The door to the dining room opened momentarily before closing shut with a loud slam. Tenzin, Pema, and their three young children jumped. The family was seated around the table, eating dinner, when Korra had entered, loudly and abruptly.

Tenzin was about to reprimand her for coming home so late and missing their training session, but decided against it when he saw the look on Korra's face. "What happened this time, Korra?" he put down his bowl of rice. Korra glanced at the three children, whose eyes had grown wide with curiosity. "Jinora, Ikki, Meelo – " Tenzin said, without looking in their direction. "Go to your rooms."

"But we want to know what happened to Korra!" Ikki whined. Pema gave her a warning glare. Ikki shrank back and pattered down the hallway with her siblings.

"Will someone please explain," Korra growled, "Why I have to keep my identity as the Avatar a secret? Ever since I moved here, not one person has told me why. All you do is talk about how it's classified White Lotus business and how I should just focus on airbending. But no, I'm not going to put up with that anymore. I don't care if it's classified, I'm involved and I demand to know!" she slammed her fist for emphasis.

Silence. "Why so sudden, Korra?" Tenzin said. "Did something happen?"

"I just – my friend Mako figured out that I'm not an airbender," Korra said through gritted teeth. "And then we got into a fight with this pig named Chun –" Pema and Tenzin exchanged glances. " – and we got distracted, so I thought Mako would let it go, but he didn't and now I'm pretty sure he knows but he won't say anything and things are just so, so weird right now – "

"Maybe you should sit down, Korra," Pema suggested gently.

Korra remembered to breathe. She dropped onto a cushion opposite them in a huff. "Well?" she demanded. "Is anyone going to tell me anything for once?" The married couple exchanged glances again, evoking a frustrated groan from Korra.

"She has to know eventually," Pema said to Tenzin.

"But, Pema – " Both Korra and Pema glared at him. "Alright, alright, I'll explain. Korra," he began slowly as he clasped his hands together on the table. "In Republic City, there is a secret group of anti-benders called the Equalists."

"The Equalists?" Korra wrinkled her nose.

"Yes. They are led by a man who goes by the name of Amon. They seek to eliminate bending, so that everyone is placed on equal ground. Now, understandably," Tenzin continued, "As the Avatar, in a way, you are the symbol of bending. The one person in the world who can manipulate all four elements. That makes you a very, very important target to them."

Korra searched his face, looking for any sign of humor. There was none. She swallowed. "So..." she took a deep breath. "So they're looking for me."

"Not you, specifically," Tenzin said. "They don't know that it's you. But if they were to find out who the new Avatar was, there's no telling what they would do."

"So my life is in danger."

"Exactly," Tenzin cleared his throat. "What they do know about the new Avatar is that he or she would be around your age – the number of years since my father's death – and a waterbender. When we decided to move you here, it wasn't just because you needed to train with me. It was also to protect you. The Equalists had begun searching in the Northern Water Tribe, and they would no doubt scour the Southern Tribe as well. You were at risk of being discovered, so we took you here to Republic City: under their very noses, the last place they would expect.

"But there was one thing we did not account for," Tenzin continued. "The Equalists have eyes everywhere in the city. They have discovered that the Avatar might be here, in town." Korra tried to take this all in, breathing heavily. Her heart was starting to beat rapidly as fear – an emotion Korra rarely encountered – rippled through her like icy water. "And they're narrowing their search down."

Korra swallowed. "So...what does this mean? Do I have to move again?" Her mind flickered to Bolin, Mako, and all the new friends she had made. If she had to leave, she'd miss them terribly. Even Mako.

"The Order of the White Lotus has decided to keep you here for the time being," Tenzin said. "They're deploying another group of sentries to boost security around the island as we speak. But if anything that puts you at risk happens, you're going to be on the next ship back to the Southern Water Tribe, young lady. You better behave and stay out of trouble!"

Korra huffed. What kind of girl did Tenzin think she was? She wasn't the kind to get in trouble. No, not at all... "Wait, that's it? There are people hunting me down and you're just going to let it go?"

"For now, they don't know the identity of the Avatar. It could be any teenaged waterbender in the city – or in the world, even. Much of the information they get is hearsay. It would arouse more suspicion if you suddenly fled the city just as their search is beginning."

