You're Not the Only One?

“Alright let’s go guys!” Aang raced off ahead. I followed slowly lagging behind all of them.

“So, where do I get something to eat?

“You're lucky enough to be one of the first outsiders to ever visit an air bender temple, and all you can think about is food?” Katara rolled her eyes.

“I'm just a simple guy, with simple needs.”

“Jewel, are you coming?” Katara looked back at me. I had come to a halt, I felt a foreboding aura here.

“I...I don’t think so. You go on ahead.”

“Why not? Did you forget something?” Sokka said clueless.

“Oh, ok Jewel, we’ll see ya. Come on Sokka,” Katara pulled him along. I sighed, and sat down on the ledge of the mountain. What now? Perhaps if Appa hadn’t flown off I would have grabbed my bag and left. I’ve felt alone in life before, but never so much as now. Who was I to anyone? All the relationships I held so dear, did they ever mean anything?

And where do I belong? I’ve been banished from my childhood dwelling, and I’m foreign to the other half of my being. I’m not even a proper bender! I’m some sort of link freak show…. A part of me wants to be here, I want to connect to my three new friends. But the other part of me wants….

“J, You’ll always have a home with me,” Zuko’s eyes bore in to mine, his hand planted on my shoulder. My eyes smiled back, and I wrapped him in my arms. Something I knew he wasn’t fond of, but he didn’t object. Maybe, I never knew my dad, maybe my mother didn’t want me, and society threw me away… but he wanted me.

“He’s right Jewel, we’re happy to have you with us,” I stepped back, and looked past Zuko’s flushed face to Iroh. “Thank you,” I hugged him too. This is my real family.

I flicked my hand, and a small flame danced in my palm. I caressed it and felt its warmth. Zuko and Iroh. Tears well in my eyes, because there was a hole in my heart. I vaguely thought of Karun, and Haku as well. I sighed and snubbed out the flame.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka… they just didn’t fit the same in that hole. I gathered moisture from the fog around me, lacing liquid through my fingers. The crystal heart of my bracelet captured the suns shine, casting rainbows everywhere, while my hand danced to weave the water. I paused, and let the thread of moisture mist away, stroking the bracelet and remembering the old water tribe lady.

“You’re more important to the Southern Water Tribe than you know.” Her words rang through my mind. Maybe I do belong. The thought swelled joyfully in my core. There was hope I smiled Aang, Sokka, Katara a new family… No just more family I added as an afterthought. I wasn’t ready to let them go, I looked down igniting another flame in my palm. Not yet… Not ever.

**

“Hey, where are you guys?” I shouted running up to the temple. I felt ready to be here I felt new.

“Over here!” I heard someone yell, off to my right. I ran up, and paused to catch my breath.

“So, did you get over your bison sickness?” Sokka asked.

“Uh, yeah,” I raised a brow in Katara’s direction she shrugged.

“Hey guys! I want you to meet somebody,” Aang presented a statue of a meditating old monk.

“Who's that?” Sokka inquired.

“Monk Gyatso, the greatest airbender in the world. He taught me everything I know,” Aang bowed low in reverence. I bowed beside him, to pay my respects, he was probably a great man.

“You must miss him,” Katara consoled.

“Yeah,” Aang walked absently towards the temple.

“Where are you going?”

“The Air Temple Sanctuary. There's someone I'm ready to meet.”

We all exchanged unsure looks, before following. We stopped before a massive door dominated by enormous air symbols bulging from its surface. Tubes twisted around the triangular array, ending on either side of the door.

“Aang... no one could have survived in there for a hundred years,” Katara informed.

“It's not impossible. I survived in the iceberg for that long.”

“Good point.”

“He was in an iceberg?” I was somewhat astonished.

“Yeah, we’ll tell you later,” Sokka commented and waved me off.

“Whoever's in there might help me figure out this Avatar thing!”

“And!” Sokka exclaimed eagerly. “Whoever’s in there, might have a medley of delicious, cured meats!” I smiled at this, but the thought of food did sound pleasant. Sokka rammed the door straining against it, to no avail. Eventually, he slid down defeated.

“I don't suppose you have a key?” he huffed at Aang.

“The key, Sokka, is airbending.”

Aang grew solemn, and sturdy inhaling deep. He raised his arms, and swiftly stepped forward, pushing his hands out. The resulting jets of air entered the tubes on either side of the door. One by one, the air symbols flip from a blue side, to a red side, and the doors open to a cavernous room. The Air Temple Sanctuary.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Aang called walking in. The room holds statues arrayed in a swirl, and winding up, and up for what seems like forever.

“Statues?! That's it? Where's the meat?” Sokka cried.

“Who are all these people?” Katara asked examining the statues with Aang.

“I'm not sure, but it feels like I know them somehow. Look!” Aang pointed. “That one's an airbender!”

“And this one's a waterbender. They're lined up in a pattern. Air, water, earth and fire,” Katare pointed as well.

“That's the Avatar cycle.”

“Of course! They're Avatars. All these people are your past lives, Aang.”

“Wow! There's so many!” he looked around at them all with new eyes.

“Past lives? Katara, you really believe in that stuff?” Sokka scoffed.

“It's true. When the Avatar dies he's reincarnated into the next nation in the cycle. Aang stared transfixed at a statue, of a Fire nation man, and its eyes glow briefly. At least I think it glowed I stepped closer.

