When Worlds Collide: Book One, Water

Zuko dragged me into his room, starting up on the questions. Iroh was also in the room.
“Sam!” Iroh greeted me.
I continued to stare evenly at Zuko. “Iroh,” I nodded my head. I was sitting on Zuko’s bed. “Whatever you have to ask, I’m sure I won’t answer.”
He glared. “What I don’t understand is that I rescued you, and then you go off and run away,” he said.
“Right, thanks for saving me and all, but I’m on Team Avatar,” I said.
“Team... what?” Zuko looked confused.
I sighed. “Whatever. Now really, was it necessary to kidnap me? Sure, I’m friends with him, but really dude?”
“...What?” Zuko was confused, that much I could tell.
“Ugh! Just let me go catch up to my friends, or something!” I was getting annoyed. “Just ask your stupid questions and throw me in the dungeons or something.”
Zuko glared. “Just tell me where the Avatar is heading next,” he said.
“I... I don’t know,” I lied.
“Where is his overall destination?” Zuko demanded.
I sighed. “Have you really not figured it out yet?” I asked. “He is the Avatar. He’s an air bender. An avatar has to master all four elements. In order.”
“The North Pole,” he whispered.
“No, he’s going to China,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.
“What’s China?” Iroh asked.
“Never mind...,” I muttered.
Zuko rolled his eyes at me. “You’ll be staying here, in my room so I can keep an eye on you,” he told me.
My eyes widened. “What, like in the same room?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Sleeping?”
He gave me a weird look. “Is that a problem?” he asked.
“Uh, kinda!” I shouted. “I would much rather prefer to sleep somewhere else.”
“What’s the...,” he trailed off, suddenly blushing. “I didn’t mean...!”
I glared. “Still. Put me a room next door or something.”
He sighed. “Fine. But hand over you’re weapons.”
“What? Why?” I asked.
“Wouldn’t that be obvious?” he asked.
“But... there’s no where for me to go!” I argued. “Except for swimming, which, believe me, I would never do.”
“Just give them to me,” he sighed.
“No. They were a gift,” I argued.
“So? Who cares!”
“I do!”
“Well I don’t!”
“You are not taking anything of mine, and you are not changing my clothes again.”
“Change your... what?” he looked confused.
“You heard me! Last time you took my clothes and put those Fire Nation clothes on me!” I shouted.
“What are you talking about?” he yelled. “When I pulled you out of the ocean, that’s what you were wearing! That’s why I thought you were Fire Nation!”
“Oh, that is such BS!” I screamed. “When I left my home, was wearing sweats and a tank top, not... whatever it is that I was wearing!”
Zuko looked like he was about to rip his ponytail out.
“Children,” Iroh said calmly. “Let us calmly talk this out. And while we’re at it, can you explain what this BS is?”
I looked at the ground. “Just show me to a holding cell so I can sleep until I die...,” I muttered.
Zuko was red with anger. “That can be arranged,” he muttered under his breath.
I glared. “I’m keeping the fans,” I growled.
“Fans? That’s what the big dealis?! Those aren’t even weapons!” Zuko yelled.
“Well then why do you want them?” I shouted back.
“Alright, that’s enough,“ Iroh said. “Why don’t we all just go to bed?”
So we did.

The next day, we were eating an early supper, Zuko and I were staring daggers at each other.
“Prince Zuko, sir,” a man said, coming in through the door, “we just received word of the Avatar in a small village nearby.”
“How soon can we get there?” Zuko asked.
“By sunset at the latest.”
Zuko nodded. “Very well.” The man left. “As for you,” Zuko said, glaring at me, “go to bed.”
“What? It’s, like, six!” I shouted.
“You will not interfere with this,” Zuko glared.
“Interfere with what? I can personally guarantee that Aang won’t be there. You know what? You’ll be lucky if you run into anyone!” I was mad. For no reason, really. This stupid prince just liked to get under my skin.
Zuko’s eyes narrowed. “Why? What do you know?” he asked.
I glared, trying to hide my panic. Come on, say something! “It’s nothing but questions with you, is there? ‘Where’s he going? Where is he?’ News flash! I. Don’t. Know. And even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”
“You have no right to yell me. I am a prince!” Zuko shouted back.
“You know what? I don’t care!” I screamed. “Because where I come from, we don’t have Kings and Queens and Princes and Princesses or whatever it is you call them. I am from a free country! I can do whatever I want! And you know what I want? To go on the deck. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do. So goodnight, goodbye, go die in a hole, go step on a Lego in the dark, I don’t care. Just leave me alone.” I got up out of my chair, stomping over to the door.
“What’s a Lego?” I heard Iroh ask quietly, but I ignored him, instead choosing to slam the door.
Now, in case you haven’t noticed, I kinda have an anger problem. And being around Zuko just makes it ten times worse.
I walked up to the deck, wanting some fresh air. I leaned against the wall, thinking.
I wanted to find my friends. I wanted to see my family. I missed parents, and grandparents, and everything else. I wanted to go home. I slid down the wall, tired. I don’t even know how I got here, let alone how to get home. I looked up at the sky, seeing that the sun was almost set.
I sighed. No one was on deck. And it looked like a few more hours until the sun fully set. And I couldn’t even see anything on the horizon. No one would notice my missing, let alone notice me here in the shadows.
Before I could think anything else, I was asleep.

