Hello all! I'm back with another story, but that doesn't mean I have left "Pygmalion" that will still be continuing because I love it so much! Anyways, I know I said I wasn't going to post this until after that fic wrapped up, but then I got to writing this and wanted to share it so badly that I couldn't resist! So I hope you all enjoy!
XOXO,
Meg
Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Teen Titans… :(
Chapter 1: We're Not In Kansas Anymore
Scorching heat beat down ferociously against the Titan's Tower leaving no prisoners as it bored itself on the Tower's occupants mercilessly. Inside sat five sweltering teens strewn out lazily across various chairs and couches. Beads of sweat persisted to crawl down each of their backs, and the incessant humming of the air conditioner refused to give them any peace. "Well folks, today marks day nine of this unusual heat wave and we have finally topped the previous record. It is 110 degrees, the hottest day September has ever seen! We can only hope that this incoming storm from the north brings a cold front. Back to you Stephen…"
"Thank you Karen, in other news…" The anchorman's deep voice droned on to an inattentive audience, each Titan was lost in their own hazy thoughts. Suddenly, a long guttural groan interrupted their lethargy and each looked up to see a thick cloud of black smoke coming from the air vent. The AC's humming had ceased and was now replaced by what sounded like an old carburetor on its last legs. The common room began to stale; a heavy layer of heat encompassed the five Titan's.
"I can't stand it anymore!" The green skinned boy, known as Beast Boy, whined as he idly slammed his fist down on the couch cushion. His white undershirt was clinging to his body, drenched with sweat. "I'm gonna die!"
"Stop being so dramatic, you're making it worse." A violet haired girl, Raven, said just as tired of the heat as everyone else.
"I'm not being dramatic! I'm so freakin' tired of this!" He snapped back grouchily.
"Friends do not fight, we are all being affected by the heat." The exotic looking alien named Starfire said interposing in the small feud. "It is quite hot in here friend Robin, may we find another place to go?"
"Well, we should get the air conditioner fixed." Starfire looked at the Boy Wonder with large green eyes that he couldn't let down. "I guess that could wait though." He sighed. "What do you guys want to do, movie?"
"Do you know how crowded it'll be? It's Labor Day, plus it's like a million degrees out! Everyone will be there." Beast Boy stated crossing his arms over his chest. Starfire thought for a moment as she continued to fan herself with the fan she had made out of newspaper. An advertisement on the paper caught her eye, upon smoothing her makeshift fan out she saw gold words scrawled out in fancy old world script on a crimson background. There were sketches of sideshow events and a Ferris wheel.
"Carnival! This weekend only!"
"Is it outside?" Cyborg asked as he wiped his mechanical torso with a paper towel.
"It says here that it is located in the Big Top Arena. Oh can we go?" Starfire begged.
"I'm in!" Beast Boy grinned at the opportunity of actually doing something other than sitting around.
"Let's go."
"Glorious!" Starfire flew up into the air jubilantly. The other three Titan's got up off the their seats save for one.
"Oh c'mon Raven! It beats sitting around here!" Cyborg said as he and the others headed for the elevator.
"Yeah Rae you might actually have fun." The changeling chimed in with a goofy grin plastered on his face. The girl ignored his pestering but still got up from her seat and joined her friends in the elevator. "That's the spirit!" Raven turned to Beast Boy, raising a very unenthused eyebrow. "…Or not…" He laughed nervously as he ran a hand through his sweaty hair. An awkward silence fell over the teens as they stood in the elevator and at that point Beast Boy knew it was going to be a long day.
Three giant tents striped red and white stood tall amidst rather dry looking trees. Multicolored balloons filled the skies and various people on stilts and in costumes walked around waving to patrons and juggling. Lions prowled in golden cages and elephants marched around gleefully giving children rides. Inside the tents they were getting ready for a performance. "Hey, isn't the Carnival supposed to be in here?" Robin asked one of the maintenance men fixing electrical cords. He hoisted the jeans around his waist and adjusted his baseball cap before answering.
"Behind the tents sonny." At this statement the group of teens turned to Starfire.
"I must have misread it, sorry." The alien princess apologized giving them a weak smile. "Could we still go?" She asked hopefully. With nothing else to do and being that they were already there, the four others nodded their heads in unison and they headed out into the boiling afternoon. Behind the tents wasn't any different then what was in front, except there were carnival games and rides decorating the grounds as well as clowns and jugglers. Pop music blasted from every ride's entrance, the kind that Starfire loved, and the kind that Raven detested. Although it was hot out, that did not stop people from coming to enjoy the various attractions of the carnival, as there were so many crowds. "Let's go on that!" Starfire was pointing at a boat ride that was sloshing water all over the place. Raven followed her friends to the ride, but upon further inspection she knew that there was no way she was going to go on it. The boats weren't boats at all but white swans with pink bows around their necks.
