Authors Note: Don't own ALTA or LOK

Karrah's feet pounded as she ran up the concrete slab of stairs. The sounds of shouting, and arguing echoed throughout the stone building. Karrah had never liked any of her neighbors they were never friendly and always seemed to just look at her like she was some unruly trouble making kid. Opening the door to her family's small apartment she slug her satchel off her shoulder while calling out, "Mom I'm home." "We're the kitchen sweetie," the voice of Gaia Langley called out to her daughter. "Kah. . .Kah. . .Kah." Karrah's Five-year old brother, Li chanted as she came into the room. "Hey Kid," She mumbled and then ruffled his hair. "Hi mom." She said turning towards her mother who was busy stirring something in a large pot on the stove top.

"How was your day?" Gaia asked her daughter. "Fine," Karrah answered as she peered over the rim of the pot to see what her mother was making. She made a face "Stew again?" "Karrah," He mother said in a sharp tone giving her a disapproving look. "You should try to be a little bit more grateful for what we have." Karrah sighted, "I am mom." Letting the subject drop. "Is dad home?" Her mother pressed her lips together in a thin line. "He said that he'd be working late again tonight." Hui Langley was a good man, who would do almost anything for his family. He spent most of his days and nights selling for Republic city's local tea company's down at the markets and sometimes at the local docks.

Karrah frowned and turned heading to her bedroom. "Dinner will be ready soon sweetie you should go get washed up." Gaia called over her shoulder. "Actually mom I have homework." "Alright do you want me to leave you any stew out." "No thanks," Karrah called as she shut her bedroom door and threw her satchel bag in the floor. Karrah flopped down on her bed with a loud groan. Letting her eyes flutter shut as she sighted forgetting about her homework as she slowly drifted off to sleep.

Gaia frowned as she stared down into the bubbling pot of stew that previously been simmering on the stove. 'I'll take her a bowl of stew anyways,' she thought. She refused to let her own daughter hold up in her room and starve herself. Shaking her head Gaia poured some of the stew into a bowl and carried it to her daughter's room. Knocking lightly she pushed the door opened and sighed at the sight before her. Karrah laid on her side fast asleep. Gaia shook her head at her daughters antics. She sat the stew down on the small side table and threw the duvet over her daughters slumbering form, picking up the bowl again she quietly closed the door and returned it to the kitchen.

~%~

"KARRAH!" Gaia called as she hustled around the kitchen. "Your going to be late for school." The young woman scurried out of her room slinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing a piece of toast from the kitchen table. "Bye mom," she called. He fathers sleep deprived form sat at the table reading the daily paper, while her brother babbled happily about nothing in particular while playing with his food. "Bye dad," she said and kissed his cheek. "Have a good day kiddo." He called back to her, but Karrah was already out the door racing down the stairs to the catch the satobus in time.

Leaning against the desk, Karrah tilted her head to listen to her friends absent-minded chatter. "And then I told them that if they would let me go to the spring solstice festival that I would-" "Alright class settle down." Mr. Rue cut Leif off mid-sentience. "Now I know that today we are supposed to be discussing the settlement of the earth states, but after I've reflected on it for sometime I've come to the conclusion that we need to continue on with our studies about the independence of spirits-." The class broke into a fit of murmuring along with some continuous groans.

Clearing her throat, Mr. Rue regained the classes attention. "Now as I was saying we will continue with the independence of spirits, and to help all of you fully understand it today we are going to be doing something a little different. So all of you please put your book away and gather your belongings and fallow me." Leif bent down to gather his books and leaned over to Karrah. "Do you know whats going on?" She shrugged, "Not a clue."

The instructor lead the class out to the front of the school, where a satobus with red piling paint waited for them. The doors to the bus opened and the voice of Sosa called out to them. "Well don't just stand there, get on." The students looked around glancing at one another as they slowly boarded one behind the other as Mr. Rue stood to the side doing a head count. "Sosa you wouldn't happen to know whats going on would you?" Karrah asked. The older woman gave slight chuckle showing her crooked teeth. "Sure do, but I ant' saying nothing. Now hurry up your blocking the door."

