So, new chapter. I'm planning for this fanfic to end in two or three chapters. This one is a little more violent than the others, a little darker. I hope you like it, though! Let me know what you think! Oh, and if any of you care, I already have an idea for the next story.

A little reminder, when the whole thing is in italics, that means its a memory.

Disclaimer: There is a chance that I'm a masterful animator/writer/director, and that I created the Avatar tv show. You can think that if you want. But if you did, you would be wrong. XD


Pain. It was the only thought her brain could work out. Pain. Camilla's body burned, stabs of lightning shooting through every inch of her flesh. Her very bones ached. She curled herself out of the fetal position, bones cracking in the most unpleasant ways, and attempted a posture of one meditating. It was the only way she knew to deal with the pain.

Camilla was sitting in a metal cage, hanging several feet in the air. When the Dai Lee agents took her there, she had a vague idea of what to expect. After all, the Fire Lord made it his personal business to know everything about his enemies secret lairs, down to the color scheme. Reading about it in a book, and being there in person where two completely different things. The prisoners in this section of Lake Leogai were all deemed most dangerous to Ba Sing Sei. Metal cages identical to the one she was in were suspended three arms length apart, and at varying heights to keep the prisoners from passing things around. Below them was murky, dirty water. The guards would earthbend a bridge for them to hand up a jug of water once a day, but when they left, there was no platform in which to stand. The walls were slick with mold, making any climbing attempts impossible. If Camellia sat in the very center of the cage, she was invisible to anyone unless they stood with their back pressed to the door.

One thing had always amused Camilla in a sick sort of way. When humans were treated like animals, they began acting like them. The smell of human waist clogged her throat. She had heard, to her right, the echoing sound of bone scraping against metal; someone was chewing on the metal bars. Rattling, dead breathing echoed in such a way it was impossible to tell where it was coming from. To her left, the sobbing murmurings of a mad woman came to her, echoing about the chamber.

"... They ate her... coming! They're coming! H-help. help." She would scream, rock the cage, moan, and break down into sobs, but Camilla had never seen her. It made her skin crawl.

It was to this cacophony of sounds that Camilla meditated. Her training kicked in, and she separated her mind from her body. All of the sounds of death around her disappeared, the smells, the pain. She had separated herself, allowing her to view the situation as if it were happening to someone else. She took inventory of the injuries the guards had given her. Her body was badly bruised, and deep gashes covered her back. Her black robe had been shredded, and was now only clinging to her back by dried blood.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. Thank goodness that is all.

o0o o0o o0o

Aang sighed. It was all so confusing. Finding a kinder Jet in Ba Sing Sei, and then Camellia knowing him was just so strange. What were the chances of the florist he bought flowers from knowing a fire nation hater such as Jet? Apparently pretty good.

The group had been searching for Lake Leogai for days. They had made the assumption that Camilla had been kidnapped, but for the life of him, Aang could not think of why. What would the Dai Lee want with a helpful florist? He sighed again, and Mo Mo jumped on his head.

"Hey boy. I bet you miss Oppa." He said. "Don't worry, we'll find him, and Camellia too."

Aang walked back to the group just as Jet jumped up.

"I think I know where it is! it's coming back to me. Just around that ridge!"

Aang couldn't help the little hopeful feeling that bloomed in his heart at the words. Jet had said the same thing five times now, but this time it might be real.

o0o o0o o0o

Camilla picked at the red silk robe clinging to her skin. Surrounded as she was by earth nation women in red, sultry robes, she did not feel at all herself. Nervously, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Inside, she was calm, but it did no good to stand out. The women's eyes were dead, hopeless. They had all been gathered for General Syun.

The women had been gathered from villages all over the countryside, plucked like flowers and arranged in a vase for the pleasure of greedy eyes. Everyone of them sat huddled together, arms clutching tight to themselves and one another, on fluffy fire nation pillows.

Fire nation soldiers threw open the tent flap. The selection had begun. The soldiers stepped to the side and held the tent flap open for the general. He moved like a panther, conveying power in each step. Arrogance, pride and strength radiated off him, pushing against all occupants in the room. Real goose bumps rose on Camilla's arms. The women shrunk away from him. His cruel gaze passed over them all, until he saw Camilla.

"Her." His voice was thick with self love, even as he was speaking of another human. He turned on his heel and left, the tent flap swishing behind him. Camellia"s heart pounded as the soldiers grabbed her, and dragged her after the General. The other women let out a collective breath. Not me yet, They thought, Thank goodness it's not me.

