Okay, so this isn't the last chapter.

While I was writing I realized this chapter was going to be way to long so I split them up. there were kind of two topics anyways.

I'm not quite finished with the last chapter (which is chapter 21 obviously) bit hopefully it will be finished soon. I already have 6 pages written.

Thank you all for your support.

ENJOY!

Chapter 20: Ring of Frost

I finally opened my mouth, "Where are we going."

She didn't look at me when she answered, "I have an idea for your 'allergy' to heat."

"What…?" I asked confused.

She stopped in front of a door with her name on it and let go of my wrist. How in the world was she supposed to help me with my heat problem? The only thing that worked was avoiding it and covering myself with snow and ice. What other way was there? How had it all of a sudden turned to this? We had woken up and told her friend's what happened and now she was trying to help me with my tolerance of heat?

She turned to me, a slight glint in her eye. I wasn't sure whether to be afraid or intrigued. Typically, it was both with her. She could be so mysterious at times. Why couldn't she just be normal for once and just talk?

"I don't allow anyone in my room. I trust you enough to actually let you in. Whatever you see or happens, stays in this room. Nothing leaves, understand?" she said darkly.

I cocked my head to one side somewhat confused and curious. Was it really that big of a deal to let me in her room? Okay, so she liked her privacy, but this seemed a little over the top. I nodded my head none of the less though.

Satisfied, the door slid open to reveal a very dark room with many artifacts scattered around decoratively. She entered with me right behind her. She had a large book shelf in one corner that was completely overflowed with books. The room looked relatively neat and almost slightly disorganized at the same time. It was amazing. It was like nothing I had ever seen before. I really didn't know what to expect, but this was not it. What were all these things and what did they mean?

I stood there close to the center of her room and took everything in as she walked to her dresser, opened a drawer and pulled a small box out. She turned back to me.

"I am going to make you something that will regulate your body temperature and allow you to go pretty much anywhere, even a hot dessert" she said.

I starred at her. A hot dessert? Was she crazy? How was that possible?

"uh…ok" I said lamely.

Raven opened the small box and pulled out two silver rings. "I'm going to put a powerful magical charm on these rings. As long as you where this ring, the temperature will not bother you, even hot food."

I starred at her. This almost seemed like a dream. I had to literally pinch myself to make sure I was actually awake and not asleep, dreaming. I jumped slightly from my pinch and rubbed my arm gently. I was definitely awake.

She rolled her eyes gently and gave me a small smile. She had noticed me pinching myself. I blushed slightly embarrassed.

"I am going to turn these two rings into rings of frost. All you have to do is keep one in the freezer and switch them out every few days for it to recharge." She continued.

The woman gently took my hand and slid the ring on my pointer finger and began to adjust its size to fit me. I watched her work quietly.

"This will take several days to complete" she spoke, "that should give you enough time to rest up a bit and let you wound heal. When the rings of frost are completed then you may go home."

Home? I had completely forgotten about home, and even my parents. I had been so caught up in what had just happened and what was happening now, that it somehow slipped my mind.

I wasn't sure if Slade had let them go, I mean I wasn't exactly there for him to train me. Had he hurt them? I sure hope not, but if he did, he'd pay for it.

"They're fine" reassured Raven, as she saw the change in my face, "he released them soon after he had you I think and for some reason actually left them alone. They've been looking for you."

"How do you…" I began, before being interrupted.

"Robin told me" she said flatly

"Oh" was all I said in return.

"You should meditate" she said suddenly. Your body could really use it, after what you've been though."

I nodded me head obediently and looked at the door. Feeling that we were done, I left. She didn't stop me. All she said was that she'd notify me when they were ready. I simply nodded my head as the door opened and I exited into the hallway.

I was feeling tired all of a sudden, though I guess I never really felt awake in the first place. Perhaps I'd take a nap before meditating. I made my way back to the medical wing slowly and lied on the bed I had woken on. I wanted to sleep, but too many thoughts jumbled around my mind. Who exactly was Raven? I mean, I knew her origins, sort of, but I wanted to know what made her the way she was today. Why she acted so strangely. What had her life been like when growing up? I had so many questions. When it came down to it I really knew nothing about her. I needed to know more. We were related after all and I could feel that odd bond between us and I knew that she felt it too.

