Chapter 2

Ughhhh… my head…. Ayana groaned. Her entire body felt heavy and sluggish. It took a moment for her to realize she was lying on something hard and uncomfortable. Her eyes flickered open and she sat up, groaning again as her head pounded with the movement. Taking in her surroundings, nervousness started to creep into her heart as she realized that something didn't feel right. She had woken up in meadow on the edge of a forest where large trees reached for the clear, cloudless sky. Soft green grasses waved with the breeze, and dozens of birds flitted around singing to each other. In the other direction, the skyline of a large city was barely visible. The air was warm, and the sun's rays bathed the meadow in blazing light.

The last thing she remembered was being dragged into the depths of the ocean by a dark spirit. How did she get out of that situation? She couldn't remember anything since then. Examining the buildings in the distance, she knew that wasn't Republic City. There was no border wall, so it couldn't be Ba Sing Se. It didn't look familiar at all. Even the air itself felt unfamiliar. Different. Foreign. It felt.. wrong, she thought to herself. Something about this place feels wrong. She stood slowly in an attempt to minimize the blood rushing to her head, but the effort was wasted as her headache only got worse. She assessed her body for any other injuries and found none, which was a relief. There really wasn't any other option; she'd have to head for that distant city and see if she could find out where she was and see if she could find a way home. "I wish I had my glider," Ayana mumbled to herself. With a resigned sigh, she began to walk.

A few hours later, she found herself wandering the streets of a slum on the outside of the city. It didn't take long for the locals to figure out she was a stranger there; she could feel their stares on her back as she continued making her way towards the larger buildings of the city.

"Are you lost, dearie?" A kind voice called from a booth, and Ayana turned to see a smiling elderly woman waving at her. She had thinning, wispy black hair, which fell nicely around her face and reached down to her chin. She wore a simple white shirt, which looked rather baggy on her bony frame, and a long green skirt. She looked harmless enough, and even if she wasn't, Ayana was capable of protecting herself. She was the Avatar, after all.

"You could say that." She answered as she turned to approach the woman, who appeared to be running a fruit stand. "What city is this?"

"This place is called Torrel. The city itself is called East City." The woman answered, pointing towards the towering buildings. "You look tired. Are you hungry? Please, help yourself to some fruit."

"Thanks, uhh…" Ayana dug in her pockets for coins. She produced a few yuans, and held them out to her. "How much for an apple?"

The woman looked down at her hand and eyed the coins there. A confused look crossed her face, but it was quickly replaced with a smile. "Oh no, dear, please, just take one. My treat."

"Okay.. well thank you!" Ayana smiled warmly at her and picked an apple from the pile and bit into it eagerly. "My name is Ayana. Thank you for your kindness."

The woman waved away her gratitude "It's nothing, dear. I'm just happy to help. My name is Kara." She fell silent for a minute as she examined Ayana's clothes. Ayana was suddenly self-consciously aware of how different her garb was compared to the locals. No wonder they were staring. "Where are you headed? Perhaps I could point you in the right direction."

Ayana hesitated. She couldn't very well tell this stranger what she suspected. She had a sinking feeling that she'd somehow been hurled into another dimension, or another planet. The lack of any other benders around was the largest bit of evidence for that, plus the foreign feeling she had in her gut earlier had never gone away. This place still felt alien to her. But she couldn't voice any of this to Kara. She'd have to come up with something else. She despised lying but didn't see any other safe option at the moment. "I.. well, I'm trying to find a friend. She lives in East City."

"Well, it seems you've found it, then!" Kara smiled. "If you go straight down this street and continue out of our little village here, there's a path that will take you to the outskirts of the city. You really shouldn't head there alone this time of day, though. You won't make it before nightfall. You're welcome to spend the night if you'd like. Or at least, come by for dinner. No, please, I don't mind!" She added quickly, seeing Ayana opening her mouth and shaking her head, about to protest. "Those of us that live in the slums here… we look out for each other. It's what we do."

Seeing there was no point in arguing, Ayana agreed. A good meal sounded good, anyways, and this lady didn't seem dangerous.

During dinner, they chatted about various things. Ayana was able to glean some information about this world. She was now confident that her suspicions had been accurate, and that she was, in fact, in another world. Apparently, the military was the main controlling power in this country, which went by the name Amestris. In contrast to United Republic of Nations, where science and technology were progressing, Amestris's claim to fame was its alchemical advances. Most importantly, she learned that there were no benders at all in this world. Or at least, if there were, Kara didn't give any hints about their existence at all.

After cleaning up the dishes, Kara showed Ayana her spare room. It was nothing fancy; a small bed sat against the wall beside a table featuring a small vase filled with red and white flowers. A few pictures hung on the walls, all displaying different scenes of nature. A door opened to a small bathroom. After Kara bade her goodnight and shut the door quietly behind her, Ayana realized she didn't have a change of clothes. Oh well, there was nothing she could do about that now. She jumped into the shower and took great delight in washing the grime of the day down the drain.

"Ayana?" She heard Kara call through the bathroom door. "I've found some of my daughter's old clothes, I think they might fit you. I left them on the bed."

"Thank you!" She called back. She decided that trusting Kara was a good choice. She's such a nice lady.

Reluctantly, she turned off the water. After drying and wrapping the towel around herself, she stepped from the shower and wandered into the bedroom to find the clothes Kara left. There were several sets, including some sleeping clothes and a jacket, as well as a small suitcase. Seems the old lady was perceptive, having noticed that Ayana had absolutely no luggage. She smiled to herself. Kara obviously new there was more to her story but was content to not press her about it. She'd have to think of a way to thank her somehow.

She picked a set of comfortable looking clothes and quickly dressed, then crawled under the covers. She didn't realize how tired she was until now. She relaxed on the bed and breathed deeply, relishing in the comfort of the mattress and the soft blankets. Abruptly, she realized she forgot to turn the lights off. With a wave of her hand, she sent a blast of air at the light switch, rolled over, and closed her eyes.