"No. I'm not going on that." Raven stated, stopping in her tracks her arms crossed over her chest strong in her decision.
"Why not?" Robin looked up at what the violet haired girl was staring at and blushed. He didn't notice it until now, but saw why she refused to go on the ride. A glittery pink heart flashed over a dark tunnel and crimson letters shined above that, spelling out 'The Tunnel of Love.' "Oh."
"Friend Robin…will you go on the swan with me?" Starfire asked hopefully.
"Uh…" She took his stuttering as a yes and before he could say another word the girl grabbed his hand and pulled him off in the direction of the queue.
"Looks like the love birds will be having fun." Cyborg laughed hysterically as he saw his friend's beat red face disappear in the crowd. After regaining his composure, the robot eyed his other teammates, a devious idea forming in his head. "Why don't you two go on?"
"No!" Both shouted at the same time, each going very red.
"Aw you know you wanna." Cyborg chided.
"Believe me, I would have to go through a lobotomy before even considering that sort of torture." Raven stated dryly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Beast Boy questioned eyeing the girl angrily. But she stood her ground, refusing to give in.
"It means that I would never want to be trapped in a dark tunnel with you of all people."
"You think it would be fun for me?"
"Well, at least I wouldn't be making bad attempts at jokes."
"At least I have a sense of humor!" Beast Boy retorted frustrated with Raven. He couldn't stand when she would make snippy remarks and he wasn't going to take it anymore.
"Guys I was joking, calm down!" Cyborg interjected, coming between the two. He was used to this sort of fighting between his friends but he could tell the heat was getting to them, as it had never escalated to this level so quickly.
"Why do you always have to be so mean?" The changeling yelled.
"I'm not mean."
"Yes you are! All. The. Time." At this, Raven's eyes began to glow dangerously.
"CALM DOWN!" Cyborg yelled causing both Titan's to look at him. Raven's eyes reverted to their violet hue and Beast Boy unclenched his fists. "Now, both of you need to stop fighting, you're causing a scene." He chastised them as if they were children. Beast Boy and Raven both stared down at the ground, ashamed at their behavior but both refusing to apologize.
"Troubled child?" A low accented voice questioned. Raven turned to see a dark woman shrouded in a crimson gown and pounds of gold jewelry ushering her over with a long spindly finger. The woman was set up in a small tent built with dark black and blue fabrics, incense poured out of containers hanging from tight ropes, and candles burnt brightly in the shadowy space. "Come sit and I shall tell you of your future." Out of curiosity, Raven walked over to the mysterious woman's tent and sat across from her on a dark purple ottoman.
"Sorry but, I don't really believe in the fortune tellers that are found at Carnivals."
"Oh, I'm no fortune teller dear, I'm Madame Laveau renowned Voodoo Queen." Raven stared at the woman skeptically.
"Right…"
"You don't believe me, Miss Raven?" Madame Laveau said smiling at the shock she brought to the girl's face. When she got no reply she spoke again. "Well, if that be the case, let's allow the cards to do the talking."
"I don't think so."
"Why not? Afraid of what's in store for you?"
"No, I told you that I don't believe in it." Madame Laveau smiled slyly, her dark eyes twinkling.
"If you don't believe, then what is wrong with having a little fun?"
"Raven's incapable of that." Upon hearing him, the girl whipped her head around to see Beast Boy standing behind her.
"Ah, the boy you were quarreling with. You should sit and hear this as well; your futures are very much intertwined." The changeling laughed heartily and shook his head.
"I'll pass, I don't believe in that Miss Cleo sort of stuff." At his comment the smile from Madame Laveau's face fell into a frown.
"Well do you believe it is wise to offend me child? I have two disbelievers in my midst." The woman unclothed her Tarot cards and began to flip them in an intricate pattern. She raised her eyes to the pair in front of her and looked at them confidently. "Would you believe me if I told you how your constant fighting has been affecting your friends? Your anger towards each other has been upsetting fate! This is no good." Madame Laveau shook her head, her long golden earrings jingling with the motion. "No good at all. Both of you need to settle your differences now or else perish." At this statement Beast Boy burst into a fit laughter.
"And you called me dramatic!"
"You laugh now, but I assure you that will change come morning."
"Why what's gonna happen?" The boy prodded.
"Oh don't worry, you'll see soon enough." As if on cue, a giant clap of thunder accentuated her words followed by a massive downpour of rain.
"Imagine that." Beast Boy mused at the odd occurrence but shook it off immediately. "Rae, let's get outta here, we need to find the others." The changeling turned to leave and Raven was about to do the same when the woman's hand clasped over hers.
"Before you leave, I have gifts for the two of you." Madame Laveau opened up a chest on the table next to the one where her Tarot cards were laying. She pulled out a smaller, plain dark oak box. The woman opened it slowly revealing two silver rings, one a larger band with small carvings of what appeared to be foreign inscriptions and the other the same, except slightly smaller and with tiny sapphires speckling the outside of the band. "Why don't you try them on?" Raven and Beast Boy looked at each other skeptically before the boy rolled his emerald eyes.
