With one hand cupping my cheek and the other absentmindedly shaking a pencil between my fingers, my English teacher passed out our graded tests. A finger tapped my shoulder.
"Hey, Ciela," one of the boys in the group behind me said, "did you catch the new season one finale of Teen Titans?"
I turned in my chair. "Of course I did. Anything as crazy as the stunt they're pulling isn't slipping by me. What'd you guys think of it?"
"I'm starting to like the new character." another boy said. "Those energy pistols are so sweet! When she stepped in and stopped Slade, she was like, BAM! POW! Pew, pew, pew!"
"And that split second when she used her bazooka rifle? That just blew my mind!" a third boy said.
I chuckled to mask my discomfort. "Do you think they'll keep her around?"
"I hope they do. Just wait until she meets Terra. With those psychic powers she has, she's gonna go ballistic when she learns the truth about her!" The group of boys giggled.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I sat forward. Season two introduced a new character, a girl named Terra with geokinesis- the ability to manipulate the earth and rocks. Basically, she's an earthbender.
To be fair, I don't know how I'll react when I meet Terra, but I can assure you it won't be a positive sort. I always thought Terra was a fickle girl who couldn't decide which side to take. Throughout the season, it frustrated me with how she constantly changed between siding with the Teen Titans and working for Slade. Even by the end, when she's deep in Slade's clutches as his apprentice, she still showcases such a variable mind.
To make a long story short, I don't like Terra.
Of course, I don't have to worry about her for a few more episodes. I don't want to start off the new season with a negative attitude.
The teacher slapped my test onto my desk, jolting me out of my thoughts.
"Good job, Ciela." he said, flashing a smile before sifting through the tests and walking away.
I picked up my test and stared at the 86% etched into the top right corner.
I haven't gotten a good grade like this since...
I carefully slid the test into my backpack. The bell rang, and I hurried out of the classroom.
I guess things really are looking up for me. I smiled to myself as I walked through the halls. I wriggled my fingers into my front pocket, ignoring the tight space.
I woke up in my bed and turned over to my bedside table. My holster belt lay draped over the top, with my pistols resting on the surface so the weight wouldn't cause my belt to fall and disturb me in the middle of the night. I rolled out of bed, strapped on my belt, and slid my pistols into their holsters. I opened my bedroom door as Starfire skipped past, carrying a bundle of different instruments and decorations unknown to this planet.
"Hey, Starfire." I said. Starfire yelped, dropping a few of her alien items. I bent down and picked them up. "Is today special?"
"Of course! Would you mind carrying some of these items?" Starfire said.
"Sure." Starfire piled a few more things into my arms to make her bundle lighter. Although, I doubted she needed it, given her super strength.
"Thank you. Come, let us share the good tidings with our friends!"
I followed her to Ops. On the way, she giggled quietly to herself, dreaming of the exciting celebration she'd have with the other Titans. The door opened.
"Happy Blorthog!" Starfire cried. Her smile dropped as she looked into the room.
The large, window-sized TV displayed a racing game Beast Boy and Cyborg played. Robin stood in front of a booming speaker, the bass shaking his hair, with his arms crossed. Raven sat on the other side of the room with a book.
"Give me the stupid controller!" Cyborg cried as he and Beast Boy wrestled with it.
"Not now, dude! I'm in the middle of a game!" Beast Boy said.
"Well, it's my turn now!"
"Maybe we should wait until later..." I said.
"You should never put off Blorthog!" Starfire said. She entered the room, and I sighed and followed her. She plastered on a big smile. "Friends, we must frolic and leap in glorious celebration, for today is Blorthog, the Tamaranean festival of friendship!"
Seeing that no one responded, Starfire set the decorations on the table, save some necklaces wrapped around her wrist.
"Greetings, friend! Allow me to bestow this tinabula upon you as-" she said.
Beast Boy transformed into a grizzly bear and body-checked Cyborg.
"Who's the tough one now?!" Beast Boy said.
"You're gonna pay for that, you little grass stain!" Cyborg growled. He lunged for Beast Boy, but Beast Boy transformed into a frog and hopped away. He perched on the back of the sofa and snickered.
"Many blessings, friend! May your ears be filled with sugar candies and-" Starfire said.
"BEAST BOY!" Cyborg roared.
"You want the controller? Then make Raven give me back my toenail clippers!" Beast Boy said.
"Not gonna happen." Raven said, the clippers floating by her head. "Robin, could you turn the music up a little more? I can still hear myself think."
"I only turned the music up to drown out all the yelling!" Robin cried.
How long has it been since the season finale? I thought as I watched the chaos escalate. I guess even superhero teens still act like regular teens.
"Friends, please! You must not fight like this! I-If we could simply talk it out..." Starfire said. She held out one of the necklaces. "Happy Blorthog-!"
