Back again I hope that everyone's enjoying it so far. Oh, and please feel free to correct on any mistakes that you may find sometimes I type in a hurry and when I go back over it to proofread I don't catch everything. Still looking for suggestion for a title, a little shot out to the anonymous reviewer Duffy for their suggestions I did end up liking 'Groundbreaking' but for the time being I'm still looking but thank you.
Authors Note: Don't own ALTA or LOK
Karrah slouched in her chair. Her arms crossed as she frowned at the man sitting behind the desk across from her. The chairman of the school gazed back her with a neutral expression. "Am I in trouble? Cause it totally wasn't my idea to sneak into the abandon part of the city. I was just following them to-." The chairman held up his hand and Karrah abruptly snapped her mouth shut. "You are not here because you are in trouble Karrah. I would just like you to tell me what happened earlier today, your classmates think that you supposedly earthbended." Karrah frowned at him again.
Outside of the chairman's office Karrah's parents stood auguring with the receptionist, who wouldn't at the moment let them see their daughter. "I am sorry," she said. "But you must wait here while the chairman speaks with your daughter." "And we understand that," Mr. Langley said. "We're just concerned about our daughter, and want to know whats going on." Mrs. Langley nodded in agreement beside him. They paid no attention as the door opened behind them. A middle-aged man with salt and pepper hair and thin framed glasses stepped into the room.
He held a briefcase in one hand as his eyes survived his surroundings. "We heard their was an accident, please we just want to see our daughter." His eye snapped towards the couple standing in front of the desk. "I'm sorry but I reassure that your daughters is perfectly fine." "Then let us-," the women started to argue. The man with the briefcase stepped forward a fake smile plastered onto his face. "You must be Mr. and Mrs. Langley." He said holding out his hand to Karrah father who stared at before gazing back at him with an unusual expression. "Yes, and you are?" 'Of course' the man thought, 'such lower class they don't know an innovator when they see one'. "Oh," he said his phony smile widening. "How silly of me not to introduce myself first. I am senator Chain, I will be the one testing your daughter." "Testing?" Gaia Langley said a bewildered look on her face. Her husbands own expression seemed to mirror her's. Senator Chains brows creased. "You were not informed of the situation?" He turned towards the receptionist, "What kind of institution are you people running here. Go and tell the chairman at once that I have arrived, and that Miss Langley's parents are ready to see her." The receptionist glanced nervously at the people in the room. "Mr. Chairman has asked not be disturbed-" "Go let the chairmen know that I have arrived." Senator Chain said more forcefully his voice rising. The receptionist looked almost in a panic but nodded her head and quickly exited the room.
"I'm so sorry for that." The Senator said. "Shall we," He gestured to the seats on the opposite side of the room. Karrah parents shared a look before following him. "Now I'm sure your both just as curious to know whats going on so I'll get right into. Their was a small incident today in your daughters history class when their teacher decided to take them on an unauthorized trip out to the abandon parts of the city." The couple glanced at one another. "What trip we were not made aware of any trip." Gaia Langley said frowning. Her husband looked furious, "What was that teacher thinking he wasn't just endangering our daughter but all of those other children." The senator gave a lazy way, "You do not need to worry about the instructor he has been . . . taken care of. Your daughter is the real concern here you see we have the smallest problem of about a handful of kids saying. . . well saying that she earthbended right in front of them."
A soft knock was all that could be heard on the other side of a large door. The receptionist hesitantly poked her head around the door frame. Karrah and the chairman both look up as the office door opened. "Sir, Mr. Chain is here and he's demanding to see you." The chairmen sighed and waved his hand. "See him in." "Oh, and sir the girls parents are here as well." Karrah sat up straight in here seat. The Chairmen glanced from Karrah to his receptionist. "Very well," He said giving her a nod.
Karrah's parents stared at the senator blankly. "That's not possible," Gaia Langley said. The senator could feel his patience running tin with the women. He smiled, "Not exactly you see bending although very rare does still exist, even though most people just choose to believe that it doesn't. It's an amazing opportunity for your daughter to be the first bender Republic city has seen in years. And if it turns out that she's not a bender the it's no harm no foul." The Langley's shared a worried glance and senator Chain smile tightened. They all turned to sound of the receptionists returning footsteps. "The chairman shall see you now." She said her face expressionless, "Please follow me." The three adults stood and followed her into the chairman's office
"Are you sure this will work?" Hui Langley asked standing behind his daughter. His wife stood to the side tight-lipped and silent, her eyes watching the other occupants in the room intently. "Of course," The senator said standing behind the desk, the chairman stood off to the side hovering closely. "Although for this your daughter will need complete concentration. So I'm gonna have to ask both of you to please step outside. Karrah parents glanced at one another before nodding. Karrah's fathers gave her shoulder a light squeeze and whispered, "Good luck." "You to Mr. Chairman," he said gesturing to the door. "Karrah needs completely and total focus. The chairman frown, "But this is my office." "And everything shall be just as you left once you return." The two men had a silent conversation pass between them before the chairman nodded stepping out of the room. Senator Chain sat his briefcase on top of the desk and clicked it open. He took out a small smooth object about the size of his palm and sat it on the edge of the desk in front of Karrah. She stared at it blankly, "It's a rock."
"Indeed it is," He said putting his briefcase away and taking the seat across from her. "Now I want you to focus on the rock. Feel the minerals of earth in it.
"This is ridiculous," Karrah said twenty minutes later. Her brows creases as she stared intensely at the chunk of earth. Shaking her head she glanced up at the senator who watched her movements with hawk-like eyes. The small stone laid exactly where it had been placed on the desk beforehand, not even the smallest of twitch or tumble had been seen. "I can't do it I'm not a bender." The senator rubbed his chin as he tilted his head studying Karrah in silence. "Maybe your doubt in yourself is keeping you from letting yourself bend." Karrah gave him a blank stare. "Try it this way, close your eyes and hold one hand over the stone." She sighed but did as she was told. "Now picture yourself bending the rock shaping it. Forming it to your satisfaction, bending this small piece of the earth to your will. To have it do what you want it to do." Karrah's forehead creased in concentration, and she let out a shaky breath. She imagined herself bending and very gently began to move her hand in a bending like amateur movements.
Karrah's eyes lids fluttered open to find the rock still and unmoved as it was before. She let out a frustrated noise, "I can't do it." Glancing up at the senator only to find him watching from where he leaned against the desk. "Try focusing harder." Karrah was getting annoyed, "I doing the best I can." "Then maybe your best just isn't good enough, perhaps if you'd try harder-." Karrah stood from her chair, her hands curling into fists as she leaned against desk. "I am trying," she snapped. "And if you cared about something besides this stupid rock from more than five seconds then you might actually see that I really am trying . Although it doesn't matter because I'm not a-"
"Karrah," Senator Chain said calmly his eyes trained on the desk. She stopped mid-sentence and looked down only to feel her mind go blank. The tiny stone was tapping on the desk, rocking back and forth. Karrah's hand which had been curled into fists on the desk, feel limply down to her sides. The rock stilled. The senator smirked triumphantly, and then gestured for Karrah to reclaim her seat. "Now," he said one she sat down. "Let's try this again, shall we." Karrah's face fell, she glanced from the chunk of earth to the senator and then back again, before taking a deep breath and regaining what amount of concentration she had left.
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