Author's Note: Revised & Reposted

-Bert the Nomad

beep…

beep…

beep…

Raven was leaning over Beast Boy's bed as the clock struck midnight. The only sound coming from the hum of the fluorescent lights, the gentle hissing of his breaths through the oxygen mask, and the ever constant chime of his heart monitor.

beep…

beep…

beep…

His eyes were open. Glazed, glassy, and wet. They stared at her through that shiny plastic curtain with such a lost look she couldn't tell if he could see her or not. It was all she could do to stare back.

His eyes seemed so distant; as deep and empty as a foggy night sky.

Hundreds of plastic tubes still interconnected around his body like a thick ropey spider web, connecting to machines, pouches, needles, and body parts. The brilliant overhead lights bore down on him with a merciless brilliance, illuminating him like an art piece in a high class museum.

Leonardo Da Vinci's greatest work, Raven thought grimly. The Pieta de Beast Boy

She shook her head as she looked at him…at that stump of an arm; bandaged, taped, gauzed and white. Just beneath his arm, though, Raven could still see a dull red hue staining his sheets.

It seemed like nothing could make all that red disappear.

His blankets had been kicked down to his mid-thigh, his hospital gown crinkled like a used tissue. Every so often his hand would move. Never for any particular purpose. Just a twitch of a finger, a clench of the fist…small little actions that he would watch through his foggy green eyes with an unreadable expression.

Maybe he was trying to remember what it was like…with his other arm.

beep…

beep…

beeb…

'…Raven…'

Raven's head jerked up.

The room was empty, the air stiff.

'Raven…'

The girl's eyes swept the room twice, her teeth slowly starting to grind together. "Show yourself." She said quietly. "I know you're there."

For a moment the room remained still. The heart monitor continued chiming, the clock continued ticking, and then…like a body drifting up from a bottomless black well, a shape on the far side of the bed shimmered into being. It seemed to glow, distorted and misshapen behind the shiny plastic curtain.

It was red.

'Raven…' The voice whispered again. 'He saw.'

Raven was upright in a second, her teeth bared. "Stop this." She hissed. "You stop his right this moment!"

'He saw…and so can you. You can finally remember.'

"Stop it. You have no power over me. You stay quiet."

'...Please…try…'

Raven's response was cut short by the chime of her communicator.

Her shoulders jumped to her ears as she let out a hissing gasp of surprise, falling back into her chair and yanking the communicator from her belt.

She glanced at the screen.

CYBORG:

Raven blinked, and let out a long, temple-rubbing sigh.

When she glanced up again, the room was empty.

Ofcourse it was empty.

Raven shook her head, flipping open the communicator with her thumb.

She tried to smile and didn't quite get there.

Cyborg wasn't smiling either.

"Hey Rae." Cyborg said quietly. "I Just wanted to check in. To see if everything's all right."

She shrugged, her eyes casting one last furtive glance on the far side of the curtain. "Beast Boy's fine."

"I meant with you."

She glanced back at the screen as a familiar prickle danced down the spine of her neck. It was the same prickle everyone gets whenever this happens. It was human behavior.

Ofcourse everything wasn't alright. Raven was about as far away from being alright as Beast Boy was from his next game of patty-cake. She was scared, alone, hostile and both of them knew it. The real question was whether or not Raven was willing to talk about it yet.

She wasn't.

So she lied.

"I'm fine."

Cyborg bit his lip, leaning in. "Are you sure you don't want some company? Someone to talk to? We've all been through a lot."

Again…Raven shook her head.

Shewanted company alright…just not through words.

Not through some forced, pained conversation where you listened until it was your turn to talk and nodded your head in brow-furrowing sympathetic bullshit. Every time someone talked to her they immediately had a gigantic, fragile, Raven-shaped statue wedged in both arms. Throughout the entire conversation they'd stumble around, trying their best not to break their heavy load with any foolish remarks or careless comments.

She was just so fragile to them…and she had nothing to prove them wrong…

"I'm fine, Cyborg. I can handle myself."

Cyborg glanced to the floor. He looked like he was trying to prep himself for something.

A moment passed.

"Raven?"

Here it comes…

"Yes, Cyborg?"

"You're…not alright. I know that. You haven't been alright for months."