Karrah frowned and followed Leif to their seats. "You know this is totally qualified as kidnapping right," He whispered. Karrah gave him look and turned back to the front as Mr. Rue boarded. "Okay, it seems like everyone's here," He told the bus driver. Who only grunted in response and closed the doors on the bus. "Lets get this show on the road shall we," Sosa said pulling away from the school. An odd silence seemed overtake the class as the satobus drove deeper into the more unfamiliar parts of the city. Karrah notice while the more unfamiliar the scenery became the bigger the beam to spirit portal looked. "Were heading into the abandon part of the city." Leif whispered. Karrah noticed he was right. In the distance she could see very big green vines covering most of the building and structures.

The satobus slowly rolled to a stop just before barricaded blocking off the rest of the road. "Okay everyone listen up. We are here so we can try to see the spirits in their natural forms. Fist let's go over some rules no wandering off so stay with your partners, and the most impotent of all do not cross that barricaded. Understood?" The teacher said, and was only answered with a few nods. "So now I will pass out your work sheets then when I call out your names get with your partners and you can go outside and start discussing what you see." "I can't believe he's doing this," Karrah whispered in awe to Leif. "I know, Mr. Rue's been replaced with someone who's actually cool." Leif said excitedly. "Leif and Jin." Mr. Rue called out Leif frowned glancing at Karrah who was staring out of the bus window. Her eyes transfixed on what was left of the giant statue of the past avatar Aang that stood in the middle of the old harbor along with an abandon looking island. 'It looks so much bigger up close' she thought thinking about how tinny the statue looked had from her home. "Avron your with . . . Karrah." Karrah was jostled in the side by Leif the exact moment that Mr. Rue had called out her name. Leif noticing the sour expression on his friends face said, "Come on it wont be that bad."

Karrah huffed in response and muttered, "Yeah right." Leif just shrugged standing up. "You coming?" He said over his shoulder Karrah sighed and stood following him off the bus wounding how this day could seem any worse. Karrah stood outside next to Leif and his partner with a piece of paper in hand as she took in her surroundings. The building looked empty and sad with the vines warped tightly around them, in the distance the beam of the spirit portal could be seen. "Are we gonna do this or what." A voice behind Kara said. She turned around to see Avron looking at her expectantly. "Excuse me?" "The uh. . . work sheet we. . . need to um, do the work on it." Karrah stared at him as he continued to ramble. "Fine," she said letting out an aggravated sigh. The two of the stepped up to the barrier and lapsed into silence as they both watched the motionless vines. Karrah plucked the paper from Avron's hand. Question 1: Spirits can feel the energy around them, so what pull or force do you think ties them to Republic City?

Out if the corner of her eyes Karrah could see Orlena and her partner Shen Bond slowly approaching. "Avron, did you get anything for question five yet?" He shrugged his shoulders glancing over at Karrah. Orlena turned to Karrah as if she was about to repeat the question. "Um . . I'm not there yet." She said awkwardly. Orlena nodded and gave her a small smile. "Man, watching these vines is such a waste if time." Shen complained. His eyes traveled up and down the barricade a thoughtful expression covering his features. "Hey, what if we got a closer look?" Karrah, Avron, and Orlena glanced at one other unsure of what to say. "Oh come on Mr. Rue wants us to lean more about the spirits what's a better way to do then seeing them close up." "I don't know Shen." Orlena said. "Oh come on how dangerous can it be?" Orlena bit her lip glancing at Avron. "Hey she said she didn't want to go." A voice from behind them said. "And who asked you?" Shen said calling out Leif as he stood a few feet away with Jin by his side. Orlena shot Leif a small smile turning back to Shen. Karrah watched as his ears turned red. "Well maybe your right how dangerous could it be they are just vines." "Alright," Shen said pumping his fist in the air. "Fallow me."

