Ok, I know. It's summer and yet I'm slower than during the school year. Well, it's been a heck of a busy summer with my art camp, orientation, portrait commisions and just plain getting ready for college. You have NO idea!

Now as a special treat for your everlasting patience and forgiveness and acceptance of waiting I am having a Jessica questionairre. This is how it works. In the reviews you may ask the character Jessica any question you like. It can be about her personality, her likes/dislikes(do you enjoy eating parsnips?), what she would do in a situation, what she would rather do(would you rather punch Sokka, Aang, or Zuko in the face the most?), or anything that comes to your mind. It can be crazy or funny or random. I will do by best to answer these questions on Jessica's behalf as long as they don't contain spoilers(such as who she gets with) or are inappropriate. Otherwise, go nuts!

I will post questions and answers in the next chapter if you wish.

Also, you guys replied to my request and gave me so many amazing ideas for the Bumi challenges. Unfortunately I won't get to use them all since I got so many, but please know that whether I use it or not it was still a great idea. There honestly was not one that I didn't like. I'd use them all but I don't have that kind of time and would like to be able to eventually get past Bumi and onto other stuff(I have so much planned for the rest of the season. Here's a clue: spanish soap operas. You can interpret that any way you like, but I'm not telling. :D )

And now, a special thanks to all of you who submitted Bumi challenge ideas, whether I end up using yours or not it was still awesome and greatly appreciated!

Spirit-of-the-Rain

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amythist7

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XxI-Stole-Your-CookiexX

SplitPersonaliti

I stood at the edge of Appa's saddle, staring down at the ground a gazillion feet below with knees shaking like jello. And I didn't even like jello.

"Ok, first time flyers are you ready?"

"Heck no!"

I felt like my death was coming much sooner than necessary. But Aang insisted that I had come far enough in my airbending training to finally learn how to glide with my staff. Standing here I was seriously starting to rethink his decision.

Everything below us looked so tiny, like part of a toy set. I could even see clouds floating nonchalantly under us, just to prove how high up we were. My stomach was in knots and every fiber of my being was screaming in my ear with a megaphone not to jump off a flying bison with nothing but a stick. Sorry, I mean glider. Seriously, what rational person would be able to fearlessly jump?(airbenders don't count) Ok, so maybe I wasn't that much of a rational person, but I didn't have a deathwish!

"Come on Jessica! This will be fun!" Aang said encouragingly.

"Or fatal," I added. "Whichever floats your boat you know."

Sokka snickered. "Looks like the avatar isn't so tough after all. Can't even learn to fly better than a twelve year old."

"Oh yeah? Why don't you come jump off a flying bison ten billion feet off the ground and see where it gets ya?"

The smug water tribe warrior stood up. "I have a better idea."

I immediately realized what he was thinking as he walked towards me. Sputtering protests I stumbled backwards to get away from Sokka. My ankle caught on the leather saddle edge and I was sent hurtling towards the ground.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, hugging my staff for dear life. It wasn't helping.

The air stung my face and whipped my hair behind me. Panic took over as I stared wide eyed like a doe at the rapidly approaching ground. Why must you do this to me gravity?

Aang appeared next to me, gliding with ease and smiling like I wasn't falling to my death at that very moment.

"Jessica! You have to open the glider's wings if you want stop falling!" he shouted at me over the rushing air.

I broke out of my panic mode and fiddled with the staff, struggling to remember what Aang had taught me. The wings popped out and I was suddenly flung upwards into the air. Still screaming in terror I might add.

My body instinctively got into position on the glider and, with Aang's constant guidance(and me screaming for dear life like a little girl the whole time), I managed to glide on the air currents(eventually, it took a while). Well, I managed to glide a straight line anyway. The whole steering thing wasn't quite working out for me yet.

Then a large airstream blew under and lifted me up. I felt terrified, my panic almost returning and my stomach getting that gut feeling one gets on roller coasters.

It was the best experience ever.

I'd had so many dreams about flying. Wished for it. Hoped for genies to pop up so I could wish for it. Imagined time and time again while staring at birds what it would be like to soar above the world.

For the record, this was a thousand times better than anything my imagination could conjure up.

"How is it?" Aang asked as he flew up next to me.

"Best. Day. Ever."

I laughed, then shrieked at the top of my lungs as I rocketed downwards for about twenty feet before pulling myself back to a glide. Panting heavily from the exhilaration I smiled up at Aang.

"I never wanna touch the ground again!"

The bald kid chuckled, informing me that I would have to land eventually.

