A/N So, I decided I really, really wanted to write a moderverse Zutara. But, while it is modernverse, it's sort of… a different universe. AU that is modern, I guess. So you know what? I did. This, too, will prolly have a lot of songs. Because… well… I love musica. Anyway, just to set the mood… and because it is stuck in my head… the first song is…

Changed. It was going to be High School Never Ends, but then I found this one. And know what? I like it better! Also, the Airnation is still… alive here. And Aang is fourteen, like Katara. Necessary. You shall see…

Met my match today
Felt the blood rushing and mingling
A curious and enigmatic thing
Now spiders in my dreams...
Synchronicity weaves like a web
When you were meant to be a meal!

I want you bad!
I want you bad!
I understand why they say,
"High school never ends"

(I'll) never act my age
(But) you can tell by the lines in my smile
That I have been around for awhile
So, insecurities
Are about as useful as trying
To put the pin back in the grenade

I want you bad!
I want you bad!
I understand why they say,
"High school never ends"

I want you bad!
I want you bad!
I understand why they say,
"High school never STOPS"

This isn't coincidence
There's no such thing
This isn't coincidence, no, no, no,
This isn't coincidence
It's no such thing.
This isn't, no

I want you bad!
I want you bad!
I understand why they say,
"High school never ends"

I want you bad!
I want you bad!
I understand why they say,
"High school never ends"

-Smile Lines, Incubus

Until now, Katara had gone to a small, public school near her home. But, like all the children in the ninth grade and up, she had to go to Element's Boarding School. There were four houses there—Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. While all the children that weren't benders also had to go, it was more about benders. They two types of students were even separated in classes (except for 'Values'—a.k.a. Sex Ed., because benders and non-benders were in no way different in this area…).

All the houses had different coloured uniforms. The girl's uniform was a plaid skirt (a really short one, or so Katara thought) with either green, blue, red, or yellow plaid, a short-sleeved button-down shirt with stripes of the house's colour of the hem, sleeves, and colour, and a necktie (this, too, was the colour of the house). The boys wore khaki pants, a short-sleeved, button-down shirt of the house's colour, and ties that were a very dark shade of their house's colour.

Katara would be placed in the bending section of Element's Boarding School, in the Water House—a very small section that, despite it's size, received lots of awards for it's skills in bending, rivaled only by the Fire House. The Earth and the Air were friendly competitors, taking things a little more lightly that the Water and Fire Houses.

Anyway, Katara stood in front of the giant school's gate, wishing that she could just step back on that plane that had taken her to this weird, surreal place and bring her home. Her brother, Sokka, however, had all ready adjusted just fine and was flirting with a girl that had a gorgeous white braid and pale blue eyes. She was averting her eyes from him and blushing happily at the same time, something that confused Katara, who understood neither boys nor girls. She shook her long, wavy hair, which she had worn in two braids tied with blue ribbons. Also, she had worn blue knee socks, just to add to what felt like a marvelously weird costume.

To the girl's half-relief, a stern-looking man with a blue band around his wrist, signifying that he was of the Water House, came and took her away. Oh, Katara thought, realizing what was happening, they must take the bender's somewhere else for orientation.

Sokka turned and nodded at her before heading off to the rather large student-body that didn't consist of benders. Feeling helpless (something she hated) as she clutched her orange duffle bag, Katara looked around for someone to lead her off.

A handsome boy appeared in front of her, wearing a green shirt and a wicked grin. He plucked a piece chewed-on lollipop from his lips.

"Hey. Bender, right?" the boy asked casually. After trying to figure out what his cryptically simple message meant, Katara nodded.

"I'm a waterbender… but I'm guessing you knew that. Are you an earthbender?" Katara inquired. The boy shook his head, still grinning.

"Nah, but you've got that lost look that normal students don't have… I'm Jet, by the way. I'll show you where to go... what is your name?" the boy asked. Katara laughed for some reason.

"I'm Katara. Um, if you could just point in which direction…?" Jet nodded and pointed to the left of Katara, to a stone building that looked like a chapel straight out of a gothic horror flick.

"Thanks!" Katara said cheerfully over her shoulder, heading off towards the building.

"See you around!" Jet responded, sticking on hand in his pocket and his lollipop in his mouth.

Katara snuck into the back row, next to a boy in a pale blue sweatshirt who appeared to be sleeping quite happily, his hood pulled over his head. While she didn't completely escape people's notice, she went unseen enough. A woman in stylish square glasses with abundant blonde girls and even more abundant breasts cleared her throat at the front of the room.

"Hello! I am Ms. Rhodea, the headmistress of the bender's section of Element's Academy! You are—if you aren't all ready—going to become the most elite people on this earth. If there is a war, you will be called on. You are important. But, besides that, you will not only develop your abilities to the point of a master bender, but you will have fun and make friends doing so. So, shall we start with fire this year? Right then… if the firebenders will come get their mark, we can start the day!" Katara found this talk chilling for some reason, but let it go. Mark? What did they mean?

And then she saw. The sign of the firebenders was tattooed onto the pale-skinned, golden-eyed benders palm in blood red. Katara's eyes widened.

A girl with silky black hair and full, pinkish-red lips pushed to the front, her golden-eyes shining and her mouth stained with a smirk. A pale but handsome boy a couple feet behind the mob of firebenders narrowed his eyes at her as she gave his a superior look. They must be siblings, Katara thought.

