The Aether

by Yo How's it Going

In the patterns of the cosmos, Aether is the elusive fifth element that has circular motion vs. fixed elementals that moved in lines. Effectively, the Aether does not follow any particular rule of energy, but rather it IS the rule.

7. The Cyclone

Yo! How's it going. Welcome back :)

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Trinity was feeling off, since the blackout at the temple. Even though she'd brushed it off as 'another blackout,' this particular one was bothering her. Every time she closed her eyes, static-like flashes of the old man and the boy passed by. Then the pain came. It wasn't real, the discomfort she felt. It came from the memory, the flashes. It made her nauseous. What she was having a hard time with was why. The feeling she was having on the ship versus what happened on that island was so different. The pulse from the ship wasn't painful. It worsened the headache that she already had, sure, but it was just a weird feeling. That island made her body almost rip in two. What was the cause? The old man flashed into her mind again. He seemed to understand what was going on, knowing where she was despite being hidden. If she could figure out who he was, then maybe she could get a few more answers. Hell, even questioning the boy would work out. The problem was how she would find them. Were they even real? Maybe they were more spirits that only she could see. Trinity flopped back down on her bed, growling in frustration.

"How can I find two people that might not even exist?"

She stayed there for a moment before a thought smacked her right in the face. "Iroh! He can help me." Iroh could see spirits just like she could. Maybe if she described what the two of them looked like, he would know who they were. At the very least, perhaps he had heard of them. Trinity hopped out of the room in search of the old man. Unfortunately, navigating through the ship was damn near impossible. Nothing but red fire, dark silver metal, and hot steam that all looked the exact same. Iroh showed her around the ship once, but there was no way she could remember after being shown the one time. Thankfully, Trinity found a fail-safe. She noticed that all the pipes that ran along the ceiling went in the same direction. The steam and smoke that leaked from the pipes all led to an enormous silo that emptied outside. It was unorthodox, but she was able to follow the pipes until she reached the silo. There was a latter she could climb down to the deck, no problem.

Hopefully, Iroh was there. She hadn't had to interact with the other crew members yet, but they always seemed so busy. Not to mention Zuko's constant yelling, they seemed frustrated enough. Trinity crossed the middle of the ship to make her way toward the bow. She took her time watching as the ocean zoomed past. The ocean breeze was something she had always heard about but never truly experienced. Though it was chilly and smelled of salt, it was a gentle, relaxing cold. Not enough to freeze you but enough to wake up in the morning. Making it to the front of the ship, she took in a deep breath. The past few days after the temple falling event had been uneventful. This was honestly the first time she had come out of her room in search of something to do. Trinity didn't realize that she hadn't slept close to twenty-four hours. She had been asleep for almost two days. Any time she did come out, Iroh had wanted to do something. He showed her around the ship or showed her where the kitchens were. Today hopefully, would be another uneventful day so she could focus on getting some answers. Trinity stopped on the deck only to see a fireball hurtling straight for her head. With a scream, she ducked as the fire zipped past, singeing the metal behind her. She uncovered her head to see Zuko and another man aggressively throwing flames at each other.

"Hey! Watch where you throw those things!"

Her shout distracted the other man causing him to get pelted with fire by Zuko. The soldier fell over, causing Zuko to growl in frustration. He turned to Trinity with a scowl, "What are you doing out here?"

"Trying not to die by fire. What are you doing?" Trinity droned with a glare.

"None of your business. Go back to your room!" The prince snapped, turning around to leave.

"Wasn't aware that me being confined to my room was apart of our deal," Trinity grumbled.

Zuko turned on his heel to face her again. "I agreed to not tieing you up. That does not mean you can just waltz around my ship."

Trinity opened her mouth, then closed it. "Your right, you didn't say that." Zuko looked almost immediately triumphant, turning back around with a huff. "But you also didn't not say I couldn't walk around, so I don't think I'm breaking any rules." Trinity could almost see the anger rising from his feet to his head. Just as he turned back around about to explode, Trinity spoke up again with a chuckle, "Where's your uncle?"

Zuko stopped and glared, "That is also none of your business." He turned back around, walking toward his opponent, "Go back to your room and don't come out unless someone gets you." Trinity's shoulders slumped. This was definitely throwing a wrench in her plans. He just needed to answer her question, it wasn't hard.

"Aw c'mon, Zuko. Why do you want to make things difficult? Just tell me where he is. Then I'll leave you alone. Promise."

Zuko stopped walking, clenching his fists, "You will refer to me as Prince Zuko," he growled out.

"What does that even...wait, why would I call you that?"

"I am your superior!" He yelled, turning around, marching back to her.

Trinity cocked an eyebrow, "Superior in what way? As far as I know, I've got nothing to do with your people. In fact, I'd go as far as saying I barely know who any of you people are."

Zuko stopped in front of her, arms at his side, and fists smoking. Trinity put her hands up, trying to calm him down, "Hey, hey, hey, you're superior at some things like." She glanced down at his smoking fists, "Catching yourself on fire?"

His glare intensified as his fists shot open, fire coming shooting out at his sides. "Ah! See look. I can't do that," Trinity squeaked with a smile. Before Zuko could even release a growl, the sound of the large metal doors caused him to look up. Iroh looking quite relaxed sauntered up to the both of them. "Ah, I see you both are well awake this morning."

Trinity looked away from the glaring boy turning to Iroh. "Oh, hey. I was searching for you." Zuko crossed his arms, turning away from both of them.

"Well, I just finished my morning tea. Good morning Prince Zuko." The teen growled, stomping back to the man he was dueling.

"Watch out Iroh, he's not a morning person."

Iroh laughed, "We best leave them to their exercises. Come, we can go up to the control room." Trinity nodded, following behind. As they walked, she tapped her temple with her finger. What did she need to ask again? The small interaction with the living fireball made her kind of forget. Something was bothering her. Shooting pain through her head reminded her immediately. She grimaced as they made through the doors, the various crew members immediately stopped what they were doing, bowed, and said their greetings to Iroh.

"Hey, Iroh?" There was no response. Her voice was lost under the soldiers while he greeted everyone.

Grabbing the same table he used a few days ago, but this time setting a checkered round board. Trinity observed as he set out chips with different symbols on each one. Once the board was set up, Iroh sat down with a sigh. "Now," he looked around the room from crew member to crew member. "Who wants a game?" Trinity looked back and forth between all the men. They looked terrified, some even backed into a wall.

"Uh...I'll play," Trinity spoke up from all the members. She was curious, and her question could wait a little while longer. Everyone looked at her, some even gasped. She started to get a bit concerned, "I mean, I don't really know what it is your playing, but I love games."

"Do you not have Pai Sho where you are from?" Iroh asked a grin.

Trinity shrugged, "If we do, I've never heard of it." She didn't get to play games very often, even when she was a kid. Other kids didn't want to play with her because she freaked them out. The few that did want to play, she couldn't focus on the purple woman showing up and trying to touch her.

"Well, this is the perfect opportunity to learn. Come, sit." Iroh patted the spot next to him, "Watch this round, and I will explain." Trinity sat next to him, watching the board. Iroh looked through the crew members before pointing at one. "Lu, Duan, come join me for a game." Both jumped, turning to all the other members who all turned around to do their daily tasks. They sighed, slumping over to different sides of the table sitting down. They pulled out small sacks dumping out a bunch of tile pieces. Iroh, on the other hand, had a decretive box with all the tiles neatly placed in rows. Trinity's eyes widened at the number of pieces each person had.

