A/N: Oh My God! I am so ashamed of myself to take this long in updating. I hope you all can forgive me for the long wait, but the hard fact is, being very busy + no inspiration in the middle of a chapter = a very long wait. So I hope you like it.
It was early Monday morning when the bus holding the St. Clamence High School students landed on Ember Island. Everyone was restless and on edge after being cooped up for so long a time. When the bus finally stopped on a parking lot after disembarking the ferry, all the students were edging to get out and taste the fresh air. Before they could so much as grab their hand luggage, Mr. Bumi called them to order.
"Listen up all of you, because what I'm about to say is important. As I told you last night, you will be spending your time with the group you're assigned to, so make sure you have each other's phone numbers. Because you're expected to call your group members before you call the teachers when you get lost. Of course, if there is an emergency, we want to know about it, so my number is on one of the sheets of paper I gave you. If you have any questions, ask your group, as a group you have all the information you need. Is that clear?" he asked in a raised voice.
"Yes, Mr. Bumi" the students chorused.
"All right then, have fun all of you" with that Mr. Bumi grabbed his own bag and was off the bus within seconds.
Katara stayed in her seat while other students began piling out of their seats, into the aisle and off the bus. Soon there was a jam at the door and at the bag compartment as well. Zuko stayed in his seat as well, he had no desire to be squashed in between students who couldn't find their bags. Sokka however, wanted to get off the bus as soon as possible and was nagging at Zuko to move already. Zuko tried to ignore him, but it was easier said than done with an obnoxious voice hollering is his left ear. He turned away from Sokka and instead looked to the other side of the aisle. His eyes briefly met Katara's before she looked elsewhere. His gaze shifted to the seat behind hers and saw that Toph was just as impatient as Sokka appeared to be. But since Aang, who sat next to her, sat at the window seat, she had no one to stop her from barreling out of her seat and down the aisle. She pushed people aside that got in her way, leaving a path of cursing students in her wake. Aang followed her out, but where Toph had just kept walking a straight line, not caring if she hit something or someone, Aang flitted through the aisle, light on his feet and it seemed like he never touched any of the other students cluttering the aisle.
When the worst of the crush was over, Zuko finally relented to Sokka's pleas and removed himself from the path of the overeager junior. Rolling his eyes at Sokka's departing back, he made his way off the bus. He grabbed his bag and joined Sokka, Aang and Toph. Several minutes later, Katara and Suki joined them as well.
"Ok, we're complete. Now what?" Suki asked the group at large.
They all looked at each other in indecision. Toph was the first to speak.
"Shouldn't we get each other's phone numbers? And Mr. Bumi's as well?" she rolled her eyes at the obviousness.
"Right" Katara pulled her phone from her pants' pocket. "I already programmed Mr. Bumi's number in my phone" she pressed several buttons on her phone and recited Mr. Bumi's number. The others inserted it into their phones as she spoke.
They took turns reciting their phone numbers to the others, and for a while the only thing that could be heard was the pressing of buttons and pinging of phones. When it was Aang's turn, he mumbled something and stared at his shoes.
"I'm sorry, but I didn't catch that" Sokka looked at Aang.
The color of Aang's cheeks turned from normal to slight pink. Toph rolled her eyes again as a slight smile played upon her lips.
"He doesn't have a phone" she stated in a dry tone.
"Toph!" Aang shouted as the color of his cheeks changed again. This time from slight pink to bright red.
"You don't have a phone?" Sokka asked incredulous.
"How can you live without a phone?" Suki said unbelievingly.
Aang shrugged. "Easy enough, actually. I never had a phone, Gyatso says the radiation is bad for you"
With exception of Toph, who had already known, they all stared slack jawed at Aang. As if he just told them he could bend the elements.
Zuko was the first to recover. He closed his mouth and coughed once. "Ok. So what's on the agenda next?" he asked.
Katara shook herself and looked down on Mr. Bumi's papers she was still holding. "I suggest we go to our assigned house, settle in and then we'll see from there."
