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I was right.
The very next day, early in the morning, I saw Luis sitting next to my favorite bush, looking around aimlessly.
He wasn't gonna give up, now was he?
Apparently not...
"Hey," I said, walking over to him, sighing.
"Hey," he replied, that stupid grin still plastered on his face.
"What do you want now?" I asked, sitting down.
"I just came to see you again."
"And...?"
"And that's it..."
I rolled my eyes.
I could tell he wasn't gonna go away very easily.
"That fox that came the other day, who is he or she or whatever?"
"I call her Mariah. She's one of Vixen's pups from last year..."
"And Vixen is...?"
"She's the fox that took me in eight years ago. I help her by taking care of her pups sometimes while she's out hunting..."
"Oh."
There was a pause, and I just sat there, staring at a bug as it crawled in the dewy grass.
I could tell that he wanted to know why I looked like I did, but I wasn't ready to tell him.
Not yet.
It took me a while to trust even Mariah with my story.
"So..." Luis began. "Why do you look like that?"
I sighed.
Yup.
I knew he was gonna ask sooner or later.
"Listen, Luke---"
"Luis."
"Whatever. Look, I don't know you and you don't know me, so let's just leave it as a mere run-in and never see each other again, okay?" I pleaded.
"But I want to get to know you more," he insisted, looking down at me, reaching a hand out and touching my cheek lightly. "You're so pretty," he whispered.
I had never been called pretty before...
"I want to take you to the Tower to meet everyone," he said, smiling. "So, wanna come?"
I almost said yes, but something told me not to.
"I can't," I whispered, taking a step back.
"Why not?"
"I have to stay and take care of the pups..."
"Can't Mariah do that for you?"
"No, she can't. She's only a year old...She's not ready..."
"What about tomorrow? Can you come tomorrow?"
"I don't know. I have to go," I said, running off.
Like Cinderella running to her pumpkin.
In my head, I couldn't help but laugh.
This was turning out to be your average fairy tale.
Luis was the prince.
I was the princess.
And in the end we'd live happily ever after...
But there was one little flaw:
None of the fairy tales had demonic, mutated princesses, though.
So, maybe, there was a chance that this WAS just gonna be some mere run-in and Luis and I would never see each other again.
I sighed.
My head hurt too much...
I lay down in my den and sighed again.
Somehow, I knew that this would end up to a fairy tale ending.

The next day I woke up to another one of Mariah's nudges.
'What is it?'
'Who's that guy you were talking to yesterday?'
I sighed. 'I don't want to talk about it...'
'Why?' Mariah sat down next to me, her tail waving.
'I just don't.' I stood up, stretched, and padded out. Mariah followed me, still curious.
'What did he want?'
'He wanted to take me to the Tower yesterday so I could meet the rest of the Titans.'
'Did you go?'
'No.'
We were walking around the park, just walking. It was early enough in the morning that I didn't have to hide.
'Are you gonna go today?'
'Maybe...'
We rounded a corner and I stopped in my tracks. Luis was sitting on a bench, apparently waiting for me.
I sighed.
That kid was giving me a headache...
"What is it /now/?" I asked walking over. He looked up and smiled.
"I came back to see if you still wanted to go," he said. "Do you?"
"If I go with you, will you stop coming here and bothering me?"
"Maybe."
I looked over at Mariah who was just standing there, watching me.
"All right, I'll go. But if I ask you to never come back here again, will you?"
"I'll try not to come back," he said, the grin still on his face. "But before we go I need to ask you something."
"What?" I said, sitting down.
"What's your name?"
"It's Ariana. But if you call me that, you're dead meat..." I said, smiling.
"Then what can I call you?"
"Ari." I was still smiling.
Luis smiled too. "So, are you coming?" He asked.
"Yeah, but I'll have to tell Mariah to tell Vixen that I'd be gone."
"Okay." He sat back and waited for me to come back.
I quickly padded over to where Mariah sat, told her to tell Vixen that I'd be gone, and padded back over to Luis.
"Ready," I said, smiling.
He stood up, placed a hand on top of my head and teleported us both inside the ginormous T-shaped Tower. He showed me around and introduced me to almost everybody in the Tower. After the tour, we basically acted like vegetables and lounged on the couch watching mindless T.V. shows the rest of the day.
"So, how do you like Titans Tower?" Luis asked while we were watching Fairly Oddparents.
"It's okay," I admitted, smiling.
"Okay enough to live in?"
"Yeah, I s'pose."
"So how 'bout it? Wanna join the team?"
"Uhh..." I stammered.
I didn't expect him to ask me to stay. I thought it was just a one-time thing. I sighed, but still smiled. Frankly, I loved it here.
"Sure," I said. Luis smiled.
Yes, this was turning out to be a fairy-tale ending.

