Remember when you were a butthead in middle school? Yeah, the kids here are still buttheads. They're kids. On another note, since this is my dedicated little author note space to communicate with you readers, I'll share a little something. Now, I'm aware that many of you clicked on this story because obviously it's centered on Zutara! I'm going to tell you right now that I am an 'evil' author and if you haven't read my biography yet, you might be interested to do so. I am in love with the dark side of beauty (however you interpret that to be). *mumbles* I'll show Bryke just how "dark and intriguing" the relationship can be… *Ahem* Everything will be revealed in due time. That's the beauty of stories. Hope you've been catching and enjoying the parallelism as that is the reoccurring theme. I don't want to expose too much so to end this note, I'll have Uncle Iroh remind us that "Destiny is a funny thing. You never know how things are going to work out. But if you keep an open mind and an open heart, I promise you will find your own destiny someday." Have I confused you enough? Have I scared you off now? Azula has probably infiltrated my soul. Don't worry, Zutara still and will always remain close to my heart. Thanks for reading! *Throws fire flakes*

~Roze


- Chapter 2 -

I will travel the distance in your eyes
Interstellar light years from you
Supernova; we'll fuse when we collide
Awaking in the light of all the stars aligned

~Telescope (Starset)

Kyanna scanned the crowded hallways the next morning as she maneuvered her way to her first hour class. Her face grew to a more and more obvious pout when each person who passed wasn't him. First hour would start in a few minutes, but the determined girl figured she could use every available moment to search for the guy from yesterday. The school wasn't that big. She was bound to run into him sooner or later, especially when she was in the hallway where more of the 8th grade classes were located.

The hallways filled with conversation that quickly merged together, becoming meaningless noise in the background. Kyanna hugged the textbooks in her arms, her eyes constantly darting to her right and left, not wanting to let a single person pass her inspection. She was so focused on finding the nameless student that she became completely oblivious to the strange looks the other students were giving her as they walked past. It was a sweetly familiar voice that awoke her from her deep trance.

"You look antsy."

Kyanna barely turned her head before Suzie came into sight. She flinched at her best friend's appearance. "What? No I don't!"

"Sure you don't," Suzie teased with a sly grin. "So who's the guy, Kyanna?"

"Wha-I-… there is no guy!" the flustered girl retaliated, but this only made her best friend even more excited and she sprung closer.

"Ooh! He must be a real hottie!"

"No he's not! I mean-! There is no guy!" Kyanna marched forward.

"That's because you don't want to share him!" Suzie shouted as she ran to catch up with her. Then a thought came to her and she leaned in so close that Kyanna could feel her breath as she whispered, "Wait! Don't tell me you already met the guy the fortune teller was talking about!"

Kyanna paused trying to keep a blank face. "Nope."

"I knew it!" the brunette exclaimed. "So? What does he look like? What's his name?"

Kyanna rolled her eyes before turning to face her friend. "For the last time, Suzie, there is no-!"

Suzie sent her a sudden death glare to which Kyanna snapped with the truth.

"Fine! He's absolutely gorgeous and I have no idea what his name is!"

The curious friend immediately returned to her bubbly self. "You mean you didn't even ask him his name? How could you forget that?"

Kyanna sighed and her face relaxed. "It's a long story. Everything happened so quickly, it just slipped my mind."

The two minute warning bell sounded. By now, the two 6th graders were far from their first hour classroom and would have to make a dash for it if they wanted to avoid being tardy. Suzie made the decision to head to class. "Tell me at lunch!" she said waving a hand and headed back the way they came.

Kyanna was left alone standing in the middle of the hallway as students moved around her as if she was a boulder in the river and they were the water's currents. Strange. It should have been the other way around.

Not wanting to appear like a person to pity, Kyanna spun around and began to tread toward the end of the hallway. If she took the stairs up to the next floor, she would reach her classroom just before the bell rang. With a sharp inhalation, she picked up her pace.

The previous moments with Suzie replayed in her mind. It was the first time she had admitted to another person that she was interested in the guy, and confessing that statement out loud to another person meant she was one step deeper with being involved with him. Trying to forget about him now was suddenly starting to grow more and more impossible.

Kyanna relived the recent conversation between her and Suzie, remembering every word spoken with the same tone, every facial expression with precise timing, and every reaction she had had. A kopfkino. Her mind was like a movie theatre where she held the remote control. She could rewind, pause, loop, fast-forward and slow down every memory that held importance to her. The only action she couldn't control was the ability to shut off the memory, to erase it from her mind. She knew some people were like a light switch, who could easily turn everything in their lives on and off with a flick of the switch. But not Kyanna. Her memories were recorded and collected on shelves. She both loved and hated how those recordings would continue to haunt her for the rest of her life. That's exactly what happened with her memory of the boy who came to her rescue yesterday. Now premiering: Girl Meets Boy and their Fateful Encounter! No matter how hard she tried, the movie was on a never-ending loop: his muscular arm around her, their receptive conversation as they pretended to be close friends, the genuine smile on his flawless face when she thanked him, the silent screams that pleaded for help when their eyes locked, the way his last words rendered her speechless... "I'm sorry. I don't think we will…" With each iteration, her analysis of the scene became so obscure that she was left feeling more frustrated than ever.

She wished she could just forget about it all.

x - x - x

"So after yesterday's encounter, I've decided that I need to learn how to defend myself," Kyanna proclaimed during lunch.

