silver soul | avatar, the last air bender

chapter seventeen

Naia could barely sleep that night. She had to wait until she was sure everyone was asleep before crawling into her sleeping bag, to make sure that Sokka wasn't somehow still awake. But before that, Naia cried for a long while.

She missed Yue even more that night. Naia stared up at the moon, pleading to Yue to forgive her. Naia started to hate herself. Not only was she pathetic because she had feelings for a boy who liked her sister, but she was also a backstabber. She didn't know what to think, or how Yue would feel if Naia truly revealed her feelings about Sokka. Naia stared up at the moon more, asking for Yue to give her a sign. Anything, that could steer her in the right direction.

When she was sitting at the edge of the cliff, tears streaming down her face, she saw a small blue butterfly land next to her. She looked down at it, perplexed. Naia didn't want to move, as any sudden movement would scare the small creature and cause it to fly away. However, when she did move her hand slightly, the butterfly moved closer to her. Naia turned over her hand and it rested on her palm. Naia thought back to what she said about happiness being a butterfly, that it was like chasing a butterfly. But once she caught it, even for a split second, it flies away again. However, this butterfly didn't have to be chased. It rested peacefully in her hand. Could this be a sign that Yue was okay with Naia's feelings for Sokka, or was it just a mere coincidence?

Naia thought back to her previous flings she's had with boys. Koa, someone who was sweet and loving, she ultimately pushed away. Hiroshi, someone who she initially gained interest in but also ultimately lost feelings for and pushed away. And now Sokka. With Sokka, Naia thought it was different. Every graze of his fingers sent sparks through her body. He was the one she thought about when dreaming at night. But it didn't matter. She pushed him away too.

Naia believed herself to be unlovable. She's built walls to guard her heart, and those walls were impenetrable. Each time someone would try to help, she would rather hide in the corner. Is this who she was? Someone who would rather run away from their feelings than face them? Someone who was drowning but refused a lifeboat? Like a rose, who smells and looks alluring, but come too close to it and it's thorns will pierce the skin. Would she truly be alone forever? Does she sabotage ever good thing that comes her way?

The group woke up early the next morning and began their trek down the Serpent's Pass again. Naia didn't even look at Sokka or in his direction. There was no way she could. Whatever friendship they had before would now be changed forever. She said some hurtful things to him, things he probably won't forgive her for. Naia just wanted to simply disappear. As much as she wanted to slip away during the night, she knew that the task at hand was much more important than her trivial love life problems.

After walking for about a few hours, the group came to a point where the trail ended. It simply ended, and where it resumed was further away. Naia assumed that the part that once connected the two was submerged underwater. Katara and her exchanged glances.

"Everyone, single file," Katara ordered.

Naia and Katara started to use their water bending to part the lake, as the group followed behind their lead. Once everyone was under the water, Naia closed gap the water over their heads and created a small bubble. It was quite a pretty sight. Naia watched as schools of fish passed by their bubble, peering in. However, something much larger passed by it.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked. Immediately after she said that, the large creature burst through their bubble. Water started to pour into it. Everyone started screaming, but Toph saved them with her earth bending and elevated the ground to the surface of the water. The group watched as the cretaure's large green scaly fins circled around their little island. A large serpent emerged from the water and screeched at them, it's long razor sharp tongue falling out of its mouth.