She couldn't breathe. The air around her was thick and suffocating as she stumbled along the dark hallway looking for a way out. Beads of sweat trailed down her weak body and her hair clung to her forehead making her look like a lost mad women on the run. She couldn't see anything, not even her own hands and the only noise that accompanied her was her loud thundering heartbeat.
She couldn't remember where she was. Fear had settled deep in her bones and she turned around expecting someone to be behind her, someone she had loved, someone she couldn't remember, but all she saw was darkness. She clutched her arms to her side fighting back a wave of sadness.
"What's going on?" Her words were raspy and just then she had realized she hadn't spoken in a very long time. She shook her head not understanding anything.
"Korra." A soft whisper came from behind her and she spun around towards the noise. Her eyes searched frantically, knowing but not knowing the familiar sound.
"Where are you?" she asked still looking for him. There was no reply and when she didn't think there was going to be one she began to cry. "Hello! Who are you? Please don't leave!"
"Korra" the voice spoke again and she stopped breathing "Korra you have to remember. You have to remember me. I love you, please, remember, remember, remember." The voice turned into a chant and the once silent space was filled with that one word. She turned around in a circle, feeling as though the room she was in was moving fast.
"Remember? Remember what? Who are you! Please!" but the chant didn't stop and only grew louder. It was so loud it shook the walls and she had to cover her ears. She fell to her knees waiting for the noise to stop but it grew even louder. "REMEMBER. ." And then all of a sudden she could see and the noise stopped. When she looked down at her hands there was dried blood on them just like the stains on her clothing. She didn't feel pain though. When she turned back around to find the person all she saw was a bundle of clothe in the corner. She walked over to it and knelt down so that she could run her fingers along the soft wool. It was red and when she pulled it up she noticed that it was a scarf. A gut twisting, brain killing pain shot through her and she opened her mouth to scream.
Korra rolled over on her side and heaved but nothing came. She sat up and pulled her knees toward her chest and stared blankly at the wall of her hospital room. She tried to remember the dream, tried so hard that it began to hurt her head, but all she could recall was the feeling of fear of forgetting something, something that was very dear to her. When nothing came to mind she settled back down into her covers and sighed. 'It's okay.' She thought as she closed her eyes again 'I'm sure it wasn't that important.'
After the next few weeks Korra was released and sent to Air Temple Island where she was told that she was going to be staying for a while. She hadn't liked the idea, when she was in the car she had gotten a glimpse of the city and wished she could stay, but the doctor said it wasn't healthy for her yet. 'Whatever that meant' Korra thought silently as she pouted in her seat, but as she watched the other passing faces she relaxed and began to feel a nagging sadness. She couldn't shake the feeling that she had been on this very same street before. She shook her head and buried her chin in her parka. 'I'm just a girl from the south pole.'
Finally when Korra was standing alone at the foot of the stone stairs she sighed and looked up at the grey sky thinking that today was the perfect day for rain. She really wanted to be back in the city, where it felt like an extra pair of skin, but again she felt the nagging sadness as if she had forgotten something and again she shook the thought from her head.
When she made her way up the stairs she was surprised to see three little kids waiting for her.
"Hi!" one of the little girls came over and stood on her tippy toes so that she could get a better look at her and Korra tried not to laugh. She was just too cute!
"I'm Ikki" she gestured to herself and then thrust her hand over to the other girl who was smiling as well "this is Jinora and this" finally she gestured to a little boy who had his arms crossed over his little chest with an unhappy look on his face. "Is Meelo." But he didn't smile. He just turned away and said under his breathe, which was still heard by Korra, "She already knows who we are." And Ikki kicked him. Korra didn't understand what was happening.
"I'm, um, Korra." She tried with a smile and was happy when the other two girls nodded their heads simultaneously. "It a pleasure to meet you!" they both said giving her the impression as if they've practiced this. Meelo just turned away and sauntered off ignoring the sad looks that passed over his sisters faces.
"Uh," Korra began "Should I be going to a room?" she didn't like seeing them sad, which surprised her since she just met them.
"Follow me." Ikki said as she grabbed Korras hand sending waves of nausea through her. She pulled away quickly and felt horrible when she saw the hurt on the girls face. She reached for her a little, but she quickly covered it with a smile and continued to walk. Korra stared down at her hand trying to understand what just happened, but then she shrugged and blamed it on the boat ride.
"Korra!" An older women and an older man with a blue arrow on his head came walking toward them and Korra put on her best smile trying to be polite. She kept her hands behind her back though and the man eyed the gesture.
