Different

Chapter Thirteen: Coming Clean

I do not own: The Teen Titans, Good Charlotte (or the Chronicles of Life and Death, though I do own that t-shirt), Frosted Flakes, The Battle of Jericho.

Also- everyone, I've changed my email. Check my profile if you need the new one, because I'm no longer answering to the kitsune-crap.

Note: Ibuprofen is the technical name for aspirin. I, by no means, believe what Slade says to Raven about the immigration policy, and the War on Terror/Whole Oil Deal. Sorry if you're offended.

More Notes: I mention the Anti-Christ a bunch of times, go into a bit of detail about an injury, and this chapter is actually the shortest yet.

I wanted to scream, "It liiiiiives!" While I was writing this.

Tomorrow was my birthday; I was turning sixteen.

I remembered that note that I had found one day back in April, and started to worry about tomorrow…

I tossed and turned.

It was Saturday already: My life was officially over.

I sat up, clutching my head as pain rushed to it. I whimpered, groping for my secret stash of ibuprofen. As soon as I opened my mouth to pop the pills in, pain erupted down my throat.

My birthday was off to a terrific start. I had voices in my head, I had a headache, and my throat was killing me.

I grabbed clothes for the day: jean capris, and a Good Charlotte tee, with the Chronicles of Life and Death written across it. I headed for the shower, only pausing to look in the mirror.

My eyes were bloodshot. Between my black hair, purple highlights, and my red eyes, I looked demonic.

I took my shower and got dressed as fast as I could.

It was only eight in the morning. I considered crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over my head until tomorrow, but I had to meet my friends today.

I sighed. I wasn't sure if I would make it out alive.

I ate breakfast, glumly staring at a stupidly grinning tiger, shouting, Grrr-eat! I was somehow jealous of Tony, living life on a box, surrounded by blue and mazes and puzzles for all eternity and always managing to be happy while doing it.

It was fifteen to nine when I walked out of the house, backpack slung over my shoulder. In it were books that I wanted to read, and my watch was strapped around my wrist, knowing that I had to be back at my house at about five.

I made it to the park okay.

The grass was still wet with dew, so I sat on a bench, feeling the early summer sun warm my legs.

I longed for summer- for the warmth and the freedom from school. Now that I had friends I figured I would be busy almost all summer. I could get my permit this summer, too.

I opened the first page to The Battle of Jericho and something caused me to look up. I glanced around, wanting no attention.

I shook it off and went back to reading, only to feel like I was being watched.

Eventually it got so bad that I stood up, dusted myself off, and started walking for a bench on the other side of the park. For a while, it was nice. But then I felt like I was being watched again.

I barely caught a glimpse of a familiar orange head as my head whipped up.

Slade was following me.

My heart took off in my chest. I stood up as fast as I could and made for the lake.

Out of breath, I collapsed in a heap beneath a tree. I closed my eyes, leaning my head against the tree. I rested there for a moment.

"Hello, Raven."

My eyes shot open. A choked noise came from my throat.

Slade was grinning before me. "Happy Sweet Sixteen, Birthday Girl…"

I suppressed a scream. "What do you want?"

"Your cooperation."

My mind took off my sixteen different directions. What did he mean?

While the scariest thought involved rape and murder, I shook them out of my head before asking, "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, one day you could be the downfall of the world as we know it. You could bring this stupid country to its knees. You could rule it, Raven! You could change it!"

This is some whacked-out conspiracy theory! My mind screamed.

"This country is falling apart. The immigrants are wrecking the work force! America needs to be owned and operated by Americans! Only we know best!"

My eyes widened. I knew that Slade was a fucked up creature, but I didn't know it was to this extent.

"We need that oil from the Middle East! So we need to beat down those insurgents and get it for ourselves!"

My mouth fell open. What?

"And what do I have to do with all of this?" I asked.

Slade grinned sinisterly. "Everything." He whispered. "You're everything. Without you, this plan could not come through, we would fail."

Chills raced down my spine.

"It's your destiny, Raven. You'll major in business in college. You'll take over your father's business and bring it great extents. Soon, you'll buy out other companies, creating a monopoly in real estate. But people will love you! You'll be adored, exulted, you'll be loved! You'll run for President, an unknown, but you'll take this country by storm! You'll do so much good in your first term. But in your second term… that's when you turn on them."

"You're making me some sort of Antichrist!" I cried, trying to edge away from him.

He gripped my arm with a grip like iron. "You're not the Antichrist. You're just going to take over the world."

"No." I hissed, "I don't want this!"

