A.N. This chapter is a little angsty. I wanted to really go into Brooklyn's background in this one so there is a lot of monolog. Thanks to everyone who has read this, it really means a lot.

Chapter 5

Previously on Assassins and Metal Benders

"You don't know me!" Lin screamed. I looked her straight in her cold, rage filled, green eyes.

"Yes. I do. Because when I look at you. I. See. Me."

"Liar!" Lin yelled at me. "We are nothing alike." She spat at me.

"How would you know? You haven't even asked my name." I retorted. "Ever since I got here you've wanted nothing to do with me. For all you know we are exactly alike." Tenzin and Korra were watching us with apprehensive gazes. Trying to decide if they should step in or just watch. For now they just watched us, glancing back and forth between us.

"And you have!?" Lin raged. "You haven't asked my name or tried to get to know me! For all you know we are nothing alike!" She took a step closer to me pointing her finger at me. There was only a few feet separating us and I could feel the anger and rage pouring off of her in waves.

"That is true." I conceded. "But when I look at you in your eyes I do see me. I see the facade and the walls you put up so you don't get hurt, I see how you lash out at anyone who gets too close, I see how you mask your pain in your work not showing any weakness, I see a hurt little girl who just wants to be accepted. I see that in your eyes, and I know that no matter how hard I try to hide it, all of those things are reflected in my eyes." I took a step toward her till there was only inches between us and murmured softly. "I see those things in you, and I think that just maybe if I can help you it will fix me. I hide my problems behind the same facade and walls, lashing out at anyone who get too close, I pour myself into my work never showing weakness, but I'm just a hurt, broken little girl trying not to break into a thousand pieces." By this point my voice was barely above a whisper so I knew only Lin heard what I just said. "Maybe I lash out at you because when I look at you I'm terrified at what I see." I looked into her eyes pleading for her to understand. "I… I'm sorry Lin, for everything." With that I turned around and left the room heading for the courtyard. As soon as my foot hit dirt I took off at a full sprint.

"Brooklyn!" Korra shouted. I heard her footsteps gaining on me. "Hey! Wait up!" I stopped running. I could feel the tears streaming down my face. I'm crying? I haven't cried since I was just a little girl. Korra grabbed my arm and spun me around seeing my tears she pulled me into a hug. "Oh Brooklyn." She cooed. "I've got you." She held me as I cried. I cried for the little girl inside me that was hurting, I cried for all the times that I was beaten because I wasn't good enough, I cried for all the times I wanted to cry but couldn't, I cried and I cried till I couldn't cry anymore. Korra was a saint through it all. She just held me and rubbed my back the way I figured my mother would have done if she hadn't died when I was a baby.

"I-I'm sorry Korra." I pulled away from her arms. "I shouldn't have just fallen apart like that."

"It's okay, but you wanna tell me what all of that was about?" She probed gently.

"I-I… I just snapped." I whispered. "I couldn't stand the thought of someone else hating me without actually knowing me."

"So you yelled and provoked her into a fight?" Korra asked incredulously. I gave a small laugh.

"Yeah. I guess that was probably not the best way to go about it. She just. When she completely dismissed me it reminded me of my father."

"How so?"

"My father was a cruel and sadistic man." I started. "He was the leader of a gang I guess you could say." I heard someone approaching behind us, it was Tenzin. I immediately stood up to face him. "Tenzin, I must apologize for my actions. I have behaved inexcusably, you welcome me into your home and I attack your friend. I-." Tenzin interrupted me before I could finish my apology.

"Brooklyn. Stop. I just want to know one thing; why would do that or what would push you to do that?"

"That is a long story, take a seat I guess it's time I told you a little bit more about my past." Tenzin, Korra, and I all sat on one of the benches in the courtyard. "As I was telling Korra, Lin's failure to see me brought up some long buried memories of my father. He was the leader of a highly prestigious group." I paused not really knowing how to say this. "He…" I sighed. I'd faced hordes of violent men that weren't as scary as the thought of telling these two what I was. A killer.

"He was the leader of a group of assassins." They looked at me in shock. "His personality was perfect for killing. He had no mercy, he was cruel, statistical, and he reveled in pain. It brought him the utmost pleasure." Tenzin looked sick he probably knew where this was going, Korra, however, just looked intrigued.

"I was his favorite tool. His instrument of death. I was bred, born, and trained to be a killer. Every day of my life was filled with pain. I underwent things so terrible I would have rather died. Just because I was his child I was not given mercy. If anything it made it worse. When I messed up my teachers would punish me however they saw fit, but then my dad would do worse." I stood up and removed the green tunic I had on, showing Tenzin the scars that ran all down my back. "The fruits of his labor." I gave a little laugh. I put the tunic back on before continuing.

"I have killed so many people, so, so many people." Tears slowly started falling down my face once again. "I tried to run away once when I was seven. I was caught, and oh, how I wished they had just killed me. I will spare you the details of what they did, but after that I never tried to run away again. They would find me no matter where I ran. Every time I was forced to kill someone I told myself it was them or me. Either I killed them fulfilling my father's wish or be beaten to the verge of death only to be brought back again and have to do it all over again. That doesn't make it better, I know. I remember the face of everyone of my victims. That went on right up until I came here. I finally got away from him. I was finally free. Free from just being the favored tool of my father, I could finally be a person. Then I met Lin. She only saw the tool, and that hurt more than any weapon she could fling at me."

Tenzin and Korra were staring at me in horror. I didn't blame them. I was a monster. A killer. "So I reacted. I used every observational and analytical skill I had to find something that I could use against her."

"But why Brooklyn? Why do all of this?" Tenzin asked.

"I wasn't lying when I said I saw myself in her, but what I didn't tell her is what I saw was not me, I saw my father. That's what I've become, I've become him." Korra wrapped her arm around my waist trying to comfort me. "In a sense I wanted to break the mirror that showed me my reflection, when she threw me across the room I realized that I was doing exactly what he would have done so I stopped. I am sorry, Tenzin."

"Oh Brooklyn." Tenzin scooped me up and held me tightly against his chest. "What you've done is not your fault. You were just trying to survive, what your father did to you was terrible. I am so sorry that you had to go through that, but you're safe here. Safe from him and safe from that life. You can start over here." He murmured in my ear. His kind words did it for me. I broke into heaving sobs. My whole body was shaking with the force of my sobs, I couldn't believe it. He was giving me a chance. I was for sure that he would turn me out like the dog I was. Instead he was giving me a second chance; a chance to put my past behind me and start anew. He had no idea the value of the gift he was giving me. "The road to recovery will not be an easy one, but I know you will manage it. Your time here has shown me that you are very determined and very strong. Not many people would talk to Lin that way." I gave a small chuckle at that. He wiped the tears from my face and gave me a smile.

"Thank you Tenzin, for everything." I removed myself from his embrace. "D-do you hate me?" I asked in a small voice. I was terrified that he would say yes. It would break me.

"No, Brooklyn, I do not hate you. I am surprised at what you just told me, but I see that you had no choice in the matter. You are the victim, Brooklyn, not the offender." I released a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Yeah, Brooklyn, you're an innocent in all of this." Korra added. I stood up.

"I need to go for a walk. I just need to be alone for a little while." They nodded their understanding. I walked away from them thinking about everything that had just happened. I walked until I was at the edge of the island. I sat on the edge of the cliff watching the city come to life. This place was my salvation. I was finally free.

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