o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Pressure.

I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. It was like I was in a vacuum that was sucking in more and more air with no way for it to escape. I was being pressed in on from all sides, rigid like a board.

Most likely, I wasn't dead…I couldn't be. If I were dead, I'd know it (or at least I'd like to think I would know). First off, Death couldn't be this uncomfortable. There would be a long dark tunnel with a hypnotic light at the end. But there wasn't. I was just alone in the darkness.

How the heck had I even gotten here?

I tired to remember how, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't. It was like the more I searched for the answer, the further into my mind it went. The last thing I remembered was standing by the campfire, watching a couple sucking each others faces off. Then…well…that was it.

I groaned in frustration.

The answer was in there, I knew it was…so close to being found, but there was a mental block. Something wasn't letting me remember.

I tried to open my eyes. Maybe If I knew where I was, my memories would come floating back.

But no, the darkness was too much, even my outstretched hand proved impossible to see.

Without warning, I started falling, or at least I thought I was…there was no wind blowing my hair and clothing, but the same feeling of being on a rollercoaster came over me. My stomach fluttered and it felt like my heart was in my throat.

Then, I was slammed into the ground.

No, I couldn't be dead. Dying wouldn't be this violent or unpleasant.

I opened my eyes and this time I saw stars.

I lifted my hand and held it in front of my face. Ok…so I could move…I wasn't dead, but that didn't explain the pressure I was feeling just moments before. With a push, I was sitting up, staring at my legs. "Oh God…" I mumbled. My favorite jeans were covered in dirt and grass stains. Lucy would kill me when she saw these.

Suddenly, a flood of questions assaulted me. Where was I? How had I gotten here? Pain exploded in my head. I groaned and pushed at my temples, trying to will the pain away. What the hell had happened to me? It felt like I got hit by a car! Had I fallen and hit my head on a rock? That would explain that weird falling dream…but why wasn't I at the fire pit?

I had to get up and back to that damn campfire…maybe they could tell me what happened.

I forced myself to stand and dragged myself towards the smell of a campfire. To my left, a path. I turned, heading straight for it. A fallen tree lie next to the path, I remembered passing that tree on my way here…but where was here? Why had I gone into the forest? Had I needed to pee?

Fear overtook me…something was wrong with me, something had to be. Why else would I not remember? How else could I have forgotten walking into the forest?

In the path ahead stood a figure, motionless and silent. He said something to me, something I didn't understand, but I recognized his voice, it was low and husky and unmistakable. I took a step closer and I could see his black, scraggly hair. He shifted, half his face catching in the moonlight, one eye, bright and gold, skin pale as porcelain in the moonlight.

"Hello?" It called.

"Bobby!" I yelled back and ran at him. I crashed into his chest hard, sending him stumbling back. "I thought you were someone else!"

He grunted, but didn't pull away from my hug. "You scared the crap out of me Kat, I thought you were a bear or something."

I squeezed him even tighter, giving him biggest hug I could. "I missed you guys so much!"

"Missed us?" His words were strained as if I were squeezing all of the oxygen out of him, but he didn't complain, only showed concern. "Are you alright?"

I groaned. "I don't know, I think I fell and hit my head or something…"

He pulled and touched my forehead gently, feeling for a bump. "Does it hurt?"

I frowned and moved his hand, placing it over the tender spot. "Yeah, and I had the strangest dream."

He linked his arm through mine and started pulling me out of the forest. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you."

I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, trying to fight off a wave of dizziness. "Honestly…I have no idea. Maybe I had to go to the bathroom."

He laughed and shook his head, his blond hair falling into his eyes. "Maybe?"

"Like I said, I must have hit my head." I pulled his arm around my waist so he could support me better, I knew if I fell, I would take him with me. "Hurts like hell."

"Kitty-"

"-Don't call me that." I warned, cutting him off. I hated that nickname.

"Kat, we should get you to a chair, I think you should sit down."

My knees began to wobble. "Good idea."

He pulled me closer, letting me rest more of my weight against him. "You'll be OK Kat."

I nodded, trusting him. "How long have you guys been looking for me?"

"For about ten minutes, were all ready to go."

