Falling for the Enemy (Sun and Moon Book 1)

Chapter 60 - Moon

"Strange things have been happening, Avatar Aang. Thank you for coming." There is a harried look in Chief Arnook's eyes, and it worries me. I remember this man as being very confident. Now he looks like the ghosts of his past have been chasing him, and for quite awhile, too.

I look around, wondering at it. I nudge Sokka. "Where's Yue, do you think?"

He stares at me for a long time, and Suki takes his hand, eyeing him worridly.

What did I say?

"That's right. I- I guess you lost your memory before..."

"Before what?"

I look from Sokka to Suki and back again, dreading what I missed. It's like Omashu all over again. When Zuko told me what we'd seen, I was furious with myself. At least this, though, I can't blame on my memory.

I never knew about this, whatever it is.

Sokka takes a deep breath, then speaks. "Admiral Zhao killed the moon spirit. Yue.. gave it life, and became the moon. She's gone."

I stare at him, shock coursing through me.

Yue is the moon now? What else did I miss?

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"I know." Suki takes my hand, too, smiling at me. But my mind is whirling, wondering what else happened in the four years I was gone.

Suki and Sokka became an item and are getting married, but I'm not surprised there. Aang... Aang has changed a lot from the care-free boy I knew. I don't know how to act around him anymore, and he seems distant from me.

I don't know how to reach him.

My dad... I never had a very good relationship with my dad. He left us, and I was angry about that for so long.

I've gotten over it, but the memory of it is still there, hidden somewhere deep inside me. And it's hard not to pull it out and prod at it.

And it makes me wonder- how much have I changed? I don't know how to be the girl I was, so there must be a big difference. But I can't really tell. I'm just... me. I'm a mother and a waterbender, and I'm broken, inside.

I keep trying to heal, but every time I turn around the wound opens up again, and it's just as sharp and as painful as it was when it was made.

Because I loved him.

And he never loved me.

And I don't know who that makes me, how to be who I am.

And that scares me. Lia is looking around in wonder- she's never seen anything like this before, and I smile. My dad and the others will look after her.

"I'm going for a walk."

Sokka nods, and Suki squeezes my hand. I pull away and slip through the throne room doors, then down the stairs and towards the big inner courtyard where Appa is. I'll have to find my way out from memory after that.

I wince.

Fun.

**__**

Sokka watched Katara go with a frown. This was hard on her, being here. He didn't know how to help her.

Sokka stepped up beside Aang, tuning in to Chief Arnook's words. He was talking about the people that had disappeared, how they had nothing in common. There was no connection between them, they were just... gone.

It started several months ago- three people went missing on a fishing trip. They'd thought them lost. But then the next month, a group of revelers disappeared. And the month after that, Arnook's army commander went missing, along with a small contingent of soldiers. And just a week ago, three little girls and their Sifu went missing from their healing lesson.

People were afraid, and with good reason. But something about it was bugging Sokka. A minute later, he knew what it was.

"Only a few each month? Around the same time each month, or different times?"

"The same time. During the full moon."

_____

Poor Katara, didn't even know that Yue was gone... and oh dear, is this little full moon disappearing act sounding familiar to anyone ELSE..? ;D

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Also, I don't know how many of you actually read my semi crazy author's notes but thank you all so so much, all of you who are reading this and who have commented and/or voted thank you all so much!!! I never expected this sort of response when I started writing this story- you all deserve a million dollars and I wish I could give it to you!!

-Tess