Chapter Twenty-Three: Sweet Seventeen


"Come on, Tashi, keep your eyes closed." Katara laughed. "I promise it'll look good."

I pressed my lips together into a frown. The last time I received a make over, I was cursed with hundreds of bad memories that I still hadn't fully recovered from, so I couldn't help but be on edge while Katara combed through my hair. I sighed. There was nothing to worry about. I was with my friend.

"Just don't cut it." I shut my eyes.

There was a pause followed by a low exhale from Katara. "That's right. Your style looked different after…. Sorry. If this is making you too uncomfortable, I don't have to."

I nodded. "No, it's fine. Really, you can continue."

My heart sank. Had Zhao broken me to the extent that I shuddered from Katara touching my hair? It was normal girl stuff, and yet, my nerves were standing on end with every pull and tug to my strands. Spirits, I hated feeling alienated by my own body.

"Your hair is so lovely," Katara said.

I shrugged, "Family trait. Never given it much thought."

After a few minutes, Katara moved to my face. I kept still and focused my thoughts elsewhere. My training with Aang had improved, but I definitely had a ways to go. His childish need to turn our sessions into games didn't help. I already gave him a severe lecture on wasting food for target practice. He argued that his mentor, Monk Gyatso, had performed similar pranks with him all the time, and I reminded him that they had the luxury of not dealing with a war. If I was going to master air-bending, I needed him to be serious, and it would be disrespectful for the Northern Water Tribe to see the Avatar goofing off when the Fire Nation could reach the gate any day now.

"All done. Here, have a look," Katara said.

I opened my eyes and saw her holding a mirror made of ice. She lifted it closer to my face, and I gasped at my reflection. My hair had been pulled back into a giant braid while my bangs hung loose. My lips were tinted pink, and it looked much better than that garish red the Fire Nation used.

"It actually looks… nice." I smiled. "Thank you, Katara."

"Of course." She beamed at me. "You know, you shouldn't let those horrible things Jet said get to you. I mean, I can't tell you how to feel about your scars, but you're really beautiful."

My face warmed up, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh. "I appreciate it, but unfortunately, boys can be really superficial. As much as I want to be more confident, it's difficult when my insecurities can be so easily slammed in my face."

"Well, hopefully someday you can find someone who likes you for you." Katara stood. "Now follow me. I have one last surprise for you."

Before I could reply, she dragged me outside and toward the north end of the citadel.

I furrowed my brow. "Katara, why are we heading toward the palace?"

She winked at me. "If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise."

We made our way up the stairs and found a group of guards waiting at the main entrance.

One of the guards stepped forward. "State your business."

Katara approached him. "We have an audience with Princess Yue. I'm Katara, and this is Tashi."

The guard glanced us over, and with a nod, he and the other guards let us through. I followed Katara through the halls until we stopped in front of one fairly large room.

Katara opened the door, "After you."

I eyed her slightly before stepping inside, and my whole body jolted when I heard a loud, "Surprise!" Aang, Sokka, and Yue sprung out from behind their hiding places and greeted me with big smiles.

"What's this about?" I glanced around the room at the decorations and noticed the banner hanging overhead. "A birthday party?"

Sokka grinned. "Yeah, you've it mentioned a few times, so we figured we'd have a small celebration."

"Momo and I did most of the decorating," Aang said.

Yue stepped forward and nodded. "It's what friends are for, after all."

"Thanks, guys." I bowed. "And thank you, Princess Yue for allowing us to use the Palace. I hope you didn't go through too much trouble on my behalf."

She shook her head. "It didn't take much to persuade my father, so don't worry."

"Besides–" Katara put a hand on my shoulder. "You've been having a rough time lately. You deserve to have some fun."

"Am I late to the party?"

I didn't need to turn around to recognize who had entered the room, and I held back my groan. "You invited Hahn?"

Yue glanced between us. "I hope that's okay? I know you two have had a few altercations, but I made him promise to be on his best behavior."

I faked a smile. "Of course, Princess Yue."

"Now, don't look so sour, Outsider." Hahn smirked and stepped closer. "This is a celebration after all. So tell me, how does it feel to be seventeen and unmarried?"

"Hahn, how rude!" Yue placed her hands on her hips.

He shrugged. "It's a fair question."

"Indeed–" Narrowing my eyes, I folded my arms. "And to answer it, I feel free. There are way too many guys like you roaming around the world."

