Chapter One.

Jinx.

It's today. Today, right here, right now. The day that we, the marked, get hidden. The day our slates are cleaned. The day that will mark a new beginning for everything I've ever known.

"It's hard to think that this is what it came down to," Terra whispered beside me.

I nodded and Raven spoke up too. "You'd think they'd understand what we've done for them."

It was the worst feeling ever. Knowing that as of August 17, you have no past. All because people don't understand us.

It had been a month since we, being the heroes, over threw the Brotherhood of Evil, leaving the frozen villains in the headquarters. Everything seemed fine, the world was saved and it seemed like it would be safe forever. Hah. That's what we thought.

All it took was one false report to start a string of fake reports of attacks and abuse. People were getting famous from claiming that Robin had punched them in the eye in cold blood or that Cyborg had blown up their car. People were saying that Raven was the speaker for Satan, or that Terra was behind the random earthquakes that barely shook the city. Aqualad was being blamed for sudden 'floods' and people were even blaming Kid Flash and Mas y Menos for any sudden gust of wind that went by.

No one knows how, but a few villains were able to escape their frozen hold, so there were also claims that SeeMore was a peeping tom and that Gizmo was sending people viruses online. It only took less than a month for riots to form and protesters outside not only the Titans Tower in Jump City, but also in the Titans East headquarters, the old HIVE headquarters. Even where Kid Flash and I were.

It seemed like every person we saved had turned on us. It was becoming almost unbearable. And the violence level in the cities rose even higher then it was before the Brotherhood of Evil. Actions had to be taken. But not in our favor...

After almost every other possibility was tested, it was decided that the heroes and villains would have to go in hiding. Talk about killing our pride. We had been in an underground facility for the past week; we being every hero and villain that could be located. Most were underground to be treated for any injuries caused by the sudden turn of the citizens. If I remember correctly, Starfire had been shopping when people started throwing random things at her: books, CDs, anything they could. Cyborg had been recharging and people broke into his room and poured water into his recharger, causing him to short-circuit. There had even been public fights, I remember those. You could be aimlessly walking in a park and all of a sudden a mob of people appeared... not pretty.

The head of this sudden... I can't even find the words for it. Hate? Betrayal? Complete and utter chaos? Nevertheless, the problem starter is none other then Ronald L. Johnson, the former head of security of Jump City. After he had lost his re-election, he was supposedly the victim of a hit and run after he was broadsided by Beastboy in the T-car. Yeah. Right. Well, after he made it out of the hospital, he suddenly saw the Titans Tower and concluded that we shouldn't exist.

Under Ronald L. Johnson came our new titles. He had called us the marked ones, his way of saying we were impure humans. "The marked are the ones that put themselves above mankind. They are the freaks and the weirdos that roam our streets in present time and have been for far too long. They say they're these 'super heroes', but would they be so super if they didn't have to 'protect us' from their own kind?" His speeches were all over the radio and television and the riots made it a living hell for all of us.

Luckily, a few people were willing to help us out. The new president of the security wing in Jump City formed the HVPA, Heroes and Villians Protection Agency, which is where we are now. Sounds stupid that they'd protect the villians too, but in this case, most of us were the victims. Anyway, the HVPA decided that it was one of their priorities to protect us from society, so they relocated us to a 'better environment', just until it was safe for us again. But it resembled more of a prison. Because that's what it formerly was, but this was the only safe place for us now.

"Knock knock."

Hearing the all-too-familiar voice, I snapped out of my flashback and stood up. I quickly crossed the closet sized room, shivering thinking about how easily people could shut us away behind closed doors in tiny spaces. Opening the door, I had little time to react before I was pulled into an embrace.

"Hey Raven, Terra." Kid Flash nodded as he walked in, his arm around my shoulder as I slumped against him, weary and desperate. My usually lively pink eyes have been losing their life and everyone else had been showing signs of the change of lifestyle getting to them. Well, everyone but Kid Flash and Beastboy.

Terra's solemn blue eyes looked to where Kid Flash was from the mess of sheets we had been sitting on. "Hey KF. Any news?"

I put my head on his shoulder, praying for good news. I felt his hand squeeze my shoulder comfortingly and nod his head. "We're leaving now. To get our names."

I felt like I had excitement and dread tearing through my fragile body all at once and my body didn't know how much more I could take. Raven just nodded, not showing any form of expression as she stood up and brushed by. "Come on guys. It can't be all that bad. Maybe this way we can get over all of the crap thrown at us."

