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Mai Konota sighed and leaned against one of the poles of the gazebo. Her best friend, Tylee Evans, grinned at her. Mai just frowned and looked out at the scenery that gave her the impression Mother Nature had just thrown up.

"Oh come on, Mai." Tylee begged. "I can't believe our parents are actually letting us go here! I heard it was only for the best of the best, so we'll be challenged and everything! I'm just so excited!" Mai rolled her eyes.

"Really? I would never have been able to guess." She said, her monotonous voice dripping with sarcasm. She folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the bright orange- she hated the color orange- pamphlet that lay in her lap. Phoenix Academy. To any normal person, this would have been an amazing opportunity. To Mai, it was at least something that wouldn't get her bored.

"Oh, it's going to be great! There's going to be dorms, roommates, cute boys, an amazing gym, cute boys, new friends, did I mention cute boys?" Tylee said dreamily, laying herself out on the bench of the train compartment. Mai looked at her, crossing her legs. She was glad that each compartment on the dull train had two benches instead of one.

"You are so boy crazy, Tylee. Really, boys are such a waste of time." Mai said. Tylee looked over at her and frowned.

"But, I thought… didn't you have a crush on-" Tylee said soberly but was cut off sternly by Mai.

"That was a long long time ago, Tylee. Besides," She looked away for fear that her emotions would catch up to her. "They just come and go, not bothering to care of what they've done to you, how they made you feel… like I said, boys are a waste of time." Mai regained her composure before she became a sloppy mess. Tylee shook her head with sympathy.

"Oh Mai, we'll have a fresh start at the Academy. I'll get you a boyfriend before the first term ends."

"Tylee, this academy is in the Fire Nation, so chances are most of the students are going to be Fire Nation. They will all know me and you. They will probably all have grown up with you and me. Most of the noblemen are going to send their kids here. There won't be any fresh start." Mai said, closing her eyes.

"You are so pessimistic, Mai. I think everything's going to work out great!" Tylee exclaimed, but Mai was ready to tune her out. Even though they had been best friends for as long as Mai could remember, the peppy girl's voice could only run through Mai's head for so long before she was ready to rip someone's head off.

You're so happy with life, Tylee, and I wish I knew why. And I know your life hasn't been that great either. For me, life is a waste. I find no pleasures; there is nothing that is enjoyable to me besides… that's a past life. I really am pathetic. Azula was right. I can't even remember what I used to be like before that happened. Oh well, I guess there's really no use troubling over what was in the past. I just hope this school isn't as boring as the last.

Mai gave her suitcase over to a man that would take her and everyone else going to Phoenix Academy, luggage to the school and get them situated in the dorms before the students arrived. The only thing that really irked Mai at the moment was the over-zealous Tylee chatting up a storm and the fact that Mai had no idea who she would be rooming with. Mai didn't get along with people that well, especially people that she lived with, and she had the dark thought that her roommates were going to be like Tylee copies.

Tylee cart wheeled over to Mai and grinned. "Orientation, Mai! Ooh, I can't wa-" The rest of her sentence was muffled under Mai's hand. Tylee's eyebrows furrowed as she stared at her friend. Mai shrugged indifferently. She hadn't meant to actually slap her, but it just sort ended up like that.

"You don't need to talk all the time, Tylee." Mai said sternly before turning to the large stadium. Many other teenagers were gathered around them, waiting for the orientation to start and then head off to the academy, which stood about a half mile away. Mai didn't know why they didn't just have the stupid orientation in the school's auditorium, which Mai was pretty they had, as they were one of the newest and wealthiest schools in the four nations.

"Welcome to Phoenix Academy," A short, slightly tubby man with a long white beard said happily. Mai recognized him immediately. General Iroh, Great Dragon of the West, Uncle Iroh. There were many names that people called him, but most just stuck with General Iroh out of respect to the greatest military strategist of all time. "This year… I will be your Assistant Headmaster… serving as Headmaster is Firelord Ozai… blah blah blah." Mai zoned in and out of the speech, her eyelids drooping. When did things start to get so boring for her? Oh yeah, it had always been like that. She liked the General and all, but why did he just keep talking and talking? "And now, I would like each of you to join up with the others of your nation and get in the line that has your emblem on it. There, you will receive your uniforms and schedules and dorm assignments. Classes start tomorrow at eight o'clock sharp. Until then, the rest of the time is yours." Iroh nodded, before going off stage and towards the school. Then, the chaos began.

The Fire Nation had the most students, so their line was the most crowded, the Earth Kingdom following a close second, and lastly, the Water Tribes, which was significantly smaller than the other two

Since Mai and Tylee were of more noble birth than the rest, they were bumped up to the front of the line.

"Name?" A woman asked head down at her work. Mai rolled her eyes before clearing her throat, as to get the woman's attention. She squinted before smiling. "Oh, terribly sorry Lady Mai. Your schedule is in the gold folder, dorm arrangements in the red and here are your uniforms. I hope you find all to your liking." She said, handing Mai a bundle of things. Mai stepped out of line and looked over the clothes. They were things she usually wore. A noblewoman dress, black and red, and a gold headband. Other Fire Nation students just got the red and gold. Mai shrugged. She could stick out with the black, just because it was her favorite color.

Even though she really didn't want to, Mai examined the other nation's uniforms. Green, white and brown for the Earth Kingdom; White, dark blue and light blue for the Water Tribes.

