𝑭𝑳𝑨𝑴𝑬𝑺 || 𝑨𝒂𝒏𝒈 (𝑩𝒐𝒐𝒌 3)

The Awakening

In all her life, sleep had come easy to her. Jade had never faced a storm, noise, or crisis that she couldn't sleep through.

But she was almost completely sure that she could count the hours of sleep that she had gotten over the past few weeks. She could probably even count them on her fingers.

At night, she would just lie awake. She would close her eyes and lie in bed, but if she ever managed to drift off, she would find herself shooting up in a cold sweat. After all, she only ever dreamed about one thing.

She dreamt of Aang, floating up above the heads of everyone in the crystal catacombs. She remembered his glowing eyes and tattoos. She remembered her heart swelling and she remembered it shattering. The memory of Aang's body falling after being shot by lightning was impossible to forget. It replayed in her head so clearly.

But that wasn't even the worst part. The worst part was what came after in her dreams, when they were flying away from Ba Sing Se on Appa. She always dreamed of other possible outcomes. Of nights when the spirit water didn't wake him up. Of nights when he didn't open his eyes no matter how much she pleaded him to.

Every time she had a dream like that, she would find herself at his bedside no matter how late it was. Even if everyone else was asleep, she would sneak down the halls of the ship as quietly as possible. That was exactly what had happened tonight.

"'The Earth Kingdom village I found today is different from most others. I've visited towns with big populations, but this one is occupied by no more than thirty. That said, I really like it here -- but I'm not so sure if that's because of the village itself, or because of him.'"

"'His name is Kueng. The town may be small, but their fruit crops are like nothing I've ever seen. Kueng works to deliver these delicious fruits to the harbors so they can be sold in other villages. The job keeps him away from home for days at a time, but he told me that he doesn't mind. It just makes him love being at home so much more. I wonder if I should be thinking the same way."

"'He's an interesting man. He's very eager to hear about my childhood in the North Pole and travels around the world. I find myself eager to tell him everything. There's just something about him -- maybe it's his kind smile or his energetic nature -- but I want to keep talking to him. To learn about what his life was like. I think I might want to stay in this town for a little while longer.'"

Dark circles were visible beneath Jade's eyes. She knew that, and she knew that it made everyone else worry. But as much as she appreciated their concern, the solution wasn't as simple as just falling asleep to make her exhaustion go away.

Looking up at the figure on the bed, she smiled softly. "It's weird hearing things from mom's point of view. Dad used to tell me about how awesome he always thought she was, but he didn't realize how much he loved her until he realized he didn't want her to leave." She glanced back down at the journal in her hands. "But it sounds like mom knew how she felt from the very beginning. She was probably just waiting for him to ask her to stay."

Jade let out a sigh.

"I wish I could remember seeing them together. I bet they were always really happy. And I probably was, too." Standing up, she shut her book. "Anyways, the sun should be coming up pretty soon. The others'll know I didn't sleep if they find out I was in here again."

She hadn't heard his voice in weeks. By now Jade knew that talking to him and expecting an answer was a setup for disappointment. Even so, that never stopped her.

Turning back to the bed, she bent down to press a light kiss to his forehead. Standing back up, she smiled weakly.

"I'll see you later, Aang."