Out of the Darkness

In the first few hours after we returned to the agency, we took note of everyone who had died, so we could hold funerals and contact their families, all while Raven rested.

“Were you listening to the conversation between Raven and the leader as well?” Jonathan asked me, it was just the two of us in my office, Jonathan being the only one who had spoken in a while. I nodded in response to his question. “What do you think she meant, is this all really over?”

“I don’t know, there are many things that don’t quite fit, I just can’t piece them together. Hopefully when Raven wakes up she can fill in some of the gaps.” I answered. Just then Jenkins knocked and entered my office without waiting for a response. I knew instantly something was up, I’ve never seen him look so serious.

“Both of you are going to want to see this.” We followed him in to the main meeting room where each computer screen was lit up with Damon’s face.

“What’s going on?” I asked, not understanding.

“If you are seeing this, it means myself and the witch coven are dead. This is a computerised version of my memories, and is a result of a spell so anything you ask will be answered with the truth.” Damon spoke.

“Why would we believe anything you say?” Jonathan demanded.

“I’m dead, I have no reason to lie.” Damon responded.

“I’ve identified and checked the spell used, he’s telling the truth.” Clara explained.

“Why was it so easy to defeat the witches?” I asked first.

“We wanted Raven to recover her memories, even if we had to die.” Damon replied instantly. “She has built up relationships with you all, and the truth will destroy that.”

“How is Raven connected to my family?” Jonathan asked.

“Raven is Sierra Jonathan, she’s your daughter.” Adrian told him, he had been holding on to this secret for so long, he must’ve wanted to be the one to tell him.

“Why didn’t you say anything? We’ve been searching for her for 21 years!” Jonathan was outraged.

“She didn’t even know herself, think about what you know of Raven, if we confronted her with this truth before she was ready she would’ve ran, and you know it. Are you telling me you’d be able to see her each day knowing she’s your daughter without saying anything?” Adrian explained and we all knew he was right.

“Why did you attack my family?” Jonathan returned to questioning Damon.

“Perhaps I shouldn’t be the one to tell you that.” He nodded to a point behind us, turning we saw Raven standing in the doorway.

“Raven, do you have your memories back?” I asked, she nodded and we waited for her explanation.

“Thinking about lying dear? Notice the spell that’s been used here, if you lie, I’ll call you out on it.” Damon taunted her. Raven looked cautious, and I wondered what could be so bad that she thought she couldn’t tell us the truth.

“All those years ago, I summoned him.” She said quietly, not meeting any of our eyes. Jonathan took a step towards her.

“You summoned a demon to kill your own family?” He whispered in a dangerously calm way.

“No! Only to scare, no one was supposed to get hurt. I had a spell that was supposed to stop them, but Damon brought more demons than what was agreed, and the spell didn’t work.” She tried to explain.

“Of course he double crossed you, he’s a demon!” Raven remained quiet. “So, what about after it failed you just left? Why did you even do it in the first place?”

“You and Maya were going to strip my powers, I thought if you saw I could be of use you’d change your minds. I knew you wouldn’t believe me after it all went wrong, especially after Maya died, so I left.”

I could feel the anger radiating off of Jonathan, and the confusion from everyone else in the room. Jonathan took a few more steps closer to Raven, and she looked like she wanted to escape.

“Don’t you dare, after everything we deserve an explanation.” Jonathan glared at her.

He took hold of her arm and brought her further in to the room, directing her to sit down.

“What about Andrew? Was what you showed me the truth or were you just trying to turn me against someone I trusted?” Jonathan questioned.

“He did lead the demons to our home, the demons roped him in, he did not know of my involvement. For me to be the hero, there had to be an enemy, there wouldn’t have been a way for the demons to get in otherwise.” I couldn’t believe what she was saying, she went to all that trouble when she was only six years old, just so she could keep her powers.

“What happened next?” Jonathan demanded.

