Chapter Twenty Six

Fruits and Vegetables

"Like this?" I asked, carefully repeating the motions Aang had just showed me. I took a deep breath before outstretching my arms, then bringing them back into a circle quickly and pushing outwards. The gust of wind I had bended was quiet and controlled as it flowed in a straight line, hitting the rock which was my target.

I glanced at Aang, who was beaming. "Exactly like that." He replied with goofy grin. "You're really getting the hang of this!"

I smiled widely, feeling my stomach churn at his simple praise. Two days ago, we had landed on the coast of the Fire Nation, stole some clothes, and have been living on the outskirts, going into the nearby city as we pleased. Everyone looked genuine in their disguises, and I could say that we were all happy that we didn't have to hide in a cave, which was our original plan.

Aang was teaching me some airbending moves (after convincing Sokka that I couldn't be left sitting defenseless on the day of the invasion). The sun was high in the sky, and it was humid and hot. I felt perspiration moisten my hairline, and I absentmindedly wiped it off as I took the stance to repeat the move I had just showcased.

"Twinkletoes!" Toph's unmistakably loud voice was edged with annoyance as she marched over. I dropped my hands from their place in the air, sneaking a look at Aang. He seemed to know what was coming. "Sparring match. Now." She demanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

Aang's shoulders slumped, "I'm teaching Vinca some airbending moves-" He began to protest feebly. However, he was interrupted when Toph kicked forward a slab of earth, causing him to stumble backwards.

"I don't care. You need to learn some earthbending moves." She said, her brows coming together. "You know why?" Toph asked in mockery, her fists clenching to her sides. I shrunk backwards. "Because. You. Are. The. Avatar."

He didn't say anything for a moment, and his lips curved in an angry frown. He turned to me, "I guess we'll practice those moves later." He stated blandly, giving me a desperate look before shuffling over to Toph.

I smiled, airbending myself onto a nearby boulder, which jetted upwards to the sky. I sat on the tip, crossing my legs underneath of me, watching from a safe distance.

I noted that Aang particularly didn't enjoy earthbending, and it showed. He would be light on his toes, while Toph was flat on her feet. She would yell about this to him. I felt bad for Aang, and the frown on his face only grew.

I watched as Toph swiftly moved, her arms steady as she commanded the rock to bend to her will. She touched the ground, her palms flat, and suddenly a crack tore apart the earth, snaking its way towards Aang. Aang slid his foot forward, countering the slithering crack, sealing it back over. He then brought up a piece of earth, hurling it at Toph. Toph easily broke through, bending jarred slabs of rocks towards him.

"Vinca?" Sokka's voice started me, and I jumped forwards, nearly loosing my balance.

I whirled around, tearing my gaze from the sparring match to Sokka, who was standing with his hands awkwardly entwined. "Yes?" I said harshly, not the way I intended it to. I quickly backtracked. "Yeah?"

The water tribe warrior rocked back on his heels, "Well, Katara and I are going to go get some supplies. Wanna come?"

I glanced back at Aang and Toph, who were still sparring, and back to Sokka. I smiled softly, "Okay."

"Sokka, you're in charge of getting the meat." Katara looked up from her detailed food list, "Don't eat it. I'm trusting you, Sokka." She said sternly.

Sokka smiled before taking a handful of coins and eagerly walking towards the meat stands.

Next, the waterbender turned to me, "You'll be in charge of the fruits and vegetables." She grimaced, "Please, don't get papayas."

I nodded, laughing lightly before taking a handful of coins and skipping away. The streets were busy with people, and it reminded me of Ba Sing Se. I frowned, shaking away the thought and heading towards the fruit stands first.

Observing the displayed fruits which were aligned and classified by color, I picked up a few red apples, running my fingers over the smooth skin, looking for bumps or bruises. Finding none, I set them into my basket before looking at the other fruits.

All of a sudden, I heard loud, enraged yelling. Curiosity soaring, I peered around the vender to see a man running, objects in is hands. It looked like he had stolen them as there were officers running after him. I complicated whether or not to interfere, but it would be much to risky to draw attention to myself. Biting my lower lip, I turned back to the cart.

