Ch.17: The Dance

Dear Diary,

Today I write in you for one reason, to make a letter of understanding. Just in case what I am about to do might fail and I not return home, if this is ever found, will explain everything. The past weeks I have suffered with friends and family due to one man Slade Wilson, son of Mayor Wilson, and his evil. He has destroyed my life, taken away my dignity, my love, and my inner goodness. I have a plan to stop him once and for all at the Christmas dance and if it fails I might not be coming home. My friend Plasmus is going to help me finish him and save my life. If this shall ever be found by Raven Roth I want to let her know it was Slade who planted those pictures and set me up. I love you Raven and I always will.

Garfield 'Beast Boy' Logan

My body cringed as I slid the diary onto my pillow and picked up my backpack. I didn't know if it was going to work or not and I really had no idea what I was doing. Raven has refused to talk to me for 2 weeks and tonight is the Christmas ball and tonight I will stop all this madness once and for all. Plasmus was waiting for me, but not Raven. They were waiting for me. I wore a clean tux Ms. Brumfield had given me, she said it was one of her sons and it fit me well but I couldn't tell. I walked to the front room with my backpack in hand to see Caitlyn sitting down playing a board game with a young spiky haired boy named Christopher.

"Don't you look snazzy!" laughed Chris as Caitlyn giggled.

"What? Its cool come on I look like James Bond." I joked as I picked Caitlyn up and she nodded.

"Big brother is going to be a secret agent and get all the girls!" she laughed.

"I wish."

I kissed Caitlyn on the cheek and placed her on the floor and looked for Brumfield.

"Do you know where Ms. Brumfield is?" I asked them confused.

"She's waiting in the car for you, have fun Gar." Chris smiled.

"Bye guys!" I yelled back as I walked out the door.

"Go get her big brother!"

I held back my laughter as I got into the car with Ms. Brumfield smiling.

"You look handsome!"

"Thanks, why did Victor take the car again?"

"His picking our little Bumble Bee, he's going with her."

"Thought so, he thinks he's such a player."

"Believe me he is, I knew Victor sense he was a boy, he got all the little girls back then." She smiled.

I laughed and buckled up as she drove me to the hotel the dance was at. I got out and she handed me a flower.

"Give that to Raven."

"How did you…wait how…what?"

"You don't think I know? I may not be your real one but I'm a mother none the less."

I rubbed the back of my head as she drove off and the flower looking like a black rose dangled between my fingers I walked up to the front and nodded at the door man.

"Right this way sir." He smiled as he led me to the top floor where there was a dance floor seats and a stairway to the roof.

I had shown up fashionably late and a lot of people were already dancing, but Plasmus sat at a both and I walked up to him. He looked at me grimly and shook my hand.

"You ready to do this?"

"As long as you are, got the goods?"

"Yea I do, all we need to do is set up the screen on the roof and play it to all the people. This way we can take Slade down from the inside out."

"You sure this is the right tape?"

"Yes, Slade always keeps his tapes in black cases; they contain secret audio of him confessing to murders he does it so when he is captured the cops and families can suffer while listening him talking about how he killed them. He's a real sicko."

"You can say that twice, let's do this."

I led Plasmus up the stairs to roof but as I did something weird was happening down below.

Off in the corner Kori and Raven sat on chairs. Raven watched as Garfield walked up the stairs to the roof. She held back her anger.

"Please Raven, I do not believe friend Gar would be capable of such things!" pleaded Kori as she held Raven's hand.

"The pictures don't lie Kori, he kissed her."

"Something is most wrong, who would take the pictures of Garfield and Terra kissing?"

For once in her life Raven had actually been proven wrong. Kori had made a point, who sent the pictures?

"You're right… oh my god I could be all wrong, Garfield I have to say something!"

Before Raven could say anything else she ran towards the roof and Richard approached Kori with a box in his hands.

"Hello Richard, how are you!" she smiled as she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm… fine Kori, could we talk in the back?"

"Sure Richard what is the occasion?"

"I have to tell you something."

Richard and Kori sat in a corner and Richard gave Kori the box, it was pink and red with a glittering ribbon on the top.

