Chapter One
First day of high school always seems to be the toughest for most teenagers because they have no idea what's in store for them; especially for Katara. She's a freshman and she's so nervous it looked like she would faint; sometimes she hated being different, and going to a new school was harder because of it. Still, despite her unease, she tried to make herself presentable. Her chocolate colored hair was in a braid that went down to her back, caramel colored skin and deep blue eyes. Katara wore her mother's necklace that had a wave cresting against rocks. It was the only thing of her mother that she had. Her mom was murdered when Katara was 8 and her brother, Sokka, 9; things have been hard when Kya died, but somehow they, her family, had gotten through it. Still, sometimes the sadness from the loss would be too much. Sokka probably took it the hardest, since he blamed himself for her death. Her brother is a sophomore, age 16. He wasn't with her because school didn't start for another hour so he slept in.
Katara wore a blue tank top with gems on the neckline, blue jeans and white socks and shoes. Now she wished that she wore a long sleeve instead. She got a lot of looks from people and that made her feel a little self-conscious. The high school she's in is called Four Nations High. Her father, Hakoda, dropped her off and wished her luck. She didn't want to ride the bus because she was still nervous about it; and besides, there was no one here she knew and could talk to. Her dad understood her reluctance and made sure she got to school before he had to go to work; really early, but she didn't mind. Katara enjoyed spending time with her father. It was normal, something she always wished for.
Katara went into the office and looked around, seeing the curved leather sofa and desk with multiple chairs. It was brightly lit and there were different colors that soothed her a little. Katara could tell that the colors were made to make people welcome, and unless you were gothic, the yellows, blues, greens, and reds were very appealing.
A woman in her early thirties with red glasses, brown eyes and hair, pale skin, wearing a women's business suit, looked up from the computer she was typing on and said in a kind voice, "Hello. I'm Ms. Jen. Can I help you?"
Katara gave a small smile as she introduced herself. "I'm Katara Yatsunoma. I'm here to get my schedule." Ms. Jen looked on her computer and pulled up Katara's file. She searched for her schedule and printed it. Ms. Jen went to the back and brought a piece of paper back with her. She handed it to Katara.
"Here you are. These are your classes. I hope you like them. Enjoy your day."
The teenager nodded. "Thank you." She left the office, feeling somewhat better. Reading through her schedule she saw that she has History 101 with Mr. Iroh, Art 1 with Ms. Mason, Gym with Mr. Piandao, lunch, English with Ms. Kana, Katara and Sokka's grandmother, and finally Economics with Mr. Martin. Her locker was in the freshman hallway.
Katara was so focused on getting to her locker while looking at her schedule that she didn't notice someone doing the same thing until they bumped into each other. Katara and the stranger fell on the floor and their stuff clattered against the halls shiny marble floor. She rubbed her forehead, feeling slight a pain but was otherwise okay; she wondered about the person she literally ran into. That was her instinct: worry about someone else besides herself. It was a habit she always had as a child, even before her mother was taken from them permanently.
"Sorry. I wasn't watching where I was going." She looked at the stranger and caught her breath, feeling her heart suddenly pound.
The stranger she ran into was a boy. A boy is wearing baggy blue jeans, an orange T-shirt, has pale skin and brown hair that went down over his eyebrows. But what caught her attention were his eyes. They were the most bizarre yet beautiful eyes she has ever seen. They were gray, stormy gray, deep and filled with concern and bewilderment. And they were looking back at her, studying her in a worried way.
The boy said, "No, it was my fault. I was reading my schedule. Sorry." He grinned sheepishly and started gathering his stuff. Then he saw her stuff all over the floor. He said to Katara, "Let me help you."
They started picking up the school supplies, not looking at each other while they did so. Katara could feel the blush on her cheeks, and she would look at the guy by her side without his knowing; he was cute, handsome really, with the brown hair and gray eyes, his skin more of a peach color. He had chiseled features mostly, but with a full lower lip, and there was an age about him that made him older than he was. He might have been fifteen, but his eyes, so deep, seemed older than that. The boy reached to grab a sketchbook and so did Katara. Their hands touched ever so slightly and they froze. Electricity raced through her hand and up her arm, feeling ti tingle until it went through her whole body. That was strange.
