Chapter 17

After Aang had come home, he had given Appa a bath, Gyatso had given the dog his remedies and some sliced apples, and by the time they were done, Appa looked a million times better. He and Aang were in the boy's room, sitting on the floor. Aang was scratching the dog's belly, Appa lying on his side, his tongue lolling. He was talking to Katara in his mind. It seems that no matter how far apart they are, they can still communicate with each other.

'Appa has been great,' Aang was saying. 'He seems to have gotten used to the place pretty quickly. Gyatso likes him, and it seems Appa likes him back. We actually gave him sliced apples.'

Katara mentally laughed. 'That's adorable! I'm actually surprised how quickly he became at home. I'm glad for both of you. After everything you've been through, you deserve a furry companion.' He could sense she yawned. 'Well, I'm pretty beat. I'm going to call it a night. See you tomorrow?'

'You know it. I love you, Katara. Good night.'

'Good night, Aang. I love you too.' And he felt the connection go off as his soul mate went to bed. He continued petting Appa with a sigh, a little worried. His sense that something bad was going to happen has gotten stronger. He still didn't know what it was, but he didn't like it either way. Appa seemed to sense something was wrong as well because he stood momentarily before sitting beside the boy and placing his furry head on his thigh with a whine.

"You sense it too, don't you buddy?" Aang asked as he watched Appa's eyes blink with worry. Then the dog raised his head with a look too serious to belong on the furry brown and white face. Aang sighed. "I thought so. You know what's weird about having a sixth sense? It's that when danger is near, it alerts you. But it won't tell what that danger is." He shrugged. "At least it gives a warning when someone needs to act. Not a lot of people use their sixth sense because they're either unaware of it, or people feel like there's no need. I already learned how to use mine." He looked at his dog and smiled. "At least we have something in common: we listen to our instincts."

He stood up with another sigh, Appa following his lead. "Come on, boy; it's time for bed. I have school and you have a vet visit." But when he sat down on the bed, Aang saw the dog tremble with fear and frowned with concern. The eyes seem to be a million miles away as Appa tucked his tail between his legs and whimpered. Whatever had happened to him must have scared Appa witless. Something to do with a vet, Aang guessed. He licked his lips and got under the covers before softly crooning, "Come on, Appa. It's okay; nothing's going to happen to you."

Appa seemed to come back to his senses and he walked over to the bed before jumping on, immediately melting into Aang's side with a doggy sigh of content, placing his head on the boy's chest. Aang patted his head before resting his hand on Appa's side, scratching softly. Then he said, "This might sound weird, but I'm going to make you a promise. As long as I have air in my body, I won't ever let anything hurt you again. I promise." Appa seemed to smile a little before closing his big brown eyes and falling asleep. Aang watched his precious pet before looking at the ceiling. He wanted to go to sleep, he really did; but his mind wouldn't shut itself off for some reason. He rubbed his eyes, wondering why his mind was awake while his body craved sleep. He let it wander for a moment. Maybe it was fact that Katara wasn't there with him. They had been sleeping in the same bed almost since they became a couple. Aang smiled at the memory of her kissing him in the hospital. He still remembered the euphoric feeling of having her close. He also remembered having a hard time sleeping then too. But now that sense was stronger, knowing that his soul had found its match.

But there was that sense of danger lurking in the dark corners of his mind. It was like the sense had tentacles that refused to let go of its pray, waiting to feast on it. He wished he knew what the danger was. Although, he had a feeling he already knew. The Black Mamba. His sense became stronger. That was it; it had something to do with them. But what? What else are they planning?

He sighed again and decided to try to go to sleep. Appa woke up a little and snuggled closer, seemingly worried about his new master. Aang patted his head gently. "I'm okay, Appa. I just hope my friends are too." He laid his head back and closed his eyes, succumbing to the night.

Then had the worst nightmare in his life.

