It's been quite awhile since I posted a new chapter but better late than never. Life has just been quite busy for me, but fear not I have not forgotten this story. This is the longest chapter yet and I think it came out quite nicely. Thank you to all my readers and I hope you enjoy the eighth chapter.

I do not own Teen Titans

Chapter 8 (The Harsh Reality)

(2 weeks earlier)

Cheers came from the crowd as one by one the girls entered the room. Some were dressed in debutant gowns while others took a more modern approach at beauty. Regardless, all eyes were upon them as they came down the stairs, greeted and congratulated from friends, family and sponsors. All waited with bated breath, eyes restlessly sizing the other girl up and wondering the same thing. Would they be the winner? Would they be the one honored for the prime spot in the magazine? The competition was fierce, and none knew more than Kori Anderson as she smiled nervously.

She had always hated this part of the fashion shoot but the waiting was always the worst. Time seemed to pass by so slowly while she stood in line with the other girls. Fidgeting with her dress impatiently, Kori tried taking deep meditative breaths. Slowly breathing in...out...in...out. Almost immediately she felt a deep sense of calmness and she smiled at how well this technique worked. Rachel had taught her this trick many years ago, back when they were still in high school.

Rachel Roth, the antisocial girl whom some people feared and others hated. Not many would believe that she had been Kori's best friend. They were nothing alike in personality but when it came down to loyalty, they would always be there for one another. Sometimes, that was all that mattered.

Loyalty counted most when times became hard for both of them; what with Rachel and her abusive father and herself for being bullied for her foreign accent. With Rachel and Victor, her two best friends had made the school days almost bearable. They had promised to be friends forever but one fight had changed everything in the end.

Now she was here, years later following her dream but still stuck in this endless loop of anguish. Their falling out had left her that horrible empty feeling of regret, of feeling guilty for all the mistakes made and the anger towards herself for avoiding the issue for so long. Rachel was probably still angry too, knowing her reputation for holding a grudge. Kori wouldn't blame her for the way she acted but did she really have to disappear so suddenly?

By now the crowd of contestants had thinned out considerably. Most of the girls had wandered off or had gone home. Nobody was willing to stand around for the remaining three hours. The stressful tension that had been building up so dramatically all afternoon was now almost nonexistent. Whatever would happen would happen and worrying would do nothing to improve the odds of winning.

Feeling exhausted by the competition and her own particularly gloomy thoughts, Kori decided she wanted to leave too. Perhaps something would cheer her up on the way to the hotel. Turning towards Main Street, she collided headfirst into the figure in front of her.

"Well, Miss Anderson I'm glad to get this chance to run into you." The figure said laughing softly. "I was hoping to congratulate you on your performance before you left. You seem to have such a promising future ahead of you. You were easily the most beautiful girl there!"

Kori gazed up and saw a handsome young man looming over her, grinning like the Cheshire cat. His dark hair hung lazily over blue-grey eyes and just like the rest of the gentlemen in attendance, he wore an expensive black tux. But even with his outfit, Kori could sense he felt out of place here. His smile never left his face but he glanced around warily as if he was expecting somebody to accuse him of something.

His awkwardness did not last long however because soon his eyes seemed to never leave hers. He took her hand to shake it warmly, holding it slightly longer then normal. Long enough for to glance down and see a black dragon tattoo on his lower left arm. It was familiarly shaped but before she could get a second glance, it was once again covered by his long sleeve. Blushing at the contact between them, Kori tried to get her wits about her.

"I'm glad you came to see me today" Kori said shyly. "Though, I'm afraid it might be in vain. There are many girls here who would probably will have a better chance at winning then I do. The competition is very tough this year."

The man shrugged. "Well even so, it is an honor to meet you Kori. I've always been a big fan of your work. You're beauty greatly outshines the others in my opinion and if I were the one judging this competition, you would be the winner for sure. I'm also sure your family and friends would feel the same way. Are they here in the audience?"

"No, nobody I know is here. The only one who even lives remotely close by is my friend Rachel but I was planning on meeting up with her sometime today or tomorrow. I haven't seen her in awhile and I was hoping to surprise her and maybe get back on better terms." Kori explained.

Her eyes seemed distant and unaware of an evil smile that was slowly growing on the man's face.

"Is that so?" The man smirked. "Well then, why don't I go find her and bring her here to see you now? I am sure that Rachel would be even more surprised if she was to see you in your triumph, winning the Lovely Ladies Magazine Photo Competition and being the most beautiful girl in the entire state. Surely a title like that would give you a chance to reconnect, earn her respect and maybe...maybe mend any arguments you might have had in the past."

The last words caught the red head's interest and she peered curiously at him. Now that she could get a good look at him, he seemed familiar. Something was so familiar about him but no matter what she did, she just couldn't place her finger on it. "How did you know we had an argument? Have we met before? What did you say your name was?"

"Does it really matter?" The man said with a tight smile. "I'm just an admirer, that's all. I've always loved you...even from a distance and you seemed a little lonesome."

Kori smiled reassuringly. "I'm fine...really. Even if I don't win, it's not the end of the world. There are other competitions. Still, I could have sworn I knew you someplace; I must have been mistaken though. Silly me."

