THE OTHER AIRBENDER (Book 1)

(XX) Air

"So, mind telling me what's been bugging you?" Katara asks, as I bitterly take another bite of my papaya.

"Nothing is bugging me."

"Alya, I know you. Something's up," Katara sighs heavily. "I know what will cheer you up! How about you go get another reading by Aunt Wu? That always makes me feel better."

"Maybe you've gone to her one a little too many times," I note.

"Can you believe she won't let me in? And after all the business I've given her?" Katara complains, and suddenly, I see Aang and Sokka walk towards us. I immediately not the worry in their eyes, and I know something has happened.

"Katara, she doesn't even charge," I tell her.

"I know, but still..."

"Well, we have other things to worry about. Aunt Wu was wrong about the volcano," Sokka says, making both of us gasp.

"Are you absolutely sure?" I ask him, and he nods.

"Sokka, you tried to convince me she was wrong before. It's going to take an awful lot to change my mind-" Katara starts, but before she can finish, the volcano starts rumbling violently, shaking the ground underneath us.

The four of us head toward the gathering crowd of villagers, who stare puzzled at the exploding volcano before them.

"Everyone, that volcano is gonna blow any second! Aunt Wu was wrong!" Sokka says frantically.

"Yeah, yeah, we know you don't believe in Aunt Wu, Mr. science and reason lover," a villager replies mockingly.

"If you won't listen to him, maybe you'll listen to me. I want to believe Aunt Wu and her predictions as much as you do, but my brother and Aang saw the lava with their own eyes," Katara vouches for her brother.

"Well, I heard Aunt Wu's prediction with my own ears," the villager stubbornly insists.

"Please listen to us! You are all in danger! And we have to get out of here! You can't rely on Aunt Wu's prediction, you have to take fate into your own hands!" Aang pleads with alarm.

"Katara, use the he's the Avatar speech," I whisper to her, making her raise an eyebrow.

"What? What would it change?"

I shrug. "I don't know. You always use it, and it seems to work in our favor most of the time."

"I don't always make a speech on Aang being the Avatar!"

We hear another loud explosion, and I can already tell we have little time before the volcano starts erupting for real.

"Look! Can your fortune telling explain that?" Sokka retorts, pointing at the fuming crater.

"Can your science explain why it rains?" another villager snaps back.

"Yes! Yes, it can!" Sokka yells back angrily.

"There's no point in fighting them. By the time they believe us, it'll be too late," I say, as we exchange worried looks.

"But they'll believe Aunt Wu!" Aang says, making the face he gets when he gets a crazy idea.

"I know, that's the problem," Sokka retorts.

"Well, it's about to become the solution. We're taking fate in our own hands. First, I need to borrow Aunt Wu's cloud reading book," Aang says.

***

How did I let myself get convinced by this crazy boy? I still have no clue. Somehow, however, I ended up on the roof of Aunt Wu's venue with Aang and Momo, attempting to sneak inside to steal a book filled with her fortune-telling knowledge.