Wow, I am so glad you all are enjoying this. It's hard to get the chapters loaded up right away with all this other stuff going on in life.
All you pairing fans out there. There probably won't be any pairings in here. I'm not a big fan on pairings, so that pretty much explains the whole reason.
Thanks 4 reviewing! A few comments to those who reviewed my wonderful last chappie:
Beautifully-evil: Hehehe, suspense is wonderful, isn't it? More information coming. I'll try much to make it less confusing, cept it is sadly the way I write…and therefore I am not the best writer in the world. It's the way my sad little mind works.
WindyDays: Thanks a lot! The next chappie is here
Spiecas: Your wish is my command. I shall not do romance.
Kiozona.pop: lol, glad you like it.
KailEverwood: The ticking has stopped. :-P lol, hopefully this next chapter isn't as confusing. I am not the best writer. I try my hardest to make it make sense.
Mollykat: You didn't want to sign in? How sad. Yes, I am using vocabulary words only because the stupid English language calls for it. Lets hope Carlos doesn't die on us….
Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans, and if I did, you wouldn't be watching TV anymore…
Chapter 5"So uhh…what's the book for?" Cyborg asked.
Raven didn't answer. She stared down blankly at the pages she held open. She had finally found it, and now she would have to read them aloud. It felt like some kind of burden to her, something she had to do that she was placed in life to speak. A weight forced Raven's shoulders to sag a bit. The urge to not read it and to throw the book away over came her, causing her vision to blur. But she had to read it. She had to. Raven was the only one who could read it, for it was in a language that only she could understand.
"Raven?"
The question would be answered when spoke the words. They were the answers. Multiple meanings would come to mind, for she had many when she read it. It was confusing to her, all the words, meaning practically nothing until now. Until these happenings. Until the girl came to the tower. Until this time came.
Until now.
Starfire, Cyborg, and Robin stood staring at her, waiting for her to speak, if she would speak. Beast boy stood there, fists clenched staring at the ground, the memory still haunting him in his mind. Even though the memory passed his thoughts, it still appeared in front of his eyes, the memory he would not forget. Anielle was hunched over, breathing slowly, trying to ignore the pain that conquered over her body.
Anielle felt faint again, but she knew she shouldn't faint. She couldn't. She wouldn't. It wouldn't seem right. Her fainting would distract them from Raven, who would tell them the information they needed to know. They would think her a lowly girl, fainting for attention, damsel in distress, and making it seem that she was more of an annoying burden than she probably already was to them. I will not let myself faint again… Fighting to stay conscious, her mouth formed the two words she never would have said at this instant. "…Read it."
Raven's eyes flickered up from the pages onto Anielle's hunched over body, suddenly freed from her want to not do what she needed to. Read it? Read it? Did she know what was on these pages? Did she know that something was causing her to not speak the words? Probably. She probably knew what the book said and what it meant. Why it was important. Her eyes trailed back to the pages. She took in a deep breath, let it out, and began to read:
"This is of nothing to fear. This is of nothing to hold. For time itself may tell its truth, for time itself may remember you. Do not fear what is written here, for it is true, just follow it, must you? Must you? Directions you may call them, trickery you may advise, but nothing of the sort is here under thy eyes…"
"Huh?" Beast boy asked, confused. His fists unclenched when he heard what Raven was reading.
"It does sound like a trick," Star said.
"Yeah, it does…what does it mean?" Beast boy looked inquiringly at the book again. That color. That color.
"There is more," Raven said.
"Go ahead and read the rest, Raven," Robin said.
"What does it mean, though?" Beast boy asked again.
"Yes, what does this mean?" Star asked.
"There is more," Raven whispered once again.
"Go ahead, Raven," Robin said. "No interruptions."
Raven took another deep breath, ignoring the questioning stares from Starfire and Cyborg, and continued:
"Deathly white a pale skin,
Eyes of nothing, nothing within,
You are nothing, only ashes of black,
But yet your soul…..smashes…"
Raven's voice grew a pitch louder at each word, her whisper growing into a steady loud voice, reading the words in a horrid rhythm, shaping the words into life, making them dance in the shadows of the room….
