Raven wasn't sure how long she had stayed within the cavern for, but the skylight told her that the day had passed by. She stood, stomach growling, and realised as poetic as it would be, she couldn't remain in the chamber indefinitely. She didn't bother trying to find her way out of the place's many tunnels, teleporting instead to the streets above.
She walked quickly back towards the centre of the city. She had no money, having left it all in the café in Gotham, and no plan other than a need to eat and find new clothes. She doubted the citizens of this city would be of any more help to her than they had been at Gotham, but unlike the previous city, the streets were almost silent. Calm and peaceful. Everything that had been missing from Gotham City.
She wandered down the road labelled 'Main Street', sticking close to the front of the building in an attempt to avoid the orange glow of the street lamps. Raven wasn't in any rush as she studied the objects displayed in the windows, some familiar while others so very different and – in her eyes – frivolous. She had heard of Earth's greed and needless extravagance but she had never expected it to encompass so much. It was like a whole different world to the empath. Lavish rugs, furniture of expensive leathers and wools, clothes that cost just as much as a deposit on a small flat. In Azarath, goods were sold in tiny open-air stalls, taken home with their keepers at the end of the day. Here everything sat behind iron cages, proud on their displays behind such tiny attempts at security. She didn't want thousand-dollar clothes – she didn't really want to take anything at all if she could help it, still hoping to stumble upon a set up like they'd had at home.
"Not home. You don't belong anywhere. You never will."
The dark voice made her jump, having been quiet since she landed in the city. She rolled her eyes at it, and felt mildly better. True, she could no longer consider Azarath home, but that didn't mean she couldn't make another one.
As she stared into a shop window displaying various gadgets of the like Raven hadn't seen before, she picked up a feeling of excitement that certainly didn't belong to her. It was quickly followed by anxiety, a contradiction in Raven's book. How could one be both anxious and excited? She followed the emotions, having seen no one else on the street, until they sat heavy on her tongue. It led her to an alleyway. While much cleaner than the kind in Gotham, she was still hesitant to enter, taking her time to study the shops either side. One seemed to stock entirely kitchen utensils, from tiny spoons to large whisk set ups Raven couldn't even begin to fathom the use of. The other shop wasn't displaying anything, a metal blind covering the front wall. It attracted her attention as odd, unable to understand what they could possibly be hiding.
She let her gaze move down the alley, quickly picking out three figures, all as different as day and night. The girl caught her attention first, her cotton-candy pink hair like a beacon in the dark. She was stood in front of a side door that led into the covered shop, one hand on the door handle. She was flanked by two boys. The calmest of the pair was easily over six feet tall and towered over both his companions, almost filling the space between the buildings, he broadness of his shoulders and his thick muscles seeming to add to his height. It was in stark contrast to the other male, the source of the feelings of anxiety, who couldn't have even been four feet tall, his head bald while the other supported a mane of auburn hair.
"This is so stupid."
Raven watched the girl pull back on the door handle a few times before stepping back.
"We've got to find another way in."
"What other way?" The smaller boy asked irritably. "Through the metal screen? Do you even know how much noise that would make? Why the hell aren't your hexes working?"
Carefully, she made her way down the alley, the shadows almost sticking to her, hiding her from immediate attention – not that they were looking for anyone, too focused on their own problems.
"Because I can't control them like that, dummy. I don't tell them what to do, it's completely down to chance. Like Mario Cart racing. Sometimes you get the invincibility star, and other times you get the stupid banana peel you slip on yourself on the next lap. You know that."
"How about a window?" The larger boy offered. "You two can go in and pass stuff to me."
"Do you even see an uncovered window, clutch head?" The other boy asked harshly.
"Will both of you just shut up? This was meant to be an easy job! If we can't do this, the Headmistress will have our hides!"
Desperation. It was an emotion Raven knew well herself, but had rarely felt from others. She also knew a threat when she heard one. She had stepped forward before she even realised what she'd done. Raven didn't like feeling hopeless. While she couldn't do anything about her own problems right now, she could always help others. The empath stopped hesitating and walked up to the door, ignoring the shock she felt from the strangers at her sudden appearance.
Growing up she'd known very few locked doors. The first one she'd come across had been when she was eight. The leader of Azarath, head of the Temple and her teacher, Azar III, had passed away the week before, and someone had decided to lock her chambers in the Temple until the time of mourning had passed. Staring at the thick, wooden door, a door in her mind that would be forever closed, it'd taken her an hour to realise she could use her soul self to tweak the lock mechanism and open the door – a more preferable option to teleporting or making her body intangible, both she had been yet to master.