He glared at me. "Why you…!"

I wagged my finger at him. "Ah, ah, ah, you promised the Princess that you'd behave. Wouldn't want to embarrass her. After all, she might tell her father, and what a tragedy it'd be if you lost your cushy position as her fiancé?"

Sokka gaped at him before turning to face Yue. "He's the guy you're betrothed to?"

Yue's smile faltered. "Forgive me, I must have forgotten."

"Well, the southern rouge knows now." Hahn stepped up to Sokka and got in his face. "Gotta problem with that, Sooka?"

"No," Sokka gritted his teeth before turning away, "congratulations."

Aang stepped in between everyone. "Come on, you guys, that's enough. This is supposed to be a party."

"It's all right, Aang." I walked over to Hahn and plucked a hair from his scalp, making him yelp. "If the big, strong warrior wants to hang with us, then let's see if he can handle it."

Hahn rubbed his head while scowling at me. "What's that supposed to mean, Outsider?"

"Because I've already decided our first game." I turned toward the group with a mischievous glint. "Time for Truth or Dare."

Yue tilted her head. "Truth or Dare?"

Aang's eyes practically sparkled. "I love that game."

Hahn rolled his eyes. "Oh, it's a silly air-bender game. This should be fun."

"And Earth Kingdom," I gave him a pointed look before returning my attention to the others. "We always played it for my birthday when I was with the Freedom Fighters."

"How do you play?" Katara said.

"Rules are simple. You pick one person, and they have to choose between truth or dare. If they pick truth, they have to answer your question with complete honesty, and if they pick dare, they must perform whatever act you give them." I sat cross-legged on the cushion to Yue's right. "And since I'm the birthday girl, I get to choose first."

Sokka sat down across from me. "Do we really have to do or answer anything?"

I thought for a second. "Only within reason. You can't ask any dares that would get us in trouble."

Katara took her spot next to me while Aang sat in between her and Sokka, and Hahn sat on Yue's left.

Aang bounced on his seat while Momo climbed onto his lap. "So who are you gonna pick first?"

Putting a finger to my chin, I glanced over the circle of my potential victims. "Well, let's go for the obvious. Hahn, truth or dare?"

"Ah, I wanted it to be me." Aang sulked.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Hahn folded his arms. "Truth."

"Yes, and now we can add coward to the list." I grinned when he narrowed his eyes at me. "You know, when I first met you and Yue, she mentioned that you had a bad reputation with the girls around here. So, Hahn, how many hearts have you broken exactly?"

His eyes widened, and his voice cracked a little. "I'm not answering that!"

"Them's the rules." I gave him a smug look. "Unless, you have something to hide? I think Yue deserves to know exactly what kind of man she's gonna marry."

"Fine." He huffed. "I've courted twenty."

"Twenty?" Sokka raised an eyebrow. "There's no way."

"What can I say? Some guys got it–" Hahn ran a hand over his head, pretending to slick his hair back. "And others don't."

Yue frowned. "Boasting is unbecoming of you."

"Hey, she asked." He smirked. "And now that it's my turn, Outsider, truth or dare?"

"Truth," I said.

"Oooh, who's the coward now?" He laughed. "Well, since you wanted to know so much about my personal life, let's talk about yours. Has any guy even bothered to take an interest in you?"

"I had a boyfriend back in the Earth Kingdom named Jet. We were very serious." I stared at the ceiling with a forlorn look. "In fact, we were planning on getting married, but… he blew his chance."

Yue smiled. "Sounds like he meant a lot to you."

"It's in the past now. And to continue Hahn's question, I've had other offers." I looked across from me. "Like Sokka."

"Uh." Sokka blushed.

"What?" Aang and Katara said in unison while shifting their gazes between us.

"Wh–" Katara snickered at her brother's bashful expression. "When did this happen?"

"He made his move when we were at Aunt Wu's village." I smiled at the memory. "I wasn't interested, but his approach was still adorable either way."

"Adorable? That was his first mistake," Hahn muttered.

Sokka pouted while everyone laughed.

"Guess it's my turn again. Now, let's see…." I glanced everyone over, and noticed Aang eagerly waving his hand. "Katara, truth or dare?"

"Oh, come on," Aang said.

Katara stared me straight in the eye. "Dare."

