Chapter Eleven: Payback

The Next Morning: Hideout: Azula

The Cold Firebender sat on her throne like chair that resembled flames destroying cities and gazed at the pathetic man who came to express his feeling about… Honestly, she didn't care what the man was talking about. All Azula could think about was how her plan had failed. The cameras that had been installed had been taken out and disabled the day before, no doubt because of that selfish little brat Kuzon who just had to be a tech freak. Sam had not returned from his mission last night and she wondered if he was captured or dead, which led her to think that maybe she should end that girl who was pregnant. Then she thought, 'No, let her suffer. Maybe she'll take her own life when she finds out about her boy toy.' The thought amused her very much.

The man, Valder, was in his fifties with black hair and gold eyes who was graying at the temples. He had been a part of the war years ago when the Black Mamba was in power as a young man. While she had been in prison, he was the one who brought recruits, old and new, into their campaign on which they will fight on the day of the comet and claim the world as theirs. He was one of the few who had escaped the police and gone into hiding. Of course, Azula had trust issues, and if even a whisper of rebellion in her own domain reached her, someone was going to die, and die painfully for even thinking of abandoning her in their quest for world domination.

Valder was saying, "…So I believe the best way to get rid of the little brats is to attack them in their sleep, your Highness, for then they are most vulnerable." That was when she remembered what they were talking about: strategies on how to defeat the children of the original War Heroes. Attacking them in their sleep seemed like a good idea, but then there would be no fun in it!

Azula shook her head. "It's too simple. Besides, they're so used to our sneak attacks that they'll wake up and fight back. The boy, Bumi, will sense us anyway, along with that blind Earthbender's daughter, Jade. They might be simple-minded fools, but even I'll admit they are strong, stronger than we thought anyway. No, we will fight them on the day of the Blaze. They won't stand a chance against us."

Valder looked like he wanted to argue but held his tongue, which was wise of him or she would have cut it out with a fire knife, like she did to that poor girl who had wanted out. Now she served as a… treat for the men. Oh well! She had it coming to her. Oh, how she loved the smell of fear and power all around her. Azula knew exactly how to get people to do her bidding with a single look or action. Nobody would win against her and her loyalists, the Phoenix Cult, and their enemies would tremble in fear when they hear that name. Once the Blaze is here, Azula will command her other officers from across the globe to begin their destruction, and kill anyone who gets in their way of victory. How delightful!

Coming out of her thoughts, Azula saw Valder was still in the room and ordered, "Be gone! I need to think and I can't do that with you watching me like a pup lost from its mother. Ugh, I hate puppies and kittens and anything that's cute. They make me sick. When I am Queen of the World, I will banish all things cute and destroy precious things!" She laughed crazily and shot lightning at a cage, where a young dog whimpered and tried to get away from the cold lightning bolt; but it didn't hit it, for even in her crazy state, Azula knew better than to waste animals like that. They'll need it for the experiments later. The killing will come later when the world was her. Instead the lightning hit a tapestry and burned it.

Valder, seeing his mistress crazy, bowed deeply and left the room, the woman's laugh following him as he walked to the far room at the end of the hallway. When he opened the door, a young black woman sat in bed, her dark eyes wide with fear. When her mouth opened in a silent scream, there was only a choking sound, for she had no tongue. He smiled cruelly at her and started disrobing. "Now, you little whore. It's my turn…"

Meanwhile: Melisa

The Lightbender and her friends were sitting in the room where Bumi and Sam slept when she noticed the thickening shadow in the far corner. The gang had gotten up before the sun had risen so they could talk about Martin. They had to find him in the next two days or he was doomed. They had just sat down when the shadow appeared there Matt was, looking haggard but okay. Sam saw him and cried out while backing away from him. Matt raised his hands on supplication. "Whoa, whoa, calm down! I won't hurt you."

The new member shook his head. "Hurt me? HURT me?! You nearly killed me last night!" Melisa didn't know whether to laugh or scold him for acting like a child, so she settled for rolling her eyes.

Her twin rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, about that… I'm sorry for doing it. My friend was in trouble and I couldn't think straight. I didn't mean to hurt you."

The older guy looked a little doubtful but said, "Just… keep you're creepy shadow things to yourself. What are you, anyway?"