She was so confusing. One moment she'd be holding me and be all sentimental and the next it'd be like she didn't care about anything and didn't feel anything. It was enough to make my brain go crazy. I knew people had different sides to them, but this was ridiculous.

I sighed and closed my eyes and tried to drift off to sleep. My breathing slowed and my muscles relaxed. I began to float away from reality and into the strange world of dreams and illusions.

… ,,, … ,,, …

Raven began to work on the rings of frost instantly. It wasn't exactly an easy process, but it wasn't that difficult either. She knelt before her bookcase and began to look for a specific book about charmed jewelry. She fingered through the books on the second shelf slowly.

"Perhaps I should consider reorganizing this." she said softly to herself.

She couldn't entirely remember what system she had used to organize her books, or if she had used one at all. She was sure it was on one of the lower shelves, but not exactly sure which one. A few minutes later the woman was pulling the book off the bottom shelf. She stood slowly and gingery flipped through the old delicate pages that were beginning to yellow slightly from age. The book smelled of dust and old papyrus paper.

Raven flipped absentmindedly through the pages until she came across the correct page. She examined the page intensively, her eyes staring down at the words and diagrams.

A light nock sounded and she raised her eyes and turned them towards the door. She gestured nonchalantly at the door and it immediately slid open and her eyes went back to the book. Robin stood there in the doorway. He had expected her to be at the door when it opened, but instead she was a ways in her room looking at a book.

"What do you need Robin?" she asked quietly as she flipped a page.

"I just wanted to make sure you were alright" the man said.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she questioned coolly.

"It's just that you left in a hurry. You seemed distracted" the man answered.

"I simply came up with an idea of how to stabilize Glacier's body temperature so that the heat doesn't bother her. I wanted to get started right away." She stated flatly.

"Is that it?" asked Robin not entirely convinced, "are you sure that nothing else is bothering you? I mean you did just go through a major battle with…" he was cut off.

"I'm fine" she said firmly but also monotonously,

Robin opened his mouth and then shut it without saying a word. Maybe now wasn't a good time to ask her, but when would be a good time to ask her. Raven didn't really like it when you checked up on her except on a rare occasion. Now was not one of those times.

"If that's all you're here for, then I'd suggest leaving and letting me work on my project" she spoke without looking up.

The leader was snapped out of his thoughts. He gave a soft sigh, "of course, Raven" and then he left.

She looked up from her book momentarily when the door clicked shut quietly. Why is it that he always worries about me she thought then dismissed it as she had something important to work on?

… ,,, … ,,, …

I gave a long yawn and opened my eyes. I felt completely rested now. I looked up over at a clock. I had been sleeping soundly for a good several hours. I sat up. Now would be a good time to mediate. I slid out from under the covers and stood up.

The light was still shining through the window. It was late midday now. I leaned against the window sill and looked out at the scenery. The view was breathtaking. You could see a good portion of a bay and almost an entire city. The sky was blue and small white steaks crossed the sky. It was a beautiful day. Even the water seemed calm. The ripples were hardly noticeable.

I had missed this world. This may not be my home, but my home was still in this beautiful world. I sighed in contentment. Maybe now I could actually start living and stop worrying about all my differences and what else was out there. Trigon was defeated. There was nothing else out there. Well I suppose I can't say anything, there's always something, but at least it's not a malicious demon. If I had stood up to him, then I could stand up to anything. I was ready to take on the world and discover my purpose, a purpose that I wanted. I was free; we were both free. The feeling was so incredibly good. It made me smile, something I didn't typically do a lot, or at least not like this. This smile was free and true.

I lowered my gaze and thought about my home for a few moments. I knew my parents had found my letter, but all it had said in it basically was a farewell, nothing about what was happening and why he wanted me and absolutely nothing about my powers. How would they react when I told them? Would they even believe me, I mean Raven hadn't at first. Would they still accept me? Would they even consider me theirs anymore? I really didn't want to tell them. The thought was nerve wrecking. They needed to know, deserved to know. Why did this have to be so hard?

