Flow [Sokka - Book Two]

⚝Chapter Sixteen⚝

The hot sun beat down on Konno, and she was sure she was getting sunburned. Her skin burned to the touch, and it hurt every time she moved. Katara and Sokka didn't look like they were in as much pain as Konno was, but Toph did. She kept grumbling to herself, but Konno couldn't hear what she was saying. 

Konno thought that traveling on the Sandbenders gliders would be quicker, but it wasn't. Maybe they were purposefully going slow. There wasn't much of a breeze, making her sweat all over again. When they were on the other glider, Aang went fast. It was nice going fast because the wind cooled Konno off. 

Speaking of Aang, he was nowhere to be found. He was probably out looking for Appa, even though the Sandbenders had said that they didn't know where he went after they sold him. Konno didn't blame him for trying to look for Appa; she would have done the same if it were anyone she loved. Her eyes drifted down to her empty wrist, and she knew would drop everything to search for the bracelet. Right now, though, she wasn't going to jump off the glider to try and find it. 

Konno wrapped her hand around her wrist, right where the bracelet was supposed to be. If she closed her eyes, she could almost trick her brain into thinking that she hadn't lost the bracelet, that it was still on her wrist. Almost. However, her mind wouldn't allow her to forget.

Katara shuffled closer to Konno and gave her a small smile. "Hey," she said.

"Hi," Konno replied awkwardly. She didn't really know what to say to her. They hadn't spoken since she accidentally let it slip about her trying to kill herself. "What's up?"

Katara shrugged. Her hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they played with the strap on Konno's bag. "I wanted to apologize."

Konno frowned. "About what?"

Wrapping and unwrapping the the strap from around her fingers, Katara shrugged again. "I shouldn't have judged you for only telling Sokka about what you did. It did hurt that you didn't tell me, but I understand."

"It's not like I didn't want to tell you," Konno said, staring down at her hands. "I didn't want Sokka to even know about it, but he was the one who saved me. The wound is still very fresh right now."

"Would you have told me in a few years?" Katara asked.

"I'm not sure," Konno admitted. She watched as the sand raced by them. If she looked hard enough, she could imagine that she was in an ocean of sand. It seemed to swallow her up, just like her emotions. "I try my hardest to hide my feelings. It hasn't really worked, though."

"I've noticed." They fell into silence. Konno didn't really want to talk right now. Katara nudged her, throwing her a small smile. "It's alright if you don't say anything now. However, you cannot keep it bottled inside you. Whenever you want to talk, I'm here."

Konno gave her a grateful smile. "I know. Thank you."

"Anytime."

The glider slowed to a stop, and the one man said, "This is as far as we can take you."

Konno and Katara helped Toph out of sand glider. She turned around and watched as it took off toward the desert. A large dust cloud billowed out behind them, and Konno had to turn back to the others before all that sand got in her eyes and mouth. When she opened her eyes again, she noticed Aang had joined the group.

"If we want to go to Ba Sing Se," Sokka said, scanning the map in his hands, "we have to go this way." He pointed to the right before walking that way. 

Her heart clenched when he looked at everyone besides her. He hadn't spoken to her since his comment about her dead loved ones, either. She knew he was high on the cactus juice, but he still shouldn't have said that to her. The pain was still ever present in her heart and her veins. It probably would never leave.