Slowly, the teenagers looked up and locked eyes, and there was curious expression in his that made her wonder if he felt what she did. What was going through the teenage boy's mind? They went into this trance, trying to read each other; a pink made his cheeks glow. The boy was the first to break out of the trance and grabbed the book, clearing his throat uncomfortably. He handed it to her.
"Here," he said, and his voice sounded a little rough. Katara blinked three times and grabbed the book. They continued to gather up their things, being careful to keep from touching again.
Finally all of the school gear was off the floor and the boy handed Katara her pencil box with a pink tailed and eyed mermaid swimming with a dolphin. Katara said, "Thanks. That was really nice of you."
The boy nodded before looking at her curiously. "What's your name?"
She held out her hand, now remembering to be polite about meeting someone. "I'm Katara Yatsunoma. What's yours?"
He took her hand. His was warm and firm and that same electric thrill went through her. "Katara," he said as if trying to test how her name sounded, and for some reason she liked that. Her name sounded wonderful on his lips. "That's an interesting name. I'm Aang Montauk; nice to meet you."
"Same here. What grade are you in?" she asked after they released their hands.
"Freshman," Aang said. "And you?"
She smiled. "Freshman; it's my first day here. Do you have a locker down here?"
He nodded. "It's close by, actually; I've been touring this place for over a half hour. It's day one for me too. Do you want to-" He was cut off because a boy around 17 knocked Aang aside; her new friend fell to the floor and her protective instincts kicked in, but she couldn't move because the stranger was blocking her way. He had shaggy brown hair, dark eyes, a creepy smirk, tall and tanned, and was well fit. He stood in front of Katara, and she didn't like what was going on. Her eyes went wide with a little fear.
The teenager said, "I'm Jet, and this is my gang; Smellerbee, the Duke, Pipsqueak, and Longshot. What's your name?" Again, Katara felt a little self-conscious again. Something about this Jet guy made her feel weird in an unpleasant way. He seemed like the kind of guy that got away with everything and she didn't want to be around him.
She said in a small voice, "Katara." Aang managed to get on his feet, eyes wide, feeling some anger and a lot of unease; he didn't like the way Jet was looking at the girl, as if she were a piece of property. Aang immediately despised him. He looked at the gang and got a funny feeling that they were the kind of people not to mess with; the unease he felt strengthened, making him feel slightly sick. He looked at Jet again, frowning. He couldn't help but feel like he saw him somewhere before. And he didn't like the way this Jet guy was leaning over Katara. Again, he got the impression that Jet could whatever he wanted and not get busted.
The older boy got a little closer to Katara, but she backed away. She looked a little scared and Aang had to fight the sudden urge to wrap his arms around her.
"Sorry," she said. "I have to go." She walked over to Aang and whispered, "Come on." They rushed off, the gang looking in their direction.
Once the gang were out of view, or at least the teenagers hoped they were, Aang and Katara hid behind the wall. He looked over at the girl by his side, feeling concerned. She looked a little pale.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worry on his cute loving face.
Katara took a moment to answer. She wiped a shaky hand across her face. "I will be," she answered. "That Jet guy makes my skin crawl, though."
"Agreed," he replied before looking around and noticed a locker that had a familiar set of numbers and pulled out his schedule to see his locker number; it was the same as the one he saw and he walked over to it. "This is me," he said, working on the combination.
Katara brought her out as well; then looked around and found hers, which was conveniently on the left of his. They opened their lockers and started putting their stuff away.
Aang asked, "What class do you have first?"
She looked at her paper, her brow wrinkling. "Um…history 101 with Mr. Iroh," she said. Aang looked stunned for a moment. He brought out his schedule and looked it over. He smiled at Katara while she had a look of confusion.
"You have Iroh?" She nodded, watching his smiling face and feeling her heart pound again. "Me too; it's one of my favorite subjects," he added, looking adorably sheepish. "I'm really good at History."
His friend grimaced. "I stink at it. Not looking forward to it." Katara looked at him again. "Will you help me if I need it?"
Aang nodded enthusiastically. Just then the bell rang.
