Earth.
Fire.
Air.
Water.
Life. Death. Truth. Lies. Expectations. Reality.
There are many things in the world that are not what they seem.
Darkness once ruled the planet. They conquered, destroyed, and dominated every little flame that rose to challenge them.
But the day they were careless, a single spark of hope was left untouched. That spark grew to a flame larger than the darkness could extinguish. A hearth of light, joy, hope, and everything that is good in the world.
But then the darkness took a new approach. Instead of coming bold and announced, they slunk in quietly, sending fear and hunger and mistrust into the hearts of the ambitious.
The humans were divided amongst themselves.
And the darkness came again.
Many were devastated by the rise of negativity. So many gave up hope, and became empty husks of what they once were. But as learned from the past, a single spark of hope can reignite a roaring flame of life.
Book 1:Water
Chapter 1:The Invitation
"Chop chop! Make your way to your classes! The bell rings in two minutes!" Kat glanced towards Mrs. Wan, the most strict and stern hall supervisor. She adjusted her round spectacles, observing the commotion in the halls with narrowed eyes.
"Well, we should probably head to our next classes." Kim said, looking for her science textbook amidst her very messy locker.
"We still have a minute!" Allen pointed out. "Besides, we'll head there once the first bell rings. I don't want to go to history class either. It's the most boring subject there is!"
"At least you don't have to dissect squirrel-frogs in history like you have to in science," Wenny grumbled. All four of them giggled.
Kat smiled. She had loving, supportive parents and fun siblings. She had a good home, generous friends, and a nice school to go to. Life was good.
But it hadn't always been this way.
Seven years ago, Kat had lived in a prison. A prison for Water Tribe natives, and any other high security prisoners of war. Considering that the Northern Water Tribe was the only nation left free, the other prisoners of war were also Water Tribe.
And they would've been stuck there for the rest of their lives, if it hadn't been for Betty.
Kat's older sister was perfect in every way. Beautiful. Kind. Smart. And a good pun-maker. But also very selfless. And so the day Betty turned nine, she volunteered to join the Fire Nation army.
That was their ticket to freedom. Kat and her family found a nice, cozy home in a harbor village where Father easily found work at the docks. But Kat couldn't bear to watch the transformation as Betty was taught to be ruthless, dangerous, and cunning. That went against everything that her older sister was, and Kat was afraid one day, she wouldn't be able to recognize Betty anymore.
The loud rings coming from the school bell shook Kat out of her thoughts. It was the first bell, meaning they had one minute to get to their classes. Kat quickly sorted through her books, and found the right ones.
"Guess we should probably get going now." Allen sighed. "I'm so glad that this is the last class of the day."
"Cheer up! Betty's coming home tonight, and Mother's making stewed prunes!" Kim beamed. Kat brightened up at the thought of Betty and stewed prunes as well. Stewed prunes had to be the most delicious food in the entire world!
"See you later!" Kat waved, as she walked towards her next class, which was math. The students still left in the halls were scrambling desperately towards their next class, or trying to find something in their locker. Thankfully, math wasn't far from Kat's locker.
Entering the classroom, about half of the students were already in their seats, chatting happily to the people around them. Kat found her usual seat near the back, next to her best friend Stacy. Well, best friend outside of her siblings.
"Hey, Stace!" Kat smiled. "So how was today? I totally forgot to do my history homework. Mrs. Avalan got soooo mad, since it's like the fifth time I've forgotten to do it! Gosh, school can be so annoying sometimes."
"Agreed. I forgot to do the science homework. It's just too much sometimes!" Stacy nodded, putting down the pencil that she had been playing with.
"Well, at least we won't be in school for much longer! When I turn sixteen, I'm starting a gaming business! No more schoolwork!" Kat declared loudly, punching the air with her fist. The others didn't bat an eye in her direction at all; they had all gotten used to her random outbursts.
Just then, Mrs. Huaxian, their math teacher, walked into the classroom. Kat immediately straightened up, and stopped chatting with Stacy. The rest of the class stopped talking as well when they spotted their math teacher.