They all agreed and fifteen minutes later they entered their assigned house. It turned out that they had to share two bedrooms with each other, so the girls took the bedroom with an magnificent view of the beach and the ocean beyond, while the guy's took the room on the opposite side of the hallway, which looked out upon a forest scene. In addition to the bedrooms, there was a bathroom containing a shower, sink and toilet, and a spacious kitchen.
Katara was the first to finish settling in and went into the kitchen and sat at the wide table that could easily seat ten people. She spread Mr. Bumi's papers out in front of her. Fifteen minutes later Sokka found her with her hands in her hair in desperation.
"What are you doing?" he asked her.
"I'm trying to make a logical plan out of all these assignments. But I'm not good at it at all" she snapped back frustrated.
"Mind if I take a look?"
She wasn't sure Sokka could take this mess and turn it into something resembling a logical plan, but she had reached a point where she was about to rip the papers apart in frustration. Maybe it was better to let Sokka have at it. "Be my guest" she shoved the papers in his direction.
He sat down across from her and studied the papers. "Do you have a pen and a clean sheet of paper?" he asked after a while.
She pushed her notebook and pen his way, wondering what he wanted to wright down. As far as she knew, it was a hopeless cause.
"Thanks" Sokka began scribbling in his unreadable handwriting.
Katara decided to leave him to it and left the kitchen. She wandered around the house and found Suki in the girls' bedroom.
"What are you doing?" she asked as she saw Suki throwing her clothes around the room.
"I'm looking for my white-and-green tank top. I'm sure I packed it, but I can't find it" Suki replied, pulling another piece of clothing from her bag.
"Why do you want it?" Katara asked.
A blush found its way on Suki's face as she looked at her best friend. "I just want to look good"
"You look good enough as it is. What aren't you telling me?" Katara placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow. But a mischievous smile played upon her lips.
The blush on Suki's face intensified. She pressed her lips together to keep from spilling her guts. It didn't work. "There's just this guy…"
"Oh" Katara demeanor changed from mischief to interest. "Who?"
Suki shook her head. "It doesn't matter, he doesn't notice me. So it is of no interest to you"
By the look on her friend's face Katara could tell Suki wasn't going to give any more information. "Just know that I'm here if you want to talk about it" she reassured. With that she left Suki to her business.
Zuko stood outside with Toph and Aang. They were standing in a circle around a could be fire pit.
"I'm telling you, a fire at night is nice" Zuko told the two freshmen.
Aang looked doubtful. "But what if we can't control it? It can get out of hand so easily"
"Don't be such a wimp Aang. That's what the stones are for" Toph indicated the circle of stones in the sand.
It was clear that Aang still had his reservations as he looked around, searching for an excuse. When he saw Katara exit the house, his face cleared and he called out to her. "Hey Katara!" he waved enthusiastically.
Katara looked up at the sound of her name and saw the trio standing a way of on the beach. She joined them and smiled. "What are you guys doing here?" she asked. Meanwhile, she tried her best not to look at Zuko. She wanted too, badly, but last night he had made it clear he wasn't interested whatsoever. So she kept her eyes either on Aang or Toph, or on the ground. Anywhere but on Zuko, who had changed into a very sexy t-shirt that showed his muscles very nicely.
"We were discussing the benefits of a fire pit. You know, to light a fire when it gets dark" Zuko said as he looked down on Katara's bent head. Why wouldn't she look at him? It was very clear she went out of her way to avoid it.
"A fire? Is that safe?" Katara asked.
"Precisely my point!" Aang said. "It's not. We're just a bunch of teenagers, we're not responsible enough to light a fire!"
Zuko looked at Aang in disbelief. Was the kid afraid of fire or something? Whatever had happened? Hell, I got my face burned, but I'm not afraid of fire. Zuko thought to himself.
"Aang, come on. Give us some credit. We are all mature enough to know we shouldn't play with fire. I think if we keep it from getting too big, a fire at night would be nice" Katara consoled Aang.