Mai almost threw up.

"Mai! Give me your schedule!" Tylee shouted in her ear, pulling her away from her inspection. Without her consent, Tylee grabbed both of the folders, ripped them open and skimmed through them. Her face fell. "Huh, only three classes together and your dorm is down the hall from mine. That's so unfair! Come on, let's change and meet our new roomies!"

Mai sighed and followed her friend towards the school. It took them only three minutes to get there, mostly because Tylee got so wound up she grabbed Mai's sleeve and practically dragged her the rest of the way. Mai considered getting a nurse to give Tylee sleeping pills.

"Okay, upstairs, I think." Tylee said, glancing back and forth between the papers in her hand and the school hallways. This room is 56 and yours is 257." Mai looked at the indicated doorway and sighed.

"A map may be a good idea, Lee." Mai pointed out. Tylee looked her and grinned sheepishly.

"I guess I didn't think about that. Hm… I'll be right back." Tylee ordered before dashing off in the opposite direction they had been heading. Mai sighed and leaned against the wall. Many other students were coming into the school now and it was getting crowded. She stopped a scrawny Fire Nation boy and asked him where he was headed.

"Uh, the second floor is for the Earth Kingdom. Third floor is Fire Nation."

Mai rolled her eyes. "I asked where you were headed not where the Nations were organized." The boy looked around, anywhere but at her.

"You're Lady Mai, right? Didn't you and Prince…" He trailed off from the murderous look Mai gave him. "Er… sorry. The dorms are integrated, so you don't know if you're going to be with others from your own Nation or others. I heard they wanted everyone to become friends with everyone."

"You just said the second floor was for the Earth Kingdom. How can the rooms be integrated if each floor is specifically designated to each Nation?" She asked sternly. The boy shrugged uneasily.

"All I heard is that each floor has dorms and a large meeting room where you go every morning. The room is decorated according to the Nation it serves." Mai nodded and watched the boy run off to a group of his friends, she guessed. She turned sharply when someone tapped her shoulder. It was Tylee.

"I got the map, Mai."Tylee gushed, holding up a large paper. "This is a really big school. There's the commons area with three hallways of classrooms coming out of the back, dormitories to the right of that and battle arena's to the left. What are the battle arenas? Anyway, we're on the second floor, third hallway."Tylee babbled, looking at Mai. She stared back. All she had heard was a big sentence of 'blah'.

"What?" Mai asked, in the bored tone she used when she didn't really care what the other person had said. Tylee just shook her head, grabbing Mai's elbow.

"Don't be a sourpuss, Mai. Now, we're going to go right upstairs and meet our new families that we'll be living with for a whole nine months!" Tylee followed the bulk of the students towards the large staircase.

"Great." Mai said, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Five minutes later, give or take a few, Tylee had to cheerfully greet everyone she passed, the two finally stopped at the dorm marked smiled, opened the door, and pushed Mai in, calling "good luck!" over her shoulder.

Mai didn't betray any emotion as she looked at the two girls that sat on a long black couch. One was an Earth Kingdom girl for sure, the other a Water Tribe girl, most likely from the South Pole. The Earth girl stood up happily. Oh no.

"Hi," She said, grinning. "I'm Jin and this is Kimina. You're Mai, right? We heard some other girls talking about who would be in this hall." Mai nodded, looking around. The room wasn't small, but it wasn't like the ones she'd seen in the Palace. There were three bedrooms that obviously had a closet and a dark oak drawer, a couch and a cabinet to hold food. "Would you like any help finding your classes or getting your things unpacked?" Jin asked.

That's when Mai realized she hadn't even gone over her schedule. She pulled it out of the gold folder-at least Tylee had the sense to put things back where they came from-and scanned it quickly.

Name: Mai Konota Nation: Fire

Age: 17 Main Skill: Weaponry

Dorm: Second Floor, North Wing 257

Homeroom: Weaponry Piandao

Period 2: History Iroh

Period 3: Martial Arts Jun

Lunch

Period 4: Etiquette Ursa

Period 5: Mathematics Bumi

Period 6: Weaponry Piandao

Dinner

Period 7: Battle Arena Ozai

Period 8: Weaponry Piandao

Note: Meet with Master Piandao to discuss use of weapons.

"Ooh, you have Weaponry three times?" Kimina said, reading over Mai's shoulder. "You must be really good then, only the best at their art have more than two of the class." She complimented, looking at Mai expectantly. She shrugged indifferently.

"I guess. Does it really matter?" Mai said. Kimina smiled nervously.

"No, not really. Um, Jin, do you want to look around?" Kimina asked almost pleadingly. Jin nodded.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt. See you around, Mai." Jin said before following the Water Tribe girl out of the dorm. Mai watched their retreating forms before grimacing. They were going to be fine company. Mai sighed, even her thoughts were sarcastic.

"Oh, Mai." A girl in pink appeared at the doorway, her smile big enough to break her face. Mai put one hand on her hip and put all her weight on one foot.

"Tylee, what do you want now? Wasn't it just five minutes ago that you pushed me in here?" Mai asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

But Tylee was unfazed by her friend's obvious lack of enthusiasm. "You wouldn't believe who I'm rooming with!" She said, moving to the side to let a more confident being enter. The one person Mai was hoping wouldn't show up.

Azula.

The princess smiled. "It's been quite awhile. How are you, Mai?"

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