Chapter 1: The Circus
Xavia waited behind the curtain for her time to go into the spotlight on the tightrope. The earth kingdom crowd cheered loudly for the act before her own. She had performed her act hundreds of times it seemed. What was once foreign to her was now an auto skill. She knew well what she was to do, but every time before a show Xavia was nervous. She felt the heavy shackles, binding her hands to the post, rattle against the bones in her wrist. She knew that with effort she could break free of the chains by slipping her small hand through the metal bindings, but she dared not try, for she knew what the punishment would be.
Her time to go on was drawing nearer, the crowd was silenced as the ringmaster of the earth kingdom circus went on to introduce her. The guard stepped near and undid the shackles, but held his hand firmly on her shoulder to keep her in place. The announcement was made and she stepped out cautiously onto the high up post. Then slowly, one foot after the other, she stepped onto the rope, not daring to look down, or at the audience who stared, waiting. Xavia now stood center on the rope, perfectly still, arms held out horizontally to keep her balance, but without warning she placed them at her sides and jumped into the air and twisted around, landing on the rope, now facing the other way. She repeated this. Once in position Xavia stretched out one of her legs behind, and extended the opposite arm in front of her. Slowly moving forward so her body made a straight horizontal line. And in a small burst of flame Xavia was back in her starting position on the center of the rope, the audience awed. She lifted her hands and produced another small ball of fire and passed it between each hand. With every pass the ball stretched and she would increase her movement. Now she was twirling on the rope with a large ring of fire surrounding her. Some of the audience cheered, while others booed, and threw things in the direction of the young firebending girl on a tightrope.
In one final burst of flame Xavia vanished, all of the audience cheered now, some more vigorously than others. Xavia was back behind the curtain, peeking through and looking down upon the audience and the ringleader reassuring the audience that the 'amazing firebending girl' was harmless and that the earthkingdom had not a reason to fret. What he failed to mention was that she was a prisoner and was now being escorted down and out of the main tent where she would just be put in another tent which housed the animals and bound to a post.
