Dorian Gray awoke early that morning; rising silently he dressed himself and walked over to the painting. He removed the cover to examine it. He was always examining it. Searching for any sign of redemption, perhaps his good deeds would amount to something, and the portrait would one day revert back to its former glory.
Dorian smirked, the picture restored to its former glory; please, even if he could erase the hideous marks of his dark past off the canvas, it would make no difference, the picture was still show the signs of age. He would never be innocent, not like he was, he could never get that back.
He gazed upon the hideous face and noted that the sneer on the mouth had moved a little, in which direction, he had no clue, whether it was becoming better or worse was still in doubt. The blood on the hands and shoes was still there, that was the one thing that had never changed. It would always be there.
There was a loud groan that startled Dorian out of his reverie. He hastily covered the canvas and turned around to see the blonde-haired girl Terra stirring in her bed. Dorian watched the girl sit up and blink sleep from her eyes.
"Good morning," he said with no emotion in his voice. She stared at him intently.
"You owe me an explanation, child," Dorian said in a voice that sounded like a command and not a suggestion.
"What do you mean, explanation, Mr., uh, what was your name? I forgot."
"Mr. Hallward," Dorian replied. "You owe me an explanation of your past and what you have done that turned you to into a stone statue."
"Oh yeah, I said I'd tell you in the morning, didn't I?" Terra said with a yawn.
"Yes, you did," Dorian said, scrutinizing her.
"I…I've done horrible things, to my friends, the people who cared about me. I betrayed them, and tried to destroy them. And it was all because I wanted…to control my powers," Terra sighed. "And I lost everything. I am a liar and a spy, a traitor. I am amazed I'm even here talking to you. I'm not a good person."
Terra, you are a saint compared to me. I have done…more than you could ever dream of. Dorian watched her every move. She was like him, although her circumstances were different, she had wanted something so badly, she had, in a way, sold her soul for it. Much like him. And she had lost all because of it. Two people. Different circumstances. Same results.
Dorian turned away from her and headed to the bathroom. He stared at his reflection for a moment and then turned his attention to cleaning himself up. He exited the bathroom in silence and watched as Terra went in after him. Thirty minutes later she came out wearing the same clothes she had slept in. Dorian realized she would need something else to wear. He kept his frustration inward as he smiled at her. He wasn't used to taking care of someone else. It was a change, one that he wasn't sure he was comfortable with.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, trying to be polite.
"It's the suit, it's embedded into my nervous system, it's in my skin, I have no way to get it off," Terra explained. "Slade, he used it to control me."
Ah, so this wasn't completely of her own volition, someone was manipulating her. Dorian was interested. This man Slade had a mind like his own except he was trying to change his and Slade was not.
"What can you tell me about this man Slade?" Dorian asked.
"Why do you want to know? And why should I trust you?" Terra snapped. "I mean, I just—I just come back without any explanation and you're standing there asking me all these questions, claiming you want to help me and then you start grilling me about my past when I should be asking you about your past. Why are you interested in me? Are you some kind of stalker?"
Dorian felt his anger rising. She was an impudent, insulting, and fiery to boot, he didn't want to lose his temper. Dorian felt amazed that a child could push him into a rage so easily. Being immortal, there weren't many things that could anger him, he had seen much and well, anger was an emotion he wasn't inclined to feel because he didn't have much to be angry about.
A fierce glint came into his eye, "Be careful what you say to me, child. I saved your life."
"How?" Terra asked sarcastically. "You wished me back here?"
Now I know why the Americans say that blonde's are dumb, Dorian smirked. He wasn't stupid, he had lived long enough to know that if he was to keep his immortality a secret, he had to blend in and act like everyone else.
"Careful Terra, you might be more right than you know," Dorian gave her a smile.
Terra gazed at her strange companion and shuddered. Who knew a smile could send chills down her spine? There was something in it, something foreboding and ominous, a mysterious sense of…evil? It was curious and yet it frightened her. Who was he?
"Who are you?" Terra demanded. "I've given you what you wanted, you have to tell me who you are and what that thing is," she pointed to the enormous canvas draped in a dark cloth.
