Author's note: This chapter contains some material not suitable for children under 13.

Disclaimer: Teen Titans belongs to DC Comics. I only used it for a small scene. I don't own it.

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The Twisted Fate of Annie Jay

Chapter 3: The Party Room

(2 years later)

“Happy 13th birthday, Carina!” Timothy cheered, wrapping his arms around his sister’s waist.

“Thank you, Timothy!” Carina replied with a practiced smile, leaning over robotically and planting a tiny kiss on his forehead. Timothy let go of Carina and rubbed off the layer of frosty lip gloss that she had left behind on his face.

“Well, see ya!” he said, bounding off to the staircase.

“Where are you going, young man?” Carina asked, placing her hands on her hips. “We all want you down here for the celebration!”

“I’m going to Annie! It’s her birthday too!” Timothy explained, flashing an adorable smile. Carina’s lip curled in disgust, but she quickly masked it with a wide grin.

“Oh, right. It’s her birthday, too.” She said slowly, forcing a small laugh. “Well, then, go on ahead, Timothy. Just get down here as quickly as possible!”

“Don’t worry, I will!” Timothy said, running up the stairs. He paused midway and looked back down on her. “Oh, and don’t tell anyone that I told you about your party, okay?”

“You have my word.” Carina winked. Timothy giggled again and bounced up the stairs. Once he was out of hearing range, Carina scoffed in disgust.

“Ugh, thanks for reminding me that it’s the freak’s birthday, too.” She growled, staring daggers into the hallway that Timothy had disappeared in. Then, plastering a sweet smile on her face, she walked down to the double doors of the dining room, clicking her heels loudly against the granite floor to announce her arrival. Whispers and soft footsteps behind the door made her grin in amusement. “Oh, my! Papa, where are you? I can’t find you anywhere!” she said dramatically, loud enough to pass through the doors. She gasped. “Oh, it’s terribly quiet here! I guess I’ll just go into the dining room, and…” she quickly swung the doors open.

“Surprise!” everyone in the room yelled, tossing confetti and balloons in the air. Carina’s hands flew to her cheeks, and she gave an exaggerated gasp of shock.

“Wow! For me? This is SO wonderful! Thank you SO much, everybody! I love every single one of you!” she exclaimed with a flourish of the hands.

“Happy 13th birthday, sweetheart.” Her father said, wrapping an arm around her waist. “We wanted to make the first day of your teenage life unforgettable!”

“Oh, thank you, Papa!” she squealed, kissing him on the cheek.

“Say, where’s your sister?” he asked quietly, looking behind Carina. She frowned.

“Oh, she’s upstairs, Papa. I begged her to come down with me, but she simply refused!” Carina sighed heavily, looking down on the ground so that her father wouldn’t see the mirth in her eyes. “But, let’s be considerate of all the wonderful guests who gathered here! We wouldn’t want any of them frightened of her, or even worse… injured.”

“Oh, right. Thank you for pointing that out, Carina.” Her father said in relief. “I can always count on you to think of the safety of others before yourself.” He gathered her up in a warm embrace.

“Anything for you, Papa.” Carina said sweetly, an evil grin tugging at her lips.

Timothy knocked on Annie’s door again and waited. No response. He groaned and kept banging on the door.

“Come on, Annie! Open up!” he whined, crossing his arms impatiently. Finally, he heard a bit of movement in the room and sighed. “Finally.” He said under his breath. The door opened up a little bit. Annie looked out, holding a cloth napkin over her nose. Timothy’s heart sank when he saw how puffy and reddened her eyes were.

“What?” Annie whimpered, her voice cracked and muffled. Timothy opened the door wider and stepped inside.

“Happy birthday, Annie.” He said, trying to sound cheerful. Annie closed the door softly and shook her head.

“What’s so happy about it? I’m miserable!” she sobbed, grabbing Timothy and hugging him hard. Timothy wrapped his arms around his sister’s neck and stroked her hair soothingly. “I know there’s a party going on down there, and I can’t celebrate it! You remember what happened last year, right? I scared everyone away, and that was just a small gathering! I’m one hundred percent sure that this crowd is going to be twice that size!” she choked out, crying on Timothy’s shoulder.

