Heidi sprung up in bed, grasping her blanket. Cold sweat dripped down her face; her body shivered in fear. The quiet room was interrupted by Heidi's ear-piercing scream. Realizing her nightmare was not reality, Heidi slowly took deep breaths to calm herself.

"Kasumi," Heidi called out to the darkness. Heidi's screech must have woken Kasumi up.

"Kasumi?" she questioned again. No response.

Heidi formed some hand gestures and water flew from the cup by Heidi's bed, splashing Kasumi. Still unchanged, Kasumi didn't move or react. Concerned, Heidi moved towards Kasumi's bed and shook her vigorously.

"Kasumi! Is she breathing?" Heidi asked aloud. No sign of breath was present. Heidi collected the water on Kasumi and began healing her body.

"Sensei Ryo!" Heidi screamed, hoping her teacher would hear her. "RYO!"

Dashing out the door, Heidi didn't stop to appreciate the beauty of Ba Sing Se at night. Arriving at Ryo's door, Heidi knocked furiously.

"SENSEI RYO!"

The door opened and an old short man stood in the door way, confused and tired. His eyebrows, slanting slightly, were large, white, and very bushy. A long bushy beard grasped his chin.

"What is it, Heidi?" asked Ryo.

"It's Kasumi. I don't think she's breathing."

"Let me see." Worried, the two dashed back to the other room.

"Did you try healing her?"

"A little, but I haven't perfected it. I thought you ought to do it."

"I see. You chose wisely." Ryo closed his eyes, placed his hands together, and a blue light emerged from his palms. He continued the process for five minutes while Heidi restlessly paced back and forth, concerned for her friend's safety. Then, Ryo stopped bending.

"Well?" Heidi eagerly anticipated.

"She'll be alright."

"Then why isn't she breathing?"

"I'm sure she's breathing just fine where she is."

"What do you mean? Where is she?"

"The spirit world." Heidi stared at Ryo, dumbfounded. "Kasumi is the avatar."

-Kasumi-

Kasumi awoke, her short blue hair whisking with the wind.

"Can you believe that training yesterday, Hei--" Kasumi stopped mid sentence. "Heidi?"

The avatar arose and surveilled her surroundings. She stood by a small pond covered in lily pads and multiple stones.

"Hello? Sensei Ryo? Is anyone here?"

Snap! A twig broke in the woods behind her.

"Who's there?!" Kasumi screeched. Alert, she bended water from the pond, took a deep breath and blew on the water, turning it into a large icicle. Then, she kicked it, sending the multiple shards of ice into the surrounding ghostly foliage. Kasumi's bending style was always unique; she incorporated much of her own technique and bending skills into her bending.

No one emerged from the woods.

"Come out and fight you coward!" She repeated her icicle technique. Nothing happened.

Splash! Something fell into the water behind her. Slowly, Kasumi approached the pond. She knelt down, seeing her own reflection but noticed something else. Two fish were swimming in unison, one black and the other white. They swam effortlessly and with perfection. Their scales did not represent the normal scales of water fish but instead glowed with a misty white.

"What the h--"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHRRRRGHHH!" A giant flying bison flew from the sky and landed on Kasumi. She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"Who the, wait no, what are you?" The bison's tongue travelled up Kasumi's face, wetting her blue hair. "Eeeww! Get away from me you-- you thing!" Kasumi scrambled off of the ground and dashed into the woods. Immediately, the bison flew up from the ground. Kasumi watched, astounded by the bison's large tail and six legs.

Kasumi took off at full speed, dashing through the woods. Suddenly, she heard chirping noises. Kasumi stopped and turned in the other direction. The noises became louder. Briskly, something landed on her head. Scared, Kasumi bended from the water pouch on her belt. She splashed the water over her head.

"EEEEPP!" The creature made a screeching noise. Quickly, he flew from Kasumi's head to a nearby branch. Kasumi stood ready to fight.

"Aww! You're so cute!" Kasumi approached the creature as it shook off the water. It blinked twice very distinctively. "What are you? A lemur? With wings?"

Instantly, the lemur flew through the woods, heading skyward.

"Hey! Come back? Can't you tell me where I am?"

Snap! Another twig broke in the woods. Kasumi took the remaining water from her pouch and formed an icicle, driving it towards the sound in the woods.

"Ouch!" Kasumi saw a nearby kid fall to the ground.

"Oh no!" Kasumi gasped and ran towards him. Getting closer, Kasumi realized the child was relatively young. On his bald head was a blue arrow, and he wore a red and yellow type jumpsuit. It was an air monk.

