From Darkness Born

I am falling. That familiar wind is whistling past my face. I cannot levitate. The ground is certainly nearing. Screaming is out of the option. A large red hand appears out of the darkness to catch me. I know that it is not for my sake, but for his. His face rises to my level. An evil laugh reaches my ears. His other hand forms next to me. When it opens, I can see my friends, dying. I am powerless to help them. In front of me, Trigon eats Starfire in one gulp.

My scream wakes me up. I bolt out of bed and stand there, panting. My eyes close. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos.

I take a deep breath and open my eyes, expecting a demolished room.

The room is spotless. My powers didn't have a repercussion.

It must be a one-time thing.

I pull my hood over my head and leave my room. Beast Boy is cooking breakfast when I walk into the main room.

"Hey Rae. Great morning, isn't it?" He asks.

For past's sake, I reply; "Your happiness makes me sick."

"Aw, come on. You could stand to enjoy yourself for one day." BB says, flipping whatever vegan concoction is in the pan. "Oh! Maybe we should go watch a movie!"

"Maybe not." I reply.

"I think we should all go." Robin states, walking in. For once, he isn't wearing his tights and 'hero outfit'. He is in jeans and a t-shirt. I'm surprised. His mask stays on, though.

"Oh!" BB raises his hand in excitement. "We should go as Teen Titan fanatics!"

"What are you going on about now, BB?" Cyborg asks as he sits on a stool next to me.

"It makes sense! We could be normal teens that are 'LARPing'. That's Live Action Role Play."

"Beast Boy, you're green." Robin says kindly.

"I know. It'll actually help with this disguise. If we all wear jeans and various Teen Titan shirts, then we'll blend right in." BB pauses. "Or, at least more than if we were barraged by fans."

"You know, Robin." Cyborg says slowly. "The kid's got a point."

"I do?"

"Shut up BB." Cy says without turning from Robin. "We haven't gone to see a movie in a long time."

"Fine." Robin sighs. "Are you okay with that, Raven?"

I go through the various scenarios in my head. It doesn't seem to bad. Besides, I need to keep up my nice act.

"Sure."

Beast Boy squeals and hugs me. He is quickly hit with the nearest kitchen utensil: a wooden spoon.

"Let's head to the mall in an hour." Robin says.

Without further conversation, I turn to the door again.

Now the problem of clothes. I have jeans of my own, but not a Teen Titans shirt. What's the point of having a shirt with yourself on the front?

The solution comes to me as I pass Starfire's room. She is sure to have a shirt, and we are about the same size. I take a deep breath and walk into her room.

Ignoring all other things in the room, I go to her wardrobe. Rifling through various garments, I find a shirt that nearly brings tears to my eyes. It is black, possibly the only black thing in her wardrobe, and I am the reason for it.

Starfire had wanted to seal our friendship with matching t-shirts. She knew my preference for dark things, so she got a black background. The front is the two of us. She is smiling and holding up two fingers over my head. I look moody, as always.

The shirt makes me sad for one major reason: I no longer have my part of the pair. On the day that she presented it to me, I was in an exceptionally bad mood. I had ripped it right in front of her with my magic. I never even touched it. She didn't talk to anyone for days.

She must have kept it in the hopes of still being my friend.

Oh, Starfire.

I teleport into my room and change into my clothes quickly. The shirt is more snug than I previously thought, but I usually go around in a leotard, so this isn't that alien feeling.

My hair is long and unruly, so I sigh and brush it out. When I look at myself in the mirror, it is hard to see myself. I've always been the creepy girl with short hair, a leotard, and serious anger issues. Now I almost look normal.

The thought makes me so uncomfortable, I almost rip my clothing off to return to my comfortable leotard. Then I remember how excited the guys are. Looks like I'm stuck as I am.

Robin is sitting on the couch when I enter the common room. He looks up and smiles at me. His eyes fall to my shirt and he smiles sadly. "She would be happy to see you in that." He stands and faces me so that I can see his shirt. It has a green base, with a picture of Robin and Starfire on the front. They seem to be in the middle of a competition to be closer to the camera. The result is actually kind of funny. I would laugh if it wasn't dangerous.

"I didn't realize that you had one too." I manage.

"Everyone got one." Robin responds. Just then, Cyborg walks in. He is wearing a blue hoodie with his jeans, and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes. The hoodie shows him teaching Starfire how to drive. He is leaning through the window while she tries to untwist her legs.

"Well, isn't this appropriate?" Cyborg remarks quietly. We all give a moment of silence until Beast Boy makes his entrance.

"You ladies aren't even ready for me." He says teasingly, standing at the top of the stairs. Like the rest of us, he is wearing a shirt given by Starfire, but it is mixed with his red skinny jeans. The shirt is purple, and the two of them are posing as hipsters; sunglasses, fake guns, and all. I feel tears come to my eyes as I look at all of the love they had for Starfire. In my desperation, I summon my cloak. It wraps around my body and the hood pulls over my head.

"Raven?" Cyborg asks.

"I'm fine." I tell him. The lamp behind me shatters.

"Are you sure?" Robin asks gently.

I don't respond. Keep calm. Keep calm.

"Hey Rae," Beast Boy says, trying to make light of the situation as always, "is it that time of the month again?"

He squeals as the silverware suddenly attack him.

"Raven," Robin says comfortingly. He grabs my hands between his. When I try to jerk away, his hands tighten firmly. "It's okay to be sad about Starfire. We all have been. You don't have to keep your emotions in."

"I do, or else..." I flinch as the couch jerks towards us.

"You don't have to control the power by keeping your emotions away. You can control it with the emotions." Robin tells me comfortingly. "We can help you." With that, he hugs me lovingly. Cyborg walks over and hugs both of us. I can feel his tears on my head. Beast Boy walks up to the other side and hugs as much of the group as his arms will reach.

I'm surrounded by support. That makes me cry as much as Starfire. Perhaps that is why a storm doesn't come into being. They usually appear out of depression or loneliness. Now that I have friends helping me, maybe the storms will never return.

Maybe I will be able to feel.