"How many pieces are there?"

"Each player has fifty-four tiles." Iroh placed one tile down on the board, then Lu did the same. Trinity looked over at Duan, who was nodding at Lu.

"Why doesn't he place a piece?"

Iroh chuckled again, "They are both playing against me."

Trinity raised her eyebrows. No wonder the crew members looked so scared when he offered to play. Iroh must have been the best on the ship. Trinity found herself grinning just a bit. She couldn't wait to learn how to play. Iroh and Lu began to place more tiles in different spaces, "The object of the game is to achieve more harmonies before your opponent," Iroh explained.

Trinity nodded, "What are harmonies?"

Iroh slid a piece to a different square next to another tile then added one. "When you aline two pieces together, that creates harmony, but only certain tiles will create a pair." Lu and Duan whispered to each other before Lu moved another piece while Duan adding one. Trinity watched as the players took their turns one after another. There was obviously more to the game than Iroh described. At times, he would take some of Lu and Duan's pieces off the board. She'd have to ask him later, right now she was watching. Trinity observed back and forth, move after move until Iroh suddenly froze. He patted his shirt, then his pants looking down at the ground, searching for something.

"What's wrong?" Trinity asked, looking under the table along with him.

"My white lotus tile. I must have miss placed it."

"I guess that's important," she continued to look around. Maybe Iroh dropped it on the way in?

"My entire strategy is based around the white lotus tile. If I don't have it, I won't be able to complete this game." Despite missing his piece, Iroh continued to play, sliding another tile across the board. He leaned over the board, scratching his beard. "Hmm, no, this won't do. Captain!" The captain of the ship turned, bowing to his superior, "Sir?"

"Take us to the nearest market. I must buy a new tile as soon as possible."

The captain hesitated, "U-uh, sir. Are you sure that's a good idea? We're on course for the North Pole."

"It must be done. We can get Trinity some new clothes as well." Trinity looked down at her clothes. The poor school uniform was torn in various places and covered in faded dirt. She had asked about a different set of clothes, but there was a severe lack of woman's clothing on this ship. The few women on board the vessel wore sizes way too big. It had been washed a few times, so at least it didn't stink. The captain scratched the back of his head, looking back and forth. Just like when Iroh suggested the Pai Sho match, the other members distracted themselves. "G-general, please."

"It will only take a small amount of time. I'm sure things will be fine." Iroh moved another piece on the board. The captain sighed, turning to the wheel of the ship.

"Is he okay? He seemed almost scared?"

Lu moved another piece causing Iroh's eyes to widen. "Ah, see here, Trinity, if you place this jasmine tile at the home port and move three spaces." He performed the action as he described, "It causes a disharmony." Iroh took the piece off the board, tossing it into a pile. Trinity nodded, completely forgetting about the captain's dismay. So it was certain pieces that could remove others. She'd have to learn each tile and what they did. "Okay, but what does it harmonize with?"

Before Iroh could explain, a stomping could be heard, making it's way down the hall outside. Trinity turned to find the door slamming open with Zuko marching in fists clenched. "What is the meaning of this mutiny? No one told you to change course!"

"Oh, that's why he was so scared," Trinity chimed in. Unfortunately, that was a mistake. Zuko immediately turned to her, "You! Just because we struck deal does not give you any rights to my ship!"

"Uh..."

"I command this ship! I say when we change course!"

"I didn't..."

"I told you to go back to your room, what are you doing up here!?"

"What are you..."

"Actually, I did it. I assure you, it is a matter of utmost importance, Prince Zuko," Iroh chimed in before Zuko could yell again.

"Does it something to do with the Avatar?" His demeanor changed instantly as he looked hopefully at his uncle.

"Even more urgent. It seems, I-," Iroh stopped to rub his forehead. "I have lost my lotus tile." Despite his slightly distressed disposition, he continued to play the game on the board.

"Lotus tile?" Trinity almost laughed at the perplexed facial expression on Zuko's face. She could see him trying to compute the reasoning behind his uncle's actions.

"You've changed our course for a stupid lotus tile?" The calculation failed, causing Trinity to chuff out a laugh. He instantly shot a glare over to her. "What are you laughing at?"

Trinity put her hands up, "Nothing, nothing. I can just see why he needs the piece. Your uncle's strategy really needs it." She had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Iroh seemed to buy her bluff.

"Ah, you see! Trinity can see the value of the lotus piece. Just give me ten minutes to check the merchants at this port. Hopefully, they will have the lotus tile in stock, and I can get on with my life."

Zuko growled fire and smoke up at the ceiling while Iroh smiles. "I'm lucky to have such an understanding, nephew."

He instantly stopped, shooting a glare to his uncle, "Five minutes, Uncle, then we're leaving. We don't have time for this. And you," he directed his attention to Trinity. "Come with me."

"Ah, jeez, am I in trouble?"

"Hurry up," he yelled, marching out of the room. Trinity turned to Iroh, "Should I be scared?"

"Only if your afraid of bad tempers and smoke," Iroh coughed, waving a fan in his face.

Trinity got up from her seat, stepping outside. Zuko stood next to the doorway with his arms crossed. He still looked just as infuriated as he did thirty seconds ago.

"Can you sense the Avatar or not because I am very tempted to leave you at this market."

"That seems a bit cruel, especially since today is the first time I've talked to you in a few days," she grumbled, looking off to the side.

"Answer me," he growled.

"I don't know, dude," Trinity ran her fingers through her hair. It was frustrating being expected to do something she didn't even know was possible. The pulse feeling was something, but was that this Avatar guy? She honestly didn't know. "I admit I felt something, but I don't know if it was him or some other spirit thing. Maybe if you can go to a place with less boiling towers."

Zuko growled. He didn't like that answer or this girl staying on his ship. She was obviously a distraction to his uncle. This was so infuriating. If she could sense the Avatar, then she was a great asset. He couldn't even imagine if Zhao got his hands on her. He'd be doomed. On the other hand, this girl's presence was getting on his last available nerve, and this would be a complete waste of time if she couldn't. Unfortunately, the pros outweighed the cons, his nerves be damned.

"Fine. I'll let you stay for now."

Trinity sighed through her nose, quirking an eyebrow, "Thanks, I guess."

A huff was his only response as he started to stomp away. Obviously, Zuko didn't want her on the ship, and quite frankly, she didn't want to be here either. Iroh was nice, but she didn't know anyone else at all. The only other person she knew was a walking billowing fireball of anger. Going home was still the top priority. Maybe her being useless was better than she thought.

"You know I could be completely useless, and you could drop me off at the temple. It would get me out of your hair really quick."

Zuko stopped, "If your completely useless, I will drop you where ever I please. Don't have enough hair to spare, to begin with." He walked away, grumbling the last sentence.

Trinity stared as he let then let out a chuff. Was that a joke? It was a horrible one if it was. Maybe it wasn't a joke, and he was just bad at conversation. She chuffed again. The thought of it not being a joke made it a bit funnier. She stood in the hall by herself for a minute. What was she doing out here again? Wasn't she supposed to ask about something? Looking into the room, Trinity saw Iroh still playing the game. That's what she was doing though there was a nagging feeling that she forgot something.

