Zuko's Long Night
Zuko sat at the table in the breast of the morning light from the rising sun. The doors of the kitchen were opened wide letting in a fresh ocean breeze that blew over the balcony and billowed through the curtains of the windows. The light swung across Zuko's back, touched the side of his face, brightening a corner of the table and the floor under Zuko's feet.
Zuko and held his head in his hands. He groaned to himself and slammed his fists down on the table. Katara entered the kitchen through a dark doorway leading in from the hallway.
Startled, she asked Zuko, "Zuko is everything alright? Are you okay?"
Zuko mumbled under his breath and Katara moved into the light and touched his shoulder leaning over closer to him.
"What was that? I didn't hear you."
"I said I didn't sleep well last night."
"Oh, I figured. I heard a lot of noises coming from your room and when I came to check on you, you weren't in your bed." Katara said as she pulled out a chair and sat next to Zuko.
"I wasn't? That's strange I don't remember getting up."
Katara gave Zuko a confused look as Toph walked into the kitchen.
"Why are you freaks up already? Morning people." Toph grumbled as she grabbed a cup and filled it with water and sat across from Katara.
"Good morning to you to Toph." Zuko said with a half smile.
"Morning Toph." Katara said with a smile.
Toph took a sip of her water, paused and then turned to look at Zuko.
"What? What is it? Is there something on my face? Is it my breath?" Zuko said as he wiped his cheeks and breathed into his hand.
"No…it's not that. Your heartbeat is really fast…like you're scared." Toph looked at Katara then at Zuko.
"What's going on?" She asked the two of them.
"We're trying to figure out what happened to Zuko last night."
"Well Zuko what happened?" Toph asked swirling around the water in her cup by shifting the cup back and forth.
"I don't know I thought I was dreaming but Katara says I wasn't in my room. Maybe I was sleep walking?"
"You must've slept and walked straight through your window because you would've passed my room to get outside and nothing gets past me." Toph said as she put her cup down and caught a bug that was flying pass her by the wing. She held it for a second then let it go.
"He could've walked through the back door by passing Aang's room."
"No he didn't pass me. I was meditating all night and I didn't hear a thing." Aang said as he entered the kitchen and sat at the head of the table opposite Zuko's seat.
"Why are you all sitting in the dark?" Aang asked as he air bended the light switch on.
"Aaaah!" Toph screamed.
"What's wrong?" Katara asked jumping out of her seat.
"My eyes! The light! It's burning my eyes!" Toph joked and then pretended to melt.
"Not funny, Toph." Katara said as she sat back down and folded her arms.
"I thought it was funny. Good one Toph!" Sokka said as he laughed holding his stomach, high fived Toph and moved to a seat between his sister and Aang.
"Why is everyone sitting around? Who's going to make the breakfast?"
Everyone looked at Sokka for a second then turned back to Zuko.
"What was your dream about?" Aang questioned.
"Funny you should ask Aang, because I was going to ask you what it meant. I dreamt that I was out last night walking. I stopped on the beach; I was looking at the stars. I walked all the way down the beach into a forest and I came to a bridge. It was the bridge between this world and the spirit world. I wasn't going to cross it, so I turned back but then Momo came flying up next to me screeching and pointing back…like he wanted me to cross it. The spirit world was lonely and looked like a swamp. I called out and my mom answered. When I found her she was sitting under a tree, she told me there was something she needed to tell me, but just as she was about to say it, I woke up."
"Wait, where's Momo?" Aang asked looked around frantically.