"Good afternoon, class." Mrs. Huaxian greeted curtly. "Today we will be going over linear functions. But first, I'll be going around to collect your homework on coordinate planes." As she started walking down the rows, Kat stopped watching the teacher and looked around. Then she spotted that Stacy had a new hair clip! It was made of a pretty blue stone shaped like a polar bear dog, with a plain gray metal clip.
"Psst!" Kat whispered, trying to catch Stacy's attention. "Where'd you get that hair clip? It looks nice!" Stacy turned around to speak with Kat.
"At that new accessory store down the block from the town hall!" Stacy whispered back. "Remember? It's the one that opened last week! There were so many great things in there. I wanted the green dog choker, but it was too expensive."
"Remind me to go there and get something for Kim. She loves pretty stuff!" Kat grinned. "Are there gold chokers or bracelets there? Not real gold, of course. We can't afford that kind of stuff. Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"
Stacy was staring at Kat, wide eyed and looking slightly scared. No, more like above Kat. She gulped, and turned around to see Mrs. Huaxian standing above her, staring down and looking unamused.
"Chatting in class again, Miss La?" Mrs. Huaxian mused. "Detention for you and Miss Hinojosa. Meet me at my office after school." She then walked away, leaving Kat wanting to bang her head on her desk. Kat absolutely just hated school.
"Alright, class. Now, does anyone know—" Mrs. Huaxian was cut off, by a sharp knock at the classroom door. She sighed with frustration, and started rambling to herself as she went to get the door. "I swear, if it's Lee, I'm giving him a month of detentions for being late—oh!"
Kat strained to see who was at the door, but when she did see, she gasped quietly and sat back down immediately. Men dressed in red armor with skull helmets. Carrying spears and just looking menacing. Soldiers.
"M-my, welcome! It is an honor, Captain." Mrs. Huaxian bowed deeply(which Kat had never seen her do before), and stepped aside as the menacing soldiers walked inside. The leading soldier looked more regal, and had more intricately designed armor than the ones in the back. Kat assumed that was the captain.
The captain turned to one of the officers behind him, who was carrying a stack of letters, and quietly muttered something to him. The officer nodded, and started walking around the classroom, passing out the letters. Kat noticed that only the girls got the letters.
He then arrived at her row. Kat suddenly got a sick, terrified feeling that was very unusual in her. The soldier came closer and closer to her, and then, set down one of the letters on Kat's desk. Curious, Kat opened it and started to read the letter inside.
Dear Candidate,
Congratulations. You have been chosen to participate in the Bending Test at the Fire Nation Capital. What an honor.
You have received this letter because you could possibly be the avatar. You're all thirteen years old, from the Southern Water Tribe, and all girls. Which means any of you could be the avatar. And now, you must come to Capital City to take a bending test, to see if you are the avatar.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask some of the soldiers. But they won't always have your answers. Well, I guess I'll be seeing you peasants soon.
From,
Fire Lord Azula
Kat read it again. And again. And for the fourth time. Then,
She decided to ignore it.
Kat pretended that the letter wasn't there, that the soldiers were here for the boys instead of the girls. She brought her mind to deciding whether she should buy a bracelet or an anklet for Kim at the new jewelry store, and how she should unleash Cardma on her siblings the next time they played Uno. Kat pretended that the letter was just a fake that Wenny had written and designed.
Everyone living the South had one way or another to cope with the constant stress of soldiers. And this was Kat's way. She never wanted to ever get in the way of the soldiers. Her brain kept reasoning that it was to get out of trouble, but if she dug deep down, there would be this impenetrable barrier holding back deeper reasons that may never be revealed.
But she couldn't pretend it was fake forever. And it only took two minutes before her pretending no longer worked.
"Well, now that you have all read your letters, you know what this is all about." The captain spoke coolly. "Girls, you will be coming with me now to board your ship to the Fire Nation. From there on, Admiral Shenjin will speak with you in detail about all of this. Now, come along. We don't have all day."
Right then, things exploded and spiraled out of control as fast as a sea serpent.