Sailing to the market place caused quite a bit of chaos on the ship. The captain called several different people into the room, listing off what was needed for the vessel. Mobs of soldiers running in and out handing list after list to the captain. He would then look down the paper working out what was actually needed versus what wasn't. Anything ridiculous written down was thoroughly berated for doing so. It was just a lot of running and yelling. Trinity stayed next to Iroh. Everyone seemed to completely ignore him moving around like he wasn't there. Arrival to the market place caused a whole other slew of chaotic behavior. Once the ship was docked, it was a stampede of people running out, looking for random stuff. Some soldiers ran off to feel the solid non-swaying ground under their feet. After the initial mob passed by, Iroh and Trinity walked to the opening. The stop made her head swim just a bit. Her legs felt as if it was still moving while her upper body was not. Trinity rubbed her temples to get the small headache to go away.

"All this just for a lotus piece?" Trinity questioned as another soldier pushed past her.

Iroh stroked his beard, "Yes, well, I suppose it's been quite a while since we stopped at a market."

"That's because we didn't need to come here." Both Iroh and Trinity looked back to see Zuko standing behind them with his arms crossed.

"I assure you that it will not take long," Iroh started down the ramp. "Just need my lotus piece and some new clothes for Trinity." As soon as her name was mentioned, she lept over to follow Iroh. It only took about three quick steps before the explosion that was Zuko erupted. Trinity covered her ears at the onslaught of questions, screaming, and fire.

"Maybe next time we should skip out on mentioning the additional supplies lest we all get caught on fire."

Iroh chuckled," Maybe your right."

The search through the market was futile, to say the least. Not only did the three not find anything, they were actually looking for, but Iroh made a point to look at and buy anything that looked interesting. An entire team had to be called just to bring Iroh's things onto the ship. Though Trinity was interested at first soon enough, it just reminded her of when her father got lost in an antique store. It didn't help that her head wasn't getting any better. It had switched from being an ordinary headache to a weird nagging feeling. Honestly, it was more annoying than painful, making it hard to focus. She lagged behind Iroh, where Zuko stomped behind, fuming.

"You know I would have completely supported you if you told me he was like this at stores," she droned with her shoulders slouched.

"I said before we docked, this was a waste of time," he grumbled back.

"True, but you failed to specify why."

"Well, maybe you'll listen next time."

"Hey, it's not like listening to you would have changed this outcome. I didn't tell him to come here."

"You encouraged it."

"Fair, but you agreed to it."

Zuko only grumbled in response as the three made their way back to the ship. "I've checked all the shops on this pier. Not a lotus tile in the entire market place." Despite his woes, the old man didn't seem to upset.

"It's good to know this trip was a complete waste of time for everyone," Zuko yelled in his uncle's ear.

Trinity slumped," Afraid I'm going to have to agree with him, Iroh. We couldn't even find something as basic as clothes."

"Quite the contrary. I always say the only thing better than finding something you were looking for, is finding something you weren't looking for at a great bargain!"

Both Trinity and Zuko looked over to the mob of soldiers carrying various objects, one of being a peculiar looking horn.

"You bought a tsungi horn?"

"For music night on the ship. Now, if we only had some woodwinds."

"You guys have a music night?" Trinity quirked an eyebrow.

"No."

"Absolutely!"

Both men responded at the same time. The group began to walk down the docks toward all the ships. "Maybe we can make up for our lack of woodwinds with a beautiful female singing voice, hmm," Iroh wiggled a brow toward Trinity.

"Iroh, the world isn't ready for the screeching howler monkey, that is my voice."

"I'm sure it's not...oh that looks promising!"

"Uncle, no! No more shops."

Iroh had already taken off toward the large wooden ship in front of them. Trinity groaned as Iroh ran off. She rubbed her temples, slightly wandering in a random direction. She just wanted to lay down at this point. Zuko stopped her from going too far, grabbing her wrist.

"Hey, no running off or deals off."

"I'm not running off, just have a weird headache thing."

Zuko stared at her for a second before putting on a serious look. "How long have you had this headache for?"

"I think since we docked. I've never been on a ship for so long. Figured it was because of the solid ground."

He let go of her wrist, marching toward the boat Iroh disappeared in. "C'mon, we're getting Uncle. This trip might not have been a waste of time, after all."

Trinity followed Zuko slowly to the ship. So her headache could be a sign this Avatar person was around. She considered for a second that it was the cause of her head fog, but it felt so different than before. So much less painful. Then it hit again all at once; the boy, the old man, nausea. Trinity placed her hand over her mouth as the same searing pain struck her temple, causing her stomach to lurch. She stopped at the opening of the ship sitting at the base. Zuko would probably drag Iroh out eventually. They wouldn't mind if she sat here. Trinity didn't know how long she sat until she felt a foot kick at her knee. Her head snapped up, "Hey, you didn't have to kick me. I'll..." She stopped when she saw I wasn't Zuko she was talking to but a seedy-looking skinny man.

"What's pretty looking thing like you doing near our little ship, hmm?"

Trinity stood immediately, which caused her head to swim just a bit. "My uh. The people I'm with are on the ship. I was just waiting for them." She started to back her way up the ramp.

"Seems to me that your lost, and the people I'm with can help with that." The man grinned, following her up the ramp.

"That's okay, I'm really annoying to have to help anyway. I wouldn't be worth the trouble," Trinity chuckled, trying not to trip as she backed up.

"If you don't want help, then I wonder how much you would be worth on the black market. Those eyes of yours would certainly fetch a high price."

Her eyes widened as she continued to back up as the man followed. If he caught her, Zuko and Iroh would help her, right? She was an asset to them, right? Getting captured again after only a few days would be a shame. Being sold to a black market would most likely be a death sentence. The redhead continued to back up until she hit something with an oof. She turned and found a scowling Zuko behind her. "What are you doing? We need to go now."

Trinity instantly ran behind him with a quick nod. The man that was following her sneered as he past Zuko and went up the ramp. She walked close behind him. The thought of dangerous people like that guy never crossed her mind before. She didn't know why. It only took five minutes for her to be captured and less than twenty-four for it to happen again. Human trafficking wasn't something she ever thought she'd run into in her life. It was a practice only heard in news reports and documentaries. For it to almost happen so easily and quickly was scary.

"Your headache is most likely the Avatar nearby." Zuko's voice was muffled in her head.

"Yeah, sure, okay." She wasn't really listening. Just the thought of getting away from the ship was on her mind. It was hard to believe that Zuko was the safest person around right now.

"Can you pinpoint his location?"

She didn't answer. They were almost to the ship, then she could relax.

"Hey! Are you listening?"

"What?" Trinity looked up at a glaring Zuko. Was he talking this entire time?

"Can you pinpoint the Avatar's location or not? You were able to tell me at the tower," he growled slowly.

It took her a few seconds to realize what he was talking about. "I don't even know if it is that. Even if it is, I don't know how it works."

