Abandoned.
Mako and Bolin walked home with their parents through the familiar streets on their way home from dinner. Bolin happily hummed while Mako walked quietly alongside him. A door flung open and out tumbled a little girl, no older than Mako.
She had dried blood in her hair and her face was torn. Her crystal blue eyes where dull and lifeless as she lifted her torn and dirty shirt sleeve to dab at the tears forming in her eyes. Mako stared on, appalled at the fact someone would do this to a child.
She moved her arms slowly as soon water rose out of a nearby plant as she washed her face. He heard then a whisper "I was just trying to make you happy." Mako and Bolin's parents stayed frozen as if in a trance. Tears fell down her cheeks but she angrily wiped them away. "Stupid girl, can't do anything right, if they wanted a kid why the hell do they treat me this way. They are the ones who adopted me, not the other way around. Damn it stop crying!" she yelled at herself.
She didn't know there was a family watching her as her legs gave out and she sat on the small unkempt porch and sobbed. Her long brown hair was tangled and matted, her dark skin was covered in dry blood and her cheeks were sunken in. They could count every one of her ribs underneath her torn and baggy shirt. Mako noticed the scars on her arms, the burn marks. Bolin saw the little girl sitting on the porch and stopped whistling. His little eyes welled up with tears, unable to see anyone in pain. Bolin and Mako's parents handed the small bag of leftovers and the bottle of water to their boys and ushered them towards the girl. Their feet crunched on the gravel road. She looked up suddenly with immense fear in her eyes.
"Who are you?" her voice was small as she watched the young boys walk toward her. In his most innocent, trustworthy, five year old voice Bolin spoke quietly to the little girl.
"I'm Bolwin, This is my brudder Mako. Wee want to give you some fwood." Her fighting stance relaxed slightly. Mako spoke quietly in a very adult-like eight year old voice. "Our parents wanted you to have this." He held out the small brown takeout bag and bottle of water. The little girl looked at them and over at their parents. "Thank you. Can thank them for me please?" Mako nodded and an angry voice sounded from inside the home. "Korra who are you talking to?" the man yelled. She disappeared behind the door with the food quietly with sad eyes. "Where did you get that food from you little thief!" A resounding thud filled the street and a cry of pain. A single tear rolled down their father's face and a stream rolled down their mother's face. "You benders are nothing but trouble!" Another thud, another cry of pain, this time it was muffled and they all heard a sickening snap. Dirty water rose from the street and flew through a broken window. They heard a giant splash and saw a brilliant jet of flames encase the man who's shadow loomed over the little girl. It was his turn to scream. Korra's shadow staggered to its feet. They heard the young girl's voice mixed with many other ancient and powerful voices. "Leave Me Alone! Go burn in Hell you bastard." The door flew open and out she ran. Her right arm hung limply at her side. She ran quickly and stumbled going into an alleyway. That wasn't the last time they saw her.
A week later.
"Kishan we have to go find her, it's below freezing out there and for all we know she could be starving." Kishan grabbed his coat.
"I know Harena. Stay here with Bolin. Mako, come on lets go find her. We'll be back in three hours." The eight year old ran up and grabbed his dad's hand. "Where are we going Dad?" The little boy looked up at his Dad with bright amber eyes. "We are going to go find Korra. Where do you think we should look first Mako?" Mako's tiny eyebrows furrowed in thought. "The police station."
Kishan nodded at his son. He pulled Mako along with him, trudging to the republic city police station which was beside the city hall.
"There are homeless and abused children all over this city, as well as adopted children. Sir they aren't all on file and this waterbender child you're lookin for ain't in the police system. Go try the orphanage". The bitter old man glared at the man and boy that were pestering him about some random street kid. "Shaikan," a piecing female voice hollered from the chief's office. When none m other than the Chief of Police herself strode into the room. "Shaikan, you job is to find missing children." The old man rolled his eyes and laughed. "No chief it's not." The woman's eyes narrowed at the old man. "Your job is following my orders shit head now either you help these nice people or you will be working the graveyard shift for the next fifty years." The Chief of police snarled at Shaikan. Shaikan turned back to the golden eyed child and the green eyed man. "The orphanage is three blocks to the right, down Main Street. If she's not there then come back here." He turned back to the paperwork on the counter quietly. Mako glared at the man behind the counter.
At the orphanage on the day she ran away.
