Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender.
Chapter Five
Dimension Z.6 - The Pocket
Marcie's footsteps echo through the drafty room. Turquoise lanternlight is the only thing keeping this small space from becoming fully immersed in pitch blackness. The dull lighting is frustrating, seeing as it makes it difficult to read the books pulled from the shelves. Yet, Marcie finds that she doesn't mind it as much as she usually would. Because of the dull lighting, it will make it more difficult for her professors to discover her whereabouts. Not that they would look here in the first place. This room has been abandoned. As a matter of fact, this entire level of The Pocket has long been vacant.
Dimension Z.6's massive headquarters, The Pocket, is impossible for even the most well-seasoned Enchanters and Enchantresses to navigate, let alone an apprentice like herself. Finding the gate that Larissa was pulled through took a small eternity. Little did she expect that the gate wouldn't be located on any of the well-traveled levels. The gate that Larissa was pulled through was on Sublevel 1,097 ½. The entrance to this sublevel was blocked off, but Marcie is glad that she took the risk and explored. Otherwise, she would have continued searching for eternity without ever discovering the whereabouts of her friend.
Finding the gate to Larissa's new dimension, Mars T.9, took Marcie three months. Ironically, only a couple of days passed on Mars T.9. Everything in The Pocket is beyond science, including the passage of time. Now Marcie has spent the past month foraging through Sublevel 1,097 ½, searching for anything that could be a hint as to why Larissa was pulled through this gate. Marcie had attempted opening a gate to an alternate version of Earth Y.0. Instead, she ended up going through what is supposedly an abandoned gate.
The more Marcie searches, the more baffled she feels. Mars T.9's gate is the strangest she has ever seen. The chain keeping it shut is broken and laying on the obsidian ground. As for the gate itself, it is completely rusted. One door hangs by its hinge. The state of the gate is enough to tell Marcie that the dimension hasn't been visited in centuries. As for the gate's archives which Marcie currently explores, the tables and bookcases are coated in a thick layer of grime. The records kept by the previous Guardian Enchantress confirm Marcie's beliefs. No notes have been made regarding the welfare of Mars T.9 for well over a century.
Marcie reads a passage from a dusty, emerald, logbook, this one putting heavy emphasis on the difficulty of negotiating with Avatar Kyoshi regarding the spiritual welfare of her dimension's people. Meanwhile, the wind starts to blow just a tad heavier than the usual draft. It blows so strongly that the hood of Marcie's navy-blue cloak starts to whip. Marcie's attention isn't drawn, however, until the screeching of a gate is heard. A dull, rusty, creak echoes softly down the corridor. It isn't so loud as to alarm her, though it is loud enough to make her curious. Gates only make noises if something out of the ordinary is happening.
Marcy sets down her reading material and exits the archive. Numerous gates pass her by, their untouched locks and rusted frames silent and unmoving. One is a dimension where the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs never struck Earth. Another dimension, one of many, is a dimension where Mar's atmosphere remained intact. This version of Mars has sentient reptiles ruling it. Reaching the desired gate, Mars T.9's gate, only takes a couple of minutes. Exactly as Marcie thought, the noise came from this gate. How this occurrence caused enough turmoil to make the gate squeak is ludicrous to Marcie! Everything appears rather calm. Yet, the apprentice Enchantress continues watching. Perhaps this moment being viewed though the gap in the gate's doors will provide clues as to how Larissa was mistakenly pulled to Mars T.9 in the first place.
Mars T.9 - The South Pole Seas
Before Larissa knows it, she collapses on the bed in blubbering, woeful, tears. An awful, miserable, epiphany strikes, almost like a vision from God. What if where she's from doesn't exist?! The Fire Nation prince has never seen her writing, and quite frankly, the writing here is more indecipherable than ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. When she asked for a pencil earlier, he'd never once heard of a pencil. The map in the library doesn't look anything like the map she is accustomed to. Now that a scant portion of her memories have come unlocked, Larissa knows that she was searching for the continent of North America. Or, more specifically, for the United States of America. It wasn't there.
When she gave Prince Zuko her driver's license, a common piece of identification that most everyone in the United States has, he looked at it like it was a relic from another planet. Not to mention, Larissa had never heard of the four nations until the morning she woke up. She'd never heard of bending, either. She still isn't one hundred percent sure what the 'Avatar' is. Also, the game tiles she'd used to play Hoki didn't look familiar at all. Suchang, General Iroh, Lieutenant Jee, and all the soldiers said that most every home in the Fire Nation and in the Earth Kingdom use those game tiles for recreation. Larissa had never seen those tiles before this morning. Suddenly, the reality of her situation is grievously clear. Wherever it is that Larissa comes from doesn't exist here!
