…..
Stepping from the darkness, the bright light of the chandeliers blinded her momentarily.
She stood in the middle of spinning figures going round so fast. They were useless blurs of color. She remembered these marble walls. They belonged to Bruce Wayne's estate. She remembered seeing these walls when she was younger. The moments that seemed almost like a fairytale to her. It was so very different from the traditional celebrations she attended once upon a time.
The blurs stopped spinning and they turned into formally dressed men and women with haggard and bored faces. These people moved past her, barely noticing she existed.
Her eyes followed their path, but a well-known mask caught her attention instead. The owner
- my love -
of the mask gestured. Dick looked about eighteen, the exact age he was when they attended this party. An elder gentleman passed her, and suddenly Dick appeared behind him, extending his hand to her.
She took it with no hesitation.
Couples around them danced to the music vibrating like whining violins, a sound that made her jaw tremble with sympathy to the melody. They waltzed together, stepping nimbly in a circle.
With his sturdy arms wrapped around her, she felt as if nothing else in this world could make her this happy. They spun past a mirror and she glimpsed at it, a slight smile forming on her mouth. She and Dick wore matching robes. Long, blue ones that swallowed up their arms and came to the floor. She looked at him, openly smiling and he smiled in return,
- full of resentment -
Robin drew her closer still. And still. He urgently pressed himself to her. She tensed up, flinching. The seed of doubt was planted into her mind. She couldn't trust him anymore. Not anymore. There was a sensation of being watched, like their solitude was being invaded.
The billionaire
- bastard -
Bruce Wayne glared at them from across the ballroom. He pushed through the crowds of dancers. When he touched them, they dissolved into piles of ashes. He meant to kill her.
She grabbed Dick's hand and tried to pull him towards the double doors, but he pulled her right back, smiling an eerie smile. She tried again but he wouldn't budge. Dick snatched her shoulders roughly and painfully squeezed his fingernails into her skin. Surprisingly sharp. She yelped and thrust a fist at his face, his other hand caught it effortlessly. His smile grew more twisted and disturbing.
Without thinking, she grabbed the back of his head and ripped his mask off his face. Staring back at her was two empty eye sockets
- no he was blind no no -
with nothing to look back at but darkness.
She let out a high-pitched scream and launched herself onto the floor to escape him.
Bruce rammed his shoulder into Robin's, but he remained standing while the man he knew as Father turned to dust before them. As Robin stood over her with sneering lips and sightless holes, she scrambled on her knees on the floor, heart pounding erratically. He ripped the back of her robe off
- what you have concealed you shall become -
so that two separate pieces fell to the floor. She sat on the ground in red and green and yellow spandex. Staring at green gloves over her hands and steel-toed boots on her feet.
Something fell over her eyes and a lump of panic throbbed in her throat. She ran her fingers over the Robin mask secured over her eyes and groped for the knot.
There was none.
Her fingers scrabbled for the edges of the mask. There was none.
Dick stood before her, dressed in Slade's armor, still smiling eerily. Smiling so eerily. She got one last terrifying look at his face before Slade's mask was fixed onto his face. A desperate bubble built up in her stomach. She couldn't call to him. A whirring sound
- thermal blaster -
echoed in the stone-silent ballroom.
She suddenly lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling. Robin pointed the blaster into her right eye. Would she die like this? By his hand?
-questions questions-
The light of the chandeliers swelled brighter and brighter. Hot white before exploding, and a siren went on in her head…
…..
There wasn't a siren, just a scream. It faded into the noiseless gasping.
Awaken on the indigo-colored carpet, twisted in her blanket, Raven gasped. A minute passed, during that time she grayed out from the terror that refused to let up. When she became conscious again, sweat slicking her body, her dream was half forgotten in detail. Only seconds ago she could pick it out.
The memory loss didn't stop her from recalling how she felt. Horror pulsed through her veins.
'What's happening to me?'
Something on the carpet poked her shoulder. Wincing, Raven pulled a Bird-A-Rang out from under her, and grimly examined her shoulder that had suffered from the fall on it. It was just a little cut under her leotard, not visible, nothing to worry about. Warily, she got to her feet with trembling legs, untangling herself from the blanket. She sat on the edge of her bed. She could smell the morning, the scent of warm sun rays and cooked breakfast food. There was no need to get out of her room to tell.
