Demonpie17: I like Tosh too:) hahahaha he's like the best guy friend I've always wanted!

Chapter 8-Escape

Katara P.O.V

Today was the day.

Today was the day I was going to be free. Free from all this hatred and arrogance of the Fire Nation. Tosh was going to finally be able to live his life! I had talked to him a little last night about his life before he was imprisoned for stealing food. He had a wife and five kids. One girl, four boys. Tosh told me how he was extremely worried that one of them, or all of them, might be dead now. If they weren't they were probably close to it.

After Tosh fell asleep, I cried silently.

Tosh had missed out on his kids entire lives. Three of them were five years old, while the other two were three. They were practically teenagers now and they had not seen their father for ten whole years. Think of yourself in this situation. Sucks, huh?

"Think this will work?"

"If it doesn't, I'll take the blame, don't worry."

Tosh shook his head and peered down the dark hallway. Even in the daylight, it was still as dark as the other side of the moon. "You young, I take blame." He answered in his low voice. I couldn't help but smile at his kindness. This may seem selfish, but if I were in his position, I would definitely let the other person take the blame. Then again, I am a terrible person, unlike Tosh.

Another prisoner whose name I did not know poked his out from his cell.

"May I join you?"

"What?"

"I want to escape too."

I bit my lip nervously. I could keep an eye on Tosh, but I don't know if I could take it if we got caught and they executed someone I didn't even know. Tosh nodded before I could think it through. "Stay close." The man nodded excitedly and sunk back into the darkness of his cage. That was when hell broke loose. At least fifteen voices rang out through the hallway, all of them saying something about wanting to come with.

It looks like I'm conducting a prison break.

"Alright, alright! Everyone calm down!"

The voices stopped right away; they've probably been trained to expect pain if they aren't quiet. Taking a deep breath, I decided something within myself. "If we escape, it's everyone for themselves alright? I can get you past the walls, but if you even get noticed by one person and ruin everyone else's chance of freedom, I will throw you to the guards myself. Do you all understand?" I said firmly, loud enough so everyone in the prison could hear. There was a short moment of silence, then a small voice came from the last cell at the opposite end.

"I understand."

The other voices joined in, everyone swearing excitedly about our escape. Footsteps were booming down the stairs, and Tosh shushed the voices down. This was our chance. The other prisoners sunk back into the darkness, while I stayed towards the lightest part of the cell. I heard the lanterns being lit, one by one, edging closer to our cell. I silently prayed that the guard couldn't hear my heart beating. The footsteps were right on us now, so I turned and looked up at the guard, putting on my best acting skills.

"Boy he's gunna be mad at you."

The guard stopped and glanced over at me. He leaned down slightly to hear me better, as these hollow hallways weren't exactly the best place for having conversations. I took this opportunity to grab his collar and pull him close to the cell bars.

"Who?"

"Ozai. I wonder what kind of execution he'll have for you…I hope it's a public one."

Worry and fear filled his brown eyes as I talked like a mad woman. I had spit falling from my mouth, and that along with my crazy hair was sure to be a scary sight.

"What? Why would he do that?"

"The meeting...the meeting was the key…you lost the key now. No way to escape now…no, none at all."

I started to look off into the distance, like I was planning his funeral in my head. Years of trying to distract my parents so Sokka and I could get the cookies was starting to pay off. The guard looked like he was going to cry. He took off down the hallway faster than Sokka when dinner was ready. I heard him explain about the meeting and him and the other guard took off running. He hadn't even noticed me swipe his keys when he bent down to hear me better.

You'd think they'd have better security measures. Jeez.

I threw the keys to Tosh, since his arms were longer than mine and could reach the lock faster. We couldn't waste any time what so ever. The door was open. I bolted out the door and grabbed the keys, plugging them into cell after cell, until every prisoner was free. The nerves were starting to set in now. I didn't know if all they would all make it to the wall; nearly all of them were skin and bones. I wonder how Tosh managed to stay so buff.

"This way. No talking."

Tosh and I led them up the stairs and through the hallway that led to the direction of the town. I noticed it last night when they guards were taking me back to my cell. They really should have blindfolded me, but they weren't exactly the brightest, as you probably know by now. I peeked outside, barely opening the door. It was perfect; there was a dark alleyway where we could not be seen. I motioned with my hand for the rest to come. All of us piled into the garbage filled alley, not a sound made. The only thing I could hear was Tosh's breathing.

There was not many town people outside, as it was a holy day, I learned from the group of girls last night. They only went outside if necessary. The guards ran past us, so I stepped backwards so we wouldn't be found. My mind was clear and crisp, for there was no room for mistakes now. Over twenty people were depending on me.

I had to step up.

"Over there."

I pointed to a large food stand that was empty, something we could easily hide behind. Swiftly running to it, I scanned the area for any more guards. Most of the remaining guards were sprinting to the castle, making me snicker. They really were all brawn no brains. I stopped smiling when I saw one, single guard stand outside. He had a very suspicious look on his face as he looked around the town.

The wall was in my sights, completely unoccupied.

My heart beat a little faster.

"Time to run."

The guard had his back turned, and I took off, twenty innocent men following close behind. Ducking through the alleys and jumping over curves, I led them through the village. After a few minutes, we were at the end of the town, the wall looking more clearer every second. Then, out of nowhere, a little girl appears. She looked like Azula to me…just not as cruel yet.

Well, she may not be as cruel as Azula yet, but she was pretty damn close.

"Mommy! Mommy come! Prisoners escaping!"

I make a mental note to never have kids.

"Run! Come on!"