Looking at the lock in front of her now, she repeated the technique, touching the tips of her fingers to the keyhole and releasing a small amount of her soul self, feeding it through until she found what she thought to be one of the tiny cogs, turning it and unlatching the lock. She pushed the door open, the feelings of the teenagers behind her going from alarm to suspicion.
She hadn't even managed to turn to look at them before she was slammed into the wall. Raven closed her eyes, quickly muttering her mantra under her breath. She did not want a repeat performance of Gotham.
"Do we know you?" The girl's voice was harsh and accusing.
Raven opened her eyes, surprised at how close the stranger was. The hands holding her shoulders against the wall were pure white, her eyes shocking pink, like her hair. Nothing about her expression was inviting. Her companion stood behind her, towering over them, no doubt waiting to provide her with backup if needed.
"I... you looked like you needed assistance." She tried to shrink back into the wall, the hard surface failing to give. She didn't like being close to people. Close meant more chance of something going wrong.
The girl looked back at her companions. "I've got this," She momentarily released Raven with one hand to wave them into the building, before retaking her stance. "You're obviously not from around here."
That too sounded like a threat. She really didn't want a fight. "Is it that obvious? I thought I blended in well."
Her scowl twitched into a smile, the girl letting go of Raven. "Alright, I'll give you that one. What do you want? An audition? In on the profits? What?"
The change of tone – and the quick shift of the girl's emotions – left Raven two steps behind. "I don't think I understand."
The girl huffed, taking a step back, before asking her slowly, "Why help? You've got to be hoping to get something out of it."
"I…" She paused, not entirely sure why she had herself. They were obviously thieves – a crime that had a serious punishment in Azarath. Though a few in the past had made it to the Temple and called for safety, they could not step off the temple grounds without being arrested, no matter how long they had been there. She had definitely never been taught to aid such people with their crimes. Raven studied the girl from her peculiar hairstyle to her platform boots before offering, "Pink just happens to be my favourite colour."
It wasn't a complete lie, and the only answer that had come to her. It must have been the right answer, the girl in front of her physically relaxing, a cheshire grin lighting up her face.
"I like you. You know what you're talking about. I'm Jinx." The girl waited to a response.
"Raven." The empath was taken back. Apart from the server at the café in Gotham, no one had spoken to her with such openness. The citizens of Gotham had mocked or openly fear her, just from her appearance. The Justice League hadn't done much better, though she couldn't entirely blame them for their doubts. Jinx however...
""Well then Raven, since you oh so kindly helped up break in, we'll split some of the goods your way. If you join the heist."
She wanted to say no. She had been raised to abide rules, to follow the morals that the Monks of Azarath taught her, to avoid any action that would lead her closer to her father and the sins he favoured. But she was also lonely and she liked how quickly the woman had gone from distrusting here as a stranger, to inviting her on board. It almost made her feel normal. For the first time since finding Azar's door locked, she gave in to temptation with a small, dark smile.
"It would be rude to say no."
The girl grinned, before adding, "And you know, you could hand round for a while afterwards. If you're not in too much of a rush."
Raven had never been asked to hang out before. She had been accepted on Azarath – no one had openly treated her with fear; however, she had never really spent time with anyone around her age, had never been invited to spend time with them. Her thoughts moved to the large cavernous rooms that she had – at some point – decided would be her shelter. It was the last place she wanted to go back to, if she could avoid it.
"That would be... nice."
"Well, what are you waiting for then? This joint aint gonna rob itself!" The girl headed inside, Raven hesitating again at the open door.
What if it was doing the wrong thing? If this would just lead her closer to the end – an end where she didn't try to put up a fight? She glanced inside the building but no one was paying attention to her – it would have been so easy to slowly walk away. To go back to her original plan, not that it had been much of a plan. She looked back inside, watching as Jinx sent a wave of pink energy to a glass case, the cheering as it shattered. They were metahumans – or at least had some form of power. She had found the Justice League because she didn't want to fight the future on her own. They had turned her down. Raven realised, with a small smile, that just because the heroes of the Earth hadn't accepted her plea, it didn't mean she couldn't source a team of her own.
