Onee-Chan Is Gone (Sokka x OC)

Chapter 14: I Can't Stand The Rain

It's been a couple days since I started traveling with Pali, Luo, and Shen (the name I recently found of the white-haired girl). We have hardly talked, mostly just Pali talking at us and no one responding.

I try to answer her because she was the one who brought me with them, but sometimes her questions are a little bit too personal.

We just reached a dense forested area and the rain was gushing down through the leafy trees' branches. I was huddled between Pali and Shen, with Luo on the other side of Shen, underneath a waterproof tarp that we held up at the front side of to cover just over our faces and backpacks.

Our feet synchronously trudged through the deep muddy water, splashing into our boots and onto our pants.

I shivered, feeling water running down my face and legs. The rain cascaded down the tarp making a loud constant pattering in our ears.

As my feet started to become numb from the cold, I noticed a dark cabin up ahead.

"Look!" I yelled so they could hear me over the rain. Pointing at the cabin, we all started to run through the mud, sloshing it on our clothes even more.

When we reached the building, we took off the tarp, drenching ourselves for a moment before rushing inside one at a time.

I was the last one inside and slammed the door behind me, sliding down to the floor letting myself rest. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea because they were all sitting on the dusty ground as well.

I could hear everyone's heavy breathing and put a hand on my heart to try and steady my own.

"We should take off our wet clothes." Luo said, taking off her soaked outer jacket.

Following her lead, I took off my long-sleeved shirt and kept my undershirt on. Shen and Pali started taking some of their clothes off too. When I got most of my clothes off, I looked around in the dark cabin, barely making out a fireplace a few feet away from me.

"There's a fireplace over here, can anyone find any spark rocks?" I asked, looking around the ground near the fireplace.

"Here," Pali said, holding out her hand with two spark rocks. "I had them in my bag." She explained.

I took the spark rocks gratefully and started lighting the dry logs that were already in the fireplace. When they caught fire I pulled my hands back and gave the spark rocks back.

The four of us sat in front of the fire, all semi-clothed. I sat closest to the door with Shen next to me, Pali next to her, and Luo next to her.

"Esha... what's your real name?" Pali asked me. "I've never heard of the name Esha before, it was obviously a lie."

I pulled my knees up close to my chest and put my hands out towards the fire. "It's Oma. Oma Lei."

"Nice to meet you Oma," Pali spoke holding out a hand for me to shake. "I'm Saki." I looked over at Saki, surprised that Pali was not her real name. Taking her hand, she continued. "And this is Yumi," she gestured to who was Luo. "And Su-ji," she said gesturing to who was Shen.

I could tell that Yumi did not appreciate Saki telling me their names, but it didn't seem like the biggest deal.

We didn't really talk after that, so I just looked at each of them, taking in the small details of their faces in the soft lighting of the fire. Saki had charming, long, dark hair and round cheeks but a pointed jaw. Yumi had uniquely wavy grey hair and had a small nose and round lips. Su-ji was the most mysterious, her features even more so. Her hair was sheer white and cut flat down to her shoulders. Her face seemed to not have very much dimension, as she always had one expression on, so stern, and almost bored.

All of us were side-eyeing each others' open skin, most of us had at least a few scars showing. The ends of the scar on my chest showed, my stomach and collarbone exposed. I could tell that that was the one that they were the most curious about.

I was looking at a burn scar that wrapped around Su-ji's neck. What fire bender did that to her I wonder?

"How did you end up running from the Fire Nation?" Yumi asked me, to my surprise.

My mind flashed back to when I destroyed those three people with my earthbending. I almost forgot that I could do that. "I killed three soldiers."

The three girls looked to me but I just stared into the fire. "I didn't mean to, I think. They were about to kill my dad. Even if I didn't mean to... I don't regret it."

They all stayed quiet and looked into the fire as well.

We sat in silence, letting a serene and calm aura settle over us.

With this new knowledge of each other, I think that we are a little bit more comfortable with each other now. Although I still hardly know anything about them, I feel like I can trust them.

Letting out a big yawn, I laid back on the ground and put my bag under my head. Iwa crawled out of it and snuggled up on my neck, tucking themself under my chin.

I fell asleep to the pattering and thudding of the harsh rain beating against the window and the crackling and popping of the fire.

This might not be so bad after all. I think I like these girls.