You try to guage the distance between yourself and the note then make a jump for it. The nails rip into your feet on the landing, but the momentum lets you pull your feet up from the nails quickly enough. The pain shoots up your legs as you stand on your bleeding feet, but at least you made it past the bed of nails hiding beneath the floor. You pick up the card and read it, surprised that is much more straightforward than Forrest's. According to the note, all you have to do is press the button to speed up the bolts being drilled into their skulls. Both of them have their own button welded onto the metal sheet on the wall of the cage facing you. It must be remotes. Your mother's name, Karen, is on the left and your step father's name is on the right. You could kill one to save the other... Or both.
> You kill Them Both
Looking at the two buttons, you can't help but think about how both of them deserved to die. They had both worked together and destroyed your childhood. Both had hurt you in different ways. And neither of them had ever faced any sort of consequence for it. Until now at least.

You press both of the buttons at the same time before peering around the metal sheet to see into the cage. Greg has Karen pinned, trying to get to the fishing line in her mouth. But, now both of the devices around their heads suddenly begin to drill the bolts into their temples at an enhanced rate.

Greg falls backward from the pain, thrashing about as the bolts drill through his skull with a sickening sound. Your mother falls over as well, screaming as the bolts pierce through her skull bone and into her brain. Their bodies go into convulsions shortly after, bringing silence to the room broken only by the sound of the drill turning the bolts and their limbs kicking about.

Finally, the bolts are all the way in and the devices fall silent, as do their convulsing bodies go still. Blood trickles from their noses and foam from their mouths. Both dead as far as you can tell.

A door opens up in the corner of the room, beckoning you to leave this tomb. They deserved this. A pedophile and a worthless mother that let it happen. They belonged together in here. Now you can leave them to rot.


Not able to watch anymore, you quickly glance around looking for some way to help. After a moment, you spot a card hanging from one corner of the cage on your side. There is metal sheeting keeping anyone inside the cage from reaching through to the card. Walking forward you head toward it, only to feel the tile beneath your foot give way and a sharp pain stab through your foot.

Looking down, you can see that the tile floor has given way under your weight and nails have come up through small holes in the floor to prick your feet. You slowly pull your foot back, feeling the nails piercing the sole of your foot slide back out roughly. Blood stains the tile floor now and your foot throbs painfully where the nails went through to the bone.

Angry swearing draws your attention back to your mother and stepfather in the cage, they seem to have turned on each other now. Greg has your mother by the shoulders and is trying to force her down to the floor, likely to rip the key out of her throat. If you're going to help, you'll have to act quickly.

Still, the thought enters your mind that she never did help you when you had been the one he was hurting. How many times had he come into your bedroom as a child, hurting you and you had looked over at the door to see her watching with disgust on her face. But, she never intervened. Just looked at you as if it were all your fault before walking away and going back to sleep, leaving you at the mercy of a grown man many times your child self's size.
> You give Up
You continue to watch as Greg finally turns to slinging your mother around the cage until she finally slips and falls. He's on her before she can scramble back up. She screams and begs for you to help her, but it's too late for that. How many times had you begged for her help as a little girl? What had she ever done to help you? Now she would know how it felt.

He raises his heavy fist and brings it down into her face hard, blood exploding out of her nose from the blow. A few more hard hits to the face makes her go limp so that he can then grip the fishing line and pull hard. Blood oozes from her mouth as the hook on the end of the line rips her throat on the way up, popping out of her lips with both the key and shreds of flesh hanging off of it.

Greg quickly puts the key into the lock on the device around his head, unlocking it so that he can then get about taking it off. The bolts on his skull are still drilling inward and he has to rip it off of his head, scraping some of the skin off as it does. But, he stands there free finally except for the bit of fishing line still down his throat.

The bolts on your mother's device keep drilling into her skull, faster and faster now that the countdown is below one minute. The sound as her skull starts to crack from the pressure is sickening, but Greg just stands there looming over her watching as it happens. He doesn't even look sad that his wife is dying because he sacrificed her to save himself. Not that he was ever the kind of man to feel remorse.

Finally, the clock hits zero just as your mother's body goes into convulsions, thrashing about as blood oozes around the bolts drilling their way into her temples before going still as bloody foam drips from her mouth. Greg finally looks over at you, those cruel eyes of his glinting like they always do when he thinks he's won.

A door opens off to the side, your escape into the next little slice of hell. The sound of his voice cursing your very existence echoes in the room as you turn your back on him and leave. He always did like getting the last word in, didn't he?


"Fuck you," the words come out as a growl from your throat as you stand still and watch them through the bars.

"She's a junkie, a whore. That's all she's ever been and all she'll ever be," Greg spits out the words like bullets, but the insults feel empty in the current situation. You have the power here, not him.

"That's rich coming from you. I'd rather be a junkie whore than a pedophile, you sick fuck. You deserve whatever is about to happen to you," You lean forward as you growl out the words, "And I'm going to enjoy watching you die."

The television cuts on before any more words can be said, the now familiar voice commanding everyone's attention.

"Hello Greg and Karen. The lives you have lived have brought nothing but harm to those around you. A pedophile who abuses his stepdaughter and a mother who turns a blind eye and allows it to continue for years. You have lived your lives caring only for yourselves. Today your will to live will be tested. The devices you wear can only be unlocked with the key that the other has down their throat. You only have to pull the line out of the other's mouth to free yourselves. The screws on either side of your head will slowly drill into your skull once the time starts. You have three minutes before they pierce your brain. Live or die, make your choice."

The screen cuts to static then begins a countdown from three minutes. You watch as both of them try to pull at what appears to be fishing line hanging from their mouths and secured to their shirts to prevent them from swallowing it completely. Both stop pulling almost immediately, gasping in pain. Moments later you hear the drills start up, slowly cranking their way continuously tighter as the clock ticks by.
> You keep Watching
Stepping away from the spiked floor, you instead turn to watch as your stepfather advances toward your mother. He's a monster, but then so is she in a different way. They aren't worth skewering your feet to save. Unlike Forrest, they are capable of saving themselves or each other if they just try. What happens will not be on you.

He catches your mother around the shoulders and it isn't until then that she seems to register what he is doing. As he reaches for the fishing line hanging from her mouth and attached to her shirt, she starts to struggle and try to move away from him. The grip he has on her shoulders is strong enough to keep her from getting away, but he can't get a grip on the fishing line without letting her go and they just struggle back and forth cursing each other for a few moments while the bolts drill tight enough into their skulls to draw blood.


