The Girl No One Knew

Chapter 7

I met with Kanna in her hut. She was tending to laundry when I walked in, and when she looked up, she couldn't have looked happier to see me.

"Saki!" She smiled and pulled me in for a big hug. Just like Sokka, she looked me up and down and asked, "What on Earth are you wearing? You must be freezing." Kanna pulled a blanket from her pile of clean clothing and wrapped it around me.

"Kanna, I need to talk to you," I said, holding the blanket tightly.

"There is plenty of time for us to catch up," she chuckled. "First, you need to eat."

"No no no," I shook my head. "Please listen to me. The Fire Nation is coming."

She stopped and slowly turned to look at me. "How do you know this?"

"I've been living with the royal family, Kanna," I said. "The queen has been taking care of me."

"But the queen is gone," she frowned, "and that's why you're with the banished prince." Before I could reply, there was a noise outside. Kanna ran out to see what it was, and I followed. We entered the conversation at the right time to know that Katara had gone to an abandoned Fire Nation war ship with a boy, who happened to be wearing odd clothing.

"You knew that the ship was forbidden," Kanna scolded her granddaughter. I hadn't listened to the entire conversation. From what I remember, Sokka had banished the boy, and Katara had tried to go with him.

The village all ran, Sokka running to decorating his face with the war paint. Katara caught sight of me and ran towards me, wrapping her arms around me in a tighter embrace than her brother and grandmother had.

"Saki, what are you doing here?" She grinned as she pulled away. Unlike the others, she didn't make a comment about my apparel, but she didn't need to. I could read it all over her face.

"That's not important," I said, forcing a smile. Looking over her shoulder, I made (very awkward) eye contact with the oddly dressed bald boy who say on top of his strange giant bison thing. In place of hair were tattoos. I'd seen them before in a scroll, but I couldn't remember what it had been about. He looked away from me as his beast turned to carry him away, making me even more curious. "Come on," I said, holding Katara's hands in mine. "The village needs help."

We all ran to join the others, but the ship had already arrived, plowing through the ice as if it was nothing more than ocean water. Katara and I ran frantically as we gathered the children to safety, though Sokka had other plans. Once the ship stopped and Zuko came out with soldiers trailing behind him, Sokka ran towards him with his club. Zuko, in a fluid motion, kicked the club from Sokka's hands and kicked him in the head, throwing him to the side.

"Sokka!" I yelled, though I doubt he heard me with his head stuck in the snow.

I stood behind the group as Zuko shouted. "Where are you hiding him?!" No one answered. He'd grabbed Kanna by her collar and yanked her forward, turning her to face the tribe.

"He would be about this age! Master of all four elements?!" Zuko shouted. He threw her back, causing her to stumble into Katara's arms. I had never seen him so aggressive, especially not with an elder.

Still no one had an answer, which infuriated him. He lashed a fire whip over our heads, the tip of my ear kissed by the flame.

Sokka came running at him once more with his club. Zuko countered him, knocking him to the ground and, one again, knocking the weapon from his hands. Sokka threw his boomerang, only to miss.

"Show no fear!" A little boy chanted, giving Sokka a spear. He charged at Zuko, who ended up taking the spear and jabbing him in the forehead a few times with the end until he was on the ground, then snapped it in two. The boomerang returned, smacking Zuko in the head and knocking his helmet out of place. Sokka looked up at him as the banished prince growled, and fire daggers flared from his fists. Just as he was going to attack, he was swept off of his feet and flopped unto his back.

The oddly dressed boy had come sliding in on a penguin. "Hey, Katara," he waved with a childish smile. "Hey, Sokka."

"Hey, Aang," Sokka gave a slight wave, though he wasn't as excited as Aang was. "Thanks for coming."

Zuko and his soldiers all began to surround him, but Aang didn't seem nervous like I thought he would. He twirled his staff and collected a gust of wind, blowing bits of snow and ice around in the air. He slammed his staff info the ground, sending the powerful wind at the soldiers and Zuko. "Looking for me?"

"You?" Zuko snorted in disbelief. "You're the airbender? You're the avatar? You're just a child!"

The boy only shrugged. "Well you're just a teenager."

With that, Zuko had begun his monologuing, which I had learned to tune out after his years of practicing this speech on this ship while searching for this boy. (I'm sure he wouldn't want me telling everyone this.) He thrusted his fists forward, balls of fire shooting at Aang. Aang twirled his staff around like a propeller, protecting us all from the fire. One of them came close to us all, causing the children to scream and cling unto me and Katara and their mothers. Aang extinguished that as well, then said, "If I go with you, do you promise to leave everyone alone?"

Not long after that, Zuko had him sent to the ship, as well as ordering Iroh to take the boy's staff to Zuko's quarters (which Iroh passed onto a soldier).

I wasn't sure what to do. My mind told me to run after them, but my body refused to follow orders. I forced myself to move forward at full speed, the blanket still wrapped around me. I unwrapped myself, balling it and holding it in my arms as I sprinted faster, the cold air biting my face.

I had to make it. I had to.

Finally, just as they were preparing to set sail, I leaped through the closing hatch, barely making it in time by the hair of a howler monkey. A couple of guards helped me to my feet with concerned looks. One of them wrapped the blanket around me, saying something along the lines of: "You should keep this on. It's cold." I shook my head and had them take the blanket to my quarters.

The boy had already been sent to Zuko's quarters. But perhaps Zuko isn't there yet, I thought to myself. I made my way to his door and heard nothing but a muffled voice. It was hard to distinguish whom it belonged to. Curse these metal doors, I thought. Assuming it was the avatar and clothing I was hearing, I began to knock on the door. However, before my knuckles could even come close to knocking, there was yelling coming from inside-easily recognized as Zuko's. The whooshes of firebending told me I needed to do one thing, and one thing only: Get out of the way.

As if by the work of a guardian spirit, I had pressed myself against the wall just in time. The door was blasted from the hinges, and out came the tattooed boy. I looked inside, and there lied Zuko face down on his mat.

"Zuko, what on earth is happening?" I asked, though it was a very stupid question. Zuko's response was muffled by his mat. "What?" I asked.

He lifted his face from the mat, his eyes burning with rage as he yelled, "Catch him!" Before I could even create a reply, he was running after Aang. Groaning, I stood and ran after them. He had regained his staff, which so happened to be an ancient-looking glider. He flew off into the air, Zuko leaping after him and screaming. He grabbed onto his foot, sending them both plummeting down. Zuko resumed his fighting stance.

I was going to run in the middle of it (yes, I know, stupid move) but something from the sky caught all of our attention.

"Appa!" Aang grinned as his bison appeared, carrying my childhood friends.

Never in my life had I seen Zuko so utterly astonished.