My fists were up and ready, Zian next to me.

"We have to get out of here," I hissed as another stream of guards came running at us.

"Good plan. And just how do we do that?" Zian rolled his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"By listening to the Idea Guy," a happy-go-lucky voice came from behind us. I whipped around to see a boy, Water Nation by the looks of it. His hair was up in a ponytail and he had this high pitched 'we can probably do this . . . I think' voice.

"Who's the Idea Guy?" I asked, taking a step towards him and away from the oncoming guards.

"Who do you think?" His face fell. "Katara, see the pipes above our heads? Make 'em go boom and go all waterbendy on them." He pointed at the guards. "Oh, and Toph, GET US OUT OF HERE!"

The small earthbender girl named Toph slammed her fee against the ground, bringing her hands up in a butterfly formation and pushing out. The wall in front of us pushed away as the earth crumbled, and at the same time the pipes burst overhead. Katara.

I'd heard that name before. I just couldn't remember where.

As water showered over us, drenching the guards, Katara squeezed her fists closed and everything froze into ice.

Still dazed, my arm was grabbed by Zian and he pulled me into the dark tunnel Toph had created.

And suddenly, darkness swallowed us whole.

"Somebody put the lights out," a voice hissed.

"Shut up, Sokka," a female voice commanded.

"You're not his mother," another girl said.

"Right now is not the time," a boyish voice came. "We need light."

I began to move to create fire, but Zian, I have no clue how he knew, grabbed my arm. "Something tells me they don't like firebenders," he whispered.

"Oh! I have a candle," Sokka said, and in a moment there was a small fire burning. Someone shuffled closer and the flame blew out. "Aang!" Sokka whined.

"I feel bad for you all," the small girl's voice came. "I'm glad I'm blind."

"Sorry Sokka," the boyish voice came again, "I breathed a little too hard."

Aang?

My heart thudded in my chest.

"Are you the Avatar?" I asked.

"Yup!" He said cheerfully. "That I am."

"Now is not the time," Katara said in her all-too-motherly-strict voice. "Let's get out of here first."

I couldn't believe it.

I'd made it.

🔥🔥🔥

By the time we got out, we were exhausted.

"Well that was a long trip," Toph said as we all sat there, rubbing our eyes.

"Tell me about it." Aang yawned. "Are we far from the palace?"

"Oh yeah, pretty far," Toph nodded.

Far? What about Zuko? Oh, I totally messed up.

Seeing the concern etched on my face, Zian leaned close to me, "I'm going back to get him. You do whatever you need to do, and don't worry, we'll find you."

I smiled gratefully. "Stay safe."

I watched him disappear behind trees and as I turned back towards the gang, something slammed into me, causing me to hit my head against a tree.

"Katara!" Aang yelled. "What are you doing?"

"Seeing if we can trust her." Katara glared, her face right up in mine, her arm pressed against my throat and her hand gripping a small bone-dagger.

"You can," I croaked. "I just need to talk to the Avatar."

"Did you send those people after us?" She said, pushing her arm harder. "Did you?"

"What are you . . . talking about . . . " I choked.

"Let her go, Katara," Aang ordered from behind her. She hesitated, but then slowly pulled away. Aang turned to me. "Did you have anything to do with the guards being sent after us?"

"No," I rubbed my throat. "Honestly, I was captured myself and I was trying to get you out. Someone probably set something up."

"She's telling the truth," Toph put it. "I can feel it."

"Well aren't you special," I grinned, and Katara almost cut me to pieces.

"Who captured you?" Sokka asked.

"Some guy named Yen. Oh, and he was working with this girl named Xen."

"Oh." Recognition passed through Katara's eyes. "Yen, huh."

"Yup. Pretty face. Tall."

"That's the one," she smiled, and as if catching herself, frowned. "You look like Fire Nation," she noted, and I blushed.

"I'm a from the Northern Water Tribe," I told her, smiling shyly. "But that's why I'm here. I—"

"I saw Zuko!" Sokka interrupted. "He was sitting all normally on the roof of the palace, that thief."

I gulped.

"Really?" Aang turned to him. "Was he looking for me again?"

"Not really." Sokka frowned. "He seemed like he was thinking. He didn't even notice me."

"And that's saying something," Toph grinned.

"Well if you see him again, tell me," Katara glared. "I'll put him and his followers where they belong. Fire Nation should never be trusted."

Something shattered inside of me.

🔥🔥🔥

"Where are you guys going now?" I asked, a little too miserably.

"Finding a safe place where we can set site," Aang said. "Since you're being hunted as well as us, you might as come with."

I smiled sadly. "Uh-huh. I don't have a tent."

"It's okay," Sokka said. "You can share with Katara."

She was about to argue, until Toph said, " Your tent is the biggest. Unless you want to be a ruthless animal and leave her out to freeze to death, then why not."

Katara sighed.

She was pretty. A little too pretty, and way too overprotective of Aang. When we had to stop for a rest, Katara was the first to give orders around.

"Aang, start a fire. Sokka, get some wood, and Toph . . . "

"Hey, I'm the blind girl," she said, picking her teeth and slamming her feet against the ground to build herself a triangular earthen tent.

Katara rolled her eyes and turned to me. "Help me set up the tents."

When the fire was blazing and we were stocked up on wood, the tents offering us a circle of protection, we sat around the fire, warming our hands.

"Marshmallows!" Sokka yelled, poking around the fire.

"Those are roasted frogs," Katara wrinkled her nose.

"Same difference," he said, crunching a roasted frog. "Be right back," he choked, running into the woods.

"So," Toph said, staring at the flames. "What's your name?"

The question hit me like a rock. Would they trust me? Would I trust them? What if they heard of me somewhere? What if they found out about my doubled elements and kicked me out?

"Izuki," I blurted.

I knew Toph could tell I was lying, but she didn't push it.

"You said you were from the Northern Water Tribe," Katara said. "I'm from the Southern."

"Yeah, that sort of makes us sisters." I smiled at her. I needed to get her trust.

"Yeah." She furrowed her eyebrows, as if thinking. "Yeah, it kind of does."

"Did someone say Suki?" Sokka yelled, coming Into view and tossing a roasted frog away.

"No. We said Izuki," Toph corrected without looking at me. I stared at my lap guiltily.

"Oh."

🔥🔥🔥

Katara tied the front flaps of the tent and laid back, separating us with a pillow.

"Um Katara?" I asked.

"Mhm?"

"Do you trust me?"

"I can't say," she said. "I'll probably sleep with one eye open just in case you try to murder me with a knife."

I laughed. "I'm not that bad." Katara didn't answer. "You know," I said after a while, "it's okay if you don't trust me."

"And why is that?"

"Because I know it's pretty hard to trust someone." She didn't reply, so I continued, "Did I ever tell you my parents were killed by the Fire Nation?"

Suddenly, Katara shot upright and looked at me. I sat up too.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You too?" I waited for an explanation. "My mother was taken by the Fire Nation," she whispered, reaching up to touch the necklace with the Water Nation symbols around her neck. "In the palace, we weren't there by invitation. We snuck in."

"So did we," I told her.

"The earth boy?"

"Zian," I nodded.

She smiled. "Welcome to Team Avatar. For now."

I laughed. "For now."