CHAPTER 1
Before her death, Katara and her mother used to run together every day. Whether it was in front of their house on their uneven sidewalk or on the track beside the local college, running was their favorite way to spend time together (or it was Katara's favorite, and her mom went along with it because she loved seeing the gap-toothed grin on Katara's face).
Katara flat-out loved running—the wind in her hair, the dry burning in her lungs, the sensation of skimming across the ground as she sprinted for miles. But as she grew, so did her love and talent for running, and eventually her desire to go faster and farther made her leave her mother behind. Not long after she joined the middle school track team, her mother was killed in a car accident.
She often thought about her mom while she ran. Sometimes she wished she was still running with her or that she was at least alive to come to her meets, but usually, like now, doing laps around her high school, she was thankful to her for getting her to love running.
She turned the corner and started to speed up at the beginning of lap three when a tall woman abruptly stepped out in front of her, forcing her to skid to a stop and nearly fall on the concrete.
"Sorry, Katara," the woman, whose voice Katara recognized as Coach Whitman, said. "Didn't mean to scare you."
Katara panted, hands resting on top of her head. "Don't worry, you didn't. Only a minor heart attack," she replied. "…So, did you need something, Coach?"
She nodded. "Yes, but there's no need to call me Coach."
Katara raised an eyebrow. "Why? You are my coach."
"That's what I came to talk about," she said, resting her hands on her hips. "I'm just going to come right out and say it to make it easier for you. The school's cutting the track program."
Katara's bright blue eyes widened. "What…? Seriously? But—why would they—?"
"Budget problems."
Katara's hands fell from her head to her sides. She stared blankly at her coach—no, she wasn't her coach anymore, just her regular math teacher—as her heart beat faster and her palms grew slick with sweat. "But—but how can they cut an entire sports program? Are they even allowed to do that?"
"Yes, and it's not the first time. Ever notice that we don't have a baseball team?" Mrs. Whitman replied. "The school's losing money, and we can't let go of any more teachers. Barely anyone goes out for track besides you, and even with your talent we can never win a meet. Keeping the track team costs more money than it earns. It's being shut down."
Katara's hands shook harder the longer Mrs. Whitman talked. She could feel her heart pounding so hard in her chest it ached and she could hear it like thunder in her ears as everything around her crumbled.
"But they can't—this is all I have—"
"Katara… Trust me, this isn't the end of the world. You can always go out for another sport. You're an athletic girl."
"I would, but… they cut cross country too. This is—I promised my mom—I promised I'd keep running—I was going to get a college track scholarship for her," she said, voice wavering as she tried not to cry. But it wasn't working—running was her life, and ever since her mom died she was determined to go to college with a track scholarship. All the years of suffering—struggling to do house chores all by herself, keeping up with running, her father leaving to fight in Iraq, and having to move in with her grandmother—all of this crashed down on her, and she couldn't help by cry. All she'd worked for, gone in an instant.
Mrs. Whitman patted her awkwardly on the back. "It'll get better, Katara. There's no need to cry."
A minute passed when Katara felt Mrs. Whitman's hand pull away from her with a sigh, and she continued to cry long after the footsteps of her former coach faded away.
"Oh, c'mon, Katara, you can't really be surprised that they cut track, can you?" Sokka said as he sat on the couch next to Katara's curled-up form. "We don't even have an actual track! All you guys do for practice is run around the school." He started poking at her side. "So cheer up already and make some dinner!"
Katara reached out and punched Sokka in the stomach, making him squeak in pain.
"Go away, Sokka," she said in a muffled, miserable voice.
He sighed. "You can't mope forever. Just because your dream was completely crushed right in front of you doesn't mean you have the right to pout and starve me."
Katara sat up straight and glared at him, dried tears streaking her cheeks and new ones pooling readily in her eyes. "You're so insensitive! This is my entire life we're talking about! It's been completely ruined and all you can do is talk about how hungry you are!"
