I hurried through the door to my room and slid it closed. I had barely paused to murmur my appreciation for supper after I'd hastily excused myself. Heaving a sigh, I reached up to undo my dark hair from its bun. I walked over to a lavishly adorned vanity and sat down. Placing my hair pin on its surface, I studied my pale face in the mirror. My long dark hair fell past my shoulders, and my golden eyes stared intensely back at me.
Ever since I was a young girl, my parents had taught me that the Fire Nation was the superior race, and that all of the other races needed to be ruled. 'Akemi, the other races are not like us. They are the scum of the world, and we must control them. Do you understand?' I'd looked into my father's eyes, and being young and eager to please him, I'd nodded. But, somewhere deep inside of me, even then, I'd disagreed with him. I had hoped that the feeling would fade over time, but it had instead, grown stronger, and more intense. I hated the way that my people were trying to take over other races, and all of the suffering that it caused. I hated the way that they were quick to anger, and often used unnecessary force to obtain what they wanted. But, most of all, I hated fire. It had taken me years to come to terms with this, but it was an indisputable fact that, as shocking as it was, I, Akemi, the only daughter of the military general Katsu, hated fire. As my friends charged head-first through their lives and learned how to fire-bend, I sat quietly, preferring to read and write. My parents had been distraught when it became apparent that I would never fire-bend, but they were trying to accept it. But, God, if they knew about how I felt-about who I really was- they would probably disown me.
Sighing, I stood up. As I'd been thinking, I'd put my hair into a low bun and secured two strands with small blue clips. I knelt before a trunk that sat in the corner of my room, with my hands braced against it. Biting my lip, I stared hesitantly at the door to my room. After a minute, I pushed the trunk aside, revealing a hidden door that was laid into the floorboards. My heart was pounding in anticipation as I yanked the door open, allowing me to see what lay inside. A surge of joy spread through my body, and I reached down and pulled out the clothes that lay inside. I hurriedly changed, not wanting to keep the uncomfortable Fire Nation outfit that I'd been wearing on a second longer. When I'd finished changing, I looked in the mirror, and felt myself relax. The Water Tribe clothes fit me perfectly, and they just felt so…natural; not at all like the dreadful dresses I was usually forced to wear. Smiling broadly, I turned around, admiring my reflection.
This was who I really was. Not a Fire Nation citizen like my family, but a member of a Water Tribe. I'd first realized this two years ago. I'd been reading a book about the different people groups, and suddenly realized that the way the people of the Water Tribes were described fit me perfectly. Something in my mind had shifted, and it all immediately made sense. The way I felt about the war, my family, fire bending- it explained everything! I felt relieved knowing that there was a reason that I always felt so distant from my family, but I also felt worried and scared. I'd only just come to terms with my feelings recently, and I still had no idea how I would come out to my family- if I ever came out. But, I'd been hiding my true self from my family, acting interested when my brother showed me a k=new fire bending move, and never letting on about how much I disagreed with the war. I was pretty good at keeping it concealed too, secretly buying Water Tribe clothes from a small shop in an obscure part of the city, and only allowing myself to really be myself at night, when I changed into my Water Tribe outfit.
I was deep in thought, when a sound caused me to jump and turn around. I gasped. There, in the doorway to my room, stood my older brother. How had he gotten in? Had I missed locking the door? His eyes widened, and his jaw hung open.
"Ak-Akemi? What are you doing?" his dark eyes ran searched my face for an answer.
"Takumi, please I can explain! It's just, uh, I was just-" as I scrambled for an explanation, the betrayal that shown in my brother's eyes suddenly changed to horror and disgust.
"You're transbender!" he accused, spitting out the word. "I'm telling father," he growled, and ran off towards the stables. As scared as I was, I felt a little better knowing that my dad was a few hours away, off at some war meeting, and would not be able to come immediately. I felt my eyes tear up. This was exactly the kind of reaction I had been worried about. I collapsed on the floor, crying.
A shadow appeared in the doorway, and I felt a hand on my shoulder. Flinching at the touch, I looked up. My mother stood above me, a worried look in her eyes.
"I'm sorry." I whispered, not even knowing how to apologize for the amount of shame I knew that this would bring on my family. My mother wrapped her arms around me.
"Oh Akemi," She offered me a tearful smile. "I only wish you would have told me sooner." I bit my lip.
"Y-you're not mad?" I questioned. My mother took my face into her hands gently.
"There is very little that you could do to make me angry."
"But father…" I sniffed.
"Yes, your father will be furious. But, I will help you as best as I can." She helped me to my feet, and guided me to the stables. Pulling out a bag of supplies that was kept ready in case of an emergency, my mother helped me up onto a horse and tied the supplies to the saddle. She also fastened a large cloak around my shoulders to obscure my Water Tribe outfit.
"Your passport is in there, so you should be able to find a ship that can take you to the Earth Kingdom. From there, you can travel however you wish, but know that your father may try to find you." She guided my horse to the street, and then looked into my eyes. She grasped my hand, and I leaned down to hug her.
"Just know, that I will always love you, no matter what!" she said fiercely, and slapped my horse. As I rode swiftly away, I blinked back tears.
"I love you too." I whispered, as I rode off to find my new life, as a member of a Water Tribe.