Aang was running in the dark streets, feeling like someone was chasing him. He didn't dare look back for fear of that person catching up to him quicker. His nerves were tingling with adrenaline, his heart pumping hard and fast, his panting loud in his ears. He came to an alleyway that looked familiar. He couldn't understand what was happening, but he needed to get out of sight. He ran into it and hid in the shadows, waiting for the person to either follow him or run past.

He got lucky. The dark figure ran right past him. Aang waited until the figure's footsteps receded away before breathing hard. He swallowed and slumped back against the brick wall. He didn't know what in the name of the Spirits was going on, but he didn't like it one bit. Where was he? Why did this place seem so familiar? And why did it fill him with dread? That was when he heard a female shriek. He jumped to his feet and started running to the end of the alleyway.

He skidded to a halt with a gasp of horror from the sight in front of him. His friends were there; but they were dead. Toph, Sokka, Suki, Mai, and Zuko all lay on the ground, looking grotesque in the shadows. There weren't any puncture wounds, but Aang knew they were gone by their glassy stares. They had been poisoned.

He heard another shriek and looked at the far brick wall and saw a scene that scared him even more. Katara was being held by the arm by another dark figure, this one with what looked like a hypodermic syringe. He was trying to give Katara a shot in the chest, but she was struggling too much. The guy put the syringe away, and Katara stopped struggling for a moment before going crazy again. But that was enough time for the man to grab her around her waist, pinning her arms to her sides. With one arm holding her, the guy brought the syringe out again. That was when he noticed Aang standing there with horror on his pale face. Aang felt his eyes widened when a pair of black eyes, that sent a chill of familiarity down his spine, looked into his gray ones. The man grinned, and kissed Katara's cheek, as if to mock him.

She looked at Aang with pleading eyes, saying in his mind to help her. Aang moved, but unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. The man gave Katara a shot in the heart and her blue ocean eyes widened with alarm and fear before slumping forward. Aang caught her and watched as her eyes dimmed, saying mentally he was sorry and that he loved her. She had enough energy to say she loved him back and that she forgave him before her breath and heartbeat stopped altogether. She was dead. The man grinned at him again before disappearing to the opening of the alley.

Aang brought the body closer to his and cried, "Nooooooo!"

And sat bolt upright, the cry echoing around the room. He sat there shaking, panting and gasping, looking around the dark room, feeling sweat on his body. Appa was looking at him with concern, wondering what had happened. Aang pressed a shaking hand to his pounding heart while wiping his face with the other one. That was when he realized he was crying. He had never felt so vulnerable before. He covered his face with his hands and wept. Appa scooted closer and licked the boy's hands gently before being engulfed in a fierce hug. Aang sobbed into the dog's fur, wanting the nightmare to leave his brain. It was just too much. Appa sat there, waiting for his master to calm down while nuzzling his head to comfort the boy.

It took a while before Aang took a deep shaky breath and released his death grip on Appa. He looked around the room again, seeing the first pinpricks of dawn breaking the horizon. He scrubbed his face with his hands as he thought about his dream. Realization hit him like a train. He remembered that place, even after he tried to forget about it. The place where everything changed, turning his world upside down. It was the same alley where Aang had been attacked almost two years ago. And that was the same man who had attacked him.

Since going back to sleep would be impossible, Aang decided to get up, take a shower, get dressed, and have some fruit. He didn't have much of an appetite as he sat there at the table. He had cut some apple slices for Appa despite his trembling fingers. He had never felt so rattled before. The nerves in his body were tingling like crazy, his senses on hyper drive. Every noise had him flinching.

He had to calm down; he was sure if his friends saw him like this, they would ask questions. The last thing he needed was to worry them again, especially Katara. All of a sudden, the memory from the dream of his friends dead flashed into his mind, causing Aang to jump and fall out of his chair with a startled gasp. He hit his head on the floor hard and dark spots danced in his vision. He felt weak.

