Disclaimer: I obviously don't own the Teen Titans
Chapter Four: Insomnia
She awoke in the middle of the night. Those incessant nightmare, they were getting worse. Every time she closed her eyes she would see it.
Raven continued to stare at her ceiling. Doing the best she could to clear her mind of the dreams and everything else. Taking a deep breath she cast all thoughts into the back of her mind. Lying in silence for a moment, Raven finally reached out and picked up the small book next to her bed.
Opening the book, she continued to read from the spot she had left off at. Her eyes strained in the dim light trying to make out the small text.
Night quickly faded away as the sun began the peer over the horizon. Gar's room was quickly flooded with light, and he lazily pulled the covers over his head to block out the bright rays.
Groaning the teenager rolled over in his bed. Today was his day off, which was much needed, and he planned to sleep in as long as he could. Although, Gar had been tossing and turning all night long. He rarely had trouble sleeping, so this was unusual for him. Something was nagging at the back of his mind, but he couldn't figure it out.
Finally, the boy dragged himself out of bed at 7:30. With a sigh, Gar made himself some breakfast. Sitting down at the small bar in the kitchen, the teen began to eat his bowl of cereal. His mother, Marie Logan, walked into the kitchen carrying a bag of groceries while he ate.
"Good morning, sunshine. You're up early," she noted with a sweet tone.
"Hey, mom," he replied lazily.
"Is something wrong?" Marie asked her son with concern.
"I don't know," Gar answered truthfully. "I couldn't sleep last night." He rubbed one of his eyes with the back of his hand as a yawn escaped his lips.
"You're not sick are you?" Marie questioned. Setting her hand on Gar's forehead, she checked him for a fever.
Gar groaned as he swatted away his mother's hand. "I'm fine," he replied grumpily.
"All right, all right. I'll leave you alone. Are you going to go out with any of your friends today?" she asked as she put some of the groceries into the refrigerator.
"Are you trying to get rid of me?" Gar accused with a hint of a smile.
"Maybe," she replied with a sly grin.
"Fine. I can take a hint." Putting away his dishes he picked up his car keys and headed towards the door. When he realized something was missing. "Damn it. I must have left my wallet at work yesterday. I guess I'll have to stop by and pick it up." Getting his i.d. card for the hospital out of his room he left the house after saying a quick goodbye.
Raven had been up reading for a few hours at least, although she wasn't sure exactly how long. The small book Gar had lent her was now completely finished. After sitting for another hour or so, Raven was bored out of her mind.
Finally, she decided to venture outside of her small room. It had to be early morning now and most of the kids probably wouldn't even be up now. Besides, her stomach ached from hunger. Opening her door slowly; she tried to make as little noise as possible. Then, she peered out of the now open door and stepped outside. She shut the door behind her before walking down the empty hall. The hospital was nearly silent except for the ticking of a clock on the wall and the small squeaking that her shoes made on the freshly polished tile floor.
Once she reached the clock, she glance at the hands and realized that it was early in the morning. The clock said that it was only 5:28. No wonder the hall was empty. Reaching the large room at the end of the hallway, Raven spotted a figure sitting on the couch.
The figure was that of a boy that was probably around her age. Oil black hair covered his head which was spiked up, and dark blue eyes stared straight ahead of him at the wall.
Silently, Raven walked toward the teen on the couch. Finally, he noticed her presence. With a small jump he whipped his head around to look at the strange figure approaching him. When he realized that it was just her, he blushed lightly and smiled.
"I didn't see you there," he said with embarrassment from being frightened so easily. Standing up from the couch he walked up to her and held out his hand for her to shake. Timidly, Raven accepted the hand and he shook it cheerfully.
"Hi, I'm Richard," he greeted warmly.
"My name's Raven," she replied hesitantly.
"You're new here right?" Richard asked. His deep blue eyes made her feel uncomfortable as if he was looking through her.
"Yeah," Raven agreed cautiously.
"Cool. Well, I hope Slade hasn't bothered you yet," Richard said seriously.
