Double Bender

Part 19

After about an hour of sleep, we took off too. Aang piloted Appa while the rest of us tried to tell ghost stories. The key word being "try". Sokka definitely told the worst one yet, "the man with the sword for a hand." Toph told a story of how her bedroom door opened and closed by itself. Geo made up a story that was obviously on the spot, but still better than Sokka's. Aang told a story about a monk that still haunted the Southern Air-Temple to this day. Then it came around to me. I thought about an old ghost story I overheard my mother telling my father at a camp-out, after they'd thought I'd gone to sleep. "Well, near my old house, the one where I lived with my parents, there was a beach. And on that beach, there was a thicket of bamboo. And in that thicket, some say, lived the ghost of Calliope, a former friend of my grandmother's. The story started when Calliope was sixteen, she was engaged to the man she loved. But on the night of the wedding, Calliope found her fiancé cheating on her. She was so depressed that she went into the thicket of bamboo and never came out," "You call that a ghost story?" Sokka teased. "I wasn't finished," I said solemnly. "Well, naturally, her family went looking for her. They looked for months but found nothing. Then, one night, during a full moon, Calliope's sister went out onto the beach with her...boyfriend for a date. Calliope, who was now very different, heard them and became very discouraged that someone else had love and she didn't. She howled with rage!" I paused for a little bit of effect. "The next morning, their families went looking for them. But all they found was a trail of blood leading to the thicket. So now, everyone who is married or even seen kissing on that beach, their lives end tragically, on account of Calliope's rage and jealousy and longing for the love that she never had. This is a true story," "Yeah right," Sokka scoffed. "What proof do you have that it's true?" I looked up menacingly. "My own parents were married on that beach," Everyone shivered. We kept telling ghost stories even after we landed. Sokka topped himself, telling an even worse ghost story than "the man with a sword for a hand". Then Katara said that she had another story. "Don't tell me it's one of those 'my cousin knew a guy who had a friend who had something crazy happen to him'." Geo said. Katara shook her head. "No," She said. "It happened to my mom. One winter, when mom was a girl, a huge snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, mom realized hat she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So mom and some of the others went over to Nini's house. When they got there, no one was home, just a fire, flickering in the fireplace. While them men went out and searched, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice." Then her voice changed, like a little girl's. "'I'm so cold, and I can't get warm,' Mom turned around and saw Nini standing by the fireplace. She was blue like she was frozen. Mom ran out for help, but when everyone came back...Nini was gone." We all clung to each other in fear. "So...where'd she go?" Sokka asked fearfully. "No one knows," Katara said. "Nini's house stands empty to this day. But sometimes, people see smoke coming from the chimney and most people think it's Nini, trying to get warm." We all huddled together. Then Toph suddenly said, "Wait guys, did you hear that?" We looked at her. "I hear people under the mountain...screaming," We pulled away from each other and looked at Toph again. I heard something too, like a small whistle. "I hear something too," Geo said. "Pft," said Sokka. "Real funny, guys." "I'm serious!" said Toph. "You're probably just a little jumpy from the ghost stories," said Katara. Then Toph flinched. The whistling below the ground stopped. "It... it just stopped," Toph said. "Alright, now I'm getting scared," said Aang. Suddenly, I heard some thumping coming from the ground that was close to us. "Someone's coming," I whispered. The person got closer and closer until, suddenly... "Hello, children!" someone said. I screamed. "Woah, woah, woah," said Geo. "It's just a little old lady," The woman smiled. She was a friendly looking old lady with long grey hair and a simple brown dress. "I'm awful sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to frighten you, children," "That's okay," Geo replied. "Naussica's is just a little jumpy...and scared of anything that moves." (Yes, we were still using the fake names. You never know who you're gonna come across...and what side they're on). I whacked her in the arm. The lady smiled again. "My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest at night. I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?" "Yes, please," Sokka replied. At this point, even Geo thought that tea was a good idea.