Sokka leaned back, recoiling from the fiery look in Katara's eyes. "So you're done pouting?"
Katara growled. "I cannot believe you!" she shouted, slapping and punching her brother as he screamed and tried to scoot out of her reach. "You are the most insensitive—useless—horrible—ugh! Ever since Mom died, I've been doing all the work around here, and on top of that I had to keep up with running, and you have been no help, and now there's no track team and I'm upset and I don't get an ounce of sympathy from you!"
"Stop, Katara! AH, stop hitting me!" Sokka screeched, pushing Katara away from him. She sat back and crossed her arms with a huff. "Look, Katara, this isn't like you. Since when do you pout and ask for sympathy?" Katara pursed her lips. "We've been through worse, so why's this tripping you up so much?"
"I don't know—"
"Then stop crying and do something about it. Find a solution to the problem," Sokka continued. "You're smart, and you can figure out another way to get your track scholarship, but you can't do that if you keep being sad."
Katara shifted in her seat. "You'd be right any other time, but I really can't think of anything to do right now."
Sokka stared at Katara for a few moments. "Okay, I didn't want to bring up this option, but I know this is important to you. Why don't we just transfer schools?"
"Easily said, Sokka, but we can't do that," Katara replied. "All of the other schools in our area require tuition, and you know how Gran Gran likes to save money. She's saving what Dad earns so we can secure our futures."
Sokka rolled his eyes. "For someone so smart, you sure can be dumb." Katara scowled. "Mom and Dad left us college money, right? We should be able to pay tuition with that. And you're definitely gonna get a ton of scholarships because you're a track star and get good grades or whatever, so you'd have college paid for too. It all works out."
"Except for you," Katara said. "How are you going to pay for college?"
"Easy, I'm not gonna go," Sokka said. "I'm enlisting in the military right after high school so I can fight like Dad. Then when I have time I'll take college courses that the military will pay for, I'll rise in the ranks, and I'll become an officer!"
Katara blinked. "The military? You were serious about that?"
"Yes, but that's not the point," Sokka said. "The point is that it works out for everyone. Wasn't there this one school you were always talking about? The one with the best track program in the state?"
"Yeah… Sozin Academy. It's a boarding school," Katara replied, Sokka's words slowly turning the gears in her head. Is this something she could really do? Could she really transfer to Sozin Academy to continue her track career? If she could, there would be no telling what this could do for her. If she worked hard enough and excelled, she could even make it to the Olympics.
Yes, she could do this, she decided, sitting up a bit straighter. No, she had to. She would. Sokka was right for once—crying and feeling sorry for herself wasn't her thing. She was going to take hold of her dream once more by transferring to Sozin Academy.
"I see that look in your eye," Sokka said. "We're really gonna transfer, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are," Katara replied. "Why do you sound so reluctant? You're the one who suggested it."
Sokka reclined in his seat, positioning his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but I was kinda hoping you'd think the idea was stupid and get over it."
"Typical," Katara said, getting off the couch and stretching a bit. Curling up in that position for so long had made her cramp up. "Thanks for the pep talk, by the way. I think I'll make dinner."
Sokka's eyes brightened. "Finally! I'm starving!"
"It's going to be Gran Gran's favorite, though," Katara said as she walked into the small kitchen adjacent to the living room. "I have to convince her to let us transfer, after all."
Sokka groaned and slouched, lip jutting out. "I hate Gran Gran's favorite. Stewed cabbage is so disgusting." He sighed. "I blame myself. I never should've given her that idea."
Katara opened the refrigerator and pulled out the bag of cabbage, a grin on her face and a skip in her step at the thought of getting a second chance, a better chance, at achieving her dream. And all I have to do is convince Gran Gran.
"No."
"But Gran Gran—!"
"Katara," her grandmother said, wiping her mouth with a napkin and setting it on her empty plate. "You can't transfer schools in the middle of your sophomore year. Even if I allowed you to transfer at all, it would have to be over the summer."
