WoM- You know, the whole thing about being the only vegetarian in the hills? It wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be… it was worse. 'makes face' My dad didn't care that I got a belly button ring, but he flipped when he found out I don't eat meat. Ah, well. Here's chapter seven, enjoy!
"The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact than a drunken man is happier than a sober one."
-William Shakespeare
"Keep moving… And no funny stuff, freak!" Plasmius narrowed his eyes, memorizing the face of the youth who was herding him into his cell. The young fool would not get away with such an insult, Vlad would make sure of that.
As the door slid shut and a strange energy force field turned on, Vlad looked around the cell. It was fairly large, about the size of his office, and clean. The walls, floor and ceiling were all pure white, which stung at the halfa's eyes.
To his left was an open door, which Vlad saw led to some kind of bathroom, where this rooms color scheme also ran rampant. From what he could see there was a sink, a shower and a toilet. No mirrors or any other glass objects the ghost could use as a weapon.
Against the opposite wall was a small cot, with clean white bed sheets. A small, almost flat pillow sat above the smooth sheets as one end, as white as anything else in the room. In fact, the only thing that wasn't white was the large black screen to his right.
Sighing grimly, the halfa turned to study his guards. They both had their backs to him, both wearing some sort of protective armor Vlad didn't recognize. The armor was mainly white, but there were some blacks and grays worked in here and there too, giving it a very mechanical look.
No doubt both the armor and the force field were designed specifically for someone with his powers, and there were probably more guards he couldn't see, and most likely even some cameras as well.
If it were anyone but the Haunters, Vlad would be quite smug about all these preparations being made just for him.
'Daniel,' He thought, frowning, 'They'll be after Daniel, too. Hopefully his sister warned him in time. The boy's intelligent enough to know something's wrong before they can take him, and if anyone has the proper combination of power, intelligence and sheer dumb luck needed to defeat the Haunters, it's Daniel,'
He just hoped his judgment was as good as he thought…
"Didn't I tell you to keep your crap on your side of the room?" Sam sighed and glared irritably at the girl standing in front of her, hands at her hips.
"This IS my side of the room," She reminded the girl.
"Your stupid photo album!" The girl exclaimed, brandishing the book angrily. "I found it next to my Dresser!" And, with a cross huff, the girl threw the book across the room, letting loose photos scatter everywhere before she turned on her heels and left, slamming the door behind her. Sam's eyes widened as she took in the mess.
"My pictures!" She yelled, jumping up. On the other side of the room, her other roommate smiled up from her assignment sympathetically.
"Marie's been in a bad mood lately," She said, "Her ex-boyfriend just started seeing someone else." Sam's lips pursed.
"Marie's ALWAYS in a bad mood." She said coolly, "And don't make excuses for her, Anna, I don't buy them for a second!" Anna winced slightly, looking down guiltily.
Just then, her eye caught a picture that's floated all the way to her side of the room when Marie had thrown the book, landing upside down just two feet from Anna curious, Anna picked it up.
It showed a boy around her age, with hair as white as snow who was wearing a black and gray Hazmat suit. His vivid green eyes were narrowed in determination, and his fists were out in front of him as he literally flew through the air. The weirdest thing, though, was the fact that he didn't have legs, but rather a long black trail of semi-transparent energy where his legs should've been.
"Is this Danny Phantom?" Anna asked Sam, looking up from the picture. Sam's head jerked up at the name, her eyes widening at the sight of the picture in Anna's hands.
"Gimme that!" She said, grabbing the picture up, much to her roommates alarm. Anna frowned in confusion as a blushing Sam stuffed the picture with the rest she'd collected, shutting the book to hide them from view.
"I was just asking," Anna said, giving Sam an accusing glare. Sam sighed.
"…Well… Yeah. That was Danny Phantom, alright?" She frowned at Anna, "How did you know about him anyways?" Anna rolled her eyes.
"I told you before that one of my brothers is an occult maniac," She reminded Sam dryly. "If he could, he'd worship the ground Phantom walked on. How do you know about him?"
"I lived in Amity Park before I came here," Sam said.
"Really?" Anna brightened, "And you know him?"
"Everyone in Amity knows Phantom," Sam said dryly.
"well you obviously know him better then most people of you've got a picture of him." Anna pointed out. Sam blushed again.
"He saved me before, okay?" She said irritably.
"So he really is a hero then?" Anna asked, curiosity shining in her eyes. Sam smiled gently at that.
"Yeah," She said softly, lost in thought, "He's a hero, alright…"
BLACKBIRD
Chapter 7; This Means War!
"So, you're actually Raven of the Teen Titans?" Melissa asked quietly as Raven finished her explanation. The hands that held her coco were trembling slightly, But Raven couldn't figure out if that was from the attack or just because they were now alone in Raven's apartment.
