o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
The light blocked out everything but pain. My whole body seared with what felt like fire, but I somehow knew what I wasn't burning, the tightening of skin, the blistering didn't happen, only white hot heat.
It couldn't have lasted any longer than a few seconds, but those seconds felt like hours.
By the time I realized the pain was finally gone, I couldn't move. My legs wouldn't obey the signals my brain was sending to them. Move. Move now, dammit! But nothing happened. I tried to open my eyes, but they wouldn't move either. Nothing moved at all.
I was dead… I had to be. Those two people lied and killed me after all. Or I could have been dead long before that. I must have tripped somewhere during my little walk and split my head on a rock. Great. This is just great.
It wasn't even anything like I thought death would be either. I was expecting there to be something on the other side to look forward to, like fluffy clouds where I could play the harp on all day.
Only, I was cold and my back hurt something fierce. That couldn't be part of death, could it?
Suddenly, the pain became worse. It felt like something was under my back trying to push through my skin.
Maybe I wasn't dead after all; I could still be lost in the woods. That would explain why it felt like I was lying on a rock. I must have really fallen and hit my head. Yeah, that explained everything, those people were just hallucinations, and I couldn't move because of the fall.
Just a concussion.
I breathed in deep, surprisingly calm, and fought with my body to get my eyes open.
After an eternity, I was able to crack open my eyes, and to my utter relief, I found myself lying on a hard forest floor. I never thought I'd be happy to be lying down in the dirt with leaves in my air and the sun in my eyes - wait…the sun? I blinked me eyes against the sun and frowned. Just how long have I been here?
My foster mom was probably pulling her hair out right now. "Okay, Kat…Forget about that right now, just concentrate on moving."
My next objective was to get my arms moving, so I could pull myself off of the damn rock I was lying on. It took another eternity, but I was able to pry myself off of the damp dirt and roll over enough to get off of the rock, however, when I glanced at it, I saw that it wasn't a rock at all. It was a circular shaped stone that looked like it was attached to a ribbon.
I reached over and grabbed it so I could get a better look. It was a beautiful blue stone with a strange carving on it. The design looked very familiar although I wouldn't be able to tell you where I've seen it before. It reminded me of waves or a storm at sea, the swirls drew me in and I couldn't look away.
One word entered my mind: mine. This necklace was mine, and although I've never seen it before, I knew that it was mine to take; it was like it was meant for me.
I shook my head to clear my thoughts. Why do I even care about this stupid necklace? I had been out here the entire night, I was lucky I hadn't been eaten by a bear. I need to worry less about some necklace a random kid left behind, and worry more about getting out of this forest. People were probably worried sick about me anyway…there might be a search party out here right now. I should just get my crap and figure out how to find a road, that way I'll be found so I could eat something.
First things first though, find my way out of here.
I slowly got up to my stiff legs and picked up my bag, shaking it a little to get the leaves off of it.
I knew I had to start looking for moss, because apparently it always points towards civilization, and if I found a house or something, I would most likely know where I was.
Damn, I still couldn't believe I got lost. I've lived here almost my whole life… I should have been able to find my way out of there in no time. Although my legs were still a bit stiff, I began to shuffle off in search of moss.
It was a good twenty minutes before I was able to find any, but by then I was so happy at the sight that I would have kissed it if I weren't afraid of the bugs that might be hiding in it. The moss was facing my right, so I quickly changed courses and speed walked in that direction, invigorated at the thought of a nice warm shower.
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
"Ouch!" I yelled and sat on the floor. I lifted up my foot and examined the bottom of my shoe. I had stepped on a particularly sharp rock and was worried it would have pierced the bottom of my tennis shoes, but thankfully I wasn't that unlucky, and the bottom of my shoe was fine, but it still hurt like hell.
This was just great. It felt like I've been walking for hours, I might have just handicapped myself, and I was hungry and thirsty. Not to mention my bag was getting extremely heavy - wait… My bag! I had shoved food in there before I left last night. Why hadn't I remembered that earlier?
Suddenly in a better mood, I dumped the contents of the bag on the floor so I could take inventory. Separating the contents into food and nonfood items, I looked to see what I shoved into my bag. I had two bags of Skittles, a big bag of Doritos, some oatmeal cookie thingies, and a banana. Great. No real food or even any water. I sighed and picked up the banana, that would do for now. Peeling the skin down, I gave the other pile of stuff a look. I had a pair of fixed dice (when had I put that in there?), a broken flashlight, my awesome warm blanket, my pocket knife (which I put in my pocket, since I was still paranoid of a bear attack), jeans and a t-shirt, and sandals. I sighed and gave the bag another shake, hoping I would find a water bottle or something, but the only thing that fell out was the necklace.
My necklace, my mind corrected me.
