Chapter 3: To Be A Titan
Phoenix coughed, opening her eyes as she lay on the burnt and blackened ground. All she saw was darkness and smoke, confused as to what was happening. She slowly pulled herself up, coughing and wiping something from her mouth. She looked to see the crimson color on her hand. What had happened?
"You see what happens when you decide to betray one place, another gets attacked in the process." A male voice spoke in her head. She looked around, getting up. When the smoke and fog decided to clear, she looked around at the devastated place. She gulped.
"Why did this happen?" She asked herself, walking around. Something collided with her foot and she fell backwards, tumbling a bit. She coughed in the smoke and waited for her eyes to finally clear. She gasped at what she saw.
"Raven?" Raven was lying there, motionless. Nothing was wrong with her, but she wasn't breathing at all. Phoenix bit her lip, and then noticed the others. Cyborg and Beast Boy, both unarmed, both not breathing.
"What . . . Robin!" She exclaimed, running over to where the Boy Wonder was lying. She looked at him, looking around.
"I barely know them, why would you hurt them?" She yelled to nothing, but something spoke back.
"Because you're not supposed to be here. This isn't your world, and if you're not going to leave, then I will make you." The male voice spoke. Phoenix looked around. The wind began to pick up, stronger than ever. Phoenix had to dig her heels into the ground to keep from flying away.
"You have a gift, Phoenix. Now it's time to give it up, or give up the world." The voice said. Phoenix watched as something exploded around her newly found friends, before a bright white enveloped her.
Knock! Knock!
Phoenix leapt up with a shriek, the covers tying her up. Sweat beaded on her brow and she panted, shivering a little.
"Phoenix, you okay in there?" Beast Boy's voice could be heard from the other side of the door. Phoenix took a moment to register. She was still in Titans Tower, in a spare bedroom the team had leant to her. It was just a dream. She was awake now.
Another knock on her door brought her back to reality. "Phoenix!" BB exclaimed again.
"I'm . . . I'm fine Beast Boy. Just uh . . . naked, so don't come in." She fumbled. Nice save! She thought, rolling her eyes.
"Whoa. Uh, sorry. I just came up to tell you breakfast was ready, and to come down when you want." He said, obviously sounding red and embarrassed. Phoenix giggled, pushing her hair from her face.
"Thanks. I'll be down there in a bit." She said, trying to fumble and untie the covers from around her legs. She heard muttering coming from the outside of the door, before Beast Boy finally retreated back downstairs. Phoenix couldn't help the giggles sliding out. Truth is, she was sort of naked, just in a random oversized t-shirt Raven gave her. She had said it was Cyborg's when he had been undercover at the place called the Hive. It was huge on little Phoenix, but it was comfy.
Phoenix sighed. She would have to get up now. She couldn't keep them waiting. Finally untangling the covers, she looked around the spare room. There wasn't much in it. Just a bed, a desk, dresser, mirror, and a bunch of boxes with stuff in them that no one really cared about. If Phoenix got a hold of it, she'd make it her own, but she didn't know if it would ever be hers.
She got up and put the black dress she got yesterday back on, smiling and tying the belt around herself again. She ran a brush through her hair softly, letting her hair fall down across her back, a light brown. She smiled at herself in the mirror, before shivering. It was cold in the T-Tower. So, she looked in the boxes, trying to find something warm. She pulled out a leather jacket with wool on the inside. It smelled different, and Phoenix sort of liked it. Pulling it on, it was a little big, but it was roomy and comfy. She sighed again, slipped her shoes on, and went downstairs.
She got lost twice, it was a very big house, but hearing everyone talking, she knew where she was going. She found herself in the kitchen/common room finally. Cyborg was busy shoveling pancakes onto plates. Beast Boy had his own plate of Tofu Cakes, and Raven was munching on an apple. They all looked up when she came in.
"Morning Phoenix. I made pancakes if you want some." Cyborg said. Phoenix smiled. She liked how they made her feel at home even though she wasn't an honorary titan. She pulled herself up onto the stool and grabbed a plate of pancakes.
"Thanks Cy." She said, smiling as she grabbed some chocolate chips.
"I thought you would like my Tofu Cakes better since you're a changeling, Phoenix." BB looked at her.
"Thanks BB. I do eat Tofu, but not all the time." She explained. The grass stain frowned, but he understood and went to eating his own pancakes.
"What do you guys eat on Freyard?" Raven asked, closing the book she was reading. Phoenix shrugged.