"Who?" Raven asked with a skeptical look.
"Slade, he's an evil mercenary that went crazy. Now he's out to destroy the world and kill everyone in this hospital, and I'm the only one who can stop him,"he answered as if it were the most normal thing ever. Raven just stared at him with wide eyes. The teen had seemed so average a minute ago.
"But don't worry, I'm more than qualified for the job. I'll protect you with my life," he said with a smile.
"Uh... thanks?"
"Don't thank me, it's just part of the job," he responded with a sincerely. Raven just hoped that not everyone around the hospital was like this.
The two stood staring at each other for a few awkward minutes. Then, Richard turned and sat back down on the couch. Raven sat down in the chair beside the couch. "So, what are you doing up so early? Usually I'm the only one up."
"I'm an early riser," Raven lied with a shrug. No one knew about the constant nightmares, and she definitely was going to tell some stranger she had just met.
Richard nodded. "Me too. Well, breakfast should be ready in a little while."
What the two didn't see all the while they were talking, was the boy in the office watching them. Although his stare was mainly fixed on Raven.
Two hours later, Raven had already eaten a light breakfast and was returning to her room. Those silent eyes watched her through the bulletproof glass of the office as she walked away.
Returning to her room, Raven wasn't sure what to do all day. She had finished the book and there wasn't much else to do.
Adam emerged from the office a short time after Raven had entered her room. Strolling down to the violet haired girl's room, he checked the hall before opening the door and slipping inside.
Raven was sitting on her bed leaning against the wall behind her with her eyes closed.
"Hey," Adam said in voice that seemed to know something she didn't.
Flinching in surprise, Raven whipped her eyes up to look at the intruder. How did she not hear him open or shut the door?
His dark eyes pierced her flesh and he wore a disgusting grin on his face. Standing of the bed, Raven asked the obvious question on her mind, "Who are you?"
"The name's Adam," he replied in a deep voice. Slowly, he was inching towards her, cornering her in the room. Finally, when he was only a couple feet away from her and she almost had her back up to the wall, he lunged. Grabbing her small wrists in his large hands, he pinned one on either side of her head and held her against the wall with a sickening smirk.
"Let go of me," Raven ordered as she struggled in his grasp.
"I like you," Adam growled. Pushing her harder against the wall, Adam moved closer so that their bodies were touching. He began to kiss her neck furiously.
Gar walked into the hospital casually. Unlocking the office door, he entered the room and found his wallet sitting right on the desk. With a sigh of relief, Gar picked up the wallet and slid it into his back pocket. Then, he realized that something was missing. Adam practically never left the office, and it was supposed to be his shift now. Shrugging it off, Gar exited the office and walked toward the door.
Then, he stopped a few feet away from the door. He decided to go say hi to Raven while he was here. She probably wasn't even awake, so he would just check on her and leave.
Still she fought against him with all her strength, but it wasn't enough. Adam was almost twice her size, and there was no way she could overpower him. Finally, she realized something that might just work. Bringing a swift knee up between his legs, Raven hit him with as much force as she could manage.
Immediately, Adam released her wrist and slid down to the floor. Writhing in pain, he had his hands between his legs.
Gar knocked lightly on Raven's door before he entered. What he found inside shocked him, there on Raven's floor was Adam squirming around and Raven stood over him glaring at the boy on the floor.
"What the hell is going on here?" he asked, raising his voice slightly. Raven didn't take her eyes off Adam.
"Crazy bitch," Adam hissed through clenched teeth. "I came into check on her and she just attacked me for no reason."
Gar looked up at Raven in disbelief. The glare she wore became even harsher. "He pinned me against the wall," she growled, refusing to take her eyes off Adam.
Staring down hard at Adam, Gar kicked him in the ribs as hard as he could. Dragging Adam out of the room with strength he didn't even know he had, Gar was now enraged. Gar kicked him again to make sure he couldn't get up yet. Walking back into her room, the teen approached Raven.
"Please believe me, Gar. I'm telling the truth," Raven said softly.
