Chapter 1

"But, Mom—" I begin to protest, but she cuts me off with a withering look. I scowl and cross my arms, trying to hide my clenched fists.

"Do NOT cross your arms! It's not lady-like!" she smacks my arm, and I drop them down to my sides. "Please clean yourself up. I expect you to be presentable and on your best behavior today when Lady Aiya arrives."

"Did you ever think that maybe I didn't want to go to some fancy boarding school in Ba Sing Se?" I ask, knowing full well that I have progressed passed begging and am now whining. "That maybe I want to actually be able to do something useful?"

"Do you want to stay here, Delyssa?" she asks, touching up her makeup, peering into one of the many mirrors we have in our house. I don't like the mirrors. Every time I pass by them I see the swish of my hair, and I hate my hair.

It's yellow. My mom calls it blond, and she says that it makes me rare, and special. I just think that it makes me a freak. I can't go anywhere without people staring at it. They nudge each other, and whisper, and point and it makes me furious.

"Do you?" Mom prods, and I shudder at the idea of staying here, or being around her and Dad for the rest of my life. "That's what I thought."

"I want to fight in the war!" I protest. She slaps her hand over my mouth, and I have to work very hard to resist licking her palm. It would drive her insane with rage.

"Continue speaking like that and I'll-"

I cut her off. "What? Lock me in my room? Oh wait!" I laugh sarcastically, throwing my hands in the air. "You've already done that! You're always saying that fighting for your kingdom a noble and honorable skill. Why doesn't that apply to me?"

"You are meant to inherit everything we own, and be a wife and a mother," Mom says.

"I hate kids," I sulk.

"Me too," she says loftily, and the words sting. I know this is a pointed insult at me, and, despite my offhand attitude, I do want my mom to accept me. I sigh loudly.

"I'll go change," I say, and she turns away from me without another word. The servants have already drawn my bath, and I chase them out of my washing room with a few venomous glares. I slip into the warm water, and I swirl my hands around it in.

What I'd really like is to go out to the empty trench, a couple of miles away from my parent's estate, and work on my shooting. I'm starting to get good, though I have no idea how well I would fare against a real enemy. My bow hasn't been used in weeks.

I think that I'd really, really like to kill a Firebender.

When I finally drag myself from the bath I have to hurry, pinning my sopping wet hair up and allowing the servants to help me into a stiff, green dress. Ugh, dresses.

I fly down the stairs and collide with a young man I do not know. I teeter backwards, losing my balance, and he reaches out and steadies me. I blush, but he does not notice. He's staring at my hair.

"Paint a picture; it lasts longer!" I snap, brushing past him. I sweep loftily into the dining room. My parents and a rather fat lady in a red dress are waiting for me, already seated. I take my place next to mother.

"My!" Lady Aiya, the fat woman, exclaims, and she is staring at—surprise—my hair. I pinch the bridge of my nose tightly, then plaster a fake smile on my face. "Well, first off, if she wishes to come to The Ba Sing Se Academy for Gifted Young Ladies, she'll have to stop dying her hair that horrid color!"

I flush, but keep my temper in check. I'm proud of myself. My mother and father just nod at Lady Aiya like she's said something brilliant. I suppose I could dye my hair with calligraphy ink. It stinks, and makes my hair stiff and crusty, but at least it makes it dark… until it rains.

"I'm an Earthbender," I blurt out. It's a blatant lie, but I can't help it. My mother fixes me with such a furious stare that the phrase 'if looks could kill' runs through my mind.

Fattie is unfazed. "We do not offer special classes for benders, but as long as you do not bend on campus, and I do not see why it should be a problem." I scowl.

"Delyssa's not very good," my mother says. "Poor girl kicks a pebble and thinks she bended it!" Fattie and my mother laugh. My mother's so stupid. My bow sits loaded in my room. Doesn't she know I could pierce her head with an arrow before she could blink?

"Hopefully, the bending can be squashed out of her," Fattie says, sending her and Mother into a round of giggles. I look to Father for help, but he remains as cold and distant as ever. What I'd really like to do is take two rocks and squash Fattie in between them.

I ignore them, and eventually they stop picking on me and begin to exchange news. I know this news will quickly turn to gossip, so I tune in while they are still talking about something worthwhile. My ears pick up the word Avatar and I pay super close attention.

"-obliterated half the Fire Nation Navy," Fattie is saying. "And killed Commander Zhao. Unless I'm mistaken, I thought that Avatar was supposed to bring peace and balance, not war and destruction!" My mother makes a noise of agreement and shakes her head.

"What a shame. I suppose he'll come to the Earth Kingdom next, looking for a teacher. And the worst part is, some fool with teach him!"

"I'd teach him," I mumble, but the women ignore me. How I manage to sit through the next two hours, I'm not sure. But Fattie gets up to leave, and she and my mother and telling each other how 'we must get together for tea sometime!'

I say goodbye to Fattie, and dismiss myself, turning to flee from the room. I run into the same young man from before. This time, he doesn't stare at my hair, but instead into my eyes.

He hands me a piece of paper. "I didn't have any paint," he says regretfully, and I don't ask what his words mean, because his eyes have flickered up to my hair, so I shove my way past him and storm up the stairs.

I glance out my window and see the young man helping Fattie into her carriage and climbing in after her. His piece of paper is in my clenched fist and severely crumpled, but when I smooth it out, it's perfectly clear what it is. I gape.

It's a sketch of me. And, amazingly, it's quite good. It's only in the black ink we use to write letters with, so now I know what he meant about not having paint. There are slight lines in my hair that suggest to its light color.

At the bottom, there's a brief message:

I like your hair.