Just then I remembered something. I reached into my pocket and pulled out my sleek black sunglasses, slipping them on. I knew these would come in handy.

"Hey Aang, how do I look?" I flashed a smile and looked over my sunglasses at him.

"What are those?" he asked.

"Sunglasses. They protect your eyes from the sun, but where I'm from people usually just wear them because they think it makes them look cool." I bet no other avatar looked this cool while gliding. A giggled escaped my lips as I pictured Avatar Roku gliding through the air with my sunglasses, casually smiling his shining teeth at the girls as he flew by.

I tilted my glider to the left a bit to attempt steering while flying. A blast of wind caught the wing and sent me spinning off in that direction at least fifty feet. Twirling rapidly midair I was unable to tell what way the ground was, which was bad considering I had no way of knowing if that was direction I was hurtling in right now. With Aang shouting directions I managed to tilt the wings and stabilize myself and on a slow but steady air current.

My head felt dizzy and my stomach was long gone. Little laughing Sokkas and Momos danced mercilessly around my head.

"I think I'm gonna barf," I groaned, sure my face was turning a light shade of green at that very moment.

"Don't worry, you're doing great for your first flying lesson. With some practice you'll have it down in no time…." Aang trailed off midsentence, staring at the ground below them.

I turned my head to see what he was staring at. It was a giant city made of rock that rose up in three tall mountains.

"Omashu…" said Aang in wonder, a wave of memories from his earlier days probably flooding back to him.

"Cool! I didn't think we'd get here for another week!"

"You knew we would come to Omashu?"

I wiggled my eyebrows over the sunglasses and grinned. "Psychic avatar powers remember?"

As we slowly lost altitude, I gazed down at the massive city. I'd forgotten how big it was, and all made of rock too. Suddenly, an important thought crossed my mind.

"Hey Aang?" I asked as the ground closed in on us.

"Yeah?" Aang pulled his glider up a smidge at the last second and landed smoothly. Meanwhile I continued to head for the ground at full speed.

"HOW DO YOU LAND THIS THING?"

I attempted to pull my glider up like Aang had, but its wings picked up on a breeze and flew straight up twenty feet. Fighting for control over the contraption that had gained free will I veered sideways. The wind refused to comply, flipping me over backwards and whisking me off upside down in who knows what direction.

"Aaaaaaaaahh! Aang!WhatdoIdoIthinkI'mgoingto—"

I let go of the glider and smashed into Appa's large furry body with a loud 'oof!'

"Crash…" I groaned as the momentum left me and I slid off Appa to the ground.

"Do I have to wear this? It's so itchy! I don't know how you live with this stuff Appa!" Aang complained loudly as he itched at the bundle of fur tied over his head.

"Aaw, but you look so cute! Like my grandpa!" Jessica patted the top of his furry hairdo. Momo jumped up on her shoulder and curiously started to pet the fur on Aang's head as well.

Aang groaned. "Why doesn't she have to wear a disguise? She's the avatar!"

"Yeah, but I'm not the one with the giant blue arrow tattooed on my head. Subtle-much?"

Katara gave her a thoughtful look.

"I think Aang's right Jessica. You need a disguise too. Your clothes are just too…"

"Different, weird, noticeable, out-of-this-world?" Jessica couldn't help but snicker at that last one, considering how true it really was.

"Exactly," cut in Sokka. "And you being noticed is the last thing we want," He grabbed a cloak off Appa's saddle and tossed it to Jessica. "Now grab some fur and stuff it."

The guard at the large stone gates of Omashu stared straight ahead and watched as what looked like two oddly dressed kids and their grandparents walked towards them. He had just finished knocking over a man's cart of rotten cabbages and wondered if these people had anything he could knock over the edge. It always brightened his day a bit when he had the chance to do so. After all, standing guard all day in the hot sun while wearing the uniform could become very boring and quite unbearable at times.

As they approached he noticed that the younger girl was looking worried while the younger boy just looked hungry. Even though the two were dressed oddly it was the grandparents that he found quite strange. The grandpa was short with a large white mustache and a tall patch of hair bigger than his head that was tied together with a rope. The grandma was the taller one of the two, slightly hunched over under a black cloak with similar unruly white hair sticking out in all directions. Both of them carried identical staffs.

He stepped before them authoritively. "Stop! What business have you in Omashu?"

The old lady squinted her eyes at him as if to get a better look.

"What did ye say? Ye want me to kiss yer shoe? What kind of a request is that?" she croaked loudly.

