Thanks for the reviews y'all, they're encouraging. And I don't own Avatar or any of its characters or places.
I woke up to a pounding headache and my eyes hurt when I tried to open them. I moaned loudly.
"Oh dear Lord! I had the strangest dream last night." Then I winced and covered my ears at the loud noise my voice made.
Slowly, I opened my eyes to see how late I'd slept in when I noticed I was definitely not in my room.
Um… metal walls, metal floor, metal ceiling, metal bed, and single cushion "mattress"? Where the heck am I!
I slowly worked myself up onto my elbows, wincing at the sharp pain in my head and glanced into a plain mirror beside the table/bed I was on. My face was a pale white, my hat wasn't on my head, and there were bandages wrapped around my head. I almost laughed to myself.
Ha, I look like I'm wearing a turban of sorts. Now where am I and where's my hat? I thought, then spied my red hat on a table next to my bed covered with what looked like bottles of weird colored water, as well as a few scary looking sharp objects.
It must be a Doctor or something. Someone wouldn't fix me just to torture me to death right afterwards… of course they wouldn't that's stupid.
I worked myself slowly into a sitting position and let my legs dangle over the edge of the bed, wincing at the sharp pains in my head.
All of a sudden, voices and heavy footsteps echoed outside the closed door of the room. I looked up when the door opened to see a middle aged man wearing a white apron of sorts over a red tunic (I assumed he was the Doctor), followed by a short old man with a spiky beard and hair and a friendly face. Last of all came the same boy I'd almost crashed into in the strange village. Only this time, instead of surprised he looked very angry and a bit (That's an understatement) angry.
"Oh wonderful, you're awake!" the Doctor looked pleased, then hurried over to the table of utensils and uncorked one of the bottles, poured a bit in a small metal bowl or cup looking object and held it out to me. The older man and the boy stood off to the side, waiting.
"Drink up. Now tell me, do you remember who you are? Where you came from? What you were doing?" he peered into my eyes very Doctor-like and checked the pulse on my wrist.
"Um…" I coughed; my voice was rough and unused. Clearing my throat, I tried again, speaking slowly so my head wouldn't hurt.
"My name's Kristen Neilson and I'm um, from Carrollton. But, I really don't know what happened back there. I was at my grandparent's and I think I got lost. Did I hit my head?" I tried to touch the back of my head and winced.
"Ah ah!" the Doctor made a noise, "I wouldn't touch that yet if I were you. You slipped and hit your head on the ice. If it weren't for your hair and head covering it could have been much worse."
"You mean my hat?" I stood gingerly, wobbling unsteadily for a moment, and took my hat into my hands, fingering the knitting.
The Doctor looked at my so-called hat oddly. "Uh… sure, your hat."
"Where am I?" I decided to get straight to the point.
"Why, you're on a Fire Nation ship."
"No I mean, what was that weird village? I was in Dallas and Dallas so doesn't have huts and soldiers in armor." The three of them started to look a bit worried. Or, maybe I should say the two of them. The boy kept glaring at me, unnervingly. So I avoided looking at him.
The older man stepped forward.
"My dear, do you not remember? It's only a small village along the coast of the Earth Kingdom-"
"Wait, what? Earth Kingdom? Where's that?"
"Ah…. " The old man looked to the Doctor for support. They both looked at each other, baffled as to how to continue from there. That's when the boy decided to step in.
"Uncle, allow me." The boy glowered at me and walked forward menacingly. I really didn't feel too safe anymore. I mean, people had jokingly looked mean or attacked me but never actually meant it. This guy looked like he meant business. The old man, Uncle was all I knew him as now, opened his mouth to protest but sighed resignedly and folded his arms into his wide sleeves. Dear lord, more Chinese clothes?
Of course, then I suddenly noticed how close the boy was getting and I backed up a step.
"So Earthbender… I'm not falling for your games and lies. You were helping the Avatar, where is he?"
"What's an Avatar? And what's an Earthbender?" The boy scowled at me. Apparently, wrong answer.
"Don't play stupid girl. Tell me where the Avatar is headed."
"I don't even know what this so called Avatar is! How am I supposed to know where it's going!" This boy was the stupid one obviously. Or pig-headed. Ow my head!
Now the old man decided to step forward. The Doctor still hovered in the back. Apparently, he wasn't in charge now.
"Zuko, perhaps the young lady really doesn't know. She hit her head hard, she may not remember."
"No, I remember everything perfectly and I'm starting to get really confused." I winced and put my fingertips to my temple. "I don't know what this Avatar is, and I don't know where I am. I just want to get back to my grandparents' house."
The angry, pig-headed boy, whose name was Zuko – haha, what a weird name. – didn't like this and began to walk slowly, and menacingly, forward.
"Tell me where the Avatar is. I cam promise you, it would be easier on you if you started talking now." I saw smoke and looked down to see his hands suddenly wreathed in flames. I gasped and clutched my hands to my chest, my eyes widening.
That freak is threatening to burn me!
"I don't know."
"Where is the Avatar!" I winced; he was raising his voice, driving my ears insane.
"I don't know!" I whispered fervently. This was scaring me now.
"Tell me where he is!" Oh Lord he was almost shouting now!
I took a few hurried steps backward to get away but collided with one of the cold metal walls. I glanced at his flaming hand and he raised it threateningly.
"Stop it please, I don't know!" A tear unwillingly slid out of my eyes and down my cheek. Oh God I can not start crying now. Once I start I can't stop.
"Where is he!" I lifted my hands and covered my ears to protect them from his shouting, but it did little good. My head was pounding and my vision was swimming with either unshed tears or dizziness. He stepped right in front of me, his face only a few inches away from mine. His whole body was giving off an intense heat, like when you stand next to a blazing fire. But that wasn't scaring me, what scared me was that my vision was blurred, and it felt like I was looking at a bright light, my head was pounding, the boy in front of me was about to hit me with a flaming fist, and I was backed into a corner. I could barely see the Doctor and the old man decide to intervene for they took a few steps toward us.
"Where is the Avatar! Tell me now!" The boy shouted into my face.
"Nnn… " I winced again, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I screamed, "STOP IT!"
I don't know what happened but I threw my arms stiffly down by my sides, my whole body went rigid and I felt an incredible pressure released from my mind. A pale light in the shape of a round sphere shot out from my body and knocked the boy against the far wall with a loud clang. The old man and the Doctor were both thrown back and collided against the wall and the pale light disintegrated. For a split second I stood there, head looking up to the ceiling and my arms stiff at my sides then I collapsed, falling limply to the floor with a muffled thud and lay there unconscious, my hair spread out across the ground.