"Wh-where are you from?! W-who are you?!" The prince's golden eyes are filled with a sort of terror that makes Larissa feel like a three-headed alien from outer space.
Sobbing harder, face buried amongst the pillows, the young woman blurts, "I am from New York City, New York. It is the largest city in the United States of America. My name is Larissa Coleman. I was born on September 4, 1987. I'm seventeen years old based on the calendar. But I don't think any of that matters, does it? The United States of America doesn't exist here. My date of birth doesn't exist here. It's only the Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, and the Water Tribes, isn't it? And you have a completely different calendar, don't you?"
Larissa doesn't see it, but Zuko's expression has a momentary flicker of sadness. His voice, while not sad, does certainly sound confused. "The bending nations are the only nations that are known to us. As for our calendar, the year isn't 2005. It is the eighth day of the twelfth month, and the year is 99 AG."
"Oh…"
The girl makes the mistake of raising her head from the pillows. Zuko's face is so thoroughly puzzled that it is almost frightening. Actually frightening is when the prince outstretches his hand with an open palm. "Give me your wallet. I want to show it to my uncle."
"You seem very tense, nephew - more tense than usual! I should brew some tea to help calm your nerves."
It took the teenage boy's full strength to separate his uncle from their gambling crew, but Zuko somehow managed to drag Uncle Iroh to his quarters. Thankfully, Iroh has the most private quarters on the ship. Zuko makes sure that the corridor is silent and that the door is locked before producing the bewitching items that the mystical woman provided. The folding leather pouch dyed lilac, bedazzled by rhinestones, is tossed atop Uncle Iroh's desk. Next the piece of paper bearing Larissa's strange 'alphabet' is removed from the prince's pocket. The parchment is neatly unfolded and spread out beside Larissa's 'wallet'.
"I don't need anything to calm my nerves! I need you to take a look at these."
Watching Uncle Iroh rummage through Larissa's wallet is like watching an astronomer uncover the wonders of the universe. There is more inside the little pouch than the prince realized. Odd, green, paper, and metal coins; probably a form of currency. Zuko moves closer to look. The paper is made from material with a strange texture and it has the face of an old man with curled hair. There is foreign writing on the paper money. It takes a small eternity, but the foreign writing is deciphered as 'One Dollar '. The coins also have miniscule lettering printed on them, though Zuko won't even try to make out the words.
Hidden in a zipping compartment is a stack of cards. There is one that says 'Social Security Administration' with more foreign symbols that Zuko doesn't recognize. Another card, this one bright yellow, bears many symbols that are difficult to comprehend. The only word Zuko can read on the yellow card is 'bank', and there is a bold, black, stripe on the back. The remaining cards are made from thick paper and have holes punched into them. One has the word 'taco' and the other 'coffee'. These are the largest words that Zuko dares try reading, yet none of them make any sense whatsoever. The only time any words are exchanged is when Iroh pulls Larissa's 'driver's license' from the stack of cards. The picture on the front is just as dumbfounding to Iroh as it is to Zuko.
"Where did all this come from?"
"She has had these things with her the entire time. Larissa said that what you're holding is her driver's license. It's some form of identification that's common where she's from."
"Larissa?"
"Larissa - That's what she told me her name is. Some of her memories came back, but not all of them. She also said that she's seventeen years old."
Concern etches into the crows feet at the edges of Iroh's eyes. His gaze lands upon the alphabet scrawled haphazardly in ink. "I see… What else did Larissa tell you?"
Zuko sits down at his uncle's desk with a weary sigh. "The city she hails from is called 'New York'. It is located in a country called 'The United States of America'. Uncle, I want to say that she's crazy, but Larissa's driver's license and the currency she is carrying seem to suggest that she isn't. Everything is crafted with too much precision NOT to be issued by her government."
The prince laughs bitterly. "It was the library that triggered some of her memories. The books freaked her out. She said that she couldn't read it, then proceeded to show me what her writing looks like. I thought that Larissa escaped from an insane asylum! The form of writing looked like something imaginary! Then she started spelling words. Then I saw the writing on her drivers license, and then on the money just now, and on all of the other cards in her wallet. The writing Larissa showed me isn't made up. It's a real form of writing from a real society somewhere!"