She walked into the building, trying to ignore the twinge of guilt she felt at the back of her mind, and took in what everyone was doing. Jinx quickly pointed her out to her companions, her introduction brief.
"Rae, Mammoth and Gizmo. Guys, Rae."
She turned her back again as quick as that, her focus caught on a jewel within one of the cabinets. The larger of the boys smiled at her while the other quickly dismissed her with a grunt and a short, "You better not set off any alarms."
Raven had no idea what she was doing. She decided to stick close by Jinx, watching as she broke into one of the cabinets, careful not to touch certain parts of the case and trying to use the pink energy to open the locks. It didn't take the empath long to figure out what the shop specialised in. From rings to necklaces and watches, everything was displayed in neat little cases. Those that had price labels finished in three, if not four '0's. Jinx cleaned the cabinet before looking at her new shadow.
"Do you even know what you're doing?"
"Not really," Raven admitted quietly.
The girl's brow arched, "First time? Alright, rule one – keep quiet. You never know who's gonna be in hearing range and we don't want to attract attention. Rule two, take whatever you can get your hands on. Don't matter what it is – it'll be going to a fence and the more we have the better the profit will be. Three – if you think it's alarmed, leave it to Gizmo. Or me." She made a shooing motion with her hands before moving to the next cabinet along.
Mammoth – the largest of the three – ripped the drawer off the cash register while Gizmo tampered with a safe he'd found behind a wall panel. Slowly, she moved to the other side of the room and some tall glass display cases. There were several pieces of Jewellery within the case, all adorned with large clear stones. She silently debated with herself before carefully opening a small portal, just large enough for her hand, on the glass. She grabbed the pieces easily. She didn't hesitate so much at the next one.
The group managed to work without triggering any alarms and the easy at which Raven was getting past the security measures didn't go unnoticed. They'd filled the two backpacks before Jinx decided to call it a job well done.
The pink-haired thief motioned everyone to follow her, carefully looking out the door before waving them into the alleyway, happy no one was around to see them. She shut the door behind her and grinned.
"Told you it was an easy job."
"Still got to get back yet," Gizmo muttered.
"We're currently staying on the east side of town, the old industrial estate," Jinx told Raven as though it explained Gizmo's concerns.
"I'm... new to the city. Arrived earlier today." Raven saw no reason not to share than information, and felt it was better than trying to pretend she knew Jump City, only to look foolish later.
"You really aren't from around here then?" Jinx looked at her in surprise. "What brings you to Jump?" She asked before recalling where they were, quickly adding, "You know what, hold that thought till we're back to our base."
Jinx looked back up the alley at the street again, before turning and walking in the other direction, expecting everyone to follow her. They kept off the main roads as much as they could, not that Raven thought it mattered. There were very few cars about and even fewer people. Raven followed their lead and kept quiet, trailing at the back of the group until a weird glow caught her attention.
She wasn't the only one who saw it, Gizmo also coming to a stop. "What is that?"
The glow grew brighter, and they realised whatever it was, it was coming in from the sky and moving very fast. Raven's first instinct was to call it a shooting star, though she'd never heard of any bright green stars, stationary or otherwise.
"Could it be a comet?" Jinx asked, and Gizmo shook his head.
"It's too close to the earth. Would have broken up in the atmosphere by now if it was space debris."
They stayed tucked into the mouth of an alleyway as the object continued growing closer, Mammoth finally asking, "Don't think it's Green Lantern, do you?"
"Why would he? This isn't his turf," Jinx said.
The three thieves were oblivious to Raven's reaction as the girl paled, her hands clenching into fists. Would they really come after her, all the way across America? She fidgeted as she remembered the car crash that she'd caused – not than an exploding car could be called a crash – and wondered if the cult member had survived. If not, and they linked the death off the man in the alleyway to her as well, they would have more than enough reason to pursue her. After all, isn't that what demons do? Kill? They hadn't been convinced of her plea at the time – they certainly wouldn't if they had found out what she'd done.
The green light continued to fall towards the city at a frightening speed until it was close enough for the four teenagers to hear a strange humming noise. Raven tried to pick out the shape of the green hero within the glow while Jinx, Mammoth and Gizmo nervously backed up, the small boy declaring,
"It isn't slowing down! Whatever it is, it's gonna crash."
The ground shook as it hit the floor a few blocks away, Mammoth covering his ears from the noise. A huge cloud of dust, illuminated green, was thrown up into the air. Silence hung for a second, followed by numerous screams, people pouring out into the streets as the four watched from their alleyway. The sound of multiple sirens followed shortly after.
