Chapter Four: Gruel and Grapes
Raven sat on her bed unloading clothes and books from her suitcase. Robin had given them two hours until they met in the guy's room. She had spent the first hour and a half unpacking incense and candles. She got distracted by one of her books until she had realized the time.
A pile of clothes was perched on one hand as she used the other to open the drawers in her dresser. When she was done she was just about to settle into her book again, when someone started to bang on her door.
She sighed. It was probably Starfire trying to convince her to go and paint her nails. But to her surprise it was not Starfire knocking franticly on her door, it was Beast Boy.
She tried asking him what he wanted but before she could get a word out he dove in, slammed the door and locked it tight.
"What-" she started.
" Robin wanted … to try out … a new … weapon … Cy grabbed it … got this evil look … when he saw me … ran as fast … safe here … with you." He panted.
" … Okay then …" she walked over to her bed and sat down, immersing herself in her book again.
He slid down to the floor and tried to catch his breath.
"Thanks," he gasped.
In reply she just nodded and turned a page.
He had half an hour to kill before they all had to meet up with Robin. He looked around her room. It was very close to her room at the tower. A bookshelf sat in the corner. Candles and incense were scattered upon random surfaces. A lonely box of tea sat on her nightstand.
His eyes wandered around the room until finally settling on Raven.
She had dyed her hair the day before they left, showing up to dinner with black hair. Beast Boy didn't mind. In fact he liked it. Even though a lot of people had black hair, no one had her outstanding purple eyes. If anything, her new hair colour highlighted that fact.
"Beast Boy?" Raven pulled him out of his thoughts.
"Call me Gar, Rachel," he said with a wink
She rolled her eyes.
"We should get going."
"Oh right," he checked his watch.
"Before we leave … what blue, with purple eyes and smells like flowers?"
"What?"
"In the car, when you were talking in your sleep, that's what you were saying."
"Well … I had this weird dream and there was a big blue teddy bear in the corner. It was really soft so I laid down with it."
"Talk about your inner child," she remarked, opening the door.
"Judge me all you want, but keep the verdict to yourself!" he joked.
She rolled her eyes.
Raven twisted in her sheets, unable to get comfortable. Her usually clear mind was swimming with thoughts. Her digital clock read 4:16. In three hours she would get out of bed and get ready for school. Breakfast was at 8 and classes started at 8:40.
She could usually fall asleep with ease, but she was actually nervous about classes Sure she could tell herself it was just another mission, but it could last for months.
She walked over to her bookshelf and snatched a good read. After slipping between her sheets she let herself sink into her down pillows.
Her worries melted away as she disappeared into the story. She was safe. She was in her element. Her eyelids drooped and the book slipped from her hands. She fell into a light sleep with dreams of teachers that looked like Beast Boy and beds made of books.
Beast Boy scrambled out of bed and franticly searched around for the books he would need. He had woken up at ten to eight and had started to pull on random items of clothing when he realized that the school had a uniform. He dug into his suitcase having not unpacked the day before, until he found what he was looking for.
A black T-shirt and tan cargo pants.
He slipped into his pants and tugged his shirt over his head.
Not bad.
He grabbed his books, flew out the door and ran straight into Raven-Ahem Rachel Roth.
After rubbing his head he eyed her up and down. He had only seen her in her leotard and cloak, but now she was wearing something completely different.
Like him she was wearing a black top but she had chosen a shirt with long sleeves. A tan skirt reached just above her knee and her regular blue boots had been dyed black to match her shirt.
"Heading down to breakfast?" she inquired.
"Yeah," he mumbled, reaching around for his books.
She picked up his math book and handed it to him as they made their way to the breakfast hall.
"Look it's a face!" Beast Boy exclaimed pointing t his meal.
Breakfast that day was porridge with pieces of fruit in it. He had taken two grapes and a slice or orange and arranged them so it looked like it was smiling.
"Gar stop playing with your food and just eat it." Raven blew a little on her spoonful of porridge before popping it into her mouth.
"I think they're feeding us gruel," Beast Boy sneered, picking up his spoon and letting the porridge slide off and land back in his bowl.
"Man, your paranoid. Just cuz there might be a villain in the school doesn't mean they'll poison the food."
Suddenly a boy their age started choking right behind Raven. She spun around and hit him hard on his back.
Apparently he had been choking on a grape.
Beast Boy eyed them all.
"For god sakes he was choking on a grape, not dying from arsenic!" Raven was getting irritated.
But Beast Boy had doubt written all over his face and made sure to give every spoonful a hearty sniff before it entered his mouth.