it's locked, stupid

ch. 4

I didn't see Korra for the next few days. She had gotten busy with Tarrlok's task force. I feared that, but I knew Korra wouldn't stay by my side forever.

Most of the time she spent away, I was with my dad. I knew him too well to know when he needs someone to teach, someone to guide. I wanted to learn some new stuff anyway, so I let myself be the one to subject to his teachings.

Today though, I spent the day with my precious sky bison, Jiri. Jiri was the one alive thing I took to the air temple with me when I left. She is everything to me and more, but that's how it is with every airbender and it's bison.

It was no reaching night time. Jiri and I were just outside the stables. She was sleeping soundly while I was knitting in her saddle. I took up knitting when I was living at the temple. Gran-Gran said it was a good way to pass the time. She was wrong, but it's still fun.

Suddenly, I saw a flash of light at my grandfather's statue. I dismissed the light at first and continued knitting, but then there was more light. It was flashing rapidly and uncontrollable.

I jumped off Jiri and headed to the temple from the stables. It didn't take me that long, but in the short amount of time from the stables to the temple, my brain was racking with all sorts of confusion.

"Do you guys have any idea what's going on at Aang's statue?" I asked, waltzing into the kitchen where I saw my mom and Jinora.

"Korra went there," Jinora answered with a bit if unsteadiness in her voice.

"To face Amon," my mom says, scared, more scared than I've ever seen her.

"What?" My eyes widened. I felt my heart cave in on itself. "No, why- why is there?!" I asked, raising my voice a little. "Why did dad let her go?"

"Tarrlok is the one who convinced her to go, not your father," my mom said sternly. "We just have to hope she's okay."

"Hope? You want to to just sit here and hope?! No, I'm going after her," I said, ready to storm back to where I came.

"Jay, no," Jinora pleaded.

"She's no good to the world if you're gone, and you know that," my mom added.

I swallowed some of the pride that was stuck in my throat. "I can't lose her," I said softly.

"And we can't lose you," my mom argued.

"Well, what am I supposed to do?"

"You wait," my mom said, sending me a sad smile.

I sighed, leaving the kitchen quickly. I stormed off to my room, ready to gear up and run off to the statue, disregarding my mother's wishes and my sister's pleas. But then, it hit me, if I leave, that tells them I don't care about how they feel. I can't do that to them. I can't betray my mom's love and my sister's trust.

So, I stayed. I grabbed a blanket and a book, making my way to Korra's room. I'll wait there. I didn't have enough courage to go into the room, so I sat on the floor, my back flushed against the sturdy wall. I opened my book, hoping to get lost in the words. It didn't work. I needed her to be okay. She's my best friend. Yeah, best friend.

Right as my brain started to get lost in the words before me, I could hear faint conversation approach me, the conversation including my dad and Korra. I stood up without a second to lose, wrapping my arms around her frame before she even realized it was me. She felt stiff, she felt scared.

"Hi," I said in a whisper.

"Hi," she replied, her voice breaking ever so slightly.

"You still?" I ask, hoping she understood what I meant. I didn't want to think about what would happen if Korra lost her bending.