"Someone's feeling brave." I glanced at Aang, and a brilliant scheme formed in my mind. "I dare you to kiss Aang."

It was the Avatar's turn to blush, and he began stammering. "What…I…uh…."

Katara shrugged. "No big deal."

"Ah, ah, ah," I shook my head. "I mean a real kiss. On the lips."

Aang's face turned as red as a carrot-tomato, and Sokka looked like he was about to puke.

Katara narrowed her eyes at me before nodding. "Fine."

"Ugh, I can't watch this." Sokka covered his eyes.

Aang froze as Katara moved closer to him, his eyes as big as the full moon itself. Her eyes fluttered closed, and she puckered her lips. Beads of sweat started to run down his face. Any attempt to move resulted in his whole body trembling as his nerves over took him. Just as Katara leaned in, Momo perked up from Aang's lap and received a kiss to the forehead instead.

Katara jerked back, wiping the fur from her mouth. "Pfft, Momo! Eww!"

Devastation washed over Aang's expression, and he scowled at the lemur. "Momo, really!"

Momo chirped in shame and crawled over to me.

Yue gasped, and Hahn burst into fits of laughter while holding his sides.

Sokka peeked one eye out through his fingers. "Is it over?"

"Oh, it's over and completely priceless. That was even better than I imagined." I snickered and pet Momo on the head. "Nice going, little guy."

Aang crossed his arms and frowned. "Yeah, real nice."

"Better luck next time, Avatar," Hahn said.

Putting two and two together, Sokka wiped his forehead with a sigh of relief. "Well, thank Momo for sparing me a fit of the oogies."

Katara huffed. "Well, if me getting a simple kiss is too disgusting for you to handle, then let's up the stakes. Truth or dare, Sokka?"

"Dare." He rolled his eyes. "Do your worst, sis."

She gestured to me. "I dare you to kiss, Tashi."

I froze at her words, and Katara paused, realizing her error. She turned toward me with her hands on her face.

"I'm so sorry, Tashi. I didn't mean…." She bit her lip. "I can change the dare to something else if it makes you uncomfortable."

I glanced at Sokka, who began to stammer in protest at his sister's antics.

Hahn rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't be a wimp, Sooka. You wanna get anywhere in life, you gotta take the opportunity when it shows."

I snorted. While I appreciated Katara being considerate of me, it didn't address the real ele-phippo in the room. Sokka was starry-eyed for Yue now, and the two had shared a kiss right under Hahn's nose. The Princess had a hand over her mouth while she stared at the floor. Then again, so long as Yue was engaged to the walking stick in the mud next to her, emotions were all for naught.

"No worries, Katara." I leaned back against my hands. "So long as Sokka's cool with it, I'll let it play."

"What?" Sokka's voice squeaked.

"You heard me." I motioned him forward with a curled finger and spoke with subtle purr in my tone. "Come taste what you've been missing out on if you truly dare."

Hahn noticed Sokka's hesitation. "Well, what are you waiting for, Southerner?"

Sokka snuck a glance at Yue before standing with a huff. "Let's make it quick."

"Fair enough." I gave a wave of disinterest. "Although, word to the wise, lover boy, never tell a lady that you're in a rush. It gives a bad impression of your… ahem… skills."

Sokka blushed while he knelt in front of me. Hahn was snickering behind him, Aang watched us with a furrowed brow, and Katara was hiding her face in her hands. She probably just realized the chaos she created, but it was too late to go back on it now. I felt bad for Yue, whom was turned away in a poor attempt to give us privacy. I'd keep it simple for her sake.

Unfortunately, plans don't always turn out the way we hope. Sokka met my gaze, the faint blush on his cheeks never fading. The flicker in his eyes was conflicted. He once had a crush on me, and I'm sure those old thoughts were resurfacing given the way he was now staring at my lips. Still, he hesitated, so I placed a gentle hand against his face. I felt him relax at my touch, and then he leaned forward.

It was supposed to be quick. I knew how to, but when our lips brushed, a shudder ran down my spine. It was like something unlocked that I hadn't realized was locked in the first place. Ignoring the sensation, I began to pull back; however, Sokka….

A faint whimper, "Wait."

I stopped, and he pushed forward, kissing me once more. His lips were a little chapped, which was no surprise, considering the frozen air around us. He smelled salty, but more like those jerky snacks he'd been raving about since we arrived here instead of the ocean. I felt him apply more pressure, and it was clear he didn't know how to continue.

