Freedom

3

RAVEN
Three days since they collected me. Agents of SA came for me, a superhero organization that investigated the fire. I was brought here unconscious, woken by a scientist examining my body. I was shy, I stayed in a dark room, meditating to myself.
I try to calm myself, but fire erupts my mind.
A fire. Slade. And my father.
A knock on the door awakens me from my meditation spell. I stop levitating and let myself fall to the floor. I stand onto my feet and cautiously open the door. A petite woman with white short hair enters the room.
"Darling!" she greets happily. "Hurry, hurry, we must dress you immediately."
"Dress me?" I ask.
"Why of course!" she says, ushering me out to the hall. She pushes past agents and superheroes, drawing unwanted attention. "We can't have you wearing that! Name is Luciana, famous designer for all superheroes. And I am on a mission to make you look like a true superhero!" I look down at the burnt robe. She can't cast such a mirage to make me look less of Trigon's daughter.
She hurries along with her short legs to a big room. She types in a passcode at the door and the door immediately slides open. A dark room with a spotlight of a mannequin. The mannequin has a black and dark purple suit. A dark purple top with a deep cut, with dark purple ribbon wrapped around the stomach. Almost like a decorative sports bra. A pair of purple shorts and a brown belt with a small pocket. Black boots complete the outfit.
"Go, try it on," she commands. I don't move. "Go!" I feel a rush through myself and just go and take the suit off of the mannequin.
I move to the side and try to slip on the synthetic suit. A good fit, I feel comfortable but a little self-conscious.
"You look fabulous!" she says, as I walk into the light. "Your long dark hair matches with the suit! Definitely a color coordinated choice. I am a genius!"
"But, can I have a cover-up?" I ask. Her eyebrows raise. "Like, like, a cape or something."
"A cape?" she asks, looking at me and then finding her sketchbook in the dark. "A cape. A cape. A cape. A cape." Her repetition slightly scares me. She furiously draws something on the pad before disappearing into the dark.
Luciana comes out of the dark a few seconds after with a hooded purple cape. I quickly put the cape on, hiding my face with the hood.
"Perfect!" the woman exclaims. "I am a true genius!"
"Raven requested to Captain, Raven requested to Captain," the speaker from the side of the room announces.
"Well, well, go on, go on," she shudders excitedly. "You cannot keep the Captain waiting!"
"Thank you for the suit," I say quietly.
"Nonsense darling! It was a true pleasure!"
I nod and leave the room. Gods, why is everyone so weird here?
I walk down the hall to a door with stars engraved deeply into the metal. The door slides open automatically and a gust of wind throws my hood off of my head. A bald man sits at the table, his fingers furiously tapping on the table.
"Welcome Raven," he rumbles, straightening his red tie. "Truly is a pleasure to meet a great sorceress such as yourself."
"What do you want?" I ask coldly, no longer having the ability to trust, not after that Slade man attacked me.
"Raven, you saved over a hundred monks from Slade," he says, cutting away from the quaint conversation.
"How do you know of that abhorrent creature?" I demand, feeling no safety in stepping further.
"He is a villain that has infiltrated cities and destroyed lives," he explains. "He mentored one of our heroes and now he is out to destroy after an escape from prison. The reasons of his attack on you are unclear, but we know there is no good morals within him."
"Why am I here then?" I direct.
"What do you want in life?" the Captain asks, leaning in.
"Excuse me?"
"In life, what do you want?"
What did I want? What did I truly want? I want to not be like my father.
"I want freedom," I mutter. The Captain smiles and leans back in his chair.
"I have a deal for you, if you choose to accept," he suggests.
I raise my brow, giving him an interest in the deal.
"I want to bring you into the Teen Titans, a group of superheroes. I want you to fight for the side of the good, to save lives and to undo whatever karma you've had. We want you to work with them in stopping evil and saving what is left to be saved. A common enemy brings people together and makes them stronger." He pauses.
"Continue," I persist.
"It will only be for a few months, I promise, and once those months are over, you will have undeniable freedom by the ruling of SA," he says. "Do we have a deal?"
A deal to be free.
A deal to not be my father.
To be myself.
"Deal."