Sokka paced the small stone chamber, his head throbbed, and he pressed his forehead against the cold steel bars to stop the pain. The semi-frozen metal sent waves of ice through his head, painful yet calming, against his feverish skin.
There had been so much hope… it just killed him that now there was none at all, for him or his sister, who sat in the corner of the cell with glassy eyes like marbles, staring into nothingness. The faint candlelight reflected off of her eyes, which were shiny from a coating of dried-up tears. Her eyes, which had been such a deep, clear blue, seemed sunken and shadowed now. Trying to slow his fast and shallow breathing, and bring himself back to reality, which he had less of a grasp on every passing day, he gravely the events of the past week or so in his head.
He thought about the attack. He had been so confident that the Fire Nation would fall. But Azula had been ready. She had captured him, and his sister… and who knows whom else. All he knew that was Aang got away. He clearly remember screaming to the young Avatar to flee, and how the boy had looked at him, turmoil plainly present behind his grey eyes. Then, he had jumped on Appa and flown away. Sokka and Katara had watched him until he faded into the gloom of the war-torn sky. He tried not to resent the boy for his freedom. But he knew that it was better for him and his sister tobe imprisoned than for Aang. He just hoped he wouldn't try to save them. If the Avatar was captured, all hope would be lost.
Suddenly, every muscle tensed. Without thinking about it, he found himself retreating into the back of the cell. He heard footsteps echoing down the mildewed stone corridor. The person came closer, and he discovered that it was Azula, walking alongside a burly guard, who was holding a frail girl. She looked about Sokka's age, but Sokka couldn't tell if she was alive or dead; if a sould had ever inhabited this husk, or it was a figure made of colorless wax. Her head was hung, and the guard was practically dragging her. Her soul and of vivacity seemed to have receded so far within her that it went out, like a candle when it burnt down its wick.
The door to the cell was opened for a moment, and the girl was thrown in. The door was slammed quickly, as if to prevent any escapes. As if we'd try to escape, thought Sokka bitterly. We'd be roasted like a rabbit before we got 10 steps. The reference to food made his stomach growl piercingly.
"This is a little present I brought you," she sneered. "Enjoy it while you can. I can't believe I'm being so nice. See, this girl is practically your own little toy. You'll find that she won't protest to anything you do. Have as much fun as you can…before we start the torture." She leaned in closer, face looking through the bars of the cell as if the prisoners were animals in some cruel zoo. "Oh, we're going to have fun with you. We are going to torture you, until the Avatar comes back, to save the you."
Sokka's blood ran cold. Azula knew Aang to well. She knew that Aang would take the bait.