"Ugh," I groaned, flopping down on our mattress. I despised this school. "I'm so bored!" I said, gripping the sheets.

"Oh, you're always bored, Mai," Ty Lee said, sitting down next to me. She rubbed my back. I swear, that girl has magic hands, but I wasn't in the mood.

I brushed her off and sat up. "Don't you two ever wish we were normal girls? So we wouldn't have to go through all this?"

Azula sighed and plopped down next to us.

"The life of a princess

From her birth is well defined"

Even if we weren't princesses, I knew what she meant.

"She must humbly serve her country

Play the part she's been assigned

She guards the hopes of her people

Weak and mighty, rich and poor

Who could ever ask for more?"

"Who could ever ask for…" Ty Lee echoed.

Azula took over again.

"Who could ever ask for…"

"More," they sang together.

"Ugh!" I jumped up to my feet.

"I wanna be like other girls" I sang out.

"Climb up a tree like other girls can"

I grabbed Ty Lee's hand and pulled her up with me. She grinned.

"Just to be free like other girls!" we sang together.

"Get to be"

We jumped and landed sitting, knocking Azula off.

"Mai! Ty Lee!" she said, scrabbling to her feet.

I yanked a pillow over, put it behind me, and slouched against it.

"To slouch when I sit"

"To eat a whole cake" Ty Lee sang, leaning over me.

I stretched out my legs, grinning.

"Feel the sun on my feet"

Ty Lee grabbed the ink pot and tried to splash me. I snatched the pillow and blocked it.

"Get dirty" she sang.

"Get silly" I sang, making a face.

"Be anything I want to be" we sang, jumping off.

"Dance around" I twirled.

"In my underwear!" she lifted up her skirts.

"Ack!" Azula screamed, pulling them down like she was afraid a teacher was going to walk in on us.

We sprinted around our insanely large room.

"To run really fast" we sang.

"To get rid of this fan!" I snatched the thing Azula was, for some reason, still holding.

Ty Lee grabbed a pillow.

"To eat a whole cake!"

I tore my hairpins out.

"Get crazy!"

Ty Lee tore the pillow apart.

"With frosting!"

What was it with that girl and cake? I ran up to Azula.

"No escorts!"

Ty Lee ran up.

"No manners!"

I took over again.

"No nursemaids!"

We came together.

"No worries!

No hands folded perfect!

Like holding a lily" We mocked our teacher's voice.

Azula seemed to get a candle above her head.

"No pinchy shoes?" she asked.

We laughed and grabbed each other's hands for the first time in years.

"I wanna be like other girls!" we sang together.

"Scrape up my knee like other girls can!

Just to be free like other girls!"

We plopped down to lie on the floor.

"Get to be…"

"To speak for myself!" I declared, sitting up.

"To sing way off key!" Ty Lee sang, balancing on the headboard.

Wait, how did she get up there? She stumbled. Azula caught her.

"Marry someone I've met" we sang together.

"Who loves me for me"

I didn't know who they were thinking of, but…

"No escorts!" Azula declared.

"No "manners"!"

I joined in.

"No nursemaids!

"No worries!"

Ty Lee joined in.

"No hands folded perfect!

"Like holding a lily

"No pinchy shoes!"

We threw off the ridiculous heels that were part of our uniforms. By now we were just dancing around our room, being as goofy as possible.

"I wanna be like other girls!

Climb up a tree like other girls can

Just to be free like other girls!

Get to be!"

We flopped back down on the bed, laughing.

By the time the teacher came in to check on us, we were sitting quietly, practicing our breathing exercises.

At least, until she left.