The Lonely Bird

Chapter 2

The next morning, I woke up feeling a bit dizzy and with a headache. Almost three years of fighting crime and the kitchen counter bested me.

I crawled out of bed and into my bathroom. I supported myself against the sink and took in my appearance. My pale skin has never really bothered me, but the stress was clearly getting to me. The bags under my eyes made me look nearly ghost-like, even my body seemed like it was wasting away. Sparring typically keeps me in good shape. I'm fit and strong, but my muscles felt weak and drained. I was wearing my normal, dark blue, body suit. It was wrinkled and beginning to smell. Normally, it showed off my curves and allowed for mobility in battle. Right now, I just felt silly wearing a child's costume, pretending to be someone I could never be. My short, violet hair in a tangly mess with dried blood and gauze really completed the look.

I sighed and determined to get ready for the day. I took a long, hot shower and mentally prepared myself for what was coming. I only have days left, and here I am still straining to find a way out of this.

I finished getting ready and threw my navy blue cloak on. It was almost like a baby blanket, it brought me comfort to have it wrapped around me. It reminded me of my mother.

A knock sounded from my door, and I strolled over to answer it. I opened it to find Wally standing in front of me.

"Hey Raven, Kori wants us all to gather in the common room," Wally informed. He was so light and casual, with a grin fitting so easily on his face. I could never look like that. I nodded and followed him, shutting the door behind me.

Everyone was already there waiting for us.

"Raven! Wally! Glad you finally made it," Kori cheered. "I've decided that we need to do some team bonding. We've been under stress for too long, and we haven't properly celebrated the addition of a new team member! I think it would do us all some good to take the day off and do something fun. What do you say?"

A day off. Heck I would be down for any distraction right now.

"What do you have planned?" asked Damian.

"I'm glad you asked. I was thinking we could go to an amusement park and spend the day there. How does that sound?" Kori replied.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Wally and Garfield grinned mischievously at each other.

Kori clapped and grinned, "So it's settled then! The Titans are spending the day at an amusement park! I want you all in casual clothing alright? We're all going to be normal for the day, and that means no super suits." I swear she looked directly at me when she said that.

My heart sank a little. Kori did all my shopping for me. She's only a couple years older than me (she's 19, and I'm almost 16), so she has a pretty good handle on what's in style right now. The thing is, she always picks out outfits that are a bit out of my comfort zone. I'm pretty... developed for still being 15. While I'm okay wearing a full-coverage body suit and my cloak on over, she thinks I should "flaunt what I've got." I just don't really like the attention I get when I do. I enjoy just being a wallflower.

I went back to my room to change. Kori always picked clothes with a color scheme that I like, so that's always nice. Purple, dark blue, and black. I rummaged through my closet looking for something that would be suitable for amusement park rides.

"Too much cleavage...too tight...geez do all my t shirts have to be a size too small?" I settled on some black shorts that tied in the front with a bow, a plain, dark purple v neck, and some black vans. Then I tossed some essentials like money, sunscreen, and a water bottle into a small, black backpack. I even applied some eyeliner, mascara, and chapstick for good measure.