Chapter 13
Fear
She sat through her Monday morning chemistry class with a vacant chair next to her. Her mind was nowhere near empty and nowhere near the organic molecules that Sentai was drawing on the board.
Where is she? Asami tapped her pen on the corner of the desk. Maybe she missed her alarm. This was possible, she concluded, as Korra had been absent to two Monday lectures in the past from oversleeping. The first was a result of her forgetting to set her clock at all. The second was her shutting the buzzing off in her slumber without actually waking up.
Another voice crept up in her head. But what if it's something else. She could feel her heart skip a beat to this thought. What if something bad happened to her? She recalled the last time Korra missed Monday's lecture, which was not from oversleeping. In fact, she hadn't slept at all because of those lett –
"And what is the name of this structure, Miss Sato?"
The question pulled her from her hypothesizing; Dr. Sentai had caught Asami's blank stare. She held her frustration for the man down and scanned the chalkboard.
"It's dichloromethane." She stated, smiling inside after thwarting his attempt to embarrass her. The resulting scowl on his face confirmed her success.
"What about this one?" He drew a more complex molecule.
"Toluene." She hadn't faltered a bit.
He continued to test her. She crossed her arms and answered without missing a beat.
"Benzoic Acid. Phenol. Acetylsalicylic Acid. Betulin."
Class was over before he could finish his next structure. While Asami could hide her annoyance without effort, Sentai's anger was plastered all over his face. They never had any direct confrontations before, but their relationships with Korra had created a mutual dislike between them.
The engineer couldn't resist smiling from her small victory as she walked out of the room. She made sure her professor saw it prior to her exit.
I can't wait to tell Korra –
All sense of satisfaction washed away.
I hope she shows up.
Korra may have missed lectures before, but she would always try to come to lab; attendance was required and lack thereof resulted in at least a one half-letter grade deduction per session absent.
The only time she missed lab was –
She shivered to the thought as she made her way down the hallway. She was so lost in her ruminations that she bumped into a student leaning against the corridor wall.
"Sorry about that –" The engineer looked up to see her friend, Kuru, picking up his books from the floor. He was one of the first people she met on campus, back during orientation. He offered her his jacket when a downpour had hit. Though she declined, she appreciated the notion nonetheless.
She took another look at him. His face was pale and sweaty when he rose. Small pieces of his short, black hair stuck to his forehead.
"Spirits, Kuru. You look like hell."
He chuckled and fidgeted with his bag. "Yeah, I think I might be coming down with something."
"Better drink lots of fluids, then." Her voice was monotone, her mind on other things. "Hey, you haven't seen Korra around, have you?"
Kuru scratched the back of his head. "Wasn't she in chemistry today?"
"No, she wasn't. Didn't you notice the missing spot in front, considering you sit in the back of the room?" Asami's hand was on her hip by the end of her question.
Nervous laughter escaped him. "I kinda skipped class today. I just couldn't really wake up."
The engineer raised her eyebrow and scowled. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't decipher, though it looked very much like fear; it wouldn't be the first time she chastised the boy for missing a class.
He's probably expecting another scolding.
She sighed, deciding to let up on her reprimand due to his condition and drop it. "Well, if you see her, let me know, okay?"
He nodded and slung his bookbag onto his back.
"And take care of yourself. I know we don't see each other often, but Spirits, you're a mess right now. Go home and sleep."
Asami stepped around the befuddled man and continued her walk to her lab.
Maybe she's just sick. Maybe she's got what Kuru has.
Or maybe something worse happened.
She shook her head. I'm sure she'll show up.
The raven entered the laboratory with eyes full of anticipation. Korra was nowhere to be found. She frowned and unpacked her equipment at her station. The spot beside her was still empty by the time the professor started his short pre-experiment review. Fifteen minutes into the procedure and still nothing.
Asami Sato was not one to show weakness. She managed to keep her composure in almost everything she did, especially when she was in front of others she did not know. But her greatest efforts could not steady her hands as the minutes passed and her hood-mate had not appeared.
