"... let's welcome our new student, Aang, to Praying Mantis High..."

The young airbender didn't know how many more times he could take hearing that phrase throughout the day at school... as if every single classroom had an entirely new group of students who hadn't noticed a new kid in their room. It all seemed to get very awkward really quickly.

He'd heard it first by the eloquent Ms. Ursa... which unfortunately ended up being the most exciting thing she'd said for the rest of that hour. The reason? A long and meticulous analysis of the Earth Kingdom's second revision of their Code of Honor, and why it was different from the original.

However, as the boy glanced at the fascinating artifacts, the ancient scrolls hanging on the walls, and a grand painting of a man who seemed to have once ruled the Fire Nation with a powerful comet... and he wondered if he'd simply walked in for the wrong History lesson. Perhaps the other ones would be more intriguing.

At least Ms. Ursa was thoughtful and kind with her welcoming to the new student, because there were other teachers... like Mr. Jeong Jeong... who seemed to act like Aang was just a kid who'd walked into the classroom very, very late.

"Well boy, with the red bandana... what can you tell me about juxtaposition?"

The boy's eyes rose, speechless, feeling his mouth tremble with an answer.

"Um... that...that it's a very long word?"

A slight bit of laughter and giggling ensued from a few of the classmates behind him, but Mr. Jeong Jeong was looking sternly at the boy with the red bandana covering his head.

"Just sit down..." Jeong Jeong slammed a ruler down on his desk to gain control once again from his class, and he scrunched his eyes to a close, wondering how the hell he could get through another lesson with these children, and have them appreciate the art of Storytelling.

"I am about to explain to you the most ancient method of concealing history through the ages, and it does not involve the lifting of a pen..."

His theatrical demeanor was both fascinating and frightening at the same time, but Aang assumed by the looks of the other students that it was just another day in Literature class. From what Aang saw in the paintings along the walls, this white-mustached man had a grand fascination with old people in funny Westernized costumes.

The lesson was actually one of Aang's favorites from that day, looking back at it from atop of Appa as he headed back home to the Southern Air Temple for dinner. He had no idea that storytelling had been such a medium of communication... it was probably the reason that so many historical traditions had kept themselves strong today.

"Earthbending Football?" one of Aang's friends from the Temple remarked with an odd look on his face. "How did you manage to survive that one?"

Aang was helping himself to some fresh tofu with his chopsticks in the dining area of the Temple, eating peacefully as his friends continued to stare at him, practically mesmerized by his stories.

"It's not as bad as it sounds, really," Aang replied as he chewed on a mouthful of tofu, "Once you get used to falling onto the ground, it's a lot of fun..."

The kids just blinked with disbelief, and continued to eat their dinner as Aang tried to explain the rules of tackling in Earthbending Football. It was a strange feeling, talking to his best friends about the intensity and thrill of falling on his face... which was something practically unknown to the airbenders. It made sense, since most airbenders found it simple to manipulate gravity.

"What's it like to be in a school with girls?" another boy asked.

This almost made Aang choke on his tofu. Some of the other airbenders chuckled at the look on his face, as if he had left Momo back at the Praying Mantis school grounds.

Immediately, a certain girl's musical laughter echoed in the boy's ears, and in spite of the fact that it brought serenity to him, Aang was reluctant to bring her up. Everything about her seemed so precious, like a keepsake to him... the hairloops that dangled over her eyes, her smile, the gracefulness of her hands... and Aang just couldn't find the means to talk about Katara so openly. At least not yet.

"It's okay..." Aang attempted to say, stuffing his mouth and looking away at the boy, "I mean it isn't anything new. They're like the girls from the Western Air Temple... they're really giggly and up in the clouds sometimes..."

"Are you friends with any of them?" a boy from the far end of Aang's table asked quickly.

Raising an eyebrow, Aang's mind flashed back to the few instances he'd seen Katara that day, and wondered if they established a friendship between them. He sighed. The next person he'd considered talking about was the sarcastic, brutally-honest little Earthbender who was in all of his classes... and Smellerbee.

"Yeah!" Aang said more positively. "One of them's the only girl Football player, and one of them's a Hip Hop dancer."

"A what? Hop-Pop dancer?" The boy's face looked like he was about to spit all of his rice noodles in laughter.

"Hip hop dancer," Aang repeated, trying not to snort at the silly name himself, "I heard it's one of the most popular dances in the Earth Kingdom right now. A few of the kids I met take it really seriously there..."


The young airbender wasn't kidding.

When he first met Jet under the oak tree, dancing was the last thing Aang would've considered as the no-nonsense guy's hobby... but as he discovered during his school lunch period that day... not only did Jet, Longshot, Smellerbee, and Pipsqueak practice Hip Hop and Break-dancing... but they were proud competitors of all kinds of dance, too.

