Chapter 2: Returning Home?

I woke up half on the couch, half off of it. Another episode of Pretty Pretty Pegasus was still playing on the TV though the grandfather clock in the corner showed that more than two hours had passed while I slept. It was now nearing 3 in the afternoon and my stomach immediately reminded me that I hadn't eaten anything all day.

Before Ezra could track me down and drag me away to another meeting, I slipped into the kitchen and prepared a quick lunch. Afterwards, I aimlessly wandered around the castle halls letting my mind briefly explore memories of my titan days. But it was not the battles that came to mind, even though they would seem to be the most prominent experiences, it was in fact the small moments with my former teammates that plagued my mind. It was a lazy Sunday morning argument between Beast Boy and Cyborg about who had actually won the game they had been playing, or the excitement in Starfire's eyes as she presented another one of her Tamaranian recipes, or the time BB won me a giant chicken at the fair. I hated that chicken, but it had been a nice gesture, whatever he had meant by it.

My peaceful reflection was suddenly interrupted by a frantic Ezra running down the hall toward me at full speed. "Miss Raven! What in the devil's name are you doing out here in these halls at this time? Do you not own a watch?" She yelled. I had stopped in my tracks, letting The older woman catch up to me. I was surprised by how fast she was able to move. "The dinner starts in less than two hours and you haven't done a thing with your appearance today!" She continued fervently, now pushing me down the hall toward where she had just come from.

"Dinner?" I asked slowly, mulling it over as if it were a foreign word. An exasperated sigh left Ezra's mouth.

"Yes! Dinner! At the Richmond Estate. Honestly child do you remember anything?!" The lightbulb suddenly went off in my head as I remembered her telling me all about this just the other day.

"Right, the Richmonds. Fret no more, Ezra, I'll get us to my room!" I exclaimed, teleporting us both to my room. A shrill shriek escaped Ezra's mouth and when we landed in my bedroom she made sure to get a good blow to my arm.

"Goodness, child! You know I hate it when you do that!" She exclaimed, slumping herself into a chair. I gave her a cheeky smile but before I could get out a witty response, one of my other attendants came up behind me with a rolling chair which I had no choice but to sit in.

For the next hour and some odd minutes, I sat in that chair while attendants worked on all sides of me. There was one person at my feet, one on each of my hands and another at my head, working at my eyebrows and hair. With hair and makeup done, I was quickly rolled into my large walk-in-closet where I was finally left alone to change into one of the three dresses laid out for me. I studied the dresses carefully. One of them, a hot pink dress, was a definite no right off the bat. The other two were not quite as bold. One was black and the other dark blue. I picked up the blue dress and held it up in front of me. It was short and ruched with a low V neck, very low. I don't know exactly what this night will entail but sitting at a table with my entire chest on display does not sound all that appealing. Casting the blue dress aside, I moved on to the black one, hoping it was better than the others. As I held it up to me, I first noticed that it was short, hitting about mid thigh. It was ruched like the blue dress but instead of a V neck, this dress was one shouldered, much more modest than the blue dress. It may be short, but at least my boobs will be covered, I reasoned with myself as I slipped it on. I then paired the dress with a pair of black, strappy heels and gold chandelier earrings.

Finally ready, I studied myself in the full length mirror. Months ago I had taped a picture of my friends and I to the corner of the mirror as a way to remind myself of the people I once considered my family. The picture was still there now and I studied it, looking intently at the blackish-purplish haired girl. Stuck between Cyborg and Beast Boy with Robin and Starfire behind them, she was wearing the slightest of smiles on her lips but her eyes shone with the inner happiness she truly felt. Beast Boy had snaked his arm around her shoulders, yet this girl seemed not to mind. Perhaps that had even been the reason for her mirth. I looked at my reflection trying to see the resemblance between myself and the girl I once was. Our skin tone was the same and the face structure was spot on, but there was something in the other girl's eyes that seemed to be missing from mine, a shine that seemed to have gone dull. I shook these thoughts away and focused instead on the more topical features.

The girl in the picture had her hair cut short, letting it frame her face and hug her chin. In my new life, I had let my hair grow out, now reaching just above my waist. It was currently curled into soft waves cascading around my shoulders. Too much makeup was caked onto my face, embellishing my eyelashes and purple irises more than I was used to. It was strange to compare myself to the clean faced, innocent and fragile seventeen year old smiling in the picture. Taking a deep breath, I re-fluffed my hair one last time before turning on my heel and walking away, leaving the past where it should stay- behind me.

* * * * *

The party was in full swing as I entered the large ballroom with Ezra. The golden floor and ceiling reflected the lights around, creating a certain shimmery, hazy enchantment in the room. A band in one corner was playing as waiters in white shirts and black pants offered champagne on silver platters to the chatting guests. Along one wall, tables of various finger food delicacies had been set up. Ezra, spotting a cluster of "friends", left my side with a squeeze of the shoulder. It was her way of telling me she was leaving but not going far, and possibly a reminder that as the almost queen of Azarath I was expected to at least try to have some fun.

I picked my way through the crowd, being stopped along the way to exchange greetings with wealthy people I hardly knew. Having been the head honcho of this kingdom for just over a year, I still haven't quite mastered who's who yet. Eventually I came out the other side and found myself in front of a dessert table. Thankful for any sort of distraction from the hundreds of guests behind me, I grabbed a plate and loaded it up with various cakes and cookies.

