Faint whispers protruded down the hallway. Hushed words came and went, just barely coming through the cracked bedroom door of the young, newly discovered water-bender sitting by the door. 'I wish they'd speak just a bit louder,' she thought unsure of what her new found talents would bring.
*knock knock knock*
The quiet noises once heard where no more, as if the whole house was holding its breath; bracing for what was to come.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
Whoever resided on the other side was obviously growing impatient. The sound of the door slowly opening reverberates down into the dark room... Holding her breath, she listens hard to see what she can hear.
"We've received an anonymous tip that you are housing a bender in your home," says the gruff voice as it entered the sitting room.
"No, of course not," Tonraq speaks, obviously agitated at such an accusation made about his young daughter. "There aren't any benders here, I myself have made sure to keep the South Pole clear of them. I'm sure I would notice one living in my own home!"
"Well sir, why don't we bring her out and test her ourselves then? If you're so sure she's not a bender." As the slow acknowledgement of what this meant hit her, she jumps up and quickly, yet quietly, moves back into her bed and pretends to be asleep as the footsteps of her parents echo down the hall.
It is Senna who enters, moving to sit on the edge of her young daughter's bed. "...Korra..." She whispers, gently shaking the girl's shoulder, "Korra, sweetheart, you need to get up. There are some visitors here to see you." She sits up slowly rubbing her eyes. Although she hadn't been asleep like she should have been, the light seeping in is still bright. Tonraq leans down and scoops his daughter up, kissing her forehead lightly before moving out and down the long hallway...
"It was only a dream... a dream... yeah, that's right..." She breathes out, falling back against the bed. Nightmares of the night she was ripped from her home still haunt her, even though the event was eleven years ago. "I wish I never had discovered I had bending... I could still be at home with my family, instead of tied down to this bed.." The sixteen year old had been diagnosed with a serious case, for not only did they discover that she could bend water, but she could bend fire, earth, and air. In order to contain her, before she could destroy what people now saw as normal, she needed to be locked away, locked up tight in her own little world... What better place than Amon's Home for the Clinically Insane? Here, she could be monitored... cleansed of all of her imperfections with treatments. The personal favorite of Amon himself was the electro-shock therapy. It could make any imperfect soul beg for mercy, beg to be cleansed. They could never be truly clean... Not like the rest of society. "With Amon, YOU WILL BE CLEANSED OF YOUR IMPERFECTIONS!"
The memories of the day that fate was shoved upon her at such a young age are fuzzy. Treatments have caused her horrible brain damage, and getting her to cooperate with the orderlies - on a good day, it was difficult at best. Because of this, she often found herself in solitude, rocking back and forth with nothing to do but think around those fuzzy memories she couldn't quite access. They still come, in vivid flashbacks, but only for a few seconds... All of that day and the few after... "No! KORRA!" Senna screams out, watching from the restraining arms of a Red Lotus member as they throw the young child into the bag and carry her out the door. "Tonraq! DO SOMETHING! THEY HAVE KORRA!" The guard holding Senna in a vice grip lets out a cynical laugh, for Tonraq has been bludgeoned and left in the hallway, incapacitated. All the screaming and noises around her are muffled by the thick burlap bag... The next thing she knows, she is being thrown into the back of a Satomobile, and taken away…
"Come on, get up" Ms. Sato says, walking in and grabbing her by the arm. "Since you've been so 'good' recently you get to go sit in the commons with everyone else. I'm not sure what you're up to, but you better not pull any funny business." Korra says nothing as she follows behind the new orderly, Asami Sato. This strange woman started working here only a few months back, and she immediately took a liking to Korra, insistent upon being the only one to look after her. The young ward was unsure of the reason behind this , but she didn't mind it. Ms. Sato was more gentle with her than the other orderlies, who usually beat her when she didn't immediately comply with what they had told her to do. It wasn't just that though… Ms. Sato was seductive. When she escorted Korra to solitary or brought her meals, she would flirt. The uniform she adorned was much more revealing than the other orderlies as well. Her uniform was cut way too high above her knees, and the V-neck was deeper than it should have been, showing everything she had to offer. Often while sitting in her dark cell it wasn't uncommon for her to fantasize about Ms. Sato. 'Given a similar situation, who wouldn't?' Korra reasons with herself, 'What else have I got to do while I sit in here and rot?"
"Well, here we are." Asami winks at Korra, gently nudging her into the commons room with the rest of the wards. "I'll be back to get you in an hour. Don't cause any trouble."
As the door shuts behind her, Korra lets out a sigh. There's nothing in the room besides a few pieces of broken down furniture. "Oh… Just in time…" She mutters… Everyday at exactly two in the afternoon there was an activity.
"NOW LISTEN UP!" Varrick shouted into the room turning most of the heads in the room towards him. "TODAY'S ACTIVITY IS-"
Before he could finish his statement a horrible ear-splitting shriek erupted from the front of the line. The juke-box that had been playing in the corner was stopped abruptly by a guard, as Tahno screams out in pain, dark red blood spurting from his neck. Tarrlok, a man known for biting people's ears off, is covered in the sticky fluid that pours from the man beside him. This turn of events quickly sends everyone in the room into a frenzy, calling for more orderlies and guards to pile into the chaos. As Korra backs into the wall she is grabbed by Ms. Sato, who quickly drags her out of the room and back towards solitary.
"What where you doing?" Asami looks at her, a look of confusion and frustration on her face. "I told you not to cause any trouble!"
"I-I didn't do anything… It was Tarrlok…"
"Him again huh? Well at least you aren't going to the electric chair-yet anyway."
Before she has the chance to formulate any sort of response to this, she is shoved back into her cell with the door locked and sealed shut.
"Look Daddy! Look what I can do!" She exclaims running up to her dad, a ball of water floating between her gloved hands. An elated look lights up Tonraq's face, before the horrific realization that his daughter is a bender hits him.
"Come on, dear, hurry. We need to get inside and have a talk. Did anyone see you?"
"No daddy." She says, a look of curiosity on her face. "Come on! Hurry! Let's go inside!" Korra grabs her father's hand and drags him inside.
"Korra, honey, you can't bend water out in the open like that. It's not safe. If someone saw you they could take you away from us for good…"
To Be Continued...