ATLA: Kyia the Brave

Chapter 9: The Storm

Water swirled around me pulling me into the center of a huge whirlpool. Panic surged through me as the water came in on me. I tried to bend it away, but to no avail. Katara came through the water and stared at me. "You are an abomination." Her voice echoed through the water as Sokka and Aang entered the watery prison. "An abomination." They all said it in unison. I spun to run away, but I faced Zuko who grabbed my wrists and held me close. "Abomination," he whispered in my ear and threw me backwards into the water, leaving dark burns on my wrists.

Aang and I both lurched awake screaming at the same time. We looked at each other and then at Katara and Sokka who jolted awake on high alert. "What's going on?" Sokka looked around groggily. "Did we get captured again?"

"Are you guys okay? You both seem to be having a lot of nightmares lately." I just nodded and rolled over while Aang explained that he just needed some extra rest. We both insisted that we were fine and went back to sleep. I held my arms to my chest, my wrists still burning where Zuko held me in my dream.

Morning came and we were packing everything on Appa. "Look at those clear skies. Should be some smooth flying today, huh buddy?" Aang was rubbing Appa's head while we loaded the rest of the stuff onto the saddle.

"Well we better smoothly said ourselves to a market because we are out of food." Katara showed me the empty bag that didn't even have a crumb, much less a meal. We all flew to a small marketplace and walked around. Sokka was collecting some fruits in a basket to buy, but when asked for payment, we all turned our pockets inside out and realized we were all out of money.

"Out of food and out of money. Now what are we supposed to do?" Sokka complained.

Katara quickly cut in. "You could get a job, smart guy." We walked along the dock a little further before we heard two people arguing.

"There's going to be a terrible storm. We shouldn't go out there!" I looked and saw that the woman speaking appeared to be the fisherman's wife who was trying to urge her husband not to go out on their fishing trip.

"You're crazy. It's a nice day! No clouds, no winds, no nothing. So quit your nagging, woman." Aang tugged slightly on my sleeve.

"Maybe we should find some shelter?"

"I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't comin'." The woman turned to walk away.

"Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get! How do you like that?" Sokka rushed forward raising his hand.

"I'll go!" I walked up next to him.

"Count me in too." I smiled at the fisherman.

"You're both hired!" He smirked aggressively at his wife while we all loaded everything onto his boat. Aang was trying to convince us not to go, but we shrugged him off.

"You both should listen to the boy with the tattoos."

"Boy with tattoos? Airbender tattoos. Well, I'll be a hog monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't ya?" Both Katara and Aang smile and nod. "Well, don't be so smiley about it. The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years! You turned your back on the world!"

"Don't yell at him! Aang would never turn his back on anyone."

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh? Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering." I winced as I watched Aang's face turn to anguish.

"Aang is the bravest person I know. He's done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him." I noticed Aang was slowly backing up behind Katara. "It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?" Katara turned to look and saw him flick his glider open. "Aang, what's wrong?" He quickly jumped up and flew away. "Aang!" She spun on the fisherman. "You're a horrible old man!" She got on Appa and flew off after Aang.

"Hey they flew off without saying goodbye to us!" Sokka looked at me disappointed.

"Your friends aren't too polite, are they?" I just grumbled and carried another box below deck. I was beginning to regret agreeing to this, but I couldn't back out now. It wasn;t too long before we were off into the water. I was hoping this trip wouldn't last too long as I stared out at the dark clouds that were rolling in.

"I think we should turn around. This storm is picking up." Neither of them listened, of course. The next thing I knew I was being tossed from stem to stern as the ship rocked back and forth violently. "We should have gone back when we had the chance!" I held tightly to the side so I wouldn't fall off, but it was taking all my energy.

"Can't you do some waterbending? Maybe calm the waters a little bit?" Sokka and the old fisherman were holding tightly to ropes near the mast. I shot a glare at them.

"Does it look like I have a free hand to do so?" I growled, but I decided I should try. I let go of the side and tried my hardest to calm the waters. But nothing was happening. "Nothing is happening!" I reached out to take hold of the side again when another wave slammed against the side of the ship and I was thrown overboard. I heard Sokka scream my name as the cold water slammed against my back. I resurfaced, but barely as another wave slammed me under the water. I kicked my way back up for air and saw Sokka staring at me over the side.

"Kyia!" He reached his hands out. "You have to waterbend yourself back up!" I spun around and used the water to propel myself into the air and Sokka grabbed my hand, yanking me back onto the deck of the vessel. "Thank the spirits, you're okay!" He hugged me tightly to him and I felt my face get hot. I pulled away from him and held out my hands using my waterbending to try and steady the ship.

"Hold on! Can you turn the ship around?" I turned my attention to the fisherman. He shook his head.

"I can't, the waves are too strong!"

Sokka and the old man were holding on for dear life. Sokka hollered, "I'm too young to die!"

"I'm not, but I still don't wanna!" The fisherman was terrified. Suddenly Aang was on the boat standing in front of us. He handed us a rope and told us to hold on. We tied it around ourselves as Appa took off. We were flung into Appa's saddle and we were flying back towards land when a huge wave came towards us. Aang, Katara, and I used our waterbending to push a hole through for us to continue, but our victory was short lived. Soon enough, another wave was crashing onto us and it dragged us all underwater. We all were holding tightly onto Appa's saddle, when Aang's tattoos and his eyes began to glow. I felt a sudden sharp pain in my head as darkness swallowed me.

I watched the water rise around me into a huge wall that quickly morphed into flames. Then they fell and everything was dark and calm. I snapped my fingers together and made a small flame and it lit up Zuko's face, who was just inches from my own. "Abomination." Tears fell down his cheeks as he pushed me back into the water. I was drowning. I couldn't breathe. "Kyia!" Zuko called after me as I sank deeper and deeper. "Kyia!"

"Kyia! Come back to me!" Sokka's voice echoed in my head as I coughed water up from my lungs. We were back on the dock of the marketplace and I was flat on my back on the ground. "Kyia!" Sokka sat me up and hugged me tightly. "I was beginning to think we'd lost you." He let me go and I hugged my arms to myself. "What is that?" He took my arms and unfolded them from my chest. "Who did this to you?" I followed his gaze and saw that there were burn marks on my wrists that were shaped as if hands were gripping me. "Kyia?"

"It's nothing. I'm fine." The rain had stopped and we were all just relaxing on the dock. "Sokka, really. It's okay."

"You can't keep shutting us all out, Kyia. Please."

"I'm fine." I stood up and walked to the end of the dock and hung my feet over the edge, wishing that I wasn't lying.

A/N: Sorry this chapter is shorter, but I have big plans for the future. Stay tuned. (cue evil laugh)