A yelp escaped my lips as something, or someone, rammed hard into me. I fell backwards, landing onto the hard cobblestone street with a thud. My basket dropped onto its side and the apples rolled in various directions.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. Let me help you up." I blinked, dazed, looking up. Standing above me was a buff looking, tall man, with kind, almost familiar eyes and a small smile. I took his outstretched hand as he helped me to my feet.

I smiled nonchalantly, though something did look familiar about this man. He was about two feet taller than me, his arms obviously toned, his dark brown, almost black, hair falling over his face just over his eyes. His eyes were dark, different from the usual amber Fire Nation orbs. It was hard to tell what color they were. His smile was large now, and I swear I knew him from somewhere.

I bent down to pick up my basket and a few of the unharmed apples, trying to shake away the thoughts. What were the chances I would see someone I knew in the Fire Nation? Unlikely. But the thoughts were defiant.

"Thank you." I said once I straightened. My eyes wandered over to my left, where two other officers were wrestling the thief into chains. I swallowed, quickly turning my attention back to the strange man.

He grinned, "No problem, ma'am. I'm sorry about that. This thief," He shot a disgusted glare towards the burglar, "Stole some jewelry from a store down there."

I nodded, absentmindedly dusting any debris from my clothing while still observing the man. I noted that he looked young ; his face still immature, his eyes big and sparkling. A small shudder ran through me. Who was this guy? "Oh, how foolish of someone to steal!" I said with a tight smile, "Well, it is fine. He should've known the consequences."

The officer laughed a hearty chuckle, "Indeed. Are you hurt?"

I quickly shook my head, adjusting my shirt nervously. "No," I couldn't help it now, "If you don't mind me asking, what is your name?"

He looked at me with now narrow eyes. The two other officers had hauled away the thief, and now the street was relatively empty of people. "Olin. Why?"

Olin? Olin. Everything seemed to click. The man did seem familiar. He was familiar! He was my brother. My brother. I turned excitedly to him, my heart soaring. "Olin!" Was all I could say, my eyes widening as I engulfed him in a fierce hug.

Olin pushed me away, and he looked at me with confused eyes. "Who the hell are you-" He froze mid sentence. Now, his eyes widened. "Vinca?" He asked slowly, and I nodded eagerly, barely containing my excitement, "As in…my sister?"

I giggled and nodded again. "Olin…as in, my brother?" I mocked in a teasing tone, and a big grin curved onto his lips as he pulled me into a hug.

I closed my eyes in comfort. My big brother. I hadn't seen him in years, since I was nine. That was four years ago. Olin was…twenty two, now. He was sent to war at age eighteen…I had missed him.

Finally, he pulled away to examine me, and laughter spilled out of him. I gave him a confused look. "What?"

He only grinned, "You've grown, a lot."

I rolled my eyes, elbowing him playfully, "Well, duh. I'm not nine anymore." I teased.

Olin sighed, "How old are you now? Twelve?"

"Thirteen." I corrected lightly, smiling.

He sighed again, "I feel old. I'm twenty two! Can you believe that?" He exclaimed, shaking his head, a smile still present on his face.

I stuck my tongue out, "You old man, you!" I laughed.

Olin made a face, and laughed as well. "Speaking of the elderly, how's Gram?" This question hit me like a slap. I frowned, feeling a wave of sadness crash into me, and Olin seemed to see this. "Vinca?" I blinked, looking away. I could feel the tears gathering. My brother observed me, and his lips set in a firm line. "C'mon. Let's go back to my house. I can take the rest of the day off, anyway."

Olin led me through the streets to the outskirts of the city. His house was small, and comfortable looking. His job had obviously done him well, as everything seemed…expensive looking. I tried not to touch anything in fear I might break it.

After sitting down by a wooden table, my brother turned to me. He seemed to be avoiding the obvious question by asking more, "So, what are you doing so far away from home?"

"It's not that far."

Olin's eyebrow rose, "Vinca. It's thousands of miles away. That's not far?"

I smiled softly, "I have friends." I then added, "Very good friends." Saying this reminded me of Sokka and Katara, who were probably done shopping and looking for me. Frowning, I sighed, "I left them back in the market place."

My brother pushed over a cup and a pot of steaming tea, "It's okay. You'll find them. This town isn't big enough to get lost in."

I carefully poured the tea into the glass cup, cautious not to spill it. "So, what are you doing so far away from home? I thought you were a soldier. Not an officer." I noted, stealing a glance at him.

