Chapter one
Chapter one
A/n: This is my first fanfic, and I'm not the most stellar writer on the planet. If you want to see stellar writing, check out Stormbenders by Fandomme and Zutata by pinprickofhope.
I own avatar and ALL OF IT'S COMPONANTS!! (not really. Wish I did, though…)
However, I do own all original characters. FEAR ME.
Time and time again, life turns on us. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse… But whatever happens to US alone, there is a bigger picture, affected by all around us. There are things that affect our situations that you wouldn't know about. Things that affect us, all the same. Remember, nothing is as it seems…
"Did NOT!"
"Did TOO!"
"Did nooot."
"Did tooooo."
The first speaker, a young girl with startling blonde hair, poked her finger into her opponent's chest, wincing slightly as she did so.
"Prove it," she said, her unfathomable eyes daring.
The boy let a smirk surface as he pulled a charred black cloak from behind him. "Proven," said the boy infuriatingly.
The girl's eyes widened for a split second before she controlled her expression into one of doubtful speculation. "That isn't mine," she said, looking innocently confused.
He pulled a paper out of the pocket with her name signed in a flourish. "It isn't?" he asked mockingly.
The girl paled. "How… why," she stuttered.
The boy sighed. "You were practicing firebending by yourself, correct? Without any guidance or permission?"
The girl pressed her lips into a thin line, not answering, though her silence was as good as a confession.
"Ah," the boy answered, "So you need a teacher, correct?"
Pure confusion washed over the girl's face, slowly fading into hope. "You would?" she asked eagerly, cutting to the chase, as usual.
The young man smirked. "I suppose… I mean, how could I turn you in? You know worse things about me… and you would most likely kill yourself. I mean, look at your hands!" he said, pointing at her burned fingers. "You did not burn them on a torch, Akari." He sighed dramatically. "Tomorrow night, thirty minutes after midnight, okay?" he asked.
The girl pressed her lips together again, narrowing her eyes. "How can I trust you?" she asked, raising one eyebrow.
The boy rolled his eyes. "Your choice. You either can… or can't."
The girl turned on her heel. "Fine. Midnight," she said, her back to him. Pausing at the doorway, she half-turned. Looking as if she was chewing something particularly tough, she spat out the words, "Thank you," before quickly turning and rushing out of the stone courtyard as fast as she could.
The boy sank down on a bench near the ivy-covered stone wall, and dropped his head in his hand, the half-charred black cloak in his hand. You shouldn't have done that, Kuro, he thought, with slight regret. But I had to. She'll kill herself otherwise…
Four years later
As the sun set, fifteen-year-old Akari fidgeted nervously at the communal dinner, her eyes shifting nervously from her mother to her food.
"Akari! You're so jumpy tonight! You need to relax before you performance!" her mother chided gently.
Akari dragged her eyes toward her lap and sternly told them to stay there. "Yes, mother," she said, fastening her eyes on her food and commanding her eyes to stay trained on it.
A smooth voice spoke behind her. "And I suppose this is the Dancer?"
Akari half-turned in her seat. "No, I'm the mascot hog-monkey," she said sarcastically, not quite looking at the man looming behind her.
"Touchy, isn't she? I am So Tang, the talent hunter for the Institute of Entertainment. And your talent has been widely spoken of. I am sure that you would like to learn more," he said persuasively, his voice sweeping over them like thick honey.
Uhg, his voice was smothering.
Akari closed her eyes. "I'm not leaving my mother," she said staunchly.
The man laughed a smooth laugh. "But I haven't decided whether you are good enough yet. You have to prove to me you're good enough before you refuse me."
Akari turned her back on him, settling more comfortably on her scarlet cushion and picking up a piece of fish and with her fingers placed it in her mouth as she stared ahead. Underneath her breath, "And I'll do horribly tonight, just to get at him," she mumbled through her bite of fish. Her mother looked horrified.
"You'll do no such thing! You will do well, or I'll…" her mother faltered for a second before continuing, "Confine you to your tent and practices with a companion for three weeks, with extra camp chores," she finished, looking stern.
