Chapter Two
Katara led the way into a small dining room on the far-left corner of the house. The oak table gleamed under the chandelier light, casting a warm glow that turned the table golden. She pulled out a chair and gestured for Aang to sit. He was still clutching the backpack to his chest. To her, he seemed nervous, as if he expected trouble. Those gray eyes, so different from those she was used to, was darting around, somehow frightened.
The sight made her heart squeeze, which was strange in and of itself. There was a feeling in her gut, something she had come to rely on after their mother's death ten years ago. Her gut was saying that someone had hurt this boy, a boy who seemed mature in a way that she couldn't comprehend. Aang was a mystery.
After a few moments, he took a breath and sat down, still holding that pack like a lifeline. What was so important about it? Where did he live, and where were his parents? How long had he been out on his own? He was dirty, like he slept a lot on the ground. He needed a shower, and he needed to eat, based off of how skeletal he looked. Aang's cheeks were hollowed and his lips were in a thin line.
Though curious, she smiled, knowing somehow that Aang needed time to adjust to his new surroundings. Perhaps, in time, they could be friends. The idea made her heart lurch in a pleasant but foreign way. She asked, "I know you asked for oatmeal and bananas, but do you also like eggs? Or do you live off of fruit and veggies more?"
His lips loosened slightly in a small smile. It made her stomach flutter. "I can eat eggs." He looked down, as if embarrassed by his form. "Though I'm not sure how much I can eat," he added in a mumble.
Katara and Sokka exchanged twin looks of worry. Perhaps he hadn't meant for them to hear his comment, but they did. Both siblings were thinking the same thing: What could have happened to this boy to make him like this?
Katara went to touch his shoulder and he flinched, as if expecting to be hit. Just a few minutes ago he was laughing slightly at her joke, before going back into this fearful antic. It was like he was protecting himself.
She pulled back and smiled again though a little more softly, gently, like someone would do with a scared child, even though he couldn't be much older than her own seventeen years. "Okay," she said, pretending to not feel the hurt. "I'll get the oatmeal ready for you. I'm sure we have some left."
Going into the kitchen, she grabbed the canister of oatmeal from the upper oaken cupboard and a banana from the granite counter. Having memorized the instructions ages ago, she didn't bother reading them and began the preparation. She let the water start to boil as Katara grabbed the essentials she needed: vanilla extract, brown sugar, and cinnamon. As she was slicing the banana, she could hear Sokka trying to get Aang to open up, but from the silence it seemed that there wasn't much luck in that regard.
A thought struck her. Why did Sokka bring the kid here? He was usually wary of strangers. It was usually she who tried to help someone, but this was one of the few times Sokka stepped in for someone else in need. She wanted to know, but she focused on her task at hand. The poor boy looked like he hadn't a decent night's sleep in days and his diet seemed lacking. At least oatmeal would help him get stronger if he was going to do…whatever it was he was about to do.
The water boiling, Katara quickly stirred in the oatmeal until it was soft. After pouring it into the bowl she had placed on the counter, she quickly mixed in the ingredients, placed a spoon in it, and brought it out. Aang was still hunched over his pack but when he looked at her, a blush seemed to cover his face. He was so pale, as if he hid from the sun. The thought of him in any trouble did funny things to Katara's stomach, but she couldn't dwell on that right now.
She placed the bowl in front of him. "Here you go. I sweetened it up. I hope it's okay."
He stared at it for a few moments before taking another deep breath and slowly lowering the pack to set it on the ground. Sokka's breath caught in his throat and Katara can understand why. The shirt was big, too big, showing off how thin the boy was. It broke Katara's heart, seeing this, this beautiful boy reduced to skin and bones.
Aang, obviously noticed their stares, wrapped his arms around his chest, though that only made him seem smaller than he actually was. Katara pushed the bowl a little closer to him. "Go ahead, Aang, try to eat. It will help you."
He didn't say anything other than a quiet 'thanks' before grabbing the spoon and taking a small bite. She saw his eyes widen slightly and miniscule smile touched his mouth. He looked at her. "It's good," he said quietly.
The small compliment made her feel warm. "I'm glad you like it," she said, just as quietly before turning to Sokka. "Can I talk you for a minute?"
He nodded and they left Aang to eat in peace, seeing as how that was preferred to him. Katara made sure they were out of earshot before turning to him. "Where exactly did you find him, Sokka? He's so thin and malnourished."
He spoke in a quiet voice, as hers was. "He came into the coffee shop this afternoon. I thought he was lost or something, so I sat down at his table. I knew something wasn't right when I tried mentioning his parents. He got defensive."
Katara looked over at the boy was still eating, though slowly, as if he hadn't had a decent meal in years and wondered. Where were his parents? Surely, they wouldn't have let his son roam alone in the city. Something dreadful must have happened sometime in his life. Aang was tall, but thin, his cheeks hollow and gray eyes dark with bitterness.
It made Katara's heart ache at the thought of him abandoned. There must be some way she could help. All of them could. Turning back to her brother, she murmured, "Did you mention that Dad was chief of police?"
Sokka nodded. "I told him that maybe we could help him find his parents, who are apparently in the city. I thought maybe he could tell us his last name."