The familiar, dark atmosphere of her bedroom comforted her racing heartbeat.
Sheets on her bed rustled. Black, spiky hair peeked above the embroidered edge. Masked eyes came into view, meeting her semi-terrified ones. "Morning?"
"Uh-huh."
He groaned sleepily, attempting to bury himself deeper into the mattress.
Despite herself, she felt a smirk rising. "Oh no, you don't. It's time to wake up, fearless leader. Your team needs to see you up bright and early."
"Can't we sleep in for once?"
"No." Raven yanked the sheet away, exposing his fully clothed but very ruffled form. She said, silence returning to her mind, "I thought I'd never see the day where you would suggest sleeping in."
"I'm tired," he complained, softly. "You don't remember the Hive infiltrating the city, nearly getting exterminated, saving the world, and having to do it in 49 straight hours?"
"I do." Raven rolled her eyes. "But I am also aware of the fact that you enjoy making excuses to annoy me." Instead of scowling as Raven usually would at his complaining, she gave him a halfhearted smile that obliged him to pull her down under the blankets. She squirmed as Robin pinned her underneath him.
"You're well aware as the alternative to me hurting you... I could just scream 'help' and let you get your butt kicked by Cyborg and Beast Boy...?"
He murmured in her ear hotly, enjoying the feeling of her body beneath his, "Yeah… but you'd be moaning the entire time, so that kind of ruins your plans there."
Raven let out an indignant noise and kicked him off her before summoning a pillow to smack him repeatedly over the head.
Robin said with a cocky tone as the beatings lessened, "-Besides, you're not a weakling. You and I would be duking it out. But, of course, I'd win."
"You think so, Boy Wonder?"
"I know so, babe."
"Don't call me that." She frowned. "It's degrading."
He saw the change in attitude, and said sincerely, "Sorry. I didn't know it bothered you."
Raven looked at him for a long time before gently inquiring, "Could you…?" Her hand ghost over his face, and he got it after a moment.
With a quick flick of the wrist, his eyemask hung between his index and middle finger. Only she. Only she. Raven brought her face to his, but didn't kiss him, just stared into his brilliant eyes as he stared a little cross-eyed back at her. She let out a shaky breath. "You have very beautiful eyes, did you know this?"
"That pick up line usually only works on girls, but I'll accept it this time." He retied his mask and bumped his nose against her, affectionately. She folded her arms around his waist.
"I should be sorry. I've been ill-tempered lately."
Wonders never ceased... Raven snuggling and apologizing.
He returned the embrace, feeling the top of her head tickle the space underneath his chin. Robin breathed next to her ear, "Forget about it. Up for breakfast?" She followed him gladly into Titans Tower's kitchen where the rest of the Teen Titans were eating. They all seemed cheery enough talking amongst themselves.
Starfire saw the other two Titans enter first and jumped up, her chair falling over onto the floor in her rush. She said in a weird, squeaky voice, "Morning, dear Friends!" and hugged them both, forcefully. The lovely Tamaranean stopped when their faces changed to a bluish hue. Raven rubbed her bruised ribs.
"Uh, morning to you, too." She became more at ease when her boyfriend kept his arm close around her.
Beast Boy eyed their disheveled appearances from his regular seat and crowed, "You two have fun last night?"
Raven bristled.
'Little toad.'
He held up his hands when narrowed violet eyes and a mask glared at him. "C'mon, I'm just funning with you!"
Cyborg spoke up over the low hum of the oven, "Careful, BB... your mouth might just get you into big trouble one day."
He looked honestly confused. "It hasn't already?"
That broke the tension and everyone laughed aloud when he cracked his jokester grin.
Raven went to her tea brewer as Robin switched on his coffee machine. They exchanged a quick glance and went to go get this morning's mealtime choice. Cyborg declared over Beast Boy's whines, "Today we'll be havin' none of that tofu shhiiittt… BB, it is shit because it tastes like shit... and having a real breakfast with pancakes and nutritious, delicious STEAKS!"
As Beast Boy glowered openly at everyone, Raven said, seriously, "You know tofu's not that bad."
Cyborg dropped his spatula with a rather exaggerated clang and a pair of hopeful green eyes peered over at her. "Really, Raven?"