Akari bit her lip in consternation. Well, no matter how she did tonight, she would refuse to go. She couldn't leave her mother to hold up this entire show by herself, nor could she give up her secret firebending lessons with Keru. Well, it was mostly the firebending lessons. She did admit that most of the other dancers were pretty good, and able to take her place. Well, she was better, but they were good. But she couldn't give up the lessons. They had become her outlet for being stuffed into show clothes, stage makeup pasted over her face, and endless hours of organized dancing.
Yeah, she pretty much hated it. No matter how wonderfully she could dance, her amazing agility was better suited to firebending than ballet. She was graceful, but the rush when she fought gave her something beyond simple grace. She bit her lip. "I'll do my best, but I'm still not going with him," she said, staring at her fish strips.
By now, her mother was long past listening to her. "It's such a great opportunity! You'd learn so much more! You could be a refined young lady! You will do your best tonight. You could marry well, after a successful career!"
Staring at the spicy fish, she tuned her out, nodding when she heard pauses in the babble. About fifteen minutes later, she excused herself, saying she had to get ready.
She'd hardly touched her fish.
Ana-Marie sighed. "Mom, why couldn't I go with my friends? You don't really need me tonight," she said, hope in her eyes.
Her mother bit her lip, shaking her head. "No, I need you there this time. Really. We're doing the catering at the Tilde's house." Her mother let out a contented sigh. "The Tilde's! Imagine it. Catering for the most prestigious family in town!" in a daze, her mother handed over her uniform, which was possibly the ugliest thing in all four nations.
"Mo-om, I'm not going to have to wear that, am I?" Ana-Marie stared in horror at the uniform before her.
Her mother snapped back to the present, looking stern. "It's your uniform, now go and put it on."
Still grumbling, Ana-Marie put on the horrible brown-and-red tunic with the flaring sleeves and the awful puke-brown baggy trousers. Slipping on her favorite (and most worn) brown slipper-shoes, she dragged herself in, tying up her curly brown hair behind her.
"Ready," she said rebelliously, ready to burn the uniform into soap-smelling ashes.
With her mother, they walked out onto the brown cobblestone street where they lived, in the slum part of town. They were Mandette servants, highly trained servants that hired themselves out to do dinner parties, banquets, and the like, trained to cater to guests needs and whims.
Ana-Marie rolled her clear brown eyes in annoyance as they approached the door.
"Look like you're eager to serve," her mother hissed under her breath as they approached the door. Ana-Marie pasted a false smile on her face and bounced with every step, looking bubbly and happy. Well, she'd had a lot of practice.
"Terra and Ana-Marie Jeong, here for the banquet," said Terra humbly. She'd also had quite a bit of practice.
The guard, looking bored, ushered them in. A servant with an annoyingly nasal voice and a thick accent met them on the other side of the gate, looking important.
"I am Lee, and I am the head servant. I will show you where you will go."
Her mother nodded obediently, following the man. Ana-Marie sulked behind, hating every movement.
As they passed the kitchen, Lee ushered her mother into it. "This is where you will go. You will be called when it is time for you to serve."
Terra walked into the kitchen, and, glancing behind her slightly, Ana-Marie started to follow.
Lee held up a long, white hand that spoke of almost no hard work. Man, what does he do, order other servants around all day? she thought mutinously. "Wait, girl," he said, superiority radiating from every smug feature. Half-smiling, he walked on, obviously expecting her to follow. "We have another job for you."
Behind the makeshift stage, Akari was getting pinched and prodded into her performance outfit. It was blindingly red satin, in two parts. The top part ended about five inches before the baggy trousers started. The blouse had only one strap, but held up well, as it had to survive an entire performance, double backflips and all. Her baggy trousers had belt holding them up, just above her hips, and were baggy until her calves, where they ended, going tight there too.
As soon as she had finished, she carefully split her hair into two parts. The top part she split in half again, winding the two parts into two mini-buns on the back of her head. The last part, the bottom part, she braided, tying it off with a fancy red-and-gold braided strap.