We followed Hama back to her little inn that she ran. It was a cozy little place, with a warm atmosphere. "Thanks for letting us stay here tonight," Katara said. "You have a lovely inn," "Aren't you sweet," Hama said. Her expression changed to a little more serious. "You should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in." "What do you mean, 'disappearing?'" Sokka asked suspiciously. Hama looked at the ground. "Every full moon," she said ominously. "People go into those woods, and they don't come out." Her words frightened me, like I knew that just a few hours ago, we could have been killed in those woods. Her expression softened again. "Anyone want more tea?" she asked, as if with no regard to what she just said. Everyone looked fearfully at the ground, as if my thoughts had just flown to their heads. "Don't worry," said Hama. "You'll all be completely safe here," Then she got a better idea. "Why don't I show you to your rooms so you can get a good nights rest?" We all looked at each other and nodded.
My room was large, in fact, it was a little too large. I couldn't sleep for fear of those nightmares, trust me, if you had the nightmares I had, you wouldn't be able to sleep either. But, the room was too large and empty and I had the feeling that I was being watched. Everywhere I went in the room it felt like there were eyes on me. The door started to creak open. Must be the wind, I thought. The funny thing was, there was no wind that night. The door creaked open little wider. "Who's there?!" I yelled. I heard footsteps moving down the hall. I flew out of bed and followed the footsteps down the hallway and they made a sharp turn to the left. Too bad for them, I thought. That leads to a dead end. Wait... Geo's room is that way! "Stop!" I yelled. Then the footsteps, oddly enough, stopped. Then, I crashed right into...Geo. "What are you doing here?!" She yelled. "I was trying to save you!" I said. "You were trying to save me?" she said looking confused. "I was trying to save you! I heard someone go into your room and-" "That wasn't you?" I cut her off. Then she asked, "Why would I even want to go into your room? You mumble in your sleep. Why would it be me?" We looked at each other and she said. "Okay, we need to leave here as soon as possible!"
The next morning, we tried to tell Hama that her inn was supposedly haunted, but she wouldn't listen. We all tagged along at the market and Geo and I kept our mouths shut, because of the look Katara gave us. While she talked with Hama, Geo and I lagged behind and talked about last night some more. "Do you know what came into my room?" I asked. "No, all I know is that it was the size of a person." "Odd," I said. "Do you think it could have something to do with the screaming we heard last night?" Geo shrugged. "All I know is something's up," She said.
Hama sent us back to the inn with the groceries while she ran a few more errands. "That Hama seems a little strange," said Sokka. "Like she knows something...or she's hiding something," Even though Sokka's idea was utterly ridiculous, I actually believed him. I mean, where did we meet her? The woods. Where did she tell us to steer clear of? The woods. If she told us to stay out of the woods, why was she in the woods. Even if people weren't disappearing, what business would an old woman have in the woods? None of it made sense. But of course, Katara only judged by appearances and the words they said rather than facts and logic. "That's ridiculous!" She said. "She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kind of reminds me of Gran-Gran," Like I said, judging on appearances. Sokka was still uneasy. "But what did she mean by that comment she made a while ago, 'mysterious children'?" Earlier, Sokka had told Hama that she lived in a pretty mysterious town and Hama replied with "Mysterious town for mysterious children," "Gee, I dunno," said Katara sarcastically. "Maybe she found six strange kids camping in the woods at night. Isn't that a little mysterious?" "You've got a point," I agreed. "But so does Sokka. I mean, Hama's just a little sketchy. I mean, she found us in the woods, the very place she told us to stay out of. Doesn't that seem a little suspicious to you?" Katara gave Sokka a look. Sokka still wasn't convinced that she was innocent. "I'm gonna take a look around," He said. He walked out of the room and into the hallway. "Sokka!" said Katara. "Where are you going? You can't just snoop around someone's house!" "It'll be fine," Sokka reassured her. Katara followed Sokka, followed by me, followed by