The guard cleared his throat and spoke louder. "Why have you come to Omashu?"

"I don't wanna go to the zoo! Jus' lemme in!"

"No, what are you here for?"

"My ear ain't caught in no door!" she cried heatedly before bending down to her husband. "Methinks all his standing in the sun might be a messin' wit 'is mind a bit."

Now the guard was starting to get just a bit irritated.

"It's not that!"

"Did ee jus' call me a dingbat? Dear, ye gonna let'im talk to ye wife like that?"

The grandpa flipped his staff skillfully and whipped it up under the guard's chin. He squinted and attempted to glare into the guard's brown eyes.

"Did you just insult my wife young man?"

All the while the two kids had been watching on worriedly as their older relatives made a scene, forcing themselves not to interfere. The girl was shaking her head desperately mouthing 'no' while the boy's eye twitched fiercely. But this action finally caused the girl to rush up and push away his staff.

"Now grandpa, I'm sure the nice man didn't mean anything by it," she assured him as she gently gripped his shoulders and pulled him away.

"I swear the young folk these days have no respect for their elders!" he grumbled, crossing his skinny arms over his chest.

The guard was starting to realize that he wasn't getting anywhere with them. Best to just move on before things got worse.

"Alright settle down. What are your names?"

The old man spun around and gave a friendly smile. "The name is Bonzu! Pippinpatslopakopolis…the third!"

The young girl introduced herself as June and excused her grandparents' behavior.

"Just be sure to keep your eye on them so that there's no trouble."

"I don't see any bears in a bubble!"

The guard gave one last sideways glance at the old lady before turning back to the young girl.

"You seem like a responsible young girl June. Watch your grandma."

We looked out in awe at the large kingdom of Omashu. It loomed high over us, with miles and miles of stone chutes encircling it. The city itself was the shape of a giant cake. Decorating it were hundreds of orange stone buildings stacked atop one another. All around us was the constant sound of packages whizzing down the slides to their destination.

I noticed Aang eyeing the chutes, no doubt remembering his time with Bumi.

"I know what you're thinking Aang."

"You do? Wanna do it?" he asked excitedly, looking ready to jump thirty feet into the air with anticipation.

"You bet," I grinned and held up my pointer finger. "I just need to make one little adjustment to your plans."

Not much later the four of us found ourselves perched precariously at the top of the world's largest super slide. Or mail chutes if you want to be all boring about it.

There was just one difference to the way this happened on the actual show.

Boys versus girls.

That's right. I'd stuck Aang and Sokka in a carrier and Katara and I in another. We had found two chutes right next to each other and hopped in. Our stone crates now wavered dangerously on the edge. I could see the city spread out below us and the steepness of the chute. My stomach got that sinking feeling again, similar to the one you'd get while inching up a rollercoaster. The terrifying yet exhilarating dread experienced at the top in that one second before you fall. But this wasn't like jumping off Appa. There was a clear course and the chances of survival were much higher. I think.

Sokka started sputtering crap about starting at the count of five. That was five seconds too long.

"Hey Katara, did this sound fun to you at first, but now you're getting second thoughts?"

"Well actually—"

"TOO LATE!"

I leaned forward, causing our crate to lose its balance and zip forward ahead of the competition as Sokka said "four". I heard the angry oaf shout something along the lines of "no fair!" and "that's cheating!", but I just turned and stuck my tongue out at the approaching rivals.

Unfortunately, there was a loud "Hang on!" and whoosh of air behind us. Next thing I knew Aang's cart was zipping past us at five times our speed.

Katara paused her screaming to give a sigh of relief.

"Well it looks like they've won. We might as well end the race now."

That was funny. Katara actually thought we could just end the race. Like I was going to let a bald little twelve year old beat me that easily.

"No way! I can airbend too remember? Watch this!"

"Wait! I really think we're going fast enoooouuugggghhhh!" Katara's last word stretched out and turned into a scared yell as I thrust my arm backwards full force. It wasn't a strong as Aangs but it was fast enough.

Don't worry, the challenges will start next chapter. I promise! I wanted to make this chapter longer but I didn't have time and if I didn't post today then you wouldn't be reading this for at least another two weeks due to lack of internet. I will be able to type though and I have half of the next chapter already written, so I promise you won't have to wait as long. Please review!

Don't forget the Jessica questionairre! Ask Jessica any question you want about her and it will be answered(unless it involves spoilers of course).

And for those reading this later on after more chapters have been posted, you can still ask questions!