"Just because something isn't a lie does not mean that it isn't deceptive. A liar knows that he is a liar, but one who speaks mere portions of truth in order to deceive is a craftsman of destruction."
~Criss Jami

-•-•-•-

After Raven woke up and managed to re-compose herself, she and Garfield acted as if nothing ever happened. Especially Raven. When asked questions, the two said they were fine.

They were quite adept at little white lies.

But did this count as a "little white lie"?

Regardless they traveled to the beach without a hitch. Raven refused to take off her cover-up though.

Kori pushed relentlessly until Raven finally agreed to compromise. She'd take it off once everyone had settled on he sand.

They had planted themselves at a far end of the beach pretty far away from everyone else who decided to take advantage of the extremely good weather.

Raven sat under the umbrella with a book, sitting crosslegged, as she still refused to remove the cover up. Everyone else was in the water. She told them she'd be there in a second, after which she pulled the book out and never took a step off the blanket.

"Hey where's Raven?" Garfield asks.

"She never left the blanket dude." Vic replies

"Did she not say she would come in a second?" Kori asks after she stops splashing.

"Well yeah, but does she look like one to splash in the water? Especially in that bikini you gave her Kor." Dick states.

"You gave her a bikini?" Gar asks. Kori nods excitedly. "And she agreed to put it on?" She nods again. He gives her the most skeptical look he can.

"SOOooo, peeerHApse I only bought her one and that was the only one she had to pick from." Two shook their heads in shame, one stared longingly at Raven who was wearing the darkest shades she could find and pulled up the purple hood, while she was still sitting under the umbrella.

"Well if she doesn't like the bathing suit, I'm sure there's someone here who does, Gar." Vic says. Dick and Kori snicker

"Huh? What?" The three burst out into laughter. Raven simply looks up and buries her head back into the pages of the book. "Grr." He splashes them and they quickly stop laughing. This is what makes Raven put the book down and watch the show.

The others splash him back, and it soon turns into an all out water-war. They kick, jump, and use buckets the left on the water's edge.

Everyone was soaked head to toe. Everyone except for Raven, wo started laughing quietly as they trudged back to the blanket.

"Ahh. Have fun?" She said after catching her breath.

"Yeah. Whoopee." Vic says dully.

"I am soaked to the skin. And Raven is dry." Kori says in obvious jealousy.

"Duh. I didn't go into the water." She looks back at her book.

"You said that you would." Dick says crossing his arms.

"Ok. I'll go in. Eventually."

"How 'bout now instead?" Vic asks. "Go Kor."

"Huh?" They had planned this if Raven was being hard-headed. Kori leaped in Raven's face and yanked the book out of her face and ran with it. Raven got up and chased her. In the mean time, the other three got the buckets filled them with water and tried to sneak up behind Raven.

"Kori! Give it back!!"

"Hee hee!" Raven finally grabs the book again. But Kori is still smiling.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Hee hee. Them." And with that someone yanked off her cover-up and soaked her head to toe. Her head was matted to her face just like everyone else now. She opened her eyes to find them staring at her.

"What?" She sounded a bit peeved.

"Nothin' Kori just knows how to pick a bathing suit that's all." Gar states. Raven blushes hard as she looks up.

Kori had picked out a black and blue lace halter bikini with little ties in the side of the bottom piece.

At this point Raven was extremely embarrassed. Luckily her bandage is water proof.

"You gonna get in the water now Rave?" She shakes her head trying to clear her face. Gar had had enough. He picked her up bridal style and made his way towards the beach.

"Gar! What are you doing?!"

"You're getting in the water wether you like it or not Rave."

"I don't like it! Put me down!" Garfield is surprisingly strong. Raven can't get our of his grip for the life of her.

Garfield plops Raven down in the shallow water and it ends with a large splash and laughing from their friends.

"See Raven? It's not so baaaad!! Oof!" Raven sweep kicks him and he falls on her.

More laughter.

"Raven! I'm already wet!"

"Ever hear of a thing called revenge?" Gar rolls his eyes and tries to get up.

"Are you two ok?" Kori asks.

"Yeah I guess." Gar answers

"Ok then! I shall go back to the blanket!" Then as soon as Gar gets up Kori pushes him back down into Raven.

"Kori!" The two say angrily. But Kori has already pranced away back to Dick and Vic.

Little did they know Vic asked her to do that.

But it was Dick's idea first.

Possibly revenge for him trying to get Kori and Dick together relentlessly.

Oddly enough, Gar landed on top of her again. This time it was right on her. Almost the same way she had pinned him against the wall this morning.

