"As graduates of the Fire Nation Academy for Girls, may we embark on the adventures of life with confidence, compassion, dedication, honesty and all the morals the Academy has taught us. Here we stand, with our future before us, this is the moment where our lives begin, and today we embrace the responsibilities of being citizens of this world. Let us have big dreams, bigger success and the fullest of contentment."
The audience rose and applauded, filling the auditorium with thundering sounds of admiration and pride for the speaker of the Valedictory Address. They made it. Taavi smiled her widest and stayed on the podium for a few more seconds, and then climbed down where she was met with the principal's wide grin and firm handshake. She stopped to bow in front of the Royal Family who attended to witness Princess Sheba's graduation as well.
Taavi walked by her best friend, who gave her two thumbs-up to get back to her seat. Medals and certificates were given, and Taavi gave a hopeful scan at the audience. She spotted Tamara and Yanis wearing proud smiles, but even how long she looked, she never spotted the face she has been looking for.
A week ago, Taavi received one of the usual greeting cards Lin Beifong sends her:
My dearest Taavi,
Congratulations on your graduation and on being on top of your class.
Love,
Mom
The message was short and pointblank, but when Tamara excitedly told her that Lin was coming for her graduation, Taavi felt elated and hopeful.
Taavi looked back to the front, and the principal was now giving her message. On that moment, Taavi felt the exact opposite feeling that she felt a week ago. Her heart dropped, and a lump on her throat rose. How could one person whom she never met make her feel this way about herself? The question kept on running in her mind.
No, she thought. Today's her big day. She swallowed back the lump and smiled. She's supposed to be happy today. Being on top of the class and earning the Fire Lord Leadership seal should cheer her up.
After the ceremony, Sheba gestured her to come and meet with the Royal family.
"Tav, come here!"
She glanced at Tamara who gave her a permitting nod before approaching her friend. Sheba placed an arm around her shoulder and quickly introduced Taavi to her brother.
"Iroh, this is my good friend Taavi. You know, the one I usually have sleepovers with."
Iroh smiled and reached out a hand to Taavi.
"Taavi? I think the last time I saw you, you were still playing dolls and feeding those turtle docks by the pond."
"Prince Iroh," Taavi responded as she reached a hand to shake his offered one. "It's an honor to meet you, and I still actually feed those turtle docks. I wouldn't want them to starve just because my childhood's over."
Iroh chuckled. "You can call me Iroh," he said. "Congratulations on being the top of the class. You must have worked really hard to achieve that."
"Thank you." Taavi gave Fire Lord Izumi a bow, the latter extended her hand to congratulate Taavi. The Fire Lord commented that Taavi should enroll in the Royal Institute what with the accomplishments Taavi obtained in the Academy.
"The Fire Nation Scientific Research could use your brains, Taavi."
Taavi's cheeks reddened at her majesty's remark. "With all due respect, Fire Lord Izumi, it's a very decent invitation, but I'm at this point of my life right now where I am still trying to figure out what I really want."
"She's considering taking a gap year, Mother," Sheba added.
"Oh," the Fire Lord simply replied. "With that wonderful speech I thought you had your life completely planned." Fire Lord Izumi frowned and gave Sheba a displeasing look. "It seems you are not alone in your journey, Princess Sheba."
"Mother, please," Prince Iroh remarked. "Not here."
"I am joining the United Forces," Sheba reminded her mother.
"Your brother informed me that you failed one of the exams."
Sheba was ready to argue but Iroh came before her. "Mother, this is a joyous occasion. Sheba finished high school with honorable mention. We should congratulate her, not meet her with criticisms. There is another time for that, so please, let her be."
The Fire Lord fell silent as she glared at the Crown Prince, eyes piercing and stern. The Crown Prince and the Fire Lord was in a battle of stares for a moment, until Fire Lord Izumi gestured the guards to leave and turned to Taavi. "I'm sure you will be celebrating with your family, but the Palace is open for you to join us in a celebratory dinner for Princess Sheba. Good day and congratulations."
