Raven stood in the open area just outside the alley, staring down at the newspaper in her hand. Her fingers gripped the edge slightly tighter as she looked at the date again.
"No, no, no. How can this be? How can this be 1990? What is going on here?"
She clenched the paper tighter, her voice lower, more strained.
"I didn't sense any magic in that lightning bolt that struck me, yet it transported me to the other side of the world and back in time."
She shook her head slowly.
"No. No, that's not right."
Closing her eyes, Raven inhaled deeply, focusing inward. She reached out with her senses, feeling the ambient energy around her. A subtle frown crept onto her face.
"The magic in the air here feels different. Alien. It feels full of malice and some sort of lingering feeling that I can't identify."
She opened her eyes and continued, this time in a softer voice.
"It's different from my own magic. I can interact with it, feel it, communicate with it—but everything about it just feels foreign and alien to me."
Her gaze dropped back to the newspaper.
"If what I'm feeling is right, then considering my own history, I'm probably not on my Earth anymore."
She threw the paper down onto the ground with a frustrated breath.
"It's one thing after another with my life. If it isn't my father trying to track me down and turn me into a living portal so he can invade Earth. It's me getting transported to another planet."
She let the silence sit for a moment, then muttered quietly:
"But this is different this time. It feels like there's some sort of finality to it—as if I can't go back to where I came from."
Her lips pressed into a slight frown.
"It feels different."
She stood straighter and slowly turned, taking in more of her surroundings.
"So I'm in England. Then it's 1990."
Her gaze drifted across the old cars and buildings.
"I don't know. I feel as if there are forces at work around me that are trying to manipulate me into following a certain direction."
A small scoff escaped her.
"But since when have I ever obeyed the will of destiny?"
Her eyes hardened slightly.
"If I did that, Trigon would have captured me long ago, and I would have been an obedient little daughter to him."
Before she could continue the thought, a man in a police uniform approached. He stopped a few feet from her, his expression gentle but concerned.
"My dear, somebody reported seeing a child here without the accompaniment of an adult. What's going on with you? Are you okay?"
Raven turned to him, softened her posture, and answered calmly.
"Hello, officer. My name is Raven."
He nodded politely.
"My name is Timothy Claremont."
His tone remained kind as he asked:
"Where are your parents, dear?"
Raven slowly shook her head.
"I don't have any parents, officer. I can't remember anything about my past."
She kept her voice steady as she continued.
"I woke up in that alley behind me, and I don't remember anything about my family."
Timothy's expression darkened slightly with concern.
"My dear, did somebody strike you on the head? Do you have amnesia?"
Raven shook her head again.
"No, officer. I feel fine. I just can't remember my past."
He studied her for a few seconds, then asked:
"Raven, do you remember your last name?"
Her breath caught slightly. She turned her head and looked across the neighborhood. Her eyes settled on a cathedral in the distance, its stone spires rising against the sky. A cross at the top of the building glowed in the sunlight.
"Cross. My name is Raven Cross."
Timothy scratched the side of his head thoughtfully.
"Raven Cross, huh? That's definitely a unique name around these parts."
He gave a small motion with his hand.
"Why don't you come with me, dear, to the police station? We'll check the local missing persons reports and see if we can find your parents. I'm sure they filed a report to try and find you."
Raven hesitated. Everything about this world felt wrong—unfamiliar time, unfamiliar magic, unfamiliar surroundings. But if she was going to find answers, this was the best lead she had.
"Okay, officer Timmy."
He gave a light chuckle.
"All right, dear. Come with me to the local precinct."
He took her hand gently, and together they walked toward the station.
A few minutes later, they entered the building. The lobby was clean but dated, with yellowing walls and clunky equipment behind the counters. Another officer at the front podium glanced up and spoke.
"Yo, Timmy, I see you found yourself a daughter while you were out on patrol. What's going on?"
Timothy sighed and replied:
"Come on, Sean. You know I was called out to investigate a child wandering around without being accompanied by an adult."
Sean leaned over the counter and looked down at Raven.
"And your name is, little miss?"
"Hello, Officer Sean. My name is Raven Cross."
Sean laughed warmly.
"Oh, aren't you adorable? I've never seen a little girl like you with blue hair. That's certainly unique around these parts."
He added:
"We've got plenty of redheads, blondes, and brown-haired kids—but never anyone with blue hair. And your eyes are strange, too."
Raven laughed softly, scratching the back of her head as she still held Timothy's hand.
"Yeah, I get that reaction a lot."
Sean nodded toward the back.
"All right, take her back and check the missing persons reports."
"Yes, sir."
Timothy led her into the back of the station. He gestured to a wooden chair in front of his desk.
"Would you like a glass of water, Raven?"
"Yes, Mr. Officer."
He walked over to a drinking fountain and filled a plastic cup, then placed it on the desk in front of her.
"Here you go. I'll be right back. I'm going to check the missing persons reports for someone matching your description, okay, dear?"
He gave a soft nod of reassurance.
"Even if you don't remember your parents, I'm sure we'll find them in just a few minutes."
"Yes, officer."
She took a sip from the cup and tilted her head slightly.
"Hmm. This water definitely has a bit of a rust flavor to it. Probably a pre-modern filtration system."
She sat still, watching him walk away, moving between filing cabinets and quietly discussing with nearby officers.
Join my patreon today to read my patreon exclusive stories like Raven from the teen titans Goes To Hogwarts or Iron Maiden featuring Talia Ivory Stark as the Iron Maiden.
Zero Fall featuring a high school teenager named Crystal Constantine who is the reincarnated queen of Atlantis with the power of ice that can literally freeze time or Rem Of The Remembrance Or my new Yuri Naruto novel featuring a female Naruto and Sasuke in love with eachother with Sayuri Uzumaki now 6 years old starting the Ninja Academy with a gamer system and her.
My new patreon exclusive Fire Fall Embers Of Creation featuring Scarlett Whitmore an immortal vampire with the power of Nirvana Flame. Or read my new story DD: The Immortal Life Of Bibi Dong a patreon exclusive Bibi has lived three lifetimes and has been reborn on the Douluo Continent as an immortal cultivator and soul master.
Join for only 3 to 5$ to read up to chapter 87 of this story in advance today.
patreon.com/everstone