"Mom! Do you have anything that looks British?" I screamed from the floor of my closet.
I could hear her heels clicking softly on the floor as she neared my room. From my quiet place, I could practically hear my own heart beating.
"No, I don't think I own anything that looks British." she replied as she opened my door. "What is it for?"
"Spirit Week." came my annoyed response. I dug in the drawer that held my tank tops trying to remember if I still owned the Union Jack tank I got from Forever 21 a few years back. She stepped into my closet and smiled at all my clothes all over the floor.
"Ah.. well good luck hun. Also, your father and I are going to the Fire Nation next week. We leave Sunday afternoon and get back very late Saturday night. The late Fire Lord's brother is preparing for his nephew coronation in a year and thought your father's company would be a perfect sponsor." she exclaimed.
"They are preparing a year in advance?" I asked with a slight roll of my eyes. "That is one I'll have to tell Fox."
"Speaking of Fox, how is she? That girl is just darling."
I laughed internally because Fox was anything but darling. "She is great. I'm actually picking her up so we can ride to school together."
"Okay, well drive safely. And we know you've been talking to that young man more and more."
I stopped my searching and turned my head. I guess they didn't remember he was her brother. "Zuko?"
"Yes, Zuko. We haven't met him and we don't know how we feel about you dating someone we have never met."
"Well to be fair, you told me after I turned 18 I could date whomever I wanted."
She pursed her lips and took a polished breath. "That is true. But that was also when we lived in New York and knew the boys in your class, not to mention most of the young men in your class were from very wealthy Water Tribe families."
"Okay well I'm not going to bring him to formally meet y'all unless we are dating for more than a year. And why did you bring up Water Tribe?" I questioned.
"Well, your father and I have discussed this and we feel that as a talented young Water Tribe woman, you should probably look for a young man who is Water Tribe as well."
"So he basically needs to look like me?"
The annoyance that I felt was nothing compared to the anger that was growing in me.
"That's exactly right." she said with a smile.
"You do realize you aren't the same nation as my dad." I asked, hoping she understood the stupidity of her own statements.
"Yes, we understand that and it is okay for us. In all my years, I have seen Earth with Air, Air with Water, and Earth with Water. Never have I seen Water with Fire. You know why?"
I stared at her, refusing to answer the obvious.
"Because they extinguish one another. Fire Nationers pride themselves in their pure bloodlines. I can assure you, the boy only wants one thing and once he gets it, you can forget about that relationship."
"Maybe you should call Sokka. I think he will have a lot to say on that topic." I said before giving up on the tank top. I stood up and grabbed a sweater with the flag on it. Seeing as it was November, the sweater made more sense anyway.
"Don't forget to mention Azalea."
I calmly walked past her and practically ran down the stairs.
"Bye Kat!" my dad called from his office.
I ignored him and went to the garage. As the door opened, I went over what my stepmother said.
"you should probably look for a young man who is Water Tribe as well"
"the boy only wants one thing and once he gets it, you can forget about that relationship"
I drove a little too fast to Azula's house and parked. I turned off my car and walked angrily to her front door. I knocked sharply and waited.
"Good Morn - whats wrong with you?" Ursa asked as she opened the door.
"My parents are terrible people!" I cried as I walked in. "They told me that I should look for a boyfriend that is Water Tribe!"
Ursa looked as if she had been slapped in the face. "They said that?"
Azula came running down the stairs and stopped when she saw my face.
"Why do you look so evil?"
"My parents are the evil ones. They basically told me that Zuko only wants to be with me for sex and once he got it we would break up. Then they said Fire Nation people strive to keep their bloodlines pure and I should just look for a Water Tribe man to date."
Azula looked at her mom and then back at me.
"Screw them." Ursa said.
A huge smile stretched across my face.
"You heard me, screw them. You're 18. You can date who or what you want. I've only known you for about 3 months, but I must say I like you and I like that you're dating my son. Of course I was a little shocked when he said you were a student, but I trust him to make the right decisions."
I pulled her into a huge hug and laughed loudly when Azula joined the hug.
"I love you guys so much." I laughed.
"I love you all too. Now get to school. Come back during lunch and we can have lunch at home so you don't need to pay for anything. Plus there is something I want to share with you Katara." Ursa said while grabbing our bags and pointing towards the door.
"Okay mom. We'll see you at lunch." Zula said before shutting the door.
We walked in silence to my truck. After getting situated and I started to back out their driveway.
"Oh! I meant to say this but I was mad. Did you know the Fire Nation is preparing for the coronation of the new Fire Lord a year in advance? I guess the late Fire Lord's brother is getting old."
Azula let out a deep breath that I hadn't been aware she was holding. "That is crazy. I didn't know it took that long to prepare for one of those."
Azula POV
I let out a deep breath. "That is crazy. I didn't know it took that long to prepare for one of those."
Of course I knew how long they took to plan, I was 7 when my dad took power and 9 when we left the Fire Nation. He died a year later and uncle Iroh took power.
"Maybe Zuko will know why they plan them so far in advance." Katara said before turning into the Starbucks drive through line. "You know what you want? My treat."
"Oh sure! Caramel Macchiato extra hot." I replied while looking for my phone.
Me- Are you going to tell her who we really are?
Mom- Yes. She needs to know. I trust her.
Me- So do I, but shouldn't Zuko tell her?
Mom- He is coming for lunch as well. I had a sign from Agni in a dream. He approves of her.
I smiled. Agni himself approves of my best friend for my big brother, the next Fire Lord. Which means Katara will be the next Fire Lady. My smile grew even bigger.
Me- okay! :)
"What are you smiling about?" Katara asked as she handed me my coffee.
