I'm sick! :-(

Being sick in summer should be criminal! And my sisters are out of town, so its just me and my parents, but that's cool. Being by myself with a laptop and music makes me feel better already! :-D

Chapter 3!

And the rating was changed to M because of the mature content that has to be involved in this story if its going to stick to the truth as much as possible. Arella's story is traumatizing and frightening, but its also key to Raven's past and heritage. Sorry if it creeps any of you out, but its how Raven was born.

Chapter 3
"Don't Try To Hide From Me"

Raven:

I was frightened, I'll be honest. In all of my studies and travels with Arella, I'd never seen anything like those marks. And there had never been a wound I couldn't heal completely. Glancing at the pink scar on the hand Beast Boy was not holding, it scared me. What was I supposed to think about this?

Beast Boy squeezed my hand. I looked up at him. He gave me a reassuring smile, though I could feel he didn't in his emotions. "Don't worry. I'm sure its nothing."

I took a moment to analize his feelings before replying, "You're hiding something from me."

Beast Boy stopped, as did I.

There was no accusation in my voice, it was just a statement, and so he knew better then to lie to me.

"I know," he said, pulling me to keep walking and looking straight ahead. "It'll be better explained when we see Arella."

I didn't argue, but continued to give him suspicious glances. We passed few people on the way, and they were only maids, who gave us strange looks as we passed by. It was odd in itself, because anyone who worked here saw us often and the glamor of it had passed, so I felt their atmosphere as well. This was the only way to get Arella, and because of Terra's little episode, they were wondering what was going on. Strange.

Beast Boy let go of my hand and knocked, "Arella?"

Immediately Arella, fully dressed, unlike last night, when she'd been in her bathrobe, appeared before the door. Upon seeing the two of us together, she seemed happy, but glancing at Beast Boy, nerves began to swirl around her as easy as air.

"Have you to come to check on Terra?" She asked, her eyes darting between the two of us.

Beast Boy looked serious, "I think it would be best if we talked inside."

Arella and him shared a look I couldn't understand before she allowed us inside, closing the door behind us. She gestured for us to sit down on the couch, no longer occupied by my blond friend, as I'd seen through the crack in the door last night.

"Where's Terra?" I asked, looking around.

My mother pointed to her bedroom door, "She's in my room. I've been keeping a close eye on her." She hesitated, "Now, what did you wish to speak about?"

Beast Boy cleared his throat and I remained silent. "Arella, Raven has something to show you."

He nudged me and I began to pull up my sleeves. One of my hand scars were darker then the other, and the lighter one was the one I'd allowed Beast Boy to touch. The other one was a bit of pressure, minimal, but it was still noticeable. "These appeared when I was with Beast Boy." I showed her my arms, also lightly covered with those fading marks on me. It was just my hand and arms. That didn't mean it was anything less frightening.

Arella very literally jumped to her feet. "When did this happen?"

Beast Boy had his hands in his laps, folded, like those serious-looking cops on TV. It made sense, because he watched television all the time, but it was unlike him to act serious in a 'questionnaire' way. Something was off about him, because he wanted answers for me. I wanted answers too.

"I think the better question, Arella," Beast Boy began, "Is why you keep asking questions and we don't get to."

Arella's eyes narrowed at Beast Boy. My eyes widened but he remained composed. I'd never seen Arella loose her cool . . . ever.

"You're treading on dangerous grounds, Beast Boy," She warned, slowly. "You should turn back now."

His teeth began to grind together, "I'm not letting you continue to keep secrets at other peoples expense, Arella." His eyes glanced to Terra, then back to her. "Raven isn't the only one being affected by this, but she's my priority. Whatever you're hiding, its time to fess up, or I will."

My head jerked backwards, my stunned gaze directed on him now. "What do you mean?" I looked at my mother. "What did you tell him that you couldn't trust me with?"

"Its nothing-." She tried to assure me.

I flashed my palms at her, on the edge of my seat. "This is nothing?"

Arella visibly winced, "Raven, please put your sleeves and your hands down."

"Why? Does it bother you?" I snapped, "Cause it bothers me."

"Raven, please, you have to listen to me-."

"I would love to, but you're not telling me anything I want to know!"

"Raven," Beast Boy murmured, touching my hand. "Calm down, its alright."

"No, I won't calm down." I said, feeling justified in my irritation. I turned back to Arella, wide-eyed and waiting. "Arella, why can't you just tell me?"

My mother stared, her emotions arguing with one another. The urge to protect and the need to tell the truth raged a war within her until she closed her eyes. I'd never felt such a still aura around anybody before. She didn't open her eyes as she sat down next to us.

