Raven Read online

  "A hero," he answered.

  It figured. "Yeah, I got that part."

  He punched me in the stomach and aimed to grab my arms, latching onto one of them. I turned around, making his arm twist awkwardly and forcing him to loosen his grip. It was probably better to put some distance between us. I wasn't sure how many more of his punches I could endure.

  "What are you, really?" I asked again as he flew at me, dodging my fireballs.

  "I'm only a man. Who wants to help people."

  I sighed. "That's quite noble," I said, dodging a punch and continuing to fall back. "Still not what I meant."

  This was going nowhere fast. I'm not sure what I expected honestly, asking him straightforward like that. Did he have any abilities, like me? He just kept throwing punches.

  "Come on, don't you have anything better than that?" I taunted, sending more fire his way.

  Falcon growled and kept swinging at me. I kept out of his range as best as I could. He was swift and easily caught up every time I did get too far away. Finally I turned and started flying away as fast as I could.

  "Catch me if you can!" I said, cackling.

  "You're not getting away!" I didn't dare look back. His voice sounded dangerously close. "I won't let you!" He said, and I barely registered that his voice was in front of me now before I barreled right into him.

  Both of us were stunned for a moment. I recovered first though, and swung a punch at him with all my might. Falcon went flying downward, and I didn't stick around to see if he hit ground or recovered from the blow.

  I flew up into the clouds, away from the sirens and chaos. Well, that hadn't gone quite like I'd wanted. I was no closer to figuring out anything about Falcon. At least I wasn't pent up anymore. Kind of hard to be, since practically every bone in my body ached from Falcon's fists.

  * * *

  When I walked into chem class, Chayton was already at our table. I approached, sat down, and took out my book, and not once did Chayton look up at me or smile.

  I was surprised when he spoke. "I'm really sorry," he said quietly.

  "I told you not to say you're sorry," I replied, opening my notebook and staring at the blank page instead of looking at Chayton.

  "I meant because I upset you."

  "Whatever." I stubbornly stared at my paper more and started twirling my pencil.

  "I didn't mean to."

  "Well, you did." I took a chance and looked his way, meaning to glare at him to drive it home. My glare failed to form when I saw the look on his face—it was the same pained look as before. Why did it make my chest ache to see it again now? I didn't care one way or the other about Chayton, and I certainly didn't care if I'd hurt his feelings. He was the one who started it.

  "Give me another chance. I want to understand you."

  He wanted to understand me? That was pretty ironic. "Fine. Just…stop looking at me like that."

  "Like what?"

  "Like a hurt animal. I can't stand it."

  Chayton chuckled. "I didn't realize I was doing it."

  "Yeah, okay." I averted my gaze, stomping down the thought that I'd actually missed seeing him smile. I reminded myself that the only reason I was actually going to tolerate his presence for longer was because, just as Chayton wanted to understand me, I still hadn't come to understand him yet.

  I tried not to look at Chayton during the lab. Now he was smiling too much. Had my agreement to give him another chance—at what I wasn't entirely sure—really made him that elated? What was this thing, exactly?

  After class he walked out beside me. "Want to go somewhere and study together?"

  "I guess." Knowing him, he'd probably just end up talking and asking me more questions rather than getting any studying done.

  "Great!" We walked to the library. "I'm glad we can still be friends," Chayton said as we took a seat at an empty table.

  Is that what we were? Did I consider Chayton my friend? I hadn't thought about it. I'd never had a friend. "We're friends?"

  "Yeah, of course. Aren't we?"

  "I guess."

  That made Chayton smile wide. "Will you tell me more about yourself?"

  "What for?"

  "So I can know you better."

  I wasn't sure how I felt about Chayton wanting to know me better. If I did tell him more about me though, he would likely say more about himself, which I was very interested in. Figuring out what made him tick was still high on my list. Falcon's origin was number one, but Chayton's motives were definitely a close second.

  "What do you want to know?"

  "Anything. I want to know everything about you."

  He wanted to know everything?. One thing at a time, I suppose. I couldn’t tell him everything, especially after my recent escapades, and if I never chose to tell him about that…well, that was my choice. It's not like he'd ever figure it out anyways.

  "Well ask me something then."

  "Okay. When's your birthday?"

  "November third," I replied.

  Chayton smiled. "Mine is February fourteenth."

  "Wait…isn't that Valentine's Day?" Not that I'd ever had a Valentine. People always made a big deal out of that day though, despite that it was obviously nothing more than a marketing ploy.

  "Yeah," he said, chuckling. "What's your favorite color?"

  "Orange," I said immediately, then added, "Red, too."

  "Two favorites? I like that. Mine's purple."

  I shifted in my chair and wondered if he'd noticed my eyes. From a distance, they appeared to be black. If someone were to look at them closely though, they'd find they were actually a deep violet. Something else I'd inherited, ostensibly from my father. Who knows?

  "Avari?"

  "Hm?"

  "Did you know your parents?" Chayton asked.

  "No." I looked down at an untouched book on the table—weren't we supposed to be studying?

