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// The Curse of the Avatar Spirit 02 
// Story: The Many Destinies of Sunset Shimmer 
// by ratedoni 
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It had been a week that neither of them could ever forget. First knowing that at one point they had been dead but that for some reason the while world had returned them to life. Everything for the last few days felt like something out of a nightmare but neither of them could wake up.

Sokka was the one that came out of it with the less scars. Sure, he had died and suddenly woke up once again in the mortal realm with no injuries or lasting effects. He had the fortune of not remembering anything that had happened while he was ‘lying down’ as Aang would put it, but he wished he could remember just so he could help the others.

Katara’s hands showed weird marks since then. They seemed like dark clouds and whenever other people commented on them they always thought that they were marks or tattoos. The dark skinned girl wished they were something so simple, because now, every time she tried to bend, the marks began to glow and made her feel as if needles were being inserted into her bones.

Aang was the worst. Not because he was being despondent or brattish, he just grew quiet, and that on itself scared Sokka to the core. They were used to a kid that seemed to be on a perpetual sugar rush, who had problems concentrating or relaxing. Aang always seemed to be on the move, always thinking new ways to have fun. Now he barely talked as they asked about a redheaded woman.

Thankfully for them, red was not a color of hair that was seen very much and they were capable of following the trail of the woman up to this town, where Sokka once again cursed their luck. The young warrior let out words that he was sure would cause his Gran to slap him in the back of the head for even thinking about them. Looking at the girl sitting behind bars in chains was a good enough reason to curse aloud in Sokka’s opinion.

Apparently the girl had been living in town the last two month; she had been as friendly as a cranky porcupine-bear but didn’t cause trouble. Quick at work at the bar, never started a fight but knew how to end one and an avid scroll reader so she was a constant presence at the local temple.

Everything changed when the son of the local trader had seen her create a flame above a candle. It was a surprise for the girl who had repeatedly said that she wasn’t a bender as they put her on chains and waited for the execution. The way Aang and Katara had frozen at hearing that the young girl haven’t had a hearing and was found guilty immediately send them on a rampage.

The local guard captain looked pale enough to be confused with a ghost, and Sokka could understand the reaction as the man finally understood that the person he had behind bars was none other than the Avatar herself. Not that she was really the Avatar but Aang didn’t tell them the whole truth.

And boy, was the woman infuriated when they finally let her free. Not in the usual ‘I am going rip your heart out’, but more in the ‘I’m going to get my revenge and you won’t like it’ type of way that made Sokka’s hairs behind his neck to stand up. And she did get her revenge.

Once people saw that the girl they had called firebender only two days ago was free they began to scream and try to get the guard to kill her in the spot. It sickened Sokka how easily the people of the town could change from being peaceful and amiable into a hateful mob; and it sickened Sokka because he knew that if they didn’t know that the girl was now the new Avatar he and his sister would be alongside the crowd. He hated the Fire nation, he hated them because of what they had done to their people, but especially to their Mother.

Sokka knew he would never forget the man who killed the most important woman in his life, like he would never forget the man who commanded this senseless war. But he couldn’t hate a single person who wanted nothing to do with the war apparently.

It was comical how everyone stopped and basically threw everything they were doing to bow down in front of their savior. Apparently the word of two Southern Water tribe members and an Air Monk were good enough to convince them. It was comical, in a pathetic and nightmarish way.

But it wasn’t over, the smile on the girl called Sunset told him that. She opened her mouth and the town listened to her story. It wasn’t much of a story, more like a couple of questions for the town. Nobody wondered why the father of the kid had sent her to the jail and pushed for her execution since she was the Avatar? Who was the one who was most invested in her death? Has nobody wondered why his family was so rich? From where did the money come from?

Sokka understood that what the woman had said was nothing more than lies but everyone suddenly began to think and they all reached the same conclusion. That the family worked under the orders of the Fire Nation, that they were spies and that they wanted the Avatar dead.

Katara and Aang were furious at what Sunset had done but the girl didn’t even feel guilty. And this was supposed to be the hope of the world until they could put things in order. Sokka didn’t know what to think, but he knew one thing. Sokka was completely scared of this girl and the way she talked as if she didn’t care about the world.

She only wanted to learn how to control her new abilities, but what she would do after their arrival at the Northern Water Tribe, Sokka didn’t know. She could become the savior and stop the Fire Lord, she could say goodbye and walk away, or she could simply join the Fire Nation and burn everything. Sokka didn’t know what she would do and it scared him.

Sunset had told them that she hadn’t been a bender, that she wasn’t even from THIS world. Sokka would have said one day that the girl was insane but after dying once and returning to live didn’t change your perspective on the world, nothing did. So the girl was not from their world, the Avatar cycle was screwed beyond recognition, they were running against the clock and they had to convince the new Avatar to save the world.

Definitely, things couldn’t get worse than this.

One day Sokka would have to learn how to keep his mouth shut.