"Get off of me Gar."

"Uh..." Part of him didn't want to. Raven sighed and closed her eyes.

Simply throwing him off was the easiest solution.

So that's what she did.

"Aaah!" Now he was laying next to her in the water.

She got up, got two buckets, filled them with water, and dumped them on him.

Now they were in a water war of their own.

"I'm gonna go get some pizza." Vic says. "Tell me who wins."

"My money is on Gar." Dick says.

"I am going to have to go with Raven."

Vic put on a shirt and walked through town to get to the pizzeria.

I guess I'll just get a plain pie. But I want pepperoni... I'll get two then!

"Hello sir! What would you like today?" The woman at the counter asks.

"1 large cheese pie and 1 large pepperoni."

"Today if you get two large pies you get a holiday discount of 50%."

"Aww yeah! Pizza half off!"

"So that amounts to $22.69."

"Ok. Here." Vic gives her a twenty and a five and she gives him his five back. She hands him the pies. "Uh ma'am, you gave me my five back." She nods.

"Have a nice day!"

"But-" she winks at him and walks away.

Ooooh.

He happily walks out the pizzeria to find a large group of people running down the street.

"Hey! Slow down!" They ignore him and keep going. He doesn't get a good look at any of their faces as they rush past him.

Huh. Wonder where they're goin'.

-•-•-•-

"Hey guys I'm back. Who won?"

"Raven!"

"Ugh."

"How much did you bet?"

"50 bucks."

"I can buy a new necklace!"

"Uggghh."

"Why are they just laying in the water like that?"

"They got tired."

"Yo Gar! Pizza!" Gar snaps his head up and runs back to the blanket.

"Pizza!" Raven slowly follows him.

"Dick was betting on you man. He lost 50 bucks to Kor."

"Sorry dude."

"Yeah whatever." Kori's face looks like a child's in Easter.

As soon as they start to eat Raven looks at the water. Have they really been there that long? The sun is getting lower in the sky too.

As much fun as Raven is having, she feels like something is off.

"Wow it's already 3 pm dudes." Gar says.

"Seriously? No wonder the sun is so low." Dick says.

"I love sunsets and sunrises." Raven says.

"I can tell. You're always staring at it." Vic says as he chomps down on a slice of pepperoni.

"Just reminds me of stuff." She says. "I'm going to go to the bathroom." Raven gets up from the towel.

"Alright. It is a bit far though. You might just wanna go back to the house." Raven nods and grabs her keys.

She slips her flip flops onto her feet and leaves, completely forgetting about her cover-up.

Coming out from the appartment, Raven feels strange.

I haven't had this much fun in a long time. But why can't I shake this weird feeling that something bad is going to happen?

As soon as she locks the door.

"There she is!" Raven didn't even need to turn around.

Instead she bolts back to the beach.

"Leave me alone!"

"Grab her!" Now they're close enough for the others to hear.

"What's that?" Vic asks.

"Raven?" She comes around the corner running. Before she can grab anything one of the goons behind her grabs her.

"Let me go!"

"Leave her alone you mean people!" Kori's insults aren't very effective.

They yank off her bandage.

"See? Markov was right!"

"Markov? Terra?" She ratted us out.

"Woah Raven what's that?" Vic asked referring to the gem on her head.

"Woah woah woah what is going on?"Dick asks. The guys manhandle her like some cheap doll.

"Don't listen to them!" Raven screams.

"Hey! Let her go! She hasn't done anything bad! You're the guys who keep chasing her!" Gar defends Raven.

"Yeah!" Kori agrees. Raven looks down.

"Please don't say anything." Raven hopes under her breath.

"So you haven't even told your so-called 'friends' who you really are huh? Despicable."

"She did! She hasn't done anything."

"Why don't you tell 'em? If you do maybe we'll let ya go?"

"Raven it's fine. You don't have to say a thing."

"Leave me alone!!" She whips around and lifts them up by the neck. Her eyes start glowing again.

"What the-? Raven!" Dick shouts at Raven. She instantly snaps out of her anger just like she did with Gar. The goons fall on the sand with a loud thump.

"Ok, Raven, what's going on?"

"Dick!" Gar is still very much on Raven's side.

"Yeah kid, why don't you show them your clever little disguise?"

Fine.

Raven's eyes glowed as she started to change her appearance.

Her hair grew long and black, her skin went from grey to a fair pale, and her eyes morphed into a light blue.

"Hey isn't that,"

"The description from the news? Yes. My fake name is Rachel Roth, and I'm supposed to be in a mental institution."