War of Change | Book 3

3: Failure

Art: The Dragon of the West by Stephanie Cost

The clunk of knuckles rapping on the metal door interrupted my thoughts. The smoothness of my bending hitched, but the water did not fall back into the bowl it had come from. Before I could give a response, the door swung open to reveal my siblings along with Toph. "We're going into town to get something to eat," Sokka declared. "You wanna come?"

I didn't look at them. My attention was centered on the water. A small stream followed the motion of my fingertip, slowly swirling down towards the bowl. "I'm not hungry," I answered only once the water was a breath away from touching the wooden dish. With a jerk of my fingers, the liquid became solid, the icy end as sharp as a needle - the spiral held in the air under my command, revolving slowly.

"Have you even eaten today?" Katara asked in an accusatory tone. She gave me a look only a mother would usually give, her hands on her hips and her brow crinkled in the center.

My concentration finally broke, and I released the ice. The thin spiral shattered against the unyielding wood. I caught the flinch from my siblings but couldn't find enough concern within myself to show remorse. "What is it with everyone worrying about my diet?" I stood up from the ground, bringing the bowl with me to return to the desk.

"Probably because you don't eat," Toph commented, the only one not affected by my display. We hadn't traveled much together before I left the group. It would not be surprising if she assumed I was always like this. "It can't be normal that no one ever sees you eating."

I shrugged away their concern. "I have other things to worry about," I met my sister's gaze and saw her squirm, "like Aang. Have any of you checked on him?"

Katara raised her chin and crossed her arms. Did she think I hadn't noticed how upset Aang was lately? "We were going to ask him to join us after you."

I rolled my eyes and waved them off. "Then go on, I'm not coming."

"Fine, we're sending Bane in with food later, though," Katara grumbled.

My body tensed instantly. I lunged toward the door before they could leave the room. "No, wait, don't send him."

"What? Why?" my brother questioned first.

"I just- I don't wanna talk to him right now," I admitted. My eyes fell away. I rubbed my arm, trying to keep my restless hands busy.

"What! You can't be mad at him. He's supposed to be my future brother-in-law," Sokka griped. His words picked up my attention. I was never blind to the fact that Bane was good with my brother or that they, themselves, were close friends without my intervention.

When we were younger, Sokka would even call him his brother, which everyone just went along with for the longest. After all, it was so close to being accurate. It was always one of the things I liked about Bane. He loved my siblings as much as I did.

I shook my head. "I'm not mad at him. I just- I'm not ready."

Katara straightened, and I knew she understood what I was talking about. I didn't talk about myself much, but there were some things she knew about me that no one else did.

She had also been the one to witness the effect of Zuko's betrayal first hand. She really was the closest thing to a best friend I had anymore. "Fine," she agreed. "But you and I are having a sisterly chat later."

I frowned at her. "I'm not talking about boys with my little sister."

"Yes, you are!" she declared. "Toph can join."