The matriarch of the Royal family turned and left, leaving the Crown Prince and the Princess with Taavi.
"I am sorry for that," Prince Iroh said while giving the Princess a hand on her shoulder.
"It's quite alright," Taavi replied. Iroh left the two graduates to talk and when he was out of earshot, Sheba took a sharp intake of breath.
"My life in a nutshell," Sheba stated.
"Sorry about that, Sheb." Taavi gave her a pat. "I need to go. Mom's waiting for me, and please tell the Fire Lord I can't come to your dinner."
"Sure."
Taavi walked away from the Princess and into her mother and brother's company. After giving a wave goodbye, Taavi got in the car and began to express her disappointment.
"She didn't come."
Through the rearview mirror, Taavi could see Tamara trying to give her a sympathetic look. She looked out of the window and rested her head in her hands, thinking why she still cared if Lin Beifong showed up or not.
"She wanted to come," Tamara replied, hoping to comfort the distressed teenager albeit unsuccessful.
"Let's just head for dinner," Taavi said simply in an attempt to change the topic.
"Honey—
"I get it. Let's just go to dinner."
"She really did try."
Taavi shook her head, waving off the idea that Lin Beifong did in fact care enough to attend her graduation. She set her mind, giving up on her last ray of hope that Lin Beifong would get a chance to see her in her cap and gown, and medals that day. "If there's a will, there's a way, right?"
"Maybe she was stuck in something more important," Yanis commented, a little too late to stop his tactlessness.
"Of course," Taavi shot back. "I'm not that important. Not to her, anyway."
She glanced for the thirtieth time at her watch. It was already eight o'clock in the evening, by which the graduation ceremony has already concluded. The meeting was urgent and it needed her involvement. Suyin, her husband Baatar, and President Raiko were seated and were in heavy discussion of the plans of the city after the third spirit portal was formed. Just half a year after Kuvira's attacks, Republic City was on its feet again, rebuilding and reconstructing the city.
Baatar Sr. was invited to be the city planner, and Lin was to assist him and offer him help in anything that he needs to bring back the productivity of the city. Lin glanced back at her watch, and this time Raiko took notice.
"Is everything alright Chief Beifong? Do you need to be somewhere else?"
Lin put her watch away in her pocket and glanced back at the president. "No, sir. Please, proceed."
She sat next to Su and softly tapped her fingers on the table. Her younger sister leaned in and whispered, "Are you okay? You seem tense."
"I'm okay. It's not important," she responded. Her tone betrayed her statement, her mind yelling at her for refusing to jump in that blimp that will take her to the Fire Nation. Su offered her a concerned look before returning her attention back to her husband who was now discussing the relocation plans and the tenements.
After another dragging hour, Baatar's plans have been approved and signed by the President. Lin headed for the door, with Su in tow. "Lin, I can tell when something is wrong with you."
Lin turned to face her, hesitating to tell her the real cause of her uneasiness. Su approached closer and dragged her to a corner where they were away from anybody's earshot. "Well?"
"It's no secret between us and mom that I have a daughter."
"Taavi," Su stated. "I know."
Lin rubbed her temple, guilt slowly rising in her gut and a familiar lump forming in her throat. "It was her graduation a while ago."
"You were supposed to be there?"
Lin nodded, closing her eyes again and imagining what Taavi might look in her cap and gown, with a wide grin on her face and holding her diploma. "I said I was going to be there but…" Lin stopped and stared at the hallway, implying that the meeting stalled her.
Su furrowed her eyebrows and frowned. "Lin, you should have picked her instead of this meeting. We can do this at another time but her graduation…she won't graduate from high school again."
"Do you think I don't know that? I tried to get out of this meeting but I didn't know what to tell Raiko."
"Tell him that you'd be going to your daughter's graduation."
