\\Chapter 3//
Ling-Mei awoke in an unfamiliar place, filled with the smell of roses and the sounds of a waterfall. Outside of the room she was in, which was unbearably bright, she could hear a commotion going on. It seemed, from what she could hear, quite a few people were trying to get into a room, which was obviously being blocked off by other people.
Ling-Mei stood up and made her way, drowsily towards the door to see what was going on. She began to open it, only to be met by the back of a man dressed in camouflage. The man turned his head back to see what had opened the door and smiled quickly, "Don't worry miss, we got it under control!" he picked up a walkie talkie and told someone that she was awake just as she retreated back into the room.
It hit her then, what had happened. She walked over to the bed, and sat down before she lost balance. I'm the Avatar... she thought, placing her face in her hands. And...up there...I...I went into the avatar state. I'm going to travel back in time and.... she wasn't sure whether to be thrilled or scared.
Thoughts rushed at her, each crashing into her brain like water hitting rocks at full force. She would need to be cautious, as she could change history in a heartbeat. She wouldn't be able to interact with anyone. She'd be stuck for months with nothing to do but master the elements. If she did interact with anyone, although she was certain they were going to timebend her into a peaceful time,she knew it could have such effects that her, her friends,anyone for that matter might not exist in her present, or she could wind up dead...or...or....the possibilities were endless.
As she stressed over everything that could go wrong in traveling to the past, she had forgotten for a few seconds that the whole reason for her traveling was the fact that she was the avatar, the most powerful being in the world. She remembered this burden immediately as one of the keepers made his way into the room. "Avatar Ling-Mei! I greet you with the most humble of respects!" he said, as the noise from the hallway died down. "Oh please. I'm not some frigin-" Ling-Mei sighed, "Well...I guess I am kinda." She hopped up and paced as the keeper picked himself up. "Yes well, we shall send you off at noon today. They sent me to breif you on what you are to do." He straightened out his robes and walked over that stood beside the bed Ling-Mei had slept in. He picked up a few peices of paper and slipped a pair of glasses on. "Breif me?" Ling-Mei asked, "This isn't some military mission...I'm the avatar...I.." tears welled up in her violet eyes. "Do I atleast get a chance to say bye to my friends?"
The keeper smiled, "Of course, but it's not like you're going off on some grand, five-year adventure! You'll only be there a month, by which time we expect you to have been able to figure out a way to find your way back." Ling-Mei stopped crying, and stared at the man. "One month, you're giving me one month to travel around a feudal world in which I must master the other four elements?" she eyed him with distaste.
"Please Avatar-" The keeper soothed, but Ling-Mei would have none of it and cut him off. "Stop calling me that!" The man sighed, tugging on his long, grey beard. He waited for Ling-Mei to calm down before beginning again. "It is what you are, now would you please take a seat and listen?"
Ling-Mei did as she was told and sat down on the edge of bed as the keeper began to brief her. "You will master them in this order- Water, Earth, Air, and then Fire, is that clear?" Ling-Mei nodded. "Now, we have typed up a schedule for your month, as well as how a regular day should be for you." the keeper handed her the list and peered down at the few papers left in his hands. "We will be sending you four-hundred years after time-bending was created. You are to speak with no one aside from your masters, who have been informed of this by a few keepers we sent back a day before the day you'll be arriving, and we wish you the best. We will give you three hours to pack your things, also,do not pack anything of advanced technologies. This means no MP3 players, cell phones, video games, and the like. Books, prehaps a flashlight and a few batteries are about the extent of the technologies you can bring."
Before Ling-Mei could protest, the keeper left, and the noise in the hallway heightened as he exited the room. Ling-Mei looked down at herself to see that she was wearing a white nightgown, courtesy of the keepers themselves. She looked around and saw a pair of fresh clothes, which looked extremely old fashioned, and the clothes she had picked out that morning. Had it been that morning? Ling-Mei wondered, as she slipped the clothes on. The thought of how long she was out struck her, but washed away instantly. It didn't matter whether or not she had gotten dressed that morning, or yesterday morning. All that mattered now was seeing her friends and packing her bags.