Taking the lead, I took one of his hands and rested it behind my head. I wrapped my arms around his neck and tilted my head to give us a better angle. Nipping his bottom lip, I earned a gasp. With a smile, I slid my tongue against his lip to suggest my intentions. However, he didn't get it and stuck his tongue out to meet mine. I inwardly giggled and decided to ease him into it. I opened my mouth and sucked his tongue inside where I could play with it freely. This earned a moan of surprise that I'm sure was way too loud, but we both were too entranced to care. Getting the hang of it, he leaned forward more, and I had to pull one hand way from him to maintain my balance.

The altered brush of his lips and assertiveness of his tongue earned a pleasant moan from me that started to awaken the rest of my body. My free hand reached up from his neck and found his ponytail. I tugged his hair free, allowing a few strands to fall into my face while I scrunched the rest in my hand. I wasn't sure how much time had passed since then, but when I felt the hand that was resting behind my head drift lower, I realized it was time to stop.

Moving my hand from his hair to his chest, I pushed him back and broke the kiss. "Sorry, your lesson's over."

Sokka blinked a few times before regaining his composure. His face flushed even harder as he understood how far we went; although, the expression was kinda cute with his hair down like that.

"I…uh…yeah…sorry." He scratched the back on his head. "Well, at least I know what you meant earlier. Yeah, you're a little out of my league. Wow."

"Don't sweat it. And if you need any advice from a girl's perspective in the future, you know where to find me." I winked at him. "But conversation only. I'm not giving out any more demonstrations."

"Yeah, of course." Sokka shuffled back to his seat with a lopsided grin on his face.

Or at least, until we caught sight of everyone else's faces. Right…. There were other people in the room with us. Spirits, what was wrong with me? Going by Aang's expression, Sokka and I definitely took his innocence down a few notches. Katara was clearly regretting her actions by how she shifted her gaze between her brother and me before hiding her face in her hands again. Yue's expression was trained, for she refused to look at anyone. However, I could tell by the way her hands tightened at her sides that she was upset. Though at who was anyone's guess. Then…. I groaned. There was Hahn.

"That was–" The lecherous gleam in his eyes made my stomach lurch. "Sooo hot."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know Sokka turned you on that much, but don't worry your secret's safe with us."

Uncomfortable noises sounded off from the others.

Thankfully, the perverted gaze vanished from Hahn's face and was replaced with a heated glare. "I wasn't staring at him, Outsider! I meant you. Who knew Earth Kingdom girls were so slushy? Or is that your air-bender side?"

"Slushy?" Sokka narrowed his eyes. "You take that back right now."

"Is this word something I should care about?" I said.

Katara crawled over to me and whispered, "It's a negative term for girls who are too… uh… carefree with boys."

I snorted. "Is that all? Color me unimpressed."

"Either way, he has no right to call you that," Sokka said.

"Relax, Sokka." I scrunched my nose. "There's no point in getting into a fight with the village idiot."

Hahn stood. "What you…!"

Aang jumped in between everyone. "Hey, guys. Party. Remember? Why don't we switch to a different game?"

"Like what?" I said.

Aang smiled. "Well, festivals in Air Nomad culture involved dancing and music. So I figured we'd celebrate your birthday with a little song and dance."

I stood. "Cool, but do we have instruments?"

"Right over here." He gestured to the arrangement he cultivated. "Although some of these are unique to the Water Tribe, so I'm not sure how they sound."

Yue stood and walked over to them. "Here, Avatar, let me help you."

The two of them passed out an instrument to everyone. Aang had a tsungi horn, Katara an qilaut, Hahn a Pipa, Sokka a Water Drum, I had a flute made of bone that resembled a shakuhachi, and Yue had an Erhu.

Aang sat down. "So, here's the rules. The person performing will play the song on their instrument, and everyone has to copy the melody. Once we have that down, the one performing will sing and dance while we play."

"Sounds fun." Katara nodded to me. "Well, you're the birthday girl."

Aang cheered. "Of course. We air-benders are the best dancers."

I stood before the group while everyone sat down and readied their instruments. I thought about what song I should play. I wanted it to be something memorable to commemorate the occasion. Something sentimental, but what? I glanced over everyone as they waited. To be honest, I could've done without Hahn being here. He was such a pompous ass, and I felt sorry for Yue. If I could have someone at my party in his place, who would it be? Wait. I knew who.