Suzie stared at her like she was speaking another language. She had listened with interest as Kyanna shyly explained in detail what had happened yesterday while walking home from school. She thought it was "absolutely romantic, just like in the movies", but Kyanna had given her a frown and merely retorted with, "Do guys in the movies suddenly become cold and tells the girl he never wants to see her again?"

"For plot development, yeah," Suzie claimed.

"Our lives don't have a plot."

"I'm aware."

"Good. Then we can stop trying to create unnecessary drama in it."

Suzie had known her best friend long enough to realize that she had a darker side to her. She wasn't always sunshine, rainbows or the perfect little angel that she appeared to be. Yes, Kyanna was very optimistic and kind-hearted, but when that darker side was unveiled, it was like she was a different person.

Or maybe she was still Kyanna.

Nevertheless, Suzie knew well enough to steer clear of her friend when she felt those vibes shifting. She often wondered if the tragedy with Kyanna's mother was what first ignited that other side of Kyanna.

But then again, maybe it was always there.

Suzie picked up a raspberry from her small glass container and popped it in her mouth as she reviewed Kyanna's decision. Her friend may have been over doing it when she suddenly blurted out that she wanted to learn how to defend herself after experiencing just one bad encounter. But then again, Suzie herself had taken up tessenjutsu for the very same reason, so she couldn't blame Kyanna.

"Hmm self-defense. You mean like some sort of martial arts class?" she asked.

Kyanna nodded. "I'm thinking something that will work best with my body type, like Tai Chi. It's elegant yet powerful enough so I can protect myself. I don't want to end up in a dark alley stalked by older guys again. And also, I think the exercises could help myself in general, you know, dealing with my past."

"I see," the short haired brunette replied with a pensive look. Of course. Suzie wasn't surprised that Kyanna mentioned how the martial art could help her find her level of balance again. Her friend often related conversation back to her mother's death when appropriate, and Suzie was more than understanding about her traumatic experience. But at the same time, she worried that Kyanna would probably never find closure. If Tai Chi was something that could help her find that balance, it was worth trying.

"Have you looked into it yet?" Suzie asked.

"Not yet. I want a master who is professional and inexpensive, since our family doesn't have much money to be spending on lessons." Kyanna brushed back her long, dark brown hair to prevent loose strands of hair from falling onto her empty food tray. She eyed Suzie's container of raspberries.

"Don't worry. I'll help you find the best one!" Suzie smiled, holding out the raspberries in front of her friend so she could help herself with the fruit. Kyanna merrily reached for the light snack, and as she did, Suzie noticed a bandage around her friend's pinky.

"What happened to your finger?" she inquired.

Kyanna glanced over at her brown skin. "You know when you get those random cuts or bruises and have no idea where they're from? Yeah, that's what happened."

"That's the worst!" Suki exclaimed. "I found a small cut on my finger the other day too! Probably from when I was folding origami, but I didn't notice it at all until it randomly started hurting. Strange, isn't it?"

Just as the two friends finished the berries, the bell rang signaling the end of the 6th grade lunch period and the start of the 7th grade lunch period. The girls cleaned their table, grabbed their backpacks and headed toward their next class together just like they did every day of school.

As the girls passed the doors to the cafeteria, they heard an obnoxiously gleeful laugh.

"Shaun," they said in unison with an unfazed voice. Of course he would be one of the first people to enter the cafeteria. Right on schedule, Shaun appeared with a group of friends around him. When he saw his sister, he dispersed the group, reassuring them that he'd meet up with them at their lunch table.

"Kya! Hey Kya!" the 7th grader called out, running up to his sister. "How are you feeling?"

His sister gave him a strange look. "I'm… fine? Why? What happened?" she answered hesitantly.

"Nothing," Shaun shrugged. "Just checking up on my little sister." He winked and held two thumbs up. He was such a happy dork.

Kyanna let out a sharp exhale. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Yeah, I forgot to do that yesterday and look what happened!"

If Shaun was trying to make up for not waiting for her after school, he was trying a little too hard. Although now that Suzie thought about it, she had also ditched Kyanna to walk home with Shaun and watch some Earth Rumble 6. It wasn't intended to be rude; she had just gotten caught up with the thought of being alone with him for once.

Kyanna patted his arm affectionately. "Look. It's fine. I'm okay and you're a nice brother, okay? I'm sorry I yelled at you yesterday," she said rather quickly with a hint of annoyance.

Shaun's eyes grew large and then he wrapped his arms around his sister tightly. "You are…" he started, his voice cracking into his high register that squeaked out when he was over excited, "…the nicest sister ever!"

"Easy there, brother," Kyanna remarked, trying to push him off of her. He let go and faced her with a heartwarming smile.

"Actually, can I talk with Suzie for a moment?" he said out of the blue.

"Uhh, sure."

Suzie happily allowed Shaun to lead her away from the crowd and she waved a hand over her shoulder. "I'll meet you in study hall!"

Kyanna smile and left the two to their own personal time together. She wondered what they were discussing but knew that it was something personal between the two of them. Maybe Shaun had an interest in Suzie as well, although he rarely showed any hints of being interested in her. Nevertheless, asking to be alone with Suzie would make her incredibly happy. A faint smile lingered at the thought of her best friend and older brother being together. They were still so young but… it was still nice to think about wanting the best for the people closest to her.

If only she could have something like that…

Before she knew it, she was thinking about him again.

