Hey all…sorry on the slow updates. Things have been…busy. I'll try to update as often as I can. On with the story!

"What…what are you talking about?" Toph asked in a useless attempt to make them think everything was fine and dandy.

"Toph, we aren't idiots", Katara said.

"Well, maybe Sokka", Aang said, earning himself an indignant shout from Sokka. Aang just smiled innocently at him.

"As far as I know, people don't shout things like 'stop' and 'please' in their sleep", Zuko said breezy. Toph scowled.

"Excuse me for havin' a nightmare", Toph said.

"Toph, I'm good at reading people. The look on your face when you were…er, dreaming, was, well, bad. It looked like you were reliving a time in your life. We're just concerned", Aang said. His words seemed to have gotten to the blind girl, because she took a deep, shuddering breath.

"I swear, I'm fine", she said shakily.

"Right. And I'm an angsty, emo-tastic Fire Nation Prince", Sokka said sarcastically. Zuko glared at him.

"Toph, It's ok", Katara said soothingly. Suki nodded her assent.

"You don't have to be afraid of us", she said.

"Come on, we want to-"

"ALRIGHT! God. You really want to know? I was part of the Boryokudan. I was keeping watch with a boy, Number 17. He was pissing me off and I tackled him. That's when the…well, I don't actually know what it was, but it swept me up, and the next thing I knew, I was here", Toph said quickly. "That's why I was screaming 'stop'. That…thing was effing scary."

"Huh. Mysterious wind. Sound familiar to anyone?" Sokka asked.

"Yeah. Like the swamp", Katara replied.

"Swamp. That's what we were in", Toph interjected.

"Giant winds are scary enough, Toph, but…it didn't sound like that was the reason you were…" Zuko began.

"It WAS!" Toph roared. "Just…leave me alone. All of you. I shouldn't have stayed this long anyway." And with that, she stalked off into the woods.

"Uhmm…" Suki said, flabbergasted.

"I should follow her", Aang said.

"You probably should", Sokka said, but Aang was already in the air.

Stupid Aang, Toph thought as she made her way through the woods. Stupid Katara. Stupid Zuko, Sokka, Suki. Stupid me…Toph plopped down on a large boulder with a sigh. She felt a poof of air next to her, but brushed it aside as a little breeze.

"Toph, I…"

"AHH!" Toph yelped, falling off her boulder with a thud.

"Oh. Jeez, uh, I'm sorry. Here, lemme help you up", Aang said, pulling her up.

"Get off, I'm fine" she said, pulling her arm away from Aang's firm grip roughly.

"Didn't you see me?" he asked, sitting next to her on the big rock.

"No, Airhead. I'm blind." Aang gawked at this girl. How had he not seen it? Of course she was blind. The girl didn't look any of them in the eye. Her hair was always in her face. Now that he really looked, her eyes were a milky green.

"Oh…uh, I see. I mean, no offense, just…", Aang took a deep breath. "Toph, none of us meant to make you upset or uncomfortable." The tiny girl turned away from him.

"I'm fine. I don't need your care", she told him gruffly.

"We really are just trying to help you", he said gently. Toph was quiet for a moment.

"You want to know so badly?" she asked, voice barely more than a whisper. Aang had to strain himself to hear her. "It was mostly boys, the Boryokudan. I honestly don't know why they even added girls. Anyway, it started, like, two years ago. All of the guys in my tent were a couple years older than me. One night, the first night, I was lying in bed, trying to sleep. I heard a rustling near me. One of the boys suddenly grabbed my arms, holding them behind me. Another held my legs. They were stronger than I was. The other took off my clothes…and they each took turns. I was THIRTEEN", she shouted; the sound was guttural, and Aang jumped from the sudden change in volume. "Almost ever single night, it happened again and again. No one heard. And if they did, nobody cared enough to help. There was one boy, Number 53. Friendship only went so far, though. He tried to stop them at first, but after getting beaten every time, he just…gave up. And so did I", Toph finished, looking at the ground. A mix of emotions fluttered through her: confusion at why she just poured her deepest secret out. Relief. Disgust at herself. Fear.

Aang, however, sat in stunned silence. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she went through. He didn't really know what to say to her. He supposed there was nothing to say. He wrapped his arm around her thin shoulders, pulling her towards him and into his strong chest. She recoiled at first, but sunk into his embrace, letting her tears fall freely.

There's Chapter 3! And no, it's not the end of the story. I have bunches of ideas for what I want in this story, but if you got any ideas, lemme know! R&R, please!