Avatar: The Wheel of Time | Book One: The Earth Kingdom |

Chapter 1: Kiyan Alone

I woke up to a little boy leaning over me.

"Are you dead?" he asked, poking my cheek. I groaned, groggily pushing his hand away.

He looked disappointed.

Where am I? I thought, raising a hand to shield my eyes from the blazing sun. Slowly, the world came into focus.

Red sandstone cliffs, yellowed grass, a field of sunflowers...

"Hey, do you have any money?" the boy asked, drawing my attention back to him.

"Highly unlikely," I said, pushing myself up into a sitting position and taking in my companion more fully.

He couldn't have been more than nine years old. His black hair stuck out in every direction, despite someone's attempt to fix it into a bun on top of his head. His clothes were dirty and ragged at the edges, and two teeth protruded from his mouth, reminding me of a hippo-cow. His cheeks, too, were streaked with dusty earth.

"I'm Lee," he said, giving me a gap-toothed smile.

"I'm—" I paused, my mind at a blank. Okay, that was scary. Why couldn't I remember my own name? Panic raced through me. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to think.

Flashes of my life danced before my eyes. A waterfall that fed into a little pond, a house by the beach, a terrifying moment behind the wheel of my family's satomobile... my family! I remembered my parents, our turtle ducks—

"Kiyan!" I remembered with a wave of relief. "My name's Kiyan."

Lee looked at me for another second. "Okay," he said.

Okay? I blinked. Not the reaction I had expected, but I guess there was nothing wrong with it...

"Are you sure you don't have money?" he asked, wide eyed. He certainly had the puppy eyes down.

"Pretty sure," I said, patting my pockets. "What is this place? And how did I get here?"

Lee shrugged. "I dunno," he said. Or at least, that's what I assumed he said. What I heard was something more along the lines of "Anuhh."

"Is there a city nearby or something?" I asked, searching the landscape. "There!" I cried, leaping to my feet, pointing to a cluster of buildings not too far away. Dizziness swamped me, and I stumbled, black spots gathering before my eyes. Swaying, I grabbed Lee's shoulder, though I had to bend over to reach it. He was still seated and rather short.

"Yeah, that's my village," he said.

"Can you, uh, show me around or something?" I asked, pressing a hand to my forehead. It was hot, but not feverishly so. Slowly, my balance returned. I let go of Lee.

"Sure," he shrugged, standing up too.

The walk wasn't long. Soon, ramshackle wooden buildings rose on either side of us, and our feet left little dust clouds stirring behind us on the sandy streets.

"Nice place," I commented.

"It used to be nicer," Lee replied, a little defensively.

"What happened?" I asked, feeling a little bad for the remark.

"What do you mean, what happened?" he looked up at me incredulously. "Everyone left for the war, obviously."

The war. Okay, I didn't remember anything about there being a war. What happened to me? I needed time by myself, time to think.

"Is there an inn or something?" I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.

"You need a place to stay?" Lee asked.