Alright, I have always had a deep loathing for this first chapter, so I am editing it! Try and stop me! Don't worry, these are the only changes I'm going to make, mostly for the sake of laziness and other projects I prolly should be working on…but don't. BAD KATIE! BAD! Also I wanted the story to tie into itself better. Review if you want, but it isn't required.
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"You suck!" Katie grumbled to the red mare she was leading back to the corral. She rubbed moodily at a swelling 'love bite' on her lower back and unhooked the lead rope from the harness. With a final slap on the rump, Kai trotted into the enclosure and rolled happily in the dirt. Katie rested her arms against the gate and set her chin on one of the hot, metal bars. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The hot western sun caused the thin air to seem to float and Katie's face to glow. The earthy smell of horses and alfalfa washed over her with the hot breeze. Then she realized that she smelled more like a horse than the horses did. Kai seemed to think Katie stank as well and began dutifully washing her sweat-streaked face with a large, pink tongue. Katie couldn't help but laugh and pull away, planting a light kiss on Kai's velvety muzzle. "Alright, I forgive you."
Katie collapsed on her bed with a sigh after taking a hot shower. Her legs ached and she still had a coating of sawdust in her lungs from work. It had been a horribly long day at school and she just wanted to pass out and sleep forever. But after a half an hour of lying in the dark, sleep wouldn't come. Her brain was buzzing and wouldn't shut down. Grumbling she decided that she might as well get some drawing done. She got halfway through a rough sketch of one of her friends before she felt her eyelids closing. Happily she rolled over and drifted off to sleep, still clutching her sketchbook.
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She was in a white room that seemed to go off forever in either direction. Katie wandered around for what seemed like forever. She wasn't scared or confused, she just felt like walking. Then she found a mirror. It was just standing in front of her as though it had been there all along. Katie stepped up to it and stared at herself. But the person on the other side wasn't quite her. This woman was prettier, with black hair and golden eyes. The woman smiled and took a step aside so that all that was in the mirror's frame was the expanse of the white room behind Katie. But there on the ground was a jewel. Katie turned around, but there was nothing behind her. She turned back to the mirror and the jewel was still there. Katie lifted a foot and stepped through.
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Sunlight drifted in through the window, Katie could see it through her closed eyelids. She had slept in. She really didn't want to get up though, she figured school could wait. She was surprised that her mom hadn't come in yet. She grumbled at the world and snuggled deeper into her blankets, leaning back against her body pillow. Then her body pillow wrapped an arm around her waist and sighed blissfully into her hair. Pure instinct took over. Katie screamed as loud as she could and scrambled out of bed, making sure to kick the owner of the arms as much as possible in the process. It wasn't very graceful, but she climbed to her feet and pressed against the wall looking around fearfully. This wasn't her room. And that wasn't her bed. A teenage boy was sitting up, staring at her wide-eyed. He had one patch of dark black hair pulled into a ponytail and a large scar disfigured half his face. A face Katie knew from a television show. What is going on?
"Who are you! Where am I!" Katie demanded. The teenage boy stood up and began walking towards her looking angry. Katie found a large sword hanging on the wall behind her; she grabbed it and swung it in front of her defensively. She really didn't know how to use it, but she did know how to use a baseball bat. The teenager froze and watched her warily. Katie took a few tentative steps towards the door when it was flung open. An old fat man appeared dressed in dark red armor.
"Prince Zuko?" He asked curiously. Katie had turned toward the man and the teenager behind her took full advantage of this. Quick as a flash he was behind her pinning her arms to her sides. Katie dropped the sword and began trying to struggle out of his iron grip.
"Is this some kind of a joke uncle?" Zuko yelled as Katie thrashed around in his arms. Iroh only gawked at her and before he could answer, Katie threw her head back and smashed the prince's nose. He loosened his grip slightly, but it was enough. Katie slid down and wrapped her arms around the back of his thighs. With a tremendous amount of effort, she picked the prince up a few inches and then threw herself backwards, body slamming him to the floor. While he was dazed and coughing she rolled off of him and reached for the sword, spinning back to the old man who was laughing his head off.
