chapter i.
Lift the stone; it can't be left alone.
If I hide underneath, I give in.
Two Door Cinema Club
Her fingers fumbled against the straps of her bag, uncertainty clinging to her like a second skin as she descended the steps into the main foyer of the female dormitories. Time was of the essence, and it didn't wait for just anyone. Katara exhaled sharply as she rounded a corner and nearly ran into one of the lowerclassmen, a forced smile gracing her lips as she slipped away from their agitated stare. The first day of school was always the most unsettling - the prospect of new teachers, new classes, new acquaintances. Of course, there was more to her dilemma than what could be observed from the surface, but it wasn't necessary to allow her mind to delve into such matters so early in the morning. Sokka was across the street, not the world; she'd survive a few hours without him.
Feet retracing the unfamiliar path she'd been led down during her impromptu transfer student orientation, Katara could feel her nerves smoothing themselves out, unlike the rapidly wrinkling map in her grasp. The bell was due to ring in less than five minutes, and she was still a good distance from her first classroom. What was it about this school and brick sidewalks? She focused on that question and not the numerous ones threatening to cripple her with nerves all over again.
The Liberal Arts building loomed above her, mortar and brick reaching sky high. A small grin played on her lips for the fraction of a second as she wrenched the door open, though it quickly vanished beneath a mask of curiosity as she crept inside the nearly empty commons area. Two minutes and thirty-four seconds until the bell would ring, yet no one was nearby. Was she in the wrong place? Surely she'd seen that girl this morning and hadn't imagined her, so it had to be a school day.
Panicking, Katara fiddled with her straps again as a voice cut across the speakers, freezing her. Students, a quick reminder to meet in the auditorium for the first assembly of the year. And welcome back!
How could she have forgotten? Moving as though her body had been consumed by water, flinging her limbs forward haphazardly as she forced herself to backtrack, Katara mentally berated herself for forgetting the chiding words of her student guide. The woman had chatted on nonstop, yammering about the exterior of the buildings and the history of the entire school while simultaneously slipped in offhand comments about mandatory assemblies that she'd be required to remember and attend.
Every fiber of her screamed to run, and though she refused to make a fool of herself on the first day, she was sure it'd be more embarrassing to be caught slipping in late than running across the campus quad. No one was around; no one would even notice.
The air inside the auditorium was compact, stuffy, and made her sweat even worse than before. Beside her, a girl with unseeing eyes was staring intently at the stage. (And she only knew that she was blind because she'd yelled at some kid a few minutes ago concerning her lack of eyesight.) Katara kept glancing at her unconsciously, wondering who she was and if they would be sharing any classes together.
"Why don't you take a picture? It'll last longer."
Without even looking in her direction - that wouldn't have done either of them any good - the girl with the milky eyes acknowledged Katara's unwelcome stares. She mumbled a quick apology in response, wishing she could rewind time and remember her manners. It'd barely been five minutes, and another student was already reprimanding her for her actions.
.. It's the students' responsibility to uphold the image of the school. If one fails to comply to the handbook - which you should all have in your possession, and none of the administration will take "but I left it at home" as an excuse - consequences will be handed out as outlined in..
Katara's attention drifted from the stage to the mass of students that surrounded her, as variant as the fish that swam in the sea and just as colorful. Even in the dim lighting the auditorium's lights cast, she could pick out the students that appeared just as fearful as she felt, as well as the ones that looked nothing short of excited. And, of course, there were the many that sat in relaxed indifference, another year of school hardly a surprise to them.
"Are you gonna move or do you plan on sitting here all day?" the blind girl's voice sliced through her thoughts, bringing her back to reality. Katara flinched as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head and apologized meekly, again. Instead of acting infuriated, the girl simply laughed, the action surprisingly genuine despite her sharp remarks.
Shrugging on her backpack and slipping out of the stadium-style seating, she edged away from the girl's barking laughter and joined the slow procession out of the auditorium's main doors. It was easy to find her way to her first class now that she'd already almost-visited it once. The entrance was hardly out of the ordinary, the standard in classroom doors as far as she could tell. Stepping inside the room, however, was like entering another world entirely. The interior of her English class looked as though it'd been dropped in the middle of a rainforest, the walls coated with deep greens and the remnants of plastic plants. Even the ceiling sported a layer of foliage.