As if he felt her staring, the boy turned to glare at her. Their eyes met, clashing like a giant war of fate, the fiery blue and the liquid, icy gold locking onto each other. Katara's eyes widened, and she felt completely unable to look away. The boy's glare held firmly to his face but slipped from his eyes.

Katara gasped, biting her tongue to keep from yelping out of shock. The boy in the sweatshirt was right behind her, staring between her and the boy with beautiful gray eyes.

Katara turned to face him, and the angry boy with the gold eyes had melted back into the crowd of proud benders by the time she turned back. Sighing, she took another look at the boy with gray eyes.

"Hi!" he said cheerfully, apparently having all ready forgotten the firebender.

"Hello. I'm Katara. Who are you?" Katara asked politely, fighting the urge to turn and keep looking for the boy.

"I'm Aang. Did you know that you have very pretty eyes? I mean, sure, most waterbenders have blue eyes, but yours are especially calming. And they match your uniform nicely. You're new, right?" Katara felt completely overwhelmed, and completely loved this kid—Aang. He had the light, inquisitive personality of a toddler and looked very carefree.

"Yeah, I'm new. What about you?" Aang nodded eagerly.

"Yeah. You know Ms. Rhodea? She's sort of like my adopted mother. I grew up here after my parents died. They were airbenders, so I am too. Only you can't tell because I am wearing this sweatshirt…"

"Why are you wearing a sweatshirt? It's so… hot!" Katara said, having completely forgotten the boy by now. Aang grinned, but this grin seemed a little nervous.

"Can you keep a secret?" She nodded. "Good. I'm wearing cause… well… I'm the Avatar. And people make a big deal out of it… and I don't like it. I've got special permission from Deliah—that's Ms. Rhodea—to wear it so I don't stick out so much. I just look like a rebel… aren't you shocked?" To tell the truth, Katara wasn't all that shocked. For some reason, she had never thought the Avatar was a big deal. He was for wars. He was supposed to be old and wrinkled, too, but she supposed that everyone had to be young at one point. There was time to be old, wrinkled, and wise after one was young. Anyway, there wasn't a war. There hadn't been one since… well, the giant war that had caused Element's Academy to come into existence, promoting coexistence not only between the benders but also the nations. It had worked well.

"Not really… I mean, I always sort of expected the Avatar to be old, but whatever. So what stamp do you get?" Katara wasn't willing to say tattoo, even if that was what it was.

"The air one. That's the nation I am from. Oh, look. It's time for water to go. You don't want to miss it! Bye, Katara! I'll see if Deliah can put you in any of my classes, if you aren't all ready!" Grinning at the silly boy—Avatar, she corrected herself—Katara headed forward.

The tattoo hadn't hurt at all. It was made of water, that's why. Master benders just shaped the blue water. Well, she lied. There had been a small incision so that they could get the died water under her skin and shape it. She couldn't help but admire her palm and the sparkling blue that now flowed through it.

It was because of this that she bumped into someone.

"Sorr—" Katara began, but broke off when she saw who it was. The boy! The one with the eyes! He glared at her.

"Watch where you are going!" Katara, who was only shocked for a moment, glared, putting her hands on her hips.

"You don't have to be so rude! What're you doing?" Katara demanded, seeing that he had re-opened the incision and was pulling the fire that had made his symbol our of him.

"You might want to do the same. These… signs… do something weird. I swear. You might want to take it out."

"No!" Katara replied, shocked. The boy shrugged.

"That's your decision. Sadly enough, you won't be able to regret it. While it's still new, you might want to take it out. You can remake it with your own water. Just dye it blue." Katara blinked.

"Why," she said slowly, "would I take it out if I am just going to put another one in?" The boy looked her square in the face.

"It does something to you, okay? Jesus, I don't know why I helped you. You're just a petty water-brat, aren't you? I bet you're just afraid of breaking the rules! I bet that you're afraid that it'll hurt." Indignant, Katara's eyes burned.

"I am not! You just watch!" Katara snapped. She scratched the cut with her nail, wincing only slightly as it reopened. Muttering under her breath, she bended the water out.

"See?" Katara said, about to smirk at her winning. Then she realized. He was smirking. He had won. Katara clenched her fists and stormed away.

"Name's Zuko, by the way. And, as you just noted, I always win." Katara, who was all ready about ten feet away, bit her lip and felt a fiery anger inside her. Stupid, stupid firebenders. She prayed to the moon and the ocean that she wouldn't have any classes with him. He was… horrible! And she barely knew him! Just then, rain broke loose the clouds hold. Katara angrily bended the rainwater into her skin, making a perfect replica of the sign. Stupid, stupid firebender!

And yet a small part of her remembered his eyes. Her tan cheeks turned a little pinker than the second before. Then, disgusted with herself, she dug her fingernails into her palm, into the fresh wound, crying out softly in pain.

I .Hate. Firebenders.

A/N Well, I hope that you like it. Also, I hope it's different that other fics you've read. I really hope so…

But more than that, I hope you like it. Please, review—I would if I were you! But that's only 'cause I review for everything…

Anyway, tell me what you think.

Lovelove,

xwlic