Light:
Reaching her dorm at the end of the school day was like walking out of a sauna and into a refreshing sea breeze. Katara locked the door behind her and sighed, slumping against the door. Being a T.A. was tough! She picked herself up and walked over to the phone, groaning when she saw the red message light. She pushed it and wished frantically that it was just Sokka or Suki or anyone else except—"You have two new messages. First new message:
'Hey Katara, it's Suki. Your brother left the lights on in his car. Hopefully by the time you get this message the battery won't be dead. He still hasn't told me his new number yet. Stupid kid. I don't know why I'm dating him! An-n-n-nyways, just pass that along, as well as my annoyance! Bye chika!'
Katara laughed and paused the machine. She might as well call Sokka now, before he collapsed into a video game frenzy. Dialing the phone she glanced out the window. Dark storm clouds had been moving in since the afternoon had started. Frowning, Katara returned to the crisis at hand.
"Hey Sokka. No, I'm not a credit card company trying to sell you any credit. No! Wait, don't hang u—Uggg. Stupid brother." Katara glared at the phone, fuming inside. She had heard Aang's voice in the background. They must've been trying to play a prank on whoever called next. Well she'd show them.
Dialing the phone, she grinned evilly. "Hello? Yes, this is your insurance company calling. I have a damage report filed against a black Hummer H3 registered to a mister Sokka Pak. Is he speaking? No? I'll hold." She stifled a giggle.
Sokka cleared his throat and spoke into the line. "This is Sokka Pak speaking, what's this about my car?" Katara could tell he had just caught his breath, probably still having been laughing about the gag played on her.
"Ah, yes Mister Pak. This is your insurance company. According to this report, your vehicle was reported as being involved in an accident that caused your rear headlights to become broken. Can you verify this?"
"What? I haven't left the campus all day. Oh man, hang on!" Katara could hear him frantically searching for his keys, then the door slamming behind him as he sprinted from his dorm to the parking lot. Laughing, she hung up the phone, imagining him babbling into the phone, and then swearing profusely when he saw his car lights on.
She was still laughing when the lightening flashed, followed directly by a blast of thunder. Her prank couldn't have had better timing if she had tried. When the next flash and crack sounded, the main light in her dorm flickered, and then died. Cursing, Katara fumbled around in the dark, temporarily blind. She blinked the spots from her eyes and latched onto the only light that was still on—the one on her answering machine.
She moved towards it and her desk, feeling for the middle drawer. Inside, she found what she was looking for—a pair of glow sticks that glowed a radioactive green once she snapped then, allowing the chemicals inside to mix. She glared at the night sky and winced when the next lightning bolt flashed. Sighing, she knew there wasn't anything she could do, besides wait for the storm to stop and for power to go back on.
The red message light pierced through the darkness and flashed. Her machine began to play the second message after the pre-set three minutes.
Hullo Katara, it's Zuko. Uh, Zuko Kai from class, I mean, Creative Writing.
Katara was slightly startled by the machine, not by the voice that was coming from it. Or rather, that was what she told herself.
I— this just sounds so stupid—I was wondering if you would want to grab a coffee or something tonight. If you don't want to, I get it. But if you do, feel free to call. He listed his number and hung up, forgetting to say goodbye.
Zuko scowled as the lights plunged his dorm into inky blackness. He reached for his phone, opening it to let a ray of light try to pierce the night. The blue-white ray illuminated only a tiny square in his room, and he couldn't find where he had put his flashlight.
The little silver phone started to vibrate and he nearly dropped it in surprise. He didn't recognize the number at all. Frowning at his phone, he deliberated not answering. His finger hovered over the disconnect button, but he changed his mind. Punching the connect button with his thumb, he barked into the mike, "Yep?"
Katara was startled at first by his voice. She had been just about to push the disconnect button herself. "H-hey Zuko." She cleared her throat and tried to speak again.
"It's Katara." Zuko stood up from his desk chair, almost falling on his face when his shoe got stuck between the leg and the desk.
"Oh hi Katara. Crappy night, eh?" Eh? Had he just said 'eh' to her over the phone? Zuko didn't even think 'eh' was a word.
"Yeah, you're telling me! Thank God for glow sticks over here at chateau Pak."
"Oh, ehe, cool." He paused, unsure of what to say next. Katara filled in the awkward silence.
"So… you said on your message you wanted to go get a coffee or something?"
"My message, yeah. I did say that, didn't I? Yeah. Anything with light would be nice right now."
"Haha," Katara laughed. Zuko leaned against his desk, rather enjoying the musical sound of it. "Sounds awesome to me. Well-l-l-l why don't you meet me over here at Cherry Grove? My dorm is right near the parking lot and I can have time to find some cash in my room."
Zuko gave a gruff, "Okay. See you," and flipped his phone shut. Now to just find Cherry Grove. And a flashlight.
