Ch.1

A small, redhead girl known as Sariah pelted back towards her house. She arrived, panting and out of breath and cringed at the sight of her father tapping his foot slowly and angrily with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I'm…. here." She gasped in between breaths while she rested her hands on her knees.

"Sariah." Her father started in the voice that stated clearly that she was in trouble.

"What time is it?" She glanced at the sun that was just sinking beyond the horizon and answered meekly

"Sunset?" "Yes it's sunset. You know that you're supposed to be home by now. What if the fire nation soldiers caught you out here earthbending? You wouldn't stand a chance against a fully trained firebender."

Sariah groaned inwardly, Dad ALWAYS underestimated her abilities. No matter how much she told him not to worry, he still insisted that she be back before sunset. She stood up, having regained her breath.

"Yeah dad, I know, I just lost track of time, that's all."

"Well that irresponsibility could have cost us our lives."

"How would your life be in danger? I'd be the only one they'd see." She snapped back, her voice rising in frustration.

"Because they'd suspect another person or group of people live around here."

Sariah scowled disdainfully at her father, although she knew that he was right. But still, what were the odds that she'd been seen anyways? Nobody had ever seen her before, what reason did they have to start now? Taking a deep breath to keep her fiery temper under control, she opened the door and stomped to bed

Several hours had passed and it was nearing midnight. Even Sariah's father had retired to bed. A large, malicious looking man clad in red and black peered though the window of the cozy wooden house that Sarah and her father lived in. They'd been suspicious of earthbenders living here for some time, but they'd never had proof until now. He raised his arm and with a sharp jab, shot a flurry of sparks up into the air. Patiently the mysterious man stood by the window until he heard a faint rustling in the bushes behind him. He turned around with a half smile on his face.

"Is everything set up?" Questioned voice of the person in the shadows. The man who had shot up the signal nodded in return.

"OK, good. Let's burn the place to the ground." The smaller man replied eagerly. The two Fire nation soldiers turned back to face the wooden house both of them with twin grins on their faces.

Meanwhile, Sariah's father had awoken from his heavy slumber in order to quench the thirst created by his snoring. He stumbled sleepily outside where the water pump sat. Just as he was about to crank it though, voices drifted from the front of his house.

"OK, good. Let's burn this place to the ground." His eyes widened in shock, as his mind immediately supplied him with an image of firebenders. As fast as he could without being heard he scrambled back inside into his daughters room.

"Sariah." He whispered urgently, while shaking his daughter gently "Sariah, wake up!" Sariah moaned in protest to the shaking and her eyes remained firmly shut. Suddenly an idea struck her nerve wracked father.

"Don't make me open the shades." He threatened, although it was pitch black outside. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

"Okay okay I'm up" she cried out sitting up in bed. Her father cringed at how loud her voice seemed in the quiet of the night and looked around frightfully as if he thought that the firebenders had heard her protests.

"Come on sweetie. We have to go somewhere right now." She rubbed her eyes sleepily, making it obvious that leaving was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Do I HAVE to?" She whined, but she got up sullenly, and followed her father as he made his way stealthily to the back door. As he swung the door open, she stared up at the night sky in surprise.

HEY! It's not morning yet."

"Shhhh!" he whispered loudly as he heard the silence of the night get replaced by the burning of the front door. It was this that caused him to abandon all thoughts of stealth as he shouted to his wide eyed daughter. "RUN!" He pushed her quickly out the door as the soldiers caught sight of him. "RUN!" He repeated to his petrified daughter. She snapped out of her daze and complied, scampering down the rocky path, the one that she had traveled many a day, but now seemed so strange and foreign. Now she was past the water pump and a few seconds later, the fence. Only then did she stop, to look back on the house that she had lived in literally since birth. A tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek as she saw her lifelong home be engulfed in flame. A scream pierced the night, one that, strangely she recognized as her fathers as one of the firebenders mercilessly slaughtered her only remaining family. With tears now flowing freely down her face, she turned her back on the only home she'd ever had and continued running with a scream echoing in her ears that would haunt her for years to come.