Chapter Eight That night after eating, we were off. We flew for a pretty long time, until we landed on an island that looked very similar to the one we found Aang on. We decided to spend the night there. Aang had some money, so when we put it together with the money from Evron's wallet, we had enough to get a decent hotel room. We tied Appa up outside after making sure he had a little water, just in case he needed it. Which means we had to be near a lake. That night, we finally got enough sleep. We were going home. Or so we thought. Apparently our bad luck wasn't over just yet- and now it was rubbing off on Aang. When we woke up the next morning, Appa was gone.
"Appa!" Aang called with tears in his eyes. "No! I already lost him once! APPA!"
He took out the bison-whistle he always carried and blew into it as hard as he possibly could. Nothing happened.
I knew this must've been hard for Aang. "Don't worry."
Skyler put her hand on his shoulder. "We aren't going to rest until we find him."
I nodded. "We'll do whatever it takes."
Aang sighed. "Thanks. It would be best to split up. You two go look in town."
"Ok," Skyler replied. "When should we meet back here?"
Aang thought for a minute. "Two hours. That'll be enough time to look around and ask people if they saw anything last night."
So me and Skyler walked to the town, calling Appa's name. We must've looked pretty stupid.
"Where do you think he could be?" I asked.
Skyler shrugged, looking worried. "I have no idea. Someone could have stolen him. Or maybe he got the rope off, decided to take a walk, and got lost."
I shook my head. "I doubt he would have gotten lost. Appa is really smart."
We kept going for an extremely long time.
"Ok, now my feet are starting to hurt," Skyler complained.
That's one good thing about being in a wheelchair.
"We should head back now anyway," I replied. "It's probably almost been two hours by now."
This might not sound like news to you, but we never did make it back. As we were walking, we heard Appa's unique... I don't know what you'd call it... Just his unique noise.
Skyler gasped. "Appa! That way!"
The noise was coming from a dark alley. So far, the only experience we'd had with a dark alley hadn't been a very good one, so I wasn't exactly excited. I followed Skyler into the alley and gasped.
"You... Stupid... Animal!" a man yelled, trying to tie Appa up. He turned and saw us. I got a good look at his face and immediately recognized him- Russell. "You two! Again!"
Skyler stepped forward. "Let Appa go now and we'll leave. If not you'll not only have us to worry about, but the avatar too."
Russell put up his hands and replied sarcastically, "Oh, the avatar, I'm so scared." He glanced at Appa. "That animal's worth a lot. Plus I get my revenge."
Skyler took her staff out. Smart idea, keeping it strapped to her back.
Russell crossed his arms. "So the little airbender is going to try and get me? I'd better watch out."
Appa made a noise. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen Skyler this mad.
"Yes! You really had better watch out!" she screamed.
I was too shocked by the anger in her voice to do anything. She slowly walked towards Russell but he didn't move. I stayed completely still. Even Appa didn't move. Skyler raised her staff. She made a sharp air current and whipped it at him. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. On his arm was a deep cut that would probably scar, and definitely take a long time to heal. Appa stood up and tried to shake the ropes off. Skyler looked as if she was frozen, gripping her staff so hard that her knuckles were white. I was still shocked. Russell stood up, his hand over his cut, and yelled, "Guards! Get the airbender! And the boy, too!"
Some men dressed in Earth Kingdom uniforms came out of practically nowhere and tied up my hands. Skyler raised her staff but one of them took it. Another tied her hands up the same way as mine.
"Let me go!" she commanded.
The guards simply held her tighter. I couldn't bear to watch.
"That's ENOUGH!" I screamed. "We just want Appa back!"
They tightened the ropes on my hands. "Ow!"
Skyler looked at me with tears in her eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Teo."
"Please don't be."
They dragged her into a huge, old, dirty-looking building. Another guard pushed my wheelchair in behind her. I was put in to a dark room with basically nothing except a window above me. I had no idea what to do. I looked at the ropes on my hands and wondered if I could bite them off. Nope. Too thick. I looked at the window. No, that would never help.
"Stupid... Airbender..." I heard Russell's voice say from outside the door and suddenly, I hated him all over again.
I wondered what he did with Appa. He wouldn't really be as stupid as to keep him outside, would he? I looked back out the window and saw... Appa. He was still tied up. Using his huge head, he smashed the window. I just sat there, my eyes wide, staring at him. He took one of his sharp horn and cut the ropes on my hands.
"Thank you," I whispered in amazement. "But... How will..."
I looked into his huge, knowing eyes and a flash of understanding passed between us.
'Go,' he seemed to say. 'Go help Skyler.'
"I... What if..."
'Spirit.'