No! Stop it! she cried internally and rushed to her study hall class.

x - x – x

Y equals x. Z is something about a flagpole that's 56 feet tall and a guy is standing in front of the flagpole casting a shadow that's blah blah blah.

Kyanna doodled on her math homework with an elbow propped up to hold up her heavy head. Math sucked. Usually it was easy… when she wasn't distracted.

Math… Her current word problem that she was working on right now…. It reminded her of the "math test" she had brought up with him yesterday. Math was stupid. That math test was stupid. He said that the math test was stupid.

"That's incorrect," came a light voice. Kyanna slowly shifted her head to find Suzie peering over her shoulder. She nearly fell off her chair at Suzie's appearance. Boy, she really was antsy today.

"I know! I'm just… trying to focus right now," Kyanna recovered but then looked down at her paper to see that while drawing out the word problem with the guy and the flagpole, she had subconsciously drawn in facial features and shaded in dark hair that was obviously supposed to be the guy from yesterday. She quickly covered up the drawing, but Suzie had already seen more than enough.

"But you can't focus because you're thinking about him aren't you?" she said smugly.

Kyanna blushed furiously. "Shouldn't you be doing homework?"

"I finished. Want some help with yours?"

"Ugh, no. I got this…" Kyanna clunked her head against the desk, making no effort to lift her head back up.

Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Clearly."

The poor girl was overthinking all of this. The last time Suzie had seen Kyanna this distressed was after the traumatic incident three years ago, and she didn't think anything could match up to that level of imbalance again. But they were growing preteens. It was their known time for uncontrollable outbreaks and emotions. If only there was a way to cheer Kyanna up somehow.

Suzie eyed the classroom full of students. Some actually worked on assignments, others talked to their nearby classmates, and a few were even sleeping. What a productive class indeed. She then saw how the door was left wide open and how easily it would be to sneak out unnoticed. The teacher was seated near a student in the back of the room, helping out with homework, and they appeared heavily focused on the work. She and Kyanna could slip out and back in without getting caught- easy.

"Hey, wanna take a break?" Suzie said in a low voice, trying to contain her excitement.

"Isn't this class already nap time?" Kyanna mumbled, her head still against the desk.

Suzie leaned in closer. "I meant, let's ditch class and search for your boy!"

That caught her attention as she immediately sat up, but then kept silent for a few seconds, adjusting her posture when she realized how she reacted with a little too much enthusiasm. "Well… that does sound like a better option than trying to do homework."

"Of course it is. Now come on! While the teacher's still distracted!"

The two girls knelt down so they were at desk height and silently crept out of the classroom with ease. By the way they moved, it looked like they were ninjas in training- a bit clumsy with the footwork but they got the job done. Kyanna hoped that with some Tai Chi lessons, she would become even more agile with her body.

A few seconds later the girls easily traversed the empty hallways until they reached the first classroom at the end of the hallway.

"Okay! The 7th graders are at lunch so that should help our search! So, what does he look like again?" Suzie questioned.

"Uh…" Kyanna blanked out, not entirely sure how to describe his looks. What were his distinguishing feature? "Tall, black hair and light skin?"

Suzie sent her a confused look with her lips slightly apart as if awaiting more details.

"You saw my drawing in class!" Kyanna remarked, knowing that it wouldn't provide any further help.

"…You know what? You search for him and I'll keep lookout."

It was a plan.

They moved from classroom to classroom with Kyanna peeping into the glass if the door was shut and cautiously peeking into the room if the door was left open. Meanwhile, Suzie kept a protective watch at her surroundings, feeling for her hidden fan in case anything unexpected happened. Thankfully, only a few teachers were wandering the halls at this time and the two girls were able to maneuver around without worry. They were also wary of the security cameras placed in certain locations of the building. Where they were heading, there were none.

"See him yet?" Suzie whispered.

The dark haired girl lifted her head frantically in various directions to examine the classroom in front of them. "No. I don't see anyone who looks like him! How many classrooms have we checked?"

"I don't know, a lot!" Suzie glanced at the clock instilled in the hallway. "Class is almost over. We need to get back soon."

"I know!" Kyanna let out an irritated groan. "Where is that stupid boy?! One more classroom and then we head back."

They approached their last classroom for the time being. The door was closed for this room and that made Kyanna want to bust the door open. The rooms with closed doors were the ones that were impossible to get a good view of the students.

"Anything?" Suzie tried again.

"Mmm… oh!"

"Did you find him?!" the brunette turned around at the sound of the first new reaction they'd gotten during their search. The impatient girls squeezed closer to the glass, trying to locate a student with short black hair.

"I don't know! I can't get a proper view!" Kyanna inspected the student that matched her description, but when he turned his face around to talk to his friend, Kyanna sank back down. "No, that's not him."

Suzie released a disappointed scowl as well. They had probably checked over ten classrooms! Where in the world was the guy? How had he managed to avoid them the entire day? Maybe he was absent today. That could explain it. Or maybe…

"What are you little pests doing?"

Oh-no. Suzie turned away for one second and they were already caught? Wait… pests? No teacher would refer to students like that, and with that cold, arrogant tone of voice…

"Asandra!" Suzie stammered as she and Kyanna finally faced the person who caught them. The Demon Princess stood over them with a mighty stance, her facial expression tight and focused and her arms crossed in a way that would have been mistaken for a teacher if they encountered her from a distance. "Hey…! We were just… heading back to class."

