Caught
Let me take you back to the time where I was caught practicing my Firebending…
It was late at night and most people in the Fire Nation were asleep by now, minus the few royals who roamed the halls of the palace at this time. Prince Zuko, who often snuck around in a disguise, was probably snooping around, attempting to figure out what secret plot his father, the Fire Lord, was planning.
Qiao closed her eyes and focused on her emotions. They say that Firebending was controlled by your anger and rage. Qiao felt otherwise. Her determination to train and become better fueled her, not her angry emotions.
Training at night, Qiao knew, was not the smartest idea since Firebending was powered by the sun. If she was this strong at night, how would she be during the day? Maybe she could take on Princess Azula if she tried hard enough. With this thought in mind, she pressed on, bending the fire to her will. She started off easy with a small Fire Stream. She willed the fire to curve through the air, slicing it with ease.
She whipped her hand towards the stream and the fire dissipated in the water. Darn it! She'd meant to pull away right before it hit the stream. So much for self-control. That was something she'd work on.
The bushes behind her rustled gently, then violently as if someone had realized they made noise.
Well, the worst thing is that she was caught and didn't know who was there.
So what does she do? She braces herself.
"Show yourself!" Qiao said, bracing herself in the darkness of the night. She reached out with all of her senses.
Nothing. She couldn't sense anything.
Qiao sighed in relief and moved to sit at the edge of the stream. She knew she had to get back to her home soon, but she wanted to enjoy more of the serene quiet of this little area she called her sanctuary and her training ground.
"You're a Firebender." said a voice from behind her.
Qiao quickly turned to look into the eyes of none other than the banished Prince Zuko. She gasped and moved back, only to fall into the stream.
She panicked. She couldn't swim! She kicked her arms and legs, but she couldn't seem to find a rhythm. Curse the Fire Nation! Curse having to work all the time!
Strong hands grabbed Qiao by her shoulders and lifted her out of the water and dragged her to a patch of grass. She coughed and sputtered, trying to get the water out of her lungs—trying to breathe again. Once all was clear with her breathing situation, Qiao sprang up and prepared to defend herself.
"Woah, now. Calm down," assured her rescuer and immediate threat. "I'm not going to hurt you, and I'm not going to tell my father. Who knows, maybe you're special. Your family sure isn't, it seems." Zuko turned to leave and looked back over his shoulder while walking. "Better get home. They're doing checks tonight to make sure everyone's where they're supposed to be."
Qiao gasped and gathered her things, as well as a bucket of water. She had to have an excuse in case she got caught. In this case, her family would be desperate for water—which they were. Heart racing, Qiao raced home, ducking between the shadows. She had put her torch out at the stream and left it there. She didn't want the fire to attract any unwanted eyes.
She weaved through a few more alleyways until she finally saw her dwelling, right across the street. Looking left, she saw nothing. Looking right, she saw the inspectors knocking on the door of her neighbors. Close one! She waited until they went inside and snuck into her own house. She stripped off her wet clothes and put on a pair of some-what warm pajamas.
While crawling into bed, Qiao realized that her wet clothes were still on the floor. She hurriedly ran over to them just as a loud knock was heard at the door and the inspectors entered the house. She quickly stuffed the clothes into her small closet and jumped onto her cot, careful not to make any noise.
Qiao knew that the inspectors would come into her room. She also knew that she was a terrible actor, so they'd question her as to why she was awake even if she pretended to sleep. Oh well, it couldn't be avoided.
Of course, they asked her. Of course, she told them that she was overexhausted and couldn't sleep even if she tried. Of course they bought the lie and headed on their way, not even bothering to check her room for anything strange. She was just a kid, what would they do?
Qiao sighed and closed her eyes. She wondered why Zuko wouldn't say anything to the Fire Lord. She wondered why he was here in the first place. And as she wondered, darkness engulfed her and took her to her cruel, unrelenting nightmares.
