Preperation and the Plane
Please reply! Note: All the mentioned tours and places are real, and I have experienced them, and any stated facts about them are true. Sorry if this chapter is short! I just thought that where I ended this chapter was a better place to end it than where I originally planed. Enjoy!
I had so many reviews last chapter, it was great! It really cheered me up after having a sucky day at school... I'm in a hurry, so I don't have time to individually thank you and/or answer questions. Sorry! But I wan't to let you know that I really appreciate the reviews.
Disclaimer: No matter how many offers I make to Mike and Bryan, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, so stop rubbing it in my face! -sob- But wait... I do own EBBA!! Yay! -party- Don't steal EBBA from me, or I will send obese sock-hungry unicorns to eat your underwear! MUHAHAHAHA!
Katara's POV, Social Studies
We literally ran to Social Studies, eager to find out what we would do while we were there. As the bell rang, Mr. Iroh chuckled.
"I think this is the first time this year that no one has been late!" He chuckles again. "I suppose you are all eager to receive more information on your field trip." He grabs a stack on envelopes from his desk, and begins passing them out as he talks. "In these envelopes are your rules and plane tickets. Also, your hotel room keys. I am sorry to say, but I am going with you!"
The class groans.
"I am not that bad," He says with a chuckle. "Also, you will find your assigned school work-" More groans- "And your schedules."
As soon as the word "scedules" was out of his mouth, there was a flurry of movement and ripping of envelopes. I opened my scedule and read it:
Day One:
7 AM: Meet in front of school to go to airport
8 AM: Arrive at airport
9:30 AM: Plane takes off
3 PM: Plane lands
4 PM: Reach Hotel
6:30 PM: Meet in lobby
7 PM: Dinner at Margaritaville
9 PM: Arrive at Hotel and brief meeting in lobby
12 PM: Curfew
Day Two:
7 AM: Meet in lobby for breakfast
9 AM: Arrive at Swamp Tours
10:30 AM: Leave for Plantation Tour and Lunch
3 PM: Leave Plantation
5 PM: Arrive at Preservation Hall for concert
6:30 PM: Dinner at Hard Rock Cafe
8 PM: Meet in front of Hard Rock Cafe for Musical History Tour
10 PM: Arrive at Hotel and brief meeting in lobby
12 PM: Curfew
Day Three:
7 AM: Meet in lobby for breakfast
9 AM: Arrive at Audubon Zoo and Lunch
12 PM: Get on ferry to Aquarium of the Americas
4 PM: Leave Aquarium of the Americas
6 PM: Dinner at local restaurant
7:30 PM: Meet in front of local restaurant for History Tour
10 PM: Arrive at Hotel and brief meeting in lobby
12 PM: Curfew
Day Four:
7 AM: Meet in lobby for breakfast
9 AM: Arrive at Celebration Tours (on horseback)
12:30 AM: Lunch at Bubba Gumps Restaurant
3 PM: French Quarter Tour
5 PM: Arrive at hotel for short break
6:30 PM: Dinner at local restaurant
8 PM: Meet in front of local restaurant for Haunted History Tour
10 PM: Arrive at Le Du Monde for beignets
11 PM: Arrive at Hotel and brief meeting in lobby
12 PM: Curfew
Day Five:
7 AM: Meet in front of hotel to go to airport
8 AM: Arrive at airport
9:30 AM: Plane takes off
3 PM: Plane lands
4 PM: Reach EBBA
Wow! This trip will be awesome! I look around, and everyone has similar smiles on their faces.
"Now, you are required to do a bit of work on the way there and on the way back," Mr. Iroh says. "But other than that, I think you will have a great ti-" The bell rings. "Be in the parking lot at 6:30 tomorrow! Do not be late!"
The next morning, 6:30, Katara's POV
Kya, Toph, Sokka, Zuko, Aang, and I are all talking about the field trip, gathered in the parking lot with our bags.
"I hope our hotel is nice!" Aang says.
"I hope it has an elevator, so I can pull those awesome pranks..." Kya says, trailing off.
"The bus is just around the corner!" Toph says excitedly. Everyone who hears her begins to grab their stuff.
Kya and I are literally jumping up and down with excitement.
"Can you two stop?" Toph asks. "You're giving me a headache."
"Sorry," I say.
The charter bus speeds around a corner, and skids to a stop in front of us. We all look at each other.
I hear Haru joke, "Yes, we get a race car driver!"
The driver opens the doors and says, "Put your bags in the cargo hold, and then come and get your seats. Hurry up, I don't have all day!"
We hurriedly follow his instructions, and get on the bus. I sit next to Kya, Zuko next to Sokka, and Aang next to Toph. As soon as everyone was in the bus, he sped off like he was in the Indy 500. We all were clutching the seat in front of us. We were going at such a fast pace that even Haru couldn't crack a joke about this.