Luis teleported me back to the park at the end of the day, and I was feeling happier than I did that morning.
'Did you have a good time?' Mariah asked, padding over, her eyes narrowed angrily.
'Yeah. Why are you mad? Can't I go somewhere and have fun once in a while?'
'I never said you couldn't. And I'm not mad.'
'You look mad.'
'I'm not.'
'What's wrong, Mariah?'
'Nothing's wrong.'
'Shouldn't you be happy for me? I'm going to be part of a team!'
'What?!'
I sighed. Mariah /clearly/ wasn't happy for me.
'Luis wants me to join the Titans. We have everything worked out already.'
Mariah just stood there, and I could tell she didn’t like the news.
She just stared at me for a long time, neither one of us speaking, then suddenly dashed off as though I was an angry farmer with a gun.
I stared after her, sighed, then turned around to see Vixen right in front of me.
'What's wrong with Mariah? Why is she acting like this?' I asked.
'She doesn't like you hanging out with that boy. She thinks that if you hang out with humans for too long, you'll forget about her and being a fox,' Vixen said, turning and padding off. I followed along beside her.
'But why would she think that?! I AM part-fox! NOTHING could change that,' I protested.
'But she doesn't know that.'
I stopped, stared at Vixen as she continued on to her den, then bounded up to her again.
'If you were there, then I'm trying out to join the Titans...I'm gonna live at the Tower and everything. But Luis talked to Robin, aaaaaand I might be able to come spend the night over here in the park once a month,' I said, sitting outside the den as Vixen went in.
'That'll work,' she said. My face lit up.
Finally...
I would have some friends, AND be part of a team.
I would belong to something.
And, better still, I had already made one really good friend...
But I knew that he wouldn't be a good friend for very long...

((This chapter is through Mariah's point of view. ^^ Just so you don't get confused, because it's gonna be in first person.))

Luis came the next morning, and I was ready for him. I was sitting outside Ari's den, looking like I was just sitting there inconveniently.
Ari wasn't going with Luis.
Nor was she ever going near another human again.
Not while I was still walking, that is...
Luis teleported a couple feet in front of me, smiling.
God, how I hated his smile...
"Hey, Mariah," he said, walking over. "Ari up yet?"
"Yes, but you cannot see her," I simply stated.
"What the hell? Why can't I see her?" He asked, looking at me quizzically.
"You just can't, and that's all." My voice had a sing-song pitch to it.
Luis sighed. "Please? Let me see her..." He pleaded.
Now I started to get mad.
I growled. "No! Ari's staying here with Vixen and me, and she's never going to Titans Tower with you, or any other human!"
Luis was on the verge of tears. "Please...Listen, Mariah, I really like her..."
Ari stepped out of the den at that moment, her face red, but there was a human smile on her face. What the hell?!
"Really?" She whispered, looking up at Luis, her face still bright red.
"Really," he whispered back, crouching down and meeting my sister at eye level. He smiled, then took her in a quick embrace.
I was enraged.
How DARE he hug my sister?!!!!!
I was about ready to pounce at him and rip him to shreds, but Vixen walked up that moment.
"Hello, Luis, Ari, Mariah," she greeted, sitting down next to Ari.
Ari looked at Vixen, and said, "Vixen? I'm ready to go to the Tower..."
That stupid human smile was still on her face.
"Okay, Ari," she said.
Ari padded over to her, laid her head on Vixen's shoulder, and then stepped back. She turned towards me.
"Mariah?" She asked.
I stayed quiet for a while, thinking.
Well, if Vixen was cool with it, then maybe this is what's supposed to happen...
"I'll miss you," I said. She padded over to me, laid her head on my shoulder, and I did the same.
"I'll come back. Don't worry," she said, stepping back.
"Oh!" I said, remembering something. I bounded into her den, searched around for a little bit, grabbed something in my mouth, and then bounded back out. "I'm sure Theodore wants to go, too." I placed him down in front of Ari, sat down, my tail wagging.
"Thanks, Mariah," Ari said, picking Theodore up in her mouth and looking up at Luis. He placed a hand on her head, and in the next moment, both of them had disappeared, Teddy with them.
I may not like what Ari's doing, but at least I should be happy for her, right?
After all, this is her story.
Her fairy tale...

