Nightfall

Fifteen

The days leading up to the big day of going into the Games were a blur. Katara couldn't really remember much of what happened; all she could remember was the numbness flowing through her veins. It created a fog that blanketed over all the pain and hurt and just left her feeling so empty. Was that really different than before Gran-Gran died, though? She wasn't sure.

All she knew was that her life would never be the same again.

There was a knock on Katara's door, so she rose up and stumbled forward. She opened it to reveal the old hag, Hama. "What are you doing here?" Katara snapped, taking a step away from the door. Her guard immediately went up when she saw the old woman standing in front of her. "I don't want to see you until I go into the Games."

"You need to come with me," Hama said with a glance over her shoulder. She looked . . . nervous, for some reason. She was fidgeting with the end of her shirt, her wrinkly face pulled back in a worried frown. "There is something I need you to see."

"Is there something wrong with Sokka?" Hama shook her head. "Then I do not want to see it."

Before Katara could react, Hama launched herself forward and wrapped a bony around her wrist. Her grip was tight and cold, and she wouldn't let go. Katara yanked her arm away but cried out when Hama's fingers dug into her skin. 

"You're coming with me," Hama hissed to her. "I need to show you something."

"I don't want to come with you!" Katara yelled. She dragged her feet as Hama pulled her through the hallway. "Stop it!"

"No one is going to hear you yell," Hama said with a glance back at her. An evil gleam entered her eyes. "Your brother is at the gym with your supposed team and Malina is running errands for me."

Fear rose up in Katara's throat. She didn't want to die before she got into the arena. Especially not because of this crazy woman. Her fear flowed through her veins, giving her more strength than she had before. She tore her arm out of Hama's grip and bolted toward the door. 

"Don't run from me!" Hama yelled behind her. "I'm only going to show you something."

The adrenaline running through Katara's veins made her accidentally run into the door. She didn't realize that they were that close to it, and her shoulder slammed right into it. 

"Look what you did," Hama said as Katara crumpled to the ground and held her shoulder gently. It throbbed but she doubted it did much damage. "You hurt yourself before you even got into the Games."

"Why can't you tell me what you're going to show me?" Katara yelled, the anger rushing through her veins. "You should know by now that I don't trust you, especially after you nearly killed my brother!"

Katara shakily stood up. The anger that rushed through her made her face flush bright red. She could feel it heat up, but Hama paid no attention to her. Instead, she hobbled through a door, disappearing into the darkness. Katara frowned and wondered why she left her alone. Didn't she think she would run away? 

Katara was half-tempted to run away, but her curiosity got the better of her. She peeked her head through the door where Hama entered through. It was extremely dark in there, but the light from the hallway shone down on Hama's gray hair. She was sitting on her bed with something in her hands.

"Didn't you hear about that one saying about curiosity?" Hama asked. She didn't even look at Katara. "Curiosity killed the cat, right?"

"But satisfaction brought it back," Katara answered her. 

Hama looked impressed that Katara knew the rest of the saying. Katara flipped on the light and took another step into the room. She realized that Hama was holding the box that her and Sokka found the other day. This time, it was open.