Birthday Reflections

Chapter 6: The Valley of Gray

The vortex opened, spitting BeastBoy out into the dark depths of Raven's mind. He landed in the middle of a rather large hunk of rock that seemed to be floating aimlessly. BeastBoy slowly got to his feet, gently rubbing his backside. Not exactly the softest landing he'd ever experienced.

"That's exactly why I never fly coach." he joked to himself. He probably could've avoided it had he morphed into a bird, or at least an animal that might've been able to withstand the impact. But he hadn't been prepared. He still didn't even know what was going on.

"Where am I?" he questioned, looking around him.

BeastBoy stood in the center of a rock formation, just one of the several hundreds that seemed to hang in the air. Aside from the many jagged platforms, there was emptiness. Closer to space than a sky, there was only darkness surrounding him with small streaks of red in the atmosphere, and countless stars giving a faint source of light around him. Everything was calm, and completely silent.

"The last thing I remember, I was cleaning my room." he began to think back. Everything had happened so fast, his mind was almost a blur. "There was a knock at the door, then Raven…RAVEN!" he realized.

"Aw, Man!" he shouted. "I knew Raven was mad, but I didn't really think she'd go this far. I always thought sending me to another dimension was an empty threat!", BeastBoy shivered, fearing the worst about where Raven might've sent him.

What little rational thought was left in his mind urged him to calm down. Raven could be hurtful with her remarks occasionally, but sending him to another dimension was definitely not something she would do. At least, he was fairly certain it was something she wouldn't do. But then again, maybe she was that upset. The idea still didn't sound right. As BeastBoy continued to look around, something started to click in his mind. Almost like he could remember this place.

BeastBoy closely examined his surroundings again. It did seem vaguely familiar, but now he was certain. He was back inside Raven's mind. Which meant that the vortex that pulled him from his room was her magic mirror. Not something BeastBoy would ever forget, being a visitor from before. Things were starting to make sense. Then again, the more BeastBoy thought about it, the less he understood.

"Okay" he said to himself. "Just calm down. No reason to panic. I'm sure Raven's just ticked at you. She sucked you into her mirror to teach you a lesson, to scare you a little, and make you think twice about messin' with her again." He said reassuring himself and sitting cross-legged on the ground. "And any minute now, she's gonna pull you back out, give you a talkin' to, and that'll be the end of it."

His eyes were closed, lightly tapping his foot, waiting for Raven to bring him out. He remained motionless for about a minute. He cracked one eye open, scanning above him for any sign of Raven.

"Alright. Take it easy." now tapping his foot faster. "She's just tryin' to make ya sweat. Ya know…scare you a little. She's probably watching me somewhere, waiting for me to cave in." he closed his eye again. "Just waiting for me to crack, thinkin' I'll be all like, "RAVEN! I'M SORRY! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!", he imitated. "Well, that ain't gonna happen!" he proclaimed, defiantly.

Five minutes passed.

"RAVEN! I'M SORRY! I'LL NEVER DO IT AGAIN!" he shouted on his knees, begging.

There was still no sign of Raven.

"Oh, come on!" he shouted with disappointment. "I learned my lesson! You win, Raven! Whatever I have to do to make up for it, I'll do it!"

Not a sound could be heard, not even so much as an echo. BeastBoy was now beginning to worry. What if he'd crossed the line with Raven? How long was she going to leave him in here?

BeastBoy sighed. "Well," he rose. " Doesn't look like I'm goin' anywhere for a…" he turned "OW!" he yelled as something struck his face.

"STUPID TREE!" he yelled, eyes shut, rubbing his nose. "Wait! Stupid What!"

BeastBoy opened his eyes. Sure enough there was a large tree in front of him.

"Where'd this come from? This wasn't here…a…few…" he trailed off as he glanced around.

The entire empty void BeastBoy had been standing on was now a dense valley. In the blink of an eye, there were tall trees and grass. The babble of a brook could faintly be heard in the distance. Hills and mountaintops could be seen, replacing the empty background. There were even clouds above him. Everything was so lush, so beautiful, so…gray.

Everything was gray. The sky, the trees, the grass, everything BeastBoy could see was a shade of gray. But he could've cared less. Maybe the lack of color made things a bit gloomy, but it was a heck of a lot better than nothingness.

"Whoa" he whispered, clearly overwhelmed. "Either Raven's done some redecorating, or she got a heck of a great real estate agent." he joked.

BeastBoy started to walk, venturing into the valley, admiring the new scenery. He was a bit reluctant at first, but he soon overcame his doubt. After all, what was he supposed to do? Just stand there for who knows how long? However, just because he was confident to move on, didn't mean he was completely at ease. He knew the potential danger that might be present. Raven's mind had its fair share of danger. Evil crows, killer statues, or that red giant BeastBoy had encountered the last time he visited, were now fresh in his mind.

