AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Greeting chapter 60 with 60,000 views! Seems rather fitting, don't you think?

Happy reading!


I cringed as my sixth hour class filled with screams when the final bell rang. Students stuffed their things in their backpacks and hurried out into the hallway as quickly as possible. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and merged into the thick wave of students.

And so, another year of school ends. Friends swapped yearbooks to sign and phone numbers so they could keep in touch over the summer. Seeing all the excitement brought a smile to my face. Sophomore year had blessings and curses. I only hope that summer and junior year will bring new beginnings.

"What plans do you have over the summer?" one of my English classmates asked as the four of us headed to the entrance doors.

"Two words: video games." another one said. "What about you?"

"I have two words, too: Teen Titans. I can't wait to see what they'll do for the final season and the movie!"

"With all the tension building up, I don't think my heart will handle the movie." the third boy said. "What about you, Ciela? What are your thoughts on the series finale?"

I looked ahead. "I don't know. Anything could happen, I guess. Thinking about it makes me kind of nervous. We'll all just have to wait and see."

"Well, I got two words for you all: ships ahoy!"

I sighed as the three boys giggled. Their laughter filled my ears, and I found myself laughing, too. We passed by a group of Jane's friends. I stared at them as we passed. I looked forward and gripped my backpack straps.

There's no way I'll be able to enjoy my summer knowing Jane is trapped in the Teen Titans world.

We stepped out into the warm air. A light breeze kept us cool. The streets were heavy the traffic of students and parents eager to go home and enjoy the next three months of relaxation. I saw Mom parked by the sidewalk.

"See you guys next year!" I called over my shoulder. I opened the car door and climbed into the passenger seat and waved to my friends as Mom pulled onto the road.

"Congratulations for surviving another year of school!" Mom said. "I'm looking forward to this summer. Aren't you?"

"Yeah..." I said. I reached up and held my necklace.

Now that school is out, I can really focus. I thought. I pictured Jane standing with the Brotherhood of Evil, that twisted grin on her face while her eyes always remained on me. I clenched my free fist that rested in my lap. It's my fault you're suffering. I brought you into that world, now I'm going to bring you out. I'll save you, Jane.


"Wow..." I mumbled as I leaned closer to the glass, my nose almost skimming it. I gazed up at the Northern Lights rippling slowly in the sky, displaying colors of blue, white, and violet. "I wish I could see these from outside my bedroom window."

"Yeah." Beast Boy said, his words muffled from his face smashed against the glass. "My favorite's the giant pillar of light over there."

I knit my eyebrows with a squint and followed Beast Boy's smushed line of sight to a large rainbow pillar sparkling in the distance.

"That's not natural." Raven said.

"What villain broadcasts their evil schemes like that?!" Cyborg said.

"Amateur ones who want to get found out."

"Geez, just slap a bat at the end of that spotlight, and you-know-who's going to beat us there." I said. A birdarang bounced off the glass next to my head, and I flinched and jumped back.

As we drove closer to the beam of light, the source came into view- a giant, green diamond standing on top of a tall, cylindrical machine. We parked next to it and climbed out of the T-Ship.

"The Teen Titans." Dr. Light called while standing at the top, next to the diamond. A cord connected him to the diamond, igniting the orbs on his chest and hands with a bright, white light. "You are too late. Now that I have captured the power of aurora borealis, even you are incapable of stopping me!"

Dr. Light thrust his hands at us, shooting a thick column of light energy at us. Raven brought her arms up and covered us in a dome of astral magic.

"Why do you even keep trying?" Raven mumbled.

"You know what they say: if at first you don't succeed, crank it up a notch!" Dr. Light said.

"Um, that's not how it goes..." Beast Boy said.

Dr. Light twisted a knob on the control panel next to him. Two more pillars of light flooded out of the diamond. His eyes glowed yellow, and he shot another ray of light energy, much brighter and thicker than the last.

"Titans, go!"

We jumped out of the way of the light beam. Raven tried to block it again with her magic, but the light proved too strong and knocked her to the ground. I fired my pistols at Dr. Light, along with Starfire's starbolts and Robin's explosive discs, but he blocked our attacks with light screens. Beast Boy transformed into an elephant and charged at Dr. Light. Dr. Light swiped his hand, knocking Beast Boy back with a wave of light. His elephant body flew back toward us. Everyone else leaped out of the way. Right before he could crush me under all three tons of his weight, he transformed back into his human self. He barreled into me, sending us both to the ground.

"Hey, thanks." Beast Boy said.

"I think you ruptured my spleen." I winced.