"Think it's time we disappeared," Jinx announced. "No one will be looking at us, we'll go the quickest route back – forget about the back alleys."
She moved onto the street, into the crowd of people who had gathered outside their flats. No one batted an eyelid as she started to carve her route through, Mammoth and Gizmo hot on her tail. Raven continued to stare at the dust still in the air. She had relaxed, happy that someone belonging to the Justice League would be able to conduct a proper landing, and it had left room for curiosity. If it wasn't Green Lantern, what in Azar's name was it?
The trio had noticed she wasn't following and had stopped, Mammoth – tall enough to see over the people in the street – trying to grab her attention. Slow she joined them, asking, "Don't you want to know what it is?"
"Nope. It'll be on the news in the morning." Jinx told her. "Come on. We're not waiting for you if you're staying."
She let herself have one more look before keeping close behind Mammoth as he cleared a path up the street
(….)
The trio's self-proclaimed base was within the basement of an old abandoned factory. It was clear that had altered some of the structure for their needs, the place smelling heavily of wet paint and cement, but it was nowhere near finished.
"We haven't been here long," Jinx told her as they moved down a pure white corridor. "Security's running though. Don't think about trying to enter this place on your own, not unless you've got a death wish."
"They're my best traps yet," Gizmo grinned happily.
"There's a kitchen, and wash facilities. Feel free to make yourself at home while you are here, just don't touch any of the tech lying about."
"Or the second shelf in the fridge. That's mine." Mammoth stared down at Raven as they walked.
The empath just nodded before asking, "Before you got into that shop, you mentioned something about a headmistress? You're part of a school?"
"Don't you dare," Gizmo quickly glared at Jinx before she could respond. "You know the rules."
"Oh, come on – I like her. Besides, you saw the way she worked tonight. Think of the possibilities!"
Raven wasn't sure how she felt about them talking as though she wasn't there but didn't say anything. It wasn't the first time. The Monks of Azarath had often spoken about her, her progress or her failures, as though she hadn't been stood next to them.
"Think of the consequences! You know what happens to people who break the rules, and it aint anything good."
Jinx let out an irritated sigh before turning her focus back on Raven. They'd reached the end of the corridor, the space opening out into a large sitting area. A TV hung up on the wall, what furniture they had covered in sheets, no doubt to protect it from the paint she could still smell. "So back to my earlier question. What brought you to Jump?"
The girl was as naive to be so honest again. Following the reactions from the Justice League, she doubted the information would gain her favours anywhere. If she wanted help, she would have to go about it in a different way. "There... were some things I needed to get away from. I didn't choose Jump City in particular, it's just where I ended up."
"You're a run away?" Mammoth asked, hovering beside the two girls.
Raven thought about that before nodding. She had certainly run from the Justice League. She didn't like the idea that she had run away from Azarath but she had certainly decided to leave it behind. "Something like that."
"Where are you from?" Jinx asked, Mammoth happily sharing,
"I'm from outside the USA."
"Just tell her everything about us, why don't you." Gizmo rolled his eyes and moved away from them towards a computer. "You're all a liability. I don't know why I hang round with you."
Raven looked from the small boy to Jinx. "I'd rather not tell you, if it's all the same to you. Gizmo isn't wrong. I don't know you well enough for that."
The girl shrugged, taking the backpack Mammoth had been carrying before removing her own. "Suit yourself." She emptied both bags out on the floor, a smile reappearing on her face as she studied what they'd stolen. "I bet we've got more than our quota's worth here."
It didn't take long for Gizmo to re-join them at her words. He quickly studied the pile, picking up an item to study before dropping it back in the pile and choosing another. "Didn't bother to check them in the shop but they're good quality. The stones in the safe were as well."
"Think we should put a bit aside to help with this place?"
"I dunno, I mean, think about the rewards we'd get if we dragged all this in." Gizmo stood back up. "This would get us close to the top of class, and that means better future assignments." He looked at Raven and scowled, as though just remembering she was there. The empath just stared back, her expression blank.
It didn't take him long to look away, muttering to Jinx, "I hate it when you invite guests."
"If you weren't so boring, I wouldn't need to." She quipped, before motioning to the pile at her feet. "As promised Raven, take a few items as your contribution."
She frowned, not sure what she could possibly do with such trinkets. "You keep them. I don't need it."