"Along the tears and smears of blood,
Upon the ancient yet new to mud,
The trail upon foot, eroded, harsh, long,
Death…
Lasts to far for just one
Where the sun
Awakens from darkness
Death…
Where he waits, watching, peering,
Floating, being, smashing, cracking,
Dry yet harsh to set upon feet,
Parching, bright, desolate clean…"
Anielle listened intently to the words poor out. They were all unknown to her. Her dear brother hadn't told her anything about this…maybe it wasn't yet to be known, and she would pay for it? Anielle still felt that pain…that biting pain, but she was sure her brother could make her suffer even more than she was now. Raven's sad enchanting voice shattered the thought.
"Entrance of death,
Upon which you do not dare,
By never again with
So little care…
Then trees, dense trees, that cover bright sky,
You may not trust , not love, not lie,
Walk, stride, run, and hide,
Futile it is…
He's there
Watching you
Forever
Never ending…
Forever his
Forever mine…"
Her voice abruptly stopped. She was breathing hard, heart throbbing, as if she had just fought a tiring battle against one of the Titan's countless enemies. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead into her already salty stung eyes. Why had she felt so tired when she just read words? Just words? There was more on the page…but she did not wish to speak it. If Raven read the rest, it would have killed her.
Heavy silence filled the room, the words echoing in their heads. All of them still heard Raven's voice chanting those words.
"Raven," Robin said softly, looking at her with much concern. Raven looked paler then she did earlier going into the girl's mind. "Raven, are you alright?"
"Dude, you don't look too well," Cyborg said. He slowly walked towards her, and reached a hand out towards her forehead. Raven stopped him by clutching his wrist tightly.
"I'm fine," Raven said.
Cyborg nodded, and pulled his arm away when Raven let go of his robotic wrist.
"Raven, what did that all mean?" Beast boy asked once again. Raven just shook her head in reply. She wasn't quite sure what it all meant. It was so twisted, that it confused her to completely understand what whoever or whatever wrote. Seconds before she thought she knew what it meant, but now Raven was overwhelmed by what it said.
"Alright, so your saying that we don't know what this means?" Beast boy asked.
"Seems like it," Cyborg said.
"Then what do we know?" Beast boy asked, impatience growing in his voice.
"We got this poem, information that could help us, " Robin asked. Raven nodded in agreement. "We just have to guess what it means."
Anielle thought for a moment about what she had heard. It seemed to be some kind of…code? A very interesting code, that is. Maybe Anielle was supposed to help them somehow. If they were truly as stupid as Anielle's brother had stated, then they wouldn't even be able to be find Ramka. It was clear to her.
She had to help. Somehow.
"Shall we start with the first verse?" Star asked.
"Sounds good," Beast boy said.
"Wait, what about the beginning part?" Cyborg asked.
"Another warning?" Starfire asked.
"If it is, than Ramka made up that poem, and that book," Cyborg stated.
"What's the book called?" Robin asked, as Raven began to close the book.
"Souls," Raven replied.
"What does that color green have to do with souls?" Beast boy asked.
Raven shrugged. That's what she thought she had when she first found it. Throw up color and souls.
"It has to be from Ramka,"Cyborg said again."It has something about time in it."
"It doesn't mean that it is from the old man," Robin said.
"But it could be," Cyborg said. "For time itself may tell its truth, for time itself may remember you. It's gotta be from him."
"Maybe," Robin said. "Raven, does it say who the book is by? The author?"
"No," Raven said.
"That helps," Cyborg said sarcastically. "It could still be written by him."
"Maybe, but we don't know for sure," Robin said.
"Shall we work on figuring out the poem?" Star suggested.
"Yeah, we should. We'll worry about who this book is by later," Robin said.
