A/N: Again, thanks for the reviews as always! Follow me on tumblr Bloodbenderpercy for the occasional update on this story! Also, I'm gonna update every Monday! (I said Tuesday on tumblr, but i just checked my timetable for this semester, and most days, I'm not finished until six o clock, so I'll be too exhausted to update!). On Monday I only have one lecture (Grroooaaan- it's two hours) at three, so it'll be easier to update then :)
Anyway, comments are appreciated! Thanks for the follows & faves too, btw!
Chapter three: The Avatar Has Returned
Hazel takes in a deep breath, closing her eyes. Something inside of her stirs, like an old memory- she just doesn't know what that memory is, exactly. The memories force their way through her mind, and she begins to see faces. Very familiar faces. The feeling of wanting to defend herself and the other two becomes stronger, overwhelming her until it's the only thing she can focus on.
Hazel has a sudden sense of not being part of her own body. It's as though she's looking at herself, but so much more than that. She can see everything, and she's suddenly aware of everything around her. Memories- from thousands of lifetimes before her- flood through her mind. Knowledge she can never imagine seeps into her, and suddenly she knows exactly what must be done in order to protect herself.
The feeling becomes too overwhelming. It feels as though she's drowning, and she doesn't know which way is up, or which way is down. She tries to find a balance in herself, but nothing seems to connect. There's nothing but chaos inside of her, a chaos which she cannot control.
Hazel's eyes snap open. They glow white, brightly.
Hazel, in her out-of-body form, watches as everyone backs away from her, eyes wide. Even Frank and the girl back up against the wall, alarmed. The ground around Hazel shifts, the wind suddenly picking up, encircling her until all that can be seen is the dust turned into a mini-tornado. When the wind dies down, Hazel no longer stands there.
"Avatar Luke," one of the masked people gasp.
Luke stands tall, looking like the statue in Yue Bay. His eyes also glow white, narrowed at the people around him. Even his scar has a faint glow, making him look scarier than he normally does. He wears traditional water tribe clothes, and holds a long spear, common for Northern Water Tribe guards to have. His hair ripples, although there's no breeze to cause this. He looks both beautiful and terrifying all at once.
"Go to Gaia," Avatar Luke commands, his voice combined with the thousand Avatars before him. "Tell her the Avatar has returned. Leave these people be."
Without so much as a second thought, the masked people run off, terrified of the repercussions if they don't do as Avatar Luke tells them.
Avatar Luke vanishes, and Hazel falls to her knees. Her mind is blank, and she suddenly feels empty inside. When she looks up, the Masked People are gone, and she doesn't know where, but she's relieved. She feels exhausted, though. Her hands shake, and her head feels as though it's going to explode.
She looks up to Frank and the girl. They're both staring with wide eyed at her- they look scared of her.
Confused, Hazel tries to stand up, but her knees wobble, and with a grunt, she falls back to the ground. Frank snaps out of his trance, and rushes over to Hazel's side. Why is she feeling like this? And where are those people gone? All she remembers is them edging towards her, and then suddenly, they had disappeared.
Frank places his hand around her, and helps her to her feet.
"What happened? Where are they gone?" she croaks.
The girl, suddenly over her shock, comes over to Hazel. "Y- you're the Avatar?" she stammers. "Why doesn't anyone know- why have you been hiding all this time?" She sounds angry and upset, but Hazel just gapes at her, her mouth open slightly. "How could anyone be that selfish? Don't you even realize how many-?"
"Hey, don't be so rude," Frank cuts her off, narrowing his eyes at her.
"The Avatar?" Hazel asks, suddenly feeling sick. "I'm- no. What?" She can barely string together a sentence, she's so surprised by what the girl has accused her of being.
Frank and the girl look to one another, and Frank looks back to Hazel with a look of concern. "Hazel... you just went into the Avatar state."
"How do you know?" Hazel asks. "You must be mistaken." She shakes her head, hardly able to process this. No way is she the Avatar. Surely she'd know if she is or not. Then again, her father had kept her hidden, without much of a reason. Maybe that's why. She purses her lips, feeling suddenly angry.
"Your eyes began to glow, and you bended the air," the girl says. "We already saw you bend earth- so that's two elements. Only the Avatar can bend more than one element. Then, you were the old Avatar- Avatar Luke. He, um, sort of said that the Avatar has returned, and told the masked guys to tell Gaia." The girl studies Hazel with bright blue eyes. "You're the Avatar."
