Fireworks explode in front of me, and the Ferris Wheel chair rocks back and forth slowly. I lean forward, my elbows cradling my face.
"Thank you," I say, looking at the boy next to me. "This means a lot to me."
He smiles at me, his features illuminated by the light the fireworks provide. His smile grows slowly, and he awkwardly leans forward and pulls out something straddled in between his feet. "Uh... cotton candy?" he asks, offering it to me.
I nod slowly and accept the masked boy's offer. "Thank you, Robin," I manage, placing a small portion on the tip of my tongue and feeling it disappear.
Robin gives a chuckle and places his left arm behind me. I welcome the gesture, and lean into it slowly. "Any time, Ember," he replies. His attention is quickly brought back to the firework display and he gives a cheer. "Here comes the finale! Yes!" He leans forward and thrusts his fist in the air, leaving me to gaze at him. The crease that's normally present in his forehead has vanished, and his smile is broad and genuine. He looks happy.
Just as I fully lean into Robin's embrace, Starfire zooms past, screaming and struggling against a pink light. "STARFIRE!" Robin yells before jumping off the Ferris Wheel, grappling onto the top for a steadier land. I summon the wind and float down. "Ember!" he calls, and I nod carefully, not yet snapped out of my daze, and follow him to the carnival games.
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg faintly cheers as we make our way over hastily.
"Sweet!" Beast Boy chimes in, then looks at Raven. "Told you we'd win you a prize," he says, giving her the chicken in his hand.
Raven barely acknowledges the gesture. "A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world."
Robin and I land in front of them, and he's quicker to get to his feet. "Titans! Trouble!"
"Where's Starfire?" Cyborg questions.
"That's the trouble," Robin replies, and we all run to the pier.
Starfire and her abductor are closer than expected, and Robin and I are quick to arrive. Beast Boy and Cyborg stand on the pier, star struck, gazing at the green and pink lights in the sky. I summon my power and lift myself up into the air before zooming off in the general direction of the alien girl.
"Wherever you are taking me, I do not wish to go!" Starfire exclaims before shooting starbolts at her attacker. It releases her in a struggle and she zooms past me. Before I can register much else, the pink light rushes past my ear. I look down at the water and fly just above it, my hands gathering it for more power. I rise back up and face the probe.
"If you want to get to her, you'll have to go through me first!" I yell and lift my hands, causing water to shoot out of them. It electrocutes the abductor, sending it flying down into the water. I stare down at it until a hand grabs my own and pulls me back to the pier.
"Thank y—" Starfire begins, but is interrupted by a tentacle brushing against her arm. She flies away in a hurry, causing it to chase after her. I hear her gasps as she flies away. "No more chasing now, please!" she shouts, but to no avail.
"Who's her new best friend?" Beast Boy asks, looking in disbelief.
"Don't know... but I can't wait to meet him," Robin replies, socking his fist into his hand. The probe comes around again and Beast Boy changes into a crocodile. He goes for its top but misses, and it flies free. Raven throws a hot dog stand at it, but the hot dog stand breaks instead.
I let out a battle cry and shoot flames from my body. It doesn't even penetrate the surface of the probe, and the flames ricochet and knock me over. I stand up slowly, my feet threatening to buckle under my own weight, but the sound of grinding metal catches my attention and I turn around. Cyborg has grabbed the back of the probe and pulls it back with all his might.
"Don't know what you did to make this thing mad, Star, but it couldn't hurt to apologise!" Cyborg grunts as he struggles to hold on to it.
"I am... sorry?" Starfire half apologises, half asks. It wriggles free and Robin extends his staff. He hits it right in the middle and it flies back into the water.
Beast Boy looks over the edge where the probe went in a bewildered manner. "So, did we just win?"
I shake my head. "I doubt it. I threw it into the water earlier with more force than that, and it still came back." Just as I finish talking, it shoots up from the middle of the pier, creating a gaping hole. It flies at Starfire but Robin jumps on instead.
"Don't see an OFF switch. Guess I'll have to make one," he says as he punches through it, pulls out wires and jumps back down. The probe flies up high into the air and explodes mid flight. Robin turns to Starfire, who looks scared. "Whatever that thing was, it can't hurt you now."
"But what was it?" I ask, looking around.