"Besides, think of all the horror stories we can tell each other. A fire would make it so much more fun!" Toph was all excitement.
Aang looked around, seeing he was outnumbered in his opinion about the fire. "Fine, but when it gets out of hand, I will tell you all, I told you so"
Zuko rolled his eyes. The kid was really fearful of fire for some reason.
Right then, Sokka came out of the house looking for everyone.
"I've figured out a plan on what we have to do this week, and when is the best time to do it. Where's Suki?" he asked as he looked around the circle.
Almost simultaneously, Suki stormed out of the house, bright red blotches staining her cheeks. "I'm here, just finished freshing up. What's the plan?"
Katara stared at her best friend. What was up with her? She acted like she was infatuated or something. She just wouldn't stop talking. Taking pity on Suki, Katara decided to cut short the stream of words that flowed out of Suki's mouth.
"Sokka was about to explain it to us, so if you're quiet, we could get a move on" Toph cut in before Katara even finished her thought.
They all turned back to Sokka, who cleared his throat.
"There are certain things that are expected we do for ourselves, so let's start with dividing tasks. First of all, we have to make our own food. We have to keep the house clean and leave it as we found it. So who is willing to be our cook?" he looked at everyone in the circle and ended on his sister.
Katara saw it coming and deliberately avoided her brother's intense gaze.
"Well, I can't cook to save my live, so you would be doing yourselves a favor by not making me cook" Toph smirked.
"Me too, I know how to make a fruit pie, but that is hardly a good meal. But I should say that I'm a vegetarian, I don't eat meat"
"That counts me out as cook, I only cook meat" Sokka said, not at all put down.
"I haven't cooked a day in my live. I'm normally out training when my mother is cooking dinner, I am only just in time to eat it" Suki said apologetic.
That left only Zuko and Katara. Zuko looked at the girl next to him. "We have a housekeeper who cooks for us, so I don't have that much practice either"
Katara steeled herself before looking him in the eye. When she did, it was clear he was apologizing to her. Why would he apologize? She thought to herself. She took a deep breath and let it out in a gush.
"I guess, I'm the cook then. But if I do the cooking, I expect someone else to do the dirty dishes" she cast a critical eye around the group. She wasn't their mother, she shouldn't have to take care of them, they could do something for their own as well.
"Thanks sis, you're a great cook" Sokka said and wrote something on the papers he was holding. "Anyone who wants to volunteer for washing the dishes?"
Silence greeted his question. No one really wanted to do chores. This was a holiday after all.
"I'll do it" Zuko said after a quick look at Katara.
"Great! Now, I suggest we all keep our own spaces as clean as possible, and that everyone is responsible for their own mess" Sokka wrote something else on the papers.
They all agreed with a murmur.
"Now that's taken care of, what do we have to do today?" Aang asked.
"As there are a few things the teachers expect us to do, and one of those things we can only do once, means that it is fixed. We have to see a play. And the only time we can see that play is Wednesday evening. Other than that, we are free to do what we want, when we want"
Zuko looked up at the mention of a play. There was only one theatrical company on Ember Island, and they were horrible. "A play? Please tell me it's not from the Ember Island Players"
"Yeah, how did you know?" Sokka asked, looking at Zuko with wonder.
"They're the only actors on Ember Island. My mother used to take us to see them, they butchered Love Among the Dragons every year."
"You've been here before?" Aang asked, looking up at Zuko.
Zuko snorted, but refrained from further answering the question.
"What's the play in theater now?" Suki looked expectantly at Sokka.
"It's called The Boy in the Iceberg. Kinda weird title if you ask me"
"What's it about?" Toph didn't at all look interested.
"Listen to this" Sokka cleared his voice. "The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed playwright Pu-on Tim, who scoured the globe gathering information on the Avatar, from the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, pirates, prisoners of war, and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage"
"Wait, did you just say the Avatar?" Aang asked, suddenly very excited.
