Masks- By Kristen
"So, tell me again. What is your name?"
I sighed in obvious frustration. Gannu leaned against the far wall of the doctor's hut, arms crossed and watching the examination between the Doctor and myself closely.
"My name is Kristen. And I already know you're going to ask me where I came from and all of that other junk about my past, and I'm telling you now: it's the same as I said before! Texas, eighteen, school, work at a hospital, have two brothers, crush on guys way too often! Why won't you believe me?"
"Alright, alright! Stay calm." The middle-aged doctor held his hands out appealingly. Please, I'm going to talk to your – Gannu for a bit. If you would like, you may wander about outside for a short time. There is a festival tonight, so don't go too far."
I headed toward the door, when Gannu handed me some strange coins.
"Here. If you want, you can buy a mask. They are very popular at Fire Nation festivals." I smiled slightly.
"Thanks. I won't go far." Then I turned and headed out into the bustling street, drawing my hood forward to cover my hair and face. I could tell simply by looking at their faces that my own would be far too foreign to go unnoticed.
To describe the Festival, its feel, color, smells, the passion of the revelers, is all so difficult to capture. I wandered through the bustling crowds, stopped at several small stages where entertainers put on puppet shows, juggled, or told jokes to the audience that, to be honest, I so didn't get.
The sun began to set shortly, and wearing the hood seemed a bit suspicious, so I made my way to a stall selling Festival masks. After very careful consideration, I picked a red mask that was framed by what resembled some sort of leaves, like Oak or Maple leaves. I fastened the mask into place and looked around, feeling strangely freed after pushing back the hood of my cloak. Though not everyone at the Festival wore masks, I felt included and more a part of the fun. I grinned, and set off on my explorations again.
A short while later, it occurred to me that Gannu was still at the doctor's hut and I'd lost track of time entirely. I left the Firebending performance I'd been watching and walked quickly in the direction of the doctor's home. I was slightly out of breath and grinning when I reached the home and paused a moment to collect myself before going inside. That's when I heard the voices.
"… then it's agreed. I don't like it, but if it's the only way to cure her then so be it."
"You will have to help me restrain her if it is necessary, you understand? I am old and not as strong as I once was while she is young. She will most likely try to escape."
"Very well. But… you're sure there's nothing else you can do?"
"No, her mind seems to be completely gone. She talks like a madwoman, and if any others hear it, she may be killed! It's dangerous for her. The only safety for her now is to stay here under my supervision, whether she wants to or not."
My eyes grew wide behind the slits of the Festival mask. They're going to keep me captive here, locked up like some psychopath! I don't think so! I glared at them through the thick wooden door. If they were going to keep me locked up then I wouldn't give them the opportunity to do so. I turned and was about to walk away when the door opened and Gannu stared at me in surprise.
"Taeia, I mean… Kristen!" I glared at him, and he must have sensed my hostility. "Um… come inside, the doctor and I have something to say to you."
I glanced about for a chance to escape, some path that would lead away the quickest when Gannu reached out and pulled me inside. I slid slightly on the dirt floor, then steadied myself, eying the two uneasily.
"You can't make me stay here." My voice was flat and harsh, maybe a bit too menacing. The two older men shared a meaningful glance and advanced slowly.
"Taeia, listen to me. This is the only way to make your mind whole again. This is the greatest doctor near us, he will be able to spend his time studying and helping you."
"No! You're the crazy ones! I'm NOT this Taeia person, I just simply resemble her in some ways, and I'm not from around here, and I'm definitely not staying here for you to lock me up like some loony!"
I made a dash for the door but Gannu reached it first, standing tall and blocking my exit. Behind me I could hear the doctor's hard breathing as he crept closer to me. Suddenly the old doctor lunged, a bony hand grasping my shoulder and I pushed back with my hands reflexively. He grunted in surprise as the ground shook faintly, and I heard a thud against the far wall. I quickly turned and was shocked to see several tall rocks jutting from the ground behind me- an obvious sign of Earthbending.
But… that would mean that I Earthbended… I stared in surprise and astonishment.
