The group divided the rooms inside and cleaned the place the best we could to make it at least stayable. Between Katara and I it went relatively fast. The house itself was beautiful and made me wonder how it would have looked in its prime. After a full day of cleaning and rearranging and exploring- we once again rested and tried our best to lay low. Even changing our clothes back to our Fire Nation disguises….I changed the fastest seeing as I was stuck in half my disguise anyway.

When all was said and done, Zuko practiced with the airbenders in the courtyard to work on their firebending technique. Suki and Sokka had gone into town to buy us food for a few days while the rest of us girls simply watched the boys move and fire the energy from their hands.

"It's kind of weird that we're hiding from the Fire Lord in his own house." Katara leaned back as the boys cleaned the sweat off of themselves.

"I told you- my father hasn't come here since my family was actually happy." Zuko sighed- pushing the towel aside. "And that was a long time ago. It's the last place anyone would think to look for us."

I shrugged. "It's pretty though- this place is nice."

"It was."

"Hey you guys!" Sokka booked it into the courtyard with paper in hand. "You're not going to believe this! There's a play about us!"

"We were just in town and we found this poster." Suki said. Sokka then pulled the paper open that showed all of us painted on it fighting positions but it looked interesting enough.

"What?" Katara stood up to look at it. "How is that possible?"

"Listen to this." Sokka turned it around again and began reading it out loud. "-The Boy in the Iceberg is a new production from acclaimed play write Pua Tim, who scoured the globe finding information on the Avatar. From the icy South Pole to the heart of Ba Sing Se. His sources include singing nomads, prisoners of war and a surprisingly knowledgeable merchant of cabbage."

"Brought to you by the critically acclaimed Ember Island Players." Suki finished.

"UGH!" Zuko groaned, catching our attention. "My mother used to take us there to see them. They butchered Love Amongst the Dragons every year."

"Sokka do you really think it's a good idea for us to attend a play written about us?" Katara looked away from the brooding boy.

"Come on!" Sokka begged. "A day at the theater? This is the kind of whacky time wasting nonsense I've been missing!"

"Let's go!" I grinned. "We've been too serious lately and we need a break. So why not?"

"See Brittany has the right idea." Sokka smacked my left shoulder- directly on the burn mark.

"OW!"

"Sorry - sorry - sorry - I'm so sorry."

"It's ok…" I hid my smirk. It's been fully healed for a while now.

Then it was decided- whether by guilt or by genuine interest- that we would go to the theater. We found some coin and each of us bought a ticket to the play later that day once the sun had set. Luckily for us there were some seats in the back where we wouldn't be spotted. Toph, Katara, Zuko and Aang took the first bench, in that order, while I, Brenan Sokka and Suki took the bench behind them.

"Why are we sitting in the nosebleed section?" Toph crossed her arms. "My feet can't see a thing from us here!"

I adjusted the scarf around my head, hiding my uncooperative hair. "Don't worry Toph! I'll tell your feet what's happening."

The whispers in the theater died down as the curtains were pulled upwards- displaying a similar snowscape of the South Pole. "Oh Sokka!" Katara's actress cried. "How will we ever manage in our small village? Where hope is so low and there's no chance of change?!"

Crack

A large, bright light then covered the stage and when it died down, a man was on the ground in blueish clothes with bright pink hair. "Where am I? Who are you?"

He also looked pretty beat up.

"Calm down there stranger." Sokka's character helped him to stand. "A nice meal will help you feel better- Katara can you show him to the tent where the medical supplies are kept. I'm going fishing."

"Dear brother! I will join you!" Katara quickly pushed the Brenan guy off of the stage. "There is a change in the wind this day!"

The scene then changed to Katara and Sokka paddling a boat.

The actual people in front of us (or next to me) seemed a little put off at the costumes and their lines. Well the Water Tribe kids were a little put off at their lines, seeing as Brenan's character didn't say much. The actress spoke again. "Oh Sokka, my only brother! We constantly roam these icy South Pole seas and yet never do we find anything… fulfilling."

