Personal Powers: Acceptance

Greatness

My story began five years ago and as cliche as it sounds, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was an average teenage boy living in Seattle, Washington. Life was okay, I was able to survive for seventeen years so what could go wrong?

Of course, my life completely changed after I discovered my abilities. One night while walking home from staying after school, I was almost kidnapped by some strangers. A random ban pulled up next to me and about two guys tried to lure me into the ban. I was scared out of my mind and as a last result, I tried pushing myself away from them. That's when I realized I was an Airbender. Huge gusts of wind came out of my hands and I freaked out!... and I also ran away, but it was freaking amazing!

My family later told me about The Secret Bender Program which was, like the name suggests, a secret program by the government for people like me.

For my entire life, I had no idea that such people lived among us. The government did everything in power to keep such an important part of humanity a secret. I learned how the government tests new born babies to see if they're going to be benders or not. This has been going on since the beginning of time. Benders were outcasts of society due to their rare abilities and sometimes they were persecuted. That's why the modern world did everything in their power to keep these types of people away from the spotlight.

Of course, at the time, I did not give it too much thought. I was still a teenage boy who payed more attention to his friends than to the world around him.

Anyhow, my family was forced to move to an underground facility right outside the of Denver, Colorado. Although I was excited to see what was going to happen next, there was still this part of me that told me that all of this was wrong. This gut-feeling grew bigger as I spent more time in that facility.

Not everything gave me a negative feeling though. I was able to make great friends through the three years I spent underground. On my first day, for example, I met Emma. I remember every detail of that day.

It was the first day and I remember that I was in a line and this beautiful blond girl with blue eyes, from Florida, was standing right in front of me. Everyone in the line was waiting for their turn to register.

I remember how she slowly turned around like she was looking for someone. I stared at her and then our eyes met. She smiled and introduced herself. Back then, I was a pretty shy person so I made a fool of myself when I spoke back to her. It was embarrassing! But that event drew us together. She became one of the best people I have ever met in my life! She was this fiery young woman that was very outgoing and determined. Emma helped me get through a lot while I was in the facility and I am grateful of that.

I also met someone else while I was down there. I met Dylan. He was this nerdy looking Airbender from Maine.

It was during my first Airbending training class that I met him. When I entered the classroom, I noticed him sitting by himself in the back of the class. I was paired to work with him since him and I were new to the facility.

Dylan was just like me. He was quiet and shy at first. He wasn't aggressive or as outgoing as Emma but he was compassionate and understanding. He helped me catch up with the rest of the class through extra airbending training. Without him, I wouldn't know much of what I know about Airbending, and everyday I'm grateful for his help.

Of course, I can't leave out the part when my life changed the most. I can't leave out what defines me which is how I became the Avatar!

It was rather accidental than on purpose. It was during the final test for airbending​. I accidentally tapped into the Avatar State and bended a few rocks from the ground. Everyone was shocked! No one knew what was happening including many of the officials present. I went from being a normal Airbender to being the most influential person in the building. I was given this responsibility of representing all the benders in the facility, that's why I became the leader I am today.