Cognitive Dissonance

Chapter 2: Rachel Roth

She wasn't originally a very trusting person.

With pursed lips, Rachel watched as the scenery quickly changed and changed as they passed them. Richard Grayson told her to pack her things and she joined him in his car without questioning him where they will go. She was very happy to oblige. She should be.  Aside from her mother, he was the only person who ever truly showed concern for her.

As a kid, she didn't have the best memories. She wasn't like everyone else. She had pale skin, white hair, and weird eyes they said. She was too different.

They made fun of her every chance they got. The other kids played among themselves, leaving her out and when they do decide to let her join, it is only so they can make fun of her some more. It has occured frequently enough for her to sometimes believe she deserved it.

There were moments when she would get home with disheveled hair or bruised arm because one of her classmates thought it was funny to pull on her hair and throw a punch at her. It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl. They all picked on her.

Her teachers were sorry excuses for adults. Some of them tried to help her. Half-heartedly. She was young but she can tell how much they'd rather they were not in the position to stop the bullying. Her classmates' bullying of her to be exact.

That they were paid only to impart knowledge and their working hours didn't extend to acting on one's compassion. Kindness wouldn't necessarily put food on their table. Keeping mum about things, would.

She would cry on her way home but will put on a smile in front of her mother. She knew that if she was having a hard time, her mom would deal with twice as much. Of course, it still hurt her mom whichever way anyone would look at it. But if she could at least make it less painful for one of them, she was willing to carry the burden.

It's not easy being a single parent. She knows. She was raised by one. And as hypocritical as it may seem, she wouldn't have it any other way. If the universe allowed her a do over, she would choose to be with her mother again even if they have to live the same difficult life they have led.

As selfish as it may sound, Rachel loved her mother with every fiber of her being. She was witty, decisive, hard working, and more. She was the one who taught her how to be strong. And although Rachel knows she's far from being as spirited as her mom was, she knows the things that she learned from her will support her through any trial she will face in the future. Especially now that her mom is gone.

Rachel chewed on her lips as she combed her hair with her fingers, her eyes glued on her reflection on the car's window. She doesn't look like the freak everybody always ridiculed before. She still had pale skin -- there was nothing she could do about that -- but her hair no longer made her look unusual.

Her eyes remained the same. Amethyst in color. Something that made her look desirable apparently. If only her hair wasn't so white. All she had to do was to dye her hair black, and everyone started adoring her. Even more so when she added purple to it at her mother's request. The older woman said she wants her daughter to feel like a normal teen and nowadays, coloring one's hair is a thing.

It did help in making her feel a sense of normalcy. Eventually people started making friends with her. She wasn't so sure if she wanted that however. She still didn't trust people, and opted to keep to herself.

The world is a cruel place. High school is just as bad as grade school and middle school was if not worse. They didn't proactively taunt her anymore but that didn't mean they started caring either. She almost fell for their trap if not for the fact that she wasn't a very trusting person to begin with. It saved her on one too many occasions, it's impossible to be any other way.

Yet, here she is, putting all her faith on a stranger she met just two weeks ago. If she's being honest though, Richard Grayson was never a stranger to her even during the initial meeting. She somehow felt she was in the right place with the right person at that point in time.

Her life is a series of horrible nightmares during the waking hours. She only ever has peace when asleep. Sometimes. Only when her mom spends the night in her bedroom and sleeps on the same bed with her.

It wasn't easy but Rachel accepted that. The both of them did. In some way, they managed to feel content with how they lived their lives. The world might have been unforgiving but they, at the very least, had each other. Then.

Rachel's world took a turn for the worst when her mom died in front of her. It was just two weeks ago. She was killed. And Rachel's feet took her to where Richard Grayson was. He accepted her. He said, she could call him Dick.

In Rachel's book, that was more than enough.

"What are you doing here?" Dick Grayson asked as soon as they reached where they were supposed to go. Rachel halted her movements and saw who Dick addressed his question to. She doesn't know what took over her but she felt the confidence in her steps as she made her way to him.

"Hi, I'm Rachel," she said, introducing herself. She isn't really the sociable type but she figured if she's going to impose on them, she should at least present herself formally. What she failed to do however was to check with Dick first if it was the right thing to do. Especially when even her guardian questioned the other person for being around.

"Jason," he said, extending his free hand to her for a shake. Rachel was about to receive it when she heard Dick's voice. She didn't need to be told twice to know what she should do. So she turned her back on the young man named Jason, and walked back to Dick's side.

"I never knew you to be the rude brother Dickie," Jason said from where she left him. There was mischief in his eyes. Rachel can only watch him slide his finger on the edge of a small piece of steel he was holding.

The initial contact failed that she found herself resigned to observing the new person after she learned he's her guardian's younger brother. Funny since between the three of them, she is the new person in the room. She silently wondered for how long they will let her stay. Would she even want to inconvenience them in the first place? Maybe, she shouldn't have blindly followed Dick Grayson.

A lopsided smile that appeared on the younger brother's face broke her reverie. It's like he knew something none of them knew. Even his eyes twinkled in a manner Rachel never thought possible. As if an actual light manifested and danced in his eyes.

Few more words were exchanged between her guardian and his brother before the former finally ushered her out of the room. She concludes, that whatever it is that transpired in the room they just left was none of her business. For now, she can only put her trust on Dick Grayson.

But...

That guy, Jason? He was something else.