  "I'm here, if you want to talk about it." He didn't apologize, didn't try to touch my hand, and when I glanced back up he wasn't looking at me like he felt sorry for me. At least, not like before. There was just a hint of sympathy in his features.

  Could he truly understand what I'd been through? No one had ever tried. Chayton was the closest anyone had ever come to beginning to get me. Perhaps he really would understand.

  "I don't know…" There really wasn't much to tell. The thought of actually sharing the whole story with someone scared me.

  "If you change your mind, the offer is always on the table," Chayton said. "I really do understand what it's like. When I was little, I didn't fit in anywhere. My parents died in an accident, and I was so young I barely understood what happened. Other people around the reservation pitched in at first, but I was mostly alone. I had no other family. Chala, this lady who ran an antique shop, helped me the most. She let me work in her shop, and made me meals. We were really close." He paused and swallowed. "But then she passed away too, and I was alone again."

  "At least you had someone." I couldn't imagine what it would have been like to have people who cared for me when I was a kid. If I had even just one person, what kind of difference would it have made? Would I be a bit less cynical, and more like Chayton?

  He nodded. "I miss her. Everyone else kind of forgot about me. Not her though. She always made time for me." Chayton smiled sadly.

  "Do you blame them, for forgetting about you?"

  "Not anymore."

  I looked at him curiously. This was unexpected, coming from Chayton. "So at one point you did?"

  "Yeah. I blamed everyone else for my problems all the time. I thought it wasn't fair that they all had their families and homes, and I had nothing."

  "Really?"

  "Really," Chayton echoed.

  "So what changed?"

  "Chala came along, and told me to stop blaming others for what I don't have, and to focus my energy on what I could do to better my situation instead. As time went on, I realized that she was right. No one was to blame for what happened."

  "You were lucky," I said. A whole lot luckier than me. "At least you had someone there for part of your life."

  For me, it was different. My mother died giving birth to me. That could've been the fault of the hospital staff, or my father for being irresponsible in the first place and passing something along in his genes that made me different, something that maybe was too much for my mother during birth, and led to her death. Then there were the many other people who had treated me like I was worthless. I blamed everyone—even myself—for how I'd turned out.

  7

  I sat in the park, trying to zone out the hustle and bustle of the masses of people gathered there. A few careless kids at play had bumped into me within the first few minutes of my arrival. So many people. So many kids. It was kid's day at the park, or something. There were games and vendors set up all over the place.

  Falcon was supposed to be making an appearance.

  Since Falcon hadn't responded well to my inquiries whenever I'd drawn him out—which in hindsight wasn't that unexpected—I decided to try another route. His aim being to turn Raven in, he hadn't wanted to engage in the conversation I was trying to have with him. It's possible he didn't even realize what exactly I had been asking him.

  From the moment Falcon became visible, descending into the park, it seemed all eyes were on him, the adults just as rapt as the children at the sight of him. People looked at him with awe, wonder, and amazement. Kids exclaimed, "It's Falcon!"

  I frowned.

  Had he really done something so great, to deserve this love and adoration? Maybe catching robbers and saving cats from trees was a bigger deal than I thought.

  Falcon smiled and waved as he landed. The second he touched ground, the children all flocked around him. He did his best to acknowledge them all, giving them pats on the head and autographs and letting them hug him.

  It made me cringe. I was suddenly glad that as Raven, I was on the opposite end of the spectrum. No kid would come up to Raven wanting to hug him. Not unless they wanted to catch fire.

  I kept watching from a distance. There was no way I was getting close with all those people. Soon enough, the crowd started thinning, and in the way of children, interest moved on to something else cooler than a superhero.

  I moved in as soon as I saw that interest dwindle, before he could leave.

  "Falcon." He looked in my direction. "I want to ask you something." I thought I saw his smile waver.

  "I have to get going, good citizen. Maybe another time." Falcon spread his wings out.

  "But I came all this way," I said. I wouldn't let him just go. I couldn't. I'd dealt with crowds and kids just for this and I wasn't about to just let him fly off. "What are you? I need to know."

  "I'm just a man," he replied.

  "That answer isn't good enough," I said, growling. "Why do you have wings?"

  "I'm sorry," Falcon said, turning away. "I have to go."

  He flew off before I could say or do anything more. I was in plain sight, so I had no way to chase after him. Well that was a bust. Damn him.

  It looked like returning to the more violent approach would be in order then. Until I got the real answer to what Falcon was, I couldn't stop.

  I left the park with that thought. I'd done more research on Falcon, and all I'd been able to find out was about this appearance today of his. No other clues. I needed more to go on, to know more about what else he could do.

  The moment I found a place out of sight, I removed my shirt, unconcealed my wings, and flew off. Falcon had shoved me off, and it had me seething. There was a good chance Falcon was still nearby, and I could probably grab his attention in no time flat as Raven. I felt in my pockets and sighed when I realized I didn't have my mask, meaning Raven time was out of the question. Another time then. And next time, maybe I'd get some real answers.

  * * *

  I was in the middle of studying when my phone rang. It was Chayton.

  "Hi," I answered.

  "Hey. How are you?"

  "Fine," I said. "I was just studying."