But that wouldn't keep him from exploring. He walked through the valley, moving along a beaten path on the ground. He was still finding it hard to believe that this lush environment was the same place he visited before. As he progressed forward, the foliage became much denser around him. Thick bushes and clumped groups of tall trees became more frequent. As he rounded a corner, a clearing came into view, just ahead of a long straight path. He continued to walk, but now with a more cautious pace. He'd gotten this uneasy feeling since he entered this dense part of the valley. Almost as if he was being watched.

BeastBoy was moving much slower now. The only sounds he could hear were the parting of the grass as he moved. Everything was so quiet. A shiver ran down his spine. Suddenly from behind him, he felt a sudden breeze against the back of his neck. He turned quickly, but nothing was there. Some branches swayed gently, striking him as odd considering there was no wind. It had looked as if something has rushed by him.

BeastBoy turned again, this time at the sound of a twig snapping to his left. He narrowed his eyes, trying to pick up any movement. He saw nothing. BeastBoy swallowed hard. Something was definitely trying to remain out of sight from him. BeastBoy slowly backed away, inching towards the clearing. He didn't really care to find out what other kinds of danger were in Raven's mind.

From the top of a tree, a shadowy figure was perched on a branch, peering down at him. Trying desperately to keep him in view, but also to remain hidden. BeastBoy was now directly underneath the tree. The figure hunched down on the branch, still watching his every move. The branch, however, wasn't that strong. It started to bend, and the sound of its base cracking from the tree could be heard. The figure was shaken as the branch began to wobble, looking over to see the branch cracking. It wouldn't hold for long. The figure made an attempt to grab the tree's trunk, leaning over. It was then the branch snapped. The figure fell, yelling and flapping their arms franticly, heading for the ground.

BeastBoy looked up, caught off guard, but just in time to put up his arms to attempt to shield himself. The two collided, kicking up dust from the ground on impact. BeastBoy was flat on his back, slightly dazed. The figure lay on top of him, unmoving. BeastBoy shook his head, coughing a bit as the dust began to settle. He didn't make any sudden moves, at least not until he could see what had been eluding him. His hands felt strange. As if they were holding something…soft.

The dust finally settled, but BeastBoy was hesitant to look. The first thing he was able to make out was a pair of eyes. A pair of somehow familiar, violet eyes. BeastBoy was speechless. There, lying on top of him was Raven. The two locked eyes, neither saying a word.

"Um…" Raven attempted to speak. "C-could….y-you…uh…let go?" she asked in a quiet, but fearful voice.

"Huh?" BeastBoy responded, confused.

His eyes traveled from Raven's face, down to her body. Raven's hands were each next to his shoulders. BeastBoy's hands were holding Raven's…chest. His mind finally clicked, quickly letting go, scrambling to get out of the awkward position.

Raven rolled off of him, as BeastBoy struggled to get to his feet, unable to hide the blush rising from his face.

"Raven! I'm sorry! It was an accident!" he shouted, covering his face with his arms. BeastBoy knew what was coming. The yelling, the screaming, the fit of unsuppressed rage, all leading up to his demise. All he could do was cower against the trunk of a tree, shivering in fear, waiting for the inevitable wrath of Raven to be unleashed.

It never came.

BeastBoy slowly peeked out from under one of his arms, still trembling. To his surprise, Raven was huddled by a tree opposite of him, cowering in the position. Her hood was down, but her cloak was held up in front of her, making only one of her eyes visible. She was trembling just as much, if not more than BeastBoy. He slowly brought his arms down, regaining his composure, making an attempt to crawl towards Raven.

"Um…Raven?" he asked. "Are…you okay?"

"Uh-huh" she replied, still shaking.

BeastBoy had never seen Raven like this before. She was scared, nervous, and shy at the same time. He rested a hand on her shoulder, easing her trembling.

"I…uh…" he searched for words.

"I-I'm…sorry" she said weakly.

"You're sorry?" taken aback by Raven thinking she was at fault. "I was the one who…"

"You're here because of me. I snuck up on you…I…fell on you. I'm sorry." she said, her head sinking in shame.

"Hey, it's okay." He said resting his other hand beside her, comforting her just enough for her to stop hiding behind her cloak.

"You must hate me." She remarked, glancing at him and then at the ground.

"NO! No." he said waving his hands defensively. "I'm just surprised you haven't…well…never mind." He said not wanting to encourage her to punish him.

Raven was acting strange. Well, stranger than he usually perceived. He studied her for a moment. There had to be an explanation. A bump on the head, amnesia, something. She looked like Raven. She sounded like Raven. She dressed like Raven. But, that detail wasn't entirely true. Her leotard was the same, but her cloak though the same kind, was gray. BeastBoy mentally smacked himself. Now everything made sense. He was in Raven's mind, and in Raven's mind her emotions had separate forms, identical to Raven with the exception of the color of their cloaks, signifying the emotion they represent. This Raven was one that he had met last time he was here.

