Fan Fiction ❯ A Story of X ❯ The Rewards of Stealing ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Teen Titans are a registered trademark of DC Comics, so sadly I do not own them… TT equals owned, me equals pwned…

The city was basked in a lucent glow as lightning flashed across the night sky. But just as soon as it appeared, it was gone, such as the nature of lightning. No, there was no moon glowing down upon Jump City this night. No peace and tranquility to ring silently in the air. No, tonight Mother Nature decided to cover this coastal city with a blanket of clouds, the fury of lightning and thunder, and tears of rain. And when it rains in Jump City, it rains hard. Yes, the only ones that would be sleeping tonight were the heavy sleepers.

Once again, lightning cut across the sky, giving light to the stone gargoyles of Wayne Manor. Thunder soon followed its brother, seemingly to give these eerie creatures of the night voice.

To a thief, this kind of night could be the perfect time to strike, but to Red X, this rain was an unwanted occurrence. Sure, he could have waited for the next night when it wasn’t raining, but he wanted to get this job done as soon as possible. He wanted to put a smile on Raven’s face and nothing was going to get in his way. That girl had gone through so much, X couldn’t wait to make her happy. So much for being the self-centered thief. But this was someone he didn’t mind stealing for, other than himself that is.

‘Ok, first rule when getting a gift for that special girl. Never steal the gift, especially an expensive one. Those things can be tracked easily and could knock you down a couple notches in the girl’s view. Instead, steal money from some rich little SOB, and then use the money to get the gift. Cant trace stolen cash too well.’

The black clad thief stood on the balcony of the Wayne Manor. Drenched in the rain, he walked briskly towards the door that would lead him inside, towards his goal. Plus, getting out of the rain would be an added bonus.

Red X grabbed the handle and pulled it a little, to see if it would give any. To no surprise, it didn’t budge. X just shrugged it off.

‘Meh, no biggy.’

In a blink of an eye, the teen had vanished and reappeared on the other side of the glass door. Either out of instinct or just to be a pain in the ass to one of the owners of this lavish estate, X shook his body wildly like a dog that had just gotten out of a pool of water trying to free himself from the wetness that clung to his suit. His head, his arms, his legs, all were drenched and all soon would be free from the rain. X smirked at the little mess he had just created.

‘Screw subtlety, I’m in, I’m out, quick job. No one will be the wiser.’

With the stealth of a cat, or a thief for that matter, Red X crept along the silent halls of this extravagant building. His target was some kind of safe, but with no idea of where his target lay, X got to take in a little more of the sights that this house had to offer.

Masks of all shapes and sizes stood on podiums everywhere. These ghoulish things looked like they came from every corner of the earth, and was freaking the hell out of our thief. Not as much as when he first found his own mask back in the warehouse, but pretty damn close.

Weapons which seemed to have come straight from the feudal era of Japan adorned the walls. Swords, flails, axes, spears, nagitas, katanas, nunchaku, and other weapons that X couldn’t identify were everywhere. Hell, there was even a full authentic Samurai’s armor encased in glass next to a rack of blades.

But one of the oddest things was that there were multiple paintings and sculptures of bats. From the simplest fruit bat to the terrifying vampire bat, and everywhere in between and beyond, bats seemed to dominate this home.

X just gave a skewed look at the strange and odd possessions as he roamed silently through the estate.

‘Uh… obsessed much? Damn, these guys are freaking rich. Hell, rich is an understatement, though I’m not exactly sure of any other way to describe it.’

The thief turned the corner and was greeted with the sight of a massive library. Books upon books upon thousands of more books were everywhere. Shelves filled with literature towered toward the heightened ceiling.

‘Oh, I know. Filthy stinking rich! Oh yeah, I’m a regular Robin Hood now. Stealing from the filthy stinking rich and giving to the less fortunate. Only difference is I don’t have to wear those stupid green tights. I mean seriously, who in their right mind would wear green tights? Instead, I get these nifty black tights. Hey, wait a second. How come I don’t get some guy to follow me around like Little John followed Robin Hood? That is so totally unfair.’

While X was grumbling to himself over the comparison of his life to that of a fictional character, but a cool one none-the-less, he stumbled into a vase. The priceless artifact wobbled off balance and then tumbled off of its pedestal.