Karrah shook her head taking a step backwards towards Leif. "You guys are crazy." Shen shrugged, "We weren't inviting you losers anyways." A few more of their peers had gather around them to watch the show. Karrah hands bawled into fists, "Well go on then see how far it gets you." He smirked back at her, "Don't worry I will, and anyone whose willing to join us feel free." About four or five kids followed him to the crack in the barricade including Orlena they slipped through one by one. Orlena pausing before she glancing back at Avron who had been oddly quite through the hole ordeal. "Avron are you coming?" Avron glanced from her to Karrah, and gave a suttle "Sure." Then continued to followed her through.

"Hey," Karrah called to him making him pause. "What about our grade." She said hold up the paper. Avron just shrugged, "Shen's right you know, what a better way to observe the spirits then to actually see the spirits. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity." Karrah glared at him eyes narrowing. "You Know Karrah I really get the feeling that you really don't like me." Leif snorted from behind her. Karrah frowned before slightly smirking, "You don't say?" Avron through his head back and laughed before giving her a wide gin and slipping through the barrier after the others. Leif let out a curse looking between Karrah and the kid Jin who had spoken up,"Someones should go after them before they do something stupid."

Karrah shrugged, "Mr. Rue can handle it." She said glancing to him a few feet away to see that he was helping a student. "But Kar," Leif said letting out a frustrated sigh. "Orlena's with them." Jin nodded, "Someone needs do something." Karrah shook her head, her brow wrinkling as she frown deep in thought. She turned towards Leif, "I can't believe I'm saying this but I guess we should go after them. "Yes!" He cried, "Lets go." He headed to the crack in the barrier before looking around to make sure no one watching and slipping through, Jin close on his heels. Karrah shook her head again before following them.

Karrah, Leif, and Jin made their way through the underbrush. Following the sounds of distance laughing they were careful trying to avoid the debri and rubble. Karrah paused as they passed by an old satombile tire that laid on its side. Karrah had noticed that a small sprout of a vine was poking out from underneath it. Karrah bent down and gave the tire a big push moving it off the sprout. She tentatively stuck her hand out as if to touch the sprout but then hesitated a moment before backing away. "Karrah are you coming or not," Leif called out to her. "Hold I'm coming," she said jogging to catch up with the two boys. None of them saw the sprout moving slowly sinking back into the earth behind their turned backs.

A loud scream punctured the air stopping the three kids in their tracks. Glancing at one another the three of them broke into a sprint, headed in the direction the scream had come from. Karrah blinked at the sight before her Shen was warped in vines struggling greatly to free himself from their vise like grip. Orlena and another girl stood closely a good foot away, while Avron stood in front of them. Avron along with a muscular looking girl and a tall lanky guy stood in front of the vines trying to grab on to Shen trying find some way to pull him away from the vines. Karrah saw something move to her left and turned her head to the side to see a creature that looked like a rabaroo. The creature was an odd pink color, had no tail, and had shorter legs than an actual rabaroo. Karrah would also swear if asked later on that day that the creature had seemed to be glowing.

"Quick!" Avron called snapping her attention towards him. "Grab his legs." Glancing over her shoulder Karrah saw that the creature was gone. The eight of them paired off each grabbing on to one of Shen's legs and giving a hard tug. "Again," Some called out. One of the vines broke leaving another to slip away. "It's working." Karrah heard one of the other say. Shen seemed to get over temporarily fear and cried out, "Get me out of here." "We're trying," Karrah gritted out through her teeth as everyone gave another tug, more vines broke away. A few more tugs and Shen was free and they were dragging him backwards from the direction they had come from. "Let me go," He cried kicking and making everyone fall backwards. They all lifted their head just in time to see the remaining vines retreating. Avron stood up and offered a hand to Karrah who gave him a dry look before pulling herself up and dusting herself off. She turned around just in time to see Leif blushing wildly as he offered his hand to Orlena who graciously accepted it. "Dude, what were you thinking?" Someone said to Shen who just shot them a nasty look.

