Having lived on the streets as long as she could remember, Tara was suitably amazed and awed when Wintergreen showed her the apartment she'd be living in, courtesy of her... guardian? Employer? Sponsor? Her relationship with Mr. Wilson was proving to be a very strange one, but she'd looked the gift horse in the mouth and checked its teeth. She was content.
No, she was even a little happy.
She was well cared for, after all. Given her space for the most part, but not out of dislike. She could sense how much Wintergreen at least liked her. And as time went on, she started to like him as well. When classes started up he would always be there to take her to and from Murakami High School in the limo. And he would make a delivery at least twice a week of foodstuffs she'd need. Mr. Wilson, however, was another story... she couldn't figure him out at all. He seemed genuine in his interest to help her, but she couldn't understand why, and he seemed almost... hesitant around her. Once, she had startled him when walking into the kitchen, and she swore the look on his face... it had been one of... fear.
One night, unable to focus on her Geometry homework, she gave a shove and pushed it aside, resting her elbows on the desk, hands on her cheeks, and sighed heavily. It was eating at her brain... the not knowing. Who was Mr. Wilson, what did he want with her? He knew her, that was obvious, but they never spoke of it. She tried asking him once or twice but all he would say was that he'd spotted her enormous potential and tried to train her, and an accident had happened.
Her flashes of memory weren't helping either. Neither were her nightmares. They'd started as soon as she'd moved into the apartment. Vague images of green demons and a masked, hellish figure, a conflict in the bowels of hell, and her. She could never tell what her role was in the dream either, why she was there. She couldn't tell who's side she was on, or even if she was on a side, and meant to destroy them all. Worse still were the dreams of those eyes. Purple eyes that gazed directly into her soul, accusing her of evils she could not remember.
And maybe, she decided, she didn't want to remember. She'd had a talk with Mr. Wilson about that, after all. He'd sat her down, telling her life and her amnesia had given her a second chance. A chance to walk away from whatever darkness had left her this way. A chance to move on. To forget.
"Ugh..." grunted Tara, pushing herself to her feet and flopping down on her bed. No way she could finish her geometry homework now. She was exhausted already from a long day. Three tests in a row. She swore sometimes the teachers were out to get her. Ah well, at least there were worst schools she could have been attending.
Like that Academy down the street...
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
>
Tuesday started out just like any other day for Tara. She'd gotten up, got dressed in her school uniform, eaten a quick breakfast, gotten dropped off at school by Wintergreen, who'd cheerfully driven off...
... then everything went kinda weird.
There'd been a monster in the city, attacking at the new mall complex near the school. Monster and metahuman attacks in Jump City weren't everyday occurrences, but they weren't uncommon. There was a simple rule to follow. Keep back. The Titans or the police would handle everything.
And the Titans had already arrived on the scene, and in typical fashion, they were smashing up anything and everything in their path, including the monster. Tara watched with wide-eyes from the sidelines. Having lived in the city, of course she'd seen footage of Titan battles before, but this was the first time she'd seen them up close. She was amazed, really. They were so young... not more than two or three years older than most of her classmates. And Beastboy didn't look older than she was...
... but look at him up close, she got a horrifying sensation in the pit of her stomach. Something disturbing. So she turned, and she ran.
Turned out to be a mistake... she was nearly late for her Biology class.
After a few class and a busy lunch studying the school library, Tara nearly forgot all about the incident. School bells rang, and with some relief she grabbed her books and made her way outside. She exhaled in relief as soon as she was out of the school. Honestly, she felt totally drained sometimes by the experience. It felt good, in a way. Working so hard kept her mind from wandering, but now she felt so drained. So distant. She barely noticed when her friends showed up to bid them farewell.
"Hey Terra! It's me! Beastboy!"
Tara almost did hear the words at first, and glanced over dully at the front gates, barely able to make out the image of the aforementioned Beastboy. He was at the fence and clinging to the bars. "You know him?" asked Amy, her redheaded friend. Tara shook her head, assuming the green superhero must've mistaken her for someone else. He'd realize his error soon enough, she thought, as her feet started to guide her towards the gates. Wintergreen wouldn't arrive for another twenty minutes or so (she sometimes stayed late to study) but she could stay and talk with Amy and Kat for a little...
... Tara blinked in surprise as Beastboy hurled himself forward as fast as his little legs could carry him, and practically threw himself in front of her. "Terra wait up!" Startled, Tara and her friends stopped exactly where they were, unsure of what was going on, one and all.
Beastboy just stood there, grinning like an idiot, and raised a hand in greetings.
"Sorry... you've got the wrong girl." said Tara.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
>
She shouldn't have gone with him. She shouldn't have talked to him. But she'd wanted so very much to believe him, wanted so very much to regain her lost memories. But she couldn't. She wasn't Tara... she couldn't have been. She wasn't a hero, she was just an ordinary girl.
Tara growled dangerously as she wiped at her face, now with dried mud caking her skin. I certainly don't have any powers, she thought vehemently, hoping that Beastboy would burst into flames wherever he was. That rotten, stupid little jerk! She slammed the door behind her as she finally got back to her apartment. She'd had to ride the bus the whole way back, since she'd told Wintergreen she'd call when she needed to be picked up. But she hadn't anticipated being dragged away to that stupid Tower.