"Uhm, yeah I did. What is that anyway, an Avatar?"
"Are you kidding?" Now Aang was all excitement. "Don't you guys know the stories about the Avatars?" he looked around the circle, but no one showed any sign of recognition.
Toph even yawned in boredom. "I'm sure it's a fascinating story, a story that should be told around a campfire. All the more reason to make one tonight" she wiggled her eyebrows at Aang.
For a moment Aang looked disappointed. "So what are we going to do today" he asked, changing the subject.
"Well, we are supposed to visit the waterfalls, so my plan was to do that today" Sokka looked at his papers.
Oh no. Zuko pushed down his thoughts. He never actually saw the waterfalls, due to a certain trip to the hospital. Next to that, the walk to the falls didn't hold that good memories either. But he hid his feelings for the rest of the group and pretended to be just as excited as Sokka explained that the waterfalls were famous on Ember Island.
Katara turned to Zuko. "You've been to Ember Island before, have you seen the waterfalls?"
Zuko looked in her sapphire blue eyes before answering. "I haven't, by the time my father considered me old enough for the hike to the waterfalls, the trip was cut short" he stated.
"Cut short? What does that mean?"
Zuko cast Aang, who had voiced the question, a frigid look. "It means that I never saw the waterfalls" he nearly shouted, making it clear to everyone that he did not want to talk about it.
Aang held up both his hands defensively. "Ok, sorry I asked" he apologized.
Zuko turned away from the group, trying to regain his composure. If this was how he acted at the mention of the waterfalls, how would he behave when they were actually there? He had no idea, he just knew that he had to keep his emotions in check.
Unknown to him, Katara looked at his turned back, a look of concern in her eyes. It was clear there was something wrong, but she didn't know what. And she was pretty sure that Zuko would not divulge any information to her, or anyone else. She sighed. Even though he had acted like a jerk last night, she still wanted to be able to comfort him any way she could. The problem was, he wouldn't let her. Not in this mood.
"Hey Katara, you coming?"
Katara was pulled away from her thoughts by Suki's question.
"What?" she asked as she looked at her friend and the rest of the now dissipating circle.
"The waterfalls? Ring a bell? Sokka just said it was a great place to swim, so we're all getting our swimsuits"
"Oh, right" Katara hoped her heated cheeks didn't show to clearly.
Zuko turned around and walked to the house. In passing, his eyes locked with Katara's for a moment, and the heat intensified. Had he just seen I was thinking about him? Katara thought to herself as she followed Suki to the girls' bedroom to get her bikini.
Ten minutes later everyone was ready to go. Katara had changed and now wore her bikini underneath her blue tank top and beige Bermuda shorts. The shoulder bag she was carrying held her blue shaded sarong and beach towel. She was still rummaging in her bag as she walked into something, or rather, someone.
Startled, she looked up, right into Zuko's golden gaze. "I'm sorry" she quickly apologized. "I do seem to recall that you said something along the lines of us having to stop meet like this. I just wasn't looking where I was going. I really didn't mean to walk into you again" she was rambling, she knew it, but she couldn't stop herself.
Zuko looked down at her. She was practically in his arms, and he had a hard time to remain immobile. God, she looks beautiful with a blush. He wanted to move his hand and brush against the warmth of her cheek. But he knew she would bolt if he touched her.
"It's ok, I don't really mind meeting like this" he smiled down at her and saw the blush becoming even more pronounced.
Katara ducked her head and took a step back. She nodded and walked past him. What was she supposed to say to that? So instead of answering, she just ran. Not a very clever move, but the only one she could think of.
When she was outside, she saw Sokka , Aang and Toph all ready to go. Behind her, she felt Zuko exit the house. Two minutes later Suki joined them, and they were off to the famous Ember Island waterfalls.
A/N: Hopefully you liked it, but wether you did or not, I'd still like to know, so R&R. I promise the next chapter will be updated sooner.