Fan Fiction ❯ Circus Summer ❯ The Next Day ( Chapter 2 )

Disclaimer: I really hate writing these things. That having been said, I don't own any of these characters, and never will, but that doesn't stop me from writing this stuff. Also, if anyone has any complaints about the way I handle this….complain in a review or something. Fair warning, but this is a copy and paste disclaimer to save me time.

 

 

 

 

 

The sun was out and shining, though the ground was damp and wet. It had rained during the night and today was the day that most of the performers had off. A few kids were still hanging around, though, hoping to get to see some behind the scenes action, and maybe get an autograph or two. And since it was a day off, Richard Grayson was still In bed, snoring as loudly as one could, while his parents had gone out for a while.

 

Once it hit ten o'clock, though, his peaceful slumber was interrupted by a loud ringing sound. An alarm clock that was positioned near his head, and that was loud enough to make him hop out of bed, and also fall on his butt.

”Well….OW,” he commented sourly, standing up after a moment and going for the small freezer, rooting through it to bring out a can of juice, and an apple. He took a small bite from the second, and set about opening the first. “Ah, another day, another wasted opportunity…” he added, yawning and stretching his arms back over his head. His hair was down over his face, as he had not yet applied his hair gel, and his emerald green eyes were a bit bloodshot from his uneven sleep.

 

As he finally opened the can and started sipping on the half-frozen juice, he pondered what he was going to do today. The first thing that popped into his head, as well as the second, third, and forth, was to go see Raven. So he went off to where he kept his clothes, and pulled out a red t-shirt with green sleeves, tugging it down over his head. This one was one of tighter ones, as he had owned it for a few years, it being one of his favorites. Then came a pair of dark green slacks, and his boots. Then he started applying his hair gel until his messy hair was standing back upright like he usually had it.

Smiling with satisfaction, he picked up a small pair of sunglasses and put them on to shield his eyes from the harsh sunlight. It was when he opened the door, however, that he received a bit of a shock.

 

Standing there on the other side was a girl taller than him, with long red hair, and a complexion that looked slightly orange, and eyes greener than his, wearing a red sweater and a pair of jeans. There was a silent pause for two seconds, then the girl squealed and lunged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a huge hug.

 

“Ack!”

 

 

*******

 

 

Raven was awake; she had been for some few hours now, reading one of her books and attempting meditation…it seemed like that besides being with her friends…friend…all that calmed her was meditating, repeating the same three words again and again, until she felt her mixed-up heart settle down.

 

She was wearing a black t-shirt that clung to her tightly, as it was too small for her, but she was too proud to ask for another one, and a pair of tattered old blue jeans, and a pair of socks. In one corner was a large poster, with a dark figure wearing an all-black costume except for grey gloves, and two red x markings, one on the chest, and the other on the white skull marking on the mask, and with large words saying RED X on it. The rest of her trailer was Spartan, with a small television set and a DVD/VCR combo she was given by Dick for Christmas the first year they new each other, saying that if she was going to stay in all day, she might as well watch some movies.

 

She smiled slightly at the memory, and at the red-and-green sweater he wore that day, with a large brown reindeer on it.

 

`God, that shirt was stupid…but he wore it anyway because his mother gave it to him….' She frowned then. `I wonder what my mother was like…or my father….I also wonder…why do I look like this….'

 

Sighing in frustration, she stood up and walked over to the freezer, and stuck her head inside for a moment, her hair slowly starting to freeze a little as she sighed happily. “Ahhh…that feels goooood….” She murmured, before hearing some voices outside her trailer.

 

“Dudes….I think we're lost.”

 

“Gar…if we're lost, it's your fault.”

 

“Chill, Artie…”

 

She blinked all four eyes, then opened one of her window coverings, and saw three boys, the same three that had been wandering around last night, talking amongst each other. One of them was holding a large box, and fussing with it.

 

“I don't see why we couldn't just leave this in the car….”

 

“Man, I told y'all we ain't leaving no box of meat in my car in this heat.”

 

“So bringing it with us was smarter? I mean, where exactly does this thing go to?”

 

“I think it says to the lion tamer.”

 

“Dude…this is the last time we deliver a package together….”

 

“Shut up, man; all she had to do was blink her eyes, and you were all `let's go, guys!'…”

 

Raven blinked a little, and put a hand over her mouth, laughing a little at the boys, which attracted their attention.

 

“Oh, man, it's that girl!”

 

“She's laughing at us!”

 

“Well, you two geeks ARE pretty funny.”

 

“VIC!!”

 

She laughed again, then leaned out the window. “The Lion Tamer's to the left of this trailer here, guys.”

 

The blonde kind went red in the face, and started twiddling his fingers, while the large redhead laughed, a sound kind of like hysteria. “I told you so!”

 

“Fine, fine….”