"That's a pathetic lie. You two were looking for someone weren't you?"

The way the girls turned to look at each in sync was more than enough proof for Asandra.

"I thought so. Well, since I'm feeling so considerate today, I might just be able to help you find whoever this person is. I happen to know a lot of people in this school."

After a short moment of considering their options, Suzie nudged Kyanna, tilting her head in Asandra's direction. Kyanna closed her eyes in defeat, knowing that Suzie was right. As horrible as the Demon Princess was, she was probably the only person who would have information about something as vague as this. The two girls rose to their feet, relaxing their posture.

"Fine, but don't get any funny ideas," Kyanna started while narrowing her eyes. "All I know is that he's tall, has black hair and light skin."

Asandra rolled her eyes as if it was second nature to her. "Well if that's all he is, it sounds like you're looking for my brother."

Kyanna's eyes widened. She truly was in a constant state of surprise today. "You sent him a video of the hamtaro theme song?"

The girl threw back her head to let out a satisfied laugh. "I did. Wow, you're more obsessed with him than I thought."

"I-I am not! He's a jerk!"

"Yeah, you're right about that. Then it's a good thing you'll never see him again. Now, I believe I must be heading back to class." She waved a hand in the air carelessly and took a step towards the classroom door in front of them.

"Wait, why won't we ever see him again?" Kyanna blurted, making Asandra stop in her tracks and turn her head back to stare at the dark skinned girl amusingly.

"You're awfully curious for someone who's not interested in him."

"He said the same thing to me yesterday before we separated- that we wouldn't see each other again. I just want to know if he's okay."

Asandra's face tightened once again. "Look, just forget about him. He's nothing special," she spat.

In a split second, Suzie took a skillful step toward Asandra, drawing out her folded fan and pointing it to her opponent's chin. The sudden action caught Kyanna off guard but not Asandra as her head had already slightly retracted and her middle and pointer fingers were held up together like a two finger wave. Those two fingers were enough to have already pushed the folded fan slightly off the side so it wasn't directed at her center.

Despite Suzie's failed surprise attack, she didn't fall back. Within the next moment, she shifted forward and repositioned her arm so that the back end of the fan now pressed against Asandra's chest. "Answer her question. Now."

The Demon Princess emitted an unconcerned look before finally replying back. "Daddy took care of him." Her lips curled into a smirk. "That's all you're gonna get out of me."

That answer alone was all it took for Kyanna to put two and two together as she recalled the guy mentioning how upset his father was at him yesterday. Her face darkened. "Where is he?"

Her voice was unnaturally calm and soft but there was cold determination in the way she spoke. Suzie, noticing the change in her friend's demeanor, let her own offensive stance fall loose. Asandra pressed her lips tighter at Kyanna's reaction, the corners of her mouth trailing higher. She shrugged innocently.

"He's your brother! Don't you care about him?"

"No, not really," Asandra gave a loud, joyful sigh. "Well, I've told you more than enough, so-"

"Oh no you don't. We're not done here!"

Suzie returned to her strong body guarding position while Kyanna prowled in closer to trap the Demon Princess. As if Asandra had had enough of Kyanna's stubbornness, she shifted her head toward the closed door. "Ms. Kwan!" she called out.

Kyanna and Suzie shared a look of distress and frantically pattered away from the classroom door.

"Let's go!" Suzie whispered harshly.

"Wait, can you at least tell me his name?" Kyanna tried again.

With a mischievous grin still branded on her face, the Princess replied, "You should have done that when you had the chance."

"Fine! I'll figure it out myself!" Before the determined girl left the area, she gave Asandra the dirtiest look she had ever given to anyone.

Kyanna and Suzie slipped back into their classroom unnoticed. Luckily they made it five minutes before the dismissal bell rang for fifth period, but their scrambling to make it back, especially after an encounter with Asandra, had used up more energy than they expected. Both girls plopped into their seats, catching their breath.

The light-haired brunette tucked away her fan snugly into the sleeve of her shirt. "Well… it's a start."

Her friend was right. It was a start, but Kyanna was preoccupied with another dreadful thought. With her arms out firmly in front of her, she stared down at her math homework, her eyes glued to the drawing she made at the start of class.

"What's wrong?" Suzie asked gently.

"He mentioned how upset his dad was at him yesterday. I can't help but think that he may be seriously hurt."

Suzie placed a comforting hand on Kyanna's arm, just as her best friend had done for her the day before. "You've got to keep your hopes up, Kyanna. It's not like he'll be gone forever, right? He'll be back, as long as his sister is still here."

Kyanna took a long blink and nodded. "You're right. Thanks, Suzie."

But even after hearing such comforting words of hope, Kyanna couldn't help but return her eyes to her rushed drawing of the boy. The soft lead on the paper had smeared, probably from when she was previously trying to cover up the picture, and Kyanna had to fight off her overwhelming emotions as she finally turned her gaze away from the boy's face now shaded in gray.

x - x – x

"Gran! I'm home!" Kyanna stepped through the front door, placing bags of groceries on the kitchen floor. On her way home from school, she and Suzie had stopped by the store to pick up some groceries her grandmother had written on a list and given to her that morning.

The elderly woman stood in front of the stove, preparing a large pot of soup for their dinner. "Welcome home, Kyanna. Were you able to buy everything on that list I gave you?"