“I stayed away for a while, waited for the heat to die down.” Her eyes flicked to me briefly. “Then I let Adam find me, gained information on other demons whilst I was here. He started becoming a target because of me, Damon sending his demon followers after the agency, knowing that I wasn’t going to let him get away with what he did. I found information on a demon with enough power to keep Damon away from me. I traded the necklace with our family crest on it and in return he taught me how to fight, how to use my powers to kill.” She paused for a moment so we could take it all in. I felt betrayed, all those years ago she had used me to gain information.

“In the years that followed I began hunting down demons in order to get to Damon. I became Raven, changed my features to get rid of my pink eyes that would help identify me. I was coming close to killing Damon when he erased my memories.” She paused again before continuing.

“I don’t know exactly how Robby found me but when I told you that part before I was telling the truth. He chose the form in which to approach me in. This triggered my memories of being Raven and my goal to kill Damon.”

“Why did you come back to the agency?” I asked her.

“What I told you when I arrived was the truth, I did not come here to cause trouble. Although I did think the resources you had access to would help me get Damon.”

“What about us?” Adrian asked with their daughter Danielle by his side.

“None of that was a lie, I really do love you, both of you.” Raven took a step towards them, but as she did, Danielle took a step back, tears in her eyes. The two of them transported out of the room, clearly not wanting to hear any more. Raven stared at the place they used to stand.

“Sit back down.” Jonathan demanded, she obeyed.

“The question you want to ask yourselves now, is what you should do with her. I mean you can’t kill her, but are you really going to let her get away with all this?” Damon told us, with everything Raven just said, I had almost forgotten the computerised version of his memories was here. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Alexander leave the room, and return again a few minutes later with a small wooden chest.

“Is there anything she hasn’t told us?” I asked him. Raven looked down at her hands in her lap, too ashamed to even look at us.

“Nope, the fact that she’s betrayed each and every one of you just about covers it. I do have something to say to you though Raven.” She looked up at the screen. “You may have killed me, but I’ve done so much more to you. I have taken away everyone who you’ve ever cared about, they’ll never trust you again. So what I’m trying to say is, I win.” He gloated with a smile.

“I have an idea of what we could do with her.” Alexander spoke up. He placed the wooden chest on the table in front of Raven. He opened it revealing cuffs attached to chains. Raven clearly recognised them instantly as she shot out of her seat and backed away, fear clear in her eyes. I took a step closer and examined the metal cuffs, they had symbols engraved on them, ones that would block the wearer from using any magic, even Raven. I looked to Jonathan, she was his daughter, so ultimately it was his decision.

“I think there are other things to consider here.” Clara began. “I know what she did to your family was horrible Jonathan. But she was a child and clearly feels terrible about it. She’s done a lot of good since, saved lives, killed powerful demons-“

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Alexander interrupted. “You’ve been against her since she got here.”

“She also saved my life.” Clara stated.

“I’ll wear the cuffs.” Raven’s statement silenced the room.

“You think that will make up for what you’ve done?” Jonathan quizzed her.

“No, but it’s the only thing I can do, to show how sorry-“

“You think sorry can fix this?” Jonathan’s anger rose.

“No! Of course I don’t! But I’ve made so many mistakes nothing can fix what I’ve done. If me being in a cell will help the situation even in the slightest that’s what I’ll do.” She sat back down, looking at the cuffs in front of her.

“You chose magic over your family before, why not now?” Michael asked. Raven said nothing, I’m not sure there really was anything she could say.

I looked to Jonathan and he nodded. I stepped forward and secured the cuffs around Raven’s wrists. As soon as the cuffs locked together Raven gasped in pain as her magic was being drawn from her body in to the chains. Her eyes changed from brown to the pink that was known for Jonathan’s family, her disguise no longer possible without magic.

I took her down to the cells and locked her in, even after everything I still didn’t want to do this, I wanted to give her a chance to make things right. I could see the pain the cuffs were causing her, I wanted to take them off, to comfort her. I couldn’t imagine what was going on in her mind at that moment, she would’ve only just found out about her betrayal towards her family when her memories were retuned. But freeing her wasn’t my choice, I was not the one who she wronged the most, and she needed time to think over what she had done. I turned to walk away.

“Adam, I really am sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” I paused with my back to her for a moment.

“I believe you.” I said before I walked away, and left her alone in the cell.