Iwasonceapalindrome

 The cold water sent shivers up Katara’s spine as it rushed up her ankles, seeping into the sand around her feet.  The beach was cold today, and foggy—but it was the only thing that made her forget about the war anymore.  If she wasn’t at the beach, staring out at the water, her head would be filled with thoughts and memories, sweeping her up in their tide.  She absentmindedly fiddled with the charm around her neck—a single sapphire hanging on a silver chain—as she continued to stare at the horizon.  The necklace had been her mother’s, before the first invasion…  But Katara wasn’t thinking about that no

“Are you okay?!” Katara asked, bewildered.  How could he be smiling like that?!  He’d almost just drowned!  He’d almost died! “Uh-huh,” he said, nodding.  “I’m okay.  So who are you guys?”  Sokka lifted an eyebrow, and Katara paused for a second. “I—I’m Katara,” she said, still baffled at how he seemed to be totally fine. “Hi, Katara,” he said, shaking her hand enthusiastically.  “Nice to meet you.  Thanks for saving me!” “Um… No problem…” “And who are you?” Aang asked, looking at Sokka with a smile. “I’m So

“Well, he seems to be fine,” the nurse said, walking over to Sokka and Katara in the waiting room.  “He’s definitely not concussed—not even shocked, really.” “But—but he says he’s from New York!” Sokka said in a loud, high-pitched voice.  Many people looked around at him. “Please keep it down sir,” the nurse said, with a very forced smile.  “Maybe he meant his parents were from New York.” “But—but he said—” “Sir,” the nurse said with even more forced politeness, “I’m going to bring the patient back out, and you are going to le

Chapter 4: A History of the War “…What do you mean, ‘there’s no more New York’?” Aang asked Katara quietly with a voice that sounded heartbroken. “It was… Taken over,” Katara said sadly.  “You—you know about the war, don’t you?” “Well, sort of,” he said, his brows furrowed in distress.  “I mean, my family told me about it and all, but after I left I swore to… ‘Lay low’.  So I’ve sort of just been traveling around for a few years.” “How long?” Katara asked.   “About ten years,” he said, shrugging. “What?

Chapter 5: A History of Aang “Hey, weird kid,” said a full-mouthed Sokka from behind them as Aang opened his mouth to start speaking, “want some beef jerky?”  He didn’t say it kindly—he sounded like he felt obliged.  This was probably because when he opened the bag, Katara had given him a glare. “Oh, no thanks,” Aang said with a smile.  “I’m a vegetarian.”  Sokka stopped chewing and looked at Katara. “I told you he’s crazy,” he said, and walked away, toting the bag of salted dried meat. “Don’t mind him,” Katara said, rolling her eyes.  “Go on.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing to this heap of bullshit,” Sokka said angrily, grunting as he shoved a fifth duffel bag into the trunk of The Bison.  It had taken almost six hours to convince Sokka to let Katara go with him, and he insisted on going with them as well. “He’s a sixteen-year-old boy,” he’d said.  “There’s no way in hell I’m letting my little sister traveling with him alone.” Katara had informed her grandmother on their departure, and she was enthusiastic, saying they needed to get out of the house anyway.  Katara made deals with her school to take her classes online, an

 Aang drove.  Katara sat up front with him, and Sokka lay sprawled out on the back seat, looking extremely bored while Katara and Aang chatted. “So, you don’t have a radio in here at all?” she was asking, still smiling at him.  Aang was smiling as he stared straight ahead, at the road. “Nope,” he said.  “I guess I’ve never noticed that I don’t have music playing.  It’s always in my head anyway.” “Yeah, I bet he hears things in his head,” Sokka muttered under his breath, but neither of them heard him, and if they did, they didn’t pay him any mind. They also didn’t pa

 “By the way, I guess you should know most Magnan we’ll run into on the street won’t have guns,” Aang said conversationally. “What?”  Katara asked, aghast.  In the back seat, Sokka sat up.  “But—those soldiers—and my mother,” she stuttered, but trailed off, letting him explain. “They probably stole those guns from actual soldiers,” he said.  “The actual soldiers wouldn’t be in towns, they’d be fighting.  They were probably just the police-type-section of the Magnan.  They probably just got a hold of guns to make themselves look important.” “But why wou

It wound up taking about six hours to get to Colorado, not five.  Katara wondered if Aang had said five just to make sure Sokka wasn’t mad about the whole ordeal again. Once they were in Colorado, Aang turned to Katara and said, “Do you have a cell phone?”  Katara looked at him with an eyebrow raised. “Do you not?” she asked.  Aang simple shook his head, obviously unaware of why that was so strange.  A sixteen-year-old boy, without a cell phone?  Katara got hers out of her pocket and handed it to him. “Thanks,” he said, and started dialing a number.  Katara heard it ring a few times, and then a female

Katara woke up the next morning with a pulled neck muscle.  Their family had never really done much camping… Or road trips… Or anything, really, where they didn’t sleep on fluffy beds.  The Bison’ back seat, therefore, did not exactly provide her with restful sleep. Katara had wanted Aang to sleep in The Bison, saying he’d driven all day and deserved somewhere (sort of) comfortable to sleep.  Aang refused, saying Katara should sleep there instead.   Sokka complained about having to sleep on the ground, until a thought crossed his mind: Aang, Katara, alone, sleeping bags, night, teenage hormones.  He quickly agreed