"All I want is a full feeling in my stomach." Sokka's actor grinned. "I'm starving."

The audience laughed.

"Is food the only thing on your mind?"

"Well- I'm trying to get it out of my mind… and into my mouth! I'm starving!"

The audience laughed again.

"This is pathetic!" Real Sokka said. "My jokes are way funnier than this."

Toph laughed. "I think he's got you pinned."

"Everyday the world awaits a beacon to guide us, yet none appears!" On stage Katara said. "Still- we cannot give up hope- for hope is all we have! And we must never relinquish it! Even- even to our dying breath!" Then she started sobbing.

Real Katara crossed her arms and glared at her. "Well that's just silly."

Suki and Sokka his their snickers behind her.

"I don't sound like that."

Toph grinned even further. "Oh man- this writer's a genius!"

Another bright light came onto the stage as they wheeled in a cardboard iceberg with a cut out inside of it. "It appears to be someone frozen in ice! Perhaps for one hundred years!"

"But who? Who is the boy in the iceberg? "Fake Sokka said.

"Waterbend! Hya!"

Poof! The iceberg cracked open and out flipped the person who played Aang. It was a very short girl.

"Who are you frozen boy?"

Fake Aang laughed. "I'm the Avatar silly- here to spread joy and fun."

"Wait!" I heard Aang from below me. "Is that a woman playing me?!"

On stage a giant chinese dragon puppet of Appa jumped forward and ran around a bit before heading off stage. Fake Katara then gasped in shock and said. "An airbender! My heart is so full of hope that it's making me tearbend!"

Then she started crying again.

"My stomach is so empty that it's making me tearbend too!" Both actors then crouched down and hugged Fake Aang's legs. "I need meat!"

A gasp. "But wait! Is that a platter of meaty dumplings!"

"Oh where? Where?"

Fake Aang laughed. "Did I mention I'm a incurable prankster?"

The audience laughed as Aang sat up grumpily. "I don't do that! That's not what I'm like! And I'm not a woman!"

"They nailed you Twinkle Toes!" Toph laughed along with the audience. Even I couldn't help but laughed a bit much to the chargain of the rest of my friends.

The scene changed again to a boat with Iroh and Zuko on it.

Before Zuko had a full head of hair.

"Prince Zuko you must try this cake!"

"I don't have time to stuff my face. I must capture the Avatar to regain my honor!" Fake Zuko yelled.

"While you do that- maybe I'll capture another slice!" Fake Iroh then proceeded to eat the cake on stage.

"You sicken me."

"They make me look totally stiff and humorless!" Zuko pouted.

"Total edge lord." I snorted.

Katara smirked. "Actually I think that actor is spot on."

Zuko turned to her in shock. "How can you say that?"

I laughed a bit, turning my attention back to the show. Fake Iroh approached Fake Zuko and said. "Let's forget the Avatar and get massages."

"How could you say that?!"

Real Zuko just shrunk into his cloak as Katara turned back to the show smugly, her point proven.

The play continued to go on- introducing Momo and Suki with bad jokes inbetween. I had convinced myself that this had to be partly true events despite my friends claims that- no- it did not happen that way. Fake Brenan then had been hanging out with them from fairly early on, joining on their travels all around the world until they reached the North Pole. That's where I come in.

They made me look identical to Brenan except I was so quiet that I wasn't even acting in half of the scenes, just standing there. "Sister!" Fake Brenan yelled to my actor. "It has been too long!"

"Dear brother, I've missing you so!" My actor started balling her eyes out also but hid id in Fake Brenan's shoulder. "I thought you must have left with our parents! To be lost forever! I have been searching for you for many season now!"

"No- I was gone long before then! I don't know where they are but we're together at long last!"

I scrunched up my nose. "They make it seem like we were a couple or something!"

"Let them believe what they want, it just means that at the time we were believable." Brenan shrugged- not taking his eyes off of the play. "I just don't like how quiet they made you."

"To be fair- she didn't talk much when we first met her." Sokka also shrugged.