I gave a deep sigh and dismissed the thoughts. I could think about it later. Right now I needed to mediate and find my center. I was completely a mess inside. I made myself comfortable. If I was going to be doing this for a while I might as well be comfortable. With each exhale more ice spread across the room. My eyes were shut gently and I sat crisscrossed on the ground. I would begin to levitate when I felt I could concentrate on it while meditating at the same time. My arms stretched out and I pressed two fingers together. Snow drifted down from above me appearing to be coming from nowhere.

It felt so relaxing to release all my tension and find my balance. There were no worries or troubles. Everything was a bliss of complete comfort. It was like I was drifting through the clouds with a soft line of sunlight upon my body, warming me gently. Okay so this analogy doesn't work exactly with me. I don't care. There just were no words to describe this wonderful feeling. I felt completely safe and whole. Life didn't even seem to exist, nor death. There was only one state of being and this was it. Nothing else existed. Hours upon hours passed by, but there were no sense of time in this place. There was only one moment here and it would never seem to truly end or even begin.

I finally opened my eyes when my body felt complete. I don't think I've ever felt this complete and whole in my entire life. I felt at peace, not just with myself but with the world also. I honestly didn't know how long this feeling would last, probably when I face reality again, which will be any moment now.

Maybe I should at least call my parents and let them know that I was alright. …And there it was; I was back. That feeling was gone now and the funny thing was I couldn't even remember what it even had felt like. Oh well. I guess I have more important things to worry about, not that I wanted to worry about them. I just wanted to go back to that calm bliss, but if I did then nothing would get done, nothing would change, nothing would happen. I had to move forward. I could meditate again later, but for now I needed to face the world or at the very least exist in it.

… ,,, … ,,, …

Raven felt somewhat drained. This charm took a lot of energy to activate. Only about 1/6 of the charm was complete. Maybe now was a good time for a break, as in meditation. She had yet to mediate sense the ordeal with her father. She desperately needed it. Why had she put it off for so long?

Pulling her fallen hood back over her head she headed out her door to the top of the tower where she could find some quiet peace.

The rays of sunlight was blinding to her eyes. She had been in the dark for so long … perhaps too long. She pulled her hood further over her head to block out the sunlight. The temperature was comfortably warm and there was a light breeze.

Taking a breath and releasing it the woman fell into her familiar meditative position. This position only felt natural. She had been doing this sense she was very small and took great comfort in it, more so now than she did then. Then, she hadn't understood it completely so was hard to do, but now she had mastered it and could do it with such ease. Meditating was like second nature to her now. Sure, sometimes it was a burden full of dangerous chaos and mystery, but it was also a sanctuary full of peace and tranquility. There was always and pro and a con to something. Nothing was completely good and nothing was completely evil. There wasn't typically a balance between the two, but one couldn't be without the other. There were however a few exceptions.

The atmosphere was quiet, not completely absent of noise, but quiet enough for comfort. The breeze felt nice to the skin. It reminded her that she was still in this world and had to come back to this world. She wouldn't lose herself to her mind. She would remain aware of her surroundings. It was important not to become engrossed in her own world. She needed to stay focused and not let herself completely go. Reality would always move forward and in her meditative mind time would stop. She only wanted to meditate for an hour or so. If she let go she could be sitting there for days. She had already found her complete center long ago. It could be dangerous to reenter it when it was not needed.

… ,,, … ,,, …

I wasn't sure where I could find a phone. I didn't really want to ask, but I also didn't want to wander around looking for one. I wasn't as comfortable with the rest of the Titans. They were still pretty alien to me, especially Starfire who apparently was an actual alien. I only felt comfortable with one person here, well for the most part, and that was Raven. There were however still times when she made me nervous. I didn't want to bother her though. She was working on something for me. It meant a lot to me that she was trying to create something to allow me to go anywhere and the temperature wouldn't bother me, even hot food. I would use those rings well. Once one was on I was never taking it off, except of course to change to the other ring when the one was wearing needed to be recharged. Recharged… the word made it sound as if it was some kind of electronic device or something which it clearly wasn't. This world of magic could be so dang confusing. I don't think magic is supposed to make complete sense, If it did, it wouldn't be special anymore or magical, okay maybe that isn't the best word to describe it but oh well.

The room was becoming moist with the melting snow and ice. Maybe I should clean that up, but then again I had no idea where the cleaning supplies were either. I had decided that I was probably for the most part not leaving this room until Raven came back. I let everything freeze over again. If I wasn't leaving, what was the point in letting everything melt? This frozenness brought me peace and happiness.

