I can't remeber why/what contest I wrote this story for...

Friends in the Dark

Toph prodded her rice with her chopsticks as her parents chatted away with her mother's family. She supposed she should be happy. It was not often that they got visitors. However, all it meant to Toph was that she would have more people to pander to tonight. No one ever really listened to her anyway. She just needed to keep her mouth shut, speak only when spoken to, and only answer with what her family wanted to hear.

"Toph, Dear," her mother chided her in a low tone. "Don't play with your food."

"Yes, Mother," she said and then took a small, delicate bite of rice. She held back a frown. She loved her family, but they would never understand her or the pain that their ignorance brought upon her. Eating silently was the only way Toph try and distract herself from the many boring conversations going on around her. It was times like these she wished she hadn't been born a Beifong.

"It's such a shame about Poppy's daughter…" Toph listened closely to her grandmother. She was whispering, but Toph could hear everything. Her grandmother didn't realize that, in her blindness, Toph's other senses had become heightened.

"Indeed," her Aunt answered in the same hushed tone. "I don't know why they never tried for another child…"

"Oh, they did, my dear. They did. Poppy wasn't able to conceive…" Toph clenched her fists and stopped listening. If she heard anymore, she feared her anger might burst out and she might say something she'd regret. Loved by her parents, but misunderstood, and looked upon as some sort of freak by her extended family. It was almost too much to take, especially for a child at the tender age of six. She would say nothing, but she needed to get out of there.

Toph took a huge bite of rice and waited a moment before faking the best cough she could muster. The rice flew from her mouth and across the table. Her grandmother's squeal confirmed that she'd hit her mark.

"Oh, grandmother," Toph said sweetly, "I'm so sorry."

"Toph, Darling, are you alright?" She felt her mother's hand on her shoulder.

"No," Toph answered her and continued acting, "I feel really sick." She grabbed her stomach and groaned.

"Oh, dear." Poppy said and stroked her child's back.

Toph heard two sharp claps and then fast, but light footsteps coming toward the table. "Escort my daughter to her room. She is feeling unwell." Her father commanded the servant.

"This way," the servant said as he took Toph's hand and lead her out of the dining room. Leaving wasn't as reliving has Toph had hoped, because now the anger she felt at her grandmother's words was replaced with pain. They arrived at her room and the servant opened the door. "If you need anything, please let me know."

"Of course," Toph said politely, but couldn't stop herself from slamming the door. This night was ending up more annoying than she could have ever guessed. She collapsed on her bed, contemplating her options.

Toph lay on her bed moping. She didn't know how many hours had passed, but it seemed like ages. It had been long enough for her mother to bring her some soup and try to talk to her. They hadn't spoken, though, as Toph had pretended to be sleeping when she'd heard her mother's knock. She stood up and walked toward her dresser with her hands outstretched. When she ran into it she ran her hands across the surface until she found the soup bowl. She lifted the bowl in her hands, not bothering to find the spoon, and took a big gulp. It was completely cold, confirming her suspicion that quite a bit of time had passed, but she still appreciate the sweetness of cold corn chowder. She drained the bowl and set it back down. Somehow something as simple as cold soup made her resolve waver. She couldn't possibly leave this place. To do so would be crazy, she was safe here. No matter how miserable she found herself, at least she could live her life out in peace, which was a lot more than most people beyond the gates and walls of the Beifong estate could say.

She walked toward the door. Again, reaching out toward empty space until she found the door handle. Her hand rested there as she considered the benefits of leaving her home versus staying there. In the end, she turned the knob and crept out. It was better to try and fail, than to never try and regret it later. She moved silently through the mansion. Whenever she heard or felt someone coming she would duck into a room or around a corner. She'd explored every nook and cranny of the compound, so sneaking around was easy. Getting out of the front gate was going to be more challenging, but she had a plan for that, too.