Zuko growled, turning to Iroh, who was only a few places behind them with a monkey statue in hand. "Uncle, have the captain give me a detailed map of this area. I'll get the rest of the crew to get the small boat ready. Take the girl with you." He marched off. Trinity instantly felt vulnerable when he left. She quickly trotted over to Iroh rubbing her temple.

"Does the Avatar being near cause you pain?" he questioned, placing a hand on her shoulder.

She shook her head, "It's not really painful, just annoying. Like I can't focus very well."

"Hmm, maybe meditation will help."

They both started up the ramp of Zuko's ship. "After we get the captain, I can show you how." She only nodded as she followed into the boat.

It had been three days since Trinity was found in the woods. An MRI, CT scan, and various blood workups couldn't determine what was wrong with her. Her family sat in the hospital waiting room for results on an EEG. Nathan kept to himself while his father tried his best to comfort his poor worried mother. His foot repeatedly tapped against the white tile floor as he starred a hole into the wall across from him. The only thing on Nathan's mind repeated over and over again. Was the purple lady real? He saw her, there was no denying that. But why now? What was different? What happened in those woods?

"Hale," a nurse called out, pulling him out of his thoughts. The small family made their way further into the hospital. Once they entered Trinity's room, Ella let out a soft gasp. The family hadn't seen her since she was dropped off due to all the tests. She was no longer in her regular clothes with a blanket covering her. Dressed in a hospital gown, several tubes and cords were hooked to her body from head to toe. A tube down her throat to connected to a respirator. The day after she arrived, the doctor called, saying she had some kind of attack. She stopped breathing for an entire minute, long enough to potentially cause brain damage. The headpiece with more cords was a result of the EEG to make sure she wasn't brain dead. An intravenous catheter in her arm hooked up to a fluid drip. Nathan turned his head away from her. The neurologist made his way into the room, clearing his throat.

"I'm doctor Gnomes. It nice to meet you all though I wish it was under better circumstances."

Nathan took another quick glance at his sister. The tube down her throat made him turn away again. "How long does she need to be on the respirator," he mumbled out.

"We'll try to pull it at the end of the day. We just wanted to ensure she wouldn't have another episode during testing. She seems to be breathing fine on her own for now."

Victor pulled his wife closer when he felt her shoulders start to shake. "Did this new test show anything?" he questioned, not being able to take his eyes off his daughter.

"Well, yes, but it also caused some more questions." Gnomes walked over to Trinity, standing next to her bed and sighed before continuing. "She's not brain dead, which is excellent news. We think that the attack she had was a seizure. That, in combination with her breathing stopping for a minute, we were afraid that her brain wouldn't be able to handle it."

"So, what are the questions?" Nathan spoke up this time.

"Well, physically, she's presenting as a typical coma patient. She's completely unresponsive to light, sound, and pain. What is weird about her case is that her brain is as active as if she were asleep, not in a coma."

Victor looked confused, "Aren't coma patients just asleep, anyway?"

"A common misconception. A coma patient's brain activity is relatively low, though not inactive," Gomes gestured toward Trinity's head. "While someone who is sleeping has high brain activity. It's almost like she's dreaming a very vivid dream."

"What can we do now? Is there any chance she'll wake up?" Ella asked, walking over to her comatose daughter. She placed a hand on her cheek, stroking it with her thumb.

"If this behaves like a normal coma, she hopefully will wake up in a few days to a few weeks and..."

"What if she doesn't?" Nathan interrupted. This already didn't seem right to him. If this purple woman had anything to do with this, Trinity wouldn't wake up.

"It's rare for people to be in a coma for more than a few weeks..."

"That's not what I'm asking. I want to know what happens if my sister doesn't wake up."

"Nathan..." Victor interrupted.

"I want to know," he said his voice firm. He knew what would happen, but he needed to hear it. He needed to hear how dier the situation was.

"If she's comatose for more than a month, it is highly unlikely she will wake up. At that point, she will go on life support. For how long is a decision made by you, her family."

Ella's sobs filled the room as she draped her body over her daughters. Victor embraced her, trying to comfort her as much as he could. The doctor sighed, "I'll leave you guys alone for a while. I would like to talk to more about her blackouts and schizophrenia to try and piece together this puzzle. Buzz the nurse when you're ready to talk."

The doctor walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. The family stayed there in silence with no sounds other than the monitors, machines, and Ella's soft cries. Nathan still couldn't look at his sister, walking over next to his parents.

"She's going to wake up Ella, she always does," Victor whispered.

Nathan wanted to believe that, in fact, he should believe that...right? His mind was battling with itself. On the one hand, everything that the doctor said rang true. Everything he had been studying in med school, other than her complications, was textbook. On the other hand, the purple lady, he saw her. For the first time in years, he saw her, and he couldn't tell if she was real or not. If she was real, then that threw a wrench in not only this but his entire thought process on his sister. Maybe she wasn't mentally ill this whole time. Perhaps she was telling the truth. That's what he needed right now; the truth. He needed to find out what was real and what was fake. The only problem was where he should start. Finding an entity that may or may not be real would be hard enough, but the one person that could lead straight to it was in a coma. His father's voice interrupted his thoughts, "I'm going to call the nurse in. The sooner we answer their questions, the sooner she'll wake up."

A light bulb went off in Nathans's head. "Hey, dad, where is all of Trinity's stuff?"

"On the shelf next to the window," he whispered.

Nathan quietly walked over to the shelf, rifling through his sister's things. He found her cracked phone after a few seconds of looking at all the alerts. He didn't know any of her friends, but assuming that this Allen guy had called her over ten times and sent double the amount of texts, would be his closest bet. She had to have told him something about the purple lady. Nathan walked up next to his sister, gently grabbing her hand, rubbing his thumb against the back. Though Trinity was hooked up to many machines, she looked almost peaceful. She wasn't angry with him or yelling at him. He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"I'm going to find out what happened to you," he whispered, turning her hand over and using her thumb to open her phone.

He stood back up, walking toward the exit. "I have to make a phone call right quick," he announced to his parents before he walked out of the room. He immediately went to her contacts, only seeing four people: Mom, Dad, Allen, and himself. Surely she had more people than that she could talk to. He passed that thought out of his head and called Allen's number. It picked up almost immediately. "H-hello, Trinity?"

"No, this is her brother."

"O-oh, i-is she okay-kay?"

Nathan stayed silent for a moment. He'd rather not divulge the entire situation over the phone and didn't want his parents to accidentally hear him. "Listen, is there any way I can meet up with you? Maybe after your classes?"

"I-I can ditch s-school ri-right now."

"Wait, what?"

"Meet m-me out s-side the school on the side. T-there's a door-or with no c-cameras, so no one will see-ee you."

"I'm not..." the phone hung up before Nathan could finish. He could only stare at the phone for a second before putting it back in his pocket. Nathan slowly walked back into the hospital room, contemplating whether he should actually pick Trinity's friend up or not. Watching from the doorway, his parents were still huddled around his sister, his father still trying to comfort his mother. Though Victor was strong for Ella, he could see the tears threatening to fall from his eyes. Nathan took in a deep breath hardening his resolve. He had to do this. Had to try at least; for the sake of his family. He walked over to his parents and wrapped his arms around both of them in a light hug. "I have to go."

Victor looked up to him, "You're not going to stay for the doctor?"