This particular Raven was Timid. She represented Raven's side of uncertainty, always assuming everything was her fault. The last time, she spent almost the entire time apologizing for every little thing Raven had done. A bit aggravating, but he couldn't help but smile at how fragile and innocent she was. Kind of like Starfire, only without the happy.

"Hey, you're Raven's weepy side." he said.

Timid simply nodded.

"Well that explains a lot." feeling less fearful of retaliation.

"I…I should have told you before. I'm sorry." she said about to raise her cloak to hide again.

"Relax. It's no problem." He said lowering her cloak.

An awkward silence followed.

"So…uh…. you wouldn't happen to know why Raven sent me here? Would ya?"

Timid quivered. She was in sync with Raven's mind. She knew why BeastBoy was there, but was fearful to tell him. What would happen if Raven found out?

"It's ok" he said trying to calm her. "I'll find out sooner or later"

Timid was both relieved he wasn't going to force it out of her, and disappointed because she really wanted to tell him.

"This place has kinda changed since the last time I was here." Allowing his eyes to wander. "Any chance you could show me around?"

"I-I'd…like that" she said giving a small smile.

BeastBoy got to his feet, offering Timid his hand. She looked at his hand, then up at him. She slowly reached out, carefully taking a hold. He gently pulled her up to her feet, and they continued down the path towards the clearing. Upon exiting the trees, they came upon a wide-open space, lush with grass and a small pond. The path continued past the pond up and over several small hills. At the very end of the path, BeastBoy could see a formation of rocks in the shape of a door. Most likely the gateway to the next realm of Raven's mind.

BeastBoy and Timid walked side by side down the path.

"This place used to be a mess of asteroids, right? How come everything's so…different?"

"Raven's been…expanding her emotions." Timid explained focusing on the landscape around them. "She feels more frequently, allowing her emotions to flourish."

BeastBoy nodded, pretending to understand what she was saying. Timid picked up on it, trying to figure out a better way of explaining things.

"W-what I mean is…the more she feels, the more freedom we have. And so we're able to shape our surroundings to suit our personalities."

"So, whenever Raven feels, you guys get to redecorate?"

Timid nodded, amused how BeastBoy managed to word their situation. BeastBoy could feel as though she was becoming more relaxed.

"Where is Raven anyway?"

"She was called to assist the others."

"You mean she sucked me into her mirror and then just…ditched me?" he asked, feeling slightly hurt and neglected.

"I-I'm sorry," Timid replied.

"Hey, don't be." He said, resuming a cheerful tone, trying to cheer her up. "I'm just a little surprised, that's all. I'm not mad or anything. It's not all bad. I mean, if she didn't I…wouldn't have spent any time with you? Right?" he smiled.

BeastBoy knew he couldn't change the way she acted. She was an emotion. Timid would always be timid. But the least he felt he could do was cheer her up.

Timid smiled, as a blush crept over her face.

By this time, they had reached the end of the path. They stood before the large doorway that led to the next mental realm. BeastBoy looked behind him to take one last quick look over the gray valley. He couldn't believe the change. It made him happy to know she was beginning to open up, even if it was only a little.

"I…I wish I could've helped you more. I'm…sorry." she said, beginning to sound like when he first met her, hanging her head.

"Don't be." he said simply. "You did what you could. Thanks." he added flashing one of his trademark grins.

She nodded, giving a faint smile in return.

They stood there, looking at one another, neither moving.

"Um…" BeastBoy started scratching the back of his head. "You can let go of my hand now." He said blushing a bit, looking off to the side.

Timid looked down, gasping. She had been holding his hand the entire time and never even realized it. She quickly pulled her hand away.

"I-I…" she started twiddling her fingers, looking at the ground. "T-thank you." She said to him as her whole face went red.

BeastBoy had been expecting her to apologize again. But to his surprise, she thanked him. Come to think of it, this was the first time he'd ever heard her say "thank you" before. It was a good feeling.

BeastBoy stepped towards the doorway. He turned back to face Timid.

"See ya later." He gave a small wave and a warm smile. "And thanks again"

Timid smiled back, giving a small wave in return. "Bye"

BeastBoy stepped one foot through the doorway, which glowed white as he moved through. He watched as Timid faded from view, as he was transported deeper into Raven's mind. He didn't know where he'd end up next, but he was curious to encounter what other changes her mind may have gone through. But as he stepped through the doorway, he could've sworn he heard Timid utter something very quietly. It sounded like "Happy Birthday".

Next Chapter: BeastBoy is traveling through Raven's mind, encountering the rather pleasant changes her emotions have gone through, now having more control over their realm. BeastBoy has already had a nice experience with Timid. But what will Raven's other emotions have in store for him? And how will all this effect Raven on the outside?