Avatar Rose: Dusk

Ch.56: Nathan

Rose and Evan... have they been seeing each other in secret?

Come to think of it, yesterday when I was almost frostbitten, Evan and Rose were no-where in sight for quite a while. Whats up with those two?

And then the words hit me square in the chest for the fifth time.

"I mean how you act like she's your property or something! You're out of control, dude."

Evan has never hurt me more.

I don't get it- I'm used to being insulted. I like to think of myself as rather thick-headed. But somehow, my brother words have touched my heart beyond belief.

I push the thought away.

My feet crunch against the leaves, and my feet snap at the twigs. It seems all the leaves from the fall before still remain in this forest. New, green foliage has sprouted since then. I am surrounded by leaves. Brown, green, yellow, red. All colours representing how I currently feel.

Green- for the righteous pride I hold so prized in my heart.

Yellow- Secretly defensive, because Evan might have been right.

Red- furious at the world because it seems like it hates me.

Brown- because I just feel as shitty as a log.

The air seems especially cool today. Just to check, I hold my hand out and feel the air. Just as I thought- it's especially humid. There's going to be a heavy downpour today- maybe even a thunderstorm. Today's a very fucked up day. Oh, whatever. As long as we don't get attacked by bounty hunters or assassins again, we'll be fine.

"Nathan!" A weak voice calls my name. "Nathan, are you here..."

"I'm here!" I say.

And Evan comes stumbling into the clearing. His t-shirt is ripped, theres a bruise under his left eye. Blood trickles down the side of his ear, and his arms and legs are shaking uncontrollably. They suddenly give, and Evan falls, keeling into the mud.

"What the fuck happened?"

Evan starts into a coughing fit. He manages to surpress it, and then begins to speak. "Assassins, bounty hunters. Fired a needle of something just as we were beginning to fight... Couldn't move my legs. There were so many, I knew some of them. Rowan's following them..."

And with the next words my heart stop.

"They have Rose."

My head falls. For a few seconds, you can hear the sounds of crickets chirping, a melody carried by the wind.

Finally I swallow. "Where are they."

"You can't do it," Evan says, shaking his head. "They're too strong, you'll need Gwen. I don't know how powerful Rowan is, but we have to trust that he'll hold them up. Liesel and Xander too- this is a big problem."

"Wait.. What about you?"

"I'm fine, I've been through worse," he says quickly, brushing it off.

I nod.

"You need to go," Evan says. He puts his hands out, but he's still shaking. His eyes close, and he takes a breath. "There's airbender chi and waterbender chi on the eastern side of town."

"Wait...how-"

"Its a bloodbending technique, I'll tell you later. Now go! Rowan was heading north-east. Hurry up!" he says. "I know my old buddies have no mercy."

"What about you..?"

"I said I'm fine! Get Rose. Run as fast as you can. Now, you selfish dumbass, GO!"

Selfish?

My feet have already swept me away. Instinctively, I rob some weeds of their water and make a sheet of ice under my feet. I make two ice poles, and start down the hill.

I pull myself down, and already I'm building up speed. My hair seems to be being grabbed by the pull of the wind. Precisely, I weave through the trees and the bushes, using my feet to steer, my poles for power. Branches scratch at my face, sun boils into my skin but I don't care. I need to find Gwen.

Where is she.

I tear onto the main path. Letting my skis and poles melt into my satchel, I run. Run as fast as my body allows. Soon, I'm in the part of town.

Please be outside, I pray, please be easy to find...

Thank Raava. They're outside on a bench, eating sandwiches. They see me running towards them, and they must see the panic in my eyes, because they immediately get up.

Xander squints. "What up?"

"It's Rose. She's been abducted, Rowan's trailing but they're really powerful. They're heading north-east."

Gwen doesn't bat an eye. She pulls water from her satchel and lets it drip down her arms. Her arms, now covered in water climb up a lamppost. "I'm going ahead," she says, and then slingshots her way into the distance. She's always been like that. Got a kick out of swinging from buildings playing 'ninja'.

"Xander," I say, looking at them each in turn. "Liesel."

She nods. "Let's go rescue the Avatar."