Geo, followed by Aang, followed by Toph. The house was still pretty creepy in the daytime, especially the parts of the house that didn't get any sun. I could tell the rest of us shared my nervousness. "She could be home any minute," said Aang nervously. Katara shared in his nerve. "Sokka, you're gonna get us all in trouble. And this is just plain rude," she said. Sokka walked up to a cabinet and started to pull at the doors. "I'm not finished yet!" Sokka replied, with a grunt. He pulled at the doors until they opened to reveal several human-looking things hanging on strings. Puppets. "Okay," Said Aang. "That's pretty creepy," Katara closed the doors. "So she's got a hobby," she said. "There's nothing weird about that. Sokka, you've looked far enough." Sokka shrugged and started to make his way up the stairs. "So, just an ordinary, puppet-loving innkeeper, huh?" he said ominously. "Then why does she have a locked door up here?" "That is a pretty valid question," I said. Katara shot me a look. "Hey, just stating my opinion," I shrugged. "She has a locked door up here to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff!" Katara said angrily. "We'll see," Said Sokka, trying to open the doors. He peered through the key-hole and said, "It's empty except for a little chest," "Maybe it's treasure!" said Toph excitedly. Sokka perked up at the thought of treasure and tried even harder to open the door. "Sokka, what are you doing?" Katara asked. "You're breaking into a private room!" I answered. Hama may have freaked me out, but I still hung on to my morals. "We shouldn't be doing this," Aang agreed. Sokka didn't listen (DUH!). He managed to break into the room and ran over to the little chest. "It's locked," he said. "Gee, what a shock!" I said sarcastically. "Maybe there's a key around here." "Oh, hand it over," said Toph. She grabbed her bracelet and bended it into the shape of a key. Katara got angrier with every twist of Toph's wrist. "Come on," Said Sokka. "Come on!" "This isn't as easy as it looks," said Toph. "This is a bad idea," said Aang nervously. I nodded in agreement. "This is crazy!" said Katara. "I'm leaving!" She made her way towards the door as we gathered round Toph. "I'll tell you what's in the box," said a voice. We turned around to see Hama standing there. Sokka handed over the box and Hama opened it to reveal..."An old comb?" Sokka said in disbelief. Hama nodded and held up a tiny, ice blue comb made out of whale bone. "It's my greatest treasure. The last thing I owned from growing up in the Southern Water-Tribe,"
We all stared at her in disbelief. She was Water-Tribe? How on earth was that possible? "You're from the Southern Water-Tribe?" Katara asked. "Just like you," Hama replied. "How did you know?" Katara asked, even more confused than before. "I heard you talking around your campfire," said Hama, smiling warmly. "But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asked. "Guys, I think we've asked enough questions," I said. "Oh, it's quite alright, Naussica," said Hama. I paused. "My real name is Tatiana," I said. Hama smiled again. "That's a lovely name. Where was I? Oh yes. I wanted to surprise you. I bought all this food to make you a big, Water-Tribe dinner. Of course, I couldn't get all the ingredients here, but ocean cumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you stew them long enough," "Great," said Aang, making a face. Apparently, he'd had a bad experience with sea prunes in the past.
"I knew I felt a bond with you," Katara said, smiling. Hama gave a friendly smile. "And I knew you were hiding something," said Sokka. "So I guess we're both right!" Katara punched him in the arm. "But I'm sorry for sneaking around." "Apology accepted. Now let's get cooking!" Hama said.
Katara and Sokka helped Hama cook dinner while everyone else waited in the living room. "I can't believe she's Water-Tribe," I said. "I guess we don't have to be afraid of her anymore," "I don't know," Said Geo. "I still think she's kinda sketchy," "Why are you suspicious?" I asked. "Just because she's not from the Fire-Nation doesn't mean she's anymore trustworthy." "Yeah it does," I argued. "No, it doesn't," said Geo. "You said it yourself, what was she doing in the woods, the place she told us to stay out of?" "Okay," I said. "That is a little sketchy but-" "And what about those puppets?" "There's a logical explanation for-" "And what about that person who went into your room?" I went silent. I had completely forgotten about the mysterious no one that had snuck into my room. Who was it...what was it?
