There had always been legends about us, from time to time we would meet someone and people down there would start talking. That hasn't happened in a very long time, the legends have become stories for their children. People used to be terrified of us, but their fear has faded now they don't see any of us anymore. They shouldn't have been scared of us back then.

But that was before she came along.

Chapter 1.

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

I woke to the sound of trumpets, again. Ugh, tournament-month. In my overly boring life this is the most boring period of time, the month in which everybody celebrates summer by watching the games or playing them. I now belong to the (much smaller) group of people who only watch and don't compete in any of the competitions, it's not that I don't want to, I'm simply not allowed to. It is certain that I'll win, I'm not saying that because I'm extremely arrogant, I'm saying that because I'm the Avatar.

Yeah right, bow down and admire me for a second, I'm the Avatar.

Ever since I was little I've been a good bender and I had been training a lot for the tournament-month, and a year ago I was finally old enough to enter the competition. I was good, I'm not going to lie, and I made it to the grand finale. I am an earthbender and throughout that whole tournament I had only done earthbending, because back then I didn't know I was capable of any other bending, but in that competition I somehow firebended. I still don't know why or how I did it (I meant to kick a rock but fire exploded out of my foot, weird..). I was just as surprised as everyone else was, our librarian immediately realised that this meant that I was probably an Avatar. I was disqualified and so that waterbender won but I'll get a rematch sometime.

And now I'm not allowed to play anymore, it's not fair when my opponent has one element and I have four. Even though I haven't mastered any other bending besides earthbending and I've never firebended after that one game, I could still get into the Avatar State, at least, that's what our librarian says.

I've never gotten into the Avatar State though, I don't think it's that easy but he still doesn't like the risk. He and I did a lot of research on Avatars, the story of Avatar Aang is widely known but besides that no one really knows anything about Avatars. The explanation is that I'm the first Avatar since Avatar Aang died about a hundred years ago, nobody knows why but our librarian says it's probably because the world didn't need an Avatar after Avatar Aang. That is one of the worries that live in the back of my head, me being an Avatar probably means that the world needs one.

Even though I've planned to spend today studying Avatar-stuff, I'm not looking forward to it. Everybody is out competing, even Lee, the librarian, is not studying Avatars this month, which is very rare considering the fact that he is completely obsessed with Avatars, and thus with me. It's really hard to find any information, just because it's such a long time ago an Avatar actually lived.

It's been a year now and I'm beginning to doubt if I'm even an Avatar. From the information we've read I've learned that I can be in contact with all the past Avatars (I was thrilled to know that, I'd love to hear Aang's story) and the Avatar before me is supposed to help me from time to time. Maybe Avatar Aang hates me, 'cause I haven't heard from him at all. And then you have the Avatar State; I've never reached it (doesn't keep people from treating me like a bomb) and the visions I'm supposed to get; totally none. The only thing that might proof I'm the Avatar is that I kicked fire out of my foot, once.

Today I'll be studying this book that got in yesterday, one of Lee's friends in Omashu had found it. I decided not to stay here in the library, it's a beautiful place but you can hear the people outside and that's the last thing I want to be reminded of. I went back to my room and jumped in bed, this book is mainly about the past Avatars. Great, I was hoping for something new and this sure looked good.

First up is Avatar Aang's story, well I know that one by heart since I read it all the time, but second is Avatar Roku, I've never heard of him..

When I finished Avatar Roku's story, which helped me understand the war a lot more, I flipped the page to read about the Avatar before him.

'Avatar Kyoshi, earth.'

Wait, earth? That can't be right, before her there must have been an airbender and before air goes fire (Aang and Roku) but that means they're skipping water.

Unless..

"Lee!"

I was totally out of breath, running down so many stairs with this heat is not healthy.
"Hi girl, what's up? What are you doing here, you decided you wanted to watch a game after all?"
I took a few deep breaths and my breathing slowed. Oh, thanks for reminding me of the games, I felt my frustration grow but I corrected myself quickly, it's not his fault I'm the Avatar and I had to give up my lifelong dream. But am I really an Avatar?
"No it's not that, I found something in that book from Omashu that's really confusing, here see for yourself;" I pointed at the images, "'Avatar Aang, air' and before him 'Avatar Roku, fire' and before him" I flipped the page and felt my excitement grow, "'Avatar Kyoshi, earth'"

He didn't say anything and just stared for a very long time, I could tell he was thinking, but he still didn't say anything.
"Well? What do you think? What does this mean?"
He opened his mouth to say something but changed his mind.
"What? What are you thinking Lee?"
What's the matter with him? He knows everything or at least has theories.
"Maya, I think you should think for yourself. I've been doing all the thinking because I find this very interesting but now it's about you, about you as an Avatar. You tell me what you're thinking."