Camilla dug her heels into the dirt floor of the tent. The soldier on her right growled, and they picked her small form up off the ground. The fire nation soldiers dragged her into a much grander tent then the one the women were kept in.

"Sorry." Whispered the soldier on her left, as they tossed her in. Immediately, she analysed the space she had. The tent was large, but the bed was even more so. from the edge of the bed to the side of the tent was about four feet. Everything was red, the sheets, the tent, the expensive rug. The bed was in the very center of the tent, and to her right was a desk, stuck there as if on second thought. The general stood beside it.

"You must know why I picked you first, out of all those women." He purred. He took one step toward her, and she cowered on the bed. Vaguely, she was aware of the soldiers leaving.

"How does a earth nation woman have such grey eyes?"

The general stalked around her bed. His calloused hand caressed her face; Camilla shivered in disgust. Smirking, the general resumed circling her. I just had to wait for a lapse in his guard, she kept telling herself, trying not to panic.

"I feel as if I've seen you before." He said. "You look .. . almost like a fire nation woman."

The general turned his back to her, rummaging through the desk.

This was it. Like a spark catching fire, she lept forward. A hidden dagger slipped into her hand, radiating with heat. In one motion, she clamped a hand over his mouth, and plunged the dagger into his back. The long blade easily reached his heart, cauterizing the wound and causing the general to twitch violently. It was the signature of the fire nation assassins to kill with a heated blade. Camellia knew that as soon as he was found, every soldier would know that Lord Ozai wanted this man dead.

"For dirtying the Fire Nation by touching the vile flesh of an earth nation woman," She whispered in his ear, as his pulse slowed. "you must die." Giving a vindictive twist to the blade, the assassin felt his body shudder and go still.

As she had been instructed, she pulled the quickly cooling corpse onto the bed, staining the red sheets with real blood. Pulling the note out of her silk robe, Camilla dropped it on his chest and plunged her dagger through it.

The last thought she had before slipping away was how her father had such a flair for the dramatics.

o0o o0o o0o

The Memories swirled around Camilla with the Dai Lee agents light. The agent whispered to her, his soft, calculated voice so soothing.

"You are a turncoat. You hate the fire nation. You will try to kill Lord Ozai."

Camilla stifled a laugh. He didn't have to brainwash her, she already hated the fire nation. The things she had done for the "people" were horrendous, more than anyone should have to bear. Camilla was grateful for her training in resisting brainwashing. The trick was simple enough in theory, but difficult in practice. The times her father had brainwashed her for practice resisting it was countless. She forced her mind away from the light. Her eyes were open, but unseeing. With her mind, she blocked out the light, the mans voice, and the pain of her body, focusing only on the past.

o0o o0o o0o

Another kill. It just got so tiring sometimes. She was perched in the mans window, watching his chest rise and fall. Soft snores filled the room. It was strange to think that in only a moment he would not be breathing. This man was so old, so frail, and yet he was an essential part of earth nation defence. Camilla had her orders, he would die tonight.

Silently, she stepped into the room, and up to his bed. He was laying on his side away from the fire bender. She loomed over him, dagger drawn, casting an ominous shadow across the bed. She raised her dagger, about to plunge it into his neck. Most people would think a simple slice across the jugular would cut it, but she knew better. No, she had to sink her dagger into the small gap in the back of his skull, where the spine came up to the head. It was much cleaner that way. Otherwise, he would have to bleed out, and that took too much time. The dagger in her hand was especially thin, perfect for the job.

He stirred. The girl froze, barely breathing.

What if he wakes up? Camilla cleared away her doubts, knowing she could take him. She had the element of surprise. The man rolled over. Painfully slowly, his eyes fluttered open, closed, and flew open in shock. She could hear his heart pounding, feel the air tense as the seconds stretched by. Cold gray eyes met green shaking eyes. No one moved.

Every pore in her being screamed at her to attack, to sink her dagger into his wrinkling flesh and let it drink up his filthy blood. Her face twisted into a snarl.

"M-monster!" He shrieked, twisting away from her. His eyes never left her face. His face was stained in terror, lips pulled back, skin taunt, eyes wide. An unearthly scream rent the air. It was a sound unlike any other. It wound around Camilla's pounding heart, squeezing her chest tighter and tighter.

Her dagger flew out of her hand, slamming into the old mans flesh. The scream died down, but she could still hear it.