"I see Korra is missing today, Asami." His words broke her concentration and she fumbled her beaker. She caught it before it hit the bench. "Is everything alright?" She could hear the change in his voice from that of one on a high pedestal to someone who showed genuine care.
"Everything's fine." She took a breath and controlled her shaking. She dove back into the experiment, hoping to avoid continued conversation.
"Excuse me, Dr. Weizao. May I have a word?" The request had come from the doorway.
Where have I heard that voice before?
"Of course, Dr. Suri."
The trembling returned. She focused her attention on the pair, though she kept her back to them. Their whispers were not hushed enough to escape her ears.
"Is something wrong? You look a bit pale."
"Actually, there is something wrong. There's been an incident with one of your students."
The quaking became violent. No…
"Who?"
"Korra. She was taken to the campus hospital Friday night. I just received the report from the school police today."
CRASH.
Asami dropped a very large flask onto the bench that shattered upon contact. She had been removing it from its clamps when the Dean confirmed her fear. The entire class was staring at her, but she refused to turn around. She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks. She tried to clean up the mess in her hood but a hand gripped her shoulder. She put the pieces down and dropped her eyes.
"Come with me."
She was too disoriented to determine who was pulling her away. She heard one of them tell the students to get back to work just before the door shut behind her. The man let her go in the hallway. She slammed her back against the wall, trying to snap the air back into her lungs.
"Are you alright?"
Asami opened her watery lids to see both professors facing her. "What happened?"
"You dropped a beaker and – "
"What happened to Korra!?" She was losing patience.
The gentlemen gave each other grim look before the Dean spoke up.
"From what the officer told me, he found some men assaulting her just towards the edge of campus during his patrol."
Asami slid to the floor in disbelief. Her ears were ringing. Her knuckles were white in tight fists. Dr. Suri crouched down in front of her and placed his palm on her upper arm. She didn't feel a thing.
"She's in the hospital right now. I don't know if she's woken up yet."
The words went right through her and rattled her core. Her vision was blurry and white.
"Asami, you're a good student. I know Korra means a lot to you. Go see her. You can make up the lab some other –"
Everything snapped together. She was on her feet, bolting down the hallway before her professor could even finish the sentence. She had never run so fast in her life. Her tears still blinded her, but she kept moving.
Korra.
She slammed through the doors and ran down the steps two at a time.
Korra.
She burst out of the building, dodging two black-haired passersby looking to enter, and continued onward.
Korra.
She felt eyes on her and didn't care. She saw people halt and stare in her peripherals. She didn't care.
Korra.
She wasn't even sure where the hospital was, but she kept running.
Korra.
She was almost at the outskirts of campus. She noticed dried blood on the cement. She sobbed and almost fell to the ground.
Korra.
She maintained her speed. Her lungs burned. A sign at the intersection had a medical plus and an arrow on it. Her turn was so sharp, she slipped.
Korra.
She kept her footing. Kept running. Kept crying.
Korra.
(-)
She tackled the heavy hospital doors open. Every person in the waiting room turned to face her, their activities halted by the sound. She ignored them and ran up to the desk.
"Where is she? Where is she?!"
There was an older gentleman at the counter. He was not amused with the commotion Asami was causing, and it showed in the tone of his voice. "You're going to have to be more specific."
She took a deep breath to gain temporary composure. Her body needed more oxygen, but she disregarded its pleas. She held onto the edging of the table to calm her limbs. Within ten seconds, she was in control.
"Korra. Her name is Korra. She's a woman from the Southern Water Tribe. She was admitted on Friday."
The man looked through the registry at an agonizing pace. "Ah, yes. Room 25B on the fifth floor."
Before she turned away, the man stopped her.
"You need to fill out a guest pass."
Asami swore under her breath. She scribbled the information on the tag as quick as she could.
"And you are?"
"Asami. Asami Sato." Her voice was cold.
I don't have time for this.
"If you'll excuse me."
Nothing was going to stand in her way. Once she left the waiting room, she sprinted up the stairwell to the fifth floor. She slid through the door with more grace than she thought possible and half-walked, half-jogged to room 25B. Her hand was quivering as she lifted it to the handle. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open.
