I feel like it's time. I'm old enough. I have good reasoning.

It just makes sense.

I might as well tell them. My mother stands in the kitchen, cooking up some sort of stew for all of us, dividing it in half - one side with meat and one side without. It smells good, and I recognize it to be her favorite dish. She must be in a good mood - now is my chance.

I walk up to her, smiling brightly. After cutting up a few pieces of chicken pig and sliding them into the pot, she wipes the traces of meat off her fingers and turns to me with a kind, yet curious smile.

"What do you need, Kya? The food's not going to be ready for another half an hour or so; it has to simmer," she picks up her ladle and swirls the meat around in the pot, but she returns her gaze to me, expecting an answer.

"Well, you see, tonight's the night of the new year..."

My mom grins. She's amused. "I am aware. Talk to your father; he and your uncle are in charge of what fireworks are going to be used. They'll know more than me."

She doesn't expect what I'm going to say. Great. "What? No."

Now she's confused, this isn't going as planned. "Don't you want to set them off this year? I know you and Bumi enjoy doing that."

"Oh! Well, no, not exactly. I was just-" I'm stuttering and being awkward, so I cut to the chase, "I was wondering if I could go out with some friends this year?"

She raises an eyebrow at me, "Which of your friends?"

"Well... I don't know, there's a lot."

Her quizzical glance has turned into an all out skeptical glare, "So, a party."

"I... guess you could say that." Way to go, me.

"Are there going to be boys?"

"Well... yes. Boys that happen to be my friends." My voice is beginning to smooth out, I just need to explain my side. I am fifteen, and that's old enough to hang out with guys my age. I'm not going to hurt myself, I just want to be with my friends and have a good time. There's no harm in that.

"I haven't heard of these boy friends."

"What about boyfriends?" My father walks in through the door, carrying half a dozen fireworks, setting them down on the kitchen table. He eyes us curiously and then his face loses a few shades of color, "This isn't a lady talk is it? I thought we were done with those."

"I don't know. Kya?" My mom had been looking at my dad, but now she's looking at me pointedly, "is this a lady talk?"

"No!" I am blushing now. I'm not trying to ask for permission to do anything like that, I just want to hang out with my friends! Why is that so hard for her to understand. I look at my dad, "Dad, I just want to hang out with some friends tonight. Some of them happen to be guys, but I'm not romantically interested in any of them, I just want to spend time with everyone!"

My dad seems to be considering it and he turns from me to my mom saying, "I don't see anything wrong with that as long as she doesn't stay out too late."

I'm glad my dad understands.

My mom on the other hand, "I haven't even met any of these guy friends she's talking about, and you're fine with letting her be with them on a very crowded and dangerous night in the city?" Now she's fighting with my dad. I sigh.

Dad puts his hands up in defense, "I don't know, Katara, I don't think anything's wrong with it. Kya's a fighter, and she has good morals. Nothing would happen."

"Fine," she turns to me, "I'll think about it, but I guess you can go unless I decide otherwise. You're a responsible girl, I just worry sometimes," and then she turns to my dad suddenly with her motherly what-are-you-doing look, saying, "-and for the spirits' sake, Aang, keep those outside. You're going to burn the house down!"

My dad laughs, "Relax, they're not even lit." He chuckles and starts out the door, but Tenzin squeezes in to run to mom.

"Mom, Bumi found matches and I think he's gonna try and light a firework!" My twelve-year-old brother seems flustered, and instantly my mom is too.

"What?" She worriedly asks, already rushing out the door, following Tenzin, turning back to me only once to say, "If you're going, be responsible." Then, just like that, she's gone.

I'd say it went pretty well.

Later that night, we finish eating our stew and my parents sit, joking around with my Uncle Sokka and Aunt Suki about their first New Year's in Republic City. Something about my uncle having to regrow his eyebrows and how he felt like some mechanist/sciencey guy they once knew. All I cared about was the fact that my friends wanted me to be in the city soon.

I raise my hand, my previous attempts at getting their attention failing. Soon, the adults' eyes fall on me. "I don't mean to interrupt, but my friends kinda want me in the city around now to meet them."

My mom doesn't seem happy, but she doesn't speak up about having changed her mind, she merely states, "Do you need us to fly you over?"