Damn it, not another Sympathy Session 101…not now…

She glanced away, again checking behind the curtains. "Look Cyborg, it's getting late…"

"You're not happy. You're never happy. Everyone can see it. You're hiding something from us. Maybe even from yourself." Her teammate's face was steady, unwavering…although Raven could tell from his level expression and stiff tone that he'd spent at least two or three minutes in front of a mirror practicing. Raven could see him stumbling about with that statue, so careful not to let it fall…but never willing to put it down.

He really wants this conversation...badly…

"It's nothing you can help with." She said flatly. "And it's a matter I'd rather not discuss. It's personal."

"Jesus, everything is personal with you Raven. All your problems…all your hurts…everything is bottled up in that head of yours. We all know about your past! We beat it! You beat it. Why are you still so cold to everyone? What are you still hiding?"

Yes, Raven…what ARE you hiding?

Again, something resurfaced somewhere in the misty sea of her mind, just long enough glint in the moonlight and submerge once again.

The big fish.

Raven recovered by getting meaner.

"Is that what this is all about? You want me to spill my guts out,Cyborg? You think I'm somehow responsible for what happened to Beast Boy?" Raven's tone was sharp. Wincingly so.

Cyborg glanced down again, shaking his head. Raven could see him struggling about with that statue…he was losing his balance. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

"That's…not what I said."

She pushed him harder, adding weight, making it even more cumbersome. "Then why, Cyborg? Do you think that I'm still a walking apocalypse out for more blood? Do you think that if I wasn't here this somehow wouldn't have happened?"

"Raven, I didn't mean…you know I'd never…"

stumble…stumble…stumble…

"Just how fragile do you think I am Cyborg? How fragile do you want me to be? Fragile enough to go seeking protection from you? From any of you?"

"None of us think that! You know we don't think of you that way! Raven, I…I…"

stumble…stumble…stumble…

"Youwhat, Cyborg? Huh? Do you really care what happens to me so long as you're conscience is clear? As long as you don't hurt my feelings?"

"I…you…I mean…"

stumble…stumble…stumble…

"Or are you just looking for someone out there who has an even more broken and flawed past than you?"

stumble…stumble…SMASH!!!

Cyborg head shot up as sharply as a gunshot.

It took Raven a second to realize just what she said, but in that second she somehow managed to triumphantly smirk, like a hunter watching the deer go down through the cross-hairs.

She'd won.

It was over.

'Atta girl, Raven. Atta girl.'

Cyborg's brow drew together, fell back. His mouth opened for a second, then closed. A lump in his throat bobbed, then fell still.

It wasn't until he spoke again did Raven realize just how hurt he was.

"I'm…sorry." He said. "I didn't know you felt that way. I'll…leave. Sorry to have bothered you."

Suddenly Raven's brow lifted. Her breath caught. Her mind finally realizing that she'd said something she shouldn't have.

Something she really really shouldn't have.

Nobody in the tower mentioned Cyborg's past. Oh, they all knew it, they all read his biography, they all knew how red it was….but nobody mentioned it.

Ever.

Beast Boy did once. It resulted in an argument.

That was what Raven was expecting. An argument. Something to vent her frustration out of. A harmless, cheek flustering argument.

But that's not what she had now. She'd cut a little too deep for that.

'You showed him, Raven. You really showed him good.'

"Cyborg!" She spoke up, holding the communicator close. "Cyborg, I'm sor-"

The screen went blank.

"DAMN IT!"

Two overhead lights popped, the clock fell off the wall, and the communicator exploded against the floor from her trembling hand.

The heart monitor continued chiming. Regardless.

beep…

beep…

beep…

Raven threw herself back in her chair, palms against her forehead. Teeth bared for the second time that night. That damn heart monitor…

She felt like crying.

It was all her fault. Everything was her fault. She was just so damn good at it why shouldn't it all be her fault?

All alone.

Bearing the blame…again and again and again…as her friends crowd around her with good intentions and those shit-eating grins.

They all know that she has something to do with it.

So did the Red Raven.

The chime of the heart monitor drew her gaze over to Beast Boy.

His eyes were shut.

His eyelids trembling in his sleep.

He was remembering what happened.

Remembering the face that took his arm.

'…and so can you.'

Something tried to resurface again in the sea of her mind. Something hot. Something familiar.

'…itwants you to remember.'

Raven felt a sudden fluttering cramp in her gut. She grunted, fell to her knees and hugged herself. Her skin began to sweat, her throat pinched, and something within the deep twisting darkness of her mind gave a very noticeable throb.

