To Make Team Work

1. Communication Is Key

She had been avoiding her new teammates. It's not that she didn't like them; she just didn't know how to socialize. Growing up, she was always surrounded by adults. She wasn't allowed to play with the other children; she wasn't allowed to play at all. Now surrounded by teens her age, she had no idea what to do or how to relate to them.

The green one – Beast. Boy? – was... distracting. He was all over the place. He never left her alone. He was always trying to talk to her. The cyborg – she liked him. He always said 'hi' to her whenever he saw her. But the green one...the green was getting on her last nerve. He needed to go. Sure, she might have found him a little cute, but he was more bothersome than cute.

Now the others - they never talked to her. Ever. They didn't even try to include her in conversation. It's not like she hadn't tried entering or starting a conversation, but she had only been speaking English for about 1 year and 9 months. Every time she opened her mouth to speak, she'd freeze. The last thing she wanted to do was use the wrong word and insult someone. So, she stayed in her room reading and practicing her English.

Another reason her teammates stayed away from her was because she never showed her face. Ever. They had no idea what she looked like. She always wore her hood whenever she was out and about. If she wasn't in uniform, she would wear an oversized hoodie over her civilian attire. Yes, the hood was always covering her face.

She didn't participate in team training, much to Red Robin's chagrin. Instead, she would huddle in the corner, looking like a grim reaper stalking its next victim. However, unbeknownst to Red Robin, she would work out by herself. She used the gym every night, after everyone went to bed.

Finally, she was still building her mental shields, and her teammates' emotions were loud. Any time she was around them, a headache would form. She was pretty sure everyone around her was an extrovert. Even Rose and Red Robin. Rose was an ambivert; her emotions were more subdued. Red Robin liked to pretend he was an introvert, all dark and moody. He really wasn't. From what little she'd heard, his predecessors had been great at hiding their emotions. Red Robin, not so much. His face may be stoic, but his body language always gave him away. He really needed to work on that.

Alas, living on Earth was not easy. She was the only alien on the team; no one understood her plight. She didn't want to think about the nightmares...gosh! One night. She just wanted one night where she slept nightmare-free. Was that too much to ask for?

Just as she was about to return to her reading, someone knocked – or pounded – on the door. "Raven!" she heard from the other side. That was Red Robin, and he sounded really angry. "Team training in five! I expect you to participate! It's not a suggestion!" he shouted before walking away.

Raven inhaled and exhaled multiple times. "I can do this," Raven muttered to herself. "I can do this."

Red Robin laughed with the rest of his teammates at something Kid Flash had said. Two months had gone by since Red Robin created this team. He was proud to say, everyone was getting along just fine. Everyone except Raven. His mind darkened at the thought of the young sorceress. She wasn't tall, standing at 5'2" – she was probably still growing. He'd only seen her face once. It was when they took pictures for their bios. Other than that, she was always wearing a hood or a sweatshirt with a hood. (Now he understood how people felt talking to him with his eyes covered. It really was annoying.) Honestly, he didn't know why Batman wanted Raven on the team. She didn't seem like much of a team player. Sure, she was an asset when it came to fighting, the girl packed quite the punch. She had amazing power and had gotten them out of many, many tough situations. Based on the hand-to-hand combat skills she displayed in the gym when she thought no one was watching, there was no reason she couldn't participate in team training.

You know what? He'd had enough of her not wanting to be part of team outings and team breakfasts and team training. Even Rose joined them, and Rose had stayed locked up in her room sharpening her swords, knives, daggers, and other lethal weapons for a whole week.

Initially, he left Raven alone because he thought she needed time to adjust. But three weeks with no change – Raven no longer had any excuses. He stood from the stool he was sitting on. "Team training in five," he announced. The others didn't look shocked or surprised. They were used to this type of thing from their leader.

Tim marched himself to Raven's room and pounded on the door. "Raven!" he yelled. "Team training in five!" He didn't even give her a chance to respond. "I expect you to participate! It's not a suggestion!" This seclusion of hers ended today. He was going to make it perfectly clear that if she didn't want to be a team player, she could go.