"Pathetic children. You cannot best the power of light!" Dr. Light said with a laugh.

"Yes, we can, with the power of sound!" Cyborg said. He lifted his sonic cannon and shot a ray at the pillar. Explosions burst from the sides of the machine, and the diamond cracked.

"I devised that synthetic diamond myself. It can withstand power that's one thousand times more than you could ever give!"

"Um... I don't think so." I said, looking up at the diamond as light leaked from the cracks and the machine sputtered and sparked. "I think it's about to burst. Here, let us help."

Transforming my pistols into a bazooka, I fired at the diamond. The laser shattered the diamond. Dr. Light gaped at his combusting machine. The explosions rumbled the ice, causing it to crack and split. A hole opened underneath Dr. Light, swallowing him into the giant chasm below.

"Whoa." Beast Boy said, gazing down the chasm. "Good thing that didn't get us."

On cue, the ice beneath us cracked and weakened.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?" Raven said.

The ice caved beneath our feet, and we fell down the ice. Snow filled my vision, and we landed on a slope of ice. We slid down the ice, single file, until we came to a wall. I fired another laser, causing the wall to explode and water to pour in. We burst through the waterfall on the other side and cannonballed into the stream below. We surfaced.

"Is everyone okay?" Robin said.

"Yes, but... where are we?" Starfire said, pulling her hair out of her face and over her shoulders.

We had fallen into a land that had been hiding underneath this ice, but the cold didn't show any signs of effecting the tropical jungle. Parasaurolophus stood at the edge of the stream and drank from it. A pterodactyl swooped down and sunk its mouth into the water, catching a few fish in its mouth as it flew away.

"Uh..." Cyborg said. He pushed back his parka sleeve and activated his scanners. "It says we're still in the present, so I guess falling down here didn't send us back in time."

"Dr. Light also fell down here, so he's somewhere in this jungle. We've got to find him." Robin said.

We climbed out of the stream and peeled our winter attire off. I dropped my parka and gloves on the ground, creating a wet splat against the dirt. My pants and boots were still sopping wet, but I didn't have any change of clothes. I shook my legs out like a dog, sprinkling excess water on the ground.

"From what I saw, Dr. Light couldn't have fallen too far from us." Cyborg said. He led us to a tangle of shrubbery. "He should have fallen somewhere over-"

Cyborg pushed the bushes back, and two rows of sharp teeth jumped out and snapped at him, connected to a creature with burgundy skin and black stripes. I caught glimpse of a pair of bright yellow eyes. Cyborg leaped back, instinctively smashing his fist into the teeth. The mouth retreated into the bushes, followed by an agitated roar.

"What was that?!" Cyborg cried.

"I think that was an Utahraptor." Beast Boy said. "I also think you really ticked it off."

A swarm of Utahraptors burst from the bushes and lunged at us, their mouths agape. Robin pulled out his bo-staff and slapped it across the cheek of one Utahraptor. One tackled Cyborg to the ground. Cyborg shoved his hand into the dinosaur's mouth, transforming his hand into his sonic cannon, and blasted it high into the sky. Beast Boy transformed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex, but a giant horde of Utahraptors attacked and buried him. He transformed into a housefly and flew away.

A Utahraptor sprinted towards me. I jumped out of the way, but it swung back around, knocking its tail into the small of my back and sending me to the ground. I quickly rolled over onto my back just in time to see the dinosaur lunge at me teeth first. I shoved my foot into its mouth to try and keep it back. My boots were sturdy, but they couldn't defend against the dinosaur's sharp teeth for long. I could already feel them shred through the fabric. Saliva dripped out of the Utahraptor's mouth and landed on my clothes. The Utahraptor bit down again, its teeth digging into my foot. Gritting my teeth, I grabbed my bazooka and fired at the dinosaur's forehead. It released my foot and roared in pain. I swung my other foot into its jaw. Its head snapped back and it crumbled to the ground. I scooted to a nearby tree and hugged the trunk as I climbed to my feet, hovering my chewed-up foot off the ground.

We huddled together as the Utahraptors surrounded us. Something flashed across my above peripheral, and I looked up and saw a large Neanderthal with long black hair and wearing a loincloth swing towards us on a vine. A young girl with pink hair and blue eyes hung on his shoulders.

"Need a little help?" she called. She reached her arms out, and the Neanderthal pulled her off his shoulders. Starting from her fingertips and traveling down to the bottom of her feet, her body shifted to a light blue color as it solidified into crystal.

