The Lost Avatar

Part 1 - Chapter 2

The Decision

The next morning was a Sunday although I couldn't sleep for the entire night. I was too busy calling around about this year's four-nation meet because I was behind anyway. I also couldn't sleep because of the elephant in the room, which I still couldn't believe was right there, resting in my guest room hurt because of my lightning, after centuries! The Avatar...in my house. Woah.

I got up from my bed and went upstairs to the terrace via a door then entered an adjoining room next to it after unlocking the door with a key. I entered and closed the door then turned on a light. The floor had a rug with the fire nation insignia on it and it was shown around the room on a couple of walls and the table at the corner. The rest of the space was filled with cabinets and shelves of files and papers everywhere. These were all old documents of our lineage, our clan and many firebending scrolls that were ancient as time. Yes, they all were just dumped here as soon as we went underground.

The middle of the room was still spacious, and I sat down on the rug with the fire nation insignia on it and meditated for some time. After a while, I went down to the kitchen and saw my 43-year-old housekeeper Shailaja placing two cups of coffee on the bar counter. I sat down on a chair and took a sip. She stood in front of me with her arms folded waiting.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Where is Kova?" she asked.

Right. Forgot to mention that she is also a firebender. Shailaja has been my housekeeper since the past ten years. She was hired only by my parents. Nobody else in my family knows about her. She doesn't bring her spirit with her usually to my place. But I have met her a couple times. She usually prepares a few meals and stores them in the morning then cleans the house and leaves. Again, in the evening, she drops by to check on things.

"He decided to take a trip down South." I replied.

"And him?" she asked, eyeing behind me.

I turned around to find Dev coming towards us.

"Hey..." he said, nervously.

"Shailaja. This is Dev. Dev. Our housekeeper. Shailaja." I said, while taking another sip from my coffee.

"Ahem..." Shailaja made a noise.

"He's my student." I said.

"Seriously? I've been telling you to tutor my kids and you said you didn't like teaching, Asin. Really?" she asked, in disbelief.

"I really don't like teaching. But I have no choice when it comes to this guy. And that's all the Fire lord will tell you." I said.

"Don't tell me any further then, my lord!" she said, while raising her hand and leaving through the kitchen door with her purse.

I kept my cup in the sink and grabbed a bottle of water.

"Come with me, Avatar. I want to show you something." I said and left upstairs.

He came behind me. We went out the door towards the terrace and I unlocked the adjoining door. He looked around at the view and tried to find a window near that door.

"What did you want to show me?" he asked.

I opened the door to the room and beckoned. He entered and I turned on the lights after shutting the door after us. He was wide-eyed at the amount of heirlooms and items with the fire nation insignia on them! He walked around and felt one insignia carved on the wall. A tear came out of his eye unknowingly and he wiped it.

"What is all this? Why do I feel happy?" he asks, still looking at his finger that wiped the tear then at me.

"This is an important collection of fire nation knowledge and history. A quarter of it is my family and clan history documents but the others are antiques from the previous fire royals. A few things must also be from the previous Avatars as well. I don't know about some of them, but I do know most. Maybe you have hidden memories of this." I said, while covering a yawn of mine.