Rei had to really convince the Fire Sages that she couldn't allow Piper to go to the Capital with them, but even though they agreed, they told Rei they'd be back in three days' time to take Piper to the Capital without argument.

"The Fire Lord will not be pleased with this," one of the Sages said, before they all left, "but you will have three days to get your things together."

Piper sat in her bedroom, her knees drawn to her chest, her chin resting atop of her knees. She had been in her room for the majority of the day since the Sage's departure.

They can't seriously expect me to do this, can they? she thought, feeling a bubble of worry form in the pit of her stomach. But it is the Fire Lord...if he wants to see you, you can't say no.

Piper pursed her lips.

But all that talk about guarding the Avatar? That's a load of nonsense! I cannot be the person they think I am. Sighing, Piper let her legs down and sat up, leaving her room.

She needed to think.

-0-0-0-0-

Rei had tried convincing Piper not to leave, so did Imani, but Piper couldn't stay in her house any longer. She needed fresh air and she needed it immediately!

When Piper walked the streets of the colony, her eyes darted to every person she walked by—women and their children; the homeless; merchants trying to sell their product; dirtied children playing in the roads; the elderly trying to make the most of their days. It made Piper's stomach knot up, seeing how the other colonists lived. It wasn't right, not at all.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Piper tried finding something else to distract herself. But every time she tried finding something to keep herself occupied, she'd end up thinking about what the Fire Sages had been talking about.

That whole...Guardian thing...how was she supposed to really know it was her? Was she expected to go on some sort of spiritual journey? Have some sort of realization that she was, indeed, connected to the Avatar somehow? It didn't make any sense to her. There was enough of a controversy going on about the Avatar's resurfacing...

Sighing, Piper pinched the bridge of her nose and tried pushing down that overwhelming feeling of panic and uncertainty that had been bubbling inside her since the whole ordeal started.

I've never even heard of the whole Guardian thing, she thought. Everyone knows who the Avatar is, but why haven't they mentioned this one?

Pursing her lips, Piper slowed her walking just a fraction to think it over. Since her colony didn't have the best financial support, the school that was built was nearly always unoccupied, though there were rare occasions that classes would be held there. Piper attended a few, out of curiosity mostly, not out of any need to get an education. From what little she learned, there was no mention of a Guardian protecting the Avatar. She shook her head.

To the Fire Sages, Piper had three days to get her things in order.

For her, she had three days to figure out how she was going to get out of her situation.

-0-0-0-0-

News spread quickly in the colony. Kaia had figured out about the Fire Sages arriving to her cousin's house minutes after the colony doctor left Piper's house. Kaia found that a bit odd, the Fire Sages coming to visit. From what she understood, Piper just had a fainting spell, but that also occurred the time the Avatar resurfaced, so there must've been some kind of connection, right? Not to mention Piper took the news of the Avatar's resurfacing a bit too positively, considering the Fire Nation was faced with a possible threat.

"I'm sure Piper's fainting spell has nothing to do with the Avatar." Kaia's mother, Leigh, had tried reassuring her on several occasions that it would be impossible for her cousin to have any kind of connection to the Avatar, but Kaia wouldn't believe it.

"She didn't take the news as anything concerning," Kaia had exclaimed. "She seemed almost happy."

Leigh looked at her daughter with an almost disbelieving look on her face. "Kaia, everyone's taking the news differently," she said. "Piper couldn't have been happy. Not when there's a risk to the Fire Nation."

Kaia's lips pursed, her dark amber-colored eyes flaring.

So, the day the Fire Sages arrived and left Piper's home, Kaia watched as her cousin walked around the colony, looking conflicted. No-one dared try and eavesdrop on what was going on in Piper's home, they were more terrified of the Fire Sages catching them more than anything else.

The troubled look on Piper's face, however, made Kaia wonder just what happened between her and the Sages. Was it bad?

It must've been, she thought, biting her bottom lip anxiously. I haven't seen her this upset over something in a long time.

(A/N):

I know, I know, this chapter took way too long to put up, but I not only got sidetracked by responsibilities, but was hit with a major case of writer's block. It's probably obvious on how poorly-written this chapter is. But hopefully, to whoever reads this story, someone finds a little bit of enjoyment in this chapter.

I own nothing in the ATLA franchise. All I own are my characters and the writer's block I'm experiencing.

If you've got ideas on subplots, leave a review or PM me. If you have an OC you'd like to see written into the story, leave a review or PM me. I think it's important for anyone who's got ideas on something to let me know so I can incorporate it. Even if it's just constructive criticism, it's important.

Anyway, let me know if there's anything I can improve on.

Many blessings,

Indigo Callahan