Trickle [Sokka - Book One]

⚝Chapter Twenty One⚝

Eimi's tears hadn't dried yet. It felt like she had cried for an eternity, yet she still had more tears to shed. Her lips tasted salty as her tears fell down her chin. Sokka's shoulder was probably soaked, but he didn't seem to mind. 

He took the darkest alleys to get to the Spirit Oasis. He walked slowly, too. She trusted him, though. She knew he would take care of her if something happened. But the least he could do was let her die. That way she could be happier than she was now. 

Sokka gently set her down on the ground, but he still had his arms wrapped around her. Her own arms slipped around his neck. He ran his hand over her hair once before whispering, "The Spirit Oasis is to your right. When I say go, you will run to it, okay?"

Eimi pulled slightly away from him, looking up at his face. She frowned and whispered, "What about you?"

"Your father tasked me to take care of Yue," he said, his eyes locked on something behind her. "I have to find her."

"She should be in there."

"No, she isn't." He looked down at her before gently brushing the tears off of her cheeks. His hand rested against her cheek. "I'll find you later. Promise me you'll be fine."

Eimi's face fell. She had said that to Navrek. He promised he would be fine. He promised her. Why didn't he keep his promise?

"Eimi, I'll stay with you if you don't answer me," he said firmly. "Your sister can take care of herself."

"Are you saying I can't?"

A smile broke through on his face. "That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that you need to let someone else take care of you for a change instead of burying all of your emotions. This is the most emotions I have ever seen you use before, but it's not the emotion I want to see."

"It's the only one I can feel."

Sokka glanced behind her and whispered, "Go!"

Eimi thought he would push her to the entrance for the Spirit Oasis right away, but he pulled her toward him. His lips pressed against her forehead for just an instant. He pushed her toward the circular opening to the Spirit Oasis, and she stumbled toward the entrance. She turned around and watched as he ran toward a flash of white. Her watery eyes couldn't tell what it was, but she knew he glanced back at her once to make sure that she was heading toward the Spirit Oasis. 

Eimi fell into the entrance to the Spirit Oasis, crashing to the ground with a thud. She didn't feel a thing, though. Her body had grown numb from the pain. She hadn't ever felt pain like that before, and she was glad she couldn't really feel it anymore. All she could feel was the dull ache in her chest with every beat of her heart and with every breath she took.

Sunlight beamed through the top of the Oasis, and Eimi squinted against it. She had fallen into a battlefield. A teenager was encased in ice while Katara and Aang were sitting near the water. Aang's tattoos were glowing and so were his eyes. Katara was walking back to Aang when the teenager slid down his ice prison. Before Eimi could say anything, he charged toward Katara, shooting a huge blast of fire. She narrowly missed blast of fire, but she was thrown into the post of the gate. Her head fell to her chest, and Eimi knew she was knocked out. The firebending teenager grabbed Aang's collar and said, "You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun."

Eimi stayed hidden as the teenager dragged Aang out of the Spirit Oasis. She wasn't ready to fight that firebender. She could barely hold herself up because of the grief. Crawling across the grass, Eimi collapsed near Katara. Her shoulders shook as the storm in her stomach swirled around and around. Navrek should have been following her into the Spirit Oasis. He should have been telling her that he was ready to travel the world with her. He should have been alive.

If it weren't for her, Navrek still would've been alive. He had to jump in front of her and knock her down just to fight the Fire Navy soldiers. He had to die a heroic death and tell her those things. But it wasn't his time. He still had many years left of his life to enjoy. He should've had a family and a home of his own. He should've grown old and his hair should have gone gray. 

It should have been her who died. She didn't have a future. Not really. Her life revolved around Yue and Navrek and trying to keep her walls from showing. She wasn't much to look at or much to be around. As Hahn had said, she was clingy and annoying. Eimi should have been dead.

Why did the Ocean spirit tell her mother that she was going to live a happy life? Eimi didn't feel happy. She didn't think she would ever be happy again. Her best friend was gone, and it was her fault. She could never see the bright side of life again.

Eimi tugged on the grass as the pain flared up in her chest. She was supposed to be numb. Her body didn't seem to think so, though. It shuddered and twitched, following every heart beat. She threw her head back and let out a ragged sob. Her hands dug into her eyes, trying to block the tears. She couldn't. They flowed freely down her cheeks and dripping down her neck. Her neck . . .

The betrothal necklace was still in her pocket. She searched around and found it, pulling it out. It hung daintily in her small fingers, catching the light of the sun. It was the last gift Navrek had ever given her. It was the most meaningful. It represented his love for her. It represented the bright light he was in her life.

Eimi wanted so bad to throw the betrothal necklace, to get it out of her sight, but her arm wouldn't budge. The Girl wanted to keep it forever, to treasure it. The Sister wanted to remember what a true gift Navrek was. The Warrior wanted to throw it and stomp on it because it represented the sexist ideals. Yet it also wanted to keep it close to her so she could remember how Navrek would have fought for her and her rights. The Princess wanted to wear it so she could show her nation that she was complying with their rules.

She buried her head into the ground, wishing she could join the dirt. She wanted to become one with it. Her mind was slowly growing quiet as the cool dirt pressed into her forehead. Eimi was so exhausted from grief, and she wanted to sleep forever. If she did, maybe she would find Navrek in the afterlife.