"I know." She could tell he trusted her by the intense look in his eyes. "You're okay, right? He didn't hurt you did he?"
No one had ever been so protective of her. Raven just shook her head no. She didn't like feeling this weak, but he didn't seem to notice.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him. He won't be working here for much longer." Gar smiled reassuringly before he left.
With a sigh Raven collapsed onto her bed. The lack of sleep was leaving her exhausted, but she refused to let her body rest.
Raven just hoped Gar was being so nice to her out of kindness and not pity.
A/N: This chapter was difficult for me to write and I'm not so sure about it. I'm going on vacation for a week, so the next chapter will be a little late, but I'll try to make it the best chapter yet. Please review and tell me what you think of this chapter.
Kinz: lol, you sound completely sane to me, I know a lot of people that sound crazier than you, myself included. Yeah! Candy! Now, I'm more motivated than ever!
MCBLUE: Aww, thanks. You're too kind! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story:)
Overactive Mind: Thank you. I think I might have went a bit overboard with the blushing, but I'm glad you liked it, lol. Actually, I didn't really think about what to make the book, but I'm sure I'll think of something, hopefully. :)
Django X: Yeah you're right, but she did get rid of the last name when she became Arella, right? But that would still make her last name Roth I guess, so whatever. Raven the Terrible, that doesn't sound too good. lol. Yeah! Thanks, you're too kind! I will fulfil that title to the best of my ability:)
ELLIEdangerous: You are special, and in a good way. lol. Thank you. You're too kind. Yeah, it's a bit of a mistake, but she'll come out soon if not in this chapter. My mental hospital probably isn't too realistic, but I'll try my best to fix any problems. Just tell me if anything needs correction, that would be a great help. :)
IGAF-kun: Thanks. Like I told Beast Girl 433, I'm really not sure if they'll have powers, although I don't think they will. The chapters should be longer, that last one was just an exception because I was stuck. :)
queenOFanime535: Thanks! You're too kind! I'm glad you like it.
Hide-because-it's-me: Too true. lol. Thanks. At least you don't have to worry about bathing now that your dead, and you probably don't need much sleep. Your lucky to have such accepting parents. Of course, I trust you. Hey, that's good! I should eat human more often! Your lucky to have both your eyes and your nose. Oh well, water is overrated anyway. Sure you can eat my legs, I don't use it much anyway, and I would look a lot cooler dragging myself around with a couple of bloody stumps.
Rachel Astraea Doshiimi: Wow, I never meant to kill you. I better hide the body before anyone finds out. looks around nervously and shoves the body into a ditch and quickly fills it with cement You have great reflexes if you're able to hold up that sign after your heart stopped beating. Well, I will honor your dying wish.
Shay Bo Bay: This will pretty much be it for the characters I think, but I might add in some people if I feel the need to. I have one character I'm planning on bringing in, but I'm not gonna give away who that is just yet. I'm glad you liked it. :)
Beast Girl 433: Thanks. I'm glad that you like it so far. I've been trying really hard to keep the characters in character. I won't let you down!
addicted2danny: ... Um, what? A sea monster is going to eat my laptop! I won't let it get to my precious computer! Thank you, Captain! I do what I can to help the crew! Would you like me to swab the decks, Captain?
Kaos Kraze: Thanks. Yeah, my other story had more pain, death, and blood. Unfortunately, I couldn't add those into this story, at least not yet anyway. :)
Lilliesofthevalley: Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed it! So, how's life been going for you?
cailinXaiden: Thanks! Of course I'll update! Especially if it keeps people from going crazy. I don't enjoy being attacked by crazy people very much, unless of course I have a gun, but that's another story. :)
ravenmasteroftele: I actually do a lot of my writing at night. I'm more awake at night than during the day usually. lol. I think I like how quiet it is at night and everyone is always asleep, so it's nice. Although, I usually sleep till about 12 in the afternoon. My sleeping schedule is kind of messed up, but it's summer vacation so it doesn't matter. I'm glad you liked it!