Then, to end her torture, a hand latched onto her shoulder, forcing her down into a chair. Here it comes, she thought, dread etched on her features. Without further ado, the woman in front of her carefully and meticulously plastered about two inches of foundation on her face. Stage makeup. She HATED that.
After they had finished the foundation ordeal, they started with the rest. After smearing rouge on top of the two inches of foundation, they surrounded her eyes with ink-black kohl and brushed black mascara on her long blonde-brown eyelashes. All in all, stage makeup. Glancing down at her hands, scarred from burns she'd gotten while attempting to teach herself firebending, and her ragged nails, she was suddenly grateful for the distance between the crowd and her. Then it hit her. Stage fright.
It was silly, really, to be so nervous that she felt like she was going to throw up before a performance. I mean, she'd done it a thousand times. Stood up there, let the music direct her steps. But the crowds banished whatever composure that she'd had beforehand.
With a scowl, she followed the manservant. "What job do you have for me," she said, feigning interest. He pointed through a door. "Eat first, and then we will prepare you."
For some reason, those words scared her more than anything.
She entered the hall and ran promptly into a boy with shaggy, light brown hair streaked with black. "Sorry," she said unapologetically, propping herself up on her elbows.
He stared at her for a moment, then blinked. "What are you waiting for?" he asked raising one eyebrow.
Staring incredulously at him, she said, "Haven't you ever heard of chivalry?"
The boy paused, raising his eyes to the celing. "Oh!" he exclaimed, offering her his hand. "May I help you up?" he asked, his tone overly polite.
"That's better," she responded, then took it. He pulled her up, then let go of her hand and brushed it against his simple servant's tunic. "I am sorry for running into you," he said, keeping with his chivalrous charade. "May I direct you wherever you need to go?" he said, offering her his arm. There was a slight undertone of sarcasm in his tone.
Raising her eyes to the celing, she crossed her arms. "I just wanted to jerk you back into the real world, not make you act like a prince finding a lost lady." Pausing, she glanced back at him. "On the other hand, would you know where the servants are supposed to eat?" she asked, eagerness in her tone.
He dropped his arm and walked to the wall. Pressing a tile with an emblazoned pineapple, a door appeared in the wall. He gestured toward it. "In there, milady," he said, not letting down his attitude.
Suddenly, she spun. "At least I'm not slumming, you idiot," she hissed, stomping through the door.
A look of shock crossed the boy's face, much to her satisfaction. She retreated around the door, into the room behind.
"Hello, dancer," came the smooth-as-honey voice from behind her.
Akari spun, her many-colored eyes narrowing. "What do you want," she said, her resigned tone making her question more of a statement.
The man had an annoying habit of looming. He bent, lowering himself to her five-foot level. "Listen to me," he started.
"No, you listen to me," she hissed, cutting across his words, "No matter what you think of me, I can't leave. Everything I know is here, and everything I care about. Unless my mom makes me, which she won't, I am not going with you. Do you hear me?"
His eyes narrowed. "I've heard your reputation, both for your dancing and for your temper. And neither of them is going to stop me. If you're as good as your fans say, then our school will do anything to get you." His mud-colored eyes flashed dangerously. "Anything."
Akari took a step back, her eyes still narrowed. "Then you've underestimated me, mudbender," she spun on her heel, almost spitting in his face. But underneath, fear stirred in the pit of her stomach. Could they make her? Perhaps… she could think of a few ways. Hopefully they couldn't, however.
Keeping up her angry stride, she disappeared into the wings, striding almost to the entrance of the banqueting hall. Collapsing on the steps, she buried her face in one hand, using the other to prop herself up against the steps. She was pretty sure she couldn't be seen from the hall, though she could see the guests.
Stuffing her face with as much food as possible, Ana-Marie quickly cleaned off her plate. A minute before she finished, the lily-handed servant came back in. Stuffing the last few bites in her mouth and swallowing, she wiped off her mouth with her sleeve. The servant looked pained.