‘Oh sh-’ With a quickness that even surprised himself, the teen reached out for the falling object. Barely catching the vase with only his fingertips, X stopped the artifact’s decent, saving it from an untimely demise. With a readjustment of his grip, Red X placed the vase back on its rightful perch, letting out a puff of air in relief.

‘Whew, that was too damn close. Once again, thank you speed enhancement. I should really learn to pay more attention rather then letting my eyes and mind wander though. After all, there is no point in waking my victims up before my job is done.’

A flash of lightning and a crack of thunder resounded throughout the structure, leaving X in complete and utter shocked silence.

‘Though uhh… if that doesn’t wake anyone in this place, nothing will.’

After breathing again, and with a little hesitancy, X began to move. No stupid thunder or lightning was gonna keep him from his prize. Though in hindsight, he was a little worried that the thunder had awakened someone in this large house. After all, the echo effect could really do a number in this place. But then again, if that was indeed the case, X would just simply switch on his cloaking device and go about his business. But he would worry about that if or when that time came.

X turned another corner to see, yet again, another hallway with multiple doors branching off of it.

‘Good God! How big is this place? I swear, I need a freaking directory with a little “You Are Here” sign to help me navigate this place. At least last time I had a freaking clue with the voices and crap. But this time… ugh.’

As the teen in black traversed the empty hall, he noticed a room that gave him a bit of hope. It was a study room. It looked like your typical home office room. A desk with a computer and lamp on top of it with some papers piling up. A fire place that was at this time not active sat off to the corner where a picture of an elderly couple was hanging above the mantle. An old grandfather clock rested against the far wall, and to no real surprise to X, there was a painting of a bat close by.

‘Oh yeah, this guy is definitely batty.’

Red X strolled to the center of the room and surveyed his surroundings, scratching his chin in deep thought.

‘Now… if I were a safe filled with cash, where oh where would I be?’

To answer his question, X’s wandering eyes fell upon the portrait of the elderly couple. He smirked at the sight. The thief reached up to the side of his mask and activated the X-Ray vision. To his dismay though, there was no secret space where a safe would be hiding. His smirk fell from his face and melted into a disappointed frown. He sighed out of despair.

‘Well, this bites. And here I thought I found my prize. Where the hell does this nut case keep his safe?’

His saddened eyes fell from the portrait and glanced once again around the room. He was about to leave when he spotted the bat painting. And remembering how much bats dominated the décor of this place, X figured that was a big freaking clue.

‘Oh, you have got to be kidding me.’

Red X glared at the painting as he reactivated his X-Ray vision. And low and behold, behind it was the safe he had been searching so hard for.

‘No doubt about it, this guy is freaking batty.’

Our favorite thief pulled the painting to the side to reveal the safe. It had a duel opening system, a turn dial and a keyhole. Either way would open it.

‘Pfft. Screw the dial. I’ve wasted enough time wandering around this place looking for this safe. I’ll just pick the lock, grab the goods, and scadaddle.’

With a flick of the wrist, a crimson shuriken appeared in X’s hand and he went to work on the lock. A wiggle, a jiggle, a pull, a push, to the left, to the right. Over and over Red X rotated the shuriken, trying to pick the lock, until…

‘Bingo!’

A crack of thunder sounded through the halls as the old grandfather clock stroke midnight, sounding off the hour with twelve consecutive gongs.

X jumped, completely startled by the sounds. He clutched at his heart out of fright.

‘Its okay Kale, nothing big. Just some thunder and some dumb old clock. Nothing to get your tights in a bunch over. Just, breathe.’ X let the air pass through his lungs, letting the calming sensation take over his jumpy state of mind.

With that little ordeal over with, X went back to work. He smiled with glee as he opened the door of the safe. His smile grew in size at the sight of his prize. Stacks of money lay before X, all for the taking. Obviously this wasn’t all of the Wayne fortune. After all, who would be stupid enough to keep all of their money in one safe? But it was enough for X to be happy.

‘Perfect. There’s enough for Raven’s gifts, and even some left over for me, for all my hard work. Well alright, jackpot baby.’

After Red X had grabbed all the money he wanted, he returned the safe door and the painting to their rightful positions. X then turned on his heel to leave, but suddenly froze.

‘Wait, how the hell do I get out again? So many twists and turns. This place is too freaking big!’

He sighed.

‘Ah screw it, I’ll just teleport out of here. God, I swear I’m gonna have nightmares about bats for weeks.’

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

RIIINNG!

