Chapter Thirty Three

Monstrosity

The flames arched towards me, the tongues of fire licking dangerously close to my feet. I breathed in sharply, ignoring the screaming fear in my mind, and kicked forward, blowing the flames away with a swift motion.

I moved my two hands in a circular movement, shooting the sphere of air away from me. I then twisted my fingers, bending the gust of air into a flat wave, where it blew down the four firebenders that were previously attacking me.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye, surveying the scene. The large, metal, caterpillar like machines were crawling forward, unharmed by the flames being thrown heavily at them. It was amazing how well-built and clever they were.

A sudden burning sensation engulfed my right leg and I let out a scream, stumbling backward and clutching my leg in pain. I quickly looked up, and nearly growled at the two firebenders before me.

"Is somebody scared of a little fire?" The tall, armored man cooed with a dark chuckle, flicking his wrist. Flames danced gracefully in his palm.

I gritted my teeth, struggling to rise to my feet. My leg hurt terribly, and I didn't dare look down. I punched towards him, a wave of air following my fist. At the last second, the gust discarded from my fist and hurtled towards the man, sending him flying.

I glared at the other man, who looked terrified. I kicked up, blowing him away with a simple thrust.

Wincing, I crouched down, putting my leg out in front of me. It was a small mark, right on my shin, but it didn't look like it would scar. It was still hurting but not quite as bad.

Exhaling tiredly, I looked around. We were holding our ground nicely, but so were they. We were gradually making our way up the hill and into the main part of the city, were the Palace lay.

I ducked as flames sputtered my way, rolling across the ground and crouching behind one of the metal machines. I almost ran into Toph, who was knelt down, her palms flat against the ground underneath.

"Vinca." She greeted sharply, her mouth set in a line of determination. Suddenly, she drew her hands up, parting the ground ahead of us, causing the Fire Nation soldiers to stumble into the crack she had made.

I kicked at an oncoming soldier, controlling the air around her, shoving the firebender away. "How long until the Eclipse?" I said through clenched teeth, deflecting a wave of fire that had been thrown off its original course.

"Fifteen minutes, I think." Toph replied casually now, earthbending the soldiers out of the way.

I nodded, more to myself. The Invasion force was now halfway up the hill. I moved from my spot next to Toph and out into the open, blowing away attacking Fire Nation.

"Shit!" I heard someone curse loudly, a gasp of pain following close after. A flash of worry consumed me, and I moved swiftly towards the direction of the cuss.

"Olin?" I yelled as he came into view. My brother was crouched down, clutching his chest, his brows crushed together and a layer of sweat on his forehead. I rushed over, kneeling down next to him. "Olin," I repeated, and he glanced slowly up. "Are you okay?"

Olin didn't say anything at first, instead, he began to rise to his feet. A shudder crashed into him and with a grunt of pain, he collapsed back onto the ground.

I pushed away his hands from his chest, and a strangled noise escaped my throat. A deep gash was sliced through his abdomen, and it was bleeding heavily.

"Vinca-"

"What the hell happened?" My voice rose dramatically, dripping with anger. My hands clenched involuntarily into fists, shaking like an earthquake was taking place.

My brother moved away, a scowl on his face. "I'm fine," His voice cracked slightly, and I could tell he was scared and in a ton of pain. This, of course, made me even angrier. "I was caught off guard, but don't worry. I kind of pushed them over the side…"

I shook my head, feeling heavy and lost. He could die from this cut; his blood was coming out too quickly. He didn't even look a little bit worried about dying. "You're not 'fine'." I retorted curtly, "You are hurt. Badly."

Olin frowned deeply, wincing, "Maybe I am, but I can still fight-"

"No," I snapped angrily, "You are going to get killed. This is why I didn't want you to come-"

"Shut up," He snapped back, "You don't understand, Vinca. I came to protect you."

"I don't need protecting!"

"Whatever," Olin growled, "And I also came to help fight. I never said I liked Ozai, did I? I want him gone."

I scowled at him, shaking my head again. "You should've just stayed home."

Olin gritted his teeth, the pain clearly making him lightheaded. His eyes were unfocused and dizzy, and they hazily settled on me. "I'm sorry." A deep shudder ran through him, and he slumped backwards, unconscious.

I stared at him for a moment, my hands covered in his blood. "Olin?" I whispered, shaking him slightly. He didn't move. "Olin?" I repeated, shaking him more, but receiving the same result. My eyes became blurry and I tried to see if he was breathing or not. "Olin!" I yelled, sobs wrecking through me.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and unsteadily looked up. It was Sokka.

"Vinca, come on. We have to go." He said gently, his blue eyes flickering to my brother before back to me.

I shook my head, "N-No…Olin…" I stammered, my breathing coming out rapidly.

"We have to go." Sokka repeated in the same tone, helping me up.

"B-But…"

"It'll be okay."

Another cry escaped my lips as I stumbled to my feet, tears flowing freely now. Loud sobs engulfed me, and I struggled to get it together, but it was hard. Olin. My brother. The only one I had. I was a monster; people were killed because of me. I clutched at my wrists, digging my nails into them as Sokka led me forward.

But the fight had to go on.

why did I make myself do this. jasbhabgamgsa

butttttttt, I have a few tricks up my sleeve. (evil cackle)

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