Chapter 7
Cyborg cautiously checked both ends of the hallway before tiptoeing quietly and dashing quickly behind a nearby potted plant at the sound of footsteps drawing near. His circuits were on high alert; motion sensors, energy receptors, thermal and night vision powered to max, and he had ensured that his new electromagnetic shield was turned on just in case.
In short, not even a bit of dust would be able to get with ten feet of Cyborg without him knowing.
Speaking of which… they really needed to dust better around the corners here.
Cyborg started to sweat and tremble in fear as the footsteps got closer and closer. 'Don't panic,' he berated himself. 'Take it easy. It's just a short elevator ride to the garage and then it's sweet sailing to Paraguay.' He gulped nervously as he dared to leave the safety of the plant to see if it was them.
"Phew." He let out a breath of relief. It was probably just his paranoia acting up and not his sensors.
"Hey Cyborg,"
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!"
Robin looked up curiously at the half robot clinging to the ceiling, "Uh, Cyborg…what are you doing?" The spiky-haired teen asked curiously.
Cyborg glanced up…well down… at the Teen Titans' leader and relaxed a bit, "Hey, man don't scare me like that," he spat out angrily, "You nearly gave me a heart attack." The ceiling caved in from the metal man's weight dropping him heavily down on the ground with a loud 'thud'.
He stood up with a groan, rubbing his sore head, shaking it a bit to get rid of the fuzzy colors in front of his vision. Cyborg stopped catering to his head when he heard something jingle underneath him. He stood up, finding that his new sonar graphic transmitter was now smashed to pieces.
"Aw man! Not my new transmitter!" And it had taken a week to get it installed too. He was too busy mourning over the loss of his latest equipment to notice the strange looks Robin was giving him.
"Is something wrong?" The half metal member of the team was acting so weird all of a sudden. Cyborg had been fine at breakfast…Then again… maybe Starfire's glorgian pie flakes were the cause of his friend's sudden strange behavior… They had given off a strange glow.
The boy wonder's fellow teammate shot back up onto his feet cradling his broken machinery close to him. Cyborg's jitteriness was really starting to make Robin start to wonder if Cyborg had gotten hit in the head during their last battle. A steel girder to the head obviously hadn't done the half metal teen any good.
"Uh… Cyborg?"
Cyborg turned around and stared Robin right in the eye, looking around to see that they were alone. He then leaned in and whispered. "Didn't you notice something a bit… odd today?"
"Umm… no," Robin stated dryly. Other than his friend's behavior there was nothing out of place and there was no criminal activity at the moment so he was at a loss as to what had Cyborg acting like the hounds of hell were after him.
Robin yelped as Cyborg grabbed him and started shaking him back and forth hard enough for Robin's stomach to turn uncomfortably. "Hellooooo. BB? Ringing any bells here?"
Robin ceased struggling to get out of Cyborg's grip long enough to ask. "What about Beast Boy?" What did the little green changeling have to do with the way Cyborg was behaving, he wondered.
The boy wonder didn't have much time to follow his train of thought as he suddenly found himself grabbed by his shirt collar and shoved inside a nearby broom closet, his protests falling on deaf ears. "Cyborg what is going on?" he demanded. Honestly, Cyborg's actions were starting to fall under the 'annoyingly weird' category now.
"This better not be another game of indoor mud ball." Robin didn't have time to be playing another one of Cyborg's and Beat Boy's stupid games again. He still hadn't gotten over that one incident with half his hair getting singed off.
Clicking the light on the half metal teen quickly ducked his head out of the closet and looked both ways to ensure that the two of them were alone. "I haven't seen BB around since breakfast."
"So?"
"Sooo… I haven't seen Raven around since yesterday either. Don't you find that a little odd?"
"Calm down Cyborg. Beast Boy is just probably off somewhere playing a video game and Raven is most likely in her room." Robin reasoned, "There's no reason to be so paranoid."
Cyborg shook his head furiously. "Uh-uh! That is so not the case. Raven isn't in her room. I checked, and I can't find BB in any of the game rooms or the arcade. Heck! I've even checked under his bed and in his closet but he's not there."
"What's the big deal if you can't find Raven or Beast Boy?" Robin wondered, still not seeing a logical reason for his friend's irrational demeanor.
