I woke up to some light that had managed to filter through the dense foliage. Sitting up and wincing as my hands made contact with the ground, I looked around. I had no idea where I was. This didn't bother me as much as it would have on any other occasion.

On my left was the metal dragon I had grabbed from my mom's hand. Its tail held the two wedding rings that my parents had worn for twenty one years. My throat tightened, but no tears slid out. I lay back down, rolling to my back. Staring up at the little ray that had managed to make its way through the trees, I began to think aloud.

"Okay. Everyone I love is… gone." I choked a bit more, but I still didn't cry. "I have no place to go." My mother's side of the family had moved to another part of the world; a part I wasn't even sure I could remember if I had tried, and my father had lost his family when a tree was blown onto his house as a child. "Apparently I'm the Avatar. I can't really bend my own element." I looked at my hands for emphisis on this note. "And I'm wanted for the destruction of my town." I sighed and rolled to my side. "I have no food or water and I'm lost in the woods." I took a deep, shaky breath. "I am in trouble." I lay on the ground for a few more minutes, but then I sat up- again wincing because of my hands, (I really needed to remember they were burned…) and looked around. I closed my eyes, spun around a few times, and, when I opened them, I began to walk in that direction.

I walked for three days. On the third day I just collapsed. My mouth was so dry, my stomach was cramping, and my muscles were screaming in pain. My hands and back looked infected, and both throbbed with every heartbeat. I closed my eyes, promising myself I would rest for just a minute.

I don't know how long I slept, but I woke up to a voice. The voice was rising and falling, and it sounded high-pitched, which led me to believe it was a girl. I sat up, remembering, for once, not to use my hands. I crawled (using my hands) over to a nearby bush, and rolled inside. Tears streamed down my face, but I didn't cry out. The voice was getting louder and louder, and it seemed she was singing.

When I was old enough

I was told

To never ever ever go

Out alone

I could see movement through the trees.

I didn't listen,

And out I went

She broke out of the tree across from the bush, and sat down, placing a basket next to her.

And the next day

I was found dead!

I raised my eyebrows. What kind of song was this? The girl's back was to me, and I shifted to try to see her better. She stopped singing.

"Well? Are you going to come out?" I stopped shifting and held still. My left hand was on the ground and pain made its way up my arm.

"Come on. I don't bite." She turned around, and looked straight into my bush. Her eyes were a deep brown, and she hair very slight features. Her hair, long and brown, fell to the ground and had a few leaves stuck in it. Her mouth, fortunately, was turned up into a smile.

I bit my lip, wondering what I should do. I guess the lack of food and water had impaired my judgement, because I crawled out of the bush.

"Hi," she said, and stood up. I stood up quickly. "What's your name?"

I licked my lips and said, "Rea." While mentally slapping myself for giving her my true name, she extended her hand.

"I'm Aetia," she said, pulling her hand back when I didn't offer mine. "You look like you've died." I cringed, sure that she was right. My robes were torn, I hadn't washed in three days, and my hair was out of its usual bun. "Do you want to join me?" She gestured toward her basket, and, smelling food for the first time, I nodded. She sat back down, and I did the same.

I watched as she moved the basket in front of her and began to pull out food. I had never seen this type of food before. For the first time, I noticed that her clothes were a light green.

"Are you an earthbender?" I blurted, and then mentally slapped myself again. This was why I had very few friends.

She nodded. "Yep. I'm almost a master, in fact." Handing me a plate filled with some type of noodle, she went on. "I'm almost nineteen… I've been practicing since I was five. I'm the only earthbender in my family. My sister hates me for it." She smiled and passed over a cup that had some type of juice in it. I chugged it down, enjoying the feeling of having it wet my dry throat. "I take it you're a firebender?" I nodded. "I thought so. You're all burned… a lot of my firebending friends get burned; especially those with younger siblings." She inspected my hands. "But not that badly. What happened?" I choked a little on the juice.

"Uh… I was, um, practicing with my brother and he couldn't, er, he wasn't able to do a specific move, and I was showing him how. And then he- he tried and I was too close." I stopped talking and shoved some noodles into my mouth. She tilted her head and began to stare at me. I looked at the trees. And swallowed my noodles.

"Mm-hmm. And what's your brother's name?"

"It's… Lee." She nodded and pulled out a mango. Biting into it, she continued to stare at me.

Again, I looked at the trees around us.

"Okay. So, anyways, why are you in the woods? Usually I'm the only one who goes in them, and I am definitely the only one in my village who goes this far. And why do you look like you've been out here for a month?"

I squirmed under her gaze, her questions becoming too frequent for my liking. "I was with my… camp group, and I got lost?" I cursed myself silently for making it sound like a question. "That was about three days ago…" I drifted off at her stare.

"You don't have to lie to me, you know." She said. And, for some strange reason, I felt like I had betrayed a close friend. I sighed; sure I was making a huge mistake. But I couldn't stop myself.

"Okay. Um. I'm not- like, I swear it was an accident," I said, my throat closing up. "I swear. But, I was attacked, and-" I broke off. "And I guess I panicked… I guess I went into the Avatar State- But I didn't even know I was the Avatar! No one did! I can't even bend my own element- and- and my town-" A sob forced its way out and I stopped talking. I didn't look at her, instead, I looked at the grass below me.

I shifted, ready to jump up and run if she tried to grab me.

"It was an accident?" She asked. I nodded as hard as I could.

"Yes. I didn't even know I was the Avatar-"

"I know." She sighed and set down her bowl. "Okay. You wait here. I'll be back in about three hours." And, before I could say anything, she stood up and ran into the trees, leaving me all alone.

At least I had the picnic basket.