Kidah's POV

Traveling through the Fire Nation slowly and quietly, we decided to camp in the forest this time instead of a cave. Let's keep it interesting, Sokka had said. We set up a campfire, and Toph begged for scary stories. Sokka excitedly obliged. He could talk the bark off a tree. I tried to just stay in my own little world, but the ending of his tale caught my attention.

Sokka dramatically stands in a crouched over position in an attempt to be scary, "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…" He dramatically pulls his sword out and wails in an attempt to be scary.

Aang tilts his head. "I think I liked 'the man with a sword for a hand' better."

"Water Tribe slumber parties must stink." Toph flops down to the ground beside me.

Katara draws her knees to her chest and looks at us all, "No, wait, I've got one, and this is a true Southern Water Tribe story."

"Is this one of those 'a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to' stories?" Sokka asks sarcastically.

She stares into the fire, and my interest is officially peaked. "No, it happened to Mom… 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," Katara imitates a creepy child's voice, "'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."

Aang wraps Momo's ears around his head nervously. Sokka hides behind me. I just shake my head in disapproval, but he doesn't move. He whispers, "Where'd she go?"

"No one knows." She continues, "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."

I was about to laugh, but Toph jumps up, "Wait. Guys, did you hear that? I hear people under the mountain, and they're screaming."

Everyone else huddles around me. "Cute, Toph." I tell her.

She shakes her head, "No, I'm serious, I hear something."

Katara pulls away from me, "You're probably just jumpy from the ghost stories."

"It just stopped," Toph responds. Now, even my anxiety was prickling.

Aang holds me tighter, "All right, now I'm getting scared." I rub his back reassuringly.

"Hello, children." We all scream at the sudden voice. We all gather around and hug Toph, who seems unfazed. The old woman walks into the light of the campfire, "Sorry to frighten you, my name is Hama. 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?"

Sokka pulls away from us all wrapped around Toph, "Yes, please," he tells Hama.

Hama escorts us to her inn that sits up on a hill. Still a little jumpy from Katara's story, we all stick close to Toph as we make our way up the stairs.

I try to remember my manners, "Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn."

She turns to me, "Aren't you sweet? You know, you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in."

Sokka looks at her suspiciously, "What do you mean, disappearing?"

The old woman's voice is filled with foreboding, "When the moon turns full, people walk in, and they don't come out." Her face changes and she smiles sweetly at us. "Pick your rooms, children. I'll wake you for breakfast in the morning. Get some rest." We each pick a different bedroom and tell each other goodnight.

It is close to midnight now. I open my window, knowing Yue will watch over me. Stripping down, I get in bed. After sleeping on the ground for days, I had no trouble falling right into darkness.

The next day, Hama took us all shopping. She and Katara were getting along so well, chit chatting up and down the row of vendors. I stuck back with Aang, Sokka and Toph, carrying large baskets filled with vegetables.

We overhear a man talking to a merchant nearby, "You won't have any ash bananas till next week?"

"Well," he sighs, "I have to send the boy to Hing-Wa Island to get them, and it's a two-day trip."

The townsman's voice drops, "Oh, right, tomorrow's the full moon."

The merchant nods his head, "Exactly, I can't lose another delivery boy in the woods."

Sokka bumps shoulders with Aang beside me, "People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff during full moons... this just reeks of spirit world shenanigans."

He nods at our friend, "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."

"And then you can sew up this little mystery, lickety-split, Avatar-style." A slight swagger adds to his step.

"Helping people…" Aang smiles charmingly, "that's what I do."

Toph pulls on my arm, "So, how long do you think it'll take for us to have to clean up their mess?"

I laugh lightly, "I give it a day at best."

Hama stops and turns to us, "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."

"This is a mysterious little town you have here," Sokka leans down into the old woman's face.

Hama smiles cryptically, "Mysterious town for mysterious children."

Once back in the kitchen at the inn, Sokka sets his baskets on the counter, "That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something."

Katara brushes off her brother, "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'?" He uses air quotes to make his point.

"Gee, I don't know." She rolls her eyes, "Maybe because she found five strange kids, camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?"

Sokka stomps off, "I'm gonna take a look around."

I follow him up the stairs, "Sokka! Sokka, what are you doing? You can't just snoop around someone's house."

He waves his hand at me dismissively, "It'll be fine." Sokka proceeds to open one of the doors upstairs and glance inside the dark rooms.

Aang comes up the stairs with a nervous Katara behind him, "She could be home any minute."

"Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble, and this is just plain rude." Katara looks around anxiously.

He finds a cabinet in the wall and grabs the door handles, trying to open it, but they are stuck. "I'm not finished yet." Sokka grunts and pulls harder, "Come on…"

He yanks the doors open. Several marionettes fall forward, being held in place by their strings. I scream in surprise and Katara grasps my arm tightly. Sokka jumps back and draws his sword at the puppets in fright, his back against the wall and slides to the floor.

Aang steps back slowly, "Ok, that's pretty creepy."

Katara catches her breath and steps forward to close the cabinet, "So... she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked enough. Hama will be back soon."

