I was walking through Ba sing se (永固城,the impenetrable city)when holding a letter in my hand. No one was going to stop me from admitting to into an upper ring (上環) school. Not now that they've accepted me. Not now that I had the chance to become a high class citizen. With education and good standards. A good resume and posh mansions. A place where I could look after my family sleep safely and without the fear that others who are lurking around for food in our neighbourhood just to steal from those who have not spare but needed and shortened food. I don't think I blame them though. I have stolen from shops and houses many a night and many a day. That's right, I was from the lower ring (下環) of society in Ba sing se. We weren't too bad off though. I have seen many far worse off than ourselves . I have seen dead children lying on streets for weeks. No one collects corpses around here. No one except the bugs that eat out their flesh and soul and their poor liberal rights that they never got to experience. I often just passed the beggars and the starving. I didn't have money or food to spare, and I'm pretty sure that the Dai Li (戴笠) wrote a rule that strictly prohibited the helping of beggars as they could be liars or drunks. I didn't like that rule. I didn't like it one bit. I doubted that they were liars since most everyone in this area is starving and unemployed. I didn't mind helping drunks either, I thought that drinking was a horrifying sport and would help them to quit at least.

Yep this was home. A shattered dream for refugees that came to be sheltered from the hundred year war. I believe that its only a legend though. I have never seen benders or ships and soldiers attacking the walls that surrounded us. I hated it when they talked about it too, saying that benders are of too important rank to be in the Lower Ring. I hated the thought. Everyone else seemed to love it though and they all seemed to love it and talk about it in the grocery shop that my mum and me worked and lived in along with my five brothers. I loved them all dearly and cared like they were my own five sons. Remembering the times in which we all fought side by side because of cherishment and loyalty.

But these were the moments that I do not have the time to remember and I have not got the time to prioritize my dreams or my innocence. I do whatever it takes for me and my family to survive in the walls of ba sing se, with those Dai Li agents and the Joo dee's and the Terra team. But the worst are the Dai Li. Personally I've never seen them but when people tell you to beware here they tell only of the Dai Li. They guard the gates to which we can pass between walls of Ba Sing Se. The ones that stop the poor from coming into the world of the rich and the rich from coming into the world of the poor. People do it anyway. Through sewage or tiny holes in the walls that are hidden by either bushes or houses. Of course, I only heard rumours since I live near another wall. The wall that separates Ba sing se from the rest of the world, not from the rest or the authority ranks in Ba sing se.

I didn't often leave the shop. Yet today was a special day to leave it. Today I got permission to leave the ranks of the poor to go into the Upper ring and choose a good public school that I could go to. I needed the education to at least become a nurse. I needed the money to save my family from poverty and ruin. I needed that money to at least get into the middle ring ( 中環) where the people were decent and food was to spare. I walked over with that neat piece of paper and that application note in my grubby hands, clinging onto it like it was the heart of a lover that has left me for at least eternity. I had a spring in my step and excitement in my voice. I opened the door to our busy yet sad and empty grocery shop. No one had the money to buy food anymore. We grew it ourselves so sometimes we try to sell what grows so that we get at least a little profit out of the little that we had. " Bai Zin! (白金)" I heard my mother shout. That's right, my name was Bai Zin. It was a strange name for a poor brunette street urchin for a girl. A Skinny girl that didn't really bother to wash or shave. Not that I had to though, I was capable of staying clean. Well... Cleaner than some people in the ring anyway. A brunette with long tangles that were clinging from her head with her fringe hiding her green eyes and giving her nothing more than bad eyesight.

"Where were you? You need to be here in the morning to help me unpack the vegetables! Because of your carelessness Yun ( 鋆) Had to help me, And you know just how weak your brothers are!" My mother was right about my brothers being weak. They were fast and witty but when it came to strength they really needed my help. Mostly because I was stronger than most in the Ring. "I'm sorry mum. Next time I'll do it before you wake up because next time I won't be in the Lower ring!" I flashed the paper in her face and let her read the major contents of it . She scanned and the slammed the not so filthy sheet on the counter "I can't read remember!"She stated. So I picked it up form the dust covered surface and read every content of it, making my mother and the few customers in the shop feel either stupid or confused "I understood nothing of what that meant now stop with the fancy words and say what the Joo Dee want with you!"