"I need to tell my teachers that I had a family emergency and won't be in classes for a little bit. I don't have all of their numbers, so I'll head to the school to let the front office know," he lied smoothly. There was no reason to tell his parents that he was about to break a high school student out of school to get information on the purple lady. His father nodded, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

"We'll send you updates, okay." Nathan nodded, giving his mother a quick kiss on the temple before leaving the room. As he got into his car, he hoped that this kid, Allen, knew at least something about this thing following his sister around. There was a small chance that she had not told him anything about it, and this would sound absolutely ridiculous. Nathan gripped the wheel a bit tighter as he pulled up to the school. Allen never specified which side to the school to meet on. He slowly drove past the front of the school to the left side, noticing a tall kid leaning against the wall, looking around. As soon as he saw the car, the kid ran up, knocking on the window, still looking around. Nathan unlocked the vehicle, and the high school boy climbed in, placing his bag in between his legs.

"You're Allen, right?"

"I-it would be real-lly a-awkward if I wasn't-t. A-a-a strange guy ju-just g-getting in your car-r like this."

They both stared at each other for a second Nathan's face looking confused before Allen spoke up, "S-so are we-we going to g-go, or..."

"Yeah...yeah." Nathan pulled out of the school, quickly driving to the nearest coffee shop. He pulled into a Starbucks, and they both got out of the car. "Je-jeez c-c-couldn't g-go to a place with act-actual food."

"We're not here to eat, we're here to talk."

"I fe-feel like d-doing b-both is a fair option-n."

Nathan sent a glare Allen's way before rolling his eyes, walking toward the doors.

"Guess-ss not," Allen muttered, walking in behind him. The smell of coffee smacked both of them in the face as they walked in. Thankfully it wasn't too crowded this late in the morning. Nathan went up to the front counter, ordering himself a coffee, "Do you want anything?"

Allen looking around and grabbed a cookie off the shelf, "This is f-fine."

They both waited off to the side in awkward silence, Nathan refusing to look Allen's direction. The lanky teen rocked back and forth on his feet, nibbling on the cookie he got. Once Nathan's name was called, he grabbed his coffee and made his way to a table in the far corner as far away from other people as possible. As soon as they sat down, Allen was the first one to speak.

"S-s-so, what's go-going on? Where's Tr-trinity?"

Nathan took a sip of his coffee before answering. "Trinity is in the hospital."

"O-oh, she bl-blacked-d out again-n." Allen didn't seem concerned at all. Nathan wondered how often his sister blacked out. "She didn't h-hit her on a rock-ck again, d-did she? Man, she was pi-pissed the first time c-cuz they had-d to shave some o-of her hair..."

"She's in a coma," Nathan interrupted.

Allen stopped and stared at Nathan with wide eyes. "W-wha? H-h-how," Allen's voice was hushed. He couldn't seem to finish a sentence.

"She was found deep in the woods next to your school three days ago."

Allen's eye wandered off to the side, thinking about what happened just three days ago. His head shot up, "Th-those bastards must have-ve caught her," he growled, quickly standing up from his seat, grabbing his bag.

Nathan stood to grab Allen's arm before he could walk away, "What? Who?"

"Some a-assholes. I wa-was able t-t-to distract them-m lo-long ee-enough for T-trinity to run, but they-ey must have caught-caught up to her some-somehow."

"So, you think they did something to her?"

"I-I-I wouldn't p-put it past them."

Nathan sighed through his nose. The thought of someone harming his sister made his blood boil, but he needed to remain calm. If some idiots did something to her, that was an entirely different scenario. A hard enough knock to the head could cause some brain damage, especially if she hit her head on a sharp rock when she was knocked out. If that were the case, why would the purple lady show herself? Not to mention, the doctors didn't speak of any head trauma, so that couldn't have been it. Nathan rubbed his temples, he needed more information. "We'll deal with that later, sit back down."

"W-what? Why..."

"Allen..."

Allen glared at Nathan before sitting back down in his seat, followed by Nathan. "S-s-so what is a-all this about th-then. Just to-o tell me that Tr-trinity is never w-waking u-u-up or what?" Allen's voice was low, slightly shaking.

Nathan tilted his coffee cup back and forth before answering slowly, "Do you know anything about the purple lady?"

Allen looked up, confused for a second. Nathan's heart slightly sunk at the look. Maybe he didn't know anything.

"Yeah, w-what about her-er?"

"So, my sister has mentioned her before?"

"Yeah, I-I-I me-mean how c-could she not. Th-that thing has be-been following her-er a-around for years. I've-I've never be-been able to s-see her my-myself, but I've tried-d."

"Did she give you any information about her? Any clues about who she was and where she came from."

"I d-don't th-think so, I-I-I don't know. Wha-what does this h-have to-to do with Trinity being-ing in a c-coma?"

Nathan huffed, rubbing his temples. Allen was useless, so where could he go from here. Trinity had no other contacts on her phone. Maybe her doctor, or a guidance counselor. Nathan was ripped out of his thought when Allen grabbed his shoulder, shaking it lightly.

"What?" Nathan responded sharply. Now that Allen had no use to him, he no longer wanted to deal with him. He needed to figure out his next steps.

"Sh-she's the reason, i-isn't she?"

Nathan looked off to the side, "It's no longer any of your business."

Allen's look of shock quickly changed to one of anger. "N-n-none of-f m-my...ex-ex-excuse m-me." Allen huffed. It got harder to talk when he was mad, but damn was this man infuriating. How dare he claim such nonsense. "Tr-Tr-Trinity is m-m-my be-best fri-fri-friend and-and-and ha-has been-been-been for a-a very l-long time. When-when some-something-g hap-happens to h-her, then it-it-it is m-my b-b-business."

"You don't have any useful information. What value could you bring to the situation?"

Allen's fist clenched under the table. Moments like these were when he hated his stutter the most. People brushed him off, acted like he wasn't serious. The more they ignored him, the angrier he would get, the harder it would get to a sentence out straight. Then they would disregard him further. It was a vicious, infuriating cycle. The only thing Allen could think of doing is hitting Nathan, where it would hurt the most. "O-oh, I d-don't ha-have any u-useful in-information, s-s-says the per-person tha-that barley kn-kn-knows his own-own sis-sis-sister!" The teen slightly winced. He tried his best not to stutter as much to have a better impact, but he was just so mad.

"What?" Nathan growled.

Allen almost sighed in relief. Somehow his sentence made it through. The teenager hardened his resolve. If he was going get in on this, Nathan needed to know he was serious. "H-how of-often d-do you-you even talk t-to her any-anyway. D-d-do you kn-know a-anything ab-about what she-e l-likes? W-what she f-f-fears? Wha-what she ha-has to g-g-go through ev-ev-every day see-seeing that-that thing."

Nathan looked off to the side with a scowl on his face. There was nothing he could retort with. He didn't know. His relationship with his sister was more than just strained, it was broken. It was never meant to be like that.

Allen could almost jump for joy. This was working. With newfound confidence, he continued, "O-oh, th-that's right. You-you don't e-even be-be-believe that-that what Tr-trinity's seeing i-i-is real, s-so how-how c-could you po-possibly..."

"I saw her," Nathan responded quietly.

Allen stopped his rant with a shocked look, "You...y-you what?"

