Xiulan's Sister
Ty Lee was five years old, and her mother was braiding her long hair in preparation for her first day at the Royal Fire Academy for girls.
"Make sure you bow to your teacher, just like your sister showed you, okay?" Her mother said nervously, "And sit up straight…Don't fidget around," she added, pulling Ty Lee back into her chair when the little girl began leaning to the side in order to better reach the reptile-bird that her second oldest sister had gotten for her birthday.
Ty Lee sighed, she didn't know why it was such a big deal, after all, six older sisters had already gone to the same school; the oldest, Hsiu-Mei, had even graduated. After what seemed like hours to the little girl, her mother pulled her long hair up and tied the end to the same ribbon as she had started the braid with, creating a fold. "Alright, you're all done…OH wait, Sweety!" She said, but her daughter pretended she didn't hear and made her break for freedom.
Ty Lee jumped down from the chair and skipped away to gather her things while her mother chased her trying to straighten the collar of her uniform. "Get back here, Lien, er, Zi…I mean Ty Lee!" She shouted.
To which the girl yelled back something unintelligible, but which ended in, "…Cause I'm a dragon!" followed by a "RAAAAWWR!" as Ty Lee imitated the sound of breathing fire.
After 15 minutes of pretend fire bending and struggle, then a walk to school, Ty Lee was standing nervously in front of a large, intimidating, terra-cotta roofed building, watching other girls chase each other and laugh outside. Her sisters ran off to greet friends that they hadn't seen since the last school year ended, but the youngest daughter stood awkwardly next to her mother.
"Go on, Darling," her mother said, still sounding anxious, and gave Ty Lee a little push towards the door. The five year old looked at her mom, took a deep breath and began her trek up to the sliding door, "Make lots of friends!" Her mother called from the school yard.
That's what Ty Lee was afraid of, and it's what she thought about as the teacher read of lists of assigned seats in the class room; the woman's hands were shaking but Ty Lee didn't notice, she was too wrapped up in her own worries. What if she couldn't make any friends? Normally, she was a very exuberant girl, running, giggling and chasing her sisters, but in the presence of all the strangers, in the menacing new environment of 'school' Ty Lee folded inward.
"Ty Lee," the teacher called, and the girl took her seat at the appropriate desk, "You're Xiulan's sister, aren't you?"
"Yes," Ty Lee groaned inwardly, but on the outside she looked politely back at her teacher. What would she have to do to stop being just 'Xiulan's/Jing's/Fei-Yen's/etc's little sister'?
"You look so much like her," the teacher said, before returning to her list. Ty Lee waited until she turned away then stuck her tongue out. She heard a snort from the desk beside her and turned to see a thin pale girl with her hand over her mouth, trying not to smile.
Now's your chance, Princess Ty Lee! She thought; in her imagination she was always a princess. "Hi!" She said brightly, "My name's Ty Lee, what's yours?"
"Mai," the girl said, lowering her hand.
"That's a pretty name, my sister's name is kind of like yours; she says Mai means beautiful. Well, one of my sisters. I have six; Hsiu-Mei is the oldest. You're a lot prettier than she is though, she has this—"
"Ladies!" The teacher said sternly, slapping the desk in front of Ty Lee with a wooden switch, making both girls jump, "It's time to begin; we do not speak during class."
The girls' eyes widened and Ty Lee clasped her hands on her desk the way her mother taught her and made sure to sit up straight, but when their teacher glanced away the two girls exchanged grins.
The entire class the Mrs. Cheng looked anxious; she kept glancing into the back as she spoke. Once, Ty Lee took a chance of twisting her head around to see where the teacher's eyes kept darting. There was a chubby, shy looking girl directly behind Ty Lee, off to the diagonal there was a very pretty girl with gold eyes, and behind her a tall, bored looking one. The only thing that the teacher could be looking at was the gold eyed girl boredly painting ink onto the edge of the ponytail of the girl in front of her, chin resting on her hand.
Whaaat, Ty Lee thought, Like 45 seconds ago Mrs. Cheng interrupted class to yell at Mai for not sitting up straight. The teacher kept glancing back, so Ty Lee knew she must have seen the leaning and the painting
"Ty Lee. Eyes to the front," the painting girl looked up to meet her eyes. Ty Lee saw her smile as she turned back to face the front. Soon she was lost in her daydreams, quickly forgetting to feel indignant at being scolded while the other girl wasn't.
