I'm Still Human
"I surrender."
"Good," Cyborg says, his cannon still charged and aimed. "Now, step away from the shadows."
I release him from my mental grip, giving him a shove toward us. Jacob stumbles out of the dark corner, visibly shaking. He is a common thief, and still will be. For some reason, he has a knack for escaping prisons. He has been in and out of jail more than a dozen times. And every time, his capture gets harder and harder. Today, he had wielded a weapon.
Robin, who is uninjured, cuffs him. Cyborg lowers his right arm, parts of his metal body chipped from the multiple bullets. I hover a few feet away, watching Starfire supporting a limping Beast Boy. The idiot had fallen off a roof during our pursuit.
Jacob passes me, staring at me, fearing me. He will not be breaking out of jail anymore. I give him a bored look, hiding the grimace that threatens to come out. One of his random shots had hit me above my right hip. I am in pain, and Beast Boy is whining about his sprained ankle. He wants me to heal that small injury. I just glare and float away, my left hand covering my wound.
The police finally arrive. The lazy bastards. Even for a petty thief they had to call us. All they do is transport criminals to jail, only to have the criminals break out less than a week later. Robin hands Jacob over to an obese man, the lieutenant. How does he do his work, being all flab?
"Be careful with him," Robin warns the fat officer. "He's a sly one."
No, he's not. You cops are just plain dumb.
"I'll personally see to his imprisonment," the lieutenant replies.
Wrong. You'll just hand him over to the judge, who'll then put him under the care of an old and wrinkled warden.
This world is full of assholes. Not excluding the gullible press and the drooling fans. Robin and Starfire face the press, while Beast Boy––his injury forgotten––and Cyborg attend to the screaming crowd. I stay behind, leaning against the T-Car, healing myself. Nobody notices my pain. Maybe it's because my cloak hides the healing blue light, or that my trained body hides any signs of injury well. Or maybe I'm just not important enough to be paid any attention.
I listen to the interview between a young reporter and Robin. Is she flirting with him?
"Another successful capture," she says to the camera. Then to Robin, "You must be proud."
"All in a day's work," he responds, attempting modesty. But I recognize that slightly arrogant smirk on his face. "The Teen Titans are always ready for anything."
No. We've been caught off guard before. Now more than ever.
"I bet you were behind this victory?"
"I did plan our strategy, but it was all a team work."
There was no strategy. You were in the middle of a racing game with Cyborg when the alarm sounded.
"Oh, surely you did more than that? Your amazing acrobatic ability alone could fall a criminal."
"Please, you exaggerate."
Yes, you're exaggerating. I have by far surpassed him now. He's not even half of what he was anymore.
"Robin, you're too modest."
"Thank you, I think." They laugh. "But seriously, the credit this time goes to Cyborg. He was the one who cornered the thief."
Note, 'this time'. And no, it wasn't Cyborg. He's been missing Jacob by miles. Jacob could've gone through that door hidden by the shadows if I hadn't grabbed him. Got a stray bullet for that too.
I stand straight, the wound gone. Let them handle these disgusting worshippers…wannabes, whatever. It's what they're good at, isn't it? Raven does all the rough work. They do the cleaning up. Of their sloppy act, that is.
What happened? We used to be such a great team. We trained together, we watched each other's backs. Now, class, who can tell me what changed this? Teacher, teacher, I know the answer! Pick me, pick me! I'm right here. I'm not invisible, you know. Finally. The answer is fame!
Bingo, we have a winner. Fame and glory got to their heads. It started with that call from the 'Superhumans' magazine editor. He wanted to put the Teen Titans on the cover of his August issue. Who would have thought that just an innocent trial can lead to all this.
As I fly back to the Tower, I scoff at the memory. I'd refused. They had wanted to give it a try. Serves them right. Maybe I should leave them. Try the solo gig. They don't need me, vice versa.
Who am I kidding? No matter how much they've changed, they're the only ones I can call my family. Stupid, stupid Raven. They're taking you for granted. Robin doesn't take notice of your problems anymore, Starfire has stopped meditating with you, and Cyborg is always playing his stupid games. Even Beast Boy has stopped coming to you with his lame jokes.
What the hell? I miss Beast Boy's jokes? Why am I talking to myself? Get a hold of yourself, Raven. And there I go again.
I enter my room, the one place no one is allowed in. Suddenly, I feel very lonely. I had thought I could handle this. Looks like I'm not as strong as I'd thought. I'm a half demon. That's all I am to them. Brawn and power. I stay in my room almost every hour, while they have their fun, forgetting about me until trouble arises.
I hear voices. They have returned. I listen to their thoughts, and in a way, their voices.
"That was the biggest crowd ever!" That kind of squeaky voice definitely belongs to Beast Boy.
"All that for a common thief? We are making a name for ourselves." Robin.
"This is a glorious moment. We must celebrate!" Slightly proper English…Starfire.
"Booyah! Double pepperoni pizza and a large bucket of fried chicken!" Meat, meat, meat and more meat. That's all Cyborg thinks about, isn't it?
Another disappointment. What, no 'let's go get Raven'? I lie on my bed. What am I? Invisible? A slave for good that no one notices? I put my life on the line for these people. And all I get is nothing. Not even a stray thought about the loner Raven. A single tear slide down the side of my face.
No, I must not cry. The Titans may now be a lost group, but I will prevail. I must be strong. For the memory of what we used to be. I may be half demon, but I fight by the light. I have not lost my way. I will carry on the legacy of the Teen Titans, the true heroes.
The alarm rings. I get off my bed, and hurry to the door. Someone pounds on the door. "Raven, trouble! Get your butt over to the slums now! We're going to take awhile." Beast Boy leaves.
I scowl. I'm not deaf. I know what to do when there's trouble. I go on most missions alone now. Why do you treat me like this? Just because I act impassive doesn't mean I'm callous. I may have demonic blood coursing through me, but I'm still human. Still very much human. With human feelings, human weaknesses…a human conscience.
I sigh. Time to put on a brave front. Again.