Katara sighed, looking at Aang again. "But why did his parents leave him behind?" she whispered worriedly. Something wasn't right here. Did his parents make him like this? She couldn't imagine her own father starving them, but she also knew that not all families are kind. She had seen some people in her school deal with those kinds of issues as well as abuse. The thought of the lost boy like that made her sick.
Sokka brought her mind back. "I don't think that's it," he said slowly. "At least, I don't think they left him willingly."
She frowned at him. "How do you know?"
He tapped his temple. "Think about it. He came all this way, looking for them. Maybe he was a missing person and had found clues about where his family was. It doesn't make sense for him to go looking if he knew they had abandoned him."
Katara had to admit that he had a point. If Aang was going to locate his parents, especially somewhere so big, he was going to need some help. After a minute of thinking, she nodded in agreement. "Let's wait till Dad gets home before we do anything. Besides," she added glancing at Aang, "he looks like he could use some rest."
Sokka looked over too and saw Aang yawning, rubbing his eyes. He sighed sorrowfully. "Poor kid." He looked back, his face a mirror image of concern. "Let's see if he's willing to sleep in the guest room. I don't think Dad would mind."
Despite what people would say about her brother, Katara knew he had a heart of gold under all that sarcasm. She nodded and walked back to Aang, whose eyes were drooping shut. She kept her voice quiet and she touched his shoulder. He jumped as if electrocuted. She dropped her hand, not wanting to scare him more. "Sorry Aang. You were falling asleep," she whispered.
He shook his head, blinking hard. "Sorry," he breathed.
"Don't be. It's okay." She and Sokka shared a look before turning back to the gray-eyed boy. "When was the last time you slept?"
Aang blinked at her, thought for a few seconds, then shrugged. "I don't know, actually. It's been so long."
"Nightmares?" she asked.
Aang looked away from her and shrugged again. "You could say that."
His answer just made her more worried, but she pushed the questions from her mind for now. The only thing that mattered right then was helping him sleep. "We have a guest room you could use."
The effect of her statement seemed to rouse Aang as fear speared through his eyes. He quickly stood up and grabbed his pack. "I-I should go."
"Go?" Katara asked, not understanding what he meant but not liking the way he backed up. He was acting like they had ulterior motives for trying to help him out.
He looked away, taking a shaky breath. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't have come here."
Sokka stared at him, hands raised in surrender. "Aang, calm down. No one here is going to hurt you."
Aang looked into his eyes, the silver orbs wide and gleaming with unshed tears. The look broke Katara's heart and all she wanted was to hold him close, to calm him, but she had the feeling that if she did that, he really would run away. He looked like a rabbit about to be devoured by a fox. Sokka continued. "Look, there's no reason to be scared. If we had wanted to harm you, we would have by now. We only want you safe and comfortable, okay?"
Katara was shocked by how gentle her brother was being toward the boy. It was rare to see him try to calm someone, so he must care. She did, too, and in her heart, she knew they had to help Aang. She sighed through her nose before speaking. "Sokka's right, Aang. We don't want to hurt you, and we won't. You need to rest and get some weight back. It can't be good for you to be this thin."
She reached her hand out, and Aang gulped audibly. The pain in his gaze made Katara's eyes fill, but she made no move to hide the fact that his pain was becoming hers as well. "I know it's a lot to ask, but I need you to at least trust us to care for you. Please."
For a few, long moments, all he did was stare at them, shoulders so tense he was shaking. He looked down, the tears gleaming in the light as he cried silently. His brown hair, matted and dirty, hung in his eyes. There a tense moment that lasted for minutes, until he took a shaky breath, raised his head, and slowly walked closer to Katara.
He stared at her eyes, his going back and forth as if looking for any hidden lies. Her hand was still outstretched and she let his have his look, to prove that she was telling the truth. After a silent staring, to her surprise and glee, he let go of his pack with one hand, which trembled in the air. He took a deep but shaky breath.
Then placed his hand in hers.
The shock of it almost made her jump in surprise, but she slowly exhaled and closed her fingers over his pale ones. Despite the thin digits she held, Katara could tell that these were artist hands, gentle ones that held a hidden strength. Whatever he had gone through, it would only make him stronger in the end. She and Sokka were going to help him fight his inner demons, even when they didn't know what they were.
Katara gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "We've got you, Aang."
Sokka put his hand lightly on top of theirs, smiling at the boy. "We won't let anything happen to you. I promise."
It was then it seemed that the floodgates were opened. Aang started crying violently. He dropped the pack with a thud. The next thing Katara knew, she and Sokka were being hugged tightly to the sobbing teenager. Shocked at first, it only took a few moments to hug Aang back. Katara was holding on to his shivering frame in comfort, knowing that this was something that he needed. Aang was in trouble, in deep anguish over something that she didn't know of, but that didn't stop her from giving solace.
Sokka seemed to have the same idea, for he was holding Aang as if he were a little brother.
Aang fell to the ground, taking the siblings with him, but they didn't mind.
In fact, it was welcomed.
It was then, in Katara's mind, that she realized something. 'We are a family.'
And the light-hearted feeling gave her strength.