"The next verse then," Cyborg said. "Sounded like it was describing a person. White pale skin? Several people have white pale skin in this world."
"Yes, many people do have white skin. Then it is definitely describing a person," Star agreed.
"A dead person," Anielle suggested.
"A dead person?" Beast boy said with disbelief.
"I guess that sounds right," Robin said, nodding. "A dead person. Everyone has pale skin when they are dead."
"But not white skin," Beast boy said.
"It's only a hypothesis, Beast boy," Robin said.
"Either way, it sounds crazy" Beast boy didn't like the meaning of it, if it was even the meaning. A dead person? A DEAD PERSON? Are we talking about a dead thing chasing us? Or are we trying to find a dead guy? Dead people? Death things?
"We should have a second opinion on this," Beast boy said. "Raven, what do you think?"
"I don't know," Raven said quietly. Her eyes felt like heavy weights. She felt so tired, so worn out. Raven couldn't think straight. Maybe she should just sleep for the rest of her life…
"OK, then the next verse," Beast boy said, feeling defeated. "Did it mention something about…uh blood? And mud?"
"Yeah," Cyborg said. "And something…about a direction?"
"But blood?" Beast boy said.
"More of a reason for the first verse to be a dead person," Cyborg said.
"Where the sun awakens from darkness," quoted Robin. "East. The sun rises east. I think its east where we have to go."
"East? But what's east?" Beast boy asked.
"Where that Ramka guy is probably," Cyborg replied. "What else is there?"
"Eroded, harsh, long," said Anielle.
"Uhh…yeah," Cyborg said uncertainly. He didn't trust her. He didn't even really like her voice either, or her speaking at all. Why should he listen to her then?
"Describing our journey?" Star guessed.
"A journey? To where?" Beast boy asked.
"A journey east. A journey that has been done before might be eroded. Then hard for harsh, and then…long," Robin said.
"Sounds good," Cyborg said.
"Are we just replacing the words?" Beast boy asked.
"Not exactly," Robin said. "Next verse."
"What was the next verse again?" Star asked.
"Something about death," Cyborg said.
"Death? Again?" Beast boy said, his eyes almost popping out of his head. "Where does it not have anything about death?"
"I don't know," Robin said. "but it keeps me wondering if this poem is trying to tell us something about death."
"Creepy," Cyborg said.
"Is someone gonna die? Is it gonna be me? Are we going to our death?" Beast boy asked, his voice rising. He didn't like talking about death. He hated death. He wanted death out of life. He despised it. Death wasn't what he wanted to talk about at this young of age. Beast boy didn't want to leave his home if they were searching for a guy who writes poems about death. Death.
"Calm down, Beast boy. No one is going to die, just calm down," Robin said.
"This guy! He could kill us for all we know! Why do we have to find him?"
"Beast boy," Robin said. "Calm down."
"I…I can't. I'm just a bit freaked out here…this poem stating death like…like it's a game…"
"Dude, here's the plan. We will find the guy, stop him, come home, celebrate with pizza, and everything will go back to how it was," Cyborg said. "And no death."
"What about Anielle?" asked Star innocently.
"She'll go back to her… orphanage," Cyborg said. He was about to say 'for all I care', but decided against it. The girl looked pretty downtrodden, and he didn't want her to look any sadder than she already was. That was all the sympathy he would give her. Cyborg felt cruel.
"We shouldn't worry about that right now," Robin said. "Focus on poem. Beast boy, stop freaking out. We aren't going to die."
"How do you know?" Beast boy yelled. "You don't, do you? Who knows! This girl, Anielle, could come around and stab us in the back when we aren't watching! Just watch, you'll see."
"Beast boy, stop," Robin said with a bit of force in his voice.
"Why should I?"
"How do you know she would do that?"
"I don't, and same with you! You don't know if she would."
"Beast boy, calm down."
"Please do not be this mad, dear friend," Star said.
"Yeah, dude, focus," Cyborg added.
"There is no reason to be angry," Raven said.