The game controller flew out of Beast Boy's hand. It hit Starfire's hand, knocking the necklace from her fingers. It hit the ground and snapped, scattering beads across the floor. Tears surfaced in Starfire's eyes as she clenched her fists. I covered my ears.
"STOP!" Starfire shouted. The room went silent. Starfire took a deep breath. "Friends must never behave this way, and especially not on Blorthog! Do you wish to invite the Rekmas?"
"Rek-what?" Beast Boy said.
"On my planet, Rekmas means 'the drifting'. It is the point at which close friends begin to drift apart, and their friendship begins to die."
"Aw, come on, Starfire, don't think like that." Cyborg said.
"Yeah, this is just typical roommate stuff. We're getting on each other's nerves, but that doesn't necessarily mean we're drifting apart." Robin said. "None of us are going anywhere, Star. We'll all be friends forever."
"Forever?" Starfire said.
Our communicators chimed a shortened version of the show's theme song, and Robin pulled out his. The T on the front flashed red.
"Titans, trouble!" Robin said, and we headed for the door.
But just how long is forever?
We headed to the technological museum deep in Jump City, where a man named Warp was. A villain from 100 years in the future, he came to this time to steal an artifact called the Clock of Eternity.
"Ah, the Teen Titans. It's a pleasure to meet you in person." Warp said once we made our presence known. "I read all about you in the historical archives. Allow me to put my knowledge to good use!"
Two lasers emerged from the shoulders of Warp's golden armor, and he shot at us.
"Titans, go!" Robin cried as the Titans separated.
I jumped back as the balcony we stood on crumbled, scattering wood and metal debris onto the ground floor. I glanced below me at the pile of rubble. I sat down, scooted to the edge of the broken balcony, and slid off. My feet sunk into the rubble. Warp turned his lasers on me. I pulled out my pistols and tried to counter his attack. My lasers cancelled out most of Warp's, but the impact happened closer to me. The gust of heat knocked me out of the rubble and onto the ground.
Warp had read about the Teen Titans in his time, like he mentioned, so he came prepared with how to defend himself against their moves.
Does that include me? I stuck my pistols together, creating my bazooka rifle, and shot a powerful laser at Warp.
He turned around and waved his hand. A small shield appeared in front of him. He redirected the laser, and it hit the wall behind him.
I gulped. Yes. It does.
"You cannot defeat me, Titans. Where I come from, you're all helplessly out of date." He phased his hand through the glass container and grabbed the Clock of Eternity. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my future is calling to me."
As Warp entered the portal, Starfire growled and lunged at him. They both disappeared into the time portal. Robin leaped at the portal, but it closed, and he landed on the ground in a somersault.
"Starfire!" Robin cried.
"Ah-ah." I said. "Three, two, one..."
Another portal opened behind us, and Starfire tumbled out.
"Whoa..." Cyborg said. "What just happened?"
Starfire sat up straight and showed us the Clock of Eternity. "We changed history."
The four Titans stared at her in disbelief.
Back at the Tower, Starfire recounted her story. On the way to Warp's future, she damaged his suit and stopped the time stream at twenty years. There, she witnessed what the Titans were like now. Because she disappeared, the Teen Titans disbanded and went their own ways. Cyborg was confined to the Tower because of his disrepair, Beast Boy went bald and became a circus curio, Raven went insane from loneliness, and Robin took on a new superhero identity, Nightwing. Starfire was able to round up the Titans, stop Warp, and returned back to this time.
"Whoa." was all Raven could say.
Beast Boy rubbed his head. "How could I possibly live without my luscious locks?"
"I guess you were right about all that Rekma stuff." Cyborg said.
"I don't want us to drift apart. Isn't there anything we can do to stop it?" Robin said.
"Perhaps. Warp's future has changed because of our friendship. I believe it is great enough to change ours as well." Starfire said.
"So... about that festival of friendship thing." Raven said, using her magic to piece together the beads of the broken necklace.
Starfire grinned. She took the necklaces and placed them around our necks.
"You were not in the future, Ciela." Starfire said.
"I kind of figured." I said. "Did any of the future Titans say when it was that I stopped coming here?"
"I asked our friends, and they each spoke of a similar memory. I believe it was after we visited a place very far from here. They said you battled against someone that you were well-acquainted with, and you were victorious." Starfire smiled. "Does that sound familiar?"
"Uh, yeah, it does... sort of." I said. "It means I'll be sticking around a lot longer than I thought."
"Wonderful! Happy Blorthog!"
Starfire approached Robin with another necklace.
A place very far from here... She must be talking about Japan. That means I will be here until the series and the movie, "Trouble in Tokyo", are finished.
As Starfire hung the necklace around Robin's neck, my vision began to fade to black.
But... I'll battle against some I'm well-acquainted with? Is it someone from the show that I'll befriend? Is it someone from Japan that I'll meet? Who is Starfire talking about?
