Well I am back with two chapters today. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays and are eagerly awaiting more chapters :D So here is the first half of our double feature. Enjoy.

Chapter 17

A Time to Worry

That night, I laid in my bed, unable to go to sleep. I could hear Wei and some other people down stairs talking. I couldn't make out every word, but they were discussing me.

"…he alright? He just went straight up stairs," Wei was saying.

"…hasn't spoken since the temple lit…" Arnook said.

"We…tomorrow…needs sleep…" Wei decided.

They left after Wei came up to check on me; I pretended to be asleep. I finally fell asleep late in the night. I woke up before sunrise and couldn't fall back asleep. I went down stairs and got something to eat. Then I walked behind the house where there was a small open space with walls. I began to practice different bending forms. I didn't bend; I just did the motions. First, I did water bending forms. I moved slowly and focused on perfecting the forms. I let my chi flow through my limbs, enriching me and filling me with spiritual energy. I began to hear the whispers of so many voices echoing in my head. I switched to air bending forms. I felt more and more powerful; I could feel a great energy filling up inside me.

'Good, you are connecting with the spirits in you.' The woman in my head said.

I then did fire bending forms. I entered stage one and my energy grew. I could feel my chi flowing all around me, from my finger tips to my toes.

'Keep going,' the woman said.

I felt my power grow to as high as it could go when I was in stage one. I could feel a barrier that held even more power. I focused on the barrier and slowly it began to give way and suddenly collapsed, filling me with more power and energy than anything I had felt in a long time. I kept practicing the forms, controlling the amount of power I used. It was like trying to guide a rushing river. I slowly led it in the right direction. If I tried to force it where I wanted it, I would lose control. After a while, I had complete control of the river of energy.

'You have mastered Stage Two of the Avatar State,' the woman said.

"Really, how?" I asked her.

'You connected deeply with your spiritual energy, and you were able to control it very well. The trick is being in the right state of mind, with no earthly distractions. You were focused on your movements, nothing else, so you were able to master it,' she said.

"I just didn't want to think about anything else. It is really hard to process, and it is also frightening. I, I didn't want to feel scared or worried or anything," I told her.

'And that was the key to your success,' she said.

I continued doing the bending forms. I don't know how long I practiced. The sun rose, and the city began to wake up.

I heard someone walk up behind me. I continued practicing.

"Good morning, Hyriu," Wei said.

"Good morning," I muttered.

I turned and faced him and stopped practicing. He had a concerned look on his face, his eyes full of worry. Behind him, I saw Koluk and Hiko with similar expressions.

"How are you?" he asked kindly and hopefully.

"I'm not sure," I said truthfully.

"Okay well, if you need to talk to someone, I'm here for you," he said.

"Alright," I said with no emotion.

"No doubt Chief Arnook will call us to a meeting some time today, so stay in touch," he said.

"I will," I said, still no emotion in my voice.

He lingered for a second then walked back to the house. After a minute, I walked into the house, also. Wei was speaking to Koluk in the other room. Hiko was sitting at the table eating in silence.

"Hyriu?" Hiko said.

"Hmm?" I answered.

"Are you alright?" he asked nervously.

"I don't know," I said starring out the window.

"What's going to happen now? Now that the Avatar is back. What happens next?" he asked.

"I don't know that either, little brother," I said, looking at him.

He looked back at his food and didn't ask any more questions. I went upstairs. I thought about what the rest of the town was like. People were probably celebrating, having parties and big meals, but here, here there was a tense silence. The thought slightly amused me in a depressing way. There was no school today since it was the week break. I walked up stairs and got ready for the day. I could hear people celebrating outside. After I was ready, I just sat down on my bed thinking about what to do. I went down stairs.

"Hiko, I'm going for a walk," I said.

"Okay," he replied from somewhere in house.

I walked outside. People were celebrating, kids were playing in the snow, and everyone seemed so happy and full of hope. Everyone, except me. I walked around in silence. People smiled at me. I faked a smile back. I saw Lina hanging out with Fai; they were arm in arm. I wondered if she had made a move. I smiled at them as they walked by. She gave me a slightly worried look. I walked to the south and left the city. I walked into the foothills of the Bei Shui Mountains. I walked up on to a high ridge and looked out over the city. I sat down and started to meditate. I sat there for a long time. After at least and hour and a half, I heard someone approaching. I kept my eyes closed. I heard the person sit down next to me. I waited for a minute or two before opening my eyes to see who it was; it was Tekton.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," I said quietly.

"What are you doing sitting up here all alone?" he asked.

"I wanted to get away from all the celebrating. I wanted to be alone," I explained simply.