Terra sighed and stood up, leaving Kid Flash and I to be the last to leave the room. I gave it one last look over before deciding I didn't want to remember it. "Shh, Jinxy. Don't worry about it. All that's going to happen is-"

"We're getting completely new identities," I murmured.

He shrugged and stepped behind me, lightly pushing me towards the door. "A clean slate." I gave a tiny nod as the two of us followed the long hallway to the only room large enough to hold all of the heroes and villains. "Don't worry. I already put the word in that we'd be placed somewhere near each other."

"What do you mean?"

"Some are being sent to other cities or countries." This is how bad it got? I thought to myself. I found my arms snaking around his as he brought me to what could have been the biggest mystery of my life. "I talked to Robin, the process is simple. You go into the room, they give you a number, a name, and there will be family there that's part of the HVPA that will become your 'adoptive family'. We'll all be enrolled for school that starts next week, and at the school we just have to put on our best act as normal teenagers."

"Normal. Hah," I muttered, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Kid Flash chuckled and I didn't realize until now how slow he had been walking to stay with me.

When we finally got to the large cafeteria, I saw so many recognizable faces and it was a bit more comforting. I saw a short old woman with a clip board placing everyone in line in front of a small door that looked like it lead into the kitchen of the cafeteria. Kid Flash put his hands on my shoulders as the two of us made our way towards the woman.

Her nametag said 'Hello, My Name Is Marie', and she had a smile on her face like she was meeting a room full of newborns. When she saw us approach her, she plastered this huge grin on her face and looked at the clipboard. "Why, hello there," she greeted, still smiling. "I see you two aren't in line yet. May I have your names?"

I raised an eyebrow, a bit confused on how someone could be so deep underground with barely any light, with people shunned by society, and still smile. "Kid Flash and Jinx," I offered and she nodded, her eyes scanning down the list behind large framed glasses.

"Ahh, yes. Jinx, you're number 13," she read and I sighed at the number. Figures. "You're right here dear," she said, putting me in the place behind Starfire and in front of a former HIVE member, Nevaeh.

"As for you," she said, directing her voice to Kid Flash, "You're only a little bit behind the young lady. Number 23." As she said that, she lightly pushed Kid Flash between Gizmo and Aqualad.

I cast a nervous glance over my shoulder to Kid Flash, but he waved my attention forward, where Raven, Number 7, was being 'reassigned', as some people said.

"Friend Jinx, I cannot help but detect your sense of fear," Starfire said from in front of me, not even turning around as she spoke. She threw me a small friendly glance over her shoulder before taking a large step forward. Another one had been reassigned.

I shrugged, not wanting to make it look like I was as afraid as I really was. "I just don't know how well I'll fit in at the high school. I haven't been in a public school in so long, and I was one of the best students at the HIVE... making me one of the least liked students."

Starfire looked thoughtful for a moment, took another large step forward again, then turned around and smiled. "Maybe we can be in the school together and be friends. Then you will be liked."

Another large step. "Sure, Star, if you say so." Behind me, I heard Nevaeh clear her throat. Turning around, I saw that she was one of the battle-scarred...

Nevaeh had been extremely pretty; I remember it in the HIVE. She had jet-black hair, pale skin, faint freckles, deep green eyes. Her dark black wings were amazing and were often envied in school. But now... her hair was all uneven and scorched. Her arms and legs, visible because of the skirt and tank top she was wearing, were dirty and bruised. She had a few stitches covering a gash on her right arm and there were a few more above her eyebrow. Her face was also fairly bruised and her wings were missing so many feathers... I felt pity welling up inside me.

"You guys will be in the same school," she said in an extremely quiet voice. She looked down at her feet while she spoke, "I heard some of the HVPA members talking. They are sending the well known villains and heroes out of Jump City, and I heard that the Teen Titans and some of the better known HIVE members would be sent to a city far away..."

By now, Star was next to be reassigned, but I thanked Nevaeh for her knowledge... even if it meant she had been eavesdropping. Was I one of the better known HIVE members? Would that mean I'd be sent with the Titans too?

"NEXT!" The call rang out and I stood there, whispering a goodbye to Starfire that I was sure only I could hear. I didn't notice all of the pairs of eyes turn to me until Nevaeh suddenly shoved me forward.