"Exactly," Raven said, "And you can't tell anyone about it, okay?" Melissa gave Raven a weak smile.
"Don't worry," She advised her pale companion, "Tucker's the only person who ever listens to me, anyways, and I know better then to trust him with something you want to keep secret." Raven frowned slightly at the mention of the boy, who she knew was friends with Danny.
Who was probably one of the last people she wanted to find out about the whole Rae Venn hoax, especially considering his friendship with Valerie…
"Well, keep even quieter about it whenever Danny Fenton is around," She advised the girl. "If he finds out, it could be the end of my mission, considering who his parents are."
"I think you should be more worried about Danny himself then his parents," Melissa said softly. "I don't know why, but he's always struck me as really… powerful," Raven fought a smile of amusement as Melissa shuddered slightly.
"Powerful?" She repeated, "A boy who admits he's been inside his locker more then he's been out?"
"I know it seems silly, but that's the impression I get," Melissa said, her voice losing some conviction as her eyes fixed on Raven's feet. The sorceress sighed.
"I'll keep a closer eye on Danny," She promised. "Honestly, though, it's Valerie that worries me. She's already nearly caught me… and that girl can really hold a grudge."
"Valerie's been full of anger for a long time now," Melissa sighed "Ever since her father lost his job at Axion. Being friends with Danny has gotten rid of a lot of it, but some is still there."
"Yeah, kinda noticed that," Raven said dryly, thinking back to Valerie's cryptic warning.
"Tucker doesn't like her," Melissa admitted softly, "He's always been worried she'd hurt Danny, I think,"
"He's worried about Valerie hurting Danny?" Raven asked, her eyebrow raising at that one. "We are talking about the same Valerie here, right?"
"I couldn't understand it either," Melissa admitted, "I always thought that Danny was the last person Valerie would hurt, but Tucker just won't trust her. Actually, the closer those two get, the more upset he becomes." Raven frowned thoughtfully at that.
"It's probably nothing important," She decided after a while. Melissa's face fell for a moment before she smiled shyly at Raven.
"You're probably right," She agreed with the superhero, standing up, "Well, I should probably get back home. My brother's probably worried by now…"
"Right," Raven sighed.
"I promise I won't say a word to anyone," she repeated quietly before ducking out the door. Raven sighed as the door shut behind the girl. She didn't doubt that for a second, though. Melissa seemed too quiet to allow herself to get into the middle of something that would become the center of so much attention.
With that reassuring though, Raven's eyes narrowed as she turned to address another problem. Taking out her communicator, she opened it and contacted Titan's Tower.
"Friend Raven!" Starfire chirped happily when she appeared on the screen, "Seeing you again brings much joy!"
"Next person who calls me without a very good reason will spend the next year in the most unpleasant alternate dimension I can find," Raven warned bluntly, narrowing her eyes at her friend accusingly.
"What happened?" Cyborg asked, confused.
"Someone nearly found out who I was," Raven explained with a sigh, "Someone who hates me with every fiber of their being, by the way,"
"How can they hate you if you've only been there a day?" Robin's eyebrow kicked up.
"That doesn't matter," Raven said, not wanting to explain the tenuous fiasco that was her relationship with Valerie. "The point is, you guys are only supposed to call me in emergency situations." She put emphasis on 'emergency,' giving her changeling friend a pointed glare.
"Noted," Beastboy said with a weak grin.
"So how's the ghost hunt going?" Cyborg asked, "You get your man yet?"
"I met him," Raven sighed, "The problem is, he doesn't seem half bad,"
"This is bad news, yes?" A puzzle Starfire asked, misinterpreting the term. "If more then half of him is bad, then he becomes a threat, is that not so?" Everyone stared at the alien princess for a moment.
"Ah, that's not what she meant, Star…" Cyborg said slowly.
"Oh!" Starfire blushed as she grinned sheepishly, "Then forgive me for interrupting! And please continue, friend!"
"At any rate," Raven sighed, "since the ghost doesn't strike me as evil right off the bat, I'm, going to have to stay a little longer. And Valerie's already suspicious enough, so I don't need anything else confirming her reservations."
"Who's Valerie?" Beastboy asked, brightening at the female name. Raven resisted the urge to roll her eyes.
"A very untrusting girl with a crush on the very weird son of two very enthusiastic ghost hunters," the sorceress answered. "and she's making my life miserable."
"Well, it's not like she's anything you've really gotta worry about," Cyborg reminded her, "You've fought psychotic madmen, evil mutants, demons and space aliens trying to take over the world. After that, getting a high school girl off your case should be a cinch."
"Yeah, Rae," Beastboy agreed.
"You should probably turn in now," Robin said, taking charge as always, "Call us again tomorrow for another update. And try not to draw too much attention to yourself in school. Titans Tower out."