Before Matt could answer Melisa said, "Maybe, if Matt sat down, we can get to explaining faster." Her brother sulked but sat down and they started explaining how they had come about on this journey, from Bumi's family's trip to now.

Melisa could tell that Sam was amazed and a little frightened about who his new comrades were; the huge eyes and gaping jaw almost made her laugh. When the story was done, he leaned back into his chair and looked out the window with a thoughtful look on his face. Melisa wondered what he was thinking; however, she knew he was surprised of the fact that more than four elements could be controlled, including Energy itself. Finally he looked at her, Matt, and Bumi. They were on the bed. He said, "So, Azula had been right; there are more Benders out there. You control shadows' – he pointed at Matt – "You control light" – he said to her – "And you control the essence of all the elements." The last he said to Bumi, who nodded. Sam whistled. "It must be rough to be on the run."

Matt snorted. "You don't know the half of it." Melisa frowned at him and elbowed his ribs. She should teach him some good behavior; the last thing they needed was an enemy in their group. Okay, in a way he was an enemy, but he was not an intentional one. He was tricked into hunting them. Her twin continued, rubbing his ribs. "Anyway, we've got a problem. While I was away last night, I fell asleep and had a vision." He looked at Melisa. "It was… It had been our mom." He proceeded to tell them of the beautiful woman who had appeared to him and Melisa was in awe and envy. She wished she could have a visit with their mother; she sounded like an angel, but she supposed the woman could have been. It seemed too good to be real. But Matt would never lie, especially about their mother, so she believed him. When he got to the part about the Blaze and Azula having a plan to use it, Melisa thought her jaw had hit the ground. Of course, she knew about the powerful comet that appeared every fifty years. Melisa had learned just as much as Matt did from the books they had shared. The old man had taught them to read at a young age.

"When the comet arrives, there won't be a way to stop her; no way except one." Matt looked at Bumi, and everyone followed his gaze, along with her.

Bumi looked uncomfortable by the attention and squirmed in his spot. "Why is everyone looking at me? What can I do?"

Her brother slapped a hand to his forehead. "Don't you get it, Bumi? You're the only who can stop her because you have an ability that's older than the rest of ours, even mine and Melisa's."

Melisa's brain worked furiously as she thought of the implications, and the answers came to her fairly quickly. She grinned and her eyes sparkled. "That's it; of course! Why didn't I see this before? Bumi, you have the power to control energy!"

He looked at her as if she had grown a second head. "Wow," he said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Really? I did not know."

She punched his shoulder, making his wince. "Be serious! Don't you understand? The Blaze is full of energy; it'll never run out, even when you fill yourself with its power. As an Energy Bender, you can use that power without wearing yourself out and there will be more to spare. You're stronger than the rest of us because you control the very thing that makes Bending real. If you use that power against Azula…" She trailed off, hoping he would the get idea.

And from the gleam in his eye, she was richly rewarded. "Then she'll be powerless against me!"

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait," Sam interrupted. Melisa and her friends looked at him in question. He glanced around. "I get that he could be the key to defeating Azula, but the comet comes in one week. No offense to any of you, but Azula had planned this for years while in jail. She had a spy in the prison she had been locked up in and he gave her regular updates about the recruits. Valder, her main man, had been helping build up the Black Mamba while she was stuck. They have an army waiting until the comet came because a good majority of her Benders control fire. When the comet comes, she plans on unleashing her recruits from all over the world in order to destroy it and make it her own. Again, no offense, but what can a bunch of kids do against an army of coldblooded people?"

The gleam seemed to leave Bumi's eyes and he looked a little pale. Melisa thought he looked nervous. "Great; not only do we have to worry about the comet, now an army has been put into the mix, and if we don't stop Azula, the world will be destroyed and there isn't a guarantee that we'll survive. No pressure whatsoever." Melisa knew he was scared because he became too sarcastic. The possibility of them not being able to save the world and everything they loved seemed to weigh on her shoulders as well, but she wouldn't lose hope; not now, not after everything they went through.

The Lightbender turned to Sam. "How big is the army and where are they?"

