When Worlds Collide: Book Two, Earth

Chapter Seven

I woke up to the ground rumbling.
I shot up, wide awake when I saw a Fire Nation soldier riding a rhino come into the clearing. Three more came, and started to circle us.
“Give up!” the first guy said. “We have you completely surrounded.”
We all started to climb up on Appa when Aang and Katara realized that they forgot the scrolls and Aang’s staff. They quickly grabbed their stuff, and climbed back on Appa.
“Yip yip!” Aang shouted, and we took off.
One of the guys shot a fire ball at us, and we dodged. I glared at them and sent one back, but I missed.
“Wait, my boomerang!” Sokka shouted.
“There’s no time!” Katara said, pulling him back.
“Oh I see,” Sokka said, “there’s time to get your scrolls, and your staff, but no time for my boomerang?”
“That’s correct,” Katara said with a smile.
Sokka groaned, and I patted his shoulder, trying to hide my smile.

~~~~~~

“Sorry about your boomerang Sokka,” Aang said.
“I feel like I’ve lost part of my identity,” the Water Tribe boy said. “Imagine if you lost your arrow, or Katara lost her... hair loopies!”
He walked over to Katara and I, and we both gave him a hug.
“Here’s your produce, Ponytail Guy,” the guy whom we were buying supplies from said.
Sokka took the food glumly and said, “I used to be boomerang guy.”
He walked away, and I went to help him put the food onto Appa’s saddle.
The man was walking away when he called for us to have a good Avatar Day.
“Avatar Day?” Aang asked.
“You guys are going to the festival, right?” the man said, still walking down the hill.
We all looked at each other and smiled.
We were going to the festival.

~~~~~~

“There’s a holiday for the Avatar! Who knew?” Aang asked, smiling.
I shrugged. “In my world we have a holiday for an old fat guy who sneaks into your house at night to put things under a tree. Why shouldn’t there be a holiday for someone who actually helps people in your world?”
All three of them gave me an odd look. “What?” I asked.
“What else is there in your world?” Sokka asked. “Because so far, everything you’ve told us about it, it just makes me not want to go there even more.”
I smiled. “There’s another holiday where a giant rabbit sneaks in your house and leaves eggs behind.”
Aang tilted his head. “I’m with Sokka. I don’t think I want to go there.”
I laughed at them, enjoying their strange looks.
“Look!” Katara said, pointing at something behind us. “A Kyioshi float!”
We looked, and grinned, rushing off to find a better spot to watch the parade.
“And here comes Avatar Rokku!” Sokka said, pointing the next Avatar.
“Having a festival in your honor is great,” Aang said smiling. “But frankly, it’s just nice to be appreciated.”
“And it’s nice to appreciate their deep fried festival food!” Sokka said, devouring the snack.
I smiled, and turned. “Aang look!” I said, pointing at a float designed to look like him.
“That’s the biggest me I’ve ever seen,” the monk said.
They lined up all the Avatars side by side, and I saw a guy running towards them with a torch in hand.
“Ooh!” I gasped. “It’s gonna be like the torch thing they do in the Olympics!”
“Hey, what’s he doing?” Katara asked, watching as the guy slammed into the Kyioshi float, with the torch in hand. It easily caught on fire, and the guy started to light up the other statues as well, ending with throwing the flamed torch up to the float-Aang’s head.
Everyone started chanting something about burning the Avatar, and we gasped. Aang cringed, and Katara grabbed my hand, pulling me forward.
“Put out the flames,” she whispered in my ear.
I nodded, and water bended some water out of some nearby jars. We quickly put out the flames, and we heard someone shouting about how we were ruining Avatar Day.
We ignored it though, and Aang flew up to the top of his float.
“You’re advancing well,” Katara said, and I smiled. We then went back to listening to Aang.
“Those party poopers are my friends!” he shouted, and pulled off his hat, revealing his arrow.
“It’s the Avatar himself!” a guy said behind us.
“It’s going to kill us with it’s awesome Avatar powers!” anther yelled.
“No, I’m not, I,” Aang said, and raised his hand causing everyone to quiver and shake in fear.
“I suggest you leave,” the guy in green said. “You’re not welcome here Avatar.” His voice was kind of high pitched, and nasally.
“Why not?” Katara asked. “Aang helps people.”
“It’s true,” Aang said, coming down next to us. “I’m on your side.”
“I find that hard to swallow,” the guy said. “Considering what you did to us in your past life. It was Avatar Kyioshi, she murdered our glorious leader, Chin, the Great!”
“You think that I... murdered someone?” Aang asked, looking shocked.
“Aang would never do something like that,” Katara said. “No Avatar would. And it’s not fair for you all to question his honor!”
“Give me a chance to clear my name!” Aang pleaded.
“The only way to prove your innocence is to stand trial,” the guy said.
“I’ll gladly stand trial,” Aang declared.
“You’ll have to follow all of our rules, that includes pay bail.”
“No problem,” Aang said.