Walking through the door, you find yourself in a hallway once more. Many of the doors are marked with warnings not to try and go through them, prompting you to pass them by for now at least. Watching Forrest burn to death still has your stomach churning, but at the same time you can't help but think about how he deserved it in so many ways. He ruined your life, set you on a destructive path and then left you with no way out of it. Just as the tape said, he burned you one last time before he left. But, he was the one burnt nearly to ash now.

Coming to the end of the hallway, you find another tape and put it into the recorder and hit the play button. That same voice starts speaking to you once more.

"Hello, Ciara. Beyond this door, are the two people truly responsible for putting you on the wrong path for life. They chose not to save you from themselves and now you must choose whether you save them from each other. In the next room, you will find yourself as the spectator of their game. You can watch and see which of them has the will to live, or you can intervene. Make your choice."

Taking a deep breath, you push through the door and into the next room. The lights inside the room trip on when you step inside, triggered by the door opening. A large cage takes up more than half of the room where two people jolt startle and shield their eyes as the lights blind them momentarily.

You swallow nervously as you recognize your mom and stepfather in the cage. Both of them have strange metal devices around their heads. It looks almost like a medical halo, but with thicker metal and two large screws on either side of their skulls as thick a rail spike. The devices clasp beneath their chin and are locked in place by a lock around the neck.

They recognize you once their eyes adjust to the light, both of them hurrying toward the bars of their cage and calling out to you. A numbness settles in your stomach as the adrenaline starts to pump through your veins. Watching Forrest nearly burn to death before you could get him free had been hard enough, now it's your parents? This is all just too much...

"Ciara? What's happening?" Your mom asks, her voice sounds panicked as you continue to finger the metal device around her head.

"I don't fucking know," You snap, glancing furtively at the television on the stand to the side of the cage.

"She did this. We're in a cage and she's walking around free," Your stepfather, Greg, nearly snarls out the words.

Looking at him through the bars, you feel nothing but disgust for him. Not that your mother is any better for marrying him, much less staying with him all this time. The man was a monster of a different sort than Forrest. It had started shortly after he had gotten together with your mom when you were still young, too little to understand what was going on.

It started with visits to your room in the middle of the night. Confusing conversations that you couldn't comprehend as a child, then it turned into late night games of dress up. Then it had become something much worse. For years it had gone on and no one did anything. No one saved you.

And she knew. You know that even as you stare into her eyes now. Her gaze is as accusing as always. She had never seen it as you being a victim, rather she had blamed you as if you were some kind of seductress trying to steal her new husband. The older you had gotten, the worse things got. But, she wasn't angry enough about it to rat him out to CPS when they came calling. She covered for the son of a bitch then they both made sure you never talked to anyone about your nightmare of a homelife ever again.

"Ciara, get us out of here." She demands, her voice somehow both fearful and accusing at the same time.
> You look Around
Gritting your teeth, you start to look around the room for what you are sure is here somewhere. In the room with Forest there had been a way for you to help, there is probably one here too. Finally, you spot what looks like a card dangling from one corner of the cage on your side. There is metal sheeting keeping anyone inside the cage from reaching through to the card.

You step forward, but the TV cutting on stops you mid stride as the now familiar voice fills the silence.

"Hello Greg and Karen. The lives you have lived have brought nothing but harm to those around you. A pedophile who abuses his stepdaughter and a mother who turns a blind eye and allows it to continue for years. You have lived your lives caring only for yourselves. Today your will to live will be tested. The devices you wear can only be unlocked with the key that the other has down their throat. You only have to pull the line out of the other's mouth to free yourselves. The screws on either side of your head will slowly drill into your skull once the time starts. You have three minutes before they pierce your brain. Live or die, make your choice."

The screen cuts to static then begins a countdown from three minutes. You watch as both of them try to pull at what appears to be fishing line hanging from their mouths and secured to their shirts to prevent them from swallowing it completely. Both stop pulling almost immediately, gasping in pain. Moments later you hear the drills start up, slowly cranking their way continuously tighter as the clock ticks by.

Looking back at the note hanging from the string, you walk towards it again. After a few steps, you suddenly feel the floor give way and sharp pain makes you yank your foot back. Looking down, you see that the floor in this part of the room is filled with small holes. Pressing on the corner of some of the tile, you see that it pushes down under pressure and sharp nails go through the holes from underneath.


"Fuck...FUCK!" You shriek, turning back around to the box.

You don't know which one has the key, but it's the only way to open the locks on the straps keeping Forrest trapped. Taking a deep breath, you shove your hand back into the first hole as fast you can. The steam cranks on and burns hot, but you reach the bottom. You feel around for a second, but find nothing and yank your arm back out of the oven of steam.

Pulling it back out your enter arm is now covered in heat blisters and an angry, shiny red color. It surges with a pain you can barely stand. Tears stream down you face as you cradle your burnt arm.

"I can't do this..." You mutter to yourself as Forrest continues to scream in agony.
> You let Him Die
You jump slightly as the second series of torches start burning him at his thighs, hips, and waist. Watching as Forrest writhes about in his bonds and screams in agony, you steel yourself for what you are about to witness.

His feet are nearly burnt down to the bone and the thicker parts of his legs are starting to bubble with huge heat blisters. The skin is gone where the flames hit directly, the meat of him being burnt now. It is a sickening stench that fills the room and turns your stomach sour, you've seen a lot of horrible shit in your life. But this is something else entirely.

The next series of torches cut on, lighting up his arms and shoulders. He howls in pain, his face red with effort and veins bulging in his forehead. His eyes are wide in terror, tears streaming down his cheeks. It's too late now to save him, even if you wanted too he was beyond it now.

A few moments later, the final series of torches fire up. Flames lick up his throat and on either side of his ears. It lights his short hair on fire, engulfing his head in flames as his horrified shrieking intensifies then goes silent as his body goes limp. The flames keep cooking his corpse for a while as you stare transfixed at the scene, watching as his face burns away to reveal charred skull underneath.

When the torches finally turn off, you are left staring at a burnt corpse. The air is so thick with the stench of his burnt flesh and the smoke from it that you can barely breathe. The grinding sound of a metal door opening on its own catches your attention, but you vomit when you have to walk right past his body to get to it. The smell is overpowering and you have nothing in your stomach but acid to puke up.

This room will be his tomb, you know that as you walk out of the door. But, it won't be yours.


"You ruined my life," You spit out at him, watching as he struggles to get free.

"Do you know what he did to me?" You can't help the bark of near hysterical laughter that escapes you. It's a pointless question though, he can't answer you with his mouth sewn shut like that.

Fidgeting a bit, you glance over at the screen once more. It's now counting down from ten seconds. You don't know what happens when it reaches zero, but you step back a bit just to be safe. Forrest ruined your life in so many ways, it feels fitting to be given this kind of power over him.