Aang could still remember how strange it was, walking out of the school and watching the same people he me under the oak tree, with Jet stretching and Pipsqueak eating his lunch under shade. The boy accidentally swallowed half of his apple core when he noticed Smellerbee and Longshot dancing so closely together... and one of Longshot's hands were securely attached to her waist. Smellerbee serious face didn't seem to mind, as she looked squarely at Longshot's eyes.

"Hey, new kid! Quit staring and just get over here," came Jet's greeting over to the boy.

The airbender was a little reluctant, as his main hope was to find Katara somewhere in the crowd during lunch and "accidentally" run into her again... but Aang knew that it was just the first day. And since Jet was the first person who'd welcomed him to the school, he recalled the Avatar's philosophy in his mind and went over to hang out with the Oak tree crew.

As the boy made it under the shade of the oak, Smellerbee spotted Aang approaching at the corner of her eye, and she instantly became uncomfortable to continue dancing. She and Longshot quit in mid-step, and they looked over at Jet as if questioning him with their dark eyes.

"Don't worry, guys, it's cool," Jet said to them as he sat on the ground stretching.

"You're bringing the new kid to watch us practice?" Smellerbee kept her arm over Longshot's shoulder as she spoke to Jet.

"Bee, relax; he's just here to watch," Jet reassured to her. "He's not gonna steal your stuff."

"What stuff?" Aang's face was flushing more and more, feeling unwelcome into the oak tree.

"He means our dances," Pipsqueak's low, colossal voice answered the boy, after swallowing a bite of sandwich. "for the Praying Mantis' dance competition at the end of the year."

"Yep," Jet agreed, finally getting up to stretch his arms over his head. "The rumor is that this year, the theme's gonna be Salsa... which is traditionally a Fire Nation dance, but those Fire kids are gonna have it in for them!"

"Wow..." Aang was still mesmerized by the words 'dance competition' and the fact that it related to this group of stern-looking kids. He scratched his head under the red bandana nervously. "I... I had no idea that you guys also...um..."

"What?" Jet looked at him with speculation, but amusingly. "That we danced?"

Aang looked at the ground, slightly embarrassed.

"I mean... I didn't know that NonBenders also competed in... in other things."

"What are you saying, exactly?" Smellerbee said almost rudely. "That NonBenders aren't talented in anything? That we don't deserve to be gifted"

Longshot was practically holding her back by an arm.

"Bee, quit picking a fight." Jet tamed her down. "He probably doesn't know any better..."

The young man shook his head with disbelief, and decided that he had finished his stretching. "Kid, I don't know what they told you at this Southern Air Temple, but there are some really great NonBenders over here."

It was at that point when Jet took the liberty of clamping a hand to Aang's shoulder, to turn him around to look at the crowd of kids outside the school, observing them during their lunch period.

Jet pointed with one of his fingers at Aang's shoulder.

"See that kid over there?"

Aang knew who he was pointing at instantly... with all the papers and scrolls being carried on the boy's lanky arms... it was definitely Sokka. Jet continued to speak.

"Sokka's the leader for The Duke's troop in the Boy Scouts, he's practically Mr. Mechanist's assistant in the labs... plus, he won our school's Geography Bee last year... and I hear he's trying to run for Prom King too, eh, Squeakers?"

Pipsqueak couldn't help but give a hearty laugh at that last comment, finishing up his sandwich.

Jet pointed again, this time to a girl who had the biggest smile and perturbing eyes Aang had ever seen. She sported a long brown braid and was wearing her Fire Nation colors proudly with a few pieces of pink, and Aang took note that she was talking to the girl that Aang saw in Gym class. Azula... the one who'd been throwing fire darts fearlessly.

"That's Ty Lee... not the sharpest quill you'll ever meet, but she's one of our head cheerleaders and the lead baton twirler for the Marching Band. You'll get used to seeing her a lot at our pep rallies, and trust me... if you don't like the school, she'll turn as mean as ever."

As Jet was pointing to a third person in the crowd, Aang noticed that his hand had shaken a little, as if he was being reluctant to talk about that certain girl. Aang took a good look to who the finger was directing to... and it was none other than the young woman who'd been Azula's masterful opponent during Gym class... the one with the pale, expressionless face.

She was walking aimlessly out of a certain crowd, with a few paint brushes in one hand and large flat suitcase in her other arm. The airbender had seen one of those before... by a visiting swords master at the Southern Air Temple, who had also been a painter. It was an art portfolio, and the young woman was carrying it over to another distant tree for shade.

Aang wondered why it was taking a second for Jet to speak again.

Jet's voice stiffened. "Uh... that's Mai. She's... another NonBender, but she's amazing with weaponry, especially with throwing darts and knives... She took up painting this past year, and found out she was a beauti– wonderful art prodigy. A few of the murals you see at the school are done by her..."

He quickly removed his hand from Aang's shoulder then, ultimately having enough of NonBender-fishing. As the boy looked over at Jet again, his face was practically avoiding contact with the crowd altogether.