((Back to Ari's point of view!!! ^^ XD))

Robin was waiting for us in the main room when we arrived.
"Hey, Ari," he said, leaning against the back of the couch. "Ready for the obstacle course?"
I dropped Teddy from my mouth.
"Yup!" I said, grinning.
Robin led me out to the obstacle course, turned it on, and waited to see what I'd do.
It was simple, really.
All I had to do was dodge the attacks...
And maybe knock a couple 'bots to the ground...
I skidded over the finish line, throwing up dirt and dust everywhere.
My time was 1:25...
"GO ARI!!!" Someone shouted from the side lines. I didn't have to look over to know that it was Luis.
I padded over to the scoring table, looking up at Robin and Raven.
"So, did I make it?" I asked, grinning.
Robin nodded his head slowly, not believing my time.
Yes!
The next minute, I felt someone's arms around me, lifting me up. "You did it!" Luis said.
"Avalanche!" I cried as we toppled over. He lifted me too high, knocking himself off balance, therefore, we now have a Luis-Ari pile. Joy...
We stared at each other for a minute, then started laughing.
That was the start of our relationship...

Later, when we were all being bums and watching T.V., someone came and knocked on the door.
"Got it!" Ben said, teleporting over to it. Being curious, I leapt down from the couch and padded over to the door, Luis following me. Ben had opened it, and in the doorway stood a balding, blonde-haired man with brown eyes...
That was my dad...
I nudged Luis forward, then hid behind his legs. He turned around to look at me, and I looked up at him with wide eyes. I shook my head, signaling that I "wasn't there".
"Yes, I'm looking for my daughter, Ariana. Have you seen her?" My dad said to Ben, completely not noticing me.
Thank God...
"I think we can help you find her," Ben said, when Luis tapped him on the shoulder and whispered something to him. I just stayed as small as possible by pressing myself up against the wall and hiding behind Luis. Ben nodded and I knew what Luis told him.
That was my dad, and I wasn't a Titan...Nor did I live in this Tower...
Or, at least, that's what I /thought/...
Ben stepped aside and led my father in, Luis still hiding me from view. My dad looked over at Luis, then his gaze dropped to about where I was. Scared, I tried pressing myself against the wall some more, holding in my breath. I didn't let it out until Ben and my dad had long left and Luis crouched down to my eye-level.
"Is that your dad, the one who did this to you?" He asked. I just nodded, staring at the spot where Ben and my dad had been before they entered the main room. I told both Ben and Luis about the day I became a fox-child.
"It's okay, Ari," Luis said. "We won't let him turn you into a complete fox..." He smiled. I tried to smile back, but my mouth wouldn't move.
Luis and I both walked back up to the main room, staying as far away from the couch as possible. Ben was interrogating my dad, who was looking like he shouldn't have knocked on the door in the first place.
"So, what does your daughter look like?" Ben asked, even though he knew the answer.
"I have a picture of her, although it's quite old," my dad said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out an old crumpled picture of me. "She's five in this picture, though, and I don't have a current one."
"And how old did you say she'd be right about now?" Ben asked, studying the picture carefully. All I was worried about was what picture of me that was. 'Cause it was the picture of me in the bathtub...
"Let's see...Oh, about 12 or 13," my dad said, looking around uncomfortably.
"And why are you looking for her?"
"She ran away when she was five, and I've been looking for her for a while."
"Are you looking for her because you genetically mutated her into a half-fox and are now back to finish the process?"
BEN!!!!!!!!!
"What? No! I just want to see my daughter!" My dad protested, although he was going red at the face.
I couldn't take being silent anymore...
"Ben!" I shouted, running across the room.
"Ari, wait!" Luis said as I dashed off, I couldn't hear him, though. There was a strange buzzing noise in my ears...
I would've tackled Ben to the ground (oh, yes, Mariah's violent thoughts came from me), but, I missed. He teleported just as I leapt in the air, so I then landed on the couch cushion next to my dad.
"A-Ari?" He said, staring at me. I sighed.
"Hi, Dad."
"Oh my god, Ari." And the next minute, his arms were around me. "I'm sorry." was all he said.
"It's okay, Dad..." I said. After all, I had a lot to thank him for. Although he made my life hell, if it wasn't for him, I'd never have met Luis, or Mariah, or Vixen...
So, basically, when he tested on me, he was handing me a new life...
A new fairy tale...
"It's just that, I was curious, and my research took over my love for you, and..."
"It's okay, Dad, really...I wouldn't be on the team if you hadn't've done this...And I wouldn't be this happy..."
My dad let go of me, looked me over, then smiled.
"Do you want to go back to the way you were before?" He asked.
I looked back behind me. Some of the team had gathered there when I had shouted. But all I was worried about was Luis...
Oh, and that picture...
Luis looked back at me and smiled. "It's whatever you want..."
I looked back at my dad, thinking.
I learned to love the feeling of a good rabbit hunt, even though I never ate them, and I loved to run like I did now.
"Do you think you could be able to allow me to change back to a half-fox whenever I wanted to?" I said slowly, choosing my words carefully.
"It'd be difficult, but, yes, I think we could..." My dad said, thinking himself.
Luis stepped closer, put a hand on my head and spoke, "You won't make it so her brain goes all funky and she never comes back and never sees me again, will you?"
"I'll try not to..." My dad just stared at him. "Who're you?"
I felt my face go red. /Daaaaaad.../
"Even though it isn't official, he's my...boyfriend..." I whispered, staring at the cushions. The heat in my face was intense...
There was silence, then...
"WOOOOOOOOO!!!"
Oh, god...
Sillie-chan, you are going to die...
"Oh, well..." My dad stammered. I just laughed since I was too embarrassed to do anything else.
"So...Are we going to get this done, or not?" Luis asked.
"Well, yes, I suppose we should get started..." Dad said. We all got up, pushed through the crowds of teenagers, each one cat-calling as Luis and I passed. I mentally put 'Kill the Titans,' on my 'To Do' list...
Somehow, we made it over the bay and to my dad's lab, but I don't remember how. I was too busy plotting the downfall of Sil to pay attention to how we got were we did.
The next thing I knew, we were walking along the bright hallways, dad in his lab coat, both of them on either side of me.
We stopped at the same room that I had last entered as a normal human child. I sighed, stepped in, stood in the middle of the room, and closed my eyes. A second later, I felt my feet slip from underneath me, and I slowly drifted off to sleep from the gas that had entered the room.

