It was a rainy day, and the members of Titans East stayed in the tower to avoid the rain. It was a torrential downpour outside, and flood warnings were announced on the news. The rain didn't let up one bit all day, perfect weather for ducks, but not for people. Luckily the alarms hadn't gone off all day and the titans could relax and play video games. Bumblebee saw it as the perfect opportunity to get some chores done. She walked into the main room where the boys were playing video games and she turned off the television without warning. The boys groaned in complaint. "Chore day." She said.
"Come on, Bee. We already cleaned the tower!" Aqualad said.
"Yeah, last month." Speedy came in.
"That's exactly why we need to clean again, and what a day to do it. There's nothing else to do." Bumblebee explained.
"In case you forgot, we were in the middle of doing something." Said Speedy.
"You'll appreciate a nice, clean tower." Bumblebee stated, "Now, let's start with our rooms."
"Thanks a lot, Mom." Speedy taunted.
"I hate it when you call me that!" Bumblebee complained.
"Can't we do it later?" Aqualad asked.
"Today is the one day we're not busy fighting crime! We'll do it today, and when I say today I mean now!" their boss demanded. The boys groaned and got up off the couch and made their way to their rooms. But as they did, the computer came on and the words "visitor" flashed on the screen. Bumblebee walked over to it and pushed a button. Another panel popped up and showed the front door to the tower, and at the door stood a figure. "Who is crazy enough to be out in the rain?" The boys didn't answer, but ran down to the door. "Guys wait! It could be a trick!" and she ran after them.
At the door, the team readied for battle, just in case it was a trick. Speedy readied and arrow, Aqualad got into a fighting stance and Mas y Menos grabbed hands. Bumblebee rose on of her lasers to the door and then pushed a button that opened it. But instead of finding a villain at their doorstep…they found a soaking wet, teary eyed Rain. They lowered their weapons and Speedy ran over to her. "Rain? What're you doing here? How did you get here?" he asked as he pulled her inside. Bumblebee rolled her eyes, not this girl again. She put away her weapons and crossed her arms.
"What a surprise." She said sarcastically. Rain walked inside, dripping wet and hugging herself, crying. On her back was her backpack which also dripped water onto the floor.
"What's the matter?" Speedy asked another question. Rain just looked at him with red brimming eyes and more tears fell. She began to choke up and cry more. Speedy placed his hand under her chin and directed her eyes up to his. "Tell me what happened." He said softly. Rain sniffled for the hundredth time and closed her eyes. She bowed her head, and just faintly spoke.
"I ran away." She said quietly.
"Why?"
"Because…today…" and she choked up again and began to cry harder, breaking down into sobs. Speedy frowned and looked at the other guys on the team.
"Let's bring her inside." Aqualad said. He and Speedy both placed a hand on Rain's shoulders and walked her up the stairs. Bumblebee wanted nothing more than to shove her outside and slam the door. Let her deal with her own problems.
The boys grabbed towels and fixed tea. They wrapped Rain up in a towel and sat her down on the sofa. They tried to make her as comfortable as possible. Speedy sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her, letting her cry on him, still not knowing what the problem was. Bumblebee stayed in the corner and watched from there, refusing to be a part of what she saw as madness. Aqualad walked over with a mug of tea and handed it to Rain. Rain took it, still sniffling, and looked at the cloud of steam that danced over it. Mas y Menos grabbed a box of tissues and sat on the couch with Aqualad and Speedy.
"Tell us what happened." Speedy spoke to Rain, his arm still around her. Aqualad was sitting next to her as well, holding the box of tissues. Rain took a deep breath and started.
"Today, I woke up and got ready for school as usual. I went down to the lobby to say goodbye to Ms. White…" and Rain paused, "…and she was dead." Everyone felt sorrow rush through them as the words hit their ears. It was always so hard when someone died.
"Awe man. Rain…I'm sorry." Speedy sympathized.
"Not only that, but today in school, everyone was talking about me."
"But that's a good thing, isn't it?" Aqualad asked. Rain shook her head.
"No, they were saying terrible things about me. They called me names all day. And in lunch when I walked in, they all began to chant horrible nicknames. It wasn't really the greatest way to start a summer vacation."
"What were they calling you?" Speedy asked.
"Mutant." Rain replied and a tear fell, "I overheard some kids talking about my eyes. They said I was abnormal and not human. I went to my locker at the end of the day, and when I opened it, a can of paint fell out onto me. Some kids had set up my locker." And she began to cry again.
"What else?" Speedy knew there was more.
"After school was open-house. And people from all over came to the orphanage. By the end of open-house, half of the girls had been adopted…except for me." And she bowed her head and cried more, sobbing louder. "I'm never going to find a home! Nobody wants me!"
"That's not true." Speedy said.
"Yes it is!" she half-yelled. "Look at me!" and she looked him in the eyes and pointed to her multicolored ones. "I'm a freak! I heard a couple saying they didn't want to adopt me because they thought something was wrong with me!" Speedy and the others were silent. Rain had really had a terrible day. No wonder she was in so much pain.
"People are cruel, Rain. I don't know what to say." Aqualad offered. Mas y Menos walked up to Rain and looked her in the face with eyes full of sadness. Speedy pulled Rain into his arms and hugged her, stroking her wet hair.
"One day, you'll find a home. I know it. Until then…you have me." Speedy told her.
"And me." Aqualad came in with a hand on her shoulder and a smile.
"Y nos." Mas y Menos even came in. Speedy began to rock Rain back and forth and she cried.
"Shh. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine. I promise." He reassured her. "But I don't get it. You chose to come here?" Rain nodded and wiped away her tears as she backed up.
"I have friends here." She said.
"Yes you do." Aqualad agreed.
"Please…I know it's asking much…but…can I stay?" Rain asked.
"Huh?" they all asked.
"Oh please! I can't go back there!" Rain begged. The boys looked at Bumblebee who was over in the corner. She just looked back at them, shocked. She shook her head furiously!
"No way!" she replied. The boys glared and Speedy turned back to Rain.
"Of course you can." He replied. Rain smiled a bit and stopped crying. Bumblebee's mouth dropped open!
"WHAT?" she ran up to them.
"Come on, I'll show you your room." Speedy said as he helped Rain up and they walked away into the hallway together. Rain followed him, feeling a bit better. She looked down at her and Speedy's intertwined fingers. She blushed to herself, wondering if he'd ever do the same with anybody else. And at the moment she wondered why she hadn't held hands with him more often. Speedy pressed a button on a wall and two metal doors slid open, and they stepped in. He turned the light on, illuminating the room and revealing a bed, a dresser and a desk for working in a large room. The color of the walls was pink and so were the bed sheets. Rain walked in and looked around. "Nobody else wanted this room because of the color. But seeing that pink is your favorite, I think it will do the trick. Do you like it?"
"It's wonderful." She replied as she walked over to the bed and touched the warm, soft covers.
"And check this out." And he pressed another button, the room went dark, but the ceiling was lit by a bunch of dots that looked like stars. It was an exact replica of a starry night. Rain gasped and smiled. Then she turned and saw the view of the lake that lead out to the ocean. "I hope it'll be enough."
"It's more than enough." Rain retorted. "Thank you…for everything."
"No problem." Speedy handed her the backpack. She took it and they looked at each other. "Well, you should probably get some sleep. You've had a long, hard day and you'll feel better in the morning."
"I already feel better." Rain informed him.
"Good." And he rubbed the back of his head. "So, I'll see you in the morning."
"Alright." Rain said as she sat down on the bed. "Good night, Speedy."
"Night, Rain." And he pressed a button and closed the door, letting Rain calm down and get some sleep for the night.
