When Worlds Collide: Book Two, Earth

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.

“How’s I suppose to know they didn’t accept Water Tribe money?” Aang asked an hour later. Behind bars, may I add.
I sighed.
“So a few people don’t like you, big deal,” Sokka said, seeming to forget about his boomerang. “There’s a whole nation of Fire Benders who hate you! So lets bust you out of here.”
“I can’t,” Aang said.
“Sure you can! A little air bending slice, and we’re on our way!” Sokka said gleefully.
“I think what Master Swish is trying to say, is that you’re suppose to be out saving the world,” Katara said.
“Yea, not locked up doing time,” I said. “Yo can’t save the world by being locked up in here anyway.”
“I can’t do it knowing that people think I murdered someone either. I need your guys help in proving my innocence,” Aang said.
“How are we gonna do that?” Sokka asked. “The crime happened over three hundred years ago.”
“That’s okay,” Aang said, holding up his hands. “For some reason I just thought that you were a master detective, Sokka.”
“Well, I guess I could be classified as such,” Sokka mused.
I grinned as Sokka and Katara told us about how Sokka had discovered who was stealing some seal jerky.
“So you’ll help me with my case?” Aang asked.
“Fine, but I’m gonna need some new props,” Sokka said.
A few minutes later he was decked out in gear.
“I’m ready,” he said seriously.
Katara looked liked she was about to laugh, and when she caught my eye, I crossed my eyes and stuck my tongue out, causing her to giggle, but she quickly covered her mouth.
“What?” Sokka asked, leaning in to examine her with his new stuff.
“Okay, so you two go solve the mystery, and I’ll stay with Aang,” I said.
“Why are you staying?” Sokka asked.
“Well, I’ve seen quite a bit of Judge Judy,” I said. “I know how the judges work.”
“Judge... what?” Sokka asked, looking confused.
I rolled my eyes. “Just go, I’m going to help Aang get his innocent act together.”
They nodded and left.
“Okay,” I said to Aang, “I saw this episode of Full House once. They said that people who wear blue usually get off the case easier, and-“
“Sam?” Aang cut me off. “That’s stuff in your world.”
“But... it could be true for here too!” I defended.
Aang smiled. “Maybe, but I doubt it.”
I sighed, and yawned. “Why don’t you go check up on Appa, make sure he’s okay,” Aang said.
I skewered my lips, thinking. “Fine,” I said.
He chuckled as I walked away.

The next day, Aang was being testified.
The mayor told his story-which was very short and brief- and then walked away, leaving Aang in the middle of the courtyard.
“You can do it Aang,” Sokka said softly, “just remember the evidence.”
“Right...,” Aang said, looking unsure. “Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m about to tell you what really happened. And I’ll prove it with facts. Fact number one: uh...”
“The foot prints!” Sokka whispered.
“Oh yea! You see, I have very large feet...,” Aang said, and I face palmed. “Further more, this temple matches your statue. But... I was in a painting at sunset... So there you have it! I’m not guilty!”
He looked at us, and the three of us smiled and gave him a thumbs up.
“He’s dead,” Sokka muttered.
I nodded. “Any idea’s?” I asked.
Katara jumped up. “Actually... I do,” she said, and ran off, leaving Sokka and I staring after her.
A few minutes later she returned, standing before the crowd.
“Mayor Tom,” she said. “I’d like for the court to hear one last testimony.”
“I’ve already told you!” the mayor said, jumping up. “This is me and the accused! You can’t call any witnesses!”
“This isn’t just any witness. I’m going to call,” she paused for effect, “Avatar Kyioshi herself!”
Everyone began muttering, and Sokka and looked at each other.
The guard guy stepped aside, and there was Aang dressed up as Kyioshi.
I gaped as Katara walked back over to us.
“What are you doing?” Sokka asked.
“Well, she is Aang’s past life. Maybe wearing her stuff with trigger something,” Katara whispered back.
“I do believe in the power of stuff,” Sokka said, playing with his eye glass.
“This is a mockery of Chen Long!” Mayor Tom declared. “
“Please, if you could just wait one more second, I’m sure Kyioshi will be here,” Katara pleaded.
The mayor sat back down, and we all looked at Aang expectantly.
“Hey everybody,” he said in a girl voice, “Avatar Kyioshi here.”
“This is ridiculous!” Mayor Tom said. “For the murder of Chen the Great, this court finds the Avatar-“
He stopped when a gust of wind rushed by, and a tornado formed around Aang. Everything around us went dark, and when the smoke cleared, Kyioshi was there. She told the story of how she killed Chen the Conqueror, and how Kyioshi became an island. When she finished her story, the darkness started to recede, and another tornado formed. When it disappeared, along with the darkness, Aang was there, swaying, so Katara rushed forward to catch him.
“So... what just happened?” he asked.
“You kinda confessed,” Katara told him.
“And I find you guilty!” the mayor shouted. “Bring out the Wheel of Punishment!”
Everyone cheered, and my eyes widened.
Now what?
A giant wheel thing, like you would see at a carnival, was rolled out.
“I said I would face justice,” Aang said, and spun the wheel.
Everyone started shouting out what they wanted it to land on, and Katara, Sokka and I just clung to each, begging for community service. As the wheel started to slow, I shut my eyes, fearing on the outcome.
“Looks like he gets boiled in oil,” I heard, and I groaned.
We all gaped, looking like fish, while the people around us cheered.
Maybe that was why none of us noticed the bomb being thrown into the courtyard next to Aang. It blew up, and we all ducked, covering our heads.
“We’ve come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!” a man shouted. We turned and saw the men who had ambushed us the other day. “Now show me your leader so I may dethrone him.”
One of the men destroyed the statue of Chen the Great/Conqueror.
One of the villagers pointed to Mayor Tom. “That’s him!”
Tom hid behind the wheel, and asked Aang to do something.
“Gee, I’d love to help, but I’m suppose to be boiled in oil,” Aang said, and I grinned.
Mayor Tom turned the wheel, changing it from ‘boiled in oil’ to ‘community service.’ “There! Community service! Now serve our community!”
Aang smiled and charged at the men. He easily threw the first man off his rhino, and the guy went flying. The rhino, however, started to charge at Mayer Tom who was hiding behind the Punishment Wheel.
The men glared at Aang, then the leader ordered for them to burn the town. Everyone started running and screaming, turning everything into chaos. Katara, Sokka and I started to fight the men also. I saw that a couple of the men had sticks of dynamite with them, so I sent a small spark at one, where it exploded in seconds. The man had to have seen it or something, because he threw it away from him, even though the blast still made him fall his rhino.
I saw Sokka knock another guy off, and when the sack fell in front of him, his boomerang fell out.
By the time that we three had defeated three of the four, Aang had took out the leader.
That evening, the town shot fireworks into the air, and Mayor Tom had declared that the new Avatar Day would be based on the good of Aang, and not on his past life.
“What is this?” Sokka asked, looking at the bowl of food that the Mayor had given us.
“Festival food! Un-fried dough. May we eat it, and remember how on this day, the Avatar was not boiled in oil!”
Everyone cheered, and we all grabbed a piece of the dough. “Happy Avatar Day,” Katara said, before eating the little dough boy.
Katara Aang and I took a bite, but Sokka just stared at his. “This is by far, the worst town we have ever been to.”