The countdown finally hits zero and you jump as flames shoot out of small metal pipes at his feet. Forrest's screams are muffled by his mouth being clamped shut, but the sound still rattles around inside your head even as the acrid odor of burnt flesh hits your nostrils.
> You watch
Crossing your arms, you stand firm and fix him with a cold stare. The stench of him cooking makes you nose burn and smoke is starting to rise up from his lower legs. The skin on his feet is gone where the flames hit, but the skin not in the direct heat is developing huge blisters rapidly before your eyes.

He continues to scream in muffled agony as you watch. It feels somehow justified to see him in pain like this. His will just be momentary, but yours lasted for years. He ruined your life. He used you and then traded you like a worthless trinket when he was done with you. There were years of your life that you could never get back.

But, his shrieking eventually leads to the thick threads holding his lips shut tearing through the skin. His once unintelligible noises are now words, screamed in pain and terror as blood oozes down his chin. It hurts to hear him in pain like that, no matter who he is.


Opening the door, you have to squint as bright lights cut on when you walk inside. The room is harshly illuminated as you step inside, the door crashing shut behind you and locking. As your eyes adjust to the harsh lights, you find yourself staring transfixed at the scene before you.

A man is strapped into a large mechanical device of some kind which holds him upright facing you. His eyes are locked onto you as you step forward. His mouth is sewn shut, but he isn't staying quiet. He struggles against the binds that hold him in place, making incoherent sounds as an old television on a stand nearby cuts on.

The tape plays, showing a puppet like head on the screen with painted white skin, red spirals on the cheeks, and red eyes. It's mouth opens and closes as the voice from the tapes begins to speak again.

"Hello again, Ciara. You should remember the man before you very well. When you were still a girl, the two of you were inseparable. You thought it was love, that he would save you from your own personal hell. But, instead, he introduced you to the drugs that have ruled your life ever since. He used you for years and when he was done with you, he burned you one last time for good measure. Now he is the one who will get burned unless you are willing to pay the price for his freedom. But, does he deserve that freedom, Ciara? Make your choice."

The screen goes to static before showing a clock counting down from sixty seconds. Turning back towards the man in the device, you now recognize Forrest as you look at him strapped down into the device. It's been over a decade since you saw him last, the memory of it is burned into your mind and no high has ever been able to erase it.

For years the two of you had been a teenage Bonnie and Clyde. Mostly robbing convenience stores more than anything, using the money to buy weed, cocaine, and any pills you could find on the market at any given time. At the time, you had believed he was your ticket to freedom. He had sold you so many stories of taking you away from your family and getting an apartment together. But, he never did save you. Instead, he damned you.

As the years went on, Forrest had gotten deeper and deeper into drugs and crime. Eventually, he was dealing for a man who had his filthy fingers in on every kind of black market scheme in the entire city. He was too stupid to be careful and ended up owing the man money. Not having any money, Forrest had offered to give him the only thing of value he had.

You.

He waited until you were too doped up to fight back, then Forrest had stuffed you into his car and driven you to a filthy house in the middle of the worst part of town. There he traded you over to a man you didn't know and walked away free of debt.

Now here he is, strapped down to this contraption completely at your mercy. You have hated him for so long, wished for an opportunity just like this. To watch him suffer for what he did to you. His eyes are wide as he stares at you, watching you contemplate just what it is you want to do as the clock quickly races toward zero.
> You study The Trap
Ignoring Forrest, you instead circle the machine he is trapped inside. It looks like what once was a metal gurney, rigged to support him and strap him into the device. Hoses come up from a drain in the floor, more than you can count, where they then travel up the device and latch into what looks like small welding torches situated in intervals around his limbs, torso, and head.

Looking around the room, you spy what looks like a large box covered in a tarp with a note lying on top. Picking up the note, you open it to find printed text on the inside of the blank card.

Which one has the key?

Pulling the tarp off of the box, you find yourself staring down at a metal box with three holes just big enough to stick your arm into. Unlike the boxes before, you cannot see what is inside them. But, the tape had mentioned paying the price for his freedom. It isn't hard to guess that whatever is inside those holes isn't just a key.

You jump as a mechanical whirring starts up, bringing you to look at the countdown and finding it at zero. Glancing back at Forrest, you see flames erupt out of the welding torches positioned at his feet, calves, and knees. He squirms and shrieks in pain through his sewn shut lips, eyes wide in horror.


You reach into the box with the key, balling your hand into a fist to keep your fingers from getting snagged in the maze of razor wires. Gritting your teeth, you slowly push toward the back of the box. The wire slices into your fist and forearm, but it is a familiar enough pain that you manage to make it to the back of the box and grab the key.

Removing your hand is more painful than putting it into the box was. The razors drag across your already bleeding flesh, but you eventually pull your hand free of the contraption. Just as you are almost out, you feel your wrist snag on wire. Taking a deep breath, you decide to treat this like a bandaid and just yank your hand out. The pain is sharp and takes your breath away, but you make it out of the box with the key in hand.

Looking down at your blood slick arm, you wince as you see a strip of skin dangling from the top of your hand. You aren't sure if you should finish the job and remove the skin flap or set it back in place over the top of your hand and use some cloth to secure it in place.
> You wrap it Up
You shove the key into your pocket for the moment and survey the damage to your hand. An injury like this can score some good quality painkillers at the ER. Unfortunately, that isn't an option at the moment, but you're sure you'll get there eventually now that you have the key out of this hell hole.

Using your uninjured hand, you stick your fingers into one of the holes in your shirt and start ripping the fabric away. You end up with a nice strip of cloth, though you aren't sure if it will be enough. Gritting your teeth, you carefully place the flap of skin back into place on the back of your hand. It burns horribly as you place the cloth over it then your hand over the top of it. Pressing it into your stomach to hold the skin flap and fabric in place, you use your hand to wrap tie it tightly into place. It isn't perfect, but it should keep the loose skin from flopping about.
> You open The Door
Taking the key back out of your pocket, you hurry toward the door. Your injured hand burns as the cloth cinches the degloved skin tightly into place, but you push through the pain and push the key into the lock. It turns and you can hear the loud sound of the mechanism turning as the metal door screeches open.

Stepping through, you find yourself in a hallway with harsh fluorescent lights in the ceiling. You walk down it, but many of the doors are chained shut with warnings against trying to open them painted in red letters. It is cold and damp out here, making you shiver as you hurry down the corridor.

Finally, you come to a door with no warnings and a cassette labeled 'play me' taped to the middle of the door. Plucking it from the confines of the tape, you put it into the recorder and hit play.

