"'No I don't.' Tears start to well in her eyes, but she knows that she shouldn't dare let them leave her eyes. ' I see myself as a ruthless, evil killer who doesn't mind cracking more than a few eggs to make an omelet.' 'Raven...' 'It's true. I just...can't let that part of myself go...'"
~Scruffy447, The Girl with the Indigo Hoodie

–•–•–•–

Raven fell onto the floor stone faced. The men released Gar as they rushed to Karah.

Terra stood idle in her hiding spot, not sure what to do at the moment.

Gar was even more confused than he was before, but he did know one thing, and that's what they were going to do next.

"Karah!" Jackson yelled. "Argh I'll kill you for this!!" He jumped up and bounded for Raven.

Gar knew it.

Terra ran up out of nowhere with a lead pipe, along with Gar and his fists, clobbered Jackson's face from both sides.

"Since when do you know how to fight hand-to-hand?" Terra asks.

"I always have." He replies. The other ones join in and attack them.

The two were clearly stronger than they looked and held them off pretty decently.

He punched left, hooked right, and did an uppercut with his left again. A classic combination. This wasn't his first time fighting like this and Raven could tell. He kicked another one's knee from the front then his other from the side inwards. Then he elbowed him in the head and that one went down. He looked almost like a professional.

Raven still couldn't move. She could easily help them, but she couldn't.

After all I did, and all they've seen they still protect me.

Deep in thought, she doesn't realize what's happening.

Gar and Terra are getting tired. Gar was trowing punches like he never had and Terra's pipe was bound to give them lead poisoning of some degree with its jagged and serrated edges. But they weren't conditioned as Raven was.  She couldn't think of anything else to do.

Being on the offensive definitely was not the way to go right then.

"Forget it! Raven c'mon we have to go!" Gar figured they had gotten enough of them down. Terra retreated as well and helped Raven up. She held her arm, the one that somehow was still dislocated, close to her body with her other arm as they ran to the door.

They were almost in the clear.

Jackson somehow got back up and yanked her dislocated arm. She let out a small yelp but after that there wasn't any indication that there was any pain.

"Oh no you don't! You three are going to pay for this!!" Two other men grabbed Terra and Gar by the shoulders as Jackson severely twisted her arm.

"Stop!!" This wasn't a cry of pain. She knew what she was doing. Black and blue beams flew from the gem on her head and covered everything in the room.

All movement skidded to a halt except for Raven.

He wriggled out of Jackson's grip and looked around.

She looked at Gar and Terra. "I hope I remember how to do this." She out her hand on the left side of Gar's chest, he glowed a bluish-purple and then moved.

"Raven?" She more or less ignored him and went to do the same to Terra. 

"Woah...what happened?" She asked. Terra and Gar wriggled out of the men's grips and stared at Raven. She looked tired. Exhausted even. But despite all that happened. She was calm.

"I stopped time." She stated. Then they noticed that she was holding her arm.

"Raven why are you holding your arm?"

"No reason. Let's just get home." She replies. Gar nods and the two run out the door. Terra stays back though.

"Terra? You coming?" Gar stops.

"To your house?"

"Yeah." He says. She reluctantly follows.

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos." The pieces of the door reform and lock from the outside. "Now they won't be..." she paused. All the pain came to her at once. "...able...to...get...get out. They won't be able to get out." She repeats herself.

"Are you ok?" Terra asks.

"No. Let's go." The no is inauidible.

They turn a few corners and once they Gar enough away, Raven stops. She was running behind the two, so they didn't see her stop.

Her arm was killing her. The pain began to be a contiuous and constant stream of seething pain coursing though the left side of her chest and her shoulder. It was enough to stop her from moving all together.

"Wait..." she called out to them. They stopped.

"What's wrong Raven?" Gar asked.

"I...have...a better..." she couldn't get the words out. After all that time ignoring her arm, she just couldn't ignore it any longer. She basically collapsed onto the wall and slid down it.

"Raven what's going on?" They rush over to her. She quickly gets back up.

"I'm fine. Don't worry. Let's just go."

Terra leads them to the exit and they quickly climb out and out the cover back.

Raven squints as her eyes adjust to the sunlight.

"Well I guess I should go home." Terra says.

"You sure?"

"Yeah. My dad is probably wondering where I am."

"Alright then. See you around then..." Terra gives a tried but truthful smile and then runs off, trying to avoid the police because she's technically supposed to be in school.

Raven remained silent.

"I'm going to teleport us home. Me walking around barefoot in my PJs don't spell well for me."

"When your right your right." He agrees. Raven lifts her hand and encapsulates them in a black ball. Then when the ball disappears they are home.

The clock said 9:01. The whole thing was only an hour and a hour. All those events only took one hour.

A lot can happen in an hour.

She waved her hand in the air and time resumed as if nothing happened.

"Ahh it's good to be home. It's good to have you home Rave. I wonder how the others will react to Terra helping us."

"We can go see Terra tomorrow. I agreed to help her brother."

"Ok." The two sat down on the couch. Being home was weird. She felt like she hadn't been there in forever. "Did you get any memories back?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Mhm. I got all of them back thanks to Terra."

"Wait...really?! How?"