"I'd steer clear of the sea prunes," Aang whispered to us at the dinner table. "I'll stay away from any kind of prunes," said Geo, making a face. "Who wants five-flavor soup?" Hama asked as she placed a pot onto the table. We all raised our hands. Hama raised her arms and water-bended the soup into our bowls, much to our amazement. "You're a water-bender!" Katara said. "I've never met another one from our tribe." A sad look passed over Hama's face. "That's because the Fire-Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one." "So how did you end up here?" Sokka asked in an oh so sympathetic tone. Hama looked even sadder than before. "You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," I said. "It's alright, dear," said Hama. She took a breath and began.
"I was stolen from my home. It was sixty years ago when the raids began." I pictured Hama as a little girl, looking up at the sky as ash began to fall. I pictured a huge fight ensuing and water-benders facing fire-benders. "They came again and again, each time rounding up more and more water-benders," Hama continued. "We tried holding them off but our numbers dwindled. Finally I too was captured. I was led away in chains, the last water-bender of the Southern Water-Tribe," Hama looked like she was going to cry. She went on. "They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire-Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape." "How did you get away?" asked Sokka. "And why did you stay in Fire-Nation?" Geo asked suspiciously. "I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about." "We completely understand," Katara said. "Sokka and I lost our mother in a Fire-Nation raid." Hama patted Katara's hand. "You poor things," she said. "My mother was Water-Tribe," I whispered mournfully. "What was that, dear?" Hama asked. "My mother," I said. "She was from the Northern Water-Tribe. I know it's not the same, but I can relate." Hama looked at me sadly. There was a long and awkward silence. Then Katara said, "I can't tell you what it means to meet you. You're like a hero." Hama's face lifted. "I never thought I'd meet another Southern water-bender," said Hama. "I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on Southern tradition. Tatiana, you're welcome to join us, I know that it's not Northern tradition but it's still Water-Tribe." "I'd love to," Katara said. "Me too," I added. "My parents promised me they'd teach me about both sides of my heritage when I was older." I twisted the ring.
The next day, Hama brought me and Katara up to the top of a hill to tell us about Southern Tradition. "Growing up in the Water-Tribe," Hama said. "Water-benders are totally at home, surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you probably noticed while on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go." Katara looked at the ground. "When we were stranded in the desert," she said, "I felt like there was nothing I could do." Hama looked at her and said, "That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists." "We've even used our own sweat to break out of prison once," I said, recalling the time we were stuck in a wooden prison. "That was very resourceful," Hama said. "You are both thinking like water-bending masters. But you can even pull water out of thin air." With that being said, she whooshed her arms around and water flew around her, almost out of thin air, and when she turned around, the fingers on her right hand were encased in ice. "That's amazing," I breathed. "You've got to keep an open mind. There's water in places you don't even think about," Hama said.
We stayed out there for a while. I honestly don't know how much time passed and, honestly, I didn't care. I was learning what my parents had intended to teach me (even if it was a different type of Water-Tribe). After about a half hour or so, Hama said, "Let's go somewhere else. There's a place I want to show you," She led us to a field filled with beautiful orange flowers. The whole field looked like it was set ablaze. "What beautiful flowers," I gawked. "They're called Fire-Lilies," Hama said. "They only bloom a week every year. They're one of my favorite parts about living here. And like all plants, and all living things, they're filled with water," Hama waved her arms in a large circle, bending the water out of the lilies. When she brought her arms around again, the lilies were brown and shriveled. "That was incredible!" Katara said. "But it's a shame about the lilies." "They're just flowers," Hama said. "When you're a water-bender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive. Tonight, I'll teach you the ultimate technique of water-bending. It can only be done under a full moon, when your bending is at its peak." "Isn't that dangerous?" I asked. Hama laughed heartily. "A few water-bending masters under a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."
