Hello! Welcome to my story! I've been a fan of Avatar for YEARS and wanted to give this thing a go! I hope you guys like it!

I used to dream of what I envisioned Earth was in the past; my eyes captured flying hues of blues and greens and yellows. My body would soar through the sky and I could dance in waterfalls.

Then I'd wake up in the grey reality of my world. It was already dead, killed off by corruption and overpopulation. Our greed deforested almost every tree known to man, wiped out wildlife, and wilted out crops. The sky was bland and colorless. The air felt gritty when you breathed it in. The economy was full of leeching bastards who preyed on the sick. Every day, more and more people died. Humanity was basically emptied.

My dream would fade and linger in my mind before I found myself moping at breakfast.

"Expectations are toxic to the heart, honey." Mom would say after I'd tell her about my dream. It was like her catchphrase for whatever curse deprived her of bearing any children. Luckily, I became the light of her life the moment I first showed up. She was right, though. In my world, expectations were a pipe dream. There was no middle ground.

My father, Patrick Nowak, felt the opposite. To him, losing expectation was like losing hope. He was widely known for spending his prime years on Pandora, the fifth moon of the gas giant Polyphemus, for the pure sake of contributing to research. He studied Na'vi, Pandora's alien inhabitants. His hard work was manifested into his book, a four-hundred page legend that dove into the Na'vi culture and language. It wasn't the first book ever written about them, but the information was certainly evolved. It sold well so to speak, especially in the science department.

My mom wasn't the normal civilian wife either; She'd earned a respectable reputation by accomplishing a breakthrough by creating the Rabies cure, working with three other medical geniuses in her field.

Patrick and Clarice Nowak. A xenoanthropologist and a doctor. What a pair.

I was the little baby they adopted from Jamaica after my dad cycled back to Earth and married the woman I called Mom. They loved me, I knew that. I loved them too. I was especially close with Dad, so I learned everything I could from him.

"Is there color on Pandora, daddy?" I asked him one day as he was working in his study. He turned and lifted me into his lap, revealing the pictures he took of the wonderful planet.

"Of course there is, pumpkin." Dad promised me as I gazed in awe, "And you can see it one day, if you truly want to."

That's when I became engrossed in everything that was Pandora and its people.

He died after I turned eighteen. Mom exempted me from his funeral, which might have been for the best. It was sudden; he'd been fine the day before. I never found out what happened because I was at school, but Mom explained that it was some kind of influenza of a completely different strain. Apparently there wasn't any cure. So I made it my goal to find one.

I managed to deal with the loss. I enrolled in college, majoring in Anthropology to honor my father. Human anthropology isn't exactly the most exciting subject, but I was eager to start somewhere. Just to ease my mom off of my back a little, I nabbed night classes in Medical Science. You can never go wrong with a backup plan.

Graduation hit before I knew it. College kicks your ass when you live and breathe just to succeed in this economy. I walked the stage with the degree that I poured my heart and tears and sleepless nights into, feeling like I surpassed all odds. Mom was certainly happy.

"Your father would be so proud of you!" She'd squealed in joy, matching my cheerful cries. I kept the fact that I applied to the Avatar Program a secret; it would be the icing on top of the cake if I got accepted. If that happened, I'd tell her. If it didn't, I wouldn't. So I pushed it to the back of my mind and decided to have fun with a little bit of shopping and one or two margaritas.

Our joy was short-lived, all because a drunk driver thought that he'd be safe on the road that night. In a flash of light, the car went flying and the air was pushed out of my lungs. Everything went black.

When I woke up in the hospital, my wounds numbed and bandaged, the doctor broke the news.

Mom survived the crash, but she'd suffered significant brain trauma. It rendered her unconscious. She was stable, but it was uncertain whether or not she'd live without surgery that I couldn't afford. I was already knee-deep in student loan debts that grants and some of my dad's inheritance didn't cover. A portion of Dad's royalties for his book went to RDA, which only gave us a barely-adequate amount in our accounts most of the time.

I wasn't concerned about the money when I thought about my mother's life. She could wind up brain dead or she could spend the rest of her life with paralysis, constantly needing care and attention. I was stuck at a stalemate; I didn't want to put my own mother down just for her to be shoved in a box and burnt to ashes. Still, I couldn't imagine her living dependently for the rest of her life after all she'd done for me. I didn't want to be an orphan at 21.

I had some time to think about it, thankfully. Time always runs out, though.

A representative of the RDA arrived at the hospital the next day, much to my surprise. I remember; I was in the middle of scooping around hospital mush on my food tray when my nurse knocked on the doorway of my room, peeking her head in.

"Miss Nowak? Someone is here to see you." She announced.

Now that caught my attention. I didn't have any surviving relatives on either side, so it couldn't be family. I lifted my gaze from my food to meet eyes with a complete stranger.

A young woman stood in the doorway, holding a briefcase. She appeared to be in her thirties and leaked of professionalism; her blonde hair was tucked into a tight bun, her expensive black dress was spotless and free of wrinkles, and her green eyes glinted at me.

"Good morning, Olivia." She greeted, approaching me with an outstretched hand. "My name is Emilia Wells. I represent the Resource Development Administration. Is this a good time?"

"Uh," My voice faltered as I lightly shook her hand. "Err, yeah, sure."

In any scenario, okay? It truly wasn't. I felt like shit. Absolute, utter shit.

As if I'd tell her that.

