Unfaithful
Hey people. I changed up my story a bit. Nicole is now Kaori :-D
I don't have dreams. Normally my dad wakes up and he won't stop talking about them. They usually are about things like finally finishing his ship he's been working on for weeks or months. He was going to set sail for new islands and trade with natives. He always procrastinated though. I was lying there when I felt something breathing in my right ear. My eyes shot open and I sat up. I looked to see what was blowing in my ear. It was Toph. She stared at me.
"I know you're up to something." She said. I felt the blood rush from my head.
"Huh? What time is it anyway?" I asked and scratched my head.
"Don't change the subject. I bet you know perfectly what I mean." She said and knitted her eyebrows.
"I really don't know what you're talking about!" I smiled nervously. She didn't change her face. She leaned in closer.
"I know you're lying. Why are you still here with us? Don't you have a home or something?" she whisper-yelled so that she wouldn't wake the others up.
"You guys are so nice. Well…to tell you the truth…. I don't have a home. See, I did have a home but I fell into debt and they kicked me out." I bit my lip. I hope she believes me. Toph sat back on her sleeping bag.
"Hey look I'm gonna go for a walk okay?" I asked and stood up.
"Good. Take your time." She said and flipped over to her stomach. I walked over to the houses. Everything was dark. It didn't seem scary, but kind of relaxing. I cut through to the beach. The waves rushed back and forth to a beat so steady you could march to it. I sat down and relaxed. The sun was peeking out from the horizon. The clouds turned a beautiful pink color. It was so delicate. Like all things it didn't last for long. The sun rose higher and the clouds lost their touch. I decided now was the time to go back to the camp. I returned to the city roads. People started to turn their lights on and start their morning routines. I walked over to the clearing. Katara had already woken up and tried to keep the fire alive. I walked up to her.
"Hey Katara!" I waved.
"Hey Kaori." She smiled a bit and returned her gaze to the fire. She looked back to me.
"Listen. We're going to go to another place so do you want to go back home?" she asked me and rolled up her sleeping bag.
"Well…I don't really have a home. I was kicked out. Do you guys mind if I come along with you?" I asked and smiled.
"I don't know," she said thinking. "Let's see what the others think." She said. Sokka woke up and brushed off his head.
"That was my sleeping bag that you had!" he yelled at me and brushed off the pebbles and dirt.
"Whoops! Sorry!" I said laughing. Aang and Toph woke up next.
"Hey guys!" Aang said happily.
"Now that everyone's awake I need to talk to you guys in private." Katara said and looked at me. I nervously smiled and walked away. Everybody else gathered together. I looked back to the beach. Ships came and people were unloading crates. Before too long somebody tapped on my shoulder.
"Okay. We had a meeting and since you're a good bender and have no where else to go, we decided that you can come with us." Aang said. I smiled.
"Thank you so much!" I squealed. "So how do you get from place to place?" I asked.
"Appa." Aang said and picked up his knapsack.
"Who?" I cocked my head.
"You'll see." Aang smiled. He took up a small whistle and blew on it. A shadow passed over us and landed on the ground. It was a large bison with a matching arrow on his head. I ran to it and climbed on the saddle.
"Cool!" I giggled. Everyone else climbed on.
"Yip-yip!" Aang yelled and Appa flew away. I held on tight to the saddle. We rose higher until we passed through the clouds. Flying made me feel so free.
"Where are we going?" I asked.
"We're going to Barton Island to visit one of the elders who might know something about Aang's past. It's kind of cold so you may want to wear this." Katara said and handed me one of her spare robes. I smiled and slipped it on. We flew for what seemed like forever and we finally reached what we thought was Barton Island. Appa landed by the shores and we climbed off.
"So let's look for someone named Michiko." Aang said and jumped off Appa.
"That's not going to be too hard." Sokka said pointing to the city.
"Huh? Why?" Toph asked. The whole city was abandoned.
"What happened? Nobody's here!" I bit my lip. We walked into the city. House lights were off and doors were locked. I heard a grunt and turned towards the sound. A mother and her child were huddled in a corner.
"Please. Go away!" She said backing away.
"What happened?" Aang asked.
"There was a plague. It spread to everyone, except my child and me." She sounded scared.
"Do you know if someone named Michiko had it?" Aang asked.
"That witch? She was the one everybody said cast a curse on the whole town to start the plague. They said that she cursed everyone because nobody excepted her." She said.
"Witch? She's no witch. Where does she live?" Aang helped the woman and her child up.
"Over on the mountain." She said and pointed to a tall rocky mountain.
"Aang, we can't just leave her here." Katara said to him.
"No, no, no. I'll be fine here," The woman said. "Everyone locked themselves in their houses to stop the plague. Aang handed her the bag of bilberries.
"Here, these are good for your immune system. They'll help fight off sicknesses for you and your child." He smiled. The woman bowed and walked away.
"Okay guys. Let's head for that mountain." Sokka posed heroically. Katara tugged his collar backwards.
"Yea but it's high. You don't think we can climb it in one day do you?" she glared at him.
"Kaori and I could help make things faster. We can earth bend up the mountain." Toph said.
"Come on. Let's get a head start." Aang said determinedly and we headed for the mountain.
If anything I'm the least help. When am I going to turn in Aang and Toph? My mind fought over the decision. Yukio and my parents would be dead if I didn't hand them over to Azula. Was it really worth it? Maybe I should just give this up. I'd be able to help them and it would be a great adventure. Yukio was just a boy, but my parents. Amarante always was on my side. She'd make me lunch and would sew up coats for the winters. Her cheery attitude and look on life always brightened up the house. If dad was having a bad day she'd bake him something to make him feel better. Her perfect smile would shine through a crowd. Leo was strict and serious but he knew how to have fun. He said that he never enjoyed his childhood and always wanted to grow up. He didn't want me to be like him. He would try to persuade me to help him build something like a chair or bat house. I look mostly like him. He was the person who always reminded us that too much play is as bad as too much work. How would they feel if I just let them die? I can't let that happen to them. I have to get the Avatar for them. Soon.