Sokka gathers his courage and makes his way up to the attic. He tries to open a nearby door, but it is locked. We follow him wearily. He smirks at us, "Just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Then why does she have a locked door up here?"

Katara stomps her foot, "Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff."

"We'll see." Sokka peers in through the keyhole, "It's empty except for a little chest."

Toph steps forward and touches the door, "Maybe, it's treasure!"

Sokka smiles gleefully at the thought. I put my hands on my hips, disapproval radiating from me. "Sokka, you've got to be joking right now… And, Toph, do not egg him on!" He ignores me and draws his sword to begin picking the door's lock with its tip. There is a click and the door opens.

"We shouldn't be doing this," Aang says as he follows Sokka into the room.

Sokka reaches down and picks up the chest. He tries to open it, but the chest is locked. "Maybe, there's a key here somewhere."

"Oh!" Toph exclaims, "hand it over." He hands Toph the chest. She takes the armband made of space earth from her arm and bends it into the shape of a key. Pushing the key inside the chest's lock, she begins turning it.

Sokka stands over her as she works, "Come on, come on!"

"This isn't as easy as it looks," her face is full of concentration.

"This is crazy! This woman opened her home to us! I'm leaving!" I demand as I turn around.

"Suit yourself. Do it, Toph," Sokka says behind me. I'm about to cross the threshold with Katara in tow, when we hear the click of the chest unlocking. We run back, curiosity killing the dove cat.

Just as we begin to open the chest, Hama's voice is heard from the hallway, "I'll tell you what's in the box."

We all yell with fear and alarm. Turning around, Sokka hides the chest behind his back. She holds out her hand, and he guiltily hands it to her. She opens it gingerly and takes out a small blue object that shines in the light.

Sokka scoffs in disbelief, "An old comb?"

Hama holds it out for us to see, "It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."

Hama sat us at the table for a large feast. She informed us that she was a waterbender! She had grown up in the Southern Water Tribe, but was captured almost sixty years ago in a raid. After her escape from prison, she hid right under their noses for decades.

Katara was blown away by this information. "I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor, you're a hero." I couldn't help, but wonder… Zuko said they didn't take waterbenders as prisoners… How strange.

Hama pats the young girl on the arm lovingly, "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."

"Yes, yes of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me." Her eyes sparkle with excitement. "Kidah is a waterbender from the Northern Tribe, can she come as well?" I remain silent in my seat, ready for my eminent exclusion.

She looked at me through curious, hooded eyes, "why, of course… The more to carry my torch, the better." A slight chill ran up my spine, but I couldn't understand why.

The next day, I followed Hama and Katara outside of town. Aang, Sokka and Toph were on spirit duty to figure out how the townspeople were disappearing. It was such a beautiful day, and I couldn't help but love the feeling of the sun on my skin. I tried to stay present and pay attention to the older woman's teachings.

"Growing up at the Poles, Waterbenders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But, as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go."

"I know," I agree, "when I was in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do. I felt suffocated by the lack of water."

Hama nods to me, "That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists."

Katara brightens beside me, always eager to learn, "I've even used my own sweat for waterbending."

"That's very resourceful, Katara." Hama compliments her. "You're thinking like a true master. But did you know you can even pull water out of thin air?" She throws her hand out and creates a circle over her head, collecting the moisture in the air. My eyes widen in disbelief. "You've got to keep an open mind, girls." The water gathers around her nails, creating icicles. "There's water in places you never think about." Hama swings her hand around behind her and throws the ice. They lodge themselves into the trunk of a nearby tree with ease.

We follow the older woman in awe as she leads us to a nearby field. My heart stops when I see thousands of beautiful red lilies before us.

"Wow, these flowers are beautiful," Katara says reaching down to touch the soft petals.

"They're firelilies…" I murmur. The ache in my chest cripples me, thinking of him. 'They were my mother's favorite.' A brief image of a small Zuko running through this very field flashes in my mind.

Hama nods, "Yes, indeed, Kidah. 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."

Ignoring my silence, Katara presses forward, "I met a Waterbender who lived in a swamp, and could control the vines by bending the water inside."

"You can take it even further." With a glint in her eye, Hama waves her hands in a large circle, bringing the water right out of the fire lilies surrounding her. They dry, blacken and shrivel. I gasp at the loss. Hama completes the circle and chops her hand downward at tall rock. The water hits the rock and passes through, cleanly slicing off four pieces.

My hand clutches at my chest, "What have you done?!" I demand.

"They're just flowers," Hama scolds me. "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." I try not to let my emotions show.

Katara puts a hand on my shoulder, trying to ease my discomfort, "But, isn't that dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon."

"Oh, Katara," Hama laughs. "Three master Waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."

I wanted to apologize for my outburst from earlier in the day, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Hama had brushed it off so easily, and left me to wallow throughout the afternoon. She came and gathered me once the sun had set.

"Kidah, are you ready to go to the woods with us?" Hama asks from my bedroom doorway. When I didn't immediately respond, she came to sit next to me. "I can tell you've been through so much, just like Katara and me… What I can teach you tonight will ensure no one will ever be able to hurt you again." I finally look at her. She seems so genuine, but something inside is missing.

