"We are full of encounters, encounters without duration and without farewell, like the stars. They approach each other, light seconds pass by one another: without trace, without binding, without farewell."
~Wolfgang Borchert

–•–•–•–

"Kori! Hurry up!" Dick yells from the door.

"I am sorry! I cannot find my backpack!" She shouts back from her bedroom. Koriand'r's green eyes dart back and forth all over the living room looking for her backpack.

"Kori, dude, it's right here." Garfield is standing right next to it near the couch.

"Oh." She snatches it up the backpack and bolts out of the mahogany apartment door. "Thank you Gar! Heh!" She laughs nervously as Dick looks at her condescendingly.

"Remember Gar, milk, eggs and–"

"Yeah yeah yeah Dick I got it." The door shuts as the three teens head for school.

"He worries way too much." He plops down on the couch and flicks on the large, black, flatscreen TV.

"Meow." A tan tabby cat stalks over and under Garfield's hand.

"Oh hey Silkie." He starts playing with Garfield's hair. "You like my hair huh? Just got it dyed. Dick thinks it looks stupid. He's the only one now."

He gets up from the couch and goes over to the mirror on the far side of living room.

"Hey, Vic was totally right! I look nice." He said referring to his hair. He had his ends dyed green last night for his birthday.

"First school and now my hair. Dick can never give me a break. It's my life, I can do what I want, right? It's not like I have any parents to tell me what to do." He looks down at Silkie who just hopped on the table next to him that matches the door. "Look at me. I'm talking to a cat." He looks at his square-faced watch. "It's only 8. Maybe I could–"

His phone buzzes on the table. He hesitates to pick up the phone. He knows exactly who it is. It's the same person who's been texting him for the past month every morning at the same time. But he just can't seem to resist the urge to check his phone in hopes that it wasn't who he thought it was.

Terra. Crap.

Groaning, he reads the text. Hey Beast Boy! Just wanted to see if you've changed your mind!

"Beast Boy? Seriously?" He hasn't used that nickname since he was ten. He replies with a simple 'no'. "Why haven't I blocked her yet?" The answer to that is that he simply can't bring himself to.

He remembers how he made Terra cry, but people applauded him for dumping her. He doesn't like making people cry, but Terra was straight up deceptive and mean. She'd be nice to people then completely backstab them. He didn't want to be a part of that and he didn't want his friends to be a part of that.

He does miss being in a relationship though.

"Ugh. Why are girls so clingy?" He tosses the phone on the couch and jumps over it to sit right back down where he was, messing up his blonde/green hair in the process. "Dang it." He tries to fix it, but something on the flatscreen catches his eye.

"Today, a patient at a mental institution in Oregon has escaped. The police of Ashland, Oregon have asked all places within a 500 mile radius to be on high alert of this patient."

Wonder if Jump is 500 miles away from Ashland? Hope not. Don't wanna be around for this guy when he comes.

"We are not allowed to show a picture, but we are allowed to give a description. Thank you Johnny." Another reporter hands him a paper. "She..." She? "...is a 16 year old girl with black hair and dark blue eyes. Her skin is pale and she is 5 feet, four inches. Her name is Rachel Roth. Be on the lookout and call local authorities if you see anything suspicious. This girl is highly dangerous especially to people her age. If you see her do not approach her and call the police. If you do encounter her try to leave as quickly as possible without making her angry and call the police immediately."

"We're nowhere near Oregon. No way she could get here in less than a day." He flips to a different channel. "Yeah Monster Truck Smashers! Way better than some crappy news story."

Now Garfield had some time to think. Some time to clear his head. With his [semi]recent break up and his life choices, he's had a lot to think about.

Garfield got tired of school. He felt bad that Dick's dad was paying for him to go somewhere he was sick of being. So he decided to drop out. Simple. Solves all his problems, well, most of them. Dick disapproves. A lot. But Garfield won't hear it. Koriand'r and Victor don't really seem to care. Kori actually seems happy since she finally had somebody to watch Silkie while she was at school. Garfield thought of it as a plus.

But that news story intrigued him. If she had only escaped today, why was the news so serious about it? Why 500 miles? If she had just escaped she could hardly get anywhere. Since she was in a mental institution he doubted she had a car. 16? She probably couldn't even drive in the first place. Maybe she is more dangerous than he thought. He knows how powerful 16 year old girls are from experience.

He rubbed his cheek remembering the last time Terra slapped him, and then went back to sleep. After all, he was still only in his PJs.

–•–•–•–

Garfield awoke to an adorable tabby licking his face, purring like a kitten.

"Gah! Silkie! Quit it!" The cat looks to the clock. "What?"