"Oh, should I leave then?" he joked.

"No, you can stay," I said, almost smiling.

"And about that, everyone is happy and celebrating, everyone except you. Why is that?" he asked seriously.

"Yeah, well…it's a long story," I said.

"We have time. Water bending practice doesn't start for a bit," he said.

"I don't know; it's complicated," I told him.

"Well, maybe you could tell me what was really going on yesterday," he paused. "A lot of people are saying Chief Arnook predicted the return of the Avatar. But, I don't think that that is what happened. Chief Arnook looked just as surprised as everyone else. And in his speech he talked about how the world needs a safety net. He wasn't talking about the Avatar. He was talking about someone else. And about a minute after the temple lit up, when we were leaving after our performance during Chief Arnook's speech, I was the last to leave the stage, and I heard someone shout your name from behind the curtain. And before that, I heard parts of an argument going on back stage, I heard your voice along with the Chief's and someone else's."

"How much did you hear?" I asked cautiously not looking at him.

"Enough, you know something, Hyriu. I don't know what, but you know something important. Something that connects everything I don't know about you, I bet. Why you fake at water bending. Why you were behind the curtain yesterday. Why someone shouted your name, and why you are acting like this today," he paused waiting for my response. When I remained silent, he said, "So what were you meditating about?"

"Things," I answered.

"Alright, I won't push you for answers," he said with a laugh.

We sat there for awhile. After a long time, Tekton stood up, "Come on, Hyriu. Practice will be starting soon."

I got up, and we walked down to the field. A lot of people were already there. Tekton and I took our spots in the back. Taruk walked over to us, 'Great,' I thought, 'did he figure it out, also?'

"Hey Hyr-o," he snarled, "I'm watching you." He walked off.

"Alright then," I said, confused.

Master Desu and Wei walked up onto the platform.

"Okay, everyone," Wei said, "We will be doing some more ice bending. You will be making a ball of ice, which you already know, and, without melting it, you will bend it into an ice shard. Now don't get frustrated on the first try. I will tell you that you won't get it at first. And there will be explosions, so please don't scream or do anything childish." Then, he demonstrated the move for us. He lifted up a ball of water, froze it and stretched it into a shard of ice. He motioned for us to try.

I was not in my right mind today; I lifted up my ball of water and froze it with in seconds. Not even the older kids like Tekton and Huan were that good. And then, with out thinking, I stretched the sphere into a near perfect shard of ice.

"How in the world did you do that?" Tekton asked in shock.

I snapped out of my trance and quickly melted my ice and let it fall to the ground, "Do what?"

"I saw you. You did it perfectly. You didn't have any trouble with it at all. You can't hide that!" Tekton exclaimed.

"Will you please keep it down?" I pleaded. I looked around; Taruk was looking straight at me, a look of shock and suspicion on his face.

"So you admit it. You are a lot better than what you show," Tekton said triumphantly.

"You have no idea," I told him, since I knew I couldn't play dumb when he perfectly saw me do it.

"What do you mean?" Tekton asked as a few kids' ice balls exploded.

"Let's just say you are right. Everything that I am hiding is connected by one thing," I said lowering my voice.

"And what is that?" Tekton asked excitedly.

A man walked up to Wei on the stage. "Hyriu," Wei called, "We have been summoned."

I looked at Tekton seeing no point in hiding the truth from him now. I had already said too much, "I am the Anzen from the Legend of Beifen."

Tekton's ice exploded, and I walked away, toward the stage.

"Why does he always get to skip out on practices?" Taruk muttered angrily.

"Because, Pupil Taruk," Wei snarled, "Chief Arnook has summoned him. If you see a problem with that, then I suggest you to take it up with him."

"Why is he so special?" Taruk asked.

"Hmm, I don't know. Maybe it is because he does as he is told and doesn't make angry remarks all the time! Now if that does not satisfy you, then perhaps you should ask the Chief, or if you do not want to do that, then you will stay here and work on your ice bending. Silently!" Wei growled at him. Taruk did what he was told, but he glared at me.

We went to the palace and to the courtroom. When we walked in, it looked like Princess Yue and her father had been arguing.

"Ah, Hyriu," Arnook said, "I welcome you and ask you to accept my most humble apologies for doubting you and your visions. They seem to be coming true, and that awakens fear in all of us. Now that the Avatar has returned, the Great Darkness could be here in less that six months just as the Robed Man said."

"I accept your apology, and you think this Robed Man is the Darkness that the spirits told Avatar Roku about?" I asked.

"Yes, and if what he says in your visions is true, then now is truly a time for worry."