AU goodness! Katara (Kate Suthern) is a singer looking to get signed, Zuko (Zach Fiar) is the heir to Fire Nation records, Sokka (Shaun Suthern) is the overprotective brother, Aang (Aaron Ericson) is an activist that is trying to bring Fire Nation records down, and Toph (Tanya Belong) is Kate's cousin, also Aaron's girlfriend. Please review!!!!!
Chapter 1: When Dealing With the Devil…
Kate looked up at the beams of sun shining in through her window. For a moment she was disoriented, but she quickly remembered where she was. I'm in L.A. I'm here! Excited, she tossed her blankets aside. She left her bedroom and went to the kitchen, where her cousin was already making breakfast.
"Morning, Kate," her cousin said, not turning around.
"I'll never know how you can cook without burning anything," Kate said. As her cousin, Tanya, turned, she smiled.
"I've got skills," she smirked. Tanya was a bit of a showoff, but she really deserved it. She was blind, but she still managed to do everything normal people could.
"So what's on the menu?" Kate sat down on a bar stool.
"Bacon and cheese omelets," Tanya replied as she lifted a frying pan to slide the food onto a plate. "My specialty."
"Your cooking is always so delicious," Kate smiled to her cousin. Tanya was younger than Kate, but Tanya's parents were rich and decided to buy a penthouse for their "Little Angel". They didn't really want to, but Tanya stood up to them and finally got her way. So now, at age nineteen, Tanya had everything she wanted. She had a great apartment, great friends, and a great boyfriend. Speaking of which-
The door opened.
"Hey Aaron," Tanya called. "We're in the kitchen!"
"We? You're not cheating on me are you?" he asked playfully.
"I'm sorry, but Ben and Jerry are just too irresistible," Tanya said in a fake-guilty voice. She tended to be a bit of a drama queen.
"Hey, Kate, right? Tanya's cousin from North Dakota?" Aaron asked, noticing Kate.
"That's me," she extended a hand. Aaron shook it.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
Aaron turned to Tanya and started a cryptic game of asking her to dinner, meanwhile Kate started to eat her breakfast. About halfway through her omelet realization crossed her face.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"7:32," Aaron replied.
"Crap! I'm late!" Kate took one last bite and sprinted to her room. She ripped open a box of clothes that she hadn't unpacked and rifled through the contents until she found a pair of stylishly worn jeans and a nice, blue empire-waisted halter-top. She opened another box and threw on a deep blue ribbon choker with a painted blue disc. Kate slipped on some matching blue ballet flats and grabbed her purse (blue, like everything else) and ran for the door.
"I've got an appointment, don't worry!" and she was out the door.
Stupid elevator, Kate thought as the small metal box slowly descended. Three floors to go…two…one… When the doors dinged open Kate rocketed out and through the lobby, scattering a few of the tenants who were in her way. She practically flew out of the door and to the curb, where she whistled for a taxi. The whistle was so shrill and earpiercing that several passersby clutched their ears, a few cars nearly ran into each other, and a cab glided to a stop right in front of her. Hopping in, she called out the address to the driver.
"6731 South 87th, and I'm in a hurry." The driver nodded, and the cab remerged with traffic and continued on its way. Kate leaned back in the seat to catch her breath. She had never been so stressed out in her life. Then again, she was only twenty-one, so there was hopefully a lot of time left.
As Kate started to settle, her cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Hey Kate, what's going on?" it was her brother Shaun.
"Nothing much. I'm on my way to an appointment."
"Appointment? Are you sick?" Shaun sounded half worried, half annoyed.
"No, I'm fine. I'm on the job-hunt, remember?"
"Oh, yeah, well, good luck."
"Thanks, I'll need it. Oh, I've gotta go, I'm here," Kate said, noticing the taxi slow to a stop at the curb.
"Alright, I'll talk to you later."
"Bye," and she hung up. Kate reached into her purse and paid the driver before exiting the cab. Standing on the sidewalk, she looked up at the ominous building before her. Above the doors, in gold letters, read Fire Nation Records. Kate gulped, partially awed, partially excited, but mostly nervous. This is it she thought, and took a step. Walking into the building, she noticed a neat desk, behind which sat a young woman. She wore pink everything, and if she hadn't been so nice, Kate would've thought something was seriously wrong.
"Hi, I'm Kate Suthern, I'm here for an appointment."
"Kate Suthern, Suthern," the lady murmured, looking at a list on her flat screen computer monitor. "Oh, here it is! Go right on up to mister Fiar's office, floor 9, you can't miss it."
"Thanks," and Kate headed to the elevator. The metal doors closed and she pushed the button for floor 9. The elevator ascended smoothly, and rather quickly, too. The doors glided open with a small, elegant chime, and Kate stepped out. Looking around, she saw another desk, this one with a black granite top, a cold looking young woman sat behind. It was the total opposite of the lobby. Kate walked up to the lady.
"Hi, I'm-"
"Kate Suthern, go right on in," the woman said in an extremely bored tone.
"O-okay, thanks," Kate turned to the right and saw a large, dark wooden door. She walked over to it and turned the handle. It swung open easily to reveal a very big office, decorated in red and gold, with a few black accents. The floor was solid wood, dark to match the door. The whole sight was rather breathtaking. To the left, a smaller door opened.
"I told you, I'm not giving him up that easily—Oh, hello. You must be Miss Suthern," the words came from the mouth of a very attractive man. He was tall, a whole head taller than Kate, with slightly long, black hair, amber eyes, and pale skin. He swung the door shut behind him and turned to face Kate completely. Kate noticed a small scar underneath his left eye.
"Yes, I have an appointment-" Kate started to say.
"I know. I'm Mr. Fiar. Owner of Fire Nation Records." He extended his hand. Kate took it and they shook.
"Now, you have a demo, I assume?" he asked.
"Yes," Kate reached into her purse and pulled out a CD. She handed it to Mr. Fiar with a shy smile. As soon as it had changed hands, Mr. Fiar walked over to a stereo that sat on the mantle and slid the disc in. The music started quickly, followed by Kate's voice.
Don't feed me a line you got from your friends,
Don't tell me a lie just to save your skin,
Don't give me a smile you've given someone else,
Don't say "hi" just tell me where you've been,
And then the music was stopped.
"I love it. It's angsty, it's bold, and it's just what I want. Are you okay with signing a contract right now?"
"Uh, y-yeah, sure," Kate was slightly shocked at his response. The track hadn't even gotten to the good part.
"Alright," Mr. Fiar pulled a contract out of a desk drawer. "You'll need to sign here, here and here." He indicated different lines.
"Um, I think I should read it first," Kate said slowly.
"Oh, it's nothing important, it just says that you'll work for us exclusively until your fifth album comes out, and then you'll have the choice to renew your contract or choose a different label."
"That's a lot of writing for such a simple agreement," Kate said warily.
"Oh, it's just lawyer mumbo jumbo. It's nothing that major," he smiled. That smile almost made Kate blush.
"Okay then," she took the pen he offered her and signed the indicated lines. "Thank you Mr. Fiar," she returned the pen.
"Called me Zach," he took the pen and smiled again. Now, I have some people you should meet and talk to, get to know, all that jazz. Can you meet with them tomorrow at ten am?"
"Y-yeah," Kate said.
"Excellent, I'll see you then."
Kate left the office and returned to the elevator, where she pushed the button for the main floor. For some reason she couldn't explain, she felt like she'd just signed away her soul.