"Oh nothing much, Aeron text me." I lied smoothly.
She grinned. "Tell him I said hi."
"Will do." I said before sipping my drink.
As we neared the school, I got sad. "This is my last spirit week even at Miangus."
"Are you going to miss the people?" Katara questioned.
"Absolutely not. If I never saw Mai's stupid face again I'd be the happier than the person that invited ice cream. I'm going to miss the games and the teachers and the building. I've been apart of Miangus since first grade. They included a kindergarten a few years later."
"I know what you mean. That is what I miss about my high school back in New York."
She got quiet.
"I still haven't called Azalea." she said right before we turned onto the highway.
"Why not?" I questioned. In all honesty, I already knew the answer; she felt betrayed and did not want to speak to her.
"You don't understand how much she hurt me. Sokka has never had much respect for me or my things, but sleeping with one of my oldest friends… that is just too low."
"Do you even want to go to school today?" I said suddenly.
"We should go, just to turn in the weekly outline."
"Or, we can give them to Tiffany and have her tell Haru that we caught one of those 48 hours bugs over the weekend and we will be back tomorrow." I said coyly.
"Why are you living up to your nickname?" she said before asking me to pull her outline out of her bag.
I smiled and fist pumped the air. "I'll have Aeron give them to her. He lives off one of these exits and I don't think he left yet."
I called and told him our little plan and he agreed to deliver them to Tiffany who would then give them to Haru.
He gave us directions to his house and within 3 minutes, we were parked in front of a modest two story home.
I got out to give him the papers and he pulled me into a huge hug. As we let go of each other, he kissed my cheek and gently flushed.
"I'm excited to see your dress." he said softly.
I smiled. "In all honesty, I'm just excited to see you."
He kissed my cheek again and told me to have fun. "I can't skip today, too many Spirit Week games are happening in which they need Aeron Yondt Master Photographer."
"Okay master photographer, have a good day." I giggled while walking back to her car.
"So, do I get to plan the wedding or just the reception?" Katara asked after I got into the car.
"Oh shut up!" I laughed.
A Few Hours Later
After wandering aimlessly around the mall for a few hours, we headed back to my house. The ride home was quiet and filled with the sounds of Sara Bareilles' newest CD. Katara was singing along to a song called Manhattan and I was on my phone texting Aeron.
When we pulled into my driveway, Zuko's car was already there. I could see Katara smiling out of the corner of my eye. She shut off the car and got faster than I thought she would. I hopped out and walked towards the door while mentally preparing myself for what could happen in this next hour.
Zuko opened the door and gave Katara a quick peck and then pulled me into a hug rough enough to be meant for one of his friends.
"Hey Zula!"
"Zuzu." I said with a laugh.
"Come come! Lunch is ready!" Mom called from the kitchen. Katara practically ran to the kitchen and sat down at spot we had given her a week ago with the excitement of a five year old.
"Someone is hungry." Zuko mumbled as we walked into the kitchen.
I laughed and shook my head.
Katara POV
Ursa placed lots of different foods in front of me and my mouth watered.
I waited a tad impatiently while everyone got their food and moaned with joy when I was able to finally eat.
Zuko snorted a little but tried to cover it up. I glared at him and stuck my tongue out.
"Ursa, this is amazing." I said before taking another bite.
"I'm happy you enjoy it." she said. "Maybe you'll try more in the future?"
"Like when I come over for dinner?" I questioned.
"Or if you live with me." Zuko said softly.
Suddenly lunch seemed scary. Not that I would mind living with Zuko, but why all of a sudden did it need to be discussed in front of his family.
"I … umm."
"Okay, you guys are going about this all wrong." Azula said after a long enough pause.
"How would you go about it?" Zuko asked, an annoyed undertone in his voice.
"Like this." Azula said before taking a sip of water. "Katara, we are the late Fire Lord's family."
And she said it, just like that. No long explanation, no story about how they came to America. Just hey best friend, we are royalty.
"So wait… you really are a princess?!" I said. "With a palace?"
Azula nodded. Then she started laughing. "Are you saying that because of our conversation?"
"No! I'm serious! You have a palace that you didn't tell me about until now! Next summer I want to go to the palace and feel like royalty."
"Well… you'll feel a whole lot like royalty next summer because of a dream I had." Ursa said turning the topic away from me not seeing the palace. "You see, Zuko is the crowned prince and next in line to take over the throne. And well I had a dream that Agni himself wants you two to marry."
I sat there quietly and ate a little bit of food. "So… I'm going to eventually marry Zuko?"
"Yes." Ursa replied.
"And I'll be the Fire Lady."
"Yes."
"And it really does take a year to plan a coronation?"
"It actually does." Ursa said with a laugh in her voice.
"So basically our lives are like The Prince and Me except I'm not from the midwest and I know he is a prince."
Azula laughed and nodded. "Yeah that is basically it."
"I can see why y'all wanted to wait to tell me this. I guess you can't really argue with a god."
"It doesn't work to well." Ursa said with a confidence that I did not want to question.
"So … I have a pretty big secret to keep." I said while nodding gently. "Okay."
Zuko stared at me with a look I'd seen in very few people. I couldn't decipher it and that bothered me. Then he smiled and I briefly forget about the look I could't translate.
"That went well." Ursa said before eating again.
I looked around at my future family and smiled. "I think I can keep y'all around."
"Oh please! You couldn't get rid of me if you wanted to… arguing with a god doesn't work. Remember?" Azula said with a smirk.
As Azula and I began to play argue, Zuko and Ursa shared a look. It wasn't lost of me, but I wasn't alarmed. For the first time ever, I knew that the boy I was falling for was falling for me and that in the end, everything would truly be okay.