Ash [Prince Zuko - Book Two]

❃Chapter Nineteen❃

Zuko and Iroh returned home to find the apartment empty. Asake hid inside her room, holed up underneath a pile of clothes and blankets, not wanting to be seen by the two who would know exactly what was going on in her brain. The door squealed as Iroh gently pushed it open, and she sunk deeper into the hovel as he surveyed the room. His eyes rested on the pile where she hid for a moment longer than the rest of the room before he looked away and shut the door.

Asake blew out a breath and climbed out of the warm hiding spot. She made sure to be quiet and stepped around the creaky floorboards as she moved closer to the door, wanting to hear what they had to say about what happened with Jet.

"That boy needs help," Iroh said softly, but in the silence of the night, Asake heard him perfectly. She lowered herself to the ground, the familiar numbness spreading through her veins. "He has obviously been hurt in the past."

"He's crazy," Zuko said, his voice icy. "I don't know what his problem was."

"He thought we were firebenders, nephew. He held so much pain in his eyes, especially when he talked about firebenders. I don't think he's crazy, exactly, but he's hurt."

"Whatever. I'm glad the Dai Li got him."

Asake covered her mouth with her hand, leaning back against her door. She couldn't believe that the Dai Li got to Jet. What were they going to do to him? Would they kill him, torture him, or just let him go? A cold trickle of sweat ran down her spine at the thought of anything happening to Jet. No matter what he did to her or Zuko, she wouldn't wish anything horrible to happen to him. He was hurt, and his pain clouded his judgment.

Just like Zuko.

Just like her.

A few days passed, and in the early morning, Zuko and Iroh got ready to go to work. Asake didn't bother with getting ready. She wasn't needed at this job, and she'd much rather stay indoors where no one could get her. If Jet had been taken by the Dai Li, he might have told them about her, and she didn't want to risk it anymore.

She waited until Zuko and Iroh left before slowly opening her door. She stared out into the empty apartment, taking in the drab shutters, small kitchen table, the bright yellow flowers distracting her from her dismal surroundings. She never had time to just sit in the apartment, to take in everything around her, because she had been running ever since she got here.

Asake sat down on the couch and clasped her hands in front of her, a dull ache in her left shoulder. Everything was quiet all around her, the early morning taking its toll on the other people living in the other apartments. No one was meant to be awake at this time, with the sun hardly shining through the slatted shutters, but Asake felt energized. She always felt better waking up early.

But, with nothing to do, she was bored. She glanced at their apartment again and decided she would clean up for Iroh and Zuko. That way, she wouldn't just be sitting around, waiting for them to come back. And she wouldn't think about Jet, and the Dai Li, and everything else that seemed to darken her mind when she was left all alone.

As the day drew on, Asake grew more anxious. Everything was still and quiet, almost as if something was preparing to strike her at any moment. She paused sweeping and leaned against the broom, surveying the now open windows. People milled about, talking to each other, and a bright orange and yellow sun rose up in the crystal blue sky. She couldn't help but look for Jet and his friends in the mass of people, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart constricted in her chest at the thought of the Dai Li getting to him. Maybe Zuko was wrong; maybe what he said was wishful thinking. Asake knew that Jet had come here for a new start, and he was doing so well until his obsession came back with a vengeance. She gripped the broomstick tightly, closing her eyes for a second. She hoped that he was okay.