When I woke up, it was... morning?
I rubbed my eyes, trying to wake up. Hearing grunting, I looked up to see Zuko training... shirtless. I quickly averted my gaze to the floor. I stood up, wincing at how stiff I was. That was the last time I slept on the deck of the ship.
I ran my fingers through my hair, rolling my eyes at myself at all knots and tangles. Pulling the ponytail that I always keep on my wrist, I put my hair up in a messy bun. I walked over to Iroh who was watching Zuko.
“There you are,” Iroh welcomed me, smiling. “We were wondering where you wondered off to last night.”
I shrugged. “I fell asleep here on deck.”
Iroh chuckled. “Well that couldn’t have been comfortable.”
“Ugh, trust me, it wasn’t...,” I trailed off, and I saw Iroh smile out of the corner of my eye.
“Now, I’m sorry if this seems rude,” Iroh started, “but what is a ‘Lego’?”
I laughed. “It’s the most painful thing ever. If you step on one, you’ll be in tears for a while.”
Iroh gave me a strange look, but before he could say anything, Zuko came over. “Well look who woke up,” he muttered.
I glared. “So you didn’t find anything, huh? Just like I said.”
“Actually,” Zuko said with venom, “I did find something.”
I raised my eyebrow.
“This.” Zuko held out something that shimmered in the sun-something that looked very familiar.
I gasped. “That’s Katara’s necklace!” I said.
“She’s a water bender, right?” Zuko looked pointedly at me.
“No, she’s an earth bender,” I said, rolling my eyes.
Zuko glared. “Why are you so sarcastic?” he muttered to himself.
I laughed. “You haven’t seen sarcastic,” I told him. “Now, I’m going back to bed.”
“You look like you just woke up,” Zuko remarked.
“Yea, well, I’m still tired,” I said. “Besides, sleeping out here on the deck all night made me really sore.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’ll have someone wake you when it’s time for lunch.” Then he turned around, going back to his training.
I stuck my tongue out at his back, then nodded to myself. It was decided- I really don’t like him.

Later that day, we landed somewhere so we could rest or something like that. Iroh went off by himself, which meant that Zuko wasn’t letting my out of his sight. After a few hours, Zuko was ready to leave, but Iroh was still missing.
Zuko sighed. “Come on,” he said, grabbing my arm, “we’re gonna have to go find him.”
“Why me?” I asked.
“Because I don’t trust anyone on this ship to watch you.”
I glared. “Fine. Only so I can get off this death trap though.”
He rolled his eyes. “Come on.”
We were walking around, yelling for Iroh.
I sighed. “So,” I started, “since it looks like we won’t be finding Iroh anytime soon... let’s play a game!” I said.
“A game?” Zuko asked, raising his eyebrow at me.
“Yea. Like I Spy, or 20 Questions,” I said.
“What’s...?” Zuko trailed off, shaking his head.
I sighed. “Let’s just play Questions. You ask a question, I answer, then I ask a question, and you answer,” I said.
“Fine. Whatever.”
“Yay! Okay, you first.”
“Um...,” Zuko pondered. “Where are you from?” he asked.
I sighed. “Why is everyone asking me this?” I asked. “I’m from Kangaroo Island.”
“You don’t look like you’re from Kangaroo Island,” Zuko muttered.
I paused. “Why?” I asked.
“Well, look at you. I mean, your eyes are like a brownish yellow, almost Fire Nation like. You’re pale. The only thing that doesn’t scream Fire Nation is your hair. That looks almost Water Tribe-ish,” Zuko said.
I froze. I guess I did kinda look like I was from the Fire Nation....
“Well, I’m not,” I said definantly. “And I’m not a water bender either.”
He gave me an odd look. “I never said you were...,” he muttered.
“Yea, well, everyone else seems to think so,” I said.
Apparently, our game of questions was forgotten.
We did, however, somehow become friends.
A few hours later, we were still looking for Iroh.
“Uncle Iroh!”
“Iroh!”
“Uncle Iroh, where are you?”
“I’m over here,” we heard. When we stepped out of the tree’s, we saw him. It looked like he found a nature made hot tub.
“Uncle?” Zuko asked. “You need to hurry up. We’re closing in on the Avatars trail, and I don’t want to loose him.”
“You look tired Prince Zuko,” Iroh said. “You should relax.”
“Enough,” Zuko said. “You need to get out of the water now.”
“Very well,” Iroh said, and started to climb out of the water.
And then, darkness. “Hey!” I yelped.
“Not now Sam,” Zuko said.
“What are you-“ I started, but stopped. “Oh.”
“On second thought,” I heard Zuko say, “why don’t you take another few minutes? But be back at the ship in half an hour, or we’re leaving.”
And then I felt Zuko lead me away.