He scratched his head. "I don't know a lot about it, but the people who are in it now really aren't that big; probably about four hundred people in each sector. Most of the others were either too old, dead, or they never wanted to get in this mess again so they hid. The comet will come sooner or later in certain parts of the world, so Azula has given every sector a captain with good timing so the world can start burning. Unless we have people to help us in certain parts of the world, we're doomed."

Tense silence filled the room; to Melisa it felt it the air itself was afraid to breathe. How could things have gotten to be so hopeful to awfully dreadful in a matter of minutes? Even her hope seemed to dwindle. Then, after a long period of time, Bumi finally said, "I guess we don't have a choice then." He looked at his siblings. "We have to tell Mom and Dad."

Bumi

The Energy Bender had expected a refusal, but surprisingly got none. His siblings seemed compliant, especially Kya. "That would mean telling them we left the mountains and they would be disappointed. But if what Sam says is true, then they have to know."

Tenzin nodded. "I agree. Besides, if we want the rest of the good guys to know about the Firebender's plan, Aunt Suki could tell them. She knows a lot of people from across the world that might be able to help us. If anyone could get people on our side, it's her."

Bumi had to agree with him; Aunt Suki is a spy for MI6 on certain days when her electronic expertise would be needed and she had traveled all over the world, even when she was a kid. Her father had been a spy as well and when he was killed, she took his place, but they didn't make her go all the time since she was not the only one there. There were hundreds of spies in the world but no one ever bothered to find out if they were among themselves. Anyway, Suki could warn the people of the world and hopefully get an army of their own in place. They had to win; the world depended on it.

He stood up and said, "I think we should call them, all of our parents, and tell them what happened. They can take it from there." There was a murmur of agreement and Bumi, feeling constricted, walked out of the room, feeling everyone's eyes on him as he left.

He walked out into the sun, feeling he needed space right now after learning that he was the key to winning this war. It was a lot to take in; why him? Why did he have to be responsible for the world? Could he do it? Bumi didn't know, but what he did know was that he needed to succeed or the world will burn until nothing they knew or heard of remained. A thought occurred, one that chilled him despite the warmth: Was there an army here, in California? Sam had said they would be all over the world, so it was very possible. If so, than it probably wouldn't matter if they had an army of their own because it seemed there were more bad guys than good. Bumi didn't know if they could fight these people; they were more calculating, more dangerous, all coldhearted villains, if not most. They could get anything by secret stealing or buying without anyone knowing. How could they fight against an invisible army? And besides, the enemy would be three steps ahead of them while Bumi and his friends went blindly into the dark, wondering which way they could go while waiting for terrible traps that could scorch them black or poison them. These people were capable of any dark deed.

Suddenly he felt like a kid again and fear struck him. He couldn't do it; he couldn't fight a Firebender bent on destroying everything! He was just a boy; Azula was a full grown woman. A crazy, evil woman, but that only made her more dangerous. He wanted to get away from here, far away, but there was nowhere to go. Bumi felt trapped and he had to get out, so he ran to the one area where he might be able to calm down: the ocean. The Energy Bender ran by pedestrians, across the streets, the sidewalks, everything, his heart thundering in his ears and people cursing him as he went by.

The hotel wasn't far from the ocean, yet it seemed to take Bumi forever to get there, but when he finally arrived, he sank gratefully under the shade of a cluster of palm trees. There was a slight breeze coming in from the sea and he gulped it in like a person who had stayed under the water too long. Bumi closed his eyes and lay down, calming some while listening to the waves lapping at the beach, turning the sand darker where the water hit it. He took a deep breath, savoring it and holding it until he could hold it no longer and even then let it out slowly. Bumi's heart slowed, his pulse calmed, and he felt foolish. There was no point in running away from something when you had to fight it eventually. If he ran, Bumi knew he would be abandoning everything and everyone he knew. He couldn't do that, and he couldn't let his fear stop him from fighting. He would fight to the end; they all would.

He didn't know how long he sat there, watching the waves and listening to the call of gulls when the sound of someone walking toward him had him on his feet in a few seconds and he a took a stance, his muscles tensed; then Jade stepped out from the trees and he relaxed again with the breath whooshing out of his lungs. He frowned at her. "Don't do that; you scared me half to death."

