Wow, I can't believe how many people reviewed for the first chapter! A big thanks goes out to everyone who did. This chapter's a little...strange. It was kind of a filler-like thing I wrote to explain what happened between the end of the last chapter and when Angela finds out what happens. Also, if you think you hated me after the last chapter, you will loathe me with ever fiber of your being after this one.
Here it is: I do not own the Teen Titans, but, just like everyone else, I wish I did SO BADLY! :)
"Gloria!" Mr. Rodriguez called as he helped Raven into his house. "Gloria, come here! Our neighbor Raven needs help!"
Mrs. Gloria Rodriguez came bustling into view. Like her husband, she was short and plump, but she looked younger. She was almost always baking Mexican delicacies, which had her wearing floral patterned aprons almost constantly, and today was no exception.
"Raven, dear," she smiled. "What brings you to –" She gasped as she came close enough to see Raven's condition. "Goodness me!" she exclaimed. "Raven, dear, what happened?" She motioned for her husband to follow her back into the kitchen.
"It was my…" Raven trailed away. Her voice was still weak from shock, but she could not understand why she was unable to tell her neighbors what had happened. She tried again. "He…he…" But she still could not.
Mrs. Rodriguez helped her into a chair gently and quickly located a first aid kit.
"What is it, dear?" her voice was persistent, yet still kind and gentle. "Don't be afraid. You can tell us." She placed the first aid kit down on the table and opened it.
"I…I…" Raven tried again, but she somehow could not tell them what had happened. Mrs. Rodriguez clucked sympathetically as she began tending to the cuts on Raven's face. "It was my…" she took a deep breath, "father."
Mrs. Rodriguez dropped the bandage she was holding and clutched her heart, while the mister's jaw dropped.
"Your father did this to you?" Mrs. Rodriguez's voice was hushed. Raven nodded. "Esteban," Mrs. Rodriguez turned to her husband. "Find our camera."
"Of course," Mr. Rodriguez, understanding instantly, hurried out of the room.
"I'm very sorry, dear, but we must have records of what your father has done," Mrs. Rodriguez said in a gentle voice. "Your mother will certainly wish to remove you from the same house he is in."
"I understand," Raven whispered. She barely noticed when Mr. Rodriguez returned with the camera and was pushed out of the room by his wife. She only came to her senses when Mrs. Rodriguez began speaking to her once more.
"Dear, I need to know where to take these pictures," she said sympathetically.
Raven wordlessly put one hand up to her face and the other on her stomach. Mrs. Rodriguez quickly took the pictures, then tended to the rest of Raven's wounds.
"Would you like me to call your mother?" Mrs. Rodriguez asked, putting an arm around Raven's shoulders. She nodded. "Where is she?"
Raven opened her mouth to say, "Church," but no words came out. She put a hand to her throat, and her eyes widened in fear and shock. She began struggling with herself, willing herself to speak.
But no matter how hard she tried, she could not.
"Are you all right, dear?" Mrs. Rodriguez bent down so she was eye level with Raven. Raven shook her head, her eyes wide and unblinking. Her breathing came fast and irregular, and she was scared. Why couldn't she speak?
"Oh dear," Mrs. Rodriguez put a hand to her mouth in shock. She walked over to the counter and quickly located a piece of paper and pencil. She handed them to Raven. "Just write down where your mother is." Her eyes were full of pity.
Raven quickly wrote down the phone number of the church, which she knew by heart because of all the times she and Jinx had stayed after mass for religious projects and had had to give the number to their parents.
Mrs. Rodriguez nodded, took the piece of paper from Raven, and began dialing the number on her phone.
Raven did not listen to the phone conversation. She kept trying to force words out of her mouth, trying to say something, anything, but nothing would come out. She began crying in her frustration, tears streaming down her face and tickling her as they landed on her neck.
Mrs. Rodriguez was on the phone for five minutes before she hung up, turned to Raven, and said, "Your mother's on her way."
Raven nodded, and wiped the tears out of her eyes.
"Come here, dear," Mrs. Rodriguez pulled her into a hug. Raven could smell the spices on her apron from years of cooking, and she filled herself with the scent, hoping that maybe if she was surrounded by something comforting, she might be able to speak again.
Mrs. Rodriguez released her, and looked at her pajamas.
"We ought to get you out of those," She frowned. "You won't mind wearing a boy's clothing, will you? My twins, Fidel and Javier, are about the same size as you are." (Fee-dell and Hav-ee-air)
Raven nodded. She had forgotten that Mrs. Rodriguez had twin boys. She followed her wordlessly up the stairs, wincing at the pain walking gave her.
"Fidel! Javier!" Mrs. Rodriguez knocked on the second door in the hallway.
"¿Qué?" two voices asked. Raven knew that this meant 'what' in Spanish.
"Come here, please," she ordered with a rather impatient tone. Two boys came out of the room quickly. Both were only an inch taller than Raven.
"¡Buenos dias, Mama!" they said together. Then, catching sight of Raven, they added, "¡Hola señiorita Raven!" Raven noticed that both of them saw and stared at the blood on her pajamas. She looked away, embarrassed.
"Boys, Raven needs to borrow some clothes," Mrs. Rodriguez said.
"I'll get something," Javier spoke in English this time. He disappeared into the room while Fidel remained standing in the hallway.
Javier returned after only a few seconds, carrying a pair of jeans and a simple blue long-sleeved shirt.
"Thank you," Mrs. Rodriguez motioned for him to give them to Raven. She took them wordlessly, and gave Javier a small smile, making his face turn pink.
"Here is the bathroom, Raven," Mrs. Rodriguez steered her into the messy bathroom. Raven nodded and stepped into the room. Mrs. Rodriguez closed the door for her, and Raven heard her say, "All right, boys, you may go back to whatever you were doing. Just leave Raven alone."
Raven changed quickly. Javier's clothes fit her almost perfectly, but although they were the right size, they just did not fit. It was not the fact that they were boy's clothes either. They just did not seem right.
'Nothing feels right anymore,' Raven thought as tears began flowing down her cheeks again. 'None of this was supposed to happen. Not after last night. After last night, everything was supposed to be perfect.'
Raven tried to recall how she had felt last night with her friends, desperate for anything that might allow her to speak again, but nothing helped. She found, with a shock of horror, that she could no longer recall the warmth she had felt while Garfield had held her. All she could remember was a cold, lonely feeling.
She left the bathroom, holding her pajamas weakly in her left hand, trying to stop her tears with her right. She noticed that Javier was looking at her from behind the half-closed door of his and Fidel's room. He jumped as he noticed she was looking at him.
Javier walked out of his room and over to her.
"Please do not cry, Señiorita Raven," he gently wiped a tear off her face. This only made Raven's tears fall faster.
"May I comfort you, Señiorita?" Javier asked politely. Raven looked up at him, and saw the genuine concern in his eyes. Taking that as a yes, Javier put an arm around her shoulders.
"I do not know what had happened, Señiorita," Javier said softly, "but what I do know is that you are hurt, both inside and out. I must let you know that Fidel and I will help you if ever you need anything."
Raven nodded, and mouthed, 'Thank you.' Javier smiled encouragingly at her.
"Raven, dear!" Mrs. Rodriguez came up the stairs, and, seeing her son with his arm around Raven, stopped, but smiled softly. "Your mother is here."
Raven gave Javier a small smile, and followed Mrs. Rodriguez down the stairs to where her mother was standing.
A/N: No, he doesn't like her, so don't worry. He's just never talked to a girl before because he and Fidel are both home-schooled.
PS. I totally just made that home-schooled thing up…