"Normal things that you eat here. Since we are mostly water, we eat a lot of fish. One thing that is a delicacy though; is pizza." She said. Cy and BB looked at her.
"You don't eat pizza there?" Cyborg asked.
"Only on occasions, which is very rare. Why?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We have a surprise for you tonight." BB said, grinning. Raven rolled her eyes. Phoenix looked at them, before going back to her pancakes. She ate them quickly, not realizing how hungry she had been. Once she finished up, she put the plate in the sink and grabbed a bottle of water, before sitting down on the huge couch, where BB was now playing games.
"Hey, is that my old jacket?" Phoenix looked up to see Robin looking at her, then the jacket. She gulped.
"Well . . . I didn't know. I was cold, so I thought, why not." She said. "I can go put it back if you want. . ." She started.
"No, it's fine. I forgot I had it. It looks good on you though." Robin told her. Phoenix blushed, smiling at him. So this was Robin's jacket. She snuggled into it, somehow feeling a sense of protection she never knew was there. No wonder she liked the smell. She watched Beast Boy play games for a while before Robin launched himself over the couch, sitting next to Phoenix.
"Hey, if you're up for it, we'd like to run you through an obstacle course. You know, to see how you work with your powers and such. Are you in?" He asked. Phoenix looked at him. She wanted to know what he was hiding behind the mask, but that was for another day. She smiled.
"Well, sure, I guess." She said, pushing her hair from her face. Robin smiled. "Great, we'll do it later. Let's just relax." He told her. Phoenix blushed and curled up in the jacket. Why did she feel so close to him suddenly?
"Okay, so we're just going to put you through a couple of tests to see if you could be a Titan. They're simple, so you ready?" Robin asked. The Titans stood outside in the obstacle course. Phoenix had taken the jacket and her shoes off, looking at them, then back out at the obstacle course. She sighed. Robin smiled at her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"It's easy." He said. Phoenix nodded. "I'm ready." She said, then walked off to the beginning of the course. Cyborg went over to the controls. "Alright, go!" He said then turned it on.
Phoenix was soon faced with many obstacles. Lasers blasting at her, bumps in the roads, things running at her, but she passed through it easily. When robots came out, she used her powers to send vines up, entangling the robots and crushing them. She sent starbolts at the lasers, blasting them into smithereens. When trees randomly grew, trying to get her lost, she just transformed into a wolf and ran through them easily. Beast Boy watched with interest.
"Her changeling powers are amazing!" He exclaimed as she transformed into a peregrine eagle, soaring through the higher trees. Raven watched her closely.
"She really is good, even for a newbie." She commented. Cyborg laughed.
"Looks like we have some stiff competition." He told them. Robin and the others laughed a bit. Phoenix jumped over a large rock and finally saw the end of the obstacle course. She flew through it, ignoring the robotic animals trying to make a grab at her. She hit the finish line and smiled. The Titans clapped for her, and she giggled, doing a back-flip and twirling.
"That was fun." She said, placing her hands on her hips. Robin walked over to her, smiling.
"That was really good, Phoenix. You may be Titan material after all." He said, crossing his arms. Phoenix blushed, running a hand through her hair.
Suddenly, an alarm blared, scaring Phoenix a bit. The other Titans ran back inside and she followed slowly.
"Red X? He's back?" Robin asked. BB and the others stared at him.
"Who's Red X?" Phoenix asked, walking up behind them. Beast Boy looked confused.
"Well he was Robin, like Robin made Red X to try and get closer to Slade, another bad guy, but then we found out and then someone else was Red X, and then he was destroyed. Or so we thought." He explained quickly. Phoenix looked at him, eyebrows raised, clearly confused.
"It's a long story." Raven said, looking at her. Phoenix shook her head, confused.
"Whoever he is, he's back, and we need to stop him. Titans! Go!" Robin yelled, suddenly in his hero stage. Cyborg, Raven, BB, and Robin ran, exiting the building. Phoenix stood there, completely and utterly alone. She bit her lip and went to sit down when the door slid back open and Robin ran back in.
"Phoenix. You coming? We need you too." He asked. Phoenix's eyes widened and she smiled. "Really?" She asked. Robin smiled and held out his hand. Phoenix leapt to action, grabbing his hand. That spark was back, but Robin had to ignore it. They both ran into action.
Red X was breaking into yet another building, trying to set a distraction. Putting a bomb on a building, he jumped away just in time for the building to come crashing down. Luckily there weren't any civilians around to harm.