She answered mildly, pouring her tea, "Naturally," but smiling evilly before sipping, "When you drown out the taste with bacon." The tin-man and Robin hooted. Beast Boy smacked his forehead against the table with a groan. Pleased to be in the company of her friends, Raven looked over at Starfire who inattentively shot mustard onto her slab of steak.
'You'd think after putting mustard on everything for three years, you'd get sick of it eventually….'
"Starfire, why did you become quiet? Something wrong?"
She didn't expect to have something thrown back at her. Literally. The Tamaranean's plate soared at her head. With fast reflexes, Raven built a force field in time for the china to ricochet and shatter against the cupboard nearby, but the mustard-splattered meat hit its target.
Everybody rose to their feet as Starfire shrieked with wide eyes, "I wish to be alone now, please!" and hurried as quickly out of the room as she could. With all eyes fell on a gaping Raven, she looked down at the yellow mess on her costume, opening then closing her mouth and then opening it again.
"…I don't know what I did."
Cyborg said, gravely, "We'll check on Starfire." He nodded at Beast Boy who followed after him out of sight.
Robin went to her side as she peeled the steak off her front, "You okay?"
"I don't understand what I did to offend her. I just asked if she was alright."
He handed her washcloth from the countertop. "You know Starfire, she can be a little… high strung. I'm sure...she didn't do it on purpose?" Robin ended, lamely.
She took it from him. "Did you notice anything the matter with her yesterday?"
He shrugged, bending down to pick up bits of broken plate. Before Robin could touch them, a blue glow encased them and floated into the garbage can nearby. "I had it, Raven."
"It's fine. One less opportunity to get cut."
Robin turned to her. "Don't baby me." His tone was emotionless but the accusing aura she perceived coming from him made her outwardly wince.
Raven muttered under her breath, "I'm going to shower," and left him to finish his steak and coffee alone.
Up in the third level of the Tower, she shut the bathroom door and twisted the shower handles, waiting for the water to get hot. Amethyst-colored eyes met the oval mirror above the sink, coldly. Why did he have to act like a big macho man? She was helping out. She couldn't help that she cared about his sorry ass.
With a sigh, Raven ran a hand through her straight, violet hair, combing out the specks of mustard. She decided to grow out her hair a while ago, putting it in a braid, but soon realized what a pain-in-the-ass it was when her enemies could sneak up behind her and yank her scalp excruciatingly. So it was cut back to her normal, short style.
Raven stripped herself of her stained leotard and let the stream of boiling water soak her thoroughly.
Aging three years didn't do much to her. Her face became more defined if anything. Titans Tower was the same. The city still had crime. Her friends didn't change much, same old uniforms, same old looks. Although, Beast Boy grew a foot and buffed out. Boy, was he happy when he looked in the mirror that morning. He now towered over her and constantly picked on her for being the shortest member of the team. Calling her names like 'Shorty', 'Squirt', and his personal favorite 'Widdle Rae-Rae'.
In the end, Raven got bored of finding new ways to torture Beast Boy. Quite an achievement.
Cyborg received more powerful circuits and became a little bitter. Raven had always thought she and Cyborg had a certain protective sibling relationship.
Starfire grew more accustomed to Earth, but her speech still needed some work. Raven found her to be less irritating and actually held a good conversation when she was interested. It was refreshing to see that Starfire didn't have the one-track mind she gave the impression she had.
After fifteen minutes, she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel. Raven stared back into her reflection, and after making sure no one would be barging in on her, she cheered herself up by sticking her tongue out and crossing her violet eyes. 'Oh no, Beast Boy was rubbing off on her.'
Raven allowed herself a small chuckle at this.
Her powers were now hers to control. Her favorite color replaced black for her magic. Her cold pretense melted around the edges, but the only person who could truly get around it she showed actual affection to. Speaking of, Robin still was working on growing out of his awkward stage, but the most part he was an adult. Appearance-wise, he was taller with some lean muscles. Being situated in a deep relationship, he was able to show his feelings and she could as well without destroying something... for the most part. There was those occasional 'accidents'.
Bigger obstacles were yet to be jumped.
