Osamu always did know how to make me feel left out, it had been going on since I could remember. I often found myself quietly sitting by the pond, while my brother and his friend both tried to one up each other. I bet if they knew I could firebend too, they would let me take part in their little game. But back then I was just a little girl. Hopeless and defenseless. I thought as the years went by this would all change, boy was I wrong. I was dragged off to finishing school while the boys enlisted in the United the time I saw either my brother or his friend again, I was sixteen years old. Still four years too young to partake in their activities.

That summer I was determined to change their views of me. I could really care less if what my brother thought of me, but I could not let someone else see me as a little weakling. Summer nights were often spent on the Ember Island. My family had managed to get a house there, thanks to my father's political status. Most of my life, I had lived in luxury, never really having to worry about missing a meal or not having a warm, comfy bed at night. So when the boys returned home, we were all off to our destination. The first few days there were spent on the beach with my family, the nights were like any other for me. While my brother and his friend went off to find some trouble to get into.

One night I decided I had enough of staying inside. After my parents went to sleep and my brother left the house, I followed suit. My best friend Kimiko met me down by the beach. She towered over me as I approached her, she had a growth spurt the previous year, while I stayed the same height for the second consecutive year in a row.

"What's your brother's hurry?" Kimiko asked nodding over her shoulder.

I raised my eyebrow at her, not exactly sure what she was referring to. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I just saw him running by, he almost knocked me over too."

"I don't know," I answered with a shrug. "Do you really think he'd tell me what he was up to?"

Kimi slightly shook her head, an apologetic smile on her face. "I suppose not. But, you won't won't believe what happened this evening."

"You grew three more inches?" I asked, looking up at her with a smug look on my face.

"Haha, you should do stand up." She rolled her eyes at me, then pointed to her right. "We're going to a party. I was sitting on the beach after dinner, when a handsome stranger came my way. He invited me to a bonfire and told me to bring anyone I'd like. I couldn't say no."

"Ooh, a handsome stranger, huh? You can definitely count me in, Kimi."

Kimiko looked like she couldn't be happier at that moment and she grabbed my arm. We walked along the shore for about ten minutes before I could see the fire. There were teens all over the place; in the water, on the sand, by the rocks. I wondered how I had never realized how many kids my ages inhabited the island this time of year. Kimiko was practically jumping with excitement the closer we got.

"Oh, there he is!" she exclaimed in my ear, then pointed to the handsome young man sitting in front of the fire.

I smiled at then gave her a gentle shove. "If I were you, I'd go take the seat right next to him before someone else does."

"But I don't want to just leave you alone," Kimiko's kind eyes glanced over at me, but I could tell that she was dying to go make a move of the guy.

"I want you to go over there and charm the hell out of him." I gave her another shove, a little more forced this time and she laughed. She managed one small wave before journeying over to him. The thing I saw was his smile as she took her seat next to him. I was too self conscious to stand around by myself so I moved to the rocks. My eyes lingered on them before realizing they lead to a pathway. Instantly I recognized the place and my feet started to move uphill. From the looks of it, the summer home was deserted, as it was every year. The farther I moved from the bonfire, the darker my surroundings became. I liked it that way, I didn't want anyone from the party to spot me walking to the house.

When I stepped on the first step of the front porch, I had to grab on to the railing. The place was old and I knew I could easily fall down. I managed to make it to the front door safely. The door was ajar and I pushed it open, peeking inside. No one had lived there in more than 60 years, the door being open wasn't a big surprise to me. Kids often spent some private times up there.

I moved from hall to hall, not really having a destination in mind. My mind was just too busy taking it all in. It wasn't everyday that a girl ventured in the abandoned royal summer home. Often times I had imagined myself being inside the place, but never alone. As I moved from the sitting room to the backside of the house, the voices and laughter of the party goers became nothing more than murmurs to me. I stopped myself in front of a mirror, but I was too afraid too look into it. Instead, I busied myself with the table right below it. The remaining of a burnt picture lay in ashes beneath a candle. I picked the candle up, knowing I wouldn't go much further in the darkness. Yeah, I was afraid, sue me.

Just as I held my fingers out to light it, I heard the footsteps coming from the end of the hall. I didn't know whether to approach the noise or get the hell out of the house. Then I thought it could have just been an animal making the noise which, of course, didn't make me feel any better. I could turn back now, but that would take me a while to figure out which hallway to take or I could get out from the back porch. The candle, still unlit, was in a tight grip. My feet moved across the floor, trying to be as quiet as I could possibly make them. The footsteps had stopped by then. I managed to get to the back porch when I heard them again. This time they were right behind me. I closed my eyes, praying to the spirits that... well, that it wasn't a spirit.

"Akemi? What are you doing here?"

My eyes opened again when my brain registered the voice. It was all too familiar. I turned around, holding the candle to my chest. "Iroh?"

Iroh looked as confused as I must have looked embarrassed. He had caught me in the act. I had been roaming around his family's home. His eyes looked right at me then lowered to my chest. Normally, I would have taken this as a good sign. I mean, a guy staring at my chest couldn't be a bad sign right? But I knew Iroh wouldn't look at his best friend's little sister like that. I looked down at my chest as well. My cheeks began to flush when I realized my hands were pressing the candle against my shirt.

"Oh," I exclaimed, removing my hand from my chest and extended it over to him, offering him the candle. "I wasn't... I mean, this belongs to your family... I was going to put it back."