Chapter One
Happy Birthday
"Kuza…Kuza? Are you awake down there?" Imi spoke to the ceiling. His twin stirred on the bunk below.
"Yeah," Kuza yawned. "I suppose. What's wrong?"
"I can't sleep. I'm going for a walk." He crawled to the edge of his cot and slid off. Imi could see Kuza in the dark, squinting at him.
"Right," said Kuza. "I'll come with you."
"I didn't ask you to come."
"Maybe not, but you did wake me up."
Imi smiled; Kuza smiled back. Together they tiptoed through their parents' room. Jin-Shu was snoring up a storm. Kuza hesitated before their mother's mirror, making faces in it until Imi grabbed his collar and dragged him to the door. Once outside, the twins exalted at their triumph and ran into the road, laughing and shouting, kicking up dirt. Then they quieted, because the inn was still close. They didn't want to bother the tenets.
They walked along the road. Imi stayed close to Kuza. When the boy stumbled, he couldn't catch himself: Kuza was born without arms.
"Are you going to tell me why you can't sleep?" he asked.
"Dad was snoring," said Imi.
Kuza laughed. "Dad always snores! You sleep fine."
"I don't like what you're insinuating."
Kuza butted his head against Imi's shoulder. It was the closet he got to hugging. "I'm not insinuating anything," he said. "You don't have to tell me, but I'm not stupid, Imi."
"I guess," Imi mused. "But Dad does snore loud. I wonder how Mom does it. You think she sleeps under the bed with her fingers in her ears?"
"I think she sleeps in Ba Sing Se…with her fists in her ears!" The twins laughed. Imi draped an arm around his brother.
"Happy birthday, Kuza," he said.
"Happy birthday, Imi!"
"Happy birthday, my beautiful boys!" Amala kissed Imi before he could object. Kuza tried to get away when his turn came and tripped into the table. Jin-Shu caught him.
Amala shook her head. "A kiss or a bruise, and my Kuza picks a bruise."
"I'd pick a bruise, too," grumbled Imi.
"I'll give you one," whooped Jin-Shu. He still held Kuza. The boy squirmed wildly, his face red with exertion—but he was grinning.
"Let me go, Dad! Let me go!"
"Oh, okay." He dropped Kuza. Kuza laughed and joined his brother on the floor. Everybody ate in the twins' room: it was the only place the table fit.
Jin-Shu and Amala sat and passed bowls of rice porridge. Breakfast had begun. Imi asked, his mouth full, where their presents were.
Amala frowned. "Presents?" she said. She was feeding Kuza and paused with her chopsticks inches from his mouth. Kuza couldn't quite reach but tried like mad. "What presents? I didn't get them anything. Did you get them something, Jin-Shu?"
Jin-Shu shrugged. "I thought you were getting them something. I didn't get them anything." He reached across the table and gave his own bite to Kuza.
"That's not funny!" cried Imi, but his brother was laughing.
"Settle down, Imi." Amala smiled. "We got you something."
Jin-Shu handed his empty bowl to Imi. "Happy birthday," he said. "And if you're not going to use it right away, fill it up and give it to me."
When breakfast was over, Jin-Shu and Amala said goodbye to their sons. They both worked for Tut, the old and surprisingly spry woman in charge of the inn. Usually the twins helped too, but it was their birthday.
"That doesn't mean Tut won't give you something to do if she sees you," Amala warned. "Best to stay away from her."
The twins immediately invaded their parents' room. "I'm looking for our presents," declared one determined Imi. He was soon distracted by the broadswords hanging above Amala's shrine. The boy took them down and examined them while Kuza jumped on the bed.
"If I had a bed like this, I would never sleep!" he exclaimed. "I would bounce on it all day and all night."
"Yep," said Imi. He wasn't really listening. He lunged forward, swords waving, and stubbed his toe on a chest of drawers. Kuza guffawed. Imi grabbed his foot, blushing furiously.
Presently, the door began to open. Kuza froze. Imi reeled. He dove beneath the bed, swords and all.
The old woman, Tut, entered.
"Happy birthday, Kuza!" she said. "I was looking everywhere for you. I know, I should have waited, but I had to ask—how does it feel?"
Kuza sighed. He was very happy that it was only Tut—not his parents. "Well," he replied. "I guess it feels pretty good."
"That's great!"exclaimed Tut. She hopped up onto the bed and hugged him hard. "I wasn't sure how you'd take it," she elaborated, holding him at arm's length. "Being the Avatar isn't something you learn every day."
There was a loud thump beneath the bed, and Tut let go of Kuza. Kuza stared at her. "That's some big rats, huh?" she asked.
"What…what did you just say?"
"Rats," she repeated. "Big, big rats."
Imi lay sullenly on the floor.
Kuza frowned. "No, that first part."
"Oh, yes, you being the Avatar. I never would have guessed it myself, but when Jin-Shu and Amala told me, there was no doubt about it! I—Kuza? You're green."
"My—my parents told you that I was the Avatar?" he choked.
Tut's eyes grew. "Uh-oh," she said. "They didn't tell you?"
Jin-Shu waited as the balding man searched his pockets. "I have the money," he insisted. "I just can't find it." The man produced his passport, a monocle, a map of the Earth Kingdom, various candy wrappers, a teapot, and a pair of slippers.
"Maybe my socks…"
"Jin-Shu!" Tutburst into the inn. Jin-Shu nearly dropped the man's things; coincidentally, the balding man fainted.
"Are you busy, Jin-Shu?" the old woman demanded.
Jin-Shu looked down at the man.
