In Disguise

Ch.2: School

There is a rule in every nation, every youth must be educated and for that they have to go to school. Thankfully, there are still bending schools in these nations because there are some non-benders who believed that benders should master their arts but that still didn't mean I could blow my cover. These bending schools would be independent schools just for benders and there were very few in the world. The non-benders are trying to put a stop to it but they can't for personal reasons I still need to figure out.

Because I couldn't bend all four elements at this school, I had to choose an element to bend. It was hard considering all four seemed very interesting in their own special way. So I decided to stick with Air Bending for it was the nation I was born into. I was raised by the monks and nuns of the temples who apparently were all benders so I had nothing to worry about, again these were independent bending schools. But when my parents died when I was ten, I had to move to the Earth Kingdom and there I attended another independent bending school which had all benders from every nation, Water, Earth, and Fire but unfortunately, I was the only airbender attending that school.

I am right now at the moment walking to school after getting off the city bus that I always take to go to school. I arrived at school minutes later with my backpack hanging off my back.

"Hey Arrowhead!" came a shout. I turned my head in that direction and saw a boy walk up to me.

"I have a name you know" I grumbled at him.

"You know me, I'm never good with names" the boy said. He was walking up to me in this ridiculous fashion as if he was the best boy in the world, in which he wasn't. He was getting pretty close to me and I took a step back. "So, I was wondering if you wanted to do something tonight"

He was so close I could practically feel his breath on my face. I scoffed and gave him a shove.

"Get lost Warner" I told him, using his last name to emphasis my point. I began to head towards the big doors leading to the school. But he grabbed my arm and made me turn to look at him, I tried to avoid eye contact with him.

"No one says no to Ryan Warner" the man growled.

"Well then," I said with a more preppy but annoyed attitude. "I guess I'm no one"

And with that, I pulled my arm out his grasp and jogged to the doors, I heard his friends laughing from behind on how he got rejected. I logged in by using my school ID to scan myself in using this weird electronic thing.

I trotted into the cafeteria which was serving up some breakfast. I got my breakfast and sat down, throwing my backpack down to my feet, leaning against my leg. I heard a slap on the table in front of me, I looked up and saw two things, a newspaper opened up to a certain article and my friend, James, taking a seat.

"Another Rebellion" James told me.

"Where this time?" I asked, taking the article this time, skimming it.

"In a town in the Fire Nation" James said. "Ten people were killed"

"Oh no" I gasped.

"Taylor," James began to say. I looked up at him. "When are you going to stop this?"

We began to whisper so the people around us couldn't hear.

"When I master all four elements" I told him.

"Yes, yes I know" James said. "But Taylor, we're running out of time."

"I know, I'm trying to do this as fast as I can" I told him.

"All you mastered is airbending Taylor" James said. "You still have a long way to go"

"I know," I told him.

"Long way to go for what?" came a voice. We both looked up and saw Jack, James's twin brother, take a seat next to him, throwing down his backpack and settling himself on the bench before eating.

"Nothing" James told his brother. Jack shrugged and began to dig into his cereal. I looked at James and gave him a expression that told him I-will-talk-to-you-after-school in which he nodded in return.

"So did you hear what Mr. Garland is making us do in P.E?" Jack asked before shoving a spponful of his cereal in his mouth. We shook our heads and he swallowed. "Duels"

"As in bending duels?" I asked in a bit of shock. Jack nodded, I looked at James wide-eyed.

"Yep, we get to see some real bending today and for the next five weeks" Jack said.

"This isn't good" I mumbled.

"Why isn't it?" Jack asked. "Its the coolest thing ever!"

"Because," James said, his arms folded resting on the table. He looked at his brother. "Taylor's from the Air Nation, they don't believe in violence"

"So, its for our grades" Jack pointed out. I sighed and stood up. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go talk to Mr. Garland"

But it was too late, I heard the bell ring and I growled. We all began to charge to class, I got into the classroom before the next bell rang, sitting down in my assigned seat near the front of the classroom. I had my books and a pencil set out, ready for a day of learning. While waiting for the rest of the class to file in, I began to read the article James showed me at breakfast.

There was a rebellion in the Fire Nation's capitol, apparently they caused a riot and the non-benders came out with their weapons, these spear-like contraptions that could propel metal balls into their targets, these were known as a bullets and these weapons were known as guns. And if I reveal myself, I could end up facing those guns.

I sighed, fifteen benders were shot, ten of them died and the other five were badly injured. I thumped my fist against the table. This was the third rebellion this month. I placed my head in my hand and my fist still rested on the table, over the article. I was beginning to grow angry at myself. I needed to do something, but I couldn't right now at the moment. I inhaled then exhaled and class had begun.

