Odette:
A waxing moon hovered in the night sky, almost full, shining down on a field of red flowers. A single, large mountain could be seen in the distance.
Fanindra was fast asleep inside a cave. My friends and I gathered around a campfire underneath a gnarled and twisted tree. Alana was telling us ghost stories, trying to spook us.
"Suddenly, they heard something down the hall, in the dark. Oooh... It came into the torchlight. And they knew the blade of Wing - Fun was haunted! Aah-ah…"
Alana dramatically pulled her sword out and wailed in an attempt to be scary. Kole, Elise, and I were unimpressed.
"I think I liked "the man with a sword for a hand" better," I said.
Elise snorted with laughter. "Water Tribe slumber parties must stink."
"No, wait, I've got one, and this is a true Southern Water Tribe story," Kole said.
Alana groaned. "Is this one of those "a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to" stories?"
"No, it happened to Mom." Everyone focused their attention on him. "One winter, when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom realized she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice," Kole dropped his voice to imitate a little girl's. "'It's so cold and I can't get warm.' Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue, like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but... when everyone came back, Nini was gone."
I wrapped Fang's tail around me nervously. Alana was hiding behind a tree trunk and peering over.
"Where'd she go?" she asked.
Kole shrugged. "No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm."
Our gang huddled around the fire, looking through the twisted tree limbs. Elise suddenly gasped and placed a hand to the ground.
"Wait. Guys, did you hear that? I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming," she said.
Kole, Fang, Alana, and I all hugged each other, trembling with fear. Alana soon regained her composure and smirked.
"Pft, nice try," Alana said.
Elise shook her head, her face truly scared. "No, I'm serious, I hear something."
"You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories," Kole said, shrugging it off.
Elise looked up, shaking. "It just stopped."
"All right, now I'm getting scared," I said, feeling like I had eyes on the back of my head.
"Hello, children," an old woman's voice said right behind us.
Kole, Alana, Elise and I all screamed and ran off, terrified. We all gathered around and hugged Elise. The old woman slowly walked into the fire's light.
"Sorry to frighten you, my name is Gretta. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby, why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?"
"Yes, please," Alana said, still shaking.
Gretta smiled and walked away.
Kole:
Gretta took us to a place where there were several houses situated on a steep slope. She led us past them all and made for an old inn at the top of the slope.
Once inside, we gathered around a square table under a single lit lamp in the dining room. Gretta bustled about and got us all hot tea. I watched as she grabbed a small cup for me and filled it with hot water. "Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn," I said gratefully as I took the tea and took a sip. It was good…was that cinnamon I tasted?
Gretta smiled at me sweetly. "Aren't you sweet? You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."
"What do you mean, disappearing?" Alana asked, her crystal blue eyes widening in fear.
Gretta spoke ominously. "When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out."
There was a silent pause and then she turned cheerful again.
"Who wants more tea?" she asked and then frowned when she saw the fearful expression all of us had. "Don't worry; you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms, and you can get a good night's rest?"
Alana:
In my room, I was lying in my bed. Fang was asleep on the floor. The creaking of old trees could be heard outside.
I rolled over, unable to fall asleep. I shut my eyes, trying to force myself to sleep, but opened them in terror when I heard a high pitched squeak from inside. I grabbed my sword and quickly sat up, drawing it. Fang whined and hid under my covers. I looked around, but nothing was there, so I sheathed my sword.
"I know Fang, this place is creepy. I don't know if I'm gonna be able to fall asleep," I said.
I pulled the covers up to my eyes and looked left and right nervously.
By morning I was fast asleep, snoring and drooling. Cut to the wide shot of the room and pan right. When I woke up, I was lying over the side of my bed on the floor.
Someone walked up to me, casting their shadow over my face and waking me.
"Wakey-wakey," a voice cracked and I woke up and rubbed my eyes. It was Gretta as she leaned over me and smiled. "Time to go shopping."
Kole walked up beside her, smiling happily.
I hate them…
Kole:
Once Alana was dressed, we went down to the town and I followed Gretta around as she shopped. Alana carried grocery bags with her sword strapped around her as we strolled around in the town market. Gretta handed three coins to a merchant and her and I walked away as the old merchant smiled and waved goodbye.