Caught in a trance, Katara hardly noticed the elbows that dug into her back as she stood in the doorway, staring unabashedly. "It's amazing, right?" a small voice echoed in her ears from her left. She swiveled on the newcomer and was met with a gaze that mirrored the light gray of soft rainclouds. "The graduating art class last year decorated a bunch of the classrooms in this building based on different climates. Some teachers were against it, but most agreed to keep their rooms the same." He smiled then, a bright, toothy smile that caught her off guard.
"Katara," she extended her hand, smiling in her own way to reciprocate his kindness.
"Aang."
It was fairly smooth sailing after that - they chose seats close to one another and chatted more about the state of the classroom when the time presented itself. Katara couldn't get enough of how cozy and un-school-like it all felt, as though she were truly learning about the English language beneath a canopy of trees. A small part of her subconscious, however, wondered how Sokka was faring. Lunch couldn't come fast enough.
After English, Katara and Aang had parted, promising that they'd meet up again sometime, but for now, she had to meet her brother for the mid-day meal. Nerves crept into her system once more as she nearly jogged down the crosswalk, taking each turn of the sidewalk as he'd instructed via text message. Groups of college students were spread around every corner (or so it seemed). They lounged on the grass, draped themselves over fountains, leant against walls as though it was their job. And with each person that she passed, Katara became more conscious of condescending eyes following her back, as though they all just knew she was a high school student.
"Katara! Over here!" Sokka waved his arms in wide, sweeping motions, a lazy grin stretched across his lips. Two boys and a girl were sharing the table with him - or perhaps he was sharing it with them - but only one turned to glance in her direction curiously. Her cheeks flushed under the sudden, scrutinizing gaze of the dark-eyed boy, and she immediately forced herself to stare at Sokka and Sokka only.
Sliding into a chair beside him, Katara squinted up at the sun over his shoulder before looking toward the outdoor seating area that they were occupying only a small fraction of. "Hi," she squeaked, wishing she could say more but feeling a tad claustrophobic due to the lingering strangers.
"Everyone, this is Katara, my younger sister. Katara, this is Jet, Haru, and Suki." Sokka motioned to each in turn, jumping into the introductions with his usual enthusiasm. All three offered her small acknowledgments - Haru a tiny grin, Suki a calculating glance, and Jet a raised eyebrow.
Suki was the first to offer more than an uncomfortable stare in her direction. "We all had a gym class together earlier and somehow your brother conned us into sitting with us." At this, Sokka frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, clearly offended.
Katara laughed, the noise littered with cracks despite her efforts to play it cool. "That sounds like him," she finally managed, glimmering eyes shifting to the other two males at the table. Each one chuckled a bit in turn.
Lifting a piece of bread to his lips, Haru inclined his head in Sokka's direction. "Eh, cut him some slack, Suki. You're just upset he caught the ball when you tried to get him out." Clearly, they were delving into a conversation that Katara could share no part in. She busied herself with rescuing the homemade lunch from her bag.
"A high schooler, huh?" Jet's voice was hardly louder than a whisper, but Katara knew the question had to be directed at her.
Bumping her elbow as she jerked upright in her seat, she winced and curled fingers around the injured area, addressing him with as much confidence as she could muster. "Yeah. I'm a senior," she nodded, unzipping her lunch box, wishing that it was a more consuming task. "What about you?"
Shrugging, Jet slumped further into his seat, feet tapping against the center supports of the table. "Freshman like your brother. We all are." A sly grin split across his lips then as he leaned in a little closer; Katara could feel a giddy shyness wash over her without warning. "You should try to convince your brother to bring you to the party this weekend. It's something like a tradition among the newbies; I'm sure we could smuggle in a high schooler."
Because she wasn't sure how else to respond, she nodded, a smile twinkling in her cerulean eyes.
Author's Note: Lalala, look at me making a casual return after a year and a half and pumping out a new story instead of rescuing my old ones. (Sighs forever at myself). Well, I'm not a fan of the modern ones myself (though I adore the modern a:tla fanart that some people make). Anyway, I don't have much to say at the moment except why not drop a review and tell me if I pass or fail. c: Thanks for reading!