Something wanted out.

Meditate. Get control. NOW!

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…" Raven's tried her best to raise herself. To cross her legs. To levitate. To meditate. She was trying so hard she didn't notice a hazy orange shimmer beneath her skin as it spun lazily down her back.

Another wet, sounding throb pounded her head. It popped her ears. It took her breath away.

Her mind continued racing, trying to locate where it was coming from. Where it was. What it was.

Just meditate…you need to meditate…

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…"

Slowly, the room began to haze. Colors and contours hazed together and the beeping of the heart monitor gradually fell into cadence with the throbbing of her head before disappearing entirely.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…"

Splotches of a familiar star-ridden black sky began fading into view like an ink stain through a white cotton shirt as all sound gradually faded into blackness. Grey and black debris slowly descended from the blackness, crimson eyed birds gently lofted onto the branches of gnarled, twisting trees, and a faint red scrim settled over the stars.

Raven glanced around, breathing heavily.

She was in her own mind again. But the thudding of her temples was still there. Only now…she could feel it.

It shook the ground.

It rustled the birds.

It rippled the sky.

Raven pushed herself up to her knees, her lips pressed between her teeth. Rocks and stone clattered down from the mountains and the sky buzzed with the unhappy squawking of the black birds overhead.

No tranquility here. The place was experiencing an earth-quake. With each throb, it sounded like a door to an airplane got opened. The wind bellowed and hissed, yanking at her clothing and sucking up all noise like a thick, woolen blanket.

She was about to push her self up when-

"Well thank GOD, you're here."

She opened her eyes to a pair of pink boots.

"I was beginning to worry that I was going to have to put up with this all day!"

Raven pushed herself shakily to her feet, teeth pressed tightly together. The Pink Raven stood in front of her, her hip sticking sassily outwards and both her ears plugged with her palms.

She was Joy…but didn't look so at the moment.

"What's going on?" Raven called, her hands migrating up to her ears as well against the bawling gusts of wind.

The Pink Raven leaned forward, squinting.

"WHAT?"

"I SAID WHAT'S GOING ON?"

An inaudible huff. "YOU TELL ME! IT'S YOUR MIND, Y'KNOW!"

Raven chewed her tongue and glanced around, shielding her eyes with a raised forearm. The wind had dislodged some trees, debris, and a very unhappy looking Grey Raven; all of which were flying around overhead, tumbling over and over in the whirlwind.

Raven glanced back at Joy, yelling. "WHERE IS IT COMING FROM?"

"WHERE DO YOU THINK, BOSS?" Joy jabbed a finger over her shoulder. "CHILDHOOD MEMORIES! SOMETHING WANTS OUT! BAD!"

Raven winced and glanced behind her at the stone archway looming at the end of a winding stone catwalk. Its interior was shuddering, the space beyond distorted like an image at the bottom of a rippling pool. And, leaning comfortably against it, was the Red Raven.

Arms folded.

Toothy mouth grinning.

Waiting.

Raven glanced back at Joy who simply shrugged despite the gale. "ITOLD YOU THAT YAH OUGHTA SPEND MORE TIME IN THERE!"

Red Raven caught her gaze and tilted its head to the side, sweeping an arm into the portal in a grand welcoming manner. Somehow…its voice rang through as clearly and evenly as a glass bell.

'It's there…Raven. It's all in there."

Glowering, Raven marched over, elbowing past Joy and making a beeline right for the smiling half-lidded girl. She snagged Red Raven's cloak around the collar and pushed her roughly against a pillar archway. It wasn't something she usually did…but she didn't even feel the slightest bit out of place doing it.

It felt right.

It felt downright necessary.

She pushed her back, snarling. "What have you done?"

The Red Raven rolled its head to look at her. That smile never faded.

"Why don't you just have a look for yourself?" She nudged her head in the direction of the portal with a mischievous bob of the brow. "It's all in there. It's been in there all this time. You've just never looked hard enough."

Raven shook her roughly, leaning in. "No. You tell me. You tell me everything."

The Red Raven smiled and suddenly seized her wrists with a grip as rough and hot as a pair of leathery, freshly-ironed gloves. It plucked Raven's grip from its cape, pushing her hands out over her head and leaning, almost seductively, towards her face. Raven grunted and thrashed, doing nothing more than widening the white, gleaming grin.