  "Good. Are you free this weekend? I was thinking we could go somewhere off campus. There's a place I'd like to show you."

  "I guess so."

  "Great! I'll see you then."

  I wasn't sure what he wanted to show me, or what he really got out of spending time with me. Getting out a little couldn't hurt though. For some reason Chayton considered us friends, at least for the time being, and while it was only natural he'd want to do things with me, I was still waiting for the moment that would change.

  I met Chayton outside the student center on Sunday morning. "So, where exactly are you taking me?" I asked as soon as I was in speaking range.

  Chayton smiled. "You'll see. Come on." He gestured for me to follow.

  I walked with him, frowning when I realized he'd led me to the station. "Oh, no. I'm not going on that thing." Public transportation and me didn't get along too well. Too many people all crowded close together. I shuddered at the thought.

  "How do you get to places then?" Chayton asked, chuckling.

  Usually, avoiding this type of thing wasn't a problem for me. I flew where I wanted to go. That still wasn't something I could tell Chayton though. "Not like this."

  "It'll be fine. I promise."

  "Yeah, you say that. But how do you know?"

  "I know," he said, smiling. "Trust me."

  Did he realize what he was asking of me? To actually trust someone… I wasn't sure if I'd go as far as to say I trusted Chayton. If he really thought that the perils of public transportation wouldn't kill us though, I guess it was worth taking a chance. I'd come this far. I sighed and resigned myself to the oncoming torture.

  "If anything happens to me on that thing it'll be completely your fault, you know."

  He laughed. "Fair enough."

  I let Chayton lead the way, since I had no experience with this method of transportation. We paid for our tickets, and boarded the crowded car once it arrived. I sat beside Chayton, glancing wearily at the people as they filed in, quickly reducing the amount of space. My personal bubble started to feel invaded almost immediately, despite none of the other people even being within arm's reach. Were the walls of this thing always so close? I took a couple of deep breaths.

  When we started moving, I made a startled noise, luckily not too audible. Enough for Chayton to hear though.

  "It's okay," he said. "Just focus on something else."

  Something else…like what? My eyes scanned over the other people. There were some young kids engrossed in their phones, an old lady mumbling to herself, and several other people filling the seats, none of them concerned with anything around them.

  I fidgeted in my seat. "How long do we have to be on this thing?"

  "It'll be over before you know it."

  "Not soon enough."

  It definitely wasn't soon enough. We transferred through another station, and after that we had to take a bus to this destination of Chayton's, which was somewhere in the vicinity of San Francisco, I'd gathered that much. Getting my bearings was harder from ground level when I was used to a bird's eye view of the city. I figured out soon enough from the signs where we were headed, and when Golden Gate park came into view, I knew for certain.

  "So why this place?" I asked as we stepped off the bus and started going down the walkway. Pedestrians and bikers were out in full force today with it being the weekend, making walking more of a chore than I cared for.

  "Have you ever been to the tea garden?" Chayton asked.

  "No. What is that?" I glanced at him curiously.

  "You'll see. It's beautiful."

  We continued through the park. I forced myself to focus on following Chayton, ignoring everything else. Close by the museum, we came to a tall entryway styled like a pagoda.

  "Come on," Chayton said, urging me to follow him.

  I walked with him under the pagoda entryway and into the "tea garden". We paid for our entry and proceeded further in. A stone path led in two directions, their exact destinations shrouded by the greenery lining the walkways.

  "Which way?" I asked.

  "Doesn't matter," Chayton said. "It loops back around."

  We walked around the garden in silence. I took in the various plants, rocks, and sculptures with minimal interest. Eventually it did loop back around as Chayton said, and then we went across to the other side of the garden, which had large ponds full of flower topped lily pads and numerous koi fish swimming around beneath the surface. In the distance there were two red shrines towering above the trees.

  "Do you want to go to the shrines or the bridge first?"

  "The bridge, I guess."

  I followed him along the path, staring at the "bridge" when it came into view. How much of a bridge it really was, I was uncertain. Much too steep to just walk over, it looked more like something kids in a park would climb up.

  "Want to go on it?"

  "Is it safe?"

  Chayton chuckled. "Of course it is. Come on."

  I climbed up the ladder bridge with him. He sat down when he got to the top, and I followed suit. Chayton leaned on the rail and gazed ahead.

  "It's beautiful here, isn't it?"

  "I guess." It really was quite something. I wondered why he wanted to take me to this place in particular.

  "It's really beautiful when the cherry blossoms are in bloom."

  "Why did you bring me here?" I decided to just ask, since that's all that was on my mind.

  "I like to come here to think, or when I'm feeling down. It feels like another world here. I thought you might like it too. It's a nice place to get away."

  I preferred much bigger bridges. This was kind of nice for a change though, I supposed. "What gets you down?" I had to ask because Chayton feeling truly down wasn't something I'd seen, and I wasn't sure that such a thing existed.

  "Lots of things."

  "Like?"

  "I don't know just… I'm always expected to do and say certain things, to do the right thing. Sometimes I just wish I could get away from everything, and be someone else for awhile."