Eight
Later, when her thoughts had stopped revolving around her father, Maya went back up on deck. Zuko was there, looking through a telescope. She went over to him. He stiffened when he noticed her. "Why do you keep coming up here and talking to me?" he asked.
She ignored his question. "I enjoyed watching you practice today," she said, smiling tentatively. "I was really impressed."
"Whatever," he said, continuing to look through the telescope.
"I'm serious," she said. He didn't say anything. She turned to look out at the water. After a time, she murmured, "I've always been jealous of benders."
"Why?"
His question surprised her. She hadn't expected him to say anything at all. "Because…" She thought. She didn't know if she was ready to tell him anything about her. He hadn't exactly been open about himself. She sighed. "Just because. It seems like an amazing thing, to be able to bend an element. I'd be happy even if I were an earthbender."
She could feel him looking at her. She turned and faced him, looking back, challenging him to open himself up. He took a breath. "My father –
He was cut off. There was light rising into the sky. He spun and looked through the telescope again. This light was different. It wasn't a beam. It looked like a flare, but it was hard to tell from this far away.
Maya watched as Zuko angled the telescope downwards. His head moved slowly from right to left, as if watching something move, and then jerked farther right. He stood and yelled suddenly, "Helmsman! Wake my uncle! Tell him I found the Avatar. As well as his hiding place."