THREE
STORIES

"Yes, I know, I’m sorry for the millionth time!" Jet was getting agitated, and for good reason too. For almost two strait hours now, I had been shouting at him at the top of my voice with every thought I had ever had against them, and then taking a sharp jab at the fact that there was no good reason to have kept himself from us this long. Well, it was actually more of a few very not-so-quick jabs.
Perhaps stabs strait through the heart would have been a tad more accurate. He should have attacked me by now, but all he’d done was take me to his "hideout", which was actually more of a messy cave in the cliffs next to the market, and listen to me rant while the two confusing, emotionless men stood silent at the mouth of the cave. All the while wearing a resigned expression on his face, which was hardly any different, though with a coating of stubble over his chin.
I continued to ignore the offered chair and shouted strait into his face, "HOW COULD YOU JUST LEAVE US LIKE THAT?" I watched a single tear roll down his cheek, and stopped abruptly. I’d already said that ten times, what made this the final blow?
"I know. I have nothing left to say. I’m so so sorry." I saw an expression cross his face that I’d only seen one time. It was the same expression that Zuko had worn when we refused to let him join us. I had seen his face fill up with such defeat, like there was no longer anything worth living for, like everything was crumbling, like the person he loved most in the world had died. But for Jet...who had died?
"Jet...what happened? I thought you were gone..."
"I thought you hated me." Jet looked up, confused."
"No. I’m just angry. I guess you’ve never seen that side of me." I let out I tiny, bitter laugh. "I’ve changed, Jet. I could never hate you....You are a dear, dear friend to me. Please, I just want to know what happened."
He took a steadying breath. "What happened under Lake Laogai that day is something I still don’t entirely know about. I sort of...lost consciousness after you guys left, and then I guess I sort of...dreamed, I guess you could call it. But it wasn’t a dream like I’d ever had before...I think I must have actually died. It was so vivid, but I was totally unhurt, and everything was so strange. It’s really really vague now, I used to not be able to remember it at all...but I just kept thinking and thinking and I’ve still got this dull mental picture.
"I was wandering around this weird place...sort of floating more like. And then...well this is the part where I loose it. I still can’t remember a thing from this part. I just remember this beautiful voice...she told me ‘You have not done well in this life. But you have the potential to do so much more. You are not finished. Go back, and make things right."
He recited the words like they were the most beautiful thing on earth, like he would never let go of them. But he was not finished. "Then I remember seeing...you in my mind. But it wasn’t the you I knew. You were much older, just like this. But you were dressed like a queen, you were so beautiful." I knew I wasn’t supposed to hear that last part, so I pretended not to.
"You were with Aang, but you looked so sad, like your heart was somewhere else...it was like a vison...and then I woke up. Longshot and Smellerbee were gone, and I wasn’t under the lake anymore. I was...sort of floating on top of it. I was weak, but I managed to get myself to the capital, to seek the help of the Earth King. What had happened. But he was gone. The Fire Nation had already taken over.
"So I arranged a plan, a really stupid one too. I turned myself in. To the Fire Nation princess."
"Azula," I whispered with a venom that surprised even myself. "Jet, that was stupid! She might have killed you!"
"Shush. I’m not done." I saw the ghost of his perfect smile. "She didn’t think I was worth killing. So she put me in prison. It worked. I got the food I couldn’t have gotten on my own, and while I was building my strength, I remember hearing Sokka. In the cell next to me, I heard his voice. He was talking to that little earthbender... and I was going to yell out to him, but before he knew it, they’d busted themselves out...I still have no idea how."
"Toph," I said sadly.
"What now?"
"I’ll explain later. Go on?"
"Well there’s not much more to explain. Well, I guess a bit. I was in there for a long time, but not in vain. I had absolutely nothing in there, so I kept myself busy. I trained to fight, better than ever. They hadn’t even taken my swords, the morons. I escaped in no time. Being a freedom fighter means knowing how to pick locks. Including locks the size of your head. So I guess I never lost that spirit, I had to have a gang." he almost grinned again. "So I got these guys."
"Jet, you never stop being you, do you? Always have to be the leader. How’d you get these guys, and um...who are they?" I asked more quietly.
"Funny you should ask..." I raised an eyebrow. "I’m not the leader, and I didn’t get them. They got me."
"What?"
"I’d been just your average thief in Ba Sing Se. I barely noticed when it changed rule. I didn’t really care. The Fire Nation had lost the war...it was all I’d ever wanted. But I didn’t care. I’d lost the meaning, I hadn’t even been part of the fight. Then these guys found me. They’re sand benders, but they really don’t use their bending unless they absolutely have to. That’s how they got me."
"They sat me down and proposed a plan. I didn’t care. Still. That’s when I started remembering what had happened to me. So I knew I had to do it. It had been awhile since I had been part of the action, and I wanted another chance. That’s actually the only time I’ve heard them talk. Mysterious people they are."
"Oh spirits....Jet. You are part of a gang that art just lifeless robots?!" I turned to gesture to them, before realizing that they’d gone. "What...?"
"Katara, please don’t get mad again," he pleaded. No, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t hurt him again, I couldn’t bear to see the look on his face.
I turned away, intending to leave. I would see Jet again, but I was currently on the verge of breaking, and didn’t want him to see me like that.. He grabbed my wrist; I should have known he wouldn’t let me go so easily. I closed my eyes, knowing I would regret this, and turned to face him. "Jet..."
"No, listen. I had that vision...you don’t get the significance, do you?"
"Um...apparently I don’t," I said, halfheartedly pulling away. He held harder.
"I saw you. I know what it was. It was on your wedding day." his face was dangerously close. "You were with Aang, and you were unhappy. Your heart was somewhere else."