Her admirer just smiled charmingly. "Well, if we had met before I'm sure I would have remembered."

He reached into his lapel and pulled out a freshly cut red rose and handed it to her. It was beautiful, just beginning to bloom and giving off a faint sweet scent. Kori blushed and smiled prettily as she took it from him.

"Good luck, my sweet Kori. We'll keep in touch." He gave her once last smile and walked away, leaving Kori with a bemused expression.

True to his word, they did keep in touch. For the next couple of days her admirer showered her with his affection. His gestures were modest and sweet, whether she would awake to find a red rose taped to her door with a love poem underneath. Or her favorite, daisies with the letter M scribbled in a fancy font next to them. It was mysterious and romantic and while she still did not know his name, it was always her admirer, the man she had met who was the sender.

Kori had to admit that while he could be quite intense at times, the man was very handsome. His eyes were alluring and he was always giving her a mischievous smile, as if they were sharing a naughty secret between them. He was daring and bewitching, always filling her up with butterflies. Whenever he came to visit, which was often, the man would smile and wave as he approached. She would feel her heart swell with excitement as he came over the hill to her hotel room.

It was the kind of romance she had always wanted, ever since she was a little girl. That was the problem with perfection however; it was usually too good to be true.

At first, it seemed her admirer could not get enough of her. They took walks together holding hands, laughing at jokes and telling funny memories. He was always attentive to her and would ask questions, claiming he wanted to get to know her better. Kori liked the attention at first but for some reason, he would always bring up the topic of Rachel and their past history as friends. His curiosity seeming harmless, Kori would answer cheerfully but still she wondered.

She wondered why he would want to know more about her friends then herself. She wondered why he seemed so desperate and angry. Most of all, she wondered why he was willing to hurt her if it got her to answer quicker. There were small bruises forming on her arms, nothing big but still they hurt.

As the questions became more and more personal, Kori realized something was wrong. Her admirer claimed her loved her but if that was the truth, why didn't he ask about her? Where did that warm feeling go and why was it replaced with a chilling apprehension whenever his eyes met hers? He was becoming colder and angrier, to the point that when the inquiries continued, she started answering with less information. Instinctively she knew that something was not quite right and that alone scared her.

Days passed by and soon it was the last day of the fashion shoot. The results came back and while she did not win, Kori took no notice. She had spent the whole afternoon packing up her clothes and getting ready to leave the hotel. Time was running out and she wanted to leave before HE came back. The man that had once been her biggest fan and admirer had slowly turned into one her greatest tormentors. He rarely let her leave his sight and it was becoming to the point of insanity.

Kori had made it halfway out the door, when he storming towards her. He shoved her to the floor and glared angrily at her cowering form.

"Where do you think you're going?" He growled. "Last time I checked, you weren't supposed to check out till tomorrow!"

His icy blue-grey eyes glared menacingly but Kori resisted flinching away. "Excuse me but you're not the boss of me. I can go wherever or whenever I please. I have had enough of your bullying and I'm ready to go home."

"What about Rachel? I thought we were going to see her together." The man's voice softened. "I miss her..."

Kori's eyes widened with surprise. "I thought you never met her before. Who are you, really? I demand you tell me now! I am tired of this game you are playing."

"You are tired of this game I'm playing, huh?" The man sneered. "And here I thought we could do this the easy way. All I wanted was for you to lead me to Rachel so I can sort things out. Instead you have to act like an idiot. Honestly, what other man would demand to see his ex girlfriend? I'm Malchior obviously. Unless, she really has been sleeping around? I wonder how many boyfriends she went through, since she ran away? Five maybe?"

Kori narrowed her eyes. "Rachel isn't like that! She never was like that! Now I can finally see why she had dumped you all those years ago, you're insane! To think I had once tried to defend your actions!"

Malchior slapped her soundly on the face, narrowing his eyes at her. "Like I care what you think. You're just a pawn, little Kori. That's all you ever were, pathetic and weak. Now run along and get out of my sight. If you tell anybody about me, there will be consequences."

She scrambled up and tried to find means of escape. Malchior was standing in the doorway, reaching for a sharp pocket knife in his coat. He admired it and started polishing it while she watched him fearfully. "Please don't hurt Rachel. She's innocent! I don't care what you think; you will never find her Malchior!"

Grabbing her cell phone and bag, she sprinted out the door trying to put as much distance between her and the man. Yet despite her showy outrage, Malchior had quickly lost interest in the girl, continuing to rub the knife's blade with the cloth and smiling at Kori's words. Stupid woman...did she really know how innocent Rachel really was? What she had done to him? Rachel Roth ruined his life and now she would pay. It was as simple as that.

Kori had by now run far, so far that Malchior couldn't see her. Clouds were starting to gather and a wind was blowing but he didn't mind. His car was warmed up and he had everything planned out. He knew she would run. They always ran when they saw the knife. It did not matter because sooner or later she would find her friend Rachel. Try to warn her about his "evil" plans and try to stop him. It did not matter; nothing mattered because they would not escape.

Turning on his car engine, he began to search for the red head. He would follow her secretly for now...maybe scare her a bit for fun. It will only be a matter of time till she arrived at Rachel's door. Till then, all he had to do was wait.