“Oh, come on. You didn’t scare everyone away!” he said, pushing away a bit and wiping her tears. Annie released her embrace and sat down on the bed.

“You, Carina, and Papa don’t count, Timothy.” She explained. “I’m talking about people who aren’t used to me the way you guys are.” She blew her nose loudly on the napkin. “I’m a freak! I can’t control this whacked-out shapeshifting! I hate it!” she screamed suddenly, flinging herself over her pillows, her shoulders heaving with violent sobs.

“Actually, I think it’s pretty awesome!” Timothy said, kneeling down beside her bed and propping his arms up on a large pillow. “You’ve got superpowers! You can do things that other kids can only dream about!” Annie looked up and stared at her younger brother. She blinked hard, not believing the amount of admiration she beheld in Timothy’s eyes.

“Superpowers?” she repeated incredulously. Super was the last thing that would come to mind when she thought about her ability.

“Yeah!” Timothy said with a twinkle in his eyes. He lifted his shirt to reveal a thin comic book flattened against his chest. He pulled it out and flipped through the pages. Annie rolled her eyes and smiled. Timothy never went anywhere without at least one of his beloved comic books. He finally settled on a page and faced the book towards her. “You’re like Beast Boy from Teen Titans!” he said triumphantly. Annie stared at the green man in the pages while Timothy elaborated. “Garfield Logan was only a child when he caught a rare disease that only animals could survive. His scientist parents zapped him with an experimental lab ray that would alter his genetic structure to be more animal-like. Well, let’s just say it worked, but not without a few side effects. The genetic alteration turned his skin green, and gave him the ability to change into any animal he thought of.” He explained in a lecturing tone. Annie was in shock. Timothy grinned when he saw her reaction. “Hits a little close to home, doesn’t it?”

“How the heck do you know so much about a comic book character?” Annie asked once she found her voice. Timothy shrugged.

“He’s always been my favorite character. Thought I’d do a little research on his childhood.” He said simply. Annie shook her head in disbelief.

“Young man, you have way too much time on your hands!” she sighed. She just couldn’t think of anything else to say. Timothy tucked the comic book under his shirt again and sat down on the bed beside Annie.

“Look, the point I was getting at is that if you stopped thinking of this power as a bad thing, then you could be something as awesome as Beast Boy.” Then, he added with more emphasis, “You could save the world.” Annie couldn’t help but laugh at the idea.

“Save the world?” she grinned, loving the way laughing made her feel lighter. She just realized that this was the first time she had actually laughed in a long time. “I don’t think so, Timothy.” She said once she composed herself. “But, now that I think about it, that would be nice. People would look up to me and feel safe around me instead of calling me a freak from a safe distance.”

“Yep!” Timothy nodded. “And the ones who did think you were a freak will be sorry when they need someone to save their butts. And it’s all because of your superpowers!” He crossed his arms and gave her a confident look. “You know I’m right.” Annie raised an eyebrow.

“You know, you’re pretty smart for an elementary school kid.” She said, draping her arm across his shoulder. “You’re making me sound stupid compared to you.”

“I’m only in 4th grade, Annie.” Timothy replied, shaking his head at her comment. “I could never make you sound stupid.” Annie laughed again and stood up from her bed. She looked at herself in the mirror built into her sliding-doors closet.

“Well, I go to a public school, now. They don’t push me as hard as my other school did, never mind the curious peers who won’t leave me alone to study. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’re learning at a faster pace than I do.” She said, examining her cat-like eyes, which were recovering from her frequent crying spells. The room filled with silence as Annie gazed into the mirror, mixed emotions showing in her features.

“Timothy?” she said quietly, breaking the silence. He brother looked up.

“Yeah?” he tilted his head to the side.

“Do you think I can spend one whole day without changing into any animals? You know, do you think I can control it?” Timothy lit up.

“Are you going to join the party downstairs?” he asked hopefully. Annie slid open her closet and searched through her clothes.

“It’s just a few hours! I think I’ll be able to survive.” She said confidently.