“Aang, snap out of it!” Katara called

“Huh?” he said dazed.

“Who is that?”

“That's Avatar Roku, the Avatar before me.”

“You were a firebender? No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met,” Sokka reasoned. I stepped back slowly, feeling a bit rejected, but luckily it went unnoticed.

“There's no writing. How do you know his name?” Katara asked.

“I'm not sure... I just know it somehow.”

“You couldn't get any weirder!” Sokka growled.

I could sense a strange presence looming near us, and the others felt it too. Turning back to the entrance, I could see a long-eared shadow advancing toward us. Making quick gestures at each other we all hide behind statues. I was pressed against Sokka, as we crouched sharing a statue, Katra and Aang shared another. I stared at them nervously biting my lip.

“Firebender. Nobody make a sound,” I craned my neck to see Sokka blushing, which made me turn back and blush too.

“You're making a sound!” Katara exasperated.

“Shhhh” we all sounded at Katara.

“Here move like this,” Sokka arranged so I was facing the statue directly with him behind me. I kept my face down, I could feel it grow hot. “That firebender won't know what hit 'em,” I saw Sokka’s boomerang in the corner of my eye. Sokka launched out from behind the statue, and we all followed to see… A little winged money?

“Lemur!” Aang shouted.

“Dinner,” Sokka drooled.

“Don't listen to him! You're going to be my new pet.”

“Not if I get him first!”

Katara and I watched the boys lunge, as the poor animal screamed, and took off with them in hot pursuit.

“Wait! Come back!” Aang shouted.

“I wanna eat you!” Sokka called, before they both ran out of ear shot. Katara and I shared a moment eye rolls.

“I guess we should follow,” I sighed.

“No they’ll be back,” she examined the statues more closely.

“Yeah I guess so. You know what’s funny… I feel like I know some of these people,” I told her, almost not believing it myself.

“Really?”

“I guess it’s stupid. I mean it’s not like I’m an Avatar,” I shrugged. I studied one more closely, and felt an odd energy overcome my body. My skin shined like whit ember, in intricate vine designs continuously shifting along my skin, as if a river of ancient language. The eyes of all the statues ignited in the same glow, but blue around the edges. “Katara!” I cried frightened, and examining my body. “Katara!” She grabbed my hand, and pulled me along to find the boys.

Aang hovered surrounded by a strong maelstrom of wind, and blue energy. I fought to stay conciouss, as we shielded our eyes from the storm, and joined Sokka behind some rubble. I felt myself spinning, and fighting to stay grounded, as if my soul wanted to jump away.

“Jewel?”

The word sounded like a distant drone, I blocked it out. I couldn’t focus I had to just think about staying here. I don’t know where exactly I just… couldn’t let myself go.

The sensation began to fade, and I opened my eyes to see myself still glowing fire spouting in one hand, and water swirling in the other. Aang’s storm began to fade, and he hovered closer to the ground.

“Monk Gyatso, and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. Sokka, Jewel and I, we're your family now,” Katara reasoned from behind a crumbled wall. The last of the storm died down, and we walked over to Aang. The two of us where still glowing, but at least I felt more control.

"Family... That sounds nice," I whispered, but it sounded like more people than just me. My eyes widened, and I just stayed quiet.

“We aren't going to let anything happen to you. Promise,” Sokka said gently, and Katara grabbed Aang’s hand. The glow stopped, and he collapsed in to Katara’s arms. I felt myself wobble and stagger leaning on Sokka for support. He wrapped his arm around me tightly.

“I'm sorry.”

“It's okay Aang. It wasn't your fault,” Katara soothed.

“But you were right. And if firebenders found this temple, that means they found the other ones, too. I really am the last airbender,” Katara tightened her hug, Sokka and I rested reassuring hands on him.

“Maybe, there’s a link out there, who bends air too,” I offered. “If so our paths are bound to cross.”

“That's true,” he said somewhat hopeful.

**

“Everything's packed. You ready to go?” Katara, and Sokka entered the sanctuary where Aang, and I had been.

“How is Roku supposed to help me, if I can't talk to him?”

“Maybe you'll find a way.”

The lemur from before stood in the doorway again, bringing with it an assortment of fresh fruits. Sokka quickly jumped at the offer.

“Looks like you made a new friend,” Aang chuckled.

“Can't talk. Must eat,” he mumbled through mouthfuls. The lemur climbed over Aang, to perch on his head.

“Hey little guy. You, me, and Appa. We're all that's left of this place. We have to stick together. Katara, Jewel, Sokka...” We all turned to Aang. “... say hello to the newest member of our family.”

“What are you going to name him?” Katara asked.

“Momo,” Aang smiled.

**

We sailed in to the twilight sky, and I watched as Aang glanced back longingly at his childhood home. Soon the magnificent structure faded from sight, and I feel his pain. I too had watched my home fade away from me… more than once. I sighed, wrapping myself in my wolf cloak, glancing at my arm that had glowed earlier that day. This link junk makes no sense.

Appa's Saddle seemed crowded, with the three of us plus Momo, and new supplies. Rubbing my eye I leaned against Sokka's shoulder to rest. If he minds he'll just have to deal with it!... I guess I should ask....

"Do you mind?" I grumbled, not bothering to open my eyes.

"No not at all," I felt him move, then hesitate, as he placed his arm around me. Maybe, if I hadn't been drained I would have been smart enough to read the gesture. Oh well, it probably doesn't mean a thing....