Chapter 2

Raven sat in her room meditating. They had been looking for that strange man all day, but hadn't found a trace of him. It turned out that he called himself 'Mind Mover' and had been making his way around the country, hitting every ATM machine he could find. They couldn't find much of a background on him. Raven had tried to find her with her powers, but didn't have any luck. Actually, the truth was that she couldn't concentrate long enough to focus in on him.

She had been meditating in her room for hours, but seemed to be getting nowhere. She finally gave up and floated back down onto her bed. She rubbed her temples, trying to calm her mind down. Suddenly there came a knock.

"Yes?" asked Raven in a tired voice.

"It's Beast Boy, I was wondering if you were okay."

"I think so. I'm just having a little trouble meditating, that's all."

"Well if you need anything just ask."

"Just make sure everyone leaves me alone for the night and I'll be all set," said Raven lying back on her bed.

"Okay," said Beast Boy and then went off to find the other Titans.

"Is she alright?" asked Robin as Beast Boy entered.

"She says she is, but who knows," said Beast Boy taking a seat at the table. "She just wants us to leave her alone."

"I believe that is all she ever wants from us," said Starfire.

"She also said that she's having trouble meditating," said Beast Boy.

"She got hit pretty hard today," said Cyborg. "I'd have trouble getting my mind back together too."

"Well let's just leave her be and see if we can help her tomorrow," said Robin.

Raven laid in bed and tried to fall asleep. She had been through a lot that day and decided that sleep might be just the thing to clear her mind. But she just couldn't seem to reach sleep.

'No one likes you.'

Raven opened her eyes and looked around. 'Where did that come from?' she thought. She waited a few moments and then closed her eyes.

'You can't trust anyone.'

This time she sat up and looked around. "Hello?" she asked the darkness. Nothing. There was no one in her room. 'What's the matter with you? Go to sleep!' she ordered herself. She lay back down and closed her eyes once more.

'All you've ever done is lie about yourself. Everyone is afraid of you, that's why they pretend to like you. You let yourself be tricked. You're so easy to fool. Demon… demon… DEMON!'

Raven couldn't take it; she quickly sat up and got out of her bed. She turned her light on and looked around. "This isn't funny," she announced. "Who's in here?" She waited for a response, but none came. She held her face in her hands and sighed. "What the heck is going on here?" she asked herself aloud. She decided to get a cup of tea; she knew she wasn't going to sleep any time soon.

She entered the common room and saw that no one was there. All gone to bed, she supposed. She grabbed her tea kettle and started boiling some water. While she waited she sat at the table and rested her forehead in her palms. She was thankful for the silence around her.

'They're watching you.'
Raven lifted her head and looked around.

"Are you okay?" She quickly looked behind her and saw Beast Boy standing in the doorway of the common room. She had jumped when she heard his voice, but was relieved to see him. She sighed and started to run her forehead with her left hand as if it would help her nerves. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"It's okay," she said with a sigh. "You didn't scare me."

"Looked like it by the way you jumped," said Beast Boy getting himself a glass of water.

"I was just thinking," said Raven, trying to sound like her normal, unhappy self. "You startled me."

"Well, again, sorry. I'll leave you alone," he said and then headed back towards his room.

'You're a frightened little girl.'

"Did you hear that!" asked Raven quickly turning around. Beast Boy stopped quickly, almost dropping his cup.

"Hear what?" he asked.

"You didn't just hear someone speak?"

"No, just you asking me if I had heard anything," said Beast Boy turning around completely. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I thought I was," said Raven confused. "I could have sworn I heard someone talking."

"Maybe you're just tired," said Beast Boy walking back over.

"I don't know," she said running her fingers through her hair. "Even if I am, I can't seem to fall asleep."

"Welcome to the club," said Beast Boy sitting down across from her. "I usually don't fall asleep until two or three in the morning. That's why I sleep in so late."

"Does anything help you fall asleep?"

"Not really, just boredom. Hmm, I wonder if that's why you're usually in bed so early," he said with a smile. She wasn't amused.

"Don't make fun of me for having a normal sleeping pattern," she growled.

"I'm not making fun of you," he said quickly. "I guess you still don't understand my jokes."

"And I never will." Raven crossed her arms on the table and buried her head in them.

'Of course he's making fun of you.'

"Where the heck did that come from?" she screamed as she lifted her head. Beast Boy nearly fell out of his chair.

"What? What is it?" he asked.

"Beast Boy is this one of your sick jokes?" she practically shouted.

"I don't know what you're talking about," said Beast Boy. "But I'm not playing any jokes on you."

"Well someone is," she said standing up. "I keep hearing someone saying horrible things to me."

"Raven, I really think you're just tired," said Beast Boy trying to calm her down. "You had a rough day today and you need to rest."

"How can I rest when someone is constantly talking to me?" she asked. She started looking around the room for someone who could have been hiding. "I know someone's playing a joke on me and when I find them…" she trailed off as she turned the room upside down.

Beast Boy watched as Raven flipped the table over and then the couch with her powers. She opened every cupboard and ran around the room looking in every dark corner. He had never seen her act this way before. Finally he ran after her to stop her before she destroyed the common room.

"Raven, I promise you, no one is playing a joke on you," he said grabbing her by the arms and making her stop. "You're just tired."

She had started hyperventilating and looking all around her. Then she looked at Beast Boys worried face and started to calm down. "I… I'm sorry," she said, looking slightly confused. "I don't know what came over me."

"Come on, I'll take you back to your room," he said with a kind smile.

He walked her to her room and got her into bed. He even did a search of her room to prove to her that no one was fooling around with her. Then he said goodnight and left. She lied in bed for a while, refusing to close her eyes got longer than a blink. Slowly her tiredness did catch up with her and she drifted off into sleep.