"And why did it wish to hurt me at all?" Starfire concludes as she walks away, back to the Tower. We all follow, and I get a glance at all the solemn faces around me. No one knows what it was, or why it wanted to take Starfire. I make it my mission to find out.
~~~
The doors open, welcoming us back, and Starfire twirls around in front of us happily. "Come, friends," she says. "I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude, all six thousand verses." The other Titans stare in shock at what's about to come, and I grin at their reaction.
A young female voice effectively interrupts my thoughts. "I see you haven't changed a bit," it says, its owner stepping out of the shadows that is our lounge area. She is similar in appearance to Starfire, with minor differences. While her hair is the same style and length, it is black, just like her clothes. She wears a layer of armour underneath them and her narrow blue eyes shine smugly. "When we were little, I was always rescuing Starfire."
Starfire lets out a girlish squeal as she runs over to the girl, who laughs and embraces her. I roll my eyes at the sight of it. "Sister!" Starfire exclaims.
"Brought you a present," the girl says, holding up a gem the colour of an emerald, attached to a rope.
Starfire gasps, her eyes widening. "A Centauri moon diamond?" she asks. "Where did you get—?"
"On the Centauri moons, of course," she places it around her neck. "Oh, look, it matches your eyes."
"You must meet my friends!" Starfire says, dragging her over. I raise my eyebrows. I'd rather not meet Starfire's sister, but it doesn't look like I have much of a choice in the matter. She turns to us and smiles greatly. "I wish to introduce my big sister."
"Blackfire," Starfire's sister says, stepping forward. "And since Star told me all about the Titans in my transmissions, let me guess." She walks over to Cyborg first, pointing her finger at him. "Cyborg."
"Pleased to meet you, little lady," he replies, offering his hand for her to shake. She does, and there's a crunch as she releases his hand. By the looks of things, she's as strong as Starfire too. "Little lady, big handshake," he says as he chuckles awkwardly. "Well, all right."
"Raven," Blackfire walks over to the purple haired girl. "I like that gemstone on your Ajna chakra."
"You... know about chakras?" Raven asks, clearly impressed.
"I got way into meditation on Altara Prime. Beast Boy! What's up?" I notice the personality change each time she talks to a different Titan and frown.
"Nothing but the ceiling, baby!" Beast Boy jokes, and Blackfire laughs.
"Good one!" she replies, and Beast Boy leans into Raven.
"See? She thinks I'm funny," he says, but Raven doesn't spare him a glance before throwing a curt reply the shapeshifter's way.
"Statistically, I suppose someone has to."
"Ember," she says, moving onto me. She looks at the book in my hand and smiles. "I've been told much about you. I'd like to spar with you one day."
My frown vanishes ever so slightly. "That sounds like a good idea," I say, suddenly doubting my first impression of the girl. I'm about to add something when I break out of the daze. She's just trying to manipulate me.
Blackfire moves to Robin and grins. "And you must be Robin," she says. I growl at her self appointed superiority, but Robin either doesn't seem to notice or doesn't seem to care. "Oh, I am loving this cape. It's positively luscious!"
"Thanks," Robin says, impressed and proud. "It's a high density polymerised titanium, ten times stronger than steel."
"Fascinating," Blackfire gushes, and my fists clench. "And this mask makes you look very mysterious." Robin's expression doesn't change and he's about to reply when I insert myself in between them.
"Yes," I reply with clenched teeth. "Just extraordinary, isn't it?"
I give Starfire a slight nudge. She takes the hint, surprisingly, and looks up at Blackfire. "So, beloved sister, what brings you to Earth?" She asks.
Blackfire crosses to the couch, hopping over the back to sit down. "I was in the quadrant," she responds nonchalantly. "Thought I'd see if Earthlings like to party." She spares a glance over her shoulder at her sister. "Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here."
I roll my eyes and lean into Starfire as the boys gush over her. "Your sister needs to go," I mumble under my breath to the redhead. I don't know how she's charmed the others so much, but I do know that there's barely enough room in the Tower for the six of us.
I can hear the boys shouts of interest from across the room. "Black hole?" Robin questions in disbelief.
"No way!" Cyborg says.
"Cool!" Beast Boy exclaims.