She froze at the sight. Horror flew through her body. She took everything in through a watery lens. Korra lie, unconscious, on the medical bed. There was an IV in her right arm. The entire right side of her face was bruised and swollen. Her arms were visible above the thin sheet, as well as her feet. There was a wrap around her left wrist. Upon closer inspection, Asami could see they hadn't cleaned all of the blood off of the Southerner's body. There was a small amount dried around her nostrils and by a deep, horizontal cut on her left cheek. There were also remnants in her hair from an untreated head injury. Her neck was discolored, but she appeared to be breathing on her own.
The engineer crept into the room, her movements slow from shock. She felt lightheaded.
This isn't happening. It can't…
She took hold of a chair and collapsed into it. Her palms flew up to her face to catch her tears. She sobbed for what felt like an hour, until she was incapable of crying anymore.
I should have gone with her. Why did I let her go alone? Why is this happening?
When she unveiled her puffy eyes, she reexamined Korra. There was an occasional minute wince as she inhaled, but there was no wheezing. She was covered in mostly bruises, scrapes, and small cuts, minus the one on her face. She looked around the room and found the Water Tribe girl's blue clothes on the back of the chair opposite her across the bed. There were multiple rips and bloodstains strewn throughout the fabric.
Asami reached for one of the limp, tan hands on the sheet. She noticed a somewhat-faint contusion by her knuckles. She must have hit someone hard. She wrapped her fingers around the Southerner's. Her hands felt colder than she remembered. This prospect made her quiver.
Korra's never cold.
"Excuse me, ma'am, but who are you and what are you doing here?" A woman's voice pierced the stillness. The engineer flinched.
"My name is Asami, Asami Sato. I'm Korra's…" she tripped up.
What am I to her?
She shook it off; now was not the time to think about these things. "Friend. I have a guest pass." She shuffled around her pocket with her free hand and pulled out the slip of pink paper.
The woman closed the distance and examined the sheet. She handed it back with more force than necessary. "Next time, let me or one of the other nurses know before you just show up in the room."
Before Asami could respond, the nurse had shut the door. She glared after her and tightened her grip around Korra's hand.
Why are the people in this hospital so rude?
She shrugged and returned her attention to the Water Tribe girl.
"What have they done to you?"
She received silence as an answer. Her tears fell once more.
"Who did this to you?"
Still no response. She buried her face into the bed and pulled Korra's hand to her cheek.
"Why?"
(-)
Asami had fallen asleep hunched over in the chair. She woke up with a hollow feeling inside. She had a small knuckle-print engrained on her face from holding Korra's hand in her stupor. She groaned as she sat up and stretched her back. It was the first time she had let go of the Southerner since she arrived.
She rubbed her eyes and looked to the woman beside her. She hasn't even moved. The engineer had memorized every visible detail of the Water Tribe girl before succumbed to slumber.
A soft knock on the door shifted Asami's focus. It opened without her rising to answer it.
"Hello, Asami."
The engineer withdrew a bit. "Hello, Dr. Suri."
"I wanted to come by to see how Korra was doing but I didn't have a chance to until now." He stepped inside and frowned before regaining composure. "This is much worse than I thought."
She nodded in agreement and placed her palm on Korra's once more.
"Here, Miss Sato. You left this in the classroom." He presented her bookbag to her.
"Thank-you, Dr. Suri." She took it with her free hand. "I would like to apologize about my abrupt departure. I didn't mean to seem rude to either of you."
"It's understandable, Asami. I know you care for Korra more than any of us can even fathom." He motioned towards the exit. "I can't stay. I need to get home to my wife and my daughter. But I've arranged clearance for you to remain here at the Campus Hospital for the night if you choose to do so."
Asami watched with incredulous eyes as the Dean left without needing a sign of gratitude. It wasn't until she turned back around that she noticed it was already dark out. Her stomach growled but she had no appetite. Instead, she pulled her chair closer to Korra, wrapped her fingers around her hand, and stared at the wall.
The tears sliding across her skin were the only things that moved the entire night.