Suddenly, all three of us were engulfed in a vortex, and I gasped, clinging to Beast Boy in fear. He held me tight against him, protectively, and Arella continued to stand still. She didn't show any signs of moving anytime soon.

Then her eyes snapped open and everything stopped. We were somewhere we shouldn't be, I knew. Something seemed off about this place.

"Mother, I thought you didn't have any powers," I said, looking directly at her in confusion. "How'd you do this?"

"They aren't my powers, Raven," She said. The furniture wasn't there anymore, mind the couch. No table, no other room. We were actually in what appeared to be a cottage home that Arella refused to look at. "This imagery is shown to you from the recesses of my mind. The elders allowed me a power to show these events one time and one time only, so pay attention, you won't get a second chance."

We looked around, staring at the only door. I gripped Beast Boy's hand tightly, expecting something horrifying.

It wasn't what we expected.

A woman came out, young, probably just barely eighteen. It didn't take long for us to recognize her, because although her hair was black, it wasn't that far off.

"That's you," I said blankly, looking at her. Arella nodded, stone-faced.

Beast Boy and I shared a nervous look before a knock was heard in the imagery that surrounded us. Young Arella seemed excited, in a rather appealing white dress. She gave herself a quick once over in the mirror in the hallway before opening the door in a happy but calm manner. I peered closer at Arella and saw that she wasn't the same skin tone she had been when she was young. She had pale skin, but it wasn't gray-ish like mine was. And I had obviously got her looks from her.

The sound was like you were under water, and a man stepped in. He was young and handsome, clearly the same age as Arella or just barely twenty but probably eighteen. He was dark haired, marble-colored.

I felt like the win had been knocked from me. "Dad."

They kissed, and it began to skip, like a bad TV. Their kissing was now more heated, and they were somewhere else. Then they began moving towards the room Young Arella had appeared from, the bedroom I assumed. Soon laughter was heard, and Beast Boy made a slightly disturbed face beside me.

Then the screaming started. Arella flinched, and it became hardly heard, like she'd lowered the volume on a television.

"He raped me," Arella said, swallowing hard. "I didn't know who he was, but he wasn't human, just disguised as one."

"Mom," I gasped. "I didn't . . . I didn't know-."

"What was he if he wasn't human?" Beast Boy interrupted, leaning me against him. My heart was hammering inside my chest with disbelief. Arella was hard, flinching at a particularly loud scream that was heard, but answered his question anyways.

"He was a demon," She said, looking directly at me. "Raven, I didn't want you to know-."

"I'm only half-demon," I said, moving away from Beast Boy and hugging Arella. "Mom, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

She spoke softly and hugged me back, tightly. "Raven, the story isn't over yet. Pay attention."

I shook my head, beginning to cry. "I don't want to watch any more of it."

"That's not an option." She looked over my shoulder, mouthing something. Arella turned me, giving me back to Beast Boy who I hugged tightly, cradled against his chest and facing the door that led to the bedroom, where my mother was raped.

Finally, it stopped, and eventually my father walked out, buttoning up the last few buttons on his red silk shirt. His black pants were already zipped, and he fixed his hair in the same mirror Young Arella had checked herself in. He waited, sitting on the table. Eventually Young Arella came out, and the sound became clearer. Young Arella wore a white bathroom, similar to the one she owned now, but shorter, and made of cheap satin.

"Who are you?" She demanded, breathless with tears in her eyes. She was battered, bruised, and had blood on her neck in what looked like teeth marks. Beast Boy clutched me tighter against him, also revolted by the sight. I heard a low rumble in his chest as he growled at the horror of what a man did to someone who was my mother.

"My name isn't Trevor, as you believed, mortal. It's Trigon the Terrible." The worst thing about him is he seemed smug about what he'd done. The fact that even bound in this body, he was able to overpower her. Hatred flared through me. His voice was deep and bass-sounding.

"Why did you do this to me?" Arella's voice shook with rage.

Trigon smirked. "You should feel lucky, Arella." He sneered her name. "You've been deemed most worthy among mortals to bare my child."

Arella laughed, bitterly. How someone could be so strong after being violated like that was beyond me, but I guess that was why she was 'deemed worthy'. Because she was stronger then most women were and could handle that, be rational. "You think I'm lucky!" She screeched. Young Arella began digging through drawers, and Trigon watched her with a smug and curious expression the whole time. She entered her room and came out, soon after, dressed in jeans and a white top. It was clear she had a favored color, but she also had a scrap of shredded white cloth in her hand. Young Arella threw it in the trash, going through the drawers in the kitchen. "That was a $200 dress, I hope you know that." She sniffed, wiping tears from her red face. Her hair was a mess, and she seemed to hardly care.