"You need something to live off, right?" Jinx asked.
"She said she didn't want it," Gizmo quickly pointed out, not giving the stranger a second chance as he picked out and carefully studied two loose stones, one a deep green and the other red. "That should be enough for me to start on a semi-decent workshop. And let me add to my computer system."
Jinx didn't even look at him as he put them aside and continued to look through the pile, her attention still on Raven. "Where are you living at the moment?"
"This abandoned building. Across town. I have shelter."
"And food? Water? If your squatting, you need the money. I'll even get you in contact with our fence. He pays up quickly so you won't be waiting long."
She shook her head. "No, thank you. If I need anything I'm sure I'll find a way of... acquiring it when I need it."
"You're crazy," Mammoth mumbled, and Jinx found herself agreeing with him.
"You must be fairly new with this run-away gig, right? No one who has been on the streets for more than a few days would turn this kind of money down. A few of those items and you could have a good amount in your bank."
Azarath had had a bank. Not that Raven had ever had access. Both her and her mother had lived off what was provided at the Temple of Azar. She wondered if they worked in the same way. After all, Azarath had been founded by people from Earth. While it had developed its own customs, she didn't see why some things wouldn't be similar. "I don't have one. A bank, that is. Don't you need some sort of identification?"
"That was your first robbery, yet you opened that locked door with no struggle and you managed to clean out some of the big money cases without getting the alarms sorted – which, by the way, I told you to do. You're obviously American, going of your accent, but you have no bank account or – from what you said – ID. Did you leave it all at home? Spur of the moment run?" Jinx studied her, trying to figure the girl out. When Raven didn't answer, she told her, "At least stay here for the night. We have heating, aircon, a spare mattress and plenty of food."
"Say what?" Gizmo snapped. "Sure, she did a good job and we're all grateful but stay here? What's the point in having a secret base if you're just going to invite people over?"
"You've secured the base and I doubt the location is going to do her any good." Jinx scowled at him.
The small boy drew in a deep breath and tried to make himself look bigger than he was, ready to argue with the girl before he deflated, throwing both Jinx and Raven a glare. "One night. But don't think that means I like you."
"Just ignore him," Jinx told her as he made his exit. "Giz hasn't been on the streets. Sometimes you've got to stick together, right? Not like there's much help out there."
"Gizmo mentioned future assignments. I take it this is from the school he doesn't want you talking about?"
"It's... complicated," Jinx shrugged. "We're not supposed to talk about it." She snagged one of the backpacks off the floor before crouching down and beginning refill it with the various jewels and items of jewellery. "No doubt you've noticed that most people don't have a lot of use for us meta-humans? This place does."
"If you're not supposed to talk about it, don't." Raven told her as she took the other backpack, absentminded filling it with a mere gesture of her hand, her dark energy collecting the items from their robbery and moving them into the bag. She zipped it up before handing it to Jinx.
"Here's the thing though. You've obviously got skills; you've got nowhere to go... maybe we could get you a place? At the school?"
"Gizmo is gonna kill you," Mammoth muttered, deciding the leave the pair alone, not wanting to get involved. "I'm gonna cook some food."
"That... depends on the school." Raven told her slowly. She had come to earth looking for help after she Monks had made it clear they would not intervene in 'fate's plan', despite that plan also including Azarath's potential destruction. The Justice League had also turned her away, putting an end to back up plan. "What does it do?"
She wasn't completely full of pride, and had enough humility to recognise that if she truly intended on fighting the evil that would soon be coming to rule over Earth and it's dimension – fighting her father - she would need help. She wondered if this apparent school of meta humans could help her find that help.
Jinx stood, happy she had put everything back in own bag and zipped it up before dumping both by her feet.
"We're trained to fight, and to use weapons, and stealth tactics and... It's hard to explain. People who graduate do everything from bounty hunting to assassinations, to running criminal organisations to secret work with the government. During this, they feed us and give us somewhere to sleep. One team who graduated got into some serious black ops work. It's not all petty theft," Jinx grinned. "We get sent out every now and then to test our skills though. Employers expect us to be intimidating, quiet, adaptable for just about any situation."
"And you? Your pink energy? Exactly what is it you do?" Raven asked.
