Chapter 3

The next day, Avatar Aang and his fiancé Katara came along with Toph and Sokka. I hid in my bedroom and refused to leave. I didn't want to face them at all. I don't know what I was afraid of; maybe it was the fact that I had tried to kill them all at one point and I was ashamed of myself. Later into the afternoon, I was still hiding under the covers when I heard some movement outside my door. There was a knock on the door and I clutched the covers closer to me.

"Is she in there?" Katara's voice rang out.

"Yeah she's in there. Maybe you should leave her alone; her heartbeat is racing," Toph answered.

"Do you want me to go in with you?" Aang asked.

"No, I'll be fine," Katara answered.

"She's crazy, don't go in there!" it was no mistake that was Sokka.

I teared up and at the word 'crazy' and clutched onto my pillow.

"Sokka," Katara said dangerously.

"Ok, you can go ahead and talk to Princess Crazy but I'm out of here," Sokka responded.

Katara sighed and tried to open the door. The doorknob rattled as she tried to open the locked door.

"Here, let me try," Toph said.

"Toph, no!"

But it was too late; she broke the stone doors down and I curled up even more like a frightened turtle. I didn't want to see them and I silently wished them away. Of course, it didn't work and tears wet my pillow.

"Hey, Azula," Katara softly said.

I didn't move.

"I was wondering how you were doing,"

"Yeah, what's up?" Toph in a rather rude tone, but of course, that was just her personality. "How's the funny farm?"

"Toph!"

"Alright, alright, but really, Azula, relax, your heart is racing like crazy,"

"Why? I'm just Princess Crazy," I cried out but it came out muffled. "What do you want from me?"

"Oh, Azula, don't let Sokka get to you," she slowly peeled the covers off of me. "He's just being ridiculous,"

"Yeah, you'd be stupid to give into his insults," Toph added.

Katara swept the locks of hair from my face. My hair was damp from my tears and without make up, you could see the bags under my eyes. The past two days, attendants had put loads of make-up on me and dressed me in long dresses to hide my bony structure. Without the illusion of make-up, my skin was sickly pale and my bones jutted out. I was sort of glad that Toph was blind because she would've made some remark, compared to Katara who was decent enough not to say anything about it.

"You're not crazy," she sat down next to me.

I sat up and began to cry even more.

"I'm such a mess," I sobbed. "I am crazy,"

"Azula, listen to me, you are not crazy," Katara repeated.

"Sokka's crazy," Toph said.

I didn't answer and Katara got up.

"I just wanted to check up on you," she said. "You're not crazy, ok? Come on Toph, let's go. And fix the doors,"

Toph placed the stone doors back in place and they left. Princess Crazy; what a perfect name for me.