"Uh oh." He runs into his room and pulls his jeans on. He throws the shirt over his head and his black leather jacket over his shoulders. He literally runs into his shoes on his way put the room. He snatches the money Vic left for him on the table and flails out the door like a madman.

The time on the clock said 2:50.

After rushing through the isles in the store he finally got all of what he thinks his friends asked him for. Naturally didn't write it down.

"Now I can just tell them I was running late. Phew." He looked both ways and ran across the street.

Out of the corner of his eye he notices a girl just standing in the middle of the park. He checks his watch, and then his phone.

Vic Stone
Hey Gar. Dick has coding, i got robotics, and Kori is helping at the senior center. Forgot to tell you this morning. Kori will be the 1st home round 4. Hope you got the stuff. L8R

"Now I got time to kill." He grins and walks over to the park and sits on a bench near the girl.

She had on an indigo hoodie, black leggings, and black combat boots. As she moves she takes her hands out of her pockets and he sees a gold and red bracelet. Her movements are slow and hesitant, yet forceful.

Wonder what she's lookin' at?

He looks up and sees what seems to be a small blue jay. Perhaps a baby, or its just abnormally small.

She whistles to try and draw it down from its circling flight path above her. The bird doesn't even falter. She groans and tries again.

"Here let me help you." Garfield gets up and stands beside her with the loaf of bread he just bought. She looks at him oddly but returns to normal as he whistles a few times with bread crumbs in his hand.

The bird lands on his hand and starts to eat the bread.

"Here you go."

"Wow." Garfield smiles. "You're good with animals."

"Thanks." Garfield smiles. He hands her the bird. "What's your name?"

"..."

"C'mon! I'm friendly! I don't bite! Much..." He gives her a sly smile.

She doesn't reply. She merely looks at him.

"Hey you can tell me."

"Raven..." She finally answers inaudibly.

"Huh? I didn't hear you."

"Uh...Nevermind."

All he can really see is her purple eyes, her nose, and her mouth under her hood. From what he can see, her skin is pale. Like grey pale.

"Aww! Fine. I'm Garfield! But my friends call me Gar."

"Garfield?" He nods.

"Your eyes are cool. Hope you don't mind me asking, but are they like colored contacts or something?" She shakes her head.

"That's even cooler! Hey wanna go get some pizza?"

"You're pretty friendly to a person you just met." Garfield shrugs. "Are you always like this?"

"I guess." This makes him think a bit, but he shakes it off. "Do you though? I'll buy! My friends won't be back until like four."

"No." She looks at the bird and gives the tiniest of smiles. But Garfield's keen eye sees it.

"You like animals too? I have a cat at home."

"A cat? At home?"

"Well it's my friend's cat. I live with my other three friends in an apartment across town."

"What's it like? Your...home?" She asks shyly. She doesn't exactly make eye contact with him.

"It's pretty homey. We all have our own room. There's even an extra guest room! Haha! It used to be my friend's father's, but ever since he...uh...kicked him out, he bought this apartment from him and let us all stay there. The dad's nice. He paid for my school tuition, but..."

"You didn't like how he was supporting you? Completely?"

"Actually, yeah. How'd you know?"

"I guess I'm good at reading peopke...You don't have a backpack." She says noticing his empty back.

"I dropped out of school." He says nonchalantly.

"Oh." She looks back at the bird. "Do you like your home?"

"Totally! If not for him I'd probably be on the streets."

"Mmm..." She gazes at him. "Cool hair." She says flicking his single green highlighted strand of hair. He blows it out of the way.

"Thanks!"

"Look, I have to go, Garfield, but since you don't go to school, could you meet me here tomorrow around noon?" His eyes light up.

"Sure dude!"

"Ok." She let's the bird go. It spreads it's bright blue wings in happiness and soars out of sight. "Bye." She stuffs her hands in her pockets and runs away with her head down.

"Wait! What's your name?!" He calls to her, but she disapears into the shadows like a ghost. One moment she was there, and the next she wasn't.

Man I hardly even got to see her face.

There was something about that girl. He couldn't pin point what it was, but there was something. He liked her. She was mysterious, yet she was somewhat friendly. Anyone else would have brushed him off or probably called the police.

Wonder how old she is? Why was she so interested in the apartment?

He was so lost in thought, the phone ringing made him drop all the groceries and almost jump out of his own skin.

"Aww crap!" Luckily nothing broke. A wonder the eggs survived. "Hello?"

"Good afternoon Garfield! I am at the house and Dick has returned early. Vic told him he should be home by five." Kori says over the phone.

"Oh right. I'm coming. I was just out taking a walk in the park. Be back in ten." He hangs up.

"Do you like your home?" Hmm...