"It's a birthday present and something more."

"But my birthday is not for a week?"

"I had to give it to you now."

Kori was confused but she opened the box and her eyes were filled with tears. It was a beautiful pink necklace with a large gem and a red heart around it. The string was made of diamond. The necklace wasn't what brought Kori to tears; it was the note at the top of it. It read very clearly.

Will You Be My Girlfriend?

Kori sniffed and placed her arms around her boyfriend. She placed her lips against his and nodded.

"Yes, of course I will." She sniffed.

Behind the dance floor in a dark both Slade sat at the edge with a smile on his face. He watched Garfield walk up the stairs and Raven follow him. As she did Slade picked up his necklace and placed his lips against it.

"Begin project home wrecker."

From the small necklace a soft voice known as Terra's came out.

"Yes master, we are in a black van going down Hampton Avenue and the house is in range."

"Good, begin the plan in 30 minutes."

The line went dead and Slade sat back and watched the teens dance and kiss.

I sat on a chair and worked through the tapes as Plasmus unfolded a small screen from his backpack and extendable poles. He placed them on the floor and I got up and walked over to it, but as I did a heard the sound of tears and my name being called out from behind me.

"Garfield I need to talk to you." said the soft voice.

I turned around and saw Raven standing in the door way with a black lace dress.

"Hey…Raven." I mumbled.

She approached me and pulled me over to a chair.

"Did you really give Terra a kiss?" she asked with tears in her eyes.

I shook my head and told Raven the story it took me at least 30 minutes to finish it. And when I was done she looked me in the eyes and placed her lips against mine for as long as I could remember and as she finished she spoke into my ear.

"I'm sorry."

I kissed her cheek and gave her the black rose in my hand. Brumfield had somehow seen this coming I needed to thank her. My mind ignored the pain and for a brief moment I was in piece.

As the dance occurred a mile away from the children's home, a black van with a evil orange S painted on the door pulled up in the drive way. The door slid open and 4 figures stepped out. They all wore pure black and black face paint but the middle figure had long blond hair falling from her head. They all walked around the building and looked into the windows to the sleeping children. Then the figures walked back to the van and all of them pulled out large vertical objects. The figures walked up to the doorway. They all spread out around the house and they lifted the objects at the same time. The sound of a clicking gun was heard and the sound of a watch timer went off. Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of ammunition as the objects fired bullets into the walls of the building making it look like Swiss cheese. Finally the bullets stopped and the blonde figure kicked down the door.

She was met by the sound of screaming and crying. She walked up the stairs slowly and crunched her heels on the broken glass. The figure walked up to the farthest door on the top floor and knocked furiously. The door opened fast and two figures stepped out.

"Big brother?"

"Garfield?"

There was the sound of two gun shots and air fell silent once more. The figure left the house and before she left she took out a can of orange spray paint and sprayed the letter S on the doorstep. She walked back to the van and picked up a communicator.

"Targets neutralized."

The sound of sirens filled the air and the van took off into the night leaving the destroyed building quiet and broken.

Garfield held Raven in his hands as he snuggled her in the cold night's air. He had forgotten about Plasmus and paid attention only to Raven. He held her closely but was interrupted by a tap on the shoulder.

They turned around and saw a police officer looking at them. He said nothing and walked to two to a police car. Leaving Plasmus alone on the roof; he tried to talk to them but got no answer.

"That was weird?" he said sarcastically.

When he turned around Slade held the tapes in his hands.

"Oh sweet Plasmus, it is time you learned your lesson."

Before the teen could say anything the lights went out.

Garfield sat on a cold chair on a grass field with Raven next to him and Cyborg to the left of him. They both had tears in there eyes and before them were children dressed in black letting tears drip down there faces. When it was all over the three of them were joined by a police officer.

"I am sorry about your loss children; we are working on who did it. No one else was killed but some are seriously hurt. We promise you we will put these killers behind bars for the rest of there lives."

The police officer walked away and left the three to stair at 2 headstones.

Caitlyn Anderson, 1999-2005 a loved friend and wonderful little sister.

Sandra Brumfield, 1966-2005 a wonderful guardian and loving mother.