Disclaimer (For both the Prologue and Chapter One):

I own nothing but the plot and any original characters. Everything else belongs to DC Comics.

Chapter One

A woman stands in the middle of her daughter's bedchamber. Her fluent movements are clean and precise. The circle is set. All that is needed is the child being transported. Said child is leaning on the doorway into her sanctuary. Small tears streak down her cheeks.

"I don't want to go," she whispers.

"I know, my daughter, I know. Are you positive you do not wish to inform your beloved of your departure?"

Arella watches her only child with concerned eyes. Raven has always been an antisocial child. Since her birth she's preferred mediation and books to the company of others. She only opened up when Rorek came into their lives.

The mother worries for her daughter. Raven's powers are unstable, especially in the dimension the Azarathians are sending her to. Her fear and uneasiness can cause any number of things, from a landslide to a tsunami.

"I can't say goodbye to him, Mother. It will only hurt Rorek more."

"You think he will not be pained if you leave him without saying so?"

Raven shakes her head. "I know he will. In fact," she laughs bitterly, "I'm fairly certain he's going to hate me. This is for his own good though, his and mine. I don't think either of us can handle a true goodbye."

Arella swallows. "If you are sure then I accept your choices."

Raven hesitates before stepping into the room. "What do I do mother?"

"Move into the circle. Sit in the exact center of the pentagram. Assume your lotus position. Use the chant. You know what you are doing, Daughter."

Raven moves toward Arella. She tries to say something but the words get caught in her throat. Arella smiles gently.

"I know, Raven. I love you as well."

The tears of pain that were previously on the Sorceress' face turn into tears of happiness. The knowledge that her mother truly loves her may be the only thing that gets Raven through this new adventure. That and her promise to Rorek. She will come home. Promises could not be broken, not to Rorek.

"I have to leave you now. You cannot open the portal while I am in the room. It is almost certain that your father will attempt to reach you while you are traveling. Do not let him get to you. Do not let him lead you into temptation. You know him, Raven. Whatever he promises you, it will not be delivered."

"I know, Mother."

Arella nods, gently touches her daughter's cheek and then disappears.

Raven takes a slow, cautious step forward, and then another. With each step she becomes closer to leaving her true life, the one she considers her own. With each step forward she begins to open a new chapter. Each step is like a page. These are the last pages of her real life. These may be her last pages of happiness.

"I can do this," she whispers. "I can do this for the good of my people, for Rorek, for Mother, and for myself. I will do this."

With that she begins the spell and her world is sucked away from her.

Somehow she gets through the portal without her father's intervention, something she is incredibly grateful for. She shakes her head as she takes in her surroundings. A dark alley, filled with nothing but the sounds of animals scavenging for food. She knows what this place is called, Earth. Arella called it Earth. She doesn't know how it's going to work though. She doesn't know the customs, or the language. She doesn't know where she's going to stay, or how she is going to live. Never before has Raven felt so… uneducated.

A bright flash of green light catches her attention. She moves toward it.

What is going on?

Three men seem to be trying to placate a foreign looking woman. Actually, they all look foreign. But foreign to her may be the norm to these people. Raven quickly discards this thought. Somehow she fails to see how a short, green man and a half-robot, half-man could be considered the norm.

The cyborg says something, and the one who looks like a traffic light responds. Raven shakes her head. How can these boys possibly think that fighting solves anything?

She places a shield of magic between the men and the girl. She steps forward and voices her opinion, scaring all three foreigners in the process.

"What? How? Who?" The green one sputters. Raven almost smiles. Almost.

Raven waves her hand and the shield dissipates. Though she is slightly annoyed when the boy addresses them with orders to "Stand down", she remains silent as she watches Traffic Light Boy try to speak to the alien- she's so obviously an alien- girl.

"I just want to help," he tells Alien Girl softly. Calmly he pulls out a lock pick and undoes the large cuffs keeping her wrists locked into place. The Alien Girl tilts her head and regards him before pulling him to her to kiss him long and hard.

"If you do not wish to be destroyed, you will leave me alone."

Well, obviously the group of heroes can't do that. A few hours later Raven finds herself sitting on an empty island, talking to the other four. She's been formally introduced to the group of teenagers. The alien girl is Starfire. The green boy is Beast Boy, who just so happens to change into animals. The cyborg who, unsurprisingly, introduces himself as Cyborg, and Traffic Light Boy is Robin.

"We don't know much about you," the man who will become the "team" leader says. Raven shakes her lightly. "You don't need to know much about me. I'm not emotional, I spend a lot of time by myself, and I have to meditate every day to keep my powers under control."

"Speaking of your powers, what's that freaky dark magic anyway? Star's an alien. Cyborg is half-robot. I'm a shape shifter, and Robin is a scary, good martial artist. What are you?"

Raven gives Beast Boy an annoyed eye roll. "I'm assuming you won't accept a simple 'that's the way it is' response?"

Each and every person in front of her shakes their heads. Raven thinks about an acceptable response. Obviously, telling them she's the Princess of a dimension full of monks and sorceresses isn't an option, nor is telling them that she's the daughter of a being worse than the Devil.

"I'm psychic," she settles for telling them. The group seems to accept that answer and they move onto another topic of discussion. The chief topic of discussion being logistics; how was the team going to work, where would they be staying... that sort of thing.

Raven plays with the ring on her index finger. Only Robin notices.