Sunburn

24

"That must have been fun!" She chirped.

"That was a long time ago." Zuko stated distantly, staring blankly at the rapidly growing island

'Why am I even here?'Tsai thought miserably a gloomy cloud looming over her.

xxx

"Welcome to Ember Island, kids." Lo and Li greeted the five teens as they disembarked from the ferry and onto the dock that led to the smallest of the beach houses overlooking the water.

Sometime later the teens had been assigned their own rooms.

"Ooh," Ty Lee cooed as she laid down on a bed with pink sheets and a seashell design and she rubbed the pillow adoringly, "I love the seashell bedspread."

"Are you serious?" Mai demanded drily as she walked into the small bedroom after Ty Lee and looked around in disgust, "It looks like the beach threw up all over it."

Ty Lee pouted and sat up on the bed as the others entered the bedroom, Lo and Li standing to the left of Zuko, Mai, Tsai and Azula in front of an elegant couch with purple cushions.

"Fetch me something to drink pet," Azula ordered and Tsai simply nodded stalking to find something she wished she could poison and then debate if she should drink it herself.

"We know you're upset that you were forced to come here this weekend." Li commented understandingly from beside her sister.

"But Ember Island is a magical place."Lo continued, "Keep an open mind."

"Give it a chance." Li added.

"And it can help you understand yourselves and each other." The two elderly women chorused together.

Lo reached over and grabbed one of the four smooth rocks on a table in front of her, "The beach has a special way..."

"Of smoothing away even the most ragged edges." Li finished after taking the rock from her twin.

xxx

Azula scowled slightly as she led the five through the beach, searching for an open spot to set their beach blankets down. Behind her Ty Lee smiled happily, while Zuko and Mai walked close together under the shade of an umbrella. Tsai trailed behind all of them in the blaring sun carrying ALL of their belongings like a package mule.

'Right... This is probably why I'm here,'reality struck her when she realized she was the packing mule.

The Fire Nation princess smirked suddenly and sauntered over to where two young boys were building a sandcastle. The boys glanced up tearfully when she stepped on it and she smirked intimidatingly down at them. Her smirk grew when the two boys ran away screaming and she kicked the bucket they'd left after them.

'Typical..'

Mai was wearing a two piece that consisted on a maroon top and a long skirt. Azula wore a halter two piece with a matching red skirt and Ty Lee wore a similar one but in white. Tsai had been forced to wear a matching one to Azula's but in a dark maroon color that almost looked black.It seemed like they had settled on a spot. Azula snapped her fingers and Tsai got to work unpacking the beach towels and spreading out the blanket.

"Hey, you need some help unpacking?"

She turned her head to look at the scrawny teenage boy who had appeared at her side. "Uh.." She was unsure of what to answer.
"Sure, we'd love some. Thanks!" Ty Lee suddenly butted in with a bright flirty smile as she handed him a bag, smiling cheerfully when he fell down from the sheer weight of it.