"Better yet. I'll show you, Raven."

"Don't you even-"

There was a horrendous wrench on her arms. Moments later, she was tumbling, head over heels through the archway. No sooner had she passed through, the he world around her shimmered away; replaced with a bright waving landscape of pinks, yellows, and oranges.

The black, star-ridden sky had faded into a deep rich orange one, populated by gigantic, towering clouds blushing in an early morning sun with a scope of waving, rolling hills just becoming visible through a rosy-tinted veil of mist. The sun wasn't up yet.

All noises ceased.

The thundering…had stopped.

Raven got slowly to her feet, her eyes sweeping the terrain. She bit her lip.

This was it.

This was her orange-tinted paradise.

Just the way she had left it all those years ago.

Why had the Red Raven brought her here? She remembered this well enough. There was nothing here that she couldn't already-

"Your friends…were here once. When they invaded your mind. You remember?"

Raven turned.

The Red Raven stood beside her. Hood up. Face hidden.

"The green one said…it was where air fresheners came from. He was…so clueless about it all."

She offered up a closed fist. She glanced up to Raven as she opened it.

"They know so little about you."

Raven glanced down at the object Red Raven's palm.

A strawberry. Raven glanced back up.

"I prefer it that way." She said, pushing the offering aside. "Why did you bring me here?"

"What do you remember about this place?"

"I came here as a child." Raven narrowed her gaze. "But that was in the past."

"It's morning." The red gaze fell on the horizon. "You always came out for the sunrise."

That white, toothy smile floated back to Raven for a moment. "You haven't been in this part of your mind for nearly a decade. You've hidden from it. Do you not remember just what you've left behind?"

"By the looks of it…a field."

"Yourparadise."

"An unobtainable fantasy and nothing more."

"Oh, Raven…there is more. You've just forgotten it."

Teeth grating Raven turned, throwing back her hood and turning again towards the Red Raven. Strangely, it wasn't looking at her. Its gaze was locked on the horizon, searching…looking.

"Then show me!" Raven said tightly. "Show me what I've forgotten! Tell me now, damn it!"

Instead of answering, the Red Raven straightened. "There!" It whispered. "Look, Raven! Look! It's coming! Look, Raven!"

Raven did.

Nothing.

She turned back with a snarl. "I don't see anything! What am I supposed t-"

The Red Raven was gone, a sing-song echo masking its exit as the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the entire valley.

"Listen…"

Again, Raven did.

Only this time…

"Come on! Keep up! Keep up! We don't want the monks to see us!"

A voice.

From behind.

A child's voice.

A girl's voice.

Raven turned around completely just in time to see a small girl come running around the hill. Her hair was purple, her eyes were wide, and her small white cloak fluttered carelessly in the breeze. She tripped, stumbled, righted herself, and ducked behind a tree, giggling.

"Hey!" Raven called, taking a quick stride towards the girl. She looked too small to be one of her emotions, and too real to be one of Wrath's tricks. The little girl was there alright. She was there.

"You! Girl!" Raven called again. The little girl didn't respond. She remained hiding behind the tree. Back to her. Giggling.

"I'm talking to you! Hey!" Raven walked up towards the tree, reaching a hand towards the tiny shoulder of the little girl.

Then.

Another voice.

A boy's voice.

Just as young, just as anxious.

"Slow down, Raven! I can never keep up when you run! I don't want to lose you out here!"

'Raven'

Suddenly the little girl turned and continued running, casting a quick glance over her shoulder and laughing...allowing Raven to get a look at her face for the very first time.

She gasped.

Fell backwards.

The little girl continued on, weaving side to side in the knee-high grass before ducking behind another tree.

The little girl was her.

Ten years ago.

Youthful, happy, and still in Azarath.

This was one of her memories. She'd hidden behind that exact same tree ten years ago. But…she had been alone…hadn't she? There had been nobody else there with her. That's how it always had been.

Then who…

"Slow-Bird! Hurry up! We have to get to our secret spot!"

Raven's insides suddenly tightened. Her breath caught. All strength left her legs, her arms. That migraine suddenly flared across the back of her skull like wildfire.

Something wanted out….and that something was coming.

"I'm coming Raven! I'm not as fast as you are! I can't keep up in the long grass!"

