"Knowing too much of your future is never a good thing."

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief

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EVENTUALLY, DESPITE SOKKA'S SKEPTICISM AND KIDA'S RELUCTANCE, Aang and Katara convince them to go into the village to see Aunt Wu and learn their fortunes.

After being greeted by Meng, Aunt Wu's assistant, Katara, Aang, Kida and Sokka stay in the waiting room. When Aunt Wu enters, Katara offers to go first.

"So, what do you think they're talking about back there?" Aang wonders once Katara is gone.

"Boring stuff," Sokka replies. He lounges down onto the mat. "Love. Who she's gonna marry, how many babies she's gonna have."

Aang's eyes widen and he starts awkwardly looking around. "Yeah, dumb stuff like that. Well, I gotta find a bathroom," Aang says before running off.

Which leaves Kida and Sokka, alone, sitting at opposite ends of the room.

"I take it you don't believe in this fortune telling stuff, either?" Sokka asks, breaking their silence.

"I don't know, honestly."

Okay, no sarcastic remark? Seriously, now Sokka knows that something is wrong.

"Is everything...are you okay?"

Kida doesn't reply for a few seconds, but turns her head and stares at Sokka. "Don't," she says harshly.

"Don't what?" Sokka asks.

"Just..." Kida pauses, and sighs, moving to stare at the mat in front of her. "Don't start caring about me."

Before Sokka can respond, Aang, Katara, and Aunt Wu return.

"You there," Aunt Wu announces, pointing at Kida. "Come with me."

Kida looks around, as though she's finding an excuse not to go, but when Aunt Wu insists. She gives in.

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AUNT WU LEADS KIDA INTO A ROOM WITH A FIRE BURNING IN THE CENTER.. She leads Kida into a room with a fire burning in the center. She sits down on a cushion and gestures at Kida to do the same, then she gently grabs Kida's hand to examine her palm.

"You've had a rough life," Aunt Wu says. "You've had to fight your way through many battles to ensure your survival."

"Yeah, you can say that," Kida replies. She can't remember a time that her skin wasn't littered with scars, burn marks and calluses; Aunt Wu's statement was more of an informed observation than a fortune, but Kida lets her continue. Even if she would rather be anywhere but here.

"You can tell a lot from a person's hand," Aunt Wu explains. "This vertical crease in the center of the palm is the Fate line; otherwise known as your line of destiny. And here." Aunt Wu runs her finger across a vertical crease parallel to the Fate line. "Is the Sun line. Its close proximity to the Fate line means that your destiny is heavily influenced by external forces beyond your control."

I could have told you that, she scoffs internally.

Aunt Wu runs her finger across another crease, close to the thumb. "These breaks in your Life line...you've experienced much loss, and it has shaped you."

Kida stiffens, but doesn't answer.

"Your Heart line...I don't see this often," Aunt Wu muses. She traces a long, horizontal crease at the top of Kida's palm. "You've fallen in love many times, but lies and fear often get in your way. If you continue on this path, you will only continue to hurt others — including yourself."

Maybe it's the fact that Aunt Wu's interpretation cuts too deep and reminds her of everything she's been trying to forget, or that Kida in desperate need of a nap, but she finally reaches her breaking point. Snatching her hand away, Kida briskly gets up.

"Is this palm reading thing just supposed to tell me what I already know?" Kida snaps. "Because if it is, then it's a waste of time, and if it's not, then...well, it's still a waste of time!"

In a flurry of anger, Kida storms off, leaving Aunt Wu sitting there, shocked. When Kida enters the waiting room, Sokka, Katara and Aang are all staring at her in disbelief. They had probably heard her yelling and wanted to know what happened, but Kida isn't in a particularly talkative mood.

She mumbles something about needing to go for a walk, then leaves without another word.

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AT FIRST, KIDA IS GRATEFUL THAT NO ONE FOLLOWS HER. It gives her an opportunity to cool off. She sits just outside the village, at the base of the volcano, looking up at the clouds.

No one came to get her. Not Aang, not Katara, not even Sokka. Part of Kida is relieved: they don't care, and that makes it easier to keep lying. Like Aunt Wu said, it would only hurt them. Then again, that was only if they found out who she really was. If they didn't....

