Lives Forgotten

The Photograph

Tenzin was almost late for the ferry to head into the city for another day with the council advising Raiko when he realized he forgot his notes on the new policy in his study. "IKKI!" he called seeing his daughter dart between rooms down the hall. "Would you mind grabbing the manilla folder on the right side of my desk? I am almost late, and I already have my shoes on. Thanks, Sweetie!"

"On it, Daddy!" Ikki replied racing down the hall to her father's study. She spotted the folder immediately, but when she picked it up, something caught her eye. It was a black and white photo of a family. Or at least it looked like a family. It looked like there was a mommy and a daddy, and two boys and a girl standing in front of them and a toddler in the daddy's arms and a baby in the mommy's arms. Ikki glanced a bit closer at the photo long enough to recognize her dad holding the toddler, but not anyone else.

"IKKI!" Tenzin called.

"Coming!" Ikki yelled. She shoved the photo into her robes without a second thought and ran back down the hallway. "Here you go, Daddy!" she said handing him the folder.

"Thanks, Sweetie, I'll see you this evening. Don't forget to meditate with all of the other airbenders," Tenzin replied kissing her head, taking the folder.

"I won't!" Ikki said anxious for him to go so she could be free to examine the photo.

She watched him go down to the docks and waited until he was already on the ferry before going to find her sister who happened to be in a sitting room with Opal reading.

"JINORA!" Ikki screamed practically sprinting into the room.

"What now, Ikki?!" Jinora groaned with an air of annoyance.

"I need your help, Oh Master Airbender!" Ikki replied taking the photo out of her robes. "Do you know these people?"

"Well no duh, that's Dad and Aunt Lin-" Jinora said after barely glancing at it.

"Wait MY aunt Lin?" Opal asked nearly tossing her book aside to glide over beside Jinora.

"But her hair is so long!" Ikki said pointing at the woman in the photo with the baby.

"Wait! This doesn't make any sense!" Opal said squinting her eyes and looking more closely.

"But who are the kids?" Ikki asked.

"Oh Vaatu!" Opal cursed.

"I don't know," Jinora said with a furrowed brow.

"She's so pretty!" Ikki said pointing at the girl standing in front of her Dad and Aunt Lin.

The girl appeared to be about eight years old and clearly an earth and metalbender. Even with the photo being black and white with shades of grey, they could tell her clothing would have been green and black. She wore a meteorite bracelet on her skinny little arm and a shiny metal belt around her rail thin torso. Her arms were folded over her dark tunic just like Lin did so often nowadays and there was a smug little smile on her face as if she just won a race, broke some world record, or beat one of her brothers at sparring. Her black hair was tied up in a braid that reminded them so much of Ty Lee, the first chi blocker, and member of the Kyoshi Warriors to be from the fire nation.

The older boy was dressed similarly, but his shirt was shorter, and he carried two hammers chained to his shiny metal belt. He looked to be about nine years old and had short, messy hair cut. He had two rings of metal bands on his upper arms and metal guards on his forearms. His smile was wide, but not as smug as his little sister. Maybe the curl at the edge of his lips could be interpreted as a smirk. The younger brother, standing in front of Lin seemed less energetic. He didn't carry any weapons, and his arms just hung limply by his side, but he too wore green and black clothing and metal on his forearms, but nowhere else indicating he was most likely also an earth bender.