Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Ach! Sorry for being soooooo late! I haven't updated in so long... -.-" But don't worry-you'll start to see me getting my comeback tour soon so stay tuned! I know I've probably lost some of my readers, but well, I'll finish it for the story's sake. I might also lose some readers because of my change in writing style-it's been several months since I've written fanfiction, so my writing has developed more. This change might freak people out or make them dislike it, so I'll understand if you want to quit reading it.
I'd just like to thank everyone who's been with us and reviewed. They're pretty awesome possum if they can do that-stay with the story for so long. Here's Chapter 12...
Chapter 12
Voices…churning around me. The screaming…the nightmares.
I jolted up in a cold sweat, everything a red blur around me. The sand clung to the back of my shirt, my heart pounding its way up to my throat. I choked for a second, a sudden dryness taking place; then retched the contents of my stomach onto the ground, body racking with shivers. I dug my fingers into the grains, trying to hold on to the last little bit of consciousness I had.
"Ellie…" A hoarse voice came from beside me—to my right, I think. "Where's…Trevor?" That had to be Wesley.
I shook my head and frowned. The light…it was blinding me, rendering me confused. I clenched my eyes shut, trying to make sense on what had happened.
The men had gone. No traces at all, not even a footstep was left. And like Wesley had stated, there was no sign of Trevor either.
"Ellie," he moaned. "I think those men poisoned us with their weird liquid thing."
"Of course they did." A hand smacked Wesley on the back of his head. "Thanks for stating the obvious," a very familiar voice said crankily.
"Trevor!" I breathed. "How'd you…how'd you get up so quickly?"
He crossed his arms across his chest, which looked broad compared to Wesley's. "I didn't drink it."
"That shows…that shows that Trevor has no respect," said Wesley.
Trevor growled and ignored Wesley's statement. His eyes shifted to me and challenged my gaze. "You do realize that everything is gone.
I held his stare for a long time, my mind as clean as a white sheet of paper. What was he talking about?
When I didn't answer, his glare grew menacing. "Look," he demanded. "Or do I have to turn your head for you?"
I scanned the area and it dawned on me: no horses, no supplies, no anything.
"The men took them!" I shrieked. I attempted to leap to my feet—though there was no success.
"Took you an awful lot of time to figure that out," Trevor sneered. "So what are going to do? Where are we even headed to—some freak bender city? We obviously don't have provisions or anything, but we at least have to find shelter."
I stared blankly at him for a moment, and then growled, anger rising up against my chest. "I thought you knew! Aang said to go somewhere but-"
"I thought you knew! I've been following you the whole time and all of sudden, you just admit that you have absolutely no idea where we're headed?" he exclaimed. "Ugh!" He threw his hands up in the air and stormed off.
Wesley stumbled and trailed after him in hot pursuit, but I clung onto his shirt and dragged him back. He widened his eyes, his usually dark skin pale. "Don't you want him back?"
I tightened my lips and hesitated for a moment. "He'll be back," I stated with fake confidence—though I wasn't so sure.
"I guess. He acts like an obnoxious little girl, though."
After a prolonged instant of awkward silence, we struggled to our feet and shuffled toward the direction Trevor had plodded off. Sand got in our shoes and once in a while, we emptied them—a little distraction from what our real objective was. I didn't want to admit it to myself, but I was scared of what would happen once we found Trevor. Would he still be angry at us? He did have a history of holding grudges, though he had proven himself quite useful in tricky situations.
Wesley must've sensed my anxiousness. He looked and me and gave a faint, wavering smile. "Don't worry. He'll come back."
An hour later, we found Trevor sitting on a rock, frowning—as usual. Our shadows lingered over him like the Grim Reaper ready to harvest someone's soul; his head shot up and his scowl etched deeper into his face.
He rose and stretched his limbs, breathing in the musky, desert air. "It's about time you got here," he said defiantly.
I wanted to shout at him for abandoning and just expecting us to find him, even though the odds of locating one single person in an entire desert are one in a million. But I kept my trap shut just to get under his skin and let the irritation fester like writhing worms.
"So…" Wesley's eyes darted between the both of us: the hostility was inevitable. "Why are you here?"
"Because of that." Trevor jerked his thumb behind him toward a wooden creaking pub. Loud, raucous laughter emitted from it, which gave me the creeps. I had no idea why or how I hadn't noticed it before, but now it was in plain view. "They might have supplies for us."
"So we just bust in there like we're crazed cowboys who just escaped from a mental facility?" Wesley rolled his eyes.
"Exactly." Trevor turned and stalked off in the direction of the building.
