Here you go. The next chapter of Ghosts of the Mind. Here's hoping I don't accidentally kill Raven...again.
Raven was sat in the brightly lit med lab, eyes closed as she healed her wrist. She could hear her friends' voices filtering through the door. They thought she couldn't hear them. If she'd been human they'd have been right. But Raven was half-demon and she could hear every word. "She says she saw Slade." The team's gasp of shock would have been comical under different circumstances.
"Do you believe her?" Cyborg's voice was careful, not wanting to trigger his leader's temper. Raven opened her eyes watching her friend's silhouettes.
"Did any of you see Slade?" Robin dodged the question. There was no answer but a wave of disappointment, disbelief and…anger hit the empath.
"Is friend Raven ok?" Starfire seemed anxious and Raven could almost see the emerald green eyes swimming in emotion.
"I don't know Star." Robin sighed heavily.
"What do we know about Raven? She never tells us anything." Beastboy's outburst stung.
"I know that she never lies." Robin replied forcefully. The changeling's shadow pushed its face into its leaders.
"Doesn't she?" Robin looked away.
"We should get some sleep." He muttered, opening the door. Raven closed her eyes again as he entered the room.
"They don't believe me." She murmured softly. Robin looked up at her shocked. "You don't believe me." She added, floating slightly.
"I'm sorry." He sighed, shaking his head. "But we saw him die." Raven shook her head.
"Yeah. Didn't stop you from looking again though. Did it?" Her leader watched the floor silently.
"I'm sorry." He repeated turning away. As he left the room, he flicked the light switch.
//
After Robin had left the Med Lab he slid down the door, sitting on the floor and placing his head in his hands. He wanted to believe his best friend, he really did but Beastboy was right they didn't know for sure that she wasn't lying. It sounded harsh but it was true. He knew the most about the girl and all that amounted to was her full name, home world and favourite colour. He sighed heavily, suddenly wishing he had spent more time getting to know the girl. If he had he could've known if her reactions to Slade's reappearance were genuine or not, he would've known how to comfort her, like she could him. A loud crash sounded from inside the room and Robin flew to his feet. A smaller thud added to the noise and something hit the wall next to the door. "Raven!" He yelled, unable to open the door, Robin panicked, he hadn't locked the door so why wouldn't it open? After a moments hesitation he kicked the door down.
//
Raven sensed her leader leave, staying just outside the door. She could sense his regret and sadness. In the darkness something was moving. Her eyes flew open. Thanks to her demonic heritage she could see in the pitch black but she didn't need to see to know who was visiting her. "Hello again Raven." The silky voice sounded right next to her ear. The empath, started, flying away from Slade.
"What do you want?" She asked coldly, proud to note that her voice showed none of her fear.
"You to do as you are told." His voice took on a demonic quality as the red symbol flared to life on his forehead. Raven's heart skipped a beat as flames flickered in the man's hands but she locked eyes with the man defiantly.
"No." This time there was a quiver in her voice. Slade chuckled.
"My dear, you have no choice." He paced over to her, almost pinning her to the wall as she tried to get away. "You will end this world." He took hold of her wrists, stopping her futile attempt at fighting back. "You will kill your friends." Flames licked at her cloak, burning it away. "And you will become who you are." Most of her leotard caught fire, leaving her barely dressed with her birthmarks in full view.
"No." She hissed, quivering slightly when he looked down on her, his one eye glinting in the light of her marks. He jerked her arms violently, throwing her across the room and knocking machines to the floor with a crash. Raven got to her feet shakily, feeling where the heart monitor had crashed into her ribcage, breaking at least one. Slade appeared behind her, placing a hand around her throat and lifting her body to push her against the wall roughly, her feet dangling above the floor.
"I glad you persist to disobey your father Raven. I enjoy toying with you." The girl's hands fought desperately with his as she gasped for air. The door to their right burst open to reveal Robin. "Ah your knight in Technicolor armour is here Raven." The masked man chuckled darkly, his grip tightening. The Titans leader stepped closer to the pair frowning.
"R-Robin." Raven choked, blood pounding in her ears as she tried to wrest Slade's hands from her neck.
"Raven what's going on?" Slade laughed, ignoring the Boy Wonder as he felt the life begin to drain from the girl.
"Robin. H-Help…Sl-ade." She stopped fighting her captor, as her oxygen-starved brain wondered why her leader wasn't attacking Slade and had instead backed away slowly, towards the light switch.
"As much as I would love to watch you die slowly, I think that there is a preferred method." Raven shook her head with what little energy she had in response to Slade. He loosened his grip slightly and leant in to whisper in her ear. "Until next time my dark little bird." He dropped the Titan onto the floor unceremoniously and fled through the window. Seconds the later the lights flickered to life, revealing Raven in the tattered remains of her uniform and her faded birthmarks.
"Raven what happened?" Robin whispered kneeling at her side. The empath barely registered his words as she fought to stay conscious.
"Slade…" She breathed, attempting to raise a hand to point at the window he had escaped through.
"Raven there wasn't anyone there." Her leader replied, lifting her onto the bed gently.
"He was…" She hissed in pain when Robin's gloved finger ghosted across a mark on her arm.
"What did this to you Raven?" She watched his masked gaze flicker across each and every symbol that was etched into her skin before locking onto the dark purple bruising around her neck.
"Slade…" Robin jolted back from the bed an irritated hiss escaping his lips.
"Damn it Rae. Slade wasn't here. He wasn't earlier and he wasn't now. Tell me what did this." He yelled, fists flying through the air in his frustration. He saw the slight fear in his teammates eyes and his arms dropped back to his sides. "Tell me what to do." He begged, righting the chair and sitting beside the bed. Raven's eyes rolled and with a lot of effort she returned to Robin's gaze.
"Trust me." She breathed, her form turning black and melting into the bed.
"No!" Robin yelled, one hand grasping at the sheet where Raven had been laying just seconds ago. "Damn it Raven." He punched the pillow wishing that it were Slade's head, that he was alive, that he could see him and most of all that he could just believe Raven.
Thank you for reading my friends and please review. It wasn't too dark there was it?