4
Disclaimer and all that: I don't own da avatarnesses. But, as my cat as my witness, I WILL :D (Cat goes to sleep)
Months had passed sence chapter 3, Zuko apligized to her for being so rude, and she again felt that he liked her. Now, it was in March that the nightmares began. Julia clung onto her mattrace tightly as her nightmares forged theirselfs into her mind. Stabbing her subcontious with deathly images. A dark red river of blood surrounded her. No matter how much she thrashed, no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't defete the currant of blood. As the bodies on the shore around her fell into the never ending sleep, the river seemed to get deeper, and cause her to sink. She noticed something from below grab onto her bare leg and pull her under. She can see all of her friends above her, looking through to her as if a window seperated them. They pounded on the red water, it was a window. A red window that seperated her from the people that could help her, but she was being dragged down, down tword the depths of dispaire. She couldn't breath, she was slowly dieing. She coughted in the water and bubbles rose to the surface.
"Wake up!" she could hear them shouting at her. "Wake up Julia! Were going to be late!"
Late? She was drowning in water and they were telling her she was going to be late! "Wake up!" They kept shouting at her. She sprung up in the bed and looked around. They were all sitting around her, she was still wearing her pajamas, and class started in fifteen minutes.
"C'mon." Zuko told her. "Were going to be late." She quickly got ready for class. She got behind the changing curtain and changed into her uniform, and brushed her hair. Within the next five minutes, they raced to the buliding and upto the second floor; into their english class and into their seats. Just as their butts sat down, the bell rang. They had just barely made it in time. Julia kept her head down most of the time, she wounderd what that dream was all about. But what she felt when in her dream, she almost drowned. She felt such an impulse. She was short of breath during the dream and did not feel like she could breath again untill she woke up. It was like something had a deathly grip around her throat and refused to let go untill she was awake.
After class, Katara asked her about her nightmare.
"I don't want to talk about it." Zuko didn't care, so he just lisoned to whatever Katara could get her to say. They made their ways to the math room, desks were seated individualy, with little hope for the mathless minds to succeed. Such as I do, in all my math classes. Right when the lesson began, Zuko staired at all the numbers in overwhelmement. Such big numbers, so many symbols...The teacher walked to the frount of the class and began the lesson.
"Today. We will start something a bit harder.." Bad news for Zuko. He was pretty crappy at the other stuff they were doing, now, he would be like a deer caught in the headlights. After class, he caught up with Julia.
"Julia." He began, She gave him her full, undivided attintion. "I need you to help me in math, I don't understand any of this new stuff." Julia was more than happy to help him. She had a crush on him afterall.
"Okay. I'll come by your dorm later and help you with the assinment." Zuko nodded and left. Julia smiled and caught up with Katara. She told her that she was going to be Zuko's tutor in math. Katara knew that was going to be nothing but trouble; Julia was just a poor girl that was for some reason, in love with Zuko; and she was going to be alone with him, volnerable as ever.
Though she knew that Zuko wouldn't. She wounderd if he would become.. 'beastly' with her. He was ruthless, and just a plain ass. He would probably take her love for grantid and have his way with her. During Gym, while Julia was running with Aang and Suki, Katara ran with Zuko and warned him about what she was thinking.
"I heard Julia was going to tutor you." Katara told him, trying to keep up. Zuko nodded, trying to catch his breath and keep going at the same time.
"Yeah so?" Katara narrowed her eyes angerly.
"You dare touch her, or do anything to hurt her, I'll kick your ass." She said it with feiry in her voice. So Zuko knew she was serious.
"Why would I? It isn't like I like her or nothin' " Thats what Katara worried about. Julia would relize that and be really upset. "What do you think? I was going to take advantage of her or somethin'? Give me some credit water-tribe girl. I ain't heartless." Katara narrowed her eyes and kept running, partly trying to pass him.
"I beg to differ. Julia is my friend. Im serious when I say that if you do anything to hurt her, I'll personally make sure your ass gets kicked. By me, Sokka, Suki, and Aang. You'll have what you are."
What did Katara take him for? She was now running beside her friends, leaving him trailing behind. He never thought about Julia in that sence. Sure, a month ago she helped him stay out of trouble, and out of detention. But what did Katara think he'd do? It took him a whole lap to figure it out. Once he had, his face exploded with redness. He understood now that Katara thought he'd over power Julia and try to..well...yeah with her. He kept thinking about that, and weither Katara was right about him wanting to. He didn't of course. He had one main thing he had to do before he found a girlfriend. He had to get back his home, his honor, and his country.
Later that night, seven in fact. Right after diner, Aang was getting some private lessons in earth bending. So when Julia arrived to help Zuko study, she and him where the only ones in the room. Zuko didn't understand any of what she was saying. She would be better off teaching a broom this new math stuff. He lost his temper multiple times. But she calmed him down and was very patiant with him. She would go over the same thing fifteen times and not even be irritated. She would repete it with a smile, and try her hardest to help him understand. Zuko was suppost to be paying attintion, when he randomly asked a question.
"What were you thinkin' about back when you helped me? It probably wasn't very good, considering you wern't smiling." Julia blinked, she choked back some of her remorse, and tried to keep him on subject.
"Please pay attintion Zuko." She asked politly. "I really don't want to talk about that. Besides, your not even half done with the assiment and I have to go soon." He reamined quiet, trying to figure out the lesson she was trying to help him get.
"I don't understand. I probably won't understand." He told her, pitifully. Zuko really didn't think he'd understand it. Considering Aang understood, Katara understood, Sokka and Suki, and Julia too. They all understood. He didn't, and it botherd him.
"Don't say that. I know you will get this." She told him, confadently. "I didn't think I'd understand alot of the things I understand now. Trust me. With practice, you'll get it. It will become as natural as breathing."
"Says you. Your alot smarter than me, so I probably-" Julia shook her head.
"Im not really that smart." She told him softly. "Thats why I have to study harder than most other kids. I want to be able to prove that I can be as smart as Katie. When she was our age, she was top in her class; My father kept saying how smart she was, and how proud he was of her. I wanted that praise. So I studied. Really hard." Zuko was quiet. For once, he didn't have a smart-ass remark, or anything. "I ended up screwing myself out of a child hood. I scrambled for money when I turned fourteen, and ended up doing almost anything.Anything for a copper peice; I felt that I owed it to myself to have a good time.I ended up doing things that make me hate myself." There was a silence between them for a while. Zuko had finished up his homework.
"Im done." He told her softly. She acknowledged that she heard him by saying 'okay'. "I've done some pretty crappy things myself. But I don't beat myself up over it." He laghed. "I actually forget all about it when Im done. It isn't what you've done in the past that matters,sure, its what you will remember. But now is what really matters." Julia staired into Zuko's golden eyes for a minute, she knew he was right.
"Your right. Well, sence your homework is done. I'll be going. See you in the morning." Zuko waved goodbye to her and then started to metitate. He knew what he said was totally cheezy. But Julia was one of his very very very very very very- hell. His ONLY friend. Aang, Katara and Sokka still hate him, so they don't really count. Aang came in shortly after Julia left, he didn't snarl at him, all he did, was climb onto his bed, and start studying.
Julia walked in with a large smile on her face.
"Whats up?" Katara asked, sitting cross legged on her bed, practicing her water-bending.Julia sat her books on the desk and then sat beside Katara.
"Zuko and I talked! He was all cool and he was really quiet and shy!" Katara couldn't believe what she was hearing; Zuko, Quiet? Shy? she would have had to be there to believe it. But Julia seemed so happy, and carefree as she layed in her own bed, rested her head apon the pillow, and fell into a nightmareless sleep.