“Go, Annie!” Timothy cheered, jumping up and down. “Get changed! I’ll be waiting for you!” He gave her an assuring thumbs-up and skipped out the door. Annie picked out a white pair of pants, then closed the door.

“Little brothers.” She sighed, shaking her head and smiling.

Timothy waited outside Annie’s room patiently. He thought over the inspirational things he told his sister and grinned. Maybe he would become a psychiatrist when he grew up! He liked this idea, and began thinking of how to accomplish his goal. His deep thoughts on his dream career were soon interrupted by the sound of the bedroom door cracking open.

“You ready, Annie?” he asked, looking at the door expectantly. Annie stepped out of the room, a confident smile on her face. She ran her hand through her long purple hair and looked at her brother with a twinkle in her eye.

“Time to celebrate my birthday.” She said courageously. Timothy laughed.

“That’s the spirit!” he whooped. He grabbed her hand and led her down the stairs. When they reached the large double doors of the party room, Timothy reached up and adjusted Annie’s dress shirt collar.

“Timothy.” Annie sighed, rolling her eyes. He backed off and put his hands on his hips.

“Are you one hundred percent sure you’re ready?” he asked seriously. Annie took a deep breath and nodded.

“Ready.” She sighed nervously. Timothy nodded.

“Let’s go.” He said, grinning. They each pushed a door wide, stepped in, and were instantly bombarded by an astounding wave of noise. People filled the room, laughing and shouting. Poker tables were crowded by excited teenagers playing card games or looking over shoulders and cheating for friends. Almost every girl that was invited crowded around Carina, gossiping about school. As soon as they caught sight of Annie, however, the room went silent. The room was so quiet that the two arrivals thought they had gone deaf. The people who were previously laughing and talking froze and stared at her, their mouths hanging open in mid-sentence. Carina and her friends ceased all gossiping and gaped. Even the card players sat rigid, their hands holding tightly to their cards. One woman was so shocked that the champagne flute in her hand slipped out and dropped, making a shattering noise that seemed deafening to Annie’s ears. She winced and her hand shot up to her ear, making everyone in the room jump and take a step back from the sudden movement. Annie winced again, baring her pointed teeth. Several girls gasped in fright. This cut Annie to the bone. This was too much like last year. Everyone was afraid of her! Carina was the first to recover, as usual.

“Annie!” she said, sounding surprised. “How nice of you to join us! Happy birthday, dear sister!” Carina’s voice was so falsely sweet that Annie felt her fingernails sharpen.

“Same to you, Carina.” She said just above a whisper, straining to control her temper.

“Why, thank you so much, Annie! How thoughtful of you.” Carina said happily. “But, really, Annie. Tell me…” she began, running her fingers along a ribbon that was tied around the closest gift box. “What made you decide to come in?” Annie clenched her fists in concealed rage, trying to appear calm.

“Well, it is my 13th birthday, like you said.” She replied, crossing her arms. “What better way to celebrate than to party?” Carina raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, really?” she asked, tauntingly. She shot a quick accusing glance at Timothy, who had his arms crossed as well. He grinned triumphantly at her, and she looked away to restrain the urge to slap him upside the head.

“Yeah.” Timothy chimed in. “And, it’s not just your party!” He stepped further into the room, Annie following. The guests hastily retreated further into the room as she got closer.

“But…” Carina was at a loss for words. She looked to her father. “Papa, do something!”

“What would you have me do, Sweetie?” he shrugged helplessly, not wanting to get too close to Annie. Annie bit her lip to keep from crying at her father’s distance and fright.

“But, Papa!” Carina pleaded. “Remember what happened last year? I don’t want it to happen again! I care about all these people!” Annie rolled her eyes and scowled.

“It won’t happen again.” She said firmly, taking another step closer to Carina. “I’ll make sure it doesn’t.” This decision concerned her father enough to finally approach Annie, although cautiously. He slowly stepped between the two sisters and timidly placed a hand on Annie’s shoulder. He stooped down until he was eye level with her.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this, Annie?” he asked softly. “I know this is your birthday as well, but I don’t want to risk people getting hurt.” Annie didn’t move. She was completely frozen stiff by the way her father acted towards her. Her father mistook this mortified silence as timidity, so he stood up in relief and took a more commanding stance. “Besides, young lady, I don’t think you deserve this party. Considering what’s been happening at school, I don’t think this is...” he trailed off when he saw the look in Annie’s eyes. Her brows were knitted together, darkening her eyes. Tears rimmed her bottom eyelids, highlighting the vivid emotion on her face. She gave her father an angry, miserable look.