"Ready?" he asked. Katara nodded and they walked to go to History.
They got to class as the second bell rang and they chose seats next to each other. Already they were becoming great friends. Best friends even. They talked until Mr. Iroh came into the room. Everyone quieted for the teacher and Iroh glanced around the room, taking in all the faces of his previous students and new. His eyes settled on Aang and Katara, and smiled at them.
With his smile still there he said to the whole class, "Welcome to History 101 everybody. I'm Mr. Iroh, but you can just call me Iroh. I would like to know how many of you are new here. Please raise your hands if you're new."
Aang, Katara and a few others raised their hands. Iroh nodded. "Good. Let's get to know each other a little bit. I'm going to select people to tell a little about themselves. Who wants to go first?"
No one raised their hands this time; some even slumped in their chairs and Katara felt that kinship with them for their nervousness.
Iroh looked around and landed his gaze on her. She got wide eyed because she knew what was coming, dread filling her stomach. Iroh said, "How about you, young lady? There's no need to be shy."
His voice was so kind it was hard not to believe him. Katara hesitated and looked at Aang. He nodded encouragingly to her and Katara took a deep breath. She stood up and faced the class. Her throat closed up, but she talked. "Hello. I'm Katara Yatsunoma. I'm new here and, um…" She paused and took another breath. "I like to do art and basketball. I moved from California and I hope to make some friends while I'm here." She sat back down, taking a few more breaths to calm her racing heart.
"You did great, Katara," Aang complimented her. She smiled at him in thanks. Iroh picked out a few others to share. One was a boy named Teo. He's in a wheelchair, but he likes to invent things. Another was boy named Zack and he loved playing football. A girl named Toph went up there. She's blind, but she told everyone that she can see through vibrations in the ground. People thought that was pretty cool. Others doubted it. The last one was Aang. He looked a little less nervous than the others did. He stood up and cleared his throat quietly.
He said, "Hi. I'm Aang Montauk and I'm from Florida. I came here with my uncle during the summer. My favorite hobbies are soccer, basketball and reading."
He sat back down. The students spent at least ten or so minutes talking about themselves. Iroh nodded in approval. "Very good everybody; now I will give everyone a textbook. They are in the back of the room and I want everybody to pick one."
Everybody got up and started gathering books for themselves. Aang was ahead of Katara and he grabbed two books. He handed her one. "Here."
She smiled and took the book, her hand brushing against his. She couldn't figure out his hands were so soft.
"Thanks," she said quietly.
Everyone made a line at Iroh's desk. There were thirty kids in the class so it took some time to get everyone's books checked out; and since it was the first day, the class time was short since there will be an assembly near the end of the day. Once the books were checked out, the class had 20 minutes left.
Iroh said to the class, "It appears that we used more time than I thought we would. We'll start work tomorrow. You can socialize for the remaining time."
Everyone went to go talk to friends or the new kids. Katara was the only one that remained sitting, looking unsure again and feeling alone; Aang had gotten up to talk to a couple guys. Clutching her drawing book to her chest, she got up from her seat and asked, "Mr. Iroh?"
He looked up from his book and said, "Can I help you Miss Yatsunoma?"
"Can I go to the hall? I need some space." Iroh nodded with a kind smile on his wrinkled face. Katara smiled back before she exited out of the classroom.
Aang noticed her leave. Excusing himself from the guys, he asked Iroh if he could go too. The old man nodded to him as well and Aang left the room. He looked around until he found Katara sitting on the floor with her sketchbook opened. Slowly, Aang walked over to her, but gave her enough space like she wanted. While doing so, the fifteen year old studied her, her blue eyes gleaming like sapphires, the chocolate braid, and a peaceful look on her beautiful face. Something in him flipped, and his heart seemed to cry out for her, as if it knew what it wanted. He tried to control his breathing and the urge to hold her in his arms almost made him act on the impulse; but he had to keep things simple. From the second they saw each other, Aang knew there was something about her that made him ache with sadness. There were haunted shadows in her eyes, even though she had tried to hide them. Something tragic happened to her when she was younger; Aang could tell just from her body language and the way her expression shifted.
