"Okay, tell me your secret" Bolin demanded: "…How the hell did sit still for so long? You're like a meditating prodigy or something. Even my brother wasn't that good at meditating in the beginning and he is good at everything!"
Parker just shrugged her shoulders. It was the first time she was so good at something at anything. She'd never been front of the class before but she definitively liked it but still the attention she got made her nervous. All the other students from their meditating class also came talking to her and were amazed of how good she was at the skill.
Bolin and Parker were walking back to the dorms after school ended. They had some free time before dinner so they decided to do their homework together. It wasn't much but since Parker didn't know anything yet about the history of this world, besides what she had learned today and what Jaya and monk Kiyoto told her, Parker was glad to have a enthusiastic friend to help her.
They almost reached the dorms when a black shape appeared from out of the woods and almost ran them over. It was Yin, who was very glad to see her friend again.
"Yin!" Parker called: "I'm so glad to see you." And she gave the big cat a firm hug.
"Oh my god" Bolin said, watching the two with big eyes: "You know this…this animal?"
"Yeah, this is Yin. He's my best friend. Yin this is Bolin."
"He's your pet?"
"Yeah, something like that…" Parker wasn't ready to tell Bolin about Yin being her spirit guide. That would only raise more questions.
"I didn't know pets were aloud." Parker just shrugged.
"Let's just go do our homework, okay?"
"Okay" Bolin replied, still staring at the cat.
The walk inside the girls dorm. Boys weren't allowed in the bedrooms but they could sit in the common room. They weren't the only one there. Some kids were also doing their homework, others were playing a game or reading a book. But they looked up when they saw Parker and Bolin walk in. Not because it Parker or Bolin, but because of the panther sized cat behind them.
"Here, this table is free" Bolin gestured, ignoring the murmur. Parker, who felt uneasy yet again by the attention, took a chair next to Bolin. Yin went lying under the table, against Parker's feet.
Parker was glad when she finally could search for the refuge in her room after dinner. Yin had stayed by her side the whole time and that had caused for a lot of eyes pointed at Parker. But Yin was calm and this gave Parker a feeling of calmness too.
It was half past seven so she still had some time before 'lights out'. Parker was pretty tired, she had had a long day. So she prepared herself for bed and laid herself down. Yin searched for a perfect place at the end of the bed. Luckily the bed was big enough.
It didn't take long for Parker to fall asleep peacefully. This day at school had been better than any day at any other school. Yes, she had had a fair part of eyes following her but she hadn't been bullied, she hadn't been laughed at…so this definitively counted as a great day for Parker.
During the next three weeks all the other kids from Parker's meditating group discovered their own element. A couple waterbenders and firebenders, one airbender and all the rest were earthbenders. Also Bolin found out he was an earthbender in a pretty unfortunate way.
It had been last Wednesday after another meditating class. Bolin wasn't improving and this mad him angry which caused him not being able to find a calm place within himself even more. During recess he kicked against a large boulder lying on the playground. Parker was shore he was gonna break his foot. Instead the boulder flew high in the air and crossed the whole length of the playground. The unfortunate part was that the boulder flew right through the headmaster's office window. Luckily headmaster Iroh went easy on Bolin because he didn't know he was an earthbender, at least not yet before he kicked the boulder.
Since Parker was the only student left who didn't know her element yet and because she was a special case, being a spiritbender and all, the teachers had decided that Parker should go to Katara instead of having more meditating classes. Today would be her first session with older woman.
When Bolin left her side to go to the earthbending arena, Parker walked past the school towards Katara's little home. Before walking further to the door Parker just stared a few seconds at the island ahead, the island of the spiritbenders.
Parker knocked on the door and the soft voice of Katara invited her in. Parker pushed the door open. The fireplace was lit but it wasn't cold outside at all.
"Goodmorning,…eeh…" Parker didn't really know how to call Katara: Miss, Mrs, …?"
"Goodmorning Parker. And you can just call me Katara" the older woman replied: "Do you want a cup of tea, my dear? I just made a fresh pot." Parker nodded and received the little cup. Katara gestured for Parker to sit down on the same carpet as when they had met.
"So, how is school going?" Katara asked.
"Fine" Parker replied while shrugging her shoulders.
"Fine?"
"Yeah, I like all the different classes."
"Do you have a favorite one?"
"I don't know… Katara, why am I here? I don't want to be rude or anything, but I guess this isn't a normal class."
"You guessed right. Your teachers told me you're having some trouble finding your element."
Parker just sighed. She had a pretty good idea that this was the reason why she was sent to Katara.
"You're not the first student that needs a little help discovering their element. I've helped several students before." Parker doesn't reply, so Katara continues: "I've discovered most time it has to do with mental issues."
Parker looks up, nervously: "Like what?"
"It can all kinds of things: growing up in difficult home situation, being bullied, …"
Parker quickly looks back at her feet. That last thing…she could definitively relate to that, but would having been bullied be the reason she still doesn't know her element.
The next few weeks Parker visits Katara twice, sometimes three times a week. They always start off with a cup of tea. After that they mostly sit by the fire or outside in silence. It seems like Katara is waiting for Parker to start telling her life story or something. They also have taken a few walks through the woods, together with Yin, again in silence. At least then Parker had Yin, with who she felt much more comfortable than with Katara. She a very nice lady and made great tea, but Parker didn't like how much she just stared at her. Parker once told this to Jaya, who said Katara could learn twice as much about a person by just looking at them than if they would have conversation. People intent to hide themselves. They can choose what to say to one another but they can't hide non-verbal signs of how they really feel.
It was the eighth lesson with Katara and today she asked Parker a question for the first time since their first lesson: "Why do you wear a head kerchief and gloves?"
Parker was surprised by the question, both by the kind of question and that Katara asked a question at all.
"Euhm…Otherwise my tattoos…everyone would see them…" Parker stammered.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"…I…I don't want them to see…They'd think I'm weird."
"Who would think your weird?"
"Everyone…"
"Who is everyone?"
"Just…everyone" Parker raised her voice a bit. She didn't like to talk about her tattoos and what people think about her.
"Parker…do you get bullied because of them? Because of your tattoos?"
Parker looked down. She was quiet for a minute or two before she answered: "Not anymore…"
"Who bullied you?"
"Kids at my previous schools with normal kids, at magic school,…my cousins…"
"It hurts the most when it's family, isn't it."
Parker nodded.
"What do you think the student at this school will think about your tattoos."
"It's not like they're used to seeing someone covered in tattoos. I think they will laugh at me too and say I'm looking for attention or something."
"It's true that we aren't used to seeing those tattoos anymore and yes there will always be people who don't appreciate and accept you. But for many of us, seeing the spiritbending tattoos is a blessing. It gives us hope that our world is finally recovering." Parker just stared into the fire, not really knowing what to say or do.
"I would like to try something" Katara continued: "From now on, if you're having class with me, I would like you to leave your kerchief and gloves on the little table by the door. You have been wearing them for so long now, I think that your body reacted to hid by hiding your gift too. It will take some time to get used to not wearing them anymore and I would like to start here at my home, a safe place where nobody judges you."
Parker had a scared look in her eyes and was breathing heavily, which Katara noticed. She slowly put her hands on both Parker's shoulders and stared into the young girls eyes. They stood there, just staring at each other, for at least five minute when finally Parker took a deep breath and sighed deeply. She felt a peaceful glow fall over and glide through her body. Only Parker didn't know if it was from the fire of the older woman standing in front of her.
Parker wasn't really looking forward to the next class with Katara because of the new rule, but at least this person believed in her and so Parker was willing to try. Maybe Parker could finally start believing in herself.
