Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror
' Thought '
"Speech"
Chapter 6: Monologues and Doubts
She was in a hospital room just a few seconds before, but now she was back in the weird white room. It reminded her of the adventures in the illusion caused by Mad Mod, but this time there was something very real there. A strange presence, fading whispers and a faint sound of flapping wings. It was not creepy, but it was disturbing.
She let herself fall and lay on her back, looking at the white emptiness above her. Her right hand played with her lavender strands, her eyes were closed and she felt worn out. Tired, her hand stopped its movement and simply lay there too.
All she wanted was some rest. She did not remember well what had happened and she wasn't eager to.
Sleep. This is just a dream, so if you sleep you will wake up in your room and you will see everything is fine.
She breathed slowly.
When I wake up, Robin will be talking to Starfire... Cyborg and Beast Boy will be fighting over breakfast, as usual.
She giggled softly. Beast Boy. Was he the one she was talking to in the hospital room?
Then, among the mysterious whispers, Raven heard heartbeats.
Ba-bump
Very low heartbeats.
Ba-bump
They were almost gone, and the whispers went silent.
Ba-bump
The whole room changed. Each time the sound came, it turned black and in the space between two heartbeats it turned white again. Now the room was white most of time.
Ba-bump...
Gone... The presence, the flapping, the whispers, the heartbeats. Gone. Everything was dark, and the tiredness inside her grew.
I just need... to sleep.
She closed her eyes tighter, tears coming down.
Why am I crying? Why would I be sad? I can't be! I can't afford it!
"Raven, we all miss you so much!"
Starfire? Star! Where are you?
"The Team is not the same without you... wake up!"
Robin! I am awake! Where are you? I can't see anything, it's too dark here!
"Yeah, lady. It's not funny having no one to annoy, ya know?"
Cyborg?
"Rae, wake up... we... I need you."
Beast Boy? What are you talking about? I am here! I can feel your hands on mine, but I don't see you! Where are you, guys? What happened to me?
"I couldn't believe when the doctor told me. I mean, it all was so fast!"
All of what? What happened? Why am I... so tired?
Raven tried to wake up, but fell down. She felt her body too weak.
Maybe I should just stay here and listen to them...
The voices were clear, but sometimes she could not understand what they said because it seemed two or three of them were talking at the same time. The blend of voices was somehow soothing.
"The Tower is so strange without you..."
"... you shoulda seen it, Rae! The guy was very strong! We won, but it'd be way easier if you were there..."
"... and Slade hadn't show up for at least a month..."
"...I'm tired and my back is sore, but I won't give up on you..."
"... we are all feeling, as friend Cyborg said, down..."
"...I'm sure you'd know what to do, you're very good on finding clues..."
"... and when he turned to kick me, for a moment I thought you'd maybe throw one of those objects at him, but then I realized you weren't there..."
Why were them telling these things to her? Of COURSE she hadn't been there! She was locked up in a strange, dark place where she could show any emotions she wanted and nothing would explode simply because there was nothing there!
"...I know you're there..."
"... Robin thought about... dividing the team and sending each one of us to a different city. He said this way crime would be better controlled, but he should never think about such thing! We are... teammates..."
"...my baby..."
"... my plans..."
"... we miss you..."
"... I miss you..."
"... and then he ran to..."
"... but if he thinks he can get outta this..."
"...the boys are fighting a lot lately..."
"... they want to keep on without you!"
"... Beast Boy thinks we do, but it is untrue! We just want to restart..."
"... I don't know anymore..."
"...I love you..."
"...We decided that being happy is better to all of us..."
"...including you..."
"...and then Robin said he did it, but I was the one who..."
"...Beast Boy tried to feed Cyborg some of his horrible tofu again..."
"... I am still figuring out a way to get Slade..."
"... that sucker attacked our tower again!..."
"... we will be away for a while, until everything is okay..."
"...because it's too dangerous for you if we keep coming here!..."
"... what will happen if Slade discovers you are in this room and cannot defend yourself?..."
The voices could not be heard at the same time again. Now there was a gap of time between them, and this gap became longer. Soon, she would feel the minutes pass before she heard a voice again.
"...sorry..."
"...about our absence.."
"...it's been a year..."
A year? What were they talking about? She had been in that room for what seemed to be only an hour!
"... Robin and I are together! He asked me to be his date on my last birthday!..."
Star's last birthday? Impossible... they were in December, and Starfire's birthday was in November...
"Guess wha'! We have a new member!"
"Yes, she is very powerful, indeed! And she helped us against Slade even before we asked!"
"She's great! She tells very good jokes!"
A.. new member?
"Hey, Rae! We will not linger here... just came to bring you some flowers, 'cause she's gonna show us a place she found. We think it's Slade's hideout! We'll come back Sunday, right?"
"Dude! She rocks! There wasn't anyone in the hideout, but it really seems Slade was there!"
"It is wonderful! I would never think about looking for him inside that place... I wonder how she found it, though.."
Raven sighed.
Yes... She must be a lot better than me...
"She comes up with AMAZING plans!"
"She's a great fighter!"
"She is so friendly!"
"She's so beautiful..."
"We are very happy we could find Terra..."
"Terra beat my score!"
"Terra likes my puddings... she loves the taste of the Pudding of Trustfulness..."
Terra, Terra, Terra... is that all they can talk about? Instead of getting me out of here, they keep praising her? Well... maybe she is a better friend than I ever was... maybe the WHOLE WORLD WILL NOT EXPLODE IF SHE LAUGHS, OR CRIES OR SHOW HER LOVE FOR THEM! - Raven felt her emotions running loose - This if she loves them...
Then she remembered her fight with Red Raven.
Maybe this is a side-effect of the injuries she caused...
She touched her forehead and her heart skipped a beat.
Where is my gem? Something is wrong... I HAVE to get outta here...now...
Blinding light filled the room. Her eyes hurt, but when they were used to the light she could see a white door which emanated a strange glow. It was not the first time she saw it, but this door was different. She felt no presence from the other side.
Maybe that is my way out...
Her body was a little better now, and she was able to stand.
Maybe not...
Hesitating, her hand was shaking when he reached out for the doorknob. Raven took a deep breath and turned it.