Chapter 3-Not Okay
The door to a somber room opened with a shriek of pain. A tattered Beast Boy limped through the door way and shut the door behind him. He walked lightly over to the hard cardboard-like mattress, which was set in the middle of the room and propped on four cinderblocks and wooden planks. He peeled away the gashed and sticky shirt he was wearing, revealing a back covered in bleeding gashes that slashed across one another. Gently he laid himself stomach-down on the mattress and cried.
He could hear them in the back of his mind, screaming insults at him: "Traitor! Dirty Traitor!" Robin growled. "Back-stabber!" Raven yelled. "Deceitful Melrikblerthwack!" Starfire shouted. "Rotten Liar!" Cyborg roared.
Doesn't Slade get it? He won, and I lost. That's it! There's nothing anyone can do change it! Why won't he just leave me alone? He's already ruined my life to the point…
He discontinued any thought about Slade, or of his Betrayal.
Betrayal. It was such a harsh word to describe what he had done to his friends. But, no matter how much he hated it, it was for their sake. Losing his life—suffering for his closest and only friends—was better than having to watch them suffer.
But now they were suffering. Suffering because they knew that he was alive, and of his Betrayal. Of everything. Of nothing.
Somewhere, a door opened. He debated for a few moments on whether or not he should see what—or who—it was. His answer was decided when static filled the communicator in his ear, followed by a voice.
"I do believe someone has ventured into our presence. Perhaps you should show them our best—it would be most…inhospitable to leave them to wander around aimlessly, now wouldn't it?"
Beast Boy stood carefully, putting on his shirt, and faltered to the door, opened it with an ear-shattering screech of omen, and staggered past it. He knew Slade had told him to search this decaying wreck of an industrial warehouse for anyone that shouldn't be there. That was precisely what he planned to do.
Room by room he examined the place, and was heading back to his quarters when, out of nowhere, a hand covered his mouth and pulled him into the doorway beside him. The door was closed silently, and another hand grabbed his shoulder and turned Beast Boy to face them. Beast Boy stared at the face for a moment in stunned silence before stammering in a forewarning whisper.
"…Raven?! What are you doing here?" he managed.
"Shh! You're coming home, Beast Boy," she replied urgently, "Slade isn't going to control you anymore."
"Raven, you—you've got to get out here! Before he comes back again."
"Beast Boy, what's going on? Why are you—"
"He's coming, Raven. You've got to get out of here! Please!"
"You're coming with me. I'm not leaving until you come with me."
"Raven, I can't. It's not that easy. Oh, Raven!"
Tears filled his eyes and blurred his vision as his knees gave in to the weight of the terrible burden and he fell, helpless and defenseless. She caught the weak boy in her arms and whispered soft comforts in his ear, as Slade had four months ago. (Note to Self: The "whispered soft comforts" thing (a metaphoric thing meaning Slade told Beast Boy exactly what he wanted/needed to hear)—NOT the in his arms thing…shudders That would just be creepy!)
"It's going to be okay, Beast Boy," she whispered passionately, "Everything's going to be okay." One of her smooth hands ran along his hair caked thick with grease and dirt, sliding down slick and damp strands of his long, scurvy hair, and the other on the back of his tattered, blood-soaked shirt. Factory gears clicked and churned rhythmically around them, whining and screeching with painful blares, as though they were singing a downhearted song of a depressed boy who denied his friends in a twist of sick Betrayal.
"No it's not, Raven," he replied, silver tears sliding down his face, "Slade won't let anything be okay."
Raven started to speak again, but was cut off by a straying voice. "I see you have found the guest I spoke of. Please show her our 'best', child."
Beast Boy stared up at the girl with a sad face that instantly reminded her of a sad kitten in a box on the corner of a Gotham street, complete with a sign that said "Free Kitten" that no one would bother to spare a passing glance to. As he stared, he could only manage to utter three words: "I'm sorry, Raven."
She turned to face Slade, who nodded. A deep burgundy cloth that seemed to be stained with the blood of Life itself was placed over her face, covering her mouth and nose. A perfume of wretched scents stimulated her thoughts, and all went dark.
Author's Note: Oh, so—cliffhanger…ful? I love to make up my own words. This is so sweet! Another sweet chapter with Raven. RaeBB haters, this is a RaeBB story. That was obvious in all chapters, though. (Note to Self: "Prologue" is NOT a chapter IMHO.) I really hope you're enjoying this. I'm trying to keep myself ahead, and that's why Chapter 2 took so long (Note to Self: Again, not including "Prologue".). I'm going to try to get Chapter 5 done quickly so I can put up Chapter 4. Read and Review. Constructive Criticism wanted and needed! LPL Tina