"Okay," Blackfire says, moving to begin her story without wasting a single second. "I'm cruising through the Draconis nebula, and—"
"Sister, that nebula is full of black holes!" Starfire cuts in. "You know travel there is forbidden."
Blackfire and the other three stare at her in perplex. "Most fun things in life are. Now, be a sweetie and bring me one of those sodas I've heard so much about." She dismisses her sister with a wave of her hand and turns back to her audience. "So anyway, I'm zooming over an event horizon, approaching light speed, when all of a sudden..."
I tune out Blackfire and walk over to Starfire, who's at the fridge. I hear her mumble, "I see you have not changed either," before closing the fridge and bumping into me. She drops the soda but I catch it in my hand.
"Hey, Star," I say. "You okay?"
Starfire nods unconvincingly, then looks down at her feet and shakes her head, worry engulfing her expression like a tidal wave. "No, I am not okay, friend Ember. My sister came into our house without us being there, she stole all of my friends—"
I don't let her finish before I place my hand on her shoulder. "Not all of your friends."
The redhead nods. "Thank you, friend Ember. It is what I needed to hear."
"Any time," I reply, shaking the soda putting it back in the fridge, so that when Starfire gives it to Blackfire, she gets a bit of a surprise.
~~~
"Sister? Sister?" Starfire's voice gets more anxious every time she calls. We walk through the halls, Starfire leading and myself close behind. "Sister? I seek your companionship."
"Robin?" I ask. We haven't seen the pair for a few hours, and we're both starting to get worried. "Robin?"
We walk into the lounge room, which is where we last saw either Robin or Blackfire. Cyborg and Beast Boy sit on the couch, playing GameStation.
"You want to pass me, but you can't pass me! You can't pa- you passed me!" Cyborg frowns in disappointment as the white car on screen gets overtaken by the yellow one.
"Tighten the turn... jets... and nitro!" Beast Boy leaps out of his seat and does his signature victory dance.
"Tell me," Starfire inquires. "Have either of you seen Blackfire?"
"Or Robin?" I ask.
"Blazin' B?" Beast Boy asks Starfire without turning his head away from the game. "She was here just a second ago."
"Aw, yeah! Back in the lead!" Cyborg calls from his seat. Starfire looks at the game in admiration, and I cross my arms in disgust at the pair.
"What fun! May I join your game?" Starfire asks.
"Winner plays Blackfire," Cyborg tells Beast Boy, completely ignoring the redhead.
"She rules at this game," Beast Boy says.
"I see," Starfire replies, and looks at me desperately.
"Hold on, Star," I say, moving in front of the television. "Have either of you seen Robin?"
"Ember!" Beast Boy moans. "Get away from the TV!"
"Yeah!" Cyborg adds. "I'm not missing my chance to play Blackfire just because you're standing in the way!"
My teeth grind in anger. "Have... any of you... seen... Robin?" I growl, and the boys pause the game and look at me cautiously.
"Uh... no," Beast Boy replies slowly. "You okay?"
"Positively luscious," I mimick. "Thanks." I pull Starfire back and we leave the room and approach the hallways, moving quickly.
"Come on, let's see if friend Raven knows where they are!" Starfire exclaims, and I nod.
"Good luck with that," I mumble, just as Starfire knocks on the door. Raven opens it ever so slightly, her hood on, and looks at us in boredom.
"Is...my sister in there?" Starfire asks.
"No," Raven curtly replies, and begins to close the door.
"Oh..." Starfire looks at me in sadness before turning back to Raven. "...might you wish to hang out with us? We could visit your favourite depressing café."
I poke Starfire. "I don't want to do that," I whisper, but she doesn't pay attention.
"Already been," Raven responds. "It was open mic and Blackfire wanted to share. Your sister's poetry is surprisingly dark." With that, she closes the door fully and we turn to leave.
"That's perfect, Robin," I hear a low but feminine voice ring out through the halls and know that it could only be our special guest. I see two silhouettes holding each other close, too close for my liking. There's no gap between their heads, and I slam my hand quietly against the wall. "Hold me just like that, and..." I run to where they stand and open the door just in time to see Robin be flung across the room like a bowling ball. "Learned that move from a Ven-Zo master on Tyrus Three."
"Hello, Robin... and... my sister. Am I interrupting?" Starfire asks.
