My day at school was incredibly eventless with the absence of Jane; I was really enjoying the quiet.
I arrived in the Teen Titans world in the morning. The night before, the group was out battling against Dr. Light, a very annoying villain who enjoys making light jokes. After all, that was his specialty.
I walked into Ops with a yawn.
"Greetings, Ciela!" Starfire called, gesturing excitedly at the empty spot next to her.
"You're just in time! Breakfast is served!" Beast Boy said, laying down a steaming pan of eggs.
"Great. I'm hungry." I said, taking my seat.
"On my planet, a feast such as this would mean the arrangement of a marriage." Starfire said. "Tell us, Beast Boy, to whom are you engaged?"
Beast Boy cried out in disgust. "Engaged?! Gross!"
I chuckled. Cyborg dished out a plateful of eggs and wolfed it down. It was after he finished that he spat out the mouthful currently stuffed in his food hole.
"That's not eggs! It's that tofu stuff!" Cyborg cried. He drank his beverage to get rid of the taste, but after a large sip, he retched and spit it out. "That's not even real milk!"
"You could use a healthier substitution." Beast Boy said. While he pouted, Raven entered the room. "Hey, Raven! I bet you're hungry for tofu eggs!"
"No, thanks." Raven said as she poured her drink into a mug.
"Come on, just one little taste."
"Beast Boy, let her be." I said.
"What's the deal? After all, Raven could use it after cooking up Dr. Light-"
"I said no!" Raven roared. She turned around, her eyes glowing red. Beast Boy gasped, and his tofu eggs exploded all over his face. Raven stomped out of the room.
"Nice going." I said, shoving a spoonful of tofu into my mouth.
"Maybe you should go apologize." Robin said.
"For what?! I was trying to be nice to her. She's the one who covered me with breakfast!" Beast Boy said.
"She's been acting a little stranger than usual, especially since last night. You should know better than to mess with her." Cyborg said, heading over to the garbage can with a plateful of tofu eggs."
"What explains all the times before? No matter how hard I try, she still treats me like garbage!"
"Raven is... complicated. There is much about her we are not meant to understand." Starfire said. "Perhaps you know more about our gloomy friend, Ciela?"
"Not really, no. She's a very private person, that's for sure. You won't really learn more about her until much later into the series." I said. "But despite that, Raven has reasons for acting the way she does. We should respect that."
"Well, how are we supposed to deal with her? How can we even trust her?" Beast Boy said.
"She's our friend. What more do we need to know?" Robin said.
Beast Boy sighed and left the room. After Cyborg finished cleaning the dishes, he left as well.
"So, what is there for us today? Breakfast is already done and we haven't gotten any distress calls." Robin said.
"Today is an off-day for you two. Raven is the main focus of this episode, and Beast Boy and Cyborg are about to get sucked into it." I said, carrying my dirty dishes to the sink. "We could fit in some more training."
"Or, perhaps, we may finally attend the mall of shopping!" Starfire cried. She flew over and gripped my arm. "We have yet to search for new apparel that is fitting for you!"
"Right." I said, glancing down at my clothes. I pinched my t-shirt and extended it out, the fabric ballooning out to about six inches. It reeked of garbage and sweat. "These clothes do need to be disposed of. Let's do it!"
"Glorious! Robin, do you wish to join us?"
"As exciting as hours of clothes shopping with a bunch of girls sounds, I'll pass." Robin said.
"Very well. Come, friend! The shopping awaits us!" Starfire tugged on my arm and dragged me out of the room.
"Wow." I said as Starfire and I looked up at the mall. Dozens of shops, boutiques, and food court booths were cramped inside this giant place. Many people filed in and out of the shops and mall hallways. "This is a big mall."
"Tell me, Ciela, what particular types of clothing do you enjoy wearing?" Starfire said, grabbing my wrist and leading me through the building. "What color of fabric is most pleasing to you? Would you prefer wearing shoes of tennis or boots made of cowboys?"
"Relax, Starfire. We've got plenty of time to shop around. Let's start at the beginning; we're bound to find something." I said. This time, I dragged her into a shop.
The first shop was a thrift store. I didn't find anything that I really enjoyed, but Starfire and I did have a lot of fun trying on a bunch of ridiculous, outdated clothes and laughing at them. Next store, we entered a dimly lit clothing boutique, where every worker had some sort of tattoo or piercing, and each person was covered from head-to-toe in black clothes. As soon as we stepped inside, we bolted out.
"Why don't we feast at the court of foods?" Starfire said after hours of shopping.
"Great idea." I said, quickly leading us to a table before my arms could fall off. I groaned as I dropped my bags of clothes on the floor. I collapsed in a chair and rested my forehead against the table. "Let's sit here."
"I shall retrieve some food while you rest. What do you wish to eat?"
"Um..." I scanned the packed food booths. My stomach growled louder as my eyes went further down the line. "Maybe just a salad."
Starfire disappeared into the crowd of hungry shoppers. I sat up and looked down at my shopping bags, each filled to the brim with fancy tissue. I pushed the tissue aside and peeked into the bags. As I examined my new clothes, a small smile spread across my lips. I couldn't wait to get back to the Tower and put these on.
