Avatar Rose: Justice

Chapter 9: The Sneeze

Rowan's POV
(Not Edited)
"Xander, that's real blood, retard," Rose snaps.

His eyes go wide, and he shuffles his feet awkwardly. "Whoops. My bad."

I try to look carefree. "Well, Team Avatar is back and reunited. Besides Gwen, I don't know where she is. And E-- well... uhh..."

"Evan," Nathan finishes, his eyes hardening into fierce ice. "But he's dead."

Rose tells Nathan the story of how she escaped by transforming into Gwen. I notice how she tries the best she can to steer away from the topic of Austin. Which, come to think of it, where the heck did he go?

"I think somehow you're able to contact Vatuu with that power, Rose. If I were you, I wouldn't use it," Nathan says.

Rose's eyes flash with anger at the comment. "So what if I am? I'm the most powerful person in the world, isn't that a good thing. A great thing!?"

"Sheesh, you're not the most powerful person in the--"

"YES I AM!"

The whole cafeteria goes silent, most staring right at Rose. Her eyes glow with a frightening purple. Sharp blades of shadows erupt behind her. Instead of looking guilty or embarrassed, she grins.

"I could kill you all if I wanted to," Rose says in a softer tone, but not any less frightening.

This isn't her. I don't care how much she has cracked. There's something with her voice, a small tint that was never there in the past. Like someone else inside Rose, maybe even controlling her a bit.

Liesel clears her throat awkwardly. "But you're not going to... you know, kill us, right?"

"But of you are the most powerful person in the world, why don't you just get out of here and go straight to the Fire Nation yourself?" I inquire.

"I want them to know I'm on their side. I want to win the war the Earth," Rose replies. Her eyes go back to their normal color as she calms down.

"Doing a great job so far," Nathan mumbles sarcastically. "Because to me it looks like everyone's terrified of you."

"Well maybe they should b- ha.. Ha... HACHOO!"

Awkward silence. Rose sniffles a little. A few more seconds pass before Nathan, Xander, Liesel, and I burst into abrupt laughter.

"What?" Rose snaps defensively, her face reddening into a shade of ruby. She sniffles once more.

"Sorry, but it's kind of hard to fear someone who sneezes like a kitten," Xander chuckles.

"I do not. It was a perfectly normal sneeze."

The sneezes become more frequent. People stare at us oddly as we laugh our heads off. Usually it wouldn't be that funny, but after all we've been through, we need a good laugh.

HACHOO!

They begin to trigger her shapeshifting. Each time she sneezes, she turns into an animal of some sort or a person.

"Shit," she groans miserably. Her nose is a bright red, and her voice sounds as if she has a cold.

"Looks like someone's getting sick," Liesel says worriedly, handing Rose a tissue.

She shakes her head. "I can't get sick anymore. I'm invinc--HACHOO!"

But even if I didn't know her I would know she's coming down with something. Unlike most people, who usually come down with colds in the winter, Rose gets it during the summer. It usually happens every other year, and the only challenge is keeping her in bed to get rest.

"Maybe you should lie down," offers Liesel. I look up hopefully. Liesel seems to be the only one that can make Rose listen at times. They're polar opposites, but they also have an evident mutual understanding. They get along better than anyone else in the group.

"No, I'm fine. I swear!" Rose protests, sneezing once more.