Chapter 13

Aang and Katara, using telepathy, agreed to keep this little power a secret. The last thing they wanted was for Sokka and Suki to ask questions and details. What were they supposed to say? Yeah, we just kissed and all of a sudden we can read each other's minds but not yours? That wouldn't sit so well, especially since Sokka doesn't believe in magic. It defies logic, and that's something Sokka prides himself in.

It was still pouring outside and Katara was worried if there was going to be a flood. As much as she loved water, the last thing she needed was to drown in it. Aang squeezed her hand, sensing her thoughts and sending one back.

'Don't worry. I'm sure it won't be like that.'

'But what if it does? A lot of homes could be wrecked.'

He looked at her reassuringly. 'It's okay, Katara. If it does happen, people are prepared for it.' Katara squeezed his hand back and smiled at him. Aang, Katara, Sokka and Suki were sitting in the living room catching up.

Sokka and Suki had gone to the Kimono Dragon to eat while the light show had happened to the now physic teens. When the storm started to hit full force, the older teens decided that it was time to leave before the roads got too flooded.

"You wouldn't believe the trouble we had coming home," Sokka said. "We were lucky we didn't skid too much on the road. I thought we were going to ram right into a tree." The four teens laughed at that, thinking that it would be just Sokka's luck if that had happened.

Suki shook her head, giggling. "I could picture that happening. Most of the time, it seems like the world is against him."

Sokka grimaced, shaking his head. "Please don't encourage the world. It's bad enough that it tried to drown us. What? Are you going against me too?" he joked.

Suki gave him a look that made Sokka cringe back. "And if I was? What would you do about it?" Her eyes had narrowed even more, making her look threatening.

Sokka gulped and moved farther away. "Um, nothing?" he squeaked out. Suki looked at him still and then laughed before hugging him. Sokka looked a little bewildered but managed to hug back.

"You got that right." She looked at him and grinned. "That's why I love you so much." She kissed his cheek and Sokka grinned stupidly. Aang and Katara had been watching the older couple with amusement.

'Do you think they're soul mates?' Katara asked.

'Possibly,' Aang thought back. 'They do seem like they are.'

When they stopped mentally talking, the front door burst open and Toph stumbled in. What shocked the teens was the girl's haggard look. Her sleeves were torn, her left arm had a thin cut that wept blood, her raven hair was in disarray, and her skin looked paler than usual.

The Gang jumped to their feet and ran to Toph's side just in time to catch her. She groaned. "This was not how I wanted to spend my night," she managed to say before she passed out cold. Sokka and Aang grabbed a hold of her and went to the couch. Toph was breathing hard and Katara checked her arm. The cut wasn't life threatening, but it would be better to get it wrapped up. She looked at Aang and he nodded, going upstairs to the first aid kit.

Not even a minute later he was back and Katara started cleaning out the wound. Back when she was little, she, Sokka, and their parents would take them on vacation to go hiking. Sokka had cut himself with the knife while helping their dad de-scale the fish. Kya had taught Katara how to clean and patch wounds. She had helped the process and the lessons had stuck with her for years. To think she had to do it again brought a sense a usefulness in her. At least she wouldn't be totally useless when they fought the snake men.

Toph groaned again and then fell silent as Katara finished putting salve on the girl's arm. She wrapped white linen around the upper arm and watched as Toph's breathing became easier. The Gang watched as Toph went into a peaceful sleep. But their minds were anything but calm. Thoughts whirled around, creating a cacophony of mayhem in their brains. What happened to Toph? Who attacked her, and why? She never did anything to anyone. Despite the tough exterior, the blind girl had a heart of gold. She would only mess with people if they mess with her or her friends.

Katara looked at her friends' faces. They held sadness and anger and frustration. That pretty much summed up her feelings at the moment. She looked at Aang. Not only did he look like all those emotions, he also looked thoughtful. He felt eyes on him and turned to Katara and sent a silent message that only she could hear. She nodded silently and looked at their young friend again.

They stayed there for a long time, oblivious to the storm that blanketed the world in black and gray.

Toph woke up feeling like sand was in her mouth, making it hard to swallow. She tried to sit up and a wave of dizziness hit her, forcing her back down. That was when she realized she was lying on a soft plush bed. Someone must have carried upstairs sometime during the night. Judging from the sounds on her window, it was still pouring out. At first she wasn't sure how she had gotten there; then the memory of what had happened came to her: the lights going out, the vibrations, a slash and the pain that followed, her running away as fast as she could.

