Chapter 5: A New Day
Raven floated out of the room and the door slammed shut. Everyone just stood around the medical bed, as silent as the grave. Beast Boy was the first to say anything.
"Well….Raven seems pretty angry. I'm……I'm gonna go talk to her." Beast Boy turned and walked out the door, following Raven down the hallway.
Cyborg scratched his head. "Well I thought that I saw some pizza in the fridge, and it's calling my name! I'll catch you guys later." Just as Cyborg was about to leave, Starfire piped up.
"I shall stay and enlighten the mood with some Tameranian folk music!"
"Oh no you don't!" Cyborg growled and grabbed Starfire's arm. "My ears barley recovered from the last time you started to singing Tameranian music!" Cyborg turned and hauled her out the door behind him.
Strom lowered her head and said quietly "I know what you're thinking."
"What do you mean?" Robin asked.
"You guys think that I'm a clone. You think that Slade cloned Raven and created me, don't you." She looked up at Robin pain etched across her face.
"No we don't. We just think that it's a little bit hard to swallow."
"Liar." Storm looked at her hands again. "Just tell me the truth. Tell me that you think I'm a clone. It's better then lying about it."
"Are you?"
"No. And I don't want to talk about it."
Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "It's ok. I understand. We can talk later if you want."
Storm hesitated before nodding her head. "Can I trust him?" she thought. She looked up at him, a small smile on his face. "Maybe later."
"You should get some rest." Robin stated.
Storm nodded again.
Robin turned and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him.
Everything that Raven had said washed over her and Storm began to cry. "My father is a psychopathic idiot, my mother is dead, my sister hates me, and I 'm stuck in a place where everyone thinks that I'm a clone. Raven just doesn't understand."
"No one understands." She said to herself. "I'm better off on my own." She cried harder and pulled the bed covers over her head. Slowly, Storm cried herself to sleep, praying that the next day would hold some thing better for her. But then again she had been praying her whole life….
Robin walked out of the room and closed the door. Sighing he turned and leaned on the closed door, thinking.
"Is it really possible for Raven to have a sister? What if she really is a clone just sent here by Slade to scout out Titian tower? Can I trust her?" Robin thought.
"No one understands." Storms voice floated out from behind the closed door. "I'm better off on my own." Robin heard sobs and then realized that Storm was crying. He suddenly felt angry at himself. "I want to understand you Storm. You just need to tell me." Robin turned back towards the door and grabbed the handle.
"Friend Robin!" Starfire floated towards him a ridiculously huge smile on her face. Robin let go of the door handle and turned towards her. "Friend Cyborg is partaking in the art of video game playing and was wondering if you would like to join him."
"No thanks Star, I'm a little tired….I'm just going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning."
"Good night Friend Robin! I do hope that you sleep well!" Starfire reached out and gave Robin a very VERY tight hug.
"Starfire!"Robin gasped and Starfire released him. "I think you just broke my spine."
"Opps…..I am sorry."
"Don't worry about it."
Robin waved a hand and then walked to his room. One inside he sat on his bed thinking until sleep came to claim him.
Sunlight streamed through the window shining on Raven's face. Smiling, Raven stretched and sat up. Talking with Beast Boy had refreshed her mind, and she felt better. Standing up out of bed, Raven suddenly remembered what she had said to Storm the night before and she felt really guilty.
"I have to talk to her." She thought "I need to know the truth." Raven started to walk to the door but stopped remembering something. "Storm needs something to wear." Storm's clothes had almost been completely shredded and Raven knew that she needed some clothes.
Walking to her closet she searched through her things. After a half an hour Raven managed to find a replica, black cape and all, of what Storm had been wearing. Raven floated to the medical ward and quietly entered the room.
Storm was still sleeping so Raven placed the clothes on a bed table, and quickly left the room. After silently closing the door, Raven turned and ran right into Beast Boy.
"Hey Raven!" He was smiling from ear to ear. He held her in a gentle embrace and kissed her lightly.
"Hey yourself." Raven answered and playfully elbowed him in the ribs.
"Feeling better?"
"Yes."
"You gonna talk to Storm?"
Raven nodded "As soon as she wakes up."
"Let's go get something to eat. I'm starving."
"Starving is your middle name Beast Boy." Raven smiled.
"That is so true!" Beast Boy laughed.
"What's for breakfast?"
"Tofu!"
Raven sighed "Did I have to ask?"
Beast Boy took her hand and kissed it. "Come on Rae, lets go." Beast Boy and Raven walked down the hallway, hand in hand, to the kitchen.
Beast Boy and Raven entered the kitchen and saw the rest of the Titians were already there. Cyborg's head was in the Fridge and he was moving stuff around and muttering to himself.
"I know I saw some waffles in here somewhere."
"Second drawer to your right Cy." Robin didn't look up from the news paper he was reading. Cyborg rummaged around in the fridge for a bit longer and then he emerged from his "world of food" with a handful of waffles.
"Thanks Rob. Anyone else want waffles?"
Beast boy dropped Raven's hand and headed towards the fridge. "Nah….I'm gonna have some tofu."
"Rae? Star? You guys want any?"
