I wrote this chapter while rocking out to Paramore (helps intensify things) and wishing that Edward Cullen was real (makes the sad parts even worse), so, in my opinion, it's a pretty good chapter. I have another dedication:

Kataang-or-Zutara (Thanks for putting Liz in your fic, Linz! You've done a wonderful job!)

R&R! -KTBG

- - -

Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar. (Stupid Mike and Bryan. They won't let fans do anything...)

Chapter Five: The Escape

Hearts pounded in their chests as Aang, Sokka, Zuko, and Liz raced to Appa. Liz kept picturing Katara in her head, afraid of the "what if"'s that crossed her mind. After jumping on Appa, Aang asked in a hurried voice, "Liz, can you help me make a cloud?"

"I-I don't kn-know if I can d-do that," Liz stammered.

"Just try," Aang pushed. "We need cover." Liz took a deep breath and pulled water out of a container that was always attached to the saddle.

You can do this, Liz said to herself. Her shaky fingers tried to create flowing motions, thinning the water and creating mist. "Good. Keep going," Aang said. Liz noticed Sokka was trying to steer. The airbender twisted his arms around each other and circles of captured air blended in with the fog Liz had made. A sigh of relief fled her lungs as Liz noticed the puffyness beginning to surround Appa. They were covered.

Without being noticed, the group followed the navy ship that contained Katara. Aang's heart broke every time he heard another of Katara's cries. "Let me go!" paraded around in Liz's ears as her tired arms kept sweeping through the thick blanket on top of her. Another tear slipped from her eye down her cheek. A friend was in danger, and it was her fault.

"Stop crying," a voice from behind her said. She ignored the prince, keeping her thoughts on Katara. "Everything's going to be fine."

More tears escaped, and Liz couldn't ignore him any longer. "How do you know?" she whispered.

"What?"

"How do you know?" she yelled, angry. Her hands stopped for a second, but she quickly caught herself and kept going.

"Trust me. I know." Zuko laughed to himself as he thought about the day he had captured Katara. Those pirates were idiots. "She'll be okay."

"But it was my fault!" Liz sobbed. She never looked at the boy, afraid of his obvious scar.

"Nothing was your fault!" Zuko fought back, annoyed at her self-pity. "You did everything you could!"

"You don't understand..." Liz didn't say a word after that. Zuko was quiet and kept to himself. She knew that. He won't bother me again, she comforted herself with a sigh.

- - -

The ship they followed led them to an island that surrounded a long-dormant volcano. Only one side of the sandy island was inhabited. A small but guarded prison was built on the right side of the volcano. The lone cloud landed on the far side.

"Stay here, buddy," Aang said to his bison. "C'mon," he told the others. They followed him to three large boulders, big enough for them to hide behind.

"What's the plan?" Sokka asked, whispering in Aang's ear. They were so close together, Liz could feel Sokka's breath as he talked.

Aang sighed, watching guards move Katara into the prison. They held her by the arms, and she was struggling. "Let go!" she screamed again.

"Shut your mouth!" a guard commanded. Liz's heart jumped.

"I don't know..." Aang replied to Sokka's question. He glanced to the ship docked in the water. He then turned to Zuko and Sokka. "Zuko, I want you and Sokka to go dismantle that ship, that way they can't follow us. Hit it, blast it, rip the pipes, I really don't care what you do to it, as long as it doesn't work. Understood?" The boys nodded their heads. Aang's head suddenly turned to Liz. She gasped inside her mind. What can I do? she asked herself. "Liz?" Her eyes stared at the arrow on Aang's head, avoiding eye contact. "You and I are going into the prison and getting Katara. I'll get us to the roof without being seen, then we'll climb down. Can you distract the guards while I get to Katara?" Liz nodded. This was way more than she could handle. She almost went deaf hearing the pounding of her heart in her chest. Breathing was becoming harder.

Aang waited until the coast was clear, then he sent Sokka and Zuko on their way. Liz watched as their nimble feet imprinted on the sand. She silently wished them luck, then her wrist was grasped by Aang's small hand. He pulled her from behind the rocks, and the two ran, keeping their eyes on the small, wooden prison. Liz couldn't feel the sand underneath her feet, which was odd since she was the slowest person in her school. An itch began to form in her throat as Aang created a whirlwind of dust and dirt around them.

"Hold on," Aang whispered. Liz gripped his shirt as he bent his head towards the ground and blew. A huge gust of wind came out where his slight breath usually was. The blast lifted the kids into the air. Liz closed her burning eyes and kept them closed until she felt solid ground under her feet once more. As she slowly opened her eyes, Aang pulled her down by her shoulders. They both laid down on their stomachs on top of the roof of the jail.

"What cell do you think she's in?" Liz asked in a whisper.

"There are probably only five cells in this place. This prison isn't big enough to hold only twenty inmates."

"It's big enough to hold two more," Liz replied under her breath. Aang's head was turning, looking for some way in.

"Crawl," he suddenly said.

"What?" He pointed to a small vent only thirty feet away.

"See that vent? We have to crawl to get to it. Once we're inside, I'll figure something out." Liz nodded and began to slither her way across the hot surface of wood, collecting splinters along the way. At every inch, she'd pray that they didn't get caught.

After minutes of hours, she and Aang reached the metal vent. Aang slowly lifted it, careful not to make a sound. He looked down, and whispered to Liz, "We're good. Jump down." He slid through the small hole with grace, while Liz couldn't do it as easily. Stupid Big Mac! she thought, regretting her meal before she came into Aang's world.

