By InsanelyHappy
A/N: It took me a long time, but I've finally gotten around to completing another chapter. I found this lying around on my computer, so I figured that I may as well post it up. I'm pretty busy lately with work and school, but I promise to try to update. I do hate to leave a story unfinished.
Disclaimer: I do not own Teen Titans in any way or form.
Twisted Shadows
Chapter Three: Glimmers of Hope
As the gray light of dawn seeped through the window, a girl stirred in her bed. A week had passed since that fateful day on the roof. A week full of nightmares, and of dreams with a gentle voice promising salvation.
This time, the nightmare consisted of swarms of grasshoppers crawling across Raven's skin, their wings clicking busily in her ears. Scratching legs pressed against her arms. Her eyes were open, and all she could see were the little green and brown insects, their beady black eyes staring at her with malice. Opening her mouth to scream, Raven choked and gagged as the insects swarmed into her mouth, crawling down her throat and filling her lungs.
"Come to me," urged that gentle feminine voice, and for a brief instant Raven could see a pale, elegant hand stretched towards her. Much though Raven wished to obey, the collective weight of the grasshoppers weighed her limbs down, making it impossible to move. "Come to me. . ." the voice whispered, before fading beneath the infernal buzzing of the insects.
Raven's lungs were bursting now, screaming for air and violently shuddering against the progress of the grasshoppers. Vessels in her brain were exploding, and still she could do nothing. Tears streamed down her face, to be lapped up greedily by her tormentors.
Raven woke with a start, the now familiar cry on her lips. Coughing fitfully, she felt something fly from her mouth. She stared with dread, and there it was, just as she knew it would be. A single grasshopper lay among her bed sheets, gazing up at her coldly. Sobbing in disgust, Raven stumbled from her bed, tripping in her haste and crashing to the ground. There she lay for some time, shuddering on the floor as silent sobs wracked her body.
"I can't take this anymore!" she gasped finally, wiping her watering eyes on her arm. Moaning, she forced herself to her feet, and crept over to the mirror on her bed stand. A cool basin of water sat beside it, shimmering in the dull gloom. Slipping her trembling hands into the water, Raven splashed it onto her face. This act had become somewhat of a ritual over the last week. Letting the droplets of liquid drip from her face, Raven stared into the mirror. A pale face looked back at her, with eyes that spoke of haunted dreams. Dark shadows played across this face, a testimony to the horrors that had played in her mind.
For a week, the nightmares had come. Each was different, and yet the same. The first had come in the form of fire, the second in an avalanche of stone. In the third Raven had drowned in a sea of sand, and in the next she had found herself bound like a mummy of ancient Egypt. And so the visions had continued, and always she perished in a horrible manner, powerless to save herself. And still, there was a glimmer of hope. The voice. Always, a woman's voice promised to help Raven, urging her to come.
A bitter smile crept across Raven's reflection. What a laugh. No one could help her, and that was the truth. She had thought of telling the other Teen Titans. They were, after all, the closest thing that she had to a real family. But always, something deep within Raven stopped her. What would they say? Perhaps they would think she was crazy. Raven grimaced. Maybe that was true. If she couldn't trust her friends, who could she trust?
The image of the caring hand from her nightmare, a glimmer of hope that reached out to help her, flashed through her mind. Shaking her head, Raven banished such notions. No. This was something that she would just have to face alone. Dressing quickly, Raven shouldered the weight of her burden, lifting her chin defiantly.
"I'll do this alone," Raven ground out in determination, as if saying it aloud would make everything alright again. Squaring her shoulders, she stepped from the relative safety of her room, and met the day.
The morning passed rather uneventfully, the only scare coming when Silkie, Starfire's unusual pet larvae, found the left over glabnak. Had not Robin intervened, there could have been a giant, mutated Silkie problem sitting in their living room. Luckily, that incident passed without mishap. For her part, Raven spent the morning curled up in a comfortable chair, her nose buried in a book. Just when she was really starting to get into the story, the silence was shattered as the alarm sounded, and the lights began to flash red.
Robin was the first to respond, as per usual. "Titans, trouble!"
As the group of teenagers assembled, Cyborg noted, "Looks like the alert came from the Jump City Correctional Facility, over on the East side." Squinting at the computer screen, he continued, "Says here that Gizmo, Jinx and Mammoth broke out of there about five minutes ago. "
Robin smirked. "Well, then let's go put them back."
A/N: And that's the end of that chapter. Pretty short, I know, but all of my chapters basically are. Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think; I'd love to hear it. I'm always trying to improve, so any suggestions would be appreciated. If you see any spelling mistakes, etc., please let me know so that I can fix them. Thanks.