Everyone took off running as fast as they could. The wall wasn't that far away…could we make it? Or were the guards already chasing us? I didn't have time to worry about it now; I must get these people to safety. I dared to glance back, hoping I wouldn't see red and black chasing after us. What I saw crushed my heart; there was an old man, weaker and smaller than all the rest, logging behind us.

Have you ever had to make a choice between something? A choice that determines who lives and who doesn't?

I hope you never have to.

Stopping in my tracks, I turned around towards the old man. Quickly, I lifted him up onto my back and continued to run forward. I heard him whisper a faint "Thank you." At least if I die, I do so knowing that someone else could live. The wall was a beautiful sight. I had never seen something that gave me so much hope. Okay, that's a lie, but you get the point.

Tosh was already helping the others crawl up the wall. I lifted the old man up to him, using almost all my strength. That isn't a fat joke, I'm just saying that after days of not getting a good meal, my muscles were completely worn down. Tosh gently threw the elderly man over the wall to the other men. There was still at least ten men to go, and I could hear yelling back at the village.

"Get them you fools!"

Whipping around, I saw the guards running straight for us.

Desperately, I looked around for any source of water. I felt a leap of hope when I spotted a pond. It wasn't huge, but at least I wouldn't be completely defenseless. Tosh shot me a worried glance, but I waved him off, "Keep going! I can hold them off!" I yelled. The Fire Nation guards were getting closer, but after glancing at Tosh, I decided to meet them halfway.

"Miss me?"

I sent the water whip towards them, making the first line of them fall to the ground. Lifting the water back up, I created a large ball of swampy water, thrusting it at the next group. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tosh push the last prisoner over the wall. In that split second, the one man I had missed, swatted me onto the ground like a fly.

"We meet again little girl."

It was, of course, the guard I despised the most.

I prepared myself for death, holding my head high as I waited for the blade to come down on my head.

The blow never came.

The sun blinded me for a second, and when I was finally able to focus, I looked up to the glorious sight of Tosh holding the man by the neck. "You do not harm girl." He grumbled, the most ferocious I have ever seen him. The man looked petrified, which made me grin. Tosh threw him over twenty feet away, then held out a hand to me.

"Not much time, go now."

I could feel my legs failing me as I ran to the wall. Tosh held his hands open for me, ready to catapult me over to freedom. As I rose my bloody foot up, I pictured Tosh and I, running into the open, free land. We would be smiling and happy. Maybe before I went back to Aang and the gang, I could meet his family. This fantasy was short lived.

Very short.

A fire ball came crashing right between us, burning my foot and Tosh's hand.

Looking at it now, this was the moment I knew.

I was not going to be free today.

Dizzier than I had ever been, I glanced up, feeling my heart drop at the sight of all the Fire Guards, only yards away from us. Tosh and I locked eyes, and I nodded at the wall. "Go Tosh." I ordered, shakily standing up. He started to shake his head, but I wasn't about to let both of us die. "Tosh, go now! Please! I can hold them off, but only for a while! Your family needs you!" I yelled, getting in a defense stand. The look in his black eyes changed when I mentioned his family.

He put a hand on the wall, then looked over at me.

"You will be a hero Katara. I forget never."

I smiled at my friend, then watched him crawl the wall.

Taking all the water in the pond, I made as many water whips as I could, sending them towards the guards as fast as I made them. Did I know it was useless? Yes, of course I did. I was surrounded by the entire Fire Nation army, but something inside of me kept pushing. It was the will to survive. There was no way I was going down like a silly, stupid little girl.

I would not be made a fool of.

I dodged fire balls left and right, the heat grazing my skin. Noticing I was by the weakest looking part of the wall, I smirked at the guards. "You missed, butthead!" I shouted, hoping I could aggravate the guards. Surprisingly enough, it worked. The fire balls came faster and a hell of a lot harder. Little did they know, they were starting to break down their own wall.

When I was a little girl, we used to play dodge the rock. It was a stupid game, but Sokka and I played it almost every day. One time, we started to use big rocks, wanting it to be a challenge. I threw the rock as hard as I could at Sokka, and he was so shocked at how big it was, he let it hit him straight in the gut. Funny as heck, but he was throwing up his food for the next three days.

In my mind, I tried to think of the strategies I used to dodge those rocks.

The meanest looking man I had ever seen stepped forward, motioning for the other guards to stop their fire. For a moment, the world was silent. The man took his stance, and I readied my body to try and stop his fire. Using all his power, he threw the biggest fire ball I had ever seen at me. Flashing back to my childhood, I laid on the ground, just barely missing getting burnt alive.

The fire hit the wall with a boom, and it came crumbling down.

I thought the Fire Nation was supposed to have the best architecture in the whole nation?

It sure didn't look like it. The wall continued to crumble, piece by piece. The men stood there, their mouths wide open in shock, as they watched their great masterpiece plunge to the earth. Quite hilarious, actually. I would have laughed if this wouldn't have been such a…deadly situation.

When the last brick of the wall fell, the guards all looked down at me.

I carry something around me that no one else can see. It holds me down like thousands of snowflakes, suffocating me till the point of death. This thing I carry, is called hope. Hope can crush you and break you, when you realize that whatever you have hoped will come true, doesn't come true. I must have been stupid to hope that I would be free. The realization I came to in that moment in time, was this:

I was born happily hopeful, but I would die, tragically hopeful.

Ohhhhh! Shit is getting REAL!

Guess what?

It's snowing. In friggin April. I hate this state. WHY THE HELL WOULD IT EVER BE GOOD TO HAVE SNOW AT THE END OF APRIL?!

Sigh.

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