The second bell had rang, students were either back in their classes, or in the cafeteria. If they were roaming the halls by now, a teacher could catch them and trouble would surely ensue. And no one really wants to get in trouble at school, now do they?

Today’s lunch was a little less unbearable than usual. Though when it comes to school cafeteria food, is it ever good? Kale had just exited the line with food tray in hand. Normally, this would be the time when he would get his condiments and head to his usual table and sit all alone until the lunch period was over.

But today would be different. Not only was he sick and tired of eating alone, he had a certain someone in mind that he wanted to talk to and sit with. The girl, Raven. He had made a promise to try and make her life a little better. He had taken the first step by getting the money to help in his quest. Now he had to find her and actually get her to talk to him. She may still be a little sore with him after that whole locker room fiasco.

Kale scanned the massive lunch room, searching for Raven, but he couldn’t seem to find her. Was she not here today? Kale hoped that wasn’t the case. He wanted to try and help her as soon as he could. Kale searched around again, hoping he had just missed her. With hope and a prayer, he turned his gaze to the far corner and there his eyes fell on Raven. She was here today, and so Kale’s plan was kicked into action.

Okay, how nervous would one think Kale is at this moment? He was about to walk up to a girl, a cute girl even in his eyes, and try and talk to her. Now, the males of the world know that trying to talk to a cute girl can be rather difficult at times. Unless of course you have all the right moves and can talk to any girl you want. In that case, good for you. Now, add in a bit of shyness on Kale’s side and maybe just a hint of anger on Raven’s and you got yourself a problem. But never the less, Kale swallowed his fears and approached the girl.

Raven sat in her usual cross-legged fashion, and to no surprise was reading a book. But from the looks of things, she was nearing the last page and was about to finish. How could someone who seemed so intelligent get in so much trouble? And without even seeming to care. Kale couldn’t even begin to fathom this.

Just as Kale had seen, Raven had finished reading, for she laid the book beside her. She reached over to her back pack and began to rummage through it. She sighed in defeat it seemed as she stopped rummaging and glanced back at the book she had just finished. With another sigh, Raven picked up the novel and began reading it again from the very beginning. She was out of books, and with nothing to alleviate her from boredom, Raven just began rereading the very book she just finished. What perfect timing for Kale.

‘Heh, okay Kale, this is no big deal. You’re just gonna talk to a girl. Okay, so you never really have talked to a girl before, well except for mother and probably a ways back when I young. But hell, what better time to start? Oh boy, I’m in way over my head here. But this is no time to back out. There she is, here goes nothing.’

With a big breath, Kale let his worries go and went for it.

“H-hey uh… is this seat taken?” Kale asked Raven as he pointed to an empty chair across from her.

Raven glanced up from her book to see who it was that had decided it wise to interrupt her reading. It was the boy who had seen her almost naked in the locker room a couple of days ago. She glared up at the boy as he stood there with a very nervous look on his face. This was the second time he had tried to say something to her after the locker room. It was admirable, Raven had to admit, but it was a little annoying. She could hear whispers from some onlookers, and decided to try and end this little meeting as soon as possible.

“Yes, this seat is taken,” was Raven’s only reply.

Oh, there’s a confidence booster for you. Shot down, right off the bat. Yeah, Kale was a little distraught, but that wasn’t going to stop him. But where was this inner strength to keep going coming from? By now, Kale would have high-tailed it out of there. What was driving him he wondered.

“Are you sure? I could swear that this seat isn’t saved for anyone. You usually don’t let anyone sit with you, am I right?”

“Well, you got that right, so why are you still here?”

“Cause all I want to do is talk.”

Raven didn’t want to believe it, but she knew that was all he wanted to do. He wasn’t trying to play any kind of sick joke or anything, she could see in his eyes that he was being sincere. With a gesture of the hand, Raven motioned for Kale to sit. The whispers around them increased, but who cares what they think. Screw ‘em.

A smile came across the teen’s lips as he sat his tray and back pack down. Kale quickly set himself down and began to stare at Raven. She noticed his staring eyes and cocked a brow.

“Well…?”

“Look, I tried to say this before, but you kinda ignored me. So I’m gonna try again. I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Sorry for what? Sorry for accidentally seeing you in the locker room. That was totally an accident, I swear. Some big guy, Victor, just shoved me. And seeing how small I am, I gave no resistance, whether I wanted to or not. And I’m sorry for staring at you while in there. I tried to stop, but me being a stupid guy and all, things can be rather difficult and-”Kale was cut off abruptly when Raven reached over the table and placed a palm over his mouth.