"If you are listening to this, then you chose freedom over your addiction. This is just the first step to reclaiming your life, Ciara. For years you have blamed the people who came into your life for what you have become. Perhaps, you are right to blame them after they made you feel powerless over your own fate. But your obsession with blame keeps you from moving on. Beyond this door is someone who influenced your life early on. Today, you choose whether he lives or dies."

The tape comes to an end, leaving you feeling apprehensive about what is beyond the door in front of you.


Pressing the play button, you hear a voice start speaking from the recording. It's clearly been distorted, but you can hear the words well enough.

"Hello, Ciara. For most of your life, you have been a victim. But, you have never truly tried to rise above this victim status you have held for so long. Within this room, are photographs of your childhood. Your pictures progress from a happy little girl to that of a criminal, but what fueled this change? For years you have been too busy blaming others and using past wrongs against you as an excuse for your own misdeeds. Today, you will face your inner demons. Beyond the door of this room wait a series of tests. But, first, you must prove to yourself that your life is worth more than the addiction that rules it. The door out is locked and the key is within your reach, so is your drug of choice. Will you reach for the key to your freedom or will you stay a slave to your addiction? Live or die, Ciara, make your choice."

The tape goes silent as you feel fear start to take over the haze of cravings and the pounding of the migraine in the back of your skull. Looking around, you spot the door and hurry to it. Just as the tape said, it is locked with a heavy bolt. You've never seen a door like this before, it's solid steel and doesn't budge when you push against it. The bolt has a keyhole in it, but you don't see a key anywhere.

Looking around, all you can see are pictures hanging up illuminated by the flickering candlelight, some photographs on a crate surrounding by a circle of candles on the floor, and what looks like a binder laying on the floor in a dark corner of the room.
> You look At The Binder On The Floor
Walking over to the binder on the floor, you pick it up and move back into a better lit area of the room.

Opening it up, you find an old family scrapbook. The first few pages are filled with family pictures and little notes that your mother had written about them, but as you flip through the pages you find that your mother's scrapbook has been changed. The pages show mugshots from your teen years, progressing on into recent ones.

It's a stark change as you look at each picture. You go from from a beautiful young girl to a battered junkie with each page you turn. The final page has the words 'Cherish Your Life' written in flowing script on the back.

What was there to cherish about your life exactly? This entire thing is fucked up. You've heard of the Jigsaw killer and the horrific things he does to people. But, what would he know about your life? There is nothing to cherish and no one would miss you if you die here.

In fact, you're sure the only person that might even notice your absence is your drug dealer would likely forget his regular customer after a few days .


Her eyes dart from Fire Sage to Fire Sage. Of course, they will all betray her too just as everyone else has, but she can’t banish them yet. They must crown her first, but it’s a meaningless title now anyway. Fire Lord. Bah, what nonsense. Go back a few hours and it’d be the most powerful position in the world. The Fire Nation rules almost the entire world now, but with her father deciding to make himself the Phoenix King, not the most creative title, it makes her nothing but an honorary… something. Honorary vassal?

Oh, I’m letting my mind wander again. How foolish of me. I’m raving like a madwoman. She’ll banish the Fire Sages in a few moments before they could betray her. It all started with Mother. No, it started when Zuko betrayed her, stole all their mother’s affection by simply being born. At least Father pretended to like her. Too bad he just dumped her off here when he no longer had a use for her. Helping him commit genocide against the Earth Kingdom would’ve made some fun bonding moments.

What’s taking them so long anyway? Put the crown on my head! It’ll make her the youngest, fifteen, and the first female Fire Lord ever. She blows a strand of her hair that’s been dangling in front of her left eye. She should’ve hacked that one off too like all the other untrustworthy hairs. Maybe she doesn’t look perfect right now. She can’t tell. She destroyed her mirror after Mother wouldn’t stop talking to her, from the other side of the reflection of course. She had the gall to not age for over half a decade and not even speak to her in person!

What little remains of the logical part of her brain screams at her, telling her that she’s not well in the head. That was a hallucination, not her mother. All her servants, bodyguards, and teachers weren’t trying to kill her.

Azula ignores that little voice in her head.

Just as the fools were about to put that crown on her head, she sees him. Him! There he is, returning at the most inopportune moment! He’s been a traitor to her and their nation for how long? Weeks? He’s been hiding somewhere with this glorious nation’s most hated enemy, but he arrives to fight- No! He comes to betray her again, like everyone has done to her and like everyone will always do to her.

Azula stands up and faces him, grinning like a madwoman. She says one word to him. “Zuzu.”
> You 1
The baby reaches for the bright ball, but she can never grasp it. Why? Other balls come to her hands. That one doesn’t. It makes her angry, but it makes her want that bright ball even more. It warms her, lets her feel alive. She stretches her arms out to seize the ball again. She fails again.

The tall person says words to her. Of course, Azula doesn’t understand any of them, but the words seem harsh. She has a distant memory of those words once sounding nice, but not any longer. The being she will one day know as Mother doesn’t say nice things to her. Instead, she moves the baby under the shade of a tree.

She decides not to cry. It never does much good anyway. The bright ball disappeared under the green stuff above her now.

The tall person and the short person sit by the water. Azula understands water. Once a day, she is put in water even though she doesn’t like the feeling. The water feels bad. The bright ball feels good and warm even though she never reached it.

The two people throw something into the pond. Little fury things swim up and eat whatever the two of them toss into the water. Azula watches them until they run out of stuff to throw. She later learns it’s called bread. While the tall person stays by the water, the short one walks over to her.

She doesn’t understand what he’s saying, but his tone is happy. He stresses one word over and over to her. She watches his lip movements and listens to that sound her makes. Why not copy it? It’s how she learns many things after all.

“Z…”

He looks happier with that sounds, so he repeats that word over and over again. Perhaps he’s broken? Maybe he’ll be fixed by making that sound again.

“Zuzu!”

It’s the first word she ever spoke.
> You 2
Azula giggles. It amuses her to see so many metal men run around. They always stand still or walk behind her, but now they seem frantic. They bend away the fire from the stupid, ugly painting. fears their red armor and spiky helmets, but not Azula. No, she’s a big girl who doesn’t feel scared.

“Azula!”

The girl feels scared as her mother stands in front of the… What was the word? Tapestry! It’s a tapestry. Mommy trembles. A tear falls down her face. Why is Mommy sad? I bended fire!

“What did you do, Azula?” Azula lowers her gaze. How come Mommy gets so angry at her and only her? She smiles at everyone else, well, except for Daddy.