"Yep. It's all here." She unwrapped all the groceries from the bags and placed them in their designated place in the kitchen. Then she proceeded to chop some washed vegetables while she and her grandma conversed about how their day went. Of course, Kyanna left out the part about ditching study period and how she and Suzie were on a boy hunt all day. She didn't want to involve an adult in her situation. It would only make the situation more real.

Finally as Kyanna finished cutting up the last carrot, her grandmother turned her small, plump body toward the counter Kyanna was at. "Do you have a lot of homework to do? I can finish making dinner," the grandmother offered with a warm smile.

Kyanna was aware that her grandmother's words were more than a suggestion; it was an order, and she was more than grateful to comply. "Sure. Thanks Gran. I'll help clean up after dinner."

She grabbed her backpack and a remaining grocery bag before rushing to her room. Although it was smart to start working on homework, Kyanna didn't feel the desire to. What kind of student immediately worked on homework when they just got home from school? An overachiever. Honestly, how could someone be that passionate about school? Kyanna wasn't aiming to be valedictorian of a middle school. And besides, she still had a boy to find.

Grabbing the purchased item from the plastic bag, Kyanna ran over to her brother's room. She knocked on the door and placed her arms behind her back innocently. A few seconds later, Shaun opened the door just wide enough to peek his head out, and he frowned when he saw her.

"Boy troubles already?"

Kyanna tugged on a thick strand of her hair, diverting her eyes. "Not…really?"

"Oh no," Shaun shoulders drooped. "Look, Kyanna, you should just wait until you're older. You're still way too young."

"But you're only a year older than me! Well- two years older now! Besides, I just have a few questions, not about boys but about a boy."

"I don't know…"

"I brought you some jerky." Kyanna whipped out the package of jerky from behind her back causing Shaun to raise an eyebrow in consideration.

"Teriyaki?"

"Family pack."

"Fine." Shaun snatched the bag of beef jerky and opened the door wider to let Kyanna in. She immediately scrunched her nose when she entered.

"Ew! Shaun! How many times have I told you to put all your dirty clothes in their own pile in the laundry basket?" she exclaimed, stepping around his mess of clothes.

Her brother merely shrugged, taking a seat on his office chair and spinning it around to face Kyanna. "It makes it there by laundry day."

"But your room stinks because of it!" Sure it smelled like cologne as well, but mix that with a week load of dirty clothes and leftover food and suddenly you get this try-hard, sour, boy sweat smell.

"You're free to leave if you don't like it," Shaun said ripping open the bag of teriyaki beef jerky.

"Ugh!" With every step Kyanna took, she made a different look of disgust. Shaun watch in amusement, chewing on his jerky like it was popcorn for a movie night. Finally she jumped onto his bed making herself comfortable. "Will you please just try to pick it up?"

"Maybe. So who's the guy?"

Here it was. After this, she would be another step deeper into being involved with him. Kyanna took a deep breath. "See that's the thing. I don't know who the guy is."

Shaun threw up a hand out as if to announce the obvious to the world. "My sister is crushing on a random guy."

"No! I know it sounds like that but… he goes to Sozin Middle School, but he's in the 8th grade! I thought maybe you'd have a better idea since, well, you're pretty popular in your grade."

"Yeah, the 7th grade. Not 8th."

"You must have heard something!" Kyanna protested, feeling a tinge of embarrassment knowing how desperate she sounded right now.

"And you want me to help you find him," he completed and then crossed his arms with the bag of jerky still in his hands. "I'll just tell you right now that I do not approve of this. If dad was here, he'd tell you the same thing."

Kyanna wanted to throw Shaun's own dirty sock in his face at the mention of their father. Instead, she found that the words defending the boy spilled out of her mouth before she could even comprehend what she was doing.

"Look, he's a nice person. He helped me out yesterday when I was being followed by those two older men. And then today I ran into his sister who's in the same grade as me. Guess who the sister is! Asandra! Demon Princess! Can you believe that? But she wouldn't tell me anything about him, just that their dad 'took care of him' but yesterday the guy also mentioned that his dad was mad at him and that we wouldn't see each other again in school. Suzie and I looked even for him all day but we couldn't find him anywhere! I just want to make sure he's all right and-"

"Stop." Shaun held out the palm of his hand as a physical gesture to break Kyanna out of her rambling. "Okay, I'll help you out," he said in defeat but then muttered to himself. "Since you're so obsessed with him."

Kyanna's eyes lit up, ignoring his little comment. "Thank you!"

"But I don't know how much help I can provide. I don't get involved with Demon Princess that much. I've never even heard her mentioning a brother. I would try your luck with asking the 8th graders." He reached into his precious bag to pull out another strip of jerky.

"That means waiting another day!" Kyanna sulked.

"Oh-no! An entire night of waiting!" Shaun remarked sarcastically, leaning back in his chair and taking a bite into his jerky. "Hmm, if only we had our yearbooks already, we'd be able to find his name."

Shaun had a good point. But it was also another futile idea. The students didn't receive their yearbooks until the last week of school, and that was more than a month away. There was also no use looking through their elementary yearbooks. As far as Kyanna could remember, she had never even seen Asandra during grade school, so it was possible that the girl and her brother had attended a different elementary school within the area. But then, another idea came into mind.

"Wait, don't you have last year's yearbook? He would still be in the 7th grade!"

Shaun swallowed the piece of jerky in his mouth, then scanned his bedroom. "Yeah, you'll have to clean my room if you want to try finding it." He looked up the ceiling, resting the piece of meat in his mouth. "If I haven't already thrown it out."