The Utahraptors, looking even more annoyed to see the two, charged. The Neanderthal swung his crystallized friend into a few of the Utahraptors, knocking some of their teeth out. A Utahraptor circled around him and lunged at his back. The Neanderthal whirled around and smashed his friend into the dinosaur, launching it into the nearest trees. The remainder of the Utahraptors turned and fled. The young girl reverted to her non-crystallized self and hopped down to the ground.

"Thanks. Any longer and we would have been dinosaur chow." Robin said.

"No problem. Gnarrk and I are used to fending off those things. Some people might see it as a downside to living here, but it helps us stay in shape." the girl said. Gnarrk hid behind her like a shy child and blushed. "My name is Kole."

"We're the Teen Titans." Robin said. "I'm Robin, and this is Cyborg, Starfire, Ciela, Beast Boy, and Raven."

"It's nice to meet you all. What brings you down here?"

"We fell down here after fighting a criminal known as Dr. Light." Raven said.

"Hm... Well, we didn't see anyone else down here besides you guys, but we'll keep an eye out for him. What does he look like?"

"He's a super skinny dude wearing a weird bodysuit with a giant orb on his chest. You'll know him right away." Beast Boy said.

Kole nodded. "Before you begin your search, how about stopping by our place for some dinner? We just picked a fresh batch of coco polinos."

Cyborg clutched his stomach as it rumbled violently. "How could we possibly refuse such a nice gesture?"

"Well... We really need to look for Dr. Light." Robin said.

I cleared my throat. "I won't be able to go far in my condition." I said, lifting my battered and throbbing foot in the air.

Kole approached me and crouched down, supporting my hovering leg with her hands. "Do you mind?" I shook my head, and Kole carefully pulled my boot off. Large holes covered my sock, and most of the fabric was tainted red with blood. Through the holes, I could see puncture wounds slowly oozing blood. "Ouch. That Utahraptor got you good. I have some medical supplies back at the house."

"Looks like we have no choice but to go over there and enjoy your food." Cyborg said, feigning defeat.

"Gnarrk can carry you up the path. Right, Gnarrk?" Kole said to her Neanderthal friend. He was no longer at her side, but instead hiding behind a nearby tree. "Come on, Gnarrk. These are nice people. They won't try and hurt us."

"If he doesn't want to, I'd rather not try and force him." I said.

"It's fine, really. Gnarrk's a little nervous when it comes to people from the upper world. He just needs a push in the right direction." Kole said. "Will you do it if I rode with her?"

Gnarrk leaned further out from the branch and gave her a tiny nod. I holstered my energy pistols and unclipped my belt. I handed it to Starfire, who draped my holster over her shoulder. Gnarrk shuffled over to us and held his hands out. Kole jumped over his hands, and he lifted her up onto his right shoulder. Hesitantly, he offered his hands to me. I hopped onto them, and he lifted me onto his left shoulder.

"Hold on tight." Kole said. "Let's go!"

Gnarrk led the way as we walked down the path. It led to a small drop. Gnarrk leaped onto a nearby root, holding onto Kole and I to make sure we didn't fall.

"Watch your step!" Kole called to the others.

"How long have you and Gnarrk lived down here?" I said.

Kole tapped her finger against her chin. "I don't know. A long while, for sure. So long that I can't really remember. How has the upper world fared you and your friends?"

I chuckled and rubbed the back of my neck. "Not so good right now, but... we're working on it."

Kole smiled politely. She looked up the path. "There's our house." she said, pointing ahead to the large tree house in the distance.

We climbed up the long staircase to the inside, however, I wouldn't technically classify it as 'inside' since the tree house lacked any exterior walls. Gnarrk knelt, and Kole slid off his shoulder. She offered her hand to me, and I accepted it and hopped to the ground.

"Have a seat." Kole said, gesturing to the wooden table. My friends and I sat, with me as the only one sitting outward. I carefully pulled off my crusty, bloody sock and tossed it out of the tree house.

"How can anyone live here? There's no technology! How am I supposed to play video games?!" Cyborg said.

"Sounds like the perfect place for me." Raven said.

Kole and Gnarrk returned. Gnarrk hefted a large plate of sliced coco polinos onto the table. Kole knelt at my feet, propping my foot in her lap.

"So, Kole, where did you get that crystal power from?" Beast Boy said.

"It was a gift from my dad. It's pretty neat down here, what with all the dinosaurs and all, but I admit that I get curious about the upper world sometimes." Kole said while wrapping gauze around my foot.

"Then why do you not visit our upper world?" Starfire said.

