Nightfall

Twenty Eight

A small fire flickered in the center of the cave because of the slight breeze that blew through the open hole near them, casting shadows against the walls around them. Night had fallen upon them, hiding the moon away behind the trees. Cold settled in on them as they huddled together. Grim faces viewed each other with a sense of curiosity and confusion. 

The surprise of figuring out that Lu Ten was apart of the rebel group still hadn't wore away from Katara. What was worse, though, was who tagged along with Lu Ten. Zuko sat in the corner of the cave, an ugly look on his face. He wouldn't meet anyone's eyes; he would just stare at the ground in between his feet. 

Sokka stood up. He had to lean against Suki, who stood right next to him. He gazed at each of their group; when his eyes focused on Katara, he gave her a grim nod. She knew it was almost time. Time for what, she didn't really know. "Some of you guys know what is going to happen tonight," Sokka said softly. His strong voice was quiet and soft, but there was a certain hint of leadership in it. "Some of you don't."

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Aang whispered in Katara's ear. His breath hit her skin, sending goosebumps rising on her arms. 

"Sort of. Just wait, he'll explain."

"When night falls, we will begin part one of our plan," Sokka continued. "What plan, you may ask? The plan to overthrow our corrupt government." Shadows danced across his face, giving him an air of mystery. His eyes were dark as they flicked around the small group. "For a hundred years, the presidents have forced children to fight for their lives for mere entertainment. It's torture, and we're done allowing it to happen. That's why the White Lotus was formed, to take down the destructive government."

"And that is why we're here," Suki said, a confident smile on her face. She brushed her reddish hair out of her eyes, and Katara could see the pride in them. "We have been selected to help defeat the government, to infiltrate the hardest place: the Capital." Suki paused for a second to let that sink in. "But we need help. We need help from you guys."

Aang glanced at Katara. His eyes were wide. She reached out in the darkness and laced her fingers through his. He gave her hand a small squeeze. Both of them were scared because of this, but she knew that he wouldn't turn his back on anyone who needed him. She knew that he would try his hardest to help them, and so would she, no matter what happened.

"Why should I trust you?" Toph asked. She had her legs kicked up on the wall. "And why should I believe a word you say?"

Lu Ten stood up. He had a commanding look on his face, like leading people to war had been his calling in life. "Because my father was the one who formed the White Lotus years ago," he explained. Katara stared at him, shock running through her veins. His father was the current president's brother and the former president's son. Everyone knew that the ruling family had issues, but she never expected something like that. "He knew something like this was going to happen, regardless of whether people had a group to help them or not. So he took it upon himself to start recruiting people to join the White Lotus. It took him years, but now we are ready for the revolution."

"A revolution," Aang breathed out. His hand was cold against hers, and for a split second, she was worried that he was sick again. "I never imagined anything like this would ever happen."

"It's been coming for a long time," Lu Ten said with a nod. "Now it's up to us to change the course of this world forever."

"But we're just kids!" Zuko said, frowning. "We're kids fighting a war. Isn't that like the Games?"

"No, not really."

Zuko cocked his head to the side, narrowing his eyes at everyone. "A group of grownups making kids fight their battles. Doesn't that sound familiar?" No one would look at him. "Right. Look, I think it's good that we're fighting to finally end this terrible thing, but why us?"