An Archer's Tale: Serena's Story (An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fan Fic)

Chapter 4

Hello, hello! Guess who? It's the AUTHOR! ANYWHOOOO! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, if you've read any of my other books, you know that that is a bit of a reoccurring habit, but I'm doing the best I can. Truly, I just have waaay to much going on at all times in my life, but somehow I make room for this as well. Speaking of which, I should probably stop blabbering on, which is another tendency of mine, and give you the chapter already! Also, give a shout-out in the comments over there if you actually read my Author's Notes! Go on, don't be shy! It's right down thata way, if you can see where I'm pointing to at the bottom of the page...........

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The older woman showed me to the back room where she had me sit on a cushion on the floor again. I instinctively studied the room and noted all of the possible exits. There were only two; the one we had come in through and another door that I guessed led to either a living space or another side room of some sort. There was a fire in the center of the room that I studied for a little while.

"We'll do a palm reading first," Aunt Wu commented, snapping my attention back to her. I held out my hand and she took it in hers. I noticed that while it was slightly wrinkled, she wasn't particularly weak, nor was she strong. Her hands were a bit cold though as her finger moved along my palm, as though she were tracing and imaginary design on my flesh. My skin tingled slightly as her index finger trailed over it.

"I suppose you'll want me to read your love line first, like your friend did?" Her lips turned up at the edges a tad bit as her eyes focused down on my palm.

"Please," I sighed, "I don't have time for love, and I never will as long as this war goes on. Maybe I'll come back once the Fire Lord has withdrawn his troops from the Earth Kingdom." At this Aunt Wu looked up at me and gave me a stern gaze. I felt like a child that had asked if I could have dessert before my dinner.

"If it's in your fate, you will fall in love whether the war is over or not. It isn't exactly up to you to decide." She told me, then looked back down at my palm. "Hmmm..." She said a moment later, then she looked back up at me.

"Your life has been full of struggle up to this point, but the past is key to unlocking a better future." I huffed almost imperceptibly at that. Sounds more like the note inside a fortune cookie than my fate, I couldn't help but think.

"You blame yourself for something that happened many seasons ago." She paused, and I knew I was supposed to say something.

"The blizzard." I replied, looking down at my shoes. Aunt Wu gave a small nod, then continued.

"You will discover a secret about what truly happened that day. Forgive yourself. The journey to this truth, and the aftermath, will be difficult, and you will have no room for harboring guilt." I nodded as she let go of my hand and moved over to a small bowl seated on a pedestal a few feet away, then beckoned me next to her. "Now, draw a bone from this bowl and place it in the fire. The fire will make cracks on the bone and I will read them."

I did as she said, picking the biggest bone, the first one on top, and placing it in the center of the flames. I then sat back on the cushion and waited.

A crack shaped like an oval with a circle in the middle, which looked overall like an eyeball, was the first crack that we saw. Aunt Wu smiled at me. "Wonderful! I knew I felt something special in you!" She cried. "Wait until the bone is done and I will tell you the meaning of that crack."

A crack shaped like the cresent moon with waves appeared next. "Ah. The symbol of the water tribe. But, in this case, I believe it refers to the moon and ocean spirits."

The next crack to show up was an hourglass shape. "The symbol of time, in this case, especially the past. You will have to face yours eventually, you cannot run from it forever."

A crack that looked like a single line that branched off into two smaller lines showed up. "You will have to make a choice between two that you love when great tragedy befalls you, but things will turn out better in the end you."

The final crack looked somewhat like a flower starting to open up. "Forgiveness. You will not just forgive yourself, but also others, and there will be a new beginning for all."

The bone then spilt apart at the cracks and sat burning in the fire. I turned to Aunt Wu, as it was obviously over.

"So what did the first crack mean? The one that looked like an eyeball?" I asked her. Her previously faint smile grew as she looked down at me.

"You, my dear, are a seer."

"A seer?"

"Yes. You can predict the future, but not just of anyone. You will be able to predict the future of your friends' quest. Most likely not specifics or anything like that, but you must learn to trust your sixth sense, that gut feeling you get. Your power is only starting to emerge, and in time there will be one who truly helps you blossom."

"And where exactly am I supposed to find this 'one'?" I asked, getting a tad annoyed all of the nonspecificness.

"I get the feeling that that has to do with the other symbols that appeared, but I don't know any more than you do otherwise." I sighed and Aunt Wu patted my shoulder. "Don't worry yourself. All will be clear in time. For now you must focus on your quest, child. Trust that when you need to know everything that it will be revealed." I nodded and she led me out into the main room.

"So what did the All Wise and Powerful Fortune-teller say was going to happen to you, Serena?" Sokka asked as I sat down and Aunt Wu led Aang into the back room.

"Why do you want to know? Are you still mad because she said you'd make yourself suffer? From what I've seen, she was spot on." I told him, smirking. He just glared at me, then stuffed some more bean curd puffs in his mouth. I rolled my eyes at him but stayed silent, thinking about what Aunt Wu had said and what all of it could possibly mean.