Kole paused briefly. "It's too dangerous for me. There's too many people out there who would want to use my powers for their own selfish reasons. I fled down to this world to escape them. No one would think to come up to this part of the world, much less down here. That's when I met Gnarrk. We both connected through our experiences of the upper world and became good friends. Right, Gnarrk?" Kole looked up to her friend, whose cheeks were stuffed with coco polinos. He grinned, juices streaming down the sides of his mouth. Kole chuckled.

Cyborg leaned back and belched, his stomach bloated from too much food. "Got any seconds?"

"There's some more nearby. Gnarrk and I will go get some more." Kole said. "There, that should do it."

I wiggled my toes, which were wrapped securely inside a thick, sturdy layer of gauze. "Thanks."

Kole smiled and stood up. "We'll be back in a bit."

Kole and Gnarrk made their way down the stairs. In a flash, I was on my feet. I grabbed my boot and my holster belt off Starfire's shoulder and hurried to the stairs.

"Hey, Kole!" I called at the top of the stairs.

Kole glanced over her shoulder. "Yeah?"

"Is it okay if... I tag along?"

"Oh... Sure."

"What about your injury and our search for the Dr. Light?" Starfire said.

"I'll be fine. It's like a flexible cast. I hardly feel anything." I said, shoving my foot into my battered boot and wiggling it in the air. I clipped on my holster belt and hurried down the stairs.


"So, Ciela, what is it that you and your friends do?" Kole said while standing on Gnarrk's shoulders. She plucked the coco polinos off the branches and dropped them down to me. I caught them and stacked them in a neat pile.

"We fight crime and bad guys. That's the best summary I can come up with." I said. An especially heavy coco polino fell into my arms. I hefted it onto the ground. "I'm the most recent member to join, although that was a while ago. It's been quite an adventure since that day."

"That sounds exciting! What's your favorite memory since joining?"

I exhaled deeply. "That's a tough one." I said. I caught a coco polino before it fell off the pile and straightened it. "It's tied between two. The first one happened most recently. So, you're probably not going to believe this, but some time ago, the world had ended because of this big, evil demon, but the Teen Titans put a stop to him and restored the world back to normal. Afterwards, we celebrated by taking another portrait of the Team, this time with me in it. I was so happy, I started crying."

Kole giggled. "You're right, that is a little hard to believe. But since that smile of yours is so genuine, I don't doubt it." She dropped another coco polino. "And the second one?"

"The second one..." My smile softened, and I hugged the coco polino in my arms. "The second one was when I first learned to accept myself. Every day, I face my fears, but every day, I choose to conquer them."

"You've sure come a long way since the first time we met."

"Yeah... Yeah, I have." I said quietly.

Kole thoughtfully stared at me. With a coco polino in her arms, she hopped off Gnarrk's shoulders. She leaned in close. I shrunk back.

"You've had complications with the upper world, too, haven't you?" she said.

"Uh..." I stuttered. A laugh escaped my lips, and I covered my mouth. "Definitely. You have no idea."

Gnarrk took a step closer to me. Kole and I looked at him in surprise as he shyly scooped the coco polino out of my arms.

"He likes you!" Kole said with bright eyes. "Look, Gnarrk, we both made a new friend!"

A blush filled my cheeks, and I grinned.

"Aw, that's sweet." a voice said. Kole gasped as her eyes fell on something over my shoulder. I turned and faced Dr. Light as he approached us. "Sorry to interrupt this heartfelt conversation, but I need to borrow your pink-haired friend."

Kole scowled and stepped back. "Is that Dr. Light?" I nodded.

"Oh, so you've heard of me. I'm flattered." Dr. Light said. He lifted his hands and shot a ray of light energy at us. Kole jumped in front of us and crystallized. The ray ricocheted off her body and hit Dr. Light, knocking him to the ground. Gnarrk grabbed Kole and charged at Dr. Light. Dr. Light shot a ray at Gnarrk, knocking him to the ground and encasing him in a light cage. Kole slipped out of his hands, and she tumbled to the ground, reverting to her human self.

I pulled out a pistol and sprinted towards Dr. Light. He shot a ray at me, but I rolled into the trees for protection. I leaped out beside him and smashed the butt of my pistol into his cheek. As he staggered back, I pulled Kole to her feet.

"Come on!" I called.

We hurried into the trees.

"Come back here, you brats!" Dr. Light called over our shoulders. An intense heat hit the back of my neck. I glanced behind me as the trees were consumed with white. I shoved Kole to the ground as a thick ray of light energy soared over our heads, obliterating the flora and fauna in from of us. We veered to the left.

"Wait! Gnarrk's still back there!" Kole cried, skidding to her feet. "We have to go back!"

