Note: I wrote this chapter in 2012, before season 2. At that time it was not known that you could bend in the spirit world so long as you enter through a portal.
With that out of the way, enjoy!
I found myself yet again in another strange dream. The sky was blue from the moonlight and the air was cool. I was standing in front of the marble arch into the garden. Bamboo grew up the sides and a blue tranluscent bird perched on top of it. It stared at me, then circled me as I stood there. It flew towards the arch and went through the middle. A white flash and it was gone. It wasn't on the other side, as if the arch was some kind of portal. Curious, I stepped forward and cautiously moved my hand through the middle of the arch. A blue and white glow circled around my wrist, and I didn't see my hand on the other side. Now even more curious than before, I walked through the archway.
It was breathtaking. In front of me was a world I could have never imagined. It was even better than what I had previously dreamed. Everything seemed perfect and in place.
I was standing by a swift moving white river. I leaned over to touch the water. It felt icy, and the water glistened as it fell from my fingertips. It was obvious that I couldn't cross the river, so I turned around and started exploring through a small forest behind me. The leaves were dying and turning all shades of brown.
Is it autumn here?
I looked around, puzzled by the brown leaves.
No, they wouldn't all be turning brown if it were.
I considered that it could be winter before I noticed crunching under my feet and realized that the grass was dying too.
The further I got into the dark forest, the damper the air got, and the much more dead it felt around me. The tree trunks were a lifeless gray, and dead flowers lay decaying on the ground. There were no signs of life anywhere.
I turned around, hoping that I hadn't gone too far to find my way back, but my fear became a reality. I was in the middle of a lifeless, dead forest. Alone, with nothing to keep me warm from the cool winds except my thin nightgown.
I began to run in hopes of finding a way out, but tripped on a tree root, sending me rolling down a hill. I tried to airbend, but I couldn't. Something was blocking it. It felt more like a mountain than a hill as I rolled down, twigs and fallen branches tore at my skin and my nightgown, and then, I came to abrupt stop and felt a searing pain at the back of my head. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I lay on the cold ground, covered in dirt.
Every part of my body throbbed in pain. I felt something soft and warm tugging on the back of my gown and dragging me through the leaves, then darkness washed over me.
I woke up to a gentle breeze across my face. I opened my eyes to discover that my window was open.
Who opened my window?
I got up to close it, but stopped when an aching pain tore through my body.
Why am I so sore?
I tried to recall events that took place yesterday that might have led to this.
Airbending drills? No, that cant be it. I wouldn't be so sore from that.
I looked down to see that my nightgown had been tattered, and was covered in dirt. Despite my pain, I ran over to my mirror.
My face was dirty, along with the rest of me. My hair was tangled and messy, and I had bruises and small cuts on my legs and arms. I found a long, deep scratch up and down my neck.
I brought my fingers up to touch it and winced at the pain.
I considered that I had been sleepwalking, but quickly did away with the thought because I am a very light sleeper.
Then, I remembered.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror, my heart skipped a beat and my eyes widened.
My dream.
Maybe it wasn't a dream? What if somehow that all really happened? It was the only possible explanation. My wounds were proof that it did.
I shook my head, trying to clear it, and backed away from the mirror.
The icy river, the dead forest, and the fall down the massive hill were all real.
How did I get back here? I remembered something dragging me before I blacked out. Maybe it brought me back here?
After I had regained my composure and washed up, I pulled on my day clothes and made sure to pull the collar over my wound. I don't need anyone asking about it, because when I answered them, they would think I was crazy. A small scratch showed on my hand and my mother asked about it at the breakfast table, but I told her it was just a paper cut, because what else could I say? Certainly not 'last night I went through a magic portal that led me to a dead forest, were I got lost and tripped and fell and blacked out, and then something dragged me back to my bed.' She would have thought I was ill.
I went to where Naga stays and dumped a pail of feed in front of her. She thanked me by knocking me down and licking my face.
"Ow!" Pain surged through me.
Naga looked up at me, and thinking she caused me pain, tucked her head under her large paws, and whimpered.
I got up and patted her and kissed her on the head.
"It's not your fault, Naga."
I walked to the courtyard and grabbed my glider. With a running start, I jumped off of the concrete and flew over the air temple. It had been a while since I took a flight around the island. It always exhilarates and refreshes me in ways I can't explain. Feeling the wind around me made me forget what has happened through the course of the past few days, and put an ease on my physical pain.
I looked down and saw my dad staring at me from below, along with Ikki and Meelo. Time for practice. I spiraled downwards and gently stopped on the ground.
"Daddy, what are we doing today?" Ikki asked.
"Today you will be doing the drills."
Ikki groaned. "But we did the drills yesterday! Can't we do something different?"
"You and Meelo aren't yet ready to move on, Ikki. Jinora is the most advanced out of all of you, so she will begin." He looked at me expectantly.
Oh no. Will I be able to pull this off?
I tried to not think about my soreness and ran to the center of the courtyard. I kicked in the air with my right leg, my left on the ground, and turned while bringing my leg down, releasing a powerful wave of air as I bent my body backwards into an arched position. I kicked off of the ground and stood on the palms of my hands as I pushed up from the ground and twisted in the air, yet again releasing waves, and landed smoothly on my feet.
