared up at him. She loved to watch him sleep. Being this close to him was intoxicating. She could barely stand up as his essence overwhelmed her. She stood there, scarcely breathing. She dare not wake him. She breathed in his essence as she looked around his room. It was a little messier than it was yesterday, 'Two of a kind' she thought again. There were dozens of pictures all around the room. Some were in frames, sitting on his dresser. Some without frames were taped to the mirror. Upon closer inspection, the girl could see that a few on the dresser were pictures of Raven. There was even a picture of them together. Raven was smiling ever so slightly. The girl's anger flared. She wanted more than anything to just rip every single Raven picture out of the frames and tear them up, but she knew better. If she were to do so, Beast Boy would know she was there, and that was one thing she couldn't allow. She was born with the instincts to be undetectable. Walk quietly, blend with the scenery, and blend with the people. Her very nature screamed to take someone's place…and she already knew which "someone" that would be. She grinned evilly as she thought of the best way to murder Raven. She was going to relish the moment that Raven's life was drained away She swayed slightly at the thought. She glanced around the rest of the room. Hanging over the backside of a chair was a spare uniform. She fingered its soft material. Holding it to her nose she breathed him in. She wanted nothing more than to stay here for the rest of her life. She wanted to be with him, to stay with him…but to do so, it meant she had to take someone's place…

Her mind turned once more to the task at hand. She wasn't here to watch Beast Boy, she was here for Raven. Taking one more longing look at her prize she left him to rest. Quietly, she walked back down the hall, toward Raven's room. She listened before opening the door. There wasn't a sound coming from within. It was apparent she was asleep. Doppelganger slid the door open without a sound.

There she was, the object of Doppelganger's hatred. Raven lay there quietly, completely unaware of the murderess in the room. Doppelganger's hatred rose into her throat and threatened to burst out in a hateful scream. She clenched her teeth shut to stay quiet. Her hands reached instinctively for Raven's throat, it would be so perfect to just kill her now…but she couldn't. She pulled her hands away just before she touched Raven's pale neck. She couldn't kill Raven just yet. She had to prepare. Unlike her mother she couldn't eat the remains of the people she killed…that was something only a full blooded doppelganger could do. Instead of being able to easily eat a person, Dorinda had to do things the hard way. She had to actually dispose of a body. Doppelganger wished she could just throw Raven's body into the harbor, but that would be messy. She had to do this right or it might come back to haunt her. If she just dumped the body in the harbor there was always the risk of the body washing up on shore…no she had to do it the hard way. She was going to have to dig a grave to put Raven in. Until then she'd have to cap her anger. Gently, she touched the side of Raven's face. Suddenly a shock of information struck her. NAME: Raven, OCCUPATION: Superhero, FAVORITE COLOR: Blue, FAVORITE FOOD: Ice cream, FRIENDS: Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy, LOOKS UP TO: Starfire and Robin, LIKES TO: Read, listen to music…and the information continued to flow through her. She let go. Now she knew everything about Raven. The wave of information left her a little weak kneed. It was always this way. She hated absorbing the DNA and memories of a person it made her stomach hurt, but she knew that if she ever wanted to get anywhere sacrifices had to be made. Clutching her stomach she grimaced at the pale girl in bed one last time. Silently, she left the room, and made her way back toward the kitchen. Her stomach still hurt from that last absorption, but she knew that she needed to eat. It'd been two days since the last time she had, and despite the pain in her stomach she knew she was hungry. She searched the inside of the fridge. In the far back there were a few rotting leftovers. She opened the Tupperware and sniffed its contents. It smelled disgusting, but she knew it was all she would be able to eat. If she were to eat some of the better food someone would surely notice and she couldn't have that. She ate the food and made her way back into the hiding place behind the panel. Even though her stomach was hurting even worse, she eventually fell asleep.