"Yes, hello to the both of you. Are we interrupting anything?" I ask, a colour of jealousy appearing in my voice that I dare not react to.
"Not at all," Robin quips, smiling at me. "Blackfire was just showing me some alien martial arts." He turns to Starfire and gestures to her. "How come you never taught me these cool moves?"
"Probably because she doesn't know them," Blackfire says, still wearing her cocky, smug smile. "I always was the better fighter. Come on. I'll show you the technique I once used to stop a raging orthax." I narrow my eyes at Blackfire but she doesn't seem to notice as she leads him out of the room, leaving Starfire and I gaping in horror. Starfire resigns to a frown and looks at her feet again.
"It's okay, Star," I say. "You want to do something?"
"Oh, friend Ember, I wish to thank you," she says, looking up at me. "But Blackfire is doing the bonding with everyone, and soon you'll be doing the bonding with her too."
I feel a heat rise into my cheeks, which are now no doubt turning red. "Starfire, I won't. I promise."
Starfire bubbles over with excitement and happiness. "I wish to thank you again, friend Ember," Starfire says, lifting in the air and zipping around the halls.
This time, my laugh is heavy and wholehearted. "Don't thank me. I wouldn't have gone even if you paid me."
I start to walk back to the lounge area, and Starfire follows eagerly. "She paid you?"
"No, Star, it's just a form of expression."
We come full circle and arrive in the lounge room again in no time. Raven, Cyborg, Beast Boy and Robin are all settled on the couch, and turn around at the opening of the door, no doubt hoping for Starfire's egotistical sister.
"Friends! I invite you to join me in the togetherness of stay-home movie night. I bring you popcorn and non-cotton candies. Tell me, what sort of movie shall we view?" Starfire asks, and they reply in rapid fire from right to left.
"Action."
"Comedy."
"Sci-fi."
"Horror."
I raise my hand awkwardly as I hop over the couch in between Robin and Beast Boy. "I second action," I say, grinning at the boy who suggested it.
Starfire looks around in desperation. "Perhaps a double feature?" She asks, evidently not knowing what to do. Unluckily for her, her sister chooses this time to appear. She's wearing the exact same clothes as Starfire, her black, armoured attire missing from her self.
"Forget the flicks, kids," she says. "We're going out!"
"We are? Where did you—? Are those my—?" Starfire struggles to pull together one question.
"Heard about a party downtown," Blackfire replies smoothly. "Cool crowd, hot music."
"Yeah!" Beast Boy shouts.
"I'm in," Cyborg says.
"Why not?" Robin concludes, looking at the girl.
Blackfire studies Raven, who is once again bored. "And it's in a creepy run-down warehouse." This catches Raven's attention and she snaps to life instantly.
"Whoo!" Cyborg calls.
"I am a party animal," Beast Boy jokes before turning into a gorilla.
"How hilarious," I mutter, low enough that he doesn't hear it.
Blackfire approaches Starfire. "Hey, sweetie, raided your closet. Hope you don't mind me borrowing your look." She then parades off with the others, leaving the dejected girl behind her.
"Why not? You have already borrowed my friends," she mumbles sadly, barely acknowledging my presence this time around before taking off after the others. I look around and grab my book before hesitantly following suit.
~~~
The warehouse downtown is in an area where I have only been once or twice, to take down criminals and when I first arrived. Neon lights light up the spacious room, and the enormous crowd fills it without trouble.
"Step aside, Earthlings, the queen of the galaxy has arrived!" Blackfire commands, and they make way while she dances through.
"Oh... excuse... oh... uh..." Starfire mumbles as she tries to push through. Someone steps on her foot and she looks back in anger. "You really should apologise after stepping on someone's foot."
"Now don't tell me you big tough superheroes are afraid of a little dancing," Blackfire tells us as she moves graciously around the floor.
Beast Boy grins and elbows the half robot beside him. "Betcha Cyborg can do the Robot." He does the said dance himself as a demonstration, and Cyborg frowns before looking around and dancing. Beast Boy and Robin quickly join in, but I cross my arms defiantly.
"Come on, Ember," Robin says. "Dance with us!"
I grit my teeth before offering a simple smile. "I don't dance," I tell him, and he frowns slightly before continuing to dance.