"DUDE! Don't you remember what Raven said to us?"
(Flashback)
Turning around she left them with a rather unpleasant taste in their mouths of what was to come, "And by the way... I haven't forgotten and believe me, you'll all pay and Beast boy, I willcollect after this is all over no matter what."
(End Flashback)
"And guess what man… collection day is HERE!"
"Cyborg, you're just being ridiculous." But there was less confidence in the boy wonder's voice now. There was no denying that when Raven wanted to get even with someone she would get even, one way or another.
Cyborg wouldn't give up as his fear of Raven seemed to have canceled out any common sense left in him. All of his systems were on escape mode and his computer data base was currently checking all possible flights out of the country. "Okay let's review the evidence shall we. One; Beast Boy has been missing since this morning."
"Beast Boy disappears for days sometimes if he has a new game." Robin reasoned.
"Two; Raven has also been missing."
"Raven usually spends time by herself. You know that Cyborg."
"Three; Raven has been acting weird lately, as in she's been a lot happier." Cyborg started shaking Robin back and forth like crazy. "Do you hear what I'm telling you? Raven. Has. Actually. Been. HAPPY! Raven is never happy."
Cyborg let go of Robin, who had to grab hold of his head to stop it from bobbing up and down like a bobble head. It took another minute for the small closet to stop spinning. "So our friend is happy. Is that really such a bad thing?"
"And that's not the freakiest thing…" Cyborg leaned in close and whispered in a serious tone. "I heard Raven laughing."
A pause passed between the two of them. Not a normal pause but a "something bad is about to happen to you" type of pause.
"You heard Raven laughing…?"
Cyborg nodded and with that gesture Robin's jaw dropped to the ground and his face turned white. Maybe he had heard wrong, maybe this was all some sick, cruel prank that Cyborg and Beast Boy had thought up, or maybe it was Starfire's glorgian pie flakes messing with his brain. Yes, that had to be it, anything to explain the words that had just come out of Cyborg's mouth. There was just no way that their teammate Raven could have possibly been laughing, she just didn't; sure she would smile but actually laughing! That just immediately fell into the category of impossible next to Beast Boy reading an actual book with no pictures cover to cover and Batman wearing a pink flamingo costume…
It just wouldn't happen. At least not in this dimension, in an alternate reality maybe. And the was a BIG maybe.
"Are you sure it was Raven?" Robin questioned with his face paling significantly by the second. "Are you sure Starfire wasn't in Raven's room with her?" The boy wonder was desperately looking for some small strand of hope that he could hold onto.
Cyborg shook his head vigorously. "Nope. It was definitely Raven." There was no doubt in Cyborg's voice at all, only the sense of knowing the horrible truth. "She was laughing and BB is now missing." Now close to hysteria Cyborg started to shout. "Do you hear what I'm saying! We are going to DIE!"
Robin's instincts instantly kicked in, and his natural leadership talents tooked hold. He knew that they needed a solid plan if they were ever going to live to see the light of day again. But first things first, noticing the half metal teen curled up into the fetal position in on of the corners of the small box they were in and sucking his thumb, Robin knew that he needed to get Cyborg thinking straight again.
Casually taking off one of his gloves he swiftly slapped it across Cyborg's face, effectively whipping Cyborg's head to one side. He then slipped it back on while the mechanic of the crime fighting group snapped his head back into place—along with a few loose screws in his brain…
"Thanks man, I needed that."
"No problem,"
"And don't worry, I have a plan." Cyborg gave Robin a thumbs-up.
"This is your plan!" Robin hissed as he adjusted his body so that he was no longer close enough for the goat in the crate next to him to continue eating his cape. And it was his good cape too!
Cyborg shooed away some chickens, which had taken perch on his shoulders, and shot a dirty look at Robin. "You got a better plan?"
"Um yeah…" Robin said, engaging in a game of tug of war with the goat that had taken a liking to his cape. "We could have just driven out of the city and to the airport."
"Dude, I told you. If we had taken one of the vehicles Raven might have noticed and she would then start hunting us down sooner. It's better if we fly the coop under the radar to give us the most distance between her and our lives." Cyborg explained. True, he wasn't enjoying having chickens look at him as a roosting spot but every mile that the nice farmer with whom they had hitched a ride with took them meant another mile that they had to live. "And the guy did say that he would take us all the way out to the country."