“Okay, I get it. You’re sorry. Apology accepted. But you don’t have to start blurting everything out in the open so everyone can hear though.”

“Yeah, I guess I did go a little over board there huh?” Kale rubbed the back of his head while smiling as Raven just groaned. “So look, we never really got off to the right start, so lets start over. Hi, my name is Kale Riley, nice to meet you,” he said while extending his hand towards Raven.

She stared blankly at the outstretched hand, then at the boy himself. He was truly different from some of the jerks she had had to deal with in past schools. He wasn’t faking kindness just to hurt her later on. He was earnest in his kindness, and Raven could tell. Kale was the first boy that was actually sincere to her. Raven smiled slightly at this thought as she took his hand and shook it.

“Raven. Raven Roth.”

“Raven eh? That’s a pretty cool name.”

“Oh don’t be sly. You heard my name during detention role call.”

“Hehe, oh yeah. Guess you got me there.” Kale smiled sheepishly as he laughed a little at his own seemingly stupidity.

Raven covered her mouth with her hand as she stifled a giggle. As hard as she tried, it was just impossible to keep up her cold front around this kid. He just seemed so upbeat. And truthfully, Raven was enjoying his company. Since her first day at this school, no one had tried to approach her and actually tried to start up a conversation. Raven didn’t like to admit it, but she didn’t like being alone. She had enough of that at home, keeping herself up in her room away from her father. A friend would be nice to have, and Kale seemed like he could be that friend. Raven had seen some of the things he had gone through, with Dick and his crew picking on him. He too seemed to be alone in this world. Maybe all they both needed was a friend.

Raven smiled at these thoughts as she instinctively looked back at her book. But as soon as she did, she frowned slightly realizing it was the book she had just read. Sure, rereading books can be fun, but after a while, it gets a little old.

Kale noticed the sudden sad look in Raven’s amethyst eyes.

“So, I guess you’re outta books for the day huh?”

Raven only nodded subconsciously in response.

“Well, have I got the remedy to that,” Kale said as he reached for his back pack.

Raven gave the boy a questioning glare as he dug through his belongings searching for something in particular.

“Now, I know I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. Plus, I felt like I kinda owed ya after seeing you in the locker room. So I went out and got you a little something.”

“What are you ta-”

“Aha! Here it is.” Kale retracted his hand from his pack to reveal that in his grasp was a book. And from the looks of it, it was a really extensive looking book. It may even have been one of the largest pieces of literature Raven had seen.

Raven just stared at the novel, then up to the boy holding it.

“W-why did you…?” The girl couldn’t even finish her sentence she was so overwhelmed.

“Ah it was no big deal, think nothing of it. I found some extra cash just laying around. And like I said, I felt like I owed you.” Kale held the book out for Raven. Her expression was priceless and it brought a smile to his lips. “Go on, take it. Its yours. A gift from me to you. To new friends, to new beginnings.”

Raven reached out and gingerly took the book into her hands.

“Yeah, the book is called Of Azar. I read the back and its totally cool. Its about this female sorceress who is trying to fight her destiny. You see, she was the daughter of a human mother and a devil. She was sired for the sole purpose of destroying humanity and the whole world itself. And on top of that, to bring her father to the physical realm of the living so that he could rule all that exists. But she has a good heart and tries to fight and deny her destiny and the evil inside her. But will she succeed? Heck if I know, I haven’t read it. But it even got me interested in reading it, and I don’t read books that often. Unless of course its for school. And even then it barely happens so that’s saying something about this. So have you heard of this book?”

“Y-yes I have. Critics give it two thumbs up, and excellent read.”

“Well sweet, looks like I picked a winner eh?” Kale said with a triumphant look on his face.

Raven looked up to Kale with a somber expression.

“Thank you. I feel bad though, I don’t have anything to give you.”

“Oh no need, you’ve already given me enough,” Kale replied with a happy smirk at past memories.

Raven gave him a playful glare.

“Hehe, sorry. Male hormones talking there,” Kale said while waving his hands in innocence.

Raven giggled slightly at this boy and his silly reactions. She brought her eyes to the book and gently let her finger tips caress the letters of the title. This was one of the nicest things anyone had ever done for her. Raven could feel a tear coming to her eyes, but she pushed them back. She hadn’t felt like this after the passing of her mother.