I walk over to Starfire and Raven, who are standing in the middle of the room. "This party is pointless," Raven tells us, and I remember the book that I brought with me.
A goth boy walks up to Raven. "Everything's pointless," he says. "Wanna go talk about it?" Raven shrugs and walks away with him.
Two boys walk past the both of us, before turning around and staring at our bodies. One of them, in a green jacket, leans into Starfire, whilst the other looks at me and smiles. "Hey, hot alien girl," I frown at the derogatory word. "You digging the scene?"
"I... did not know we were supposed to bring shovels," Starfire says innocently, and I snort. Everyone laughs at her, and she fiddles with her hands nervously.
The one with a red beanie opens his mouth to say something to me, but I glare at him. "Don't you dare," I say, and go to the roof.
There's no one on the roof, so I seat myself on the edge and open my book. I'm only two pages in when I hear the creaking of the door and see a familiar redhead alien glide over to me. "Hello," she mumbles, before sitting next to me.
"Hey, Star," I say. "You sure you're okay with Blackfire being here?"
Starfire shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know, friend Ember, but what am I to do? Blackfire is better than me at everything and everyone likes her better than—"
"No, they don't." I smile reassuringly. "Anyway, your sister said she was only passing through. She'll be leaving before you know it."
"But, what if she doesn't? Perhaps I do not belong here after all."
I hear the creak of the door, and my eyes float up to see a boy with a yellow cape at the door. "Of course you don't. You belong down there, having fun with the rest of us." He looks at me and frowns. "Both of you. What's wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong," Starfire says unconvincingly. "Everything is wonderful. The pounding music and blinding lights are quite enjoyable." I smile at her sarcasm, even if she only meant to hide the truth. Robin narrows his eyes and Starfire looks down. "Everything is not wonderful," she explains. "I am happy to see her, but Blackfire rules the video games, and she is able to share very depressing poems, and she knows the cool moves, and she reads the books, and she always knows when people are not talking about shovels. And I am nothing like her."
"No, you're not. And I think—" Robin begins, but he's cut off by Blackfire, who's wearing a pink wig.
"How do I look?" she asks.
Robin studies her, his expression unchanging. "Pink," he says, warning in his voice. "Look, can you give us a minute here?"
The song changes and Blackfire looks down in excitement. "Oh, I love this song!" she says, pulling Robin and I toward the door. I release my hand from her grip but Robin is unable to do so and gets dragged in, giving a short yelp.
Starfire frowns at me, before looking up at the sign, a light appearing in the middle for a second. "Huh?" she asks, and I shrug. The pink probe emerges from inside, and Starfire gives a shriek.
"I thought we went over this," I growl. "If you want her, you'll have to get through me!" I summon the power of fire and my hands heat up with the flame. The probe seems indifferent and dashes at Starfire, who takes to the skies to avoid its wrath. I summon the wind and chase after, my hands still hot.
Eventually, Starfire gets inside, the probe following her. I land on the ground with a thud and look around. Beast Boy's entangled in one of the probe's tentacles, and Raven and Cyborg are fighting another. Counting the one Starfire and I bumped into, that means there's three.
"Since when was there three of them?" I complain, before running after one and shooting fire at it. Just like before, it has no effect.
"Since now," Cyborg replies. "Someone get Robin and Blackfire!"
Raven picks up two boxes and flings them at the probes, freeing Beast Boy temporarily. Cyborg punches one of them away and Starfire flies out from under the rubble. She shoots at one of them, and it falls in Beast Boy direction, but this time he dodges and turns into a tiger. He walks forward and lunges at it, throwing it back whilst several more float toward Starfire.
I summon fire again and launch myself at one of the probes. I remember what Robin did and use the flames to deactivate the wires in one of them. It falls to the ground and I lunge to the second, but I miss and fall to the ground instead.
Cyborg fights off the other two whilst Starfire watches in dismay. He fends off one of them but the second rams into him and sends him flying. He crashes into the wall and reveals Robin, who rushes to his aide.
"What's going on?" He asks as I make my way over.
"Remember that thing that attacked Star?" Cyborg asks, not waiting for a response before continuing. "It had friends."
"Three of them," I add, and we run down the stairs. Robin stops in front of me and I crash into him, rubbing my head.