"I didn't know you guys at the time." I pouted.

"You still don't really say much." Katara laughed.

"...yes I do."

"Look it's Yue!"

I rolled my eyes and looked back to the actors. The first act ended with Aang's victory in the North Pole and with a final crush to the little toy boats on the floor, the curtains closed and the actors left the stage for the intermission. 'Oh thank Notch! That was so bad! At least Toph seemed to be enjoying herself!'

As we waited outside of the theater for the cast to finished preparing for act two, my multiple friends were brooding. "So far this intermission is the best part of the play."

Sokka angrily grabbed snacks from a bag he had bought. "Apparently the director think that I'm an idiot who tells bad jokes about meat all the time!"

Suki rolled her eyes. "Yeah- you tell bad jokes about plenty of other things."

"I know!"

"At least Sokka's actor kind of looks like you." Aang whined. "That woman playing the Avatar doesn't resemble me at all."

"I don't know Aang." I stole some food form Sokka. "You're faces are actually pretty similar to me- she's just wearing eye makeup."

"You're also more in touch with your feminine side than most guys." Toph smirked.

Aang groaned.

I patted his shoulder. "You'll grow out of it- just wait. A lot of female actors are paid to play the part of boys your age. It's not so bad."

"Brittany, you're character has the least amount of lines out of all of us- there's not enough for any personality to be seen so she can't mess up being you."

"Relax Aang- they're not accurate portrayal." Katara smiled. "We all know Brittany's more outgoing and Brenan isn't as much of a follower as they showed. It's not like I'm some preachy crybaby who can't resist giving overly emotional speeches about hope all the time either."

"Well…" Brenan looked away from her. "... when you put it that way…"

No one else said anything.

"What?"

"Yeah- that's not you at all." Aang sat back down, his back facing us.

"I thought the person who played Suki was cool." I said- trying to break the forming tension. "Thank you Brittany!"

"Listen friends-" Toph grinned. "-it's obvious that the playwright did his research. I know it must hurt but what you're seeing up there on that stage is the truth."

"Do we go back now?" I stood up from the stairs. "How long do intermissions usually last?"

Zuko sighed and stood up also. "Soon- we should go back before someone else takes our seats."

Brenan and I shared a look before running back into the theater and plopping ourselves back into our old seats. The others came trickling in later and play started once more.

"We finally made it to the Earth Kingdom!" Fake Katara said. Fake Aang took out a small parasol that I think meant to be his glider and lifted up into the air and around the stadium before coming back to the stage. "I flew all over town but I couldn't find a single earthbending master!"

"This is it!" Toph grinned. "This must be where I come in!"

"You can't find an earthbending master in the sky!" Toph's actor came up from the ground- holding a giant rock prop. "You have to look underground."

We laughed as a group since the person who portrayed Toph was a muscular man with the deepest voice on the planet- like my god.

Fake Toph spat on the stage. "My name's Toph because it sounds like tough! And that's just what I am!"

Toph blinked and pulled away from the railing. "Wait a minute… I sound like a guy. A really buff guy…"

I nodded. "He is- he's huge!"

"Well Toph, what you hear up there is the truth." Katara slid closer to her, her voice laced in smugness. "It hurts doesn't it?"

"Are you kidding me?!" Toph grinned, much to the older girl's surprise. "I wouldn't have it any other way! At least it's not a giant bald lady!"

Aang frowned and visibly bit his tongue to keep from saying anything.

Fake Aang kept talking on stage. "So… you're blind?"

"Haha! I can see you doing that!" Fake Toph poked Fake Aang's forehead. "I can see everything that you see except I don't see like you do. I release a sonic wave from my mouth- AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! There. Got a pretty good look at you."

The people clapped as the scene changed again. We were back to Iroh and Prince Zuko.

"Prince Zuko, it's time we had a talk… about your hair! It's gone too far!"

"Maybe it's best if we-" Dramatic hair toss. "-split up."

I started to snicker uncontrollably despite my efforts to keep it down. Zuko turned around to glare at me, clearly not amused by my laughter. "What's so funny? Why are you laughing?"