A lock of Raven’s purple hair fell out of place and covered her amethyst eye. The girl pulled the loose strand aside as she raised her head and let her gaze rest upon Kale. This kid was truly something else and Raven smiled at the fact that she had just made a good friend.

Kale couldn’t help but smile back at Raven. And even if he didn’t want to, but of course he did want to, it would be impossible to hold it back.

Now, what on earth could ruin such a happy moment? Better yet, why should anything ruin this moment? Well, to put it simply, no matter where these two went, trouble always seemed to find them. Its just inescapable. And at this very moment, trouble was about to make itself known. Or to put it better, himself.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here then? The social outcast, and the moody little bitch… together. How touching.”

Now, its true that no one had come up to Raven when she first arrived at this school and tried to be a friend and hold a decent conversation. But, that doesn’t mean someone hadn’t come up to her and tried to flirt with her right off the bat. And obviously, knowing Raven’s status and reputation by now in this school, that first meeting wasn’t too pleasant.

Malchior Blair was what one might call a player. But most just called him Mal, cause lets face it, Malchior is a pretty dumb name anyway. With pale blonde hair which was almost white, piercing crystal blue eyes, and a little mascara around said beautiful eyes, this kid could get any girl he wanted. And to say the least, he usually did. Though once he had gotten what he wanted from them, Mal would drop the girl like a bad habit. And any girl who thought it was to refuse him, this blue eyed beast would do his best to make that girl’s life a living Hell.

“So, it seems the dark girl has actually go a boyfriend,” Malchior snickered. “Nice choice, the ‘brightest’ of the bunch huh? More to your personal tastes? So typical of you. Word is your father is a numbskull and you choose a numbskull as a boy toy. Being a clueless ditz must run in the family.” Mal suggestively sneered with a pompous jerk like stare. “Speaking of which, how is that bitch of a mother doing these days?”

Kale’s eyes widened in horror at the vile words spilling out of this kid’s mouth. What the hell was his problem? Did he realize exactly what he was saying? Did he know Raven’s mother was dead? Although, the only reason Kale knew this was because he had overheard Raven’s father yelling at her when he was in his X suit. But this was just plain harsh, whether Mal knew this fact or not.

Kale looked over towards Raven and his heart instantly broke at the sight. Raven had her head hung low, her hair drooping over her face, but not before Kale saw a little moisture forming in her eyes. She clutched the book he had given her close to her chest, with both arms wrapped tightly around it.

“Heh, nothing to say? Pfft, figures, know your kind.”

Raven just sat there, taking it all, just like Kale had seen her do when her father badgered her. This wasn’t right, and Kale wasn’t going to stand for this any longer.

“Hey Goldilocks, ya might not want to strain yourself with all those insults,” Kale said as he stood in a defensive manner. “All that sweat could cause your mascara to run, and we wouldn’t want that to happen now would we?”

Mal was a little stunned to say the least. No one had ever talked back to him. And of all the people it could have come from, it came from the most unlikely of all sources. The spineless loser of the school.

“Oooooh, since when did the pathetic loser get a backbone?”

“Oh I found it this morning as a prize in my box of cereal.”

“Ah, a funny guy too huh?”“Not as funny as the idea of your teeth getting knocked in if you don’t leave Raven alone.”

Okay, stunned is no longer the word to describe the sated Malchior was in. shocked beyond all belief was be better. This was definitely different. Being stood up to was one thing, but being threatened? Well that was completely new. From the looks of things, Kale was ready to deliver on this threat too. And as much as Mal hated looking like a fool, he was dangerously allergic to pain. Though, aren’t most of us?

Malchior was fuming and glared at Kale, but the boy didn’t even flinch. With just a slight hiss, Mal turned on is heel and briskly walked away.

“Heh, I guess his bark is worse than his bite, cause he doesn’t even have a bite.” Kale turned around and looked back to Raven. “That jerk said some pretty nasty things. You okay?”

“Why?”

Kale skewed.

“Why? Why what?”

“Why did you do that? Why did you stand up for me?”

“Well, I couldn’t just sit back and let him say those kinda things to you. Besides, it was about time someone put that jackass in his place. I just never thought the person to do it would be me. But putting that aside, you gonna be okay?”

Raven’s face was strained from holding back emotion and her beautiful purple orbs that were her eyes were a little red with just a hint of wetness at one of the corners.