Katara felt eyes on her and looked up from her sketch and looked Aang in the eyes, feeling her breath catch and cheeks burn again. They were quiet for a moment until he asked, "What are you drawing, Katara?" His voice was quiet, as if he didn't want to ruin the peace of the hallway.
The girl looked back down at her drawing, unsure of what she should say. She glanced at him and finally said as she closed the book, "Nothing important."
Aang sat next to her, still leaving some space, and asked, "Can I see?" Katara hesitated. She hasn't shown her drawings since her mom died. She hasn't even shown her own brother and father; also, her nerves were tingling again, whether from nervousness or his proximity she could not tell. But Aang looked so cute and curious that Katara couldn't resist a small smile.
She looked down at her book and said, "I guess." Giving him the book, she held her breath, feeling nervous again. What if he didn't like them? What if they were stupid?
He glanced her, then back at the book before opening it and saw realistic jumping dolphins. His mouth went a little slack and his eyes widened in wonder. The more he looked, the more amazed he got. There were multiple pictures, some of people, some of animals and others landscapes. It was as if she took a photo and changed them to shades of gray and black. The details were stunning to behold.
When he reached the end of the sketches, Aang closed the book and handed it back to Katara. He was silent for a moment and Katara thought that her art looked bad to him. That is until he said, "Those are the most amazing sketches I've ever seen. You're really talented Katara. You really are." Katara looked at him. He was telling the truth; she could see it in his deep gray depths.
She said, "Thank you. I was hoping I could be a professional artist one day. I haven't shown my drawings in a long time. You're the first person to see my drawings since…" She looked down and clutched her necklace. She wondered if she should tell him. Maybe he would understand her pain; something about him, the idea of him being older than he was came to mind. Maybe tragedy had hit him too. Maybe he would know how she felt.
"Since what, Katara?" he asked gently, looking worried. Even thought they had just met, Aang hated having her look so miserable; it broke his heart and the urge to hold her came again, stronger than ever.
Katara clenched her eyes shut and took a shaky breath. She was going to tell him. Growing up, she had been forced to mature faster than was normal, and for once, she wanted to talk about her problems with someone. Katara loved her family, but there was something about Aang that made her realize that he did understand, or would when she told her. "Since…my mother died," she whispered. Tears started coming out of her eyes. "She was killed a long time ago, when my brother and I were kids. She was the closest thing I ever had; we used to do all sorts of things together. My mother was murdered on her way from the store. I wish there was something I could have done, and Sokka, my brother, feels as if it was his fault. When we learned of it, I thought it was a nightmare. That was when I realized I'll l never see her again." She couldn't hold it in; the tears came out faster and the next moment she was sobbing. Katara put her hands over her face and wept like there was no tomorrow. Aang, a little hesitant but still determined, placed an arm around her and she fell into his arms, allowing the comfort it brings.
They didn't know how long they sat like that. Katara's sobbing turned into hiccups before stopping altogether a few minutes later. Aang wished there was something he could do to make her anguish go away; he did know how she felt. He knew what it was like to lose someone; it reminded him of his own past... She took a couple of deep breaths and looked at Aang. She released herself from him and wiped her eyes as she gave a small smile. "Thanks, Aang," she whispered.
Aang nodded, unable to speak for a moment. Katara giggled all of a sudden. Aang looked at her, a question mark in his expression. "What?" he asked. She pointed at his shirt, suppressing more giggles with her other hand. Aang looked down and saw that his shirt was a little wet.
"Sorry," Katara giggled, sounding like her old self again. "When I cry, it gets a little out of control."
Aang shrugged. "No big deal. It'll dry." His friend just shook her head.
They were silent for a little while. It wasn't long before the bell rang and the halls started to become flooded with other teenagers. The two teenagers came out of their world to stand up and he asked, "What do you have next?"
Katara brought out her schedule, examined it before she said, "Art 1. What do you have?"
He looked at his paper and grimaced. "Geometry," Aang groaned. Katara laughed a little at his silliness and Aang smiled, glad to make her feel better in any way possible.
She moved a piece of hair behind her ear. "I'll see you around?"