Her feet hit the floor, and Aang took her wrist and dragged her into what looked like a closet in the long hallway. He silently closed the door.

"How do we know where to find her?" Liz asked, out of breath.

"I...don't know," he replied, pausing mid-sentence. Suddenly, a tapping sound appeared in their ears. Liz gasped as the footsteps passed the closet. They stopped, and so did Liz's breathing. The knob on the door began to turn.

"Hide!" Liz whispered to Aang. He jumped behind a box in the corner of the small room, and Liz was left standing in the middle of the closet.

The door opened, and a guard dressed in armor peered in, seeing a girl dressed in red, standing with her eyes wide, staring back at him, and her mouth hanging open. He pushed the door open all the way, but Liz never moved. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.

Liz didn't answer. Her face remained the same.

"Come with me," the heavily dressed guard commanded, reaching out to grab her.

Without knowing it, Liz's hand balled into a fist and swung itself into the guards face. After the impulse, Liz's feet gained a mind of their own as well and rushed her into the hall while the guard was rubbing his cheek. "Get her!" he shouted, signaling the others to find Liz.

Oh my gosh! What did I just do? she asked herself over and over while trying to find Katara's cell. The prison was even smaller than it looked on the outside. While running through a maze of hallways, she came to a large room with wooden cells lined up on each side. Running back and forth, she could see no one in the empty rooms. "This isn't good..." she told herself. Suddenly, a guard appeared in the doorway of the room. He raced after her, cornering her against a wall. Two more guards followed him, one being the man Liz punched in the face.

Liz watched as one guard lit a fire in his palm. Another guard walked up to Liz and grabbed her hands and began pushing her across the room with the fire as a threat if she did anything she wasn't supposed to.

While walking towards the doorway, Liz spotted someone in one of the cells. She looked closer and joyously shouted, "Katara!" The inmate turned her head and smiled, but it quickly vanished as Katara saw Liz's predicament.

"Shut up!" The guard holding her commanded. Liz let out a sigh, not knowing what would happen.

All of a sudden, a giant wind blew into the room, knocking the guards and Liz down. Liz looked up from the ground and saw Aang smashing Katara's cell open with earthbending. She ran out and helped Liz up, saying, "Thanks" while she did it.

"No problem," Liz replied, lying. The three of them ran out as the guards tried to get up, returning to the vent Aang and Liz had come in through. Aang grasped Katara's foot first and lifted her up to the roof. Then came Liz, and, finally, himself, jumping up without effort.

They ran across the steaming roof and hopped off onto the soft sand below. Soldiers and guards ran out of the prison gates and surrounded them. Out of the corner of her eye, Liz could see Sokka and Zuko atop the ship, dismantling it as Aang had instructed. On the deck of the navy ship, the boys had a good view of what was happening on the beach.

Aang and Katara shifted into their fighting stances, and Liz just stood there, not knowing what to do. She swept her arms through the salty air and brought a slim line of water from the ocean. She slapped every attacker that came near her with it, but none of them budged.

The airbender and his friend were of much more help. Creating cyclones. Freezing the men in ice. Liz marveled, wishing she had the same skills. Mesmerized by her daydreaming, she didn't see the firebender behind her.

He took a step closer, and Liz still didn't notice. One more...Suddenly, Liz jerked her head around and regained her consciousness, swiping her fingers to pick the water whip back up into the air. As she began to hit the man, he punched the air and a fire blast headed to Liz's leg, hitting it and knocking her down in agony.

- - -

Up on the high deck on the giant ship, Zuko was throwing coal overboard. He looked down at the beach to watch the fight, just in case they needed help. His eyes grew as he watched Liz fall to the ground, grabbing her burnt leg. "Liz!" he shouted. The young prince quickly ran to the bridge of the ship, never taking his eyes off Liz. He raced down the dock and jumped in front of Katara and Aang. "Get behind me!" he commanded both of them.They did what he said, and Katara ran to Liz's side, getting water to her legs as fast as she could.

Zuko put both fists out in front of him and felt the heat move from his lungs through his body to his hands. The fire escaped from his clenched fists and blasted in the direction of the guards, hitting most of them. As they fell to the ground, Zuko instructed, "Aang! Freeze them in place!" The guards shivered as hard forms of ice bond their hands and feet.

Katara kept trying to heal Liz, who was now unconscious. "C'mon, Liz," Katara whispered. "Please wake up..." She turned her head to see Sokka running towards her down the beach. When he reached his sister, Katara explained, "Sokka, Liz is hurt really badly. Carry her to Appa. Aang and Zuko will finish off the ship." Without saying anything, Sokka scooped up the young girl and started running towards Appa. He had a long way to go.

"Help me finish the ship off!" Aang shouted to Zuko as his fragile legs moved him to the big boat. Zuko followed him reluctantly, wanting to go with Sokka and Katara to take care of Liz.

- - -

"Is she going to be okay?" Aang asked, as the gang was flying back to the temple.

"I...I don't know," Katara replied, rubbing her soft hands over Liz's wound. "Her burn might take a while to heal...If it does heal. She was hit pretty bad."

"If she does get better," Sokka began, "as soon as she can walk again, she's going home."

"What?" Zuko spoke up. "She doesn't have to."

"Sokka is, unfortunately, right, Zuko," Katara said, not wanting her new friend to leave, but even more worried about her health at the moment. "I don't want her to leave, either, but..." She sighed. "...but..."

"But we can't afford for her to get hurt again," Sokka finished.

Katara's beautiful, blue eyes looked down at Liz. A warm, salty tear raced down her cheek, and another chased after it.