"It's you," she murmured. My eyes glazed with fear as I was barely able to drag them forward. Before I got to the old wooden door that would hold the secrets I'd have to live by, I turned around to see everyone else in line. My eyes rested on the ones I knew; Speedy, Bumblebee, Gizmo, Robin... Kid Flash. He was the last I saw and gave me a thumbs up sign and I weakly nodded back before turning and walking into the room. This was it, the probable end of Jinx, and who knows what it would be the beginning of...

-Time Break-

Jennifer Kyng. Jen, Jenn, Jenny. Jennifer Kyng.

"Jinx, I know how hard this must seem for you, but it's for the best."

The words all echoed in my head, some hitting sharp staccato accents and became etched in my mind, others slurred together and seeped through like sand through your fingers.

I looked over to the smiling family of three that were kind enough to offer to bring me into their lives. The Kyngs were definitely people I'd owe a lot to.

As of now, I was officially Jennifer Kyng. Complete with a new passport, birth certificate, and social security number. I lived at 23 Princeton Drive in Lanesburg. I had one younger brother, a mother, a father, and two dogs. It's like my life had been cut and pasted into some normal kid's life.

"Welcome to the family, Jinx..." the father, Mark Kyng said with a smile. "Um, what would you like to be called?"

I shrugged, still looking at my new family. Mark was an older father, his dark brown hair starting to fade, his stronger build begining to show age. He was in his mid to late fourties, and was the manager and owner of the Lanesburg Cinemas. His wife, Suzanne, was maybe in her late thirties to her early fourties and was a small business owner of a little craft store in downtown Lanesburg. The one thing that was more of a surprise to me was their son, Carson. He was 10 years old and seemed small for his age, but he was a good kid from the looks of it.

"It doesn't matter to me," I murmured, a little bit uncomfortable.

"Jenn," Carson said aloud. It surprised me; I didn't expect to hear him talk. "I think I want to call you Jenn." Carson gave me a little smile and I gave a little smile back.

"Jenn it is," I murmured.

Time seemed to fly as Mark and Suzanne signed all of the paperwork and things to make the adoption legal. Meanwhile, I was given a set of 'civilian clothes' and a bag of other necessities and was directed to a bathroom.

"Jenn Kyng," I said to my reflection in the mirror, wondering if my tongue would get used to the new name. I looked at the clothes in my hands—they were definitely different from my usual uniform. I now had a pair of dark blue jeans that fit to my legs then spread out a little bit before my feet, a pair of large black skateboard-looking sneakers, a black tank top, and a large white hooded-sweatshirt was my cover. Sort of. Hey, it would blend me in, right?

I looked in the mirror again and was surprised. I looked different. Like I could actually belong. "Yeah, except for your pinkish-purple hair and gray skin," I murmured to myself. Taking my hair out of the clips I had them in, I took a brush out from the bag and combed my hair until it was wavy but relatively manageable.

I had bangs, yes, like most other teenage girls, and I let the few pieces of wavy hair stay in front of my face. They partially covered my right eye and I found a bit of refuge behind them. The rest of my hair I left down. It was barely past shoulder length and I couldn't remember the last time I left it down...

As a last thing, I cupped my hands together, filled them with water, and threw it against my face to get off any remains of the make up I used to wear, the black makeup under my eyes washing away.

Looking into the mirror one last time, I decided that this is what Jenn Kyng would look like. Folding and placing my old uniform inside the bag, I wanted to keep it, a small memory from my former life.

.Terra.

"Beastboy!"

Running as fast as my feet would carry me, I nearly tackled Beastboy to the ground in a hug that even Starfire would envy. Wrapping my arms around him, it was so weird... seeing Beastboy in something other then his uniform. It was like I was hugging another person. But I knew that it would always be Beastboy on the inside.

"Hey, Terra," he said, his arms going around my body and returning the embrace.

I smiled at him as my eyes wandered around the crowded gym. It had been merely ten minutes since I was reassigned and all of the families and the marked were supposed to make their way into the gym for a social event. Just an hour or two for people to say their goodbyes or to have their families meet each other. All of the HVPA families are supposed to become familiar with each other because they all worked for one common purpose; to help us.

Dragging Beastboy by the arm, I pulled him only a short distance to where my new family was. "Beastboy, I'd like you to meet my family. This is Kevin Harvey," I said, pointing to my new dad, "and this is my mom, Laura."