I moaned. "I was gone that long? I must have knocked myself out…"

"Yeah, we definitely need to get you to a chair…if you have a concussion Lucy will kill me…" he smiled. "And I'd never forgive myself if you get amnesia or something. If you start to hear a ringing noise, tell me immediately."

I chuckled. "Sure thing."

We walked in silence and I couldn't help but wonder why I had wandered so far.

"Wait." I froze, forcing him to stop. "How long have we been here?"

He flipped open his cell phone, and for a second, his face was lit up in the dark. "Well, it's nearly midnight…so I guess about 5 hours…"

I jerked my arm away from his grasp. "And you barely started looking for my five minutes ago?"

"Ten minutes" He corrected as if it would actually make a difference. He saw the look on my face and started stuttering nervously. "Everyone had kind of split up anyways; I just assumed you went off with one of them."

My glare didn't soften. "With who? Evan? Just take me back."

As soon as I started moving again, the pain and stiffness flooded in. "Okay, okay…stop."

He paused. "What's wrong?"

"I think I got hit by a train." I crouched on the ground with my pounding head between my knees. "I think I'm going to be sick."

"Okay…" He pulled me to my feet and knelt in front of me. "Come on, let's go."

I readily took the invitation and jumped on his back piggy-back style. Nausea hit me like a ton of bricks, and I had to force down to urge to gag. "I can't be blamed if I throw up on your back…" I warned him, my voice a croak.

"Just don't aim for the hair. Ok Kat?" He said in a reassuring way, a way that said if I actually did throw up on him, he's wouldn't think any less of me.

"Katara…" I said automatically, and then hid my face in his shoulder out of embarrassment. "You can call me Katara…if you want."

He froze. I could just imagine the look on his face. I had never, ever, let anyone call me by my whole name. I wouldn't even let the teachers call me Katara. Since when was I okay with anyone calling me Katara? It even felt a little weird when I said it. What had that knock on the head done to me? I hated my name. Yet…it just felt so natural now. I could barely remember why I disliked the name so much to begin with. What had changed? Had that knock on my head affected my brain? I think I actually did have a concussion.

That would explain that weird hallucination I had of the black haired boy. Bobby definitely didn't have black hair nor was his skin pale.

"Katara." Bobby repeated. "I think I like that."

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

I waved goodbye to Bobby and walked to the front door, but before I had even reached the porch, I knew something was wrong. It was past midnight, and the lights were still on. Lucy has always had a strict lights out policy that began promptly at eleven…so why was Lucy still up?

She was opening the door before I even reached it, with a jerk of her head, she motioned me to enter.

"Kat!" Lucy yelled as soon as the door closed. "You are in big trouble missy!"

I frowned at being called 'Missy', but didn't dare say anything about it. I also failed to mention I had no clue why she was mad at me. What did I do? This morning felt like so long ago.

"When I told you to watch Tina, I meant watch her, not bribe her and hope for the best."

Oh…that's what I did wrong.

"I came home tonight, and guess what I saw? Andrew was covered in glue. Guess who told him that being covered in glue would make him stay young forever?"

"Tina?" I asked sheepishly.

She smiled, but it sure wasn't a happy one. "Why didn't you watch her?"

"She's twelve years old!" I reminded her with a weak voice. The dizziness hadn't gone away, only grew worse. It was annoying to feel this crappy, and the annoyance was turning to anger.

"Katara."

I shut up immediately, whenever she called me by my whole name, she meant business.

"With you gone, that left her in change of the others." She folded her arms and shook her head at me.

"But I had already made plans with Bobby, I couldn't just bail-"

"Robert would've understood."

"Bobby." I corrected her, my head pulsing; he absolutely hated being called Robert.

Her eyes slit into a glare. "Robert understands that you have obligations to your family."

A face flashed through my mind, an older boy…blue eyes like mine, dark skin, and a smile that gave his face life. Suddenly, I was angry. Very angry. "My family?" I screamed. "This isn't my family!"

"Katara!" She yelled, offended.

"You're not my mom, so stop trying to act like you are!" I was on a roll, unwilling to stop. "You'll never be my mom. My mom is dead. I know she is. I don't have a mom." My eyes began to burn with tears, and I took that as my cue to storm off.

