War of Change | Book 3

8: Not in Vain

Art: A Historical Swedish Cabin in Forest by Eckhardt Milz

The moon was still up when sleep began to slip out of grasp. Disappointment twisted somewhere in my gut. For some reason, I had hoped I'd be able to sleep in at least until sunrise today. It didn't matter too much.

I got up and got dressed. When I arrived downstairs, I found that Hama was once again the only one awake. A smile lit her face when she spotted me in the entryway of the kitchen. "Good morning, dear. Quite the early morning riser, aren't you?"

I took one of the apples from the fruit bowl on the counter. "If the moon is up, I'm up," I sighed.

She tilted her head, the serene smile still lacing her thin lips together. "Have you gotten a chance to speak to your siblings?"

"No," I glanced back towards the stairs. "Actually, would you mind if you let them know I went for a walk? I need to stretch my legs."

"Of course! Oh, but before you go, why don't you take this with you." She turned away before pulling out a basket. She stepped closer to show me that the inside held a plate of fresh pastries. "I thought you could take them to that friend of yours."

I stared at the baked goods for a moment before looking back up at her. "My friend?" Had she overheard our conversation the night before? What kind of idiot was I being? Why hadn't I thought of that? I hadn't even checked if she was home before blabbing about topics that shouldn't be said out loud in the Fire Nation.

"Oh, yes! That little girl I saw you talking to yesterday. Mitsuko, I think her name is. Poor dear, really. She and her brother are up all alone in that house, and he works almost constantly. She must be lonely. I thought she'd enjoy some sweets."

My suspicions faded. There was still something mildly unsettling about the look in her eye, but I was trying to be good. Katara seemed to like this old woman, and I didn't want to upset her more than I already have. My instincts had been on such high alert lately that I was becoming paranoid. I needed to tune them out for once.

"Thank you." I took the basket from her. She bowed her head.

With one last fleeting glance at the woman, I stepped out the back door.

Once I was alone and started down the path into the village, I began to question why I had taken the basket so soon. I had planned to go back to the inn after my walk to talk to my siblings, and yet my feet kept carrying me forward.

I really shouldn't go to their house before the sun had even risen. Then again, Takumi had mentioned the night before that this was usually when they got up to get Mitsuko ready for school before he went off to the mines. Maybe I could just walk by and see if they were up.

It took a little longer to get to the house than last time. It was on the outskirts of town, and I only faintly remembered the path. The sun was already beginning to unfold into the sky when I finally arrived. A light flickered in the window.