Breaking Free

So now that I've told my whole story, from end to beginning, I can finally ask the most important question and get on with my life.

How in the hell do I get myself out of this one?

Don't mistake my words. I'm not trying to run. Well, not for long. Just long enough to give myself some breathing room. The thing is, I'm tired of running.

I want to fight back.

I want to not be a coward.

And I most certainly want his voice out of my fucking head!

Woah. Cool it. Losing your shit is not going to get you of this mess.

Titans in front of me, ready to throw down. Him right behind me, ready to push that button in the next three seconds if I don't move. But you know what?

I think I'm going to thwart his plan. Again.

I fight. Throwing rocks, dirt, and my bare hands I fight. It's okay if they make mince meat out of me. I just need one second of him lowering his guard and-

THERE!

I throw the first sharp rock that I feel and hit him right in the heart. Then the lungs just for good measure. Actually, I'll just take his head off. Can never be too careful.

No fanfare. No monologue.

Nothing.

He didn't need that much time. He could have gotten away. He could have pushed that button. He could have done so much in the time it would take me to terrorize him the way he terrorized me. As for the Titans, though…

They're stunned, I can tell. Shell shocked. The first time I did it, it was heat of the moment. Literally. Just sent him flying into an emerging volcano. But this time? There was no denying it. This time I was the cold blooded, pre meditated killer out for revenge.

They tried to stop me. But being deep underground, all I had to do was cause a little cave in for them to get off my ass. And I made damn sure I was in control. So not going to back to being a statue because I had to pull everybody out of the literal frying pan again.

Going back to the surface, I couldn't help but be a little irritated by all the looks I was getting. Not so sure if it was the threads, popping up out of the ground, or the recognition I got. Guess it depended.

"What are you looking at?!" I asked before pulling out the ground beneath me and flying off. I needed to get somewhere – and fast. No telling when the Titans would be back.

Saying Bye

Where to now? I knew I had to get my things from where I was staying, but I couldn't exactly just show up looking like this. Not to mention, they've probably already put out a missing person report. I'm pretty sure I was gone for days.

But on the way back, I saw no posters with my picture and/or name on them. Figures. They always did think with their heads instead of their hearts. No sense in riling everybody over a runaway orphan.

Oh well. Makes my job easier.

I show up at the place. Break the lock and walk in unannounced. And the first thing I see is their faces of expectation. Not surprise that their own child just broke in. Not terror at what I'm wearing. Just expectation. It was then I realized something. They knew who I was.

I was furious. In my anger, I nearly started an earthquake. Nearly. Instead, I reeled my temper in once more and asked the question. Low and dangerous, with eyes narrowed, like he taught me. I even let my hair fall over my eye, just so they remembered who I worked for.

"How long?"

As I said, these people were academically inclined. They weren't stupid and they valued their lives enough that they didn't even try being coy.

The man I'd called father answered first.

"We suspected it from the beginning. Even as worn out as you looked coming in, it was pretty easy to see that you were her."

My adopted mother continued.

"We also did some digging. It wasn't hard as government agents, especially when we told them who we suspected we were raising."

When I heard 'government agents' come out of her mouth, I found that I was actually surprised by it. Why, I have no idea.

She continued.

"We know you were a statue. We know everybody else was a statue. And now nobody is. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together, Ashley. We know everything about you."

Wrong thing to say. Suddenly, the ground started shaking. My next words would haunt them for the rest of their lives.

"You know everything, do you? Then you should know the lengths I'm willing to go when I want something. And do you know what I want right now?"

They shook their heads while looking at me in terror. Good. Let them be afraid.

"I want absolutely no one to find out that I'm still alive, or failing that, how I'm still alive. So that means when the Teen Titans come knocking – and they will – you both keep your mouth shut. Or you're dead."

The last three words were said in a whisper. Sometimes a quiet tone can be far more threatening than any shouting, I've learned.

As for my words, well – I could have been more subtle in my approach. Threatened them without being so explicit. But I wanted to make sure they got the point. Of course, they had to try to leverage me. It was the husband who said it. For all his intelligence, it was a pretty stupid thing to do.

"You kill us, and the Titans will put you away for life."

It was a valid point. But he was forgetting one thing.

"True. But that won't help when you're in your grave already."

That shut him up. But I wasn't done yet.

"So, if you're done trying to pull one over on me, I'm going to take what I need, and I'm going to leave. Don't make me have to come back here. Oh, and one more thing?"

They didn't answer verbally, just nodded their heads to show they were listening.

"Since you're so aware of who I am, don't ever call me Ashley again. Not that it matters, since I'm done with you two, but still…"

"We get the point, Terra."

That was the wife. I almost walked out to let the house drop. But instead, the ground stopped shaking. I went up and got everything I needed. And I left.

Simple as that.

And then I asked myself the big question.

Now what?

Trouble Loves Company

It was hard at first.

Fighting crime without completely leveling the city was exhausting, physically and mentally. I took so many hits that would have otherwise been easy to avoid, all because I had to make sure no one would fall into a landslide after the fight.