"Are you sure that's what he said?" Robin asked. After all, the guy was speaking Spanish. And none of them knew the language… Except maybe Starfire, but Robin wasn't willing to go down that train of thought at the moment. Not when he was currently sitting in the back of a rickety old truck that managed to find every little bump in the road and that was loaded with farm animals, including annoying goats who clearly didn't understand that Robin's clothing and his hair were not food.
Cyborg nodded. "Don't worry, I took Spanish 1 in high school and passed with a C+," he said confidently.
The boy wonder sweat dropped a bit. While a C+ was still passing it wasn't enough to actually reassure Robin about their current situation. It didn't matter now, Robin decided as he was thrown, yet again against the goat crate. His top priority now was living long enough to get to a foreign country. Hopefully, a country where no one would ever think a teen hero would hide out in—maybe Canada or Panama (AN; I have nothing against these countries but I couldn't think of anything else).
Suddenly, both Teen Titans were thrown into each other as the truck finally came to a violent halt.
"Here we are." The truck driver called out with a heavy accent to his passengers in the back. "Out of Country."
Robin got up and jumped down stretching his badly tortured muscles and back, popping his bones back into place and savaging his now badly eaten cape. Cyborg was right behind him dusting off bits of hay and stray feathers.
"Aw man!" Cyborg face twisted into disgust. "Please tell me that's not what I think it is." Sure enough as he retracted his hand from his right shoulder the gooey reminanys of one of the chicken's breakfast was now clearly visible on both the android's shoulder and his hand. Robin also grimaced at the sight of Cyborg's traveling companion's little gift. "Man that is just nasty." Cyborg shook off what he could and sulked when it became clear that he would have to travel with chicken poop on his shoulder or at least until they found a bathroom or something.
"Just be happy nothing tried to eat you." Robin held up what was left of his cape with a sour face. Maybe he ought to reconsider his costume design. The cape was cool and all but it didn't seem all that great when livestock found it a tasty travel snack.
Cyborg wiped his hand against a trash can removing some of the goo. "Let's just get our tickets and get going. If we're lucky we'll be able to cross the Mexican border by midnight."
The two Titans made their way into the building that they assumed would grant them the tickets to their freedom. Keyword being assumed.
"Hey, why did we have to go all the way to Canada in order to get plane tickets, couldn't we have just gotten them online?" Robin asked as they stood in line to buy their passes to their new lives in Paraguay.
"That's just the sort of thing that Raven will look for man. If we get our tickets in person and in another country there's a lot less chance of her discovering where we went. Add the fact that we just hitched a ride with some dude with farm animals, this plan is fool proof. There's no way for her to track us."
"She can use magic…"
With that Cyborg's ego had just been bumped down with an unflattering splat. "Man, why did you have to ruin my moment."
Robin couldn't help but smirk. "Sorry Cyborg."
"No you're not."
Robin didn't bother to argue and just continued to look innocent as the line moved up.
Soon it was their turn.
"Hola, Konichuwa, Guten Tag, Shiloh, Bonjour, and Hello. Welcome to Out of the Country. May I take you'r order?"
Cyborg and Robin both froze. That was an odd thing for a person selling travel tickets to say. "Excuse me?" Robin looked at the teenage girl behind the counter with the 'I hate this job and I'm so bored' attitude.
The girl behind the counter didn't even bother to look up from the register. "Sir, if you are not sure what to get then might I suggest the premium German Chocolate Value Meal or the English Royal Supreme. If you're still not sure then would you please step to the side for the other customers."
"This can't be right!" Cyborg exclaimed. "This was supposed to be our chance at freedom!"
"If it's freedom you want then how about the New York Yankee Pizza, made from an original New York recipe." In the same monotone that spoke of not really caring, the girl kept on reciting the script that she had memorized for minimum wage. "Or how about the Liberty Beef Sandwich? We guarantee that all of our meat is up to standards with the national sanitary requirements involving all processed animal parts. Which part you receive is under no part the responsibility of Out of the Country—"
"I don't care about your legal meat problems!" Cyborg shouted, finally getting a reaction from the girl behind the counter. She looked up. "The guy with the weird accent said that he'd give us a ride out of the country!"
