Hello to the Night

Prologue

1

August 14th

Hm.

Raven would have sworn that she'd put her book back on the shelf, right where it belonged. Except it wasn't there. If Raven hadn't known better, she would have accused someone of moving it.

But nobody entered her room. Nobody.

She whirled around when she heard a few soft taps on the door. Her cloak swept out behind her as she moved rapidly towards the door. The movement was a cross between gliding and storming.

The door hissed open, revealing the green-skinned face of Beast Boy.

"Yes?" She raised an eyebrow and kept her tone cold, knowing that Beast Boy would lose his nerve if given enough reason to think he should.

"Uh, Raven, hiya… I was wondering…" He paused, looking guilty. "I was wondering… if…" he paused, then delivered the last portion of his question in a rush. "If you'd thought any more about that suggestion I made and what your answer is."

"My answer stands as is," Raven replied. The door hissed closed, and she turned her back on it.

The book was on the floor by her bed.

August 29th

Sighing with exhaustion and strangely exhilarated from the adrenaline, Raven slowly drifted to the ground, landing gracefully. The fight had taken a lot out of her, little as she wanted to admit it.

Beast Boy returned to his humanoid form. "Please?"

"No." And with that, she swept into the darkness, flying back to Titan Tower after Starfire.

August 30th

Black shells covered the various and sundry items the training course threw at her, and with a simple thought, the shadowy shells destroyed their contents. She indicated to the computer to increase the difficulty level, and soon found herself in the midst of a storm of hard, pointy… things.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven cried, and the shells encased the hard pointy things, destroying them.

She increased the difficulty level once more, and proceeded to exercise her talents to a fuller extent, not only using the black energy to destroy, but also using telekinesis.

After two hours of training, she surrendered to the headache and turned to go.

A hand closed around her wrist. Robin's hand.

She almost thought he'd teleported, he'd arrived he behind her so quickly.

"Raven?" Robin asked. "Beast Boy told me his idea."

"And?" She asked.

"I think it's a good one. But don't worry, if you really don't want to go along, I won't order you to." He paused. "But wouldn't it be nice for once, to use our powers for something that, instead of just saving lives, does good in a different way?"

"It's my powers you want to use."

"No, it would be all of us. We can all do pretty scary things, Raven. And the city isn't exactly happy with us… Especially with you."

"I know what you're getting at."

"The church groups would stop clamoring about you, if they could trivialize your power. Just think about it, Raven. Instead of people constantly snipping at you, judging you, at least a few of them would thank you for your work on the haunted house." He looked her in the eyes, and the effect of staring into blank, white slits was disconcerting. "I won't force you." Robin chuckled. "Scratch that. I can't force you. But I can ask."

2

September 2nd

Robin sat in the living room, listening to music with his CD player and earphones while Cyborg and Beast Boy wiped each other out on the Game Station.

Raven leaned over the couch, slipped an earphone out of his left hear, and whispered, "You win."

With that, she swept out of the room.

...

...

The bedroom in shadows

Candlelights

I don't know where it's coming from

But I, I keep moving on

Till the darkest thought makes me want to try these wings

-- Lou Gramm, Lost in the Shadows