Book 1: Water : Prologue

Hey there, peeps.
If you read my other story, please don't kill me, it's on temporary hiatus until I can get back into my character's mindset. Writing her has been physically impossible, as in my fingers will literally not type anything. I'm deeply, deeply, truly sorry.

I've never written for A:TLA before, but it's a show I love with all my heart. So I'm writing an OC insertion fic. After the prologue, (which will have 5 parts, all of which have been written) it'll follow canon almost exactly, just from the point of view of my OC, with a few minor differences. Mainly, the insertion of the OC…

It'll be a Zuko/OC mainly friendship, eventual romance thing. I'm not sure how I feel about it, but if you like it, let me know, and I'll keep putting up the Prologue at least. Hopefully I can get it all written, and put up, but I'll make no definite promises, I won't lie.

Anyway, I hope you like it. Enjoy.

I own nothing but my original characters. Avatar: The Last Airbender belongs to not me.

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Prologue: Part 1

Something was calling to her. Literally. For the past month, voices had woken Rhian each night. Soft and sweet at first, just whispers in her ear beckoning and tempting, then they started getting louder, more insistent. Finally, when she'd been startled out of bed by a loud, "Rhian! Hurry the hell up!" that her roommate had not heard, she figured she'd best see what the hell they wanted. Though, even at thirteen, she knew hearing voices was not a good thing. Hell, she was pretty convinced she was crazy. But, on the off chance that she wasn't nuts, the very, very slight possibility that something was actually calling to her through her mind, she was going to check it out. Never let it be said she couldn't stand up to a challenge. No matter how freaked out of her mind she was.

Shimmying down the drain pipe outside her room, Rhain wondered for about the fifth time since she woke up that night just what the hell she was doing. She had no idea where she was going, or why. Just that a few voices in her head in the middle of the night where telling her to come to them. Yeah, she was sure that was going to hold up as a good excuse. Jumping the last few feet to the ground, she landed in a crouch, her dark brown, almost black hair falling in a curtain over her face. Standing up she started to walk, glad she had at least thought to get dressed and put on some shoes before starting the climb from her third story window. The ground was cold and damp at one thirty in the morning and would have been far worse with bare feet and in her pyjamas.

Wandering away from the drab, grey building, she headed out to the street and turned a random direction. It didn't matter where she went, anywhere was better then here. Where she was thirteen years old and had always been alone. No friends, no parents, matrons who forgot her name and teachers who looked right over her raised hand. No one wanted the poor little orphan girl. No one except the whispers in her head.

"Rhian… Rhian, come on. Find us, Rhian. Come to us…"

She walked and walked, not looking up for miles. Or what felt like miles. Until she finally glanced up and found herself in the middle of the woods. Spinning around in confusion, she figured she must have walked into the forest that bordered the school yard.

"Rhian… come to us, baby girl. You have to come now."

There was no sense of where to go, though. She didn't know which way to go. They weren't telling her anything.

"I'm here!" She yelled. Her voice echoing back to her through the still of the night. "I'm right here! Where do you want me to go?!"

There wasn't any answer. The voices had gone silent. She was alone again. All alone in the world. Tears threatened to fall from her pale blue eyes and she bowed her head, fists clenched and shaking at her sides.

"I'm here." She whispered. But still no one answered back.

With a violent motion, she spun on her heel and strode briskly back the way she'd come, tears falling down her face, dark hair whipping in the wind behind her.

Why would they call her here and then not respond? Where was she supposed to go? What was she supposed to do?
Of course there was no one there. No one actually called to the little orphan girl. The girl everyone over looked. Her own roommate forgot she was there most of the time. It wasn't like she was quiet, or didn't draw attention to herself, people just didn't see her. Like she didn't belong, and people knew that. She didn't matter here. Why would anyone ever call to her?

It's much harder to climb a drain pipe with tears in your eyes, she found, but finally, she toppled back through her window, and collapsed onto her bed. Her roommate barely stirred, restfully muttering in the dark. That night, as she lay there, staring out the window, she wished and wished she could be somewhere else. Anywhere else.

Her eyes got heavy and she rolled over, feeling like ropes where wrapping themselves around and around her body, finally, a sharp yanking sensation around her chest, pulling her down into the darkness of sleep.

Or so she thought.

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It wasn't painful. In fact, it didn't really feel like anything. Kind of like floating. There was nothing to touch, or smell or see. When she opened her eyes at all, she was surrounded by white light. Not blinding or bright, just white. Like there was nothing. But she wasn't worried. Why worry? She was safe here. She closed her eyes.

"Rhian…" the voices where back. "Rhian… come to us…" she didn't want to. She was comfortable. Why move? Why worry? "Rhian… come on, baby. You need to wake up now." Just five more minutes…
"Rhian!"
With a shocked scream, she fell hard to the floor, gasping for breath.

"Finally." An impatient voice said.

"You shouldn't be so hard on her, she's just a girl." soothed another.