"Easy for you to say," Lin retorted, heat rising to her temple. She walked away from Su, "I don't need your lecture right now."
"What will you do?"
"I don't know!"
At one in the morning, Lin sat up on her bed eyeing the telephone that has been sitting idly on her bedside table. She reached for the receiver and gulped at her plan. She dialed the operator's number and waited anxiously. A moment later, she heard the operator's voice on the other line.
"Connect call to Tamara Ling in Fire Fountain City, please."
"One moment."
Lin waited and a beat later she heard a young man's voice answer. "Yellow?"
"Um, hello is Tamara there?" Lin replied.
"She's not available at the moment. Who is this?"
Lin fell silent as she heard voices from the other line. The voices were faint but audible.
"Yanis, get your foot off the coffee table," a young lady's voice sounded.
"I'm on the phone," the other voice said.
"Is that a paleontologist calling about dinosaurs?" the girl returned. "Help! Come quick! They're still extinct!"
Lin could not help but chuckle softly, and made a slight mistake by asking, "Is that Taavi?" Lin realized her mistake a little too late when the man on the other line returned with a confused tone.
"Huh? Hey, who is this?"
Lin put down the receiver immediately, her heart pounding and hands shaking. She got up and went to the kitchen to drink some water, the voice of the young lady replaying in her head.
It was the first time she ever heard Taavi's voice. It was sweet and a little coarse but with a tinge of softness. A smile crept on her lips. She longs to hear more of that voice, she wants to hear it laugh, argue, squeal, every emotion there is. She wants to hear it in her kitchen, in her apartment, across her in a coffee house, inside her car, she wants to witness the owner of that voice call her 'mom' and be proud of it.
A knock sounded on the door and Lin wondered who would bother her at this time. She strode towards the door and found Su with a box of donuts. "I figured you needed someone to talk to."
"It's one in the morning."
"And I am right."
Su entered and set down the food on Lin's dining table. "You remember that time when you and I used to stay up late waiting for Mom? It was before you joined the Police Force."
Lin sat across Su and folded her hands. "And your point is?"
"My point is that during those times we would talk and laugh about stupid things and share our thoughts."
Lin sighed, "We are too old for that."
"Not tonight, we're not." Su held Lin's hand and raised an inquiring eyebrow. "Spill it. Whatever that has been bothering you."
Lin leaned back and picked up a donut. "I heard her voice."
Eyes widening, Su prodded Lin to add more. "You called her? What did she say?"
Lin recalled the conversation she heard earlier and smiled softly at Su. The conversation was too mundane to even consider remembering every bit of it but somehow Lin took note of every detail she heard. "I didn't call Taavi. I actually intended on calling Tamara but she wasn't around. Her son answered the phone and I heard Taavi in the background. You should have heard her voice." A small chuckle escaped her once more. "I could tell she's a funny girl."
Su groaned at Lin's rare display of affection. "Lin, you should stop punishing yourself. If you want to see her, go see her."
"And what? Do you think she'd accept me?"
"If you'd accept her, maybe she'll return the favor," Su remarked. "She's what? Seventeen?—
"Eighteen," Lin corrected.
"See! It's long overdue." Su took notice of the clock in Lin's kitchen, noting that she has been out for about an hour already. "I need to go. I need to wake up the kids early tomorrow. They'll be returning to Zaofu."
Lin walked Su out of her apartment, hoping to get a restful sleep after her small and brief talk with Su. She headed back to her bedroom and switched on her bedside lamp. She reached for her drawer and pulled out a photograph of a teenage girl smiling at the camera.
Beyond the sepia tone Lin could see bright grey eyes twinkling. Her pointed nose, cheekbones and triangular jaw accentuated her Earth Kingdom features. She pressed her lips to the photograph and whispered, "Good night, my love." She returned the photograph back to its origin and turned the lamp off.
Author's note: Thank your for the reviews. I know there are errors in the story and I am working on correcting and hopefully avoiding them in the future. I hope you liked this chapter.