Chapter 3: Past is Prologue

Kanna found herself staring at the metal door that led into her family's room. She had been there for a few minutes, sagging slightly under the weight of her newest tenant. She was contemplating just what she would tell her twin brothers.

Sighing, Kanna moved her free hand from the stranger's chest plate, and knocked slowly three times, paused for two seconds, and then knocked again quickly twice. Kanna always garnered odd looks from fellow tenants when she did this, but she did it as a way to let her brothers know it was her and no one else.

After a bit of rustling, the metal doorknob was turned, and the door cracked a few inches. Kanna peaked her head through the opening with a small smile.

"Kanna! You're back? When the alarm came on we thought you had been dragged into another corridor," Kartok said as he adjusted the cloth handkerchief surrounding his injured hand.

Kanna started flustering about the bomb she was going to drop on her kin, "Naw, it was sort of a false alarm… anyway you guys I have something to tell you."

Deciding to rather show them then tell them, Kanna pushed, with her free hand, the rest of the front door open.

Both of her brothers stared at the sight of a tall dripping man practically smothering their equally soaked older sister.

Noting her brothers wide eyes and gaping mouths, Kanna decided to play this as cool as possible.

Lead by example right?

She proceeded into the small cabin and decided to set the stranger against the wall adjacent to the lone bed. Noticing a bucket on the floor Kanna pointed and asked, "Where'd that come from?"

Nakoda was the first to gather his wits, "Oh that? I bribed the neighbors for it."

"Bribed them? With what?"

"Our extra pillowcase, I mean we don't really use it anyway."

"True." Thanking the spirits, Kanna began to attempt to extract the water socked into her clothing fibers and into the bucket. Though not all of the water ended up in the bucket, Kanna managed. Once relatively dried, Kanna turned to the stranger and began to extract liquid in shaky snake-like coils. They whirled out of the man's clothing, one by one, curling and coiling into the bucket.

While doing this, Kartok spoke up, "So… who is he Kanna?"

Hopefully someone important.

"Um, well, the thing is I'm not really sure."

At this, the three watertribe siblings fell into a lull of silence. All that could be heard was the splashing of water into the metal bucket.

Once Kanna completed drying the stranger she leaned over and picked him up again. Moving her loosened tendrils from her eyes, Kanna looked over at her brothers, "I found him shipwrecked. He's injured, would you guys mind if he took the bed for the next few days?"

Kartok began to speak but Nakoda interjected, "That's fine Kanna."

For the three siblings, the one bed they shared had been a solace to the harsh setting on the Beothuk. As the boys grew older, Kanna began an alternating schedule. Tonight was to be her brothers' turn, and tomorrow was to be hers.

At their approval Kanna shifted the man onto the small cot. She adjusted his arms and legs into, what she hoped, was a comfortable position. She contemplated removing the man's thick armor-like coat, but dismissed the idea as soon as she looked at his face.

"Alright guys, the sun will be up sooner or later and you guys need to sleep."

"Do you have to finish your shift Kanna?" Kartok asked as he began to shuffle towards his side of the room.

Kanna turned her head towards the small electric lamp that held a single flickering light bulb. She remembered the words of that odd earth bending guard, promising her a replacement for the night.

"I hope so."

Shrugging at her response, Kartok settled into his blanket on the warm metal floor. Nakoda mirrored his brother.

Kanna herself settled down next to the cot, against the wall. Her eyes felt like lead against her face. She was exhausted. Right before she gave herself to her dreams, Kanna mechanically reached for her shell bracelet. The only item she was allowed to keep since coming onto the ship.

It was a simple string woven piece of jewelry that had tiny blue and white shells attached around it. Kanna held it for a moment, almost as if she was giving silent prayers to the spirits. A few moments later her hand released the shells and Kanna's head slumped to the side.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"Kanna. Kanna! You're running late child."

Kanna found herself cracking her eyes open slightly to the kind blue eyes of Keela, the lead elder of the watertribe orphanage. She was a woman well into her seventies that cared for the parentless children of the Northern lands. She was always patient and she was always caring to Kanna and her little brothers.

Noticing Kanna's immediate shutting of her eyes, Keela laughed and shook the little bender into consciousness.

"I swear girl, if you keep staying up so late with the moon you'll become nocturnal soon enough!"

Kanna opened her eyes at that and giggled. "Well then maybe I can become a moon goddess!"

"Oh child don't joke of such things, come you must put your uniform on for your first water bending lesson."

Jumping up suddenly Kanna replied, "I almost forgot! I should get there as early as possible." With that Kanna found herself running to a familiar wardrobe and sifting through many different blue and white cloth pieces. She finally came across her own heavy fur overcoat. It was a deep navy color, with white fur trimming the sides, and in the chest area there was a golden crescent moon stitched on.

Sliding the coat out of its hand-carved shelf, Kanna slide her arms into it. She then reached towards the bottom of the wardrobe for her matching pair of fur trimmed snow boots. Hopping slightly as she pulled each shoe on, Kanna knocked into the approaching figure of Keela.

At the collision, Keela dropped something that made an almost glass like sound on impact.

Reaching blindly for the dropped object Kanna said, "Oh I'm so sorry!"

Keela stopped Kanna's hands from returning the bracelet. Instead she gently covered the little benders fingers over the cool shells and said, "No need to worry, this is a present for you on your first day of lessons."

So you can always remember who you were.

