Sokka walked away from Aang and Katara, angered by the argument they had just had. They had argued about their food supply, which he argued was near empty but they said was almost full. As he murmured angrily to himself, he heard a sound and his head snapped to the right.
His eyes snapped up to the falling person, and his legs carried him forward swiftly. He got there just in time, catching her and falling to his knees. She was tanned with dark hair, and there was a line of blood running down her face. He moved her hair gently and saw the gash, not deep, but bad.
He picked her up and carried her back to the camp, where Katara and Aang where building a fire.
"Katara! I need your help," He said as he laid the wounded girl on his bed roll, carefully minding her head. Katara and Aang were already at his side, Katara drawing water from her canteen.
"Who is she? What happened to her?" Aang asked, nearly exploding with anticipation.
"I don't know, and she fell out of the trees." He gently pushed her hair back again, and Katara started to heal her injury.
Sokka took this time to study her face. Although he was 110 sure he had never seen her before, her beautiful features looked familiar to him. The set of her nose, the teeth inside her soft-looking lips, and even her closed eyes looked eerily reminiscent of someone he knew or had known.
Then the blood was washed from her face, and Katara drew her water away from healing her. The gash on her head was closed tight, and she was beginning to stir quietly.
"Sokka, put her down." Katara said as she refilled her canteen.
"Why?"
"Wouldn't you be freaked out if you woke up and some weird guy was holding you?"
His eyes opened wide and he gently laid her down, walking a few steps back. He watched her as golden eyes fluttered open.
Sokka, Katara, and Aang all watched quietly as she sat up, not even ruffling the bed roll beneath her. She placed a hand on her head as she closed her eyes again. Sokka shuffled his feet uneasily, and her head snapped in their direction.
She assessed then silently, then asked in a dazed and confused voice, "Who are you?"
Katara stepped forward and said, "I'm Katara. This is my brother, Sokka, and Aang."
Aang stepped forward to help her stand, and she accepted his waiting hand. When they touched, there was a static shock between them and it made his whole hand tingle.
"You're the Avatar, aren't you?" She asked quietly, standing up to be about three inches shorter than Sokka. They all felt like they had heard her voice before.
"Yup. That's me." He smiled widely. "Who are you?"
"My name is Brook."
Sokka spoke the words everyone was thinking. "Are you a bender?"
"I'm," There was a short pause, "A Water-Bender"
"Really?" Katara asked, stepping closer to her, "What Tribe are you from?"
"I don't know. I was an orphan because of the war." She shrugged. "I grew up on the coast, and I just learned how to do it myself, then learned from some jerk on the north-pole."
"Master Pakku?" Katara and Aang asked together, surprised.
"The very same. Do you two know him?"
"Yes, he taught us."
Brook almost laughed. She waved a hand at Katara, saying "I'm surprised he taught you. I had to cut of my hair before he would teach me."
Sokka's jaw dropped. "so you…?"
"Yep. For three months, I was a boy. Just to master Water-Bending."
"So you're a master?!" Aang exclaimed excitedly, jumping towards her.
She recoiled slightly, then smiled and nodded. Sokka noticed her perfect teeth, and her careful, sly smile, and found himself doubting her every move. Like he should be defending himself against nonexistent attacks. Then he looked right at him and smiled a genuine smile, and he forgot all about his doubts.
"That's amazing!" Aang yelled, jumping up into the air. "Show us your best move!"
Her face brightened in a grin. "I should really be going…"
"No, please show us something!" Katara said, as enthusiastic as Aang.
"Well, if you insist…" She grinned even wider and fell to her Water-Bending stance. She breathed in and out slowly, then brought her hands up and through two separate circles, and when she reached a perfect zenith, water came from nowhere and encased her completely, obscuring her from the others. The prison of water disappeared, and when the mist cleared, there was no one there.
Sokka felt a quick double tap on his shoulder and made a small squeaking noise in terror, turned and fell on a tree root. Brook stood there and laughed with an open grin. Aang and Katara were dumbstruck.
"How did you do that?!" They asked together.
"A magician never reveals her secrets. I taught myself the disappearing act, and I learned to condense the water molecules in the air from Pakku. That's the hard part." She spoke smoothly, as if this had all been rehearsed, and Sokka was the only one who heard it.