I promised Hama that I'd make it to the lesson but I had to run to the house first and grab my cloak. What? I get cold at night. Anyway, on my way out, Geo caught up with me. "What's going on?" "We're trying to figure out why people are disappearing. Wanna come?" "I need to get back to the woods-" "Isn't that dangerous?" Geo interrupted. "Yeah, but I'll be with Katara and Hama-" "Oh won't that be safe," said Geo sarcastically. "But, what about the-" "Oh, she'll be fine. Come on!" She grabbed my arm and dragged me off towards town.
The town was pretty spooky. Looking back on it, I can't say I blame the people for being so scared of the woods. Well, it was either the look that scared me or what came next. Anyway, apparently, Aang had met someone who had told him to look for old man Ding. "Ding?" I asked. "Who the hell would name their kid Ding?" "I don't know why the people in this place do half the things they do," said Geo. "Don't have to tell me twice," I said, looking at the ground. "Old man Ding?" Aang called. "Yeeow!" someone said. An old man stepped out into the moonlight. He was a short, scrawny old man with grey hair and a short, scruffy grey beard. "What?" he said. "Can't you see I'm busy? Got a full moon rising soon. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old." He bent down to try and pick up a wooden board but was too weak to even move it. "Well, I'm young at heart," he said hopelessly. Aang helped him lift the board up to the window as old man Ding continued. "I'm not ready to get snatched up by some moon monster, not yet at least." Sokka stepped foreword and said, "We wanted to ask you about that," He said. Old Man Ding looked up at us. "Did you get a look at that spirit hat took you?" Aang said. "He got snatched up by the spirit?" I whispered to Geo. "I'll explain later," she replied. "Why is it that when ever I don't understand something, everyone uses that as a scapegoat because they don't want to explain and as a matter of fact, do not explain later." Geo rolled her eyes. Old Man Ding continued. "Didn't see no spirit. Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. It forced me to walk towards the mountain." He pointed to the nearby mountain. "I tried to fight it," he continued. "But I couldn't control my own limbs. It started to lead me into a cave and I looked up at the moon for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. Then, something happened. The sun started to rise. I could control myself again. I just high-tailed away from that mountain as quick as I could." "Why would a spirit want to take people under a mountain?" Sokka asked philosophically. "Oh no!" Toph said, startling everyone. For a second, I forgot she was there. It was the only time I heard her be quiet voluntarily. "What?" said Geo. "What's 'oh no'?" "I did hear people screaming under the mountain. They must still be there!" "We have to find them!" I said.
We ran from the village all the way into the woods again and to the base of the mountain. Toph put her hand up against the side. "They're still there!" she said. She opened up a hole in the ground and waved us all in. "I can hear them," she said. "They're this way," She pointed down one edge of the mountain. We ran further into the hole. I thought we were going to hit the heart of the mountain. Then we stopped. "There's a whole maze of tunnels," said Toph. "They all intertwine. It'll take a moment before I can pick up the sound again." I felt it too. There were so many tunnels and different ways you could get lost that it made my head spin. Suddenly, I heard a loud hum. "I hear something!" I said. My senses picked up the sound and the sound got louder and I could hear all the people screaming. "They're that way," I said as I pointed down a certain passageway. "Lots of people. Men and women, both young and old. No children, thankfully," I paused for a moment before saying, "Come on!"