"You guys….you…just don't understand." Beast boy threw up his hands and stormed out of the room, leaving the remaining people in the room confused.
"Jeez, what's up with him?" Cyborg said, shaking his head. "Man, did you see that angry look in his eyes?"
"Yeah," Robin said, shaking his head sadly. "Guess this death thing really freaked him out."
An uncomfortable silence filled the room again. A knew knowledge drifted into the four Titans minds:
This could be life threatening. The unknown is life threatening. This Ramka is life threatening. Their lives were threatened by what they didn't understand. And….talking about death could drive people crazy.
Anielle didn't mind the thought of death as much. Her wish was to die. But what she didn't want was the praised ones to have their lives taken from them. They had more to live for than she did. People cared about them. They can't die. They won't die. Anielle made a tiny oath to herself, with all the power she had left over herself, with all that was left of her heart, she wouldn't let them die no matter what. Even though she was this weak…person…girl…she would protect them.
"I get it," Star said into the silence.
"Get what?" Robin asked her.
"I…I get the poem the rest of the poem."
"You get what it means?" Cyborg asked.
"Yes, I believe I do," Star said with confidence. "I believe I have figured out."
"Let's hear it," Robin said.
"Dry yet harsh, desolate, and bright. It is describing an Earth desert. To harsh to set upon feet. The hotness. Earth temperature, the temperature which is very hot?"
"That's it," Cyborg said.
"East towards a desert!" Robin exclaimed. "He is in a desert east!"
"Yeah!" Cyborg said. "But is there a desert east somewhere?"
"We can check to make sure there is, and where," Robin said. "We know the journey is going to be long, supposedly, so it wouldn't be to close to Jump City. "
"You…you keep saying we," Anielle stated quietly. " We as in…all of…us?"
The question hung in the air for a couple of seconds. Robin hadn't really been thinking about the girl coming with them. He didn't know why, but he hated to think that he didn't care much for her. Why was this? He cared. He really did. But then why did he feel that he didn't?
"Why not?" Star asked.
"Yeah, man, why not. Maybe she'll tell us more info on this dude," Cyborg said.
"We shall find him and stop him," Star said. "With Anielle's help."
" We are going to kick his ass," Cyborg said, punching the air in front of him.
"Yes, indeed we shall do some butt kicking," Star said with a smile. "But there is more to this poem."
"We got all the information we need," Cyborg said. "Desert east. What more do we need?"
"There is another verse to it," Robin said.
"Something about trees," Anielle said.
"There ain't no trees out in the desert," Cyborg said.
"It could be a landmark," Raven said. "To tell us exactly where he is."
"So he's by trees that live in the desert," Cyborg said. "This keeps getting stranger by the minute."
"I think that is what the poem was trying to tell us," Starfire said.
"Damn poem. It should just say it in actual English, and there! It sounds like Shakespeare crap or something," grumbled Cyborg.
"Shall we tell Beast boy?" Star asked.
"Wait a sec, Star. Let him cool down for right now," Robin said. "There is more to this than we think. Does the poem say how to get there? At what time? Any details like that?"
"No," Raven said. "It doesn't." Maybe the last words on the page under the poem would say. Maybe, but she decided against reading it. She couldn't.
"So we could just fly there?" Star asked.
"Sounds too easy," Raven said.
"But it does not say we cannot fly there," Star said.
"And it does not say we can, either," Raven said.
"We don't know exactly where the desert is," Robin said. "East somewhere is all we know. Cyborg, go look up on the main computer to see if there is a desert anywhere east of Jump City."
Cyborg nodded, and left the room.
"Shouldn't Beast boy know about this?" Star asked.
"We should leave him be for a bit," Robin repeated.
"Alright," Starfire said.
Anielle slowly began to sit up a bit straighter, the pain disappearing from her body. The others wouldn't notice, they were all hooked up into this little adventurous thing. And she was coming with them. Anielle didn't want to come with them. She had enough to do with the old man already. It wasn't her time to choose what was to go on, she knew, it was the praised ones. Indeed she had no control of this.