Ok, that caught me off guard. I have to decide? I, me, 15-year-old weird teenage girl, have to decide what I've got to do about this danger that's unknowingly hanging above all of us? I felt my fear come up, the biggest fear I've had since he said I was the Avatar. What if I did something wrong?
"But.. I don't know.. You know everything and, well, you've got to help me, I don't what this is and what I'm supposed to be doing and what if.. I don't know.. What if I make a decision and it turns out to be a mistake?"

We started walking out of town, up to the mountains where we could actually hear each other.

"Maya.. Girl, is this honestly where you worry about so much? You don't even have to do anything yet. At this point I know just as much as you do, and someday you'll have to be able to do this without my help. Now tell me, why did you want to show me this, you must have had a reason, which is naturally based on a conclusion, tell me."

He was right; I did have theories, just like he always has. The only difference is that my theories are plain stupid and now he was making me tell them.

"I warn you, they're stupid and will probably make you cry out in frustration at my inferior brain."

He sighed.

"Ok, Avatar Aang, Roku and Kyoshi are air, fire and earth, I'm earth but I'm after air. So.. Or they're simply skipping water, or I'm not the Avatar after Avatar Aang, or I'm not an Avatar at all."
He nodded but had no intention of speaking; he wasn't letting me stop.

"Well, they're not skipping water because there have been water Avatars, I saw that on the list in the back of the book. That leaves us two options, I'm not an Avatar or the Avatar before me lived in secrecy and died about 15 years ago."
He didn't say anything and I stared at the view.
"Hey, that kind of explains it doesn't it? I don't connect with former Avatars because I'm not one of them!"
He sighed and shook his head, even though I have my doubts, he's one hundred percent sure I'm an Avatar. I remember the many times I tried to contact Avatar Aang, meditating has never been my strongest point.
"Or simply because I have only been searching for Avatar Aang while meditating! I didn't know, I thought I needed Avatar Aang as my guardian but the Avatar before me was someone else."

He still didn't say anything in response, but seemed to agree with me, and left me alone with my thoughts.

The Avatar before me must have been from the Water Tribe, why had he gone into hiding? Why had no one seen he was an Avatar? What had he been doing up until 15 years ago? How had he died? Would I find him when I meditated? Maybe I will but I think I won't, he was denying being an Avatar after all. Suddenly I felt a huge weight fall off my shoulders; I wasn't here because the world needed me but just because the cycle turned on earth.

And then he finally said something.

"The question now is; why did the water Avatar go into hiding and what has he or she been up to? I think you should meditate for him or her now.."
He hesitated, he knows meditating is hard for me. I think my mind is much too hyperactive for meditating. I have to reassure him.
"I'll try, I feel good now actually. Maybe there's no danger after all, I'm just here to continue the cycle."

He looked doubtful but I really think meditation will work out for me now, so I sat down and closed my eyes. I breathed in, setting my mind open. With my worries being replaced by excitement I was much calmer than ever before, for the first time I felt myself being pulled underneath the mists I now saw. Then slowly images began to form, is meditation supposed to do this? It's kind of cool.

It was foggy; the mists seemed to stretch endlessly around me. I was high up in the mountains and I was terrified, it wasn't the kind of fear you have when you're alone and feel uneasy. It was fear like I'd never felt it before, as if everything around me; the air, the fog, the trees, the low bushes, the rocks, the grass hidden under the snow underneath my feet… everything, was warning me for the people I could not see and could not hear but whose presence I had felt ever since I was here. They were highly dangerous and I had to stop them, before it was too late.
As I said, it was terrifying in a way I had never experienced before, that was when it became too much for me and it all turned black.

"Maya? Maya, can you hear me?"
I groaned.
"Maya, what happened?"
I sat up, Lee was staring at me with a shocked expression in his eyes. I blinked a few times to let my eyes adjust to the light, we were just out of town on top of a hill. He studied my face and before he could start asking questions, I started talking.

"I… I was in the mountains, very high and it was foggy. I don't understand, everything was afraid of them, if that's even possible. There were people, I knew they were there but I could not see or hear them, and everything around me was telling me to stop them. The air felt heavy, how do you call that? Despair, or something like that. We have to stop them, Lee. We have to, everything was crying out for help…" I shuddered at the memory of that feeling, "…and I was extremely terrified. Do you understand this? What was that?"
"Maya, I think you just had a vision."

---------------------------------------- End Of Chapter 1 ------------------------------------------------