"Umm... yeah I guess so."

"I'd rather we did, just so we know where you're at," Her stern motherly look has turned into a caring, yet worried motherly look, "In case anything happens."

"Nothing's going to happen, I'll be fine." I give her a reassuring smile. There's nothing for her to worry about.

"Wait, you're not lighting the fireworks with me?" Bumi whines, "Kya, that's like our thing!"

"I'm sorry, Bumi, not this year. Maybe next year." I smile at him too, but he just resorts to pouting. Typical mature big brother.

"I can fly you over, Kya," My dad states. I'm relieved, now I won't have to worry about my mom changing her mind on the way there.

"Thanks," I say, turning to my mom, "Sorry I won't be able to help clean the dishes, mom."

"No, its fine. I have Suki to help," - she grins and elbows Suki in the arm softly - "Just... go have fun." She smiles and stands up, and as me and my dad leave, I faintly hear her call from the kitchen, "You get in here an help too, Bumi."

I chuckle to myself. Sucks for him.

Once we're on Appa, whom we had to wake from what must have been a very good nap, my dad and I fly in silence over to the city. That is, until he turns to me, saying -

"I know I'm pretty lenient about rules for you and your siblings, but I do want you to know that its because I trust you."

I look over at him, "Yeah, I know, and I appreciate that."

"I'm just trying to say, don't use my leniency as a reason to mess around or do things that you don't think you should." He turns to me, and I can see that there's some worry in them, "You're my little girl. I don't care that you're fifteen. You're still very precious to me, so I don't want you to get hurt."

I laugh slightly, grinning at him, "I know, dad. I'll be totally fine."

He chuckles softly as well, "I know you will."

We make it to where my friends are waiting and my dad hugs me goodbye. I tell him to pick me up a half an hour after the fireworks, and he says that it sounds like a good plan, flying back over to the island on Appa.

I don't entirely know what I expect. My dad dropped me off in a street where there was a lot of light and festivities going on, and it where my friends were at the time, but now we're switching locations.

I go with them because I honestly don't think they're going to do anything bad. I know my friends.

Or maybe I don't. We arrive at this unattended empty storehouse where candles have been lit and people are setting out all sorts of refreshments, but not many snacks. There's a strange smell in the air and its not very pleasing to inhale. I awkwardly stand in the corner as people start dancing oddly with each other and a singer starts singing unappealing songs in the corner.

One of my friends hands me a glass of some fruity red drink but after one sip I have this burning sensation in my throat and I decide that it is not the drink for me.

After half an hour, I decide that I need to get a breath of air, so I walk out the doors. I lean up against the closed window shades and stare up at the moon. It's not really bright tonight, but the lights from the city keep everything mostly visible. I close my eyes and breathe, maybe I should have just stayed and lit fireworks with my family. At least there I'd be talking to someone and laughing, instead of being cooped up in a dark room full of odd sounds and weird people and burning drinks.

Come to think of it, this is exactly what my mom thought I was going to be doing tonight, but I convinced her otherwise. I'm technically betraying my word to her. But, in my defense, I don't want to be here anymore. I am just about to walk towards the docks to ski back over to the island when three boys stop me.

I only know one of them, but he is older than me by about two years, actually maybe three.

"Hey, where you goin', Kya? The fun's just starting." His words seem slurred together a bit, and I wonder if he's been drinking. Though, technically I did too, but not that much.

"I just... needed a little air is all, but I'm not feeling well, I think I'm gonna head home." I try to walk around them but they get in my way.

"Noo, I think you wanna stay here, girlie." This guy's voice is pretty deep for a teenager's, and he looks pretty strong. I suddenly wish I could vanish, or at least shoot myself into the air to avoid these guys. Unfortunately, I'm not an airbender.

"Noo, I don't." I mimick his tone slightly, beginning to get irritated. This was a bad idea, I just want to be with my mom and dad and family.

The muscular one grabs my shoulder and forces me back against the window shades, "Are you mockin' me?-" and after a moment - "You are, aren't you. I don't like that."

Before I know it, the three guys are grabbing me, pushing me back into an dead end alley way. My head slams against the wall of the building behind me, and suddenly I wish I had never even asked to come here tonight.