She shrugged. "It's not me who got you all twisted." He didn't answer, just scowled at her and sat again, looked out to the ocean once more as if it held the answers he needed. She had a point; it wasn't her that scared him. It was everything else. They had such a short time until the supposed end of their world. If they failed, everything: the water, the grass, the animals, people; everything would be gone.

Jade sat beside him. Then said, "It's okay to be scared, you know. Everyone else feels the same way as you do. I do, too."

Bumi looked at her in surprise. "You, scared? That's impossible; you're not afraid of anything." The idea of Jade being afraid seemed so ridiculous he almost laughed, but also knew she wouldn't like to be made fun of, so he kept the smile to himself, along with his laughter; besides, he didn't want his face rearranged.

The Healer frowned at him, making him glad he had kept his expression only in surprise and not laughing. "It is possible, Bumi. It could happen to anyone; even my mother. Even though my Mom and Dad could be a pain in the butt, I know they mean well and had only been looking out for me; all of our families did what they could to prepare us for any sign of trouble. I came out here to tell you that you don't have to face this battle alone. We won't abandon you, no matter how dangerous the trials and obstacles. We'll be right there with you, right to the very end."

He looked sadly out to sea again, watching waves crash and the water glitter as the sun slowly arced across the bright blue sky in a white hot glory. "What if I can't do it?" He decided to tell his worst fear; it was going to keep getting worse unless he let it out for once. "I'm not ready; there's no way I can master my powers completely in just a week. I need more time." Tears filled his eyes, making seem like a kid once more. "I'm not strong enough; Azula would kill me the moment I step in front of her. I don't think I can win against her. She has trained all her life and has been planning this attack from even before any of us were born. She's older, more experienced, more cunning than I'll ever be. I'm just a kid, the weaker one."

His friend placed a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. "That's not true, Bumi; you are stronger, stronger than anyone ever thought, even me. You have done so much and grown up so quickly no one would mistake you for a child. You've been through a lot the past few weeks, yet you managed to lead us well, like a true leader."

Bumi shook his head. "I'm not a leader. Take the underground basement for example: if I hadn't led you guys down there, Tenzin wouldn't have gotten hurt, we could have been crushed by those rocks, and the vapor could have gotten all of us. If I couldn't keep my own little brother safe, what makes you think I can save the world from destruction?"

Jade smiled. "Because you're you," she said simply like it was the most obvious think in the world. Bumi was confused; other than being a Bender of old, what was so special about him? She seemed to read his mind and grabbed his hand before explaining. "You're a lot more than a boy; you're a young man who had to do everything in his power to do the right thing. You didn't lead us into danger intentionally and we all knew there was a possibility of someone getting hurt or worse, but we followed you because we trusted you. You've shown great courage and strength so far and are one of the bravest people I've known. We make mistakes, but we learn from them. That's why we make them in the first place. You were so brave and in control of what was happening, I began to wonder what happened to my fun best friend. What happened on this journey, we knew it was dangerous, but we came along anyway for the sake of peace our families had fought for. We're in this together, Bumes; never forget that."

He still had some doubts about some of what she said, but she had a point when it came to him being older than he should be. In his opinion, everyone grew up at an alarming rate and that scared him too. To give her some credit for trying he said, "I guess you're right."

Jade stayed quiet for a minute before saying, "Oh! I almost forgot; since the week is supposed to be 'Doom Week', I thought we do something fun tonight, all of us. I'd seen a poster talking about a beach party at seven. I think we should go; it will relax everyone for a short time at least. What do you say?"

Bumi sighed. "I don't know, J. I think we should be focusing more on finding Martin than partying. Besides, we have to find somewhere to train. We're going to need all the strength we can get."

Jade rolled her eyes. "I've already talked to the others about this before I came to find you. They agreed to have this one night of calm before throwing themselves into training again. We're going to find Martin and come back here. Come on; you need a break."

He hated to admit it, but she was right: it would be better to relax before fighting. If they worked themselves too hard, they would be better off facing a litter of kittens. Bumi didn't think of any of his friends weak, but he knew they weren't quite strong yet. That's what made him reluctant to go to this party; the idea of them being off their guard while also wasting time dancing than getting ready for the biggest battle of their lives that will be bigger than anything their parents had done before they were even adults. However, it was also better to be calm before the storm erupted, so maybe spending one night on the beach would help them cleanse themselves somehow. Katara and Kya were the Waterbenders, but they did give Bumi and the others ways to relax when stressed out about something. That was why he came out to the ocean. Finally, he nodded. "I guess you're right. Just be careful when we're out here. You never know when someone plans to strike."

