A Matter of Pride: Chapter Five; Titans
Seven years. Had it really been seven years? Since the day that Rhea and Keb had died? Since the day she had killed all those men? Since Joe had renamed his best dish the Terra Special? Since the day that John Johnson had given her a thousand dollars in reward money? Since the day she had taken on the title of "mercenary"?
Could it have been seven years already?
Fifteen years old now, Terra smiled.
Yes. It had been seven years...
She had bought gloves, first thing. She hated the way people stared at her hands, horribly scarred... They way they whispered, what could have happened to her? Such a sweet little girl... why would she have such scars?
She didn't worry about them any more. She didn't worry about a lot of things. Not even killing people. Terra had almost no friends, so alienating them was not a problem. She moved around too much to have friends. She was too dangerous to have friends. They might get hurt.
In seven years, her powers had gone wild a total of ten times. It was awful... so painful... Her arms had scars now, too, but those were easily hidden with long sleeves. And the destruction caused to whatever was around her... Well, she didn't like to think about it.
She had gained a lot of confidence over the years. She always put on a smile around people, never showing her insecurities. She had started to believe that they weren't even there. But Terra knew, deep down, that she was lying to herself. It was a nagging feeling in her gut that told her, she wasn't good enough. She didn't have control or security. She couldn't be around other people, not ever, not really. What if they got hurt because of her?
Terra had heard stories of the Teen Titans. They were the protectors of Jump City, down the coast. They were good at their job, wrestling the bad guys and keeping them under control - low-lifes called "The HIVE" and "Slade" were at the top of their hit list - but they only worried about Jump City and a mile or so of the surrounding land. How much good could they do if they fought all up and down the coast? Or inland? Like she did?
Whenever Terra went near Jump City, she kept an eye out for the Teen Titans. As of yet, she hadn't seen them.
Terra shook her head and took a careful step through the canyon. One could never be too cautious... Sure enough, a horrible screeching roar echoed around the rocks. Terra burst into a sprint. Her predator and prey gave chase, as expected. It had been menacing anyone who strayed from Jump City, killing even. No one was brave enough or capable enough to take on the giant scorpian. Well, except her. Perhaps her bravery was just stupidity.
It was gaining on her. Dust flew from her heels, a pitiful puff compared to the clouds that the monster left in its wake. It was gaining on her. Panting, Terra looked back at it. She saw dark figures out of the corner of her eye and her heart skipped a beat. Perhaps they were the Teen Titans? Maybe she would get to meet them. It was always good to have allies.
This was getting too dangerous. The scorpian's tail shot forward, striking the ground where her feet had just been. Terra yelped and went tumbling to one side. Her butterfly clip, which she still wore in faithful keeping with her promise to Keb, fell to the ground. Terra reached for it. The scorpian's foot came crashing down. Terra got up and kept running. She felt small and naked without the clip... it was the only thing that reminded her of what she was.
The scorpian had her cornered now. Or, so it thought. And so they thought.
"Titans, GO!"
Terra grinned. She didn't need their help. Her eyes flashed yellow and the bridge of stone above her came crashing down. The scorpian's tail spasmed as it died. Terra proceeded to look around for her clip. It wasn't here! She couldn't see it anywhere! Where was it? And more importantly, what was she going to do without it?
Terra knew she was beginning to panic. Ruthlessly, she squashed her insecurities and used her powers to rise up and meet the Titans. Cockiness could cover anything.
They were in shock. Terra inwardly quailed as she came face to face with the five she had heard so many good things about. "What? You guys act like you've never seen a super hero!"
Robin shook of his shock and stepped forward. "I'm Robin. And we're - "
"The Teen Titans! I've heard all about you!" Well, not all. No one had ever mentioned how cute Beast Boy was. And judging by the way he introduced himself as "Boy Beast! I - I mean, Baz Boot! Ah!", he was quite taken with her too.
Her powers were getting restless again. Terra added a note to her list of bad things that had happened today and told herself that she'd deal with it later.
"Curiosity abounds! Please, what is your name, where are you from, how did you get here, what is your favorite color, do you wish to be my friend?" Terra was amazed as Starfire's ability to speak all this so quickly, and in one breath.
"Um, Terra, earth, walked, blue, sure?" she answered hesitantly.
"HELLO, NEW FRIEND!" squealed Starfire, hugging her tightly. Terra gagged. The girl could really hug!
In retrospect, Terra would later muse, she had never really expected to meet the Titans. And she had certainly never expected an invitation to stay at their tower! She couldn't. Her powers were on the rise again, the lethal energy building slowly but certainly. She wasn't safe. She had to get away...
"I suppose I could stay for one night."
---
Glork. What an... interesting... dish. Not bad, really. Actually, Terra quite enjoyed it. Sushi and ice cream... mmm...
As Terra pretended to sleep that evening, she listened to the Titans discussing her. Maybe she could stay with them, they thought... But Terra knew that she couldn't. The power of her abilities had grown, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could reign it in.
In the seven years since she had become a mercenary, she had felt the rise a total of thirteen times... Sometimes she could work it off and they would be satisfied. Tonight, Terra decided, after midnight, she would see what she could do to give her powers a workout.
Nighttime came fast enough and everyone was soon asleep. Terra got dressed quickly and slipped out of the Tower. She sat on the edge of Titans' Island. A perfect place for skipping rocks. Terra lifted and shot the small stones out across the water without ever touching them. The rising energy ebbed a little bit, but Terra knew that it wasn't enough.
"So, I'm guessing the couch was too lumpy?" Beast Boy asked, coming up and sitting down beside her. She said nothing, just skipped another rock. He picked up one as well and tossed it carelessly, obviously thinking that it was as easy as she made it look. The rock sank before even bouncing once. Terra giggled and helped him out a little.
They laughed together as friends before sinking into an awkward silence. Terra sighed. "I can't stay..."
Beast Boy was confused. He begged and wheedled her until she agreed to stay for one more day. Terra knew it was dangerous. Who could be sure when her powers had had enough? They weren't safe with her around... and the city wasn't safe without them around.
"I can't wait to see what your powers can do when you really set them loose!" Beast Boy said excitedly.
Terra's powers took the comment eagerly and gave a small presentation. The small boulder underneath Beast Boy dumped him back and threw itself into the water. Terra gasped. "Sorry! I'm so sorry! I'm so stupid, stupid!"
"It's okay. You can't control your powers. No one's gonna talk down to you or anything..."
"Don't tell! Please, don't tell," Terra pleaded. She liked the Titans. She didn't want them to know her flaws. Terra glanced at her gloves. "Promise, Beast Boy, don't tell!"
"I promise," he replied. "Come on. We should get inside. It's pretty late." He reached for her hand, hesitated, and pulled back awkwardly. Terra could see him blushing in the dim glow from the Tower's lights. It was an interesting sight to see.
For the first time in she-didn't-know-how-long, Terra smiled. Really smiled. Beast Boy's words, in some strange way, assured her that everything would be alright. And maybe it would.
Tomorrow, what would be would be. Maybe she would end up killing them all... But for now, it just didn't matter.