A buzzing sound filled the room, making the room shake from its loud yet soft vibration.
"What is that?" Starfire asked, alarmed.
"I don't know," Robin said.
"Could it be another warning?" Star asked, bracing herself for the buzzing o grow louder and louder to bust her eardrums.
The buzzing suddenly stopped, and a note fell out of thin air, making it seem that if came from the ceiling. Robin caught it between his middle finger and his pointer finger. Looking at the note, his face lit up in surprise. What he saw was writing that was impossible to read.
"Where did that note come from?" Raven asked.
"I don't know," Robin said unevenly. The note contained messy small handwriting on one side of the small white piece of paper. The only thing he could read, but with difficulty, was the six names written on the top.
Dear Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast boy, Cyborg, and Anielle…"It has all our names on it," Robin said.
"It is to us," Star quietly. "What does it say? Another warning? Warning us to…"
"I don't think it is another warning," Robin said. "The writing is too bunched up together to read." Robin squinted his eyes behind his mask. Nope, there was not a word he could make out.
"It might be a different language," Star suggested.
Robin shrugged, and handed the note to Star. She examined it for a couple of seconds, squinting her eyes, and sadly shook her head. She wasn't able to read it either. Star handed the note to Raven, who at once let go of the it, as if it stung her. It slowly fell onto the ground, face up.
"Raven?" asked Star, arm still out stretched.
"That note," Raven said. "That note. It has…some kind of… power surrounding it." She suddenly winced and backed against the wall. "It's strong…"
"I did not feel anything," Star said.
. "I didn't feel anything either," Robin said with concern.
Anielle stood up, her legs almost giving way from sitting too long. She had control of her legs, but her arms controlled most of her, forcing her brain to want to get to the note. Anielle slowly walked towards the it, and picked it up with her hands. She felt the strange type of magic that surrounded it, and tried not to wince. The three Titans stood there and stared at her.
"I can understand what it says," Anielle said.
"How can this be?" Star asked.
"I don't know," Anielle replied.
"What does it say?" Robin asked.
"What language is it in?" Raven said.
"English. Very messy written English," replied Anielle.
"How do we know that you're not lying?" Raven asked suspiciously.
"You don't," answered Anielle.
"Just read what it says," Robin said.
Anielle looked down at the note. The words were written in a black ballpoint pen. But was it really in English? Were her eyes tricking her into thinking it was written in English? Maybe. Maybe. Anielle began to read what the note said:
"Dear Robin, Starfire, Raven, Beast boy, Cyborg, and Anielle…,
Hello, all. Nice day isn't it? Well, I believe that you have enjoyed much, in the nice sun that…didn't move? Ah yes, I always love a long Thursday afternoon. Don't you? Ah yes, long list of names to who this note is for? Of course, for it is to each one of you. And yet there isn't very much space on this piece of paper, so I will get to the point.
I believe you would like more details, am I right? Oh yes indeed. To make your wish come true… you may say I have made up some wonderful rules. Yes, rules. You must come to where I am not by flying, but as in a kind of trip regular humans would go on. Car trip, you may call it. Next lovely rule, all of you that I have addressed to this letter must come. Or you won't be able to find me. At all.
Lastly, if any of you have any crazy ideas, you must leave the Tower.
Oh, and by the way, have a little fun on your trip.
Anielle's voice stopped. That was it. That was the whole entire letter.
"Well, no flying," Robin said.
"Who would have a crazy idea about not leaving our Tower?" Star asked.
"Beast boy," Raven said.
"Taking the Tower with us?" Star asked.
"You don't know what's going on in his head," Raven said.
"Yes, you are correct," Starfire said.
"OK, so we have to drive in a car," Robin said. "Who knows how long that will take."
"Pretty long," Cyborg said, walking into the room. "That note said we have to go in a car?"
"Yeah," Robin said.
