Revelations of a Runaway

3. The Voice in the Night (Part 1)

I jerked awake. Where was I? I wasn't on a bench.

I moved my arms up toward my head and pushed myself up. The sheets of the bed I was in were sticky. Still I couldn't complain considering it was a vast improvement over the park bench. I sighed. What else could I expect from boys?

Bolin was going to give me his room, but in the end I stayed in Mako's. He didn't want his brother getting another back ache from the couch. Apparently, Bolin liked to complain quite a bit. I looked over across the rail's of Mako's loft room. Mako was asleep on the couch, and I could hear Bolin snoring.

It was good they were still asleep. I had to put on clothes. Bolin had given me one of his t-shirts which fit me more like a dress.

Quietly, I climbed out of bed and tip-toe ran over to the ladder. I quickly jumped down from the loft and ran to the small bathroom to clean up. I felt disgusting. I hadn't had a shower since I'd arrived in the city, and I was so grateful that I hadn't minded using guys' shampoo and body wash. I'd get more feminine bathing products from Korra later. She wasn't the girliest girl, but she did appreciate lavender-scented soap.

After I'd finished freshening up, I realized that I'd forgotten my clothes upstairs and also that those clothes were disgusting. What was I going to wear?

Wrapping the towel around me, I poked my head out of the door and saw Mako in the kitchen eating some Muncho's cracker chips. He wore only the shorts he'd slept in, and his black hair was a mess.

"Hey," I said quietly. He jumped a little and turned. "I don't have any clothes."

Mako's face flushed a light pink. "Oh, uh," he stuttered. "Hey! Bolin!"

I heard grumbling from upstairs and loud thunk as Bolin hit the floor. "Ow," he groaned. "What, what is it?"

"Bring Zuri another one of your huge t-shirts to wear for now!"

"Thanks," I said slowly. "But I'm not crazy about the idea of walking around in front of you guys with nothing but a t-shirt on, no matter how long it is on me."

"What are we supposed to do then? We don't have any girl clothes."

Bolin stumbled up to the bathroom door rubbing his eyes and handing me a pro-bending t-shirt. "Yeah, no girly clothes here," he groaned. "What time is it?"

"It's almost noon," Mako told him.

"Ugh! It's too early to be alive!" Bolin threw his arms in the air, walked over to the couch, and flopped down on his face.

I pulled my head back in the bathroom and shut the door. I jerked the shirt over my head quickly and tugged it down as much as it would go before running a comb through my wet hair.

"Oh, I know!" Bolin screamed. "We can borrow some clothes from Korra for you, Zuri!"

"Yeah, no," I said walking out of the bathroom and holding the t-shirt down. "I'm quite a bit smaller than Korra. Her clothes are too big."

Bolin fell on his face again but peaked at me with one eye. "I need bottoms," I decided aloud.

"Here," Mako's voice said from above me. A pair of shorts hit my face as soon as I looked up.

"Thanks."

I walked back into the bathroom and slid the shorts on without shutting the door. I was pretty sure neither of them could move fast enough to see anything. The shorts were quite big, but it was better than nothing. I'd just have to make sure not to jump around and make them fall.

There was a piece of paper laying on the table in the kitchen. I walked over and read their tiny grocery list. I guess they couldn't afford much. There was no way I could ask them to buy me anything to wear. They'd already given me so much.