My father clapped. "Very good. You're next, Ikki."
After the drills, I went up to my room and grabbed the spirit book. I opened it and jumped onto my bed. I turned to a section about spirit world portals, where I found out that there are few known portals, but some spirits have the ability to create temporary portals to go in and out of the spirit world.
One of them was Hei Bai. It said that Hei Bai had the ability to grow bamboo and use it as a portal.
I recalled the bamboo around the arch that wasn't there before.
Could it have been him?
There was no other explanation.
I have to find out what is going on, and why I have been contacted.
I decided to go out to the garden at midnight. By now everyone in the air temple should be asleep.
I threw on a dark blue dress that I almost never wear, so that if anything happened to it, no one would notice. I took the small bun out of my hair and, glided in hand, quietly slipped out of my room and out of the temple. My thin cloth shoes were silent against the rock paths that lead to the garden.
The closer I got, the more anxious I got. When I reached the entrance, the bamboo had already crept up the sides of the arch. I breathed in deeply and back out, then I shut my eyes tight ran through the middle.
Opening my eyes, I saw that it was the same as it had been last night.
I reached down touched the water. It was colder than it was before. Beyond the river was a green, healthy forest. I could see sunlight pouring over the lush trees. It's a polar opposite to the forest behind me, which is lifeless and dull.
I breathed in and out again, and headed into the dead forest. It had the same eerie feel to it as it did the day before. I went deeper and deeper into the forest, not sure what I was looking for. I came upon a large cave, and naturally, curiosity overcame me.
I ran over to the cave and peered in. I saw a green light in the center. Cautiously walking to where it was coming from, I found a stone and a green gem resting on it, with a silver chain through the top of it.
A necklace.
I set my glider on the ground and picked it up, placing it in the palm of my hand to get a closer look at it.
It was beautiful.
It was carefully and perfectly crafted into an oval shape, and about the size of both of my thumbs.
I looked over at the stone and saw a small note.
From a friend.
A friend?
I eyed it suspiciously before clasping it around my neck.
A small jolt went through my heart, but I thought nothing of it and walked further into the cave. As I went deeper, I started to see sunlight from a small entrance along the wall. Happy to see sunlight again, I ran through the hole and came to the same mountain I was on in one of my previous dreams.
I opened my glider and jumped off of the mountain. I landed on the same familiar soft, green grass and walked towards the large, koi filled pond.
I stopped in my tracks when I saw a lady with long, gorgeous, white hair sitting on a large stone feeding the fish.
"Hello." I recognized her soft voice. She was the one who was with me at the pond before, and urged me to leave.
Just as I was about to greet her, she spoke again.
"I see you have found the necklace." Her voice was so gentle, it almost sounded solemn.
"Are you the one that put the necklace there?" I asked.
"No." Her voice trailed.
"Then.. who did?"
"I do not think that is important now. What is important is the fact that you put it on, Jinora."
"What do you mean? And how do you know my name?"
"When you put that necklace on, you sealed a bond with it. You gave the necklace power, and in return it gave you power," she answered and ignored my other question. She looked at me with serious, blue eyes.
"What kind of power?" I looked down and touched it with my fingertips.
"I don't think you would yet understand." She looked down at the pond. "The necklace holds dangerous power and energy.. and now, so do you." She looked back up at me.
"You said that I gave it power, what exactly did I give it?"
"You gave it life. When you put it on, it binded with your soul. Without a soul to bind with, it is lifeless." She sighed. "The necklace can either be a blessing or a curse."
I was confused and felt conflicted at this point. "What if I don't want power..?"
"You cannot back out of it. What is done, is done." Her tone was serious.
"But- can't you at least tell me what kind of 'power' I now have?"
"I told you, I don't think you would yet understand."
I was now becoming angry. I clenched my fist and swiftly brought it up, and then back down. I yelled, "And why exactly wouldn't I? I think I deserve to know!"
She looked at me, alarmed. "Jinora! Calm-"
"I will not calm down! How do you know I wouldn't I understand? You're keeping me in the dark about myself!" The anger that had arisen was now turning to fury. "You can't just tell me that I have some special power, and then not tell me what it is!"
The healthy fish that were previously swimming around rose to the top of the water. The pond turned gray.
She turned her head and closed her eyes as I brought my hands up to my mouth. I realized what had just happened. Tears welled in my eyes. "Did I do that?" I whispered.
The lady slowly stood. "You are more powerful than you think." She started to walk off as she spoke. "He tried to warn you not to come here..." Her voice faded in the distance.
"Wait!" I called after her. "Can you at least tell me how to control it?" But she was already gone.
I dropped to my knees and closed my eyes as my head hung.
I never wanted this. I have to go home.
When I opened my eyes, I was back at the garden arch.
What just happened?
Without questioning any further, I ran to my room and threw the necklace into my middle dresser drawer. I don't want to look at it.
I put on my nightgown and climbed into bed.
Hopefully, this was all just a bad dream.
