As I walked into my English class, the three boys shot up when they saw me, looking as if they had been checking the door constantly as they waited for me to get here.

"Ciela!" one of them said as he slammed his hands on his desk. I jumped. "Just the person we need!"

"Is everything okay?" I said, adjusting my backpack.

"Okay, so... You're a girl, right?"

"Uh... yes?"

"And you know how girls kind of like mushy stuff like love and relationships, right?"

"I don't know whether to be offended or not. Where are you going with this?"

The second boy cleared his throat. "What he's trying and failing to explain is... We want your opinion in our shipping war concerning the new Teen Titans layout."

I squinted at them. "I'm still lost. What shipping war?"

"Well, there's obviously something going on between the new Titan, Ciela, and one of her male friends." the third boy said.

My squinted eyes shot wide open. "W-What?!"

"We're trying to settle this spat of ours, and we need your stand on things." the first boy said. "I'm all for Ciela and Beast Boy."

"Wrong! It's obviously Ciela and Robin." the third boy exclaimed. He and the second boy high-fived. "The show has been setting this up since the beginning, and honestly, I'm bored of RobStar. Something new would spice up the show."

"That is where you're wrong. And don't give me that lame excuse about how Terra's the only one for Beast Boy. It was never meant to be! Ciela and Beast Boy have chemistry, I tell you. She can help him move on!"

"You're going to be awfully disappointed later on. Ciela and Robin just click, you know? They've got a relationship no other Titan has. And besides, our ship name sounds cuter. We're still trying to decide on Cielbin or Robela."

The three boys turned to me. "So, tell us, Ciela. Who do you think the new Titan will end up with?"

I stared slack-jawed at them. My throat closed, preventing me from speaking. Goosebumps pricked my arms.

Are there... multiple watchers that think the same thing? Am I just oblivious? I thought. Well, I never thought of things getting serious with Beast Boy. I know him, and I know that, even though she's not around, he's still obsessed over Terra. He's my goofy, shape-shifting friend, and that's all I ever want to see him as.

So... what do I think?

A wave of nausea washed over me. I gripped my backpack straps as my head grew dizzy.

"I... I don't want to talk about this." I said. I sat down and turned my back to them. The boys continued their argument in harsh whispers. I propped my head in my hands to try and make the world stop spinning.


I entered the Teen Titans world with a killer headache. I sat up and rubbed my temples. Thanks to my enthusiastic friends, all I thought about yesterday was the stupid shipping war. I pulled myself out of bed and sighed.

I'm probably just blowing things out of proportions. I headed out of my room and down the hallway. It's just fanboy stuff. I shouldn't get worked up about it. I'm here to enjoy my time with my friends, that's all. I don't have time to try and... woo one of them.

A shudder crept down my spine, and I held my arms.

Nothing could happen, though. Once I leave this show, I'll never see them again. I don't think I'll survive a repeat like that...

I rubbed my temples again to calm my pounding brain. I entered the living room and saw Starfire's legs hanging over the side of the couch. I approached her and leaned over the couch to see her face, red from the blood rushing to it.

"You don't look good." I said.

"Forgive me. I am... bored." Starfire said. "We have not received any notifications requesting our immediate action, and with Robin away..."

"Oh, yeah. He went to learn more about martial arts, right?"

"Correct. I am clueless with how I shall consume my time today."

"Well... Do you want to do something with me? We could go to the mall."

Starfire kicked her legs up and flipped off the couch. "I appreciate your offer, but may we save that for another day? Perhaps I shall go and take what you call a 'nap'."

"Okay..." I watched Starfire leave. I stood up straight and headed back into the hallway. She was right; it was a little boring around without all the Titans here. While Robin is gone, we all have to figure out some way to entertain ourselves.

I walked out of Titans Tower, around the perimeter, and to the training course. I stepped up to the control panel and booted it up. Going into options, I selected "Agility Course". I heard the field shift.

"Initiating countdown." the computer said. I climbed down the slope and onto the field. As the monotone voice counted from thirty to zero, I stretched my arms and legs in preparation. At zero, there was a loud air horn.

I sprinted forward. A rope swing sprung up in front of me, and I leaped and grabbed it. As I swung over the gaping hole, a platform appeared on the other side. I kicked my feet and threw my body onto it, landing in a crouch. I planted my hands on the platform to steady myself as I looked up. Steppings stones popped up, creating a big, scattered circle. On the other side was another platform. I climbed to my feet and carefully placed my foot on the first step. I moved to the next one, starting off slowly to let my feet adjust to the narrow circles. Once I got the hang of it, I picked up the speed. I reached the next platform. Monkey bars rose above me, steadily climbing up instead of straight. At the last bar, I was greeted with a zip line. I swung my legs and hopped across the gap, snagging the zip line and dive-bombing down.

I took a deep breath. As I glided down to the next platform, I let myself relax. As I relaxed, my mind began to wander again back to yesterday's topic.

Walls appeared, displaying the challenge of this part of the course. I gasped and tried to swing my body out of the way of the first one. My shoulder hit the side, and my body twisted harshly to the side. I smacked my back into the next wall. My grip slipped, and I fell. A large blue airbag opened below me, and I flopped into it.

I guess I do have a distraction problem. I rolled out of the airbag with a groan and slapped my cheeks. Come on, Ciela, focus!

I circled back to the beginning of the course, this time flying quickly through the segments I already encountered. At the top of the monkey bars, I swung to the zip line. Walls popped up, but this time I was ready. I swung my body to the sides, dodging the walls as they zoomed past. The zip line reached the end, and I let go and somersaulted onto the platform. I climbed down the stairs attached and planted my feet back on the field. Wooden dummies littered the field, spinning in different directions. Giving my cheeks an extra hard slap to keep alert, I ran forward. As the branches of the dummies swung at me, I pivoted and twisted my body away, keeping an eye forward while using my peripherals to notice my surroundings.