Appa came over and gently nudged Aang's side when he didn't immediately get up. Even though they only got acquainted yesterday, the dog felt closer to this boy like a best friend would be. He had saved Appa's life, and the dog was grateful to that. When he still didn't move, Appa whined and started licking Aang's face. The boy started groaning just as someone was coming downstairs. There was light gasp of shock and Gyatso came over to kneel beside his nephew.

"Aang?" Gyatso asked gently, smoothing the boy's hair from his forehead.

Aang groaned again and his eyelids fluttered halfway open. With pain filled eyes, he answered. "Yeah?" He sounded tired and weak for some reason. Gyatso was really concerned for the son of his heart.

He helped Aang sit up. Aang hissed when he touched the back of his head, where he could feel a bump forming from landing there. The day hardly began and already all he wanted was to go back to bed. "What happened?" his uncle asked.

Aang hesitated, not wanting Gyatso to worry more. The nightmare felt like it was still trying to repeat in Aang's mind. He pushed it down with a swallow and blinked hard to get his vision back to normal. "I had a hard time sleeping. That's all. I guess…uh…I almost fell asleep. And I…um, fell out of my chair." He hated lying. And to tell the truth, he was never really good at it. Although it wasn't a total lie; he did have a hard time sleeping. However, he could tell from Gyatso's face that he didn't believe all of it either. The old man had heard his cry earlier this morning, so he knew the boy had had a nightmare. But it was up to Aang whether or not he wanted to tell it.

So instead of getting information out of the boy, Gyatso helped him stand, only to catch him when he stumbled with a moan of pain. He felt Aang take a few deep breaths before straightening slowly.

When he was sure he wouldn't fall over, Aang stepped away and tried for smile, even though it felt more like a grimace. "Thanks. I'm okay." He walked, or limped slightly, over to his backpack and grabbed it by a strap. It felt heavier, and Aang tried to hide his grimace, only half succeeding. He looked at the clock and saw it was 6:30, so he had time before he had to go to school. He let the bag go, went over to the couch, and sat down heavily, Appa right behind him. He sat on his haunches and placed his furry head on the boy's thigh. Aang rubbed his hand on Appa's head with a sigh.

Gyatso sat down next to him and placed his arm around Aang, feeling the teenager fall into the embrace. That was when Gyatso noticed the boy was shaking a little. Gyatso gave him a squeeze. "Maybe it would be best if you stayed home today," he suggested.

Aang lifted his head to stare at his uncle. Gyatso would never suggest it unless there was something really wrong. Although Aang would like nothing more than to crawl back into bed, he couldn't. He had promised Katara he would be there, and there was the next lesson of their training. No; he couldn't back out now. So he shook his head. "I'll be okay, Gyatso. I just need to start moving around again." Gyatso looked doubtful, and Aang couldn't blame him. His uncle had once told him he was like a book, waiting to be read. So he hugged him and tried to smile again, succeeding at it better this time. "Really, I'm fine. I just need to get out."

Gyatso still looked doubtful, but he could understand his nephew's need to be with his friends. He nodded and squeezed him gently. "Does your head hurt?" he asked.

Aang felt his head again and winced. There was a throbbing pain inside his temples and the back of his skull. He took a breath. "A little," he admitted.

Gyatso nodded again and stood up. "I'll make you an herbal remedy that will help with it. How about your stomach? Any aching there?" Aang rubbed his clenched stomach and nodded slightly, careful of the headache. His uncle could always tell if he was ill in some way. "Alright," he said. "I will make something for that too. You stay here and rest for bit." He ruffled his nephew's hair gently and affectionately before going into the kitchen. Aang lied down on the comfortable couch in a sort of fetal position. If anything could make him better, it was his uncle's medicines. When Gyatso was a boy, he had lived at some kind of village, called Hun Gow, where they learned how to heal using plants. Gyatso and his family had been some of the only vegetarian families around. One day, his uncle had promised him, Gyatso would teach him everything he knew about healing. Appa lay on the floor, looking up at Aang with those big brown eyes that made him feel like the dog was looking right into his soul.

