Vande awoke to the sound of a steel door slamming shut. She opened her eyes slowly, but couldn't see a thing in the dark. For a moment she had forgotten what had happened, but the sudden stinging in her head when she sat up reminded her. She was covered in burn marks, bruises, and cuts. Also every muscle in her body hurt.

She let out a soft sigh, and crossed her legs beneath her and waited for her eyes to adjust. She shivered in the cold. It was to cold for her to firebend her way out of this. She let out another sigh. Suddenly she heard a voice behind her.

"I suppose you're going to start to cry aren't you." She recognized it as the voice of the man she had saved the Avatar from, not Zhao but the other one.

"Crying wouldn't make the situation any different. No point in wasting water." She shrugged. She had now idea where he was, but she was sure that he was somewhere to the left of her, and that's where she looked when she talked.

Her eyes were starting adjust now and she could see metal bars almost surrounding her completely except for behind her, which was solid metal. There were a lot of cells, but for what she could see, she and this man were the only occupants. She could barely see his outline.

"Good logic." He sounded like he did want to continue the conversation, but she didn't care.

"I know we met earlier, but I don't think I got your name." She said.

"Oh…" He muttered.

She laughed. Shocking for a person in her situation, and it made him look over at her. "Fine then, you don't have to tell me."

He was quiet for a second then said. "It's Zuko."

"Prince?" She asked.

"Yes." He told her, looking fully away trying to end the conversation.

Vande got the hint and ignored him as well. She stood up slowly and started to walk around her cell. It was very small. At the most five feet squared. She looked at the cell lock for a long time.

It was so simple, but so complex. There was a thick metal plate one the door, and it was locked into place to the cell wall. A simple key would slide into the key whole at the very top of plat and that would open it. The bars were thin enough so that even a child couldn't fit through them, but wide enough that a hand could.

"You're not getting out." Zuko said sounding annoyed that she would even look. "This is a Fire Nation cell. There is no escape."

She smiled back at him. "That's what they told me last time." She continued to look at the lock.

"Oh, how did you get out last time?" He asked bitterly.

"I'll confess I had some help. But that was a long time ago; I've learned a lot since then."

"These cells were designed to hold in a firebender. You can't get out." He said irritated.

"Wrong. I can't get out using firebending." She said pointing her pointer finger at him, still looking at the lock. It was so simple. It was too simple.

Zuko exhaled noisily to again end the conversation. But Vande wasn't done talking yet.

"I think getting out of the cell will be easy. It's getting off the ship that will bring difficulties." She told him.

He grunted.

"I'm being serious." She said looking at him.

He grunted again.

She rolled her eyes at him. "I see that you will not be a help in our escape. Fine, I can do it on my own." She said stubbornly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Our?"

"Well I couldn't just leave you locked up. Not with Zhao doing the locking up-ing. It wouldn't be right. That reminds me, why did he lock you up?" She asked as if what she was saying was nothing.

"I refused to do what he had ordered me to do." He paused, then said "I'll still be trying to capture your precious avatar." He informed her.

"And I'll still be stopping you." She said smiling at him.

He didn't say anything to her for a long moment. "You'll never even get us out of here." He finally said.

She just shook her head sadly and continued to think. "I'll need to know more about the ship itself. But how…?" She asked herself. She could feel Zuko staring at her, but didn't bother with him.

"I know...! But that's kind of risky." She muttered quietly. "I guess it'd be worth it, though."

"If you're going to plot, do it to yourself." Zuko said bitterly.

She rolled her eyes, and then went to sit against the back wall to continue thinking.

"Are you still planning?" She heard Zuko ask.

"Yes." She answered him.

"Well don't." He spat. "It's not going to get you anywhere but into more trouble."

She smirked. "Well you have the right attitude, but do you have the sprit to back it up?" She teased.

He didn't say anything but she could feel him glaring at her. She continued to think.

Zuko stared at her for a long time. 'She doesn't really think she'll get us out of here does she? Nobody is helping her this time, she can't do it.' He thought to himself.

'You could help her…' Another voice said in his mind. This voice was all that was left of his former innocent self.

'There's no point. There's no hope.' He thought bitterly.

'She has hope.' said the other voice.

'She's a silly little girl!'

'She said she'd help you…" The other voice reminded him.

'I heard her.' He thought angrily.

'That doesn't sound like the stories does it?'

'She probable is trying to manipulate me.'

'Maybe…' said the other voice not sounding like it really believed that.

Zuko sighed to clear his mind, and moved to sit against the back wall as well. He looked over at Vande. He could see her eyes shinning in what little light there was. She had been brave before, but now she was even braver. If anyone could get them out it was her. But that didn't mean she COULD get the out. He was still filled with so much doubt.

"You're not like the girl from the stories…" He said before he could stop himself.

She didn't even look up at him. "That's because the stories aren't true." She said plainly.

"Why should I believe that?" He asked angry again, even though he had started th conversation.

"You practically said it yourself. If I'm not like the girl from the stories and you know I'm real, what does that say about the stories?"

Zuko didn't say anything. What could he say? Even the voice in the back of his mind was speechless to that.

He could always say that he didn't know she was real. She could be using him. But he didn't really believe that, not that he didn't want to though.

He sighed again to fill the silence, he was tired, and his eyes were drooping. He had been up all night the night before, tracking the avatar. It must be very late by now, and there was no point in forcing himself to stay up. He lay down to fall asleep.

"Good night Zuko." He heard Vande speak softly.

He didn't say anything for a second. It had shocked him, and he didn't know why at first. Then it hit him, he was being so rude, but she was still being kind. "Good night." He muttered.

