raven's magic- Thank you. I hope Slade is as sneaky and annoying as he is in the show. :) Jason- Oh, thanks. Forgot about Hotspot talking. That'll help out down the road. :D Neko- Bwaha, I'd eat my shoe before the Titans East would ever show up. Certain people, yes, but Brother Blood will never be in here, and the only Hive people will be the original three from the first season. Not Bumblebee, tho. I just found her annoying. LM22102- Thank you. Oh, he does? Cool. He needs to be in more shows so people can hear him talking. o.O; VampireSelene- Thank you. :) Glad you like it. psycicflower- Ah, thanks for clarifying. And mebbe I'll start writing out the months instead... in Italian. :D j/k Hey, gotta learn the language somehow. x.x; Cool, hope you like it as it continues... spiracle- Thanks, but there will be cliffhangers in the future. :) gh- Okay seriously, was that just to fill in the name space or did you really intend to write that? Anyway, grazie.

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Chapter 4

The next morning Raven was up and out of her room early. She didn't want to hear from Slade again anytime soon.

When she entered the living room, she found Robin already sitting at the table, slowly eating his breakfast. The girl went to the fridge without a word and searched for something to eat. She pulled out a carton of milk and made herself a bowl of cereal. Raven sat on the other side of the table as far away from the boy as possible. Sure, she had accepted his apology – or what he was trying to pass as an apology – but that didn't mean she had to speak to him.

The dark girl slowly ate her breakfast, churning things over in her mind. Raven knew Slade wasn't just talking to her because he wanted to make her feel lonely or insignificant. He was up to something. She had to be careful when he contacted her. The girl looked at Robin. He seemed to be off in his own little world, eating in a mechanical fashion. Raven wondered if he knew she talked to Slade. She wanted to tell her friends about it so badly, but she knew that was impossible. The girl knew exactly how that would play out: She would tell her friends Slade had talked to her. After they got over their surprise, they'd ask what he had talked about. Raven would just shrug and say it was something about not having friends, but they would keep pressing her until they knew exactly what was said. That would mean she would have to admit one or more of her secrets. Raven was not willing to do that. Slade knew it, too. That's why he was being so bold, she figured. The girl also wondered how he knew so much. Did he know more than her own friends? Raven shuddered at the thought. Hopefully not.

As she ate, she realized Slade was right about one thing: she had almost nothing in common with everyone else. They didn't like her taste in books, she didn't like their tastes in movies, games, or music. They liked hanging out together having a loud, fun time while she preferred quiet times just to read or meditate. It did seems like the other Titans were closer. She was the different one. Raven knew that. The whole team knew that. And...wait! The girl shook her head trying to expel the thought. She couldn't assume Slade was right on anything. Ever. She had already known the Titans shared little interest with her long before Slade had ever mentioned it. However, Starfire occasionally meditated with her and she sometimes tagged along with the alien girl to the mall. She was closer to Starfire than any of the boys, but it was not like the dark girl hated them. Well, maybe Beast Boy, but not the others. Raven wondered if Slade's words wouldn't torment her as much if she were closer with the boys.

Raven put down her spoon and looked over at Robin.

"Hey, do you want help training today?" she asked slowly. The boy gave an unintelligible grunt as he stared off into space. Quickly he shook his head and looked at his teammate.

"Oh, sorry, Raven. I didn't see you there," Robin apologized, rubbing an eye. "Did you say something?" The dark girl opened her mouth, then paused.

"No," she sighed. Raven went back to eating, leaving Robin to slip back into his thoughts.

-

A few hours later, Beast Boy entered the living room to find Raven reading on a couch and Robin pacing the floor.

"Has Star come back yet?" the green boy asked. He walked over and sat on the back of the semicircular couch.

"No," growled Robin, furiously marching up and down his little path. "She said she'd be back this morning."

"Dude, it's only nine o'clock. Chill," Beast Boy said, pleasantly swinging his legs. "She's got until like... one, or something." Raven glanced up at him, then rolled her eyes.

"You're worrying over nothing," she spoke up, lowering the book so her face wasn't buried in the pages. "Starfire will come home in a couple of hours and everything will go back to normal." Her words gave Robin little comfort. The dark girl could see both the boys were worried for Starfire. She knew they all cared for the alien – she was their teammate. Raven wondered if they would worry about her if she were gone. The girl shook her head. Of course they would worry about her.

"If she's not back this afternoon, we're going looking for her," said Robin determinedly. Raven rolled her eyes. The girl didn't know why, but she couldn't stand being in that room anymore. Closing the book, she stood up and slipped out. The two boys never even noticed her leave.

Raven walked aimlessly around the tower for awhile and soon ended up in the garage. Cyborg was there working on the T-car. When he saw her he stopped what he was doing.

"Hey. Is Star back yet?"

"No," the dark girl said quickly, a hint of annoyance slipping into her tone. "Why, are you worried, too?" Cyborg shrugged.

"Just askin'." He went back to his work.

"Good, because Robin's worried enough for all of us."

"Yep," he laughed, "makes ya edgy, doesn't it?" When Raven didn't reply the boy again stopped fiddling with the engine and looked at her.

"Raven, is everything okay?"

