I woke up in the Infirmary, on an old bed with soft blankets. A small table sat next to my bed, a glass of water sitting on top of it. I looked around, seeing no one. A bed that was a couple feet away from me looked used, the sheets were scarred and a glass of water sat on a table next to it. Who was it? Maybe that monk...

What happened?

I sat up, feeling completely fine. The opposite of what I felt before I passed out. Swinging my legs over the edge of the bed, I propped myself onto my feet, feeling totally collected. I was about to walk, but the water in the glass intrigued me. I raised a hand over it, palm down, fingers curved, watching as the water swirled and elevated itself towards my hand.

The sound of footsteps snapped me out of the trance I was in and I looked forward, seeing the woman in front of me. She was old, of we're being blunt here. She was wearing a blue nightgown, with an off-white large cardigan over it. She had this aged look to her skin, but her skin itself looked like it's never had a blemish on it. Her cheekbones were prominent, and her bright blue eyes shone kindness.

"What's your name?" She asked me.

"Claudia," I answered.

She raised a brow.

"Claudia Sin Claire."

"Oh! You're one of the new students."

"How do you know?"

She tilted her head and smiled in a way a child would when they're hiding something. "You could call it a hunch." She waved a hand to me, gesturing me to come to her. "Come, child. Let's get you something to eat."

"But I'm not hungry."

"You should be! You've been asleep for three days."

My jaw almost hit the ground. "Wait. What? Three days! How? I just passed out. Wait... how'd you know I was awake?"

"You could call it a hunch." Here we go again with that saying.

"How's the monk?"

"Who? Oh! Kurt. He woke up a few hours before you did. Poor guy was so confused. Then he saw you in the bed next to him and ran the other way."

I scoffed. "Story of my life."

She laughed, catching my inappropriate humor. "I didn't mean it like that, sweetie. He was just confused. Maybe we can have dinner with him tonight."

"Do you know why it happened? Why we passed out?"

She looked at me, shook her head and looked away. I sensed a lie. She knew. But she didn't want to tell me. What the hell did she know that she couldn't tell me?

"My name's Tabitha," she said. "The youngsters call me Granny Tab. Or Tabby. Makes me sound young and hip!" Okay, she's adorable.

"What do you like to be called? Tabitha, Granny Tab or Tabby?"

She stopped in front of the dining hall and looked at me. "You remind me of someone I cherished dearly. You can call me Tabby." She smiled a warm smile and lead me inside. Only a handful of people were inside, given that lunch was over and classes had begun. Mostly teachers. I was one of five students there. I saw Kurt. And he saw me. My skin tingled again and I held my breath. "Claudia?"

"Food. Now. Please. I'm lightheaded."

She looked at Kurt immediately, frowning. Kurt looked down at what ever he was eating and bounced his knee nervously. Tabby grabbed a plate and stocked it up with corn casserole, mashed potatoes and chicken, hurrying to me. "Come," she said, grabbing my arm. "Let's go to my dorm. You'll be more comfortable there."

Three days. That's how long I was asleep. How could that have been possible? I still had no answers. Tabby wouldn't give me any. Speaking of which, it's been a week or so since the incident, and every other day I go to her office. She knew a lot of water bending and even showed me a few moves she's mastered. I showed her my Gift: fire. She admired it.

"You remind me of someone I loved dearly," she repeated. Her face softened.

"What's his name?"

"You assume it's a man?"

"Is it?"

"Yes." Her voice broke. "He was Chosen, the Avatar of his time. I was his best friend. We became more than friends after years of trying to figure out how we would do so, because his responsibilities were so hard on him. We married, had three children, our children had children. We were happy. But time caught up to him, and he passed away twenty-four years ago." She sighed. "He was a brilliant fire bender. He embraced his Gifts, they empowered him. He always had this spark in his eyes whenever he would bend fire, his favorite Gift. I can see it in your eyes. That spark. Hold onto it."

"I... I'm afraid of it. I hurt someone because I couldn't control it."

"And someone's hurt you."

My eyes quickly met hers, feeling my heart practically drop into my stomach. "You know about him... my ex husband?"