"Katara!" Lucy yelled as I ran up the stairs, but I didn't stop, I couldn't.

As soon as I burst through my door, I crawled into my bed and tunneled under the blankets like a child. I wanted to get away from her, away from the lights that made my eyes hurt.

"Way to go…" Came a voice from the bottom bunk.

"Shut up." I grumbled, about ready to punch her in the face.

"Now Lucy is going to be extra mean tomorrow."

"I said…shut up." I threatened. "This is all because of you anyways."

I heard her sigh. "I only did it because Lucy insists I still need a babysitter…" a few seconds of rustling blankets and her head popped into view. "I'm way too old for a babysitter."

I leaned over and poked her forehead, sending her stumbling back. "Have you ever thought that this was why?"

"Puh-lease." She mumbled. "Andrew already had glue all over him when I found him…it's not completely my fault."

"Geeze…" I rolled my eyes and crawled out of bed. "You sound just like-"

Green eyes, lighter than any I had ever seen, a full head of unruly black hair, haphazardly pulled back with a thick headband. A pale face smeared with dirt accompanied by an air of mischief.

"Who?" She asked tiredly.

I grabbed my favorite towel from the closet and made my way to the bathroom. "No one."

She was no one, just like that boy with my eyes. They didn't exist…they were just a figment of my weird imagination. People I dreamt up, not real. No matter how real they seemed…they were just a side effect of a concussion.

I peeled back my dirty clothes layer by layer, feeling little twinges of pain where I had been bruised (presumably from the fall). One on my shoulder, a few on my ribs, one on my arm. I frowned…this was a lot of bruises…had I rolled down a hill or something?

With trepidation, I took off my pants and flinched. A large bruise on my thigh.

The warm water worked miracles on my muscles…but really, I had been there for hours…I would be surprised if I didn't hurt.

To get rid of the stiffness, I arched my back in stretch, but the pain in my ribs stopped me. Like a flash of light, images popped into my head.

I kicked and punched at a woman in pink, but none of my blows even came close to hitting her. Then, suddenly there was darkness.

My eyes widened and then slit, trying to peer through the crippling blackness, but no shapes emerged, nothing shifted. Only the sound of water and the knowledge that someone was hurt, someone important to me was hurt and there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it except wait until the girl attacked again.

I slowly inched myself to the right so that if she attacked, unless she had night vision and saw me move, her aim would be off.

The Ice tipped and I froze, not wanting to move the ice even further. It tipped to the right again, but it wasn't me this time, it was her.

Without warning, the room was lit with light…but it was too late. She stared me in the eyes, face mere inches from mine. I jerked back, trying to find footing on the slick ice, but I knew it was too late.

The woman jabbed me hard, pain cutting through my body, making me feel week, tired. I didn't even feel the second one.

I was falling backwards, my eyes going from her face, to the ceiling, and then I was submerged in my element, falling through the hole in the ice. I held my breath, bracing for impact, hoping that my head wouldn't hit the ice, but knowing that I had much bigger things to worry about now.

The water was cold as ice. Out of shock, I gasped in the water, filling my lungs.

Everything was happening too fast, my thoughts were scattered, my lungs burning. I didn't know what to do. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't move, couldn't even close my eyes; it was like I was frozen. My tense muscles were loosening, my throat relaxing, allowing water to slowly trickle in. I tired to move, tried to think of a way to move my feet, but I couldn't remember, couldn't concentrate long enough to form a thought.

My eyes desperately searched for a way out, but deep in the back of my mind, I knew it was pointless. Even if I miraculously found an air pocked under the ice, or if I found the hole again, I couldn't reach for it, couldn't swim to safety.

A blast of light and an explosion. The ice above me split apart, but without the ability to move, I was wedged there with nowhere to go, nothing to do.

My mind swam as my brain was starved of oxygen.

The water was getting hot, the discomfort of the water was battling the pain in my lungs. Soon I felt nothing.

It was too late for me, I knew it. I just hoped everyone would be able to get out of here safely, that he would defeat the woman in my place.

I gasped and swayed on my feet, coming back to reality. My lungs burned and I coughed, half expecting to choke out water.

"What was that?" I whispered. I had never had anything like that happen to me before, it all felt so real.

