Double Bender

Part 26

I didn't know where they were taking me. They said something about a boiling rock but that didn't make any sense. Anyway, I remember being led to an odd looking, burgundy machine, as big as a hundred of Appa and bigger still. The inside was huge and rather breathtaking. Whoever made this was a genius. I was lead through a dark hallway and shoved inside and small, metal room. The guard brought in a dark red bundle and shoved it into my hands. "What's this for?" I asked. "Don't speak unless spoken to!" The guard said firmly. "Put these on before we arrive at the Boiling Rock," "There's that phrase again," I said. "What the heck does it mean?" "What did I say before?!" he asked angrily. I backed up fearfully. "The Boiling Rock is your..." He paused, looking for the right words. "...your 'new home'. Now, we'll be taking off soon, so I'd suggest you get comfortable," I could obviously tell it was sarcasm, because nobody could be comfortable in a metal room that was that small. He closed and locked the door, leaving me alone. I unfolded the dark red bundle and made a face. In my hands was a hideous red shirt with no collar and a gross pair of red pants and shoes. I was pretty sure that I was going to a prison but, judging by their uniforms, their budget probably sucked which meant that their security probably sucked too. Escaping from this place is gonna be easy.
Apparently, the huge machine was a flying machine. In a while, we took off and I got to thinking. It would be so easy to escape right now, I thought. Should I just metal-bend the door? No. We're in the air. I'd have nowhere to go. Besides, that'd give away the fact that I could metal I didn't know where they were taking me. They said something about a boiling rock but that didn't make any sense. Anyway, I remember being led to an odd looking, burgundy machine, as big as ten of Appa and bigger still. The inside was huge and rather breathtaking. Whoever made this was a genius. I was lead through a dark hallway and shoved inside and small, metal room. The guard brought in a dark red bundle and shoved it into my hands. "What's this for?" I asked. "Don't speak unless spoken to!" The guard said firmly. "Put these on before we arrive at the Boiling Rock," "There's that phrase again," I said. "What the heck does it mean?" "What did I say before?!" he asked angrily. I backed up fearfully. "The Boiling Rock is your..." He paused, looking for the right words. "...your 'new home'. Now, we'll be taking off soon," He closed and locked the door, leaving me alone. I unfolded the dark red bundle and made a face. In my hands was a hideous red shirt with no collar and a gross pair of red pants and shoes. I was pretty sure that I was going to a prison but, judging by their uniforms, their budget probably sucked which meant that their security probably sucked too. Escaping from this place is gonna be easy
Apparently, the huge machine was a flying machine. In a while, we took off and I got to thinking. It would be so easy to escape right now, I thought. Should I just metal-bend the door? No. We're in the air. I'd have nowhere to go. Besides, that'd give away the fact that I could metal bend and then I'd probably be watched 24/7 at this place. No, I'll wait 'til I'm on the ground. I completely disregarded the uniform. It's not because I was a prissy girl who cared way too much about the clothes she wore. It was for three reasons. One, they were disgusting, like they'd been worn by at least a hundred people before me. I know that makes me sound very prissy but honestly, how would you like to wear a uniform that was covered in grime and probably used? Two, because I wanted to stay in my regular clothes as long as I could, especially the beautiful Water-Tribe uniform that Hakoda gave me. Three, because if I put them on immediately, it showed that I gave up. And I already gave up on my life before, I was not about to do it again. It is the absolute worst thing you can do. Those clothes symbolized someone who was broken inside. Now granted, I was broken and scarred, but I was still alive and still functioning. Those clothes were a symbol of someone who was completely broken and depressed inside. Not even depressed. These clothes symbolized someone who was broken and dead inside. That was not me. I wasn't there yet. If I was lucky, I would never have to be there. No matter what, I will escape. I will see my friends again.