"I'm fine," she snapped before walking out. She marched all the way outside and sat on a large rock next to the water. The dark girl tucked her knees under her chin and sighed. Why was this getting to her? It annoyed her that the boys were overly-worried. Maybe because she thought it was ridiculous – Starfire could take care of herself and would be back soon. Maybe she thought it was childish for them to be so overprotective of her. Maybe she was just... no. The dark girl definitely was not jealous of Starfire's attention. Raven couldn't be. She just needed to meditate. The girl crossed her legs and floated into the air.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos..." she chanted. Her mind cleared and she felt herself slowly calming down. Suddenly her thoughts flashed back to her last conversation with Slade. He said her friends brought out her strongest emotions and for that they were a hindrance. He even mentioned jealousy. But why was she jealous over Starfire's attention? Raven never wanted a lot of attention before. Now, though, she felt different. She didn't know what she wanted. The dark girl only hoped to prove Slade wrong. However, that was becoming a challenging task.

Awhile later Raven heard Beast Boy's distinct, clumsy footsteps approaching. He stopped a few feet behind her.

"Um..."

"What do you want?" the girl snapped.

"Robin's calling everyone together. We're leaving."

"Where are we going?" asked Raven.

"After Starfire," Beast Boy replied. The dark girl opened her eyes.

"You've got to be kidding me," she muttered to herself. Raven set her feet on the rocky ground and returned to the tower. The girl didn't know why, but Robin's attitude was bothering her. She marched into the living room, Beast Boy at her heels.

"There you are," Robin said. "It's almost noon and Starfire hasn't returned. We're going to the T-ship."

"This is ridiculous," announced Raven. "Why are you suddenly so worried about Starfire? You've never been like this before." Her eyes blazed beneath her hood.

"You're the one who's different, Raven," the masked boy replied. "You've never been so mad before."

"I'm mad because I don't like being disturbed when I try to meditate!" she exclaimed. Suddenly she stopped short. Madness... Slade had mentioned that, too. Raven slowly backed up toward the door.

Beast Boy looked at her questioningly. "Raven, is everything okay?"

"Why is everyone asking me that?" she screamed. Both boys jumped back quickly. "Fine, if you want to go, go. But I'm staying here!" With that she turned and stomped out. Robin and Beast Boy exchanged frightened expressions.

A few minutes later as the dark girl sat in her room, she heard the sound of the T-ship taking off. It made the entire tower shudder. Her room fell dark as thick smoke shrouded her window. With a sigh she pulled her hood over her head and walked out of her room, book in hand. Raven sat in the living room and opened the story to the bookmarked page. But she quickly found it difficult to read. As much as she wanted to forget that whole morning, she couldn't. Especially because it made Slade sound even more right. Why did he have to be right? Still, no matter what he said, Raven couldn't trust him. Ever.

Suddenly the girl remembered the communicator hidden in her room. She would have to find it and destroy it. The dark girl set the book on a table and returned to her room. First she looked under her bed.

"Did they all leave you?" a voice spoke up, shattering the silence and making the girl jump. It wasn't coming from beneath her bed. She stood up and began slowly walking around the edge of her room. She didn't feel like answering him this time. Slade didn't seem bothered by her silence.

"Such devotion they have for their teammate. It makes you wonder: would they act the same in your case?"

"Of course," Raven hissed. She had planned on giving Slade the silent treatment the whole time, but for some reason she couldn't hold her tongue any longer. He seemed to want to provoke her into an argument. And she fell for it.

"My dear, why are you so quick to defend them? It's a charitable thing to do... but they're undeserving," he replied. Raven began the slow search of her bookcases. She would have to pull out and flip through every single book. But to get Slade out of her room, it was worth it.

"You don't owe them anything, Raven."

I owe them everything, the dark girl thought. She wasn't going to argue with him, for the man knew how to twist words to make it seem that he was right.

"Think about it. Robin, Cyborg, Beast Boy. Who do you think they would rather hang out with: a friendly, encouraging spirit – or a somber, moping presence?" Slade asked. Raven slammed a book onto the shelf. As much as she wanted to keep silent, she couldn't.

"I don't mope! I choose not to be social!"

"Then why bother having friends? You spend half your time ignoring them, and the other half shutting them out. You don't trust them with your secrets. You barely even like them. All they do is toy with your emotions, making you work harder to control your powers. My dear, why do you even stay?"

"Obviously you've never had friends," growled Raven.

"What friends?" Slade practically laughed. "I know what real friends are supposed to be, and your teammates are not friends. They regard you as different. A freak. Have they even offered to do what you wanted to do? They watch their movies, play their games, go to their favorite spots, and all you can do is tag along or stay by yourself." Raven hesitated. That was true. They played volleyball, football, or some other group sport Raven wasn't interested in. The boys always rented their action movies – which the girl wasn't fond of. She didn't mind the horror movies, but the boys rarely rented those. However, that one movie had made her so scared that she lost control of her powers. To this day she blamed that on Beast Boy.

She shook her head. She couldn't allow Slade to be right. The dark girl continued her search through her books.

"Why are you trying to discredit my friends?" demanded Raven, stressing the last word. She had reached the end of one row and picked the first book from the lower shelf.

"I'm doing no such thing. I am presenting you with the facts that you have always known but never wanted to admit. For some reason you wish to cling to the futile dream of friendship," Slade said briskly.

"Friendship is a reality that escapes you," the girl replied bitingly. "I doubt you could get a friend even if you tried." To that Slade just laughed. Suddenly she found it – the communication device. It was attached to the back of a figurine used as a bookend. Raven pulled it off and just held it in her hand.

"I don't need friends, Raven. And neither do you." The dark girl hesitated a moment before crushing the device with her powers.

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Next update: September... 11-ish, 12-ish... somewhere around there.