"Shut up." She growled. Lunging across the bed, her hands wound around his throat. Camilla dragged him into the center of the room, throwing him to the floor. He whimpered as his head cracked against the stone. Brutally, she kicked him once, twice, three times.

Someone screamed. Camilla's couldn't think. The man wasn't moving. How dare he. Another scream. Camilla grabbed him again, watching his head roll back. Blood covered his face. How dare he. She threw his frail form onto the bed, shooting fire after him. His robes caught the flame.

Camilla looked down. Her breathing was harsh. The unearthly scream still rattled around in her head, wrapped around her heart. She could hear it, resonating through her body. Monster. Her chest was getting tighter, tighter. She couldn't breath. She stared at her shaking hands. They were covered in so much blood. So much red blood.

The fire had traveled to the bed, the tapestry. There was blood everywhere. So much blood. Smoke was clogging up the room. The acidic smell of burning flesh clogged her throat. She shook uncontrollably. Vaguely aware of running, all she could think about was the blood. Screaming, fire, and blood. She ran. Out of the window, through the gardens, passed crowds of people waking up to the violence. She didn't stop until she was away. Away from the fire. Away from the corpse. Away from the blood.

As she ran, she wiped the tears away, only staining her face with blood. She could feel it drying on her. Camilla crashed into a river. A stranger looked up at her from the surface. Wild gold eyes, trembling lips, burned hair and clothes. And so much blood. It soaked her clothes, clung sticky to her skin, clumped in her hair, crusted on her face.

She threw herself into the water, scratching at her skin. One thought ran through her mind. I'll never kill again.

o0o o0o o0o

Cold metal against her flesh brought her out of the memories. More pain, more injuries. Camilla let her head clear. How many days has it been? Months? Years? Her shoulder was throbbing, and for a moment she couldn't remember why. Oh, that's right. They popped it out of place.

Her mind strayed to the Freedom Fighter. Wonder if he knows where I am yet. She could almost see him running around Ba Sing Sei, searching for her everywhere, yelling frantically. He would check her house, find the cave, the firenation things. It wouldn't be hard to figure it out. The idea of him knowing she was a firebender filled her with more fear than the Dai Lee could ever dream of.

No, She told herself. They wouldn't bother with searching for me. Her own thoughts stung her. For the first time since the Dai Lee had taken her, she could feel tears falling down her face. She gave a dry sob. Jet doesn't care about me. he hates me.

"Camilla?" The whisper was quite, hopeful, scared. The girl curled into a ball in the center of her cage. Fear kept her from looking down. She knew with every ounce of her being that if she looked down, he would be there. It would be Jet, but just her tired mind playing horrible tricks on her. Or worse, he would be there, and he knew all those horrible lies. His eyes would burn with hatred, and he would kill her.

"Camilla?"

"No." She whispered, unable to help herself. She heard a bunch of water sloshing around. An earthbender must have raised the bridge. "No!" She shrieked.

"That was her!"

"Where are you?"

"We're here to help!"

The voices bounced around her. Voices she was terrified to hear. They were not going to help, they were going to kill her.

"She's up there, in that cage."

Camilla buried her head in her knees. A shriek escaped her lips.

"Go away!"

The voices stopped. A relieved sigh escaped her lips, even while she felt disappointment. They had left. As soon as she calmed down, she could hear a scraping sound. Back and forth. Must be the prisoner chewing on the bars. But that couldn't be right. It sounded different than that. A hole tore itself into the metal below her, and she fell through the air. Strong arms caught her. Camilla opened her eyes slowly to see the worried face of Jet. He didn't know.

"She's hurt. Katara, heal her!" The panic in his voice calmed all of her fears. He didn't know. Jet set her down on the stone, as Katara rushed over.

"It's not that bad." Camilla mumbled. Katara's brow furrowed in concentration as she started healing a few of the brusius.

"Stop." Camilla said. Her head was pounding, making it hard to talk. "Those can. . . Wait. Heal my back." She tried to sit up, but fell right back down, letting out a whimper. Jet was instantly there, helping her to sit up. Everyone gasped when they saw her back. As soon as Katara started healing her, the pain subsided until she could barely feel it. Jet patted her head, one hand gripping hers so tight it ached. Camilla started laughing. Her head leaned back with the effort.

"Is she alright?" Asked the cute watertribe boy.

"I just realized," Camilla whispered, a little loopy. "I still don't know your names."


Stay tuned for the next chapter!