“I…” Why am I in trouble? “I bended fire, like Daddy and Zuzu.”

“Tell me the truth. You’re two. No one bends fire at two. It was rare for Zuko to bend fire at only four.”

“But I am tellin’ the truth.” She crosses her arms.

“Did you hide the candles? Please tell me the fire you burned this with isn’t still burning.”

“I burned it with my fire!”

“You burned my only reminder of my family. Stop lying.”

“I am not lying. I am your family!”

She stomps her foot on the ground. The rug catches on fire where her foot made contact. Unlike before, pure joy, now she feels afraid. Will Mommy be angry about this too?

Instead of saying anything else, Mommy walks away in a hurry. The metal men, maybe they are called guards, bend that fire away too. She watches. They do it so easily. Why doesn’t Mommy yell at them? They bend, but she doesn’t mind. Why doesn’t Mommy love her?

“A… Azula?”

She turns her head. Zuzu stands in the doorway, eyes wide. Zuzu burned something too when he first bended. It was part of Mommy’s dress, a pretty and black one. Mommy was so happy when that happened even though the fire made her skin look a little red on her hand. She loves Zuzu.

“What did you do, Azula?” he asks, echoing their mother’s words. Again, Azula lowers her gaze.
> You show Him
She shoots some fire. It catches Zuzu’s shirt on fire. He screams like a girl before throwing his shirt off.

“Why did you do that, Azula?” He has tears in his eyes. Did I hurt Zuzu?

“I…” She looks at the ground. “I wanted to show you.”

He glances at his arm again. “Fire can hurt. It can kill. It’s why we’re so good at conquering the world.” Azula nods at the last part. “Don’t do that anymore. I… I have practice coming up about control. Um…” He sighs, or maybe that was a groan. “You can come with me for that.”

She tilts her head to the side. “Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

Zuzu will help her. She never got to do big kid things with him before. He did all of this after she burned him? Her big brother is either the nicest person ever or a giant dum-dum.

They hear a new set of footsteps. She turns and sees someone she only remembers seeing twice before besides their nightly, tense dinners. Mommy stands behind him. She looks angry and confused. Maybe she’s wondering why Zuzu’s shirt is smoldering on the ground.

“Daddy?” she asks. Zuzu takes three steps backwards.

“Azula, you bent fire.”

“Yes.” She clenches her tiny fists. Will he be angry like Mommy?

“Good job.” He smirks. At this time in her life, it scared her. Eventually, she will learn to desire such approval.
> You 3
Azula fires another blast of fire with every punch. She imagines a new Avatar, unlike that one who died generations ago, standing in front of her. Each blast burns off more of his face until he’s nothing but a screaming skull. She would laugh at the sight, but she needs to focus. Her breathing is already… what was the word her teacher used? Impeccable. That’s the word. Her breathing is impeccable.

“That’s enough for today.” Her teacher’s words make the girl stop. She wipes the sweat from her brow and glances at the sun. It warms her aching limbs. As always, she pushes herself the very hardest to make Mommy proud. Not good enough. I must be better. Maybe Mommy will like it more.

Her mother moves from the chair she and the teacher sit at. She rushes past Azula and coddles Zuzu, struggling for breath. That dum-dum hasn’t come close to mastering breathing, let alone firebending. She knows she should feel pride. Already, she is better than Zuzu, but that hasn’t done anything for making Mommy like her. Why isn’t she good enough now? No, that doesn’t matter. She’ll become the best. That way Mommy must love her. Who doesn’t love the bestest of them all?

But… she is already better than Zuzu. He is nice to her, but Mommy doesn’t like her. Even if she becomes the bestest ever, what if that doesn’t work? I need two plans. Maybe, if Zuzu does bad things too, like burning tapestries, then maybe Mommy wouldn’t mind the bad things Azula does. But Zuzu doesn’t do bad things. He is nice.

She scratches her head for a moment before smiling. Zuzu doesn’t do bad things, but Azula does. Mommy only needs to think Zuzu did those. Maybe then she’ll be nice and love her.

What does Mommy like? Mommy likes plays, the beach, Zuzu, and Turtle-Ducks. Azula can’t destroy the beach, plus the beach is fun. There aren’t any plays around, thank goodness. She doesn’t want to hurt Zuzu. But…

She decides to do it at night. Night is dark, so most firebenders sleep. That means no one will see her, right? The girl waits until night. She refuses to let herself fall asleep and counts to six hundred before sneaking out of her room. She sneaks from corner to corner in the darkness.
> You go to the Rooftops to Sneak
Azula sneaks up to a second story window. It is a super far drop to the ground, but she isn’t afraid. I’m not afraid at all. This feeling is just excitement. She shimmies over the window and lowers her first foot to the roof. After testing for footing, she puts her other foot down.

The princess keeps her arms out to stay balanced. The roof has a small angle, so it will be easy to slip and fall. She looks around. Everything seems so different up here, but she sees where the pond rests. It isn’t far away, but right now it seems like an endless distance.

She gains confidence with each step. Her feet make small clicking sounds on the tile. I can do this to make Mommy love me. Her legs tremble. Almost there. Just a few more minutes.

A tile snaps loose under her feet. She slips and lets out a squeal as she grasps for any handhold. Then, she falls for a moment. Pain engulfs her.

Mommy! Daddy! Zuzu, help me!

She never does get to see her brother again.


Azula fires another blast of fire with every punch. She imagines a new Avatar, unlike that one who died generations ago, standing in front of her. Each blast burns off more of his face until he’s nothing but a screaming skull. She would laugh at the sight, but she needs to focus. Her breathing is already… what was the word her teacher used? Impeccable. That’s the word. Her breathing is impeccable.

“That’s enough for today.” Her teacher’s words make the girl stop. She wipes the sweat from her brow and glances at the sun. It warms her aching limbs. As always, she pushes herself the very hardest to make Mommy proud. Not good enough. I must be better. Maybe Mommy will like it more.

Her mother moves from the chair she and the teacher sit at. She rushes past Azula and coddles Zuzu, struggling for breath. That dum-dum hasn’t come close to mastering breathing, let alone firebending. She knows she should feel pride. Already, she is better than Zuzu, but that hasn’t done anything for making Mommy like her. Why isn’t she good enough now? No, that doesn’t matter. She’ll become the best. That way Mommy must love her. Who doesn’t love the bestest of them all?

But… she is already better than Zuzu. He is nice to her, but Mommy doesn’t like her. Even if she becomes the bestest ever, what if that doesn’t work? I need two plans. Maybe, if Zuzu does bad things too, like burning tapestries, then maybe Mommy wouldn’t mind the bad things Azula does. But Zuzu doesn’t do bad things. He is nice.