I took a bite of the banana and squeezed the necklace into my fist, ignoring the sense of possessiveness that overcame me.
I'd never seen this before. This isn't mine. I looked at it again and felt the impulse to put it on. Not mine, I told myself.
Put it on.
What would it hurt? I asked myself. The ribbon was slightly frayed, so it had been out here for a while, so if it was really important to its owner, than they would have came and got it. Anyway, if anyone comes up to me when I get back to the town and tells me it's theirs, then I'd be glad to give it back.
I looked at it one last time before fastening it around my neck.
My whole body was raked with a violent shiver as the cool stone made contact with my neck.
I jerked and grabbed the cool stone, pulling it away from my skin. Ok…that was weird. I slowly lowered the stone back onto my skin to see if it would happen again, but as the stone made contact, nothing happened. Was I just imagining things? Was it just a random cold chill?
I groaned and rubbed my eyes with the back of my hand. "I'm going crazy, aren't I?" I asked myself out loud.
"I'd say you were." Came a laugh from behind me.
I sighed as a huge wash of relief came over me. Finally, someone found me; I wouldn't have to wander around anymore. I turned around to meet my rescuer, but froze. It was just a little girl. She looked to be about ten years old, and had a strange dull brown wrap dress on, it was torn and dirty, but she looked to be at home in it. I looked at her face and she smiled at me. She was a cute girl, if you get past the dirt smeared on her face.
Strange, this was definitely not someone from a search and rescue party… But I smiled at her anyway, she might be able to get me out of here. "Um, do you know how to get out of this forest?"
The girl ignored my question, and just blinked her green eyes up at me instead. "I've never seen anyone from the Water Tribe before…Your pants look weird, is that the style in the Water Tribe? They're really tight. How were those pants made? It must have taken weeks."
I looked down at my jeans, they weren't that tight, but not wanting to waste time, I ignored all of her annoying questions. "Hi, I'm Kat."
"Are you from the North or South?" she asked me.
"What?" I asked back.
"Which Water Tribe are you from?" she prompted.
"Water Tribe?" I asked, giving her a strange look. "I'm from Mulbine."
"What's that?" She asked, pursing her lips. "Is that an island?"
I raised my eye brows at her, how could she not know? "It's about ten minutes from the lake."
"There isn't a lake around here." The little scratched her head.
Ok, defiantly a strange girl who obviously doesn't get out much. "Listen, could you just take me to where you live." I asked, hoping that they would have a phone I could use.
"I don't know…" She shuffled her feet and glanced around. "I'm not supposed to bring home strangers. Last time, daddy got mad."
"Oh, ok then." I tapped my foot, thinking of something else. "Um, you see I'm lost, and I just want to get back home, can you help?"
"You're lost?" she looked puzzled for a minute. "I thought Water Tribe people were supposed to be good with finding their way."
"Listen, little girl-"
"Lin." She interrupted.
"-I told you, I'm from Mulbine, not 'the Water Tribe' whatever that is."
"Oh, so you were born here… Were your parents from the Water Tribe? Are you a refugee?"
I groaned. "What is this Water Tribe place you keep talking about, I've never heard about it."
"It's where you're from."
"No, its not."
"Yes, it is."
"I'm from Mulbine."
She stuck out her tongue. "No, you're not."
"What makes you think I'm from "the Water Tribe'?" I asked her, using air quotes.
"Your dark skin and blue eyes." She paused and looked up at me again. "My daddy says everyone from the Water Tribe has blue eyes."
"Well good for them, but I'm still from Mulbine."
"How is the Water Tribe different from the Earth Kingdom?" she asked me, ignoring what I just said.
"Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom? What's next…Fire Tribe?" I asked sarcastically.
"No, no, no, it's the Fire Nation. Did you fall and hit your head or something?" she asked, giving me a strange look.
I groaned and shook my head. Was it bad that I was considering walking on and finding my own way out? It would get me away from this little girl…
"OH! I know what happened!" the girls eyes brightened. "You have a…um– what's it called- amnesia! My daddy told me about it once; he says you forget things, that's why you can't remember the Water Tribe. What's the last thing you remember? Oh, wait. I guess you can't remember… Well, I'll help you. Maybe there are some herbs you can-"
"Oh, my gosh, little girl, shut up." I groaned, ready to walk away right then if I had to.
"Lin." She reminded me.
I crossed my arms over my chest. "Can you please just get me out of here?"
"Oh, for the love of the gods, okay." She huffed and began walking away. "I'll show you to my daddy, he knows a lot about diseases… He can read." She told me proudly. "And on the way, you can tell me about the Water Tribe."
"I told you, I'm from Mulbi-" I cut myself off mid sentence, she was already out of earshot. Annoying little kid.
