Chapter 1 - The "Masquerader"

I would just like to say that this is dedicated to a sims 2 series I watch called "My Life." It's really good, and I suggest you check it out. Credit to bryke for Avatar.

Air Temple Island is a small isle located off the coast of Republic City in Yue Bay. Comprised of several structures, the temple was built by Avatar Aang himself. Air Temple Island houses many structures, including the large main temple building, dormitories, a library, a dining hall, a greenhouse, and several flying bison caves. An open practice area with airbending gates can be found outside along with a meditation pavilion. Amongst the massive island, there's a separate housing building specifically for Aang and his family. In this building contains the bedrooms for them and their children, Aang's personal office, a living area, a kitchen, and a dining area. Only family and close family friends are welcome in here. Occasionally, air acolytes are invited in to tidy up the place and watch over the kids when Katara or Aang are not available.

It was late at night, a few hours after sun down, and Katara was reading a bedtime story to her youngest, Tenzin. She'd been reading him the story of their adventures after the war. Aang had been teaching him all about the airbenders, and was working on helping him master a few simple airbending moves. As he was growing up, Aang and Katara told him about their adventures when they met, and how they saved the world together. Just like how they did with Kya and Bumi, when they were growing up too.

Tenzin was 9, Kya was 13, and Bumi was 17. Bumi was the only nonbender out of them all. He wasn't very fond of this. As two of the most powerful benders were his parents, how did they end up having a nonbender? That was an unsolved mystery. He had spent a lot of his childhood learning sword fighting from his uncle, Sokka. They got along like brothers, and spent all the time they could get together.

Kya was a lot like her mother, minus the whole motherly trait. Instead, she was a total "goof-ball." Katara always blamed Aang for this. Aang would always defend himself and his children, saying he would prefer his children to have a fun childhood, and have them avoid any thoughts about having big shoes to fill. Aang didn't want his children to have the childhood he did- after he was found in the iceberg. He wanted them to be free of any worries, and let them have all the fun they deserved.

"I was talking to dad earlier," Tenzin said, after his mother had finished her story, "I was telling him how there's an advantage to being the only two airbenders left."

"And what's that, sweetie?"

"Well, you know how a lot of people know fighting techniques of each of the other three elements?" Tenzin said.

When Katara looked at him with a strange look, as if she was slightly confused, he took that as his queue to explain.

"Like you said, Uncle Iroh used a lot of waterbending techniques to form his own firebending moves, like lightning redirection," Tenzin explained, "Well, no one really knows airbending moves, since it's been so long since they've been in existence. So me and dad have an advantage when we have to fight against others."

"That's a good point," Katara said, "But some people have studied ancient air bending moves. I noticed when I would fight Azula, sometimes she moved a lot like an airbender. It could have been a coincidence, but still- the information was always out there, you just had to go the extra mile to find it."

Tenzin just responded with an "Oh." Katara smiled in response. She looked over at the clock, and noticed it was nearly 10 o'clock. She turned out Tenzin's light, and kissed the top of his head.

"Get some sleep, sweetie," She said, pulling his blankets up close to his chin, "It's getting late, and you have to be up early tomorrow for meditation. I heard daddy has some special plans for you two tomorrow. He said to tell you it was a surprise. So get a lot of rest and I'll see you in the morning."

Tenzin smiled, "Sounds good, mom. Good night."

"Night."

Kya and Bumi always envied how Tenzin didn't have to go to school like they did. Kya hadn't been fond of going to school ever since she was in her fourth year, and Bumi was mentally exhausted of the whole idea, as it was his last year in school before graduation. Whenever Kya would whine and complain to her mother about how unfair she thought it was, that Bumi and her were forced to go to school, while Tenzin always stayed behind and got to have all the fun with Aang, Katara would only side with Aang. She would go into shallow explanation about how "Being the last airbender is not easy. Someone has to keep the culture up to date, and with Tenzin being so eager to learn about it, they need all the time they can get."

