A/N- Well, since I'm posting this, it means I've gotten at least two good reviews. Thanks everyone!!

BTW- This is a Modern Day AU. Just so we're clear.

Enjoy!

Chapter One

"Will Katara please report the office immediately? You are wanted in the office."

That's what Katara heard when she was sitting in her first period class. The teacher nodded for her to leave, so she grabbed her books and left for the office. On the way there, she was so nervous. What had she done? She didn't do anything that was wrong, at least nothing that she knew about. She didn't do anything except study. Mainly because that was all she could do these days.

When she reached the office, the secretary glared at her and motioned for her to walk into the principal's office. He was sitting in his chair behind his large desk.

Katara sat down in a chair across from the principal. He wasted no time in getting right to the point.

"Katara, we have recently gone through your record and discovered that you are a bender."

"Yes, I am."

"Then I have no choice. You are here-by expelled from this school."

"WHAT?!" Katara exclaimed.

"This is what's good for the students and the school. What would parents say if they found out their kids were going to school with a bender," he tried explaining, but with no sympathy in his voice. You rotten scum bags, he thought to himself.

"But that's not fair! I never use my bending!" she cried.

"True, but we can't risk the student's safety. Now I'm going to have to ask you to leave," he said as two guards walked in and stood behind the principal protectively.

What do they think I'm going to do? She hastily got up and ran out the door and out of the school, not really caring where she ended up. Anywhere was fine as long as it was away from here…

&&&&&

Lao and Poppy could tell there was something wrong with their daughter when she walked in. She sat down in front of them and started talking.

"Mom, Dad, I have something to tell you," she said quietly.

There was a pause as Toph gathered her courage. The room was filled with tension.

"I'm a bender."

The cup in Poppy's hand slipped from her grasp and it went crashing to the floor.

"What?! No, that's impossible!" Lao freaked. "Our daughter isn't a bender. You are practically of royal blood. You couldn't be a one of those scumbags!"

That comment hurt Toph. She was just a scumbag to them?

She was about to respond when her father came up with his own conclusion.

"It must be that boy she's been hanging out with lately. He's been filling my daughter's head with lies! Guards! Arrest that boy!"

"What?! Dad, this has nothing to do with Aang! Leave him out of this!" she cries out.

But no one seemed to hear her, or if they did, they didn't care. The guards brought Aang into the room.

He shot Toph a look that said 'What's going on?', but it was lost on Toph, being blind and all. But she could still feel his fright though the ground.

Poppy ran over to her daughter to 'shield' her from Aang, as if his glance was poisonous. Toph was trying to squirm free.

"This boy has been filling my daughter's head with lies! And I have no doubt that he is a bender as well. I want his branded and thrown in jail!"

"NO! Don't do that to him!" Toph cried out as she wriggled free from her mother's grasp. She tries running to Aang, but she was blocked by guards.

Then a guard stepped up to her father.

"I'm sorry Mr. Beifong, but the officers cannot get here till morning."

"Fine. Lock him up somewhere where he won't escape."

"Aang! No daddy, please don't do this to him! He's my friend!" she said running up to her father.

Lao was infuriated that his daughter was standing up to him for the bending boy. He shoved Toph to the ground.

"Toph!" Aang cried as he saw her be pushed onto the floor. At his outburst, one of the guards slapped him hard across the face.

Tears started falling from Toph's face at the loud slapping noise.

"How could you stand up for that kind of scum?! He's not your friend Toph, he's an enemy of the government!"

She stayed on the ground and cried as everyone left the room. She cried because her parents took away her only friend. That they didn't really accept her. And she cried for Aang.

She stopped crying for a brief moment as a thought entered her head. She wasn't going to let Aang got though that torture. She was going to bust him out.

&&&&&

Zuko's arm stung immensely as he was thrown into the bender's jail. The brand was still hot on his arm, and he winced every time he had to move his arm.

He looked around the jail cell. It was even worse than the other jails he had seen while visiting cousin in jail.

Great. Regular prisoners get better treatment than us, he thought.

He wondered where his sister was. He had passed out soon after the branding and woke up just as the officers were about to throw him in jail. There were no windows, so he didn't know what time it was. He crouched in the corner and covered his face with his hands. He couldn't believe this was happening…

&&&&&

It was after school, even though it didn't matter for Katara. She walked past a bunch of kids she knew from school. They glared at her as she walked past. Some even turned their backs towards her, as if she wasn't even good enough to get glared at. She could feel tears springing in her eyes. She ran off, not wanting them to see her cry.

She had run far away and was walking down an ally when she heard someone running.

"Come back here you scum!" a raspy voice called after her.

It was the officers, and they were coming right towards her.

A/N- Well, that's all for now. I'll update again when I get at least three reviews. They don't have to be good or bad, just three reviews. And I promise there will be more on Zuko later. You'll also find out how this has affected everyone else soon too.

Please review and thanks for reading!