As she skipped away, I just shook my head and followed. This had to be the weirdest girl I've ever met. She looked like she had rolled around in dirt all day (which, I guess, isn't strange for a ten year old), and she looked like a peasant from a renaissance fair. She was also able to chatter while she walked and apparently needing no encouragement from me. She just talked and talked and talked.
The girl was surprisingly at home in the forest though; she seemed to know exactly where to go and what areas to avoid. She led me easily through the forest until I could see a break in the trees.
Her house looked like it was a shack. Just a few walls made out of wood and sticks. I wouldn't be surprised if there was only one room in there. There were strange looking pigs roaming freely around the yard. I narrowed my eyes at the pigs to get a better look at the pigs. They looked very normal until you saw the tails; they were long and scaly, like a reptile.
"What the hell are those?" I asked Lin, horrified at what I saw.
"Those are our Lizard Pigs." She told me.
Not only do they live in a shack, they have genetically mutated animals too. That's it. I was going insane. "…Right."
She smiled at me; her missing tooth was a black hole in her mouth. "Wait here, I'll get my dad."
I rolled my eyes, like hell I was waiting out here until she got back. There was a dirt road in front of me, and that was good enough. It only took me a split second to make the decision to leave, especially since if I stayed I'd have to see her again.
I took off at a jog down the road and didn't look back.
Thankfully, the road connected to other houses along the way, and I was able to ask directions to the town from a few of their owners that had stopped and stared at me wide eyed. I raised questioning glances at them, and even thought about asking a few of them what their deal was, but I changed my mind and kept going.
It seemed like everyone was wearing the same kind of wrap dresses and long tunics that Lin's family had been. I actually felt a little awkward in my jeans and loose t-shirt (having stashed my jacket away in my bag due to the heat), which were probably the reasons why everyone was staring at me. No one wore shoes either, it weirded me out a little, but these people seemed to like the feel of dirt in their toes, so I just pretended I didn't notice. This must be one of those communities that lived life like it was the eighteenth century. None of them wore modern clothes, and there wasn't a power pole in sight.
The main town was even weirder. It reminded me of the time that I went to a swap meet in Los Angeles. Everyone was bartering and trading (although they weren't using food and animals in LA).
This was all so unreal; it was like I was in a different world.
I went up to one of the stalls and found myself facing a man with dark brown hair long enough to tie up, and a tanned, leathery face.
He smiled at me, but I could tell he was trying not to look at my strange clothes. "What can I get for you today?" he asked me politely.
"Hello, can you possibly tell me how to get to Mulbine?" I asked him, praying that he could.
"Mulbine?" He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Nope, sorry. Never heard of it."
"Oh…" I said, disappointed. "Thanks anyway." I began to walk away in search of another stall, but he called me back.
"Here, take this." He handed me a piece of meat on a stick. "Today is a day of celebration; no one is leaving my stall without something today." He smiled big and laughed so hard his belly shook.
I took it greedily, and bit into it quickly, suddenly noticing how little that banana helped my hunger. "Thank you…but what is the celebration for?"
His smile widened. "The Avatar passed through our town yesterday and rid us of the Fire Nation!" A few people who were nearby overheard and cheered loudly.
"Avatar?" I questioned quietly. Why did that word sound so familiar?
"Yeah, it was great. The group of soldiers had been leeching off of our town for weeks, but the little guy scared them off. He's out hero!" He laughed again. "Here!" he handed me another piece of meat. "Have another one!"
"Thank you!" I gladly accepted the other offering and continued walking through the town, still wondering where I had heard that Avatar word before.
Everywhere I walked, people were handing out free food. They were the kindest town I had ever been to. There must be something in the water…or maybe it was this Avatar person they kept talking about everywhere I turned. Maybe I should find him and demand he come to my-
Wait…
I frowned.
…Find the Avatar…
I felt the memory pull at the back of my mind again.
…seek out the Avatar…
Those four words swirled around my mind, but where had I heard them before?
Suddenly, something hard made contact with my stomach and I fell back hard. I grabbed my stomach and looked up with watery eyes. Two guilty looking boys were staring back at me with horror on their faces. And a wooden makeshift bat in their hands.
I glared at them and motioned for them to come towards me, I wanted my apology. But they didn't budge. They looked at each other and ran in the opposite direction. I grumbled and was about to take off after them, but something happened first that stopped me in my tracks.
A small, fragile looking old woman stepped out in front of them and they skidded to a halt and ran in the other direction, back towards me. They obviously thought that they'd rather take me on than that old lady. And the reason was clear to me a minute later. The lady lifted her hands up high, and right when she did, the boys were surrounded by four walls of solid looking dirt that reached their shoulders.
I stayed frozen for a moment, then rubbed my eyes and laughed; sure that my eyes were playing tricks on me, but when I opened my eyes again, the box of earth was still there.
