Disclaimer - If I owned Teen Titans, I wouldn't be writing fan fiction. DUH!

Chapter 17: Agreements

July 23, Year 13

Dear Journal,

Our town, though mocked with lack of economy and government, I think, is a prize within itself. How our diversity sets us apart fromt the Libran towns of Tavis and Umbra! The thin, golden, blonde hair of the Gemini and and Libran; soft and almost white. Their gray eyes, piercing us with their laugh, their social ability that no other signs have. Their mark, right under their chins. The fair, golden brown hair of the Cancer and the Picsean, waving in flags of homely touches. Their marks, between their breasts, glowing in a blue aura that can enchant us, their love for their families unmatched. The dark, umber hair of the Tarus, the Tariun, the Virgo and their Vigins; their marks glowing on their foreheads or their knees...their stubborn ways unliked but loved. The red, amber hair set atop the heads of the Aries elites and the Leonine, like fire on a match, their pride booming. Their marks on their heads, on their necks...set aside. They long for Pride...journal...I long for meaning. For of all the colors and signs I could have been, in their majesty, I was born of Scorpion Blood.

Monk Terrace said that I should be proud, "Elemental skills, Rella. You'll understand when you are older." I don't understand, and I don't really want to. It is easy for him to say. The only Scorpions here are the nuns who long for the touch of a monk, staying Scorpion virgins against their will. "Child bearing machines, we are," Jet tells me often. I don't listen. What, journal, has Monk Terrace has to fear? He is a Gemini, witty and smart and talkitive. He knows nothing of the secrets our Scorpion brothers share.

On a less serious note, my mark is becoming a pain in the--back--...it's a pun, get it? Any way, it glows without me aware of it, during church and prayer, infront of the younger Cancers who giggle and stare at me and Jet. He's about as embarrassing as embarrassing can get.

The convent in itself is not as bad as Mama sized it up to be. Gladly enough, she is here with us. I am happy. With out her and Nem by my side I would have gone insane with monks and nuns telling me what to do and yelling at me when I get the chance. The nuns shoot me looks of disapproval, I really can't stand them. Like right now, Sister Mya is telling me that I should stop writing. She's taking away the pen as I--

OK, I got my pen back. I hate Sister Mya.

-Rella

Raven straightened, her eyes fogged with memory. A page in a page of many, but one of the most finely written. Scorpio's life in Saphiria reminded her of her own life in Azarath, the diversity of the people, the monks staring down with looks of disapproval...waiting...waiting...waiting behind convent walls for the world to accept her. That she was the daughter of evil and the purest person on Earth was teaching her. Cold humor rattled down her spine.

Raven had insisted she stay out of the search, which Robin and the others were holding at the harbor of Scorpio's disapperance. After recovering from his blushing fit, she had given Beast Boy a plan. She would read it all over and only let him read the parts that he would understand (both parts written in English and maturity, luckly all of it was in English). "She is a girl", she had explained, "and so am I." It had nothing to do with gender. Beast Boy's desire was to see if she had written anything about him, or anything explaining how her body look like without her cloak on. She knew, she had read his mind...unfortunatly. He had no other choice. She would not accept his "lets both read it plan" so the next best thing was listening to hers.

Right now, there were 5 key elements that would aide the Titans in their search:

1. Traveling to Saphiria required the burning of Aqurian Birch, as Raven had known.

2. The Libran Lord paid heavy prices for Scorpions, as Scorpion shelling is expensive and he hated the "devils" in the first place.

3. Scorpio's original plan had been to flee Saphiria to Azarath, which explained why she knew about it.

4. Scorpio's real name was Rella and her mother had been kidnapped from Saphiria on her 14th birthday.

5. Nem and the others might have already been killed.

Scorpio's last entry had been written on Earth.

November 1, Year 15

Dear Journal,

Today I am 15, and still alive, not married off like those who came so many years before me. I am living on Earth with 5 new friends, saving people of their city. Their names are: Raven, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Beast Boy.

I don't deserve them, journal. I've always had the worst luck until I came here. I owe them. Raven is patient, but blunt and unmoving. She's about as deep as they come, journal. And Robin, who is shelled and caked over with pride, trains and trains everyday. He is driven, but sometimes too obvious, I think. Starfire, bubbly and happy-go-lucky all the time, reminds me so much of Nem, but much taller. And Cyborg, who is gentle for someone his size.

There's Beast Boy, poor, poor Beast Boy; forced under a curse I cannot control. Forced to dream the dreams I dream, forced to follow me through blind dark.

Shalt beyond the hottest fire,

Go beyond the heart's desire,

To please, respect, and account thou's sire.

Shining armor thou shall ark,

And follow thou's love through blind dark...

Once set eyes on the Scorpions' Mark...

That Gypsy, smiling, making me feel naked and open enough for me to look down and check if my clothes are still there. And Nem, crying on Jet's shoulder, Jet telling her that I'll come back. I want to go back and get her, not to stay. And Jet, piercing my skin with a kiss on my neck, drawing blood that covers my sides...All of it and Beast Boy watches.

I fear, journal, not of darkness or of evil. I fear not of the Libran Lord or what I will have to do to save Beast Boy. I fear of God and only God, and death.

As it is written in "The Scorpion Destiny", Noirians 5:16:

"They shall curl in utter blindness, suffer an eternity of pain, and spill the contents of their minds on to the pavement of society; just as those who fell under their curse. They will see the blindness they have caused to those pitied souls. They shall lose everything they have come to love and cherish, to hate it and despise it...Though it will be loving them still...But they are curled in their blindness, seeing nothing of anything, trapped alone in a world of their own creation. Drowning in the oceans of their tears."

That is what I fear. And you'd fear it too, journal. I know you would.

-Rella

Raven's eyes grew wide, her body tence and unsure. Of course. That made perfect sense. That would be the pain she would suffer. That is why they would kill her and watch, to see the pain...

A tear actually fell from Raven's eyes, not from sadness, but from pity. How could they be heartless enough to watch a young girl go through this, her secrets ripped from her mind, her body shuddering...curling...Raven could almost imagine it.

---------------xXx-------------

Things were not going so well at the harbor. Any sign of evidence had been washed away in the 24 hours that Scorpio had been taken or washed with the drift of the sea. Starfire had taken to the skies, Cyborg had started to moniter any communicator signals, Robin was asking the locals for anything strange, and Beast Boy had scouted the seas.

"ROBIN! Robin!" Beast Boy gasped, out of breath and wet with water. "Something--in the sea---in the water---60 feet!" He paused and took another breath, broken and hurt. "There's something in the water!" He said finally and raced back to the shore.