Looking at my two older aged parents, I smiled again. They were both in their early 50s and they had lost three of their children at early ages. When I asked them why they would want to adopt me, they said that it was because I was no different from any other teenager out there and that the world should be able to see that. They both insisted that I would call them by their first names, but I opted to call them Mom & Dad too. Kevin had brown hair that had been sprinkled with white and he used to be a police officer, but his muscular body was past its prime. Laura was an elementary school teacher and was skinny, her short brown hair about shoulder length.

"It's nice to meet you, Beastboy," Dad said with a friendly nod, and beside him Mom nodded to agree with his statement.

"Nice to meet you too, sir," Beastboy replied.

"Tarah has told us a lot about you and all of your friends in the short time we've known her," Mom added, and I blushed a little bit. It was true, I hadn't known them long but it seemed like they knew so much about me already.

Beastboy smirked at me and I lightly punched him in the arm. "So, where's your family-"

I couldn't even finish before someone came up behind us and hooked an arm around Beastboy's neck, pulling up slightly. Turning around, I saw a boy, probably our age, who was a couple inches taller then Beastboy. He had a grin on his face and shouted over his shoulder, "I found him!" Beastboy quickly ducked down and out of the hold, glaring at the other boy.

Looking to Beastboy with a look of pure confusion, he rolled his eyes. "Jake. He's my brother. Only two weeks older then me."

I smiled and nodded, a small smile spreading across my lips. "Hey Bryce, who's she?" Hearing the voice from behind us, I turned around and Beastboy looked ready to smack his head.

"Bryce?"

"My new name."

"Oh." Looking at Beastboy, I guess I was looking at Bryce too. He had kind of baggy-ish jeans on and a dark grey hooded sweatshirt. With black Vans sneakers, he looked like he'd be ale to blend in too. "Cool."

"Yeah, dude, who's she?" Jake piped in suddenly and I noticed that all eyes were on me now.

Beastboy laughed at how I seemed to fidget under the spotlight. "This is..." He suddenly stopped, remembering that I hadn't yet told him my new name.

"Tarah," I said simply.

"Yeah, I know you're Terra, but who are you now?" he asked, his head slightly cocked to the side in confusion.

"Tarah," I replied again. "My name is Tarah Harvey. T-a-r-a-h. Tarah."

This was so weird... introducing yourself to someone you've known for so long...

"Anyway, this is Tarah. She's an old friend. A good friend." Beastboy said, beaming as he introduced me to Jake and the other boy. "Tarah, this is Jake Barton. My brother."

I laughed and wondered how good of a brother Bryce would be to them. Jake both had short dirty blonde hair, somewhat long, and a faint splash of freckles on his face, under plain but warm brown eyes. He looked like he'd be just as energetic (and maybe reckless) as Beastboy.

"My mom and dad are over there talking to some other HVPA people..." Beastboy, I mean, Bryce said. Ugh. I'm going to have to get used to this. He's Bryce. Bryce, Bryce, Bryce. Not Beastboy. Bryce.

"Hey, dude, you gonna introduce us to any more people or what?" Jake said all of a sudden, grabbing Beastboy, argh, BRYCE by the arm. "Let's go."

Bryce and I exchanged glances before the two of us shrugged and agreed to search through the gym. "Let's find the others," I whispered to Bryce and he nodded. But I couldn't help but listen to those thoughts I tried so hard to ignore. How would it be, re-meeting all of the people I knew? All of the people that knew me?

.Jinx.

"Kid Wykkyd?"

My eyes rested on my former teammate before me, barely believing what I was seeing. Was it Kid Wykkyd? I wasn't sure. I had never seen him out of costume, and the boy in front of me looked just as normal as the rest of us tried to be.

He nodded his head in confirmation of my question and I gasped. "You look so different!" And it was true. Kid Wykkyd didn't look that bad at all. He had short dark brown hair and, not red eyes, but gentle green ones. I guess they were just always hidden behind his mask. He was taller then me when I was in flat sneakers, and, despite what I thought, he had a normal skin color. Even had a faint bridge of freckles. He was in a black T-shirt and khaki pants and... "Wow! I can't believe it's you!"

A girl came from behind him and smiled at me. "You must be one of Kyle's old friends, right?" I looked at Kid Wykkyd a little confused, but nodded. "Oh, I forgot," she said with a small laugh, "His name is Kyle now. Kyle Decarte." At this, Kid Wykkyd gave a small half grin. "I'm Lisa Cray, I live next door to the Decartes and my dad is one of the council members in the HVPA. It's nice to meet you..."