He must have dozed off because the next thing he knew, Gyatso was shaking his shoulder. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, then looked at the clock. It was 7:00, about half an hour to forty minutes before he had to be at school. "I made tea for your headache and soup for your stomach, mixed with special herbs," Gyatso explained, gesturing to the cup and bowl. "Try to finish it all, okay?"

Aang nodded and started with the tea. He would rather ease himself into the food before actually eating it. Almost immediately the pounding in his head dimmed to a gentle throb. Then he started sipping the soup. At first his stomach tightened, not wanting it. Aang waited for a moment before sipping it again. His stomach began to calm, taking the soup more easily with every sip.

Before he knew it, the tea and soup were gone, and he felt much better. Not perfect, but better. His uncle took the dishes away; then came back with a little baggy of dried herbs. He offered them to Aang, who examined them, instantly knowing what they're for. "Do you remember how to use them?" Gyatso asked.

Aang nodded, glad that the headache was gone. "Crush them, put them in a water bottle, and shake to mix it." The herbs will help with any future headaches if they occur.

The older man nodded, looking pleased. "Very good. You will have much to learn about healing, but they will come in handy in case of emergencies." Aang smiled. He couldn't wait to learn more. "Do you need to do anything else?" Gyatso asked.

Aang shrugged. "I need to make a phone call," he replied.

Gyatso's old eyes sparkled with knowing. "Would that call have anything to do with a certain blue eyed young woman?"

Aang blushed and grinned like a love struck idiot. "Maybe," he said.

Gyatso chuckled as he ruffled his hair. "You do what you need to do. But make it quick; we leave in ten minutes," he added after looking at the clock: 7:20. Aang nodded and went upstairs. He grabbed his phone off the dresser and flipped it open before scrolling the contacts, finding Katara quickly. He could just as easily contact her using his mind, but decided against it. He wanted to be normal for a moment. He snorted at the thought; nothing was normal about him or his life.

After the second ring, Katara answered. "Hey, Aang; are you okay?" She sounded worried. That puzzled him.

"Uh, yeah," he replied. "Why?"

"I was just wondering because I felt sick earlier. But it didn't feel like it was me; it was more like a feeling from somewhere else. Weird huh?" It was weird all right. It seems like this connection they have can cause each other to feel what the other person is feeling. The nightmare was pretty traumatic. Maybe Katara sensed his fear and anguish, causing her to feel funny. "Are you still there?" she asked and Aang came out of his thoughts.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah; just thinking," he said thickly. "I didn't really sleep that well last night. I had a head and stomachache this morning. But I'm okay now. Gyatso gave me some medicine."

"Are you coming to school today? Or are you going to stay home and rest?" Aang could tell she would rather have him stay home than risk getting sick again. That was one of the reasons he loved her so much.

He shook his head and smiled. "I'll be there. I feel better now. Meet you at school?"

He heard Katara sigh. "Yeah, I'm going. Just take it easy, okay?"

"I will. I'll see you soon. Love you."

He could tell Katara was smiling when she answered. "I love you too, Aang. See you at school. Bye!"

"Bye, Katara." And they hung up. He put the phone down before dropping his head in his hands. There was something in Katara's voice that got him wondering: what else did she feel? The nightmare made Aang feel strange, that much was obvious. But Aang sensed a kind of curiosity in her voice. Did she know about him having a nightmare? No; she could not have. He sighed, dropping his hands. There was another thing; he felt like there was a missing piece of the puzzle from his dream. The man with black eyes. Now that he thought about it, the guy in the dream wasn't the same height. He was definitely shorter and younger. But that left the question: who was he? And was the dream just that; a dream, or was it an omen of bad things to come?

He heard his uncle call him to get in the car, so he got up, went downstairs, grabbed his backpack, and followed his uncle and Appa to the car, feeling like he was being watched and followed.

