Disclaimer - I do not own Teen Titans
Chapter 7: Scorpio's Journal
Scorpio had heard the alarm before, but what was new to her was the glowing and beeping of her shiney new communicator. When in started she had threw it on her new bed and covered her eyes in fright, but then she realized that it was a villain alert and that she had nothing to be afraid of. Slowly she picked up the new communicator and headed toward the main room, where all of the Titans had already gathered and were staring blankly at the huge moniter infront of them.
Raven seemd most uncomfotable, she kept punching in new codes and moving cursors over the many maps that were shining and flashing overhead. She sighed and turned to Robin, who could read her gaze from the moment he saw her expression. Slade...
Raven nodded, reading his thoughts. She turned to the others and let out the same sigh again, moving her hand through her hair. "Slade's...back...it that's what you want to call it. He's returned to the city and it looks like he's brought along some friends."
Robin raised his left brow. "Friends?" He stared up at the moniters and nodded. "Two new friends. Apprentices probably." He paused and looked at the screen for about another 3 seconds. "Scorpio, if you're going to be part of this team then you are going to have to train. This might be too dangerous so just stay here until we come back."
Scorpio nodded, what else could she do? Slade did sound dangerous, and from her past experience she knew she was not a fighter, if anything she was a writer, an artist. Her only muscles were in her mind, and that wouldn't do good against a madman and his apprentices. The Titans left, only with a glance of worry from Starfire and Beast Boy. She assured them that she would be fine and they were off.
What should I do...But it was too simple. Housework obviously... She squinted at the thought, but it was nothing new to her. In the Saphirian convent she had been treated more like a maid than a maiden, and serving and bending to the wills of nuns and monks was hard to do. She started with the dishes, much to her displeasure. They were piled high and it looked like they hadn't been taken care of in weeks. It took her about half an hour to finish them all, and soon the whole house was sparkling clean.
She didn't go into the Titans' rooms, though she was curious to find out what they were like. Especially Raven's. It seemed like the most interesting to go into. If she could pull out an ancient magic book on a different dimension like Saphiria, what else could she do in there? Scorpio could only wonder. She knew there were cameras everywhere except for the bathrooms and the girls' bedrooms, why would she try? She shook her head from the thought.
About an hour after the dishes had been finished, the Titans returned with slumped shoulders and discouraged looks on their dirty faces. But they were pleased to find out that Scorpio had cooked...and cleaned...and pretty much done everything else.
Beast Boy was the first to enter and his eyes grew wide at the table of food. "Dude! Scorpio! How'd ya do all of this? It must have taken you forever!"
Raven sighed, but her expression was somewhat pleased. "Obviously it took her the same time we were away from the Tower." Genius...
Starfire and Robin smiled, and both complimented Scorpio's work. Robin was starting to think better of her, but he admitted to himself that he didn't like her as much as the others did...something...
Cyborg smiled at the piles of ham and turky sandwiches. "Oooo...those for me?" He asked.
Scorpio nodded shyly and the Titans sat down to eat. Scorpio stretched her tired, limp hands and arms and yawned heavily. She had changed into a black tank top and some slick white Pajama pants, much to her comfort. Jeans weren't the best thing to wear when you were trying to clean 4 different bathtubs. She arched out her toes and neck, still staring at the hungry and worn out Titans. It was now about 4:00 p.m., and she knew that she had little chance of sleeping. That's just how Scorpions' are...
"I think I'm gonna go to my room for a little while..." She said, walking over to her new room. She would have to get used to its location...
"OK." Beast Boy said with a mouthful of tofu dogs, but she could barely hear him.
She punched in the code and the doors hissed open infront of her. Slowly she slumped on her bed, and reached her hands under the pillow...hey...
There was something under there...leathery and soft...she'd felt it before. She was too tired to lift the pillow and look, so she pulled it out into the open and stared at it. It was a Saphirian notebook, her Saphirian notebook. She smiled, mostly in confusion, but then held it out infront of her and saw there was a post-it note on the front; written in dark blue ink and it very neat handwriting. It read:
"I was able to get your journal from the Saphirian convents. I knew you missed it."
Scorpio smiled to herself and pulled the post-it note off, inspecting it readily. It had to have been Raven. Starfire's handwriting was curvy and hard to read, as if it was always dancing. She remembered all the spice jars that had been in the cabnets, all written in Star's handwriting. Robin and Beast Boy's handwriting was about hte same, tattered and unsure of lines. Cyborg's handwriting was computer handwriting, as he just printed everything he needed out. But Scorpio was sure this was Raven's. It was elite, definite, not vauge or deep at all, but sure. And who else could have gotten into Saphiria? It is in another demension...
That only left one question; who could have gotten into Saphiria? Libran warriors and Aries Soldiers were well beyond the borders of both the spirit world and the physical world. To get in you had to have been either a Cancer peasent or an Aries elite. There was no other way, and Raven was neither. Scorpio knew that they would come looking for them, her and Raven both. She shook the thought from her mind and looked at her old journal, the lock on the side still looking quite shiney in its bright red metal.
Her mother had given her that notebook, and it was expensive at the time. 5 Libran coins... Scorpio closed her eyes and invisioned that day...
"Mama! Mama! Look! Look at the rams! Can we get one...pleeeezzzz?" Nem...so much younger. Asking for a ram. They were expensive, and they just couldn't afford them. "Please Mama?"
"Now, now, my love. I know you want a ram but maybe it can wait. It is Rella's birthday, you know. Today she picks her present, remember?" Nem, no longer interested in the goat, runs to Rella's side and looks at her older sister, by 3 years, looking at the books and pens.
"That's no fun, Rella. You should go and get a sword, or a slave...or a water element book. Those are nice, and everyone knows that you'll be needing a water element book when you turn 14 anyway."
"I'm turning 13, remember Nem? And I don't really want a sword anyway. Jet might want one, though..." Rella, still looking at the books and pens. She picks up a black leather notebook with a red metal lock and tries to open it, looking at the gypsy behind the cart. "How much?" She asks her, still fiddling with the lock.
"5 Librans. But you wouldn't be interested in that anyway. It doesn't come with a key." The gypsy stares at Rella with deep eyes, both vague and unpleasent. They make Rella feel naked and open, so she breaks her gaze.
"5 Librans? For this? Isn't that a little too much?" Rella asks her, still pulling at the lock. "And why doesn't this come with a key?"
"It's made of Taurian hide and the lock is made of Scorpion shellings. That's the only way you can open it, young Scorpion. On your birthday tonight, when you can transform, you will figure out how to open it."
Rella gasps at the old, brown lady, no longer even thinking about the lock. She could've overheard their birthday conversation, but how would she know? How...
Rella doesn't care anymore, but she knows she wants the book. She reaches in her red cloak pocket and pulls out 5 golden coins and places them infront of the gypsy, who smiles an evil smile at Rella and thanks her for her business. Rella is glad that she was able to find something that only she would be able to open, and not her sister.
Her mother smiles at Rella and hugs her. "Your father would be proud of you, Rella. I know he would."