Emilia sat down in one of the chairs situated near the window, her eyes sweeping over me. "I understand that you've undergone some...unfortunate circumstances." She stated, her eyes flitting over my bandaged hand by my side. The cuts and bruises on my face suddenly made me feel insecure. I wanted to shrink into the sheets, but I simply wet my chapped lips with my tongue and swallowed.

"I was in a car accident. Uh, drunk driver." I clarified dryly. "It's not too bad, just really sore. I should be getting discharged in a couple days."

I didn't mention my unconscious mother. None of her business.

Emilia nodded, pausing in thought before she fished around in her briefcase. I shifted awkwardly, wanting to cringe at the soreness that rippled through my back.

"Well," The woman spoke, pulling out a stack of paper. "I also understand that you recently applied to join the Avatar Program, which is funded by my company. Amazing credentials, by the way. Here is your contract." She held the stack out for me to take, reaching slightly. "Sign it and we can schedule you for training as soon as you're better."

Contract?

Gingerly taking it, I skimmed over the neat print, my brows furrowed. My confusion must've been evident because she quickly began to explain.

"Look." She folded her hands in front of her, adorning a stoic expression. "We don't usually do this. You know, walk into someone's room and hand them the papers. No, there's a process to this sort of thing. The fact that you're even being accepted so soon is because we pulled a few strings for you."

Mind still reeling, I kept quiet. With a tentative sigh, she patiently continued. "Olivia-"

"Liv." I cut in.

She barely nodded in acknowledgement, "You're more than a viable candidate for this project. I'm not just talking about your capabilities, but you carry your father's legacy with you. He represented us with pride. The company, well, we could definitely use someone like you for our project. The reward would be...substantial."

At the mention of my late dad, I reached over to grab my cup of water, pretending to drink from it. Talking about him always brought back a familiar sting that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. At this point, Lady, I don't know if you're trying to manipulate me or what, but it's working pretty well. I thought bitterly.

"I'm not here because of my dad." I quipped, casting a small glare her way as I read over the contract. Part of that was untrue. I was inspired by my dad, but I was the one who worked to get where I was. My dignity revolved around that fact.

Emilia forced a smile at my apprehensiveness. "Of course," She agreed. "Right. But then, let's say, you're worried about leaving your mother..." She watched me tense a little, obviously basking in the sight of my discomfort. She knew that she had the upper hand. "We'll have the best medical treatment available for her needs while you're on your mission. The compensation you'll receive will be more than enough to cover the cost. Whatever surgery she needs will be covered on behalf of the RDA...as a courtesy, of course."

Fuck. She got me for sure. She couldn't use my father's death to win me over so she switched to my mother's condition.

I could take care of Mom. I'd find a way to pay the dues. Yet the realistic side of me protested. If I didn't sign the contract, then I'd basically be killing my mother.

Emilia pushed a pen into my undamaged hand, making me feel cornered. "I'll make it happen. All you have to do is sign." She concluded, standing back so that she could admire her handiwork.

I closed my eyes for a moment, sighing deeply through my nose before I bit down on my cheek, fighting my pride down while I scribbled my signature on whatever pages required it.

After a few moments of flipping through the pages and making sure everything was in order, I handed the pen and the contract back to a beaming Emilia.

"I left my card for you. I'll be looking forward to seeing your report, Olivia." She said, disappearing from my room with a confident swing of her hips. The click of her heels receded with her presence, the sound leaving an irritating echo in my head.

Bitch.

A horrible pain struck my wrist, causing me to hiss. That's when I realized that I'd clenched my fists in the blankets to the point where I could've opened my cuts and prolonged nerve damage. My hand shook as I examined it, grimacing at the involuntary tremors.

"God." I muttered, laying against the pillows, staring at my untouched food.

The surgery was a success. The moment I heard she was out of the operating room, I jumped at the opportunity to see her. Doctor Murray, her surgeon, took the liberty of wheeling me into her room and explained the end results to me on the way there. He was a stout man with graying hair and seemed to care more about his patients than most of the hospital's staff.

"Clarice pulled through with minimal casualties." Doctor Murray praised, "A real trooper. Well, the both of you. That crash was definitely something for the books."

"Thanks." I softly replied. My head was killing me. Ugh. Morphine was wearing off.

Doctor Murray chuckled deeply. We turned a corner. He continued, "The surgery went nearly perfect. There's just one thing..." He trailed off as we entered a room, where my mother was sitting up in her bed, her back facing us as a nurse prepped her a meal on the side. There were bandages wrapped around her shaven head. It was odd to see her without a head full of her auburn hair, but it was so relieving to see her being mobile.

"Mom!" I exclaimed, pushing myself out of my wheelchair before Doctor Murray could stop me. There was no reaction from her as I approached her bed. I furrowed my brows.

"Mom?" I tried again. Nothing.

What the fuck?

Doctor Murray cleared his throat. I already knew what he was going to say. Tears stung my eyes as I slowly turned to face him, breathing steadily through my nose. He rubbed his hands together, clasping them together before he spoke again.

"Your mother is deaf, Olivia."

Hello again, everyone! This was just the introduction! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!

Just in case you didn't catch it, the main character's name is Olivia Nowak. She'll be serving as another scientist on the journey to Pandora and she'll be going through different struggles and changes as the story goes along, so this was just a little hint of who she is as a person and if you have any questions feel free to ask! Next stop, Pandora!

Cheers!

-Day