“I’m fine. After all, they were just words anyway. No big deal, really.” Raven choked out the words.

Kale wasn’t buying this façade, not for a second.

“Look I-”

RIIINNG!

Kale’s intended comforting words were cut short by the bell. lunch was over, and it was time for the students to clear out of the cafeteria and go to their classes. Kale looked back to Raven and held her by the shoulders.

“Look, if you ever need anything, I’ll be there for you. After all, what are friends for? Now, I gotta ask again, just to make sure. You sure you are gonna be okay? A good friend always asks more than once to be absolutely positive.”

“Yes, I’m fine. You don’t have to keep asking,” Raven replied with a little bit of her cynical tone. Kale smiled at this.

“Alright, just checking. Now, I would love to stay and talk with you for the whole day, really I would, but school demands that we get back to class. See you soon though, I promise.” Though Kale didn’t want to leave, he knew he had to. With a wave, a wink, and a smile, Kale grabbed his backpack and headed back to class.

Raven stood there for a moment longer, still clutching Kale’s gift to her close to her chest.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything.”

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Kale drummed his fingers atop the plastered wood surface of his desk. As the tips of his fingers continued to tap softly against his desk, the sound it brought was drowned out by the surrounding noise of his classmates. Normally by now, history class would have started up and all the students would be silent in their seats barely staying conscious as they listened to the continuous ramblings of their teacher.

But today was different.

Apparently their history teacher, Mr. Warp, had taken a leave of absence only the day before and a new replacement teacher was brought in. Rumors had already stared up saying that he had quit, or that he was fired. Still other more absurd rumors circulated around like Mr. Warp had been abducted by aliens planning on taking over the world by replacing meat with some kind of strange alien substance. Another wacky rumor said that he had created some kind of time machine and traveled back in time to steal priceless artifacts of the past to make himself rich. What a wild imagination these kids have. And all of these rumors just stared this morning, and already it had spread throughout the entire school.

Kale really didn’t care about the gossip that invested this school. It was all mindless jabber anyway. But, it was still amazing that he had actually been aware of them. He never got told anything. But it still didn’t matter, they were only rumors after all.

So now that Mr. Warp was gone for who knows how long, a new temporary teacher would be brought in to take his place. And strangely enough, due to the gossip level of this school, nothing had been said about the new teacher. Or if it had, Kale probably was left out of the loop of information and kept in the dark… again.

The teen sighed in aggravation as his fingers began to rise and descend upon the desk a little heavier than before. This was just getting absurd. It had been at least seven minutes since class had begun, and there was still no sign of the teacher. And when there is nothing to do, the minutes can drag on forever. Okay sure, history wasn’t exactly the most exhilarating of all classes. Hell, it was one of the most boring classes of all. But anything was better than just sitting here doing nothing. And besides, the sooner the teacher got there and started class, the sooner it would be over.

“Hey Joto, when do you think the new guy is gonna show?”

“I don’t know Timmy, I’m not a freaking psychic… though that would be cool.”

“Ugh, how many times gave I told you? The name isn’t Timmy. Its Tim, Tim Drake. God, how hard is it for you to remember that?”

“Not as hard as we’re gonna make it for the teacher’s life when the guy shows up. You know what I’m saying?”

“I heard that! Sweet, high five!”

“You know it!”

‘Ugh, shut up. Just shut up already. God, we’re in high school for crying out loud. shouldn’t hazing the teacher be past us by now? Only idiotic juveniles do that anymore. Oh wait, I forgot who I was talking about, Tim and Joto, the class clowns. I swear, I’m surrounded by idiots.’

Kale went cross-eyed for a second as he crossed his arms on his desk and buried his face into them.

‘Okay then, any time now teacher. Sometime before I die of boredom would be gre-’

Kale’s thoughts were rudely interrupted as a pencil soared through the air and connected with the back of the teen’s head. Kale sighed once more as he didn’t even need to look up from his relaxed position to know exactly who had flung the pencil at him. As his lack of luch would have it, Dick Grayson was sitting only a couple seats behind him.

‘Cripes, who made my class schedule this year anyway? Satan? I swear, I’m stuck with one of theses losers every class. And speaking of tortures, do I have a big sign on my back that says “Biggest loser of the school, please feel free to harass me”?’