Trigon's brow rose, "Where do you think you're going?"

Arella had grabbed car keys, heading towards the door. "To the police station and to get the Day After pill. I'm also on birth control," she gave a hateful glare to him. "Whatever baby of your you think I'm going to have, you're wrong."

He laughed, freely. "You think your human medicines can help you? Scath is almighty."

She snorted, "I thought you were Trigon."

"I am," he smiled leeringly. "My followers call me Scath, to hide my identity. The 'S' is our mark."

"Like I care." She began to leave when he grabbed her arm, forcing her to him again, and he smiled down at her.

"The baby you bare now will harbor powers even beyond your imagination," he said, stroking her face. I couldn't have hated him more. "She will be the thing you love most in this world, because although you hate me, this child has done nothing wrong. A mirror appeared behind her and he gripped her arms, making her face it. "And look at you know," he whispered in her ear, with a grin.

Young Arella's hair began to turn purple, like it was now. Anything off was switched and my hands curled into fists. Young Arella's face contorted, when she was done, into a mask of horror and pain.

"Now they can find you, easily." He said. "My followers will know you as the beauty with purple hair and gray skin, the mark of our child."

"Its not a child its a monster," Young Arella gritted her teeth, tears starting to form in her eyes again.

My mother next to me murmured, under her breath but loud enough so Beast Boy and I could hear it, "You aren't a monster Raven, he is."

There was silence in Young Arella before her hand carefully slipped into her jeans. Unaware, Trigon continued to caress her neck with his nose, smelling it as his free hand trailed down her side. "How about another round then, Arella?"

Young Arella's face lit up with fury as she looked at herself in the mirror. "You son of a bitch."

Arella pulled a knife on him, from her pocket. The switchblade plunged into his chest, and he stumbled backwards, blood beginning to bleed from the wound. Arella seemed proud of herself, eyes narrowed as she watched him die.

He used his dying breaths to threaten her, with a weak smirk.

"You can kill this body, but my spirit shall return to my human form." He croaked out, "When your child is born, she will be ours. Scath shall find you."

And the world around us vanished, all of us back in the living room. In the other room, Terra rolled over in her now 13 hour sleep, being the only one to even slightly break the complete silence.

Beast Boy:

"I'm not human," Raven said blankly, nodding her head in acceptance. "I'm the product of rape, half-demon, and-."

"Raven!" Arella interrupted fiercely. I'd never seen her show so much emotion, but after that . . . I didn't know what to think of her. "You have nothing to be ashamed of! What happened isn't your fault at all!" She glared at me. "Tell her!"

Raven's attention diverted to me, hurt on her face as well as fear and sadness. "You love a monster's spawn."

I touched Raven's face, making her look at me. "Raven," I said, looking her dead in the eye so she knew my intentions were true. "I don't care what you are, or anything about your past or your father's. All I know is that I love you for who you are now. Nothing could ever change my feelings for you, ever. Okay?" She looked away. "Aw, Raven."

I pressed her against me until she was crying openly, but I knew it was only of relief and pain for her mother. It took a while but eventually we were able to calm her down enough to feel alright again.

"Arella," I looked up at her, thinking of a question. "You ran, didn't you?"

She nodded, stroking Raven's hair while she watched her. "Yes. Right after I had Raven, I found out he was right. She was my everything and I loved her too much to let them take her from me." Arella kissed Raven's hands. "I ran with you, Raven. That's why we had to wear wigs and why we had to skip town, run, learn languages. You were so happy, and when you said you met a friend, I got so scared." Arella was shaking, crying now at her confessions. "That's why we left so soon after you met Beast Boy, I thought that it was one of them coming after you. I received a letter a while later, when the police had been hiding us for years. The police had captured and killed your father's cult, and they weren't going to follow us anymore, but because of your powers and the security they still wanted us to have, the Teen Titans was born." She rested her head on Raven. "I'm so sorry that I never told you."

"Mom," Raven's voice was suddenly inquiring, confused and not upset. "Why did Trigon want you to have me at all?"

Arella smiled, pushing her hair behind her ear. "I don't know."

Raven was quiet a second, watching her. Suddenly her eyes watered, "You're lying."

"Raven, he can't get to you, does it matter?"

"I thought we were being honest!"

I kissed Raven's head, trying to calm her but she stood, and I did too. Arella stepped away from us.

"Sweetie-."

"You said Scath, an 'S' symbol, right?" Raven interrupted, stepping towards Arella. I gripped her arms firmly, holding her back, and she didn't object or even seem to notice the action in the slightest. She flipped her palms up, and I thought she was attacking, but her next words silenced me. She was still starting to cry. "What do those marks on my hand look like?"

