Chapter Five

Mai and her family were all sitting around the table for dinner on Thursday night when she decided to ask them if she could even go with Zuko to Ember Island.

"Mother, Father. I need to ask you two something. It's about this weekend."

"Is this about the trip that Prince Zuko asked you to go with him?"

Mai dropper her chopsticks. Her face was filled with shock and her brain was a complete blank. "How do you know about that? Did you got through my room?"

"There was a note sticking out from one of your robes," her mother said.

"So you decide to read it instead of leaving it alone?"

"Mai, you shouldn't keep things like that from us."

"I can't believe you!"

"Well to answer your question, you aren't allowed to go with Zuko. He is not a good influence for you to be around," her father added.

"He's more of a man than you will ever be!" she yelled as she point to her father.

"Young lady! That is no way to treat your father. You need to simmer down in your room."

"I would be more than honored to." She stormed out of the room as she said that.

"I can't believe they went through my things. Haven't they ever hear of a little thing called privacy?" Mai asked aloud in her room.

"Mai? Your father and I have—" Her mother walked into her room only to find a note laying on her bed.

"Mai!"

Her father ran in. "What's the matter?"

"She's gone! She's gone!"

"Well, she can't have gone far. I'll send out some guards to secure the palace perimeter."

"Maybe we shouldn't have been so hard on her. What if she doesn't come back?" She turned to her husband and he wrapped her arms around her as she cried.

"She'll come back. The other times she ran away, she'd always come back before nightfall. Have you read the letter Mai left yet?"

"No," she said as she wiped her eyes clear of tears.

"Maybe we should in case she wrote where she was going." He started to read from the note aloud:

Mother and Father,

I have never understood why you hate Zuko so much. I'm going to go with him anyway. I will return when you can learn to accept him for who he is and not what he is because of his father.

Your daughter,

Mai

No one said anything after he finished reading the letter, except for Mai's mother who broke down in tears in her husband's arms.

*~*~*
"Thanks for letting me stay here for the night, Ty Lee."

"No problem. That's what friends are for. You can stay in the guest room if you want," Ty Lee said as she spread out a blanket on the guest bed.

"I'll repay you for it."

"Mai, don't worry about it. It's not a problem. So are you really going to Ember Island with Zuko tomorrow?"

"How did you know about it?"

"Azula told me about it."

"Of course she did."

There was silence for a few seconds as Ty Lee made the bed.

"Can I tell you something?" Ty Lee asked.

"Anything."

"Promise you won't get mad or defensive?"

"Promise," Mai said with slight hesitation in her voice.

"Maybe you shouldn't go with Zuko to Ember Island. I have a suspicion that it will only end badly."

Mai stared at Ty Lee. "Oh, so you don't think I should be with Zuko either because he's the Firelord's son?"

"That's not why I said—"

"Well, I'm going no matter what you people say! I need to get some air."

Mai shoved Ty Lee out of the way as she made her way to the front door. When she got outside she collapsed against the door. There she wept until Ty Lee came out to check on her. When Ty Lee did come out, she sat down next to Mai. They sat there in silence.

Mai was the first one to say something. "Why is everyone hung up on Zuko being this horrible person? I know him better than anyone probably. He's a person that was born into the wrong family."

"I believe you."

"Then why did you say for me not to go?"

"I said that because I heard some things that point to something bad will happen if you go to that island tomorrow."

"Well, whatever you heard, it's most likely a lie."

"I doubt that."

Mai never heard that last part as she had already closed the front door to go to her room to pack for the next day.

"It has to be a lie," she said to herself. For some reason she didn't believe herself as she looked over at the rose that Zuko had given to her.

When the sun shown through Mai's window, she got up. She hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before because she was too busy thinking about the next day. Also too busy with thinking how she was going to keep herself occupied for the rest of the day until sunset. She decided that she would say sorry to Ty Lee for her behavior the day before.

Ty Lee got really excited when Mai had apologized. She said that she could never stay mad at Mai. After they hugged each other, Ty Lee offered to help Mai get ready for her weekend. They went shopping for a new outfit and swimsuit. Ty Lee even bought one.

"Thanks for taking me out today, Ty Lee."

"No problem, Mai. I always love shopping."

"More like addicted."

They laughed and joked around until Mai looked out and saw the sun had already started to set She had to get a move on if she wanted to be at her garden right at sunset. Ty Lee helped the frantic Mai pack and gather he things. When they got t Mai's house, Mai pulled her hood of her robe up so that nobody that was looking for her would know that it was her and turn her back into her parents. Then they waited.

"Before I go, Mai, can I tell you something?"

"Here we go again," Mai said as she rolled her eyes at Ty Lee.

"Just hear me out. You promise me that if anything goes wrong you somehow get a hold of me."

"I promise."

"Okay. Well, I have to go before my parents think anything has happened to me. Are you going to be okay until the guards come?"

"Yeah, I should be fine. Thanks again for everything, Ty Lee."

"No problem, Mai." Ty Lee walked off into the setting sun as she said this with a final wave to Mai, who waved back.

Mai, waited, and waited, and waited until way past sun set. She kept telling herself that maybe he was running late or something. But it got to be so dark that Mai could barely see her hand right in front of her face even with the moon out. She ultimately decided that Zuko wasn't coming nor were any of his guards.

Felling defeated and betrayed, Mai drew her robes closer to herself and gathered up all of her things and headed back to Ty Lee's house.

"Coming!" Ty Lee said when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to find Mai in tears and sitting on the ground. "Mai! What happened?"

"He didn't show."

"I am so sorry, Mai." She gave Mai a hug and tried to get her to stand. "Maybe we should go inside?"

Mai nodded and started to reach for her luggage. "No! You go march straight inside! I'll get these," Ty Lee said as she ushered Mai inside and she got the luggage.

When everything was inside, Ty Lee sat Mai on her bed. "Want to talk about it?" she asked after they sat in silence for a while.

Mai shook her head no and put her head onto Ty Lee's shoulders. She cried until Ty Lee's shoulder was soaked with her tears when Mai finally stopped. Ty Lee moved her to her own room.

"You need to sleep and then you'll feel a lot better in the morning. Call if you need anything," Ty Lee said as she shut Mai's door.

Mai sat there on her bed for a few hours before moving. She eventually did and only to take the rose that Zuko gave her and crushed it in her hands.

"Stupid flower! I should have never accepted it from Zuko! What was I thinking?" she yelled at the crushed rose on the floor now.