"I saw her," Nathan answered more firmly. "When I found Trinity, she was there, waiting for me."

It took a solid minute for Allen to respond again. All the anger flooded out of his body, being replaced with a slight chill up his spine. "Wha-what h-happened when you s-saw her. You-you didn't bl-blackout, d-did you? Did-did she say anyth-thing, or..."

"No."

Allen went silent again. So Nathan had seen her too? Why would the purple lady suddenly revile herself to him? Was she trying to switch bodies? Maybe Trinity was no longer useful. Allen realized that Nathan was probably asking the same questions in his own head. He sighed, "I-I-I think I kn-know a f-few ways to learn mo-more about her."

Nathan looked up at him; his eyebrow quirked, "What would that be."

"A-ah, ah," Allen began shaking his head. "F-first things first-st, I wa-want in. Whatever y-you do in-involving the p-purple woman, I-I want t-to know about it-t."

"What, because you're her best friend?" Nathan droned.

"Well, y-yea, that, but-but-but if you f-find something ne-new about h-her, I-I could be useful. What if-if Trinity to-told me someth-thing that could str-string two cl-clues t-together? Y-you'd be shit out of l-luck." Allen leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms with a smirk.

Nathan growled to himself, tapping his fingers against the table, eventually sighing. "Fine, when I find out anything, I'll contact you."

Allen smiled at his small victory, "G-good." He couldn't help but feel proud of himself. For the first time, his stutter didn't hinder the argument. He'd have to tell Trinity when she woke up. She would be so happy for him.

"But I'm not breaking you out of school again or doing any other weird stuff. This is serious, not some adventure game."

Allen waved him off, "Y-yeah yeah, I-I can br-break myself out any-anyway. N-no big d-deal."

Nathan dragged his palm down his face with a rough sigh, "Well, what do you got then?"

"O-oh, yeah! We sh-should check her-her ske-sketchbook first. That w-w-would be the-the easiest thing."

"How's a drawing going help?"

"She some-sometimes w-writes things in there, like-like-like notes and stuff. M-maybe she wrote someth-thing im-important."

Nathan only nodded at his answer. He was right; searching her sketchbook would an easy thing to do. Maybe his sister drew a diagram of some sort.

"Al-also, we-we should s-search for her room. She-she should have a-a-a journal i-in there some-somewhere."

"She doesn't seem like the type to keep a diary," Nathan said back a little confused.

"D-doctors forced her to-to a few years b-back. She's long s-s-stopped writing in it, b-but once again, there-there c-could be-be some im-important information in-n it."

Nathan wasn't shocked that her doctor made her keep a journal. It was an excellent way to keep track of anyone with psychological issues. A ping of guilt hit him as the thought crossed his mind. His sister was never really crazy after all these years. It was all real. Then an idea smacked him like a ton of bricks. "We should check the internet and library as well." Nathan started getting up from the stool.

"W-why's that?"

"What Trinity has been going through, it's possibly real. This could have happened to someone else. Hell, it could be happening to some else right now."

Allen nodded, standing as well. "It-it w-wouldn't surprise me if s-someone out-out there w-wrote a-a-a blog ab-about it online or-or-or s-something. Don't kn-know what a-a-a li-library would have, though."

"Books, Allen. Libraries have books." Both boys began to walk out of the shop and head toward the car.

"I-I-I-I know th-that! I'm as-asking w-what does it-it have to o-offer us, j-j-jackass." Allen mumbled his last word to himself.

"I heard that, and there is potential someone wrote about this thing in a book."

"I-I-I guess, but your-your t-taking books, I'll ta-take the inter-internet."

"Whatever." Nathan rolled his eyes. "I'm bringing you back to school. I'll pick you up tomorrow after your classes. We can search her room then."

"F-fine, fine. You-you're n-no fun," Allen sighed.

Nathan couldn't help but roll his eyes again. Allen might be an unorthodox partner, but at least he was a start. It was better than starting from nothing.

Finding the captain and getting a hold of the map was easy enough. Boarding the small boat wait to depart, she wasn't bothered by either. When a load of dirty, sketchy pirates also boarded, including the one she encountered on the ramp, that's when Trinity had a problem. As the sun started to set, they sailed off to a nearby river. A deep fog started to roll over the crew. The headache changed from an annoying feeling to a rhythmic pulsing that radiated throughout her head. Though only a handful of the pirates stayed on the small boat with them, Trinity still clung to Iroh like glue. There was no way she was going to be left alone with these guys. Trinity saw some of the pirates look at her then whisper to another. She scooted closer to Iroh until her arm touched his. "Are you alright?"

She didn't take her eyes off the pirates, eyeing her, "Uh, yeah. I'm fine."

"How is your head."

"It's umm," She closed her eye, trying to think of how to describe what she felt. "It's like a heartbeat in my head. It still doesn't hurt just," She rubbed her palm on her forehead. Between the pirates and her head, it was hard to come up with a complete thought. Iroh turned toward her, still cross-legged. "Face me if you could." Trinity turned herself to the old man.

"There are different types of meditation, but we are going to try concentration meditation."

"I didn't know they're different types."

"It depends on what you are trying to achieve." Iroh grabbed her hands, placing them palm up in her lap. "Now, you must close your eyes and relax. Anything troubling your mind, let go of."

Trinity couldn't help but look behind her at the pirates, "I don't think..."

"I will remain with you. Do not worry."

She eventually nodded, letting out a huff turning back. "Okay, relax. Got it." Trinity took a couple deep breathes, trying to calm herself down. Without thinking, she started to count in her head. Her body seemed to naturally relax after about thirty seconds, her eyelids fully relaxing. The pulsing in her became the only thing on her mind. Her imagination created a purple color that lit up with the beat. The light started to focus on one point, then moved to the left. Unconsciously, she moved her head to the left, trying to look for the source of the light. Iroh watched Trinity in awe. After a minute, not only did the girl relax, but her body started to glow in the same pattern as it did before. It was slightly different. The light was not as bright, and it blinked on and off in a rhythm.

"Prince Zuko, come quickly," he whispered to not disturb her meditation.

Zuko was at the bow with the captain of the pirates keeping an eye on the shore. He made sure to tell someone to take his place before walking over to his uncle.

"What is..." he stopped when he saw the girl glowing. "What is happening?"

"I believe she is searching for the Avatar."

"So, she can find him?"

"I don't think she can detain an accurate location but the general direction."

Both men noticed her head-turning further to the left. "Sail closer to the left side of the shore. Keep an eye out for anybody," Zuko called out. His yell snapped Trinity out of her trance. Her eyes shot open, and the glow disappeared. The pulse in her head went back to radiating around her entire skull. The instant change in her brain caused her to get dizzy. She started to fall back, but Iroh caught her with his arm.

"How did that go?"

"I think. I think I found him. Or at least he's somewhere nearby."

"We know. You seemed to point us in the right direction without meaning to."

"Oh, okay." She felt drained though it seemed like the task required little effort.

"We see someone," One of the pirates called to the crew.

"Capture them at once!" the captain yelled. All the pirates jumped off the small boat onto the shore.

"Uncle, c'mon. It's the water bending girl."

Iroh gently rested Trinity against the wall, "We should be right back."

