Whirlwind [Avatar Aang]

☁Chapter Twelve☁

Nazadori found herself standing outside her house as her vision cleared up. It seemed to be dusk outside, the sun already lower then the buildings surrounding her home. Her mind was still a blur of what she had been going through the past day. It had been a whole day since her breakdown. She could barely face any of the staff throughout the whole night and into the day, afraid that they would see the tears pooling in her eyes or the red splotches across her cheeks and neck.

The thing was, she didn't remember even leaving the palace. She didn't remember her trip here to her house. How in the world did she get away from the guards? How did she get away from the advisors, from Gazon? Why didn't anyone stop her before she left? She had so many questions, but none of the answers were there for her. That scared her a lot more than she cared to admit.

She didn't know where else to go now that she realized she was here, so she walked up to the front door and knocked on it before she could tell herself otherwise. Her anxiety about going home and facing her family made her heart thud against her chest. Yet she couldn't change anything now since she knocked on the door. She had to face her family whether she liked it or not. Though, she still had enough time to take off running, to go somewhere else, before they opened the door for her. She remained where she was, her feet almost glued to the front step, even though her heart was floating above the clouds at the place where she was hidden from the world. 

"I can't believe your advisors let you out of the palace for the night," Mava said to Nazadori as she opened the front door for her. She glanced around the area behind her and said, "Ooh, and without your guards to protect you." Nazadori didn't say anything, she just walked into her home, brushing by Mava silently. "Do they even know that you're here, Miss Future Queen of Omashu?"

Tears pricked her eyes as she walked down the silent hallway. Nazadori wasn't sure how her siblings were going to treat her, but she didn't expect her older sister to be like that. Maybe this was a mistake, coming home. She should have gone to her regular hiding place, the one on top of the world -- actually, it was more on top of the city of Omashu, but still. No one would have found her there, and she could have silently grieved without anyone seeing her. 

"Are you okay?" Baleng asked her once she walked into the living room where he was sitting on his cushion like he normally was. For just a moment there, she thought that he actually was worried about her and had seen through her facade. But then a grin appeared on his face, one that told her he hadn't seen her true feelings. "Are you getting tired of having people cater to your every need?"

His reaction solidified her bad feelings. She knew she should have gone to her little hideout instead of her home. Even the mail chutes would have been a better destination than her home. But she was already here, and she couldn't just leave with them staring at her like she was a little crazy, especially when she didn't dare say a word to them. 

Nazadori sat down on her own cushion, one that was firm and rough underneath her since she hadn't used it in a while. She had only been here a few times ever since she was told she would be queen, and she never stayed long enough to sit down with her family like she used to and actually have a conversation about anything of importance. She didn't think she would have a conversation with them right now because if she opened her mouth, she was afraid she was going to burst into tears once more.

"Are you okay?" Mava asked Nazadori after a few moments of silence. She had a frown on her face, one that looked the same as it did all those years ago when she helped Nazadori face her bullies at school. "Dori, what's wrong?"

Nazadori opened her mouth, but no words would come out for her. She buried her head in her hands as sobs wracked her body. She wasn't sure where these feelings came from, but she guessed she had buried these feelings deep within her, and on the previous day, they had come back out. Someone patted her shoulder, and she curled up on the ground, feeling so pathetic right now.