Every morning, the entire family would be awake. Tenzin and Aang would be in the mediation pavilion, while Katara made breakfast for everyone else. Kya would be all over the place, getting ready for school. She would never pack her lunch the night before, or plan out her outfits. Bumi would always plan his outfits the night before, but he took forever to wake up, and get him moving in gear.

Aang and Tenzin had finished their meditation early, and joined their family in the dining area for breakfast. Kya refused to look Tenzin or her father in the eye, since she was so mad about the whole "Tenzin gets home schooled" thing. Katara tried to contain a civil conversation lasting, but only proceeded to fail miserably. Tenzin and Aang only talked about their adventures of riding their sky bison around the island.

"And sometimes, we go all the way out of the city!" Tenzin finished with excitement.

Kya quickly looked up and gave him one of her deadly glares. Tenzin looked over, and stopped talking immediately afterwards. Once Aang and Katara realized he'd trailed off in fear, their attention was directed to Kya.

"Don't shut him down like that," Aang ordered, "He was trying to share a good story with you. You should be more grateful towards your little brother."

"You should be a little more grateful to the rest of your children," Kya immediately growled back at him, keeping her eyes locked on his in the same glare she was delivering to Tenzin.

Aang was taken aback by the hurtful comment. He gasped, obviously offended. Kya kept her eyes locked on him. He didn't know what to say. He never heard Kya talk back to him such a rude manor. After about a minute of silence, Kya had left the table.

"Nothing to say?" She asked. "It's about time you realized you had two other children."

She angrily stomped out of the dining room, kicking aside a chair on her way out. After Katara had yelled, and attempted to chase after her, Aang stopped her. He'd told her to just let her be, and that she just needed to cool off.

"Aang, this is no way to treat your daughter!" Katara yelled. "Clearly, she feels excluded and hurt! You shouldn't let her talk to you like that, either!"

"She needs to cool down on her own," Aang tried to explain, "I know my daughter. She needs her own time to let it go."

Katara stayed quiet. She didn't want to start another fight in front of her children, or make Tenzin even more uncomfortable. Katara knew that Kya didn't just spit that out off the top of her head. That was the result of internal damage built up from long periods of time, and Katara only hoped that it wasn't built up from multiple years of feeling that way.

When Kya had slammed the dining room door behind her, Bumi was standing in the kitchen, the room that was connected to the dining area, eating a pancake from the serving plate. He didn't even have his shirt on, it just hung from the waistband of his pants. Kya observed him, her eyes darting up and down. Clearly she was angry, and Bumi noticed immediately.

"Oi, what's that look for?" Bumi yelled accusingly, "I didn't do nothing!"

Kya's face softened, and she realized that she was a lot more angry than she thought. Immediately she apologized to Bumi, and explained why her morning was already ruined.

"Oh shit," Was Bumi's response.

Kya nodded. They stood in silence for a few minutes. Kya decided that she didn't want to wait for Bumi to go to school. Bumi was still getting ready, and Kya was finished. She heard the forks clash on the plates in the dining room, and heard Katara collecting the plates from breakfast.

"I'm gonna head out early," Kya said, "I really don't want to be here any longer. I'll see you in school."

"Alright, see you later."

A few hours later after Kya and Bumi were off to school, the house was finally clean and quiet. Katara was finishing hanging up the laundry when she heard the phone ring in Aang's office. She didn't realize that Aang wasn't home until she heard it ring a few more times. Katara just let it ring, as the caller could just leave a message. She was in the middle of hanging up one of her children's shirts when she heard the principal of Kya and Bumi's school come on the answering machine.

"Hello to whom it may concern," The old female's voice was loud and clear as she started. "I'm calling today due to the absence of your daughter, Kya. She wasn't present during attendance in homeroom, or in her first two classes this morning. If she is home, please call us back and let us know the reason for her absence. Thanks, and have a good day. Buh-bye."

Immediately, the fear was flowing through every vein in Katara's body. After the incident at breakfast, she didn't see Kya go off to school, or made sure she got there safely.

The one time I don't see her leave for school, Katara thought, And now I have no idea where she could possibly be.

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