I killed some of my giggles as I leaned forward so that I wouldn't be too loud, deepening my voice in the process. "I am Prince Zuko, watch as I make my dramatic exit with my fabulous hair flip!"

Katara snorted and quickly covered her mouth to prevent the others from seeing her smile. Zuko rolled his eyes and pushed me away gently with his finger on my forehead- not commenting on my increased giggles. I could have sworn he smiled also. But if you were to ask him- it was just the lighting.

The play changed again to the abandoned town Azula nearly burnt down when she was also chasing us. "Azula, my sister! What are doing here?"

"You caught me." Fake Azula smirked. "Wait! What's that? I think it's your honor!"

"WHERE?!" All the actors looked around as Fake Azula escaped through a hidden door on stage. "She escaped but how?"

"Maybe she jumped the wall you weirdos- it's not like she can get far." I mumbled- making Brenan snort as well. "Shut up Brittany- you know we were all actually there."

"Make me."

The play itself was actually impressively long, it even contained the drill incident at Ba Sing Se and the unknown fate of what actually happened ot Jet in the end.

"Did Jet just die?" Zuko blinked, as the actor crawled under the rock that was meant to crush him.

"It was pretty unclear."

Fast forward a few scenes and it was when Brenan and I were trapped in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se with Zuko. My actor looked at the Fake Prince and said. "You know, I've always found you pretty attractive Zuko but you know who really likes you? Katara. You're all she talks about."

"That did not happen." I spat. "This guy went too far on the script."

Real Katara looked momentarily relieved but scooted further away from the boy next to her.

Real Zuko also moved away from her and made it a point to not look in Brenan's or my direction.

"You don't have to make fun of me!" Fake Zuko growled.

"Yeah you should stay away from her!" Brenan's actor shoved Zuko's actor away from my actor. "Katara deserves better than you anyway!"

"But you can't deny a girl what her heart wants Brenan." My actor said. "Doesn't Katara deserve to be happy?"

"Oh my Notch!" I groaned and put my head in my hands. "Maybe we should just say what actually happened."

"But I thought she was the Avatar's girl." The play carried on despite my wishes.

Fake Brenan rolled his eyes. "The Avatar? He's like everyone's little brother. As if Katara would see him in any romantic way!"

'Oh poor Aang.' I bit my lip. 'This must be hard to hear since you're crushing on her.'

Aang suddenly stood up and walked away from the group. Sokka tried telling they boy to grab some more snacks but I don't think Aang actually heard him. One cool thing about this play is that while the battle of Ba Sing Se was happening, they added in black light so that Aang's actor would look like she was glowing. She went up into the air and was likewise shot down by Azula even if the lightning was just a blue ribbon. The actors then surrounded the one on the ground as Fake Azula proclaimed. "The Avatar is no more!"

While the curtains closed and the audience cheered, our group winced, cringed, face palmed and stuck our tongue out at the production that had many things wrong. We made it out of the auditorium and chose a different place to hang out for the time being. Suki shook her head good naturedly as we all took up a spot on the wall. "Wow- it seems like everytime you guys get into a fight you barely make it out alive. I mean you guys lose a lot."

"And who's the one who got captured by Azula?" Sokka rolled his eyes. "That's right- you."

She frowned. "Are you trying to get on my bad side?"

"I'm just saying…"

"She has a point though." Brenan tugged his hood over his face, covering himself up to his nose. "I wouldn't say we lose a lot but we definitely don't win a lot."

"Does anyone remember that we're just kids? We're pretty skilled for barely being teenagers if I say so myself." I rolled my own eyes. "We have to give ourselves a little more credit. We can take down people who have years of training on us. That fact that we're not completely crushed by the opposing side is amazing."

"Has anyone seen Aang?" Katara interrupted.

Sokka pouted. "He went to get me fire gummies like ten minutes ago and I'm still waiting!"

She ignored his last comment and continued to search. "I'm gonna check outside."