"Shaun!" Kyanna shouted, sweeping her eyes at his cluttered floor. Maybe asking him to help would prove to be useless after all.

"You could search for him online- Facebook and stuff," he said casually.

"…I don't have a Facebook."

"Well then make one!" His voice squeaked in his high register again, meaning he was starting to get annoyed. The teenager spun around in his chair, facing his desk where his computer sat.

Kyanna teetered nervously on his bed. She knew she was making this harder than it should have been. "Can you search him on your account? Try looking up Agni!"

Shaun sighed. "Fine."

Time for some intense major stalking.

Kyanna leaned in closer to his monitor as he opened up Facebook. He was already logged into his account and immediately went to the search bar where he typed in "Agni". Asandra's name was the first to show up on the list, and then there were other names whom the siblings didn't recognize. They figured Asandra's profile page would have been the best place to start. Shaun clicked on her name, leading him to the Demon Princess's personal page, which looked just as menacing as she did with the dark theme layout. He clicked on the "About" tab where an excessive amount of information was provided. Ignoring the huge block of scary text, he moved on to the Family and Relationships tab on the left side.

Nothing.

"Maybe he doesn't have a Facebook," Kyanna suggested with a sound of disappointment.

"No, no," Shaun retorted. "Everyone has a Facebook. Except you because you're weird."

"Hmph!" Kyanna grouched and picked up the shirt she had been standing on. With a single swoop, she grabbed a handful of his other clothes and stumbled off to find the laundry basket. She found it upside down hiding underneath a large sweatshirt. What else was she expecting from her newly turned thirteen year old brother? With his age, he had become an official teenager. Kyanna flipped the basket, holding it at her side and shoved the clothes into it with force. Every once in a while she turned her attention back to the computer screen to check on Shaun's progress.

Shaun scrunched his face as he searched through Asandra's photos. They were all selfies. Not helpful. He then began to check through Asandra's friend list, which could have been the entire city as the list streamed on forever. He caught sight of Mae's name and clicked it. Her profile was practically blank except for a bunch of posts that she was tagged in by Teri. Mae didn't even have a profile picture. It was left on the defaulted silhouette of a person. Finding no useful information on Mae's page, he clicked on Teri's name and scrolled down her timeline. The girl was the definition of happy-go-lucky. There were status posts updated every couple hours about what happened in their life as well as an abundant amount of selfies with "inspirational quotes" written in the description. Kyanna saw the page and wanted to gag. Did other people really care about stuff like that? With a shake of her head, she picked up another piece of clothing in front of her and shoved it into the basket.

Shaun decided to trust Teri's Facebook page. The girl was basically scrapbooking every moment of her life, and being best friends with the Demon Princess who was related to the guy Kyanna was interested in, there was bound to be something. After fifteen long minutes of scrolling through hell, that something caught Shaun's eye. It was a particular post made a couple months ago.

The Jasmine Dragon serves the best tea! Thanks Ivan!
#Alerissa #ZanetanIsAPartyPooper #BFFS #JustGotOurFortunesTold #TeaParty #BestDayEver

Included with the post was a group photo of the interior of what Shaun assumed to be the Jasmine Dragon. An old man smiled widely in the background holding a teapot while Teri, Mae and Asandra posed for the camera in which Teri was holding. There were tons of customers in the background; but the teenager noticed there was also another person in the picture fighting against Asandra's arms. Shaun concluded the person to be a guy from his short black hair but one hand held out in front of his face, covering everything except for an eye that peeked out from behind his fingers. The guy must have been camera shy.

Zanetan. Shaun's eyes widened as he read through the ridiculous tags. He quickly typed the name in the search bar. There were no results. Flustered, he opened up a new tab to a search engine, typing in the guy's name once more.

No social website links.

The teenager took a glimpse back to see that his sister had occupied herself in picking up his dirty laundry. It didn't even look like she was paying much attention anymore. She was probably trying to calm her thoughts by taking on another task to busy her mind. The girl always had to be doing something. She couldn't sit still for a second. At this point Shaun could have stopped his search. He could have told her that it wasn't worth all the trouble. But as annoying as Kyanna was sometimes, she was still family- the person he grew up with. He would do this for her.

Refocusing his attention, Shaun returned to the photo, rereading the status and typed in Ivan Agni in the search bar. A profile picture showed the same old man who was in Teri's photo. At this, Shaun clicked on the man's name, immediately going to his family and relationship tab. There listed in his family section: Zanetan Agni – Nephew.

He clicked on the accessible name only to fall back onto his chair when he saw the page he was directed to. The chair squeaked, catching Kyanna's attention and she rushed over to the desk, dropping the full basket of clothes.

"Zanetan Agni is the only name that's shown up within the family, but the account is deactivated," Shaun explained.

"What?!" Kyanna screeched. "Did he jump off the face of the earth?"

"Yeah probably." He rested both of his hands behind his head. "But look, now you have a name you can scribble all over your diary and notebooks. Can I do my homework now?"

Kyanna glared down at him, placing her hands on her hips. She had put up with his constant teasing all day. And after searching for the guy, stalking him down, their bonding moment (not really), he still had the nerve to continue teasing her? He was really starting to get annoying now. "You know, I was going to say thank you, but I don't think you deserve it anymore."