When they got to the school thirty minutes later, Aang saw the Gang standing outside the building waiting for him. He got out the front and opened the passenger door to hug Appa. The dog licked his ear, causing Aang to laugh and lean back. He scratched his beloved pet behind the ear. "You be a good boy, okay? I'll take you out when I get home later." Appa barked softly and licked Aang's nose, making him chuckle before he pushed the dog back and closed the door. Then he grabbed his backpack from the front seat and told Gyatso, "I'll be home late again. We're hanging out at Sokka's and Katara's place. I'll see you later." When his uncle nodded, Aang closed the door and headed over to his friends.

Katara was the first to greet him as usual, running up to him and giving him a warm hug, which he gladly returned with a pounding heart. Having her in his arms again proved that she was still here. He looked at his other friends over her shoulder. They were all there, healthy and alive. He breathed a sigh of relief while closing his eyes. But he still wondered if they would be gone like they had been in his dream. That dark thought wouldn't leave him alone.

Katara broke the hug and grabbed his hand, which started shaking a little. They walked over to their friends. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked softly, having noticed the shaking hand.

Aang nodded, though he looked a bit pale. "Yeah; I'm alright." His eyes wandered over to Toph, who heard his answer and was shaking her head, knowing he was lying. But luckily she didn't say anything, which he was grateful for. They entered the building.

After grabbing their things, Aang and Katara started towards History when Katara said, "I'll be there in a minute. I gotta run to the bathroom first."

He looked at her, not wanting to leave. "Do you want me to wait for you?"

Katara shook her head. "No, that's okay. I'll be quick, I promise." She kissed his cheek, making him grin a little.

He squeezed her hand. "Okay. Be quick." He kissed her forehead tenderly, looked around, and with obvious reluctance, released her hand before walking away. Katara bit her lip, wondering what was wrong with him. She can sense a kind of turmoil inside him. When she got to class, she was going to start talking to him and find out what was wrong. With this in mind, Katara turned and went into the girls' bathroom.

A few minutes later, the bell having already rung, the girl came out of the bathroom and was on her way to History and Aang when someone stepped into her path. She looked up and felt a prick of fear before a surge of anger. Jet smiled his cocky and arrogant smile at her. "And where do you think you're going?" he drawled, eyeing her up and down. The pervert.

Katara wasn't afraid of him; she was downright annoyed. She said nothing as the blue eyed girl tried to walk around him. But Jet grabbed her wrist and swung her back around to face him. He still had his smile, but something like anger sparked in his soulless eyes. "I said, where are you going?" Still Katara said nothing, wanting this little meeting to be over. She longed to be with Aang again. Her very soul yearned for his.

She tried removing her wrist from his hand, but he pulled her back and pushed her against the wall. She gasped as she felt a spark of fear run through her when she felt his lower body press intimately against her. Katara tried to move away, but he was holding her too tight. He looked around, making sure they were alone, before settling his heated gaze on her. "As I've told you before: you haven't seen the last of me."

Aang was getting jittery. Katara should have been here already. Class had started a few minutes ago. When the bell had rung, signaling the beginning of class, Iroh had done his usual roll call. When Katara didn't answer, he had turned to Aang and asked, "Mr. Montauk, do you know where Ms. Yatsunoma might be?"

Aang had looked at him before saying, "She said she went to the bathroom and that she would be back." Iroh had nodded and finished roll call before going into the lesson.

Now Aang sat there in the back next to Toph, feeling something was off. Katara was never late. Something's wrong, he could feel it. Aang looked at Toph, and he could tell something bad was happening by the expression of disgust and hatred on her face. She felt him looking at her and she jerked her head in the general direction of the door, telling him to leave.

Then he felt something slam into his mind, so hard and fast it was all he could do not to groan. His heart started pounding with fear; but it wasn't his. It was someone else's fear. He then felt anger wash through him, followed by annoyance, then back to fear again a few moments later. Katara; it had to be. He started feeling sick.