Trinity didn't necessarily hear what he said. Her head was too much in a daze. The pulsing beat was so loud it was causing her ears to ring. She laid against the wall closing her eyes. Maybe a nap wasn't a bad idea.

An unknown amount of time past when Trinity's eyes shot open. The wind was whipping by as the boat sailing full speed down the river. Looking around, there was nothing it pirates on the ship, no sign of Iroh or Zuko. Panic started to set in. Where were they? What happened? She rubbed her temple, the pulsing was still going strong.

"Hey there, girly, it looks like you're on the wrong side." Trinity turned and found the same pirate she ran into at the front of their boat. She gulped backing further into the wall when he grabbed her, holding her hands behind her back.

"Hey Barker, how much do you think we could get off of her?"

The skinny pirate in green walked over, looking her over. "She's strange looking indeed."

"That's a little rude, don't you think." Trinity struggled against the man holding her.

"If anything, that eye of hers should mark up the price, right?" The pirate holding her tighter as she struggled.

"Keep her if you want, but if we score this Avatar, we won't need her," Barker started walking away.

"Well, that means I'm going to keep for my own. Unless selling ya gives me more money." He started to walk her to the back of the boat.

"Listen, I'm nothing but trouble. I probably won't sell for much."

"I'll be the judge of that."

Barker poked his head around the corner. "Eamon, put that girl away and help us. We're coming up on the boat."

"You stay here. I'll come back for you," Eamon grumbled, walking away.

As soon as he was out of sight, she looked for a way off the boat. Going to the controls of the ship was a no go, she didn't know how to drive it. There was no safety raft to take either. Her only option was to jump. She looked over the edge of the boat. Jumping might not be the best idea, but it was the only option she could think of with her head booming. Fighting wouldn't work, running in circles around the ship was stupid. Being sold to the black market or worse being owned by Eamon was a no go. She leaned over the rail, "Okay, okay. You can do this."

Trinity looked around again and noticed the pirates jump off the small vessel onto the bigger ship. She relaxed. With them gone, she had nothing to worry about. The boat slowed, falling behind to wooden one. Maybe she could figure out how to stop it or at least get it close to the shore. Trinity trotted to the control room, which was just a hole to shovel coal in and a wheel. Trying to rotate the wheel was harder than it looked. She was able to move it just a bit, but there was no way she could turn it to shore.

"Well, this is mildly concerning." She ran back out to the front of the boat to see it was heading straight for the wooden ship about to crash.

"Alright, now it's very concerning." The redhead had to act fast. She couldn't slow the boat, she couldn't turn it. Trinity looked over the edge again. Her mind swapped back and forth between jumping and crashing. If a boat crash was anywhere near as bad as a car crash, she wanted no part of it. Trinity took a deep breath, "Alright, just jump and swim, jump and swim. That's it. That's all you gotta do." She backed up from the edge letting out another puff of air. Taking a running start, she made for the ledge but stopped before jumping.

"Ah shit, this sucks," she ruffled her hair, pacing back and forth. Looking over, the boat she was on was going to hit the other in minutes. She had to jump. Trinity backed up again, held her breath, and jumped into the water. As soon as she hit, she bounced right off the surface only to plunge into its depths a second later. The impact knocked the wind out of her causing the air in her lungs to leave her body. Trying to swim immediately became impossible, with the water racing in one direction. Her lungs started to burn as the water slung her downstream. She couldn't see anything but bubbles and blue. Waving her arms, she tried to swim to the surface, but her arms pushed back. Her vision started to go black. The last bit of air began to leave her lungs as she began to sink. Just before she lost consciousness, she felt something surge through her. A familiar purple light quickly replaced the black as water rushed around her in a purple-colored cyclone. The cyclone surrounded her pushing her up toward the surface.

Zuko looked over the ledge in despair. His boat was gone. The Avatar was gone. The icing on the cake; this was all a complete waste of time because of his uncle.

"You know Prince Zuko, you should look at the positives. You saw which way the Avatar was headed, and I have a handsome monkey statue back on the ship." Zuko turned around, marching away from the ledge, "There's nothing positive about this, Uncle. This was a complete waste of time."

Iroh followed behind, "Well, maybe we can brew up a nice cup of tea and relax our nerves," he said, closing his eyes, pretending to smell the tea in the air. Once he opened his eyes, Zuko was gone. "Price Zuko?"

Zuko marched down the shore. He just wanted to get back to his ship and sail north. As he walked, his body felt weird, like pins and needles covered his skin. Zuko rubbed his hands over his arms. This was different than the usual loss of adrenalin he'd get after a fight with the Avatar. He felt his inner fire burn like a monster trying to be released. Something was pulling it toward the water like it was trying to connect with it. What was even stranger, he felt more powerful, almost like the sun itself was trying to give him strength. His breath quickened as goosebumps freckled across his skin. Zuko looked over to the river. What was causing this strange feeling, and why was it coming from the water?

A purple glow caught his eye in the stretch of blue. The light reminded him of that girl, who was on the boat, that went over the waterfall. Zuko's eye's widened, "Oh shi..." The water exploded out in a monstrous cyclone pushing out the red-headed girl. Trinity glowed purple with the same symbols dancing wildly across her skin, but this was different than the other instances. One of her eyes shone with a brilliant purple while the other remained shut. Long tendrils of purple light flowed out of her body, following the flow of the cyclone downwards. Zuko stood in shock, unable to move. Was she a water bender? Did she lie to them? The twister started to move toward the shore, Zuko instantly began to back away. As it got closer, he noticed the girl wasn't moving as a water bender would, in fact, she almost seemed to levitate in the eye. The streams of water looked as if they were being held up by the purple light like it was doing the bending.

Several of the light beams flowing with the water started to fan out in different directions, causing some of the water to fall lifeless. Some sinking into the earth while others floated away like the wind. A few of the rays made their way over to him, swirling around in a fire like a pattern. Zuko moved away from the light streaks, unsure what to make of them, but they followed. The strange, powerful feeling almost hurt as the light beams flowed around him. It was like the light was pulling the fire out of him. He felt himself start to sweat, and his hands begin to smoke. Zuko grabbed his wrist as the urge to release an explosion of flames almost took over him. The cyclone bent, placing the girl down gently on the sand. Each beam surrounding the water and him flowed back into her body, and the funnel fell apart in a big splash. As the lights disappeared into the girl, the strange power surge seemed to fade as well. The sudden loss of that feeling almost made him dizzy. What the hell was that? Zuko took a few deep breaths before shaking his head then looked over to the girl. What should he do? Should he approach her? Would she attack him? Why wasn't she moving? He stood for a couple more seconds before running up to Trinity. Just as Zuko reached her, he heard his uncle calling him downstream.

"Over here, Uncle!"

Iroh trotted over to Zuko, who was holding an unconscious Trinity in his arms. "Did she blackout again?" Iroh asked, kneeling down next to the two of them, taking a closer look. His eyes widened after a second, "Lay her on her back Prince Zuko, she is not breathing."

"What?" he said, laying her on her back then putting his ear by her mouth. Iroh immediately started doing chest compressions. He didn't even think to check her breathing. A water bender or not, the girl was useful.