"Then we'll be taking the T-car," Cyborg said with a grin.
"There are only five seats," Robin said. "And everyone has to come."
"That I can fix," Cyborg said.
"Good," Robin said. "Did you find a desert?"
"Yeah, I did. The location is kind of difficult. The computer won't show any landmarks on it or anyone living on it. Or trees. See, no trees."
"How is this so?" Star asked.
"Not sure," Cyborg said. " It is pretty far off. And the desert is huge. About 150 miles long at the least."
"How far east is it?" Robin asked.
"If we are taking a car…uh, I'm not too sure. The computer messed up on how many miles it is to get to the desert."
Robin turned to the window. The sun was setting, making the sky an orangish pinkish color. They wouldn't be able to start the trip today, it would have to be tomorrow. It was too late in the day to start their long journey. They had to get ready, get supplies on food, anything they needed. Who knows how long that would take? They needed more time.
Anielle still stood staring at the note. She had listened to everything they had said, but something confused her. There was something else on the note besides the words that were very hard to read. A marking of some sort. She couldn't quite make it out.
"There is a marking," Anielle said. The four Titans turned to her with a questioning look in their eyes.
"Where?" Robin asked.
"On the note," Anielle said.
Robin walked to where Anielle stood. "I don't see any marking on the it," he said, examining the note in Anielle's hands for a second.
"There is a marking," Anielle insisted.
"All I see is the messing writing of…who's this note from?" Robin saw no signature written on it.
"It doesn't say," Anielle said.
"Are you sure?" asked Robin.
Starfire and Cyborg joined them examining the note.
"Isn't that a kind of signature?" Cyborg asked, pointing to a little squiggly word on the bottom right corner.
"No," Anielle said. "That's the last word."
"Then where is this sign?" Star asked.
Anielle pointed to a squiggly line in the middle of the note that looked like another word the Titans couldn't make out.
"Wait, wait, wait. How can you read this?" Cyborg asked suspiciously.
"That is a good question," Raven said who still stood against the wall. "Care to tell us?"
"I…don't know," Anielle said. It was true. She truly didn't know. The writing was very clear to her as day, every letter visible through her eyes, in English. Or maybe it was just translated in English so it was able for her to understand it. That, she didn't know.
"Guys, loosen up. She told us it was in English. Maybe she is an expert on messy handwriting." Robin still didn't see where the marking was. "Where is the marking?"
"Right here," Anielle said, pointing to some squiggly lines that looked just like a word. Robin took a closer look at it, and realized that it was some kind of sign. There was no messy letters in it like the words surrounding it, just lines with points and dots.
"What is it?" Star asked.
"It looks weird," Cyborg said. "Looks…alienish."
"Whatever it is, it doesn't look too good," Robin said.
"What if it was the person's signature?" Starfire suggested. "Some humans have signs instead of signatures, am I right?"
"Yeah," Robin said. "But not in the middle of the note."
"What if it was Ramka who sent this?" Cyborg asked.
Dead silence.
"It has to be," Cyborg continued. "If he can send warnings, then he can send notes out of thin air. And he could have listened to what we said, and he could have written the poem with all the clues in it. It has to be this Ramka guy."
"I do not think I want to know what else he can do if he can send these warnings and paper out of the air," Starfire said with a sad smile.
"It's all crazy," Cyborg said. "This Ramka guy is becoming crazier by the second…"
"It is unbelievable," Anielle found herself saying in a slightly false sounding tone. "But it did happen. And many other things may happen that seem like illusions but are really there. They really are happening."
"She may be right," Robin said.
"So your saying, anything can happen?" asked Cyborg.
"I guess," Anielle sad.
"Great. That's just great," Cyborg said. "Then Beast boy freaking out about this death thing could be…true." He left the room without another word.
"He could be watching us," Raven said.
"I do not like the feeling of being watched by such a man," Star said, shivering.
"The only thing we can do is find him and stop him," Robin said. "And that we will do."