"Good morning, girls," says a soft voice. "Time to get up. Morning meditation begins soon." I open my eyes to see Nun Shiran standing in the doorway, light flooding from the outside.
"Not again," I groan, pulling the quilt over my head. Above me, I hear a giggle.
"You're so silly, Hyeonmi. We have morning meditation every day!" There's nothing better than the laugh of Kamala to get me moving in the morning. I smile and stick my hand out from under the covers to give her hair a ruffle. I tousle her hair blindly, pop out of the covers and tickle her playfully. Her laugh is loud and childlike and squeaky; the best in the world.
"Hyeonmi!" hisses Nun Shiran, her face suddenly turning sour. I stop and see all of the other young girls staring at me, the same looks of disapproval on their faces. I know they love me to pieces, though. "You're like this every single morning! You're already sending Kamala down the wrong path, and I will not have you do the same to our other girls! One more slip-up and I'll see to it that you're in a room by yourself." She turns swiftly, and a gust of wind slams the door shut.
Kamala's face falls, her grey eyes big and glassy. She gives me a small squeeze and says, "Try to be good, Hyeonmi. You're like my big sister… you're like everyone's big sister! I don't want you to be lonely in a room all by yourself." The other girls walk over and hug me, agreeing with the small girl sitting in front of me to try and keep my composure for once. I'm the oldest in the room by far, but it doesn't mean that I'm the most disciplined. I'm still just a level six airbender, treated like a child with the rest of them. Fortunately, I've gained a lot of little sisters in the process.
I sigh and say, "Alright girls, I'll try my hardest. Now, let's get those mops on your head fixed up for the day." Almost immediately, all nineteen girls line up in front of me, and I style their hair into various braids, buns, and ponytails, glad to have a lighthearted moment after the fiasco moments earlier. When I finish, I pull my dark hair into two ponytails on opposing sides of my head, throw on my yellow pants and shirt, and tie my sienna cape around my shoulders. Once all the other girls are ready to go, we stride out the door. They crowd around me like turtle ducklings as we head to the meditation pavilion. There, the rest of the kids and Nun Shiran are already at it. I feel the cool Yue Bay breeze rush over me as I sit down on the wood floor and stare out at the ocean and Republic City. I glance at Kamala to see if she's looking, too, but she's already deep in meditation.
I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I listen to the waves as a million thoughts run through my head. I try to do what the monks and nuns told me: Breathe in four counts, hold two counts, and breathe out sharply through the mouth. I hear the other kids breathing calmly, but I just can't do it. I'm too nervous to meditate. I can't afford another screw-up. I can't afford to not be with even the youngest of airbenders. Clear your mind, I think over and over. One by one, my thoughts disappear. I keep having thoughts about how excited I am that I'm doing it, that I'm actually meditating, but that really defeats the purpose.
After some time, I feel someone poke my shoulder. I open my eyes groggily and moan, a bit upset that I've been taken out of my meditative state. "Hyeonmi? You've been out here for hours. You missed breakfast, but I brought you an egg and toast." Of course, it's Kamala.
"Thanks, Kamala." I ruffle her hair again, messing up her braid, and take a bite of my bread.
"So, did you actually meditate?" she says, tugging on her hair. "And can you fix this when you finish eating?"
I laugh and keep the toast in my mouth, motioning her to sit in front of me. I quickly plait her hair, take my breakfast out of my mouth, and reply, "Yeah, I did. It took awhile, but I finally got there!"
She grins. "I'm so glad! Maybe you can finally start speeding up your airbending training!"
I lay on my back and frown, taking a bite of my food. "See, here's the thing. I've been thinking, Kamala…"
She leans over me and stares right into my face. "About what?"
"I've been thinking about my parents. My mom's an earthbender, my dad's an airbender, and, well… As soon as I was born, I was practically thrust into the world of airbending! Do I look like an airbender to you?" I shoot straight up and glare at her long and hard with a ridiculously angry frown. Of course I don't look like an airbender. I've got green eyes, tan skin, and I stick out like a sore thumb here on Air Temple Island.
My dumb expression sends Kamala into a fit of giggles. "No, you don't! And you don't act like one either!"
"See? That's my point! So maybe I'm not an airbender after all!" Kamala raises an eyebrow, her smile disappearing. "Maybe my parents made a mistake! All my life I've been so conflicted over bending the element I've been raised around. But me and air… We just don't work together at all. I ought to try earthbending! I mean, can you imagine me finally fitting in and being good at something? What's the harm in trying to bend another element, right?"
Kamala frowns. "I don't know about that, Hyeonmi. I don't think someone with two different benders for parents can bend both elements. I mean, you might as well be The Avatar."
"I'm not saying both! Just earthbending! Don't you think I could switch?" I say this with a tinge of hurt in my voice. I don't want to hear that this isn't possible. Kamala can't be right.
"I don't know, Hyeonmi. I've seen you airbend. Can't you just be content-"
I immediately cut her off. "Are you saying that it's not worth a shot? That I should just sit by and be 'happy' that I can make little puffs of air or a stupid little tornado in the palm of my hand? Are you saying that maybe I'm just slower than every other airbender in existence? I'm about nine years behind where I should be! That's ridiculous, Kamala! Tell me that I should just meditate and not eat meat and make the wind move like the rest of you instead of going for what I really want!"
Kamala's eyes narrow. She clenches her fists tightly and says articulately, "You are not an earthbender. You never will be an earthbender. It's. Not. Possible."
"You don't know anything! You're six years old!" I shout, tugging on my pigtails in frustration.
"You need to stop acting like you're six years old! Quit telling me what I know and don't know! I don't care if you're older than me! You still have to train with all the baby airbenders, and that's saying something!" She blows a sharp gust of wind in my face and I flinch, taken aback.
"Yeah, it's saying that I'm not really an airbender and that I need to get off of this island," I growl, taking a bite of my toast and leaving the pavillion. That wasn't the greatest comeback, but I can't think of anything else right now. I've been bested by a six year old. I truly am pathetic.