"This is Out of the Country, one of the leading international fast food restaurants of Connecticut with over four locations across the state." The girl stated, clearly unimpressed with the male Titan's dramatic scene.
"You mean this isn't even CANADA!" Cyborg exclaimed.
"Pff! If this is Canada then I'm Michael Jackson," the girl scoffed.
Cyborg's mouth opened wide in horror upon the realization that his plan had just horribly backfired. His carefully constructed and panicked-ridden plan had just blown up in his face. And if that wasn't bad enough, he had chicken droppings on his shoulder and a sore butt from the bumpy ride.
"Then why did he have live animals in the back of his truck?" Robin questioned. The employee raised an eyebrow at them and jabbed her thumb towards a door.
"Petting Zoo!" Robin cried out.
The cashier nodded. After being on her feet and dealing with all sorts of customers for five hours without a break, it didn't matter that two members of a world renowned crime fighting team was standing before her or that getting a picture of them in the state they were innow—shocked and looking like they had spent the last week on a farm without showering—would make her rich enough so that she could quit her current lowly paying job. She could've cared less about their problems. Her next words proved that statement.
"So are you going to order something or not?"
"Friend Raven! Where have you been?"
Raven turned to the overly peppy alien of the Teen Titans. "Hey, Starfire." She greeted going back to making herself something to eat. She had missed breakfast and lunch and the sorceress was ravenous.
"I was so worried that you too had suddenly disappeared." Starfire said gleefully, floating beside Raven.
The alien's statement had quirked Raven's attention. "What do you mean disappear?" That's when she noticed that something was wrong—it was simply too quiet in the tower. "Where are the guys?"
"That is what has been feeling me with the feeling of dread." Starfire replied mournfully. "I have not seen Beast Boy as of yesterday and today both Cyborg and Robin just vanished."
"Well, I think I know where Beast Boy is."
Starfire made an instant emotional U-turn and went from depressed to super happy in a fraction of a second. "That is wonderful news! So where is our green friend?"
"I saw him some out of the new training room." Raven replied.
"But I thought that Cyborg had told us that it's still not finished." Starfire said. "Friend Cyborg had said that the maze program was still infected with insects."
Raven shrugged. "Looks like Beast Boy hadn't been listening and went in there anyways."
The pieces quickly falling into place as to where the changeling had vanished to for the majority of the day. "He most likely just ended up getting lost in there and just now had gotten out." She reassured her friend.
Starfire nodded in agreement and followed the other female Titan's lead and also began to prepare an early dinner for herself and made sure to make a little extra in case some of her other teammates also wished to partake in some from her native planet's cuisine. After all, Beast Boy would always turn even greener than he usually was whenever he tasted her planet's food.
"Perhaps you are correct. But then what became of our friends Cyborg and Robin?" Starfire asked as both female Teen Titans sat down to enjoy their meals.
"I'm sure that whatever it is that they're doing that it's nothing we ought to worry about. It's not like those two would do something too stupid." Raven turned her attention back to her empty stomach and began to eat.
Starfire bobbed her head in agreement, her mood much lighter in knowing that her friends were perfectly fine and in no way in some sort of wild predicament. A few moments of silence passed between the two friends before Starfire once again spoke.
"Friend Raven."
"Yes?"
"I have also been wondering where you have been."
"In my room." Raven simply stated.
"Yes, but what have you been doing?" Starfire clarified. "I am aware that our current lack of knowledge about the current plans of Mumbo Jumbo is of importance, but surely you couldn't be spending all of your time doing research." Starfire suddenly perked up. "Have you been doing the chatting with your new friend in the computer?" She asked excitedly.
Raven's fork went back down to her plate as she gazed thoughtfully at the table. Another moment of silence passed before Raven finally answered. "I've been… gathering information from other sources besides my books."
Starfire seemed genuinely surprised at this. "But I thought that you had a vast collection of magic related books."
"That doesn't mean that I have everything." Raven countered. She was starting to feel uncomfortable with this conversation, even if it was Starfire.
