Chapter Eleven
Gar flipped over barely dodging a blast of electrical energy that Robyn sent his way. She had a new outfit consisting of black jeans, a yellow shirt, black gloves with yellow designs on them and a new name to go along, Powersurge. It really fit her.
"Come on Gar. What's the matter?" Robyn taunted
"I don't wanna get fried." the changeling replied slipping out of his cloak while Robin caught her breath.
Using her powers was tiring so they were working on endurance. She had also told them (the Outsiders) that draining a person usually made her pass out. So they also were working on finding ways to use her electrical powers as an actual attack
"Heads up!" a voice yelled.
Two rocks flew into view. One carried Jason and the other was glowing a brilliant yellow color. Gar watched him for a moment and resolved to talk with him today.
While his attention was averted Robyn sent a blast of energy at him. He morphed into a rabbit at the last moment and hopped out of the way, his tail getting singed in the process
"Hot, hot, hot!" he yelled turning into a human and rubbing around the canyon frantically.
The other teens all fell over laughing. Robyn even smiled.
"This is embarrassing." a monotone said. Everyone looked up as Raven floated into the canyon.
Today she wore jeans, a tee shirt, and her traditional cloak
"Hey Rae, how's it going?" Jessica called. She let the flames fade from her hands as she walked over to where the girl landed
"Not much, Gar can I talk to you for a moment?"
Gar nodded and followed her out of earshot
"Uh, this doesn't have to do with… last night does it?" he asked nervously "Cause if I does…" he trailed off
"It has nothing to do with that. I was wondering if you would mind me taking Jessica and Robyn to the mall. If they're up to it that is."
"Sure! I don't mind and I know Jess is dying to get away from this place for a little bit. X's been working on a communicator so he can give that to one of them."
"Alright, perfect." Raven said with a smile. She started to walk away then turned to Gar "About last night… I really didn't mind at all. I was just… a little shocked is all."
"I understand. You go tell the girls. I think me and the boys are gonna call it a day." Gar paused then lowered his voice "I was going to ask Jason about… her."
Raven nodded and touched his shoulder "I'm sorry we never found a way to bring her back."
Gar shrugged and watched as Raven talking to the girls.
Jessica gave a yell of excitement and Robyn just nodded slowly. Raven smiled and in a flash of black power the three of them disappeared.
He chuckled and approached Red-X and Jason who were sitting in the shade of a hovering boulder "Guys I think we're gonna call it a day."
"Okay. I'm going to go work some more on another communicator." Red-X said getting to his feet. He fired a grappling hook to the top of the canyon and flew out of view.
"You know he's not a bad guy; just a little independent sometimes." Jason commented flicking a hand. The boulder above him landed softly on the ground
"I know, he never seemed like a real bad guy when I fought him." Gar fell silent as he flew to the top of the canyon carrying Jason with him. Once they were at the peak he set the boy down and morphed back to normal "Jason, can I talk to you?"
"Sure Gar. What about?"
"Did you ever… have any family before I found you? Any parents, brothers, sisters?"
"Ya, I had a sister. But she ran away about four years ago. Why?"
Gar tried to steady his breathing "What was her name?"
"Terra."
Gar nodded wordlessly and slung his cloak over his shoulder "Jason, come with me. There's something I want to show you."
The two teens traveled through a winding series of tunnels and ripped open doorways. Finally they came to the spot. Here the opening was cleared but cobwebs were strung from floor to ceiling. Gar pushed through them and Jason followed a little confused. At the end of the cavern was the dim outline of a statue of some kind
"Did you ever hear from Terra after she ran away?" Gar asked looking around the dim area
"No, she just disappeared. I was looking for her when I met Jessica and X."
Gar nodded and approached the statue. The roses he'd left the last time he was here were wilted pitifully. Dust and cobwebs covered the statue. Gently he brushed it clean
"Hey, look at this." Jason exclaimed kneeling. His fingers touched the outline of the memorial. His lips moved slowly then he read the words out loud "Terra. A Teen Titan. A true friend."
"She was my best friend. We actually went out for a few months. Then… Slade convinced her to switch sides. She betrayed us."
"No! Terra would never do anything like this!" Jason exclaimed. His hands glowed and the layer of rock above them shuddered
"Unfortunately Jason she did. I've never really forgiven myself for it either. She tried to apologize and explain but… I brushed her away. Having her just throw away my trust like that hurt more than anything I've ever felt." he touched the stone girl's face softly "About six months after that she appeared again. This time she was working directly for Slade. She nearly killed us all. But for some reason she turned on Slade. She killed him and accidentally triggered a missive volcano. She stayed behind and managed to stop it."
"But got turned to stone." Jason finished, tears filled his eyes as he stared at the statue "I remember one thing she told me before she left. About our powers. 'We're not freaks. We're just different. We can do anything we want with our powers. We can bring life… or death. It's up to us.' I never really understood what she meant. Now I do."
Gar nodded and placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder in silent comfort.
Jessica flipped through racks of tee shirts with a small smile on her face. Her long black hair swung like a living thing as she looked at clothes. Robyn had been hesitant about looking. Most people forbid her from entering the stores because of her strange looking eyes. But being with Raven and Jessica made her feel a little braver
"You guys getting hungry?" Raven asked walking over with a small bag in one hand "Lunch is on me."
"Sure, I haven't had a hamburger in ages." Jessica exclaimed finally settling on a red tee shirt with a black flame emblem on the front
"Sounds good to me." Robyn agreed looking wistfully at a studded belt. She didn't have any money
"You like?" Raven asked looking down at her
"Ya."
"Don't buy it. I've got a ton at the Tower. More than one person should probably have. I'll give you a couple."
Robyn smiled a little at the older girl "Thanks Raven."
"No problem. Now to the food court!"
Soon the three girls sat at a table munching on hamburgers, French fries, and sipping Cokes
"Life is good." Jessica announced
"I've got no complaints at the moment." Robyn agreed. She stuck a fry in her mouth and chewed slowly.
Suddenly a powerful aurora entered her vision. Robyn's hand flew to cover her eyes even though she knew it would make no difference
"Robyn? You okay?" Jessica asked shaking the girl's shoulder
"No." Robyn groaned.
Raven frowned and leaned over the table. The very tips of her fingers glowed white and she touched Robyn's eyes gently. The harsh black aurora died down but still made her squint
"You saw that?" Raven questioned
"Ya. Who was that?"
Raven's eyes glanced around the food court then pointed across the large area. "Him. He calls himself Shadow."
The boy was tall. Black hair and silver eyes. His clothes were all black except for his jeans which were dark blue and a little baggy. He glanced in their direction and smiled flirtatiously
"Shadow." Robyn said slowly. She rubbed her eyes then turned to Jessica "Maybe we should find out if he has any powers."
"He does." Raven interrupted "He can control darkness as a form of energy."
"And how do you know this?"
"I'm telekinetic. I read his mind." Raven replied sipping her drink nonchalantly.
The two girls looked at each other and smiled
"Think you can arrange a meeting tonight?"
(Okay kinda random there at the end but Shadow is gonna be a cool character. Just let me figure everything out K? Please be patient with me)