Suddenly Gannu's thick arm slid around my neck in a tight headlock and I choked out a surprised yell before I again kicked back with my foot, hitting his shin but simultaneously the Earth beneath me shifted and a thick slab of rock shot from the dirt floor and slammed into his jaw, causing Gannu to release me and knocking him to the ground in a daze. I stood similarly dazed at the surprising turn of events, mainly the fact that I had just moved Earth, until the two men began to slowly get to their feet once again. Instincts kicked in and I fled the house.
"Taeia! Wait!" Gannu stumbled into the street behind me, pushing several people roughly aside in his rush to grab me.
I looked over my shoulder only momentarily to check his progress before putting on another burst of speed and diving into the alleys between the buildings where I was sure I could lose him.
"Follow me!"
What? A man's voice echoed around the corner and he rushed through our intersecting alleyways followed closely by three other people, two wearing black cloaks similar to mine. I slid to a stop before I collided with them and watched for a second or two as they continued running. I kept following the alley I had started on, remembering Gannu's pursuit.
Suddenly I heard the same man's voice shouting, and a loud explosion. Shortly afterward the four that passed me a few seconds earlier were right behind me, followed almost immediately by Gannu and in turn by a great number of soldiers.
"What the heck!" I panted as the man drew up beside me, running hard.
"This way!" He yelled over his shoulder at the other three. I figured since we were all running it wouldn't hurt to follow someone who knew a way out. Even if they were being chased by soldiers… Crap I'm in trouble now!
Our hastily assembled group pulled up suddenly. In front of us was a huge cart of some kind blocking the entire alleyway and cutting off our escape. Behind us I heard the clattering of armor on stone as the soldiers cut off our only other way out. I could see Gannu's head in the background, peering anxiously over their tall spears and helmets.
The older man, wearing a dark cloak and mask to hide his face, stepped between the soldiers and us.
What is going on! I am in so much trouble now… now what do we do?
Behind us there was a deep, rumbling roar and a shadow flew over our heads.
"Appa! Down here!" the youngest boy in the group looked ecstatic. Just when the creature landed I got a good look at it. Its face was huge, furry, and white with a large arrow pointing down on its forehead. Using its tail, the giant monster blew the soldiers and Gannu back at least a hundred feet, where they crashed together loudly. I could only hope that all those spears didn't somehow impale Gannu.
I suddenly realized the others I had fled with were climbing onto the monster's back. The oldest boy extended a hand to me and I took it. There was no way I planned on staying here. At first I thought we were going to jump over the cart, or maybe ram it out of the way then flee the city on the creature, but to my shock the giant fluffy monster groaned, then leapt into the air and stayed there. I clutched the edges of the saddle tightly, hoping this was somehow perfectly safe- despite the fact that I knew this was utterly impossible and dangerous.
The man in the mask threw a grenade-like object down into the cart, setting off the rockets it contained and before I knew it we had left the city behind and were flying over the forest. There was silence for a while until the younger boy, who was driving the monster and had a similar arrow marked on his bald head, spoke.
"Nice touch setting off the fireworks."
"You seem to really know your explosives." The older boy who had given me a hand spoke, smiling slightly.
"I'm … familiar." The man lowered his hood, his thick, loose hair free to blow in the wind.
The smile was wiped from the boy's face. "You're a Fire Nation soldier!" the three friends eyes widened in surprise, or was it fear?
"Was. My name's Chey."
"What do you mean, 'was'?" The girl, her hair pulled into a strange hairstyle asked suspiciously.
"I'll explain later, when we land. It's a long story."
All eyes suddenly turned to me. The older boy raised an eyebrow.
"What's with the mask?"
"Oh!" I reached up and struggled to unfasten the strings of the mask. "I forgot I had this on." The mask came free, and I suddenly realized how stale the air had felt behind the mask. I breathed deeply. "My name's Kristen."
"Nice to meet you, Kristen. I'm Katara."
"And I'm Sokka. What were your reasons for running?"
"Sokka! Don't be rude!" Katara nudged him roughly with her elbow.
"Ow! I wasn't rude. Can a guy ask any questions at all around here?" He pleaded to the heavens dramatically, and I laughed slightly.
"It's fine. I ran into some guy a few days ago in the Earth Kingdom who seems to think I'm his niece, Taeia. Thought I was crazy, so he dragged me here then tried to force me to stay in a doctor's house. Naturally, I ran." All four of them grinned.
"I'm Aang!" The bald kid waved from the front of the monster. "And this is Appa."
"What is Appa?"