Olin sighed, rolling his eyes. "It's complicated. I was a soldier, then, through a big fiasco, I was sent here to be an officer." I chuckled. "Well, I'm happy with it. It pays good."

"You're quite the officer, Olin!" I exclaimed cheerily, "Takin' down bad guys!" I whooped.

He laughed aloud, "Yeah, yeah." Then his face turned serious as he looked at me. "Vinca. How is Grandma?" He paused, his brows coming together. "It isn't good, is it." It wasn't a question, just a statement.

I set my cup down, my hands shaking slightly. I took a deep breath, but that only seemed to make matters worse. My breathing came out shaky, and I could feel Olin staring at me. "It's my fault, Olin." I said quietly, clenching my fists together to prevent them from shaking. It didn't work.

"Vinca-"

Tears broke through and trickled down my cheeks. "I-I g-got a-arrested and they burned d-down the house w-while G-G-G-Grandma was s-still in it!" I sobbed, pulling my knees to my chest as a choking noise escaped my throat, "I-I w-was so s-s-stupid, Olin!"

I felt Olin's muscular arms wrap around me in a kind hug, "Shh. It's okay." He murmured.

I looked up to see his face. He was so mature, while I was still a whining little child. I swallowed my tears slowly, wiping them away. "I'm sorry," I said, my whole body shaking as if I was going to start crying again. I wouldn't let myself.

A moment passed before Olin's arms disappeared and he sat back across from me, "How…How did you get…arrested?" He seemed eerily calm.

I knew he wouldn't believe it if I described it. Taking a deep breath, I flicked my wrist and moved it in a circular motion. Aang had told me that airbenders always moved in circles for that the winds grow stronger with each motion. In my palm, a small ball of air grew larger until it was about the size of my head. Tearing my eyes away from the growing airball, I smirked at Olin's shocked expression. I closed my fingers around the ball and it disappeared.

"U-Uh…so…you're an…" He said, dumbfounded as he stared at me with wide eyes.

I grinned softly, "Yeah."

"I-I'm an…" Olin trailed off, his eyes growing wider, if possible.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Do you want to try?"

He awkwardly cleared his throat, "It's pretty cool, but I think I'd rather wait to see if I'm an…air…bender." He gave me a pointed look, "Seeing that you got…arrested. I don't think that would look good on my resume."

I frowned, "But, what if you are, Olin?" I said simply, confused.

Olin shook his head. "I can't risk it right now. Maybe when the war is over…" He trailed off.

I didn't say anything.

"It's not that I wouldn't want to be - it's just too dangerous to find out." Olin began, his hands cupping around his mug of tea which I had completely forgotten about. "I am living good, Vinca…Living good in the Fire Nation. Where there are firebenders. Which bend fire. Who killed the airbenders. Which you are." He sighed.

I bit my lower lip, taking a long sip of my tea. It was warm down my throat. "Okay. I understand."

"Don't get me wrong, sis. What you did was cool as hell."

I grinned, "Thanks."

"Anyway…so…Grandma…she's dead?"

I temporarily closed my eyes, willing tears not to come, "Yes." I croaked. "They burned her alive."

There was a loud thump as Olin set his cup down. I knew before I opened my eyes that he was angry. Looking at him now through opened lids, I saw that his eyes were narrowed and his lips set in a deep frown. "What?"

I sunk down in the cushion which I sat on. "Don't get mad…it was my fault." I murmured.

"Burned. Alive." He repeated, his fingers drumming softly on the wooden table between us. "Those bastards." My brother spat angrily.

I didn't like to see him so angry and I didn't want to talk about this particular subject. So, I awkwardly changed it, "You should come meet my friends."

He raised an eyebrow, "What?"

"My friends. I do have friends, you know."

Olin only looked at me, "Okay. Show me the way."

"A cave? Who are your friends, exactly?"

"Olin, relax. You'll find out soon enough."

"How did you meet these? I don't want my little sister traveling with some murders, criminals -"

"Olin."

"What?"

"Shut up."

Olin frowned but complied, and that was the only time I can remember that he actually listened to me. Smiling at him, I walked into the cave in which everyone was sheltering in. By now it was night, and the full moon twinkled above with the stars. It was a beautiful night; the air chilled against my skin.

