Zutara- Fire, Water, Steam ✔

Just Another Secret

Katara's POV

It was Monday, and I hadn't seen Aang or Sokka all weekend which was weird. Aang wanted to spare with me, but when I texted him, he said he was busy. I asked Toph, and she was getting the same response whenever she called him, but there was a weird noise in the background. A lot of strange noises. Zuko hadn't even tried to call me, and I'm confused whether I consider that a good or bad thing. I'm not sure if I could face him right now, but it hurts that he hasn't tried. Maybe he didn't care about me after all.

I turned the corner and saw Sokka whispering with Zuko?! What was going on? They were off to the side, and it was clear whatever they were saying they didn't want anyone to hear. Well, that does not work for me.

"What are you guys up to?" Sokka jumped and turned to me with a guilty look on his face, but Zuko's reaction was different. His back went straight, but he didn't turn around.

"Oh, hey there, Katara. We were just talking about, uh, um, SWORDS! Yeah, that's what we were talking about because we both use swords, so it's obvious why we are talking about swords since there is nothing else we would be talking about." Sokka began rambling, a clear sign he was hiding something. Zuko let out a sigh and looked towards the sky. Even though Sokka was still talking, I stared at Zuko.

"We need to get going." Zuko interrupted Sokka and began to walk away.

"I don't think so, I want answers, and I want them now." Sokka and Zuko froze at my harsh tone. Zuko still hadn't turned around, and that was fueling my anger. "You've kept enough secrets from me, don't you think?" I expected Sokka to look confused, but instead, there was understanding.

"Zuko, we need to tell her and the others. It's the only way we will succeed." Sokka said as he walked towards Zuko and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You're right. Uncle texted me, and I think this afternoon will work." Sokka smiled and nodded.

"What will work? Someone better start talking."

"Ok, ok, calm down. We have been working to stop the headmaster's plans to turn the school into a fire academy." Now it was my turn to freeze.

"You told them?" I said in shock. Zuko was on his phone, his fingers flying over the keyboard, so he must have been texting someone.

"Yeah. Zuko told Aang and me a couple of days ago, and we spent the past couple of days working on a plan. His Uncle has been helping us out, but we didn't want to say anything until we had everything settled." Sokka explained.

"What exactly have you settled?"

"We found a place to work on our combat training without the headmaster finding us." I rolled my eyes.

"Even if we had a place to practice, the five of us getting a high score won't be enough to change the school board's decision. Plus there is the written half, and now our access to the library has been cut off." I said, but the smile didn't drop from Sokka's face, and Zuko put his phone away but still didn't speak.

"We know. That's why we found a big enough space for the majority of the school along with instructors."

"How did you do that? There is no place in the nearby area with that type of space. And how would you get the student's attention without alerting someone from the fire department or the headmaster?" I asked calmly, but on the inside, I was getting excited. Zuko still hadn't looked at me or even showed emotion, and I wasn't going to be the first. Besides my previous display of anger, it was too late to fix that.

"Well, there is this new invention called cell phones, so that has been a vital tool," Sokka said sarcastically. "and students want to pass so when we explain that it's a secret they won't say anything. Or at least, that's the hope. We aren't 100% sure about that, but Aang has faith in the students."