Wesley appeared to be bewildered for a moment, and then shrugged. We followed Trevor, who stopped in front of the entrance.
"Make the arrival big! Kick open the door!" Wesley whispered excitedly. He was practically jiggling with enthusiasm.
Trevor hesitated for a moment, and then burst through the doors. His hands slammed them into the walls which held the building together—it was bound to get everyone's attention.
First, one person began to gawk at Trevor. Then another, and another, and another… Eventually, every person in the pub was staring at Trevor, the laughter suddenly dying down.
Trevor gave his signature frown and sauntered in. Wesley and I trailed behind like two henchmen, following after their boss, aka Trevor. This didn't feel right. But then again, nothing did.
He stopped at the bar, where the bartender was busy pouring beer. Either he hadn't noticed the outburst, or he was simply ignoring it. When the man finally did discern Trevor, he said in a Southern drawl, "Aren't you a little young for this?"
"I'm not here for alcohol like these drunks." There were several snarls coming from the room. "I'm here to see if I can get provisions for our journey."
The bartender chuckled, his thick muscles bulging. "Boy, this ain't your regular pub."
"Then I bet you're a bender—all of you are from the bending world."
The man's face was indifferent. "How do you know?" he asked slowly.
"Because he's got the little Avatar with him!" There were a couple roars of approval and laughter from the crowd behind us. Abruptly, there were a few men surrounding and blocking my vision, pointing and prodding at me.
"Hey, watch it!" Wesley said, swatting away ongoing hands. The poking ceased and I was left alone with Wesley by my side, though the people were still there. The scent of alcohol filled my nose and I nearly gagged.
"Shoo," I said, attempting the dismiss them. "Or I'll use my all powerful glorious powers on you," I added sarcastically.
They immediately scattered: either they didn't have a sense of humor or they thought I was actually going to fight them.
But one person stayed. It was a girl, a year or two older than me. She fixed me with a green-eyed glare, and thoughts flooded into my mind, thinking, What would a girl like her be doing here? She was dressed regularly in a plain white t-shirt and gray, faded jeans. Her shoes were scuffed and her mane of auburn hair wisped around her, making her look unsatisfied. Unattractive scars marred her face. Something strange emanated from her, though I couldn't tell what it was—but it definitely made her special from all the others.
One of the men nudged her. "Ah, the descendant of King Bumi strikes again. Trying to battle the Avatar, huh?" Harsh mirth rang throughout the walls of the pub again. I couldn't see what Trevor was doing; he was fighting a battle of his own. And Wesley was just standing there, hiding in the shadows, probably waiting for the right moment to jump someone and bash their brains out with his crowbar—if he still had it.
Me? I was left alone with this weird, quiet girl who toppled like a leaf whenever the men bumped her with their elbows. Her expression was indifferent so I had no idea what she was thinking. But it seemed she had an almost mournful look on her face as though she was at someone's funeral.
What if it was mine?
After several attempts to bring her to lash out, the men left, grumbling something like, "Mutter mutter mutter stupid mutter mutter girl mutter mutter mutter ain't no fun mutter."
Once they left, she instantaneously loosened and hardened. She now stood erect to her full height and she seemed bold. She scrutinized her surroundings, realized that none of the men were looking, and addressed me.
"You're the Avatar." It wasn't a question; rather a statement.
"You're the descendant of King Bumi," I countered.
Her eyes widened for an instant before she nodded slowly, taking in the information. "Yeah."
"I can feel something weird coming from you—no offense," I said, trying to spark a conversation.
She shrugged. "I guess. Even though I look like my…ancestor, I don't have his powers."
I furrowed my brow. "What do you mean?"
"I…" She paused for a moment. "I'm not an earthbender like him."
"Then what are you?" I was starting to get tired from asking questions about what she was.
"I'm a firebender." She ignited sparks in her palms and smiled dimly as they danced across her hands. I instinctively drew back, but when I realized she wasn't going to hurt me, gradually inched closer and soon, was enthralled by the dancing flames.
As we both watched the fire, the girl asked me, "What's your name?"
"Ellie. What's yours?"
"Mine's Scarlet." Scarlet shut her hands and the fire faded away. Her eyes shifted towards me, and they seemed to smile. "It's amazing how fire can bond the two of us, isn't it?"
I nodded.
She held out her rough, callused palms. "Hold my hands."
I gently placed mine in hers, and warmth immediately started to flow into my frozen, stiff limbs. I closed my eyes and felt it surging within me—I was beginning to like this Scarlet girl.
"It's all right," Scarlet murmured. "Don't worry. I'm your friend."
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