She scratches her head for a moment before smiling. Zuzu doesn’t do bad things, but Azula does. Mommy only needs to think Zuzu did those. Maybe then she’ll be nice and love her.

What does Mommy like? Mommy likes plays, the beach, Zuzu, and Turtle-Ducks. Azula can’t destroy the beach, plus the beach is fun. There aren’t any plays around, thank goodness. She doesn’t want to hurt Zuzu. But…

She decides to do it at night. Night is dark, so most firebenders sleep. That means no one will see her, right? The girl waits until night. She refuses to let herself fall asleep and counts to six hundred before sneaking out of her room. She sneaks from corner to corner in the darkness.
> You stay on the Ground to Sneak
The guards in their red armor are on the lookout for people going inside the palace. They wouldn’t expect someone to be sneaking into the palace’s pond, right?

It turns out, she was right… or perhaps lucky. It doesn’t matter. She made it by sneaking from shadowy corner to shadowy corner. Standing by the wall, she knows that the pond will be in the open. She’ll have to do this fast. After breathing in and out a few times, the girl sets her sight on one duckling. Unlike the others, that one sleeps away from her mother. The others all cuddle under the mother’s wings.

Azula rushes forward. Some of the turtle-ducks wake up when she arrives, but not her target. She plucks it out of the water. It squawks and bites her hand. She lights her hand on fire while still grasping it. She keeps the blaze cold enough to make it a painful death for the creature. When it stops struggling, she drops it in the water and flees.

Blood drips down her pointer finger, but the elation of victory drowns any of the pain. Tomorrow, she will blame everything on Zuzu. Then, Mommy will forgive him because she loves him. Mommy will then forgive her since everything Azula had done before wasn’t as bad a murder.

When she reaches her bedroom, she wipes the few trickles of blood on her nightgown. She falls asleep with ease. Uncle Iroh always said killing something made him feel sad. Now, she knows he’s a coward. She doesn’t feel bad at all, yet she’s only three.

She falls asleep with a smile on her face.

When she wakes up, she puts on her normal clothes. Zuzu has servants who do it. So does Mommy. Mommy hasn’t given Azula any servants though.

She sprints to the dining room. Mommy always eats dinner at sunrise, and Azula always wakes up with the sun.

“Mommy! Mommy!” she calls doing the best to sound anxious. She pushes open the dining room doors. She sees Mommy and Zuzu, as expected. She also sees two others. One is her father. He seems curious about something. The other is being held in Mommy’s hands. It’s a baby Turtle-Duck, the same one she killed.

“Azula.” Mommy’s voice sounds cold. “Why did you do this?” Why does she know I did it?

“I did not.” She crosses her arms.

“I see the bite mark on your finger.”

Zuzu tugs on Mommy’s sleeve. “Mom, maybe she didn’t.”

Using the temporary distraction, she comes up with a story. “I wanted to pet the Turtle-Ducks last night. They don’t like me, so one bit me. I left, but I saw Zuzu. He sneezed, and it burnt one. I wanted to tell you before you thought it was on purpose.” She will believe that.

“How could you kill an innocent creature, Azula? Why must you always lie?”

Mommy marches up to the girl and grabs her by the ear. As she gets pulled to a day full of yelling and spanking, she looks back at the two males in the room. Zuzu looks hurt, maybe fearful. Daddy… Daddy looks proud.

The next morning, Azula wakes up with a sore bottom and salty stains streaking down from her eyes. She also doesn’t dress herself. Three servants come in and do it for her. Azula doesn’t have any doubts over who sent them.

Azula learned a powerful lesson that day. She lost any chance of Mommy’s love and lost Zuzu’s trust, but she still won. Azula could always win. Yesterday, she won Daddy’s approval.
> You 4
Azula feels nothing. Fire needs emotion to burn from her body as it needs wood to burn in a fireplace. No firebender can bend without emotion.

The prodigy decides she will bend fire anyway.

She uses determination. It’s the one thing she and Zuzu have in common. She will be the best bender ever and Fire Lord. Being fifth in line for the throne is simply a puzzle to solve. While her brother is determined to take all of Mother’s love, Azula will become lord. Once she’s old enough, she’ll challenge her uncle and his son to an Agni Kai and win. Then, Azulon. That’d let Father be the Fire Lord. She could challenge her father to an Agni Kai. He loves her, the only one who does, but love profits no one. Then, she’ll challenge Zuzu and kill him too.

She shakes her head. She’ll burn him, not kill him. He… He should live to see how amazing she is and then feel bad. That’s why. Nothing else.

Stupid emotions. I have no emotions. I am determined. I will bend fire without emotions! Emotions are bad. Father said so. Emotions cloud her judgement.

She jabs another burst of flame at the guard. This time, she gasps. The man doesn’t deflect this one. Instead, he stands there awestruck. The blast hits his head and he tumbles to the ground.

Azula looks around. Her instructor stands with his mouth agape. She looks at her hand again as if it became a new appendage.

She lights her hand aflame, though the fire doesn’t burn her. It sooths her, like the sun. Unlike the sun, this flame is now a brilliant, beautiful blue.

It’s too splendid to hide from others. Everyone should see this. It’s so… “Perfect,” she mutters. Looking down at the guard with his armor still smoldering, she demands, “Tell me where Zuzu is! I wanna show him this.”
> You 5
Azula inspects the knife. “What are you doing with that?” Everything about the girl seems normal, except the knife she uses to carve her fruit. It’s a throwing knife.

The girl doesn’t move to acknowledge Azula’s words. Instead, she sighs. “I’m taking off the skin.” Azula shakes her head. She picks up another fruit from the ground and bites into it. Maybe this will get a reaction. It does, since the girl raises one of her eyebrows before shrugging.

“You’re that politician’s daughter.” It’s a statement, not a question. Azula likes to know who’s who in her palace. Well, it’ll be her palace one day.

“Tragically.”

“Yet they gave you a throwing knife.”

The girl takes a bite of the fruit. Some of the juices fall onto her clothing before her dull companion wipes it off. “Why not?”

At this point, Azula realizes that the girl has spoken in nothing but a bored drawl. Perhaps this is all a waste of time, but there could be a benefit remaining.

“Do you throw it much?”

Instead of answering her, she girl stands up. With perfect form, she thrusts her hand outward. The knife flies straight an into one of the tree’s fruits. Azula didn’t know that the girl was aiming for a different fruit, but it looked like she knew exactly what she was doing.

“How much do you practice?”

“Whenever I’m bored.” Judging from her character, she feels boredom every day.

