"Piper, why aren't you in bed?"

It was well into the middle of the night, and Piper couldn't find it in her to actually go to sleep. Every time she did, she'd be overwhelmed by the dream. For the past week and a half, Piper had been experiencing the same dream every night. Two glowing eyes, the sensation that her body was being frozen solid, and then an unbelievable amount of power would wash over her. Each night the dream became progressively more intense, so intense Piper couldn't bring herself to go to sleep.

Looking over her shoulder, Piper saw her mother, Rei, standing behind her at the front of their house, Piper felt a feeling wash over her.

"I couldn't sleep," she sighed.

Kneeling down beside her daughter, Rei looked at Piper with a solemn frown. Rei noticed how tired and distanced her daughter had become. It was hard not to. Piper always had a sense of liveliness to her, and it burned as brightly as the sun.

"Is it because of all the training you've been doing?" Rei asked, brushing some of her daughter's auburn hair away from her face. Piper was the only one in her immediate family to be a Firebender, something she took great pride in. She practiced with the few Firebending cousins she had, learning from them and developing her own bending techniques.

Piper shook her head.

Rei's face fell a little. "You know I worry about you," she murmured, wrapping an arm around Piper's shoulders, bringing her close to her side. "I've seen how exhausted you've gotten over this past week; if there's anything you need to tell me―anything at all―just tell me, OK?"

Looking over at her mother, Piper tried for a smile, but it couldn't quite reach her eyes.

-0-0-0-0-

By the time the next morning rolled around, Piper had only gotten about two and a half hours of sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she'd start to see that familiar white glow behind her eyelids, feeling that cold sensation in her veins. She had to wake up, to get out of there. For those moments where she wasn't drifting off into sleep, she was laying in her bed, staring exhaustedly at the ceiling.

Maybe you can get some special medicine to make the sleeping easier, she thought. It couldn't hurt, right?

Sitting up in her bed, Piper lazily rubbed her eyes, as if that would help wipe away the exhaustion she felt. Sighing, she looked at her window, seeing the sun rising high in the sky. Sighing, Piper rubbed her eyes again.

Getting out of her bed, Piper walked out of her room.

"Piper, you're up!" Rei smiled at her daughter, though Piper could still see a hint of worry in her eyes. "I was wondering if you'd be able to get a few things for me."

"Like what?"

"Some food," Rei sighed, "and if you have enough leftover, some medicine. Your grandmother's ill again."

Piper felt her chest constrict at that. Her grandmother's health had been steadily declining for some time, and though she showed signs of getting better, it was obvious that she wasn't.

Nodding wordlessly, Piper quickly went back into her bedroom and changed into more appropriate attire―a faded red, one-strapped top with a long red and black skirt. Pulling some of her auburn hair into a ponytail, Piper finished getting ready before going back to meet her mother.

"This should be enough for you to get food and medicine." Rei tried for a smile, but it didn't look genuine. "Be safe."

-0-0-0-0-

Piper had her arms crossed over her chest as she walked through the streets of her colony. Piper had been born and raised in a Fire Nation colony in one of the far regions of the Earth Kingdom. Unlike most other colonies―which were rich with Fire Nation culture, relatively wealthy, and had patriotism for the War―Piper's colony was a little less than that. Those who lived in the colony but were originally from the Fire Nation still showed their support to their home, but as far as culture and wealth was concerned, there was hardly any. It was pretty much a slum, with poverty and homelessness being an everyday occurrence.

Piper's family was struggling to get by. Her father, Yuri, died a year after the birth of her sister, Imani. After Yuri's death, Rei struggled to keep up with the finances, raising two children alone, and helping with family members. And when Piper's grandmother, Loa, fell ill, it put an even bigger strain on Rei. Piper offered to go get a job, but Rei wouldn't allow it―there was a part of Rei that was too proud to admit she needed help, despite the willingness of everyone around her to lend a hand.

Piper sighed.

She's doing the best she can, she thought solemnly. There's no doubt things would be a little easier if Dad were still alive, but...

Stopping for a moment, Piper felt her thoughts trail off. There was something wrong, she could feel it. Her gray eyes darted to everyone around her; they didn't look at all bothered. At least, not any more than usual. The feeling started off dull, in the back of her skull, like an ache in its beginning form. Blinking a few times, Piper scrunched her nose a little, trying to understand what was happening. But before that could even happen, the dull sensation exploded into a type of pain she hadn't felt before and everything after that seemed like a blur.

(A/N):

Heya, everyone, sorry for the delay. Hopefully this first chapter was decent. This is my first ATLA story, so please be patient with me. It's also been a long time since I've watched the original series―it's probably a little obvious in this chapter―but I'm willing to hear whatever constructive criticism you guys have.

Nothing in the ATLA universe belongs to me. All I own are my characters and the coffee I drink.

In case there's any confusion on Piper's character, here's a little explanation: she has a younger sister named Imani, who'll be looked into more in future updates; Piper's and Imani's father, Yuri, is dead; their mother is struggling to raise her kids and financially support her family; Piper lives in a poor Fire Nation colony in the far reaches of the Earth Kingdom; Piper is a Firebender, her mother and sister are not; there'll be a few moments in future updates where Piper's father will be looked into; Piper has been having trouble for the past week and a half with weird dreams she can't seem to understand. Piper also has auburn hair and gray eyes. As for her age, it'll be mentioned in future updates, I promise.

Hopefully that answers any questions some of you might have.

Since this is my first ATLA story, I'm all for any help from you, the reviewers. Any constructive criticism you have is important!

Let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Many blessings,

Indigo Callahan