"When you are among reputable company, you eat with small bites and chew slowly and sedately," he chided in his high, nasal voice.
Ana-Marie gave him a cool look. "I'll eat like that… in reputable company," she answered in a cool voice.
The servant narrowed his eyes. "Watch yourself. Now, you must put this on, and then I will explain your duty to you.
Grabbing the sky-blue dress out of the manservant's hands, she was ushered into a bathroom by female servants and washed, dressed, and primped by female servants. As she stepped out, the manservant raked his eyes over her. "You'll do," he said shortly.
Now officially confused, she raised one eyebrow. "Huh?" she asked, quirking one eyebrow.
He sighed. "You will mingle with the guests and ask about the food. You must begin conversations about the food and figure out what the guests think. It is rude for the servants or the hosts to ask."
A 'huh' look was written across her face.
The servant took a deep breath. "You must go into the party. Follow me so far?" he asked mockingly.
Ana-Marie put on her innocent look. "No, I didn't get that, could you say it again?"
With extreme patience, the servant continued. "You will ask about the food. The guests will answer you. You must not be found out."
Ana-Marie nodded, all joking over.
"At the end of the party, there will be a contest, where the guests will guess who you are. If one guesses you, they will get a golden egg. If they do not, then the egg will go to you."
Up until this point, Ana-Marie had been ready to refuse. But at the idea of a golden egg… It would pay their taxes for at least a month, they could get new (and better looking) uniforms, it would feed them… Her eyes widened as she considered the implications. "Fine. I'll do it," she said, ungracious, as ever. Smiling, he ushered her into the banquet hall. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the room, her eyes interested.
Within moments, she felt confidence welling up in her. This was acting, the one thing she could do. Her talent above all talents. Pulling out her politely interested face, she meandered toward a middle aged lady with a lot of makeup. Picking up a tart from a tray, she bit into it with dainty relish. "Ohh, this is wonderful!" she said, excitement spicing her voice. Turning toward the lady, and cocking her head to the side, she said, "Did you try these?" plucking another one delicately off the tray and offering it to the woman. The woman took it and bit into it, blueberry juice dripping from her mouth. Wiping her mouth and fingers with a napkin, she exclaimed, "They are wonderful! Lovely. Thank you for showing them to me! Now, who are you?" she asked, wiping the last trace of the staining juice from her lips.
Her mind racing, Ana-Marie took another bite of her tart, mentally groping. Chewing slowly, and not letting her see the absolute confusion in her mind… she hadn't thought that far ahead. "I'm Ana-Marie," she said, after swallowing her tart and dabbing her lips with a napkin.
The woman smiled. "I'm Keruta. Oh, Hello! What do your parents do again?" The woman snagged another blueberry tart as a tray floated by.
"Uh… they're in the catering business," she said, pulling on as many strings of truth as possible. This woman was one of those ladies who liked to pretend that she knew anyone and everyone and wouldn't let down that charade. Well, two could play at that game.
Keruta gave a little half-gasp and missed the next tray of blueberry tarts. "They run that catering company?"
Having absolutely no idea what she was talking about, she gave a little smile. "Yes," she said, a smile on her face.
"But I thought your parents disappeared years ago!" said the woman, still staring goggle-eyed at her.
"They did," she started smoothly, then let her face break down into a tragic expression. "I-I-I…" she paused, sniffing for emphasis, "I just can't talk about it," she said, a fake tear running down her cheek. She dabbed her eyes with a napkin and wiped quickly underneath her eyes with her fingers, to prevent smudges from the eyeliner.
Keruta was immediately contrite. "Oh, you poor dear. I shouldn't have brought it up." The woman patted her shoulder, saying, "Why don't you go talk with those other girls over there," she gesticulated toward a group of girls giggling in a corner.
Blinking her eyes and putting on a brave face, she nodded and walked over to the group of girls.
The girl with the darkest hair, in a cut that brushed her shoulders, beckoned her over. "Hello," said the girl. "Who are you?"