"I want to dedicate this song to someone very special." I smiled. "I hope you all enjoy it."

I began to play the shakuhachi as best as I could. Once I got the melody down the others started to follow along. It took a few minutes for everyone to maintain the rhythm and even longer to get in sync with each other. Soon the song finally sounded similar to what I remembered. I set down the shakuhachi and began to dance. I wish I had a prop. Maybe fans? That would've worked well with this song, but I made due. I started swaying my hips to the beat, and closing my eyes, I pictured the source of my desires.

When I opened my eyes, I saw him. The Prince. My handsome prince. He was standing behind the others, his lithe, muscular body hidden underneath that black tunic, and his identity kept secret by the blue spirit mask he wore. If I didn't know better, I could've sworn he was really there slowly lurking behind my friends while they remained oblivious. His head was tilted up toward me like he was curious to see my performance, so I gave him a show as though we were the only two people in the room.

The slight sashaying of my hips turned into a full gyrate while my hands ran up the silhouette of my body until they reached high above my head. I began to sing. My pitch was a little off at first, considering I hadn't sung in a really long time, but it balanced out better as I continued. Beginning the first verse, I pointed right at my vision of Zuko before turning my hand and curling my index finger in a come hither motion. He stepped forward, but seemed hesitant. I beckoned him to come closer with a siren song of how he'd become my favorite enemy and the tension that was growing between us. My dancing became more seductive as ran my hand over what little curves I had before getting on my back and posing my legs.

He reached the fake stage that I had conjured in my mind and watched as I coiled my upper body like a serpent while my legs slid against each other. I then flipped onto my stomach and lifted his mask up until his lips showed. I leaned forward as though to kiss him, but as he leaned down, I pulled away with words of how our attraction was forbidden and that I had to resist.

I stood, and he followed me onto the stage. With a mischievous smile, I removed his mask, so I could truly see him face to face. We began to dance together while I continued my second verse of our forbidden lust. I turn toward him, his hands resting on my waist, and I placed my hand on his cheek. With that, my song ended, and my vision of Zuko faded into the air.

My voice went from seductive to sad and longing like this would forever be my tragic secret. Truthfully, it was. After lecturing Sokka about Yue, here I was fantasizing about the Fire Nation Prince. Was it love? No, I barely knew him. However, I definitely had a small crush, and I was finally willing to admit it. At my silence, the music stopped, but I wasn't met with applause. Blinking, I looked back at my friends only to be met with blushing and flustered faces.

"Uh…." I gave them a sheepish smile. "Was it that bad?"

Yue put a hand to her mouth, her composure slipping. "Well, it was uh… quite… passionate."

Aang looked like I had put even more dents in his innocence, Katara was in awe, and Sokka fainted over-dramatically on the floor. Hahn was giving me that perverted look again, but I chose to ignore his presence at this point.

"Where'd you learn to dance like that?" Katara said.

I grinned and sat back down. "Back in the day, Jet and I caught this show that was part of the Earth Kingdom's Underground scene."

"Underground scene?" Yue blinked.

"Yeah, a total topsy turvy world of sex, drugs, and our infamous rock and roll," I said.

She gasped. "That sounds scandalous."

"It was, and I loved it." I leaned back. "Anyway, I had some of the dancers show me some pointers. Definitely, made my nights with Jet more exciting."

Yue was next. She sang about a love so tragic that it made the moon spirit cry as though rain was falling from the sky. Katara shared a lullaby her mother taught her, and Aang sang a traditional Air Nomad song. I wasn't quite sure what Sokka was going for. Between his offbeat start, and his… well enthusiastic singing, it was an intriguing performance. Hahn, on the other hand, thought it was best to boast about his greatness, leaving us in an awkward silence.

I rested my head against my hand and gave a deadpan, "Yeah, and no one bores the audience with his huge ego like Hahn either."

This earned a laugh from Aang, Katara, and Sokka while Yue simply sighed. Food was brought up to the room, and we had a good time eating and chatting. Well, except for Hahn's obsession with taking jabs at me. The loser really needed to get over himself.

"Hey, Momo, that's my plate!" Sokka chased after the lemur.