“You’re going to be my friend now.”

“Whatever.” After retrieving the knife, she sits down and proceeds to carve more skin off the fruit.

Azula nods, happy to gain an ally. If she has that girl’s accuracy along with her sheer power, then it will be one step closer to being the best firebender ever and the best Fire Lord the world has ever seen. It will be-

“Excuse me?”

She speaks without prompt now? Why? “Go ahead.” Is she… blushing?

“Is your brother… nice?” This girl has a blush, no doubt about it.

“Nice?”

“Yeah, he’s… he looks nice.”

Azula holds back a laugh.

“Does your silence mean he’s mean, like everyone else here?” The girl looks down.

Azula sighs and looks at the sun. “He’s nice.” She shifts her gaze back to the girl while making a stern looking face. “But he’s still a giant dum-dum. Maybe you could talk to him.”

“But, he’s so old looking. Is he eight?”

“Seven.”

“His name is Zuko, right? You’re Azula, the one who bends blue fire?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Mai.”
> You 6
“Who was that?” She didn’t think Zuzu was paying that much attention. He seemed much more focused on that sand… sand mound? Perhaps it was supposed to be a palace or castle. That dum-dum has no artistic sense.

“A new friend.”

“Like Mai?” His eyes shimmer with that word. After a moment of contemplation, she decides it’s a shimmer of fear. Poor Zuzu’s afraid of girls, herself included. That’s good.

She nods. “Uh huh, this one’s flexible and jumpy. I’m gonna be so good, no one could shoot me in an Agni Kai, even if I don’t bend.”

“And she wants to be your friend?”

“Of course.”

Actually, Ty Lee, apparently from a family with a surname, seems to do this out of selfish reasons. She has a bunch of sisters, so being friends with a princess would differentiate her. All her actions scream “look at me” anyway. She’ll be easy to control.

Zuzu crosses his arms. “Will that one be heading to the palace?”

She raises her eyebrow. Why would she not? I wouldn’t befriend people who won’t be around. “Yes.”

“Oh.”

She puts her hands on her hips. “It’s not my fault if I have more friends that you.”

He smashes the sand mound with his fists. Mother would’ve yelled at me if I did that. She didn’t even notice her precious son doing it. Even if she did, Mother would coddle him. She doesn’t see regret in his eyes. If it wasn’t for Mother, maybe Zuzu would’ve had a small chance at being a warrior.

“It’s not fair.” He stands up. “How come you have so many friends?”

It’s Azula’s turn to cross her arms. “I have two friends. That’s not much.”
“More than me.”

She shouldn’t be so surprised. He either flounders in his training or gets coddled by Mother. Is he capable of doing those boy game? Probably not. She should’ve put two and two together. Her brother’s isolated. Azula has broken free.

“Zuzu, how many kids have you ever talked to?”

“Um…” He stares at the sand as if it has become the most interesting thing in the world.

“Let me guess…” She talked to him. Mai… Has Mai? Maybe. It’s hard to tell. “Two.”

He doesn’t say anything, but his fist clench and he takes a quick breath of air. I’m right, as expected.

“Do you even know how to play Hot Rocks?”

“No.”

Of course, you wouldn’t know. I made it up, just now.

“You heat up a rock like this one.” She runs to the edge of the beach where there’s a stone, probably sandstone. She uses her flames to make it hot, but not enough to make it explode. She found out how painful those can be. “Then, we throw it at each other.” I can let the heat flow through me. Can you, Zuzu?

She tosses the rock at him. He caught it and gave a very feminine yelp. Why am I behind him for the throne? He tosses it from one hand to another before chucking it back at her. She catches it and glances at the sun. From that angle…

She tosses it at Zuzu, but she lobs it at a high angle. Her training with Mai will reap some fun rewards. He looks up but can’t see it. The rock is falling in his eyesight to the sun, a blind spot made of light. Of course, a warrior or anyone with common sense would move out of the way, yet Zuzu’s too stubborn for that.

The rock hits his head, and he falls into the sand. Would Mother believe a bird would’ve dropped a stone on his head? Probably not. Did anyone see this? Mother and Father are down the beach sitting on the sand. The guards are back at the house, since it’s safe here. No one else dares come close to part of the royal family, except Ty Lee, but that girl has already wandered off.
> You lie Down next to Him... Just to Make Things Look Normal
She walks up and lies down next to her dazed brother. She pokes his shoulder without a response. He’s unconscious. She snuggles closer to her brother feeling the burning warmth of the sand on her back and the rhythmic breathing of her brother. Maybe he’s playing dead to make Mother upset, but it won’t work. They’ll think we’re lounging around in the sand if they see my lying with Zuzu.

She feels the cool breeze drifting over the ocean carrying the faintest tinge of salt. The waters lap against the sand like a heartbeat. She clenches some of the sand and sprinkles it on Zuzu’s forehead. She giggles and some falls into his mouth.

He opens his eyes and groans.

“You should’ve dodged, dum-dum.”

He rubs his forehead, brushing off some of the sand. “There’s no honor in running away.” And now he’s talking about honor?

“There’s also no honor is being thunked by a rock. Firebenders break through flame, but our soldiers without bending must dodge.”

“But I’m a firebender.”

“A really bad one.” She pokes his side. Oddly, he hasn’t tried to get away from her yet. “Maybe you should act more like a soldier than a bender. Maybe try some swords?”

“No son of Sozin or any firebender would use swords.”

“Which’s why you should.”

Zuzu stares at her, trying to read her expressions. He’s trying to decide if she’s insulting him or offering advice. Who says I can’t do both? She can read others easier than she can read that awful old poetry Mother likes so much. Zuzu couldn’t tell if she was sad if she was crying, not that she ever would.

“Why are you still here, next to me?”

“Don’t you trust me, big brother?”

He cringes. “No.”

Ouch. “Fine. You don’t have to, but I’ll always be on your side when we’re in battle. Well, unless we’re in an Agni Kai. I’ll just beat you quickly instead.”

“We haven’t had a princess in battle for centuries, right?”

“Yeah, but I will. You can be my armor bearer or something.”

His demeanor darkens. Ug, that sounds like Ty Lee and those auroras. “I don’t think I’ll ever get to a battlefield. I’d just get in the way.”

“Which’s why you should be my helper. That way, you’d have a purpose.”

They lie there on the beach until sunset. Neither wanted to leave, since both knew what’d happen. They’d revert to their normal ways. They’d fight for their parent’s attention. Azula would scheme.

Both were right. They didn’t have a quiet moment for the rest of the trip. When they got home, they’d either avoid the other of fight. Azula would come out on top. She had to. Only perfection can reach the throne, and she’ll prove she’s perfection incarnate.