"Jenn," I offered, shaking her outstretched hand. "Jenn Kyng."

It was definitely awkward, introducing myself like that, but I decided it wasn't half bad, and maybe I could get used to it. After chatting a little bit more with Kyle and Lisa, (well, mostly Lisa), I decided to wander around a little more.

That is, until I was tackled into a hug and heard a couple screams and greetings.

"JINX!" I heard my name called out as I hit the floor and I groaned.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied, looking to see Starfire hugging me as if her life depended on it. "Star, you can let go," I muttered.

Looking up at the other people gathered around, a smile was able to snake its way onto my lips. Starfire nodded and let go, her face molded into a smile as I looked over everybody. It was all of them. Robin, Starfire, Beastboy, Terra, Raven, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Speedy, even Jericho. But...

"Who are you all?" I asked.

Shocked, Beastboy looked ready to explode. "What! What do you mean 'who are you all?' Did they brain wash your or something? See guys, I knew it-"

I laughed. "Relax. I meant who are you all now?" My question was met with silence and I sighed. "Hi, my name's Jenn Kyng." I said it in a forced happy-go-lucky tone and the other caught on.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Tarah Harvey," Terra said with a smirk. "T-a-r-a-h, that is."

I nodded and we shook hands, as if we had never met before. We all stood there, reintroducing ourselves when I suddenly felt hands cover my eyes.

"There's no way I would ever mistake that purple mess of hair for anyone else," the voice from behind me said and I rolled my eyes.

Turning around, I saw not only Kid Flash, but Carson too. "Okay, Kid Flash, do whatever you want to me, but don't go poisoning my little brother's mind too."

"Don't worry, Jenn. I like him, he's cool," Carson said proudly and I laughed. "Are these your friends?" He asked, pointing to everyone else. I nodded.

"Carson, this is Tarah Harvey, Bryce Barton, Rachel Vaughn, Stacia Freeman, Ryne Hunter, Chris Bergeron, Brianne Rogers, Sam Cougar, and Hayden Brown." I said, pointing to each person and beaming with pride that I remembered their new names.

His jaw seemed to drop as he looked at each person. "I've hear a lot of stories about you guys, can I guess your real names?" He seemed so excited that no one had the heart to object, so Carson began naming everyone off again in the same order using their former names. "Terra, Beastboy, Raven, Starfire, Robin, Cyborg, Bumblebee, Speedy, and Jericho!" He listed triumphantly. "And this," he said, tossing a finger over his shoulder to where Kid Flash stood, "Is Ty."

Kid Flash gave a quick nod of his head to agree with Carson's statement. "Tyler Langsfield, at your service," he said with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes as a voice suddenly drew my attention. "Jenn, Carson, we need to go!"

I knew it was Mark calling us, but I exchanged a quick glance with Carson to confirm before saying goodbye to everyone. "Carson, do you know the home phone so I can give it to my friends? So we can keep in touch?" I asked.

"1-773-536-5464," he recited and I repeated it to my friends.

"I'm sorry this is such a quick goodbye..." I murmured. Carson then began weaving his way towards our parents and I gave my friends one more solemn goodbye. "I'll keep in touch!"

"You better," Kid Fla- Tyler said, grabbing my arm as I brushed by. I stopped and looked at him, getting lost in his clear blue eyes. "If you don't keep in touch, I'll just have to hunt you down and make sure you do." He said with a wink. I rolled my eyes and squeezed his hand before running after my family.

Sure, it seemed like an ending, but for all I know, it could be a new beginning. "Jenn! Come on!"

"Coming!"

So much has happened today, it was definitely one of those sharp twists life throws at you. Let's just hope this isn't a turn for the worse.

Edited chapter re-posted on 5/31/12.

Although I started this story almost six years ago, I never stopped receiving story alerts, reviews and little reminders that I had left this unfinished. A quick refresher in the form of watching a handful of Teen Titans episodes online has rekindled the old fire and I am going to make an honest attempt to complete this, six years later.

The first five chapters that were originally posted were somewhat riddled with errors and typos and I apologize for that. Before posting any new chapters, I will be editing and reposting the existing chapters (without changing anything too major).

I want to thank everyone who read this when it originally came out, anyone who happened upon it during my hiatus, and anyone who has returned to see where it will go. I will make a sincere effort to complete it, no matter how long it takes.