"That's okay." The teenager reached his hand in the snack bag to grab another piece of meat. "Hey, thanks for the jerky by the way." He tore a bite into the meat while closing the internet tabs. Almost immediately, he opened a new tab.

Kyanna huffed. Her brother was impossible to live with sometimes- all that teasing before and now he was trying to guilt trip her into thanking him? She wouldn't give into him that easily. With a scoff, she marched back to the door, throwing the remainders of his clothes into the overflowing laundry basket. "Make sure I don't see this again."

Shaun didn't turn around from his seat. "Okay, mom."

x - x – x

She did end up writing his name all over her diary and notebooks. Discovering his name was another point of progress. Another detail. Another step closer to finding him. Kyanna was convinced she would have constant headaches with all the thinking she did of him. She interlaced her fingers together as she lay in bed. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.

...

The next day at school, Kyanna rammed into the lockers next to Suzie, making the brunette yelp in surprise.

"I got a name." Kyanna's smile had never looked more excited.

Suzie mirrored the expression. "Spill."

"Zanetan Agni," she whispered. Her friend's jaw dropped.

"Oh my gosh! How did you figure it out?"

"Shaun's actually a smart guy. But you know what we have to do now?" Suzie kept her focus on Kyanna, and when she didn't answer, Kyanna took the cue to continued. "We have to ask the 8th graders what they know about him."

"Got it," Suzie remarked but then her face fell slightly. "But 8th graders are a little scary, don't you think?"

"Yeah…" Kyanna replied back uneasily. "But I need to know where he is and what happened to him."

"Kyanna…" the brunette started slowly, but then shook her head when she saw the gleam of hope sparkling in her best friend's eyes. "Okay, let's do this."

The two girls asked around at every opportunity they could. Talking with 8th graders was nothing Kyanna couldn't handle. It was just intimidating when they all appeared taller and older than she was. Even though Zanetan was an 8th grader, he wasn't nearly as frightening to approach as some of the other 8th graders were. She wondered if that proved anything. Like perhaps if they were meant to be together. She internally squealed at the thought.

The search proved to be most helpful during the 8th grade lunch period where Kyanna and Suzie skipped their classes to fortunately speak with the students in one place. However, it turned out that Zanetan was a pretty reserved person who didn't really hang out with anyone. Some people only knew him because they were in the same class. Even the people that did consider him a friend said that Zanetan didn't talk much about himself. Then there were some girls who confessed that they thought he was extremely hot, but the guy wouldn't give them any attention. But that didn't matter to the girls because he was still good looking.

With each inquisition, Kyanna was questioned why she was asking about the guy. She was expecting that, as well as an awful lot of teasing, but kept herself grounded and vague otherwise she would never be taken seriously. After tedious prying, she was able to gain some information, but nothing that told about what happened to him.

As far as the 8th graders knew, Zanetan was just another teenager living the same middle school life. No one knew where he was or why he was absent from school. Some assumed he was sick or got in an accident, but the way they stated it was too informal. It didn't make sense that Asandra was flaunted as being the most popular girl and the daughter of a wealthy businessman while Zanetan was unknown and without any background. The students claimed that Zanetan never made mention of a sister and funnily enough, Asandra rarely acknowledged the existence of her own brother, only doing so when she wanted to make fun of him. It was like she was ashamed to be related to him. Kyanna hoped that his dad didn't think that way of him either.

But her mind knew better than that.

After the 8th grade lunch bell rang, Kyanna headed back to her locker, prepared to sit in her next class pondering all the information she had gathered in her notebook. As she pulled out a textbook, she felt a heated breeze to her left and nearly dropped the heavy book when she saw the Demon Princess leaning against the lockers next to her.

"I hear you've been asking around about my brother." It wasn't a question, and Kyanna knew she had to choose her next words carefully.

"Yeah, and?" she replied back coldly.

"I'd really rather you didn't invest your time in our family's personal matters," Asandra blatantly stated while examining her long fingernails.

"I'm just looking out for my friend," Kyanna said firmly.

The Demon Princess scoffed. "Yesterday you call him a jerk, now you say he's a friend? Please, you barely know the guy. You two are hardly friends."

Kyanna shut her locker without another word. It was no use trying to explain herself to Asandra. Even if she did, Asandra wouldn't listen, and that would just be a waste of breath on her end. No, she needed to stand her ground and fight for what she believed was right. Kyanna started to walk in the opposite direction but was interrupted again by the Demon Princess's sharp voice.

"Besides, how do you know he even cares about you? He didn't even care to ever see you again. And trust me, I know my brother better than anyone else here. You think this is rude of him to just suddenly leave? You should hear of all the other horrid things he's done. There's nothing you can do for him."

Kyanna had to hand it to her, she really knew how to push someone's buttons. But Kyanna wouldn't give up until the end. She couldn't save her mother back then. She was right there yet she didn't do anything- couldn't do anything due to shock. She had just stood there on the side and watched it all unfold in front of her, like she had been rewarded front row movie seats and could do nothing but stare at the screen.

The days that followed after…

The years that followed after…

The repeated words that haunted her and changed her mentality…

I could have done something…

Then maybe things would have turned out differently.

Kyanna made a promise to herself one night after coming to realize that weakness. She would never, ever turn her back on people who needed her. With a bold face, Kyanna strode up to Asandra staring straight into her eyes. They reminded her of his eyes, but carried a different aura, a different shade of colour, something that spoke her name rather than his.

