Chapter 2: Who is he? Part 2

Ricky thought he was going to die not ever going to see his family or his friends again. He knew that his family and friends will never see him again, but he knew he would see them again in the afterlife. Or so he thought…

When he woke up, all he could see was a blinding light. The next thing he heard what sounded like kids arguing with each other.

"We have to get him to the village!" a female voice said.

"Are you kidding me, he's probably a Fire Nation spy!" a male voice retorted.

"We can't just leave him here, he's bleeding to death."

Their voices began to fade into blackness. A few hours, he woke up in what looks like a hut but all he knows that he can't tell if he's dead or is in a coma.

"What the heck?" he murmured.

He tried to get up, but the pain from his right shoulder prevented him to get up. That's when it hit him as a brick fell on his head.

'Wait a minute; pain, in the afterlife. What the heck is going on here?'

He looked at his right shoulder; it was patched up with a bandage on both side's front and back. He also found out that he's not wearing his hoodie and his shirt. He looked around and found them right next beside him on the wall. Okay, something is going on and he wants answers. There was a hole in both of his shirt and hoodie, covered in blood. He sighed with relief and confusion; he didn't know what to think.

"Oh, thank the Spirits that you're alright."

Ricky looked up to see a young girl, wearing a blue Eskimo jacket. She also had loops on her hair, one on each side. Ricky stared at the young girl. Beautiful as she looks, it still reminds him of his best friend Elsa.

'Oh god Elsa, I hope she's alright.'

There was an awkward silence for a few minutes till Ricky broke the silence.

"W-where am I?"

"We're the one who should be asking the questions."

The two turned around to see a young teenage boy, probably almost older than him, also were a blue Eskimo jacket, but also had a ponytail hairstyle. Already feeling unease by the situation Ricky's already in, the girl smacked the teenage boy in the back of his head.

"Knock it off Sokka!" she scolded him.

The girl turned around towards Ricky with the most innocent smile she ever had.

"Sorry, about that. This is my older brother, Sokka, he can be a hot head and my name is Katara by the way."

Ricky's mind was racing, trying to think what to say.

"Ricky!"

The two kids stared at each other, and then back at the mysterious boy.

"Who?" Katara said.

"M-my name is Ricky," he said.

Sokka scoffed at Ricky.

"What kind of name is that?"

Ricky stared at him with a wave of anger look on his face.

"What kind of an idiotic guy who likes to wear a pathetic ponytail 24/7", he said bluntly.

Katara chuckled at his comment, because of Sokka's reaction. Ricky kept his tiny smirked behind his head, trying his best not to laugh at his comment. Then a young boy, probably at the age of twelve but was bald. He wore a yellow sweater with yellow pants and an orange poncho. But what caught his eyes was an arrow tattoo on his forehead and his hands.

"Hey there!" the boy said, "I'm Aang, Katara and Sokka found you unconscious in an iceberg after they found me."

Ricky looked at him with confusion.

"What are you talking about and how did I get here anyway?"

The three kids looked at him liked he was crazy.

"Well, we found you in the-"

"I know what you mean, but what I mean is how I got inside there," Ricky said interrupting Aang, "Sorry, it's just… It's just that I have no idea how I got here and was inside an iceberg. I don't think that's even possible."

"I know how you feel pal." Aang replied, "Listen, you just tell us who you are and we'll tell you everything that happened. Okay?"

Ricky sighed in defeat and relief and nods his head.

"Okay, my name is Paul Cole Richards, but my friends call me Ricky", he paused, "I live in Los Angeles, California, United States of America and I'm sixteen years old."

"Wait a minute", Sokka replied, "Where did you say you were from again?"

"Los Angeles, California." Ricky answered, "Why?"

The three kids stare at each other, then at Ricky.

"Um... We don't know where this Los Angeles, California is," Katara said.

Ricky was dumbfounded, 'they don't where California is, where were they, the past?!'

"What are you talking about; California is in the United States, North America. And how did I end up in Alaska?!"

Aang raised his eyebrow.

"Alaska, where's that?"

Ricky mentally face-palmed his forehead, 'They don't about Alaska either?'

He sighed before going to the next question, "Okay fine, where am I anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, that's easy! You're in the Southern Water Tribe village!" Aang said.

"And where's that?"

"Dude, are you crazy?!" Sokka replied, "It's in the South Pole stupid!"

Katara smacked Sokka in the back of the head, making him flinch.

"Wait", Ricky said, "Th-the South Pole?"

The three nodded their heads.

"B-but that means-" he paused for a minute, "I'm in Antarctica?!" he yelled.

Sokka face-palmed his forehead: leaving a red mark on it.

"There is no Anti-whatever you said! You're in the Southern Water Tribe for Spirit's sakes!" Sokka yelled.

"Sokka!" Katara yelled at her brother, "Knock it off!"

The two argued for at least five minutes non-stop. Aang took Ricky outside of the hut since the two Water Tribe kids are still arguing. Aang looked at Ricky's wound on his left shoulder; he wanted to know how he got it.

"Hey, uh Ricky", the teenager turned his head towards the young airbender. "How did you get that wound?"

There was silence for at least a minute, till Ricky decided to break the silence.

"I got it from a gunshot by that stupid son of a b*tch jerk named Dexter Paxton..." he murmured in an angry tone.