When he opened his eyes the next day, it was to Vandes voice. She was talking to somebody out side the jail cell. It was a guard. He must have been the man that delivered meals since Zuko could see a bowl of gray mush and a small cup of water next to the door in the cell.

"Look, just go tell him that I have information that he'll want, and that I wish to speak to him about it." Vande said calmly.

"I need to know what the information is first." The guard said. "Just tell me what it's about."

"It's about the Avatar. Tell him that." Vande said.

The guard left.

"What do you know about the Avatar?" Zuko asked, standing up and walking over to the bars the separated them.

"I suggest you save your water." was all she told him.

"What?" He asked confused and angered.

"Save you water." She said slower.

"I can hear just fine! Why should I save my water?" He shouted.

She smirked. "Because I suggest it."

He growled at her. But she just walked over to her own water and picked up the cup.

"Oh good!" She said happily.

"What?" He hated asking that.

"The water is freezing solid." She said smiling at him.

"Why is that good?" He asked getting angrier by the second.

"Just trust me. These cells are just warm enough-"

"I wouldn't call them warm at all!" Zuko interrupted.

"They're just warm enough that I bet we can heat our hands to the point where we can melt the water, but if we let them freeze, we can dump them out of the cups and store them, and return the empty cups without anyone expecting a thing." She told him.

He just glared at her.

"Look if you want out of here, you'll have to trust me." She said.

"Why should I?" He asked stubbornly.

"Because," She said just as stubbornly. "I'm trying to help you."

Before he could say another word, they heard a guard man approaching. He opened Vandes cell and cuffed her hands in a big metal ball so she firebend, and lead her away.

Zuko watched her leaving.

"What is she up too?" He asked himself aloud.

It was an hour before she returned. She was badly beaten and unconscious. But the second the guards were gone, she opened her eyes.

"Are they gone?" She whispered.

"Yes." He said, walking back to bars that separated them. "What happened?"

"I told Zhao that I knew where the Avatar was, and I'd tell him if he set me free." She said.

"THAT WAS YOUR PLAN?" Zuko bellowed. "THAT WAS WHAT YOU CAME UP WITH! For a second I really thought you may have had something! But that was your stupid plan to get out! Trade yourself for information! Are you really that STUPID?"

"No." She said calmly. "That wasn't my plan. It was part of my plan."

He was silent. He just glared at her.

"Would you like me to fill you in Zuko?" She asked.

"No…" He muttered, walking away.

"You have to trust me Zuko." She said. "Otherwise this really won't work."

He still said nothing to her, and his back was turned.

"What will it take?" She asked.

Zuko finally turned around. "The truth." He answered.

"About?"

There was a pause. "The stories."

She was quiet for a very long moment, thinking about the question. "Well, the stories are all lies." She said at last.

"Then tell me the true story. Tell me what really happened?" Zuko asked.

"I've never told anyone that…" She whispered, moving to sit along the back wall, right next to the bars that separated them.

He followed her movement, and sat right next to her. "Well, now would be a good time to start." He said.

"I didn't kill my parents, for starters, but I was there when they died." She said.

He nodded her to start from the beginning.

"Well, my mother really was a firebender, of course, since I am one too. She was the daughter of a very important, rich man fire nation man. Her name was Sashinka. My father really was an earthbender. He really was King Bumi grandson. His name was Jinawah. After my grandfather died, he was the hire to the thrown. The only hire. He and my mother feel in love. They weren't forced to marry by the Fire Lord OR King Bumi. Then they had me, and I became the second hire. But my father was going to give up his right to the thrown and give it to me when King Bumi died, because I would bring peace to the nations because I was a firebender, but I was also going to be the earth Queen. My parents told me it was my destiny. Everybody in the Earth kingdom loved me. And some in the Fire Nation did too… until…" Her voice faded.

"Until?" Zuko urged.

"Until one day, when I was ten. I had spent my whole life training fire and earth and water and even air. But mostly fire and earth, even though I could only bend fire. But I was learning many fighting techniques; I was going to be one of the best fighters in the world because I would need to protect myself against those people that didn't want peace. However, that day it wasn't me the man wanted died. He killed my parents and made it look like I did it. I saw the whole thing, but I… I just couldn't stop him. When he left, he told me that the world was going to think it was me that did it, and if I told a single soul it was him they wouldn't believe me. I knew he was right, so I ran. It was all I could do. The nations were now pinned against me now; I didn't know what to do. The earth kingdom thought I did it so I could become the hire sooner, they didn't know my father would have given it up anyway. They thought that next I was going to kill King Bumi. The fire nation thought the same thing, and assumed that my mother tried to stop me. They wanted revenge on her death.

"I lived on the run for about one year until I was caught by the same man that killed my family. He took me to the Fire Nation for my execution. But I was saved." There was no forced emotion in her voice; in fact there was very little emotion at all. It was clear she was trying not to show it. But there was so much grief behind the bluntness of her words, and she could never really hide how much it hurt to talk about.

"You were s-saved?" Zuko asked, also trying to hide the pity and sorrow he felt for her.

"Yes, by a boy. He had seen me come in and I guess he could feel what I felt inside. All the fear and grief. He helped me escape. I never even got the chance to ask his name, or ask why he did it, or even thank him." She said. "I've been in hiding since, though. Look I know it's crazy, and I wouldn't blame you for not believing me, but you asked for the real story and that's it."

"Do you have a real plan to get us out of here?" He asked.

She smiled broadly. She took that to mean, 'I don't know if I believe you, but I trust you to get me out of here.'

"Yes." She told him.

"I don't want to hear it; you're still a foolish girl. But if you need help… I'll see what I can do. And when the time comes, and you haven't been caught, I'll hear your plan and I might go with you."

"That's all I ask." She said still smiling.