ATER Book 3: Fire

Chapter 3: Emerald Falls

We decided to stay one more night in the cave and leave the next morning. As Ummi and Khanu went looking for food, Salwa and I set up a fire with matches.

"I think we should go into town tomorrow," Salwa said. "We'll be able to snag a newspaper, maybe watch a news program. We defiantly need to be up to speed on what the Wu Li Shong are doing."

"What's a 'news program'?" I felt really dumb. In Cakuho, we weren't just cut off from the outside people, but outside technology as well. I'd seen some technology in Ba Sing Se and the North/South poles, but I didn't know everything.

"You know those cameras your mom had? They have bigger version that record people, and you watch the recordings on these big, box-like things called television sets, and..." She trailed off when she saw my confused look. "Well, you'll see when we get there."

I pulled out our map, and saw the closest city to us was Emerald Falls. Perfect. "We'll stop in Emerald Falls. We have to go there anyway. It has the most direct entrance to the desert."

"The desert?!" Salwa gave me a strangled look. "Why are we going there?"

"There's an oasis towards the middle. Cakuho is located underneath." Salwa sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Only you would come from a village located underneath the desert!" Shaking my head, I walked over to the wood pile to pick out some more sticks.

"Sooo....." Salwa drawled. "What's with you and Khanu?" I nearly dropped the wood in my arms.

"What? What are you talking about?" How could she possibly know? I turned around and stoked the fire.

"Oh, come on. I've been watching you all day. The stolen looks, the following eyes. Please." She pointed her finger in my face. "Something happened last night! I heard you two talking."

I frowned. "If you heard us talking, then why don't you know what we said?" Salwa smiled sheepishly.

"I kind of fell asleep."

"Well, for your information, all we did was have a pleasant conversation." Salwa raised an eyebrow.

"You sure that's all?"

Gulping, I quickly said, "Yes." She narrowed her eyes. "Weeeelllll...."

"Oh, come on! Tell me!" It wouldn't hurt to tell her. Would it? I shrugged. I had nothing to loose.

"We talked about....that night at the Air Temple. You know, when he ran away. And...we kind of...kissed."

"You what!? Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Salwa squealed and danced around the fire.

Laughing, I asked, "Why are you so happy about this?"

"Because I've been wondering when you two would get together!" she exclaimed. I clapped a hand over her mouth.

"Shh! We're not together. Not yet, anyway. You can't tell anyone!" Salwa nodded. I let go, and went back to stoking the fire.

Before we left the next morning, I changed out of my temporary Fire Nation attire, and back into my outfit from home. Surprisingly I had grown enough that I couldn't wear my tunic as a dress.

I still tied it off with a curcu knot, and I put on my old shoes. I stared at the gleaming scissors in my bag, then picked them up, making up my mind. I left in my side braids, which reached almost the base of my neck. I took the scissors, looking in the mirror, and cut my hair so it reached my collarbone.

I stared at the long strands of hair on the ground. It had been so long since I had last cut it. Looking in the mirror, I hardly recognized myself. I was somebody totally different from that scared girl the White Lotus found almost a year ago.