The girl dipped into a dramatic bow. "Mistress of bad luck, at your service." She straightened up and grinned. "My hexes cause things to break or stop working or... I guess increase probability that something is going go wrong. Though I am also a skilled acrobat, martial artist and I know my way around a decent amount of tech – not that it likes me. They try and keep us well-rounded."
"Your powers make things worse for other people?" Raven asked.
"And sometimes me, too. But yeah, in short. I was trying to get the lock to break when you found us. Thing is, sometimes it works and sometimes it just jams everything up and makes it worse." Jinx blushed slightly at admitting she didn't exactly have control of her abilities.
"So, you think I would... manage at this school? How big is it?"
"I dunno, but there's quite a lot of students. A few different grades. I'm in a class of thirty." Jinx quickly moved on, not seeing the importance of the question. "Look you said you didn't want any payment but what about this instead? Getting you a spot in the school. I mean you could team up with us if you wanted to?"
Raven thought back over what the girl had said the school does. Although working for a government in itself didn't sound like a bad thing, the rest of the 'career options' didn't sound promising – at least she couldn't see the monks approving of such things. "Do I have time to think about it?"
"Sure. I mean, you're staying tonight, right? Sleep on it and let us know in the morning. But unless you've got an outstanding resume and a few cushy jobs lined up, you do realise people here don't tend to take too well to people like us. Not just the powers but our ah... unnatural complexions."
When Raven had planned to move to earth, she hadn't considered how she was to get the materials to live. The possibility of needing a job certainly hadn't crossed her mind. "I don't have a resume. I don't even have a passport."
Raven knew, realistically, she was eligible for an American passport – if she could have proven who her mother was and provided a birth certificate, but she didn't have that either. Azarath had no such need for things as that, their population small enough (and travel to the place so infrequent) a mention in the daily news was more than enough.
Already sure she knew the answer, Jinx asked her, "Exactly what ID do you have?"
"I... don't. Have any. That's going to be a problem, isn't it?"
"The school can sort you out with some fake ID, insurance number and all that. But yeah. Kinda need it for most things." Jinx grabbed one of the backpacks and motioned for Raven to take the other. "Help me move these out the way, would you?"
(….)
Raven jerked awake, unable to remember her dream but instantly knowing it had been unpleasant from the way her heart fluttered unhappily. She wasn't a stranger to nightmares and restless nights and quickly sat up on the old mattress, leaning her back against the wall as she muttered her chant, trying to calm herself down.
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."
The last thing she wanted to do was cause damage here when she was just a guest.
"Azarath, metrion, zinthos."
She let her head drop onto her raised knees as the last dregs of sleep left her, leaving her very much awake and feeling very miserable. The small room, smelling strongly of the white paint that had recently gone on its walls, was the first safe place she'd had to sleep since leaving Azarath and she'd been looking forward to getting a good night's sleep. Her mind had obviously had other ideas.
She took a deep breath and – happy she wasn't about to start accidently destroying things – got to her feet. The room wasn't much, in fact the only furniture was the mattress which she'd moved into the corner of the room away from the door, but she was rather appreciative of Jinx and her team for the gesture non the less. They were the first people to really treat her kindly since her arrival on earth, despite their questionable morals in other areas. Jinx's offer still rang in her head, and the silence let her truly think about it.
Joining this school, who apparently encouraged theft and violence, was not something the monks would have approved of by any means and it was not something Raven would have ever imagined existed, never mind thought of joining, but she couldn't see another way around it – couldn't see another way to amass enough power that she would even have a chance in standing up to the end of the world. Gizmo, just a human despite is supposed brilliant mind, didn't really interest her. Mammoth would be potentially useful with his strength, however what was that when compared to the strength of demonic entities? Jinx however made her think, and if this school had more like her, or contacts along similar lines, maybe she would stand a chance.
Raven pulled on her cloak and left the room, making her way down the dark corridors through the living room, into the small kitchen. She continued to debate with herself, every reason for joining this school coming with its own counter argument. Most of these counter arguments focused around the morals she had been raised with. What if the Monks were right, and exposure to certain behaviours and emotions would only help her father's influence? What if, by the time he would arrive, Raven was no longer interested in stopping him?
She switched the kettle on, going through the cupboards until she found a few cups. The one she pulled out was chipped, but she shrugged to herself and put it down on the surface and started to look for teabags.
"Someone's approaching. See, they don't trust you. You shouldn't trust them."
The voice in her head – the verbalisations of her darker side – made her jump, but she tried not to turn towards the doors as she muttered, "It's their place. Pretty sure they can come and go as they want."
