Chapter 8

We burst through the water, a torrent soaring upwards and then falling back to the surface, plinking like rain. When Selene levelled, I sat myself between two of her spikes, just in front of her wings.

I rubbed her scales, slippery and smooth from the water. "I'm glad to see you, girl," I said. Selene rumbled in response, sending vibrations up my legs.

"To Air Temple Island. We're going to visit an Air Master," I told her, patting her neck.

With a soft trumpet, we shot into the clouds. I slowly circled my hands, calling them to cover us. People would notice a dragon flying through. They were supposed to be extinct after all.

From the wind and the water that soaked me, my clothes were frosting over, silver spider webs that were growing by the minute. I removed the water from my clothes with waterbending, which I should have done before.

The clouds cleared in front of us, letting me have a good look at our surroundings. Republic City sat nestled by the shores of Yue Bay. Bridges linked the three fingers of the city together. The Pro-Bending Arena shone like a gem, spotlights reaching up to the darkening sky.

Selene hovered for a second, bobbing up and down with the movement of her wings. I spotted the dark speck of Air Temple Island, not far from Aang Memorial Island.

"Let's go, Selene," I said, rubbing her scales.

Selene paused, her muscle coiling underneath me. Then she plummeted down, her wings closing to her sides. My heart went to my throat, its panicked thumping filling my ears. The rushing air roared, pushing at me with a cold hand. I bent low, closer to Selene's neck.

Air Temple Island approached, growing bigger and bigger as we grew closer. When details started to appear on the island, Selene slowly opened her wings, slowing our descent.

My head pulsed and it wasn't because of the air pressure. Korra's spirit was pressing on me, pressuring me. I felt her trying to take over, so she could show me her memories.

"Not yet, Korra. We have to wait. We have to talk to Master Rohan. Then maybe go to the Southern Air Temple to see Sister Jinora," I hissed to myself. Ever since Korra started to speak to me, all this trouble started to happen.

But I was the Avatar. Trouble just naturally comes to me.

I drew the puffy white clouds closer around us, their icy cold blanket coating my skin and Selene's scales. Dew drops glistened like diamond beads, refracting rainbow light.

I knew my error in my plan as we drew ever closer. People would see a long skinny cloud approaching the Island. The only solution would be fog.

Taking a deep breath through my nose, I uncurled my hands from Selene's spikes, palms facing down to the water. I moved them in slow circles, feeling the water's currents swirl. I could feel the calming energy excite in my chest, as I stole the water's warmth from its depths. Fog spilled out, crawling quickly over Republic City.

We shot over the surface of the water, a long white-blue-silver comet, heading straight for the Island. I had been there on a school tour and it had been the most beautiful places I have ever been, besides Republic City Park. I remembered how my first visit there went.

Me and Yena had been holding hands. Both of us stopped still when we stepped onto the docks. We stared as we watched the sky bison circle around the pagoda, and the Air Acolytes milling around. The tall Air Master walked towards us, red robes flapping in the wind like some exotic bird. A flying lemur was perched on his shoulder, big white ears swivelling.

The flying lemur took off and flew to both of us, perching on both of our shoulders. It chortled as its little fingers unravelled our matching braids. We giggled, trying to catch the lemur so we could play with it.

"Careful now. That's a feisty one."

We both looked up to see Air Master Rohan, who seemed larger than life. He held out a tattooed hand and the lemur jumped from us to him. His brown eyes gazed down on us, twinkling.

"Hi, Mr Air Master," we chimed, our fingers tightening around each other's. I felt Yena's unease and I knew she could feel mine. That was back when we could clearly read each other's thoughts. Our thoughts streamed along the invisible current that linked our minds. We had always thought it natural. We even asked other twins if they felt it, but they just looked at us like we were nuts.

I still remember the feeling of belonging that both of us felt in our chests. As we walked across the gray cobblestones of the Island, looking at the dormitories, the meditation area and the training area, it was there, a weight pressing down.

Yena and I shared the images popping into our minds: a flash of blue eyes set in a tan woman's face, hair loops hanging from her temples, a large hand with a blue arrow cupping that woman's face. Three children were running, chasing each other. One boy was shooting across the cobblestones atop an air scooter, the only girl was laughing, splashing her other brother with waterbending as he wandered around, a bucket on his head. Every time the water hit the bucket, it made a bong! Like a bell.

That was when Yena and I were so close that we were almost one person. I missed that, that feeling of being whole. Since we grew apart, there was a void in my spirit. I knew it was there; I had meditated enough to actually see it. Nothing could heal it. Not even spirit water.

The Island was pretty empty, except for one solitary red blur standing at the Airbending training gates, absent-mindedly spinning them with gusts of wind. Master Rohan.

Selene landed on that side of the Island, her claws crunching into the rock. Master Rohan jumped almost five feet in the air, his robes fluttering. I wondered what I must have looked to him: a young woman with snowy hair blowing atop a coiled ivory dragon, wings moving gently up and down.

I jumped down, trying to discreetly cushion my descent with airbending.

"Go on, Selene, I'll find you soon," I said, rubbing her snout. Selene rumbled loudly, closing her silver eyes. I patted her once on the nose and she took off, with a torrent of wind.

"Tiana, what are you doing here?"

I turned to see Yena, a bag slung over her shoulder. Her hair fell down her back in an ebony river, shining with the setting sun. Her moonlight eyes were narrowed in curiosity. Maybe a bit of annoyance as well.

Was she wondering if I had developed airbending?

"Oh, I just came over for some questions about Avatar Korra for the project," I said. The half-truth half-lie flowed easily off my tongue. I felt Yena trying to probe my mind through the twin bond we shared. She never did that. Why would that change now?

In response to her meddling, I threw a mental brick wall with titanium at her. I knew she took it hard because of the tightening around her eyes and her mouth. Master Rohan looked between us, looking like he wanted to flee.

"Okay, well, see you at home," she said, storming past me. She threw out a hand, water exploding upwards. Her animal companion, the twin of my dragon, hovered, dripping wet. His ebony wings splashed water onto the Island like premature rain. Helios narrowed his burning gold gaze at me. He could smell Selene on me probably. They never got along.

Yena used airbending to mount her dragon. Seeing her atop Helios was a bit frightening. She looked like a dark warrior goddess, ready to trample anyone in her way. They ascended in a whirl of gale winds.

"Both of you are airbenders? That is very unusual," Rohan commented, rubbing his chin.

"Yes, kind of," I answered, not meeting his eyes.

"Oh. You know that your sister is the Avatar right?"

My head jolted up. "What?"

"Yes, your sister came to me for training, saying that she was not finished her Avatar training."

For some reason, this makes anger blaze in my chest. I can taste the metal of it on my tongue. We were both the Avatar, not just one of us.

"She is one half of the Avatar. I am the other half," I spat out.

Rohan jolted in surprise. "To have two Avatars, how is that possible?"

"I was hoping you could help me with that," I said. "Both of us want to be the Avatar, and only one of us can be the real one. We both have to know."

"Well, I can direct you to my sister, Jinora, who runs the Southern Air Temple. I can give you directions there. Can I offer you something else?"

I thought about it, looking at the gently spinning airbending gates.

I glanced back at Rohan. "Yes. I want you to train me. But I don't want my sister to know."