"I'm trying, I'm trying!"
I yelled at my friend as my fingers dug around threw his messy brown hair, pulling out burs. Each little tassel of hair seemed me be covered in them. And I wasn't taking "I bumped into a porcupine-deer" as an excuse.
"Ughh," I groaned. "When was the last time you even washed your mane?!"
"It's not a mane!" He swatted away my hands and stood up from the forest ground. "Its hair!"
I shrugged and brushed off my knees. "If you say so, Twig."
Jet's eyebrows clenched, and so did his fists, but he said nothing against his nickname that I had given him.
Giggling, I picked up the firewood we were supposed to gather in one hand, and held his in the other.
With my head held high I marveled at our small earth kingdom village from above the hill in which it was placed. Each house was perfectly crafted and each corner perfectly matched. Children younger than Jet and I by a few years ran around, in, and through the houses and market place, squealing as they passed. Food was fresh and our village elders were healthy….we had come so far from the last attack.
My grip on Jet's hand tightened as I remembered the second attack on our village from the fire nation. It had happened three years ago, when I had first come to the village. I was only six years old.
It happened so quickly, and almost half of us were whipped out. I was surprised I was even able to save Jet and myself. The memory of the first attack I wasn't living in this village to see, but the second one seemed to forever be lodged in my mind. Just the memory of me grabbing Jet from his crib, and running to the barn, which later caught on fire, to hide in….
"Haeyyy!! My hand!!! Ouch Jun!!" Jet screeched, letting go of my hand.
I looked down at his, and noticed my nails had punctured his skin. I guess my grip was a little too tight…
"Oh…wow, I'm sorry. I, uh, didn't notice." I replied, shrugging. I was glad we had reached the village so I wouldn't have to explain further.
Running farther ahead, I waved back at Jet. "See you at dinner, Twig!" He hated his nickname, but I hated that stupid twig he chewed on. So we were even.
Plopping the firewood onto the floor near our fireplace, I rolled onto my knees and sighed. It seemed like yesterday that I had came to this village….just yesterday that my parents left my home-village, and me behind.
"No," I shook my head and pulled my hair out of its bun. "You're here now, and that's what matters! Forget about them, they forgot about you!"
"Something wrong?"
I closed my black eyes and tossed a chunk of fire wood into the flames, admiring its heat against my pale skin. Pulling my knees close to my chest, I rested my chin on them, and wrapped my arms around them.
"No, mom. Nothing to worry about." I whispered, my eyes transfixed by the yellow flames. I could tell my adopted mother was worried about me, then again, so was everyone but Jet. I had been having major anger outbursts, and my mood had darkened each day.
I was beginning to become accustomed to living in fear of the ever lurking fire nation. After the first two years after the attack, when everyone started healing and the town began crawling back to normal, people became relaxed. They had let their guard down.
But now me, not the "burnt child" who had protected three-year-old baby Jet from the flames with my own body as the barn I had chosen to hide in melted away to nothing. My guard was constantly up, and I never could relax. I knew this peace to was too good to be true, and that the fire nation was just waiting for us to get comfortable again so that they could destroy us easier.
My steady breathing had turned to panting, and now I was almost hyperventilating. I couldn't take waiting on edge for another attack for much longer!
"You don't…look ok." Mother's voice began to quiver; I could hear it even from all the way on the other side of the house.
"I'm fine." I jumped to my feet again. "The flames are just…" placing my hand on the doorway, I sighed. "getting to me."
The sun had set by the time my feet slid back into my house, and back to Jet. I felt like I was his only protection, his only friend, the only person that understood him the best. He was care-free, un-tamable, and loud-mouthed. His peaceful sleeping face made me smile as I jumped into the bed on the other side of the room we shared. I was quiet, ridged, and misunderstood. We were the perfect team.
Breakfast the next morning was un-eventful, and so was the next day. Working in the fields, running errands, and pretending to Earth bend our meatloaf, it all seemed like routine.
The clanking and clinking of our forks and knives against our plates was all we heard throughout dinner, until Father's fist came slamming down on the table.
"You young lady," he pointed at me, which was expected. "Need an attitude adjustment!"
All was quiet as I looked up from my meatloaf. My black eyes met his, and my black lips parted to mutter, "I need more than that."
Dad and I never really got along.
His eyes began to blaze and his shoulders began to shake. Picking up his fork, he threw it, aiming for my head. Seconds before it hit me, I caught it in-between two of my long fingers.
"Some adjustment." I muttered, throwing the fork back. I slightly grinned as its teeth jammed into the wooden table, in between his pointer finger and thumb. One millimeter to the right, and he wouldn't be able to hold a spear.
Silently I got up from the table. Family life seemed to be so much more complicated after I turned ten, and Jet eight. Slamming the front door behind me, I walked outside and around our village. I waved to village healer rubbed her cat Miyuki's head in passing. But as I kept walking, I smelled smoke. It seemed to be coming from the other side of the village….crawling on top of a roof; I leaned on my tippy-toes to get a better look. The whole West side of the village was engulfed in flames and smoke. People were burning and running away, not to mention screaming as well.
Grabbing their most precious belongings and children, the West side of the village was in utter turmoil. My eyes widened, my face turned a paler white, and pain emitted from my stomach.
I knew it.
They were attacking again.
Jumping off the rooftop, I landed hard in a roll. My heart began to pound faster and harder with each step I took, flames following behind me. People were pushing and crowding the alleyways, making it nigh impossible for me to use my shortcuts back home. Children were crying, Fathers were grabbing their weapons to fight, the elders were being towed through the streets like cattle, Mothers were scrambling to find their younglings and passports, everyone else was trying to save their merchandise or pushing everyone but themselves out of their way; and I was caught in the middle.
Smoke clouded my throat, making it hard to breathe and see. Crawling through the crowd on my hands and knees, I finally made it to Mrs. Yen's rooftop. I had often used it for star gazing, but I now needed it for a different purpose.
Blood pounded in my ears as I crawled up the side of her house and flung onto the roof. Frantically I tried to locate my home, and quickly found it. Clenching my teeth, I began to "house hop" back home, sense no one would think of using the roofs to get out.
I could see my home from only nine houses away, my heart began to pound more and more with each passing step. I could see Jet outside, clinging to Mother. He was crying, and shaking. Wimp.
Twisting around in mid-air, I looked to see what was happening behind me. It looked as if only two roofs after the one I was on now were flame-free, for now.
Jumping up, I twisted again, but suddenly a force struck my rib cage, and I fell off the roof. Slamming into the ground with more force than I thought possible, I bounced twice before completely laying still against the ground. Crying out in pain, I grasped my side, only to find an arrow had pierced me. My mind was racing, certain thoughts came too fast so that they didn't even register before leaving.
Blood dripped out from my wound and my eyesight began to fade. I could hear Jet scream something, but all I could feel were pain and flames…