The prince gives one more long, bitter, laugh, then pounds a fist against the desk. Afterward a low growl is emitted. "I just don't know where that society is! There is nowhere like Larissa's society on Earth! Do you know where 'The United States of America' is at, Uncle? Have you heard of it? Do you recognize any of the cards in Larissa's wallet? Have you seen this form of writing? Please tell me you have, Uncle ! I feel like I'm going crazy for believing her!"
Concern gleams in aged, amber, eyes. "I wouldn't go so far as to call you crazy, Prince Zuko. The evidence before us is very convincing. Perhaps Larissa isn't from any of the four nations, but I would have to talk with her to reach my own decision." He raises the driver's license and the paper containing the alphabet closer to his face. "Mind you, I haven't heard of her country or the city that she says she's from. This writing and her belongings don't seem familiar, either. If Larissa isn't from the four nations, then she is from somewhere…how do I put this? Her home is somewhere that is not of this world."
"Thank you, Uncle! Maybe I'm not crazy after all!"
"That, or we're both crazy." Iroh stands. "Come. Let's talk to her"
"This? It's my debit card. I can use it to buy things when I don't have enough cash." Prince Zuko is making her feel like an alien again. General Iroh's stare is somehow even more intense than his nephew's. Growing weary of being looked at this way, Larissa sighs. "I slide this card through the card machine, put in my pin number, and it immediately subtracts the money from my bank account. You don't know what a debit card is?"
"No… We've never heard of it."
Larissa is starting to wonder if the Fire Nation royals get joy out of making her feel strange. Next, her cardboard punch cards get shoved in her face. They are for 'Pablo's Tacos' and 'Five Star Coffee'. Nobody says anything. They simply give her questioning looks. Larissa frowns. "These are my punch cards. I get a punch each time I buy something from their stores. Ten punches, and I get something free. My favorite punch card is Five Star Coffee. My tenth punch gets me a free small beverage of my choice." More uncertain starring. "Do you have questions about anything else?" General Iroh wordlessly passes Larissa her social security card. "This is a card from my government. It has my social security number on it."
"Social security number?" Zuko asks.
"Every person in the United States has a social security number. Mine was issued to me when I was born. It's how the United States keeps track of its citizens. You need your social security number when you get a job, when you get married, to get medical care… stuff like that."
"What if you lose the card?"
"It really doesn't matter. You can go to the Social Security Administration and get a new one as long as you have your driver's license or birth certificate. It will still be the same number. The card will just be different."
The expression on the Fire Nation royals' faces would be priceless if only Larissa wasn't so frightened. They're still eyeballing her as though she were a creature from another planet. The single difference is that now they seem to believe what they are seeing, however impossible the notion of her existence may seem. Zuko holds a hand to his forehead whilst Iroh takes a long, lingering, sip from his teacup.
"I have never heard of the country that you hail from, but it certainly seems fascinating. Every citizen is issued a number when they are born. Fascinating indeed! Not even the Fire Nation issues its citizens a number as an identifier. Your 'driver's license' is also very intriguing. What vehicle does that card license you to operate? A tank of some sort?"
The blonde laughs. "No! Definitely not! I'm not in the military by the way I remember. I don't even think I'm old enough to enlist…" Furrowing her brow, she says at last, "That license means that I can drive a car."
"Car?"
This turns into an hour long explanation of the numerous methods of transportation that exist where she is from. Anybody else might be annoyed that these people don't even know what a car is, but Larissa is actually grateful for this conversation. It jogs her memory of so many other things! Because she had to explain what a car is, Larissa now remembers that she would drive herself to school. She is in the eleventh grade and one year away from graduating! Work is another place where she would drive herself. She has a job at a dark dank place. What she did there is still a blur…
There were a lot of neon lights where she worked. Larissa also remembers carefully applying many layers of bright, sparkly, makeup. Where she applied her makeup wasn't in the same room as the neon lights. It was a brightly lit room with tall mirrors and drawers filled with cosmetics. The mysterious red-haired lady worked there too. They would help each other doll up their faces before emerging into the dark, smelly, loud, environment. Besides the cosmetics, the red-haired lady, and how loud it always was, Larissa cannot remember a thing about her workplace. Based on the icky, gurgling of her stomach, however, it is clear that working there was highly unpleasant…
Larissa doesn't share any of this, of course. The information shared is basic. Cars are a common method of transportation, explains the blonde, and most people in her country have one. They aren't as common in New York where she lives, but somehow she was still able to get one. Larissa only wishes that she were able to remember how! Trains, buses, and the subway are also explained in great detail. It is only when talk of airplanes begins that Iroh stops her.
