Chapter 33 Graduate

Raven returned as she promised two days later looking very happy and a lot more easier to talk too. While she was tracking down Clarence Dexter she had some time to think about Randy, she decided she was going to just let nature take its course. For now she had more important things to take care of, now she had to get through the graduation. While she was away Storm took care of all the finer details like informing the kids and the parents about the mini graduation. Some of them thought it was too soon but it wasn't to Raven, she really felt that the kids were ready to go home and besides they could always come back if they prooved that they weren't ready.

"So did you catch the bad guy?" James asked as she walked in the door, the others crowded around her like she had just returned home from some fancy trip and she had bought them presents.

"Did you tell them what I did for a living?" She looked to Storm who shrugged guiltly.

"They asked, and besides they wouldn't be quiet"

"Fair enough" Raven laughed putting her stuff down "Yes James I got him, I always do"

"Have you ever been shot at?"

Raven tried not to roll her eyes at the question, it was always the first right up there with do you ever get scared "Yes I have"

"Have you ever been in a fight?"

"What, In general?"
"No with one of your bounties"

"Yeah, tons. One of them ripped my shoulder outta place and tried to throw me around like a rag doll"

"What did you do?" They all asked enthralled by her job, in their time here they had come to admire Raven like a hero, something she thought was weird in itself.

"I stabbed him in the leg then kicked his ass into submission" Raven answered getting a drink "But enough about my job, are you guys ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes Sarge, are you serious that we get to go home?"

"Yeah I am but you realise that one slip up is enough to get your asses back here and the second time around is always worse"

"We get it Sarge" James rolled his eyes which earnt him a slap across the face

"Sorry I've been wanting to do that for a while" Raven said as James rubbed his cheek

"Your quite mean you know that"

"Yeah I do" Raven grinned going out to her room.

The next afternoon the stage was all set for the mini graduation, the day after was Ravens birthday so the kids would stick around for that then their parents were free to take them home. As Raven and Storm pulled back the furnature in the lounge and set up some chairs she couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, these kids had evolved right in front of her eyes and now she had to say goodbye, it hurt far more than she realised and no matter how she tried she couldn't shake the feeling.

"Your gonna miss 'em too huh?"

"Yeah, you know I was thinking how about we do this again? It gave us something to focus on and people to bash"

Storm gave a wry chuckle "Sure, but I don't see how we're gonna find parents stupid enough to leave their kids with us"

"Well we had five already and for the record they weren't stupid they were broken"

"Beside the point, I bet they won't be doing that in a hurry"

"Well if we did our job right, they won't have too" Raven smiled pulling the last chair into place "There we're done, now we just gotta wait until people arrive"

"Can I ask why exactly are we doing this?" Iziah asked coming up the stairs in her best clothes, surprisenly none of it was covered in blood.

"Because they have worked so hard on improving and they deserve it" Raven answered making Izzy groan.

"Am the only one that thinks this is lame"

"Yes" Storm and Raven said in unison. In a way it was weird but the way they saw it, these kids deserved a mini graduation for merely surviving, not to mention they were starting to act like grown-ups and started to think about their futures, so yes they deserved a graduation.

"Alright but do I have to be nice?"

"Yes"

"Fine but I won't like that either"

"Didn't expect you too Izzy, now I have to get the door so be nice"

"I'm always nice so shut up" Iziah muttered as Raven opened the door for her father and her uncle.

"Hey guys"

"Hey sweetie, so where is everyone?" Shawn asked looking at the empty chairs and wondering if this was another one of his daughters pranks.

"Not here yet but the kids are upstairs so if you wanna go and see Jamie, you can"

"Why thank you" Shawn said going up the stairs to see Jamie. Hunter talked to Storm about how she was. It seemed that the incident with Jeff was now forgotten and she had moved on, Hunter wasn't sure how much of that was true as Storm was an expert at hiding her feelings. It was her pure white eyes that helped her so much, nothing could be dechipered through white, at least that was the theory.

Raven started to pace again realising that pretty soon Randy would be here and she would have to speak to him. She still hoped that he didn't bring up that kiss because that could of been really awkward. Pretty soon she was opening the door again to her uncle Page and James father, Clayton.

"Thank you for coming, they are really excited to see you guys"

"Are they fixed yet?"

