Chapter 14: Ai!

When I awoke, I saw that everyone seemed a little quieter than usual. It was an uncomfortable silence that gave me the creeps the longer it lasted. I didn't feel sick anymore. Actually, I felt so energized, I almost screamed. "M-morning, e-e-everyone!" I said calmly, although, it made me sound a little psycho.

"Do you feel better?" Katara asked worriedly. I smiled, trying to keep in all of my sudden energy. Sokka scoffed at my strange behavior.

"Does someone have to go?"

"No, not at all!" I replied, a bit more excitedly than I would have wanted. Everyone exchanged glances for a moment before staring back at me, whose hand was shaking like I was crazy. Have you ever had lots of sugar or found out you have enough money to buy tons of sugar goodness items? You get all shaky and grin-all-the-time like and you're tempted to run around screaming odd things about people? Yeah, that's how I feel right now.

"Are you… alright?" Haru asked me. I nodded, excitedly.

"Yes, yes! I'm fine! Honestly! I'm just so hyper! It's like I've even a bunch of sugar!"

"Oh, yeah… I remember now…"

All eyes turned to Aang as he grinned.

"It's a side effect of the bending sickness. It isn't explained how, exactly, but when a bender is under bending sickness for at least a day… when he or she is cured, she's active for the rest of the day until she sleeps."

"So… you're telling me, we're going to be stuck with a hyper girl whose even more hyper until it's night time…?"

"Yes!"

"But the day just started!"

"It's a new day?"

"Yeah, you slept all through yesterday…" Sokka replied, sighing deeply. Katara giggled in front of me for the first time ever. Smiling, she poked Sokka.

"You big jerk. You were so worried, weren't you?"

"WHAT? Of course I was, she's a member of our group now. It's only right to," Sokka answered, putting on a straight face. I laughed so high-pitched everyone was shocked for a moment, but I continued to laugh. This was the best feeling I've had for a while now. Sokka worrying about me, Haru hugging me, Katara giggling and Aang was always his goofy self. Today couldn't get any better.

"Ai!"

"Love…?" Haru asked, raising an eyebrow. I gave him a stare like he was stupid. I whacked him softly on the head with a laugh.

"That's why we're all still together!" I answered too hyper for my own good. "Because if we didn't care about each other, we'd all be at each other's throats instead of riding on a flying bison over the ocean towards wherever we're going!"

"You know… I think that's the smartest thing I've ever heard you say," Sokka replied, relaxing. Yawning, he fell back and got ready to sleep. "I feel tired, I'm going to go take a quick nap."

"I feel so much better… actually, I feel like I can go back on that boat again!"

"No!" everyone shouted in unison. Jeez, that's so strange, don't you think? Something was obviously up; I could tell and I'm usually slow on these things. I placed my hands on my hips and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, why not?"

"IT'S JUST—"

"WE THINK—"

"IT'S TOO DANGEROUS!" Sokka finished after Haru and Katara. Aang frowned at all of this. I would too. This was too fishy.

"Aww, c'mon, I've gone there a long time now," I replied grinning. A cannonball shot was heard and Appa swerved to the right, barely missing a cannonball and almost knocking us off. Grinning, I did a thumbs-up.

"I got this!"

"No!" everyone shouted again. I crunched into a small corner of the saddle. Why were they doing this to me? I guess, I should take their thoughts to mind, but I needed to know more about the sacrifice. Please, if anything, I need to know how to get home too. A thought clicked in my mind. What if the sacrifice and my way of going home were connected? I missed my family more than anything.

"I… I have to go to get home!" I screamed at them and another explosion was heard, which was probably the next shot at us. Tears formed in my eyes. "I NEED TO KNOW!"

Everyone exchanged glances and Aang looked a little sad. He turned his eyes to me and nodded slightly. "Please… be safe."

"No, Aang!" Katara denied angrily. "WE can't have her! It's too risky!"

"Katara… she wants to go home, and maybe if she finds out more… she can go back home."

"Aang! NO!"

"Katara… don't you miss your family too? I'm sure if she learns more, she can go home."

Katara was taken back by his comment, but looked away. Aang looked at me again and nodded in approval.

"Thanks Aang," I replied smiling gratefully. Just for that, I think I'll be twenty times more careful. I leaped off the saddle and free fell until I saw the ship in view. I landed more gracefully and didn't go unconscious, but I realized one thing that made my insides want to fall out.

This wasn't Zuko's ship.

End of Chapter 14: Ai!

Author's Note: I'm going to postchapter 15 up tomorrow. You know why? I don't know. Today was a strange day, I wasn't as lucky as I thought I would be. Since it's friday the 13th, it'd be the luckiest day of my life, and yet... it wasn't. It's weird. Anyway, since I can't update until Friday, I managed to decide that I WOULD have a sequel to this story. It'll be funny... err... but the story is getting more serious with every chapter...

Chapter 15: Am I supposed to die to go home…?Commercial: Wings, Fights, Tears... OH BOY. That's a bit rough isn't it? I'm only a girl! A young girl at that! I can't be sacrificed! What? Zhao knew who I was all along? He's going to sacrifice me? I'm stuck on this ship and I can't fly. TUNE IN NEXT TIME FOR CHAPTER 15: Am I supposed to die to go home…?