Author's note:

Round 2, Season 4

Word Count: 1,053

Prompts: Torn, Fresh Fruit (smell), and the song "Somewhere I belong" by Linkin Park

Team: White Falls Wolfbats

Position: Waterbender

Extras: This story is set in a Modern AU. Bending is still a thing but Katara goes to high school.

I own nothing everything is from Avatar The Last Airbender

Katara's Demon

I had nothing to say and I'd get lost in the nothingness inside of me

Katara opened her eyes and knew that it wasn't going to be a good day. She could feel the ice sinking into her soul. The part of her she tried to keep from reaching the surface. It came in waves of icy rage that wouldn't leave her be, she felt like something was pulling her into a pit of darkness. She wasn't usually like this. Her friends would describe her as sweet, compassionate, and serene, but on days like this she was cold, bitter, and callous.

She was torn between staying home and going to school, after a few seconds she made a decision. She pushed herself out of bed and into the shower. Usually she would sing loudly till Sokka came running down the hall to yell at her to be quiet, but today she washed her hair in silence. Her thoughts consumed her mind as the smell of fresh fruit filled the bathroom.

"You're terrible Waterbender"

"Nobody likes you"

"He doesn't love you"

The tears were cascading down her face but she couldn't feel them, the water from the shower was warm enough to leave burn marks. She couldn't feel a thing; she only felt the emptiness that ate away her mind. The voices echoing since there was nothing to dampen the sound.

This time Sokka didn't yell at her to be quiet. She walked downstairs dressed in the plainest outfit Sokka had seen her wear. Usually she wore electric blues and calming purples, not dull and lifeless grays. Sokka wanted to ask if she was okay, but when he opened his mouth Katara shot him an icy glare that sent chills down his spine, her eyes were puffy and swollen, Katara rarely cried.

He decided to talk to her anyways. If it was anyone else he would let it be but he wouldn't let his little sister suffer alone, he would always be there for her, no matter what. Katara was making herself a bowl of cereal that she really didn't want but was eating for the sake of eating. She sat down across from him, nobody else sat at their dining table since their father left hours ago. The room was completely silent; He couldn't even hear Katara chewing on her food.

I wanna let go of the pain I've felt for so long

"Katara, are you okay? Do you want to stay home? I can call dad to tell the school" Although Katara could hear from Sokka's tone that he was genuine about his offer she still felt like he was lying. Ever since Jet lied to her she didn't feel the same. She had Aang but it was different. On these days everyone lied to her.

She didn't answer Sokka; instead she got up with her empty bowl put it in the sink and left the room. She made her way to the hallway where she picked up her book bag; she then walked out of the house.

These things in my mind

Since Sokka had gotten his license he normally drove with the radio on, playing Katara's favorite station. Today she walked to school. The walk wasn't long in reality but in her mind it seemed like miles, and her thoughts nudged their way in again leaving their frigid fingerprints all over the place. Could she even call them her thoughts? It felt like someone else trying to break in. If she had a crime specialist analyze the fingerprints they wouldn't be hers, they belonged to someone who stole her identity.

She felt like the voices were arguing now, she could hear herself covered up by the foreign voice. In her mind it looked like she was trapped in a glass cage, banging on the walls, calling out for help. Nobody showed up.

I wanna heal; I wanna feel like I'm close to something real

Katara had tried to move past everything especially since she started dating Aang, but she could still feel Tartarus' pull. The pit was there before Jet, but grew once he hurt her. He unleashed this demon she didn't know existed, and she loathed him for it. She wanted to freeze him in a block of ice and never unfreeze him. She wanted him to suffer the ice like she had. Although her pain was mental and his would be physical she didn't care.

Her life felt like a novel, something made up, not real. She shouldn't be this way. She could see the school now but she felt heavier with every step. She should have stayed home, should have let Sokka help her, but she was to proud to admit defeat. On any other day she would have gone straight to Sokka for help. This is what the demon did to her. It made her a different person and she hated it. Moments like this made her want to be a fire bender so she could burn everything to the ground. Sure she could flood something, Freeze it completely, Break things with ice spears, but it didn't compare to seeing things go down in flames.

She stopped walking once the thought of the school burning down popped into her mind. She could feel the bile rising into her throat. Sokka's car rolled up beside her as she began to retch. Nothing was coming out but Katara tried to visualize the demon leaving her soul. How it's long slender fingers would unlatch from her mind and walk out a door. Sokka got out of the car and walked her to the passenger's seat.

"I'm taking you home" He moved her hair from her face "I don't care if you want to go back or not. You are not well"

Katara looked at her brother and felt the ice receding. Warmth started to find its way back into her heart. Not like it had moments ago. This warmth wasn't a fiery rage that threatened to burn everything in sight; no this was the warmth of a fire that filled the heart with love. At that moment Katara knew everything was going to be okay. Her wounds might still hurt but Sokka was trying his best to stitch them up, and right now they weren't infected.

Somewhere I belong