By the time their mid-day break came, Ty Lee was melting from boredom. She had never had to sit still for as long as she did at school and it was driving her crazy. FINALLY she thought as she bounded out into the school yard, followed by her new friend Mai, although with slightly less enthusiasm.
"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Ty Lee started, when they got outside. The girl seemed shy, and Ty Lee figured it was up to her to begin a friendship.
"No, I just live with my parents," the girl replied dryly, kicking at a spot on the ground.
"Ohhh you're so lucky," Ty Lee said, "All I get is hand-me-downs for clothes and everyone expects me to be just like my sisters." She rolled her eyes and leaned backwards, catching herself with her hands to make her body into an arch.
"Wow, how do you do that?" Mai said, looking excited.
Ty Lee let herself fall down onto the grass. "I dunno, just practice I guess. I'll teach you!" She said brightly. Mai knew it looked ridiculous to the other students, but she spent the rest of the lunch period trying to push her body up off the ground to make a graceful arc like Ty Lee; she just couldn't seem to get the hang of it and it ended up looking more like a little girl wiggling around in the grass. Ty Lee spent the rest of the time trying to help her, and although she giggled at her new friend's lack of flexibility, she was having fun, and Mai didn't seem to take it seriously, giggling along with her.
When break was over, the girls followed their classmates inside, still smiling, both happy that they had made a friend their first day.
Ty Lee let go of Xiulan's hand the second they got inside and cartwheeled down the hallway to her father's study. She couldn't wait to tell her parents about her first day at school; but her mother found her first, looking just as eager as her daughter did.
"How was your first day at the Academy? Did you make any friends?"
"Yes!" Ty Lee smiled brightly, "The girl who sits next to me in class!"
Her mother smiled, looking strangely excited, "What is her name?"
"Mai, her father is a Governor and they live right across from the palace! Guess what else! She's an only child!" The little girl bounced from excitement but her mom visibly deflated.
"Oh. Well that's great, Darling," her mother said, Ty Lee frowned in confusion and her bouncing dampened somewhat; "Do you have any homework?" Her daughter nodded, "Why don't you go into the courtyard and finish it?" She patted Ty Lee on the head and left her standing in the hall.
So the girl dragged her school bag out to sit on the ground beside an un-working fountain in their courtyard. They were nobility, but over the years their wealth had slowly dripped away to fund the war, and send daughter after daughter to the prestigious Royal Fire Academy for Girls. Now, they had no servants, and no one to tend to their mansion, so things were starting to get a little decrepit.
Ty Lee looked at the brush in her hand and the parchment spread out on the ground. She was supposed to be practicing calligraphy, but some of the characters looked like Dragons and some looked like moose-lions, one looked like a princess in a big ball gown; so soon the girl was using them to create an epic battle scene, forgetting her confusion at the way her mother was acting.
"Hello, Darling," she heard the kind voice of her father behind her, she smiled and turned, "How is the calligraphy going?" He asked, looking over his daughter's shoulder to examine her work. He quirked an eyebrow, "Rug is at the sword, dancing apple tarts?" He read, confused.
Ty Lee figured he couldn't see the pictures, so she giggled and explained how the princess had been drawing water out of a well when two boulders were thrown at her by Earth Benders. Then she ran inside to escape and a sabre-tooth moose-lion who she made friends with chased off the bad guys. She pointed to each character as she told her story and when she finished her father laughed out loud.
"Ohh, I see now, I sure am glad that apple was there," she giggled and he patted her on the head. "Keep up the good work," then her father headed back inside, leaving the girl to her dreaming.
Fifteen year-old Ty Lee opened her eyes. Still in prison, she thought, remembering her happy dreams.
She stretched out her legs and slowly unclenched her hand from her braid, flexing her cramped fingers. She rolled onto her back and looked at the small, barred window at the top of her cell. She wished with all her heart that the sun would at least shine in; she closed her eyes and imagined bright, dancing yellow rays of light and smiled. But, it wasn't real. Not even the sun could cut through the clouds of steam and ash that hung over the Boiling Rock.
A/N: I hope you liked it! Push that button down there and tell me what you think!