I gasped, finally understanding where this was going.
"I always hoped it was with me," he whispered. "Is it?" then, his flushed lips were pressed against mine. Too fast, too much. He was grabbing me, holding me too close to him. And he was a terrible kisser.
"JET!" I finally managed to shout, pushing him away with the only thing that would be effective, a water whip. He staggered back.
"Katara..." His face was turned away, but I could see right through that mask. He was so let down... "Katara...." he whispered again, seemingly unable to get the right words out.
"Jet, I’m sorry...I just...I can’t love you anymore. I was a different girl back then, I was so helpless...that’s the girl you love, and she’s gone. Gone, Jet! I’m marrying Aang!"
He finally turned to me, shaking. "No you’re not," he said quietly. Oh no. He didn’t know what I was capable of, did he? He was prepared to keep me here against my will.
"Jet, I’m going back. You can’t keep me here. My bending outmatches any waterbender I’ve ever seen or heard of. It won’t be a fair fight." His face looked confused for a moment, then shocked and hurt, until his face settled on guilty. Jet shook his head.
"I wouldn’t keep you here. But you never did ask about the plan."
"What?" I gasped. I didn’t know where this was going, but it didn’t look good.
"Katara, we know of someone very powerful in the Fire Nation. There are still plenty of rebels left from the war, and they’re an army now. They’re planning to go after Aang." I was frozen. "They’re planning to kill us all, keep Ozai’s plan, burn the Earth Kingdom to the ground. No survivors, Katara. And all for the Avatar. With everyone dead, there will be no one to fight for him. But we found away around all those deaths. We can end it now-"
"HOW DARE YOU EVEN SAY THAT! I WOULD FIGHT FOR HIM, THEY DON’T STAND A CHANCE AGAINST ME! I WILL STAND AND FIGHT! JET, YOU MONSTER!" I knew those words would hurt him. I’d said them when he betrayed me, the very first time. That was the goodbye.
"It’s too late, Katara. That’s where my gang has gone. The only way to keep these people alive is for the avatar to die. And the job is done. You’ve been yelling at me for hours, and it’s too late. It’s too late, Katara..." But his words were already gone. I was running, running at top speed, for Aang. It was well past dinner, so he should be home by now...no. No, no, no, NO!
Why me? Betray, betray, again and again!
I was out of the cave, but I could see that Jet was right. It was too late, the house, the huge hill was gone, a mound of sand. So they were sandbenders. No, NO!
"KATARA!" Jet was after me. I was the better bender, but he was faster.. He was already running next to me. I had to go faster. I bent endless amounts of water out of the air, and immediately felt the atmosphere dry up. An ice slide, and fast. This much bending in just a few seconds should have me weakened...but I was strong. Still...as I worked, Jet was shouting.
"Katara, listen. I have to know! You’re heart’s not with Aang, and it’s not with me..." I ignored, willing my waterbending faster. "Then who does your heart belong to?" I stopped in my tracks, unable to keep on. The half frozen ice slide melted, a river over the craggy ground.
"I don’t know," I whispered, and my knees gave. I could feel my consciousness slipping, but I struggled to hold. I had to save Aang, I promised I would fight for him...but I couldn’t. Jet was right, it was too late. I was gone.
"Katara....Katara please wake up...are you okay? Oh spirits, please be okay...Katara?" I woke to the sound of Jet’s voice, that calm silky-smooth voice...and then I remembered how much I loathed it.
"JET!" I sprang to my feet, I was outside, still in the spot where I’d collapsed. I didn’t care what I did now, I just knew I had to find out if Aang was okay. I tried to run, but Jet was holding onto my leg with a death grip.
"Katara, you can’t go! You’ll collapse again! And don’t try bending again, you’re weaker than you realize...please..."
"How long have I been out?" I shouldn’t have been wasting time, but I had to know. Plus this worked as a distraction. His grip eased up.
"Only a few minutes..." I was off. I wrenched my leg out of his hands and was sprinting again. Only this time I was half-stumbling. "Katara no! You’ll just hurt yourself!" I kicked a rock into his stomach. The way should have been hard, climbing over boulder after boulder, but I was a desperate woman, and I would stop at nothing. I was bloody and bruised, still sprinting, when I reached the village.
"Help," I panted. "I need...I need an...earthbender...a sandbender."
"Miss Shan Li here is a sandbender of sorts," a frail old man said matter-of-factly, pushing a young girl, about fourteen or so toward me. I grabbed her wrist, and sprinted again. To the house...buried...under...sand. The wind whistled through my ears and spun my knotted hair around my face. I didn’t stop when we reached the sand pit, I just pushed my way through.
"Um...miss...?" Shan Li was talking to me. I spun to face her, and she flinched. I did my best to ease up my gaze, sure that it frightened her. "What do you need me to do?" I didn’t thing I could speak without going into hysterics. I gave her a pleading glance and gestured around me, at the dunes.
"No problem," she said confidently, and half grinned. She reminded me painfully of another earthbender I used to know as she easily lifted all of the sand with her bending and flung it into the distance, hopefully landing on Jet’s ungrateful head.
I gasped when I saw what lay under it...my home. Broken wood panels and elaborate carvings and paintings, the Watertribe skins lay dusty and ripped into pieces, chests and drawers had splintered, their contents scattered about the pile. But still...there was no sign of a struggle, no sign of a body.
Unless...I staggered through blind grief toward a large pale yellow hunk of overturned wall. No...it couldn’t be...but there was no mistaking it...the wall’s smallest corner was spattered with what could only be blood...and trapped...crushed underneath it was an unmistakable hand...curled into a fist, with a blue arrow tattooed over the top.