From around the bend, stumbling and tripping, came the smallest of figures. A boy no older than the girl ahead of him. His frame was thin and hard, his arms lanky but wiry, his stride tired but persistent. In his hand swung a lime-green basket full of strawberries. He was running…

That boy…

Raven craned her neck, trying to get a good look at his face……but unlike the girl, his hood was up. Raven couldn't see anything.

Without even giving Raven a second glance he hurried by. By now the girl ahead of him had ran ahead and was struggling up a steep hill with the persistence and agility of a cat. She was still laughing. Still teasingly taunting.

"Hurry up, slowpoke! You've got to hurry up! The sun will all the way up before we can see it! We've got to get to our secret spot!"

The secret spot. Raven thought. I remember this. This happened. I was running...…I had to see the sunrise…I was running to my secret spot to watch the sunrise…

Slowly, she rose to her feet.

I had to see it…I have to see it…

She took two shuddering steps, grasped her head, and forced herself to take two more.

I have to see it…and only I know the way.

Wincing against the fire in her head Raven pursued, keeping her hazed gaze on the fluttering white coat of the boy as he thrashed his way through the writhing sea of grass ahead of her, the basket of strawberries rocking back and forth with each stride.

Raven pushed herself harder, gritting her teeth as wave after wave of grass crashed into her thighs. She didn't know just how she kept her footing on the terrain…but then again, she'd already run this race. She'd already dashed through this very same field. Every tree she passed, every stone she tripped over…she remembered them all. She'd done it all before…she could name every obstacle…

We'd taken a left at the tree at the top of the hill…we climbed over the rock-pile on the other side…I always ran…I could never stop running…

Already she could see the tree, outlined against the pre-dawn sky like a black, knurled shadow on an amber floor. Beneath its branches, laughing and waving her tiny arms, Young-Raven called back at them in a winded, sing-song voice that echoed over the entire field.

Raven yelled it too, though she wasn't aware of it.

"Run slow, run fast, run quick as can be! You can run yourselves old but you'll never catch me!"

It was all the same…all of it. The tree, the field, the strawberries, the root…

The root…

She'd forgotten about that.

The gnarled root on the other side of the tree, hidden beneath a mound of grass and brush. She'd tripped over it as she turned to go. Normally she always avoided it, always leapt over it without a second thought…but not today…she'd been to excited. She'd been running. The root would catch her right under her left foot and send her sprawling onto the rocks. She'd get a scar on her knee from it. She still had that scar today. She could remember how much it'd hurt.

From up on the hill Young-Raven had just turned to go, fluttering her cape and dashing around the tree. She was laughing. Oblivious.

"No!" Raven yelled. "Watch out! Watch out for the root! You're going to fall! You're gonna-"

From the far side of the tree there was a piercing scream followed by a resounding crash of brush, grass and fumbling limbs.

"Raven!" The little boy yelled. "Raven, what happened?"

I'd fallen…I'd cut my knee…I was…crying…I was crying for help…

The little boy took two steps, craning his neck. He waited, poised at the bottom of the hill, the basket of strawberries still in his arms. Then…Raven could hear weeping.

Her weeping.

The basket fell to the ground and the boy took of running faster than before. His hood was thrown back. His cloak had been thrown aside. And he was running.

From her vantage point behind him, Raven could see the boy had a head-full of jet black hair. Perfectly straight, unreflecting in the pre-dawn light.

Raven followed.

The little girl atop the hill continued weeping, and with every footfall Raven took, she began to remember how it'd felt.

The morning was suddenly cold.

The grass was suddenly wet.

She never got to her secret spot.

She never got to see the sunrise.

She sat alone for an hour.

And that's how it was.

…but that's not how it is now

There was a boy here. She wasn't alone.

This isn't right…this isn't how it's supposed to be…

When Raven reached the top of the hill she could see the two children. The girl was lying on her bottom, tangled in her cape and cradling her knee. Her nose was red, her teeth were bared, and her glassy eyes were glued shut.

"I didn't see it…" She sobbed. "I didn't see it! It hurts!"

Crouched down in front of her, the little boy was holding the hem of his shirt over her wound. His shoulders were hunched, his head was down…and looked just as frightened as the little girl.

"Your bleeding." He whispered. "I don't know what to do."

The little girl sniffled and dragged a sleeve across her nose. "You're supposed to make it better. And do it quickly…we…we don't want to miss the sunrise."