"They just want to use you. We're so much stronger than them, and they know it. They don't like you."
"Try the narrow cupboard next to the fridge. The tea is probably behind the coffee. I like mine with milk and two sugars."
Raven didn't jump – she'd had warning – but her shoulders tightened non the less. She looked back over her shoulder to find Jinx leaning against the kitchen doorframe, dressed in nothing but a baggy grey shirt that hit her mid-thigh, the collar threatening to slide off her left shoulder. Her hair was down, left to fall over her shoulders.
Jinx grinned at her, though it was less enthusiastic than the girl's usual expressions, still gripped by sleep. "Relax, I'm not gonna bite."
"What are you, psychic?" Raven frowned as she went to the suggested cupboard. "How did you know I was looking for tea?" She heard Jinx move into the kitchen but didn't look round.
"Only one reason you're drinking coffee at this time, and that's if you're planning to pull an all-nighter. So, you leaving already?"
Raven shook her head. "No. I just... couldn't sleep. What time is it?"
"About 4 in the morning," Jinx yawned.
"Sorry. Did I wake you?"
"Unknown person in the building – I was never gonna sleep well. Don't worry about it."
As the kettle finished boiling Raven moved to grab it but stopped. The kitchen was only small, and it would have put her very close to the girl – closer than Raven was comfortable with. Jinx grinned again and stepped out of the way, motioning for Raven to continue forward into the space she'd left. Raven filled the two mugs before stepping back and trying to decide which drawer looked as though it might hold teaspoons. Jinx got there first, knocking Raven aside with her hip, startling her.
"I've got it – couldn't have you thinking I'm a bad hostess now. There should be sugar where you found the teabags. You mind?" Jinx waited until Raven had passed her the sugar pot before asking, "You made up your mind yet?"
She didn't have to ask what Jinx was referring to. "I... don't exactly have much of a choice, do I?"
Jinx shrugged, looking at the girl. "You could always go home. You want any sugar?"
"No. No milk either." She purposely decided to ignore the first comment. She couldn't, not really, but that wasn't something she wanted to discuss with the girl.
"Well, I do. I'm sure you can manage to find the milk without my help?"
Raven smiled slightly and went to the fridge. She realised going to the school might not be all that bad. Jinx and her friends seemed to be treating her like any other teenager, even if it was because they didn't know any better, and Raven decided she liked it. It made her feel almost normal. Raven doubted that, if she did tell them why she was here, why she couldn't go home, the group would rush to help her however if she waited and they managed to become friends – it would give them more reason to stand in front of almost certain death.
As Jinx finished off the drinks, handing Raven her mug, she told the girl. "Alright. I'll accept your offer. If it's still open."
"Good. It'll be nice to no longer be the minority of the group. Come on, let's sit down and I'll give you the 101 on the academy. We should also talk about your powers, considering I have no idea what you can do."
Jinx moved out of the kitchen and into the living room. She turned the lights on before taking a seat on the sofa. She didn't bother moving the protective sheet. Raven sat next to her, careful to keep as much distance from the girl as she could.
"So, you picked that lock, you somehow got into just about every cabinet in the place yesterday and I saw you move that jewellery with that creepy black stuff. You're telekinetic?"
"That is one of my abilities, yes." Raven nodded. She didn't miss Jinx's eyes light up with questions and slowly sipped at her tea, wondering how much she should divulge. "I can travel interdimensional, I can levitate. That... creepy black stuff can also do a little more than just move things about. I am also an empath. In theory a telepath, though I can't say it's something I've ever tried."
"Wait, so you can feel what I'm feeling?" Jinx scowled but didn't move away, tucking her legs underneath her instead as she tried to get comfortable.
"Happy, sad, angry, scared. I can recognise most emotions. I try to ignore it most of the time though. It's distracting."
"Do you use magic? Or are you a meta? If you know, that is?"
"I can use magic however a lot of my abilities are innate."
"So you're a meta?" Jinx asked.
"Something like that." Raven muttered. Not wanting the girl to continue pushing the subject she asked her, "This school – exactly what can I expect?"
Jinx leaned forward in her seat. "You want the good things or the bad things first?"
"You want me to join but you're going to tell me the bad things?"