"Could've used that advice a little earlier…" Raven sighed as she turned her communicator off and placed it on her nightstand. She absently ran a hand through her violet hair, the wig firmly discarded as soon as she'd entered the house.
Taking her leader's advice, Raven flew into the kitchen and put a pot of water on the stove to boil for her nightly herbal tea. With that taken care of, the girl picked out a change of clothes and flew into the bathroom to shower and change for bed.
She never noticed the cloaked figure outside her bedroom window, which disappeared as soon as her door shut.
"Busy night?" Danny blinked incoherently, staring at Valerie in a daze. The ghost hunter chuckled. "Don't tell me, you forgot our Economy homework too." Danny groaned.
"Jazz is gonna murder me…" He predicted in a droll tone, slumping against the lockers behind him. Valerie laughed.
"Danny!" Both teens turned at the familiar called, watching with raised eyebrows as Tucker ran over to them, "I need to talk to you, now!"
"Then by all means," Valerie responded, crossing her arms and fixing the boy with a cool gaze.
As much as she liked Danny, she still didn't get along with his remaining friend that well, though in all honesty her relationship with him was better then the one she had with Sam. Before she moved, it'd gotten to the point where a cat fight nearly broke out every time they spoke to one another.
"It's private, okay?" Tucker said, lugging the startled blue eyed boy away. "Guy stuff!" Valerie blinked after their disappearing forms.
"…Guy stuff?" She repeated. Knowing Tucker, she decided that she didn't want to know after all.
Sighing, Valerie figured it was time for her to head to class, since Tucker had kidnapped the only person she ever really talked to. On her way, though, she passed a sight that made her stop with a suspicious frown on her face.
Decked out in a similar outfit that she'd worn the other day, Rae stood in the middle of the hall, working the combination to her locker. At the other end of the hall stood Paulina, Dash, and both of their respective posses.
Dash and Paulina were both smirking at Rae, and the rest of the group was giggling and snickering amongst themselves, also keeping their eyes fixed on the new girl.
'She can't be dense enough not to think that…?' Valerie started. Then she groaned. Who was she kidding? The girl had only been going to high school for a day. There was no way she could've already caught onto the finer points of the way popular kids took their revenge.
With that realized, Valerie looked between the Goth and the populars, genuinely torn. On the one hand, Rae was certainly no friend of hers. But on the other, no self-respecting hero, self-made or not, could ever stand along and just watch when she knew a disaster was about to take place, especially when she could prevent it.
Besides, she still hadn't forgiven or forgotten the way Paulina and Dash both spurred her and kicked her out of the group when they knew she and her father had fallen on hard times.
Her mind made up, Valerie headed towards Rae, and putting a hand over hers right before the new girl opened her locker. Rae jumped and wheeled around to give Valerie a shock and confused look, apparently deep in thought with the girl had interrupted.
"I wouldn't," Valerie said, her eyes flickering over to the popular kids to glare at their disappointed looks. Rae frowned at turned to see what the girl was scowling at.
"What?" She said skeptically, "They couldn't have done anything. They don't know my combination." Valerie rolled her eyes.
"It's a high school locker, not a bank safe." She said, scoffing slightly, "Pick out any one and I can guarantee you I and any other student here can break into it in like three seconds. And that includes self absorbed cheerleaders and muscle-headed jocks. Look, just stand back, okay?" Still not looking convinced, Rae obliged, stepping aside to give the girl room. Valerie carefully lifted the lock and jumped back as the door swung open, not in the mood to take any nasty surprises for someone she didn't even like.
Just in time, too. Almost as soon as the ghost hunter stepped out of the way, a trap in the locker was triggered, flinging three raw eggs clear across the hall to spatter on the lockers opposite Rae's. Raven's gasped sharply when she saw them, and the popular kids groaned in disappointment.
"Thanks a lot, Grey!" Dash called out sarcastically, glaring at Valerie.
"Really, Valerie!" Paulina agreed, "Way to ruin the fun! Come on guys, let's go…"
Valerie scowled as she watched them begin to disperse, anger and a little guilt working it's way into her consciousness. Anger because she couldn't believe how petty and shallow the popular kids were acting…
…And guilt because at one time, she would've been right there with them, eagerly awaiting the 'new geek's' embarrassment. That was the one and only thing she was grateful to the ghost boy for. He showed her that there was a better life to live, better things to work towards.
But she was stronger for that now, and she had nothing to apologize for in her opinion. She made mistakes in the past, but that wasn't her anymore, and it wouldn't be her ever again. And anyone who had a problem with who she was now could just take a hike, because she was the only one who could decide how she thought and acted. And no one, ghost or human, could dictate that for her.
Valerie was drawn from these thoughts when movement caught the corner of her eye and she realized that an angry Rae was going after the popular kid's group in their retreat. Though she didn't notice the way that anything that wasn't nailed down was rattling threateningly, Valerie's eyes widened as her stomach drop to her feet.
