Chapter Eight
It was the weekend. The weather was delightful, with few clouds. And it wasn't too hot either. The malls were crowded with teenagers, grouped together with their friends. A few loners scoured the places. Beast Boy was amongst them.
After his first date with Raven last night, his expression had brightened to its former self. He was visibly happier, a fact Robin had noted about him that morning. And the changeling was proud of it. Now, he was searching for flowers to give to Raven. He looked for nothing too extravagant, just something that would make a good impression with her. After He found his quarry and purchased it, he hurried out of the mall. While outside, he decided to take a leisurely walk in the park.
He found a bench, out of the way of most areas and sat in it. It was surprisingly comfortable, especially compared to the walking he was doing all day! Now, he let himself catch his breath.
"Things may have changed around here," he muttered aloud, "But I can deal with it."
He smiled at that thought. Just then, he felt a presence of someone behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw it was...Terra! She was dressed in jeans and a decorated T-shirt.
He scowled at her. "What do you want?" he asked tersely.
"This seat taken?" she asked, pointing to the empty space on the bench.
"Knock yourself out." he said, moving Raven's flowers to his lap. In addition to them, he also had a small packet of fertilizer and a bottle of water in a bag. He set these on the ground.
"I need to speak with you about something."
"Like how your geometry class is going?" He didn't even make eye contact.
"I've been having these nightmares, and..."
"About what? Forgetting to study? Showing up to school naked? Missing the bus?"
"Will you shut up and listen, Beast Boy!"
He glared at her. "What is there to say? You're not the girl I thought I knew."
"No, I'm not." she said, sadly. "I kept her buried inside me for a long time. But now, those memories are coming back."
Beast Boy was startled. "So, you are the real you! You are Terra!"
She sighed. "I'm not the Terra you remember. It's a long story."
Beast Boy turned to face her. "Alright, Terra." he began. "We're going to play a little game."
"A game?"
"Yes, a game. It's called 'The Truth'. For two minutes, like you gave me, you will tell me only the truth. And so will I."
"Two minutes?"
"Yep. Starting with how you came back to life." He took about his communicator and set up the 'stopwatch' function. He pressed a few buttons, and then another that beeped.
"Okay, go!" he said.
"Okay. Well, you remember how you told me about Raven and the end of the world and people being stone?"
"Yeah?"
"Well, I think when Raven made everyone normal, it had the same effect on me too."
"Really? So why didn't you come back?"
"I'm getting to that. Anyway, I found my way to the surface and back to an old lair Slade and I used to be at before going to the one you found us at. Anyway, I somehow managed to get that neural suit off me. I got myself a change of clothes there too."
"How'd you get the suit off?"
"I used the computer there. Anyway, I had some time to think about what was next in my life. I figured I couldn't go back to the Titans; not with how I treated you all. So, I decided it was safer to go into hiding."
"One minute ten. What made you think it was safer?"
"Because, I knew Slade was back. I read an article in the newspaper that said that Slade had returned from the dead! I knew he'd want to get at me. So, I thought if I kept a low profile, he wouldn't find me. And as long as I stayed away from the Teen Titans, I'd also be safe from him. And of course, I could now live a normal life, like I always wanted."
"Forty-five seconds. How'd you manage it?"
"I made fake documents about myself. I altered my parent's death certificates, making it seem like they were killed in a disaster or something in the city."
"Wait, you're parents are dead!"
"A long time ago. Believe me, I also want to forget that. Anyway, I suppressed my memories, forgot about the Titans, about Slade, about us, and even about my powers. I was normal! And I had normal friends now."
"Twenty-five seconds. So, where do you live now?"
"I still stay at the lair. Old habits, you know. Besides, I use it so I can have money and food."
"Pretty lousy."
"I know. But, it's a living. I think my time is almost up, huh?"
"Yeah, I think so. But I'll offer an extension."
"Sure."
"Okay. So, why are you telling me all this now?"
"Because, your appearance brought back bad memories. So, I felt I should face those memories. I knew it was better for me to let go and not have anything more to do with the Titans." She placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Beast Boy. But it's like I said, I'm not a Titan anymore. Just a normal girl."
Beast Boy nodded, but then realized something. "Wait a moment. There's something not right about this!"
"What?" Terra asked, shuddering.
"You said you wanted to hide from Slade, right? Well, Slade sent a robot of himself to fight me. So, he already knows about you!"
Tears flowed from her eyes. "Slade didn't send the robot." she muttered.
"What!" Beast Boy exclaimed.
"I did. I wanted you to leave me alone, so I sent the robot to try and make you stop being with me. I'm sorry."
Beast Boy put his communicator away, grabbed the flowers and the bag, and stood up.
"Beast Boy, wait!" Terra cried out, getting up.
He glared at her. "We have nothing left to say to each other. You broke my heart many times already. Now, you show me how low you can sink!"
"No, I..."
"You were right, Terra. The girl I knew died in that cave long ago. I don't know you anymore. And I don't want to know you!"
He stormed off, fuming.
Terra stared at the changeling as he stormed off. Tears were in her eyes. 'Didn't go like I expected.' she thought. 'Fuck, what did I expect?'
Then, she fell to her knees and cried.