The thought to actually check to see is such a sign existed crossed his mind, but he thought better of it and decided against it. Instead, he lazily lifted his head from the confines of his arms and glared back at the sunglasses wearing Dick.

‘Hmph, he must have gotten a new pair after I swiped the last ones. God, what is up with him always wearing those infernal things? And how many of those does he have? Wait, I don’t even want to know the answer to that last one.’

Dick casually turned to the side and began to scratch his cheek methodically with only his middle finger.

Kale groaned at the pathetic way of delivering the finger. He could at least have the decency to just flat out gave it to him. But no, Dick had to do it in some snobbish way, maybe thinking Kale wouldn’t catch on.

‘What, does he think I’m stupid and cant see it? Gah never mind.’

To retaliate for Dick’s childish act, Kale responded with one of his own. Sure, he could take the high road and simply ignore Dick. But Kale was finding out it was much more fun to get back at his enemies. Kale took his tormentor’s pencil in hand, aimed skyward, and flicked the tool upward, impaling it into the ceiling tiles.

Satisfied with his handiwork, Kale let a flicker of a grin pass before his mouth curled into a full grown smile and turned back to Dick. This time it was the other boy to glare. Kale was actually enjoying every second of this and in response, he pulled down on his lower eyelid and stuck out his tongue.

Now, Dick was shocked to say the least. Being one of the most popular kids in school, no one had ever had the audacity to do such a thing to him. The nerve of that guy, how dare he. Dick’s glare only intensified with these thoughts. The loser would pay, sooner rather than later.

All actions stopped though, for the door to the room slowly creaked open.

‘Sheesh, its about time.’

The door opened fully and the class got their first look at their new teacher. He wore slightly baggy blue denim jeans with an untucked white button down shirt. His hair was that of the color pale blonde and was short and a bit ruffled. A shaggy hint of a beard covered his chin with a little stubble here and there. But what most of the students were staring at was the eye patch that covered his right eye. He had a sense of uncertainty around him as he walked briskly from the doorway and towards his desk.

“Heh, sorry I’m late class. I kind of got lost on my way back from my lunch period.” He smiled nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck. The class was completely silent and the teacher chuckled nervously trying to break the dreadful silence.

“Uhh… okay then. To begin, my name is Mr. Wilson.”

“Mr. Wilson? Hey, what’s your full name? Wilson Wilson?” Tim Drake blurted out.

“I don’t think so Tim,” Joto answered after a slight pause for dramatic tension. There was silence before the two jokesters smiled fiendishly and burst into fits of laughter at their little joke. Other kids began to laugh as well getting the comical jest their classmates had just pulled. Mr. Wilson gave a skewed look before he too began to laugh at the joke made at his own expense.

“Hahaha, good one “Mr. Borlan.” Ah, I see you have shaved and you’re not wearing flannel. And “Mr. Taylor”, where is your oh so famous tool belt?”

Tim and Joto stared at the teacher and then at each other with slacked jaws in total disbelief. The realization that Mr. Wilson was playing along with their joke donned on them as the edges of their lips began to curl upward.

“Hey “Al”, it looks like ya lost a little weight.”

“Yeah it does “Tim.” But I gotta ask, why aren’t you grunting?”

The entire class erupted into laughter as the simple joke just seemed to be snowballing. The fits of laughter soon died down though as the hype was finally coming to an end.

“So Mr. Wilson, what is your first name?” a pink haired girl decked out in punk clothing asked. The teacher’s good willed expression faded away at the question and it grew to something less jocular than it was moments ago.

“Well, I’d tell you, but then I would have to kill everyone in this class,” Mr. Wilson replied with an ice cold tone and a stern look. The entire class grew silent, not knowing what to think. The teacher’s stern expression however softened into a cute little smile and he chuckled slightly.

“Heh, just kidding.” His response was accompanied by the peace sign. The silence of the classroom was deafening as everyone just gaped at their new teacher. This was not normal teaching behavior. But then again, Mr. Wilson didn’t seem to act like a normal teacher.

“This guy is a riot! Way better than boring old Mr. Warp. I say out with the old, in with the new. Welcome to the class Mr. W!” Tim shouted out.

A few of the students began to cheer, one would think school itself was being canceled. It was official... this was going to be one awesome kickback class. Everyone was so busy and caught up in the moment that no one notice the evil sneer that flickered across Mr. Wilson’s lips. But as soon as it appeared, it was gone. Couldn’t blow it so soon.