It was three-and-a-half hours later when I awoke. I once again found myself in the container surrounded by emerald liquid and once again, bare...
I stretched before drawing my knees up to my chest again, keeping still and waiting for hearing to come to me once again.
Almost immediately, a wave of sounds flooded into the ears atop of my head. So the fox ears hadn't disappeared...That was good...Just what I wanted...
Twenty minutes after I awoke, the liquid was emptied from the container and the glass lifted up. I wasn't balanced right on two legs, so I immediately collapsed on my bum as soon as the liquid was drained away. Scientists rushed over with towels and clothes for me. I dried myself off, noticed my tail was still attached, and quickly got dressed.
My dad approached me as soon as I tried standing with a mirror. He smiled, then handed the mirror over without a word. I took it by the handle, drew in a deep breath, closed my eyes, and slowly brought the mirror up to my face. Letting my breath out, I opened my eyes and found a different person staring back at me.
Her hair wasn't orangey-red anymore...
Her eyes weren't violet...
And her face wasn't clear...
No, this girl wasn't Ari the fox-child...
This girl was Ariana Peckny, Teen Titan.
The ears were still on top of my head...
Freckles dotted my face.
Fiery-red locks cascaded down my neck.
And blue-speckled, amethyst eyes gleamed with excitement.
And all I wanted was to know where Luis was, what my mom would think of me now, and if I'd make it down the hallway and still be able to verbally murder Sillie-chan...
Oh, and what picture my dad showed Ben...
"Do you like it, Ari?" My dad said. I looked over the mirror at him, then threw my arms around his neck, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"Yes!" I said, feeling as happy as a poor kid who just found a twenty on the street.
"Ready to show that boy?" My dad said as I stepped back and almost fell over.
"Yeah," I replied, smiling. Dad took my hand, helped me down and sat me down in a wheelchair. He wheeled me out of the lab, into the hallways, and to the room I had fallen asleep in. He stepped around the wheelchair to open the door, and I threw out a hand to stop him.
"No, I'll do it...Help me stand up..." I said, giving him my other hand. He smiled, helped me stand, then opened the door for me anyways.
I walked in, hanging on to the wall for support, and watched my dad wheel the wheelchair away. I looked into the room, seeing Luis just sit amongst a pile of cushions, a fox plushie in his lap, staring up at the ceiling.
"Luis?" I said, taking another step in so that I was in the light. He looked up, then stared at me.
"Ari?" He said, standing and walking over to me.
"I'm done..." I said, smiling. He smiled too, put his arms around me to help me stand, and hugged me tightly.
"Oh my God, Ari, you're so beautiful..." He whispered. I could only smile and hug him back. /I could get used to this.../
"You know," I said after a while, pulling back so I could look at him. "I'm gonna have trouble walking now that I'm on two feet again...So, will you help me?"
"Yes," he said, smiling, teleporting us both back to the Tower.

After almost everyone else had gone back to bed around 11, Luis and I were still up, doing absolutely nothing in particular that involved us sitting on the couch.
"Know what I like about the fact that I'm almost human now?" I said.
"No. What?" Luis asked. I grinned evilly.
"I can tickle you now!" I said, almost pouncing on top of him and tickling him. After a while I stopped so we both could catch our breathes as I was laughing as well. Luis flicked his eyes over to me, and a devilish grin spread across his face.
Oh, no...
And in another minute, he was tickling me, and I was squirming so hard that I was afraid that either my hand or my foot would come up and smack him in the face. After a couple minutes, he stopped, and we both were laughing. I sat up, my face sweaty from me trying to get away, Luis's face red from laughing.
He slid his arm around my neck, smiled, and wiped my bangs away from my face.
"You okay?" He asked. I just nodded my head happily.
And we looked at each other directly in the eyes, an invisible spark flying past.
And in a second after the spark, I was laying down on the couch, still looking at Luis, although the smile wasn't on my face. "Why are you doing this?" I whispered, looking directly at him.
Luis just smiled.
"Because I care..."
"But we're just friends..."
"Like you said, even though it isn't official, you're my girlfriend..." He smiled, but as he leaned closer, the smile faded, and our lips were touching.

It was 11:45 p.m. on March 10.
My mother died on March 11 at 9:58 a.m. when I was only two.
I had been turned into a fox-child March 11 at 8:43 a.m., then turned back into a human March 10 at 6:10 p.m., 2006.
And Luis had given me my first kiss on the same day.
I knew that somewhere, my mom was watching, and she was very happy for me.
Not only was I part of a team, I was also loved.
And that kiss made the perfect ending for a perfect fairy tale.
Not Cinderella's, with her fairy godmother.
Not Snow White's, with her poisonous apple.
Not Sleeping Beauty's, with her pricked-finger.
But my own.
Ariana Peckny, the fox-girl Titan.
And as every fairy tale ended, Luis and I lived happily at the Tower, becoming closer and closer every day.