As we got closer, I could feel the people getting closer and closer. "This is the way," Toph said. "I can't see anything," Sokka said. "That's why you have us," Geo said quickly. We got closer and closer and I could hear the screaming getting louder and louder as we tiptoed further into the mountain. When suddenly... "We're saved!" someone said. I ran into the cavern with the rest of the group. Around me were several groups of people. I was right. There were both men and women, young and old. Toph, Geo, and I melded our bracelets into keys and started to unlock the locks. "I didn't know spirits made prisons like these," said Aang, looking around. "It was no spirit," said a young woman. "It was a witch!" "A witch?" Sokka said. "What do you mean?" "She seems like a normal old lady," said a man. "But she controls people like some dark puppet master," "Hama!" said Sokka angrily. "Yes, the innkeeper," the prisoner said. "I knew there was something creepy about her," Sokka said. "Oh no!" I said. "What?" Aang asked. "Katara's in the woods with her right now!" "We have to stop Hama!" Aang yelled. "Geo and I will free the people," Toph said. "Go!"
We ran through the mountain and moved closer and closer to Katara and Hama, unaware of what lay ahead. "Do we know what we're headed into?" Sokka asked me as we ran. "I have a hunch," I panted. "I just hope I'm wrong." "That's what I was afraid of," Sokka said. My hunch was way off. I simply thought that she wasn't as frail as she looked and was actually incredibly strong especially with her bending, much like Uncle. But I was so wrong. It wasn't even close. What came next still haunts me to this very day and I still have nightmares about it. We had no idea what we were stepping into. Not by a long shot.
"Give up, Hama!" Sokka said as we ran into a clearing where Hama and Katara stood. "You're outnumbered!" Aang added. I'm still not sure, but I think I saw Hama grinning. "No," she said. "You've outnumbered yourselves!" She brought up one hand and Sokka and Aang stopped moving. I watched in horror as their bodies twisted in the strangest angles. What the hell is going on?! I thought frantically. I tried to hide behind a tree, but Hama saw me and smiled. "I forgot about you," she said. She brought up her other arm and...I stayed where I was. I resisted with all my might. She won't control me, I thought calmly. She WON'T. I kept resisting then, I couldn't hold it any longer. I screamed as she gained control of my body and slammed me into a tree. Pain surged through every vein and muscle in my body but there was also another unfamiliar feeling. It was such an odd feeling, I couldn't control myself. My brain told my arms to stop swinging wildly and hold still, but they wouldn't listen. It was like my body was just taking over and doing whatever the hell it wanted to do and saying "screw you" to my brain. It was the worst feeling I'd ever felt in my life and I felt like I was going to be sick. She slammed me into another tree and then back into the first tree. Back and forth, back and forth until I could feel my strength leaving me, my vision clouded and was suddenly framed in black and blue. "What are you doing to me?!" I cried through all the chaos. "Bloodbending," I barely heard Hama say. "Katara!" Sokka screamed. "It's like my brain has a mind of it's own!" Suddenly, Hama stopped and I dropped like a stone. She laughed as I lay in a helpless heap. "This feels so weird!" said Aang. Then I heard a splash and a thud. "I'm sorry Aang!" I heard Katara say. "It's okay," said Aang. I heard another scream from Sokka and another thud. "Don't hurt your friends, Katara," said Hama in a mocking tone. "And don't let them hurt each other." I heard cracking noises and more screams. I was going mad with grief and curiosity. What was she doing to my friends? "NO!" Katara yelled. Hama started to laugh psychotically when suddenly, her laughter stopped and she began to moan and groan. Katara sounded like she was groaning as well, but not for the reason I thought. SHE WAS BLOODBENDING HAMA! "It's over!" someone said. I recognized that voice. It was one of the prisoners that Hama had captured. Toph and Geo freed them all. "You're going to be locked away forever!" said another prisoner said. "My work is done," said Hama. "Congratulations, Katara," said Hama. "You're a bloodbender." Katara sank to her knees and started to sob. I tried to get up but the pain held me down. I moaned. Geo ran over and knelt over me. "Ow," I said dully. "Katara!" Geo called. Katara ran over to me. "So... you can control people now?" Geo asked awkwardly. "No," said Katara. "I'm never using that technique ever again!" Everything started to fade and suddenly, everything went black.