Again, I glanced at my ribs…they looked no different from a bruise I could have gotten from lying too long on a rock. It couldn't have been that girl because she wasn't real. That fight didn't actually happen.

I turned off the shower and toweled off with a scowl. Katara, get a hold of yourself. You don't want everyone to think you are crazy, do you?

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Hey Katara!" Bobby yelled as soon as I walked into the diner.

"Good Morning." I grumbled, rubbing at my eyes.

He glanced up at the clock. "Um…its one in the afternoon."

I rolled my eyes. "Whatever, I just woke up."

"Still feeling bad?"

I flopped into the nearest chair and rested my head on the table. "That's a bit of an understatement."

"You must have hit your head hard, huh?"

"Very hard." I affirmed. "I'm almost one hundred percent sure I had a concussion last night"

He rested his hand on my shoulder. "You feeling better now at least?"

"Kind of, but my head has been feeling weird all day."

"Well its good that you're feeling better, because I hate to be the bearer of bad news…but Mrs. Cooper gave you napkin duty."

I moaned and stomped my feet like a child, burying my head in my arms. "She must have talked to Lucy…crap. I'm screwed." I don't even work here! I yelled in my mind.

His forehead scrunched in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I'm in a lot of trouble with Lucy…Um…it's a long story." I glanced up at his face, sighing in frustration. "It involves a few bottles of glue."

He nodded, disappearing into the storage room. When he came back, his arms were full of our diner's ugly red linens. I pursed my lips as he placed them on the table in front of me. "I'll try and help as much as I can." Bobby patted me on my back gently. "But you know how Mrs. Cooper can be…"

I nodded, if Mrs. Cooper so much as caught him leaning against the wall, he would get called a slacker and be assigned more tables. The moment Bobby slipped away to help me, she would be there, sniffing him down like a crazed bloodhound. "You rock."

He held out his fist and I smirked, bumping his with my own.

I started folding napkins, expecting Bobby to go and work on the tables, but he didn't move.

"Katara…"

I glanced up at Bobby. "Hm?"

He rubbed at the back of his head. "Did you loose weight?"

A frown played across my face.

"No." he laughed. "That wasn't a pick up line…I'm serious."

I put down the napkins I had been folding and glanced down at myself. "I don't think so…"

"Yeah." He grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet. "You definitely look thinner."

I groaned and swayed on the spot, my eyes blurry and unfocused. "Don't do that, my head is still wacked out." I reminded him, but looked down at myself again anyways. "I don't see-"

He poked my stomach. "Damn!" he whispered. "Look, you're all muscle now!"

I poked at my stomach, and felt a hard wall of muscle. I frowned. "I haven't been doing anything…"

"You have got to give me some workout tips…"

I poked at my stomach again...it felt so familiar, yet so strange.

Another flash of light.

"Honestly Zuko!" I yelled in frustration. "Are you trying to get me to like you even less than I already do?"

"Shut up and do twenty more."

I grunted and continued doing squats. "Well, its working…I think I might just hate you."

"Hate is a strong word."

"Five…six…seven…I'm going to kill you…ten…"

"Well then I'm doing you a favor, aren't I? You won't loose as fast if you're stronger."

"Thirteen…fourteen…that doesn't mean I have to be grateful…seventeen…"

"After this, its sit-ups."

"I don't see how this should be part of my training…nineteen…twenty." I flopped onto the floor, my forehead already covered in a thin sheen of sweat. "I want to learn how to fight, not become a professional body builder!"

"With your stamina, you wouldn't last five minutes in a battle…now sit-ups, go."

"Kat!"

I jerked in surprise and stared at him.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

I shook my head. "I think I might've hit my head harder than I thought."

"Does it still hurt?" he asked and gently stroked my temple.

"No…I just keep zoning out. It's weird." I didn't tell him I was having weird dreams, or that I was making up strange drill sergeants for a reason…I was afraid he'd think I went insane. But I hadn't…right?

"Well, you better finish your work or Officer Cooper will have you do the dishes again…" he warned me.

I glanced down at my work and sighed. Yes…finish folding the napkins first, go crazy later. "Yeah…you're right."

Suddenly, a face flashed through my mind. A boy with grey eyes and a bright smile. On his forehead was tattooed an arrow. He looked familiar, very familiar.

