Avatar: The Renegade Collective-Book 1: Convictions

Chapter 11: A New Home

The Sun was rising over the sea as the ferry entered the harbor. On one of the railings of the ship slept two beings. One male, the other female; the she had her head resting on his shoulder. Watching them was a group of four: a girl, two men and a woman. The two woke up and immediately glowed red with embarrassment.

"So," Zeb said, "did you confess your love to each other?"

Both of them started running over each other's speech trying to say that nothing was going on between them. The four others just chuckled at their attempts to save face. The ferry stopped moving inside a cave and they all exited the boat, went to the ticket takers, and, after a brief wait, went onto a train that would soon take them to the platforms of Ba Sing Se. They exited and were greeted by a woman who had a very manufactured smile on her face.

"I am Joo Dee," she said in a nearly monotonous voice, "welcome to Ba Sing Se. I will show you to the house we have selected for you."

A brief ride in an ostrich-horse carriage later, and they were in the inner city, where the elites of the elites lived. They came to their house and unpacked everything. As everyone split, Sabine stopped in thought.

What was it Avatar Kuruk said to me, she thought, One who seeks my love will loathe? One who seeks to kill will protect? And some who are traveling will find a home? Well, this fine family were travelers, they found a home here. Ezra sought to kill me, now he promises to protect me. But seeks my love will loathe? I mean Wedge seeks my love, and I dislike him, but I don't loathe him. Is there more to it?

She was brought out of her thoughts by Ezra who informed her that she had just been standing there. She went inside and saw that the house was already mostly furnished. She went into one of the four rooms in the house and laid her stuff by the bed. She laid down to take a nap when she heard an argument going on in the living area.

"No!" Zeb said, "You aren't bunking with me!"

"Hera and Kanan said that I could either bunk in your room, or in the living area!" Ezra responded.

"Then make yourself comfortable out there! You are not bunking in here!"

Zeb slammed his door in Ezra's face. Sabine poked her head out of her room.

"Ezra," she said, "if you want... I mean, there's plenty of space in my room if you wanted to--"

"Thanks," he said, "Just give me a couple of seconds."

He moved his stuff into her room, and as they both laid on their cots for a nap, Ezra heard something inside him, almost from the spirit world, tell him something.

Your parent's deaths were more tragic than you think.

Ain't I a stinker with this cliffhanger? Epilogue soon to follow.