The Origin of Roh-Shan

Cellar

Kota suddenly felt weak at the knees and dropped awkwardly, catching herself by bracing one foot and one hand on the grass.

Raw screeches and cries filled the air as some animals were unable to escape their confinement while the raging flames descended on them.

Other cries came from citizens being chased and terrorized by the animals that did escape. Some were even trying to corral the less violent animals.

Before either girl could say anything, the unmistakable sound of glass popping and shattering from heat split the air. A black mass rose from the flames and broke apart, a swarm of buzzard wasps individually growing larger as they flew toward the heart of town.

Thinking only instinctively, Roh grabbed her friend's arm and spun them around, sliding quickly down the hill as the town's "shelter-in-place" siren started its low moan and rose, echoing ominously.

At the bottom of the hill, both girls took off into a sprint past the locked barn, across the street and to the next nearest building they knew they could get into. Ashoka's dad's bar.

It was closed during the day but all of Ashoka's friends knew the back door was kept unlocked. Roh reached the door first and yanked it open, turning and shoving Kota inside, admittedly a bit more roughly than she normally would. She couldn't get the sight of the green flames out of her head. She pulled the door closed hard behind her as the buzzard wasps began to fill the streets.

~

Inside, the bar was dark and the chairs upturned on the tables for floor cleaning. Glancing at the window coverings, Roh knew they probably wouldn't hold if a buzzard wasp really wanted to get in. She grabbed Kota's hand and dragged her to the cellar door, pushing it open and blindly descending the stone steps into darkness.

Kota froze again at the top of the stairs. While her mind can jump from zero to ten in a split second, her body takes a bit longer.

Roh didn't have time for this. She yanked Kota's arm again until she followed, then sealed the door shut behind them. She produced a small flame in her palm to light their way down.

The old cellar had a low ceiling and it was clear only the first few shelves were still used. Cobwebs stretched their long tendrils connecting every available surface to one another. Old, empty bottles sat precariously on the shelves, and they clanked a little when the door shut, as if warning them that the extensive cobwebs weren't safety belts, and would give up their contents at the slightest disturbance.

Once they made it to the back, Roh spun and held her flame up to see Kota's face better. Her anger was masking her pure confusion. "Kota, what the hell did you do!?" She still held the other girls forearm in her fist.

To Roh's surprise, finally getting a good look at her, her friend looked absolutely shell-shocked. Besides the shock of seeing a fire only she could have produced, Kota hadn't been expecting her best friend to jump right to accusations.

"Answer me! What, did you sneak off while I slept? I know your brother's involved in that rebel shit but I didn't think you were too!"

"I'm not!" Kota finally snapped. "I didn't do that, Roh, you know me!"

"I really want to believe you, but I think I believe my own eyes more. You're the only firebender with green flames in this town, or the next town, or the next one. You realize how this looks, right?"

"Roh--" But no more words were coming out anyway.

"It's not that I don't trust you as my friend, really, I trust you, but that's pretty damning evidence!" Roh calmed down enough to take in her friend's broken expression. Desperate and scared. "Maybe... maybe you did it in your sleep or something."