Chapter 37

"I'd steer clear of the sea prunes." Aang whispers to Toph and I.

"I thought they were ocean kumquats." I gag, my stomach doing rocks.

"Who wants five flavor soup?" Hama asks and I raise my hand after watching Aang and Toph, which hopefully means the food is okay.

Hama raises her hand into the air and bends the soup into our bowls.

"You're a waterbender! I've never met another waterbender from our tribe!" Katara exclaims.

"That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one ..." Hama says with a look of sorrow on her face. "How did you end up here?" Sokka asks confused.

"I was stolen from my home. It was over sixty years ago when the raids started.They came again and again, each time rounding up more of our waterbenders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued.Finally, I too was captured.I was led away in chains. The last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe.They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape." Hama spoke, a few tears falling down her face.

"How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asks pressing for more details.

"I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore." Hama says.

"We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid." Katara says grimly. I reach under the table and I grasp Sokka's hand as he and Aang put their heads down.

"Oh you poor things" Hama says frowning.

"I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor. You're a hero." Katara says quietly. "I never thought I'd meet another Southern waterbender. I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone." Hama says grasping Katara's hand.

"Yes! Yes, of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me." Katara cheers, but an uneasy feeling still washed over me.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next day, Toph, Sokka, Aang and I walk through the town to find the evil spirit.

"This has got to be the nicest natural setting in the Fire Nation. I don't see anything that would make a spirit mad around here." Aang says looking around.

Sokka squats and sniffs flowers before Toph says "Maybe the Moon Spirit just turned mean." 

Sokka quickly jumps in anger "The Moon Spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and ... lunar goodness!" 

While Toph continues to get an earful, Aang rushes over to a passing man "Excuse me, sir. Can you tell us anything about the spirit that's been stealing people?" he asks. The man stops and looks at us "Only one man ever saw it and lived and that's Old Man Ding."

"Where does he live?" I ask.

---------------------------------------------------------------

After finally finding Old Man Ding's house, the sun slowly dipped into the earth, making the air cool. And it wasn't relaxing.

"Old Man Ding?" Aang asks as we find an old man boarding up his windows.

"uh? Ow, dang blame it! What? Can't you see I'm busy? Got a full moon rising. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old! Well, I'm young at heart." The man slams the hammer onto hi thumb, causing him to cry out angrily. 

"Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster yet at least." Old Man Ding says as Aang helps the man with a board he failed at lifting.

"We wanted to ask you about that." Sokka says as he nails the board to the window. I step forward and help Aang hold it in place.

"Tell us about the spirit that got you" I say

"Didn't see no spirit, just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain.  I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light.  But then the sun started to rise and I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!" the old man says acting to walk like a puppet.

(OKAY SO I KINDA DELETED EVERYTHING PAST THIS POINT SO NO OLD MAN DING TIME CAUSE IM PISSED. YOU ALL KNOW WHAT HAPPENS YOU AVATAR FREAKS. ALSO SORRY IF EVERYTHINg PASSED HER IS BADLY WRITTEN BECAUSE I LEGIT FINISHED A 1500 WORD CHAPTER.)

After Toph stated that there were people under the mountain, we quickly headed for the mountain.

Once we reach the mountain, we see a large tunnel which is pitch black. "This is the place" Toph says. "I can't see a thing" Sokka complains to which Toph shoots back with "That's why you have me. Let's go!"

Toph then grabs Sokka's hand, who grabs my hand, which then leads me to grab Aang's hand as Toph pulls us into the darkness.

"It's so dark" Aang whispers. "Yeah! I know right?!" Toph laughs before yanking us to a door.

She then kicks it down and we rush into the light filled room.

My mouth hangs open as I see about 20-30 people chained to the walls. "We're saved!" one calls out.

"I didn't know spirits made prisons like this. Who brought you here?" Aang asked, looking confused. "It was no spirit!" a woman said as Toph turned her bracelet into a key and began unlocking people.

"It was a witch!" a man called out.

"A witch? What do you mean?" I ask confused looking at the people.

"She seems like a normal old woman, but she controls people like some dark puppetmaster!" a woman spoke as Toph unlocked her.

"Hama!" Sokka growls gritting her teeth.

"Yes, the innkeeper!" a man told us nodding.

"I knew there was something creepy about her!" Sokka hissed slamming his fist into his palm. "We have to stop Hama!" Aang says.

"I'll get these people out of here. You go!" Toph calls. 

Aang, Sokka and I quickly turn around and we run out of the prison.

"We need to hurry!" I yell as we run through the forest. "Katara might be in trouble!" Aang says, worry lacing through his voice.

"Mika, can you sense where they are?" Sokka says stopping us.

"I can try" I whisper closing my eyes. I rise my hand and I slam my fist into the ground.

"They're close by, come on!" I say standing up. Aang quickly begins to run to find Katara and Sokka and I quickly trail behind him.

As we run, Sokka grasps my hand "Stay by me Mika, unless you go do something with magic rocks" he says.

Nodding my head, we enter the clearing where Hama is rising from the ground.

"We know what you've been doing, Hama!" Sokka growls squeezing my hand.

"Give up!" Aang says taking a stance, "You're outnumbered"

An evil cackle erupts from Hama, "You've outnumbered yourselves."

Suddenly, I feel a heavy force lay itself upon me. My breathing increases, yet it feels like I don't have enough room to breath. I can't move, whatever Hama is doing, I can't move. I look down at my arm, veins slowly begin to show all over my arm.

Suddenly Aang is thrown towards Katara, which she dodges.

Sokka's hand is then ripped from my grip as he is too thrown at Katara and yet again, she ducks. Sokka then yanks out his sword and charges towards Katara. "Katara, look out! It's like my brain has a mind of its own! Stop it arm, stop it". Sokka then is tossed away from his sister by a water ring.

 "Sokka!" I yell and then I'm thrown in front of Hama as a lash of water splashes all over me.

"Sorry Mika!" Katara says as Aang is thrown at Katara again. "This feels weird" Aang says as he thrown at Katara again, who pins him to a tree with ice. "I'm sorry Aang!" Katara calls.

My own feet are then pushed forward as I run towards Katara, Sokka following next to me with his sword. "Katara!" I call out.

Katara pulls some water from a tree, causing it to fall apart and uses the water to shoot at Sokka and I.

I slam against his chest and my hand grabs his.  The water then freezes our hands and his sword to a tree. "Well I see we went back to First Base" Sokka jokes looking at me. I shoot him a glare but Hama says "Don't hurt your friends, Katara! And don't let them hurt each other!"

Suddenly Aang is ripped from his ice prison and is yanked forward. Then Sokka and I are yanked forward as well, with his blade leading the way, and Aang is his target.

"No!" Katara screams and we stop.

I look at Aang and Sokka in confusion but the sound of a grunt brings my attention to Hama, who is stiff.

My eyes then turn to Katara, who controls the woman.

"Katara" I whisper in shock.

Then, Toph and the prisoners join us, who grab Hama, which allows Katara to release her hold on the woman.

"You're going to be locked away forever." a woman snarls at Hama dragging her away.

"My work is done" Hama cackles "Congratulations Katara. You're a bloodbender."

We all turn to Katara as she fall to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Sokka and Aang kneel by her side while I kneel in front of her, wiping her tears away.

Yet another one of us corrupted by lies.