Oh yeah, Momo decided to steal food out of our hands, but Aang got a hold of him. Once we finished dinner, Sokka invited me outside. We stood next to each other while leaning on the railing that overlooked the whole citadel.

"No offense, but this place still looks so unbelievable to me. I'm not sure how I'd be able to describe it back home," I said.

Sokka nodded. "I felt the same way when I saw Omashu for the first time."

I glanced up at the sky. "So why did you call me out here?"

He scratched the back of his head. "It's about that dare."

"Oh…?" My eyes widened a little. "You know that didn't mean…."

He held up his hands. "No, I know… I mean, I respect your decision for us to remain friends. Although, I'd be lying if I said that I didn't secretly wish things were different. It'd make all of this a whole lot easier."

"Because of Yue?" I said.

"Yeah–" He leaned further against the railing, his head lowering in frustration. "Sorry, my feelings are all over the place right now."

"No problem, I get it," I folded my arms and lowered my voice, "and I'll keep it straight with you. The two of you must've really hit it off because Yue was definitely upset by our little make out lesson. But so long as she's engaged to that jerk off back there, there's no much that can be done."

He turned toward me. "So, what do I do?"

"Smooth things over with Yue, and make it clear where you both stand. Also, accept that as much as you two like each other, your relationship might not go any further," I said.

"Yeah, thanks, Tashi," he said.

I smiled. "That's what I'm here for."

He gave me an inquisitive look. "And are you doing better?"

I blinked.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm not stupid, you know?"

I shook my head. "I've never thought that about you."

"Oh?" He blushed before clearing his throat. "Look, I know I'm not the one you'd want to discuss this with, but I noted the state you were in when Aang rescued you from Zhao. Not to mention your behavior since then. Tashi, you don't have to feel alone in this, so there's no need to pull another reckless stunt like you did back at Jeong Jeong's. I… we can protect you from that creep."

That slip up didn't go unnoticed, and I nodded to placate him. "Thanks, Sokka. I appreciate it."

He raised an eyebrow. "So we're in agreement then? We work as a team? No more running off of on your own?"

I stared at him blankly before looking back out at the citadel. "My only focus right now is learning as much as I can from Aang. Once the siege comes, we'll do our best to defend this place, and whatever happens after that, is what happens."

Sokka wasn't pleased by my answer, but he conceded.

"Aw, so this is where the lovebirds wandered off to," Hahn's arrogant voice grated on my ears. "Looks like our boy is finally trying to become a man."

I turned around. "At least he's making an effort unlike some people."

Yue frowned. "Hahn, please? May we enjoy the evening without you raising another fuss?"

"Yeah, yeah, so what's this treat you got for us, Avatar?" Hahn said.

"I got this idea while training with Master Pakku." Aang beamed at us. "I'm not sure if you guys have real fireworks up here, but I feel like this would be the next best thing."

Katara and Aang sat down a large basket full of snowballs they made. Taking a stance, Aang shot some into the air and made them explode like fireworks. Snowflakes trickled down from the bursts and sparkled under the light of the moon.

"Wow, that's amazing, Avatar Aang," Yue said.

"Thanks, Come on, Katara. Let's see if you can make a bigger blast," Aang said.

Katara gave him a determined grin. "Well, let's see if you can do this?"

She shot three snowballs in the air, and together they made the shape of a penguotter.

"Not bad, Katara." Sokka looked at me. "So, you gonna make a wish?"

I furrowed my brow. "A wish?"

"Come on, everyone gets one wish for their birthday!" He patted my shoulder. "So hurry up. You don't wanna miss out."

"Okay." I giggled. "Let me see…."

My thoughts drifted back to Zuko. It had been so long since I had seen him. Was he trying to make his way to the Northern Water Tribe like Zhao was? My heart leapt with anticipation at the thought of crossing paths with the Prince again. I would make sure our next fight would be a true dance of forbidden desire, and I would make my feelings known regardless if he returned them. Yes, that was my true birthday wish.

"So, what did you wish for?" Aang said.

I gave him a cheeky grin. "If I tell you that, it won't come true."

Aang pouted. "Aww, please?"

"Nuh uh." I crossed an 'X' over my chest with my finger.

We continued watching Aang and Katara's fireworks display. It was moments of peace like this that left a sour taste in my mouth. As much as I enjoyed the celebration, I knew what was to come. I could only hope that everything turned out okay in the end.