I grinned and cast a look behind me. "That Mr. Trimble seems to have a thing for you. Maybe we should go back and see if I'll give us some free komodo sausages."
"You would have me use my feminine charms to take advantage of that poor man? I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly."
I beamed.
Odette:
As we followed after Kole and Gretta, Elise, Alana, and I walked side my side, listening to people's conversations as we went.
"You won't have any ash bananas till next week?" a townsman asked a merchant.
"Well, I have to send the boy to Hing-Wa Island to get them, and it's a two-day trip," he replied.
The townsman shivered slightly. "Oh, right, tomorrow's the full moon."
The merchant nodded. "Exactly, I can't lose another delivery boy in the woods."
Alana frowned, her eyes wide. "People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff during full moons... this just reeks of spirit world shenanigans."
"I bet if we take a little walk around town, we'll find out what these people did to the environment to make the spirits mad," I suggested.
Alana nodded. "And then you can sew up this little mystery, lickety-split, Avatar-style."
I smiled and nodded my head proudly. "Helping people...that's what I do."
Gretta stopped suddenly and turned to Kole.
"Why don't you all take those things back to the inn? I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while," the old woman said.
Alana watched her suspiciously. "This is a mysterious little town you have here.
Gretta cryptically looked back and smiled. "Mysterious town for mysterious children."
Gretta walked away and Alana looked after her, an odd, confused expression on her face.
Alana:
We walked into Gretta's inn and made for the kitchen. Inside, I placed the wooden bucket of groceries on the table, frowning as I thought of the creepy woman.
"That Gretta seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something," I said.
Kole rolled his eyes. "That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran-Gran."
"But what did she mean by that comment, "mysterious children"?" I questioned.
"Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found four strange kids, camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?" he replied sarcastically.
I ignored that. "I'm gonna take a look around."
I walked out of the kitchen and up a nearby flight of stairs. Kole, Odette, and Elise followed after.
"Alana! Alana, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house," Kole chastised.
I rolled my eyes. "It'll be fine."
I proceeded to open one of the doors upstairs and glanced inside the dark room. It was only a simple bedroom and I closed the door back.
Odette was just as edgy as my brother was. "She could be home any minute."
"Alana, you're gonna get us all in trouble, and this is just plain rude," Kole said nervously.
I found a cabinet in the wall and grabbed the door handles, trying to open it, but they were stuck.
"I'm not finished yet," I grunted. "Come on…"
I yanked the doors open and several marionettes fell forward, being held in place by their strings. We all yelped in surprise and I jumped back and drew my sword at the puppets in fright, my back against the wall and sliding to the floor.
Odette's eyes were wider than dinner plates and she was breathing hard. "Ok, that's pretty creepy."
Kole took a breath and closed the doors. "So... she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that. Alana, you've looked enough. Gretta will be back soon."
I made my way up into the dark attic and tried to open a nearby door, but it was locked. The other three walked up the stairs and joined me.
"Just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door up here?" I asked.
Kole was angry now. "Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff."
"We'll see." I peered in through the keyhole, seeing a small chest sitting in the light shining through the attic window. "It's empty except for a little chest."
Elise jumped excitedly. "Maybe it's treasure."
I smiled gleefully at the thought of treasure. Odette and Kole frowned at Elise as I drew my sword and began to pick the door's lock with its tip.
"Alana, what are you doing? You're breaking into a private room," Kole snapped.
"I have to see what's in there," I shot back.
There was a click and the door opened. Our group quickly walked up to the mysterious chest, all a little hesitant.
Odette was trembling. "We shouldn't be doing this."
I reached down and picked up the chest. I tried to open it, but the chest was locked.
I sighed in annoyance. "Maybe there's a key here somewhere."
Elise groaned. "Oh, hand it over."
I handed Elise the chest and she took the armband made of space earth from her arm and bended it into the shape of a key. Elise pushed the key inside the chest's lock and began turning it.
"Come on, come on!" I urged.
Elise blew a strand of hair out of her face and glared at me. "This isn't as easy it looked."
Kole looked over Elise's shoulders, blinking nervously.