The red-haired girl didn't need anything to tell her that her friend was growing uneasy, despite her desire to quench her curiosity about the sorceress's activities over the past few days, Starfire respected the fact that Raven preferred to keep some things private until she was ready to share them. Hoping to lighten up the suddenly uneasy atmosphere, Starfire attempted to divert the conversation.
"So what new information have you been able to discover?"
"A lot actually. Things that I hadn't even thought of," Raven said, gratefully for her friend's consideration. It was moments like these that made Raven happy to have such good friends as the ones she had. "I've managed to find some new information on those stones that Mumbo stole. I've been meaning to tell Robin but he's not here."
"He will be most joyous upon hearing that you have uncovered some new clues."
"Hopefully. You know how he gets when he can't figure out a case." Raven smiled wryly.
Starfire let out a giggle. "Indeed he gets the case of the holic worker."
"It's… workaholic Starfire."
(one hour later)
After eating and a quick meditation session with Starfire, Raven had retreated back into her room and was propped comfortably on her bed with her laptop in her lap, a now all familiar web-page on the screen. She logged in and opened up her messages. Sure she had found out that there was the option of having multiple chats but Raven had quickly learned that the other people online simply weren't all that interesting (or normal) to her. There was only one person online that she liked to talk to…
Speak of the devil…
Ghost boy: anybody home?
Raven: yeah, how are you?
Ghost boy: i'm fine, i got my butt royally handed to me and was shown no mercy in air hockey by my so-called best friend, but fine
Ghost boy: how about you?
Raven: i'm fine as well, anything new happening with you?
Ghost boy: (shrugs) not really. I managed to steal my sister's diary the other day
Raven: that's not nice
Ghost boy: who said I was nice?
Raven: better be careful or she might just take revenge
Ghost boy: HA! and an extra HA! i'd like to see her try
Raven couldn't help the knowing grin on her face upon remembering the morbid punishment she had issued onto Beast Boy when he had tried to look for a diary of some sort. She didn't have a diary but that didn't mean that she was about to let the tofu loving shape shifter off easily for coming into her room and looking through her stuff.
Raven: you're going to regret that sooner or later
Ghost boy: no i won't
Raven: yes you will
Ghost boy: i won't
Raven: you will
Ghost boy: what makes you so sure…?
Raven: why? afraid?
Ghost boy: no!
Raven: and why not?
Ghost boy: simple math. favorite teddy bear + matches = stay alive free card
Raven: aren't you bad at math?
Ghost boy: oh shut up
One thing that became very apparent after a few more chat sessions with this person was that he seemed to be a very trusting and honest guy. Raven knew that it was a guy just by some of the things that they had talked about. Things that only guys would say. At first they had just started by trading likes and dislikes, favorite movies, music, things of that nature. She'd tell him about being 'home-schooled' and he would in turn tell her about the wonders of American public education.
It had been only a little over a week and yet Raven felt like she had known this guy for a lot longer than that. A strange feeling of happiness would sometimes come over her upon realizing that she was actually making a friend with someone who was probably, and most likely, an average and normal teenager instead of the usual super-powered ones she tended to hang out with, seeing that she was a superhero and all. It wasn't that Raven minded the friends she had among the super-gifted of this world but she would be lying to herself if she said that she had never longed to have a normal friendship with someone who didn't have to worry about super villains trying to take over the world at least once a week.
Of course Raven was careful; she refused to let her guard down for a moment and kept her answers to the really personal questions generic. The whole episode with Terra still left a prick in the Titan's heart. Also, just because the conversations took place online there was still no guarantee that it was completely safe. As a crime fighter, Raven was well aware how dangerous cyberspace could be—she had dealt with just as many missing children's cases as super-villain cases as well.
Raven: by the way thanks for your help
Ghost boy: no problem
Raven: don't get offended but I was sort of surprised that you knew all that
Ghost boy: most people are, but that's one of the luxuries of having such weird parents, they have just as weird friends
Ghost boy: I have more stuff if you're interested
Raven: what sort of stuff?
Ghost boy: i asked one of my mom's friends about ancient ruins and she told me about this book that may be of really big help to you
Raven: what's it called?
Ghost boy: it doesn't really have a title. most people just refer to it as a guide or almanac
Raven: then how am I supposed to find it?
Ghost boy: my mom's friend told me what it looked it like
Raven: is it online?
