“… and then he said, ‘that’s why they call us Team Avatar’!”
“He didn’t!”
Suki just nods, and then she and I burst out laughing. In the background, Sokka grumbles, “you know I can hear you, right?”
This just makes Suki and I laugh harder, which causes Sokka to stomp off in a huff. My sister-in-law and I grin at each other, then link arms and walk down the street. We’ve been perusing the Market for about an hour now, trading stories from when we were apart.
In the back of my mind, Lia weighs heavily. I’m forever checking corners and watching for shady individuals who might know something, but so far, Ember Island has been about as helpful as Sen and Senlin Harbor were--that is to say, not helpful at all.
Suki, sensing my change of mood, tugs on my arm. “I’m sure we’ll find her.”
“I know.” I say the words because to not say them means that I don’t believe them, and I can’t not believe them.
But with each passing day, a part of me finds it harder and harder to remain optimistic.
Suki sees a pair of ornate fans, and rushes of to examine them. I’m left standing near the corner of a jewelry stall, watching the bustling marketplace with a mixture of boredom and apprehension.
Then, I hear voices behind me.
“Do you think she’ll be okay, Mama?”
“I don’t know, Shara. The hospital is full of the sick this month--your Gran is just one of them. The healers are very busy.”
“But what’s wrong with them, Mama?”
“It’s a spot sickness, they say. Like cow chicken pox. I’m sure they’ll find a cure soon.”
“I hope so.”
Their voices fade, but my mind is whirling. I’ve heard of sicknesses like this before--they’re devastating. Once an entire town was wiped out. Frowning, I step away from the stall. I walk toward Suki, who is haggling with the fan vendor. I grab her arm, lean toward the swarthy man. “Where is the hospital?”
He scowls at me for interrupting, but points down the street. “Take a left at the end, you can’t miss it.”
“Thanks.”
I grab Suki’s arm and drag her away, much to the vendor’s irritation. He shakes his fist at me, but I ignore him.
“Why are we going to the hospital, Katara?”
“Sickness. I want to see if we can help.”
Suki’s eyes go from curious to concerned, and she nods. “Of course.”
But when we get to the hospital, there is a large man standing in front of the door. He eyes us both impassively.
I try to step past him, but he blocks me. “We want to visit the sick. I--”
“No healthy people allowed inside.”
“But you don’t understand, I can help--”
“I SAID, no healthy people allowed inside!” He glares at us threateningly, and though I’m sure I could take him, I don’t want to cause a scene. Not when I can just come back later, under the cover of darkness.
Frowning harshly at him, I turn and stalk away, with Suki quick on my heels. “That was rude.”
“Yeah.”
She looks at me, the same concern she felt for the sick people evident in her eyes. I ignore the look as if I don’t see it, and keep walking.
I’m already tracing the Market in my mind, wondering what I’ll have to buy to create a new costume.
I left the old one in Sen, and frankly… it was time to retire that one anyway.
________
0.o mean guy... lol more Painted Lady fun! :)
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Prophecy (Sun and Moon Book 3)
FanfictionLong ago, the Sun and Moon began a feud that tore the human world apart. At the center of it all was their daughter, Harmony. Now, many millennia later, the story unfolds yet again. Zuko and Katara have been fighting for so long, caught in a vice b...