"Terra's apology triggered something I guess."

"So you really remember everything?" She nodded.

"Including the park just before I left." Gar blushed. He was hoping she'd remember that.

"Do you now?" He couldn't ignore his arm though. "Hey, is your arm ok? You keep holding it close to your body."

"I'm ok. Don't worry about it." She darted her eyes to the floor.

"But you don't look ok. You keep doing that." He replies.

"Doing what? It's fine."

"That. Brushing it off. Don't brush it off just tell me what's wrong." He was calm and friendly,

"I said it's fine." but she was getting more serious with her delivery.

"What is wrong with your arm?" Gar he got more serious too since his approach wasn't exactly working. He goes over to her and reaches for the hand holding down the other arm. The right one. She quickly turns away from him.

"I already told you, it's nothing." She replies.

"C'mon Raven. Let me help you at least once more." Gar pushed. She quickly gave in and pulled up the sleeve of her T-shirt.

Her shoulder was badly bruised and it was swelling due to it being dislocated.

"Karah pulled my arm, then other people did over and over again, then Jackson twisted it. My elbow isn't much better." Her elbow was a little swollen as well.

"Jesus Raven why would you try to hide that?!" He says angrily.

"Why would you try to hide that you know how to fight?" She answers calmly.

"Huh?"

"The way you fought back there. Nobody would know how to do that first time. You've had practice. And a lot of it. Why would you hide that?" He remains silent. "I know you have an image Gar. The lax, chill kind of guy that doesn't want to get into anything serious. But that kind of image leaves you highly susceptible to being stepped on. You know what I'm talking about. You've been through it. Being a doormat isn't fun. I know. That's why I learned to fight and I made it known. I haven't gotten stepped on ever since. Why wouldn't you at least tell that to people?"

It took him a while to answer.

"Like you said. My image." He finally answers. "Everyone in this house has a temper. Everyone. And when we get really upset fists can basically fly. I took a lot of classes when I was younger and I still do, I just never tell anyone where I'm going. I don't want to be the one to punch one of my friends if I get too angry, so I made it a habit to be the mediator instead of being the one shouting at the top of his lungs ready to pound someone's face in." He explains. "I just don't want to be the guy known as the kid who punches people just because he's pissed."

"I guess we both have our reasons." She sighed. "I guess I should show you this too. Can you pull up my other sleeve?"

"Uh...whats that?"

"They branded me. It stopped my magic from working on them entirely. I can't heal it because it's magic and it gave my shoulder time to get worse."

"Is that why you haven't healed your shoulder?"

"Well...yes and no. I still don't think I can heal it. At least not while it's dislocated."

"I guess we could wait for the others to get home. I don't know how to relocate a dislocated shoulder. Vic has had one before. And Kori is studying to be a nurse."

"So I have to wait till they get home? Great." She groaned. "Thanks Gar. I don't think I would have made it out."

"Your welcome."

Then another thought came into her head.

"Hey Gar?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of me?" Her eyes were fixed on his reflection in the black screen of the television.

"What? Why?"

"What do you think of me?" She repeats.

"Honestly?"

"I can tell if your lying so yes. Honestly."

"Alright...your a smart girl who knows when to keep her mouth shut and knows when to speak up. Your strong mentally and physically and you don't let anything really push you over. You can be pretty reserved at times but sometimes that's a bad thing where you hide how you really feel. You like to help others and I love that. That enough?"

"Is that really how you'd describe me?"

"Is that not you see yourself? 'Cause that's how I see you." He smiles, but Raven doesn't smile back.

"No I don't." Tears start to well in her eyes, but she knows that she shouldn't dare let them leave her eyes. "I see myself as a ruthless, evil killer who doesn't mind cracking more than a few eggs to make an omelet."

"Raven..."

"It's true. I just...can't let that part of myself go..." she says.

"You can't. It's a part of you. But you don't have to dwell on it." He says.

"I guess...but it's not me doing it. I know that, but it seems like I'm doing it."

"I know, but your not doing it. It's your demon half right? You'd never do it."

"..." she didn't know what to say.

"How can you still trust me and like me and protect me? After all I've done, after all you've seen, you still fight for me."

"It's cause I know how hard life can be, especially when you can't control yourself sometimes. I've learned to look past the bad things and look at the person themselves, then look at the things that they did wrong." Raven finally reciprocated his smile.

"You really are wiser than your years Gar."

"Touché." She leaned up against him finally being able to relax and let loose.

What did I do to deserve him?

–•–•–•–

You: AHHH!!

Me: What?

You: OMG this is so good but the title of the chapter–!

Me: Ok chill chill. Let me explain.

Alright I know what you're thinking. "No Rachel this can't be the end of the book!!" Well it's not. It's (more or less) the end of Raven's troubles. Granted she still has a few loose ends to tie up but yes, the book is almost over.

But not yet!

And I know, I took a little bit of artistic license with Terra, but I didn't want her to be an antagonist like all the other books. At least not the whole time. I never planned her to be.

I hope you've had a good time reading these chapters. I worked hard on them. Just a few more left then it's over. Then I'll tell you about my new book! Laters!

(Also my updates will be back to being regular now)

~Rae