"I didn't know the stupid vines could do that." "This places is barricaded off for a reason," Karrah said. "Why do you think they put a big stone wall there for." Shen glared at her, "I was doing just fine by myself I didn't need anyone's help." Karrah huffed, "Yeah I tell you had it completely under control by your cries of 'help me', 'help me'." Shen's face turned red and he opened his mouth for another smart aleck comment when he was interrupted. "Come on guys we should get back to the rest of the class. Karrah and Shen glared at one another. "Fine." "Whatever." Was the only response their classmates got from the two. They all turned heading back in the direction they had come from. Leif stood waiting of Karrah as the other kids passed. Something green moved out of the corner of his eye. "Karrah," he cried. "Look out." The other turned to see what he was looking at and gaped as giant veins moved at a hastily, heading straight for Karrah who was the closest within their reach.

Karrah could hear the blood pounding in her ears. She wanted to scream as she stared in horror at the green looking rope that was heading straight at her at an alarming speed. Giving a small cry as they vines closed in on her, Karrah closed her eyes and lifted her arms over her face as if to protect herself. Their was a loud crunching and grinding noise that hurt Karrah's ears, and earth seemed to shake and move momentarily under her feet followed by an unexpected silence. Karrah squinted through her arms only to see a thin layer of dust and dirt floating around her. Her arms fell limply to her side as she stared at the 7' by 5', vast rock wall that seemed to have materialize out the earth itself. "Impossible," Karrah heard a voice that sounded like Shen whispered from behind her. "Did she just-" Another voice said knocking Karrah back to reality. She turned around to find her classmate ashen faces gazing back at her. "Karrah," Leif said looking with mixed emotions of confusion, loss, and panic. "You're an eathbender," Avron breathed staring at her wide-eyed. "Huh?" Karrah said glancing down at herself.

"She's a bender," another kid called out. "What are you guys talking about?" Karrah asked, taking a step towards them. They all simultaneously took a step back. "Karrah," Leif said again. "You just earthbended that wall." She frowned glancing back at the rock slab and then to Leif. "No I didn't" "We wouldn't believe it if we hadn't see it for ourselves," Avron said. The other nodded in agreement as Karrah stared down at her hands. Did she really just earthbend? She hadn't felt anything different she though that would conform it as bending. 'She couldn't have really bended', she thought 'that would have been impossible wouldn't it ?' "Bend something." Someone called out. "I-I don't know how," Karrah said. Karrah stared at her hands curling and uncurling them into fists as she bit her lip.

"Um... guys." Orlena said pointing behind Karrah. A small vine was curling itself around the stone slab of wall. "We should probably get out of here," Avron said. Karrah followed her classmates through the rubble to the barrier ignoring the looks that the kept shooting her. "The nine teens steeped out from behind the barricade and we're met with a very angry looking teacher. "What do you kids think that you were doing. Never in my time have I had students act so foolish. When we get back to the school all of you are in big trouble-." "Karrah earthbended," Shen interrupted him. Mr. Rue gave his student a hard look. "Mr. Bond if this is another one of your jokes then this highly not the time-." "But it's true," One of his students called out. "Yeah," another student said, "We saw it." Karrah stood with a blank expression watching the scene back and forth like an air ball game. Mr. Rue turned to Karrah, "Is this true Miss Langley?" He asked with one brow raised obviously not believing the other students. Karrah shuffled her feet trying to ignore the eyes of her peers. "I...I don't know." She hesitated glancing at Leif who stood not to far away. "The veins were attacking us and one came towards me. I moved my hands up in a panic and next thing I know is that there was rock wall right in front of me where previously their had been nothing."

Mr. Rue stared at his disobeying students. "You disturbed the spirits." He gave an aggravated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I think that it's about we get back to the school." "But Mr. Rue she's a bender." "That's enough," The teacher said in a hard sharp tone. "We shall deal with all this once get back. Now everyone please hand in you worksheets and return to the satobus."

Reviews Pls!

I still need suggestions for a title to anyone that's willing to help.