Starfire had returned. In one hand, she balanced her tray, which was filled with an assortment of foods: burgers, fries, pizza, soda, and chips. In the other was my tray, which had a simple salad with condiments and toppings sitting at the side. On her head, she carefully balanced an ice cream sundae. I stood up, took the sundae and my food, and set it on the table. Starfire sat down across from me and got started right away with her food, ravenously eating it. I chuckled and stared at my toppings, pondering about what I should dress my salad with.
"Please, tell me about your world. What is it like?" Starfire said, pausing to sip her soda.
"Well... it's kind of like this." I said, gesturing to the crowds of people. I opened a package of croutons and dumped it into my salad, then poured dressing. "Our worlds have similarities. However, in my world, superpowers don't exist the way they do here."
"Perhaps you may explain further?"
"The people in my world use machines and technology to do the things one man or woman can do here. We can't fly without traveling in a plane; we can't lift things multiple times our weight without a crane; we can't make fire shoot out of our hands or control the weather... It makes our world really boring compared to yours."
"You say superpowers do not exist in your world. Who aids the people when they are in danger?"
"People still help others. We still have firemen, police officers, doctors, and all kinds of regular people who are willing to protect others." I said. I stabbed my fork into my salad. "If only everyone was like that..."
"Not everyone has good intentions. It brings me sadness to see individuals purposefully hurt those around them." Starfire said.
I smiled. "You know, Starfire, you were always my favorite Teen Titan."
"Really? Why?"
"Because you're the nicest of the group. You're so caring, cheerful, and wise. I know that Tamaraneans value emotion and feelings, and because of that, you're sensitive. You're strong, physically and mentally." I said. "As much as I loved your character... I also envied it. You're so beautiful. So many boys would walk to the ends of the galaxy and back for you. As much as this show made me happy, sometimes it would make me feel even more insecure about myself. I wished countless times that I was created by those who created you; maybe they'd make me as beautiful as you. But instead... I'm just... garbage."
"Why do you speak those words?"
I looked at Starfire; her eyes showed sincere curiosity.
"Because... it's the truth." I said, pushing my salad away. A tear rolled down my cheek. "Countless voices, including my own, nag in my ears. I've... learned to accept the things they tell me."
"One should not be so negative, especially to themselves. You are a wonderful and lovely person, Ciela- why must you convince yourself otherwise?" Starfire said. She reached out and gripped my hand. "There will always be people who say mean words because you are different. And sometimes their minds cannot be changed. But there are many more people who do not judge others based on how they look or where they are from. Those are the people whose words truly matter."
I chuckled and wiped my eye. "Those words... You say the exact same thing later in this series. It was always my favorite quote."
"Then why have you not applied such words?"
I paused and looked down at my lap.
"Let us return to the Tower. Perhaps Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy have returned from wherever they went to."
I nodded and grabbed my shopping bags. Starfire balanced our to-go bags in her arms, and we walked out of the mall.
Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were still occupied. In this episode, Beast Boy and Cyborg get sucked into a portal that transports them into Raven's mind. There, they learn about why Raven was all wacky last night and today. Raven's father, Trigon, is also introduced into the series. I assumed they would be getting done soon. While I waited to return to my world, I dug my new clothes out and tried them on. Excitement churned in my stomach as the clothes slid on with ease. Without peeking, I headed to the training room. As soon as I saw myself in the wall-length mirror, I stopped in shock.
My new outfit... was awesome. I wore a brown leather jacket, a black shirt underneath with short sleeves and a v-neckline, brown leather shorts, brown combat boots, and black, fingerless gloves. I reached up and touched my Teen Titans necklace. The leather was fitted, but I was able to move freely without restrictions. I shifted on my feet and examined myself from all angles. I placed my hands on my waist and shivered.
This is me.
"Ciela? I seek your presence." Starfire said.
"I'm in here." I called without taking my eyes of my reflection.
Behind me, Starfire entered the room, pausing to stare at my reflection, too. She smiled and walked to my side.
"Ciela, you look glorious!" she said.
"Yeah... Now I look like a Teen Titan." I said.
"However, I feel as if it is not yet... complete."
"What do you mean?"
Starfire ran a finger through my hair as she contemplated, then an idea hatched in her eyes.
"Perhaps I may perform braiding maneuvers on your hair?" she said. "Come, and I'll adorn it!"
Starfire tugged on my arm and took me to Ops. She sat me on the sofa and lifted my hair away from my face. She hummed happily as she worked with my hair. After a few minutes, she paused to step back and stare at me. She smiled and held up a mirror.
"I believe the words you would use would be 'ta-da'!" she said, shoving the mirror into my hands.
I reached up and ran my hand over the side braid draped over my right shoulder. My gray eyes reflected the giddiness I felt inside.
"Thanks, Starfire." I said.
"What for?"
I set the mirror down and stood up. "For being my friend."
Starfire smiled and threw her arms around me, squeezing me until my ribs hurt.
"You are very welcome! It is wonderful to have you as a Teen Titan!" she said.
I pulled away and smiled.
"Hey, Starfire, Ciela." Robin said, entering the room. "Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg are back."
As he said that, my vision began to fade to black. Starfire stared at me in surprise.
"Ciela... you are disappearing!" she said.
I never thought about how returning to the real world was displayed in the Teen Titans world. I held up my hands, and I saw them fade away. My vision grew darker. I looked back up at my friends, now blurred objects, and smiled.
"It's all right. I'll see you guys later." I said.
My vision went completely black.