Suddenly the kind wrinkled face of Keela vanished in a black wisp of smoke. The familiar orphanages stone walls suddenly melted and transformed from rough to smooth. A metallic shine overcame them. Kanna fell backwards, her hands landing on the shell bracelet, shattering the little pieces; she felt them cut into her palms.

The smoke that removed her Keela began to transform and mold itself into the figure of a tall man. Kanna turned her head away in fear. She new this dream. She knew who would appear.

The smoke finally shifted and dissipated. Kanna turned her head back, ready to face her demon. To her surprise she found herself staring at the cold blue eyes of the armored stranger in her room. Eyes that seemed only to see forward, only to see one way.

Kanna felt herself cower slightly when the man's gaze hit her. The room was spinning.

Remember who you were.

XXXXXXX

Kanna felt a jolt and woke suddenly, her dream a mere whisper to her ears. She looked up and noticed that someone was banging at the door. Kartok and Nakoda appeared to have left for the healer and their next shifts already.

The loud bang occurred again.

Massaging her stiff neck, Kanna yelled, "Coming!"

Once up, Kanna cast a furtive glance at the man on her cot. He was in exactly the same position as she left him last night. His stomach rose and fell methodically.

Kanna turned and walked to the metal door, with some effort her turned the circular knob and pried the door open to a familiar eager face.

"Hello Emsta, I'm assuming my brothers requested you?"

Emsta smiled, "Oh no, Corville asked me personally to come give our new tenant a check-up." At the word "tenant", Emsta gave Kanna a wink.

She felt herself shiver.

Misinterpreting Kanna's reaction, Emsta continued, "Oh don't worry hun, your little brothers hand is just fine. All healed I tell you! So where's the mysterious stranger I keep hearing about from those guards. They will not stop talking about what you went and did hun. Absolute madness some said, crossing Corville like that!"

Kanna felt like she would probably have said the same thing if she was in someone else's shoes.

But your not. Your in your own.

Kanna moved aside silently and pointed to the armored man on her cot. Emsta's jovial expression turned suddenly serious. The short brunette reached for her medical bag and reached the cot. Her hands began slowly removing some of the man's thicker clothing pieces. Kanna found herself blushing slightly at the older woman's blunt manner.

In a professional tone Emsta asked, "Has he been asleep this whole time? Has he moved at all?"

"Besides breathing, no he hasn't done anything. Why won't he wake up?"

Emsta didn't respond for a moment as she surveyed the man furher.

"Kanna, I know you brought this man to help him, but I think you should have simply left him in that water."

Kanna's head shot up from its position facing her fidgeting hands. "What are you talking about? He would have died! What could possibly be worse then that?"

"I'm sure you've heard of the spirit world, correct?" Kanna nodded. She had heard of it from Keela, it was a place where the living went when their time in this world was over. It was a world that could be crossed by only the Avatar, she had heard. It was a breathtaking place when she heard it hypothetically described.

"Well, just like there is a spiritual world outside of our world, there is one that it outside our consciousness."

Feeling slightly confused Kanna responded, "So he's stuck in a spirit-world like place then?"

"I'm afraid this man is stuck in a spirit state. I've seen this only one other time. It was a man from the Earth Nation."

"Did he wake up?"

"No. This man had suffered great tragedy. From what I gathered he was a victim of a robbery that left him with a great head wound. This wound instigated his entry into a spirit state. He died not long after from malnutrition."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became very heavy. Kanna felt her eyes glaze over and her fists clench. She felt frustrated beyond belief. There was no way this man could go and die on her, not after what he put her through and not in front of her fragile brothers.

Emsta, witnessing the emotions overcoming the bender, approached Kanna and took hold of one of her fists. Ever the professional, she spoke to Kanna in a whisper, "I can take him away Kanna. I'm sure Corville will understand the situation. Things can go back to the way they were."

Kanna closed her eyes for a moment and allowed herself to believe Emsta's comforting words. This man would disappear. Kanna would not have to worry about him dying and she wouldn't have to worry about Corville's possible wrath. Things would be done. This was the way.

The voice of Kanza entered her thoughts suddenly, "I sense a tide is rising Kanna, one that holds many possibilities."

Possibilities. Is this man one of those? Could Kanna really let this possible chance at freedom go? Could she let this man's life go?

No.

Kanna took grasp of her bracelet. That wasn't her. That wasn't the girl that Keela raised. That wasn't the girl her brothers trusted above all things.

Opening her eyes again to meet the steady, comforting, eyes of Emsta Kanna said, "No. He's here for a reason, a reason I made clear when I saved him."

Kanna thought she saw Emsta's eyes widen slightly in surprise. Releasing her hand, Emsta shrugged suddenly and became bubbly again.

"Ah so there's that spirit I keep hearing about so much! Fine hun, I'll patch this guy up as best as I can. He's got quite a few broken ribs and a broken femur to boot. The best I can say about the spirit state he's in is to bend broth and water into his mouth three times a day to prevent starvation and dehydration. Can ya do that?"

"Yes."

Suddenly a warning bell for the female shifts rang out.

"You go on ahead Kanna, I'll lock up before I leave."

"Thank you Emsta, for everything."

Smiling slightly, Emsta looked up from the glowing healing bending she had started and yelled out in a singsong voice, "Oh Corville asked me to remind you that this man's presence is not to be known, for now, among the other tenants."

Corville's keeping this a secret?

Nodding again, Kanna hurried out of the room. The main deck her destination.