A/N: Yay! I made it to chapter two! Sorry, just a little bit hyper right now. Thanks to all my reviewers, you rock! Uh, this chapter's going to be longer than the last, I can say that much now by looking at how much I've got written in my notebook. Chapter Three will be up next Saturday, along with the new episode (The Prophecy! Finally!) Alright, I'll stop talking now. Oh and sorry if this chapter is sort of dragging. Most second chapters are.
Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, but I am an obsessive Robin fan girl.
"Terra, destroy them," Slade's metallic voice echoed through my head. I jolted up on the couch, sweat dripping off my face. The blanket was on the floor, the pillow out of sight. Daylight flooded the main room, assuring I wouldn't get any more sleep. Great for me.
"Morning, Terra," Beast Boy grinned from in the kitchen, attempting to cook some sort of breakfast. I jumped about a mile at the sound of his voice, not realizing he'd been there.
"Oh, hi, Beast Boy. You, uh, startled me," I said quickly, rubbing at my eyes.
"Sorry. Want some tofu eggs?" The changeling grinned. Ah, so that's what the unpleasant smell had been. Tofu eggs. Joy.
"B, no one wants your tofu eggs," Cyborg remarked, entering through the main doors. Behind him came a tired looking Raven, a perky Starfire, and a scowling Robin. Did he ever smile? I can't even remember him smiling my first time through this, except maybe at Starfire. There was something mysterious about him, something someone had to figure out eventually. Judging by his concern I saw the first time around for his Tameranian teammate, it would probably be her.
"Regular eggs sounds fine… or maybe some waffles," I scratched the back of my neck, hoping it was the right answer. Every decision I make would lead to something else. Great. More irony, that theory is known as the Butterfly Effect (Don't own… it's a movie and a theory. We were talking about it in science class.) and my fate is controlled by that butterfly hair piece. Speaking of which, I was not to receive that until I meet him again. Slade. If only I had never… ah, forget it, enough self pity.
"Waffles indeed!" Starfire cried, bouncing along giddily. Robin watched her with a silent smile that brightened his dark personality.
"Joy," Raven murmured sarcastically, looking as bored as she sounded. I would have to wait to gain her trust again. She'd never forgive me if she knew what I had done the first time. None of them would. But she had almost been as good a friend as Beast Boy had.
No! I cannot fall for him again. She has won him. He is hers, though he may not know it yet. Each and every visit to my grave, she was at his side, sometimes even holding him while he cried. I could have no one, for that was what fate says, though fate has never been a good friend to me.
"What's so wrong about tofu?" Beast Boy asked, looking at the plate of it he held before him.
"What isn't wrong with it?" Robin commented, helping himself to an apple instead of his normal breakfast. Beast Boy looked slightly hurt by his comment, as if he was the only one on the team and a certain loneliness rested in his eyes. Was that what had drawn me towards him the first time? That we were both lonely? That we were different? Abandoned?
"You know what? Lemme have some of these tofu eggs," I smiled. Oh no. What had I just gotten myself into? Was I trying to get him to fall for me? Did I want him hurt again? He didn't deserve this. He deserved someone who would live at his side. It could never be me. That was Raven's place.
Beast Boy grinned at me, his elfin ears wiggling a bit. A plate of steaming…. something was before me in a second. Hesitantly, I began to at least try to eat the meal, but gray blobs aren't all too appetizing. The food tasted like dirt in my mouth and I wouldn't be surprised if it contained dirt . I couldn't spit it back out all over the green titan like I wanted to, so I swallowed. Gagging, I reached for a glass of something to get the nasty taste out of my mouth and discovered it to be soy milk. Even better.
"Never again," I murmured to Beast Boy, wiping my mouth on my sleeve. The other titans were laughing and yet again the loneliness was reflecting in his eyes. Why couldn't Raven see it? He needed her. "Sorry, B, but that's just gross. I think I'll stick to a fruit or something," I half-smiled, knowing that no one can see right through me anymore. At least this time around, I had some confidence.
"Well everyone oughta get some breakfast. We've got training today," Cyborg served normal waffles to Starfire, Raven, and himself. I guess an orange sounded good for me.
Training began the second Beast Boy and Cyborg stopped arguing about their food preferences. Or course, the half-robot had to go first on the obstacle course. Testing things out was just something he loved to do. I truthfully thought he was cocky and always wanting to be number one. But he was loyal to his friends and beyond reasonably sweet, the qualities that redeemed him.
