Storm

Chapter 2

            “I just don’t understand why she won’t let me go!” Storm flopped back on the grass, sighing. Beside her, Wan made an amused sound, and Storm glared at him out of one eye.

            “Nima.”

            “Oh, great. You only use my real name when you’re about to lecture me.”

            He laughed. “Your Mother loves you, Nima. Every season she sees the greed and selfishness of humanity, and she doesn’t want you exposed to that.”

            “It’s been A HUNDRED YEARS, Wan. I want to go--I NEED to go. I can’t spend forever not knowing about the world I come from. And what about the Avatar? What about Raava? You said her spirit is still strong, so the next Avatar is out there somewhere. Who’s going to find him?”

            “You think you’re going to?”

            “Maybe!” She stood, indignant. “You spirits are always trying to protect me! But I don’t need to be protected!”

            “Don’t forget, I’m human, too. Just because I’m technically dead doesn’t mean I don’t remember what the world is like. And trust me, it was much worse when I was the Avatar.”

            She sighed and sank back down to the ground. “I know that. I’m sorry. It’s just… I feel so trapped here.”

            Wan touched her shoulder. “Talk to her. But remember, Nima--her motivation is to keep you safe. The physical world is a dangerous place.”

            With a grateful smile, Storm nodded and stood up again. It was almost time to leave for Forgetful Valley, anyway. It would be easer to convince Mother to let her leave once they were already out of the Spirit World.

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            Storm and the Mother of Faces rose out of the water slowly, and Storm waved to the spirit wolf who still lapped from the pool. There was no one there, so Mother and Storm began their walk through the Valley. As always when in the human world, Mother was huge, taller than the trees. Storm ran ahead of Mother, her curious eyes forever searching the forest.

            Their visits to the Forgetful Valley were Storm’s favorite times of the year. Though Mother always made her hide whenever humans came, Storm still loved to watch them. People like her.   

            People who were alive.

            They traversed the entire Valley, but the place seemed to be empty of humans this season. As Mother turned to go back to the pool, Storm stopped walking. Mother turned, sensing that something was wrong.

            “Nima.”

            “I’m not going with you, Mother. I’m staying here.”

            “You would directly disobey me?”

            Storm took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mother. But I can’t live my life in the past. I have to understand the place I come from, I have to create my OWN past. Please understand! I’ll always be you daughter, but I have to KNOW--”

            “No daughter of mine would chose the humans over the spirits! If you do this--”

            Her Mother’s threat was clear, but Storm couldn’t back down now. “I don’t want to leave you, I just--” She begged her Mother to understand, her eyes pleading. But the Mother of Faces was angrier than Storm had ever seen her.

            “Go, then, Human. But do not return here.”

            Storm felt tears slip down her face as the only family she’d ever had walked away. In the Mother of Faces’ wake, the spirit wolf licked Storm’s face. Then she followed her master, and Storm was, for the first time in her life, truly alone.