I took one of her hands and gaped at it. She was right.

Arella gasped, quivering. "Raven, please, its better if you don't know-!"

"You're unbelievable!" Raven screeched in her betrayal, jerking my hands off of hers and darting out the door.

I paused in following her, giving Arella a disappointed look. "This was your chance to clear things up and you keep lying." She said nothing, biting her lip. "All you're doing is scaring her more and more."

I ran after Raven, not giving her a chance to answer me. We were in the halls now and I slammed the door shut, getting pissed off.

"Raven, Beast Boy, wait!" Arella shouted, opening the door and chasing after us.

Immediately I knew we were about to make a scene, but I could also tell Raven nor I gave a damn at the moment.

"No, you know what," Raven shouted, turning on her heel to shout over her shoulder. She was openly crying now, and it broke my heart to see her like that. "Just stay the hell away from me, Arella, just leave me alone!"

"Raven, I'm doing whats best for you! I know I am!"

"By lying?" I snapped, as Raven was now at my side, since I'd been a couple feet behind her at her head-start. I snorted in disgust, "Yeah, great ethics you got there Arella. While you're at it, why don't you-!"

I didn't know when Robin had showed up, but suddenly his hand was on my chest, keeping Arella away from Raven and I. He looked between our side and hers, and I realized there was a growing crowd around us.

"Whoa, guys, what are you shouting about?" He demanded.

Nobody said anything.

"Beast Boy, Raven, Arella, what the hell is going on here?" Robin tried again.

He dropped his hand eventually when I stepped away from Arella. I didn't want this to get violent. However irritated I was with her at the moment, I could never hurt an innocent idiot. Especially not after what I'd seen Raven's father do to him.

"Well, Arella? Are you going to tell them what you've done to this team to compromise our trust, or am I?" I pulled Raven against me, so Robin could take his suspicious eyes off of her and so I could try to console her and get her to stop crying. Raven stared openly at Arella before hiding her face against me.

"I . . . there's nothing to say-." Arella began.

Then I'd had it. I opened my mouth to shout at her.

Raven pulled away from me. "Tell the truth!"

It was deathly silent. I had heard Raven snap and make nasty grumblings before, but never ad she screamed like that. It echoed afterwords.

Her tears started up again, practically choking on them before starting back up. "Tell everyone what you've been hiding from me!"

Elder's gathered now, and Arella took a shuddering breath, also starting to cry. She flicked the tears away quickly, murmuring quietly, "It appears I have some explaining to do."

"You're damn right you do," Raven hissed. "Now tell me what these marks mean!"

"What marks?" Robin whispered to me, knowing Raven was in a murderous mood right now. Even the Beast inside whimpered slightly at how fearsome she was at the moment. He wasn't afraid of her, just upset because she was upset.

"Its a long story, just listen to this part," I muttered.

Arella touched Raven's hands, flipping them over and watching the palms coldly. She wasn't Raven's mother anymore.

She was a translator.

"The gem was born of evils fire,
The gem shall be his portal
He comes to claim
He comes to sire
The end of all things mortal."

The whole time her voice was soft, scratchy. Her eyes drooped in sadness and defeat.

"What does that mean?" Kole asked, on the front of the circle. "What's wrong with Raven?"

Raven's looked so pissed she was ready to kill. "Go to hell, Arella. And visit my dad, while you're at it!"

She stormed past everyone, including me. I gave Arella a nasty look, distorted by my confusion, before chasing after her.

I didn't catch her until we met hit her room, and I crawled under the door in the form of a bug, knowing she had locked the doors. "Raven, what does that mean?"

Raven sat on her bed, unmoving with her hands folded in her lap. "I'm the portal, Beast Boy."

I sat next to her, "Portal to what? Rae, you're scaring me."

"I should!" She shouted, crying again as her eyes met mine. "Beast Boy . . . Trigon is the devil equivalent and I'm his child. In all books, what does the devil's child do?"

I paused, "Kill people, but-."

"When I indirectly killed Adonis and Madame Rouge, I gave Trigon strength to awaken inside of me. His demon blood gave me these powers and my powers go crazy with my emotions because hate gives demons strength, but since I'm part human, it counts for everything."

"But what does that have to do with-?"

"I was born so he could use me as a portal and come to Earth. The world is going to end, Beast Boy." She looked on the verge of hysterics. "And its going to be my fault."

End of this chapter. Hope you liked it and sorry about the rape :-/

At least I didn't put in any details, right? -shudder-

Hope you enjoyed it as much as you could!