 

She smiled a little, then went back into her trailer, and took out a pair of sandals, being unable to find her shoes under all the mess, and slipped outside, pocketing her keys as she did, humming a little and walking forwards, towards Dick's trailer. That was when she saw him holding onto a strange girl - well, not so much as strange as a different girl - and felt her heart sink down into her shoes, she turned to go, but he spotted her.

 

“Raven - Wait!” he waved, finally getting the girl off of him. “What's wrong?”

 

“Nothing…” she lied, growing cold. “Who's your new…friend?”

 

“I…don't know yet. She was there when I opened my door, and she just have me a huge hug….” He rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed and shuffling one foot.

 

“Oh…” she replied lamely.

 

The redheaded girl walked forward, and blinked those large green eyes. “I am Kori…what is your name, strange red-skinned girl with four eyes?” She extended a hand, blissfully unaware of the surprised stare Raven gave her.

 

“Uh…I'm Raven….” She replied, shaking the hand a bit numbly. `Is she really that naïve? She's not even blinking at me…most girls make faces or throw things and call me names….'

 

Dick blinked repeatedly, then slapped his forehead. “Oh, geeze….she said in her letter she was coming to visit….but I completely forgot about it.”

 

“You'd think you would have remembered that, Richard….” Her voice grew harder, and using his full name meant that, in his experience, he was in big trouble. He shuffled his foot some more, and smiled nervously.

 

“Uh…yeah…you would've….” He managed to reply, under the withering glare of all four of her eyes. He shrank back then, all while Kori watched, giggling and clapping her hands loudly.

 

“Oh, you two are so adorable!!!”

 

 

*****

 

 

After about another ten minutes, the three amigos dropped off the large parcel, and were sitting down, breathing heavily and mopping their brows.

 

“Man, did that really have to take so long?” Artie whined for a moment, for he was breathing the hardest as he was the heaviest. Gar shrugged, and took a sip from a soda he had with him. Vic rolled his eyes, and stood up after a moment.

 

“Well, if Gar here hadn't gotten us lost….probably not…” he said, cracking his shoulders and smiling a bit. The blonde shot him a dirty look, and Artie sniggered.

 

“Yeah…all Terra has to do is bat her lashes at him, and you practically have to use a spoon to scrap him up off the ground…” the large kid put in.

 

“DUDES!!!”

 

 

*****

 

 

Raven had stormed back to her trailer, slamming the door shut and falling down onto her bed, her eyes beginning to water. She closed them, and sniffled a bit, trying to keep her emotions in check.

 

`He's only a boy…he's only a boy…who you trusted for an entire year, and for him to do this….' A voice spoke in her head, trying to rile her up, but she closed her eyes tighter, and pushed it out of her head, finally beginning to calm down.

 

There was a knock at her door then, and she went to see who it was, surprised to see a boy with messy white hair, and a scarf around the lower part of his face.

 

“Mal..chior?” she blinked, tilted her head to the side and trying to wipe away the still-forming tears. The young man had his hands in the pockets of his dark pants, and his white t-shirt had a stylized M on it, and he nodded, his face in a manner like an understanding smile. He was the firebreather of the circus, which was why he kept his face covered…so no one would recognize him.

 

“I saw what happened…thought you might need a shoulder to cry on….though I know you don't do that often, milady…” he smiled again, closing one eye partially, his bangs mostly shielding his face.

 

“I guess…that'd be okay…”

 

 

*****

 

 

Dick had managed to pry Kori off long enough to go looking for Raven, but not a trace of her did he find. He sat down on a bench, looking depressed, when he heard the squawking of a duck. Blinking, he looked over and saw the circus' resident magician, the Amazing Mumbo, practicing, still in his blue stage makeup and tuxedo, his top hat perched on his head.

 

“Silly ducks…” Mumbo chuckled, turning them green with a wave of his wand, and getting a small laugh out of Dick. “Why, if it isn't young Master Richard. And how are you on the beaaa-utiful day?” He pulled a hanky out of his pocket, which happened to be connected to another, and another.

 

“Oh…so-so…I can't find Raven anywhere..”

 

“I think she's in her trailer…” Mumbo nodded, tugging one his small mustache a little, and fixing his hat back on his head for a moment, slipping the hanky rope under it, and making it disappear.

 

“Thanks.” With that, Dick jumped up and jogged back to her trailer, and was about to get ready to knock and apologize when he heard laughter.

 

`Huh…she's laughing?' he thought to himself, before he crept to one of her uncovered windows, and peeked inside.

 

He felt like someone had slapped him with a glove filled with rocks, as he watched Raven and Malchior reading one of her books, the white-haired boy occasionally making a joke, both about the book, and about a certain other person.

 

“He forgot she was coming? What a genius…”

 

She laughed again, and Dick balled one of his hands into a fist, and stomped away to his trailer, and walked inside, slamming the door behind him. This caused someone to eep, and he turned, seeing Kori was sitting there on his bed.

 

“Is there…something wrong, friend Richard?” she blinked at him curiously, before he managed a smile.

 

“No, nothing at all…” he lied, feeling dizzy and sick inside.