"Hold it right there, Red X!" Red X turned to look and growled. The Teen Titans. He turned to the newest girl.
"So you added another person? Hmm, seems like you're growing weak." Red X said, laughing. Phoenix glared at the person, whoever he was. Robin growled.
"Whoever you are, it's time to say bye to your life. Titans! GO!" He yelled. Phoenix watched as the others went into action. Robin was throwing mini bombs at the guy, BB transformed into a lion and went to charge at Red X, when suddenly Red X had slipped under him, making BB crash into some trashcans. Red X stopped, when a blast sent him flying. Cyborg was shooting his sonic cannon at the guy. Red X laughed, and threw something into Cyborg's cannon just as he was ready to shoot.
"Oh no." He said, and exploded backwards. Phoenix watched. Raven was trying to circle the guy in her black aura, but he was too quick, and Raven got a swift kick in the face, sending her backwards. Phoenix watched, a little angry.
"Nobody hurts my friends." Phoenix growled, flying toward Red X. While he was fighting with Robin, she kicked him in the side of his face. He stumbled backwards, only to be blown away by her starbolts.
"You're stronger than you look." Red X told her as he dodged the starbolts. Suddenly, vines ripped out from the ground, entangling him tightly.
"I might be a girl, but I am amazing." She said, almost arrogant. Robin watched, smirking, when suddenly Phoenix flew backwards with a squeak after an explosion. Red X slashed the vines from him and threw an X at Phoenix as she was getting up. She was thrown backwards into a wall, and was stuck. She kicked and struggled, but it was no use. Red X fought Robin for a moment, before walking over to the stuck alien.
"What is with all these alien chicks being hot?" He said, getting close to Phoenix. Her eyes glowed blue.
"You do not wish to mess with me." She growled, trying to pull at the red X holding her against the wall. Red X smirked.
"You are really hot." He said, getting closer to her, touching her waist and sliding down. He smiled as he got in her face. Phoenix looked away.
"You know you wanna kiss me." He said.
"That's an understatement." She said. Red X grabbed her chin, pulling her head to his. Suddenly there was a blue blast into the back of Red X, which sent him flying.
"Dude, has anyone ever taught you how to treat a girl?" Cyborg yelled.
"Cause, dude, that's not it." Beast Boy added, changing into a wolf before attacking Red X. Phoenix watched, helplessly, until something was slicing through the X. It was Robin with one of his birdarangs. He soon had cut the X, putting his hands on Phoenix's waist. Phoenix jumped, grabbing at his shoulders.
"Thanks." She said, blushing. Robin smirked. "Don't mention it." He said, before running back into battle. Phoenix smiled a little, before jumping back in. Lasers shot out of her eyes.
"That's for calling me hot. And this. . " She said, throwing more starbolts at him. "Is for hurting my friends!" She yelled, until he had tumbled over the bridge they had been on. Robin ran over to see if Red X had made contact with the water, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Spread out and search. He couldn't have gotten far." Robin commanded. Everyone leapt to different places, searching. Phoenix stayed behind, leaning against the wall of the bridge. Robin turned to her.
"What's wrong? You did great out there." He told her, walking in front of her. She smiled.
"I let him get away." She said softly, looking a little sad. Robin felt bad for her.
"Hey. It happens all the time. Nothing to be ashamed of." He said, touching her shoulder. Phoenix looked up at him, purple eyes catching masked one. Robin suddenly felt a pang of sadness as he remembered Starfire. She looked just like her, and he still couldn't get Starfire out of his head.
"If you're sure." She said, smiling. Robin smiled, just as the rest came back up.
"No sign of him, Robin." Cyborg reported. Robin sighed.
"He'll show back up. And when he does, we'll be ready. Come on. I think Phoenix here needs a congratulatory dinner." Robin told them. Phoenix blushed as everyone began to compliment her on what she did. She really didn't deserve any of this. She had let Red X get away, but they wouldn't stop, so she just let them keep going on.
"I still cannot believe that you eat pizza, regularly! I love this world!" Phoenix cheered, laughing and spinning around. Cyborg and Beast Boy laughed. They had all taken her out to the Pizza Parlor for her first time. Now, Raven and Robin had disappeared after that, saying they had something to do, while Cyborg and Beast Boy took her to the carnival on the pier. Beast Boy and Cyborg were battling on who would get Phoenix the biggest stuffed animal on the water squirting game. Phoenix was happily munching on cotton candy as she watched, smiling at her friends.