"You someday will, Raven, you someday will!"

"I'll never want this!" I struggled against him, "I'll never turn into you."

"Raven, Raven, Raven," Slade chuckled, his grin tightening, "When all your friends are gone what are you going to do?"

"You sick bastard!" I all but shrieked, "Are you seriously going to kill my friends?"

"No, no, no…" Slade said, "They'll just be your first victims."

"NO!" The scream burst forth from me, and black energy shot out from my hands.

I was brimming with an intensity that I was unfamiliar with. I concentrated on Slade's hands gripping my arm, and soon I heard bone snap.

He released with a howl. That was my cue to run for my life.

I ran blindly, only wanting to get out of his line of sight. People stopped and stared, but I kept going.

I didn't notice the uneven concrete path that I had started on. My sneakers caught the edge of a block and I went sprawling.

I hit the concrete hard with a hiss of pain. I had thrown my hands out to break my fall, but the fall broke me.

The fall jarred the bones in my arms. My right hand was red from the impact, but my left hand was scratched and bleeding, with bits of rock sticking to it. My knee was bleeding profusely, probably going to stain my white socks. My elbow smarted, but I couldn't get a good look at it.

I took my less injured hand and gingerly touched it. I winced as a sharp pain shot up my arm. My hand came away bloody.

"Shit," A hissed curse came out from between my teeth.

I slowly stood up, wincing with the effort. I hobbled my way towards my bike, mentally asking myself how I was going to ride it without falling over.

Today was really against me, I decided. A familiar figure was approaching, and I was barely ten feet from where I fell.

It took me a split second to recognize that figure as Gar.

My heart took off again, this time for two different reasons. One, I was a bloody mess. Two, he was here in the park.

Maybe he won't recognize me.

Fat chance. It's not every day you see an emo girl with purple highlights.

"Raven?"

Damn it.

"Raven? Oh my God, what happened to you?" He rushed over, putting my arm around his shoulders so he could help me walk.

I didn't answer.

"Who did this to you, Rae?" He turned to face me, "Tell me who did this to you!"

I didn't answer still, my cheeks burning.

"Raven, tell me, damn it, tell me!"

"Fine!" I burst, "I'll tell you! I fell, Gar, I fell."

Gar looked suspicious. "Are you sure your father didn't do this to you?"

"Gar, he's my father!"

"Raven, you can't hide this from me anymore!" He let go of me, as we were outside the park. "Stop lying to me now."

I turned my head away. "Gar, I really did fall. I know I've used that excuse before, but this time I'm not lying, I've been running from his deranged coworker who wants me to become some sort of Antichrist and take over the world because they believe I can."

Gar's face was somewhere between furious, confused, and annoyed. "God, Raven, don't you trust me?"

"I do trust you!" I yelled, "I just don't…"

"You don't what, Rae? You don't trust me. Otherwise you would've told us about this when Amanda painted your house!"

Anger shot through me. "I wasn't ready to tell you then! But now I am, so you better shut up!"

Gar quieted.

"Alright," I drew a shaky breath, "This all began when I was about four. That's when my mother died. Honestly, I think my father killed her, even though she did leave a note. He drove her to that point."

I shut my eyes, turning my head away from Gar. "Yeah, that's right, Mom committed suicide. She didn't want to leave me, but she decided to give me a chance. So you know what, Ma? Thanks one whole bunch!"

"Rae?"

"No, shut up, I'm not done yet. He didn't start hurting me- physically hurting me- until I was ten. I was ten years old. I was just this poor little fifth grader with bruises on her arm that were from 'falling down all the time'. I don't know how people bought it."

"I wouldn't have bought it," Gar said quietly.

"Yeah, but you weren't there," I snapped. "No one was there for me, okay? And then, this year, this amazing thing happened: I made my first friends. I met you guys, and you changed me. I'm not as bitter and as alone as I used to be." I sighed. "I've got you guys now."

"But things are more spectacularly fucked up than you can imagine," I continued.

"My dad's coworker is a nutcase and I'm creeped out by him. Perhaps it's mostly because he comes off as a pervert, but he freaks the hell out of me. And… I'm…"

I stopped talking.

"You're what, Rae? You're what?"

"But I'm still more alone that you know…"

"Then what don't I know?" Gar shot back, gripping my arm.

I yelped in pain. He let go of me as if I was on fire.

"Sorry…" He rubbed the back of his head. "Now, Rae, tell me what's happening…"

"I don't even know what's happening." I rubbed my temples, "All I know is that they want me to become a business woman, become the President, and then take over the world with my 'powers'."