I don't know how much time passed, an hour maybe, a whole day for all I knew. I was asleep when we landed, and I was jolted awake. The lock on the door turned and then opened. "Why aren't you in uniform?" he asked sternly. "It's a very simple answer," I said. "That uniform is dis-gust-ting!" "That's what all prisoners must wear and you are no exception!" We shot each other angry looks before I said, "Fine." I'd be escaping soon enough, might as well pretend to give in and obey. The guard closed the door again and I picked up the uniform from where I threw it. I looked it over again, sighed, and put it on. It felt oily and old and dusty against my singed skin. I looked back at the pile I left; my whip, gloves, belt, and dagger. Just to make sure everything didn't go wrong, I kept my dagger and gloves. The guard opened the door again and said, "There. Now was that so hard?" I looked at the ground. He took out a pair of metal handcuffs, fiercely grabbed my wrists, which hurt like hell, and clicked them onto my wrists, which made them hurt even more. "Now come on." Apparently, he was dumber than I thought. He didn't see the one of the daggers sticking out of my pocket? That moron. Anyway, we walked outside. It looked like we were on a barren wasteland of nothing but rock. We made a turn and I stopped dead in my tracks. In front of me was a huge building made entirely out of metal. Aside from the Fire-Nation palace, and of course the palace at Ba Sing Se, it was the biggest building I'd ever seen. There looked to be several different levels and floors. All the windows were barred, for good reason. The top floor was connected to a flat, upper deck. Connected to that was a thick, metal cable with a gondola hanging off, no doubt for transporting prisoners. And all around the whole building was a huge, boiling lake (No doubt the prison's namesake). Escaping from this place would be harder than I thought. We waited for several minutes when the first guard said, "What's taking them so long?" The second guard shrugged. "Who are we waiting for?" I asked politely. The first guard shot me a look. I gave him a look in return. "I'll let it go this once," he said. "But, when you join the rest of the prisoners, you best keep you mouth shut." He took a breath and said, "We're waiting for the other prisoners." "Oh," I said vacantly. We waited and then, another transport showed up, as well as several tough looking characters. One of the other guards came up to the first guard. "Is this it?" he asked. "Just this scrawny little thing?" "Oh, but she's here at special order of Fire Lord Ozai himself," the first guard boasted. The other guard looked at me. "What makes her so special?" he asked, looking me over. "They say I'm a rebel and that I don't pay any mind to the rules," I said. The first guard whacked me upside the head. "Is this everyone then?" the other guard said, looking over the other prisoners. The first guard did a mental headcount and nodded. "Alright!" another guard called. "Everyone on the gondola!" We were all shoved into a line and crammed onto the tiny thing. "Bring 'em over!" A guard called. We were all jolted forward as the gondola started to move. A guy next to me poked me and said, "What are you in for, girlie?" I looked him over. He was a tall character with a muscular frame. He looked no older than twenty or twenty-one. "What's it to you?" I hissed. "No need to be nasty," He whispered. "Well, I don't need to explain myself to you," I whispered back. "No talking over there!" a guard snapped. The guy continued in a whispered tone, "Just trying to make friendly conversation. This place is bad news. You're going to need a friend here." My expression softened. "Have you been here before?" "Ha!" he said. "No. If I'd been here before, it would imply that I'd have gotten out, and they tell me that's impossible. But, I have heard a lot about it. If you don't have anyone on the inside, you're practically nothing. You need someone to watch your back, especially a young girl like you." I would have been offended, seeing as he just implied that I was weak, but judging by the other people in that place, I was starting to believe him. "If you don't have anyone, I hear, the other prisoners just gang up on you and attack you, especially if you're a potential threat, which I'm pretty sure you are, seeing as you're here at special order. Just stick with me, and you'll be fine." I didn't know whether I should trust him or not, but at this point, it was better than getting ganged up on and pounded, so I just nodded."Now," he continued, "you don't have to tell me, I'm just curious. What are ya in for?" "What are you in for?" I asked defensively. "I'll tell if you will," he said, with a little smile. I rolled my eyes. "Prisoner of war. You?" "'Treason.'" he said in air quotes, as best he could with the cuffs around his wrists. "What do you mean?" I asked. He sighed. "They think I either killed someone or spoke out against an official. The story changes every time." I didn't want to pester him about it, so I just nodded and stayed silent.
The gondola came to a swaying halt, throwing almost everyone on the ground. "Everyone out!" the guard said. We all stood up and shuffled out onto the flat upper deck. The odd thing was, our feet weren't chained together. Our wrists were shackled, but our feet weren't. I looked up at all the guards standing around, like they didn't care who they killed as long as they got paid. But, it still didn't make sense to me, someone could easily run off. Then I stopped my thoughts. There was so much security at the prison that if you tried, they'd catch you. So, if that one person tried to run off, they'd either be brutally beaten by a guard or fall into a lake full of boiling hot water and die, I couldn't tell which fate was worse.
Anyway, back to the deck, I had to admit, I looked a bit out of place. I mean, I was a small girl of fifteen and they were all in their late twenties, at least, and they were muscular and huge and I was tiny. Now I was really starting to believe what the guy was saying about getting ganged up on. They all looked big enough to take me down by just flicking me. Now I was certainly starting to reconsider the guy's offer. Hanging around a stranger all day was better than being alone... and a target.