How she had managed to get to Sokka and Katara's house in the storm was beyond her; but she made it here, and felt quite proud of herself. She took a deep breath and heard voices in the room with her. Then she felt a cool rag on her forehead and opened her eyes. Since she was blind, she wonders why she even bothers opening them; then remembered that it was to show who she was.

She hears a female voice ask, "Toph? Are you okay?" That sounded like Sugar Queen all right. Only she would sound this worried. Toph sat up, causing the rag to fall from her face. She wasn't going to admit felt nice to be treated nicely.

When she was she wasn't going to topple over, she said, "Yeah, I'm fine. Stop babying me!" Toph sensed her friends give her space and she swung her legs over the bed. Standing up, her blind tilted a little; not enough to send her falling, but to feel dizzy. She took a deep breath and felt her head. It seemed like a rhino had trampled on her brain, turning it to mush.

She asked, "Can someone open the window a little?" Suki went over to the windows and cracked it open. Fresh rain scented air washed the room with its fragrance. Toph took a deep breath, relaxing again.

Then Aang asked, "Toph? What happened to you last night?" Toph's body tensed again, and that was when she noticed the bandage on her arm. She touched it and winced, remembering the feel of a cold blade running there.

Then she began her story. "Well, I was sitting in the living listening to music. My parents had left the night before to go to some convention. Anyway, as I listened to the music, I felt vibrations outside of the window. At first I thought it was the rain; it was pounding really hard. But then the window blew open and rain lashed in. By the time I managed to get it closed, the lights went off. I thought the storm had knocked the power out, so I went back to the couch; but before I could sit, I felt a piece of cold metal slice on my arm. That was when I realized I wasn't alone. I felt vibrations behind me and spun around in time to hit whoever it was in the jaw. I could tell by the way it felt. The guy managed to punch me a few times before I got lucky and kicked his soft spot."

There were a couple giggles and snorts from that last comment. Then the Gang became serious again as Toph continued. "When he was on the ground, I ran from my place to here. How I got here is still a mystery to me. But it was the first place that came into my mind, so I followed my gut and came here."

The Gang was silent the entire time Toph explained her story. There was an uneasiness in the air, making it thick with tension. Sokka stood up and started pacing, like he always does when agitated. He started muttering to himself as everyone else thought deeply of the situation. Aang and Katara shared a thought. There was only one thing that could have attacked Toph. It was the same people who had attacked them before: the people with the Black Mamba symbol. If it hadn't been for Toph's vibration sense, she could have gotten killed.

Katara broke the silence that had enveloped them. "It's pretty obvious who had attacked you, Toph."

The blind girl nodded. "I figured who it was when I fought him. He had the same graceful movements like the guys from the mall. It must have been the Black Mamba guys. But why would they attack me if my parents have the money?"

Sokka answered before anyone else could. "Maybe they thought the money would be passed to you if something were to happen to your parents. By the way, what do your parents do anyway?"

Toph looked a bit uncomfortable, but replied, "They own a fish market." There were a few snickers, but Sokka guffawed loudly.

When he had his breath back, he gasped out, "Are you serious?! Your parents sell FISH!" This brought more laughter from him.

Toph scowled. "HEY! You'd be surprised how much people from around the world to buy their fish. It's not exactly cheap, but it's not expensive either. So I dare you to make more fun of it." She glared at him, and Sokka remained silent for the rest of the time. They don't know how long they sat in silence. The rain seems to be slowing down; not stopping, but not pounding either. Aang and Katara sat with their arms around each other, watching the rain outside slow down little by little, pulling them into a kind of hipnotic lull. Sokka had his arms around Suki as she leaned against his chest. Toph was lying on a bean bag chair picking her toes. Nothing new there; she always did something gross when she was bored out of her mind.

Then Suki sighed. "I think it's about time we planned." Everyone looked at her, coming out of their spells. Even Toph became alert. She went on. "We have to find these guys before they cause any more trouble. We have to locate their hideout, create a map of some kind to navigate with, and plan the attack so that they're unsuspecting." Then she suddenly grinned big like she had a secret she was willing, and/or bursting, to share. "And I have just the equipment that can help us."