Chapter 2

The man and the dog were dead. Raven could sense his lifelessness even from her own world, and Maya had become a vapor, vanished into the forest. Starfire held a hand against her lips, knowing the fate that had befallen them. Despite the deathly silence that had fallen on the room, there was a buzz of noise in the world a few steps away. Strange birds and creatures chirruped and squawked, and familiar ones sang with them. Hissing water rushed down the mountain somewhere far in the distance. But the window itself…the window stood like an omen, a rip in the fabric of space itself. Raven shivered at the thought of what she'd done. Something about it felt so wrong, like a crime committed against nature itself. And a haunting question rose in her mind: how would she close it?

Close it? No…she should go into it.

The alien wind rustled her hair, and a gold haze obscured her vision for an instant. At the very core of her heart, Raven felt a nudge. Go inside, her body told her. Go and see the world you have opened. Go and explore your work. Go inside. The cool, open air was so inviting, and the environment tickled her senses. Come in, beckoned the world, and so enticing was the temptation.

"Raven!" Starfire's voice broke her from the trance, and she found herself trembling uncontrollably. Jericho's hands steadied her as she fell backwards. "Raven, what is wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," Raven said dimly as the spots faded from her vision. "I just…I don't know, I just spaced out or something…" She closed her eyes tightly, and opened them again. Her strength had suddenly returned, and she pulled herself defensively from Jericho's and Starfire's arms. The other two knew better than to question her more, and returned their gaze to the window instead.

"What happened to them?" Starfire wondered aloud.

"I'm not sure," Raven answered, unable to draw her eyes away from his fallen body only feet away. Something powerful prevented them from stepping through the window to retrieve his body, even prevented the thought of crossing into the forbidding territory.

A noise downstairs told the Titans that the rest of their team had returned.

"I will tell them the news," Starfire said grimly, and flew to the door.

"Wait," Raven beckoned suddenly. "Wait, just…please don't tell them what I did." Starfire explored her friend's eyes solemnly. "I don't what anyone else to know about this...hole."

"I do not like to keep secrets from my friends," Starfire whispered, but then she met Raven's eyes again. "Alright," Starfire assured her, somewhat bewildered. "I will say nothing." Raven turned her attention to Jericho, who smiled and pantomimed zipping his lips.

"Thanks," Raven said. "Go on." Starfire sped away to spread the news.

Jericho looked sadly into her face as Starfire left. His fingers moved deftly, spelling out his sentences with a fluency like a voice of his own. Raven had picked up sign language faster than any of the others, and she deciphered his posture as easily as she deciphered his hands. Reading his heart and his mind was as simple as reading a spell book. His hand became a fist and circled his heart. 'I'm sorry,' he was saying now.

Raven was smiling sadly. "I don't know why. We didn't lose a member of our team or anything…"

'No, but you were trying so hard to help him,' he explained. His eyes locked on Raven's, and a look of understanding passed between them. 'We really hoped he would be alright, and I'm sorry we couldn't help more...' He placed a large hand on her shoulder, a comforting gesture, and turned to follow Star out of Raven's room. Raven's skin tingled where he had touched her, and her lips flicked into a grin. There was something truly and utterly friendly about their new teammate.

"Thank you, Jericho," she called after him. He nodded, bouncing his bright curls. Raven ran a hand through her own violet hair and watched him disappear out of the door.

Come in, beckoned the world as she stood alone in front of the atrocity.

"No, thanks," Raven told the air, and she left the temptation of her room.

The hall of the tower passed by in a whirl as she sped through the air, around a corner, and down steps. She slowed when she came through the double doors into their immense living room, and was bombarded suddenly by the Titans who were gathered in the space.

"Raven! What's wrong? Is everything alright?" The questions came so suddenly that Raven didn't have time to assign the voices to their faces. She pushed passed them and settled against one of the large windows, pressing herself against the cold glass and closer to her own world, the real world, the only world she should know…

Hands settled on her shoulder, and she responded breathlessly, "I can't…I can't..." She shook her head. An entire day had passed by, but she couldn't close the gap. This morning, to make matters worse, she had awoken to discover David's body had vanished, which meant someone, or something, from the other world had come very close to discovering the rift. And all this time it had jerked at her heartstrings, beckoned to her, pulled at her mind, body, and heart with a force stronger than gravity itself. It drew her ever closer and closer to the foreign woods. She could not endure it much longer.

But she could never tell the others what she had done. She could not. It was a burden for her to bear, a weight that belonged to her. She would suffer the endless tug of the world until she could find a way to shut it.

Yes, but they—her friends—might be able to help her!

How? They would force her to shut the forest away.

Raven blinked, shocked suddenly at the conflicting thoughts racing through her head.

Wait, no… She wanted to shut the forest away. That's what she wanted…right?

Raven shuddered. She couldn't tell them. There was nothing to worry about, anyway… She could close it. Somehow, she would close it.

It wasn't right, it wasn't natural. A hole in the world!

Yes, but…

"What happened?" Cyborg prodded. Raven faced them, Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Starfire. The weight on her heart was lifted after leaving her room—her body wasn't pushing against her will, pulling her toward…

Raven shrugged. "Nothing. I…thought I heard something…but I guess it was nothing!" With her mind clear, she realized how absurd her intrusion must have been. They can't know, don't let them know… She settled her mind, suppressing her emotions. When she looked back up at them, her face was nonchalant, secretive, and void. "Nothing is wrong," she assured them. "Don't worry."