He closed his eyes and laid down. I pushed my wheelchair over to the door and turned the door-knob. Locked. I was discouraged but I remembered the whole spirit thing. I reached into my pocket and dug out a paperclip. Sticking it in the keyhole, I reminded myself to thank my dad for the emergency paperclip idea.
"Don't worry, Skyler," I said to no one. "I'm coming."
TO BE CONTINUED...
"Appa!" Aang called with tears in his eyes. "No! I already lost him once! APPA!"
He took out the bison-whistle he always carried and blew into it as hard as he possibly could. Nothing happened.
I knew this must've been hard for Aang. "Don't worry."
Skyler put her hand on his shoulder. "We aren't going to rest until we find him."
I nodded. "We'll do whatever it takes."
Aang sighed. "Thanks. It would be best to split up. You two go look in town."
"Ok," Skyler replied. "When should we meet back here?"
Aang thought for a minute. "Two hours. That'll be enough time to look around and ask people if they saw anything last night."
So me and Skyler walked to the town, calling Appa's name. We must've looked pretty stupid.
"Where do you think he could be?" I asked.
Skyler shrugged, looking worried. "I have no idea. Someone could have stolen him. Or maybe he got the rope off, decided to take a walk, and got lost."
I shook my head. "I doubt he would have gotten lost. Appa is really smart."
We kept going for an extremely long time.
"Ok, now my feet are starting to hurt," Skyler complained.
That's one good thing about being in a wheelchair.
"We should head back now anyway," I replied. "It's probably almost been two hours by now."
This might not sound like news to you, but we never did make it back. As we were walking, we heard Appa's unique... I don't know what you'd call it... Just his unique noise.
Skyler gasped. "Appa! That way!"
The noise was coming from a dark alley. So far, the only experience we'd had with a dark alley hadn't been a very good one, so I wasn't exactly excited. I followed Skyler into the alley and gasped.
"You... Stupid... Animal!" a man yelled, trying to tie Appa up. He turned and saw us. I got a good look at his face and immediately recognized him- Russell. "You two! Again!"
Skyler stepped forward. "Let Appa go now and we'll leave. If not you'll not only have us to worry about, but the avatar too."
Russell put up his hands and replied sarcastically, "Oh, the avatar, I'm so scared." He glanced at Appa. "That animal's worth a lot. Plus I get my revenge."
Skyler took her staff out. Smart idea, keeping it strapped to her back.
Russell crossed his arms. "So the little airbender is going to try and get me? I'd better watch out."
Appa made a noise. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen Skyler this mad.
"Yes! You really had better watch out!" she screamed.
I was too shocked by the anger in her voice to do anything. She slowly walked towards Russell but he didn't move. I stayed completely still. Even Appa didn't move. Skyler raised her staff. She made a sharp air current and whipped it at him. He screamed in pain and fell to the ground. On his arm was a deep cut that would probably scar, and definitely take a long time to heal. Appa stood up and tried to shake the ropes off. Skyler looked as if she was frozen, gripping her staff so hard that her knuckles were white. I was still shocked. Russell stood up, his hand over his cut, and yelled, "Guards! Get the airbender! And the boy, too!"
Some men dressed in Earth Kingdom uniforms came out of practically nowhere and tied up my hands. Skyler raised her staff but one of them took it. Another tied her hands up the same way as mine.
"Let me go!" she commanded.
The guards simply held her tighter. I couldn't bear to watch.
"That's ENOUGH!" I screamed. "We just want Appa back!"
They tightened the ropes on my hands. "Ow!"
Skyler looked at me with tears in her eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Teo."
"Please don't be."
They dragged her into a huge, old, dirty-looking building. Another guard pushed my wheelchair in behind her. I was put in to a dark room with basically nothing except a window above me. I had no idea what to do. I looked at the ropes on my hands and wondered if I could bite them off. Nope. Too thick. I looked at the window. No, that would never help.
"Stupid... Airbender..." I heard Russell's voice say from outside the door and suddenly, I hated him all over again.
I wondered what he did with Appa. He wouldn't really be as stupid as to keep him outside, would he? I looked back out the window and saw... Appa. He was still tied up. Using his huge head, he smashed the window. I just sat there, my eyes wide, staring at him. He took one of his sharp horn and cut the ropes on my hands.
"Thank you," I whispered in amazement. "But... How will..."
I looked into his huge, knowing eyes and a flash of understanding passed between us.
'Go,' he seemed to say. 'Go help Skyler.'
"I... What if..."
'Spirit.'
He closed his eyes and laid down. I pushed my wheelchair over to the door and turned the door-knob. Locked. I was discouraged but I remembered the whole spirit thing. I reached into my pocket and dug out a paperclip. Sticking it in the keyhole, I reminded myself to thank my dad for the emergency paperclip idea.
"Don't worry, Skyler," I said to no one. "I'm coming."
TO BE CONTINUED...