"You are telling me that all of these vehicles are powered by fuel? None of them are powered by bending?"
"No. I don't think bending exists where I come from. I never heard of it until waking up on your ship a few days ago."
Iroh and Zuko exchange glances. Resting a palm to his forehead as if suffering a migraine, Zuko asks, "So, you come from a world of nonbenders with technology that far exceeds our own?"
"Since you don't seem to use credit or debit cards here, and since you don't have cars or airplanes, then I would have to say yes."
Neither of them says a word. They merely exit the room. When Larissa yanks on the door handle a few seconds later, the door has been securely bolted shut. Not only have they left. It seems that she has been locked in.
"What should we do with her, Uncle? We can't have a woman on our ship who is from a place that nobody has heard of! If she is discovered, we will be ridiculed for sheltering a lunatic!" The prince paces back and forth across his uncle's cabin. Eventually, amber eyes ignite with an idea. "We're arriving at Kyoshi Island tomorrow. I suppose we can be rid of her there. I've heard that the people of Kyoshi are hostile toward outsiders. Larissa will either be imprisoned or fed to the sea monster that is native to their waters, and then she won't be our problem anymore. Then I can resume my search for the Avatar!"
Iroh's glower tells Zuko that his preferred course of action will never be permitted. Guilt punches the prince in the gut, but it quickly passes. Perhaps hoping that the people of Kyoshi will kill her is a bit harsh… But what else is a banished royal to do?! He already has enough problems without an odd woman from some undiscovered land residing on his ship!
"We will not abandon her, Prince Zuko. There is no honor in that. We will continue to provide aid to the poor girl." The aging man strokes his gray beard pensively. "However, any help that we provide will only serve as a temporary solution. I am convinced that the place Larissa is from exists. With enough time and enough research, we might be able to figure out how to get her home."
"If you think there is any hope of getting Larissa home, then you're delusional! It doesn't sound like 'The United States of America' is located on the same planet! Even if this place does exist, getting her there will be impossible!"
"That is true Prince Zuko… Achieving this goal sounds like it will be a momentous task. It could take years of traveling and years of research only for our efforts to be futile."
"Exactly! That's why leaving Larissa at the next port is a better idea."
Iroh pours himself another hot cup of tea. He takes a long, lingering, sip, smirking all the while. "You know, the search for Larissa's home which has never been discovered sounds eerily similar to your search for the Avatar, which you have put three years of effort into without complaint, doesn't it?" Zuko throws himself into Iroh's desk chair with a loud groan. He knows where this is going. "You have never found the Avatar, yet you continue to hold out hope that your goal can be achieved. Why is finding the Avatar possible but not finding Larissa's home?"
"Because the Avatar has been proven to be real!"
"And the United States of America isn't real? Larissa has government issued identification and money in her wallet, and none of it appears to be fake. If anything, Larissa's home is just as real as the Avatar."
Another groan. "Fine. As long as measures are taken to keep Larissa's identity hidden, I will not challenge your order to continue housing her on my ship. I also want to continue my search for the Avatar."
"Your terms are reasonable, nephew. I would be happy to assist in the Avatar's continued search. However…" Great, Zuko seethes. Another 'however'. "Keeping her prisoner and housing her are two very different things. I expect you to unlock her door so that she may come and go as she pleases. I also expect you to invite her to a private breakfast in the lounge area tomorrow morning. Miss Larissa needs to be informed that we plan to get her home. She also needs to be aware that the rest of the crew cannot learn where she is from. The three of us will discuss a fabricated past for her in the morning so that the truth is not discovered."
Zuko can't help but feel angry. Leaving Larissa on Kyoshi Island would be SO much easier! Who knows what could happen if they keep her here?! She might tell the crew about where she is from, word could spread that she is a maniac, and Father's wrath could come down upon them for sheltering an insane person! If word spreads, he will be laughed out of every port in the colonies! Perhaps he will be laughed out of the Earth Kingdom ports, too! Even if the worst case scenario doesn't happen, there is still the unfortunate reality that searching for Larissa's home will impede his search for the Avatar. Although Uncle Iroh says that they will continue their search, Zuko is already painfully aware that finding 'The United States of America' will become their first priority.