I hear Sokka whisper to himself, "Happy place, happy place, happy place!"
We arrived at the small local airport about fifteen minutes before schedule. As soon as the driver parked the bus, we all wobbled off the bus and grabbed our stuff.
"Well..." Iroh says. "That was quiet an... interesting bus ride."
We all snicker at his joke while we walk inside the airport. It is very small, only two airlines bothered to put planes here.
"Everyone, please check-in your bags, then head to Gate Four," Mr. Iroh says. "Work on your homework while we wait for the plane to arrive, so that you don't have to do it while we are in New Orleans."
The class runs over to the baggage check-in desk. The lady has a look of fear on her face when everybody charges over, but she puts our luggage through security.
"Did you see the look on her face?" Zuko said. "She looked like she was shaking!"
"She was," Toph laughs. "We nearly gave her a heart attack!"
"Poor lady," Kya says. "Oh well. Has anybody been on an airplane before?"
"I have," Aang says. "You have nothing to worry about. Well, except for the food..." We all laugh. Aang shakes his head. "No, I'm serious!"
That shuts us up.
"Should we get some food for the trip?" Zuko asks.
"Of course we should!" Sokka exclaims. "We can't miss lunch!"
We all laugh, and Aang says, "We have to wait until we are past security to buy food. The security is awful, by the way. They make you take off your shoes, and they think that every person is a terrorist." Before we can laugh, he says again, "I'm for real."
By this time, we reached security. There was a lady sitting in a chair in front of the line.
"Hold it!" She says as we walk up to her. "Take off your shoes, and any metal that you have on. Glasses, earrings, watches, or anything else. If you brought any technology with you, take it out of it's case and set in a basket of it's own to be screened separately. This includes iPods, MP3s, phones, laptops, or anything else that can be included under electronics. Take off all coats and hats, and take off your backpacks and put it in a separate basket, too. If you have any liquids, drink it, or pour it out. I'm going to send you to the line three at a time. No joking around. No talking. Form a line in front of me, and I will inspect your ticket."
The class lines up in front of her, and she lets us pass three at a time. It was unusually quiet. When it was my turn to walk through security, I look at the line. There is a small machine with a conveyor belt with baskets on a table beside it. I assumed that it was the x-ray machine. Kya, Aang and I took off our shoes, and put them in one of the small blue baskets. We set them on the conveyor belt. Then we each grab another basket and take off all of our jewelry and metal. Kya and I empty our water pouches by turning it into water vapor. We walk through a metal detector without a problem, and we grab our stuff.
"Well..." Kya says. "I guess you were right about the security thing..."
We hear the metal detector go off behind us. Azula just walked through the detector, standing there with a shocked look on her face. Five guys run towards her, and they bend an earth cage around her.
"What are you doing?" She demands. We all laugh. She shoots us a death glare. We immediately shut up. Mr. Iroh walks up behind us.
"Let's get to the gate, now, hurry along," He says.
We jump at the sudden sound of his voice, and walk down the hallway.
"So..." Sokka says when we catch up to him, Toph and Zuko. "Are we going to get any food?"
We all laugh. "Sure, Sokka," Aang says, pointing to a small airport shop. "There's a store, but don't use all your money, because you may see some rare meat that you want to buy in New Orleans."
We walk in, buy our lunch, and head towards our gate. We don't have to walk far, considering that there are only five gates in the whole airport.
"Well, here we are," Zuko says, sitting in a chair in front of our gate. "Gate Four. Thirty minutes before the plane arrives. Should we talk, or do our school work?"
"Let's do our school work," Kya says. "I know that we all really want to talk, but we don't want to have to do homework in the hotel, right?"
"Right," Aang, Sokka, Toph, and I all agree immediately. We sit in chairs, and pull out our paper and pencils.
Forty minutes later, we are sitting in the plane, ready for take-off in the small jet. The jet was so small, that there were no double or triple seats. Just one seat, which was next to the window, and still an isle seat. Kya sat across the isle from me, and Azula sat in front of me.
"I'm so excited!" Kya whispers to me.
"Why?" Azula asks snottily. "It's not like being in this airplane is the trip of a lifetime."
"Don't you have something else to do?" I ask impatiently. "Kya and I are having a conversation."
"Fine, then, peasant, be that way," Azula says. "But I still haven't forgiven you for calling me a-"
She is cut off by a voice over the intercom that says, "Alright, folks, this is your pilot speaking. I'm going to have to ask you to turn off all electronics until we reach our cruising altitude of 10,000 feet. Smoking is not permitted on this flight. The seat belt sign may go off, but keep your seat belt buckled in case we come across some unexpected turbulence. Now your cabin attended will review safety procedures with you."
Azula and I don't listen to her, we just glare at each other. The plane begins to speed up, then we're off.