His friend grinned and his heart sped up. Would he ever have the guts to tell her how he felt? "Awesome! Now, come on; we're going to find Martin."

Afternoon: Kya

Finding Martin was a lot easier than the Waterbender thought. All they had to do was find his aunt's name and boom, they knew where they were. Anita Roland, Haru's sister, was a pretty lady in her late thirties with short wavy brown hair and green eyes with a cheerful face that seemed younger. Other than a little roundness on her belly, Anita was fairly skinny. She lived in a house close to the ocean about five miles away from the hotel. It was a three story Victorian house that had been built a long time ago, with many windows and a turret like tower on the right, the roof descending to the left, ending as a small room where Anita and her husband, Richard, kept the gardening supplies. He and their ten year old daughter, Sharon, were out to get groceries.

Inside the house was a collection of crystal ornaments and bobbles: dolphins and sea turtles, lions and swans, snow globes. There were also pictures of family and friends at get-togethers, including some of her and Bumi and Tenzin. It seemed like such a different lifetime from what they were living in now, a time where fear and uneasiness overwhelmed all the good in the world. As she looked at a particular picture, one where they had the whole family together two years ago for vacation, her heart yearned for those times and wished they had never started this journey in the first place. Kya didn't know how much longer before her breakdown came upon her for she too felt the strain; like a rubber stretched too far and waiting to snap.

Martin, a boy with a mixed skin color to make a light brown, brown eyes, black hair and high cheekbones, listened as his friends and relatives explained everything from the attack at the Montauk household to now, telling of Matt and Melisa, Bumi's power, the underground room where they were almost killed. Kya could tell from the looks on his face that he was amazed and unnerved by what happened, and he kept throwing glances at Matt and Melisa… or at Melissa in particular. She could see in his eyes that he was curious, but she also knew that he was attracted to her beauty. There was a touch of red on his face and Kya mentally snorted; a crush was happening again.

The Waterbender looked over at Matt and saw his face. It seemed to be distracted and he, too, was throwing glances at someone: Lin. It was obvious that he was thinking of the kiss they had shared the night before and she wondered how Lin and Matt felt about it: were they nervous about being in the same room? Check; they were on separate areas of the large, plush living room. Did their eyes meet for a split second fore looking away from each other? Yep; it just happened. Were they blushing and fidgeting? Definitely; they couldn't seem to keep still and their faces were red like paint. Yep; they were definitely uncomfortable.

Martin rubbed his forehead. "So let me see if I got this right," he said, bringing Kya out of her thoughts. "A madwoman named Azula escaped from prison, attacked the schools, making you guys go into hiding, finding two new yet old Benders, attacking you in the woods, almost killed you underground, gave you a riddle that told you to come here, and that the world is going to end in one week. Is that everything?" Like Sokka, Martin also didn't really believe that Bending would solve anything, only quick thinking saved and chi blocking really helped. Kya loved her uncle, but it annoyed her to have him brush Bending aside as if it were a fly.

Bumi sighed. "I know it sounds weird, but it's true. If Azula wins, the world as we know it will be gone and she'll destroy everything. She has an army all over the world who will take up the call when the comet comes. We're the only ones who can stop them, but we need your help."

He looked skeptical then. "I don't know, Bumes. If this Azula person is really that strong, why didn't she attack sooner when were younger? Was it so she can test us when we hit certain ages?"

Kya stared at him. "Didn't Ty Lee tell you about her at all?"

He shook his head. "Only that she was demented and had gone mad after she split from the Black Mamba. My mom never liked talking about that time, saying it was painful and scary, even after all these years. Not that I blamed her; it was said to be the hardest battle our families had ever fought. No offense, but what can we do? We're just a bunch of kids. Even if Suki does call for help, there's no guarantee that help will come. Not even my Chi Blocking can be of much use." Just like his mother, Martin had learned Chi Blocking at a very young age and was now a prodigy. Ty lee also believed in making her kids strong enough to fight of need be. However, Kya could see that he was reluctant to use his abilities; they could really hurt someone if you hit them the wrong way, maybe even kill them.

