Are you afraid of the dark?

The lights were out. It was, after all, part midnight. Everyone was asleep.

She flicked the switch, turning the light off into her room as she headed out.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hall of the silent tower. She couldn't see a thing; her eyes were still trying to adjust to the sudden and stifling darkness.

The only thing that kept her from crashing into the various objects and furniture lying around was her memory of the place. The movement, the direction was all embedded in her mind. And muscles.

It was so dark. Pitch black almost. And quiet. She reached the end of the hall, moving quietly down the flight of stairs; her feet touching down gently on them, they were ice-cold. She noticed the shadows in the small sliver of light dancing around, flailing; it looked like hands. She held her breath, looking up slowly.

It was only the tree branches whipping about, blown by the fierce winds.

She moved quickly down the rest of the stairs, taking a quick right turn and found herself face to face with a shadowy black figure. She muffled a scream. It was simply a reflection of herself in the mirror. In her haste she had taken a wrong turn and entered the washroom. She quickly walked out, avoiding the mirrors, her gaze averted onto the ground.

She walked quickly; her breath quickened.

Finally, she had made it into the kitchen. She slowly reached up and grasped the handle. The cupboard swung open, her fingers curled around her favourite teacup. She took it down ever so carefully and touched the boiler. The water was still hot. She rummaged around for her tealeaves, grabbing a small handful and dropping them into the cup, promptly pouring surprisingly scalding water into it.

She gazed down at the tealeaves, swirling on the surface of the water. She gripped the tiny cup with her two hands; it was warm to the touch.

She stood there, leaning against the counter, for minutes. Just listening to the pitter-patter of raindrops and the howling wind. She moved gracefully, almost as is floating, to the window. She rested her forehead against it, staring at the trails of water that the drops left in their wake on their way down, distorting the view though the large windowpanes that made their wall.

She stayed there for what seemed like an eternity, not thinking anything really. Just watching. Watching the world outside.

She heard a small thump and whirled around, almost dropping her teacup. She glanced around. There was nothing, and no one there. Never the less, she could not help but feel a sense of uncertainty and apprehension and a growing sense of reluctance to return to the safe, familiar confinements of her room.

She narrowed her eyes slightly, scolding herself for being so diffident.

The dark was what she was supposedly accustomed to. Comforting. One of her most prominent character traits, wasn't it? Then why was she so afraid of it? The unknown? The gnawing fear that never left no matter how she tried to dispel it.

She was supposed to love the dark, to embrace it. She was the dark.

But who was she kidding? Other than the whole world who recognizes her as the personification of her one true fear?

Who?

That is the question she never dared ask of herself. She had always tried to convince herself that she was what everyone thought her to be. Raven, the dark mistress of magic. Raven the Goth girl. Raven, the creep who lives in the darkness with her freaky books and the dark clothing and the black magic. Raven, dark, dark, dark… dark.

Who?

She then realized the real answer; the right answer. The truth.

She heard breathing. Soft. Quiet.

She turned around once more, to check her surrounding. Not that she could see much in this black room.

" Boo!"

She screamed. She screamed like she'd never screamed before, dropping her teacup, which smashed into an infinitesimal number of pieces. But she was past caring that she had just broken her favourite teacup, past caring that the hot liquid had splashed over her exposed ankles, past caring about the pain. Past everything except…

She fell silent. And everything faded away.

---

Then she felt arms lift her up from the ground to where she fell and lay, she felt them wrap around her. Then she felt the sofa beneath her as she was set down.

" Raven?" he whispered meekly.

She did not answer. She couldn't.

" I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… but I didn't think that would…" his voice died away, shame echoed in his now deep, mature tones.

Silence.

Again.

She slowly opened her eyes, rising to a sitting position, still tense. She blinked twice, trying to see well in the darkness.

" Raven? You okay?"

She still did not answer.

" I'm sorry. I didn't know you would be so scared…. I never though you were afraid of…" His voice died away again. He would wait until she was ready to give him the answer. He would wait, just like he always waited. Waiting forever. Waiting for her.

A hand rested upon his lap as she shifted beside him. His breath caught in his throat. Then her head rested upon his shoulder; her body pressed against him tightly, as she curled up into his side.

He reached up to stroke her hair, another arm looped around her body to keep her as close as possible to him. " I'm sorry," he whispered again.

They sat there for hours, unmoving. Dozing off a little.

As the sun began to rise, a red glow crept it way past the horizon. Dawn stretched its long fingers across the sky, pushing the darkness away, until there was nothing left and leaving the trail empty for the quickly brightening rays of sunshine.

They watched in the same silence that had stayed all night.

Then she angled her face to se was gazing at him straight in the eye, she spoke, her voice softer even than the wings of a butterfly.

" Don't tell anyone."

He gazed back, a bond never felt before sparking between them.

" I won't."