Chapter 1 ~ Darkness of The Elements
Life was good there, life was amazing. I looked at the party around me, the lights strung around the palace and the inscense deep mysterious scent swirling scent. Everything was set and everything was ready, exactly 12 minutes before it was time. It's my sixteenth birthday, I looked over at the buffet set up, just to my standards. I heard a knock at the door and I ran to the door. I lugged he huge ornate door and saw the darkly-clad Shadow Elders.
"Lysistrata Manor? You are to come with us." They spoke in unison. A deep rumbling of power. I took a step back.
"Mother, Father!" I yelled staring at the Shadow Elders. I heard footsteps come up from behind me. My mother and father were standing a couple inches behind me.
"Lys what is it- Oh hello, Elders come in" My mother said taken aback by the appearance of the Elders. I stood to the left of the door as they all shuffled in, all 13 of them. We all moved to the dark couches and sat by the fireplace, not lit but the lanterns gave off enough light.
"What is this about?" My father asked from my right. The Shadow Elders just stared back at us with a solemn look.
They all replied again in unison. "We are here to announce the identity of the next Avatar." I started trembling, it couldn't be me! "Lysistrata Manor, you will travel to all of the nations and learn all of the elements. You leave tonight." Wait, WHAT! "Goodbye" And with that they left silently, leaving my family gaping.
I slowly got up and left the living room tears welling in my eyes, my entire life had been striped away, and I had to just leave tonight. I sat on my bed ask I left the warm salty tears fall into my hands. I grabbed my things and shoved them into a duffle bag. I dropped it on my bed and started sobbing into my cream colored hands. My dark hair fell around my face, pin-straight pieces fall past my shoulders to my elbows. Suddenly, I stopped crying and gathered myself together. I changed out of my party dress and into a purple off-the-shoulder-knot-front top, black skirt, and grey leggings. I ran down the hall to front door. I threw on my purple boots and ran out into the yard, the dark clouds that covered the sun, created the perfect opportunity to practice my shadow bending. I moved my hands elegantly but with a strength and force behind it, like water-bending mixed with fire-bending, strong and fluid. The shadows from the giant oak trees started to move and grope out, becoming more solid and opaque. It moved around and swirled. I looked out at wonder with my pale blue-grey eyes, I could never get over the incredible power I felt while bending. It was my only connection to my Grandmother, who had just died last spring. I was incredibly close to her and she was the one who taught me how to bend. I had decided by then to skip my party and just leave, there was nothing left for me here, the party was really for my parents. So I ran through my forms again and ran back inside. I grabbed my bag and went straight to my stables. I found my Flying Bearlion, Jiro, sleeping on his side. I went over there and rubbed his belly.
"We have to go Jiro, we are going on a long journey, you ready" I got a cross between and groan and a growl and I took that as a yes. Jiro rolled over and onto his feet, I placed the saddle on his back, and climbed on. "Time to go boy, you and me." I smiled as we launched into the sky. The air blew my night dark hair out of my face as I headed southwest to The Fire Nation.