"Okay, I'm coming." She smiles broadly and takes my hand, leading me from the house. We find Katara waiting outside, looking at the full moon.

"Let's get walking, girls," Hama says as she briskly pushes past her, still pulling me along.

Once in a densely wooded area, the old woman begins. "Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. "For generations, it has blessed Waterbenders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things." Her head falls back as she inhales again, "I've never felt more alive." I look up to the moon, feeling the same strength fill me.

I feel Hama's eyes on me, "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." My knees buckle, understanding my initial fear of this woman. I knew where this was going, I'd heard rumors of the forbidden art growing up. I felt nauseous.

I grasp Katara's arm warningly as she continued, "And I passed years developing the skills that would lead to my escape. Bloodbending. Controlling the water in another body." I feel Katara shiver in 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."

My friend steps back, and I hold her from behind. "But, to reach inside someone and control them? I don't know if I want that kind of power."

"That art is forbidden, Hama!" I protectfully pull Katara behind me. "You don't understand what you are dealing with, taking away one's control is not power! It is cowardly and cruel! That is not the honor of the Water Tribe."

Hama laughs evilly, "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. Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture... your mother!"

Katara falters, "I know…"

"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 look at the old woman before me, seeing the emptiness of her soul. "It's you... You're the one who's making people disappear during the full moons."

"They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters. They deserve the same. You both must carry on my work."

"We won't!" Katara steps out to the side of me and points, "I won't use bloodbending, and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town." Hama's hand twitches slightly and Katara's arms twist unnaturally. I look on with horror.

She raises both her hands, and I feel my blood turn to steel. "You should have learned the technique before you turned against me." I try to look at Katara, but even my eyes can't move. "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip. I control every muscle, every vein in your body."

Hama throws me to the ground, where I'm left on my hands and knees. Katara's shadow can be seen flying and jerking around before me. My friend is bended to the ground, face deep in the dirt.

"Stop," I beg, "please."

She cackles sinisterly. Yue, please, please help me… I pray.

I inhale deeply, and feeling begins to return to my hands. I clench my fists, and the grass around them shrivels and dies. Tears escape my eyes in anger. I look up to Hama, seeing her smile quickly fade and her laughter ends. I stand and drop into my stance.

"You're not the only one who draws power from the moon. My bending is more powerful than yours, Hama. The moon spirit powers me in ways you could never imagine!" Katara slowly rises beside me, feeling Yue's spirit as well.

As one, Katara and I lift our arms up and bend the water out of the grass and into a ring around us. She hops forward, spins once, and flings the water at the bloodbender. Hama takes the water with her bending and redirects the attack. I take the water back, spin around, and fling the water back again, countering her counter-attack. I can't help the smirk that spreads across my lips.

Hama continues to attack us as quickly and deftly as possible, but we counter every move. Finally, Katara throws a whip to her feet, and I crash a torrent of water to her head. She's flung to the ground harshley.

We hear Sokka running up behind her, "We know what you've been doing, Hama!"

"Give up, you're outnumbered," Aang demands.

Hama's hands rise, "No. You've outnumbered yourselves."

"Run!" I yell to them, but its too late.

Aang and Sokka's bodies stiffen. Hama flings them at us. We dodge them swiftly. I pull more water from a nearby tree to attack, when Sokka comes at Katara with his sword.

Sokka yells, "Katara, look out! It's like my brain has a mind of its own. Stop it, arm, stop it!"

I drop my water to pull Katara out of the blade's reach. Aang is suddenly thrust at me, and I barely miss it. His face scrunches up like he's in pain. "This feels weird."

Katara freezes them both to nearby trees. Hama laughs again, "Don't hurt your friends, Katara... and don't let them hurt each other."

Hama outstretches her arms and lowers her stance, pulling her arms in. Aang and Sokka are both pulled off the trees, and are sent flying towards each other. Sokka's sword is pointed forward, intended to impale Aang. Both of them howl in terror.

Katara wails, "No!"

I close my eyes tightly. My hands stretch out in front of me, and I pull them to my sternum. I hear the boys stop screaming, and Katara gasps at my side. I can't watch what I'm about to do. My muscles ache as I press my hands down toward the ground, knowingly bending Hama to her knees. I feel her struggle, but keep my stance shakily.

I hear Toph with a group of people run towards us. The sounds of shackles let me know to release my hold. "You're going to be locked away forever," a man says.

"My work is done. Congratulations, Kidah. I knew you'd be the one! You're a bloodbender!" My hands raise my head as I fall to my knees. If I can't see them, they can't see me. What I had just done was an unspeakable crime. Hama's cackles carry over the hills.

Arms envelope me as I cry. "You didn't have a choice," Katara's voice is soft and motherly. I look into her blue eyes and see the tears streaking her face.

"What I just did… can never be undone. There is no honor in what I have done, Katara…" Silence ensues. My tears dry as my soul grows numb.

Sokka finally rises from our huddle, "Let's get out of here."

"That's the best idea you've ever had," I deadpan.