"Kat!" Bobby yelled again.

I glanced up, surprised. "Huh?"

"Oh never mind, you weren't listening anyways."

"Sorry…but I-" I frowned. "I think I should go home."

"You're leaving? But Miss. Cooper-"

"Tell her I threw up on a customer or something." I moaned and got to my feet, not even bothering to change out of my hideous uniform before leaving.

Who were these people? I couldn't have just made them up…I don't have that great of an imagination. Have I met them before? Were they people I've forgotten? No, they couldn't be…I would have remembered meeting someone with an arrow tattooed on his head.

Should I tell someone about this? Would Lucy send me to a psychiatrist? If we had the money, she would. Ever since I flushed a live fish down the toilet to "set it free", Lucy had thought me to be a bit strange. If I told her about my hallucinations, she'd have me carted off. Images of padded walls and straight-jackets flew through my mind.

There was absolutely no way I'd tell her.

Bu the time Saturday Rolled around, I had diagnosed myself as crazy.

Every time someone would call my name, I would flinch, afraid that they would be the people from my dreams. I was constantly seeing faces of people I didn't know, it was like my mind was trying to remember something, but it never actually succeeded. There was a brick wall blocking me from the memories associated with these people. Eventually, I realized that the wall was chipping, slowly falling away. I found myself not only seeing their faces, but also imagining conversations with them. My life was turning into one big daydream.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

I was walking along a dirt path; old wooden fences lined my way and up ahead I could see a town. The smell of dirt and fertilizer, the sounds of squealing pigs and mooing cows were all too familiar. I took a deep breath and smiled, continuing on the path.

The people of the town had grown used to me over the last few days, they smiled at me, the children waved hello as they ran about playing their games. A few of the shop managers fought for my attention, they knew that the pack that was slung around my shoulder carried herbs for medicines and fruits and nuts I collect from the forest.

It was the same every day, I would choose one of the shops and barter, trading for supplies. This time I chose the fabric hut. I needed thread and material to make my friend new pants.

"Hello Katara." The nice old lady spoke.

"Hello." I chirped. "How are you today?"

"Great!" She brought out a roll of blue fabric. "Let me guess. He ruined his pants again."

I shook my head, my next words coming out automatically. "It's that sword of his, he likes sleeping with it, sometimes unsheathed."

"Boys and their toys." She laughed.

"I need a yard and a half please."

She nodded and began cutting. "How's that other boy, the one whose been giving you the trouble?"

I rolled my eyes and smiled. "Infuriating as always."

"That boy probably likes you." She warned.

"Yeah right. He's incapable of emotions." I shook my head. "I don't think he's human."

She smiled at me, and I can tell you I didn't like its implications.

"Here you go." She folded the fabric and handed it to me. "Need some thread?"

"Yes please." I dug into my bag and pulled out her favorite herbs. "Want the usual?"

"Of course." She smiled and took the herbs from my outstretched hand.

"Thank you." I mumbled, opening my eyes to find myself staring at the ceiling.

I sat up in my bed slowly, and sighed. They were always so real. Sometimes, I didn't even know I was dreaming until I awoke in disappointment. And they were always unfinished. I would go into town and trade with the merchants for food and other things. I would sometimes chat with the town's people if I didn't wake up first, they would ask about my day and I would ask about theirs. Sometimes I would even join in a game of kickball from the children. Then, if my dream lasted this long, I would head out of the town and back down that same dirt road.

That was as far as I ever got.

What was down that dirt road? Who were the supplies for? Did I bring them to other people? I always mentioned my 'friends' but who were these people at the end of the road?

These dreams were really getting to me. Sometimes when I woke, I couldn't tell whether I was dreaming or not. Maybe that town wasn't a dream at all, maybe this was the dream. I could be asleep right now and my 'dreams' were really the reality.

I groaned. I was making no sense.

I stayed in my bed, playing sick for the rest of the week. And honestly, it wasn't very hard to pretend. I was pale and weak, barely able to get out of bed and walk to the bathroom without feeling nauseous. Lucy got over her anger at me as soon as she saw the state I was in, and I was secretly grateful since I felt so bad for what I said.