Odette was growing even more nervous. "Guys, I don't know about this."
Kole was just plain irritated. "This is crazy, I'm leaving."
I smirked at him. "Suit yourself. Do it, Elise."
Kole began to walk away as a click was heard. Elise gave a thumb up to Odette and I and we both gathered around the chest and even Kole ran back to try and look inside. We all inadvertently pushed Elise to the side. Our cheeks were pressed together comically. The lid of the chest was slowly lifted until a voice was heard behind us suddenly.
"I'll tell you what's in the box."
Odette, Kole, and I yelled with fear and alarm as I practically leaped out of my own skin. The four of us quickly turned around and I hid the chest behind my back.
Gretta was standing in the attic doorway as she walked forward. Kole, Odette, and I looked down with guilt as I handed the chest to Gretta.
Gretta opened it and reached inside. I watched her closely, my eyes wide with fear and anticipation. Gretta began to lift the object from the chest and we looked up in fear as Gretta lifted the object. The tension was lifted when the object was revealed to be nothing more than a simple blue comb made from whale bone. Gretta smiled at us cheerfully.
I gaped at it in disbelief. "An old comb?"
"It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe," she said.
Kole and I froze as a wave of shock went through us.
Kole:
I stared at her in shock.
"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" I asked, astounded.
Gretta nodded and winked at me. "Just like you."
she stunned me further. "How did you know?"
"I heard you talking around your campfire."
Alana was just as stunned as I was. "But why didn't you tell us?"
"I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big, Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes, if you stew them long enough," the old woman said kindly and I smiled.
Odette grimaced in utter disgust and I patted her shoulder gently. "Great."
"I knew I felt a bond with you right away," I said happily.
"And I knew you were keeping a secret, so I guess we're both right." I punched her in the arm. "But I'm sorry we were sneaking around."
Gretta laughed again. "Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking."
By nightfall dinner was served.
As Gretta got ready the food, I watched through the window as Odette ran outside to a small barn, where Fanindra and Fang were staying. She opened the door and tossed a cabbage into Fanindra's mouth. Fang jumped to the ground and yapped furiously at Fanindra. The dragon spit the cabbage out and Fang grabbed the cabbage and carried it off to somewhere.
When she came back, Gretta finished placing the last bowl of soup on the table inside the inn. Everyone got seated at the dinner table, empty bowls placed in front of us as we waited hungrily. Odette leaned over to Elise while Gretta got the food.
She spoke with a small smirk. "I'd steer clear of the "sea prunes"."
Elise frowned. "I thought they were ocean kumquats."
Odette waved her hand. "Close enough."
Gretta came back, carrying a large pot with steaming liquid in it. "Who wants five-flavor soup?"
Odette, Alana, and I raised our hands. Gretta placed her hand over the bowl of soup and bended the liquid out of it. With a flick of her fingers, Gretta bended the soup into everyone's bowls, much to our amazement.
"You're a Waterbender! I've never met another Waterbender from our tribe," I gasped, further impressed.
Gretta looked back at me sadly. "That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one."
Alana looked at her, fascinated. "So how did you end up out here?"
"I was stolen from my home. It was over 60 years ago when the raids started. They came again and again, each time, rounding up more of our Waterbenders, and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last Waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe," she said, her eyes brimming with tears as she remembered the horrible events.
I walked over to Gretta and put my hands on her frail shoulders consolingly.
Gretta sniffled slightly then continued with the story. "They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."
Alana leaned forward eagerly, always a sucker for a good war story. "How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?"
Gretta looked at her then shook her head, her old eyes trailing to the floor. "I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore."
I smiled slightly and hugged her. "We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid."
Gretta patted my hand. "Oh, you poor things."
Odette and Alana lowered their heads solemnly.
"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor, you're a hero," I said.
Gretta smiled slightly. "I never thought I'd meet another Southern Waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know, so you can carry on the Southern Tradition when I'm gone."
I beamed excitedly. "Yes, yes of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me."
The next day, Gretta and I walked through the village as we started my lessons.
"Growing up at the South Pole, Waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas," she said as we walked over a rocky hillside outside the village. "But, as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."