"A little. He was just paying—"
Tut lifted the man by his shirt and shook him awake. "You don't pay. On the house!" she shouted. The balding man teetered off with his possessions and room key.
Tut turned to Jin-Shu: "I need to talk to you. And Amala. Where is she?"
"Upstairs, I think," said Jin-Shu. "I could go get—"
"AMALA! AMALA! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW!"
Amala stumbled down the stairs. Her hair had fallen from its bun.
"What? Is everything okay?"
Tut made a face. "We need to talk," she said.
Tut brought Jin-Shu and Amala into the kitchen. She slid the door closed and ordered the two to sit. Once they got comfortable, the old woman choose her words carefully.
"I might have told Kuza he is the Avatar."
Jin-Shu stood. "What?" he bellowed.
"I said 'might'!"
"Tut, why did you tell him?" begged Amala.
"It's not my fault you didn't tell him!" said Tut. "I mean—if you hadn't told him—he'd find out soon enough. He's sixteen-years-old. It's time he knows."
Jin-Shu clenched his fists. Amala made a face. "Fourteen," she said softly. "Kuza and Imi are fourteen."
Tut threw her hands into the air. "Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. Jin-Shu, you train Imi with your swords. Where's Kuza's firebending master, huh?"
"Tut, please," begged Amala. "It's…complicated."
The old woman understood. "You guys have a lot to think about." Tut smiled. "You take the rest of the day—all yours. I'll handle the inn. Do whatever you want."
"Somebody should talk to Kuza," Jin-Shu suggested. He looked at his wife.
"Oh, fine," said Amala, standing. "I will." She marched outside towards the old storehouse that made their home.
Jin-Shu and Tut remained.
"Jin-Shu," the old woman said. "You have another son."
The man paled.
"Amala!" He chased after her. "Amala, never mind—I was kidding. I'll talk to Kuza. You talk to Imi!"
Imi practiced behind the house. He used two wooden swords, beaten from years of abuse. He was working on breathing, mostly—trying to calm down. Then he saw Jin-Shu approaching and raised both swords threateningly.
Jin-Shu opened his hands. "We haven't spared in a while, have we?" he asked.
"No," said Imi. He tossed a sword to Jin-Shu. It fell at his father's feet. Jin-Shu bent to pick it up, and the boy swung zealously at Jin-Shu's head.
Jin-Shu barely blocked it. Imi continued to strike, again, again, and again. Jin-Shu deflected every one. Frustrated, Imi chucked his sword at Jin-Shu's head. His father ducked.
"I guess you already know," he said. Imi fought back tears. He went for Jin-Shu's sword, but Jin-Shu dropped it first, catching his son by the wrists.
"We meant to tell you. We meant to tell both of you."
"Shut up, Dad! We're sparring now!" Imi kicked his father between the legs. When Jin-Shu doubled over, the boy head-butted him. By the time Jin-Shu recovered, Imi had both swords.
"Okay, that's so not fair." He bowed and surrendered.
Imi frowned. He lowered the swords. "Dad…"
Jin-Shu smiled. "You never found your present, did you?"
Amala found Kuza sitting on his cot. She sat beside him, touched his leg. Only then did he look at her.
"This wasn't exactly how we wanted you to find out," said Amala.
Kuza's gaze fell to the floor. "I…I don't believe you," he said. His mother wiped the tears that streamed down his cheeks.
"Of course you do," she replied. "You don't want to believe it. You never would've thought of it yourself—but you know it's true."
"Mom! This can't happen. Not to me!" Kuza scooted away. His face was hot. "I can't be the Avatar—I can't even tie my own shirt. How'm I supposed to bend?"
Amala exhaled. "It's a challenge. You're father and I should've addressed this long ago, but we were just as afraid as you. Maybe it's best that Tut told you. Only the spirits know when we would have."
Kuza shook his head. "Mom, no. No. I can't—" He stood as if to run.
"Kuza," she said. "You and your brother were both candidates. There were nine born in the Fire Nation on the same day. You were tested—"
"No!" Kuza ran for the door. Amala didn't follow. Jin-Shu was giving Imi his present when Kuza passed. Jin-Shu started, but Amala appeared in the room, telling him to let the boy go.
Kuza ran, not to the inn, not to the road. Not to anywhere. The sun was high and weighed heavily on him. It wasn't long before Kuza stumbled. He landed hard on his chest, and he didn't move afterwards. He just closed his eyes and imagined hungry creatures circling above.
It was while Kuza lay that a voice spoke to him. It was strong and mighty, unlike any voice he had heard before.
"Stand up," it said. "Stand up!"
Kuza opened his eyes. He saw someone's bare feet. He looked up and gasped. The man who stood before him was an earthbender—but not just any earthbender.
"Ava—Avatar Sing!" Kuza couldn't breathe.
Avatar Sing glared down on him. "Stand up!"
Kuza stood. He blinked. Avatar Sing was gone.
Kuza walked home. Jin-Shu and Amala rushed to greet him. Imi waited at the door. There was something stuck to Jin-Shu's back.
"Kuza! Kuza! It's your present!" It took both Jin-Shu and Amala to pry the koala-fox off the man's back. The koala-fox's arms quivered until Amala gave it to Kuza. It climbed up his side and wrapped itself around his head. Kuza laughed through the bushy red tail.
"You won't have to worry about holding him," said Amala. "There's nothing more clingier than an Earth Kingdom koala-fox."
"It looks like a lump!" Imi hollered.
"You'll have trouble getting him off," promised Jin-Shu.
Amala hugged her son. "Things are going to be different now," she said. "But you've got us. We'll be with you all the way."