"Hello!" the woman said happily as she shifted a baby to the opposite hip. "I'm Pema" She smiled warmly and Korra had to look away. She didn't like the feeling this place was giving her. The older man cleared his throat. "I am Tenzin." He wasn't smiling and Korra sensed a sad look in his eye. She felt very confused and then she remembered the accident she was in the other day and a little bit of the confusion lifted. She didn't waste any time pointing out the obvious. "Are you worried about the accident I was in? I'm sure that you were told by now, but it's okay! I'm fine!" She grinned trying to lighten the atmosphere, but Tenzin just smiled sadly and nodded his head. "It was a very tragic accident. We lost someone very dear to us." Korra watched as the woman glared at him and then realization dawned on her. The driver. He must be talking about the person who was driving. Korra felt sick all over again.
"Well, it's almost supper time. Why don't you come inside and wash up, Korra?" The woman asked sweetly and began moving back to the door with the rest of the family trailing behind her. Korra began to move forward when something flashed in the corner of her eye. She turned around and caught a glimpse of red.
Once inside she washed her face and hands and was seated at the end of the table. Again another wave of déjà vu went through her and she gripped the table. She looked around and noticed that there were three extra plates set and she turned to Tenzin.
"Are there more people coming?" she asked the obvious and Tenzin raised an eyebrow. He nodded slowly and just then the three of them walked in. Korra jumped to her feet and got into a stance she didn't remember learning. They watched her with shocked expressions but when they realized she wasn't going to bend they quietly sat down. Korra still stood stiff in the corner.
"What are they doing here?" she hissed through clenched teeth never taking her eyes off them. She couldn't help but linger on the boy with the red scarf. Tenzin stood up and gestured to all three of them.
"Korra, these are the people who helped you when the accident occurred. This is Asami," a girl with dark hair nodded her head softly at her "This is Bolin" A boy wearing a green shirt was looking down at his plate silently avoiding eye contact. "And this" Korras eyes rested on the boy wearing the red scarf. "Is Mako." His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and she could see that he was clenching his jaw, but what really set her off was the intense glare he was giving her. She looked back over at Tenzin unsure what to believe, but when he nodded she relaxed a little. She took her seat.
Half way through dinner and no one said anything. Korra studied everyone's face and noted that all of them were intentionally avoiding her stare and the depression in the air was almost suffocating. Then she looked over at the boy, Mako, and her hand tightened into a fist. He was still looking at her, but this time it looked like he was fighting something back. Korra slammed her fist on the table startling everyone. "Do you have something to say, pretty boy?" A flash of hurt crossed his expressions but was quickly hidden with a cold smirk. "Yeah, I do."
"Well then why don't you say it?" Korra forced through clenched teeth. She saw Tenzin give him a stern look and Mako shook his head. "I can't." Korra pushed away from the table and stood up throwing her hands in the air. "Why was I sent here? You people can barely look me in the eye! I'm sorry about your friend that you lost, but I can't bring them back! I wish I was still in the city away from you!" she was directing her last line at Mako and she stormed out of the house and into the stormy night leaving a very hurt family. She was half way to the deck when a hand wrapped around her arm. She spun around angrily. "Let go of me." Mako didn't listen to her and instead his eyes soften. "You can't just leave again."
She stared at him through slits. "What are you talking about?" she glared at his hand and this time he let go but didn't step away.
"I can't tell you, Korra. I can't." He looked down at his feet hiding a look and Korra crossed her arms.
"Why are you talking to me as if you know me? Hm? Because last time I checked the only time we ever came into contact was when I was hit." He winced at her words and when he looked up again he was angry.
"Look. Don't leave. I can't" he moved closer "I can't lose you again." He reached for her and when she didn't stumble back he saw something click in her head and hope squeezed at his insides.
"Korra do you remember anything? Do you remember this place?" he placed both of his hands on either sides of her face and stared into her eyes noting that she was fighting something. "You had to have felt something when you walked off that boat. Dreams of things you can't understand, feelings" he touched her lips with his thumb "you can't seem to fight." She watched him and her heart felt heavy and it hurt. She wanted to close the remaining gap, she wanted to break through this haze that she just noticed, but it was like a rubber band and as quickly as it was pulled back it snapped closed again. Her once exposed expression folded in on itself and Mako saw this and when she began to fight to get out of his grasp he held tighter.
"Are you crazy? Let go of me you lunatic!" She pulled at his hands but he didn't budge.
"No! You were remembering something! You were so close Korra! Please try harder!"
"Get off of me!" she screamed but again he didn't listen.
"You're the Avatar! You're a part of this family! These people love you! I love you! You love me! Why can't you remember? The damn city needs you, Tenzin's family needs you, and I need you! Please, you have to remember!" Lightening flashed across the sky illuminating the look of desperation on his face. Korra shook her head and shoved him as hard as she could, finally breaking free from his grasp.