"Prince Zuko, lift her chin up and when I tell you to breathe, hold her nose and breathe into her mouth." Zuko nodded, paying close attention to his uncle. Despite being at sea for so long, this was the first time he had to do something like this. Tao and the rest of the medical team took care of these kinds of situations.

"Breathe."

Zuko covered her nose and blew as hard as he could into her mouth. Nothing happened when he sat up. Did he do it wrong? He looked at his uncle almost in a panic. Iroh was, though concerned, calm, continuing the compressions. Zuko tried this best to slow his rapidly beating heart and took a deep breath.

"Breathe."

Zuko repeated the act of again, with once again no response. He had to be doing this wrong. It never took this long, right? How long had it been? Thirty seconds? A minute? How long did she have? Was she going to die? Now he was really starting to panic. This girl couldn't die. Now that he knew she could actually track the Avatar, she was essential. Iroh bent over to listen for the girl's breathing, then went back to the compressions.

"W-we should take her back..."

"It's too far, she won't make it. Breathe."

Zuko hesitated, "I-I don't think..."

"Zuko!" Iroh yelled, causing Zuko to jump. Filling his lungs as much as he could, he tried again. This had to work; she couldn't die. The teen leaned up, waiting for a response, something anything.

Suddenly, Trinity sat up, coughed up water and gasping for air.

"Oh, thank goodness you're alright," Iroh sighed, leaning back on his hands.

She leaned back on the ground taking in a few more breaths before opening her eyes. Zuko didn't comment nor make known the wash of relief he felt when she took her first breath. He did, however, take notice of the glow of purple, leaving her grey eye as it opened. What the hell was this girl? A water bender, an avatar tracker? Zuko was no expert on water bending, but he had never seen anything like that except from...

"What happened?" Iroh questioned, interrupting Zuko's thoughts.

"I... jumped..." she breathed.

"At that speed? That was..."

"Are you a water bender?" Zuko uninterrupted his uncle. The question slipped out of his mouth before he could halt it, but he needed to know. Iroh looked at his nephew in confusion. Why would he ask that? Because she survived the jump?

"What do you mean?" Trinity was confused; what was water bending again? Trying the think caused her head to swim.

"You shot out of the water in a cyclone. The only water bender around just took off on a bison." Her response was frustrating. All he needed was a yes or a no.

She looked down, trying to remember. All she could recall was jumping out of the boat and struggling to swim and breathe. Then darkness hit her while her lungs felt like fire.

"No, I can't. I don't..." It was hard to think. Her throat and lungs were burning, and her chest had stabbing pain on the left side.

"I saw you..."

"Prince Zuko stop. We will talk about this when we get back to the ship." Iroh's voice was stern. Whatever his nephew saw could wait until later.

Zuko opened his mouth to respond but then closed it again. He huffed as he stood, bringing Trinity with him. "Can you stand on our own?"

She lightly pushed off of him, swaying slightly before gaining her footing. "I should be fine, I think." She slightly winced when she took the first steps forward. The prince turned and started to march off without another word. "Are you sure your alright." Trinity only nodded following in Zuko's path. It hurt to breathe. It hurt to walk. The adrenaline was starting to wear off, and she instantly felt like she might pass out again. Once they got to the ship, Iroh turned to her. "I would suggest we go see Tao to make sure you are alright."

Trinity shook her head, "I'm okay, I would just like to lay down for a while." The walk back to the ship was agonizing. It took everything she had to not show it to both men. She just wanted some sleep.

Iroh hummed in response. He didn't agree with that, but a few hours of rest wouldn't hurt. They had been awake for more than twenty-four hours. Maybe assigning someone outside her door wouldn't be a bad idea, though, just in case.

The older man allowed Trinity to wander off to her room without a word. Iroh made sure to assign someone to her door before looking for his nephew. Asking if she was a water bender was out of the blue unless he saw something that proved otherwise. He found Zuko on the bow of the ship looking toward the sun. "You've been up all night, Prince Zuko. Why not lay down for a while and rest."

He was spent for a while before responding, "That girl, did she tell you where she was from?"

"I don't believe she is from any place that we would know. She seems to lack knowledge that even a child would understand."

"Do you remember when we first captured the Avatar. There was a moment when he fell off the boat and into the ocean. Seconds after that, he shot back out in a huge cyclone of water then used it to knock the other crew and me off the ship."

"I don't recall that, but I believe I was still the inside at that time."

Zuko turned away from the sun, facing his uncle, "That girl did the same thing. That same technique without attacking me, of course." He decided against telling his uncle about the beams of light or the weird feeling. Things were already too complicated as it was.

"That can't be possible?"

"She could be lying to us. Claiming to not know things."

"It is possible, but if she truly was a water bender, there would be no reason for her to help us. She has not shown any sign that she is unwilling to capture the Avatar, has she?"

"No, she hasn't. She was the one to offer help in the first place." Zuko sighed to himself, turning back around to lean against the rail. None of this made any damn sense. If she was a water bender, why help them? If she wasn't, then what the hell was she? He needed to get some answers.

"There is also the state of her memory. Once again, she lacks basic information," Iroh stated, stroking his beard.

The statement made Zuko even more frustrated. "We'll question her tomorrow. I want to know where she's from and why she's here."

"We should let her rest for a while..."

"We will question her tomorrow, Uncle. We need to know where her loyalties lie."

Iroh nodded. There was no stopping his nephew from doing what he wanted. Even if he did try and stop Zuko, his nephew would just corner her when he wasn't around. If this questioning was going to happen, Iroh would rather be there than not. He only hoped Trinity would be prepared for such an interrogation.

The trio flew thousands of miles above, as clouds whipped by. Though the water tribe siblings were celebrating getting out of a sticky situation, the young monk with them stayed silent. The young girl with them noticed his puzzled look and crawled up to the bison's head. "Aang, are you alright?"

Almost snapping out of his concentration, Aang gave the girl a big smile. "Yeah, I'm okay, Katara. It's just..." he trailed off into thought again.

"What is it?" She scooted up close to sit next to him.

"You know that weird feeling I told you about on Roku's island."

"Yeah. Didn't you think it was Avatar Roku trying to connect with you?"

"That's what I thought at first, but I felt it again."

"Again? When?"

"I felt it a little bit after we left the market, and then it got stronger when Zuko came after us."

"So it wasn't Roku?" Sokka asked, pushing himself in between the two of them."

"I don't know. Maybe Roku's trying to contact me again?"

"I thought the whole point of risking our lives flying into the fire nation was to contact him?! We're not doing that again. Nope, Nah-uh." Sokka moved back to the saddle sitting back with his arms crossed.

"Even if we went back, I couldn't talk to him without the solstice. It must be something else."

"Maybe you're getting sick." Katara placed a hand on Aang's forehead. He felt fine.

Aang shook his head though smiled at the concern, "It doesn't feel like that. It feels different."

"Maybe you just need to poop."

"Sokka!"

"What, it's freeing."

Katara rolled her eyes, turning back to Aang. "We'll figure out Aang, don't worry." The young monk only nodded as they flew into the sky.

---

Alright, another chapter down! Not going to lie, I've been a bit nervous about this one. It lays down some pretty essential ground rules for the rest of the story. Hopefully, I described everything to where it makes sense, at least a little bit. Tell me what you think! I hope everybody is staying safe in this crazy year we're living in. Thanks for reading :)