Ghost boy: probably not. apparently this book is really rare and most are either locked up in museums or in someone's private collection
Raven: so how does that help?
Ghost boy: just putting it out there. it's best to always know which options you have and how many you have
Raven: okay, so what does it look like?
Ghost boy: black, old, thick, and with some sort of seal on the front of an eye inside of a snake biting its tail or something like that
Raven: okay, i'll keep an eye out for it
Ghost boy: i hope your report is going okay
Raven couldn't help but feel a little guilty for lying, but it really was just a harmless little white lie, and as far as Ghost boy knew, she was just a home schooled kid doing a research paper on magic traditions of the world's ancient cultures. It was mostly true, in a way. She was doing research on magic of ancient civilizations but it wasn't for educational reasons.
The information that she had gotten, courtesy of her online chat buddy, were all things that Raven had been using in order to figure out the mystery behind the rock that Mumbo had stolen almost two weeks ago. Even with the tremendous amount of data that Ghost boy had sent her it had only helped a little concerning Mumbo. The only upside was that Raven had finally found someone who she considered her intellectual equal in the matters of the paranormal. Robin had his criminology, Starfire had her alien knowledge, Cyborg had his technology, and Beast Boy… had some knowledge. It was rarely used, but it was still there… somewhere.
Raven bit her lip as she wrote back, pushing aside the small feeling of guilt. This was for the better anyways. It was highly unlikely that this guy would believe her if she told him the truth. As strange as his life sounded hers would definitely be lot stranger than a high school kid's.
Right?
Raven: it's coming along. I'm nowhere near done though
Ghost boy: and that's why homework sucks
Raven: come on, it's not all bad
Ghost boy: yes it is
Raven: you're just being lazy
Ghost boy: P
Raven: real mature…
Ghost boy: :P
This time Raven rolled her eyes. This guy was proving that he could be just as immature as Beast Boy…
Raven: are you done yet?
Ghost boy: ;P
Ghost boy: okay i'm done now
Raven: do you have the brain of a three year old?
Ghost boy: i resent that!
Raven: well, it's true
Ghost boy: you're just as bad as my sister
Raven: why don't you try acting a bit more your age then… maybe that'll get people to stop thinking you're a toddler
Ghost boy: and why should i care what other people think miss "i don't fit into society and nor do i care"?
Raven couldn't help but glare at her computer. She could almost see Ghost boy's smirk in his words. After reciting a meditation chant in order to make sure that her temper didn't get the better of her, the sorceress replied back.
Raven: i'll put this in terms that YOU can understand
Ghost boy: HEY!
Raven: it's called proving people wrong and showing them that you do have the capabilities of doing something so that way they'll take you more seriously
Ghost boy: but what if you don't want people to know the true extent of your abilities…?
Her fingers froze over her keyboard.
The message had hit very close to home. How often had she been afraid of other people's reactions when they saw her powers? How often had she feared what people might say or do if they saw just how deep her powers went? She could never forget the look on some of the monk's faces after that one incident on Azarath. A memory that would forever be engraved in her mind yet stored somewhere where well hidden because of the pain that it brought her…
Even with her friends, the people whom she trusted the most in this world, Raven was still careful to never go beyond a certain limit with her powers. If only to maintain some peace of mind that she had enough control to avoid hurting anyone, innocent or guilty alike, Raven did not wish to be feared as a monster.
Raven: it's your choice whether you want to show them or not
Ghost boy: i guess… but what if some things are better to just better left hidden? what then?
Raven: they stay hidden i guess…
Ghost boy: what if they get out somehow?
Raven: i don't know… has that ever happened to you?
There was no reply for a while and Raven began to think that Ghost boy had logged off but that wouldn't have made sense since he always said good-bye, no matter how unexpected it would be, he would always say that he would be gone. The same as her whenever an emergency in the city popped up…
Just as Raven was about to close her laptop, he wrote back…
Ghost boy: yes…
Raven: what happened?
Ghost boy: i ended up hurting the people i cared about and it had all been my fault because i couldn't control what i could do
Raven found herself in a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. This conversation was starting her to make her feel very uncomfortable. It was like this person had reached deep inside her and found her deepest fears and insecurities, things that she didn't even tell her fellow Titans. What's more was that whoever this person was, they seemed like they had experienced something the same things that she had experienced with her powers.