The Waterbender and her brothers shared nervous glances; this was going to be a little harder than they thought. What could they say to convince him they needed his help? Tenzin took rein. "But the more people we have on our side, the better our chances. Azula can't fight forever and neither can her minions, even with the comet's help. You need to come with us."

Martin frowned and crossed his arms. "And leave my family here while some lunatic rages? I don't think so! I can't leave them alone while I go fight in a war; that would be abandoning them. I won't do it; I'm sorry."

Kya bit her lip; that was a bust. Now what? "Why not send them back home? Mom and Dad can protect them from there."

He snorted. "What's to say Azula won't sabotage a flight? If she really wants me destroyed, she could-"

"Be quiet!" The outburst came from Melisa, which surprised Kya. The girl always struck her as a calm and collected sort of person. Then she remembered what Bumi had said about the calm ones holding the most emotion; maybe he was right.

The Chi Blocker had nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke, like he had forgotten she was there, and the Waterbender thought he was trying to. "Why?"

The Lightbender seemed to be listening very hard. "What's that sound?" It was only now that Kya heard a sort of buzzing sound. It was faint, but she thought it sounded like electricity, which was strange because it had been quiet a long time before they had started explaining their story. What was happening?

It was then that Bumi and Jade tensed, and Kya knew it then: they were being watched. Bumi turned to look at martin and demanded, "Where's your aunt?"

Martin, looking pale, answered. "She went to the kitchen in the back."

Her brother looked at her and said, "You and Jade get everyone out! I'm going to get Anita!" He was already up and running before she even had breath to reply. As she helped get everyone out, the humming seemed to grow louder and somehow knew they were running out of time.

They made their way to the water and waited with baited breath until Bumi and Anita came out. They did and Kya could see the woman was confused by what was happening. Just as they joined them rest of the group, the house exploded. Pieces of furniture, cement, glass; all of it cascaded at them with alarming speed. There were junks of the stuff big enough to impale anyone. Kya took a quick stance and bended the water from the ocean to create a protective shield around everyone and froze it. The ice was three feet thick and ten feet high, curving at the top to protect their heads. Everyone ducked under the ice as a particularly large chunk of the house fell onto the shield, making the ice vibrate but not break.

After what seemed like hours, the debris stopped and Kya stepped out from the ice slowly, fearing another explosion. Her breath caught. The beautiful house, all of the elegance, was up in flames, the fire eating what remains of the Anita's home. There were glass shards all over the place and pieces of broken of furniture and walls strewn all over the sand, marring it like splinters in skin. That was close; if it hadn't been for Melisa's exquisite hearing and Bumi and Jade tensing, they would have been fried.

She shuddered, glad she wasn't a Firebender; she didn't think she could control such a dangerous element. It had a life of its own.

Everyone else came out too, and Anita started crying at the sad sight. Kya wrapped her arms around the woman, trying to comfort her even though it was useless. The house had been a part of her family for years, and now that it was destroyed, so did a piece of her heart. The Waterbender knew how she felt, having her home taken away from her, but she couldn't imagine the grief the woman was going through at seeing her home broken.

Luten looked red in the face. "We had one more day until she was supposed to attack! She didn't even wait; she knew we were here too and decided to kill us when we found Martin. Damn it!" Kya had never heard him say that before; he must be really angry if he was spouting foul words into the air. She gazed at the wreck, thinking. It seemed too easy now that she thought of it; Azula could have killed them while they were talking, yet she waited until they were finished and had given a sort of warning to get them out. The Cold Firebender only made think she was about to kill them. It was a test, one that could have ended badly if Melisa hadn't heard the buzzing.

She turned to her friends. "She only tested us."

"Who?" asked Anita, with the tears still slipping from her eyes.

She looked at the little woman at her side. "Azula; Zuko's sister. She's been in prison until a few weeks ago and has been planning revenge. A comet called the Blaze will come at the end of week and she'll use its power to destroy the world as is it and make it her own. She's a Firebender; unless we beat her, the world we know will be gone. Azula's been testing us from the very beginning, to test our strength and find our weaknesses. Bumi's the only one who will be able to beat her."

Anita looked at Bumi, who shifted from foot to foot. "Why's that?"