I fell to my knees as the more snow began to cover the floor. I might as well do something. I'd create something out of the snow. I didn't want to get bored. I made several sand castles, err snow castles I mean. Each one was different. I let my critical eye looks for abnormalities in shape and smoothness and of course detail. I was deep in thought and concentration. Everything outside of this room didn't exist at the moment.

I held no worries and all thoughts about my parents disappeared as I created. The fluffiness of the snow felt good against my hands I worked on compressing it into distinct shapes. I don't how long I stayed like this. it must have been a long time because I was able to make small villages around each castle.

I was startled when the door opened and heard a deep shudder and teeth chattering. I looked over my shoulder. Beastboy stood in the doorway instantly shaking from the cold.

"W-Wow y-you sure know h-how to make a winder w-wonderland" he stammered as he rubbed his arms with his hands to try and keep them warm.

"I… I'm sorry" I said slowly, "I didn't mean to get carried away."

"N-no p-problem" he said his teeth continuing to chatter.

I quickly pushed him back into the hall where it was warmer and then stepped out myself and closed the door to my winter fantasy land behind me. he breathed a sigh of relief as his body stopped shaking from the cold. He straightened his composure and then spoke again.

"Since it's been so uneventful today, we were gonna watch a movie. I thought I'd come ask if you wanted to join us. I thought you might be bored, but I guess not." The green man said casually.

I shook my head. "No thanks"

I was pretty sure Raven wouldn't be joining them and if she wasn't then I wouldn't. He turned to leave but I stopped him in his tracks.

"Is there a phone I can use" I asked quietly, "I'd like to let my parents know that I'm okay."

He smiled gently. "Of course. I believe there's one in one of the drawers in that room" he said pointing to the room we had been in, "would you like me to show you?"

I shook my head no, "I'm sure I can find it. Thank you."

His smile broadened. "Happy to help" he said with a wave of his hand as he turned to leave.

I watched him leave for a moment then hurried back into the medical room to find that phone. I immediately began to open random drawers. Maybe I should have let him show me where it was. This room had plenty of drawers in it, most filled with medical supplies. I event found it in one of the small top drawers lying sideways in it. My hand shook as I lifted the cordless phone up. I was nervous.

"These are your parents for Pete's sake" I whispered to myself, "why are you so nervous?"

I shook my hair out, trying to rid myself of my annoying nerves. It didn't really work, but I pressed in the numbers quick anyways, so that I wouldn't be able to put it away and not call. I held the phone to my hear. My knees shook slightly. I let myself sink down to my knees as I suddenly felt unstable on my own two feet. I was beginning to breathe somewhat heavily as I heard it ringing. I had half a mind to stop right now, but was unable to when I hear another voice on the other end ask hello.

I couldn't speak at first. It was my mother.

"Hello?" she asked again.

"Mom" I breathed into the phone.

My mother quickly perked up at the sound of my voice.

"Glacier! Where are you? How are you? Are you safe? What happened? I was so worried…"

The bound of questions instantly began. I had to interrupt my mom just to speak, to get those questions to end.

"I'm fine" I said, "Yes I'm safe. I'll explain everything but not now. I'll be home in a couple days time."

"A couple of days" my mother blurted out, "Glacier, where are you? Let me come get you."

I swallowed. "No. I'm in good hands. I met some…"

I paused. I wasn't sure exactly what to call them.

"…friends" I finished, "they're going to bring me home. There letting we… I mean I, recover a bit first. I'm not exactly sure of my location but I'm in their home."

"How many are there?" she asked.

I could tell my mother was worried and probably didn't trust these people.

"Five" I said, "They saved me. If it wasn't for them I never would have escaped."

I was really talking about one of them, but I didn't let her know that. I'd explain everything once I got home.

My mother's attitude seemed to change instantly at the mention of them saving me.

"They did!" her voice held relief, "Who are they? What are their names?"

My mother was instantly excited now and wanted to know all about them. I bit my lip not all their names were exactly normal. I doubt that those were actually their real names, but I didn't know what else to call them. They all used their nicknames or super hero names when addressing each other even. Did they even know each other's real names? I wasn't sure.