"Not one for parties either, I see." A voice said beside me. It belonged to a young man, a son of one of the council memebers I think. He looked to be about my age, maybe 19 or 20, it was hard to say for sure. He was wearing an expensive looking black suit with a non-traditional purple tie. His jet black hair was styled in a messy "I just got out of bed" look, which I must admit suited him pretty well.

"They're not my usual scene," I admitted with a smile, looking into his deep green eyes. Why does that stupid color keep showing up?!

"Tyler Dawson, at your service," he said reaching out a hand. I extended my own hand, about to introduce myself.

"I'm R-"

"Raven, your royal highness." Tyler broke in before the first syllable had left my mouth. He smoothly bent in to place a gentle kiss on my hand. I felt my cheeks tinge a bit, flattered by the gesture.

"I suppose it's rather hard to not know your queen, even if the position is temporary." I remarked quickly. A small chuckle escaped Tyler's lips. The sound was low, smooth and manly; so different from the youthful, exuberant noise that constantly came out of Beast Boy's mouth. Am I really comparing the two boys' laughter now? I think I need to seek some kind of mental help.

We continued to talk about random subjects- our favorite music, movies that had just come out and we even touched on the topic of books. As it turned out, Tyler, or Ty as he had asked me to call him, was also an avid reader. Ty was a nice guy and was pretty easy to talk to. He was funny in a sarcastic kind of way that was similar to my own wit.

Unlike my friends at the Titan Tower, Ty understood me and I didn't feel like I had any secrets to keep from him. He knew all about my past, who I was and who I was supposed to be. It was nice to be around someone who already knew so much about me. Ty didn't need to ask about the last two years of my life nor did he judge my powers. To him, I was perfectly normal and I liked that feeling.

With Ty, I soon forgot all about my Beast Boy drama. My betrayal to my friends was just a thing of the past, no longer weighing down my mind. Ty was able to bring back the long forgotten smile I had been longing for earlier today. As the night drew to a close, however, reality came crashing back down and it came in the form of a phone call.

Ty had finally convinced me to join him on the dance floor for one song. The only reason I had actually agreed was because we had earlier been making fun of the other couples on the dancefloor and Ty wanted me to prove my "superiority", as he had put it. Honestly, ballroom dancing was not exactly my favorite thing to do, though I will admit that I'm actually not that terrible of a dancer. I just don't participate by choice. Now, however, Ty had asked me to dance with him and I stupidly agreed. So he led me out to the dancefloor, took my hand in his and led me across the floor in time with the classic waltz played by the band in the corner.

Not even halfway through the dance, I felt a vibration coming from my clutch. I ignored it the first time, concentrating instead on the handsome man in front of me, but after the third call, I decided that whatever it was about it must be important.

"I'm really sorry," I began, pulling myself out of his tender embrace, "but I really should take this call." Ty nodded his head in understanding, his face showing concern for me, rather than the hurt I would have expected from anyone else. Giving him a weak smile, I quickly exited the loud ballroom, exchanging it for the deadly silent hallway. It was mostly empty here apart from a few secluded couples, entertaining themselves in discreetly "hidden" corners. Finding an empty loveseat a fair distance away from the smooching couples, I retrieved my phone from the clutch and looked at the call history. Robin.

Now, keep in mind that this is my private phone; only a select few individuals are allowed access to the number, one of those being Robin. But he understands that it is only to be used in extreme emergencies. And for Robin, it would have to be very extreme to break down and call a team member's personal phone line. With a nervous sigh of resignation, I called Robin back, unsure what would be the response on the other end.

"Raven! Thank god you-" he picked up.

"This better be good, Robin." I cut him off. Robin cleared his throat on the other end.

"It's about Beast Boy," I froze. I hadn't even realized that I had started pacing but now I was frozen stiff in the middle of the hallway, as if time had stopped altogether.

"W-what?" I choked out.

"Beast Boy- he was hurt pretty bad in battle." Robin explained. My head began to spin. "I just thought you should know-"

"I'll be right there." I broke in.

"If you're busy with your new position-"

"I'll be there soon." I said decisively, clamping the phone shut and rushing to the coat closet to grab my jacket before anyone could change my mind.

With jacket in tow, I found Ezra in the mass of people and quickly explained to her that something was wrong with the team and I needed to be there. She offered no argument but judging by the large glass of champagne in her hand and the empty glasses in front of her, I'm guessing she didn't really understand anyway. I'll most likely have to re-explain it to her in the morning but for now, this will work.

I also ran into Ty who saw me rush in and came over, concerned about what was going on. I explained it vaguely: there is an emergency that I have to help take care of. Ty nodded in understanding but insisted on walking me out. When I told him that I could manage just fine on my own, he asked instead for my number so we could keep in touch. Floored by the question and a little bit frazzled as it was, I slipped him my number and sent him smile, waving goodbye as I rushed out of the ballroom and the Richmond's estate.

Once I was out on the sidewalk, I formed a portal to the front door of the Titan Tower. Not allowing myself even a minute longer to contemplate my decision, I jumped head first into the portal and came out the other side still dressed in my tight black dress, sky-high heels and fully make-upped face. I wonder what they'll think of the new Raven. I thought briefly, before swinging the door open and rushing to the hospital wing.

So, what do you think will happen next?

Comment below!! I love hearing your guys' imput!!

♡Rain