"I know, when we were stranded in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do," I said.
Gretta smiled. "That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists."
I reflected back to a few days ago when Elise and I had been captured. "I've even used my own sweat for waterbending."
"That's very resourceful, Kole. You're thinking like a true master. But did you know you can even pull water out of thin air?" She threw her hand out and created a circle over her head, collecting the moisture in the air. "You've got to keep an open mind, Kole. There's water in places you never think about."
I watched in amazement as the water formed around her fingers and turned into icicles.
Gretta swung her hand around behind her and threw the icicles. They lodged ourselves into the trunk of a nearby tree with ease.
Odette:
Alana, Elise, and I walked along a river in the Fire Nation countryside from the top of a mountain. We were looking for something that might have angered the spirits but I was seeing no such thing.
"This has gotta be the nicest, natural setting in the Fire Nation. I don't see anything that would make a spirit mad around here," I said, frustrated.
"Maybe the moon spirit just turned mean," Elise suggested.
Alana took a big whiff of some yellow flowers before turning to Elise.
"The moon spirit is a gentle, loving man. He rules the sky with compassion and... lunar goodness," Alana said furiously and I winced slightly.
A traveler suddenly walked down the nearby trail and I turned to him.
"Excuse me, sir. Can you tell us anything about the spirit that's been stealing people?" I asked politely.
The traveling townsman smiled a warm, chipped-toothed smile. "Only one man ever saw it and lived, and that's Old Man Ding."
"Where does Old Man Ding live?" Elise asked, taking a step forward.
Kole:
Gretta and I walked through the field of red flowers dotted with large rocks. The mountain could be seen in the distance.
"Wow, these flowers are beautiful," I said, brushing my tips against one's velvety petals. They felt like Odette's skin did, even smelled kind of like her too.
"They're called Fire Lilies. They only bloom a few weeks a year, but they're one of my favorite things about living here. And like all plants, and all living things, they're filled with water," Gretta said.
"I met a Waterbender who lived in a swamp, and could control the vines by bending the water inside," I said.
Gretta winked at me. "You can take it even further."
Gretta waved her hands in a large circle, bending the water right out of the fire lilies surrounding her, making them dry, black and shriveled. Gretta completed the circle and chopped her hand downward at tall rock. The water hit the rock and passed through, cleanly slicing off four pieces.
"That was incredible." I then stared down at the flowers sadly. "It's a shame about the lilies, though."
Gretta shrugged. "They're just flowers. When you're a Waterbender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight, I'll teach you the ultimate technique of Waterbending. It can only be done during the full moon, when your bending is at its peak."
"But isn't that dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon," I said, worried.
"Oh, Kole. Two master Waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."
I smiled and Gretta and I began walking away towards the forest.
Odette:
Alana, Elise, and I walked through town at night. There was an old man at work on one of the small houses. The old man steadied his hammer as he held a nail against a board.
"Old Man Ding?" I asked hesitantly as we approached.
Old Man Ding glanced back behind him just as he brought his hammer down on his thumb, causing him an immense amount of pain and to drop his hammer.
"Eeh, yeow! Aw, dang blame it! What? Can't you see I'm busy Got a full moon rose. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old," he snapped grumpily and crouched down to lift up a board, but was too weak. "Aww... well, I'm young at heart."
I smiled slightly and reached down and helped him lift the board up to the window.
"Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster, yet, at least," the man continued.
Alana took the hammer and nail and proceeded to nail the board down as she spoke. "We wanted to ask you about that."
"Did you get a good look at the spirit that took you?" I asked.
"Didn't see no spirit. Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain," he said, his finger pointing at the mountain. "I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon, for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then, the sun started to rise. And I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!"
Alana frowned in confusion. "Why would a spirit want to take people to a mountain?"
"Oh, no!" Elise gasped, startling Alana and I. "I did hear people screaming under the mountain. The missing villagers must still be there."
Without missing a beat, Alana, Elise, and I tore through the woods until she stopped and placed a hand on the ground.
"I can hear them, they're this way," she said.
She took off and we followed, racing towards the mountain.
Kole:
The full moon shone brightly in the sky as Gretta and I walked in the woods.