He closed his eyes, to try to calm himself and talk to her, and suddenly a vision came to him. He saw his girlfriend against the wall, held in place by someone. He had a bird's eye view of the whole thing. He can see Katara struggling to get free, but the figure wouldn't let her go as he kissed her neck. Aang felt his blood boil. He recognized the figure; Jet. That idiot had his hands on her, and was kissing her against her will. Aang felt his hands ball into fists, one of them breaking his pencil. Toph put her hand on his arm, extremely worried about his heart rate. The vision vanished, and Aang was back in the room, sweating.

Iroh looked over at him in concern when he heard the pencil snap and saw the boy looking as pale as a ghost. "Aang?" he asked, and the teenager looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you alright? You look sick."

Aang could still feel Katara's emotions as they slammed into him. He swallowed the melon sized lump in his throat and croaked, "I don't feel good." He needed to get to Katara. He had promised to protect her, and he would keep doing so until his breath left him. "Is it okay if I use the bathroom?" he asked. It was the only thing that came to his mind as a way to get out of here. "After that, I'll be okay." He felt a surge of Katara's panic. He had to move quickly.

Iroh eyed him with worry and concern, wondering what was wrong with him. The boy looked ready to faint. Either that or throw up. He nodded. "You may go to the restroom, Aang. And if you still don't feel right, I will send you to the nurse to check you out, and see if you can go home. You are dismissed."

Aang nodded and ran out of the room, the students watching him. He felt his spirit pulling him along as he ran down the hallways and he let it. It knew where its other half was.

When he turned the next corner, what he saw made him stop dead in his tracks, feeling sick again. Katara was against the wall with Jet covering her like he saw in the vision; the difference being that she was being kissed on the mouth instead of her neck. And the jerk's hands were skimming Katara's belly as she tried to get away. He could hear her thoughts, screaming for help.

Aang ran to them and pulled Jet off of her. Katara gasped for breath as she stumbled into Aang with tears flowing down her cheeks. He caught her as Jet fell to the floor with a grunt. She looked at her rescuer and stammered, "H-he… Jet tried t-to… An-and then y-you…" The poor thing could not speak. She was shaking too much.

Aang hugged her gently, not wanting to frighten her any more than she was. "It's okay. I'm here; you're safe." He looked to see Jet standing up, blistering fury on his face. He placed Katara behind him as he glared at Jet. "Stay behind me, and don't move," he whispered with barely controlled rage. This guy had some nerve doing what he did. Obviously Jet thought females were only games to be played with, not someone to show respect to.

Jet wiped the saliva off his mouth with his dark sleeve and gave Aang a darker scowl. "What's your deal?" he snarled. "I was only giving Katty something she would enjoy."

Katara felt Aang's black anger surge through him. She could also see it in the way his muscles bunched up. She considered herself lucky she wasn't in Aang's path of destruction. "How dare you?" Aang said quietly with malice in his tone. He took a step toward the older teen. "I am so sick of you trying to do her to harm. I told you before, Jet: leave her alone. She is not breaking up with me. I don't intend to let her go. Why do you keep bothering her?"

Jet snorted. "Because I can give her something you can't: a good time. I bet you haven't even gotten her out of her clothes."

"You're sick," Aang snarled, balling his hands into fists.

Jet crossed his arms lazily, seemingly not caring. He seemed to think for a moment before smirking. "Tell me something, Montauk; have you thought about the past recently?"

Aang blinked, confusion mixing in with everything else he was feeling. Where was Jet getting at, and what did it have to do with Aang's past? He studied Jet closely, his eyes taking in small details of Jet's face. His strong nose, semi full mouth, high cheeks. And his dark soulless eyes. His height; his cocky, devilish smirk.

That said smirk widened when he reached into his back pocket and pulled out and flicked open the switchblade, the school lights glinting on the stainless steel. The handle was in the shape of a dragon. Aang's mouth went dry and his heart pounded again. He knew that blade. Never had he thought he would see it again. It was the very blade that…that… "That's right, Aang. Remember this? You've faced it a couple of times. Do you remember that day two years ago when you could have joined your parents in the graveyard? Instead, you fought, and got the man in jail after breaking his arm."