"Because he controls energy," Jade said, taking up the story. "It's the very thing that makes Bending possible. He controls the main source of our powers and can absorb energy from anything. The comet is full of it; he could as much as he wants without running out of power."

With confusion, she looked at the twins. "How are you two mixed up in this?"

Matt and Melisa looked at Kya and she nodded. "You can trust her," she stated.

The boy took a deep breath. "Well, you might not know this, but there are other Benders besides the people who control the main four elements. Me, I can control shadows." He raised his arms and the shadows around extended until they all blended together to create a wavering circle of black. Anita gave a little shriek while the shadows grew a dome over them, save for a little sliver where some sunlight streamed through. "I'm a Shadowbender," he concluded to the pale woman and Kya was worried the woman would have a heart attack.

Melisa stepped close to the light and the Waterbender knew now why the slit in the dark was there; so the girl could give a demonstration. She took a breath. "I'm the opposite. I can control light." She cupped her hands in the light and a little orb of light appeared, growing brighter as Melisa added her energy into her power before she brought the ball in the dark, like a single star in a dark sky. The sliver of light disappeared, casting them in almost complete darkness. From the light, Kya saw her friend close her eyes and raise her arms, the light following her movements. She slowly brought her arms apart and the light grew, shining brighter as it floated higher in the dome. Pale colors danced and the Waterbender heard Anita's sharp intake of breath. She could tell the little woman was awestruck, just like her and the rest of them. It was a beautiful sight indeed.

Melisa threw her arms out sharply and the light exploded, casting now brilliant colors along the darkness, illuminating everyone. Kya glanced at Martin and saw his jaw drop in amazement and bewilderment. He was definitely stunned. All at once the lights and dark vanished, leaving them blinking in the sunlight on the beach. Melisa smiled. "I'm a Lightbender," she said simply.

Martin started blubbering. "Wow, uh… I-I'm, I mean I was… That was… uh… cool." Kya nearly laughed at how flustered he sounded and looked, his eyes never leaving Melisa for even a second.

The girl shrugged, blushing. "It was nothing; just a demo."

Kya shook her head; the girl was modest, which was weird: She was usually very proud of her power. Understanding seeped into her; Melisa has a crush already. This will be fun to watch. Bumi destroyed the love fest. "Yeah, okay, it was cool. But we have a problem here; the comet is getting closer and Azula is ahead of. She may not have planned to kill us, but she's determined to find our weakness. She brought another family member into her web. We have to get Anita and her family home, where Mom and Dad can watch them. Don't even argue, Martin!" he added sharply when the teen opened his mouth to protest. "We have to; it's too dangerous for them to be here. You have to come with us or else we don't stand a chance."

Anita left Kya's side and walked over to her son and grabbed his hand. He looked down at her with grief on his face. It was obvious he adored his aunt and the idea of leaving them nearly broke him. Kya knew how he felt; it was the same way with her when they had left for the mountains. "You should go with them, Martin," she said in a gentle voice. "We'll be okay; we'll get to the airport and make our way to your mother's place. We can handle ourselves." She smiled at him. "Your mother must have thought you would be needed when this day came. She trained you to be the best Chi Blocker in the world. It's time you showed the world what you can do."

He swallowed hard and hugged her. The sight brought tears to the Waterbender's eyes; it was almost exactly what they did back home so long ago. After a minute he said, "I just don't want you guys hurt. What are we going to tell Uncle Richard and Sharon?"

His aunt shrugged, letting go. "I'll tell them; Sharon's young but bright and Richard will understand what happened. I'll handle it. But you have to go; the world needs you, Martin. Go, and take care of yourself."

He took a deep breath and nodded at last before hugging her again, saying, "I'll do everything I can to help. They made this personal by bringing you guys into it." He looked at his companions; family and friends. There was determination in his eyes and face; Kya knew he was going to fight back now. "Azula made the mistake of doing this. Tell me how I can help; I'll do it. It's payback time."


Finally finished! Sorry it took so long; I've been having a fun twenty first birthday... then stress pounded on me. Anyway, I hope I did okay on here. I thought I could have done better, but I want to keep going. There won't be many chapter left, but the next one will involve some fun before things get really crazy. Let me know how I did please!