When she reached the courtyard she removed her shoes. She stepped onto the lawn and reveled in the felling of the grass and dirt between her toes. Being barefoot was one of her favorite things, it made her feel more connected with nature. And more connected to herself. She knew in the pitch black of night she would be hard to see, and she had the advantage of her world always being dark. She could use that against the guards and confuse them. Toph took a deep breath and let out a bloodcurdling scream. She heard the gate guards jump into action, and she did as well, running off toward a different corner. She screamed again, knowing that one scream wouldn't be enough to draw all of them away from their posts, but two, surely they would all come rushing to find her. She got down on her hands and knees and crawled back toward the front gate, hiding bushes whenever someone came to close and throwing rocks to draw guards attention away from her. When she reached the gate there was no sign of activity. She smiled, amazed at her own ingenuity. In an instant she had the gate unlatched and was on her way, running fast down a dirt road. She breathed the night air in deeply, it was her first taste of freedom.

Toph ran for as long as she was able to keep up the pace, but eventually tired. She shuffled around until she found a well concealed place off to the side of the road. Now that she was out she didn't know what to do, but it did feel nice to know that no one out here would be able to tell her what to do or how to act. A small twinge of regret plagued the back of her mind, after her means of escape and all the screaming she knew her parents would be beside themselves with worry. She allowed her tears to fall for the first time that night, but quickly wiped them away. It was a time for action, not for tears.

She tore off into the forest in all her rage and sadness. She slammed into trees, tumbled over roots, and all of these obstacles and all of her pain pushed her forward. Never before had she resented her unseeing eyes so much. Suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way and she tumbled down, down, down.

Toph woke with a start. Her head ached and she rolled over onto all fours to try and get a better idea about what she had fallen into, but all she felt was dirt. Lots of dirt. She figured she must be in a cave of some kind. Back in the manor she always had a map of the compound in her mind, so even though she was blind she never felt lost. Now, though, she had not idea where she was and there was no way to find out. She crawled to and fro and around in circles for a long time, but found no sign of a way out.

She stopped searching and sat there on her knees and starting bawling. This was all a big mistake, and now she was going to die down here in this hole. No one would be able to find her down here. She thought of her mother and how her words were always filled with love and compassion even though her daughter had been born blind. She thought about her father and how he always protected her and how he was never angry at her for anything. They both loved her and didn't care if she wasn't whole. Toph didn't know why she'd let her grandmother's words make her feel unwanted. How they'd made her feel like running away was her only option if she wanted to live a happy life. She'd been wrong, and now, she was going to pay the ultimate price.

A loud noise from behind her broke her from her thoughts. She tensed up and closed her eyes in fear, though it didn't change her view, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly, something was sniffing her ear, and judging by the amount of air the creature was pulling in, it had to be huge. Toph opened her eyes and relaxed. She did the first thing that came to mind and sniffed it back. The creature did nothing for a moment and there was a tense silence between them. Then, it licked the side of Toph's face. She started to giggle uncontrollably and touched the animal's face. They were badgermoles. The original earthbenders. She'd always wanted to meet one of them. They were blind, just like her, so she felt a strong kinship with them. She sniffed the badgermole back and licked it's nose to show it her love and respect. Although this was a big moment for her, she couldn't help but laugh a little bit longer.

Toph felt the badgermole turn and start to walk away, but she didn't want to be left behind. So she quickly got down on all fours and followed the creature. While following behind the badgermole she felt it move large chunks of rock out of their path with earthbending. She could feel every vibration, rock, and grain of sand. Something inside of her told her that she could do it, too. She stood and took a deep breath. There was a rock in front of her and slightly to the right. She didn't know how she knew it was there, but she could sense it. She stomped her foot down once, and the rock giggled a bit. She almost had it. Her other foot came crashing down onto the ground and the rock flew out of her path. Toph smiled widely.

Suddenly, everything seemed different. It felt like what other people told her seeing was like, but more intense. She could feel the whole cave around her and she saw an exit. With this newfound power she could surely survive on her own. However, she could also use it to make her parents proud of her. She walked behind the badgermole with her head held high, knowing what she had to do. She'd return home and show everyone that she wasn't a helpless little girl anymore. She was Toph Beifong and she would become the strongest earthbender ever.

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