In the dark of night, in my family's small igloo, I worked on improving a waterbending skill I taught myself. It's called streaming the water. It seems easier than it looks but I beg to differ. It requires all of my energy, strength, and concentration. So much for easy.
Sokka, my brother, apparently hears me and wakes up. He stares me down with a worried look on his face. He doesn't even have to say that I am putting our lives in danger by bending. I know that. We both know that I won't listen and that I don't care so he doesn't say anything. Eventually, he drifts off again but I feel like I had enough, trudged to my bed, and fell asleep.
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The next day, I went to my school along with Sokka. We recited the Fire Nation Oath and sat down to begin the daily tiresome lecture on how the "great and almighty" Fire Nation kindly let us keep our land and how generous they were not to incinerate us. How they are ever so generous and patient to teach us peasants who, apparently, never listen anyways because we can't understand a word anyone ever says.
Sometimes I catch myself absentmindedly waterbending in the middle of class, and I have to constantly remind myself that I am not part of a free tribe anymore, I am a prisoner of the wretched Fire Nation. I can't just bend for fun. I have to watch my back. The worst part is that the guards get bored when there is no action around and will hurt someone for no reason. Isn't that wonderful?
When school is over, I walk the way home with Sokka. He seems tense for some reason. Before I can ask what's wrong, he blurts out, "Do you think that you'll ever get caught?"
I stare at him. "What?" I have no clue what he is talking about. "Waterbending, I mean. Do you think that you'll ever get caught?" he explains a little more. "You must be joking, right?" I ask. "Surely you don't expect one of those oafs to find me bending, do you? That's ridiculous!" Sokka gives me that same look as last night. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. You're my little sister and I will protect you forever, you know that."
He pulls me into a hug and I can't help but feel now that I COULD be discovered as a bender, and then I would be gone.
YOU ARE READING
The Fire Spirit
RomanceKatara is the last waterbender of the Southern Water Tribe. The Fire Nation had wiped out all of the existing waterbenders in the southern tribe and is in control of the whole South Pole. Katara's ability is endangered, and she must be protected t...