Everything will definitely be alright…

Instead of yelling at her, Kyanna spoke with a heart of determination. "You can't stop me, Asandra. Zanetan helped me out. He might have even saved my life from two dangerous men. He didn't have to, but he did. And if a guy like that can sacrifice himself for me, maybe he's not all that bad. Now it's my turn to save him."

Kyanna saw how Asandra's eyes widened when she spoke his name and she knew she had done the job right. Without waiting for Asandra's reply, she turned around walked through the sea of students.

For the second time that week, Asandra was the one left standing behind. Her face scrunched together tightly. She absolutely despised how the little girl thought she was so tough that so she could stand her ground against her- the Demon Princess. Asandra clenched her fists in frustration. She had been too soft on the little peasant. Next time, she wouldn't let her get away so easily.

"I warned you." Asandra turned the other way, keeping her golden eyes focused on what lay in front of her.

x - x – x

There he was. The person the little girl was obsessed with. The person she was ashamed to call her brother. He was nothing but a weakling. Even father saw him as one. And if father said so, then it had to be true. Everything father worked for led him to great results. If that was the case, he was obviously doing something right, and could therefore be seen as a powerful person.

Asandra loved how she held that in her genes.

She remained silent leaning against the opening of the doorway as she watched her brother packing the last of his belongings into a suitcase. His front side was facing her in the candlelit room. The open window behind him provided a faint amount of sunlight with the sun beginning to set. The left side of his face was heavily bandaged, a majority of his hair singed off. Asandra could still smell the scent of burning smoke from yesterday's incident. She was there when it happened and an evil smile lurked upon her face as she recalled the memory.

There was no doubt that she had the upper hand. Now there was no way her brother would ever stand in her way or bring humiliation to their family's name. Her smile widened with cruel intentions.

"There's a girl at school who is very persistent with finding out where you've disappeared to," she said articulating every word.

"Why are you here?" the teenager replied coldly.

"Zuzu, I thought you'd be glad to know that at least one person still cares for you."

"I don't care," he lashed out but Asandra continued on as if he didn't say anything.

"She was sooo grateful that you saved her life and was intent on doing the same for you." She turned her head to the side slightly. "The little drama queen," she grumbled and then straightened up to take a step forward. "Her poor little heart's going to be crushed when she finds out that the boy who came to her rescue is no longer the same pretty boy she met days ago."

His eyes closed. "Leave."

"You know who I'm talking about," Asandra taunted, her voice growing softer but raising with distaste as the words left her mouth. "The girl with the K necklace-"

"I SAID LEAVE!"

Before she knew it, the door was slammed in front of her face and she inadvertently stepped back, and just in time too. Had she been a second later, her face would have bruised by the impact of the door. But Asandra was perfect. She believed she was. Her cold smile returned at her success.

"I'll be sure to tell her how much you don't care!" she yelled and much louder than she had expected.

As she was about to walk back to her room, a large figure obstructed her path, forcing her to stop. The hallway was dim, so she had to allow her eyes to adjust to just the candlelight. It was her uncle.

"Are you that bored with your life?" he asked gently, but Asandra could hear the fury in his voice.

"You're in my way," Asandra spoke in a pretentious manner.

"Why would you provoke your only brother like that and then threaten a kind and naturally concerned girl with lies?"

The Demon Princess crossed her arms, talking back like she was speaking to a kindergartner. "Uncle, she's going to have her heart broken either way. I'm helping her get over the silly crush by telling her the truth."

"Then that's something that needs to be taken care of by Zanetan and the girl, not you."

"That will never happen if you leave it up to the girl," she stated arguably. "Someone's got to tell it to her straight so she can move on with her life."

The uncle raised a suspicious eye at her last words, pausing before he finally replied back. "Well then, pardon my interruption. I did not expect you to be so thoughtful." He spoke back with the same tone Asandra had given him, but Asandra knew she had won that round, so she let it slip pass.

"Yeah, well that's what a Princess does for her people. Speaking of which, I've got a lot of other work to finish." She adamantly pressed forward, her uncle moving around her to let her pass. The candlelight flickered in the long hallways as she walked, acknowledging her presence. The warm flames were shaped like raindrops, captured and cursed to remain on their designated wick melted onto the wax tower. Maybe that's what fire was. Cursed raindrops. Fire can rain from the skies. And water can wash over like wild fire. No single raindrop believes it is to blame for the flood.

x - x – x

The uncle cautiously opened the door, entering a dark room where his nephew resided. It was a partially empty room, lacking any warmth that one could call home. He noticed that the window was left open and the light curtain danced with the gentle wind that blew into the room. In the center of the room was his nephew. The uncle took a step forward.

"You helped out a girl? That's very unlike you Zanetan."

Zanetan didn't make eye contact. "I was doing it for myself. There were two agents behind her and I didn't want to get involved in a fight or be taken by them. Looking back though, that would have been better than this."

The older man glanced at Zanetan's bandaged face and then released a heartfelt smile. "What you did was a very brave and generous act. It might not mean anything to you, but it must have meant everything to the girl. And I know you might have thought you were doing it for yourself, but I'm sure a part of you felt that at that moment, it was your duty to protect the girl."

"That was a mistake."

"Zanetan…"

"Can everyone just forget about it?! It's not a big deal!"

The uncle exhaled, closing his eyes in the darkness. The raindrops rekindled their spark within his eyes but he continued to shut them tightly as he walked out of the bedroom. "All right, dear nephew. It's time to go."