Although Raven highly doubted that they were talking about the same things as what she had gone through, nonetheless it still felt relieving to know that there were other people who have had the same insecurities and fears that she has had and understood what it was like to have those emotions and not being able to tell someone because of fear. Whatever it was that happened to them might have been different but that didn't mean that the emotions weren't the same.
Ghost boy: has that ever happened to you?
Raven hesitated and then wrote.
Raven: yes, more than once too
Ghost boy: that must've sucked
Raven: it did
Ghost boy: sometimes my abilities just leak out without me meaning to
Raven: when does that happen?
Ghost boy: the same way when every other person on this planet does things that they'll later regret…
Ghost boy: i get angry enough that i don't think about anything but hurting someone or something
Another stabbing feeling ripped through Raven. Her heart sped up as she read those words. Of course, anyone could have said this and it would be universally true but something about this person—someone who she had known online for only over a week—didn't make it sound like some rehearsed line that people were fed in order to make them feel better.
This felt… real…
Ghost boy: suddenly that's the only thing that matters… all of my self control just disappears… it's like i'm watching a horror movie and i can't stop it
Ghost boy: and you want to know the scariest thing of all?
Raven: what?
Anticipation flooded Raven and she waited for his next words to appear on the screen.
Ghost boy: the scariest feeling is knowing that i'm that monster that everyone is afraid of
Raven: yeah, i know what that's like… since i can be counted as a monster
Ghost boy: what makes you say that?
Raven: people fear me
Ghost boy: join the club, a lot of people are afraid of me too
Raven: i thought that you got shoved into a locker at least three times a day?
Ghost boy: i do
Raven: then… care to enlighten me
Ghost boy: …
Ghost boy: people can have different identities right? With a certain group you're this type of person and with others you're also another person
Raven: right
Ghost boy: when a certain situation arises i become someone else, almost like i have a double identity
Raven: what kind of situations?
Ghost boy: out of the ordinary ones
Ghost boy: what about you? why do you think you're a monster?
Raven: i don't think, i know
Ghost boy: why?
Raven: my dad… he can be counted as a monster
Ghost boy: so?
Raven: that means that i have the blood of a monster
Ghost boy: but that doesn't make you one. it's your choices that make you different from your parents
Raven: that may be but i'm still what i am. it's not like i can change that
Ghost boy: you could wish for it to change
Raven: i don't believe in wishes
Ghost boy: good. sooner or a later they come back to bite you in the butt
A smile formed on Raven's face. For some reason, Raven found this person's biting and sarcastic sense of humor actually humorous. It was a far cry from the rather…lame attempts that Beast Boy tried. AND at least this didn't involve outrages schemes that always seemed to end up with the changeling and at least one other Teen Titan with some sort of physical or emotional damage.
Ghost boy: back to business… so what if you have a bad dad? it's not like you can pick your parents
Raven: isn't the expression "you can't pick your kids"
Ghost boy: but the same thing can be said about parents
Raven: touché
Ghost boy: all i'm saying is that who your dad is and who you are, are two completely different things
Raven: okay then what about your parents?
Ghost boy: in a word... eccentric
Raven: i imagine ghost hunter parents would be
Ghost boy: you have no idea
Raven: but you still have some of your parents in you
Ghost boy: yes but not all of it is so bad
Raven: what i got from my dad is
Ghost boy: what? some sort of deadly disease?
Raven: no, but people tend to look at it that way
Ghost boy: well it's like one of my best friends is always saying, people are idiots but a person can be smart
Raven: that's pretty clever
Ghost boy: see as long as you have a few people who accept you as you are it's okay right?
Raven: you're right
Ghost boy: maybe they're not ready to accept all of you but if they're real friends they'll stick by you no matter what
Raven: my friends are like that
Ghost boy: so are mine. i may not be the most popular guy at school but i know that i'm one of the luckiest guys out there with them by my side
The sorceress could definitely relate to that statement. Having her friends by her side had made her once lonely life much better in more ways than one. After everything they'd been through together, Raven had hope that it would last for a long time. Not forever but long enough for her to not have any doubts about the feeling of belonging that she had with the Teen Titans.