The twenty-year-old noticed the cut on her shoulder was beginning to ooze discharge and went rummaging through the medicine cabinet, fishing out some medicated cream and a Band-Aid. There wasn't a need to waste her healing powers. Just as she finished placing it on, an image of her pale shoulder streaked with bloody lines surfaced onto the mirror. Raven bit back a scream.
It was gone in a flash. Panting, she struggled to control her breathing and gripped the sides of the porcelain sink.
'Don't do this to yourself. It was a stupid nightmare, just a stupid nightmare.'
But now it chose to return to her in the full. She blinked against them swimming in her thoughts. With a furious jerk, Raven slammed her palm on the mirror, glass wavering unsteadily on impact.
'Quit it. You have more important things to worry about.'
Like Starfire. She wasn't known to go into a freak-out mode displayed this morning. Mostly it was Raven who could pull that off. She would have to have a talk with the alien once her head cleared up. A knock brought her thoughts out of a stupor. She called out, "It's occupied!"
Beast Boy threw open the door regardless, grinning. "When has that ever stopped me?" He snatched his mint green loofa over the rack on the wall.
She scowled, "Beast Boy, what if I had been naked?"
"We're like brother and sister. It wouldn't matter."
"It's nevertheless disgusting." She kept a firm hand on her towel.
He laughed quietly, "True," and with one hand shielding his eyes, he pretended to grope thin air, saying, "Just tell me when I'm near the doorknob." That earned him a grumble from her and Beast Boy smiled at her. Red lights blared and his green face changed from happy to serious concern. It was amazing to her how easily his expressions could do that.
Raven said, promptly, "I'll be there in a minute." Beast Boy nodded in her direction as he dashed out of the bathroom.
She raced into her room to throw on a uniform, relieved that the images in her head gradually began to fade. The sirens shut down when the rest of the Titans assembled in the operations center.
"What's the emergency?" she asked, settling between Beast Boy and Starfire. Robin opened his mouth to speak.
Noisily, the furnace hatch dropped inches away from her skull. She whipped around in time to be taken prisoner by long, slimy tentacles along with Beast Boy. He shape-shifted into a venomous snake, sinking his poisonous fangs into one of his captor's many arms, and escaped with no troubles. This left Raven to fend on her own.
"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!"
An unearthly screech came from above the furnace opening. She broke free from the remaining jelly of tentacles still clutching her, landing with oomph! right into Cyborg's outstretched arms. He put her down and Raven declared, brushing herself off, "I'm guessing we have an enormous mutant on our hands?"
"And it is using the vents to navigate throughout our home." Starfire stared up at the ceiling.
Robin pulled out his Bo-Staff. "Not for long. Titans, move!"
They chased the intruder up to the seventh level of the Titans Tower. Cyborg's sonic cannon shot nothing but holes in the ventilation system. He scratched his head. "Damn, this thing's fast."
"Someone has to get up there and corner it."
Robin glanced at deliberately wandering eyes and Raven closed hers, transporting into her soul self and disappearing into the darkness of the shafts.
"...Okay then."
She changed back inside the surprisingly spacious vent and crawled into a wider breach. They called her name and she pounded on the siding, signaling where she was.
With hope that they listened well enough, Raven trekked forward, tracking the goo trail. Pushing past years of filth built up, sticking to her once relatively dry cloak, she heard the creature making its way back down the Tower. A crash sounded when she went back around. Raven approached her room. She leaped out of the housetop onto the floor, crouched in fighting stance. The gurgling monster sat at the foot of her bed, glistening in the dark. Tentacles grazed her like a lover's clumsy digits, and she hit it as hard as she could in the center. With one blow, it exploded all over her sheets.
Runny, silvery goo clung to her hands and hair. She grimaced.
"Wonderful… my bed is going to smell like dead extraterrestrial for weeks." Raven picked up her soiled blankets and wiped her cheek with the clean edge. She bundled them up along with the chunky cadaver and draped the bundle over her shoulder. On her way out, something near the door hit her foot.
"Huh?" Frowning pointedly, she picked up her old meditation mirror.
'What is this doing out? Who has been in my room?'
Her fingers instantly clenched.
No one, under any circumstances, was allowed in there without her consent.
Raven let her hand trace the sharp horns jutting from the top and flipped the mirror. Her violet eyes drifting over the message scrawled on the front.
Her legs shaking as she walked out.