At first, Noemi's dream was foggy. She wandered around in circles, waiting to run into something that might signify where she was. But she had no such luck, and after a time, she became irritated.
"Hello?" she called, to no one in particular.
There was no response. Instead, the fog deepened. Noemi, a usually calm, peaceful person shuddered, "Stupid fog. Can't see a damn thing."
"Noemi? Noemi?" called a feminine voice. The voice cracked with fear.
This alerted Noemi to sprint toward the voice. Mother was calling her, which meant she had to be close. Only, by the time Noemi was out of breath, the fog had darkened.
"Mother?" Noemi cried, afraid that she had gone in the wrong direction.
"I'm right here," Mother projected softly. The voice was but a couple of feet from Noemi. How strange, she thought.
"Noemi-"
"Mother, where is that man taking you? How I wish I could see you right now, so my worries could be relieved, but this fog is so thick! I wonder where I am right now; can you see anything?"
Noemi felt a slender hand take hold of her own.
"Noemi, I can see you perfectly fine. There is no fog here."
Suddenly the hand disappeared, and Noemi gasped as the fog became complete and total blackness. She cried out for Mother, but there was no answer. The world enclosed around her as Noemi opened her mouth to scream.
n---------------n
Noemi awoke heaving large gulps of air and blinking away the tears that threatened to streak down her cheeks. She sat straight up, trying to maintain focus of the world.
She saw trees full of green, and her lush surroundings were covered in white flowers. The sky above was a bright blue, and the light that streamed through the trees shined down on her comfortingly. Noemi sighed in relief. She could see everything perfectly.
Noemi had never dreamt of being blind before. Well, she had never really dreamt at all. What would she dream about in Chara Province? Dirt? The dream was very lucid; she could recall every word that she and her mother spoke. Even running towards Mother felt real. The wind blew past as she ran, giving her goosebumps. Uncle Tokento said that when he was young, he dreamt of adventures and women. Noemi used to laugh at him. Who could dream of such desires?
Amazed, Noemi stood up and observed the area. She had never felt like this, apart from the time she had first glimpsed Mother. It was as if she had suddenly seen color in a gray world.
"So this is beauty," she whispered.
Noemi took in one last look at the scene, then cautiously made her way out of the forestry. Mother was still somewhere out there, scared and alone.
At least she isn't trapped anymore, she thought with assurance. She no longer has to stare at iron bars every day.
The forest was not deep. In ten minutes, Noemi could see a glaring yellow light reaching out in the distance. Noemi smiled and broke out into a jog. Her senses were nearly being eaten by anticipation, not sure of what to expect. She began to hear sound projecting from the direction of the light. To Noemi, it sounded like a hundred different voices and noises clashing against one another. There are people, she thought excitedly. They'll be able to tell me where Mother went.
A street entering a small city was crowded with people and wagons, all making there way towards the same marketplace. Voices slammed and doors shouted as the earlybirds struggled to get themselves and their families out of the house. Many had bags and coins in their hands, while others had stocks and supplies. Homes were lined up along the street and paths leading to more homes separated off from that. The street was dirt, but the rest of the landscape was painted in grass.
"Perhaps," mused Noemi, "They are going ....shopping?"
Mother had described something similar to the scene before her, but never would Noemi had thought it to be so vicious!
On the street, people pushed, shoved, spit, clawed, kicked, bit, even hit each other to get out of the flow and into the market. Noemi stared, amazed, and even a little frightened at the scene. How was she supposed to dive into that mess and expect to come out alive?
But I must, she thought. For Mother.
Taking a deep breath, Noemi took a running jump into the flow of people. She thought she must have looked ridiculous leaping into the stream, but no one seemed to care or notice.
The people around her pushed and shoved to move forward. Sometimes this worked, but other times they would shout vulgar insults at each other. Noemi would have laughed had she any time to breathe. The tight space gave her very little room for air.
When the flow reached it's destination, it looked as if it expanded in several directions. The stream ended at the market.
The noise level was a dull roar, and the salty smell of food overpowered every other sense that Noemi possessed. People of different size, shape, color, and clothing laughed and exchanged words. They looked happy. They looked content. Yet again, Noemi was bewildered by a new scenery. She realized after staring for a few seconds that she herself was smiling. Feeling confident, Noemi started to briskly walk towards the nearest store.
Then briskly crashed into someone.
She bounced back, surprised by the force she felt. "I'm so sorry..." she said quietly.
The large man she had collided with turned around and sneered. He was balding and smelled of garlic, and the front of his shirt was smeared with a white creamy substance. He had obviously spilled something on his shirt, and he did not look happy.
"You clumsy...look what you made me do! This shirt cost me fifty gold coins!" he snarled.
Noemi gasped, "I'm terribly sorry, sir. It was just an accident..."
"Accident my ass! Whose gonna pay for this, huh?"
The fight was beginning to draw a crowd. Many looked around uneasily.
"Well!" the man bellowed, sticking out a fat hand with five sausage-like fingers, "Are you going to compensate this, or aren't you?"
Noemi was turning white. "I don't have any money, sir, forgive me!"
"Why, you little..." the man reached out to grab her arm.
"No!" Noemi shouted, punching the man between his ribs, then kicking him in his manhood. He staggered back and landed flat on his back, eyes wide.
The dull roar of voices seemed to have suddenly vanished with the wind. All was still. The people stared at the man like dogs told to perform a trick they hadn't learned yet. Heads turned from the man, to Noemi, then back to the man.
"Isn't that the Sergeant?" someone whispered.
"Call the police!"
"Who is she? She must be dangerous..."
Chaos then erupted. Noemi herself stood still, dumbed by her own reaction. She was not a violent person. What would cause her to do such a thing? Agile and crafty she was, but violent? Of course not.
Fire nation soldiers came but a few minutes later. They snapped on cold metal cuffs to her wrists, then forced her to the ground. Noemi snapped out of her dream-like state and struggled, but to no avail. The two guards were overpowering her using brute strength. A hand slapped down on her backed and two more forced down her arms, but still, Noemi flailed with all her might.
Finally, a third guard came jogging into the fight. He frowned and shook his head, then muttered something that Noemi could not comprehend.
Without warning, the guard delivered a sharp blow to Noemi's head. She lost consiousness.