The Only Hope

Book 2: Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Crossing my arms across my chest, I rubbed at the chill-bumps that rose up on my skin. With each breath I took, my breath came out in a cloud. Being short of breath from the cold, I looked around, unsure of where I was. It was dark, and I was outside on some sort of metal boat deck, my feet bare. Licking my lips, the boat shuttered beneath me, and sent me flying to my back. Quickly sitting up, more chill-bumps rose as I looked around. The black sea was calmer than the night. Shuttering to my slightly wobbling legs, I grabbed hold of the side railing. Squinting my eyes, I looked out to the ocean again, seeing nothing. Then, out of sea beneath the boat, came a tentacle of some sort shooting up into the night sky. With a girly scream I didn’t think I possessed, I stumbled back. Turning, I went to run anywhere other than the spot I was in. Before I could go more than a few feet, I felt the slightly cool and slimly tentacle wrap itself around my bare leg. Screaming again, I did my best to fight myself free from the monster as it pulled me along the boat deck. With one last hope, I grabbed at the deck railing as I pulled over, screaming for anyone to save me.

No one came, and when I thought I could hang on for just a few more seconds; my fingers were painfully ripped from the railing. I was pulled into the icy sea, my finale scream coming out of my mouth as nothing more than bubbles. As I got plunged deeper into the dark, my lungs begun to burn within my chest, and then finally I couldn’t hold it.

Thrashing around, I desperately gasped for air as my eyes popped open. Coughing, I pushed my wet hair from my face. Looking around as I took deep, lung filling, breaths of air, I found myself not in the middle of the ocean, but in my room, on the floor.  Beside me, my few flowers were scattered about, the vase a few feet away. In my rage of a dream, I must hit my bed side table and knocked the vase over and on top of me. Thus, explaining my wet hair.

Slowly pushing myself to my knees, I closed my eyes. Opening them again, I gather the flowers and placed them back in their vase. Sitting the vase on the table, I stood, and opened my shutters. Outside the sun was just starting to raise, the sky slowly turning. Glancing back to my bed, I took a deep breath, before deciding to just get dress. There was way I would be able to sleep after that dream, and I wanted- no I needed- to meditate.

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Whew… Peace…Peace… Find inner balance and you shall gain outward balance…Whew…Whew…In…Out…In…Out…In..-

My meditation thoughts were suddenly interrupted and I felt my air ball dissolve beneath me. I found myself on my back, grateful I hadn’t landed on the one pointe foot I had kept on my air ball. Standing with my other foot in a perfect ‘tree’ position, I kept my arms to the side for balance. It obviously didn’t give me enough, though the fact was that it wasn’t my fault.

Sitting up, I locked eyes on the four air benders flying away. Jumping up, I chased after them, catching them easily.

“Hey! I was trying to meditate back there!”

Each one fumbled out a half-hearted sorry, as they pushed on. Slowing down, I watched them until the rounded a corner and out of my site. Chill-bumps rose on my arms, and I rubbed them away; as I turned and headed back to my spot.

~~~

Okay, okay. Clothes… check… extra clothes… check… spare clothes…check…extra spare clothes… check… shoes… check… favorite boots… check… second, third, and forth favorite boots… check… coat… check… cloak… check… fold-away glider… check…other junk that I need but don’t care as much about… check… I am good.

Looking down at my four packed bags, I crossed my arms as I gave myself a mental high-five. I was all ready, and packed for my air-temple trip. A part of me was super stoked to be going, because I would be learning more about my element, and a bigger part was anxious. The nightmare like the one I had, had the night before wasn’t the first. I had been getting scary dreams like that for, well, three months. Right after I turned 15, they just started up and seem to haunt me nearly every night. I was hoping, desperately pleadingly hoping, that getting away from the city would get the night mares to go away too. In all honesty, I hadn’t been sleeping well since Maya died. I hadn’t had a real “dream” since before her death and now all I seem to get are night mares. So the trip away from my home would be a good one… I hoped.