"That's really great that the four of you dance," Aang pushed himself to be more supportive, "I always thought dancing was just fun. We do a little of it at the Temple, but it's not competitive."

"Oh, you have no idea how hardcore it can get..." Jet started, narrowing his eyes. "Smellerbee here was a finalist for Hip Hop in Ba Sing Se's dance festival last summer."

Smellerbee nodded at that bit of information, crossing her arms proudly without smiling.

"What's Hip Hop?" Aang asked curiously, and four pairs of eye instantly widened in disbelief.

The thin girl raised a brow and glanced at the airbender with inconceivable dark eyes, but Jet then spoke up with an idea.

"Here, let's demonstrate for him... guys, do you remember that first number we did for the Praying Mantis dance last year?"

The three others nodded once in their own time, and Jet smiled.

"Come on, let's show Aang how much we NonBenders mean business."

It wasn't long before the four friends placed themselves in a choreographed stance in front of the boy, and Jet's face became extremely stern once again...


"...They were amazing!!!" Aang exclaimed to his friends back at the Southern Air Temple, as the many young boys were finishing their supper and picking themselves up from the table. "It was like their muscles in their body had a mind of their own... and in perfect timing."

The other airbenders responded with intriguing "cool"s and "awesome"s, but for some reason Aang felt it would have been more exciting to watch them in person.

Before heading over to his bed chamber in the Temple, Aang decided to pay another visit to Monk Gyatso's office, just had he had promised he would do after the first day of school. The elder monk was making a late-night cup of ginger tea and writing something on a scroll when the knock came at the door.

"Enter; Aang, I was just expecting you," Gyatso replied as he added another mug to his table.

"Hey, Monk Gyatso!" Aang entered cheerfully, and did not waste any time telling his mentor about the great day he had at school... talking about all of his teachers, all the ridiculous rules that Vice Principal Zhao had established, and the numerous students he'd been lucky to run into.

"...the Oak tree kids said they might want a fifth member for their dance troupe this year... it would really be cool to dance the way they do."

"Interesting," the monk remarked humbly to the boy, as he sipped a bit of his tea. "Are you planning to try out for that?"

"Actually, they said they're looking for a girl," Aang replied only with a bit of disappointment, "but that's okay... because I'm trying out for something else."

"Hmm... mu-si-cal the-a-tre?" Gyatso guessed to the boy.

"Nope!" Aang gave a small laugh. "Just for the-a-tre. It's a play... called the Tale of Omashu."

"Ah, the story of the famous star-crossed lovers" Monk Gyatso sat his tea down for a second and smiled. "Oh, I do believe it's a favorite of mine. Do you remember that story?"

"Yep!"

How can I forget? was more what Aang was thinking dreamily, still hearing the lovely voice of Katara as she was retelling him the story during their Study Hall period out in the courtyard that day. He had managed to find her outside in the courtyard, apparently reading the same play for Jeong Jeong's class.

"...Oma and Shu were forbidden to see each other because of their feuding Earth Kingdom villages," the girl said to Aang gracefully. "and despite all of the forces telling them they can't be together... the two lovers secretly get married in the caves and become the first Earthbenders! They kiss and everything... it's adorable, and it's such a wonderful, tragic story."

"That sounds really fun," Aang commented, trying hard to keep his heart from beating like a drumline in front of Katara. He'd found her sitting with Sokka, doing some Science homework on one of the rock benches of the courtyard, and Aang had noticed an auditions! flyer in her hand. He'd approached her with a deep breath, letting the light breeze cool him from the hot sun, for asking what The Tale of Omashu was about.

"You should come try out for it!" the girl's radiant blue eyes seemed to smile at the boy. "It's a classic piece of drama... and my friend Haru's going to be the director this year. He's awesome with anything theatre-related."

Aang grinned, "Um... when are the tryouts going to be?"

"This Friday after school, in our small auditorium." Katara benevolently handed the boy the flyer, with a small brush of her hand. "I'll be one of the first people there."

"Y-you're trying out, too?" Aang's heart was singing a melody as he asked her, recieving the flyer with much joy.

"Yeah; this is Haru's first time as director, so a bunch of us want to help out to support him," Katara explained. "I'll see you on Friday, then?"

Aang took a deep breath, grinning at the sweet girl bravely, with full honesty.

"I'll definitely be there..."


Deep down, as Aang smiled himself to sleep that night after his first day at Praying Mantis High, the boy sincerely hoped that this guiding Spirits had already chosen who would be Shu, and who would be Oma in the play.

A/N: I know... I know what you're thinking. Hip Hop dancing? Star-crossed lovers? wtf! Hey, sometimes I just can't help my imaginative instincts. Seriously, am I the only one who saw Jet and the Freedom Fighters as possible break-dancers? Or Mai as an art prodigy? (for all we know, she could've painted that portrait of Maiko in the DBS episode) Don't worry, just ponder... and trust me with this one. -- MM