"Glacier?" asked my mother.

I snapped out of it realizing I had spaced out for a moment.

"Sorry" I quickly apologized. "I just kind of spaced out for a moment. I only really know their nicknames, but I could tell you those" I suggested.

"Alright" answered my mother.

"They're young adults" I began, "Their names are Robin, Beastboy, Cyborg, Starfire and Raven. They aren't exactly your average persons."

My mother laughed, "With names like those I suppose not. Tell me about them?"

I wasn't sure what I should tell her. Instead I changed the subject.

"How are you and dad?" I questioned, "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine" my mother answered, "confused, and worried, but fine. We don't even really know what happened. All I remember is you passing out in the restaurant and then running out of the hospital. I was cocked over the head and woke up several days later with your father on the couch. We found your note and quickly called the police. Other than that, it's a complete mystery to me."

"You don't remember anything after being knocked out" I asked surprised.

"Nope." She said, "The police have done the best they could, but there simply wasn't really any clues to follow."

"I-I miss you" I said suddenly, surprising myself.

"We miss you too" she said gently, "We, I just want you back."

I could hear her trying to keep her tears back. It was obvious that she was deeply upset and she had a right to be. Her sadness made me feel bad. I had really scared her, though I couldn't really help that and it wasn't my fault at all, but it still somehow felt like I could have done something different.

"I'll see you soon." Now I was starting to sniffle. Her tears were contagious. "You can trust these people to keep me safe and bring me home safe, but I can also take care of myself. You'd be surprised about what I can handle myself."

My mom didn't ask me what I meant by that. Instead she agreed and we said our goodbyes and then be both hung up, me probably first.

I realized that the entire room was quite soggy. Everything had begun to melt as I talked with my mom. Instead of refreezing everything I made everything thaw out instantly. I did my best to clean up, mopping up the water with my powers and letting it loose over the bay.

The next couple of days moved by incredibly slow for me. I didn't have anything to do and had to try and keep myself occupied. I don't think I've meditated that much in my entire life. I was doing it all the time just to give me something to do.

When I had asked Raven about the peculiar feeling I had after meditating that first day she told me that I had found my center and that I needn't go back so far in my future meditations. She explained it a bit, but I didn't really understand what she was saying or meant. It kind of went through one ear and out the other. I tried to listen, I really did, but I just didn't understand a word of it. I would have asked for clarification, but she seemed busy at the time. The rings of frost were taking up all her time and took a considerable amount of energy. It didn't give us as much time together as I would have hoped. I still had so many questions, questions that only she herself could answer.

The other Titans tried to include me in their activities but I didn't play video games and wasn't a big fan of girly stuff. I tried to get to know them better, but each conversation we had seemed awkward. I didn't really know how to talk to other people and keep a conversation going. I had done so little interaction in my life that I wasn't sure how to do it now. Each attempt ended in terrible failure. The only person I could talk to sensibly with was Raven and of course my parents; that was it, no one else.

… ,,, … ,,, …

The rings of frost were almost complete. Only a few minor details were left, such as binding Glacier's DNA to it. The rings were silver in color, engraved with small snowflakes across the smooth surface. The girl's one magic word was inscribed on the inside of the ring to help better focus Glacier with her magic. She was young and was still learning. The extra support would be helpful, especially with difficult spells that had a tendency to make you lose control.

Raven was happy that she was almost done. She knew it had to be difficult to have to stay in a cool environment and stay away from heated places. Soon Glacier would be able to experience life at its fullest and wouldn't have to hide any longer. Plus the girl would finally be able to go home … back to her parents. Parents, what did it feel like to have parents; a mother and father who you loved you no matter what and would show you affection? She had known her mother, but it wasn't exactly a loving relationship. A mother-child bond hadn't been allowed between her and her mother. It had been strictly enforced too. She honestly didn't even know her own mother, as in who she was as a person, what she was like and it could be said the same her mother. They hadn't been given a chance to get to know each other and now it seemed almost too late to start as well as felt strange to do so.

The woman shook the thoughts from her mind. It wasn't a topic that she wanted to dwell on. It was a depressing matter and she didn't want to feel that emotion or mix of emotions. She had felt that way too often in her life and most certainly was tired of feeling that way and wouldn't allow herself to succumb to it again.