“Why don’t you believe in me?” she asked in a choked, deep voice. Everyone in the room breathed in deeply as if to brace themselves. They recognized this voice from a year ago. Annie, unaware of what was happening around her, focused her dark gaze on her father, the man who was tearing her heart to pieces. “Out of all the people who are afraid of me, I never expected you to be the worst.” More afraid of Annie changing form than of the piercing words directed at him, her father bit his lip and nodded stiffly.

“All right, Annie, you may take part in this celebration, but only as long as you behave yourself.” He sighed, trying to mask the defeat in his voice. All around the room, people were breathing sighs of relief. Annie’s face brightened slightly.

“You mean, you’re giving me a chance, Papa?” she asked hopefully, looking up at him. He nodded less robotically.

“Of course, Sweetie. It’s you’re birthday, after all.” He said, painfully easing back into his fatherly role.

“Thank you, Papa!” she cheered, and hugged him lovingly around his waist. He tensed up sharply, then relaxed just as quickly when he was sure that she wasn’t going to attack. Annie let go of her father and walked around him, waving to some of the guests happily. Each of them softly wished her a happy birthday, trying hard not to upset her. Then, once again, she stood face-to-face with the last person she wanted to talk to. “Let’s try this again, shall we?” Annie said stiffly. Carina’s lip twitched, but she nodded.

“We shall.” She said between her teeth, forced into a fake smile. “Happy birthday, Annie.”

“Happy birthday to you too, Carina.” Annie replied in a slightly less forced tone. Then, both of their gazes slowly fell on the pile of gift-wrapped presents near Carina’s feet. Carina smiled slyly, thinking she had found the perfect way to celebrate this party the way she intended. She bent down and searched through the pile thoughtfully.

“Hmmm… let’s see.” She purred, looking at the labels and cards attached to the gifts. “Ooh! This one says ‘For Carina’! How sweet! Thank you! Oh, and this other one says… ‘For Carina’! Oh, how thoughtful!” Annie felt her teeth sharpen and grow. She clamped her jaw shut, wincing as her teeth pierced her lip and gums. She quickly licked up the blood before Carina could see. Carina smirked triumphantly, seeing how much her sister struggled. A little more, she thought, and she would have to leave the party, or else disappoint and lose the trust of her beloved “Papa”. She picked up a small box, tied with a long ribbon. “Oh, and this one’s for… Carina! Oh, I wonder who this lucky girl is! Oh, wait! It’s me! Oh my goodness, all of these presents are for me!” Then, she gasped dramatically. “Oh dear!” she said, her voice dripping with mockery. “There aren’t any for Annie! Oh, poor, poor Annie.” Carina pouted apologetically. “I guess this party’s for me, after all.” Annie felt hot tears burn her eyes. She clenched her fists and held them at her sides with difficulty.

“Nothing you say will bring down my spirits.” She said, her voiced strained with effort to stay calm. Carina shrugged, picked a random present from the pile, and opened it carelessly.

“Well, if only that were the case when you were expelled from one of the best elementary schools in the city.” She taunted. She looked into the gift box and her eyes brightened “Oh my goodness!” she squealed, and pulled out a beautiful silver necklace.

“Carina! How could you?” Timothy wailed from the other side of the room.

“How could I what?” Carina said innocently, fastening the necklace around her neck. Suddenly, she felt a sharp tug around her neck as the necklace broke off with a loud snap. Carina pitched forward, her hands flying to her throat. “What the hell?” she wheezed, then she heard everyone in the room scream and panic. She slowly looked up, afraid of what she was going to see. The necklace was dangling from Annie’s teeth, which had grown considerably. Rough silver powder lined her gums and lips.