Aang was pale again, feeling really sick now. Katara was the same way. He shook his head as the final piece of the puzzle from his dream fell into place. "No," he breathed. Now it made sense; why Jet looked familiar, why he had that flashback while fighting him, the dream of a familiar dark figure where he had killed his friends with poison. It wasn't the man who tried to kill him back then; it was Jet. And that meant…

"I see you understand, Montauk," Jet commented, playing with the knife, completely at ease. "You've finally made the connection."

Aang stared at Jet, his heart pounding dread into his system. "The man who tried to kill me," he whispered. "The one who murdered my parents. He was your… your…" He didn't want to say it, scared that it could be true; but he forced it out. "Father."

Jet laughed like a maniac. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "It's about time you figured it out. Yes, Aang; that man was Edwardo Jenks, my dad. He led one of the most dangerous organizations in the world. You know what it is? I'll show you." He placed his knife back in his pocket after folding it back together and reached for his right long sleeve. He pulled it up to show a tattoo of a snake on his forearm. But not just any snake. It was surrounded by a hexagon, ready to strike. It even had the green and gun metal gray colors. It looked almost real. "The Black Mamba," Jet explained when Aang and Katara backed away. "Accurate. Deadly. Stealthy. It's the very symbol of our power. When you got my old man locked up, when you were a mere fourteen-year-old boy," he growled like being that age was an insult, "I got handed down the job as the Black Leader. It was me and my crew that committed most of the murders and robberies of many successful businesses. We needed the money, so who would miss a few old men and women when they died for no apparent reason?"

Katara stepped forward, rage coloring her cheeks. "It was your dad who killed my mother, wasn't it?" she demanded. Aang pulled her back.

Jet looked at her and clapped. "Very good, Katty. Yes; my father was responsible for your mother's death. She had a business too, and the money. We were going to kill your father too; but I decided to have a little mercy on you and Sokka. I convinced dad to spare you because I know what it's like to lose a mother." Something close to pain flashed in his eyes. "My mother died of cancer when I was very young, around the same age as you were." His eyes turned hard again. "But now I have to fend for myself since your stupid boyfriend placed my dad in jail!"

"It was you and your gang who attacked us at the mall and nearly killed Aang!" Katara almost shouted. "I almost lost him because of your selfish reasons!"

Jet looked a little taken aback by Katara's boldness. He frowned angrily. "Maybe if he had died, you would be with me: someone who could protect you and give you the life of luxury." He held out his hand. "Join me now, and I promise to give you everything you want."

Katara stared at his outstretched hand that he had offered; then at him, seeing something tender in his fiery gaze. He had lost his mother too. Something like pity took hold of her for a moment before she remembered what Jet had done. He killed many innocent lives for money; he had practically raped her; he had almost killed her soul mate, best friend, and boyfriend whom she loved with all her heart. She turned away from him and grabbed Aang's hand, feeling that arc of electricity, and said to Jet, "I'm sorry, Jet. I can't accept your offer. You've helped do so much damage that I could never like someone who destroys the world for their own personal gain, let alone love them. I'm sorry you lost your mother; but that doesn't give you the excuse to kill people, or steal from them. You almost destroyed everything I have ever loved." She took a deep breath. "But you can still change, Jet. Come to the side of good and stop this madness. We could help you if you just let us."

Jet looked undecided. He glanced at Aang to see him gaping at the girl that should have been his. Black raw anger swamped him, and he turned to Katara to glower at her. "I don't want, or need your stupid help," he snarled. Jet took a step back, lowering his hand. "You've chosen the wrong side of this war, Katara. You are going down with the rest of your friends." He slid his sleeve down and glared at the couple. "I suggest you watch your backs from now on. You never know when the Mamba is about to strike." And with that, Jet turned away and strode off to the front of the school, where the exit and entrance was, leaving Aang and Katara standing there holding each other close, trying to calm themselves down.