She opened her bedroom door and stepped out quietly into the hall. She would obtain a strand of hair from the cold girl and let it absorb into the ring. Then she could stick them in the freezer for 12-24 hours and then they would finally be done.

Raven felt a freezing draft upon opening the door to the room Glacier was in. The girl was leaning against the window sill, looking out over the bay and city, a bored expression etched across her pale face. When Glacier looked up, her face instantly lit up.

"They're almost done" Raven said quietly, "I just need a strand of your hair to finish it. Then once it's been charge it will be ready."

A small smile formed across Glacier's lips. "Thank you" she said, "I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it" the woman said without much emotion, "I can only imagine how hard it must be to not be able to handle any heat."

The girl nodded her head. "No one ever understood it and I was too afraid to tell anyone the truth."

"I know exactly how you felt" admitted Raven, "When I first came here I was looked at so strangely. When I did make friends I was also too afraid to tell them about myself. I was always afraid that If they knew what I was that they'd head for the hills and leave me in the dust. The thing is, when you know someone truly cares for you, you can tell them anything, the worst news and they'll always find a bright side to it. Sometimes you just have to give the person a chance no matter the worst possible outcome. Every now and then people will surprise you."

Glacier then reached up and pulled two pieces of hair from her head, one for each ring. She slowly handed them to the woman who took them carefully. She turned to leaven when Glacier suddenly asked a question.

"Will I still see you once I go home?" Glacier asked.

Raven stopped and turned back around. "We are friends aren't we? No matter where you go I'll always be able to find you."

With that said the half–demoness walked swiftly out of the room with the girl starring after her.

… ,,, … ,,, …

The next day my wounds were healed enough to remove the bandages, which was probably a good thing, since I'm going home. My parents wouldn't want to see me in bandages. I was still sore but overall feeling better, though I didn't take notice of it because my anxiety was beginning to rise.

We were all getting ready to take me home. For some reason everyone appeared in normal clothing, which was actually a great relief. Even cyborg didn't have robotic parts anymore. I wanted to explain to my parents, not show them, or, at least not at first.

Robin had decided that we'd take the T-car, as there wasn't enough room for me in their flying vehicle. To make the trip shorter Raven was going to teleport us to a certain point and then we'd drive the rest of the way. I did live pretty far away from them so this was a great idea.

We hadn't even entered the car yet and already I felt like falling over. My nerves were actually making me dizzy. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was. There was only one person who'd touch me like this and that of course was Raven.

"Calm down" she said quietly, "your high nerves is staring to take effect on me as well.

I nodded my head and focused on breathing, which seemed to help.

The woman took my hand and slid a ring onto my finger. I instantly felt cooler. I looked down at my hand. She had placed the ring of frost gently on my pointer finger. I starred at it for a moment. It was beautiful and really worked. I mean, of course it would work. I just didn't know what it would feel like. The sudden cold calmed me instantly.

I raised my eyes to Raven. She had a gentle small smile barely visible across her lips. She handed me an incredible small box, which I expected to house the other ring and she confirmed my suspicions.

"I see it works" she said.

I bobbed my head up and down for a moment, too stunned to speak. I hadn't expected this at all. I hadn't known what to expect. I felt wonderful with this small ring on. I was calm and at a perfect temperature. Who knew that so much of my anxiety was based on warmth? I hadn't expected it all too just vanish when coldness surrounded me, but it did. This lovely ring seemed to solve all my problems, right before my very eyes.

"Does it work" asked Starfire curiously when she realized her female friend had slipped the ring onto my index finger.

The expression on my face clearly answered her question. She giggled at my funny expression.

"Wonderful" she sang doing a quick twirl with her arms up in the air.

I couldn't take my eyes off of it. It was mesmerizing. I could make out small snowflakes on the ring.

Starfire suddenly pulled me along to get into the car. Surprisingly enough, I didn't protest, or even pull away. I simply let her. I even let her pull me into the car. It was like I was in a trance and nothing was going to get me out of it. Okay, almost nothing. As soon as Raven yelled my name to get my attention the spell was broken and I was able to look away

She looked amused by my whole reaction with the ring. I could almost hear her laughing, even though in reality she was doing no such thing.