"Definitely. See you later, Katara." Katara nodded and left. Aang watched her retreating back and he couldn't help but let his smile get bigger. It was then he knew, despite the recent meeting, what he felt for her. Meeting Katara must have been fate or something because he felt whole, complete when he was around her.
He thought, 'I think I'm in love,' and he walked off to go to his second class of the day.
The rest of the day was a blur. Aang and Katara had Gym, lunch, and Economics together. They made new friends, Toph, Teo, Haru, who is a sophomore like Sokka, Suki, Sokka's girlfriend of 2 years and counting, and Lexi with her boyfriend Mat. Lexi had long blond hair, cream colored skin, and brown eyes. Mat was the football star Quarterback for the high school team, The Bison. He had brown hair, green eyes, semi tanned skin from working out in the sun, and is muscular. They all met at lunch and things hit it off from there. Everyone got to learn about each other. When lunch was over, the new gang went their separate ways. Sokka, Suki, Katara and Toph went to English class while Lexi, Mat, and Teo went to Trigonometry and Aang and Haru went to Social Studies.
Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph sat next to each other in the back of the room, waiting for class to begin. Well, Katara and Suki were. Toph and Sokka were goofing around. Not surprising. They always goof around when they get the chance. Kana came into the room and everyone quieted; the old woman smiled at everyone, and her eyes sparkled when she gazed at her grandchildren. She started with the same procedure like every teacher did, having the freshman introduce themselves. Even Katara wasn't as nervous like she was at first. She got a little more comfortable with what she was saying and in no time she made more friends.
The rest of the day went by fast and school was almost finished. The gang had the last class of the day together and Economics went by faster than anyone thought possible; after that was the assembly in the large gym, where the principle talked about the new school year and gave best wishes to those new or those old. When the final bell rang, everyone rushed out of the room and went to their lockers. The group of teenagers went their separate ways to their lockers and grabbed their stuff. Sokka and Katara's father came to the school and the Sokka went in. Katara hesitated because she spotted Aang running to a car in the lot. She turned to her dad.
"I'll be right back." Before Hakoda could ask what she was doing, Katara ran towards Aang.
She made it just as he was getting into the car. When he saw her, Aang face instantly lit up. "Hey, Katara; what's up?"
Katara looked into his eyes and said, "I was wondering what you were going to do now. Where are you headed off to in such a hurry?"
Aang rubbed the back of his neck, looking uneasy a little. "Well… I do have something I need to go to; nothing major."
Katara looked interested. "What would that be, Aang?" she asked curiously.
Aang went a little wide eyed, but quickly recovered. "I can't tell you; it's not that I don't want to, it's just that-" He broke off and bit his lip before sighing. "You'll think I'm weird."
She frowned and was about to say that he could trust her when a man in the car said, "Aang. Come on. It's time to go."
The teenage boy sighed. "I'm sorry, but we'll hang out later. I have to go." Without another word, Aang got into the car and they drove off. Katara was left standing there thinking that was the oddest thing she's seen all day. What secret could Aang have? What was he hiding? And who was that man in the car? Her train of thought was interrupted by a honk of a car horn. She turned and saw her dad waving her over. Katara looked back at the car that disappeared before walking back to her dad's car.
The ride home was quiet and Katara continued her thinking. Earlier she had given him her location and discovered they were practically neighbors, so maybe he would come over and talk to her. When his eyes had widened during their short conversation back in the lot, it was more obvious that he was hiding something and she was eager to try to find out what bothered him. He seemed so…unsure, like he had a problem with trusting people. Katara was going to do whatever it took to make him see that not all people are evil or mean; there's always someone you could trust. They made it home a lot quicker than she expected. She ran inside the house, went into her room upstairs, set down her back pack and fell on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling and she realized that she was tired. Katara yawned. Her thoughts can wait. All she wanted to do was sleep until dinner.
She got under her sheet and blanket. Suddenly she thought about her mother, of how she would tuck her kids into bed and kiss them goodnight on their foreheads before leaving the room. Katara's eyes stung a little and she blinked back her tears. But that didn't seem to help much because one or two tears escaped and the next thing Katara knew, she was sobbing softly into her pillow.
She whispered, "I miss you, mom." When the tears ended, she was asleep, thinking of her past with sadness and longing.