Ana-Marie smiled, all traces of fake tears gone. "I'm Ana-Marie."
The girl with the dark hair didn't press. "I'm Tala. These are Silva and Shea. They're twins," she said, gesturing to the two girls standing next to her, looking like mirror images of each other. One smirked. "As if that wasn't obvious," muttered one of the twins. Taala laughed. "Oh, shut up, Shea," she said, poking her friend playfully on the shoulder. The other twin, presumably Silva, rolled her eyes at the antics of her sister and her friend. Lowering her voice to a dramatic whisper, she grabbed Ana-Marie's arm and whispered in her ear, "Don't pay any attention to them," Lowering her voice even more, though you could still hear it, she finished her statement, "They're insane." All the girls burst out laughing, including Ana-Marie. Through chortles, Taala asked, "Do you mind if we call you Ana? Or Marie? The whole name is hard to say."
Ana-Marie laughed. "Just call me Ana." Glancing conspiringly to the side, she said, "When people call me Marie, it reminds me of my neighbor's cat." She shivered. "The thing scares me to death." she shivered, then broke out laughing. The other girls joined her.
In a collective gasp, all the laughter stopped. "What?" asked Twin 1. Soundlessly, Twin 2 pointed toward a clump of boys that had been there for about five minutes. Within ten seconds, the other three girls were clumped together, hugging each other and squealing.
Ana blinked. "I don't get it."
Taala, gasping with excitement, pointed. "It's Zero!"
Ana raised an eyebrow. "Zero?"
Both the twins gaped at her and began talking at the same time. "You've never heard of him? His real name is Lee, but he hates it because it's so common so he calls himself Zero…" said Twin 1, at the exact same time that Twin 2 said, "He's the most famous teenager in the fire nation, other than the fire prince and princess!" Twin two ended in a squeal as twin one ended in a dreamy sigh.
Ana nodded, her eyes still confused. "Okay… which one is he?" she asked, glancing toward the clump of boys.
Taala, composing herself and her voice, said, "The one with the light brown and black hair and blue eyes," she said, failing her composure and giving an exited squeal.
Ana searched the clump, finally finding the one that fit Taala's description. When her eyes finally picked him out, her eyes narrowed. "Oh," she said, disappointment and rage underlying her tone. "I recognize him."
The boy, presumably Zero, turned to see the noisy scene. Ana-Marie paled visibly and slipped into the crowd, using her remarkable talent for melting noiselessly into a crowd.
Oh man, please tell me he didn't see me. Please tell me he didn't see me. Please please please no, she thought, her mental voice panicked, though her face betrayed none of it.
For the next ten minutes or so, she mingled with the guests, but slowly, the guests migrated toward a group of chairs surrounding a rather large makeshift stage. Peering around slowly, she caught a flash of red at the entrance to the wings. Glancing around, she checked whether anyone was watching. But to anyone else, she was just another face in the crowd. She meandered slowly toward the wings, only to stop as someone grabbed her arm. Spinning, she turned to face whoever had grabbed her arm.
It was Zero
"What do you want," she said calmly, yanking her arm out of his hand.
The boy glared at her. "You weren't slumming, eh?" he asked.
Ana froze. "Of course I wasn't," she lied unconvincingly.
Zero glared. "It was you who I ran into. You were slumming."
Ana glared harder. "No! People aren't animals to be gawked at," she said angrily.
Through this glare-fest, there had been a good bit of speculation going on. "Ohhhh," said Zero, a smile growing on his face. "You're the pretend guest," he whispered, leaning forward.
Ana's acting instinct kicked in. She let offended surprise flood across her face, and then anger. "How dare you," she said, her voice a hoarse whisper, stomping off toward the wings. Disappearing behind the black curtain, she stopped in surprise.
"Who are you?" Akari asked, raising her head, embarrassed surprise in her eyes.
Hey, even if you think this is the crappiest story EVER, review please. I'm dying here. PLEASE review review review review!!