"Will you teach us?" Aang asked quickly.
"It's a complicated technique, and I've only ever had to use it once. I think you should both master Water Bending before even attempting this move." She laughed softly at Aang's dropping face. "Sorry, but I really have to go. It's almost dark."
Sokka snorted. "What, gonna miss your curfew?"
"No, I'm wanted by the Fire Nation, and I don't think you need the extra publicity."
"Why?" Aang asked.
"Yeah, what did you do?" Katara added. Sokka through his hands into the air and started to walk away.
"Stole a ship, sunk it, almost beat Admiral Zhao, and basically annoyed the crap out of them." Sokka stopped and turned back, gazing at her admirably.
"Wow…" Aang said dumbstruck. She smiled coyly again, then began turning. Aang spoke up. "Who do you travel with?"
"No one. I've traveled alone for about six months now." She answered quickly, turning back to them with amused eyes.
"That must be lonely." Katara sighed.
"Well not rea-"
"Do you want to travel with us?" Aang blurted out, grinning widely again.
Brook was taken aback, struck with a very convenient offer. But, it was true she was wanted by the Fire Nation, if not for the reasons she said, and they truly didn't need the publicity. On the other hand, she hated being alone, for fear of being caught by Zuko and Iroh. But now if she was caught, so were innocent people, and the Avatar.
She took the high road. "Are you sure that would be alright? I mean, I'll help out as much as I can and everything, but I don't want to get you guys in trouble."
"We're traveling with the Avatar." Sokka said brightly. "We're already in trouble."
Brook grinned widely. "Then yeah, I'd love to travel with you guys."
"Awesome!" Katara said. "And on the comment of Water bending masters, I am one."
Brook laughed, "Well, then you'll just have to wait for Aang now won't you?"
Sokka laughed along with her now, finally losing that feeling of doubt. "Do you have any things you need?"
"Yeah actually, I just have to find it." She started to walk away, the Katara stopped her.
"Sokka will go with you. We don't want you alone; this place is crawling with Fire Nation."
She laughed. "I've noticed." She glanced at Sokka, who was carefully pulling his machete from a nearby tree. "You think you can keep up, Sokka?"
Sokka face broke out in a confident grin. "Not only will I keep up, I'll lead the way." Brook raised an eyebrow, and he added. "If you give me directions, I mean."
Brook giggled quietly. "You're funny. Come on, let's go then." She started walking into the forest, to the clearing where she had fallen.
Sokka hung back a little. "I'm not sure I trust her. Keep an eye out." Katara and Aang both nodded. Sokka ran a little ways to where Brook was standing in the clearing, looking at a tree with interest.
Suddenly, Brook bent the water out of the air, froze it, and spiked them, in the formation of steps, into the tree. The spikes were about a foot long, and Sokka peered at them in interest.
Brook smiled at him and started walking towards the tree, only to stop in mid-step. "Hey, you should stay here. I'll only be a few minutes." She sounded uneasy.
"Why?" He asked skeptically. Her body relaxed and she turned toward him.
"I just don't want you to see the disarray of the place and all of my things." They both laughed easily at this, while Sokka agreed and walked back to the camp.
Brook waited for him to leave, then brought the water out of the tree, put it into one sheet, then stepped on it and floated up to the treetops.
Once there, she began jumping from branch to branch, back to her campsite.
She saw the teenager sitting there before he saw her; the mess of dark hair (matching hers) sat upon an earth kingdom adorned body. She moved quietly among the trees, carefully masking her presence.
When she stepped on a branch, she heard the slight crack in his neck as he turned his head. She leaned back against the tree, praying silently he would leave, but knowing he wouldn't.
"Dear Brooklyn," The young man said sarcastically. She could hear his footsteps getting closer. "Will you truly deny me here? Where there is no one to see?"
A fireball flew by her right ear, point-blank range. She stepped out from behind the tree, with a flash of fire coming from her hands, which of course he evaded easily.
Brooklyn looked into the face of Prince Zuko, who had been banished from the Fire Nation three years ago.
Zuko stared back at his sister, Princess Brooklyn, and prepared for his fight.