"And what about when I'm not on the island? What about when I'm at school, or hanging out in the city? Who's going to look out for me then?"

"Don't you worry about that," Tenzin said mysteriously. "It's all been taken care of, as usual."

Korra wrinkled her nose. She wondered what he meant by that. As she got up to leave, she thought about what all of this would mean for her. There was a group – probably a dangerous one, at that – of so-called "Equalists" who were on the hunt for her. She didn't know how to feel: terrified, because it could mean her demise? Or brave, because she was the Avatar, after all?

"Korra, one more thing," Pema added in her calm, quiet voice. "Be careful. I know we've told you this before, but it is absolutely important that no one find out about you being the Avatar."

"Uh, yeah, that," she raised her shoulders. "Mako kind of already figured out that I was lying, right? And he might be on to something."

"Act as normally as possible," Pema advised her. "Even if you think Mako can keep a secret...well, trust no one."

Slowly, Korra nodded.

Things between Korra and Mako do not get any better.

It wasn't as though they were in the middle of a fight. They were on amiable terms (or at least, as amiable as one could get with Mako). But things between them were strange and tense in that Mako knew Korra was hiding a secret and was determined to find out exactly what it was. And Korra, of course, was equally as determined to hide it.

Korra spent most of her free time with her friends, which, of course, included Mako. They were usually with Bolin, Asami, and Hasook, so (thankfully, Korra thought) she never had to spend time with him alone. In fact, over the past few days, she had taken extra precautions to make sure that she would not have to. She knew that if they were to be left alone, he would jump at the chance to question her. Meanwhile, whenever they were together in a group, she could practically feel him scrutinizing her behavior – listening, carefully, in case Korra inadvertently let something slip. It made her nervous.

For several days, at least, her plan to avoid Mako (and along with that, any questions he might have) worked. This was until she failed her first Trigonometry test.

"You," Asami drawled, "got an F?" She was sitting at their usual cafeteria table with Korra, Bolin, Mako, and Hasook. The group was examining Korra's test paper, which was covered in angry, red pen marks.

Korra rested her chin on her fist, looking resentful. "Yeah," she confirmed sullenly.

"I don't get it, Korra," Asami frowned. "This is really easy. How can you get an F?"

"I guess I haven't been paying much attention in class," Korra shrugged. "Chun is really distracting. He keeps shooting angry glares at me."

The entire table groaned. "Chun," Hasook muttered darkly.

"Still hasn't forgiven you for punching him in the face, huh?" Mako snickered.

"I wish I had been around to see that," Bolin said disdainfully. "Too bad I had to leave early and go to Hasook's. Damn it, Hasook!"

"What?" Hasook scowled.

Korra let out a frustrated groan. "What do I do about this? I can't fail."

"You could get tutoring!" Bolin's face brightened.

"Hey, yeah, that could work," Asami agreed thoughtfully.

"From who? Do you know anyone who's good at Trigonometry?" Korra inquired. Bolin, Hasook, and Asami all turned to look at Mako. Mako blinked. "Mako? You're good at this stuff?"

"Oh, Mako's a real math genius," Bolin smirked. "He just doesn't want people to know it." Mako elbowed him. "Ow! Dude, you have got to stop doing that, I'm getting bruises," Bolin whimpered, rubbing a spot on his stomach.

"Well? Are you going to tutor her or not?" Hasook asked.

Mako looked at Korra, who stared back defiantly. She knew what he was thinking: this was the perfect opportunity to squeeze information out of her. "Sure," Mako said, with a sly smile.

"Thanks," Korra mumbled. A feeling of dread overcame her.

"Might as well start now," Mako stood up. He reached out and his fingers closed around the test paper. "It looks like you have a long way to go." Korra huffed. She left the cafeteria stomping, with the firebender trailing closely behind her.

"They seem to be getting along really well, if you know what I mean," Asami smirked, raising an eyebrow at the cafeteria exit doors.

"Oh, you don't know the half of it," Bolin said. "Mako talks about Korra a lot these days. He's asking questions about her all the time, like, it's weird. I've never seen him this interested in anybody."