"Can you feel the power the full moon brought?" she asked and inhaled deeply. "For generations, it has blessed Waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things."
I looked at her arm as she flexed her hand and as her veins began to pop out. I looked at her warily as she stared at the moon, arms outstretched, a slightly insane look on her face.
"I've never felt more alive."
Odette:
We made our way to the foot of the mountain and came to its dark, ominous mouth.
"This is the place," Elise said, her face grim.
Alana was scared. "I can't see anything down there."
Elise took Alana's hand. "That's why you have me, let's go."
We all jumped into the darkness of the cave.
After walking through pitch black darkness for a while, we came to a wall and metal doorway that were lit by two torches. Elise, Alana, and I ran up to it. Elise stopped at the door, stomped her foot down behind her for support, and punched the door with both fists, knocking it off its hinges. We made our way further into the cave, Alana and I lighting the way with the torches. We entered a new chamber.
We all came to a stop and Alana and I stared with shock as the torch light revealed dozens of men and women chained to the walls of the cave.
A Male Prisoner looked up when he saw us and tears sprang to his eyes. "We're saved."
The three of us entered the chamber. Elise took her armband off and began unlocking one person's shackles.
"I didn't know that spirits made prisons like this, who brought you here?" I asked, shocked and horrified.
A female prisoner shook her head and rubbed her wrists. "It was no spirit."
Another male prisoner shook his head in agreement. "It was a witch."
Alana frowned. "A witch, what do you mean?"
"She seems like a normal old woman, but she controls people like some dark puppet master," one man said.
Alana bristled, angry. "Gretta!"
"Yes, the innkeeper," the first man said, nodding his head.
Alana smacked her hand with her fist. "I knew there was something creepy about her."
Oh no…Kole was with her!
"We have to stop Gretta!" I said.
"I'll get these people out of here, you go," Elise said.
That was enough for me. Alana gave one of the freed prisoners her torch before running with me out of the cave.
Kole:
A cat-owl was sitting on a tree branch, directly in front of the moon, hooting and swishing its tail before flying away.
Gretta started her lesson with a bit of history and I listened intently as she told her story.
"What I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched, Fire Nation prison. The guards were always careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air, and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet, each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape. Then I realized that where there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage, were nothing more than skins filled with liquid. And I passed years developing the skills that would lead to my escape. Bloodbending. Controlling the water in another body."
What had been admiration in my eyes before quickly turned to pure, disgust and horror.
"Enforcing your own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men...And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. My cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything... or anyone.
"But, to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power," I said, gulping uneasily as my palms began to sweat.
I was stuck out here in the middle of the woods with a crazy lady. Perfect.
Gretta shrugged. "The choice is not yours. The power exists...and it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Kole, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture... your mother!"
"I know," I said, my heart hurting as she mentioned her.
Gretta glared at me fiercely, her watery ice blue eyes beady and crazed. "Then you should understand what I'm talking about. We're the last Waterbenders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can. Wherever they are, with any means necessary!"
I realized something and my head snapped up and I fixed her with an accusing, icy stare. "It's you. You're the one who's making people disappear during the full moons."
Gretta grinned nastily, her long, pale white hair curling around her wizened face as a breeze picked up. "They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. You must carry on my work."
"I won't! I won't use bloodbending, and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town," I growled defiantly.
I pointed my finger at Gretta, but my arm suddenly twisted to one side, then the other side, and behind my back. I grabbed my arm and tried to stop it.
"You should have learned the technique before you turned against me," Gretta said darkly as she made me stand straight up, stiff. "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I control every muscle, every vein in your body."
Gretta used bloodbending to twist my body around and throw me from side to side. She grinned a nasty, twisted grin as she caused my body to twitch and jerk erratically, painfully. I watched in terror as she slowly brought her hands down, smiling sadistically as I was forced down to my knees no matter how hard I fought.
It felt like she was tearing my muscles apart, piece my piece. My veins felt like they were going to burst and my heart was throbbing painfully. Tears began to form in my eyes from the pain and outright fear.
"Stop...please," I begged, grimacing as I strained against the powers.