Korra sat in the far corner burrowed among the thick plush fur of her polar bear puppy's fur. She cried, officially back to being an orphan alone and abandoned by her adopted parents. She was glad to not be beaten everyday and verbally abused every hour but she never felt so alone. Her only friend, the stray puppy she had found and kept hidden in the thick blanket she had received upon arrival. Children kept to themselves at that orphanage, it was easier that way to avoid disappointment when their friend would go to a new home and they wouldn't ever see them again.
The days following
Korra, she made sure everyone was safe. She was ever vigilant, waiting for signs of danger ahead. She would find the cleanest water she could and heal the other children. But no one could heal her, no one knew how not even the orphanage attendants. There was no money in the small budget for heat at night or Healers or even clean water to drink.
A week after she arrived Korra began to get sick. The wounds that the man had given her began to get infected. Her temperature rose and rose and rose. Her crystalline Blue eyes dulled to grey, Other children where grateful to her for healing them, they did whatever they could do for the dying eight year old. They brushed her hair gently and helped her change the makeshift bandages that covered her festering sores. A little boy, three years younger than she was sat on the end of her tiny cot in the main hall with his small hand resting on her ankle. "You're gonna get better Korra. S-Someone's gonna come and adopt you soon and they're gonna get the best healers in the w-world for you and you're Gonna be okay. You're gonna have a Mommy and Daddy that are gonna l-love everything about you. And then You're gonna be a master waterbender, J-Just like Avatar Aang's wife Katara."
Korra's eyes gleamed with tears while the little boy's tears ran down his face as he spoke in little hiccups. "Tao it's okay, I'm gonna be fine. Now go to bed before I get up and pick you up and tickle you until you fall asleep." She laughed weakly, trying to get him to smile; he hadn't smiled in such a long time. Tao silently slid off of her bed and onto his own, across the room from her.
Kishan tugged the door open and ushered Mako inside. The Bells above the door rung quietly as they entered. The old wooden floor creaked under their feet. The attendant stared down and continued sorting paperwork. She peered up at Kishan from behind her glasses. "Can I help you sir?" Mako scurried up to the desk. "We want to know if Korra is here." He said, Blunt and Direct. The woman stared down at the little boy in surprise. "Tao?" another little boy scurried into the room from what looked to be a large room. "Ms. Sayur, you called?" He had tear tracks down his face and his eyes were dull and lifeless. She didn't even look towards the boy and instead stared at the pile of paperwork on her desk. "Go fetch Korra." The little boy broke out in sobs again. "B-but she's sleeping and she's real sick a-a-and…." glared at Tao.
"Go get her and bring her here for spirit's sake." Tao turned on his heel and ran into the larger room. There were some crashes heard from the room and a cry of pain. A tattered old wheelchair was rolled through the open door. The girl was covered in dirty, blood stained bandages. She was dressed in a white, over sized t-shirt and Black Sweat pants. Her hair was brushed out smooth and hung limply around her face. Kishan looked over at the little girl. "Has she had any medical attention?" The lady shook her head silently. Tao's small head peeked around from behind the wheel chair. "You're gonna help her?" Kishan nodded at the boy. Tao smiled widely and ran over to Kishan and hugged his leg. "Thank you mister." Mako looked confused, why would someone thank his dad for doing what was right? Mako looked around warily. Tao scurried over to the older boy "Come with me." Tao said quietly as he wheeled Korra's chair into a corner. "I remember you, Mako, Right?" She asked, her voice was hoarse. Mako nodded slowly and swallowed, he remembered the night he met her; that night was forever ingrained in the eight year olds mind. "Can you speak anymore Mako?" He opened his mouth but no words came out. He took a quiet breath and tried again. "I'm sorry." Slipped between his lips. Her eyebrows rose, accentuating the scar that ran along her forehead. "for what? You weren't the one hurting me." He stared at her face, trying to find any trace of hostility in her eyes and failing. "So you're a waterbender Korra?" She nodded stiffly. "What's wrong?" She looked at him sadly. "That's why my parents got rid of me." She sniffled. "They told me that benders were evil. That because I could bend fire as well That I was the most evil." Silent tears ran down her face. "And They pushed me out the door in my pajamas into the south pole. My new parents were ecstatic to have me in their family. Senna and Tornaq were my favorites until they both died in a hunting accident, they fell through thin ice and my tribe wasn't able to save them from drowning. I ran away to come here to find master Katara to teach me waterbending. But I wound up here where Rick and Sandy adopted me. Rick was abusive to both of us, Sandy and I. Sandy never even talked to me, she would just look away and pretend that I wasn't there. The day that I saw you all, The day that I fought back. The last day I suffered through the abuse." Mako sat staring at the little girl. "I'm so sorry." His voice was full of sympathy for her.