Aang looked at him in confusion, he hasn't even heard of a "gunshot" before and it to hear someone swear for the first time, made him feel uncomfortable.

"Um, what's a gunshot?" Aang asked.

Ricky looked at him like he was insane. 'Well, probably it's because he lives in the mountains like the monks in Nepal,' He thought.

"Well, you have heard of guns right?" Ricky asked.

Aang shook his head in confusion.

"Um, no I haven't. What are guns exactly?"

Ricky was deadpanned, 'Is he serious? Even the people who live in the wild also knows what a gun is, despite what it can do.' He thought.

"Well, a gun is an advanced archery weapon as I call it. It's made out of sometimes metal or either plastic." Ricky replied, "Some guns can hold up to six to twelve ammo; depends on the size."

Aang's eyes widen. He has never heard such a weapon. It didn't sound like anything of the three other nations have made. Especially since, from he can remember, a "gun" doesn't seem to exist here. A small process in his mind churned until an uncertain solution came up

"Well, I guess you are from another…" Aang paused.

"Another world?" Ricky answered, "Yeah I guess you can say that."

"Well, I guess I should introduce you to the village huh?" Aang asked.

"Yeah," he answered.

Ricky went back towards the hut to get his shirt and his light jacket, while the Water Tribe kids are still arguing about him that they didn't even though that he entered inside the Eskimo tent. He quickly went outside the tent to catch up with Aang. Ricky put on his blue and grey hoodie; despite how cold it is, but NOT this cold.

"Well, no matter what WORLD I'm in, the South Pole will always be cold", he said to himself.

But surprisingly, the cold more felt like the winter in Colorado…just a little warmer. Ricky finally caught up with Aang and saw a small group of people with him. Their expressions were a bit nervous and scared when they first looked at him.

"Village, meet Ricky", Aang replied, "Ricky, meet the Village."

"Um hi," he said.

The kids were huddling around their mothers, scared at the teenage boy. This made Ricky feel very uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about that", Aang said, "They did that when I was first introduced to the village."

"Mr. Aang," a young girl spoke up, "Who is that he's not from the Fire Nation is he?"

Aang looked down at the kids and chuckle at the little girl's question.

"No Namine," Aang replied, "He's not from the Fire Nation."

But for some reason, that still doesn't ease at the mothers a bit. Then an old woman, that had the same hair loop like Katara had stepped forward.

"Hello young man, my name is Kanna."

Ricky bowed his head in respect, something out of his head.

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Kanna", he said.

"You can call me Gran-gran", she said.

Ricky was silent for a second and then smacked his forehead so hard it left a red hand-mark on it. The kids began to giggle when Ricky smacked himself, while Kanna made a tiny little smirk on her face.

"No need to hurt your head Young Ricky", she said.

Ricky looked at the elderly woman and the kids, for some reason he wanted to smile. Maybe he could get some answers from this place.

"So, hey", Ricky finally spoke up for the first time, "What IS the Fire Nation?"

Kanna and the villagers looked at him in disbelief.

"You mean, you're NOT from or WHAT the Fire Nation is?" Kanna asked.

Ricky just shook his in denial.

"Um, no I haven't. Why?"

The village began to murmur something, that Ricky couldn't hear him. But Aang felt a little uncomfortable when they are talking about him. Sometimes, Ricky could read peoples' lips of what they're saying. Some of the villagers' lips were what he thinks they're saying is like.

'Does he have Amnesia or something?' whispered one of the women.

'Maybe he's a spy, so he can tell the Fire Nation we still have a waterbender in our village.' Another one whispered.

While the adults were whispering to each other, the kids began to walk around Ricky in both awe and curiosity.

"Hey Mister", a young asked who Ricky is probably Namine, "How did you get that hole on your shoulder?"

Ricky wanted to say that he got it from a gunshot from his greatest rivals ever in school, but since Aang said he has NEVER heard a gun in his life, he started to wonder if no one in this village has heard of it too.

"Um, I got it from a…" Ricky tried to find an excuse so the parents won't get suspicious, "Honestly, I have no idea", he finally answered.

Then a little boy looked at Ricky's shiny, cross-like necklace and a triangle with a man on it in curiosity, so he decided to touch it.

"Hey Mister Ricky", the boy spoke up, "What is that?"

Ricky looks down to see what the kid was pointing at. It was a necklace that his father gave to him on his fifth birthday before setting off to seas. It was a surfer's necklace, almost resembling a spiral with a carving that looks like it came from a seashell. It was ivory white, hanging by a brown leather string around his neck. He never took it off since then and he's not planning on to.

"It's a gift from my dad", he explained.

The kids were amazed by Ricky and wanted to know more about him.

"Would you like to play with us and Aang?" another girl asked.

Ricky gave them a little smile; he seemed fond of little kids and babies.

"Sure", Ricky said.

The kids cheered with excitement and started pulling on his sleeve, trying to catch up with them. Aang smiled at them. He wanted to feel happy for the kids they have a new friend, but he couldn't get this feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey Aang", Ricky yelled, "Are you coming or not?"

Aang snapped out of his train of thoughts and caught with the kids.

"I'm coming!" he answered.

Something is not right, but he couldn't put his figure on it.