Chapter Three: The Game Begins

Raven was the first one to break the silence. "I told you," she hissed. "And now look what you've gotten us into!" Then her shoulder sagged and the dark circles of energy that had blossomed from her fists disappeared. "But now we have to complete the goals."

Robin picked up the papers and frowned. "Look," he said. The Titans crowded around him. "The first task has appeared."

The sheet now read:

Here are the thirteen tasks that must be completed during the Twelve Days of Christmas:

Each of you has a friend, someone who is closest to you within the group. You must not speak to that person from midnight to midnight, except for one question that you may ask them and the response you give another. You may ask this question at any time during the day or night. The person must respond with the truth, and I will know if you are lying. No discussion may ensue; just this question and its response.

Robin looked at the time. His watch read 11:58 PM. "We have two minutes," he told his team quietly.

"This seems like a pretty hard task for a first one," Beast Boy observed.

"Well, at least we know now that this will be an interesting day," Raven said. She shot Starfire a look. "Nice going with the game picking, Star. Couldn't you have chosen something a little more mundane? Like Pin the Beast Boy to the Wall?'

Cyborg cracked up. "Very humane, Raven."

"Guys, we have one minute. We had better stop talking now." Robin looked up from his watch. "We're going to get through this, guys. I know it seems impossible, but we will." With that, he got up and left. The grandfather clock in Raven's room down the hall chimed the midnight hour. The first challenge had begun.