Chapter 1

Thea Alone

Wake up, wake up!, Thea's shouted in her mind. All she could see was black behind her eyelids. She remembered a little of what had happened to her before she had blacked out. She remembered hiking to the top of the Omashu mountain range so she could practice some earth bending. She had gone barefoot because she felt the most connected to the earth when she didn't have shoes on that blocked the connection.

Thea loved the feel of the wind whipping her cropped black hair to and fro. She liked to listen to the sounds of the morning. That is why Thea always made sure to wake up extra early whenever she went to the mountains to practice earth bending. This way, she could see the sun rise which was always breath-taking.

Earth bending made it easy for her to slide up the side of the mountain and to the top in a second. Normally, she would zoom to the top of the mountain, but today she slid up the mountain slowly, letting the earth squish between her toes and enjoying the smell of the morning dew on the flowers and grass.

Once she had gotten to the top, Thea had found a little cranny between a boulder and a big tree for her to sit. She smoothed the dirt below her feet with her hands. Most girls Thea's age these days would have hated getting their hands dirty, but not Thea. She wasn't afraid to get a little messy, because after all she is an earth bender. If you earth bend, you have to expect to get a little dirty.

Thea was the type of girl who went outside and played bending battles with the boys, while the other girls stayed inside and dressed up to go out shopping. She never wore make-up because she hated having to take it off. Also, Thea didn't feel comfortable wearing make-up because then she would have to sweat less and that meant no bending battles. She loved kicking the guys butts at the battles, how could she pass one up just because she had some make-up on and she didn't want to mess it up. Make-up is for quitters, Thea thought.

Once the dirt was smooth, Thea sat down and crossed her legs together. When she finally made herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and began to meditate. For a long time, the world seemed to stand still around her.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling near her. Thea opened her eyes and stomped her foot on the ground. A rock brought her quickly back to her feet. She barely got a glimpse of her attacker before he knocked her out.

Thea remembered the attacker was clothed in a black-full body cloak which billowed behind him as he ran toward her. She thought the attacker was a man, but Thea was not entirely sure because it had all happened so fast. She had seen his/her eyes before she blacked out. They were blue, bright blue. Almost as blue as her friend eyes, Micah.

Thea came back to consciousness and opened her eyes.

"Ugh," She groaned as she propped herself up on her feet again. Thea's head was whirling, and the world around her seemed to dance before her eyes. When the dizzy spell passed, Thea pondered what had happened to her.

What had the attacker wanted from me?, Thea thought. She wasn't of a very wealthy family so Thea couldn't imagine the attacker wanted to steal something valuable from her because she didn't have anything that valuable on hand. The attacker had seemed like he wanted something from her though.

Thea began to walk to the edge of the mountain, but she remembered something and stopped in her tracks. Cursing, Thea reached into her pocket attached to her green wrap-up tunic. Just as she suspected, it was gone.

Her special fan that had belonged to Avatar Kyoshi herself, it was gone.

Thea always carried the fan in her pocket in hopes it would give her the strength of Avatar Kyoshi, the earth-bending Avatar before her. It was a special artifact and her Korra's daughter had given it to Thea to protect her. In return, Thea was given the responsibility to protect the fan as well. Now, it was gone, and she had to get it back. Thea knew she had to find the attacker and figure out what he/she was going to do with the fan. Also, she had to find out if the attacker was working for someone else. Someone way more lethal.

Thea ran to the edge of the mountain, and took a wide stance with her legs spread out. Then she punched the air with both hands, and a rock slide formed below her feet. This was her favorite part of going up to the Omashu mountains, because she loved getting dirty, and she loved the thrill of riding down a slide to the bottom of the mountain. Thea sat down and pushed herself off the edge of the mountain.

This time Thea didn't have time to enjoy the thrill of the ride. Her mind was spinning and she was worried. She got dizzy as the world flew past her. Air whipped at Thea's ears.

When she reached the bottom of the mountain, Thea punched her arm out again and made a rock jut out of the ground to stop her momentum. She hit the rock and flew into the river nearby.

Hurriedly, she climbed out of the river, soaking wet. She waved her arms over her head and bended the water from her clothes back into the river.

"That was a sweet dive, Thea!"

Thea spun around and saw her best friend Ava standing there, a big smile on her face. Thea laughed. Ava always knew how to cheer her up.

Ava had long, curly golden-blonde hair that reached almost to her butt. She was average height, a little shorter than Thea. Ava was a fire bender, and she had been Thea's best friend practically from birth. Their parents had been friends for generations, so naturally Ava and Thea became fast friends.

Jokingly, Thea said, "Why thank you, Ava. I am the Avatar, you know."

Thea smiled at her friend. Then, she snapped back into reality.

Ava's face dropped. "What happened?"

"How did you know something was wrong?"

Ava looked at Thea like she was stupid. "C'mon, Thea. I've been your best friend for years now. You don't think I can recognize when my best friend is feeling down?"

Thea rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha, very funny" She said sarcastically.

"When I was on top of one of the Omashu mountains, an attacker robbed me. He, or her I didn't get a good look at the attacker, stole my fan!"

"What?! For real?" Ava yelled.

"For real. You gotta help me. What should we do?" Thea asked Ava.

"Well, we should go see Asia and see if she can help us!" Ava said.

"C'mon!"

Ava bolted toward the town. Thea followed, kicking up dirt as she ran.

To be continued...