And Sillie? Well, I didn't kill her, but I didn't talk to her for two weeks...
Oh, and I found out that the picture my dad showed Ben WASN'T the one of me in the tub...
It was when I was sitting on the old swing at the park, wearing my "Mommy's Little Angel" shirt, Teddy in my lap.
And that was okay...
Okay enough to be in my fairy tale, anyways...

Well, the months passed, and Luis and I were inseparable.
Seriously...
There was never a moment during the daylight hours that Luis wasn’t clinging to me in some random way...
Really...
I’m serious...
STOP DOUBTING ME!!!

A year after I joined the team, something happened, and the Teen Titans were no more...
I can remember it clear as I can remember what I was doing when I heard that my mom had died...

It was a couple months after my fourteenth birthday when the storm came (and by “storm” I mean the evil step-mother in your average fairy tale, even though it wasn’t a step-mom that split the Titans up...).

After we came back to the Tower from battling and capturing another villain, someone (I’m not gonna say /who/) was being grumpy and somehow, a huuuuuuuuuuge argument started up, ending with that someone getting extremely mad and quitting the team.
Well, a lot of other Titans backed the first one up, so when Someone (that’s their name for now) quit, they all quit too...
Which then lead to a chain-reaction of people quitting the team...
Poor Sillie was the only one left...
The government leapt in at once, sending all Titans under the age of sixteen off to Boarding Schools for Gifted Students.
Which meant that Luis, Sillie-chan, Dar, me, and the rest of the Titans under 16 years of age all got shipped off to boarding schools...
How not-fun does that sound?

While most of us were sent off to different schools, Luis and I (thankfully) were sent to the same one...