I grabbed her wrist. "If we go back, he'll capture you. We need to go find the other Titans."

"B-B-But Gnarrk!" Her eyes were wide, and her chest rose and fell from her rapid breathing.

I gripped her biceps. "Kole, look at me. Look at me." I said. Kole bore her wide, blue eyes into mine. "We can't take on Dr. Light alone. We need help. We'll save Gnarrk, okay? But right now, I need you to take a deep breath."

Kole sucked in a deep breath and blinked the tears from her eyes. I took her hand.

"Come on." I pulled her through the trees. I saw a break in the trees, and we climbed out of the jungle.

"Hey!" We turned and saw the other Titans running to us. "We saw the light from the tree house."

"We ran into Dr. Light. He wanted to use Kole for his machine. Gnarrk's in danger now." I said.

"Where could he have taken him?" Kole said.

"He probably wants to lure Kole out by using Gnarrk as bait." Robin said. "He's probably on his way back to his machine."

"Then we'd better go now!"


We climbed our way up the hill leading to a cave entrance. As we stepped out into the outside world, the biting cold hit my arms, and I immediately shivered. I sure wished we had time to grab our jackets.

"There's Dr. Light's machine!" Cyborg called, pointing to the metal cylinder in the distance.

We ran towards the machine. As we drew closer, a ray of light energy zoomed towards us. We jumped out of the way.

"You came a lot sooner than I had anticipated." Dr. Light said from the top of his machine. "I believe you came for him."

Dr. Light gestured to Gnarrk, who sat at the base of the machine inside a cage of light. He pounded his fists frantically against the cage.

"Gnarrk!" Kole cried. I stretched my arm in front of her.

"Don't. It's what he wants." I said.

"How about a little deal? I'll let the caveman go peacefully if you hand over your friend." Dr. Light said.

"I've got a better idea. How about we defeat you and keep them both?" Robin said. "Titans, go!"

My friends charged. Dr. Light scowled and shot a ray of light at us. My friends jumped out of the way, and the ray headed straight for me. Kole jumped in front of me and crystallized, redirecting the ray up into the sky. Kole reverted her head back to human flesh.

"Use me, Ciela!" she said. I widened my eyes. "He can't hurt me if I'm like this. Use me to save Gnarrk!"

I nodded. Kole crystallized completely. I wrapped my arms around her legs and hefted her over to my shoulder. The weight made me staggered backwards, but I found my balance.

"Cover me, guys!" I cried. My friends nodded and continued their attack on Dr. Light. I trudged through the snow with Kole in tow.

Gnarrk perked up when he saw me and Kole. When we were within a few feet, a ray of light hit the ground in front of me, knocking me off my feet. Kole landed in the snow.

"Foolish girl. You cannot best me!" Dr. Light said. Kole sat up. Dr. Light grabbed her and lifted her in the air.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Kole cried. She transformed into crystal. Dr. Light stumbled from the sudden weight.

I pulled out a pistol and shot the disc powering the cage of light. The forcefield faded around Gnarrk. He grunted with a smile.

"You're welcome." I said.

"Stop... being... so stubborn!" Dr. Light cried as he tried to carry Kole to the machine.

Gnarrk scowled and let out a roar. He sprinted towards Dr. Light. I watched the horror come over him right before Gnarrk body slammed him. Kole slipped from his grasp. Gnarrk reached out and caught her.

"Gnarrk!" Kole said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Thank goodness you're okay!"

Dr. Light sat up and spat snow from his mouth. We all surrounded him.

"Can't best you, huh?" Kole said, folding her arms with a smug smile. Dr. Light gulped.


Dr. Light sat in the snow, his torso encased with Raven's astral magic.

"Thanks again for your help." Robin said to Kole and Gnarrk.

"No problem. Beating bad guys is kind of fun." Kole said. Gnarrk grunted. Kole rolled her eyes and smiled. "Of course, it is a little much. The upper world isn't quite ready to handle our dynamic duo."

"People like Dr. Light might try to find you. If that ever happens, use this to call us." Robin said, offering a communicator to Kole.

I reached out and snatched the communicator from his hand before Kole could. Everyone stared at me.

"That's not a good idea. Trust me, you're safer without the communicator." I said.

Kole raised an eyebrow, but it shifted to a nose wrinkle as she laughed into her palm. "You people sure are weird."

I handed the communicator back to Robin. "It was nice to meet you."

"You, too! Be sure to come and visit sometime. We'd love to hear more about your adventures."

I smiled. "I'm looking forward to when that day comes."