Published May 27, 2013

Chapter One
"An Outing"

"Don't lean too far over the railing!" This warning came from Mako, who was used to having to watch out for people.

"If we start to fall, we'll just airbend ourselves back up," Jinora reasoned.

Ikki pushed herself up on her arms, leaning far out to look at the city they were approaching. "I'm so excited, I don't know what I want to do first!"

Korra held up her fingers and ticked off things to do. "Jinora wants to go to the library, and see the statues of Toph Beifong and Fire Lord Zuko. Ikki wants to play in the park and try unhealthy foods. And Meelo wants to go to the circus."

"So do I!" Ikki put in. "And so does Jinora!"

"And me!" Bolin said, raising his hand as if voting. "Hey Mako, remember when we used to sneak in to watch behind the bleachers?"

Mako gave him a look. "Don't mention that in front of the kids," he said, gesturing to the three children.

"I think Bolin thinks he's still a kid," Korra said in an undertone. Jinora half-smiled at this.

"This is going to be the Best Day Ever," Meelo declared optimistically.

"Aren't you excited?" Ikki demanded of her sister.

"Sure I am." Jinora shrugged, widening her smile.

She tried to relish the feeling of anticipation that she shared with her younger siblings. But at the same time, she felt another sensation, like flutterbats flying in her stomach. Despite what she told herself, she was nervous.

It was the airbender children's first time going into Republic City since they had been captured by the Equalists.

It had been almost two months since then; they'd had time to heal and go back to their regular lives. But no matter how hard she tried, Jinora couldn't think about the city without remembering their most recent visit. Besides that gala just a few months before, she had hardly any other memories of visiting the mainland.

The city was much safer now—that's what all the adults said, as well as Korra and her friends. Still, Republic City was a little … intimidating. Especially to someone as calm and observant as Jinora.

On Air Temple Island, the general atmosphere was relaxed. Jinora was used to that kind of environment, and she liked it.

In the city, it seemed as though everyone was doing something, going somewhere. If the chaos of two rambunctious siblings could be annoying, the chaos of a bustling metropolis was positively overwhelming.

Still, in her mind, she was looking forward to this field trip. It would be fun to hang out with Korra and the brothers, and she was hoping to learn more about the city's history.

"So what's up first?" Mako asked.

Korra had thought this through. "I think we should try the park first; then we can see the circus in the afternoon, and visit the library last." Before Jinora could complain, Korra leaned down to confide to her, "I know you can wait more patiently than these two."

Jinora couldn't disagree.

The park was actually beautiful, and had a natural feeling, although Jinora wondered if it was actually man-made by water- and earthbenders. Unlike the noisy streets, this place was relatively quiet, peaceful even. There were trees scattered throughout the area, and an asymmetrical pond with several bridges over it at different intervals.

"Can we play hide-and-seek?" Meelo asked.

"That won't work; you guys can't hide quietly," Jinora said.

Ikki spotted something and started running toward it. "Look! There's a playground!" Meelo and Jinora ran with her, prompting the teenage chaperones, plus Naga and Pabu, to follow them.

There were a few other children running around and playing on the set. It was a structure made mostly of wood, with metal slides and rubber swings. There was even a small area squared off for recreational waterbending and earthbending.

"I remember this place!" Jinora realized. She recognized the shape of the playground against the trees. Ikki and Meelo were already entering the play area, running among other children in green and brown and red-tinted clothes. Jinora followed them out of habit, smiling at the chance to let out some energy. Within minutes they had joined the other children in a game of tag.

Naga settled herself a few yards away from the playground, and the three teenagers sat on the grass, keeping an eye on the kids. Pabu came down from Bolin's shoulder and ventured closer to the unknown territory of school-age children. "Careful, Pabu," Bolin cautioned, but he didn't stop his pet from exploring.

One boy stood at the center of a small throng of children, describing the circus performance he'd seen the day before. Except that the way he said everything, it sounded almost like bragging.

Ikki pulled on Jinora's sleeve. "You've been to the circus before." It was not a question.

"That was a long time ago. You were there too, Ikki, you just don't remember it. I can't remember if Meelo had been born by then …"

"So what was it like?" Meelo demanded.

Jinora paused. She didn't remember the day itself so much as she recalled remembering that day. "All I remember is that I wanted cotton candy, but Dad wouldn't let me have any; there were some animals, and I felt bad because they were in cages when they weren't performing; and it started to rain after we left. I don't remember much about the performances."

"One of the acrobats is sick," a small boy announced loudly.

"What?" Ikki was dismayed. "Does that mean it's cancelled?"

"They wouldn't stop the whole show just because one person is missing," another girl argued.

"It's not just one, the others are catching it too …" This gave way to a discussion of contradicting rumors and exaggerations. Jinora rolled her eyes, listening to it.

Suddenly Ikki shrieked with joy. "Pabu!" The fire ferret had scurried into the circle. One very small girl screamed at seeing the rodent at her feet. Ikki leapt forward and tried to catch him, but Pabu darted away between two children's ankles. Some of the kids backed away, while others rushed at the small animal. They made something of a game of it, chasing the fire ferret up and around the play structure.