"What exactly do they mean by 'powers'?"

"Everything, Mr. Logan."

The blood froze in my veins. Slade was back.

Confusion flitted across Gar's face.

"She's not lying to you, Mr. Logan, at least not about our plans for her. " Slade crossed his arms and grinned.

Gar glanced back and forth between me and Slade. "What's going on here?"

I grabbed Gar's wrist and bolted out of there, dragging him along.

"Rae!" Gar cried, running alongside me, "What the hell are you doing?"

"We're running away from him!" I panted, "He's a crazy lunatic sick bastard and I think he wants to kill me."

Or you, I added mentally.

"Why?" Gar stumbled a bit, "Why would anyone want to kill you?"

We were almost at my house. "Because I'm different, that's why."

"Oh, come on Raven, you're not that different." Gar chanced a smile.

I laughed, a little bit hysterically, "Oh, yes, I'm much more different than you could ever imagine."

"You're not some kind of alien, are you?"

"No, I'm not an alien, I promise." I dug my spare key out of my pocket. "But I have to warn you… don't believe anything you're about to see or hear."

"Gar, don't you come near me with that cotton swap," I scrunched into a little ball, trying to get away from the hydrogen-peroxide soaked cotton ball.

"Raven," Gar sighed, "It's the best thing for cuts and scrapes. At least that's what Angelo says."

Quick as lightening, he got a solid grip on my calf. "Just stay still," He said softly, "This might sting."

The blush was blooming on my cheeks, but all was forgotten as soon as it started to sting.

Once Gar had me bandaged up, I limped into my bedroom as he followed.

"Do you mind?" I hissed, grabbing clean clothes for the party.

"You just might want to dress up a little bit." Gar advised.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, whatever."

I grabbed nicer clothes- black gauchos, a dark purple scoop neck, and some silver jewelry.

"Nice," Gar whistled.

"Shut up." I flung a pillow at him. "Do you mind turning around so I could change?"

"Alright," Gar said.

"And shut your eyes."

"Okay."

"And don't turn around."

"Just change, Rae!"

I changed quickly, searching for shoes to wear, finally settling with a pair of 'strappy' silver sandal slides.

"So…" I started, once the last earring was in, "What do you think?"

Gar turned around.

"It's… it's…"

It's what?

It's hideous?

It's bad?

"It's nice." Gar flushed. "I like the shoes." He flushed a deeper color.

My cheeks lit with a blush.

Our eyes met and held.

"Now isn't that sweet?" Slade's voice came from the doorway.

I screamed, so frightened that black power shot up from me and dressers spat out their contents.

When everything stopped flying, I opened my eyes to see an amazed Gar.

"What are you?" Gar said, motioning toward the motionless Slade.

I looked out the window. A bird was suspended in its flight.

"I've never done this before," I breathed, "Stop time, I mean. I've never done it."

Gar sent me a confused look.

"I think I'm what you can an empath. I'm… telekinetic. I can control things." I sent my clothes back into their drawers, which were still on the floor.

"And I can make them do things." The drawers glowed black as they slid back into place.

Gar's mouth was open in astonishment. "Is that all you can do?"

"I can also apparently stop time." I gave him a shaky smile. "C'mon, let's get out of here before this wears off.

We made it out the door, to say the least. Gar whipped out his cell phone and told Rich that we were leaving, and probably would be there in about five minutes, so he better order the pizza now.

We were soon at Rich's front door, and he grinned. "Happy birthday, Raven." He hugged me quickly.

A blush lit on my cheeks again. He grinned lopsidedly as the door opened.

"We're here!" He called.

No one answered back.

"Huh. That's strange," Gar spoke to himself, "No one's here."

"Why?" I asked, a little confused.

"Aha! They're all downstairs!"

He opened the door to the basement, and we began descending the stairs.

"Why is it so dark? I can't see a thing!" I asked, bumping into the wall.

"I dunno. Maybe they're in the back room."

"I hope they are. I can't see a single thing."

We were on the landing now. Gar gripped my shoulders and whistled.

The lights flicked on.

Many, many, many people stared back at me with eager looks on their faces.

"SURPRIIIISE!" They shouted.

I shrieked.

And Gar laughed.

How's that for –checks watch- two and a half hours of writing? I know it's short, and I'll make up for it in the next chapter…

But maybe you're just happy to see this after a five-month hiatus…

I made this chapter up as I went. I had not been planning that Slade-and-Raven part for months. That came naturally. Damn it, now I've set myself up for the sequel...

I know you just might be pissed at me, but review please!