"Didn't you hear him?" Robin says to someone. "Your sister needs help!" The person he was talking to, who I can now safely assume was Blackfire, doesn't move.
"Right," she says dryly. "Of course."
I run to the back of the building and see Starfire crash into a wall and fall into the trash can. She opens the lid slowly but the probe lands on top of it, trapping her in. I hear her muffled scream and fly after her, summoning water to crash the circuits.
Robin's birdarang gets there before my water does, and the broken probe is forced to release the alien girl. "Teen Titans! Go!" He and Cyborg say in unison, but before they can even move, Blackfire's destroyed al of them with her laser eyes.
"Aw, yeah! Good times!" Cyborg says.
"Good times?" I ask. "Really?"
"Nice shooting, Tex," Beast Boy comments, and I give up on trying to comprehend their references.
"Very nice," Raven comments.
"How did you know where to hit them?" Robin asks, almost sceptically.
Blackfire shrugs. "Lucky guess."
Cyborg grins. "We could use luck like that. Maybe you oughta join the team." He walks forward to her as her smile grows wider.
"Me? A Teen Titan?" Blackfire asks.
"Her? A Teen Titan?" I echo in disbelief, just as Starfire opens the lid and gasps, clearly horrified at the notion.
~~~
Back at the tower, nothing seems normal. Thoughts run through my head, all revolving around the events of tonight. Surely seven is too many on the team? Apparently not, according to Cyborg and the others. Even Raven seems to like Starfire's older sister. I seem to be the only one who doesn't.
I decide I need some fresh air to aide my thoughts, so I venture to the roof. The moon illuminates a figure standing on the edge of the tower, and I frown at the words spoken by it.
"She will be a better Titan than I ever was," Starfire's voice, normally full of happiness, fills my ears. She sounds abnormally sad, like a different person.
"Are you sure about that?" My frown turns into a joking grin, and Starfire turns around in slight shock.
"What are you doing here?"
I grin. "I could ask you the same question, Starfire." I move closer to her and look at the pink backpack, hidden initially by her long, red hair. "Where were you going?"
"Back to my home planet, Tameran," she says ruefully.
"Why?"
"You heard me earlier, yes? Blackfire's a better Titan. She fits in better, she understands humans, she's stronger... how could I be better than her?"
I kick my foot against the floor. "Starfire, your sister doesn't fit in better than you. She understands human culture, sure, but not humans. She changes her entire personality for each Titan she hangs out with."
"I guess so, but Cyborg said—"
"I don't care what Cyborg said. He didn't mean it. If any of us had to choose between you or your sister, I promise you we'd all want you."
Starfire turns away toward the moon and I hear Robin opening the door slowly before stepping out into the cold. "Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
"She wasn't leaving," I say, cutting in and shooting the Boy Wonder a smile.
"Robin, I—" Starfire begins, but is interrupted by the sound of a spaceship in motion. It flies towards us, shooting a tentacle. It hits Robin and pushes him back, then does the same to me before wrapping itself around Starfire and dragging her toward the ship.
Robin gets up and goes to help me, but I grunt and shake my head. "Get Starfire, Robin!" I say, and he hesitates slightly before turning around and jumping at the spaceship. He misses Starfire and quickly gets out his grappler, shooting it at the bottom and climbing on. I quickly fly after him, stopping next to him and grabbing on as well.
"Prepare to leave Earth orbit. We have the Tamaranean girl," a high robotic voice commands from above.
I hear footsteps and Starfire's grunts, sending a shiver down my spine. "Once we return to Centauri, you will pay for what you have done," a second, deeper robotic voice tells the alien girl.
"Nobody's taking her away," he mutters, and he nods when I look at him. He jumps up on the top of the spaceship and I follow after. "Our friend stays here!"
The guard swings at Robin, but he jumps over him with ease, ducking all the punches. The guard starts shooting, and I jump on top of him.
"You thought it was going to be easy, taking her away?" I ask, slamming my boot in his back. Robin punches the guard and stands in front of the glowing red light. The guard shoots a tentacle and Robin ducks, causing it to hit the light.
"No!" the guard exclaims. "I cannot control it!"
I run to where Starfire is and hit the button in front of her, releasing her. "Ember! Robin!" she says in gratitude as I untangle her.