Finally, I came to a long, rectangular pond. A wall covered the side. There were sets of stepping stones with platforms stationed periodically. A ceiling stretched out, just low enough where you couldn't jump without hitting your head and falling.

Raising my hands above my head, I twisted my body to the side and performed a cartwheel. My hands landed on the stepping stones, and I arched my legs over and onto the next platform. Making sure I was spotting to prevent dizziness, I continued my cartwheeling.

The field sounded with another air horn when I landed on the last platform. I leaned against the wall to catch my breath. I fanned my throbbing cheeks. I returned to the control panel and pressed the "End" button. The agility course retreated underground. I headed back to Titans Tower, fanning my jacket out to cool down.


I stepped out of the living room with a cold water bottle in hand. As I walked down the hallway, taking long swigs, I passed by Robin's room. Voices and giggles leaked through the door. Stepping back to it, I noticed it was open a tiny bit and the lights were on. Sliding my fingers through the crack, I pulled the door open.

Instead of seeing one Robin inside the white and brown walls, I saw my other four friends dressed in his uniform. His closet door was wide open, and some of his gadgets lay scattered across the floor. My friends froze in their roleplaying and looked at me.

"Um..." I said. "I guess this is one way to spend your day."

"You're just in time, Ciela!" Beast Boy said. He grabbed my arm and pulled me inside, stopping in front of the closet. He waved his hand in front of the hanging uniforms. "It's time to suit up!"

"Yes, do join us! It is most fun pretending to be Robin!" Starfire said, twirling around. Her cape fluttered behind her.

"Maybe some other time... I'm kind of tired..." I said, slowly walking backwards to the door. I bumped into something blocking my path. I jumped and turned, meeting my gaze with Cyborg.

"Come on! Haven't you always wanted to know what it's like to be Robin?" Cyborg said. "You may never get this chance again."

"I'm not really comfortable with this." I said as my friends surrounded me.

"You know you want to." Beast Boy shoved one of Robin's uniforms in my arms and pushed me out of the room. "You have fifteen minutes before we come get you!"

"But... but...!" The door closed in my face and the noises resumed. I sighed and glanced at the uniform draped over my arms.

Well... I turned on my heel. I guess it wouldn't hurt to try it on for a little bit...


I slid the green gloves on, wiggling my fingers in the air. I tapped the tip of the boots against the floor; I had plenty of room in these. I picked up the utility belt, placing my other hand on my holster belt. With a sigh, I took off my holster belt, set it on the bed, and clipped the utility belt on. Finally, I pinched the mask between my fingers and held it up to the light. I turned to the mirror and put the mask on. The clothes were a little big on me, but not by much. Every time I moved, the cape shifted behind me, brushing against the back of my arms. I tugged at the ends of the gloves.

There was a knock at the door.

"Just a minute." I called. My face felt warm. Did someone turn the heater on? I glanced out the window. It must've been at least eighty-degrees outside, maybe more. I fanned my face and leaned in closer to the mirror.

Am I... blushing?

I jumped back as if I just got burned. I vigorously shook my head. There was another knock.

"Be patient, guys!" I stomped to the door and threw it open. "It hasn't even been-"

My throat closed, leaking a quiet squeak from my mouth. Robin stood at my door with his arms folded. He gave me a once-over, an amused, crooked grin on his face, and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Uh..." I said. I held my arms, shifting the cape so it fell over my shoulders and covered my body. "Welcome back. How was your trip?"

"It went well, but... it wasn't nearly as exciting as what I came home to." Robin said, his smile blatantly showing how entertained he was by all this. "I already caught the others in my room, and they ratted you out."

"I-I-I'm sorry. This wasn't my idea, I swear. I'm sorry. I'll change."

Robin laughed. "You don't need to apologize. I'm not mad. In fact, at the end of the day, I'm extremely flattered." he said. "We got some pizza. Want to join?"

I scratched the back of my neck and smiled. "Sure." My cape swished behind me as I stepped into the hallway. We entered the living room and saw the others opening up boxes of pizza. The sight of this all made me laugh.

"Great! Now all the Robins are here!" Beast Boy said, hoisting up his loose tights. "Let's chow down!"

We sat down and piled pizza slices onto our plates.

"So, which Teen Titan's closet should we raid next?" Cyborg said. "I vote for Beast Boy."

"Me? What about you?" Beast Boy said.

"In case you didn't notice, my closet is full of body parts. I'm automatically out."

"Perhaps we may try Raven's clothing?" Starfire said. Raven glared at her. Starfire chuckled and sunk deeper into her chair. "We may travel to the mall of shopping and purchase outfits similar to Ciela!"

"Cyborg, you should make more of Ciela's energy pistols. Imagine us running around with giant bazookas!" Beast Boy said, pointing his fingers like guns and making gunshot sounds.

"If I catch you wearing Ciela's shorts, I'll throw up." Raven said.

I set my pizza down. "I think I just lost my appetite."

"What? You think I can't pull off her look?" Beast Boy said.

"The nightmares we'll be having tonight will prove that you can't." Robin said.

"Maybe we should stick with our own unique fashions." I said. "Please, for the sake of the children watching this show."

"I doubt there are still any children left after all the things we've been through." Raven said.

I chuckled and rested a hand on my side, feeling the thin layer of gauze underneath. "I have a feeling it's not going to let up now."

Raven and I locked eyes underneath our masks. I flashed a comforting smile. She turned away and focused on her pizza.