"A girl who needs to grow up." The first snapped back.

"She's only thirteen."

"That's old enough."

"Quiet, both of you." A third voice interrupted.

Everything was white, the ground the sky, nothing but endless white. Coughing and gasping, she felt like she'd been drowning and suddenly, there was air and she drew in as much as she could. Eyes watering, she searched around her for whoever had spoken but found nothing but white and swirling fog.

"Alright, Rhian, it's alright. Breathe." She felt a hand on her back, a surge of warmth from the touch, seeping into her lungs, and suddenly, she could breathe fine. She was alright.

"There see, she's fine. Now let's do this." The first voice sounded, somewhere to her right. She snapped around to look that way.

"Let her get her bearings. She's got a long way to go, you know." The second voice came from the other way. Rhian didn't bother to spin.

"What bearings? Everything looks the same and you're all not helping." She muttered.

Why was she here? How was she here? Where the hell was here? The last thing she remembered was falling asleep at the orphanage, her roommate's sleep-talking drifting around the room.

"Rhian," the third voice, sharp but kind, from over her shoulder. She glanced that way but still found nothing. This place was giving her a headache. "Rhian, do you know where you are?"

"No." She shook her head.

"You're in the Ether, the space between the worlds. And we are the Keepers."

The what?!

"She's confused."
"I told you she was too young. She's not ready."

"Well, it doesn't matter if she's not ready. She'll have time to get ready, but now is the time to go."

"'She' can hear you, you know. 'She's standing right here." Rhian snapped, stomping her foot in frustration. Yeah, it was childish, so sue her, she's a child.

The voices stopped for a moment.

"Well, she's fiery, isn't she." Voice number three.

"Maybe she has got a shot." Voice number one.

"I still say she's too young." Voice number two.

"Does someone want to try talking to me? Instead of around me, maybe? Just a suggestion. But I do have some questions that need answering." She spun on the spot, letting her arms flail slightly. "How did I get here?"

Footsteps, pattering softly to her left, so she turned to face them, not expecting to see anything. But this time, something did come out of the fog. Three women walked towards her. All tall and beautiful, they wore long dresses, that looked so soft and light. Like they floated with every movement the women made. The first was thin, built like a whippet, all sharp lines and angles, her chin pointed, cheekbones prominent and her pitch black curls swept back, away from her face. She looked around herself with a gaze of bored frustration. The second was more rounded. Soft and sweet, she reminded Rhian of a cherub, or a pixie, her bright red hair cropped to bounce in waves around her face. The last of the three was tallest, though not by much. She looked strong and kind, her blonde hair falling unrestrained around her face and over her shoulders. The three all looked at her with the same cat like eyes. Tilted and bright yellow ringed in green with slitted pupils.

Rhian wasn't afraid. She crossed her arms and waited, staring them down.

The blonde stepped forward. "My name is Devi." She said. Apparently she was the third one to have spoken before. "These are my sisters, Amandala," The red-head waved. "And Kabria." The brunette inclined her head.

"Umm… It's nice to meet you all, and all that." Rhian stuttered. Strangely, it had been easier to talk to them when they were just disembodied voices. With faces and names to put to them, this all seemed so much more real. Frighteningly real. "But you didn't answer my question."

"You are here, because we brought you here." Kabria said. "But you won't be here for long. You have to be moving on."

"Moving on to where?"

"The next world. There is much for you to do, baby. But there will be time, don't worry." Amandala stepped up to Rhian, running her hand comfortingly over her arm. Like trying to sooth a frightened child. Why would she think Rhain needed to be soothed?

Kabria touched her shoulder. "Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" They ignored her.

"A few quick words of advice." Devi said, grabbing onto her hand. "You are not a bender. That is important."
"What's a bender?" Again, they acted like she hadn't spoken.

"Fire, Water, Air and Earth. They are not the same, so don't treat them the same. You have to think of them as different, or it won't work. Concentrate. It'll be hard, but the more you work at it, the stronger you'll become and the easier it'll be, like a muscle. You have the potential to be very powerful, don't underestimate yourself, but know your limits."

"You're not making any sense." She tried to pull away, but they held on tight. She couldn't move.

"Finally, do what's right." Devi placed her hand against Rhian's face, trying to calm the child. "The right things could well be the hardest things you'll ever have to do, but you have to trust your heart. It'll be worth it in the end. Now, are you ready?"

"No! Ready for what?!"

Devi stepped back with one last comforting pat to her shoulder, followed by Amandala who smiled sadly. "You'll have to work it out for yourself, we can't tell you. You're on your own now, baby girl. Good luck."

Breathing heavily, Rhian looked up at Kabria. "What happens now?"
With an almost regretful smirk, Kabria placed two fingers to Rhian's forehead and shoved hard. The girl fell. And fell, and kept falling. Deeper and deeper into darkness, Kabria's voice whispering in her ears.

"Hold your breath."

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