"Really now," Asami's eyes remained fixed at the spot where Mako had sat. "That's interesting."

In general, libraries were places where people can go to read or spend time in quiet study.

At Republic City High School, it was not so.

Sure, there were all the hallmarks of a school library: towering, wooden shelves lining the walls, armchairs in which students could sit and read, and smaller study rooms where groups of people could work together. But for a place where one would expect an atmosphere of calm and quiet, the library was full of unruly students talking loudly – none of which, Korra noticed, were holding a book of any kind.

"Uh, Mako," she spoke up. "I don't think we can study here."

Mako scanned the crowded library and grabbed her arm. He dragged her into an empty study room and closed the door behind them.

The room itself was miniscule, but of a sufficient size to fit two connecting desks and several chairs. The sound of rowdy conversation from outside was muffled. Korra could finally hear herself think again. She was about to settle into one of the chairs when she realized Mako's fingers were still tightly wrapped around her arm.

He looked at her, gulped, and quickly let go. Clearing his throat, he lowered himself onto a seat. Korra took this as an indication that she should do the same.

"I, ah, don't have any of my books with me…" Korra said.

"That's okay," Mako said. "I didn't come here to teach you. At least, not right now."

"Then what did you bring me here for?"

"I just wanted to talk," Mako answered briefly.

Korra narrowed her eyes. "About what?" she inquired cautiously.

"Well," Mako said, "You've been avoiding me. And I think it's because of what happened that day at the tea shop." Korra averted his gaze and focused her attentions on a tiny bug crawling on the side of the desk.

"Korra," he called her, and she looked up at him silently. "Why did you lie about being an airbender? What are you hiding?"

"I'm not hiding anything," Korra lied, gritting her teeth.

"You and I both know that's a lie," his face grew grim, and Korra detected a slight hint of anger in his voice.

Korra scowled. "Why does it matter so much to you that I'm hiding something?"

"Because we're friends," Mako said plainly. "And friends don't lie to each other."

For a moment, Korra was taken aback. Her initial impression that Mako found her irritating had stuck to her, and she had not realized that he actually considered her a friend. The atmosphere in the room had gotten considerably tense, but with this revelation, Korra was inclined to let the matter drop. But, stubborn as she was, she was not willing to back down.

"Well, you know what?" Korra snapped. "Maybe I have a good reason for lying. And I'm tired of you trying to play detective, skulking around and trying to find out what my secret is. Fact is, it's none of your business," she said, trying to control her anger. "Until you let this go, don't even bother trying to talk to me."

And with that, she left.

Weeks passed, and neither Mako nor Korra spoke another word to each other – a fact that was noticed by the other members of their little friend group. Bolin, Hasook, and Asami were starting to feel concern for the pair, who merely ignored each other's presence and refused to apologize to the other. By then, the three teenagers had spent enough time talking to both Mako and Korra to know what their fight was about.

"So she lied about being an airbender," Asami said. "What's the big deal? Maybe she has a good reason for it."

"I don't see any reason why she would do that, though," Hasook disagreed, to Mako's approval. "What does she stand to gain from it?"

"Unless," Mako pointed out. "Unless she told that lie to cover up an even bigger secret."

"Come on, guys!" Bolin frowned. "This is Korra we're talking about! Why would she keep secrets from us? She's been pretty open to us about everything."

"Can we talk about something else?" Hasook whined. "I'm tired of this subject."

Asami rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Let's talk about this week's match." She shot a warning glance at Mako, who had opened his mouth to protest. Apparently, he wasn't finished talking about the Korra issue. "The Buzzard Wasps saw your performance in your match against the Tigerdillos, and they want to up the ante."

The Fire Ferrets had performed exceptionally well several weeks ago when they had come head-to-head with the Tigerdillos. Though it was a close game, the Fire Ferrets managed to pull through at the end and deliver blow after blow to the opposing team, securing their victory and their position as the new crowd favorite. This position had previously been held by the Buzzard Wasps, who was due to compete against them this Friday. Tickets for the match had sold out mere hours after sales opened: people were eager to see how the Fire Ferrets would stack up against the Buzzard Wasps, who were just as eager to win back the spectators' hearts.