The other part, one, tiny part, did hope that they cared enough to look for her.

"I've been looking everywhere for you!" Aang's voice pulls Kida out of her thoughts. He sits down next to Kida, cross legged. "We just watched Aunt Wu interpret the clouds..." As Aang tells his story, Kida shifts around so she's facing Aang, who suddenly stops talking. "Are you okay?" Aang asks gently, voice laced with concern.

It's then that Kida realizes she's been crying. "Oh," she whispers, wiping a tear from her cheek. "I guess I'm just not a fan of this whole fortunetelling thing."

"Oh," Aang says, as if he's not quite sure what to say. "If it was something bad..." Taking a moment to think, Aang looks up at the clouds. "Well, I guess the good thing is that, at the end of the day, we have the power to shape our future."

Kida thinks about that for a second. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

"Also, um, having you been sleeping?" Aang asks, tilting his head in Kida's direction. For a fleeting moment, Kida wonders if Sokka had mentioned anything, but then Aang adds: "Because I hear you sometimes, in the middle of the night. It's like you're always awake, which I'm pretty sure isn't the healthiest."

"I guess I'm scared," Kida admits. "That if I fall asleep, I'll have nightmares. Those fever dreams I had when I was sick...let's just say that they brought up some...bad stuff. Memories of my family dying and...." she trails off, not wanting to go into much detail.

"I have nightmares sometimes, too," Aang says. "I know what it's like to be left behind, and to feel guilty about it. And the thing is, that never might never go away, which sucks, but then I remember that I have Katara, and Sokka, and you."

"We just met," Kida points out, without really thinking. "You don't even know me."

"I know enough about you," Aang promises. "Like how you protect the people you care about and you never back down from a fight which can honestly be a little scary, with how intense you get..." When Aang notices Kida shifting uncomfortably, he moves on. "Look, the way I see it, the past can be a great teacher, and, like I said before, we have the power to shape our future. I'd like to think that, if we stick together, then maybe everything will work out."

Smiling softly, Kida lightly pushes Aang's shoulder. "You're pretty wise for a kid, you know that?"

"I have my moments. Do you feel better?"

"Yeah," Kida says, and she really means it.

"Okay, awesome!" Aang exclaims. "So, I need some advice. You have experience with the ladies, right?"

"I have my moments," Kida replies jokingly. "What advice do you need?"

"Well, there's this girl I like, and I want to tell her how I feel, but I'm not sure how. I was talking to Sokka, and —"

"Whoa." Kida gestures at Aang to stop. "That was your first mistake. You don't go to Sokka for advice, especially when it comes to girls."

Aang furrows his eyebrows. "So, what should I do? I'm scared that if I tell her, it'll ruin everything."

"Then, I say you wait it out. See if she feels the same way, and if it seems like it, then you tell her. If not...let's deal with it if we actually have to. In the meantime, keep being your sweet, considerate self."

"Wow," Aang says. "Thanks Kida."

"Anytime, kid." Kida gets up and dusts the grass off her clothes. "Honestly, Katara will see what a catch you are."

"How did you —"

"I just had a feeling," Kida states. She stretches, then yawns. "Well, I'm gonna go take a nap, back at our camp, but I'll see you later?"

Aang nods, and before Kida can leaves, he shouts: "Kida, wait!"

Kida turns around to let Aang catch up to her. Once he's standing in front of her, she sees that he's holding a woven bracelet.

"I had some extra fishing line after I made Katara her necklace," Aang explains. "So, I made you this bracelet, to match the one that you always wear."

Kida almost cries again. Does exhaustion make you more emotional? she wonders. She clears her throat.

"That's really nice, Aang. Thank you." Kida ties the bracelet onto her left wrist, next to the one her brother made her so many years ago.

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A NAP TURNED INTO A 12-HOUR LONG SLEEP. Dreamless, thankfully.

Kida wakes up the next morning, early, and the whole team is still asleep. She goes into the village to get breakfast, and afterwards goes to visit Aunt Wu. When Kida enters, Aunt Wu is standing in the waiting room.