I almost died at one point.

Two of the guys had my arms while the third one held a knife to my throat.

This is it. I've barely been doing this for three weeks and I'm already biting it.

But then I heard a voice, distinctly feminine, shout out. Next thing I know, the guys holding me are unconscious and I'm watching as the third low life is getting the snot beaten out of him by a girl that's just a little bigger than myself. And I'm not that big.

In desperation, he thrusts the knife that he miraculously still has a hold of. I could tell she had been waiting for that. It was the smile on her face, I think. Or maybe the fact that she was holding back. Just to the point that he was lucid enough to still grip the blade. Either way, the next part made me cringe just watching it.

She sidestepped the thrust, wrapped her arm around his, and before he could get it loose, flung him over her shoulder with a strength that someone her size should not have possessed. Then, both arms now wrapped around the one with the knife, she pulled him into an armbar – and kept pulling. I could hear an audible pop from where his shoulder dislocated. He screamed, but she wasn't done yet. She then straddled him, covering his mouth with her hand to silence his screaming. Then she went to work on his face, feral grin on the whole time.

At this point, the other two had woken up. I hadn't noticed them until I heard them scrambling to their feet, cursing myself for my lack of awareness. Luckily for me, they weren't interested in fighting when they saw the chick that was now choking the shit out of their leader. Too bad for them. Two rocks, one for each head, was enough to put them out of commission.

I turned back around, and to my mild surprise, I didn't see her. That was when I felt the cold steel at my throat. I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw her sly grin. It was bullshit. She wasn't about to kill me when she could've just left me to those assholes. After saying as much, she pressed the blade tighter to my throat, forcing my head up. All the while, she still had that psychotic grin on her face. Then she spoke.

"How do you know I wasn't just saving you for myself?"

Her tone was low and sultry. I briefly wondered if she meant something else besides killing me, and then dismissed it. A gut feeling told me she didn't swing that way. How did I come to that conclusion?

She would've done it already. The thought sent chills down my spine.

But no, she was testing me. Seeing if I was smart enough to even bother with. At this point, I noticed something else.

She reminded me of him. Just younger and female. Don't ask me what possessed me to point it out. But when I did, I could've sworn her eyes dilated, and I know that her grip on the blade faltered. All I needed.

Heel kick to the foot. I could hear her swear in pain, but I was gone at that point. I summoned a rock to fly off on, but of course, it wasn't that easy. Just before I got any elevation, it blew up, and I felt my backside get very intimate with the ground. Probably going to leave a bruise or three.

But before I could get back up, a hand grabbed the back of my collar – made of metal at that – and I was once again held at sword point, this time with an arm wrapped just beneath the collar bone. Now I was scared, and it must have shown on my face, because I heard a chuckle that almost sounded like growling. Glancing once again, I saw her eyes were wide with a mixture of fury and anticipation. If her grin was feral before, it was positively psychotic now. All in all, I knew I was treading on thin ice.

"Not bad. Not many people can jar my concentration like that. Just for that, I'll let you in on a little secret."

I wasn't sure I wanted to hear this, but I nodded anyways. I was careful not to slice my throat against the blade.

"You say I look like him? Well, you might be surprised by what you find."

Her words confused me. Stop talking in a fucking riddle and…

"No. No way."

I could hear the shock in my own ears.

"Bingo. You might have felt like he was your father at one point, but he didn't give birth to you. And that, my adopted sister, is what separates us."

My mind was reeling. He had a daughter?!

What kind of woman would even want anything to do with him?

I felt nauseated but kept it down. It was then that I understood what she was after. Revenge. But boy was I wrong.

"How did you do it?" She whispered in my ear.

I knew what she was asking. And I wasn't going to be coy about it either.

Suddenly I understood how my adopted parents must have felt when I stepped in that room. But I also got some satisfaction in what I said in response.

"You want to know?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. The bang fell over my face. But she just hummed in agreement.

"The first time was an accident. I punched him into a pit of lava." I said, glancing into her eyes. I couldn't help but grin at the quick flash of shock, and maybe even fear, in her eyes. I continued.

"Then, he thought he could control me again. So, this time, I drove a rock through his heart. Then another one through his lungs. And finally, I cut his head off. You know, just to be safe."

Dead silence after that. The wind wasn't even blowing. Coming off my adrenaline high, I realized just how dead I was after that. So much for not being coy. But wrong again, I was.

I could hear her laughter. In fact, she was laughing so hard that she leaned on me for support. It was easy with her arm wrapped around me. But never did her grip falter. I was grateful.

Eventually, she composed herself, and spoke once more.

"Now I know why he hasn't come after me yet. Thanks, Blondie. I owe you one."

Finally, her arm let go, and the blade was no longer at my throat. I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Terra," I said in response.

"What?" She asked.

"My name is Terra. Not Blondie."

She grinned – not as psychotically this time – and told me, "Well then, Terra. I'll be seeing you around."

I nodded, but before she could take off, I asked her one last question.

"What's your name?"

She smirked.

"Call me Ravager."