Collecting the Pieces of a Broken Mirror
' Thought '
"Speech"
Chapter 9: Lies and Memories Locked Up
"Yes, young lady?", asked one of the old men. "What do you wish?"
"Can you tell me who the Teen Titans are?"
"Oh, so you're a foreigner, right?"
She nodded.
"Well, they are a bunch of superheroes. There are five Titans... and every one here in the city loves them! They're always saving the day!"
He took a draught from his beer.
"And where exactly can I find them?"
"Oh... if you go straight this street and walk maybe ten blocks you'll find a river. That's a river, right John?"
The other old man nodded and put his tankard down.
"Yes, that's a river. And there's a big bridge there, too. Don't mind the bridge, though, lady. In the middle of the river you'll find an island with a big t-shaped tower. That's where they live. I dunno how they get that huge place cleaned up, but never mind..."
"Thank you very much."
"Anytime!"
Raven took a step back and went to the door.
"Is that all, lady?"
"Uh... actually it's not. Have they ever had six members?"
"No"
"I see..."
"But once they lost a female member, before this Terra chick joined them. I think the girl's name was Raven."
"Keh... stop talking to yourself, the lady left already!", said the old man's companion.
"I wonder how much she heard."
"Enough, I guess..."
And the two elders asked for one more round of beer as the mist and shadows outside engulfed a shivering girl with purple hair.
oOo
He woke up, startled. He had had a very vivid dream, but nothing he could remember clearly. Letting himself fall among his pillows, he closed his olive eyes as an attempt to go back to sleep. No use.
Beast Boy then looked around his messy room. Gosh, one of this days he should clean it! No wonder Terra complained so much about the mess... Speaking of Terra, where was she?
Probably back into her room, he thought. She always go back to her room... Terra totally hated his place...
Beast Boy looked at the digital clock on something that should be a pile of rotting pizza boxes. Three in the morning. Not late, but not that early too... Maybe he could go out and get some fresh air downtown, but he should get dressed first and judging by the white stains in his window, it should be pretty cold out there.
The hard part would be finding warm clothing. The dark green sweater and black pants he found inside an old schoolbag should do it, since it couldn't be freezing outside. The winter was not in its full power yet.
He looked for his wallet. It had been two weeks since he last saw it in that chaotic place. Luckily for him, he never kept his money inside it. He never kept anything in its right place.
Beast Boy opened his room's door silently and walked down the stairs, making sure he wasn't waking nobody up.
It was quite unfair to say he never kept anything in its right place, he thought. For example, he used to clean Raven's room at least once a week. Now it was two months without cleaning it, but everything was in place.
When Beast Boy realized, he was already on the other side of the river, walking up a dark street. There was someone walking in his direction, but it was way too distant and he couldn't tell if it was a girl or a boy. It didn't really matter. If that one tried anything fishy, a green tiger would come. And besides, Beast Boy had more important things to worry about. The events of the day before were quite unexpected...
Now Raven would certainly be far away from them, fury burning her insides as she'd be chanting her usual "Azerath Metrion Zinthos" and trying to forget the pain of being ignored by the ones she considered her friends. At least it is what he thought she'd be doing... what would mean he'd never see her again...
Never...
The one walking down the street was now very close. His could smell a weak flower scent. Violet scent... Raven's scent!
But that one couldn't be Raven! Could it?
Now he could identify the stranger as a girl by the way she walked and by her long hair which waved in the cold air. His heart was beating so hard he felt his chest ache.
After a moment, the girl passed by his side and threw him a glance.
As if the time had stopped, he noticed her purple hair and amethyst expressionless eyes locked on his olive ones. And he also noticed the pale skin and an exotic diamond-shaped scar on her forehead. Her beautiful lips let a cloud of steam escape. Her eyes turned away from his and her lips formed something only he could be able to call a smile.
That was Raven.
Time went back to normal and he woke up from his trance, looking for the girl he missed so much. There she was, entering an alley.
"No you don't, Rae...", he said, and ran after her.
He would never let her go again... he would rather die. He had lost her once, and history would not repeat itself this time. Not this time.
oOo
Weird. What was that feeling? That strange chilly sensation on the back of her head while something inside her burned?
She entered the first alley she saw. That unknown sensation could be a warning, maybe that good-looking green guy was someone from her past. Maybe he was dangerous...
"I hate having to live in 'maybes'", she whispered.
But what if she went back? What if Raven went after him and asked him? Should her?
No, to the Tower first.
She turned around, inattentive, but there was someone between the street and her.
"Raven!", he called, startling the absent-minded girl.
As a reflex action her eyes glowed white, and energy burst out of her, throwing Beast Boy against a wall and causing him to lose consciousness. Raven gasped as she realized what she was doing.
She released her involuntary grasp and let the boy fall to the floor loudly. A moment had passed, but the boy had not gotten up. Fearing the worse, Raven approached him slowly.
She ran her fingers in his dark green hair, trying to imagine how it got its color. All of his skin was green, and she knew so were his eyes.
Did she know him? Better, had she known him?
As she held up his wrist to check if his pulse was normal, she felt something warm soaking his sweater. It was dark, but she could tell it was blood. Raven looked for the wound, but found nothing in his arm. She then noticed the blood came from his glove.
Carefully taking it off, she saw a sharp metal piece piercing the back of his hand. Sighing and cursing the idiotic idea the green one had of scaring her, she took the metal piece off and healed his hand. Thinking of how soft it was and then mentally scolding herself, she put his glove on again and stood. The boy, thanks God, would be alright.
But something was bothering her... why was she so worried? And had he said her name? She was distracted at the time and wasn't sure if she had really heard her name or if it had been only her obsession of finding out her past on Earth.
She could think about it later. Raven sensed something abnormal from the shadows.
"Who's there?", she asked in her trademark monotonous tone.
"Why, Raven, don't you know me?", answered a cold, almost metallic voice.
"How do you know my name?"
"Oh, but I know many things about you. Many things other than simply your name. And let me answer you... my name is Slade."
She had heard that name somewhere, she couldn't only remember where or when. He continued.
"My, my, Raven! How you've grown! Your mother Arella would be very proud of you now..."
Raven was caught by surprise.
"You know my name and you know my mother's name. How?"
"I know it because... I'm your uncle, Raven. Your mother's brother."
Raven's jaw would have dropped if she didn't have so much control over herself. She was surprised, but she also wanted to laugh at him and call him an idiot. He had to be lying, and that was a very stupid lie to tell her.
"I never knew about an uncle. How can I trust you?"
"Oh, I'm sure we have a lot to talk... now, why don't you come with me?"
"And what about this boy?"
"Don't worry about him, Raven. Now, come. I'll explain everything once we are at home. Follow me", he said as he jumped to the next building's roof and kept on going.
There was something strange about that man, and Raven could sense it. But she didn't have a place to stay and that man seemed to know about her. Maybe he was her uncle, after all. Glancing once more to the still boy on a corner of the alley, she took off, hoping it all would be alright.