Tear Lake Academy...
I don’t think I’ll ever forget that place...
With its tear-drop-shaped lake behind the school building that reflected the stars in the night sky, the image of it is pasted into your mind as soon as you see it...
Luis and I stepped off the bus as it pulled into the parking lot, snow softly falling upon our heads, leaving white flecks in our hair and on our coats. With all of our clothes stuffed into two duffel bags each, we began the trek from the snow-covered parking lot, to the nice, warm building.
Since I was never really cold (Yay for genetic mutations!), I was wearing what I normally did: a blue t-shirt and a denim skirt, with no shoes on (I never really got used to wearing shoes). Keeping my gaze on the building ahead of us and trying to not let the butterflies in my stomach get the better of me, I felt a mittened hand close around mine and looked over at Luis, who was smiling. He let go of my hand, slid his arm around my shoulders, and pulled me closer. “It’s okay, Ari,” he whispered, kissing my cheek. He could tell that I was nervous...
“I know, but it’s just that...” I started, but was cut off when he put a finger to my lips.
“It’ll be fine,” he repeated. I could only look up at him. His hand fell to his side and we started onwards, soon entering the school building, my bare feet padding along the tiled hallways. Up to the office we went, Luis’s arm sliding off my shoulder and back to his side as he went to talk to the secretary for both of us. I just stood a couple feet away from the office and hummed to myself, looking around aimlessly. A couple minutes later, Luis rejoined me with papers for both of us. I took mine and we stood there, studying our schedules and the map of the school.
Luckily, we both had the same classes.
And upon further inspection, our dorms were right next to each other...
Luis looked up at me after he was done looking at his papers and smiled. I looked up to, also smiling. “This is awesome,” I muttered, not really believing it. Already the butterflies in my stomach had started to calm down.
“Wanna go see our rooms?” He asked, stuffing his papers inside his coat pocket.
“Well, gee, let’s think...” I started, but didn’t finish because Luis had grabbed my hand and was pulling me out of the school building and to the dorms on the east side of it. “Luis!” I screamed, laughing and trying to get away. That didn’t work. He just picked me up around my waist and flung me over his shoulder, carrying me like a sack of potatoes. I was laughing, and I could tell that Luis was too. “Put me down! I can walk by myself...” I said, pounding at his back just hard enough so he’d get the message without hurting him. We had entered the East Dorms and were waiting for an elevator to carry us to the third floor.
“Okay,” he said simply, walking into the elevator with me still on his shoulder, then let me slide down off his shoulder when the elevator doors were closing. I pushed the button that’d carry us to the third floor, then stepped back to stand with Luis. We waited for our stop, and then got off, hunting for rooms 308 and 309. They were almost directly across from the elevator, so they weren’t that hard to find.
“Mine or yours first?” I asked.
“Let’s go with yours...” Luis answered, opening the door to room 308 for me.
It was basically an empty room with two beds, two nightstands, two dressers, and a closet. One bed had already been covered with sheets and a nightstand crowded with little trinkets.
“Hmm...” I said. “Looks like I have a roommate.” I walked in, sat down on the empty bed, and eased the duffel bags off my shoulders, rubbing my left one with my hand. “Ouch...Never carry me like that again when I’m weighed down with two extra-heavy duffels,” I muttered to Luis, who also entered my room and sat down on my bed. “Should I unpack now, or go look at your room?” I asked, looking over.