"My dear, I've been waiting for you," Aunt Wu states. "Come, with me."

"Oh, actually, I'm here to apologize for —"

"You have nothing to apologize for, my dear," Aunt Wu assures. She leads Kida to the back, where a deck of cards sits in front of the fire. Aunt Wu sits down, and gestures at Kida to do the same. She doesn't.

"Really, I just came back to —"

"I'd like to do a tarot card reading for you."

"That's nice of you, but —"

"I promise," Aunt Wu interrupts again. "I won't waste your time."

Kida blushes at that last comment, and sits down.

Wordlessly, Aunt Wu shuffles the deck of cards. After, she puts the deck down and instructs Kida to separate the cards into three decks. Kida follows her instructions and places three distinct piles in between her and Aunt Wu. Reaching over to the first pile, Aunt Wu flips the top card over and places it directly in front of Kida. Unlike yesterday (and thanks to Aang's pep talk), Kida feels calmer, and allows herself to indulge in this fortune-telling business. She admits to herself that there might be some truth to it, after all. Plus, she could use some guidance, if she's being honest with herself.

The first card is upside down, but Kida can see that, painted on, is Ia landscape of a night sky, with a moon at its center.

"The first card is meant to represent your past and how you interact with it," Aunt Wu explains. "The Moon carries many secrets. In your case, it appears reversed, which reflects how you usually keep part of yourself hidden. There are elements from your past that have been haunting you, and others deep within yourself that you have been reluctant to face. You need to accept this side of yourself, before it's too late."

The second card — once again, upside down — illustrates a figure dressed in armor, extending their sword as if charging into battle.

Aunt Wu examines the card, closely. "This middle card reflects who you are in the present and how it can shape your future," she says. "The Knight of Swords is strong and determined, which, oftentimes is beneficial, but can lead to exhaustion. Since your card is reversed, the latter applies to you: you're tired and conflicted. You need to think about what you're really fighting for, in this present moment, in order to move forward."

The third and final card shows a skeleton dressed in black armour, surrounded by five-petal white flowers.

"Death," Aunt Wu declares.

That can't be good, Kida decides.

"It's not what you think," Aunt Wu assures. "The third card in these types of readings represents a person's future. The card you've drawn is often misunderstood. For you, I interpret two options. First: a sudden and unexpected change might occur, but that's nothing to fear. Once you get past the initial pain, you will see new possibilities starting to emerge."

"And, the other option?" Kida asks, a little uneasy.

"Fragments of your past are getting in your way and you feel weighed down by a heavy burden. It won't be easy, but it's time to let go and move on. Be open to new possibilities that alter your path. Embrace the fact that your destiny may not quite fit into the one your ancestors predicted. And, sometimes, it's better to not know exactly what the future holds."

Wow. Kida was not expecting that. Anger starts to bubble inside her. So this whole stupid prophecy thing was...what, for nothing? Does this mean that I should just forget about it? But, how can I possibly forget after everything...I can't leave it all behind. If these cards mean anything....why am I even here? I can just leave, then, right? I can go back to travelling on my own....

"You're unhappy with your reading?" Aunt Wu asks.

"Just, surprised, I guess," Kida replies, her thoughts still spiraling.

I can't just leave. Aang, Katara, even Sokka — maybe they're what I should fight for, Kida considers. But, wouldn't that be dishonoring my family's memory? Then again, I didn't realize I missed having a family until I met the team.

Suddenly, Katara bursts through the doors, but Kida is still in a daze. Katara rambles on about the shapes of clouds, and predictions, and a volcano that's about to erupt — wait, what?

"Kida, we need your help," Katara declares.

In that moment, Kida knows where she needs to be. The village is in trouble. The team is in danger.

And Kida is ready to fight.

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author's note: okay so i meant to publish this earlier, but i got a *little* carried away with researching info about palm reading... 

also, im not sure if tarot cards were a thing in the avatar world, but i wanted to explore their significance because they're another interesting way of fortune telling! 

also, also: i had to add the quote at the beginning because im re-reading percy jackson series and saw this quote and instantly thought of this episode!

anyways, thanks for reading :)