Avatar Rose: Justice

Ch.02: Happa

(Title Reference- a term for 'half-breed' used in some parts of South America)

Nathan's POV:

"Fire Nation scum!"
"Water weirdo!"

I've never really fit in.

'What the fuck are you all doing?!'
I'm pinned down in a Fire Nation lane by three guys and a tough-looking girl. Kelvin's face emerges from a corner. Yet another punch meets my stomach. I feel like my ribs are about to crumble.

Hot flames burst from Kelvin's fists. 'Izumiko! Matsuda! What's going on!?'

The girl gets up from holding my legs down. The other three guys tighten their grips around my shoulders, and one of them puts a hand on my forehead, pushing my craning neck so I'm forced to stare at the open sky. 'We're just teaching the outsider a lesson. He was carrying this.' She threw my satchel on the ground in disgust. A dribble of water leaked to the ground. I couldn't see it, but I could sense it. A dribble of water is more than enough.

I bend the water with my fingers and slam it into my assailant's bodies with the speed of a bullet. Even though it's soft water (I need two hands to freeze it) they pull back to grab their arms. It's like getting whipped.

One of them spits in my face. With their bending arms now stinging, Kelvin threatens them off easily. He offers me a hand and helps me up. I'm hunched over in pain.

'You all right?'

'Yeah, yeah. I've been though worse.' My teeth grit against each other, against my will to stay composed.

'Take care of yourself. The locals all hate your guts.'

'I know, and I'm fine.'

'Nathan? What's going on? Did they hurt you?!' Wendy's expression widens with worry.

I let out a little giggle. 'I'm fine, Wendy. See?' I lift my arms and do a little spin. Southern Water Tribe snow falls off my butt.

Wendy giggles. 'Everyone is such a bully to you,' she pouts. 'It's so unfair!''

I laugh.

It's always been unfair.

::

I throw a water ball up in the air and catch it. "Could I have some vegetables for a change? I'm getting skinnier and my bones are getting brittle."

No response. I didn't expect it to work anyway. The white walls are a whole lot friendlier to me in the Earth Empire than the Fire Nation. Three meals a day help, with communication with Gwen coming in every other week.

Speaking of the devil...

"Nathan."

"Gwen!"

"Sheesh, you look terrible."

"HA! You do too."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm perfect! As usual."

"Nathan."

"What d'ya want? Wendy?"

"Nathan, you should tell them everything and get out of this hell hole."

"Already done, missy! Though the getting out part isn't quite done yet."

"They're saying if you don't talk in another 48 hours they'll-" and then I heard Gwen gulp. I could picture her mouth shaking. "48 hours and they'll torture you. They'll torture you, Nathan."

"YEASSS took them long enough."

"Nathan..."

"I don't have anything to say! I'll prove that during the interrogation. I'm practically freeeeee"

"Can you even here yourself?!?" She's angry now. "You sound insane!"

"Right."

"Right! Snap out of it!"

"Nope."

"NATHAN!"

"Go away!"

Someone slams down the receiver, and the call ends in a crackle of static.

49 hours later.

"He's clean."

I'm thrown onto the ground. Through the bruised eyelids, swelled lips and bleeding nose I look up, and I smile."Scum."

I'm smacked over again. A foot meets my stomach. My arms twitch uncomfortably against the metal restraints. My head feels airy. Someone spits on my face.

One of them spits in my face. With their bending arms now stinging, Kelvin threatens them off easily. He offers me a hand and helps me up. I'm hunched over in pain.

'You all right?'

'Yeah, yeah. I've been though worse.' My teeth grit against each other, against my will to stay composed.

Been through worse...

"Not even half bad" I manage to gargle out as they drag me out of the small broom closet. "But I've seen worse."

"Shut up, you little piece of shit."

By the time my vision's clear, I'm in a little room with a mattress and a window, and a miniature television set that had only 4 pixels, I swear. I haven't seen a bed in weeks. Looking outside, it's raining and a show of thunder crackles brilliantly in the dark sky. Through the sea of storm clouds, I can see a single star. I fall asleep on the mattress, staining the white sheets with blood.

When I wake, my wounds have been healed, and I see my satchel lying on the ground by the door next to a plate of cookies. A note beside it claims it was from Gwen.

'You said if you died, I would get your satchel,' she had wrote, 'and you're obviously not dead yet.'

Dead...

Like Evan or Rose. Liesel looked pretty dead too. They probably already executed Rowan and Xander. I haven't yet heard a word of them.

I try the handle of my door. Locked. I had a lot of time to waste in that little white cell. The air wasn't humid in that room, and I was close to drawing some water out, like Evan does. Now that it's air with a little moisture, it should work.

I pull the air. Water droplets stream down and I catch them. I make an ice axe and smash down the door, walking outside nimbly.