They're still alive? Kasumi thought, astonished. Impossible!

Regardless, Kasumi ran towards the boy.

"I'm so sorry! Here, let me heal you!" Kasumi prepared her healing technique.

"No, that's okay," the boy bickered. "Just do me a favor."

"Anything. I impaled you with an icicle."

"Come closer."

Kasumi moved towards the boy, bending down.

"Closer."

She leaned in.

"Closer."

Now the two were face to face.

"What is it?" Kasumi asked.

"Will you go penguin sledding with me?" The boy's eyes widened. "Please? It will be fun!"

Kasumi stared at him dumbfounded. "Excuse me, but what?!"

"Penguin sledding! Let's go!"

"There's an icicle impaled in your side! Do you really think you're in any condition to go erm-- penguin sledding?"

"There is?" the boy looked down at his side. "Oh, there is!" Instantly, he disappeared from the very spot where he laid. The icicle remained attached to the ground.

"I'm over here, silly!" She turned around.

"But how did you? You were just-- what?" Kasumi was easily confused.

"Have you seen my bison? I can't find Appa anywhere? Or my lemur, Momo?" Kasumi's thoughts flashed back to her earlier encounters with the creatures. Just then, the flying bison landed from the sky again, knocking over several trees as he landed. Momo sat on the arrow on his head.

"There you guys are!" The boy ran and hugged the bison's side.

"These things are yours?"

"They aren't things! They're my friends. Now hop on! We have to go penguin sledding!" The boy bended the air and boosted himself to the bison. Kasumi stared at him. A real airbender!

"Come on Blue? Aren't you coming?" Seeing as she had no other choice, Kasumi climbed the bison and sat on the back in its saddle.

"Does this thing fly?" Kasumi asked.
"Of course! Yip yip, Appa!" Quickly, they bison flew into the air, reaching the clouds in a matter of seconds. Kasumi ogled at the cloudy, apparition like world below her. Her stomach wasn't at peace with the high altitudes.

"Excuse me, but where are we?"

"Don't worry, Blue, I know where we are!" Somehow, that didn't comfort Kasumi anymore.

"My name isn't Blue, it's Kasumi. And if I'm going 'penguin sledding' with you, I think I'd like to know your's"

"Well sure, it's Aang."

Kasumi's heart skipped a beat. Everything clicked. The airbending. The bison. The lemur. The arrows. It all made sense.

"Aang? As in Avatar Aang?! The last airbender?"

Instantly, the teenage Aang disappeared, and an older, more serious one filled his place. He had grey facial hair at the end of his chin. He now wore a long, red kimono with a yellow dragon on it.

"Kasumi, we've been waiting for you."

Kasumi stared at the old man, confused by the recent events.

"I am Avatar Aang. You'll have to excuse my younger, foolish self. I was quite a numskull back then. But the penguin sledding trick always did work with the ladies. Especially Katara."

Katara! Kasumi remembered her training and the teachings of past avatars.

"But how can you be here! You're dead! Am I dead, too?"

"No, you are here in the spirit world. Your body is back in your room with Heidi."

"The spirit world? I'm in the spirit world? But, but, only the avatar can return to the spirit worl--"

"Thats right." Kasumi gasped and froze in place. "Kasumi, you're the avatar."

"That's impossible. Someone else was supposed to be the avatar: Heidi, Sensei Ryo, but not me!"

"You are the avatar, Kasumi. It is a gift."

"More like a curse! This can't be right! I'm not--no! Not me!"

"Yes, we have much to discuss. The war is raving and the Earth Kingdom is in danger. They need your help. They need the Avatar."

"No! I won't help them! They can help themselves! I don't want to be the avatar. Get away from me you old man!"

Without thinking, Kasumi jumped from the bison.

"Kasumi, no! Don't!"

She fell through the clouds, heading towards the ground. Suddenly, she startled and her surroundings changed. She was home in her bedroom. Heidi ran over to her bed.

"Kasumi! You're awake! Sensei Ryo and I we found out that--"

"I know."

"But, Kasumi! You should be happy!"

"Well I'm not. Get out!"

"It's my room, too."

"OUT!"

Annoyed with her friend, Heidi walked out the door and slammed it shut.

-Devin-

"More eggs for m'lady?" Daichi snarled. He instructed his servant to bring more eggs to the table. The servant entered and placed the eggs in front of Devin.

Furious, Devin threw the eggs to the ground, the plate shattered. She stared at Daichi, giving him an evil death glare. Devin wished she could bad mouth Daichi, but a handkerchief gagged her mouth and she was tied to the dining chair.