"My Flying Bison! His name's Appa."
I paused, eyebrow raised skeptically. "Your… Flying Bison? Bison can't fly."
"Appa can!"
"Apparently…" I muttered sarcastically.
"Aha!" Sokka pointed at me excitedly, causing me to flinch. "I'm not alone in the world!"
"Um…. What?"
"I'm not the only sarcastic person on this planet." He leaned back, crossing his arms and smirking. I laughed.
"What do you say we find somewhere to make camp for the night, Aang? I could use a good rest." Katara leaned over the edge of the saddle toward the younger boy.
"Sure thing! Yip yip!" He flicked the reins and the Bison rumbled deeply, turning slightly and descending to the forest far below.
Once we landed, Katara let me borrow a few extra blankets to sleep on. They weren't very thick, but the night air was warm enough that I didn't think I'd need anything warmer. Chey gathered us all in a circle around a fire, and told us about the man he served. Idolized sounds more appropriate.
"You mean there's a Firebender out here who's not with the Fire Lord?" Aang looked excited enough to explode, I couldn't help but grin. "We've gotta go see him. He can train me!"
"We're not gonna go find some crazy Firebender!" Sokka scoffed at the very idea. I didn't see what was so wrong with it, but Katara and I weren't going to be getting a word into this conversation.
"He's not crazy! He's a genius! And he's the perfect person to train the Avatar. That's why I followed you into the Festival!" It was a battle of wills now.
"Look, thanks for the help but we're leaving for the North Pole in the morning." Sokka stood to his feet, angrily crossing his arms.
"Sokka, this could be my only chance to meet a Firebending master who may actually be willing to teach me."
Katara stood, lending Aang some support. "It can't hurt just to talk to him."
"That's what you said about going to the Festival!" Sokka was now gesturing frantically. "Why doesn't anyone ever listen to me!" He threw his arms down and turned to stalk off in a huff when all of a sudden he yelped as two men with spears leapt from the trees and pointed the sharp blades at him.
The situation instantly changed from slightly funny and frustrating, to dangerous. More men appeared stopping Aang, Katara, Chey and me in our tracks. I had not even enough time to stand up before I found myself peering down the sharp end of one's spear.
"Don't move."
Not long after our sudden capture, the strange men led us through the black woods to the man Chey had been praising so much. I suppressed a yawn.
"So tired…"
Katara smiled wanly at me, suppressing a yawn of her own. "I'm sure we'll be there soon. Then we can rest."
"Jeong Jeong told you not to look for Avatar." One of our capturers was scolding Chey again. I got tired of listening to their banter and watched the path ahead of me. The lights from their torches played tricks with my eyes, and I focused hard on where I was walking so I wouldn't trip over an imaginary root or over a real one I didn't see.
After what seemed like forever, we arrived on a hill by the river. At the very bottom light glowed faintly from the doorway of a hut. Chey was shoved toward it.
"Go on. He sees you only."
While Jeong Jeong interrogated Chey, the rest of us were led to a smaller hut at the top of the hill. I was finally able to put my blanket to use and tried to fall asleep. Katara was out almost as soon as she laid her head on the ground, but Sokka and Aang stayed up, whispering angrily back and forth.
I wrapped my arms around my head, muffling their noises but it was still enough to keep me awake. I couldn't take it anymore.
"Look. I'm sorry, but will you two please shut up!" I rolled over onto my stomach, slamming my fist into the ground as hard as I could without hurting myself to illustrate my frustration. A small pillar of the ground beneath Sokka jutted up and struck his head. I cringed. "Sorry… I didn't mean to."
Aang, however, looked thrilled. "You're an Earthbender!"
Sokka moaned. "Great! Another weirdo with magic." He rolled over and flopped face first into the dirt, then stayed still.
"Not an Earthbender." I corrected Aang. "I just figured out I could do that today; I can't control it." He looked slightly crestfallen, but he smiled assuringly.
"Well, when we find a teacher I'm sure we can work together!"
I smiled. "Thanks. Now goodnight." Thankfully, the two boys stayed quiet and I slipped into sleep. A few times during the night I was faintly aware of Chey and Aang talking, and one of them leaving… or maybe it happened several times. I can't remember. I just know they talked about something. The next thing I knew, it was morning and sunlight was streaming through the cracks in the walls.