"Arrrrgh!" she cried in total frustration at it all.
"Problem, child?"
Tara nearly jumped out of her skin in shock. She'd been so busy knocking stuff around and hating Beastboy she hadn't even seen who was sitting on the edge of her bed until he'd spoken. Mr. Wilson was sitting there, arms folded, one leg resting across the other, watching her with a critical eye. She suddenly felt self-conscious, realizing how ridiculous she must've looked, caked in mud like she'd been fighting at school.
"I... I uh..." she started to say. What to say? Tell the truth? she wondered. No, it sounded all way too fantastical. That Beastboy, one of the Teen Titans, had found her, talked to her, tried to convince her she was a superhero who'd saved the city and died in the process...
... she almost wished she could tell her guardian she -had- been fighting at school.
But ultimately, she realized that any lie would sound half-baked at best, and told her guardian everything. How she'd been at the fight, how she'd met up with Beastboy afterwards, how he'd told her this fantastical story, how she'd even let him coerce her into coming to Titan's Tower, and finally how he'd taxed her patience to its limits by throwing mud at her, and she'd made her way home. Through it all, he just sort of sat there, watching, listening, his face expressionless. But when Tara got to the final incident, she could see his hands clench tightly into fists. But he just as quickly relaxed.
Her story finished, Tara sighed, tugging off her tie and hurling it aside. She usually tried to keep her room semi-clean, in case either of her guardians came by, but right not it was a right mess. Not that she cared. She just wanted to take a shower and go to sleep. She could worry about her homework in the morning.
Her guardian slipped up and off the bed smoothly, moving with purpose to gently pat her on the head. "I will deal with the matter, Tara. That boy won't ever bother you again."
"I sure hope not," she said, slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.
In the small apartment, Slade's eye narrowed dangerously. This was not something he'd anticipated, though he should have. This could make things harder... on all of them, really. It would be best if he did have a word or two with Beastboy.
Good thing he'd left a spare suit of his armor in the car downstairs, as he politely excused himself from the apartment and made his way there. Moreover, he knew exactly where he was going to find Beastboy. Of all the Titans, he was perhaps the most unpredictable, with his erratic, childish behavior... but when it came to Terra, he knew exactly how Beastboy thought. Exactly where to look.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
>
"... she doesn't want to see you anymore... zzt... she doesn't want to see you anymore... zzzt..."
From his vantage point, high up atop of the carnival, Slade could see everything as Beastboy stood over the defeated remains of one of his Slade bots. A last-minute decision on his part, remembering well his last encounter in this carnival with the changeling. Fortune, for he did not plan to die a second time anytime soon.
"I do hope the message has sunk in, Beastboy," he remarked, lightly leaping down from the ruined building on which he stood and dropping into a crouch. He would be away in a mere moment or two, and Beastboy none the wiser. He'd also made sure to drop some pepper packets in his wake to confuse his scent, and he left nary a footprint from his light-stepped leaps. No animal could ever track him. So neither could the walking animal kingdom he'd left behind.
This was as far as he dared push for now. Beastboy would return to the Titans, and might bother Terra again. That was to be expected... the boy was persistent. And dangerous too. If he could manage to display a greater level of maturity, Slade might've been tempted to make the boy his apprentice. Indeed, that was a thought... Terra -and- Beastboy, under his control, keeping them in chains by the threat to each to harm the other. But no, that was the old Slade. That was not who he was anymore. His encounter with Trigon had... changed him, a little. The Titans (Robin particularly) would scoff, but he had changed. He wasn't sure yet how he had changed, but he had.
Fortunately, his involvement tonight was a minimum, and through a robot double. If he was fortunate, if things went his way, Beastboy wouldn't even mention this... he wouldn't want to hear his fears confirmed aloud by the Titans.
Still, he made his way quickly to his parked car and began to change, stripping off his mask. He had to be ready, because if life had taught him one thing...
... it was that things rarely went his way.
>
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.
>
Author's Notes:
Mixing in parts from 'Things Change' to keep those updated. I've included a brief summary for off-screen scenes for those who haven't seen the episode.
Rocky White Wolf of Curses: It's an interesting image, but not totally beyond him. We only know the Slade of the mask, I try to delve deeper into his character when I write about him.
Guardian of Azerath: I'll certainly try.
Jimmy the Gothic Egg: Teen Titans had seven main characters throughout it's entirety. The Five core, Terra, and Slade. All of whom had lasting impact. So of course I want to make sure Terra and Slade get their due in my stories.
GreaserGurlTerra: Not too soon, unfortunately... so much to do, you know.
Funkydancer: Re-read the previous chapters... trying to remember hurts Terra's mind. Plus, if she remembers the good... she'll have to remember the bad as well. That's why, I think, she acted as she did during 'Things Change.'
Todd Fan: I'll be sure to lay down a tarp in case it does. Don't worry, the DTV Titan movie should be out soon, that'll give you something new to watch.
ViciousAssassin: Into and through the final episode. I plan to go past it now. As for Slade's plans, you'll see, all will be revealed soon enough.
Snea: It does make a lot of sense, I don't know why I hadn't thought of it before hand myself. Probably because I was convinced Terra's return would be a shapeshifter or clone, not the original. Damned if I can't think of the easiest explanation.