"That is not for you to know, that is my business, not yours!" the man calling himself Mr. Hallward said in a harsh voice. Terra was startled. His demeanor could change on a whim. He could be warm and charming one minute and an angry, snarling monster the next. She began to wonder if she had been "rescued" by a raving psychopath. At least Slade didn't have a split personality, he was always the same way, and he didn't change his demeanor quickly, she flinched at the memory of when he had beaten her because she failed to destroy the Teen Titans. Mr. Hallward, however, appeared to be mentally unstable. Had she returned to the world just to fall into the hands of a madman? She shuddered and moved away from him, pressing her body against the wall as much as she could.
Dorian could see the fear and terror in her eyes and forced himself to calm down. He was a hard man to live with, many people, if they were still alive would have told her so. He took a deep breath, "I must…apologize for my behavior Terra. I'm unaccustomed to having company. I prefer to be alone."
"Then why am I here?" Terra asked.
"That is very…complicated." Mr. Hallward look thoughtful. "Do you need something to eat?"
"I'm starving," Terra admitted.
"Stay here, I'll go get you something," Mr. Hallward said, getting up from his chair.
"Mr. Hallward," Terra began, "is that thing under the canvas a painting."
The man nodded. Terra decided to push her luck a little further. "Is it a portrait?" Another nod. "Can I look at it?"
"No," Mr. Hallward said in that same angry tone he had used earlier, to her astonishment, he actually picked her up by her shirt and pulled her close to his face. "You may never look at it! It is something very personal. Never look beneath the drape, child. The day you do I will know it…If you and I are to be friends you will never look upon the image on that canvas, do you understand me?"
"Yes sir," Terra said in a near whisper. She had no idea how she was going to be able to live with this man; he scared the daylights out of her. She was really starting to wonder if he was schizophrenic. What was it about that painting that made him so secretive? She could see the portrait frame; it was about life size. What was it hiding? She tried to put the thought out of her mind. She had other things to think about. Mr. Hallward set her down on the ground and turned to leave.
Dorian kept his eyes on her as he left the room. He hoped she would keep her end of the bargain. If she did look upon the portrait, discovering who he was…he didn't know what he'd do. The last person who had gazed upon that portrait was its painter, and he was dead by Dorian's hand. If she knew who he was she might reject him, then what? It wasn't as if he cared, or tried not to anyway, he wanted to be good, but he didn't know how, not anymore.
He headed down to the lobby used some cash to buy breakfast and headed back to his room. He found Terra sitting on the floor. Her eyes were fixed on the canvas. He knew that curiosity was gnawing away at her. She wanted to know what it was; he could see it in her eyes.
"Come, eat something," he said in a voice that sounded hollow, devoid of emotion. She looked up at him, snapped out her trancelike state and eagerly wolfed down the food he brought her. He would be safe, for now. He wondered how long it would be before curiosity overtook his companion…how long it would be before she knew who he was. She didn't suspect a thing, and ignorance is bliss, he hoped she would never know his true intentions for keeping her with him.
Robin stood at the central computer in Titans Tower, furiously running the name "Mr. Gray" through all the databases in the known world, there were plenty of them, but none of them seemed to fit Beast Boy's description of the blonde-haired young man he had seen at Terra's memorial. Robin left the console frustrated; it didn't help him that the man he was looking for didn't seem to exist.
Robin was busy thinking when he approached Beast Boy. "Beast Boy, you said there was a man named Mr. Gray who was very interested in Terra. How could you just go tell her story to a complete stranger? That could have been Slade for all we know!"
"I don't know why I did it dude, he just…I don't know, it seemed like it was really important to him. Don't ask me why I opened my big fat mouth though."
"Oh please, have you found the madman who has stolen away Terra's statue?" Starfire asked.
"No Star, I haven't." Robin turned to Beast Boy. "I have some bad news for you, Beast Boy."
"What would that be?" Beast Boy asked; he was worried about Terra.
"The man that fits your description does not exist."
"Dude, what do you mean he doesn't exist? I talked to the guy and I can assure you, it wasn't a ghost or a zombie! Believe me I'd know."
"How would you know what a zombie is Beast Boy?" Raven asked sarcastically.
"Believe me Raven, the man I met was no zombie," Beast Boy stated.
"Well, Zombie or not, we have a missing Titan and no clue where she is," Cyborg said, walking up behind them.
"I guess we'll have to find her," Robin said, standing up. Suddenly, the alarm blared.
"Titans, trouble!" Robin said. He ordered the others to move out. Their search for Terra would have to wait. They had other problems at the moment.