The soldiers started to surround the room, and nudged the girls roughly to start moving. When one came to Kat, all of Kat's instincts were telling her to run, to not stand up, to remain rooted. At least refuse politely, or ask if she could notify her siblings or grab some belongings first. But her body wouldn't comply. It was one of these times, where Kat literally lost control of her entire body.
Kat didn't understand what kind of a reaction this was. Every time a soldier, commander, or any person in the military gave an order, direct or indirect, she would just lose control of her body as it goes and complies. That happened every time—except around Betty.
Kat, or at least, Kat's body followed the soldiers out of the classroom and into the deserted hallway. Well, deserted of students. There were many soldiers around the hallway, standing next to doors or just waiting.
Kat could see Netty in front of her, with her short, dark purplish-black hair. Out of the corner of her eye, Kat spotted Stacy and someone else, someone with long brown hair in braids. Kat didn't recognize who that was.
They navigated the long, confusing halls of the school that Kat had long gotten used to, until they came to the front entrance. Through the open double wooden doors, she could see a large, closed in wagon being pulled by several komodo-rhinos. Kat wanted to go and quietly chat with Stacy, but her body was still being weird and not complying.
Oh, and did she mention all the panicking thoughts going through her head? Ignore all that.
The outside looked huge enough. The inside was even larger. There were benches lined with silk and velvet along the walls, and in rows in the center. They looked comfortable enough for sitting, as long as the silk and velvet was stuffed, like cushion pads.
Once everyone was inside, the soldiers slammed the doors shut and Kat regained control of her body. Thank goodness, as she absolutely had to sit by Stacy for this. Kat ran over to her brown haired friend, and gave her a quick hug.
"Any idea what all of this is?" Kat asked, smiling weakly. Stacy shook her head.
"Nope! I had no idea that we were going to be taken to the Fire Nation Capital for a bending test." Stacy replied, then started frowning concernedly. "Are you alright, Kat? You were acting pretty strange on our way out."
Kat shook her head fiercely. "Nope!" She lied. "I'm perfectly fine. Just a little shocked."
"If you say so," Stacy shrugged, sounding unconvinced. They sat in uncomfortable silence, mostly because every time Kat tried to start a conversation, the wagon would open and soldiers would come in. That always made Kat flinch. Why she was so scared of soldiers to this point, she had no idea. It was one of life's mysteries that she had pondered for years.
After about ten minutes or so, the wagon started moving. Kat stared out the window, watching as the familiar homes and shops and restaurants started to flash by. At one point, they passed by the town hall and Kat spotted the new jewelry store that she had been talking about with Stacy earlier.
"Are you really okay?" Stacy asked again. "It's not like you to be so quiet for so long. If you aren't, I can get help!"
"No!" Kat blurted out rather loudly. "I mean, I'm fine. Besides, I don't think the soldiers would help out very much either. It's best not to bother them and draw attention to ourselves."
"I don't think that's the case with everyone, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't tell anyone." Stacy mused. She shot Kat another suspicious look, before settling for gazing out the window as well. Another minute passed in utter silence. Kat decided to spark up a conversation, now that the soldiers were gone.
"So what do you think they're going to do with us?" Kat started. "I mean, like on the ship. We will need new clothes and stuff, since they're not letting us pack." Stacy turned and smiled, probably because Kat's normal character was coming back.
"Oh, I don't know." Stacy replied. "They'll probably give us something to wear. Most likely red…."
Their conversation continued until the wagon came to a halt, jostling Kat and the others a little. Kat looked towards the door, tensing up and preparing for her Other Self to come out again. That was what she had nicknamed that reaction years ago. Kat had not made any true enemies during her lifetime so far, except for her Other Self.
The wagon door slammed open, but before her Other Self could take control, Kat saw something comforting. The leading soldier didn't have her helmet on, her fuchsia pink hair spilling out and curling like waves.
It was Betty.
Kat sighed a breath of relief. When Betty was around, her Other Self didn't dare come out. A visible smile started to crawl up her face.