“Alright now class, settle down. We’ve had our fun. Now, I think its time we get things started with some introductions. I’ve told you my name, now its your turn.” Mr. Wilson scanned the room, over and over again, as if he was looking for someone in particular. His eyes came to rest on Kale as a smile came to his lips.

“You young man, do you mind introducing yourself?”

Kale skewed at the question. It was odd that the teacher had chosen him first to give his name. He wasn’t the first person in any of the rows, he wasn’t even in the front row. I fact, he was more towards the center of the classroom. How very odd. He didn’t even ask for role call and try and get the names that way. Kale continued to think on this strange fact, but decided that answering him was better than complete silence.

“Kale. Kale Riley.”

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Raven pushed her back to the door as she closed it firmly behind her. Her father had once again yelled at her after coming home from school. This time, it wasn’t even for any particular reason. He was just yelling for the sake of yelling. Raven wondered if her father actually enjoyed yelling at his only daughter.

Life had always been rough for the purple haired girl. But at least back in the day, Raven had her mother to look after her and help by comforting her when her father was acting like he always did. But now, her mother was gone. The safeness that Raven felt had disappeared and had faded away.

A bit of moisture formed at her eye as a tear began to fall. Thinking about her loving mother always did this to Raven. The girl hurriedly wiped the tear from her face. She hated acting like this, so weak and helpless. She wasn’t like this, or at least she didn’t want to be. The pain was there, and it would always be there.

Nothing would take away the pain that loomed over her, but Raven had found someone that could help ease the pain. A friend in which to confide in. Even though they had only really just met today, Kale was already becoming what she needed. A true best friend.

He had actually stood up for her against that Malchior brat. No one had ever don that for her. Even though she didn’t like the fact that she didn’t stand up for herself and came off looking like the damsel in distress, she was glad Kale was the one that helped her out. No one had ever been that kind, not since…

Raven shook her head, trying to forget. She didn’t want to dwell upon such sad thoughts. She didn’t want to seem weak. She sank to the floor slowly and wrapped her arms around her legs with her chin resting on her knees. Raven closed her eyes and just sat there, trying to forget it all, to let it all go. All she wanted was for the pain to just go away.

Her thoughts were broken as a light tapping on her window brought Raven back to her sad reality. The noise resounded again and Raven couldn’t help but wonder what it was. She got up from her position on the floor and crossed her room to the window. Out into the world she looked, but there was nothing there that could have been making the sound. With a sigh, Raven lowered her gaze but quickly gasped at the sight her eyes beheld.

There, sitting on the window sill was necklace with a piece of paper underneath it. Raven opened the window carefully, as to not knock the precious thing off the sill, and grasped the necklace and paper in her hand. She let the jewelry hang before her eyes to examine it closely. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship to say the least. It was golden raven with wings encircling a large encrusted red jewel. Raven stared, completely in awe of the gorgeous necklace.

Raven skewed though as to who had gotten this for her. It was obviously quite expensive. No one she knew could have even come close to affording this. Well, there was that Dick fellow, but he was a jerk and he already had a girlfriend. The piece of paper that was under the jewelry may provide an answer to her question. After all, it was there with the necklace.

With great reluctance, Raven let the gold and red piece of jewelry fall from her eyes so that she could examine the paper that came with it. It was a note she noticed, actually a poem, written in crimson ink.

“Something pretty for pure beauty, know that someone cares for you surely. -X-”

Raven stared blankly at the note then at the gift she had received. This X person had called her a beauty, something no one had ever actually said to her. Raven never really thought of herself as beautiful, there were so many other better looking girls out there. She was just plain. But this X didn’t seem to think the same as she did. She blushed slightly at the thought of this. She had a secret admirer, but who could it be? Could it possibly be Kale?

Raven shook her head at the thought of that. Why was his name the first to come to mind? Sure, they were friends, but she didn’t think Kale liked her in that sort of way. But if not him, then who?

Raven gasped as she brought her hand to her mouth, remembering something from a few days back. The so called attack on the popular kids by that masked person. He had called himself Red X. He had even gone as far as to blow her a kiss, which was something Raven never saw coming. Could that person be the X that left her this gift? The girl held the gold and red necklace before her and gazed upon its beauty.

Raven blinked. For a girl's whose life had been full of contempt and coldness, Raven felt like things were finally starting to look up. A new friend... a masked admirer...

"I guess there really is a first time for everything..."