"C'mon they're only rings, nothing's gonna happen. Besides, none of this stuff is real." Beast Boy took the rings out of the box and first placed his on his left ring finger before grabbing Raven's hand.
"I can put it on myself." She said annoyed removing her hand from his, taking the ring and putting it on.
"Now, goodbye children and remember tomorrow is a new day." The woman smiled kindly as the two Titan's left her tent, as soon as they were distant enough she began to utter words of an ancient tongue under her breath, Madame Laveau's dark gaze never leaving the pair.
"Weird lady." Beast Boy said as he and Raven walked through the rain towards the 'Tunnel of Love' ride, enjoying the coolness of the shower. "But the rings are pretty cool."
"Where were you guys? It's coming down bad! We gotta get out of here!" Cyborg yelled over the crowd of people scurrying to get out of the fairgrounds. Robin and Starfire stood beside him and once Beast Boy and Raven met up with them, the five made their way back to the car, two of the Titans not giving their new gifts any second thought.
The rain persisted to fall heavily, refusing to stop. The Tower that was once boiling hot was now freezing and the Titan's sat in the common room each cloaked in blankets, watching a scary movie. Raven had long since gone to sleep and now that it was nearing midnight Beast Boy was feeling rather tired as well, which was odd for him being that he was usually the last up. Glancing over at the clock on the wall he saw that it was only 11:45. 'Must have been all the excitement today.' He thought as he got up to leave, dragging his crochet blanket along with him. "I'll cya guys tomorrow."
"Turning in all ready BB?" Cyborg asked somewhat shocked. "You're usually the nocturnal one."
"Tired man, …need sleep." Beast Boy droned as he drifted into the hallway and off towards his bedroom. He was trapped in a hazy, dreamlike state as he tripped down over the carpet crashing into the walls on occasion. The changeling was overtaken by such a need for sleep that he barely made it to his room, passing out on his very messy floor. On his nightstand, the florescent numbers on his alarm clock flashed 12:00 AM. Lightening illuminated the room; and the power went out leaving the entire Tower in blackness and quiet. The numbers on the clock were frozen at midnight and in that moment, everything stood still.
Morning came slowly and the rain was still coming down in buckets. Raven woke up to a pale-gray light filtering through the window; the girl groaned refusing to open her eyes. Still exhausted she turned over on her side to hide from the day. But something was in her way; rather something was around her waist. Raven moved her hand down to her side and felt something warm wrapped around her, something that felt an awful lot like an arm. Her stomach twisted into knots at the thought of someone in her bed and immediately her eyes fluttered open and adjusted quickly. She saw a boy about her age sleeping peacefully next to her with one arm draped over her waist, and at that moment she let out a bloodcurdling scream, backing up as far away from him as possible getting tangled in the sheets and falling off the bed, landing on cold wooden floors. Raven down at her pajamas. With a sigh of relief she saw that she was still in the tank top and sweat pants she went to bed in, but that was the only thing she found the same. Next were her surroundings, she was certainly not in her room. The walls were painted a dusty blue and white curtains hanged from the windows. A light wooden bed was in the center of the large room and a dresser and mirror sat on the opposite wall. Raven held on to the desk by her side for support and picked herself up slowly from the floor. "I fell asleep in my room, in the Tower...this is a dream..." She muttered trying to reassure herself. Carefully the girl walked across the room and to the mirror, peering into it tentatively, not prepared for what she saw. Another scream erupted from her mouth at the sight, this time one loud enough to wake up the young man in the bed.
"What's with the screaming?" Raven turned to see him open his dark emerald eyes, and a look of pure horror spread over her pale face as she let out another shrill scream. "Rae, is that you? What are you doing in my room?" The boy looked down at his hands and back up to the girl. "Why aren't I green?" Quickly he got up from the bed and ran over to the mirror next to where Raven was standing. In the reflection he saw someone completely different. His hair was a dirty blonde and his skin no longer green, but lightly tanned. Freckles speckled the bridge of his nose and his ears were rounded. The boy looked down to his side and inspected Raven more carefully. Her hair was a darker, black and her eyes a much lighter shade, a soft blue. The girl's skin was still pale but was not as gray in color, but what was most striking was the fact that her red gemstone no longer sat atop her forehead, more specifically on her Ajna Chakra.
"Beast Boy, what the hell is going on?" Raven asked shakily, holding onto the dresser for support. Beast Boy scratched the back of his neck completely clueless.
"I have no idea."
dun Dun DUN! Where are they? Why do they look like regular people? Why is Beast Boy shirtless? So many questions that are just begging to be answered! grins Hehe, I hope you all liked this! I'm so excited about this story:D I really hope you guys are as well! So please review!
XOXO,
Meg