Chapter 4 - A boy named Tom

Chapter 4

A boy named Tom



The group had gathered back at the tower when their search yielded no results and Raven called them about Tom waking up. Tom had agreed not to run if they kept their distance. They stood in the middle of the living room and let Tom sit closer to the door. Tom seemed to be loosening up and trusting them more with every passing minute. “Can you tell us a little about yourself?” Robin asked calmly, trying to decide whether or not to look Tom in the eye.

Tom hesitated for a second. He looked as though he was having a hard time remembering. “My name is Tom… Jones. I'm… 16 years old.” Tom said sounding truthful, yet unsure. “I've been homeless since I was nine… I think.”

Robin frowned at the answer, he didn't know what to make of the information. He looked at the others, who all had different looks of concern on their faces. It was as though they each saw something different but didn't know if they were really seeing it. Robin knew that Tom was more then a common homeless kid, something about the way he behaved and the way he moved told Robin that Tom was hiding something. “What about those people who attacked you? We weren't able to find a single trace of them.” Robin said, crossing his arms and watching tom closely.

Tom thought for a second. “I have no idea who they were or why they attacked me… I do remember that they aren't the first to try.” He said, pulling out a small clump of scraps. “I collected these as clues… So far they haven't been any help.” He said, tossing the scraps to Robin.

Robin inspected the scraps and saw that they were once pieces of clothing. “Where did you get these?” He asked, looking at the different insignias on the scraps. There were three different insignias, all of which Robin couldn't recognize.

Tom didn't have to think to answer this question. “I ripped them off of a few of the guys who attacked me… Those three groups are the ones that attack most often. I think they are after me… but I don't know why.” Tom said, looking down at his feet.

Cyborg looked at the scraps for a second, trying to think of what to do with them. “I guess we could run a search on these three groups… Although this is all kind of confusing.” He said, taking the scraps from Robin and setting them next to the computer. “You say these three different groups have attacked you, and that they are after you, but you don't know who they are or even why they are focusing on you.” Cyborg said, going over all the current information out loud. “Something just doesn't ad up… What is it they want from you?”

Tom shook his head. “I don't know why they want me… I don't know what they could use me for.” He told them quietly.

Beast Boy looked around at the others then at Tom. “How could you guys not see it?” He asked suddenly, surprising the others. “I'm not usually the one to say this first, but it's kind of simple.” Beast Boy said, sounding serious about what he was talking about. “This kid isn't normal… He has powers that can easily be harnessed for something, and those three groups all want to get to it first.” He said, surprising the others further by showing his knowledge on the subject.

Raven had been quiet the whole time, she hadn't remembered to tell the others that she saw Tom fighting of the whole army of attackers on his own until they had shown up to help him. Raven would have said something about it sooner but she had been busy reading her books to find the language Tom was using when he was running from them. She shut the book and stood up. “Beast Boy might actually have a point.” She said, turning her attention to Tom. “I saw Tom fighting just before I saved him from the people who were attacking him… I could tell by the way he moved that he wasn't just an average person.”

Tom looked up at the group and coughed quietly. “I'm sorry to bother you.” He said quietly to get their attention. When they were paying attention to him, he stood up and walked over to the computer were Cyborg left the scraps of clothing. “These groups have been after me for a while… They want something, but I don't really care what… If I stay here I'll be putting all of you in danger, and I just can't let that happen.” Tom told them, coughing quietly every few seconds. “If it' alright with you… I'd like to keep my troubles to myself.” Tom said as he began to walk out of the room.

Robin stepped in front of Tom quickly to block his path. “We can't just let you go out there on your own, not if something bad will happen.” He said seriously, taking the scraps from Tom and holding them up. “It's our job to put these guys behind bars… even if it is dangerous.”

Cyborg stepped forward and nodded at Robin's words. “He's right… We are here to help, even if we don't know all that much about these guys.”

Starfire smiled at Tom as she stepped forward. “We will gladly lend our assistance. You no longer need to fight on your own.” She told Tom kindly.

Tom looked at his feet. “But... I've made a promise that I wouldn't let anyone else get hurt because of me… It's something I'll have to figure out on my own.” He said, taking back the scraps and putting them in his pocket.

Beast Boy put his hand on Tom's shoulder, he smiled at Tom and said. “Don't worry about it, we're pros at this kind of stuff. We'll help you figure this out, and we'll make sure that no one else gets hurt.”

Tom looked at his feet, he looked as though he was crying for a moment. “Thanks… I… don't know what to say.” Tom said in a quivering voice.

The mood in the room seemed to become very happy, yet calm. Cyborg smiled at Tom as he said. “No problem dude, you've said enough already.”

Starfire jumped up and down excitedly. “What a joyous occasion, we have made a new friend.” She said happily.

Robin gave Tom a kind grin and put his hand on Tom's shoulder. “Come on… you look like you could use a bath and a warm bed.”

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