“Shut… up… bitch.” She growled, her arms growing thick purple fur and her hands squishing and elongating into paws. Everyone was either backing up against the walls or rushing out the doors. Annie felt hot blood rush up to her face and cloud her eyes. “Why couldn’t you at least try to be nice on my birthday? You could show just a little respect to me, Carina!” Annie snarled. Her anger was so strong now that nothing could stop her. Carina went stiff as a board. She was staring into the angry red eyes of a full-grown grizzly bear, standing on its hind legs.

“Papa! Help me!” she cried, her voice reaching an incredible pitch. Her father, however, was passed out on the floor, completely frightened by the monstrosity that his daughter had become. Annie had never morphed into something as terrible as a bear before, so he wasn’t prepared for this.

“I oughta swipe your smirking face right off your head, you whore!” Annie yelled in fury, raising a paw with incredibly sharp claws. Carina cringed and closed her eyes, preparing for the strike. When it didn’t come, she slowly peeked out of one of her eyes. Annie’s paw was frozen in midstrike, and her attention was elsewhere.

“Annie, no! Please, no!” Timothy’s voice sobbed, and small arms were wrapped around Annie’s large bear leg. Annie dropped her arm and gazed at her brother. “You said you wouldn’t! You said you were ready for this!” Then, he looked up at her face, now rid of all fury. “You promised.” He choked, just above a whisper. Annie’s heart was crushed at the pain she saw in her brother’s voice.

“No, Timothy, please.” She said apologetically. She picked him up with her strong arms and gently brought him closer to her face so she could speak softly. “I didn’t mean to… oh, I’m so sorry. I couldn’t… I couldn’t control it. I couldn’t.” she whispered miserably. Then, she felt herself shrink, and Timothy became harder to carry. Her face flattened, and her fur subsided. Once she was fully changed back, she looked around the room at all the damage she had caused. Almost every guest had fled the room, and those remaining were backed up against the walls, looking down at her with fear in their eyes. Several people were passed out on the floor, and many chairs and tables had been knocked over from the mass exodus. When Annie took all of this in, she broke down crying. “No… not again…” she sobbed, burying her face on Timothy’s shoulder. She couldn’t believe she did it again! She was so sure of herself, so confident… she was even aware of what evil her sister was capable of, and yet she wasn’t prepared! She felt so miserable and guilty; She just wanted to leave this all behind. She wanted to be back in her own room, where she should have stayed. She wanted to lock herself up and be shut out from Carina forever. How she wished… she reached up to dry her tears, and gasped when she felt feathers brush her face. Her eyes snapped open, and she realized that she was in her room, perched on top of her dresser drawer in bird form. “What in the world?” she whispered to herself, dropping onto the floor. She examined her wings and bird body. “How did I do that?” she sighed in disbelief. Then, she slowly morphed back to human form. She clutched her forehead and leaned against her bedpost. The last thing she needed was to be confused.

“Well, if that wasn’t an overreaction…” Carina grumbled, kneeling down and picking up the remains of the silver necklace back in the party room. “And, what a waste! This necklace must have cost a fortune!”

“That was almost a year of my allowance.” A small voice said above her. Carina looked up to see Timothy standing over her crouching form. His arms were crossed, and he stared at her with dark eyes.

“You bought this? For me?” Carina asked in disbelief.

“You broke it.” Timothy said icily. Carina stared at him.

“Excuse me? You saw what Annie did! That monster destroyed all of your well-earned allowance!” Carina said, throwing her arms up in the air in frustration. That necklace was amazing! Timothy shook his head.

“I saw what happened. How could you? It’s all your fault.” He accused in an even tone. Carina’s jaw dropped. Timothy began to turn around and walk out of the room, but he suddenly swerved back to his sister with an even more bone-chilling glare. “Oh, and by the way, you forgot to read my card, you ignorant jerk.” He spat, leaving Carina speechless. Then, he turned once again and quickly walked out the door. Carina slowly looked down at her pile of presents and picked up the empty gift box that once held the necklace. She pulled the small card off the wrapping paper and opened it up. Suddenly, she gave a sharp shriek and dropped the card as if it was electrically charged. She looked with horror at the simple contents of the card. It read, “For Annie”.