Now here I go again, I see the crystal visions
I keep my visions to myself, it's only me
Who wants to wrap around your dreams and,
Have you any dreams you'd like to sell?
Dreams of loneliness,
Like a heartbeat, drives you mad
In the stillness of remembering, what you had,
And what you lost and what you had and what you lost

-Dreams; by Fleetwood Mac

There was a very special hiding spot Jada used to keep her minimal personal belongings safe. No one in the village, not even Tae, knew of its whereabouts. The teen found that to be very important. She couldn't afford anyone attempting to steal what little personal items she had left. The clothing Tae had given her, along with the food she had rationed out — it was all in that spot. It probably wasn't the most sanitary way to keep things hidden, but Jada found it to be satisfactory, given her circumstance. So, the teen hurried to where her spot was, in the dark and hoping to go unnoticed by the villagers.

As if anyone would want to confront me in any way, Jada thought. The perks of being a Firebender in the Earth Kingdom is perpetual isolation.

With a snicker, Jada quickly maneuvered her way around rock piles and other miscellaneous items until her spot came into view. It was located a little over a mile outside of the village, surrounded by boulders that fell due to an earthquake decades before. Again, Jada knew it wasn't a very sanitary place to keep food and clothes, but it was the best option for her. When she approached the boulders, the fifteen year old let out a huff as she prepared to climb up. It wasn't super difficult, but when it was dark out and the only light came from the rising moon, one had to be cautious on where they placed their hands and feet.

Jada carefully placed her hands on the hard edges of the boulder, pushing herself up and placing her feet on some of the ridges.

Just hurry up and get this over with, Jada thought. Get what you can, write your note for Tae, and leave. You've procrastinated long enough on this. Seriously, how much longer can you put this off?

A valid question, honestly. Jada had been thinking about leaving for weeks. She didn't know why things were getting so complicated for her. Sure, Tae wanted her to ensure leaving was what she wanted, but living in Haan'oli was really starting to wear her out. Leaving was the best solution. Jada would have the chance to restart somewhere else. If she were to relocate to some other part of the Earth Kingdom, then she wouldn't have to worry about people knowing about her mixed heritage. Besides, it wasn't blatantly obvious that Jada had Fire Nation blood in her. The only way someone could really tell would be if they paid attention to her eyes. It seemed as though, from what the teen could tell, a majority of people who lived in the Fire Nation had amber-colored eyes. That was the one thing Jada liked to think she inherited from her mother. As for her other physical characteristics, she couldn't tell what else she inherited from Kiri. But that didn't matter. Not when there were other things on Jada's mind.

When she finally reached where her belongings were held, the fifteen year old moved some smaller rocks out of the way. In a neatly folded pile were the few clothes that still fit Jada, along with her remaining food that was wrapped in a catagator skin pouch. Opening it, the teen was relatively satisfied with how fresh her food still looked.

Grabbing her clothes and the catagator pouch, Jada stood at her full height and moved the smaller rocks back into a haphazard pile.

Letting out a sigh, the fifteen year old carefully maneuvered herself down from the boulders and made her way back to the village.

...

There were a lot of things going through Jada's mind. She wanted to find the right words; she wanted to figure out the most appropriate explanation — but nothing seemed good enough. Tae had been the only person in Jada's life who was consistent. He was always there for her when she needed it; he provided the best advice, he gave her food and water and clothing; he was the closest thing she had to a family. Not even Jada's own parents held the kind of bond the teen had with her friend. With Kiri, it was because of her death. Ronin had been completely uninvolved in Jada's life in all kinds of aspects. He may have been there physically, but he wasn't completely there.

Tae, on the other hand. . .he was the one constant Jada needed in her life. He gave her security, he gave her a foundation. He looked beyond her Firebending abilities and focused on who she was as a person. It didn't matter that Jada had a mixed heritage, it didn't matter that she was an outcast in her own community — Tae was willing to overlook that. It was the one thing the teen wanted in her life.

That's why writing a last minute goodbye note was so difficult.

What would be the right thing to say? How could Jada come up with a reasonable explanation for her last minute decision? Tae had requested that she take her time in coming to a conclusion. She promised to, but ultimately failed to do so. It made Jada feel like a horrible person. It made her feel like a lousy friend.

Just figure something out and quit feeling sorry for yourself.

A scowl came across the teen's face as she tried thinking over what she wanted to say. She'd managed to rip off a flier from a nearby store and wanted to use that as a means of writing. And since she didn't have any ink or anything, that meant, unfortunately, that Jada had to come up with an alternative to writing the note. Which, in other words, meant finger-painting what she wanted with dirt. It wasn't what the teen wanted, but it was the best she could come up with. It was definitely a sloppy way of saying goodbye, but it was better than nothing. So, with a disheartened sigh, Jada knew she'd have to do her very best to make her plan work.

(A/N):

First off, I'd like to apologize for the wait on this chapter. I know it's not the best, and it's incredibly short compared to the other ones, but I hope you guys can overlook that. And, if you don't mind, please leave some constructive criticism where you see fit. I'd greatly appreciate it.

Nothing in the ATLA universe belongs to me. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the socks that I wear. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.

Again, I know this chapter is short and poorly written, but I'll try and make a better chapter for my next update. Ideas from you guys are always welcome, too.

Be sure to leave random facts on whatever comes to mind for you guys. It could be old or new, it doesn't matter to me.

Thanks a bunch, guys.

Dorothy Rose