I choked out a small sob.
"What the hell?!" I yelled out loud, oblivious to the crowd.
The lady hobbled up to the box and stabbed her arm straight through the solid block of dirt. I was too scared even to flinch as she grabbed a hold of one of the boy's ear and pulled on it. While she was distracted with one boy, the other one did a sloppy looking chop with his hand and broke down the whole wall. He took off like a bat out of hell (to the laughter of all the adults that had seen the spectacle), but he didn't get far, another person stepped in and grabbed him roughly by the arm and held him there.
Something pulled at the back of my mind, a memory trying to force its way to the front, and with a flash… It did.
Suddenly, I remembered.
…We're here because we need you...We need you in our world— in our time...We are spirits from another world. We've come for you…
"No." I spoke out loud. I was still sleeping; I still had that damn concussion. I raised my hand high and slapped myself across the face, when I felt the answering sting, I wanted to cry. I gave myself another hard smack, but I didn't wake up back in the forest. I was still in the middle of a crowded market. "No, no, no…"
It can't be true…I just wandered into a different town, not a different world. Although…this did make everything make sense. The weird clothes, the lack of anything electrical… It all made sense now.
"Oh, my God." I spoke aloud. It wasn't a dream, was it? I really was in a different world.
"Oh, God…oh, God…" I started having a panic attack in the middle of the crowded street.
I cried pathetically, snot coming out of my nose while I was hyperventilating, making it even harder to breathe. I could sense people staring at me, and one person approaching me (maybe the kid with the bat?), but whoever it was quickly changed their minds and scampered away.
"What am I going to do?" I asked no one in particular.
"How about getting out of the middle of the street?" Someone asked rudely.
My head whipped up and my eyes came in contact with a pair that was coral green. She was a little girl (but thank god, she was older than Lin) of about twelve, with inky black hair that was tied back into a bun and held back with a headband. She was short, but since I was sitting down, I was able to see that she was wearing clothes much finer than the others. Hers were brighter, made with a finer material, and just looked more comfortable. I tried to grab onto her arm, but she was as quick as lightening, and sidestepped me, leaving me grasping nothing but air.
With a snort of laughter, she began to walk away.
"Wait!" I called then got up and ran towards her.
This girl could help, I felt it. She looked a lot smarter than everyone else. If anyone could take me to the Avatar, it was her.
"Wait!" I called again when she didn't stop.
I wiped at my face and continued running, ready to chase her until nightfall if I needed to. I saw the girl's left hand twitch, and suddenly I jerked to a stop. My foot would absolutely not move, and when I looked down, I had to stifle a small terrified squeal. My foot was buried in the dirt up to my ankle. I looked at her retreating figure and then back to the foot. I was not letting her get away. I reached into my bag, pulled out a sandal, and used it as a shovel to dig my foot out.
In a few seconds I was free and back on her tail. "Wait! Please help me!"
Finally, she stopped and turned towards me. I groaned gladly, panting in tiredness. "Thank you." I took another second to catch my breath. "I need you to help me find the Avatar."
"I don't even know you…" she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I know, but…" I scratched my head, not really having something to say to that. "I need help."
"What makes you think I know where the Avatar is anyway?"
"Even if you didn't, I know you'd be able to find him. I feel it."
"I'm blind. How would I be able to help you find him?" she told me bluntly with a smirk. A challenge. My answer could make or break her decision on helping me.
"I saw you when you were walking away from me, you're fast and you were able to avoid people. You may be blind, but you're not helpless."
Something twitched in her face (a smile?). "Okay, I am now interested." She started at me (or right through me I guess) and I could tell that she was calculating. "Before I agree, I want you to give me something. A payment, you could say."
I frowned at her, she was just like Tina, I could tell from her expression, and I knew just how to deal with people like her. Give her something good, and you'd have her loyalty.
I thought hard about what I had with me. Would she want my sandals? I'd probably never use those again…but no, she's not wearing any shoes either. What could I give her? Candy? No…I wanted to save that for myself…oh…I had it.
I smiled and reached into my bag and dug around until I found them, when I did, I put them right in her hand.
She seemed to concentrate as she held them in her hand. "What is this? Two squares with holes on the sides? You gave me dice? Great…um. Not interested." She was about to throw them back at me and leave, I could tell.
"Their fixed dice…cheat dice. No matter what, they'll always land on seven. No matter what."
"Really?" she asked and then tossed them onto the ground. When they landed on seven, she smiled. "It's a deal, I'll help you."
I sighed and almost cried of happiness. I didn't know why I was supposed to find the Avatar, or what I would do when I got there, but I was going anyway. "My name is Kat. Nice to meet you."
"My name is Toph." She stuck out her hand. "And don't think I just go around and play guide with people, I'm just bored."
o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o