Hazel's head feels suddenly light, and she clutches on to Frank tightly, who is still supporting her, afraid she might fall if she lets go. "I- I didn't know," she whispers, her eyes burning. If only she knew- maybe she could have helped the non-benders before they had been taken. She could have helped anyone who needed her help- and yet, her father had hid this from her. Surely he knew about this.
The girl looks suddenly guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you didn't know," she says, sounding ashamed of herself.
"It's fine," Hazel replies honestly.
The girl has every right to be angry- she must have been living in fear her whole life, thinking that no one was out there to protect her from the dangers. Yet, Hazel had been here, unaware of who she truly is. The thought makes Hazel feel angrier than before. If she had the energy, she'd march home right now and demand answers.
Does Bianca and Nico know? A lump forms in her throat- hopefully Nico wouldn't keep something like this from her. She trusts Nico with her life. If he's been hiding this from her, it would hurt more than anything. He's been her best friend all these years, keeping her company. Bianca's older than them both, so she didn't really want to sit around playing card games with them. She's still her sister, though. Hazel hopes they didn't know, because she really doesn't want to angry with them. Especially not with Nico.
"I'm Piper, by the way. Piper McLean," the girl says, cutting Hazel off from her thoughts. "Thank you for helping me- not many people would have the courage to do that." She looks to the ground, clearly now embarrassed about what had happened.
"McLean?" Frank asks. "As in the McLean's?" Piper looks suddenly bashful, avoiding eye contact with Frank. She nods her head. Frank looks suddenly excited. "I've seen all of Tristan McLean's movers! How are you related to him?"
Piper forces a smile. "I'm his daughter." She looks back to Hazel in concern, obviously wanting nothing more than to change the subject. "We need to get you back to your house."
Hazel agrees through a groan. She feels so weak, though, that just staying there felt tempting. The ground didn't look too uncomfortable in her opinion. There's too much for her to handle right now. Frank supports her, and Piper rushes to her other side, sensing her weariness.
As the three of them walk back to Yue Bay, the moon shines brightly down on them. Due to the chaos, the three had completely forgotten about the celebrations of the Avatar- they're celebrating me, Hazel realizes, her stomach tying itself into a tight knot, making her nauseous. How could this be possible? How could Hazel be the Avatar? She doesn't think she's anything extraordinary. She can't do anything amazing. Why her?
As they pass the loud cheering of the crowd, Hazel glances up to the statue of Avatar Luke, remembering and feeling the connection she had to him earlier on. At least that part finally made sense. The longer she looks at him, the worse she feels. The Avatar is supposed to protect people, creating harmony and balance in the world. How is Hazel supposed to do that? She knows nothing about the world. She doesn't even know how to bend any other element. What use is she going to be to anyone?
She looks to Piper, who stares hard at the ground. They were going to take her. They'd take Frank too if it wasn't for his dad. Hazel's heart begins to race- if Frank's dad works for Gaia, would he turn her in? She sighs. Frank doesn't seem like that type of person. She still feels a little cautious, though. Safe to say, her first night of freedom went fantastically.
She lingers on the spot for a second, suddenly hesitant to go back to her house. By now, they're close to her house, and the cheering of the crowd is distant. If she does go back, will her father lock her up again? He kept her locked up for so long, that the chances of him doing that are pretty high. Frank and Piper sense Hazel's hesitation and look back at her.
She stares at Piper, thinking of the other non-benders out there, and she clenches her fists. "I have to learn the other elements, quickly," Hazel says to them. "I have to stop Gaia." She looks past them, down the path where her house is situated. "It's my duty as the Avatar, isn't it?" Unsure, the two nod their heads. "Then, I can't go back home." Hazel swallows the lump in her throat. Although, she does need some confirmation- surely there's someone out there, besides her father, who can confirm who she is and give her answers. "Uh... you guys wouldn't happen to know anyone who knows a lot about the Avatar?"
Piper grins, her eyes sparkling in the moonlight. "I know just the person."
"So you're not going back home?" Frank asks uncertainly.
Hazel bites her lip, thinking of her father, and of Bianca and Nico. They are her family after all. Still, though. Her father wouldn't understand and would probably lock her away again. How can she trust that he won't do that? She takes in a deep breath, her heart hammering inside her chest- she has to go with what her gut tells her, and right now, home isn't the best option for her.
She will write to her father.
It's the right thing to do- no one else should be hurt at the hands of Gaia.
"No, I'm not," she finally replies, turning to stare at the crowd, and at Luke's statue so that they won't see the tears in her eyes. "If I'm the Avatar, then I'm the one who has to stop Gaia."
