HIS EYES chapter 2
Disclaimer: I don't own couches or pillows or Hakoda's BMW or the radio station Aang was listening to or the characters!
Katara was by Aang's side within seconds.
"Sokka, what did you do?" Katara yelled at her older brother.
Sokka still seemed to be in shock. "Who is that kid? G-get him out of here!" he managed, eyes still wide with shock. Katara picked the boy off the ground and held him close, speaking softly to him.
"Don't touch it, Katara!" Sokka said picking himself up off the ground and sliding all the way to the end of the room.
"What do you mean, Sokka?"
"That kid is not human."
"Sokka," Hakoda scolded.
"Normal people's eyes don't glow!" Sokka yelled.
"Sokka what are you talking about? Aang's eyes don't glow!" Katara said cuddling the shaking child. "For all we know you could have scared him half to death!"
"All I did was come in the back door and say 'What are you doing in my house', then he turned to me and his eyes were glowing," Sokka explained his story.
Katara turned to Aang. His face was hidden in her t-shirt and he was still shaking. She stood up and carried him over to the living room while Sokka demanded to know why a freaky child was in their house. She heard Hakoda tell him to sit down while she set Aang on the couch. She kneeled beside him and held his hand. He buried his face into a pillow, "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"Aang, don't be sorry. It's all my stupid brother's fault."
"I got scared," Aang whispered again.
"What do you mean, Aang?" Katara asked squeezing his hand.
"Your brother is right, Katara There is something wrong with me."
"Aang, what are you talking about. There's nothing wrong with you."
"Yes there is. My eyes do glow, and I can't do anything about it," he cried. "This isn't the first time this happened. I'm different, Katara. Every time I get scared or angry, I lose control. I don't control my hands or feet anymore. I'm stuck in the back of my own head," Aang whimpered. Katara sat on the couch and pulled him into her lap and rested his head on her shoulder. She rocked him slowly. "I had a dream about you, Katara. You are the only one who can help me," he said.
"Aang," Katara said, "I wish I could help but I need to get you back to the orphanage, okay?" Aang gripped her tight but nodded. "Okay," Katara whispered, "I'm going to get my dad to drive us to the orphanage because I don't think Sokka will want to do it anymore."
Aang sat in the back seat of Hakoda's BMW listening to the radio. Hakoda and Katara sat in the front of the car talking quietly. Occasionally, Katara would look back to check on Aang. Every time, he was looking out the window, swinging his feet off the edge of the seat, hat pulled back over his eyes. They reached the other side of town within 20 minutes or so. Hakoda followed the road up to the orphanage. The building was really old, like it was made 100 years ago. It was really big, like an old mansion. Hakoda pulled up in front of the house, turned the car off and ran up the stairs to knock on the door. Katara pulled her seat belt off and ran to the other side of the car to let Aang out. She helped him unbuckle his seat belt and lifted him out of the car. Aang wrapped his arms around her neck and his legs around her waist as she carried him up the stairs. An old woman appeared at the door a few seconds after Hakoda's second knock.
"Yes, can I help you?" she asked sweetly.
"Yes, actually," Hakoda said, "I think we have one of your kids," he pointed behind him at Aang.
"Hi, Aunt Wu," Aang said sheepishly.
"Aang! Oh my, there you are! I thought I lost you," she sighed.
"You kind of did," Katara said," I found him on my way home from school on the other side of town."
"Aang, what have I told you about sneaking out. You could have gotten hurt."
"But…"
No, buts, young man," she said to Aang, then she turned to Hakoda, "Please come in for a cup of tea?"
"Oh, thank you, but we really need to get going."
"Oh, but, I insist. Please, it will only take a moment, besides Aang can introduce you to the other children," Aunt Wu said and disappeared into the house. Aang squirmed to get down so, Katara placed him on the ground.
"Follow me," he said and took her hand pulling her inside. "If you think the outside is big wait until you see the inside!" The first thing Katara noticed when she walked in was the two staircases. "The stairs lead to the upstairs bedrooms," Aang explained, "Down the hall to your left is the kitchen and dining room and through those big double French doors is the lounge and Aunt Wu's office is to the door on your right. Down the hall to the right is where laundry is done. Also, down that hall, is the pantry and a door to the backyard, which is filled with overgrown rose bushes and flower gardens. There are lots of great paths back there."
"So you hardly speak to me at all in my house, but now you won't stop talking? What is with you?" Katara laughed.
"I told you I didn't like strangers."
"Aang!" a kid yelled from the top of the stairs.
"Bumi!" Aang called.
"Where have you been, Aang? You missed… who is that?"
"Bumi this is Katara. Katara this is my friend Bumi," Aang introduced.
"You mean Katara, as in Katara you're dream girl?"
"NO!" Aang's face reddened.
"Dream girl?" Katara giggled squeezing his hand. "Is that what I'm called, now?"
Aang pulled his hand away and pulled his hat of his head grumbling into it.
"Anyway, Aang you missed Ariel and Meng's big cat fight! It was so wicked awesome!"
"I had way more fun than a little catfight, Bumi. I fought a guy that was three times my size!" Aang exaggerated.
"Sure you did," Bumi rolled his eyes.
"No really!"
"Aang," Katara interrupted, "I'm going to go over there with my dad." She ran her hand through his hair and then returned to her father.
Hakoda feigned interest in the pictures and paintings on the wall, only half paying attention to what Aunt Wu was telling him. Thankfully Katara joined them.
"Aunt Wu?" Katara asked.
"Yes, dear," the old woman answered.
"I have a question about Aang," Katara said. Aunt Wu looked down for a moment before looking over Katara's shoulder at the boy.
"What would you like to know?" she asked.
"Just where he came from and…"
"Is this about his eyes?" Aunt Wu asked darkly.
"Umm… yes," Katara sighed.
"I don't know much about his past or his parents. Just two years ago there was a knock at my door. I opened it and there stood Aang, all alone. So, like all the children that come here I took him in. A few months later, one of the children upset him. He got very angry and his eyes started to glow, within seconds it stopped and he was on the ground unconscious. He knows what happens and everything; he remembers exactly what happens, but he says it is not his fault. Then a couple of weeks ago he woke me up one night and told me he had a weird dream about this girl and that he had to go find her. I didn't let him, so he snuck out. Usually he always comes back alone but this time he brought you."
"Yes, my name is Katara," Katara told her.
"Yes, that is the name of the girl in his dreams. Then your father must be Hakoda," she turned to him.
"Yes, it is," he said.
Aunt Wu turned back to Katara, "He is convinced that you are the only one who can help him."
"Hasn't he seen a doctor?" Katara asked.
"I'm afraid a doctor can do nothing but say he can do nothing," Aunt Wu said.
"This is all very nice and all but I need to get home," Hakoda explained, "Come on Katara."
"Will you be back, dear?" Aunt Wu asked. Katara turned to her father.
"We'll see," he said and marched toward the door.
"Please, come back, dear. I can't risk Aang going out to find you. He could get hurt." Aunt Wu pleaded.
"Don't worry, I'll come back," Katara assured.
"Come on, Katara," she heard her dad yell from the front door.
"I'm coming," she called, "Say goodbye to Aang for me," she added and raced for the door. Hakoda and Katara ran through the rain to the car. Meanwhile in an upstairs window Aang was watching.