My visit to the doctor was useless, he didn't know what was wrong with me and chalked it all up to depression, which was only half true. I had always felt like an outsider, but now I felt like an alien. Every time I talked to someone, I'd get distracted easily or run out of things to say quickly. I felt like I had nothing in common with them anymore.

Day by day, things were getting weirder and weirder. Every once in a while, Tina would talk to me (probably because Lucy begged her to), but our conversations never lasted long, every time I talked to her I pictured that green eyed girl in my mind and I would immediately end the conversation in fear.

At any given time, I was unsure whether I was dreaming or not. Sometimes I had to pinch an arm to reassure myself that I was awake. And that damn dirt road…I knew that if I just got to my destination I would get my answers, but every time I got close, my dream ended.

It was like life was a blur, and I was standing still, watching the world move around me. But the thing was…I didn't even care.

I didn't want to leave my room, afraid that if I did, something would trigger a hallucination. And worse of all, I wanted to meet these people. I wanted to see them face to face, to know why they were so damn important to me.

But that wasn't possible, I accepted that I was crazy and knew I had made them up.

Yet in the back of my psycho mind, I knew they were real.

I had been hoping and praying for some kind of answer, for someone to tell me what was wrong with me, but for a while…I was alone.

I had been sulking in my room when it finally happened.

"Katara…" a soft voice spoke.

My eyes snapped open and I flung the blankets off of me. I knew that voice. No, I didn't, this was just another hallucination.

But then I saw them. Two figures stood in my room, one a man and one a woman.

"Hello again Katara." Her voice seemed to float over me, wrapping me in warmth that no fireplace could provide. Tears unexplainably welled in my eyes and I could do no more than stare at their faces.

"I know you, don't I?" I asked quietly, afraid they would disappear if I spoke too loud. "Really know you, I've actually met you before…in person. Right?" I was babbling, I knew it, but I had to get my answers, was this just another crazy moment?

The man answered. "So quick to forget." He shook his head at me in disappointment. "We are Tu and-"

"-La." I interrupted. "Spirits." I've heard this before, I knew it.

"Be careful mortal." His eyes sharpened and I had the distant memory that he had said those exact same words to me before. "We came to you for help, but you have failed us. We asked you to teach the Avatar, for you are the only one who will succeed in this task, but you fought every step of the way. We have finally sent you home, as you have wished."

I frowned, "The avatar? Sent me home? What are you talking about?"

The woman smiled in amusement. "You are not as crazy as you think."

"Are you telling me that those hallucinations were real? That you're real?" I laughed weakly, hopefully.

"They are not hallucinations, they are memories."

"Memories of what?" I almost yelled.

His eyes silted and he held his hand out to me. I dared not touch him, but I needn't worry about having to take his hand, he had something else on his mind. His palm turned up and I yelped in pain. My head was on fire, burning, splitting, and overflowing with pain and information. Everything was coming back to me all at once, and through the haze of pain, I made out the spirits coming to me the first time, asking me to help them.

I collapsed on the ground, faces and scenes assaulting me. It was over all to suddenly, one minute a searing pain and the next, I was fine, like it didn't even happen.

I sprung up, my mind full of questions. "Zuko!" Is he okay?"

"Do not worry about Zuko."

"But-"

The man held out his hand, but this time in threat. "Remember who you are, mortal."

"Can I ask why you sent me back home?" Hope filled my face.

"You were failing and we had to intercede. If you had followed your path, the world would have been unable to save."

I frowned. "Can you just jump in like that? Isn't there some kind of rule saying that you can't interfere with the world of humans? With their fate?"

"Who's to say this isn't part of that 'fate'?" She answered vaguely. "We answer no questions regarding our decisions."

I was more confused than ever. "Why am I such a big part of their world?"

"That is not for you to know." The man was getting angry again (but wasn't he always?).

"I apologize for my rudeness." I spoke formally and gave a short bow.

"Do you wish to return?" he asked in triumph.

I looked up at the man who seemed to hate me. "Yes."

"Then we will take you back, but when you next return home, you will not remember anything about our world, no more memories or what you call 'hallucinations' about your friends."

I frowned and hesitated, but before I could speak, I was back in the familiar darkness.

o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o