“Let’s get your bags unpacked first, and then we can go over to my room and have a look,” Luis answered, sliding off the bed and unzipping one of the bags. I followed suit, and by the time that my bed was all made up, and most of my clothes put away in the empty dresser, my roommate had arrived.
“Whoa,” she said upon arrival. “Which one of you is my roommate?”
Amber hair cascaded down her back, stopping just above her waist, shocking light blue eyes staring at Luis and me in wonder.
“Me,” I stated simply, raising my hand, in the process of putting my skirts away. Luis just continued to empty my duffel, then slid it underneath the bed once it was empty. He stood up, stretched, and then said, “I’m gonna head over to my dorm now. See ya in a bit, Ari,” and exited the room.
“’Kay, Luis,” I said, my eyes following him out the door.
My roommate sat down on her bed and looked around at the pictures I had stuck up on the wall. Most of them were of Luis and me, but some were of various Titans. In the middle of them all, there was a picture of all the Titans grouped in front of the Tower.
“Who’re all those people in the picture on the beach?” she asked.
I looked over, and then took the picture off the wall, handing it to her so she could see it better. “They’re my friends,” I said. “We formed a team called the Teen Titans. Robin, there,” I pointed to him in the picture, “was the leader.”
“Did you leave the team, or something?” she asked, looking at the picture intently.
“We split up...That’s why I’m here,” I said, staring at my hands.
“Oh. I’m Elicia, by the way,” she said, handing me back the picture.
“Ariana, but call me Ari,” I said, turning around and tacking the picture back up on the wall. “Anyways, I’m gonna go over and help Luis unpack.”
“Okay. Uh...Is Luis the boy who was in here earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“One more thing, is he your boyfriend?”
“Basically, yeah. Anyways, see ya in a bit.”
I closed the door behind me and then went along the hallway, my feet padding at the floor, then entered room 309.
I helped Luis unpack for the next ten minutes. There was another bed in the room, but it didn’t look as though he had a roommate.
After much begging and pleading, Luis finally agreed to come outside with me in the snow (he was too cold as it was), and for the rest of the day, we played in a snow fort I made within ten minutes.

And, basically, the rest of the school year and the two after that were pretty uneventful...
And when we were both 16, we decided to leave.
I mean, there was really no point in staying, was there?

All of our friends stood around the parking lot one Saturday when Luis and I were getting ready to leave.
“I’m gonna miss you,” Elicia said, taking me in a quick embrace.
“I’ll send you a letter with my address and phone number as soon as I can,” I said, feeling tears form in my eyes. “And I expect you to call.” I stepped back and Elicia moved aside so the rest of my friends could say their good-byes.
After many promises of keeping in touch, hugs, and tear-stained faces, Luis and I climbed into his car and drove off. Only when we had driven a couple miles did I look back to see Tear Lake Academy’s famous lake glittering and gleaming in the sun before a curtain of pine trees obscured it from view.
We had already bought the house when we were still in school, but I had forgotten the address. After a couple minutes of driving along in silence, Luis finally spoke.
“Kinda hard leaving them, ain’t it?”
“Yeah, they’re like a fifth family to me,” I replied.
“Fifth?”
“Yeah. Dad and Teddy are my first, Mariah and Vixen my second, the Titans my fourth, and they’re my fifth.”
“Who’s your third?”
“You.”
Luis smiled, but kept his eyes on the road. He took his right hand off the steering wheel and his fingers curled around my left hand. I looked over at him.
“You know, you’re another family to me, too. I don’t know how many I have, though,” he said, still smiling. I smiled back and slid my hand back to its resting position in my lap. His hand returned to the steering wheel and we rode on in silence the rest of the way to Jump City.