"I do not believe you," said Starfire, "but if you do not wish to tell us, then I will not force you to speak." Starfire's sparkling green eyes showed deep concern, but—Raven was more than glad of this—she restrained herself.

"Yeah," Beast Boy echoed, "what she said. But you know, if you ever want to talk or anything, we're—"

"I don't need to talk," Raven declared, hardly comforting the boy. She wanted to add 'thank you', but she, like Starfire, restrained herself. Beast Boy looked helplessly at her, and Raven felt a sudden urge to escape. He had always cared for her, but she was not interested in someone so immature, so unlike herself, someone who could never begin to understand… Raven stared unblinkingly at him, and he shrunk away from the sudden ferocity of her eyes.

"Alright, alright," he said, throwing up his hands. "I was just saying…" He trailed off and turned, defeated, away from her entirely. Starfire put a reassuring hand on Raven's shoulder.

"I am very sorry," the Tamaranian told her suddenly. "We all hoped they would recover."

"Thanks, Star," Raven said robotically, allowing a smile to pass over her face. "It's…I did what I could to help." Starfire nodded and returned to her work on the couch, letting her fingers slide off Raven's shoulder.

"You know we're always here for you." Only Cyborg remained now, a humble friend.

"I know," Raven simply replied. "Thank you."

They were all such good friends.

Yes, but…

Titans tower was dark now, its halls silent. Raven, whose violent eyes glimmered in the darkness, reluctantly moved forward, drawing ever closer to her room. She dreaded the encounter, but a part of her looked forward to it. Tap, tap, her footsteps echoed behind her, but when she stopped she realized that it was another pair of feet altogether. She glanced over her shoulder and paused. It was Jericho.

The barefoot boy was dressed for bed, clad in a simple tank top and pants. He waved a hand in greeting as he approached, beaming with an emotive sympathy that only he could show. Raven smiled and uttered a quiet 'hi.'

'Are you alright?' he signed. So everyone knew about her outburst now.

"I'm fine," she lied to him as she had to the others, but, like the others, he didn't buy into a word she said. He saw her discomfort and tried to change the subject.

'Did you close it yet?' he asked offhandedly, but the words forced Raven to freeze. What should she say? She stared blankly at him, trying to look unconcerned. 'I'm sorry,' Jericho's hands spoke. 'It doesn't really matter that much…I was just curious. I know you'll figure out how to close—'

"Close what?" came a familiar voice. Raven felt her cheeks flush as Beast Boy approached from behind.

"Your mouth, I wish," she quipped. "What are you doing?"

"Just heading to bed," he said casually. "Thought I'd take the scenic route. Didn't mean to interrupt you—please, go on. What did you close? Man, it's cold over here…"

"If I wanted you to know, I would've told you," she answered coolly, successfully suppressing her annoyance. Jericho shrugged at him with a smile, as if saying, 'Hey, if she doesn't want to talk…'

"Suit yourself," Beast Boy said, pushing a toothbrush into his mouth and continuing indifferently down the hall. Raven turned to Jericho and tried hard not to laugh.

"He's so…"

'Obnoxious?' Jericho offered. Raven smiled.

"Yeah."

'I've noticed,' Jericho answered with a yawn. 'He tries so hard, though…'

Raven's smile vanished. "What do you mean?"

'He tries so hard to make you like him.'

She lowered her eyes, focusing on the grain of the carpet. "He shouldn't have to try," she said, meeting his eyes. "If I liked him, he wouldn't have to try. The fact that he does just sort of confirms how much I don't…like him. But he has this false sense of hope, I think. He's got it in his mind that he can still win me over." She paused, studying his face. Was she boring him with all this nonsense? But Jericho looked back at her with true interest, and he searched her eyes too. Why had she stopped?

"I wish he'd realize that he can't just change my mind."

'Have you tried telling him?'

"Yes," she answered. Then, "No. I've tried before, but every time I'm the slightest bit nice to him, he thinks I'm starting to change my mind again. Then he's even more…pushy, because he thinks he has a chance." She sighed exasperatedly. "I can't be nice to him! I hate being so rude, but how else can I get him to understand?"

Jericho smiled. 'With Beast Boy, I don't think there is another way.'

"Talking certainly doesn't help," she agreed, chuckling. His eyes lit up, and he would have chuckled too, if he had had a voice to laugh.

'It's getting late,' he said finally, his brows folding apologetically. 'I'm going to bed.'

"Yeah, alright. Good night."

Before he left, he turned back to her again, his face beaming concern. 'Are you sure you're alright?'

She smiled unconvincingly. "Well…I'm not," she admitted. Why not crack this once? Everyone already knew something was wrong. "But I will be."

Joseph Wilson nodded, but he didn't push her to elaborate. Instead, he flashed a knowing half-smile and signed 'good night', walking away in the same direction Beast Boy had left.

"Good night, Joe."

Raven immediately fought away the blush that had risen in her cheeks and faced the door to her room. Even from outside, she felt the pull. I don't want to go…I don't want to go… But for her persistence, something deep within her really did want to.

The stronger part of her, however, simply wouldn't allow it.

She would spend the night on the couch instead.

But eventually, she knew, in spite of all this effort, she would have to give in to the deep-rooted desire. Eventually, she would explore the unfathomable world.

World of Dust

Author: Rachel Roth (Nimfalath)

Fandom: His Dark Materials (Golden Compass/Northern Lights) and Teen Titans