"Terra, you ready?" Robin asked from up in the control booth, snapping me out of my thoughts. I nodded, adjusting the goggles I always used. They weren't as important to me a the butterfly hairclip, for they weren't a gift from my brother before I ran away. Still the goggles made me feel safe, up until they broke. That happened a lot due to how often I would loose control.
I stepped onto the course, my thoughts concentrating on nothing but the things in front of me. If I could loose control now, it wouldn't be a secret anymore. I could be free from all of this. Yet, I still wanted to prove I could do this.
I took my opportunity at "Go" and soared into the sky on a boulder. Concentration led to me moving easily through it. Why hadn't I been able to do this the first time around? Was everything really so hard? My ears echoed the sounds of my friends' cheering, edging me forward. The end was in sight and this time it was no crash landing.
"Wow. That was awesome!" Beast Boy cried, running up to me. Starfire, Cyborg and Robin joined him, Raven off to the side a bit.
"She beat your record," the goth spoke to a now pouting Cyborg.
"Wondrous, friend Terra!" Starfire cried, right as all the Titans began to flash a red light from their communicators. Robin opened up his, the main of the five, and his mask narrowed in frustration.
"It's Slade," the leader snapped. Starfire's eyes widened, looking fearfully at Robin. The Boy Wonder was obsessed. The Tameranian had a right to be worried about him. Robin was dangerous when it came to Slade. "We got a fix on his location. Titans, go!"
Robin's word was law with the titans… most of the time. The titans followed, the Tameranian sticking closest to the Boy Wonder to make sure he'd stay calm. I stood still though, not too sure of anything.
"You coming?" Beast Boy questioned. He had stayed behind for me. Dang it. What could I say? I had to meet Slade to get my clip back. But if I went with them to the mines, I'd loose control again. Decisions, decisions.
"Uh… sure," I spoke shakily. Why, why, why? Why couldn't I just make a right decision for once in my life. Beast Boy smiled at me then, nothing special, like the ones I remembered, but one that told me I'd be just fine.
We showed up at the mines five minutes after everyone else, due to the fact that I kept slipping off rocks. The four other titans were already kicking major butt against the Sladebots. It wasn't particularly a fair fight, four hundred Sladebots against six teenagers, but we were fairly okay. Until I step in of course.
I went to go life up a rock, but no, I can't do that. My powers just have to flip out and cause a mini-rockslide that lands on Beast Boy. And of course I'm just stupid enough to follow my first instincts and run.
Suddenly I don't know where I am anymore. These mineshafts are dark except for the tiny lanterns every few feet, and they only go so far. Every twist and turn takes me farther away from the Titans. Great.
The sound of footsteps echoes through the caverns, but it's loud so it's got to be close by. Only one person in my memory was in the caves that day. Slade.
"Terra!" A high voice called. Nope, not Slade. Turning around, I found myself an inch from Beast Boy.
"Whoa," I spoke quickly, backing away. "Are you okay?" I felt my face get hot again. I was always hurting this poor kid, wasn't I? Physically or emotionally, it didn't matter. He was hurt all the same.
"I'm fine. Why'd you run?" Beast boy questioned, looking at me funny, his dark emerald eyes as wide as mine own when we both heard another sound. More footsteps.
"I was following the footsteps and I got lost," I whispered coldly, looking around one corner with my back to him. I turned my head, staring at him with a stern face. "Now get out of here."
"What? Terra! We're all part of a team. We stick together!" Beast Boy yelled. I still glared at him, my hand now covering his mouth.
"Shut up! He might have heard you! Now get the hell out of here!" I yelled while still whispering, a pain on my throat indeed. Beast Boy kept staring at me like I was crazy, even as he ran away.
Without the changeling burdening me, I was free to handle this my own way. Knowing Slade, I'd have to come to him first. It wasn't his way to be careless. Still, I was the reckless sort, so jumping into danger was what I did well… some of the time.
"Hello Terra," a metallic voice came from behind me. There stood the masked man, his true identity hidden behind orange and black.
"You," I snarled, not really expecting my voice to come out that way. Heck, I didn't expect my voice to come out at all. My whole body was shivering in fear of all the horrible memories I had of his torture.
"Yes, Terra. I'm here. And I know your secret," Slade whispered in his cold, haunting manor. Which secret? I had like a case full now. Wait a second… the first time around… he never said any of this. Either history changed itself or he really did know!
A/N 2: And that's a wrap for the second chapter. There's going to be about seven chapters total, or maybe a lot more due to a problem I came up with (can't tell due to the fact that it would give away most of my plot.) Anyway, please review for me. Just no flames. Hope you like and I'll update for next Saturday.