The little boy raised his head. "Make it better? How?"

Raven watched.

you kiss it, silly…

"You kiss it, silly! Now…hurry up!"

The little girl winced and scooted forward a little, raising her leg. "That's how it works. The boy kisses the boo-boo and makes it better."

Raven watched.

"But how does that help?" The little boy asked.

Despite herself, Young-Raven sighed and rolled her eyes, still sniffling…still red eyed. She scooted closer.

"It helps because it has to. When the girl gets hurt, the boy kisses her and makes her better. That's how it works."

"But…"

"And if you don't do it quickly, we'll miss the sunrise."

"But it's bleeding."

"I didn't make the rules. That's how it works."

"Uhm…alright. Hold stll."

The boy leaned forward. Young-Raven interrupted.

"Don't close your eyes!"

He straightened immediately.

"S-sorry. Sorry."

"Just…get it over with."

The boy nodded, swallowed, and leaned forward again. Young-Raven tensed, sucking air through her teeth as the boy leaned forward. Then he glanced up. Quickly straightened.

"Hey, why are you closing your eyes?"

Young-Raven responded without moving from her tensed pose. "Because it's gross. Hurry up."

The little boy hesitated, shook his head, and leaned forward one more time.

A moment passed.

Raven watched.

The clouds rolled overhead.

The morning was building up on the far side of the horizon…moments away from peeking.

His lips came within an inch of her knee…

Then….

The boy leaned up again with a frustrated sigh.

"I…I don't think this is how it works."

At this, Young-Raven opened her eyes. "Oh?" She said haughtily, crossing her arms. "And how does it work?"

The boy slowly cleared his throat, got to his knees. He looked like he was making a big decision.

Raven watched.

"You'll need to…close your eyes again."

Young-Raven tilted her head. "Why? Is it gross?"

"Just…trust me."

Tonguing her cheek, Young-Raven complied.

"Now...don't move."

She didn't.

Neither did Raven.

Very slowly the boy eased himself forward…sliding a knee on other side of the girl's legs and placing his small white hands on her shoulders.

Young-Raven visibly stiffened…but didn't open her eyes. She waited.

The young boy took a deep breath…and leaned forward.

He froze for a second…then…planted the briefest of pecks on Young-Raven's lips.

Utterly chaste. Utterly innocent. Totally unaware of meaning.

Just a kiss.

To make things better.

Because that's the way things work.

Raven felt her lips part as her heart fluttered up into her throat.

The girl's shoulders jumped slightly, her breath visibly caught in the chest and for a frightening moment…she looked as if she was going to recoil.

And then…her muscles relaxed, her lands lowered…and the moment passed.

Raven wasn't sure how long exactly she watched…but as those two little children sat there, the horizon silently exploded with light as the sun finally climbed over the hilltops. Clouds lit up across the sky like pink satin sheets as the valley was slowly claimed by a moving pane of soft orange light.

Raven stopped to shield her eyes as the wall of light hit them. The two children quickly broke apart, both their heads craning towards the brilliance of the sun.

"Oh, we missed it…" The boy whispered. "We didn't…get to our secret spot…"

Young-Raven didn't say anything. Her fingers were pressed against her lips. She was blushing. Maybe…to her at least…it wasn't so chaste after all…

She finally glanced away, smiled, and turned back to the boy, taking his hand and leaning in.

"I like here better." She whispered, and turned her gaze to Raven. Looked directly into her eyes. And smiled.

Instantly Raven froze.

She can't see me…I'm not really here…she cant' possibly see me…

"I wouldn't trade this spot…for the world." She said to Raven. "Not one single bit of it."

The boy turned to the girl, his back still to Raven. "You…really think so, Raven?"

Young-Raven smiled and entwined the boy's arm with hers, turning back to the sunset with a shoulder-wiggling sigh. "I know so, Crow."

Crow…

As if sensing her gaze, the boy suddenly turned around, Facing Raven for the very first time.

The narrow face, the high cheekbones, the black unreadable eyes, the innocent, smiling expression…

Crow.

Raven saw his face….and…somehow…he saw hers as well.

"Yeah."He winked. "Me…neither."

And with that…for the first time in over ten years…the dam in Raven's mind burst.

And this time…absolutely nothing could stop it.

ENDING AUTHOR'S NOTE: More coming soon.