Teen Titans: The Eternal vs. Mortal Love Story - Book One

Chapter 39

(Amber's POV)

I found myself thinking that my first night back was my lucky night - I have been struggling to keep my cravings under control.

For me, keeping my entire body and instincts calm and collected was nearly impossible for me to do. I couldn't hunt animals, because I knew it would crush Beast Boy. I was grateful to have blood bags from the stash I had stolen while working with Slade, but I was limiting my intake to show everyone I was in control.

To sum this all up, I was hungry. Every day that passed, I wanted to drain a dozen blood bags to quiet the monster inside. 

My body was much weaker than before, I could feel it.

~

I sighed as I finally added the finishing touches to my new suit.

That alter ego that was Black Dahlia came from the void in my heart, surfacing and turning me into weaponry. As much as I didn't want to admit it to myself, I could still hear her echoing through my thoughts as if she were a separate personality of mine, trying to take over again. 

I stood in the bathroom for a while, changing my hair color. As I examined myself in the full length mirror, I felt a little better, hoping that something as mundane as a hair color change would help me move past Black Dahlia. 

My body was suited in black, wearable and flexible titanium, the exact material Robin has on his suit. My suit was mostly black, but along the spinal area of the suit, blended silver and charcoal came along up to my shoulders, passing down my arms.

I had the effect I wanted. My hands were now gloved, just like Robin's, only my gloves were charcoal. My feet were in a comfortable pair of sturdy black combat boots. I could blend in easily with the night, a lot more nicely than with Black Dahlia's suit.

My straight, blue black hair bounced with every movement I made. It was so rich in color, so deep, that the blue tones really stood out, making my hair look more like an abyss navy rather than a black. My face contrasted with the color, making me look even more zombie-like than I looked with violet black hair.

Maybe it was just me, or maybe it really was the contrast of black and ivory, but I looked haunting, like a dead girl making an appearance as a ghost. 

My eyes bloodshot at the whites, and my vampire veins protruded from underneath my eyes. My fangs were poking at my bottom lip, screaming for a bite into soft human flesh. It was dark enough that I didn't have to worry about the sun. It had set almost three hours ago.

I was considering letting myself be alone with my thoughts when someone knocked loudly on my bedroom door. Snapping my head, I used my X-Ray vision to see through the door. But what I didn't expect was the clarity to be so far off. I could barely see.

Through the abstract haze from my X-Ray vision, I saw a blurry Robin on the other side of my door. Of course...

As I began walking towards the door, I immediately put two and two together, figuring out the reasons for my powers fading. 

My limited blood intake weakened me overall. The weaker I was...the less energy I had to even use my powers. Great. Just great. Now I'm slowly being rendered useless.

I sighed as I reached my door, and opened it slightly, revealing Robin's neutral expression. As soon as he looked at me, he seemed...surprised.

"It smells like...hair dye. What did you do to yourself?" he asked curiously, pushing the door open, taking a look at me. I took a few steps back and let him in, staying quiet. 

"Just a few little adjustments," I shrugged, smiling faintly. 

"You look great," he smiled, "We're going out for pizza, if you'd like to join us?" He asked, staring at me as if asking for permission.