Chapter VI- Awakening
I open my eyes, looking at the ceiling of a too familiar room. I look over and see Katara lying there, next to me. I can't remember what happened last night, but I have a feeling that I don't want to remember. I sit up on the bed and rub my eyes. I stand up and grab my shirt off of the floor. When did I take my shirt off? I put on my shirt and stretch. I go over to the side of the bed where Katara is lying. Will she wake up?
"Katara?" I asked, "are you awake?" She's motionless, she looks like a sculpture lying on the bed. I touch her shoulder and I shake her gently. Her eyes start to twitch. "Katara?"
"Huh?" She opens her eyes and looks over at me. "How did I get here?" she asked.
"I…sort of…I guess I sort of saved you," I said averting my eyes.
"Save me?" Katara asked, "From…Xang?"
"Yeah…you do remember what happened right?" I asked, "Because I'm not exactly sure what happened to you last night."
"Yeah, I remember," Katara said, "Xang must have kidnapped me when I was asleep."
"Those whip marks, they're weird, they look they're also burns."
"Yeah, he had whips and…he…set them on fire," Katara paused, "Wait, how do you know what my cuts look like?"
"Well…when I found you, your shirt was off, but I put it back on for you," I explained, "and then when I brought you back to the palace, the doctor wasn't in, so I had to sew some of the cuts shut." Katara didn't say anything, she wouldn't even make eye contact with me. She then sat up on the bed, the moved to the edge, her legs hanging off.
"I have a question," I said, "I was wondering what had happened to the burn that Ozai gave you."
"Oh, well…I healed it," Katara said, "with water."
"You…healed it?" I asked, confused, "is healing something that all water benders can do?"
"No, not all water benders can heal…. why did you rescue me?" Katara asked, out of the blue.
For some reason, that question caught me off-guard. Why did I rescue her? I didn't care if she had ran away last night, but I went to find her anyway. I could feel myself getting angrier.
"Because I didn't want a stupid peasant escaping!" I yelled, "If I would have let you go, my father…I mean Ozai, would have blamed me for everything!"
Katara just sat there, staring at the floor. I could see a tear drop from her chin to the floor.
"Sorry," I said, "I forgot that you didn't escape…you were kidnapped."
"Maybe you should have thought of that before you started yelling at me," Katara said in an angered voice. "This is why no one likes you," she said, looking into my eyes, "you're impossible to get along with."
I should be furious about that remark, but I'm not. Katara is right, I'm impossible to get along with. I could blame my father for the way that I behave, but that would be childish.
"You're right," I said, "I am impossible to get along with." Katara didn't say anything. She just looked down at the floor. I walk over to the bed, then sit down next to her.
"What happened to Xang?" Katara asked, still looking at the floor.
"I'm not sure, I left him there. He could be dead…or alive." I hope he's dead, I thought. Or I will find him and kill him for what he did to Katara.
"What if he comes back for me?" I look over at Katara, realizing that she is shaking.
"I'll make sure that the guards are on the lookout. I don't know how Xang got away with you without the guards noticing."
We sat there for a while. I didn't know what else to say. I just can't imagine how Katara feels, considering everything that has happened to her.
"Does your father know about what happened?" Katara asked.
That word. I warned her about calling Ozai my father. "What did you just say?" I asked, trying my best not to lose my temper.
"I asked you if your father knows about what happened last night," Katara said. She looks over at me, finally realizing that she called Ozai my father. "Sorry. I forgot about not calling Ozai that."
Something inside me snapped. I stand up quickly, turning to Katara. I pull her up into a standing position. "I warned you!" I yelled. I push her to the floor. Her body slams against the hardwood floor. She lays there, not getting up. What did I just do? Once again, I let my anger take control of me.
I move to the ground and turn her over, so she is lying on her back. "I'm sorry," I said, a tear escaping my eye.
She opens her eyes and looks at me. "Get away from me," she whispered.
She may have whispered those words, but they still hurt. I stand up and walk away from her. I stop at the door, then look back at her. I debate on going back to her and checking to see if I hurt her, but I figure that she would just get angry. I open the door and walk out into the hallway.