Gretta cackled sinisterly, the full moon glowing above her. I looked down, tears streaming down my face as I placed my hands on the ground. I had one last option, one last chance to escape.
I clenched my fists, and the grass around us shriveled and died. I lifted my eyes at Gretta in anger. The old woman's smile quickly faded and her laughter ended.
I stood back up and took a deep breath, lifting my hands.
"You're not the only one who draws power from the moon. My bending is more powerful than yours," I hissed.
Gretta sneered. "Your technique is useless on me!"
Gretta and I both entered our battle stances. I lifted my arms up and bended the water out of the grass and into a ring around me. I hoped forward, spun once, and flung the water at Gretta. Gretta took the water with her bending and redirected the attack back at me. I skillfully took the water back, spun back around, and flung the water back again, countering the counter-attack.
Gretta extracted the water from two trees, creating two large torrents, and threw them forward before taking my attack and flinging it back again. The three torrents all formed one massive torrent of water and flew towards me. I stepped back and pressed my hand forward, blocking the attack. The water was completely blocked, exploding into a spectacular shower of droplets. The droplets reflected in my eyes as I looked back to Gretta, the droplets reflecting her shock and fear.
I dashed forward and circled her arms inward. The water hanging in the air was bent into two torrents, one hitting Gretta's head, the other her feet, spinning her in mid air like a yin-yang and knocking her down as she yelled. Gretta slowly rose up as Alana and Odette ran into the area.
"We know what you've been doing, Gretta!" Alana yelled.
Odette glared at her icily. "Give up, you're outnumbered."
Gretta looked at me and I felt my face pale as she smirked and looked back at Odette and my sister. "No. You've outnumbered yourselves."
Gretta raised both arms and Odette and Alana's bodies stiffened. Gretta flung them at me and I leaped between the two, dodging them, gathered more water from the grass and flung it at Gretta as I rose. Gretta extracted the water from another tree and created a massive spinning wheel of water in front of her body to forcibly block the attack. I was ready for more when Alana came at me with her sword.
Alana was terrified. "Kole, look out! It's like my brain has a mind of its own. Stop it, arm, stop it!"
Gretta waved her arms to the side, controlling Alana and making me back away. I extracted more water from the grass and knocked Alana away with it. Odette was then controlled at was forced to attack me.
"This feels…weird," she said, looking at me, as scared as Alana was.
It killed me to do it, but I had no choice. I smashed the water hard into Odette, knocking her into a tree. I threw the water at Odette and froze it, pinning her to the tree.
"I'm sorry, Odette," I said, hating myself for doing that to her.
Odette nodded and smiled weakly. "It's ok."
Gretta bloodbended Alana to attack again. She swung her sword, her face full of fear. I quickly extracted the water from a sapling and flung it at Alana's sword arm. She was sent flying back and hit a tree. I froze the water and pinned her there.
"Don't hurt your friends, Kole... and don't let them hurt each other."
Gretta lowered her stance and pulled her arms in. Odette and Alana were both ripped off the trees, and were sent flying towards each other. Alana's sword was pointed forward intended to impale Odette right through the chest. Both of them screamed in terror.
"No!" I screamed, my eyes wide in terror.
I snapped.
Alana and Odette both stopped just before the sword could pierce Odette's heart. Both stared at their hands, realizing they had control again. They look to Gretta, who stiffened and twitched, full of fear.
My hands were stretched outward, bloodbending Gretta without even realizing what I was going. I was shocked at first, then slowly brought my hands down, forcing Gretta to her knees. Gretta struggled to get back up, but glanced back when Elise and the prisoners arrived. In a matter of seconds Gretta's hands were being bound by shackles as everyone surrounded her.
"You're going to be locked away forever," one man said, grinning harshly.
Two of the prisoners began to lead Gretta away.
"My work is done," she said and turned her head to me, smiling her twisted smile. "Congratulations, Kole. You're a bloodbender."
Horrified, I put a hand to my mouth and slowly began to cry. Gretta began to laugh with evil as the prisoners took her away and I dropped to my knees. Odette ran over to me and I wrapped my arms around her, sobbing quietly into her next as she held me back and Alana rested her hands on my shoulder to comfort me.