"I'll come with you." Brenan stood up and chased after her as she made her way out of the building. The rest of us waited by the wall and watched as a kid in an Aang costume ran past pretending to fly.

"Suki! What are the chances you can get me backstage?" Sokka suddenly beamed. "I've got some jokes I wanna give to actor me."

The girl suddenly got off of the wall and turned to face the boy head on. "I'm an elite warrior who's trained for many years in the art of stealth… I think I can get you backstage!"

"Geeze everyone is getting so upset about their characters." Toph rolled her eyes as the couple went away, leaving only the three of us left. "Even you seem more down than usual Zuko and that's saying something."

"I'm ok with mine." I shrugged. "She doesn't do much but it's hard to be wrong if you're not doing anything… She's kind of forgettable actually." 'What if I'm unforgettable too..?'

"You don't get it Toph." Zuko frowned. "It's different for you. You get a muscled version of yourself taking down ten bad guys at once and making sassy remarks."

"Yeah- that's pretty great."

"But for me- it takes all the mistakes I've made in my life and shoves them back in my face." I pulled my knees closer to me chest, slightly mimicking Zuko's position as he kept talking. "My uncle had always been on my side even when things were bad. He was there for me- he taught me so much- and how do I repay him? With a knife in his back! It's my greatest regret… and I may never get to redeem myself."

I gently patted his shoulder, not sure how else to make him feel better.

"You have redeemed yourself to your uncle." Toph sat down against the wall at last. "You don't realize it but you already have."

"How do you know?"

"Because I once had a long conversation with the guy and all he would talk about was you."

Zuko finally smiled and flipped his hood off. "Really?"

I leaned over Zuko to get a closer look at Toph, putting my hands on his shoulder and knee respectfully. "When did this happen Toph?"

"It was before we reached Ba Sing Se." She said. "Back when Azula was chasing us by train and Appa's shed was giving us away."

"Oh- I remember that." I leaned away giving Zuko's face more space to breath.

"So yeah- you're uncle only talked about you and it was kind of annoying."

"Oh- sorry."

"But it was also really sweet. All your uncle wanted was for you to find your own path and see the light. Now you're here with us… he'd be proud." Toph sat still for a few seconds before punching Zuko's shoulder.

"OW! What was that for?"

"It's how she shows affection." I chuckled- remembering time and time again the small bruises she left behind, knowing it was because she just hit a little too hard but her heart was always in the right place.

"Giggles is right."

"You're Zuko costume is pretty good!" The Aang boy from earlier ran around the corner again. "But your scar's on the wrong side."

"The scar's not on the wrong side!" Zuko yelled after him as he ran away- angrily pulling his hood back up and over his head.

I snorted and patted his shoulder again. "Sorry- I don't mean to laugh. I would probably get the same treatment if my hair was showing."

"Why don't you put it down?" Toph tilted her head. "If it is the same treatment as Zuko then they won't actually think it's you."

"My hair is actually pretty different from the actors… it's more like a pastel pink. If I could change it, I'll pick the pink they're using." I grinned. "It's my favorite color anyway."

"I don't know how colors work you know." Toph rolled her eyes half heartedly.

"My hair right now it pretty soft but I want my hair so pink it'll hurt your eyes if you could see."

"If you could change your hair- you'd keep it pink? Why?" Zuko tilted his head in question.

I sat up a little straighter. "I'm starting to realize that I'm weird… like really weird, compared to everyone around me. No one can do what I do… or at least not all of it at once like I can. Toph once said that my hair made me different so people would think I'm different anyway. But my hair right now still connects me to Adam. It makes it easier for him to find me and ...in my heart he's still my brother but I don't want a connection any more. So I'll keep it pink, I'll just change what kind."

"But that's if you could?"

"That's if I could."

With higher spirits than before we all (except Aang) went back into the theater and watched the final act of the show. It covered what was dubbed- The Fire Nation Arc and our travels from the recent past weeks. Aang had just returned in time for the invasion to happen on stage. Sokka suddenly lost his mind when his actor said. "Hey Toph- would you say that you and Aang have a rocky relationship?"