Once we got to the house, we began to unload boxes from the trailer attached to the car and started piling them up in the rooms.
“Hey Ari?” Luis called from the master bedroom.
“Yeah?” I answered from the kitchen.
“You wanna start unpacking the smallish box on the coffee table in the living room?”
“Sure.” I set down the towel I was folding and made my way through the maze of boxes (don’t ask me where they all came from) into the living room. Looking around, my eyes landed on a small, velvety box on the coffee table.
I knew what that box meant, but I still picked it up and opened it.
Inside the box, nestled in a black velvety pillow, was an engagement ring, the diamond glinting and gleaming up at me. Luis had entered the room at that moment, and I looked up at him.
“Yes or no?” He stated simply.
“But we’re only sixteen...I just got my license...”
“So?”
I thought about it for a while, but couldn’t keep myself from smiling.
“Yes,” I said simply, turning to look up at him. He smiled, took the ring out of its nest, and slid it on my finger.

After I found out where the park was from my new house, I quickly dashed over in my half-fox form to tell Vixen and Mariah.
It was kinda strange to go back to the park after all those years of being a Titan. But I knew my way around and it wasn’t long until I found my second family. Still in my fox-self, I quickly told them about me and Luis getting married.
“That’s great Ari,” Vixen said. Mariah (who was about ready to have her second litter of pups) just smiled at me.
I knew that something wasn’t right.
“Mariah?” I asked. “You feelin’ okay?”
“She’s going to have pups soon,” Vixen explained.
“Really? Oh, Mariah! How many litters have you had so far?”
“One other one: three girls and one boy. Poor Tommy was outnumbered,” she replied. I laughed.
“Any of them still here?” I asked.
“One. Only because she wanted to see /you/,” Vixen answered, then turned to her den. “Oh, Brittany! Come here for a minute, will you?”
“’Kay, Grammy,” a tiny voice called from the dark depths of Vixen’s den. A second later, a year-old vixen trotted out. “Yeah?” She asked, her eyes on her mom and grandma.
“Brittany, this is Ariana, your mom’s adopted sister,” Vixen said. I smiled at the young fox, still in my own fox-form.
“But, I thought you said she was human?” Britt asked, staring at me. Confused, I looked down, then laughed.
“Sorry, I forgot about that,” I said, quickly morphing back into my human-like self. “That better?”
Brittany just stared at me.
“Yeah, I’m a human, but my daddy mutated me into a half-fox when I was five. And when I was 13, he mutated me to what you see now,” I explained, much more at ease with my story than when I was three years ago. Brittany was just about to say something, but Mariah’s face had a surprised look plastered on it, and she quickly ran to her den.
“Mariah!” I called at the same time Brittany yelled, “Mom!” Vixen just smiled.
“Her pups are here,” she said simply.
“Oh! Can I stay and help?” I asked, bouncing up and down.
“Sure, Ari,” Vixen said, ducking into Mariah’s den.
“Ooh!” Brittany said, bouncing around with me.
A couple hours later, Mariah had survived through labor and had three boys and one girl.
Naturally, the girl was named “Ariana”, but would be called “Anna” to keep from getting her and myself mixed up.
“I’d better go,” I said after a while. “Luis is probably wondering where I am.”
“Take care, Ari!” Britt said as I morphed into my fox form. I smiled before dashing off back to my new house.
The rest of the day was spent unpacking the rest of the boxes, even though there wasn’t many.
So many things happening in one day, I felt like my head was gonna explode. So I was very thankful when I could finally lie down and fall into an easy slumber next to Luis.
And before I drifted off into unconsciousness, I smiled, thinking that I was the luckiest girl on Earth. And I heard myself mutter, “I love you,” to Luis, felt his arms close around me, and that was when my eyelids became too heavy to keep open and I finally fell asleep...