Chapter One–One Dark Night

Lightning flashed, illuminating a pale face in the darkness. Rain pounded the windows and Robin watched as the tiny beads of water traveled slowly down the glass. Lightning flashed again and this time thunder accompanied it. Robin tore his mind from the trance-like state it was in and tried to focus on the clock: it would be dawn in a few hours, Robin looked back at the sky, not even the slightest hint of light showed, just black...

Robin knew Starfire would be depressed, she always hated rainy days, and this one wasn't showing signs of stopping. But Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy wouldn't mind the rain at all, in fact Raven would be in heaven and there was a thirty percent chance of her smiling. Cyborg and BB probably wouldn't even notice the rain, but spend all day on the Game Station. And he would probably be oblivious to the world, spending all day on the obstacle course.

Robin left the confines of his room, unable to stand the unending pounding any longer. He walked down the dark hallway past the rooms of his comrades, he thought of them sleeping, undisturbed, and peaceful. He wished he could sleep like that too, as a matter of fact, he just wished he could sleep. Robin walked into the dark main room, thinking he would sit in the dark and listen to the pounding in here some more, thinking he was alone.

"Beast Boy, what are you doing up this early?"

"I could be asking you the same question." Beast Boy was unusually serious, Robin noticed, along with being up at the crack of dawn.

"Are you alright?" Robin took a few steps closer to the body that was silhouetted against what little moonlight there was and the seemingly constant tirade of lightning streaking the sky.

"Beast Boy?" Robin spoke to him but he did not seem aware that Robin was there any longer, Beast boy started mumbling to himself incoherently.

"What did you say?" Robin asked.

"I wonder what it's like, is she cold o-or scared, maybe I should go see her?"

"Go see who?" Robin put a hand on Beast Boy's shoulder. When he didn't answer, Robin reached across to turn Beast Boy to face him. He was starring at his feet, mumbling to himself again.

"Beast Boy, what's goin'–"

"But she can't feel can she!" Beast Boy wrenched himself from Robin's grasp and looked up into the taller man's eyes, anger flooding over his own features.

"Beast Boy, I don't understand, who are you talking about?" Robin noticed that Beast Boy's body shook with rage that, Robin guessed had been suppressed for a very long time.

"Nothing's changed, she was always like this." Beast Boy grasped his other arm as a shiver ran vividly through his body.

Robin reached a hand out to Beast Boy's shoulder trying to comfort his friend, "Please...Just don't touch me."Beast Boy said as he jerked away, just a little too quickly.

"Fine." Robin said as his hand dropped back down to his side. He turned to walk away, still worried about his friend, but seeing that there was nothing he could do.

"You know, no one will ever know how to help unless you tell us what's wrong." Robin left Beast Boy to himself and realized all possibility of sleep was now gone.