Tamaka's POV

"I don't want to go to bed! I'm not sleepy!" pouts Lee.
I go over to him and help him put his Pj's on, and give him a hug.
" I know you don't, but you have to," I tell him.
"But I wanna see mommy,"
"I know, but mom got a big order today so she is at work making things,"
"But I miss her," Lee says, tears rushing down his face. I stroke his dark hair and pick him up and put him in the bed she shares with Kauro.
Mala and Emmy are already asleep, in there little bed.
This house is so small, a three room house, kitchen/ living room, and two bedrooms.
And the five of us are are al crammed into one room. I feel bad, I'm the only one who gets a bed all two themselves, but thats only because mines so small and narrow.
"Think of tomorrow Lee, dad will be here all day and he will teach you more about Earth-bending, and you will have so much fun, and after that we can all play hide-and-seek," I promise him, he nods his little head at my promise, and I wipe the tears from his eyes.
and I tuck him in next to Kauro.
I go into the kitchen and blow out the candles, I shuffle back to my room, and hear the little kids breathing deeply, and get into bed without changing into pajamas.
I close my eyes.

I wake up to screaming.
I sit up in bed and look around, but I don't see anything but the forms of my sleeping siblings.
I jump out of bed and run to the door, and fling myself out of it to see.. Fire?
Everywhere, there are fire benders.
I run back inside, my heart pounding, my brain screaming to hide.
"Wake up! Mala! Emmy! wake up! I need your help!" I shake them until there sitting up in bed and staring at me, looking at me in confusion.
"We need to get out of here, Fire-benders are here! We need to go, now!," I whisper to them urgently,
I go over to Lee and pick his sleeping form up, and Mala picks up Kauro.
"Whatever you do Mala, you can't wake Kauro up, ok? they would be really scared and and cry and we can not afford to be caught, ok? We need to go be very quite," I'm on the verge of tears myself though.
We go out the front door and run, I lead them toward the woods where we washed our clothes this boring in the river.
I hear screams all around me.
I only breath when we slip unnoticed in the cover of woods.
I motion for the them to get down behind a bush, and they obey without hesitation.
I can't believe Lee is sleeping through this.
I look out from a bush and see as houses burn, and people scream.
I can see the Fire-nation soldiers dragging people out of there houses, kicking and screaming. They drag them into the center of town.
Lee stirs in my arms.
"Tama-Tamaka? Whats going on? Why is everyone yelling?" He turns his head to look into the town.
"Why is everything on fire?" His voice quivers, in a few minutes he will be crying and howling.
"It's ok Lee, everything will be fine, but you can't cry, ok? you need to be very quite. I'm going to take you somewhere very safe, just stay quite." I tell him, trying to reassure him.
"Ok, will mommy and daddy be there?" He looks up into my face, the look of pure terror distorting his little features.
"Mommy and daddy are really strong and smart, so yes, I'm sure they will be there," I hope I'm not lying.
I get up, Lee clinging to me, and we all run to the river.
"What's happeing?" Kauro has finally woken up.
"Nothing sweetie, we just need to go somewhere else, ok? but you need to be quite and not talk," I tell him in a loud whisper.
We run for a few minutes, then suddenly fire, everywhere, making a circle around us, trapping us.
"You can't run, show your faces," A hidden person speaks.
A man in a Fire-nation uniform comes out from hiding, and I turn to face him.
Kauro starts to cry. Emmy and Mala move to stand behind me like there trying to hide. Lee bury's his face in my neck, his tears wetting my shirt.
I look at the man's face thats illuminated by the fire light.
"Please don't kill them, please," I beg him for the life of my siblings.
The man steps closer, he looks sad, and pretty young. 30 or so. His pale skin ghostly white. His brown eyes reflecting the flames.
"Are you benders?" He asks, his voice strained.
"If I say yes will we die?" I answer his question with a question.
"Look, I don't want to kill you, if your a bender then I won't kill you, but I do I have to take you with me.. But your siblings… There to young..My orders where to kill them," He looked even paler after saying that, he looked so conflicted.
Kauro cried even harder, sobbing. He flung himself out of Mala's arms and attached himself to my leg.
"Tamaka I want mommy! Can we just go back, please?! I want to go home, Im scared, please don't make us leave home, Where's daddy? where's mommy?" He screamed. crying so hard it sounded like he was choking.
The man looked like he was about to cry.
"I won't say." He says quietly.
"What do you mean?" I ask, desperation in my voice.
"I will take you and the little ones back to your village. I was given orders to separate benders from non-benders, and if there were any young benders we had to kill them. I can't kill them, I can't kill kids, fighting adults is one thing, but defenseless kids.. I can't," He says.
"Why? Why should I trust you?" I demand.
"Because I have a son, his age (he points to Kauro) and I can't kill a little kid." He says.
This was my only chance.
"Fine, ok, I'll go with you, just don't hurt them."
I look at all of them, there terrified faces.
"You can not bend in front of these people, do you understand!? you will die! this man will protect you but, but I can't stay with you, I have to go to make sure you don't get hurt." I tell them, Mala and Emmy both nod. Mala picks up Kauro again and I grab Emmys had and squeeze it.
The man puts the fire out with a wave of his hand.
And we walk back into town.
Tears leek down my face. I'm glad I was to tired to change into Pj's and still had my blue clothes on.
When we get back, I see they are sorted into three groups. I look around, I see mom next to Aiba and his dad….His dad and are non-benders.
She's smart, she faked it.
I put Lee down and kiss his head, and hug him, and do the same to the others.
The man leads them away from them, and another solider brings them to the group my mothers in, while I'm in a group with people in ankle and wrist shackles.
They cuff me, and I look over to the Earth group and see my father, he smiles at me and nods, I mouth 'I love you' and he does the same, I look to my mother and the little kids and they are watching dad and I, tears dripping off there faces.
I try and smile through the tears on my face.
Kauro and Lee start to scream, and they all try to run over to me, but are stopped by a solider.
The man who saved my life orders us to start walking. I turn around. And shuffle towards there giant, metal, floating coffin.