An official looking guard was waiting for us. "Welcome to the Boiling Rock Prison," He said with a grin. "I'm sure you've all heard the horrible rumors about our little island." "Actually, no," I piped up. "I literally just heard of this place an hour ago. I haven't heard any rumors at all." If I was going to stay there, I would have to build up some kind of reputation. If they saw that I was weak, I'd be easy to push around. But I couldn't be too outspoken, because then I'd be in big trouble. So I had to find some balance of outspoken and rule follower. "Silence!" he hissed. He walked over to me. "What's your name, inmate?" "None of your business, nosehole!" It was a mix of asshole and nosy, rather clever, if I do say so myself. He grabbed my shirt and shook me. "I don't know how things worked in the Earth Kingdom, war prisoner, but in here, when an official asks you a question, you answer." I rolled my eyes and said, "You don't even care about my name because I'll just be another prisoner for you to harass." I heard a bunch of the other prisoners gasp. I stood my ground. Even though the other prisoners frightened me, I wasn't going to let some guard push me around (It was rather stupid to think that way, it probably should have been the other way around). He growled at me. "What?" I said snidely. "I answered your question." "I asked for your real, competent name," he said angrily. He raised his foot and slammed it down on my handcuffs, shoving me to the ground. I hit the ground hard, he kept his foot on my wrists, straining them and spreading pain all throughout my hands. Some of the other guards snickered and some of the prisoners gasped. I looked out of the corners of my eyes and saw the guy looking at me sympathetically. "Now give me your full name," the guard said. "T-Tatiana Jane Melin," I said quietly, moving my eyes back to in front of me, staring timidly at his boots. "That's better," he said as he took his boot off my wrists and walked down the line. I stayed on the ground as he addressed the other inmates. "Take this as an example, inmates. You will always address an official with respect. Or else you'll get what Melin here got." I shivered. I could feel every eye within a ten yard radius staring directly at me. "As I was saying, I'm sure you've heard rumors about the Boiling Rock. Well, they don't have to be true. As long as you do exactly as I say, we'll get along just fine. However, there are just a few ground rules that must be followed. Rule number one; When lights out is called, be sure to be in your cell every evening, sharply at eight. Rule number two; Absolutely no fire-bending on the grounds. Failure to follow this rule will give you a guaranteed trip to the cooler." What the hell is a cooler? I thought. Considering it had something to do with punishment, based on how they were talking about it, I was pretty sure I wasn't gonna like it. "Rule number three; No roughhousing on the premise. Again, failure to follow this rule will send both you and the other prisoner to the cooler. Rule number four; Do not speak unless spoken too. Rule number five; No speaking to other prisoners unless in the yard. Rule number six; No foul language towards the guards." He looked pointedly at me. "And rule number seven," he continued. "Please be gentle to the cells." He said this with sick sarcasm. "They will be your homes for as long as you're here, so please try not to wreck them." He made it sound like we were only going to be there for a week but we all knew better. "Any violation of these rules," he went on, "will result in punishment, whether you're given a warning or not. Lieutenant, take 'em to their cells." A guard on my right nodded and waved everyone into a line. I was grabbed by my arms and pulled on my feet. I was almost inside when the official said, "Hold on there, war prisoner." I shoved my mother's ring into my shirt so he wouldn't notice and take it away. If you haven't noticed, prisoners aren't allowed to have any kind of freedom, and that includes personal belongings. I looked behind me at the official. "Get over here, on the double!" I didn't even have to respond, the guard on my right grabbed my arms and shoved me over to the official. "Yes, Your Majesty?" I asked sarcastically. "Don't get snippy with me," he said. "You're already in over your head. I suppose you know why you're over here?" I shrugged. "You're really that dense aren't you?" Even though I'm obviously not that dense, I acted like I was. I didn't want them to think that I was too smart, seeing as I'd be escaping later. I wanted to make it seem like I wasn't too smart for them, or else they might act accordingly, and then I'd never get out. "What do you mean?" I asked. He pointed at the dagger's handle sticking out of my pocket. "You brought weapons to a prison?" He asked. I looked down at my pocket and pretended to be surprised. "So I did," I said. "You know that weapons are not allowed at a prison, right?" he asked. "Well, that's what one would assume..." I said stupidly. "Give it here," he said. I took the dagger out of my pocket and handed it to him. "And the gloves," he said. "Nothing gets past you," I said snidely. "These will be put in the recreation room with the rest of your stuff that you left-" He cut himself off as he eyed my neck. Oh crap! I thought. "What is that?" he said. A nervous sweat rolled down the back of my neck. "W-what's what?" I stammered. "What's that thing around your neck?" "N-nothing. I think you're seeing things." "No, I definitely see something around your neck. What is that?" he muttered. He took a step closer and my heart nearly skipped a beat. He took one finger and hooked it around the chain. HIs finger was cold against my skin and his fingernail clwaed at my skin, no doubt leaving a mark. He pulled his arm back and the chain followed. It pulled out of my shirt to reveal my mother's ring, hanging over his finger. My eyes widened. He was going to take away the last thing I had of my parents, of my life. "Give it back!" I practically shrieked. "Prisoners aren't allowed to have personal objects." "Please!" I begged. "That's the last thing I have! It belonged to my mother. It's the last thing I have of her. You can't take it away. Please!" Now I was on my knees. The official looked down at me and grinned. "I'm sorry," he said, even though I knew he wasn't. "But you know the rules." "Please!" I said again, tears in my eyes. He slowly lowered his hand and put the last piece of my childhood into his pocket. "Take her to her cell." The guard brought me to my feet and dragged me away.
I could not believe it! He had stolen the only thing I had left. He stole the last thing I had of my parents. I could not describe the feeling I had. It went something a little like this; Anger, mixed with sadness, another part wanting revenge, a dash of wanting to punch the wall until your fist bleeds, a pinch of wanting to just curl up and not do anything, and a bit of an unknown feeling. Lock this person up in a cell for the rest of her natural life and you have a recipe for insanity. I knew it was hopeless, but I wasn't out yet.


How the hell is she gonna get out of this one? Thank you for the reads and comments, and check out my new story "Curtain Call" based on a true story. I'll update both as soon as I can. :)