Nonetheless, Zuko nods stiffly in agreement. "Alright. I will invite Larissa to breakfast tomorrow. We will tell her everything there."
Three Days Earlier - The Southern Water Tribe
"I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?"
Katara's heart sank at her brother's accusing words. Aang was the first good thing to happen to their village in a very long time. She'd pleaded with Sokka and Gran Gran for mercy. Sending the airbender away felt like a mistake. He was special! Katara was certain of it! Nonetheless, Sokka was relentless.
"Warriors, away from the enemy! The foreigner is banished from our village!"
That was the end of it. Aang had left with his bison never to be seen again. Katara begrudgingly anticipated returning to her normal daily routine. Cooking. Laundry. Sewing. Kissing the scraped elbows of the village children. Telling them stories to keep their spirits up. Making sure that Gran Gran was getting enough rest and plenty to eat. Mending Sokka's fishing nets to ensure that their dinner did not escape. Daily tasks were endless. Distraught at the idea of returning to everyday life, especially after meeting someone so incredible, Katara had run off into the snow capped hills to sulk. Enraged, Sokka had chased after her.
"Katara, be reasonable! That kid was a threat!"
Furious, the young waterbender spun around. Ice began to fracture at the foot of the hill. Thankfully, it was too far away to cause any real harm. "Aang is NOT a threat! He's just a goofy kid without a place in the world! We could have been his place in the world, but no! You sent a twelve-year-old boy away to wander alone! When he said that he wanted to go back to the Southern Air Temple to search for the airbenders, he meant it! Aang doesn't know what happened to his people! He thinks that he will go home to a temple full of monks!"
Sokka sighed. "I know it's painful to think about, but Aang can't stay here. I don't want him drawing the attention of the Fire Navy."
"You're just being paranoid! When Aang set off that flare, he didn't draw the attention of the Fire Navy. If he did, one of their warships would already be here! If we go and get Aang, we will be perfectly safe."
"I don't know, Katara… Even if we would be safe with him here, I don't think Aang would want to stay. He seemed pretty determined to go back to the air temple."
It seemed like a longshot, especially with how stubborn her brother could be, but it still felt like it was worth a try. "If Aang can't come back, then maybe we can go find him just to check on him. I just want to make sure he's safe."
Much to Katara's surprise, Sokka did not turn down her suggestion. He may have smacked a palm to his forehead and grumbled a bit, but his answer was still far better than anticipated. "Alright. If you're that worried about him, then we can go with him to the Southern Air Temple. Who knows? Maybe there are still some monks alive and they will thank us for escorting him."
Present Day - The Southern Air Temple
Aang was so happy that Katara and Sokka chased after him that he welcomed them at his side with bone-crushing hugs. That alone was enough to tell Katara that they made the right decision. Three days of traveling has done nothing but reinforce this notion. This wilderness is almost more barren than the South Pole. There are endless miles of forest and snow-capped peaks without a single other human being to be seen.
Wild herds of buffalo yaks roam the frosty plains. They have also seen the occasional polar leopard down below, and back when the landscape consisted of icebergs instead of forests, there was a family of polar bears. For the first time in her life, Katara also saw a pack of owl wolves! Feathers gleamed on the tops of their heads and down their backs while their furry legs glistened with moisture from the snow. The landscape is amazing with traveling companions, but being alone would make the adventure so incredibly lonely. Katara is happy that Aang is not alone.
This is especially true at this particular moment. The Southern Air Temple stands less like a grand structure and more like a haunted castle. Somehow, this place feels more barren than the wilderness that they just left behind. Flying over the forest by himself on Appa would have been one thing, but returning to this spooky place alone? That would have been far worse.
"It's like I told you on the way here Aang… It's possible that the other airbenders could be gone. One-hundred years have passed. A lot can change in all that time."
"The other airbenders aren't gone, Katara. They just aren't here at the temple. They escaped somewhere else. I'm sure of it."
Weeds are springing up between the cracks of the limestone walkway. The airball court is overgrown with vines, a few of the wooden poles appearing wobbly at best; most of the poles are broken. As for the stairs leading into the temple and the gaping arch leading into the first tower, wind can be heard whistling through it. The whistling bothers Katara more than anything. Without taking a single step inside, this whistling tells her that the temple is completely and utterly deserted. Is it possible that the airbenders could be alive somewhere? Sure, Katara thinks. It isn't impossible to think that maybe they escaped. Yet, her gut tells her otherwise.