Katara's eyes widened, unable to believe what she was hearing. Of all people, she'd thought Gran Gran would understand the urgency of her request. She knew about the promise Katara made to her mother and encouraged her to fulfill it.
"Gran Gran, it has to be now," Katara said almost desperately. "I can't lose an entire season. Even if I train on my own, it could have a huge impact on the rest of my career. I could fall way behind the other kids."
Gran Gran shook her head. "It's not easy to transfer. Do you know what would be involved with this? You'd have to get used to the pacing of academics at this new school and catch up to whatever level they're at in their classes. It'd be too much to handle."
"Gran Gran…" Katara said. "Taking care of you and Sokka while keeping up with schoolwork and running wasn't too much for me after Mom died. I promise I'd be able to handle this."
Katara's grandmother sighed. "Katara…"
"What?"
She folded her wrinkly hands over Katara's and looked at her intently. "Right now you may feel like this is what you want, but have you thought this through? This is a boarding school, isn't it? It's a huge change."
Katara smiled. "I can handle change. Trust me, I'm prepared for this. I'd looked into Sozin Academy way before this. I know what I'm about to take on. Plus, I'd have Sokka with me."
Her grandmother stared at her for a long time, but Katara wasn't able to read her expression. She waited anxiously for her to say something, prepared for the worst but also hoping for the best, when her grandmother finally spoke. "Tell me about this school. What is it like?"
Katara's face lit up as she felt a flicker of hope spark in her chest. "Well, all of its technology and facilities are kept up to date. It's got the best track team in the state. It has some of the best academics in the district and good teachers. It's the perfect place for me! I'll really excel if I go there."
"Well, I know you will, but I don't see what good Sokka will do there," her grandma said. "But I only see that kind of excitement on your face before you race." She sighed. "I'll think about it and talk to you when I've made up my mind."
Katara gasped and hugged her, causing the elderly woman to make a choked sound in surprise before smiling. "Thank you so much, Gran Gran!" She jumped up and started to enthusiastically clear the table. She almost had her grandma convinced, but as soon as she said yes… that's when the hard part would begin.
Katara grinned. She couldn't wait.
Katara's back was beginning to ache from hours of bending over and pulling out weeds in the garden. It had been nearly a week since she'd brought up transferring to her grandmother. Katara hadn't mentioned it again since, but she was starting to get worried about why it was taking her so long to answer. Was she doing research on the school? No, Gran Gran never used the internet. Was she trying to think of a way to let Katara down easy? That couldn't be it. Gran Gran was never the kind of person to sugarcoat things, especially to Sokka and Katara.
"Why is it so hot?" Sokka complained, groaning and leaning on the garden rake he was using. "It's the beginning of February, it's still supposed to be snowing! Look at how much I'm sweating! This is unnatural!"
Katara wasn't really listening to him, especially when she noticed Gran Gran approaching her with a bottle of water.
"Thanks, Gran Gran," she said, opening the bottle and taking a long gulp. It really was hot out, unusually so for early February. If it continued to get hotter throughout the months, running outside would be brutal.
"Katara," her grandmother said in a serious tone. Katara lowered her water bottle, and even Sokka stopped talking to listen to what their grandmother had to say. "Yes."
Katara's eyes widened. "…Yes? You mean…?"
Gran Gran nodded.
Katara jumped into the air and gave her a hug before tackling Sokka. She couldn't believe it—she actually said yes, which meant that not only would she have a track career again, but she'd be on the best team in the state.
She was overjoyed—no, ecstatic. Her dream was coming true, and she'd never felt so happy yet overwhelmingly guilty at the same time.
A/N …uhh so I'm actually really embarrassed because the writing's so bad? It's literally been forever since I've written anything and this wasn't really proofread… I just wanted to post it now to get a little feedback to see if I should continue.
Anyway, next chapter (if I continue this) will be Katara and Sokka at Sozin Academy where they'll meet everyone (including Zuko). Please review! Tell me if you like it so far!