Raven: in the end that's all that matters
Ghost boy: right, and we are what we are but it's our choices that make us human or at least somewhat human
Pausing, Raven reread the last sentence carefully, curiosity and a slight hint of panic travelling through her fingers and into her keystrokes.
Raven: what do you mean 'somewhat human'?
There was no way that this person could possibly know her true identity. Sure her screen name was practically a dead giveaway but plenty of other people named themselves after a bird or animal, usually with a number at the end, but there was just no way, NO WAY! that her identity had been exposed. Cyborg had even safeguarded her account just in case.
Ghost boy: i'm talking about all our nonhuman friends out there. you know the type that can't talk and enjoy nature
Raven: animals…?
Ghost boy: my friend prefers to call them our 'furry brethren' and my other friend calls them dinner
Raven: cute
Ghost boy: watching them argue is much more entertaining than anything on TV though
Relief filled Raven as her suspicions were laid to rest. She was probably just being paranoid, she was careful, as was her whole team (though Beast Boy most likely hadn't put THAT much thought into it when he signed her up for this). As heroes their lives were full of people they couldn't trust, and no one was willing to repeat what happened with Terra…
Raven: television is poison for idiotic people who want to rot their brains
Beast Boy was a prime example in Raven's opinion.
Ghost boy: if i had time for TV i'd actually watch it
Raven: please don't and preserve whatever brain cells you have left
Ghost boy: that was just low…
Raven:
Ghost boy: was that a smiley face?
Raven: what does it matter?
Ghost boy: HA! ladies and gentlemen Raven has a heart!
A nerve started twitching as irritation swelled up in Raven's body. Her emotions were plainly displayed on the laptop's screen.
Raven: that's not funny
Ghost boy: it is to me
Raven: grow up
Ghost boy: make me ;p
Raven: *rolls eyes* real mature there
Ghost boy: at least i don't avoid the important question here
Raven: which would be…?
Ghost boy: why you think you're a monster? and give me a good reason this time
Now what she supposed to say? Raven had only known this person for a short time… Was it really okay to divulge such sensitive and personal information over the internet to some stranger? Wisdom and logic said no. In fact, it screamed no. It told her that it was a no go that she shouldn't, it said to just refuse and then leave the chat room, to go and do something else, to never let anyone know her innermost insecurities ever again.
And yet…
A small part of her was thirsting for someone to talk to and so far this person seemed to understand a lot more than her teammates did.
Letting out the air she didn't even know she was holding. Raven began to type. Like an explorer she sailed into unknown and dangerous waters.
Raven: like you said before… i get angry and lose control, and the consequences aren't exactly something to be proud of…
Ghost boy: no one is ever proud of the things they regret
Raven: but when i lose control, the things i can do… i don't ever want to be in a situation where i can't stop myself
Ghost boy: …
Ghost boy: one time, i made this really bad choice. i don't like thinking about it. What happened after i made that choice was like something you couldn't imagine; a nightmare come true, and i found myself against something a lot more powerful than me
Dark violet eyes scanned the screen as an almost perfect mirror reflection of one of her darkest life stories unfolded before her.
Ghost boy: i felt powerless to stop it, everyone i knew suffered, and i knew it was all because of me… but you know what?
Raven: what?
Ghost boy: i managed to drive it back, because the people i love were more important to me than my fear or my own life
Ghost boy: now let me ask you this… would you die for your friends?
Raven: yes
There was no doubt in the half demon's mind when she answered this. No hesitation and no fear of having to face anything it was if it meant saving the people who were most precious to her.
Ghost boy: then there's your answer. you're no monster because you love someone else enough to put your life on the line for them. to me you sound more like a true hero and a true friend that anybody would be lucky to have.
A light feeling bloomed inside of Raven's chest. She didn't know what it was, but it was warm and felt safe. Was this happiness…?
I'm tired. This is over 7000 words long! And over 17 pages long! What do you think of the conversation between Raven and Danny? And what did you think about me placing some comedy at the beginning and then ending with this emotional crap? I'm sorry that I haven't updated in like forver but I'm determined to get over my writers block even if it kills my brain!
I go back to school in like a week so I really have to get a move on. Tell me what you think of this chapter and don't worry I'm sure to be putting in some action in the next chapter.
- Bloodmoon13