"Come on. Let's go explore the temple!"
The way Sokka gapes once Aang isn't watching makes Katara think that they're sharing the same thought. Neither of them are convinced that a single airbender escaped this temple. As they're exploring the airball court, Aang doing his best to reconstruct the dismantled poles once used for the game, Sokka points out the helmet of a Fire Nation soldier. Katara quickly covers it with snow, earning a disappointed frown. "You can't protect him forever."
Once they begin their tour inside the temple, sadness intertwines with horror. Aang navigates snakelike corridors and winding staircases with ease, as if he'd only been here yesterday. He calls out, expecting someone to answer. Nobody does, and with each room they explore, it becomes all the more clear that nobody will. Each room brings a fresh dose of despair to the little monk's warm gray eyes. The ovens that they used to prepare their fruit pies have crumbled. The room that they used for meditation is covered in cobwebs and the gong is missing. The mural of a family of sky bison painted onto the wall in the dining hall is in horrible disrepair. The paint has chipped off horrendously. It is only after Aang has exited into another chamber that Sokka points at the edges of the mural. Katara doesn't notice what he is pointing at until he blows away the dust. Then she sees it. Scorch marks. They are on the floor, too.
"Katara, firebenders were here. You can't pretend they weren't."
"I can for Aang's sake. If he figures out that the Fire Nation invaded his home, he'll be devastated."
"This whole place reeks of Fire Nation. He'll find out with or without you protecting him."
When Aang leads them to the next section of the temple, it was with urgency that the little airbender hadn't exhibited previously. His simple explanation is "Monk Gyatso told me to go to the Air Temple Sanctuary. I want to see what's there". When he uses airbending to open the door, it is really neat! Katara has never heard of a lock operated by bending. She wonders if there are doors that can only be opened by waterbending. Maybe in the Northern Water Tribe? It would be cool to see! When the door opens, Katara expects it to be empty or in horrible disrepair. Certainly nothing interesting is anticipated. Instead, it turns out to be the most exciting part of the temple. It is a gargantuan room filled all the way to the top with statues.
"Who are all these people?" Katara asks as she enters the chamber.
"I don't know, but they seem familiar. Especially that lady. She's an airbender!"
Aang gestures to an attractive female monk, her head partially shaved to reveal an arrow. To the female monk's left is a waterbender; a frightening man with a wolf-skin helmet. Then on his left is a tall woman wearing face paint garbed in Earth Kingdom attire. Katara instantly recognizes her! Mom used to tell her stories of the brave earthbending avatar, Avatar Kyoshi! She stopped an Earth Kingdom tyrant, Chin the Great, from conquering the entire Earth Kingdom. If Avatar Kyoshi was brave enough to learn the four elements to defeat Chin the Great, then Katara was brave enough to learn waterbending. "Women are made for greatness. You can be great just like Avatar Kyoshi. Don't ever let your brother tell you otherwise." This is what Mom said to her after sharing that story.
"Avatar Kyoshi!" Katara exclaims. Suddenly, the rest of the statues fall into place. The order of the statues are in the order of the Avatar cycle! Air, water, earth, then fire. "All of these people are Avatars!"
"Why would Monk Gyatso tell you to go to a room full of Avatar statues?" says Sokka scratching his head.
Gray eyes widen frightfully. "Oh! Uh…. I-I don't know….."
They stand in silence for only a few seconds, though it feels like a small eternity. When the siblings' expectant gazes become too much, the little monk backs toward the exit.
"Aang…"
"I have to go!"
He dashes from the statue room, leaving Katara and Sokka standing in front of the Avatar Kyoshi statue speechless.
Aang bounds away from the sanctuary horrified. He must confess that he is the Avatar soon. There were plenty of opportunities to tell them while he was being sheltered in the South Pole and ample opportunities during the trip here. Yet, there never seemed to be a time that was good enough to reveal his identity. The statue room created the perfect environment for a confession, but did he tell them the truth? No. He ran away just like he ran from Monk Gyatso.
"I never wanted to be the Avatar," the tiny monk whispers to himself.
