The Last Airbenders > Zuko

5

"There's no way," I began, clearly not convinced, "when Aang and I crashed a few days ago we were just coming from the Southern Temple. We live there." I was trying to make it seem like he was the crazy one. Because he was! There is no way.

Sokka shook his head. "No, you're not getting it. Aren't you wondering why everyone was so shocked to see an airbender? Why I keep calling you guys freaks?"

"To be an asshole?"

"Not my point." He shifted where he was sitting in the snow and turned to face me better. "You can't have just left there a few days ago. It was burned down 100 years ago. Were you in the iceberg for that long?"

I scoffed and turned to face him as well. "That's impossible. Do I look 116? How could I survive that long?"

He grumbled. "I don't know... Just- think about it. It's what makes the most sense. Nara, your entire population was wiped out. There are no more airbenders."

That particular phrase hit me. There are no more?

"So... my brother. My mom. Gyatso, everyone I've ever known and loved is gone?"

He didn't answer. It was the first time I had seen him somewhat sad. Sympathetic. He's not lying, huh?

I broke the eye contact and stared at the snow by my feet.

I wasn't about to cry, not in front of a kid I barely knew. I just needed a deep breath to gather myself.

My entire life was just practically taken away from me.

"A hundred years." As I was processing the information poor Sokka had no idea what to do. He awkwardly placed a hand on my shoulder, unaware if he should comfort me at all. It caused me to chuckle.

"Hey I'm trying alright? Gimme a break." He grumbled as I stood.

"Well, I guess I gotta get used to life now, since I'm 100 years into the future. I mean its the present, but for me it's the future." He stood as I did.

For some reason, I didn't cry. Right there at that moment, I couldn't cry even if I wanted to. Was there something wrong with me? Any person who just found out their family was killed would break out into sobs. I'm not saying what I just heard didn't hurt, it's all just so much information to process at once, I almost don't entirely believe it yet.

"Nara?" I was staring off into space.

"Yeah? Sorry."

I knew Sokka was thinking hard on what to do, I mean if I were in his shoes I wouldn't know how to exactly comfort someone either. I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Anything I can do?"

I thought. "Maybe show me around the village, talk about what happened. I just woke up like 10 minutes ago anyway."

About an hour had passed since then. He had showed me around the village and explained what happened with the war. The Fire nation attacked, and has destroyed every air temple to wipe out the population of the air nomads, hoping they had killed the avatar along the process. A hundred years had passed, and no one has heard from the avatar since. Some say he went missing and hid like a coward, others believe he did die in the attacks and was unable to be reincarnated into a new life.

"Did you ever know the avatar?" Sokka asked as I finished my last bite of bread.

"I knew people that knew him, but I never knew him personally. I'm not sure what happened to him." I lied, hoping that that sounded convincing.

I'm not exactly sure why I was lying anymore. It's not like they can turn us in to the Monks. But still, if they were to find out that Aang was the avatar, it should be from Aang himself.