Raven shook her head. "I'll pass."
"I am sorry but I must decline." Starfire said. She was sitting at the table beside Robin, an empty bowl in front of her.
"Hey no prob. That just means that there's more for me!"
Raven moved to the counter, filled a kettle with water and flicked it on. She pulled a mug out of the cupboard and placed it on the counter. Cyborg cooked his waffles and sat at the table devouring them. When the kettle started to whistle Raven poured the water into the mug and sat at the table, sipping her herbal tea.
"Yuck!" Cyborg made a face. "Man….I don't see how you can drink that stuff. It's just plain nasty!"
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinions." Raven said and sipped her tea. Beast Boy turned to Robin. He had been reading the paper and he hadn't looked up at all.
"Uh….dude?" Beast Boy began. Robin didn't answer. "Hey Rob! Do I need to peel your eyes off the page!"
"Huh?" Robin glanced up and took a sip from his coffee, then looked back at the paper he was reading. Beast Boy gave up and then turned towards Cyborg. They were deep in conversation about who was better then who at video games when Robin slammed the news paper down onto the table.
"Hey you guys listen to this! A series of robberies have occurred during the night…." Robin read off the paper. "….but all of them were from electronic stores. When the manager showed up to open the store he found the door smashed down and all the electronics stolen…." Robin trailed off and looked up. "It's probably Control Freak again. I wonder what he's planning this time."
"Well don't worry about it Rob. Whatever stunt he tries to pull, we'll be there to stop it." Cyborg said confidently.
"Yah no prob!" Beast Boy said as he finished his breakfast. "Now if you excuse me, I have to whip Cy's butt in that new video game we bought."
"I don't think so B.B.!" Cyborg got up from the table. "I think that I will be the one doing the butt whipping!" He smacked his fist in his palm before turning to walk into the other room. Beast Boy ran after him and soon the tapping of buttons and the music from the game drifted into the kitchen.
"I shall go and watch." Starfire said before floating into the other room.
Raven finished her tea before standing. She gathered the dishes and placed them gently in the sink. It was her turn to clean up.
"We really need to get a dishwasher." She muttered to herself.
"I know." Robin surprised her, she didn't think that he could hear her. "You need help with those?"
"Sure." Raven moved over to make room for him. Robin started to wash and rinse the dishes, then placing them on the counter for Raven to dry and put away.
"So…. are you going to talk to Storm?" Robin asked.
"Hopefully, when she wakes up."
"She seemed really upset last night."
"Robin….I think she's a clone working for Slade-"
"She's not don't worry."
"How do you know that?"
"She told me that she wasn't and, believe it or not, I don't think she was lying."
Raven opened her mouth to protest.
"BOUYAH!" Cyborg yelled from the other room. "In you face B.B!"
"Aw man! I want a rematch!" Beast Boy challenged
"Fine by me I'll just have to beat you again!" Cyborg accepted Beast Boy's challenges and so button tapping could be heard again.
"I'll finish the dishes and then check to see if Storm's awake yet." Raven told herself. She knew she had to talk to her and she had a shred of hope that Robin was right, that Storm wasn't a clone but her long lost sister….
Storm opened her eyes and yawned. Sitting up she stretched. The pain in her side was completely gone and she felt a lot better then the day before. Storm swung her feet over the side of the bed and eased herself onto the floor. Feeling a bit wobbly, Storm leaned on the bed for support and looked around the room. Her eyes came to rest on what looked like her clothes but they were fixed and looked almost brand new.
"Thank God that I can get out of these stupid clothes and into something more comfortable." She quickly changed. The clothes fit her perfectly and they were a lot more comfortable then the patients outfit she was forced to wear.
"I need to get out of this room and get some fresh air." She told herself. Storm walked out of the room and started down a hallway. She had no idea where she was going but she didn't care. Walking helped her to clear her head and the feeling in her legs started to come back.
Storm stopped to look out a window. The sky was cloudless and a clear bright blue in colour. Waves crashed against the beach and all seemed calm. She felt someone walk up beside her and turned to see who it was. It was Raven and her heart sank.
"Hey Raven." Storm said before looking back out the window. Raven was silent.
Finally Raven spoke. "Sorry."
"About what?"
"About being such a jerk last night."
"It's ok."
"I guess I just didn't want to believe it and I'm still not sure about it. I was just sure that mom would say something about you."
Storm looked at her. "She….she didn't say anything?"
Raven shook her head. Storm looked hurt.
"I'm not your clone Raven."
"I don't know what to believe Storm. If you could just tell me some more about how you're my sister then it'll probably clear things up a bit."
Storm hesitated. "I can't trust her...no not yet."
"Storm?"
"I'm sorry Raven. My past is my pain. I can't say anything….not yet. I'll tell you when I'm ready. I promise." Storm turned and walked down the hallway. She felt strong enough so she took a step and then started to float. She could feel Raven's shock but she couldn't say anything to her….not yet she had to get the element of trust first, and only then would she wait for the right time to tell Raven the truth about their mysterious past. The truth that would be almost impossible for Raven to accept….the truth about what their mother did in order to protect Raven from Trigon….