But, I couldn't stay focus during the first period, neither the next or the next one after that. But when gym came, our last period of the day, we were all lined up outside. Mr. Garland going over the attendance and then looking at us.

"Today we will begin what is known as bending battles," Mr. Garland announced. "For the next five weeks you will be battling your fellow classmates with your native element. The rules are simple, first one on the ground for more than ten seconds loses the battle and the winner is the one standing. We will begin from scratch"

The first battle was a Firebender named Joe and an earthbender named Carl. They went off in their battle, Joe jabbing at Carl with his flames and Carl erecting walls of earth out of the ground. I kept my eyes focused on those two, watching each move carefully, taking in what they were doing, knowing it would help me with mastering the four elements. Joe defeated Carl and Mr. Garland called up another two benders and the routine was the same from there.

"Taylor! Ryan!" Mr. Garland shouted. "You're up!"

I inhaled deeply before standing up with much reluctance. I looked at Mr. Garland but before I could say anything he shouted for the battle to begin. Ryan Warner was a firebender and a strong one too. But as much as I hated him, I couldn't fight him. He threw fireballs at me but I just airbended myself around, jumping over the hot obstacles. I never sent an attack at him, I just used my agility and my airbending ability to my advantage. It was true that a firebender was poor with defenses but they were great at attacks and Ryan was sending some pretty good attacks at me. But I kept avoiding him.

"Come on and fight Arrowhead!" Ryan declared. "You can't keep avoiding me forever!"

I looked at him.

"You can't fight forever!" I claimed. Ryan growled before sending jabbing a flame towards me. I leapt up, put my hand forwards and created a blast of air out of it, extinguishing the flame but the force of the attack sent me flying backwards. I cushioned my landing with air and was still standing. Everyone's jaws were dropped at the incredible move.

"Taylor!" Garland shouted. I looked at him. "This battle has gone on long enough, just attack!"

"No" I muttered under my breath as I looked at Ryan coming forward with a flame in his hands. It looked like a whip and he was ready to hit me. But I jumped up, directing myself off the ground and over his head, landing right behind him, he looked rather confused. But instead of sending an attack like people were expecting, I whistled a bit before turning my back and was up against Ryan, preventing him from turning but he still sent flames at me but while he turned, I turned with him too. He was growling in irritation but I only smirked, he tried to turn and by that time, I stepped aside and he fell to the ground. He was so shocked that I knocked him over that I heard Garland announce the winner.

"Taylor!"

I never even touched Ryan, not even when we were back to back but I defeated him. And I never felt more like an airbender.

When school ended that day, James, Jack and I were heading back to our neighborhoods. They would take the same bus as me and we would always have something to talk about.

"I heard you defeated Ryan Warner!" Jack claimed. I nodded. "Wow! He's like the best bender in the school!"

"That may be the case" I said as we walked up to the platform on the bus. I slid my card into the slot to pay for my ride. I took the card out and headed down the narrow aisle and to a cleared three seated bench were we all sat. It was right beside the exit door. We sat down."I just thought like an airbender"

"Avoid and evade" James completed. I nodded. "But how did you use it against him?"

"I dodged every one of his attacks using my airbending agility until he was tiring out and I saw an opening too take him down without touching him. He shot a blast at me and I jumped over him, we were almost back to back and he tried to turn around but I prevented that from happening and continued until I saw he lost his balance.

"Wow!" Jack exclaimed. "Unbelievable!"

James put a hand on my shoulder and gave it a friendly shake. He was smiling and I knew he was proud of me, I looked into his eyes and smiled back.

I heard the announcing voice in the bus saying the incoming name of the street. Jack lifted his hand and pulled the rope which told the driver to stop at that street. James and Jack got up and I bid them a farewell before the bus pulled to a stop and they got off the bus. I sat back in my seat, staring at the blue colored aisle. I folded my arms across my chest and heaved a great sigh, a man sat down next to me and he kept staring at my hands. I could see it out of the corner of my eyes.

"You're markings" the man gasped. I looked at him. "Are you an airbender?"

I nodded with a bit of hesitation.

"Those are very defiant markings you have" he told me. "And you are very brave to show them out in public"

"I only do it because it is part of my heritage" I told him.

"I wish I was a bender" the man said. I huffed before adverting my gaze at the window across from me.

"No you don't" I told him. I heard the name of my street and I picked up my backpack, slung it over my shoulder before wrapping my fingers around the rope and giving it a tug, then I headed down the aisle. People stared at me and began to whisper as I headed to the door while the bus was pulling to a stop.

"Airbender, those arrows show it all"

"She is pretty brave for an airbender, I heard they are weak to face the entire world"

These were the same comments I got everyday but I always managed to shrug them off. The bus doors open and I jumped out, the bus pulled away and I began to walk down the block to my home.

To be continued.