"Well get used to it, cause that's usually all we eat." Cyborg commented, frowning as Beast Boy popped the balloon first and cheered. The man behind the game gave Beat Boy and white and green panda bear, while Cyborg got a small purple penguin. Phoenix smiled.
"Here ya go, Phoenix." Beast Boy said, holding it up as it was bigger than him. Phoenix blushed.
"Thanks guys!" She exclaimed. "I think I'm gonna name the panda; Beast Boy, and the little penguin; Cy." She joked, but was actually serious. Cyborg and Beast Boy smiled and blushed.
"Well let's get these home. I think Raven and Robin have to be done by now." Cyborg said. Phoenix raised an eyebrow, cocking her head sideways after throwing the empty stick in the trash.
"Done with what?" She asked. The boys shared secret glances.
"You'll see. Let's just hope the panda fits in the T-Car." Beast Boy said, smirking. Phoenix looked on, a bit wary, but shrugged and went with it.
"Hey, you're back." Robin said, walking out of the T-Tower to the three. Phoenix stepped out lightly, her hair blowing in the wind, holding her pink penguin and smiled, giggling as Beast Boy was busy trying to pull the panda out of the car. Robin rolled his eyes under the mask, shaking his head and watching as Phoenix walked over.
"They competed on who would get the biggest stuff animal." She told him. Robin laughed.
"Even real life is a competition to them." He said, making Phoenix giggle as Beat Boy fell back with a yelp as the bear finally came out and toppled him over.
"Well come on in, we have something for you." He said, taking Phoenix's hand, ignoring the sparks yet again running through his veins. Phoenix followed inside, up to the room she had been using. Robin put in a code, and the door slid open into darkness. Phoenix looked at Robin, wo nodded, and then walked in. A light switch was flicked on, and Phoenix gasped.
It was a whole new room! Bette than the one she had been staying in. The walls were a dark purple, making the room look a lot bigger than it was actually. There was a huge bed in the corner, with black and purple covers on it. A desk with a brand new laptop and a new Ipod was next to the window. A dresser was on the other wall, with a large body mirror and a regular mirror. Twinkling lights were stretched around the room, giving it a beautiful glow.
"This. . . this is mine?" She asked, walking in slowly. Raven appeared randomly, smiling.
"Yep. This is yours." Robin said, as Cyborg and Beast Boy walked up behind them. Phoenix looked at all the furniture, and to the bookshelves full of books. She walked over to the closet and the dresser, full of clothes. Beauty products on top of the dresser. Even the walls had posters and other décor on them.
"I just kind of guessed on what clothes and books you would like." Raven said, shrugging. Phoenix shrieked, before hugging Raven, who was closer. Raven squeaked, her hood falling off of her face. Raven wasn't one to like hugs but she didn't mind it. She patted Phoenix's back awkwardly, until Phoenix pulled away.
"Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" She kept exclaiming, hugging Cyborg, and Beast Boy. BB put the panda in the corner of the room, looking over the room. She ran to Robin and hugged him tightly.
"Hey, we thought we could make a Titan at home." Robin said, smiling. Phoenix then pulled back, and Robin grinned, before pulling at the communicator all of them had.
"You, Phoenix, are now an honorary Titan." He said. Phoenix shrieked and jumped up and down.
"I won't let you guys down." She said with a yawn.
"Maybe we should get some sleep. We'll see you in the morning." Cyborg said, ushering the rest of them out. Phoenix smiled and slowly walked over to the large window looking out to the sea. She sighed, smiling. Robin stopped, before walking back in.
"What's wrong? You don't like it?" He asked, looking at her. She shook her head.
"It's just. You took me in at a moment's notice, not knowing my past, and now I'm an honorary titan. It's almost too real to be true." She explained. Robin smiled, rubbing her shoulder.
"You'll get used to it. Now get some sleep, we all need it." He said. Phoenix smiled and looked at him, before wrapping her arms around his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck and hugging him tightly.
"Thank you Robin. This means the world to me." She whispered. Robin gulped, but then wrapped his arms around her waist softly, smiling. After a minute, they finally pulled back, and Robin left with a simple 'goodnight', even though he was wanting to say much more, but didn't understand why.
Okay so how was that? Read and Review please. Oh and I just realized that its Tameran, not what I've been saying but I don't want to go change it, so I'll say Tameran next time. Hope you guys like it!