"Come on!" Robin calls to the both of us, and we jump off the ship. It digs into the ground, effectively stopping it, and tips over.
"Star! Robin! Ember!" The familiar voice of the shapeshifter gains my attention, and we all turn around to see him, along with Cyborg and Raven.
"You guys okay?" Cyborg asks as the guards get up from the rubble.
"Titans! Get ready!" Robin says in a low voice.
The guards walk forward. "In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire, you are all under arrest," one says, holding out a shield.
"Uh...you can't be the good guys. We're the good guys," Beast Boy remarks.
"And we are Centauri police," the robotic voice replies.
"The Tamaranean girl is a liar and a thief. She's committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system," the second one adds.
"I have never even been to the Centauri moons!" Starfire says, and I walk up to her, taking off the necklace and pushing it into her hands. She looks down at it in realisation, as does the rest of the team.
"But I know someone who has," Robin says, before turning to the police. "You've been chasing the wrong girl. Where's Blackfire?" He tosses them the necklace.
"Uh..." Beast Boy stammers.
"Don't worry, Star," Robin says, reassuring her. "She won't get away with this."
"No, she will not!" Starfire shouts, shooting up into the air. I lift off and follow, but stop when I reach the edge of the atmosphere. I fly back to the ground, noticing that the Centauri police have already gone.
"Did you see anything?" Robin asks, and as if on cue, purple and green lights fill the night sky.
"I can't exactly breathe in space," I reply, smiling slyly. Robin returns it, and we are only interrupted when Beast Boy clears his throat.
"Ahem," he says, looking pointedly at us. I rub the back of my head. In the short time, the distance between us has been cut in half. Robin realises this at the same time as I do and we both take a step back, Robin chuckling nervously. I catch Cyborg's teasing grin and raise my eyebrows. He does not look away.
I feel the Boy Wonder's eyes on me and I turn to look at him, causing him to look away quickly. The same smile finds its way to my lips again as Starfire comes back and we head back to the tower.
~~~
I see Robin in the lounge room, standing in his favourite spot—next to the window, looking out at the city that we save every day. I walk over to him. "Hey," I say.
Robin smiles. "Hey," he replies.
"So, I was wondering," I begin, my fingers showing my anxiety. "Our trip to the fair was interrupted."
"It was," Robin comments, sensing where I'm going with this. His smile turns into a grin.
"I thought maybe... you'd like to finish it? Go on the Ferris Wheel, the carnival games, whatever you want."
Robin grabs my hand. "Of course. I'd love that," he says, and I pull at his hand.
"Come on, let's get the others!" I call, and he runs with me, a tinge of reluctance in his jog. As soon as I say it, I feel a pang of guilt that the trip could not be with just the two of us. My thoughts rest with the fact that last time I got some alone time with him, and that it could happen again.
I open the door to the roof and see Starfire huddled by the edge. I let go of Robin's hand and we make our way over, sitting on either side of her.
"Hey," I say to the alien girl next to me.
"How are you doing?" Robin asks as he looks at her.
"I am...sad for my sister," Starfire says, holding her knees closer to her chest.
"What about you?" I ask. "How do you feel?"
"I am just glad that the truth was discovered before I was replaced," she says, and Robin frowns.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, you..." she begins, before stopping herself with a calming breath. "Everyone was having such fun with her, and then Cyborg said—"
"Look. Your sister was interesting," Robin says, and I snort, causing the boy to look up at me. "But she could never take your place. No one could ever take your place."
Starfire smiles, first at Robin, then at myself.
I feel as though I'm due to say something. "Starfire, you're one of a kind," I say. "You should know that. We're glad it's you with us and not your sister."
"Thank you, friends," she says, and I tug at her shoulder.
"Now, come on. We're going to the fair," I tell her, and her smile grows wider.
"Oh, how fun!" She exclaims. "Let us go get the others!"
She rushes back into the Tower to get the others, and I pull at Robin. "Come on," I say. "Let's go now. The others can catch up."
Robin pretends to think about it, then nods. "Okay," he concedes, and before he can say another word, I lift us both up into the air and towards the Ferris Wheel.
I thought I'd publish early because the chapter was already done and I hate a story with only one chapter.