"Page there not machines, you just can't pull out the wires and fiddle until you get the right combo" Raven rolled her eyes taking his jacket,

"From what your uncle tells me you wouldn't hesitate to give that a go" Clayton laughed. Raven had to admit that both men looked better since having a break, they looked as though they had gone away on a very long vacation.

"Yeah well whatever works I guess" Raven shrugged opening the door for Gina's mother "Nice to see you again Nura"

"Thank you dear, is Gina alright?" Nura shook off her coat and hung it on the hook. "Hope she hasn't given you too many grey hairs"

Raven forced a laugh, her nerves about Randy coming to the surface "Not anymore than usual besides I like the grey it goes with the silver"

"I'm glad one of us likes the grey" She laughed before shooting a look at Clayton who was talking to Page and Shawn. "You never told me there were eligable men here"

"Must of slipped my mind Nura, if it helps hes single just like you"

She smoothed down her long blue skirt "Yes that does help dear"

"You mingle and I'll get the kids down here"

She left them all to chat as she flew up the stairs trying not to laugh.

"So you guys ready?" She asked sitting down on James bed, they were all in their graduation robes made by Storm and Alana. They all looked so grown up Raven found that hard lump forming in her throat.

"Yeah we're ready, what about you are you ready for your birthday tomorrow?" Ally asked helping Jamie with her robe, the young girl was busy feeling the silk than doing it up.

"Not really, I don't like being reminded of the day I was born"

"If it helps we have a good surprise for you" Matt informed her, that didn't help but Raven pretended it did just not to hurt any feelings.

"It does help, thanks"

James looked at his watch "Well its almost time so lets get down there"

"Yeah lets get this over with" Raven said following them downstairs.

After everyone had been seated Raven took her position up front, it certainly bought back memories of her school graduation. "Friends, parents and for some reason John Cena" She just looked at him for a moment while the small crowd laughed "Moving on, we are here to witness five teenagers graduate hell, and I mean that litterly." Raven started purely making it up as she went along. "A little over six months ago five teens came to me, bratty and selfish with a little help and torture, six months later they leave teens that I am proud to be assiciated with, they leave me proud members of society" Raven paused before going on. "To our prize giving, yes there are prizes. Without further a-do lets get this under way. Coming first in cooking Mathew Page"

He shook Ravens hand as he accepted his hand made diploma, he couldn't help the smile on his face as everyone clapped. "Coming first in gardening and all things to do with horticulture Jamie Lee Michales"

"Yay me!" Jamie cheered making everyone laugh as she skipped to get her piece of paper. "Look Dad paper!"

"Yeah Jamie! Whoo!"

Raven couldn't help but laugh, her sister lightening the mood with her random-ness. "Moving on, coming first in human bio, Georgina Browne"

Gina's mother clapped loudly, little tears forming in her green eyes. This graduation meant more to the parents because Raven had taken them in full time, not only did she make them smarter (in a way) but she had helped them to become better people. Raven shook her hand before giving her the diploma. Gina's mother couldn't help but clapping louder than anyone, instead of the usual embarrassment Gina merely embraced it, it was proof that her mother did love her more than life itself.

"Coming first in advanced mathmatics James Smith" Raven handed him a bit of paper before shaking his strong hand, "Just so everyone knows advanced maths is extremely hard but James can do most of it in his head and thats not supossed to be possible so he really deserves that award."

"Thank you for that Raven" James said as the others laughed again, out of the corner of her eye she noticed his father whisper proudly to Nura.

"Your welcome, and last but certainly not least coming first in not one but four subjects including PE and psychology Alana Marie Orton"

"Yeah Alana!" Randy and John cheered making the girl go red. Raven just looked at them. "Thank you for that gentleman, may I go on?"

"Yes of course" Randy grinned at her, her belly doing flips.

"That was so embarrasing" Alana whispered taking her bits of paper.

"Thats nothing compared to my father" Raven whispered back before she sat down. "Ladies and gentleman our graduating class. Mathew Page, James Smith, Georgina Browne, Jamie-Lee Michales and Alana Marie Orton"

Proudly the parents clapped for their children as Raven said there names, each of them glowed with happiness, after all the pain they were finally good enough to join society.