The girl smiled. "Bad things first then. It's competitive among the other students. I mean, real competitive. There are perks to being the best in your class so people take it pretty seriously. As a newbie, be prepared to get a bit of stick off people – teachers too. You're a little older than their usual recruiting age so they'll want you to fit in fast. Failure isn't tolerated and you're gonna have to prove yourself to them. The headmistress is kinda scary – she's fair, but you don't want to get on her bad side, you know what I mean? The food is basic, the rooms are basic and there's a lot of rules. The time tables are also really busy. We're lucky if we get two days off in a week. The upside is they don't expect us there all the time. Like this little side job we've been on? A few days away and they won't question anything, so long as we come back from the goods. They're pretty good and wanting to keep their students out of jail too and will bail you pretty quick, though sometime I think I'd rather a few months behind bars than their idea of punishment. The school will provide you with pretty much what you need, you let your own room so no having to bunk with people, which is always a plus in my eyes and they have a pretty good curriculum if you like learning. Not that it's transferable outside of certain lines of work. They, technically speaking, don't exist."
Jinx put her attention onto her drink as she waited for Raven to take it in. Rules the empath could manage with – she had spent her entire life following one rule or another. Basic food also wasn't necessarily a bad thing. She also enjoyed studying. "What sort of things do they teach you?"
"You know, the basics. Maths, English, Biology, blah blah. Gym class is a little more intense than your general school and they also teach you how to fight, how to use your powers and how to work within a team. Technology, history, wars and dudes who managed to pull off major conquests, lockpicking and stuff – though I doubt you'll need that class. Hell, they even have an etiquette class in case you end up working for some big names. Optional language classes if that's your kind of thing. Geography and map reading. You know, recon stuff."
Raven didn't know, but she didn't feel like telling Jinx that. She imagined it wouldn't take her long to catch up.
"You're not supposed to say anything about the school – won't you get in trouble for trying to bring me along?"
Jinx smiled at her cup. "Awh, are you worried about me? Cute. I'm hoping we can convince the headmistress you're worth the risk." Her smile dropped as she looked at Raven. "It is a big risk we're taking here. I'm hoping you'll impress her."
"Impress her with what? My lockpicking skills?" Raven asked. "I've never been in a fight before; I've never sat in a normal day of school in my life."
"With your powers, dummy. Don't worry – my education was pretty limited when I first joined. There is no one else like you at that school. Okay, there's some Kyd Wykkyd guy who's good with portals and plenty of people who can fly but not all together – and your ability to just... move stuff like you do, you've got some real useful powers there. I'm not gonna lie to you, the school's motive is to make money. We get hired out from time to time to complete jobs and you'd be a real money maker for them."
"They just want to use you." The voice filled her head, echoing its earlier comment. "They're beneath you. You should teach them what-"
"Why do you want me there?" Raven asked louder than she needed do, trying to drown out the voice, knowing if she told it to go away, Jinx would perhaps think her crazy. "What do you get for taking such as big risk? You don't even know me."
"What's life without a few risks?" Jinx asked lightly, because catching Raven's gaze. Raven wasn't sure what she'd seen, trying to keep her face as blank as possible, but Jinx sighed and looked down. "I wasn't lying about the whole not being outnumbered thing. Sometimes being the only girl sucks. But if this goes well, it'd be good for our rep. It would also help in the long run. You on our team? We'd get all the best jobs. Before you graduate you have to choose a 'career' to study. Some of them, like the government jobs you also need specific scores on your subjects. You'd help with that no end. I mean if I can get a cushy job out of this instead of running around as some stupid henchman in Gotham, I'm gonna try damn hard to get there."
The girl's honesty surprised her. She wondered if she should be upset, but all she could think of was how she was planning to use the school, if she could. She finished her drink before telling her, "Okay."
"Okay?" Jinx repeated back, bewildered. "You're okay with that?"
"It's better than anything else I'm doing at the moment. We're not acquaintances, never mind friends so I knew there would be another reason for you taking so much interest. So yes, okay. Though, it is only fair to warn you, I don't make the best company and – apparently like your own – my powers can sometimes be... destructive.
"Your company is already better than the boys." Jinx smiled, standing up. "I'm gonna try and get a few more hours of sleep in. You should too. It's going to be a big day." She started to walk off before hesitating and asking, "You will be able to find your room again, right?"
Raven nodded, though she had no real intention of moving anywhere, doubting she would be able to get any more sleep.
"Alright Rae. Night."
"It's Raven." Raven corrected her with a scowl, but the girl had already left.