However, she didn’t lie, not when making that promise. Even though their daily lives are like a battle against the other, on the real battlefield, she’d be there for her brother. No matter how much she dislikes the dum-dum, she knows it’s the duty of a royal to protect the weaker members of the family. But, that’ll happen years from now, maybe a decade. The Fire Lord will probably be her tea-loving uncle by then.

Even Azula with all her cunning could never predict that the battlefield will come so soon. It’ll come charging towards Zuzu not from assassins or enemy soldiers. He’ll be threatened by his family.
> You 7
Azula sits at the desk as the teacher tries to teach the class. The girl tilts her head. On second thought, that woman teaches the class but not the princess. She learned these things on her own by staring at Father’s maps. Who wouldn’t? Tragically, this is also the only class that is remotely interesting.

Other firebending children go to military school or, at worst, a normal school. Alas, Azula has the double-edged sword called royalty. A fire nation princess must know the dullest of things. How does one brew tea? How to sit perfectly still while the men talk? Raising childing? To any other girl, this may be interesting, but Azula knows her destiny is far grander than being a Fire Lady or a princess of the court. She WILL be Fire Lord. Fire Lords don’t need to know the steps of brewing tea. That’s for her uncle and cousin.

While keeping her eyes on the teacher, she studies her interesting classmates, the only ones worth noting, from her peripheral vision. Mai acts like the perfect lady. Her parents expect nothing less. At least it gives me control over her. What noble family would want their daughter to not associate with the only princess of the Fire Nation? What bored daughter of a noble family wouldn’t want to have exciting times with a firebending prodigy? And be closer to Zuzu. Ew. What does she see in him?

On the other hand, Ty Lee bounces her leg up and down even as she sits. She looks almost as bored as Azula right now. Is she even capable of being still? She wouldn’t make a good infiltrator, but she could be our distraction. That Chi blocking will be handy as well. Still, does she feel out of place? Like me? Every girl here is a noble, but I am the princess while Ty Lee is technically a commoner. A commoner from a rich family, but a peasant nonetheless. When I become Fire Lord, I will elevate her family to nobility.

Azula nods. Is it unnecessarily nice? I believe so, but I will guarantee the loyalty of a family of Chi blockers. Why hasn’t any Fire Lord possessed the intelligence to do that yet? Oh well, their loss will become my gain.

She waits diligently until class is over. Patience is a virtue of earthbenders, but even those savages can occasionally have a correct idea. They leave for lunch, which is another class. Here they learn to eat properly which is something Azula knows how to do. Mother made sure of that.

Azula and her two followers sit away from the other girls and eat their meals. Their etiquette instructor occasionally walks by, but they are otherwise left alone. Ty Lee rambles about a cute boy she saw on the street. On the street? Ew. Also, cute boy? Ew.

Her ears perk up. Always listening, she hears a very important word. Ozai. And, it’s just Ozai, not the proper Prince Ozai. She focuses on that voice, and its conversation. It looks like two girls to their left. Aren’t those the daughters of Uncle’s… something. Is it Captains or Majors? Either way, their fathers are out on that overly long campaign. I would have won by now.

“And why isn’t he in the battlefields? I thought he was a powerful bender, like General Iroh?” It’s Crown Prince Iroh to you, stupid noble girl.

“Mom said they need a royal in court in case the general and Prince Lu Ten die in combat.” You dare insult Father?

“That doesn’t seem honorable for Ozai.” You no good-
“It isn’t.”

“Azula?” Ty Lee sounds worried. “Your hands are on fire a little bit.”

I should have more control than that. Azula ends her blue flames. “Mai, Ty Lee.”

“Yeah?”

Mai simply nods.

“We have a mission to defend our nation’s honor.” She pauses for a moment before smirking. “I know exactly what we’re going to do.”
> You murder Them
It takes three hours of waiting for the right moment, but Azula has achieved her goal. Those two girls rush into a washroom. Ty Lee accidentally spilled some of her paint on their dresses. How unfortunate. Then, a candle happened to be knocked over. Who could possibly have such precision? Since none of the teachers can bend, a great deal of screaming and panic erupted in the room. It provided ample time for Azula to slip away from watching eyes. She down the halls to the washroom door. If the girls were intelligent, then they may have heard the ruckus, but they wouldn’t be at the receiving end of Azula’s wrath if they were intelligent.

She opens the door as the girls grumble, cleaning the pigment from their dresses. Oblivious, as expected. She lights her hands on fire. Blue flames dances in her palm. Neither girl notices their impending, painful death. Too bad. There would’ve been more of a challenge otherwise.

With each hand, she blasts the heads of both girls. The fire burns for only a moment before she snuffs her blue flames. One lets out a short gasp. The other falls without a sound. Too easy. The girl who just fell twitches on the ground but can’t say anything. Her vocal cords must’ve been burned. Either that or the pain is too great. Her head does look like a shriveled shadow of a head. Part of the girl’s skin falls off, the left cheek.

Azula smiles. “That’s what happens if you insult my father.” The twitching girl stops twitching. I guess she’s dead now. Pity. I hoped that would’ve lasted lo-

The princess lets out a gurgle. A sharp pain jams itself from her back into her chest. Falling, she looks behind her and sees the other girl, the one who gasped, staring at her with a hateful eye, since the other one seems mostly melted at this point. Coughing up blood, Azula fells her back, and her hand bumps into a hilt.

Spitting out blood, Azula stutters, “Knives aren’t allowed here.”

“So is murder.” The other girl collapses but won’t take her eyes off her enemy.

“Oh well.”

Azula blasts fire again this time ensuring that the stabbing girl dies. Her vision grows dark. I won’t let Father think I failed him. She looks at her blue flame one last time. It is pretty. Then, she puts all her remaining strength into burning herself. The pain lasts for just a moment until she feels nothing at all. Since Azula doesn’t want Father to ever think she failed, maybe doing this will make it seem like some form of assassination where the princess and two hapless bystanders were killed.

She never does find out, but her plan works. The name “Princess Azula” became a rallying call for Fire Nation soldiers as they battled against Water Tribe and Earth Nation. One of those two had to be the culprits, right?

The nation mourned their fallen princess. At the funeral, Azula’s father had a stone-cold gaze. His tool was broken too early. Her mother shed tears, five to be exact even though two were just due to the smoke of incinerating the corpse. Zuzu did cry on that day. He cried that night. He cried that week. For the rest of his life, he couldn’t look at hot fires for too long. Some of those fire had the faintest traces of blue. Blue fire made him weep.