Jade (LOK) (Book 2 of My Sister's Keeper)

9

"Thank you," Kitty says in a hoarse voice as I lay a cool cloth on her forehead.

"You're welcome," I tell her. "Now, I want you to stay in bed and rest. We have a big day coming up, and we can't have you feeling sick."

"Okay."

She must not be feeling well, she'd usually fight me on this. She may be an airbender, but she can be as stubborn as an earthbender. I can see why Suyin always talked about her to me, I've definitely met my match. I don't like seeing her like this. She's pale, her voice is hoarse, she can barely keep her eyes open. Don't tell her, but I think Kitty's powers are trying to tell her something. I know all about it, and she's been detached since Zaheer poisoned her. I think it's time for her and her sister to reconnect, but she'd never agree to it. Whether she likes it or not, it has to happen sooner or later, it's the Avatar's duty to take down Kuvira, and she can't do that without Kitty.

"I'll tell Kuvira you're not feeling well, and I'll send Bolin in an hour to check on you. Sleep well," I tell her.

I shut off the light and leave her to rest. In just a few days, we'll be heading to Republic City for Prince Wu's coronation. Kitty is excited to go back home despite the fact that Kuvira will most likely refuse to give up power. She's probably looking forward to seeing Mako again. Bleh! I just don't get it. He lead her on and dated her sister and her best friend, he was an awful friend, and he sounds unbearable, yet he still means so much to Kitty. I just don't know how a jerk like that could have such a sweet and caring brother.

I could go there and tell him how he doesn't deserve Kitty, but then Kitty would know that I am in love with her, and it'll probably send her spiraling. She already has so much going on, I can't add on to that. I guess I'll just be that supportive friend she needs, along with Bolin.

Speaking of Bolin...

"How is she?" He asks.

"She's.. Ok. She's resting," I tell him.

"What do you think is wrong with her?"

"I think Kitty's powers are trying to tell her something. Think about it, the Earth Kingdom is 90% conquer- united, and all of a sudden Kitty is sick."

"But Kuvira uniting the Earth Kingdom is a good thing. Kitty's powers only work when something bad is going to happen," he points out.

Duh! Use your head, Bolin.

"Well what else could it be?" I ask. "Kitty never gets sick."

I try so hard to get Bolin to see what's going on. He's so sweet, innocent, and he doesn't even realize that he's ruining so many lives. I don't blame him, I blame Kuvira and Baatar Jr. It makes me so incredibly angry that they're manipulating such a wonderful person. And now Kitty has to watch as her best friend in the entire world gets taken advantage of.

"Maybe her powers are different this time!" He suggests innocently. "Or maybe she needs to contact Korra again! They've been inseparable all their life, and now they've gone three years without each other."

"Maybe. I just hope we can figure this out soon. I hate seeing her like this," I say with a sigh.

"Jade, I know you said you don't plan to ever tell her... But I think you've got Kitty all wrong."

"Not this again," I huff. "You know I can't do that."

"But why? Kitty would never abandon or push you away just because you have a crush on her-"

"I don't have a crush on her," I cut him off. "I am in love with her, and if she were to find out, everything would change between us. I'd rather have her as a friend than for her to walk out of my life completely."

"But she wouldn't do that! Trust me, I've known Kitty for years, and I think she may have feelings for you, too. Kitty and I are best friends, but it's different with you. I see how she looks at you, she feels safe with you, you make her forget about Wing- and Mako! He's my brother, and I love him, but he and Kitty could never be together. I think you should go for it."

"Bolin..."

"Please, just... Think about it," he tells me and then walks away.

...

I didn't mean to fall for Kitty. It was all so fast. Right after we met, she invited me over to her apartment. After I was so mean to her, she still wanted to get to know me, to form a friendship. It was all so new to me. I never expected to get close to her. I wanted this to remain professional, but Kitty had other ideas. And the funny part is, I didn't even realize that I was falling for her at that time.

...

3 years ago..

"So, I guess I'll see you in a few weeks," I tell Kitty.

We just finished our meeting with Raiko. I can't believe that he assigned me a partner. I can handle this on my own. On the bright side, I guess all the stories I've heard about her are true. I stand corrected.

"Wait, where are you going?" She asks.

"I need to prepare to leave for Zaofu in the morning."

"You're going back to Zaofu? You just got here. And we don't leave with Kuvira for a few weeks."

"Which is why I need to leave," I tell her. "I have train and prep for our assignment."

"Non sense. You can stay here with me. I can show you around the city, and we can get to know each other."

Is this girl insane? I barely know her, and now she's inviting me to her home? It's impromptu, it's too sudden.

"That seems a bit unprofessional, don't you think?" I ask her.

"Oh please, sure we've been hired for this assignment, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. Besides, we need to get to know each other if we want this to work, or Kuvira will see right through us."

Hm, Kuvira is a smart women. It would benefit us if we make this as believable as possible.

"Um, ok. Well I guess I can stay here a little longer. My hotel is just around the block."

"You are not staying at a hotel, you can stay with me at my place. Now come on, I'm starving. I know this great little spot that has the best fire noodles. Flameo hotman!" She exclaims with a smile on her face.

She walks out of the room and I stand there stunned. This girl is insane.

...

She intruiged me. She annoyed me, but there was something about her I couldn't resist. I loved how 'out of the box' she was. I loved how she spoke to me and how unpredictable she was. She's a waterbender and an airbender for crying out loud. Of course she was! The more I got to know her, the more I found myself opening up to her, and that, excuse me as I speak freely, freaked me out.

...