"Vinca! Where have you been? We were so worried!" Katara's voice rang out as she rushed forward.

I stood there as her cyan eyes slid from me to my brother who was standing awkwardly to my side. Her eyes visibly narrowed and she made a move to bend the water from the canteens strapped to her waist. Catching her movement I quickly stepped forward. "No, Katara. This is my brother."

Now, this had everyone's attention. Sokka looked over from where he was sitting eating his dinner, as well as Aang who was petting Appa, and Toph who was lazing around the fire. "Your brother?"

"Hi. I'm Olin." My older brother greeted lamely, putting his arms behind his back as he rocked back onto his heels.

Aang gusted himself over, and bowed respectively, "I'm Aang."

"Sokka."

"Toph."

"Katara."

"And that's Appa and Momo." Everyone introduced themselves, and Olin waved, a grin on his face.

Sokka walked over, his shoulders rolled back, his chin held high. I held in a giggle. "Well, well, well! Nice to have another man in the house! Pleased to meetcha, Olin!" He exclaimed, and the two shook hands. Katara and I did giggle this time.

Sokka looked at us, "What?"

"Nothing." We said in unison, and we all gathered around the flickering embers.

Everyone began talking in their own conversations. Sokka and Olin spoke about fighting and the war, Toph and Aang argued lightly about earthbending, and Katara and I talked about cooking.

I took the bowl of rice Katara handed me and began to eat it hungrily. I listened to the others' conversations.

"That is a good idea, man. But where would you get the stuff to make it?" Olin was asking as he munched on some jerky.

Sokka shrugged, swallowing his food, "I'm sure there are some metal shops around here…" He trailed off, talking about some architecture stuff.

Uninterested, I listened to Toph and Aang's conversation.

"No. You need to have steady ground, Twinkles. You can't be all airy, you need to be stable." Toph scolded through a mouthful of rice, "Think: opposite of air bending."

Aang sighed, and nodded, "Okay…" He blinked, and caught my eye. Grinning, he walked over, taking a seat next to me, leaving Toph to her food. "Hey," He greeted, crossing his legs under him.

"Hi." I said, setting my now empty bowl down. Katara expertly bended some soup into it, and I mouthed a happy 'thank you'.

Aang nodded towards Olin and Sokka, "How did you find your brother?" He asked.

"Luck." I smiled, and he urged me on. "Olin is an officer. He was chasing this bad guy while I was at the market, and the thief ran into me. Afterwards, I saw that it was him."

His big gray eyes widened, "Wow. That's interesting." He paused, deep in thought. "Is he…an airbender?"

I shook my head. "I showed him that I was. He doesn't know if he is or not…and he says that he doesn't want to risk anything."

"Risk what?"

"You'll have to ask him, its his to tell." I said.

Aang frowned, and he seemed to be frowning about something more than the fact that my brother didn't want to be an airbender. "Vinca, I have to tell you something."

I looked at him, "Yes?" I smiled softly.

His eyes focused on me for a moment, and I felt my heart beat hard against my chest as he looked at me. But he turned away. "I…um, never mind."

Something didn't feel quite right.

I sighed in frustration, sitting up. The hard ground was unbearable to sleep on. Well, that and Sokka and Olin, who were still talking. I glared at them, and grunted softly when I noticed that they didn't see that I was awake. So, cracking my back, I laid back onto the sleeping bag, listening to their voices.

"Yeah…my first girlfriend turned into the moon." Sokka said, and my eyes widened as I heard this. I stared upwards at the ceiling.

"Oh."

"What about you?"

Olin shifted, "Well…there's this girl…" I grinned at the thought of my brother actually keeping a girlfriend, "And…I was thinking about asking her to marry me. We've been together for awhile and since my job is good, I've considered this."

I almost choked.

I could almost see Sokka raising his eyebrows in approval, "Nice. What's the girl like? Is she hot?"

At this, I turned onto my side, not really wanting to hear the rest of the conversation.

AN: Sorry for the wait of this chapter. I had a severe case of writer's block! I know that in chapters before, I might've said that Olin was two years older than Vinca. Forget that, my people. A two year age difference didn't feel right, soo, Olin is 22 & Vinca 13. deal with it.

Anyway, Spring break is over tomorrow. So, no promises on any faster updates. School = blah.