Terra was still running home. Her house was 5 miles away and her lungs were on fire as her body ached from her injuries. But she didn't care. She was on a mission. Her mother had to pay for what she did. For using her as a way to frame the Titans.
The sun had passed its peak in the sky and was beginning its descent to the horizon. It was nearly 1:30PM when she began closing in on her home. She was drenched in sweat. Though she couldn't tell if it was because of how angry she was or from all the running she had just done. But something caught her eye that slowed her run to a walk.
As she got closer she noticed her father's car in the driveway. What is he doing here? He doesn't get off work until 5. He shouldn't have been home for at least a couple more hours. She thought to herself.
Terra continued to catch her breath walking slowly to the door her eyes fixed on the car in the driveway. The closer she got to the door the more she could realize what was happening.
Faint shouts could be heard through the door. She had never heard her parents argue or fight before. They were like the perfect couple. Unbreakable. Built on trust and devotion. The only thing that could have caused a fight like this was something beyond serious.
Terra got closer and her heavy breathing finally started to slow. She silently grabbed the door handle and cracked the door open just a enough to hear her parents more clearly across the room. The screams were so loud is was as if she was standing in front of them.
"What were you thinking?!" Carver yelled, "Do you have any idea what this could do to the entire city?!"
"I had to do something!" Lindsey yelled, "You've been acting like this whole thing was just a big joke! Like it didn't even matter!"
"I have been there the whole time Linds!" Carver shouted, "It's been hell on earth seeing our girl go through this! Don't you dare say this has been nothing to me!"
"Then how could you think this is a bad thing?!" Lindsey retaliated, "I'm doing this to protect our daughter!"
"Protect her?!" Carver's anger grew, "YOU JUST MADE HER A TARGET!"
Lindsey was confused. She didn't know what he meant by this, "A target?" She asked, "A target to who?"
"Are you serious Linds?!" Carver screamed, "Think about it! If the Teen Titans would go to lengths like 'abducting' our daughter then people, powerful people, are going to do some digging and try to figure out why!"
"So what?!" Lindsey shouted, "Our daughter hasn't done anything wrong! She's innocent!"
Carver was about to yell again but before he could the front door flew open and slammed against the wall.
"NO I'M NOT!" Terra raised her voice so loud she made her parents sound like whispers.
Her parents heads whipped around to the door to see their adopted daughter standing in the doorway. She was still breathing hard to catch her breath but it was slow enough to speak without interruption.
"You don't know anything about me!" Terra screamed at her mother, "You have no idea the things I've done!"
Lindsey's went cold. Her daughter and her husband were against her. She felt alone. She felt betrayed. Like no one was grateful for her actions to try to protect the ones she loved.
Carver sighed and walked over to Terra. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder but Terra swat it away still furious with her mother. She marched past her father straight to the kitchen where Lindsey stood frozen.
"You. Don't. Know. Anything," Terra said lowering her voice. She had a fire in her eyes that rivalled the intensity of the sun, "the Teen Titans saved me. They saved you," she said sternly, "and if you must know, Lindsey," Terra said her name as if cursing it, "they saved you..." She raised voice violently, "FROM ME!" Terra's voice was so loud it shook the room as she pointed a thumb from her left hand at her chest. She was leaning forward as if sending her voice at Lindsey like a cannon firing a cannonball.
The outburst from Terra caused Lindsey's legs to buckle and she caught herself on a chair at the kitchen table. She sat down slowly. Terra had never acted this way before and Lindsey was horrified by her.
Caver jumped from Terra's scream. He walked up behind Terra and was about to hold her until Terra spoke up again.
"You wanna know why I snuck out last night to go see them?" Terra asked aggressively, "I knew they could help give me the answers I was looking for. I knew they had something to do with my past. And you wanna know what I learned from them?!"
Lindsey put her elbows on the kitchen table and laid her head down in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. She was sure the Titans were the reason she was acting so strangely aggressive towards her.
"Terra," Carver said putting his hands on her shoulders, "you don't have to-"
Terra shrugged off his hands and interrupted him, "No! She has to know!"
Lindsey looked up from her hands at Terra. She saw tears in Terra's eyes. Lindsey began to see she made a horrible mistake. Whatever was going on, she was starting to see the Titans had nothing to do with it.
"About a year ago... A criminal named Slade took over the city with his apprentice. Do you remember?" Terra sounded as if she were interrogating her own mother.
Lindsey nod her head. She remembered clearly. The entire city had been evacuated as an army of robots lead by a maniacal teen with strange powers marched through the streets reeking havoc.
Terra's eyes started to let tears roll down her cheeks. She was still struggling with the fact she was the one who caused all of that pain.
"It was me," Terra said fighting to force the words out of herself, "I'm the apprentice," Terra clenched her jaw holding back the tears hadn't escaped yet, "You're precious 'innocent' daughter is a criminal and a murderer!"
Lindsey's eye's went wide. She now understood why Carver had been so furious. She really did paint a target on her own daughter's back. If anyone else knew about this they'd be out to lock her up for good.
"How long have you known about this?!" Lindsey said to Carver angry that he hadn't told her.
"I just found out this morning when I took her to school," Carver said calmly.
It was all out there now. Nothing else to hide. Everyone was now part of this game. This battle for peace.
"Well... How do we know the Titans aren't just making all this up to cover up their own mistakes?!" Lindsey said trying to keep the blame pinned on the Titans.
"Oh shut up mom!" Terra said angrily. She knew it was true. Her dreams and the Titans stories couldn't have matched up so perfectly just by coincidence, "I know its true," Terra said with confidence. She paused and looked down as tears started to flow down her cheeks with strength. Terra sighed and said the words she had longed so badly to say... but now they haunted her, "I remember."
Lindsey sat in silence taking in everything she just heard. She still couldn't believe it. But now she felt she made a horrible mistake and now Terra's life was more at risk than ever. She couldn't take it. She broke down and dropped her head to the table wrapped in her arms and broke down sobbing. Everything she thought she was doing for her daughters sake was all wrong. She was wrong. Everything she had done wasn't for Terra's own good. It was for her's. It was for her own selfish intent to keep Terra safe. To keep Terra all to herself. Now she feared she was going to lose the only girl she ever had as a daughter forever. All because of her own actions.
Carver put a hand on Terra's shoulder. Terra was still fighting back her tears but seeing her adopted mother cry relentlessly in front of her made it 10 times harder. She had accomplished her mission. She hurt her mother. Shattered her heart. But for some reason... it didn't bring her the satisfaction she had hoped for. Terra spun around and wrapped her left arm around her father and cried again just as she did in the car earlier that day.
Carver wrapped one arm around her and walked her to the table where Lindsey sobbed and put his other arm around his wife. This family was broken. It was the first time their family found themselves at war with each other. Tensions couldn't have been worse between them at this point. It would take more than time to heal these fresh new wounds.
Terra came to the realization that the worst was not yet behind her. It had still yet to come.