Time and Time Again

Chapter 6: I'm on a Boat

CLANG! Katara jumped at the sound of her cell door bursting open. Without warning, five guards shot in and surrounded her. A sense of deja vu overtook her. Panicked, Katara moved into what she hoped was a fighting position. One of the guards chuckled. Katara's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She needed to learn hand to hand combat the next chance she got...

"Easy there, girly." The guard directly in front of her said, "We're on orders ta let ya have a bit of water ta drink. Only ta drink. Aren't ya thirsty?" The guard said. Katara gave a short nod of her head, never moving from her "fighting position" (which looked about as threatening as a newborn turtle-duck).

"You see," Said a different guard, "The only problem is that you are a waterbender, so how do we know you won't try and escape using the water we give you?" A guard to her left guffawed.

"Please! This girl,"Katara recognized the voice as one of her attackers, "Could barely bend a raindrop!" The two guards who had so far kept silent, tried to stifle their laughs.

"What's yer point?" The first guard asked, "She's still a waterbender, ain't she? We're under strict orders, there will be no chances! Now, two of ya grab her arms. The other two get into position in case she tries anythin' funny." Katara winced as the two soldiers grabbed her wrists in a death grip. The man from the fight squeezed extra hard, perhaps in revenge for her kick to his jewels. The first guard (who seemed to be in charge) walked out of the room for a moment. An incredibly awkward silence followed his departure. Luckily, Katara didn't have to suffer the silence too long as he quickly walked back in. He carried a decent sized clay cup between his hands. Though Katara couldn't see his eyes due to the stupid looking helmet all soldiers were required to wear, she could tell he was attempting to make eye contact.

"Now, I'm going ta bring this ta ya. You will drink what you need. If ya need a break from drinkin' ta get some air, tap yer foot twice. Got it?" He demanded. Katara gave a curt nod. Her pride twinged for letting herself be treated in such a way, but she was so thirsty. She would rather be humiliated and alive than dead and prideful. The head guard slowly brought the cup to Katara's lips. Katara drank deeply. She loved the feeling of the cool water sliding down her throat, soothing it. She didn't even pause for air as she gulped down her natural element. All too soon, the cup was empty. The head guard slowly pulled it away and walked out the door. A few seconds later, he was back without the cup. He nodded at the four other guards. Katara winced as the two guards who had been holding her abruptly let go. She rubbed her sore wrists and watched as the four guards walked out the door, leaving her with the head guard. Katara could tell that he had his eyes locked with hers.

"Eventually, we won't have ta do that anymore, ya know." He said. It sounded almost as if he was trying to sooth her, but his words left a chill.

"Why not?" Katara demanded.

"Well, we'll be out in the middle of the ocean," He began, Katara realized that the rocking sensation she had woken up to was due to the fact that they were on a boat, "No point in you tryin' ta escape then. After all, you're a small girl who can barely waterbend, ya can't take on a whole ship of firebenders and then sail the ship back to land and we'll be too far away from land for even a waterbender to swim to." The guard explained. As his words sunk in, Katara sat heavily on her cot. Her eyes became glassy as she realized the seriousness of the situation. There was no escape for her. She would be trapped. On a boat. A boat full of firebenders.

The head guard waited for her to say something, but after a few seconds, he decided that no reply would come. He quietly withdrew from the room, closing and locking the cell door behind him. The footsteps of the five men quickly retreated down the hall. Some small part of Katara's mind must have realized that she was alone because as soon as she couldn't hear the steps of the men, she let her tears loose.

Katara slowly curled into a ball on her cot and sobbed quietly. She sobbed for her stealing the scroll, for getting mad at Aang because he was an exceptional learner, for sneaking away to practice, for getting caught, for getting abandoned, for being humiliated, and for being trapped on a boat with her worst fears. Tears poured down her face as she tried to quiet her sobs. The spot where her head was resting soon became wet with tears. Wait, tears! Tears are made out of water! Hope sprang through Katara as she sat upright. She quickly wiped her cheeks, collecting the tears on her hands. Concentrating, Katara slowly pulled the water out of the spot where her head had been. With all the tears, Katara barely had a palm-full of water, but she was determined. Slowly, she moved the water in the air, trying to figure out what she would do with it. What could such a small amount of water do? Katara looked at her cell door, surely there was something she could do? An idea struck her, I could saw through the hinges! Yeah! I should have just enough water to do that! She quickly moved towards the cell, she wold have to cut through the door fast; she didn't know when the next visitor would come. As she prepared to cut through the hinges, another thought popped into her head, What will I do once I get out of here? I have no clue how to get onto the deck, and there are firebenders everywhere. Katara walked back to her cot as she realized that she would need a better plan. A much better plan.