The Girl He Won't Remember

Chapter 2

The sun glared down  on me, making me want nothing more than to back home to my tribe. The red garments I'd been offered sat loosely in my outstretched hands. "There's no way I'm wearing this," I protested. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing now?" Daichi, my favorite guard in the palace, shook his head and sighed, kneeling down to my eye level.

"Lady Ursa wants you to feel more at home," he said, "and you won't feel like that if you continue to dress in your Water Tribe attire."

"I live in the Fire Nation now, Daichi," I argued. "I'm never going to feel at home. She just wants me to blend in more so I don't become an embarrassment to Fire Lord Azulon." Even at the age of eleven, I was determined to be estranged from the family I was forced to live with. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a voice calling his name. He looked over his shoulder, and stood up. Daichi sighed again, and didn't say anything else as he left to join his fellow soldiers. I looked down at the clothes in my hands, still scowling at them. "I refuse to be one of you." 

"I loved you, Saki."

I twirled around to see Ursa standing behind me, a sullen pout replacing her usual smile.

"I loved you, but you didn't love me." It was as if she were looking through me. The world around me was suddenly engulfed in fire, surrounding the two of us. "You didn't love me." The fire around us began to dance violently, forcing me to my knees. I shielded my face from the flames and gasped for air. Zuko's voice replaced his mother's, enraged. "You didn't love me! You left!" The fire coiled itself around my wrists and yanked my hands from my face. I opened my eyes to find Zuko glaring at me. Never had I seen him so angry at me. 

My skin burned. I choked on the ash-infested air around me, unable to breathe. I thrashed around, lashing relentlessly to free myself.

"You left me! You didn't care!" 

I thrust my wrists again, find my knuckles hitting something hard.

"Ow! Saki! Saki, that really hurt!" 

I gasped deeply, finally being greeted with fresh air, and opened my eyes. Katara and Aang were on either side of me with horrified expressions on their faces. Sokka sat opposite of me, rubbing his jaw. I pushed myself up and caught my breath.

"Saki," Katara hesitantly reached to push the strands of hair from my sweaty face, "are you alright?"

Sokka blurted. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine, in case anyone was wondering. It's not like I was sucker-punched or anything! You know, I could have a broken tooth or something!"

His sister only rolled her eyes. "Maybe then you won't talk so much." She looked back at me, wrapping  my hand in hers, and repeated her question. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I nodded. "Just a bad dream. That's all."

Aang frowned. "That must've been some dream," he said

"You don't know the half of it."

Sokka shouted again. "Is no one concerned that she might've broken my nose? Oh, gosh, I think it's bleeding. Am I bleeding? I'm pretty sure I'm bleeding."

"Sokka," Katara said, annoyed with her brother's whining. "Stop being so dramatic. She hit you in the jaw. Why would your nose by broken or bleeding?" Before the two could begin bickering, I crawled over to Sokka's side.

Instantly, he went into defense mode — which was just a combination of a goofy fighting position and flailing. "Don't you come near me, woman! I may not have any water magic like you guys, but I can still put up a fight!" His balled-up fists swung loosely, hitting absolutely nothing. I laughed and caught his fists, lowering them down to his sides.