"Stop it!" she stumbled back on wobbly legs and a loud thunder shook the sky right before the down pour began. The rain soaked her clothes and her hair and seeped through to her bones. She wiped a hand across her eyes hating herself for crying. They stood there watching each other through the rain and lightning. Finally Korra began to laugh. "Me the Avatar? I don't see where you get this stuff! I don't have a family! My mother died by a" her words were like acid "by a fire bender! Haven't you hurt me enough! Did you think I forgot?"
Mako stared in shock and he shook his head lightly, water spilling from his hair. "Korra, what are you talking about? Your mother isn't dead. She's back at your ho-"
"Shut up!" Her words were mixed with a loud thunder and Mako winced. "Why can't you just stop? What do you want from me? I'm not the Avatar, I can't bend at all, I lost my mother and then you" she thrust her hand towards her chest. "I don't know what you did, but that day when I was lying on the ground, you had taken something from me. Something important, but I can't remember." Her shoulders shook as tears fell from her face.
"No. No I didn't hurt you." Mako moved as fast as he could and grabbed her upper arms and smashed his lips against hers tasting a mixture of rain and salt water. She fought against him, but he held her there and when she couldn't do anything she went fell into the kiss.
"Korra! Wait up!" Bolin yelled as he tried to catch her but she laughed and kept running. "Bolin! You aren't going to catch her!" Mako grinned as he walked alongside Asami who was laughing.
"But I want to see her face when she sees the circus for the first time!" Bolin whined, but stopped running. Mako placed his hand on his back and laughed. "We'll see it." Mako had a look of love on his face and Bolin rolled his eyes. That's when he saw it. The car that was moving too fast.
"Korra!" Mako yelled but it was too late. There was the sound of a car hitting something and then a loud thud. Mako ran as fast as he could, but he was still a good 15 seconds away.
Korra lay looking up at the sky and darkness frayed on the edge of her vision. She heard the car door open and the crunching of boots. She watched through hazy eyes as a man knelt down and placed his hand on her head and for a split second fear had frozen her limbs and right before she lost conscience he whispered in her ear "Korra, this is Mako. I wish you would die."
Korra pulled away and screamed. She fell to her knees and clutched her head as she fought off the fire that was burning her insides. A moment of terror seized Mako because he knew that she was in agony. He touched her shoulder and she cried out again falling onto her side away from his touch. The rain fell harder and it felt like it was drowning her as she opened her mouth to scream again this time blood spat up on the mud and she squeezed her eyes shut. Mako ran inside to get help from the others knowing that he couldn't do anything.
While he was gone Korra felt like she was dying, she felt like her brain was about to explode, it hurt so much. She clawed at the mud wanting more than anything to make it stop. When she opened her eyes she saw a dark figure in the opposite direction Mako had ran and he approached Korra fast. When he was near he knelt down and with a gloved finger he wiped away a trail of blood on her mouth.
"Do you want it to stop?" he asked and his voice made her remember the car crash. Another wave of pain went through her and she bit her tongue hard, tasting more blood.
"Just say you want to forget again." A flash of lightning illuminated the man's mask and Korra had to fight from passing out. The fear was almost as strong as the pain. "You don't want to be with these people. Don't you remember what I told you about your poor mother?" Korra fought to regain strength but the fire inside her was winning. "They are all the same, Korra." She finally collapsed in on herself and the pain was just too much. Her body began to convulse and she reached for the man's hand.
"Please." She said through a fit of blood. "Make me forget."
…...
Tenzin, Asami, Bolin and Mako ran over to the spot where Korra had been laying, but when they got there they stopped dead in their tracks. They stared down at a puddle of rain water that was mixed with her blood. A loud thunder shook the sky.
"Where is she?" Asami yelled over the rain. Bolin walked back and forth a worried expression on his face. "Where is she?" Asami yelled again on the verge of hysteria. Tenzin quickly kicked into business.
"We need to have a search party! Asami and Bolin, you two go get help and we will all meet up here to meet. Once that is established we will loo-"
"It won't matter." Mako said sullenly as he knelt down and picked something up. "He has her." Lighting lit up the sky and the other three looked in horror as Mako snapped Amon's mask in half.
"What? No!" Bolin fell to his knees and hit the ground with his fist. Asami covered her mouth with her hands and was crying and Tenzin closed his eyes as he fought with control. But Mako seemed to be the only one who was calm and he was about to go back inside when he heard Bolin say angrily "Why aren't you upset Mako? What are we supposed to do now?"
Mako didn't turn around and as he responded another lighting shot through the night casting his face in shadows.
"I'm going to kill him."
Woah! Okay I know I just made Mako, like, really evil, but he just lost the women he loved! I hope I'm making the story suspenseful enough for you! Haha Please tell me what you think! If you have any ideas please share! Thank you! :D