The crowd also went wild. "Haha haha! I told him to say that!"

"I hope everybody's ready for the invasion- Slamapow!"

I blinked, processing the new information, as the crowds and Sokka laughed their heads off once more. "Wow… I guess people can find Sokka funny…"

"I thought you liked my jokes Brittany!" Whoops, he overheard me.

"I do. It's usually just been me though. I've never seen this kind of reaction before- you've been talking to the wrong crowd."

"That's what I've been saying."

The scenes changed on stage again. The whole group stood under one spot light as Fake Aang addressed the people. "We've finally made it to the Fire Nation Palace but no one's home!"

"Actually I'm home!" Fake Zuko walked towards them. "And I want to join you!"

The actors all pasied for a second before collectively shrugging. "I guess we have no choice. Come on!"

Then they all exited stage left.

"I guess that's it." Sokka shrugged. "The play's caught up to the present now."

"But no one's getting up Sokka." Brenan grabbed his sleeve. "I don't think it's over yet."

"But it's over… unless…. This is the future."

"Shush!" I whacked the older boy on the head. "Just keep watching and you'll find out!"

The stage then darkened as the actor who played Fire Lord Ozai stepped onto the throne in the middle of the stage. He said. "With the energy of that comet- no one will be able to stop the Fire Nation!"

"Father!" Fake Azula ran on stage, bowing before the actor. "Zuko and the Avatar are at the palace! They're trying to stop you!"

"You take care of Zuko! I shall face the Avatar- myself!" He characters then disappeared with a cloud of smoke leaving Fake Azula on stage for a second. Fake Zuko and Aang then jumped into the action but Fake Aang only stayed for a single second. "Aang! You find the Fire Lord! I'll hold her off!"

"You are no longer my brother!" Fake Azula yelled. "You are an enemy!"

"No! I am the rightful heir to the throne!"

"We'll see…"

Then the two of them started throwing their ribbons at each other to show that they were firebending. They were actually pretty well timed and agile but then Azula lifted her hand up- a cue for multiple fire effects to appear from the ground- and essentially burned Zuko to dust. The audience cheered as Zuko basically died, signalling Azula's win. The rest of us then looked cautiously at the actual boy next to us to see how he took it but he just kept staring ahead in shock.

More flame effects came up from the ground as Fake Aang walked back on stage. "So!" Fake Ozai called from the back- hidden in the shadows. "You have mastered all four elements?"

"Yeah! Now! You're going down!" Fake Aang pointed her staff at the man.

"No! It is you who are going down! You see you are too late." The Fake Fire Lord stood up and grinned maniacally. "The comet is already here and I'm unstoppable!"

The two of them then started fighting with their fire ribbons and their wind flags and also proved to be agile enough to dodge them. The Fake Avatar was suddenly swept up by a large sheet of fireffect and wrapped around in it- yelling as she went down to the floor, eventually quieting- signifying the Fire Lord's victory.

"It is over father!" Fake Azula walked back on stage. "We've done it!"

"Yes! We have done it! The dreams of my father and my father's father have been- REALIZED! The world! Is! Mine!"

The crowd cheered and the rest of the actors came out to have one last bow and to thank the civilians for coming out to see them and their performance.

We didn't even politely clap, we just got up and left without much ado about nothing, staying close to each other and huddling away from the theater.

Zuko was the first to speak once we were halfway back to the summer house. "That… wasn't a good play."

Aang groaned. "I'll say."

"No kidding. It was horrible."

"You said it."

"But the effects we decent." Sokka shrugged.

I nodded along.

"Actual bending would have been much cooler." Brenan frowned.

"And set fire to the stage? As if they would do that."

"Maybe they should."

"That sounds a bit violent."

I rolled my eyes at my friend's antics, holding my own retort back. I was just glad that they all got along enough to take gentle jabs at each other and to voice their slightly controversial opinions.

It was a bad play.

But these were some good people.

And good friends.

And you can take that from my cold dead hands.