After a minute, Bolin started to get to his feet, a slightly angry expression on his face. "Sit down," Mako said, holding him back.

"They're harassing Pabu!" Bolin protested.

"Come on, Bolin, they're just having fun," Korra said.

Ikki chased Pabu to the other side of the playground, opposite of where the teenagers were sitting. The fire ferret had had enough. He screeched and scurried as quickly as he could away from the playground.

"Pabu! Come back!" Ikki called out, running after the animal. Meelo followed right behind her.

"Wait, you guys!" Jinora called out, jumping down from the wooden platform. She ran across the grassy expanse, going as fast as she could without the enhancement of airbending. She didn't particularly want people to see her use it in public.

Pabu darted in a zigzag pattern, but kept going in the general direction of the edge of the park. "Ikki, wait!" Jinora shouted.

"We can't lose Pabu!" Ikki shouted over her shoulder. That was true, except that Ikki didn't realize she was one of the people Pabu was running away from.

Jinora's concern grew when she realized how close to the street they were. She lost sight of Pabu completely—he must have gone onto the lower pavement—and Ikki and Meelo were about to cross the busy street. "Guys, stop!" Jinora shouted. They hadn't learned how to cross the street safely.

It was pure luck that the streetlight signal to walk had lit up; the two siblings crossed just before the light went out, and vehicle traffic resumed. Jinora would have to wait, or else risk getting hit by a Satomobile in an attempt to follow them.

She saw Ikki and Meelo run to the left, and then pause, before turning right onto a different block.

Jinora glanced back at the park behind her, wondering if she should run back and get Korra; but if she did that, Ikki and Meelo could wander even further away.

The light came back on, and Jinora crossed the street.

She turned left, as her siblings had done. The serenity of the park disappeared instantly, replaced by the typical buzz of motor vehicles and passersby. Jinora looked all around, worried that she might glance over her siblings if she didn't keep her eyes open.

"Ikki!" she yelled. "Meelo!" There was no answer, except for a few glances from people who happened to notice her as they passed by. Jinora suddenly felt shy, realizing how noticeable and out of place she was in her clean yellow-and-orange suit. She wished she had brought a cloak. She felt conspicuous and exposed.

She looked down every street she came to on her right. She didn't see them, and feared that she might have skipped over the street that Ikki and Meelo had gone down. Should she keep looking, or go back to the park? Korra and the boys had probably noticed their disappearance … but how could she go back, leaving her siblings missing?

Praying that she was going in the right direction, she turned right and started down a new street. She pictured the neighborhood blocks in her head: she would go up and down each street, making her way back to the park. This street was some distance away, so Ikki and Meelo were probably between here and there.

It sounded logical in her mind; she even felt fairly pleased with herself. That's why she was so confused when she came out onto a different street than the one that went by the park.

Now she didn't know where she was.

The fear and panic that she'd been fighting against came on full force.

There were days when Jinora struggled to find a secluded spot, any place where she could be alone for a while. As much as she loved her family, she sometimes needed to get away, for her own mental well-being. But even then, the people she knew were never more than a hundred yards away.

Now, for the first time in her life, she was utterly alone.

Korra stood up, looking intently at the playground. "Can you see any of them?"

"I thought they were on the other side," Mako said, following her gaze.

Without saying a word, Korra walked around the perimeter of the playground area. She was frowning in concern when she came back to the boys.

"Maybe they're … playing hide-and-seek?" Bolin suggested.

Mako cupped his hands around his mouth. "Meelo! Girls? Playtime's over!"

There was no answer. No brown-haired children in orange-and-yellow uniforms came over to them.

Korra approached some of the other children who had been playing. "Hey, where are the airbenders? The three kids in yellow and orange?"

"They went that way." The girl pointed across the stretch of grass. "They were chasing some kind of animal."

"Pabu!" Bolin exclaimed in realization.

Korra looked at the brothers. "Spread out and look for them; but don't leave the park." Then she ran in the direction that the girl had indicated. Mako and Bolin went off to the other corners of the park.

They returned to the playground within ten minutes, having searched the perimeter of the gardens. Korra's expression was something close to devastated.

"They must have left the park," Bolin concluded, stating the necessary obvious.

"Wouldn't they know better than that?" Mako said.

"We haven't been here for more than an hour, and I've lost all three of them!" Korra slid her hands down her face. "Tenzin is going to kill me! Pema's never going to trust me with the kids again!"

"Korra—" Mako began.

"How can I be responsible for the world if I can't take care of three little kids?"

"You're not—" Bolin tried to say.

"What kind of example am I being to Jinora?"

"Korra!" Mako grasped her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "Calm down. We'll find them. They couldn't have gone far."

"Should we split up?" Bolin suggested. "Then we'll cover more ground."

"No," Mako said, "we should stay together. Naga can track them, right?" He glanced back at the polar-bear dog, who raised her head to look at him.

"We should have made a plan for what to do if we got separated," Korra said.

"Well, next time we'll know better," Bolin said, shrugging and offering an optimistic smile.

"If there is a next time," Korra muttered, mounting Naga. Mako and Bolin climbed up behind her, and Naga started off at a run.

Korra's thoughts formed a rueful prayer. Aang, they're your grandkids. Please let them be all right!