He is looking for a hiding spot. Any hiding spot. A place where he can think before returning to Sokka and Katara with an explanation. This is when Aang spies a barn on the ground outside of this tower. This is where they used to store the hay to feed the bison. This will be a good place to take cover until he can gather his thoughts. He runs down the outside wall until reaching the ground near the barn. Sadly, instead of finding a place to hide, Aang finds the single place that would uncover his secret.
The siblings pace amongst the rows of statues. They start at the firebender that followed Kyoshi in the cycle and end seven firebender before him. As they meander, their silence speaks volumes to each other. Each of them already knows what the other must be thinking. Sokka says it first.
"Do you think Aang is the Avatar?"
Katara puts a finger to her chin thoughtfully. His sister doesn't get a chance to respond. All of a sudden, the eyes of each statue glows white. Their gazes follow the endless rows of Avatars until the glow finally stops somewhere far toward the end of the top balcony. Katara and Sokka exchanged horrified glances.
"Aang IS the Avatar, and we need to go find him NOW!"
Monk Gyatso. Gone. A pile of bones left to rot. Aang can't believe it. It seems so impossible for anyone to be able to kill Monk Gyatso. He was the greatest airbender of all time. Yet, there he is, surrounded by the remains of twelve Fire Nation soldiers. When he reflects on this discovery later, Aang might be able to respect his mentor for taking a dozen soldiers with him into the Spirit World, but not right now. All Aang can do is stare at Gyatso through sad, glowing, eyes. With a jolt, he feels his body rise into the air.
"Avatar Aang, I'm so sorry! This is all my fault!"
Even while in the Avatar State, Aang sees the person speaking. It is a person who is wholly unfamiliar. A girl. She has wild, black, curls that reach her shoulders. Deep brown eyes are set inside a slim, caramel-colored, face. Her nose is what sticks out to Aang the most. It is long and tilted downward. Even so, her face is pleasant enough. The stranger's clothing is also very odd. She is garmented in a long, navy blue, cloak. Beneath her cloak is a long-sleeved, black, dress that buttons up the front. She also wears leggings, which are patterned in black and navy blue horizontal stripes, and are partially covered by leather lace-up boots.
These past few days have been the oddest of the Avatar's young life, but this moment takes the cake for being the single most unusual. He has never seen a person who is this ridiculously dressed. Not to mention, the claim she just made. How is it her fault that the airbenders are gone? How is anything her fault at all? He has never met this person! He feels as the wind rages around him.
"Avatar Aang, it's my fault that your friends don't know that you're the Avatar yet! They're supposed to know, and you're supposed to be on your way to the North Pole to learn waterbending! I'm so sorry! I've messed up the timeline in this world, but I'm going to make it up to you! I promise!" Aang is so confused that he feels the air becoming slightly less turbulent. This next confession is still more baffling. "And I'm so sorry that the airbenders are gone. In a perfect world, they would still be here - it should be a perfect world and they should still be here! I-I don't know why they aren't or how this happened to your people! I am SO sorry, Aang!"
The Avatar slowly descends to the ground in a dissipating orb of wind. It takes an endless thirty seconds for the glow to fully leave his eyes and arrows. At last, he takes in the image of the stranger from up close. Gray eyes flood with bafflement. "W-who are you?"
"I'm Ma-" She eagerly opens her mouth only for her posture to stiffen and to force it shut. "Who I am isn't important. Just know that I have made mistakes…mistakes that have affected you, your friends, and possibly this world…. But it's okay because I'm going to fix it!"
"Fix what?!"
"I'm fixing this world - the damage I did to it…as well as the damage that my colleagues probably did… If an entire culture of people was massacred, then we haven't been doing something right."
Aang points his staff at her. He doesn't know who this lady is, but she seems unwell. "You need to tell me who you are! I don't want to fight you!"
The girl doesn't appear the least bit threatened, though she still raises her arms in surrender. "Again, who I am isn't important. Just admit to your friends that you're the Avatar, then start traveling to the North Pole. You need to learn waterbending. And watch out for Zuko, Prince of the Fire Nation. He was supposed to invade the village the day you set off the flare, but he never came - it's like I said: I messed up the timeline somehow…"
"You're not making any sense!"
"I don't need to make sense. I just need you to listen to me. You're the Avatar! If anyone would be able to sense that I'm trying to help, I thought it would be you. I guess not."
Aang's gaze doesn't leave the girl for a single instant, but he must blink, because she is suddenly gone. All that is left of her is a single swirling strand of purple smoke barley thicker than a ribbon. One gust of wind, and the smoke is gone.