'This can't end well…'
Raven was mad.
Beyond mad even. All the careful meditation, all her control, everything she worked so hard for to maintain her powers all flew out the window with those eggs that were clearly meant to humiliate her, a seemingly normal, defenseless girl.
'How dare they…!' She thought, fuming, 'Who do they think they are that they can degrade people like that for their own twisted form of entertainment and revenge for petty rebellion?' While the sorceress couldn't figure this out on her own, she fully intended on finding out.
"Hey she called out, making the group turn, apparently startled that she actually had the gall to confront them. Raven didn't concern herself with this, going on the offensive in an immediate, and completely uncharacteristic way.
She slapped Dash as hard as she could.
The boy stumbled back underneath the force of the blow, which started to turn red almost right away. No doubt it would turn into a most embarrassing bruise before the day let out. The rest of the group stared at Raven, jaws slacked.
On some level, Raven herself was surprised at her actions, but she was too consumed by Rage to care. Because before she came along, all these cruel pranks, all the nasty words and mockery, that was all for kids like Danny and Melissa. The kids who either valued whatever peace they could find enough to take the abuse that was given to them in a pacifists view point and the kids who were either too weak or frightened to stand up for themselves against those they saw as strong.
Raven wasn't angry for herself, she was angry for them. And this was one thing she wouldn't back down about, mission or no mission. In her mind, the ghosts were less of a threat to the teenaged population then their own were, the ones who stuffed unpopular boys into their lockers and spread cruel rumors about girls they didn't like.
"Are you psychotic?" Star demanded, gaping at Raven, "Man! What's your deal?"
"As of now, you cowards," Raven said in an icy tone. Paulina's eyes narrowed. "I'm only going to warn you once to leave me alone. Another prank and I won't be so nice," Star laughed.
"And just what can you do to us, huh?" She challenged. Raven just barely kept her powers under control, but the sound of breaking glass from the girl's bathroom they stood next to did reach her ears, making most of the kids jump.
"Care to find out?" She asked softly. To her surprise, Paulina smiled. It wasn't a friendly smile though it was cruel, teasing.
The thing that shocked her more, though, was when the popular girl grabbed her and pushed her into the bathroom, following at a leisurely pace. Behind her, Star trotted in like a dog following her master, gazing around the room hesitantly as she shut the door behind them and cringing when she saw the broken mirror.
"I don't like this, Paulina," She piped up, "You know that was a ghost that was just in here, right? What if it comes back!"
"Phantom will save us before that's a problem," Paulina said confidently, "He always does. Now, about you…" Raven glared at the cheerleader, who smirked down at her like an evil queen who was just about to order a beheading.
"What about me?" the Titan challenged.
"I want to know who you think you are that you can come into my school and try and make a mockery of me." Paulina said, resting against the sink.
"You're school?" Raven repeated, her eyebrow kicking up.
"That's right," Paulina said, "I heard you were home schooled, so let me fill you in, perdedor," (Raven made a mental note to ask Bumblebee what that word meant.) "This school doesn't belong to Mr. Lancer, or Mrs. Ishiyama, or Dash Baxter. I am the one who decide who's in and who's out. I am the one who decided how the teachers see you. If I wanted to, I can have you thrown out like that," Paulina emphasized the word with a snap of her perfectly manicured fingers.
"Yeah!" Star said bravely from behind Paulina.
"Then why don't you?" Rave challenged.
"Because I'm bored and need some entertainment," Paulina said, crossing her arms. "And you actually have enough backbone to give me some. So consider this your warning, perdedor, nobody makes Paulina Sanchez look like a fool. Fight all you want, but you won't change a thing in this school." And then, with a flip of her hair, Paulina sauntered out, Star at her heels yet again. "Adios, perdedor…" Raven scowled after her, the mirror shattering completely, along with the light fixture over head.
"We'll see about that…" She hissed, her eyes glowing black with her power.
WoM- 'grinning' Sounds like Paulina's biting off more then she can chew! And there's still Danny to contest with, too. He comes back in more next chapter, by the way. And don't go thinking too much is gonna change between Valerie and Raven just yet!
Thanks to;
epobbp
Shiva the Sarcastic
shadowspinner1
Firehedgehog
Anime Chick009
Light Dragon SunsSong
Invader Johnny
Tizami-Ki
Missmeliss4251
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet
conan98002
Feng Yue
I Brake For Ghosts
IwuvMyKenshyPoo
Inviso-Bill
Raving-Lunatic
enigmatic penguin
Desighnergirl123
Seeker Carter
Ant Crown
The Great Susinko
Jak of all Trades
Samantha-Girl Scout
RoseGirl from planet Pluto
Sqweakie the Wonder Mouse
Next update; January 14th
See you then!