"You are quite the feisty young viper aren't you? What is your name child?" More men appeared in the doorway, cutting off any possible escape. Katie stepped backwards hoping that she would somehow be able to climb out the window before any of these goons could get to her. One soldier stepped forward; Katie planted her feet and swung the sword at him as hard as he could. The soldier jumped back, but the sword had managed to scrape his arm.
"Now now child, there is no need for alarm or violence. We would merely like to speak with you. If you would kindly put down that sword and tell us how you got on this ship." The old man said soothingly. Katie glanced back and forth between him and the soldiers and the prince on the floor who was trying to stem the flow of his bleeding nose. There was no way she would give up her weapon without a fight.
"Why don't you tell me how I got here, because I have no friggen clue!" Katie shrieked, trying to stop her body from quivering. Another soldier tried to step forward, but Iroh stopped him.
"I would like all of you to leave, if you would be so kind." He said to the soldiers. They hesitated, but finally they all left. Iroh shut the door so it was now just him, her and the prince who was studying Katie very closely. She was still holding the sword in front of her, but her arms were growing tired quickly.
"Child, you are not threatened here. Please just put that blade down and speak with us. Merely tell us your name for starters." Katie did as she was told only because she felt she couldn't hold the heavy weapon up anymore.
"My name is Katie, Katie…Lin." She said, giving them her middle name as her last name, still not trusting the circumstances. "Where am I!" She demanded.
"Miss Lin, you are in the middle of the Pen Qua sea on fire nation vessel. This is why we are so curious as to how you managed to get on our ship when we are nowhere near any land." He said calmly sitting down on Zuko's bed.
"I already told you, I have no idea how I got here. I just woke up and here I was with that…that!" She cried, her voice an octave higher than usual.
"Prince Zuko, do you know how she came to be in your room?" Iroh asked turning to Zuko who was still watching Katie apprehensively. He had managed to grab an old shirt that he was covering his nose with.
"Not a clue. I was asleep, then she began screaming and kicking me." Iroh sat back thinking for a few seconds.
"Miss Lin, where exactly are you from?"
"Utah. But that's in the Rocky Mountains, I don't know how I could have gotten in the middle of any kind of sea."
"Hmm, I have never heard of this Yew-Ta but I can assure you that we will find it and get you there safely. What nation is it in?" He asked.
"Um…United States, North America." She said, still gripping her sword tightly even though its point was resting on the floor.
"That I am also unfamiliar with. Is it in the Earth, Water or Fire nation?" He asked stroking his beard.
"Dude, I have no idea what you're talking about." She actually did, but this was crazy. There was no way she was in the middle of one of her favorite cartoons. She closed her eyes and bit her tongue just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. But when she opened them again she was still in this steel plaited room. Zuko's nose had finally stopped bleeding, but it looked red and puffy. Katie was glad to see the makings of a shiner in his right eye. Zuko and Iroh exchanged confused glances. How could this girl not know about the different nations.
"She looks like Earth nation. Maybe from a northern colony. She did say she was from the mountains." Zuko murmured to his uncle studying her height and slightly muscular build. "She certainly has a fighting style of the mountain barbarians, and a look as well."
"Um, excuse me bud, I'm right here. I can hear every word you're saying." Katie said indignantly at being called a barbarian. Zuko ignored her and turned to his uncle who was nodding.
"What should we do with her?" Zuko asked.
"I suggest we treat her as a guest. We'll take her to an Earth nation port and try to help her find a route home, wherever that may be." Iroh said scratching his head and frowning slightly.
"But uncle, that is too far out of our way. What about the avatar? We are on his tail, any alterations of our course and we could lose him completely."
"Fine. This is your ship Zuko, do as you wish. We will merely keep miss Lin here until an opportunity opens up." Iroh said and began to leave the room.
"Wait! Where are you going?" Zuko cried.
"To go eat breakfast. I'm quite hungry." Iroh said and exited through the door. Zuko turned back to Katie and watched her warily. But Katie was completely overwhelmed by everything. Her head began to spin and within seconds she was passed out on the floor.