"How much are we talking?" Bolin asked.

"Double the usual. Sixty yuan, so twenty each," Asami said. The three boys grumbled as each of them took out his wallet to examine its contents.

"Twenty is all I have," Mako said grumpily, handing the bill over to Asami.

"Don't worry, boys," she said with a glint in her eye. "As long as you perform as well as you did last time, you'll win the match for sure. Not to mention the forty yuan each of you will get."

"Is Korra coming to our match?" Bolin said. Mako flinched. "She hasn't had the chance to watch any of our matches so far. I think she'd like it."

"I'll make sure she comes along," Asami reassured him. "That is, unless Mr. Mako here wants to protest. No? Good. Then she'll be there."

The day of the match had arrived. Korra and Asami, both sporting bright red attire to show their support for the Fire Ferrets, sat impatiently in their seats as they waited for the match to begin. Every seat in the arena had been filled, each one occupied by an excited spectator eager to watch the match unfold. The atmosphere was electric, and Korra loved it.

From the center of the hexagonal pro-bending ring, an announcer dressed in pinstripes emerged. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen!" he shouted. "Are you ready?" The crowd roared in response. "Announcing…the Buzzard Wasps!"

Three men, dressed in yellow uniform, made their way across the ring with confidence. Korra didn't like the look of them as they waved to the crowd and blew kisses. The spectators cheered. Those dressed in the team's colors proudly waved their banners to show off their spirit. "And, please welcome," the announcer continued. He gestured to the opposite end of the ring. "The Fire Ferrets!"

The crowd exploded. A sea of fans wearing red jumped to their feet and cheered loudly as Mako, Bolin, and Hasook entered the ring. "It's them!" Korra clapped her hands excitedly. She was still angry at Mako, sure, but she couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as she watched her friends wave hello to the crowd.

The announcer exited the battle area, and the two teams took their positions across each other. Amidst the loud calls of the spectators, Asami shouted, "Remember what I told you: the point of the game is to gain as much territory as possible, and avoid getting knocked out."

Korra nodded.

A bell rang, loud and clear, to signify the start of the first round. Both teams exploded into action. Korra watched in awe: jets of water, flames, and stone discs bulleted back and forth between both sides of the arena. Bolin stamped his foot into the ground and delivered a quick one-two punch, sending disc after disc into the chest of one opponent, who was quickly knocked back to Zone Two.

"Go Bolin!" Korra cried.

Hasook stood off to the side of the ring, a look of utter concentration upon his face. His chest rising and falling slowly – Korra wondered how he could remain so calm during a moment so intense – the waterbender raised his hands gently, lifting water from the grates. This gentleness disappeared in an instant: Hasook's hands burst forward, sending a small but hard-hitting wave of water towards a Buzzard Wasp, who stumbled backwards and into Zone 2. The spectators cheered.

"Well, folks, it looks like the Fire Ferrets are off to a great start!" the announcer exclaimed. "Barely a minute into the match, both Bolin and Hasook have managed to knock back two of their opponents into Round Two! Meanwhile, when will it be Mako's time to shine?"

Korra hated to admit it, but Mako was good. His strikes were quick, powerful, and effective. He moved like quicksilver, dodging blasts with little effort. Pro-bending seemed to be just as natural to him as walking. She was impressed.

Just as she reluctantly admitted this to herself, however, something terrible occurred. The blasts that were being exchanged by both teams created a large cloud of dust that temporarily concealed Mako. Even over the screams of the spectators, Korra could hear a familiar voice crying out in pain.

"It's Mako!" she grabbed Asami's arm in panic. The crowd hushed, waiting for the cloud to disperse. Korra got up from her seat to get a closer look.

Mako was clutching his sides, his face an expression of pure agony. The referee blew a whistle and the players ceased their barrage of elements upon each other. Mako cautiously, painfully touched one hand to his stomach. He turned his hand over and Korra gasped.

It was covered in blood.

Korra's mouth fell open in silent horror as Mako stood, panting heavily, staring down at himself.

And then, slowly, he crumpled to the ground.