"Still not cooperating? Feisty one, aren't we? I can fix that," Daichi snickered. "Guards help me chain her to the wall, will you? She needs some 'encouragement.'" Quickly, two guards grasped both of her arms and chained them to the wall. Then repeated the same to her legs afterwards.

"Leave us alone," Daichi ordered. "Devin needs some etiquette classes." Devin's face turned bright red, with anger. Quickly, the guards left as Daichi grabbed another plate of eggs. Slowly, he approached Devin, the look of evil lingering in her eyes.

Daichi shot a fireball at the handkerchief that was gagging Devin and it disintegrated.

"Now we can have some alone time. Just you, me, and these eggs."

"You scum! I will--"

"No no no! Be quiet now!" Daichi placed his fingers over Devin's lips. "You know you like this."

Devin struggled to get free, but the cuffs on her arms were too tightly wrapped.

"How about some eggs?" Daichi forced the spoon into Devin's mouth. Instantly, Devin was tempted to vomit the eggs, but instead, she swallowed them. Devin considered her possible options for escape, there seemed to be only one possible one: to please Daichi.

"Yum," Devin exclaimed.

"Oh! Participating now, are we? Would you like some more?" Daichi placed some eggs in his mouth and moved in towards Devin's lips.

"You jerk!" Scared by his motion, Devin felt an uncontrollable rage from within her. She couldn't contain it. Suddenly, a knife from the table rose in the air, flew towards Daichi, and landed in his back.

Daichi screamed in pain, and a fire released from his feet, surrounding Devin's feet as well. The wooden chairs and table soon lit on fire. Devin broke into a cold sweat. She looked at the prince below her, unconscious. Had she put the knife in his back?

The fire increased in size and Devin began to gasp for breath.

"Where is he?" she thought. "Hurry up, Katsu!"

The metal chains wrung closely around her wrists and feet. Then, she felt the chain around her right ankle break into fire. She screamed in pain.

Suddenly, the metal walls of the prison cell fell down; Katsu had arrived. He removed the chains from Devin and they escaped the cell, leaving the prince on the floor to die.

"Are you okay?" Katsu asked.

"I'm fine. I am not a damsel in distress."

"I don't think you are, we never planned it like that. I didn't expect him to break into fire."

"Let's get out of here. I'm never seeing this son of a bitch again."

-Katie-

"Katie, where are you going to go?" Kyrii asked.

"I don't know! Anywhere! I'll find Katsu and break him out of prison," Katie replied.

"But you can't! It's too dangerous!"

There was a knock on the door.

"FIRE NATION! OPEN UP!"

"Let her go, Kyrii," Takeshi ordered. "She'll be find. She's a good earthbender."

"I know," Kyrii agreed, tears streaming down her face. "Get out of here."

"Katie, go out the back door, I'll hold them off. Be careful."

"Yes, dad. I love you."

Takeshi ran to the door, and opened it slowly.

"Hello, sir. Is there a problem here?"

The fire general lifted up his helmet. "Your daughter was seen earthbending."

"Earthbending! Why what nonsense? She could barely move a rock!"

"We must take her into custody immediately."

The conversation drowned out as Katie escaped through the back door, belongings in hand. As she opened the door, a fireball shot towards her head. Katie's reflexes kicked in and she dodged the fireball.

Guards had been waiting by the back door for Katie. It was a trap.

Quickly, Katie raised several chunks of rock from the ground and sent them at her opponents. Instantly, her opponents reacted, but they did it too slowly. The rocks hit them on their heads, knocking them unconscious. Feeling confident, Katie moved towards the front of the house to take out the remaining guards.

However, Katie was instantly attacked from behind. She fell to the ground, groggy. Two guards picked her up and dragged her to the front entrance.

Katie woke up several minutes later, the general's face directly in hers.

"Good morning, Rocky," he scowled. Katie attempted to earthbend, but her body was tied together.

"Let me go!" she yelled.

"Not quite. See, you didn't follow the rules. You could've come peacefully. But you didn't, so we're going to set fire to your little home! With your parents inside," he snickered and spit in Katie's face.

"What! No, please! I'll go!" Katie had no intentions of cooperating, but giving the guards what they rightfully deserved- a butt whipping.

"Too late! Light her up boys."

Fire emerged from the soldiers fists, and Katie's quaint, little home burst into flames.

"Put her in the cart," the general ordered. Tears formed in Katie's eyes. She watched her house from afar, as it slowly caught fire. Everything in Katie's life: her brother, her parents, her childhood-- was now up in flames.