"Call it a hunch."

"Okay, what's going on here? You know these weird things about me that no one knows. Out of no where you just... know everything?"

Her smile was kinder this time, softer. "All in due time, my child. Now, let's watch a movie! I'll cook you something. Oh, I'm just dying to cook corn casserole!"

I laughed, despite the fact this waiting game was aggravating me. "I'll eat anything you cook, Tabby."

Hearing me say her name like that made her smile. I wasn't sure if she looked at me with sad longing or grief, but it hurt watching her stare at me like that. Maybe I did remind her of her late husband, which was slightly odd since I'm a female, but it touched my heart she would show this much kindness to a stranger.

There was a knock at the front door. Tabby exclaimed from the kitchen, "Could you get that?" And I rushed to the front door. I gripped the knob and my stomach did a flip. Why? I turned the knob, opening the door and seeing him. Kurt. Instead of feeling like passing out, my heart hammered in my chest and my body felt tense.

"You're not gonna pass out again, are you?" He asked.

I clenched my jaw. "You're the one that fainted right in front of me."

"Anyways, I came to see Tabitha." As if on cue, Tabby appeared from the kitchen and her face lit up.

"Hi, sweetheart! Been a while since you visited me!"

"I can see this is a bad time," he said, glaring at me for a second. "I'll come back tomorrow."

"Don't be silly, Kurt. Come inside! I was about to make dinner."

"Um.."

Tabby grabbed Kurt's wrist and ushered him in. "I swear you're more stubborn than an ox." Kurt accidentally brushed his hand against my arm as Tabby ushered him in her dorm and it was as if my skin had either caught fire or I had been electrocuted. He felt it, too. He winced.

We sat on a couch on the opposite sides of the living room, which wasn't big at all so the eye contact was both awkward and unavoidable. He really did have eyes like a stormy day at sea, or so Tabby described them. She said that beneath his hard exterior, he's a real softy.

"You know what happened, don't you?" I asked him in a hushed voice.

"Why are you whispering?" He said in a normal toned voice, one that Tabby could hear.

"Shh! Jesus Christ, you couldn't be any more obvious." I shook my head. "I know Tabby knows about what happened and why it happened. But she won't tell me crap! All she says is -"

"All in due time?"

"Yeah. How'd you know? And I swear, if you say 'you can call it a hunch' I'm gonna friggin lose it."

He laughed through his nose and shone a half-grin. I guess I got to him. "You already know Tabby's phrases? You must spend a lot of time with her."

"I enjoy the company. She does, too. Says I remind her of someone she loved dearly." I bounced my knee impatiently. "You're dodging the question."

"Tabby hasn't told you because you aren't ready."

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I mean: you came from a world where bending isn't practiced. Where your typical day was going to work, paying bills, taking care of debt... while here, we train nonstop in order to master our Gift. Within our Gifts is something we can't truly understand. It took me months, maybe even years to realize and accept my duties to this place. You can't really expect to know every mysterious thing about this place in a day, do you?"

"I expect answers to things I don't understand."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't happening any time soon."

Now, I was furious. "So, what? I'm supposed act casual every time I see you? When I'm close to you it feels like amplified goosebumps, and I feel like I'm gonna pass out." I sound more like I'm obsessed than I do confused. "I'm confused and I need answers."

"You feel that, too?" His voice was softer. He didn't know I felt the things I did.

"Yes, I do. Let's not get mushy and no I'm not infatuated over you. That's not why I feel those things. Is it because of our Gifts? Geez, I don't know. I'm confused!"

I stood up, starting to walk towards the kitchen, but Kurt stood up, blocking my way. "What are you doing?" I asked, now insanely annoyed.

"Touch me."

I blinked. "Buy me dinner first, damn."

He clicked his tongue and grabbed my forearm. My knees buckled and I hit the floor. Kurt followed shortly after.

"What the hell?" I exclaimed. The surge that hit us wasn't weakening, it was empowering. For a split second I could feel my Gift growing stronger, until I dropped to the ground and broke the contact. Kurt looked at me, and he sat up, taking in multiple breaths.

He extended his hand. I took it.

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