Chapter Three

                                    

                                          
You know the feeling when you're kind of awake, but mostly asleep?
                          
When you're aware of everything around you, but you just can't bring your self to fully wake up and smell the roses?
                          
Exactly what I was going through.
                          
"...is obviously Fire Nation," I heard a familiar voice said.
                          
Where did I hear that voice before? And why were the voices muffled?
                          
"Uncle, she could easily be a spy," someone answered. It was the stranger from earlier, the one that...
                          
Suddenly, everything came rushing back to me. The car accident, me somehow ending up in the ocean, that stranger rescuing me...
                          
In a second, I was sitting up.
                          
I felt someone jump up to my right, but I ignored it, instead looking around the strange room I was in.
                          
I was lying on a pretty big sized bed, with a red quilt that had what looked like a flame on it. On the wall next to me, there a banner with the same embalm... where had I seen that before?
                          
It took me a few seconds before I realized that there were two other people in the room with me. It took me another minute to realize that one of them was trying to get my attention.
                          
I looked over to the two of them, trying to decipher the words they were saying. I saw the teenagers lips moving, but I didn't hear a word he said. Had I gone deaf? But wait...
                          
If felt there was water in ear. I shook my head from side to side.
                          
"And what are you doing?" I heard.
                          
I looked up to see the teenager staring at me. He looked bald, except for a single pony tail. He had a huge scar on his left side of his face, and he wore what looked like armor. I winced under his glare.
                          
"Who are you?" he asked.
                          
"My name's Samantha... Samantha Simmons," I said.
                          
He raised his eyebrow. "Samantha Samantha Simmons?" he asked. "What kind of name is that?"
                          
I stared at him for a second. "No, my name is Samantha. My full name is Samantha Simmons," I said slowly. Was he serious?
                          
Apparently, he was. He looked so confused, it took all my willpower not to laugh.
                          
He looked like he wanted to argue but thought better of it at the last second. He shook his head. "What were you doing in the ocean?" he asked.
                          
I shuddered. "You mean the monster who tried to give me a watery grave? Heck if I know," I said.
                          
"You don't know?" he asked, disbelievingly.
                          
I nodded. "I remember the accident... and next thing I know, someone saved me," I said.
                          
"What accident?" it was then I remembered the older guy in the room.
                          
He was on the heavier side, with long, gray hair, and a long, gray beard. He wore what looked kind of like a light red robe.
                          
"I'm not even sure... one minute, I'm with my grandparents, the next, a huge truck is in front of us... then I was in the water," I said.
                          
I felt my eyes tearing up. Where was I anyway? Where were my grandparents? Did they end up in the water too?
                          
"A... truck?" the teenager asked.
                          
I raised my eyebrows. "Yea. Truck. You know, wheels, engine... seriously, are you an idiot or something?" I asked. Ok, maybe that wasn't the best thing to say to someone who had helped you. Especially someone who looked as mad as he did right now.
                          
"Excuse me?" he asked.
                          
I sighed. "Do you not know that term either? Wow...," I said, and tried standing up off the bed.
                          
Immediately, I swayed, nearly falling on my face. At the last second, the teen caught me, helping me stand. He let me lean on his shoulder, because gravity absolutely hated me at the moment.
                          
Slowly, he helped me back onto the bed.
                          
"So what's your name?" I asked.
                          
He gave me a look, like
                          
I was the one who was crazy... um, hello? He's the one who didn't know what a truck was.
                          
"I'm Zuko... the Fire nation prince," he said.
                          
I stared at him for a second.
                          
... Zuko? Fire nation? I looked at the older man next to 'Zuko'. Didn't Zuko call him... Uncle... earlier?
                          
I shook my head. Ok, I was dreaming. Or crazy... I could be crazy too.
                          
Surely, this wasn't the Zuko, from Avatar: the last Airbender .
                          
It couldn't be.
                          
I studied the teenager in front of me.
                          
He had the hairstyle... the pale skin... the golden eyes... and the scar.
                          
I seemed to choke on my own spit.
                          
Holy crap...
                          
How had I not noticed it before?
                          
And... Oh. Freaking. Crap.
                          
I just called the freaking banished fire prince an idiot!
                          
I am so dead.
                          
I looked up at Zuko, thinking. It he was Zuko... then the old man had to be Iroh.
                          
"Uh, listen, Prince Zuko... you know, I was totally kidding about the 'idiot' thing...," I said, suddenly fearful.
                          
He raised his eyebrow.
                          
I shrunk into the pillows on the bed.
                          
But wait...who's bed?
                          
I racked my brain, trying to remember the earlier episodes. And then it hit me. I was in Zuko's room, Zuko's !
                          
I felt the sudden urge to run for it. I don't know why, but I did.
                          
"Uh... so, can I ask you a question?" I asked.
                          
He looked confused. "Uh... sure?" he said.
                          
"A few things actually... one, why did you save me?" I asked.
                          
I mean, he was Zuko! And obviously, it was like season one or the beginning of season two, because he had the ponytail hairstyle. Which meant that he was most likely still a jerk.
                          
He looked at me like I was stupid. "I save your life, and you ask why?" he asks.
                          
I nodded. "Well, I mean, your whole life goal is to capture the Avatar, so why bother, right?" I said.
                          
He looked shocked.
                          
"What?" I asked. I mean, everyone knew about his mission.
                          
"How did a commoner like you...?" he trailed off, shaking his head.
                          
"Excuse me? Commoner?" I asked, looking down at my... "What the heck happened to my clothes?" I shouted. Instead of my tank and shorts, I was wearing something that resembled Kattarra's outfit in season three... you know, when the gang had to disguise themselves as fire nation.
                          
Zuko and Iroh looked shocked at my outburst.
                          
I mean, who wouldn't be? It wasn't everyday that you fished someone out of the ocean, listened to a rant that made no sense, and watch a girl hyperventilate.
                          
My eyesight became blurry, but I realized that Zuko was saying something. I just couldn't hear what.
                          
My vision began to fade, and I forgot where I was.
                          
And before I knew it, I feinted.