"Alright, candidates." Betty called. "The wagon has arrived at the ship that you will be taking to Capital City. Please follow us to board it." Kat noticed that her sister's voice tone wasn't as harsh and straightforward as the rest of the soldiers'. It had a soft, sympathetic undertone to it, which really set Betty apart from the others. No matter what, her personality could never be erased by any soldier training.
Or at least, that was what Kat believed in.
Kat stood up immediately, and bounced towards the exit cheerfully. Betty saw her coming almost instantly, and beamed as she approached.
"Betty!" Kat squealed, hugging her older sister. "It's been two months since I've last seen you!"
"It's good to see you too, Kat." Betty smiled cheerfully. "Now, you should follow the others into the ship now. I'll talk to you later, when I have more time." Kat nodded happily, and skipped off the wagon.
"You're almost as tall as your sister!" Stacy laughed as Kat caught up to her. "Now that's something you don't see every day."
"I know!" Kat agreed happily. "We always tease her about it. Heck, Kim's even taller than Betty! To make up for her lack of height, Betty replaces them with puns. Now that's more scary." Kat shuddered at the thought of the endless puns that Betty made when she was home.
"Geez. Now that, can be more terrifying than being caught by Mrs. Wan in the halls after the second bell has rang." Stacy gulped.
"No way!" Kat laughed. "Nothing is scarier than Mrs. Wan! We should all know that. Remember what happened to Allen that one time he missed the bell?" Stacy visibly shuddered, which made Kat laugh even harder. But it all stopped when she truly took in the ship in front of them.
It was huge, unlike any military vessel that Kat had ever seen. The tall, steel structure loomed high above Kat, looking strong and menacing and impenetrable. The front exit had been lowered, and what Kat could see of the dark, gloomy inside so far was not very nice.
There were four, seasoned looking soldiers standing by the entrance, two holding sharp, metal spears. When the leading soldier approached them, the soldiers stepped apart and let them pass. Kat looked around as she walked, trying to see where Betty had disappeared to.
It was nearly December, and although the sun was high in the sky, it was still freezing cold. Yet as Kat entered the ship, it was oddly warm. She wondered if it was due to firebending, or some other new Fire Nation invention.
They were led down the seemingly endless maze of halls, all looking exactly the same, with boring gray metal and torches lined on the walls. The further they got into the ship, the hotter the halls felt. Kat was starting to sweat inside her thick parka fur coat. At last, they reached a large door in the middle of another hall, which the leading soldier stopped in front of and opened it.
The inside was not too surprising. Dull gray metal walls, a Fire Nation banner on the back wall, and many bunk beds in neat rows. There was a long, wooden table down the center, with small wooden benches along each side.
"There ya have it." The leading soldier turned and said gruffly. "Now, stay here and don't cause any trouble while we're gone." The minute Kat and all the others were inside, the soldiers stepped out and slammed the door shut, probably locking it.
Kat wandered over to one of the beds. On each of them, there was a set of silky pajamas, a towel, and some toiletries. She unfolded the pajamas, which were just plain red with loose sleeves.
"Well this is definitely interesting." Kat jumped and turned around to see Stacy behind her, musing at the pajamas that Kat was holding up. "I didn't expect such high quality material! The Royal Family truly has deep, deep pockets."
"Wonder what gowns we'll get for the test itself," Kat joked. She set the pajamas down, and fumbled around her pockets. Kat came across something triangular shaped, and pulled it out, curious.
It was a smooth golden stone, specifically a clip, painstakingly carved thin and into the shape of a triangle. There was a 'K' inscribed in the center, painted over with black ink to make it stand out more. Kat ran her fingers over the K delicately.
It was the stone that she had carved with her siblings months ago! They had all made one for themselves, with their first initial carved into the stone. Kat thought that she had lost the stone a long time ago, but apparently not.
"What's that?" Stacy asked, glancing over at the triangular stone.
"It's something I made a long time ago. I thought I'd lost it," Kat responded distantly, clutching the stone tightly. "I hope Betty still has hers. We made these last time she came home."
