[Aang's expression says it all. Sokka swallows and continues.]
Two years ago, here in Luceti, there was an earthquake. Lots of weird things happened. But at the end of it, we all started getting replaced by different versions of ourselves. I was switched with the me that was the Avatar. Katara was switched... with her. While she was still on the ship to the Fire Nation.
[This is where it gets hard. The emotions are raw and he's doing his best to keep from choking.]
It was terrible, Aang. That they did to her... she was just a kid. Just a little kid. They burned her. Over and over. It was like... [He shuddered.] I'd never seen anything like it. And it was my sister. They did it to my sister and there was nothing I could do. Even as the Avatar, all I could do was heal the burns. And lie to her about how she wouldn't have to go back. I thought. I thought maybe she wouldn't be real and that she'd just back to her old self and it would be over.
[It was a difficult lie. As the Avatar, he'd been so desperate to believe that he was real and not a product of Malnosso meddling. But when he found that little Katara, he wished so hard that she would turn back into Katara and would stop existing.]
But she came back. She's real. I let her go back to that place and tried to act like she didn't exist. But she's real and I lied to her.
[ action, January 11th ]
Two years ago, here in Luceti, there was an earthquake. Lots of weird things happened. But at the end of it, we all started getting replaced by different versions of ourselves. I was switched with the me that was the Avatar. Katara was switched... with her. While she was still on the ship to the Fire Nation.
[This is where it gets hard. The emotions are raw and he's doing his best to keep from choking.]
It was terrible, Aang. That they did to her... she was just a kid. Just a little kid. They burned her. Over and over. It was like... [He shuddered.] I'd never seen anything like it. And it was my sister. They did it to my sister and there was nothing I could do. Even as the Avatar, all I could do was heal the burns. And lie to her about how she wouldn't have to go back. I thought. I thought maybe she wouldn't be real and that she'd just back to her old self and it would be over.
[It was a difficult lie. As the Avatar, he'd been so desperate to believe that he was real and not a product of Malnosso meddling. But when he found that little Katara, he wished so hard that she would turn back into Katara and would stop existing.]
But she came back. She's real. I let her go back to that place and tried to act like she didn't exist. But she's real and I lied to her.