"I'm going to school mum! An upper ring school too! One that we won't have to pay for! I'll be an honour student there and once I finish school I'll be able to get a proper job and get us a house in the middle ring!" She wasn't listenening though. She has long since given up wondering about moving into the middle ring. Instead she has only cared about survival. I had long since missed her trying to move into the middle ring. All those fancies that she would have told me late at night about moving there. Her fancies were the reason behind her getting the grocery shop in the first place. I didn't give up though. I did it all for her dreams, the dreams that she has given to me before any of my brothers were born and long before my father has died. But after his death it seemed that none of it mattered to her anymore and she just became grouchy and prejudiced and simple. The opposite of what I remember her being.

Before We both knew it a chubby old man came into our presence. With an aura made of warmth and a feeling like fire yet a symptom of kindness followed him "Hey Mushi!" I greeted him gleefully. He was a regular visitor here. He always came for herbs to our store. Herbs for tea that he made in a tea shop nearby. "Well hello there young Bai Zin! I hope that you're listening to your mother, she's an overworked women and you need to give her the respect that she needs" He greeted me with a sarcastic comment. I giggled at it and answered him "Sure thing Mushi! Would you like the usual?". I had a large smile on my face. Mushi had that kind of affect on people, he made them smile and laugh. His usual was a number of significant herbs for a tea shop that he worked for. He often talked about a nephew of his. I bet I knew everything about his nephew because of how much he talked about him. They both worked at the tea shop that Mushi kept buying herbs for.

Soon enough was the end of my shift and I legged it towards the streets. Running in the dust and letting it fly towards the sky as I passed it. I dodged all the obstacles before me by jumping or by turning my body to fit between them. This was my favourite part of the day. Arm wrestling matches. They were held in random alleyways and other dark places that no good citizen would dare go into. I went there casually like any other thug or punk. I didn't look like them so I proudly stood out. As I walked through them all with a proud face They all moved out of my way. They weren't that bad. Here I felt more like family as much as I did at home. I guess its because we all went through the same thing here and we all treated each other with respect. "Yo, Bulky!" I shouted. Bulky was a bulky, bold man with a large scar across his back and a dragon tattoo going through the middle of his head like a bum crack. I saw him turn to me. It wasn't hard to spot him since he was the tallest man there. He looked at me as if he was some kind of thug. I knew he was joking though. Bulky just had to be the softest guy In the earth Kingdom. He always helped me out when I was in a difficult situation and in return I helped him to learn how to read or read him some of the harder books that I stole from the library (They charge in the lower ring). We were like brother and sister to each other. "What?" He said with a thug voice

"I'm going to school!" I said with a huge smile on my face. I could just about see tears in his eyes when he heard me. That lonesome smile crept up his face and I could see that he was about to cry for joy. He picked me up by my armpits and held me in the air like I was some toddler that he was going to spin. He did spin me "Bai Zin, that's great! You can finally get a good education and the cool job that you always wanted!" Then he hugged me... " Oh you're growing up so fast! I remember when I first met you! How old where you?! Five?!" Then he put me on the ground and cried. "I just can't believe that you got in so fast, I'm truly happy for you!" He sobbed. How on earth did he get a dragon tattoo on his head? I get the bulkiness, but a guy like him to get a tattoo? The people around us started to stare and the others where starting to bet. "Um... Bulky... I need to go..." He let me go and I ran off onto the table. I bet too. Against the opponent of course, I couldn't bet against myself. I was there and in front of me I did not see the usual competitions. This time it was a boy about my age with black hair, fiery eyes and a huge burn on his face. I could see that he was quite muscular but I didn't flinch, they were always muscular. "Hey! Lad! You don't know who you're dealing with! That's our champion there! Don't be fooled by her cuteness! She's as vile as a Dai Li!" We both heard the man cry as the rest of the crowd went silence. I could see determination on his face. The referee came up and shouted as we grabbed each others hands. "THREE! TWO! ONE! BEGIN"

That was how we started off. I decided to give the newcomer the same greeting that I gave the past newcomers. He was quite strong though. He was near enough to beating me. I hated theis. I struggled. He struggled. He was almost sweating as he almost pinned me when..."Pinned ya!" I sang as he couldn't believe his eyes. I have pinned him. I was famous for this though so the watchers and the bidders where expecting this. He wasn't though, and all I could do was watch him to the first time loser frustrate. I was expecting this though. It was no embarrassment though, There was no shame in losing to me.