"Well, the details totally rock!" Stacy joked. "Ha ha, get it? Rock?" Kat grimaced.
"Nice try, but Betty could beat you any time." Kat smiled. "You should learn from her."
"I'll try, if she has time." Stacy grinned back. Kat and Stacy spent the rest of their time just chatting, catching up on stuff, and trying to find some paper and pencil to draw. More and more girls came filing in, and Kat tried to ignore the uneasy feeling she got every time the door opened and soldiers came in.
Just as Kat was about to teach Stacy how to draw polar bear dogs, the door slammed open and a tough, weathered looking soldier marched through. There was a long scar across his face, which had been stitched up probably very recently. Just looking at him made Kat feel sick.
"Alright people," he barked. "listen up." The Other Self instantly seized control, and Kat looked up immediately, her eyes and ears all on the soldier.
"I'm Captain Baracak, and you better all behave on your way there." He started roughly. "The journey will take four days, and we will be stopping at New Ozai 'bout halfway there. Admiral Shenjin and I both expect perfect behavior, and no interruptions. Bathroom's over there, meals will be served three times a day, and you are not to leave the room without special permission. Any questions?" He paused for a moment, before grunting and leaving. The minute he left, Kat relaxed.
"Well, wasn't that detailed." Stacy deadpanned, before bursting into giggles. "So when will the ship leave?" Kat opened her mouth to respond, but suddenly the engine rumbled to life, and the floor beneath her trembled slightly.
"I think that's your answer." Kat responded dryly. She sat back on her bed, staring at the ceiling and wondering what adventures could come with this trip to the capital. Speaking of which, where was Betty?
"Kat! I'm here!"
Oh, there she was.
Kat sat back up, to see her older sister bolting straight for her. She closed her eyes, bracing for a huge hug which came a second later. It literally squeezed all the air out of her.
"Hey there, sis." Kat gasped, out of breath(literally). Even though Betty was sixteen, and in the military, she was still very immature and childish at times. After a couple more seconds, Betty finally let go, a look of excitement in her chocolate brown eyes.
"So what's been going on lately?" Betty asked quickly. "What's the latest gossip? Trends? Any new friends? Ooh, what about Netty? I told you she's a nice girl! Or Bea! It's good to have friends outside of Stacy and our siblings!"
"Slow down!" Kat protested. "Why are you so energetic today? Hold on, I take that back. Why are you always this energetic?! And for your information, I haven't made any new friends and I don't need to. Seriously, if you want to talk to them, Netty and Bea are right over there! Don't bother me about them!"
"Okay, I admit, I kinda just want to know more about them." Betty admitted. "But what about the other questions I asked? Remember the old hotel that got demolished near town hall? What was that turned into?" Kat wondered how Betty could talk this fast. She herself was pretty talkative, but never as good as Betty!
"It got turned into a jewelry store." Kat replied. "And it has pretty good products as well! I was hoping to buy one for Kim, since she's been begging for a new bracelet or choker. But then….you know. All this happened."
"I get it." Betty nodded. "What else has happened? Anything good?"
"Yeah. Remember those clips that we made months ago?" Kat pulled out hers again, from her pocket. "Well, I found mine. And I thought I'd lost it forever!" Betty peered suspiciously at the clip, as if checking if it was a fake, before a wide grin spread across her face.
"That's GREAT!" Betty exclaimed. "Here, I still have mine! Check it out!" She fumbled around her pockets, before pulling out her clip. It looked just like Kat's, except with a 'B' on it instead of a K.
"I wish I could replay a 'clip' of your expression." Stacy joked. "It totally rocked!"
Kat facepalmed.
Betty's eyes lit up. "I could say that about your expression as well! But you just 'beat me to the punch!'" They then punched each other's fists, laughing.
Kat wanted to bang her head on a table. Here she goes again…
Welcome to Chapter 1 of Legend of Katherine, LOK for short! Still getting used to the publishing part of the website, as I've only been a reader for a very long time. Not much to say here, but I will respond to (some) comments! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be updating again next Sunday! :)