THE OTHER AIRBENDER (Book 1)

(I) Water

The first thing I see as I open my eyes, is utter darkness. Then, all of a sudden as if on cue, a bright flame lights up in the distance, and I notice that I am not alone. I try to move towards it, but quickly realize that I am shackled to the wall by heavy, metallic handcuffs. I hear heavy steps walking towards me, and in the dim lighting, I'm able to distinguish the figure of a young boy with a tall ponytail and a seemingly permanent frown on his face. At closer inspection, I also immediately notice the red scar covering half of his face.

"I finally did it," he begins, staring into my gray eyes coldly. "I finally found the Avatar."

I gasp. The Avatar? I thought he was a myth. Supposedly, the Avatar is the only person in the world capable of bending all four elements: water, earth, fire and air. He is also the person in charge of keeping the balance and serve as a bridge between our world and the Spirit World. But nobody has seen him in a hundred years. The only reason I know about him is because of the stories my mom told me, because he was supposed to be born among the Air Nomads.

"You did?" I raise an eyebrow suspiciously. "Congratulations. Now, let me go."

"I don't understand. How have you stayed so young?" He continues, seemingly ignoring my request. He then shakes his head as if in denial about something. "It doesn't matter. Once I take you back to the Fire Nation and hand you to my father, I'll finally be able to restore my honor. Whatever trick you've pulled this long won't matter."

"Take me—where?! Wait... Who are you?"

"Prince Zuko," Another voice chimes in, and I see an old man walk into the light, his expression a lot softer than the other boy's. "You are wasting your time with this young lady."

"Uncle, how many times do I have to tell you, it's better if you don't fraternize with the Avatar."

"What? The Avatar is here?" I ask, as my eyes widen and I frantically look around. "Where?"

"Don't mock me!" Prince Zuko yells, but I still don't understand. He rolls his eyes with annoyance. "Your time to play stupid games is over, Avatar!"

"Hold up. You think I'm the Avatar?" I ask, completely taken aback. I was slowly starting to remember the events that had led to my capture, and I was also comprehending who this guy probably was and why he had me captive. "Oh, no, no. This is a huge misunderstanding—"

"Zuko, please," the old man persists, as Zuko reluctantly turns towards him and groans a complaint.

"What is it?"

We are both shut up when the darkness around us is completely overcome by a strong, blinding light, so harsh, I have to close my eyes. There's a shiver going down my spine and I hear Zuko gasping.

"Uncle, do you realize what this means?!" Zuko says, a sinister grin on his face.

"That you captured the wrong person?"

"It means my search is about to come to an end."

"Good for you," I quickly say, clearing my throat awkwardly. "Now, how about you just let me go and we can call it even..."

"Not so fast," Zuko replies, regaining his cold stare on me. "You're not going anywhere, airbender."

"I have a name, you know."

"You are going to help me capture the Avatar."

"And what exactly makes you think I will help you?"

"You will help me because I'm the only person who knows where your mother is."

It suddenly hits me like a truck: all the memories of the attack a whole year ago. My mother and I are part of the small group of Air Nomads that still remain from the genocide from the Fire Nation a hundred years ago. Not all Air Nomads were killed, and only a few survived by fleeing to other nations. My grandmother was one of them. However, none of the survivors so far had been airbenders, that was, until I was born. So now, technically, I am the last airbender.