Summary: Nila is a waterbender but she has never been to the Northern or Southern water tribes. Her parents were travelers and ended up in Republic City to raise Nila. Now an adult, Nila meets the avatar and joins the team in fighting Equalists. Set in Book 1: Air.

Thank you for all who read the prologue! I know it was a sad start but I wanted to give you background of Nila.

Chapter 1: The Avatar

"Nila! Nila! Aren't you going to be late for work?!"

"Ugh... Yumi... stop..." I mumbled into my pillow groggily, Yumi pounded on my door insistently, she did not hear me. The consistent pattern of her knocks made me want to rip the door out of the wall. Yumi was right, however, I was going to be late for work.

The sun shining in through the window was my sign. With a sigh and a heavy heart I lifted myself from the small bed only bigger than me by a few inches. It had been, after all, the only bed I owned since childhood. An upgrade was sorely needed.

Yumi's fist almost connected with my face when I opened the door. "It's about time. I cannot have you being lazy and getting yourself fired from your job, otherwise I'd have to kick you out! Rent is not going to pay for itself!"

"If you kicked me out... how would you pay the rent?" My voice was raspy with sleep. I could imagine and feel my dark brown hair completely disheveled so I stumbled, as fast as my tired body would allow, and grabbed a piece of bread that Yumi had sitting on the table, then retreated back to my room. She scoffed at my remark about the rent but went back to doing whatever it was she did.

Probably feeding the cat, Sake, he was an overweight feline with black and grey stripes. The beast hated me and the feeling was mutual. Most cats, I liked, but this one was determined to make my life hell. Not that it wasn't already.

Once I was back in my room I preceded to get dressed into my Republic City Police Force uniform. That's right, I'm a police officer, have been for two years. Ever since I turned fourteen Yumi had me doing work of some kind, in order to make up for the loss of her own job. She's helped some throughout the years with rent, food, and other essentials but I've done most of the heavy lifting.

When I got my waterbending, at age twelve, she wanted to put me to work then but no one would allow a twelve year old kid to work for them.

As soon as I was old enough, I joined the Republic City Police, my reasoning was it had to have been better than some of the other jobs I previously held. Housecleaning, is one example, and an old man actually hired me to move puddles of rain in his yard, each time it rained in the city. Police work seemed more exciting and probably paid better. Yumi was all over the idea as soon as it came up in conversation.

Now, I'm twenty-three and still only scrapping by. Yumi made sure of that. Technically, I had enough money to find a cheaper place for myself but Yumi came up with every excuse in the book to keep me paying for her rent. She complained that she took care of me for years so I needed to return the favor.

I focus on getting myself presentable for the day, I brush my hair back into a ponytail, braid it half way up, and fix my bangs. They rested over my forehead in a sweep while two strands the length of my face were on each side. This was my usual hairstyle.

The way mother used to wear hers from time to time... I grip the small pendant hanging from my neck. It had been eighteen years ago since they left, I've never forgotten that day.

"It's almost noon, Nila!" Yumi shouted from the other room.

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my wallet and badge, then left the building. Republic City was beautiful today, the sky clear, the sun made the ponds sparkle, and the citizens were peacefully going about their business. The police building was two blocks away so I usually walked the short distance instead of hitching a ride. I shoved my hands in my pockets and nonchalantly strolled the street.

Not ten steps away from my starting point, I heard commotion down the street, then a loud crash. So much for peaceful day. Being a police officer sort of required me to run towards chaos so that is what I found myself doing. The sight in front of my eyes was amazing, albeit a little... messy. A girl dressed in blue- presumably water tribe clothes, was facing off against gangbangers. They were known as the Triple Threat Triad, a particularly notorious gang that Republic Police constantly busted, but that was not the amazing part.

This water tribe girl, just used multiple elements, first she iced one man's head, then used earthbening to take out another one, and bent the firebender's fire against him. When they tried to escape she used earthbending again to crash their motor vehicle.

She was the avatar! I could scarcely believe it.

She had also broken a few laws by engaging the gang in the street and wrecking the place. My police training forced me to arrest her but just as I was about to go 'strict cop' on her, other police officers arrived on the scene by airship. It was the metalbending police officers. I ran up to one of them as they tried to apprehend the avatar. "Wait, you can't arrest me! Let me explain!" She yelled.

The rest of the officers attempted to grab her but she easily maneuvered away on her polar bear dog. I opened my canteen of water and made a frozen path beneath her polar bear dog's paws, she slipped and slid, but then she threw fire at it to melt it. Her plan worked, now she was to far ahead of me to chase, and I was unable to use the airship since I was not a metalbender.

"Tsk." I scowled at the direction the avatar escaped to. "Out of my hands now." Not to mention I was late for clock-in, despite already attempting to do my job, I continued to walk to the police building.

When I walked in, some officers snickered at my tardiness, some ignored me, but I simply wrote my clock in time and ignored everyone else. Besides, I had been even later in the past- an hour, that was my record. Today I was late by five minutes. Not terrible.

"Hey, Nila, did your auntie forget to wake you?" One of the older cops mocked, he was in no position to talk, I knew for a fact he still lived with his mother.

"Hmph, did your mom forget to pack your lunch?" I fired back because his usual brown paper bag filled with a perfectly prepared lunch was missing from it's usual spot on his desk. His face flushed and some of the cops that had laughed along with him towards me, now changed their tune.

He slowly sunk back in his chair and tried to disappear from sight.

I checked the area I was assigned to patrol on the map pinned to the wall but, for some weird reason, my name was not anywhere on the map. My face scrunched in confusion. "Haru, where's my name?" The small, scrawny guy that always handles the schedules for Chief Beifong seemed startled by my question and he fumbled around with papers in his hand.

"Uhh, you're not on schedule for patrol today. Chief Beifong is reassigning you." His nasal voice piped.

Momentarily, I panicked. "What?! What do you mean?!" Reassignment was either very good, meaning a promotion, or very bad, assignment to a part of the city with high crime rate. My tract record was not the best, so I doubt it is a promotion, which leaves demotion to a bad part of town. Of course, it could just be a reassignment to do a different job besides patrolling. One guy got reassigned to work undercover operations. That was not a promotion but simply a different aspect of the job.

As if on queue, Chief Beifong stormed into the room, she did not look happy. Everyone saluted her as she briskly walked past. I quickly understood the cause when behind her followed two metalbending officers escorting the avatar. My guess, they were headed to an interrogation room, or a holding cell. Either way it did not bode well for the avatar, I felt kind of sorry for her.

Shortly after, Councilman Tenzin, Aang's son, also entered. His demeanor was calm just like an air nomad. I wish I could be that calm sometimes, I was not about to shave my head or wear robes to achieve that wish, however.

A few minutes past, I felt sort of useless, waiting for the Chief to be finished with the avatar in order to ask her about my assignment, there was nothing else to do. If I had no assignment, at the moment, then the other option would be to finish up paperwork but mine was already filled out. So, I sat at my small desk, pushing a pen across the surface to entertain myself.

"Nila, what are you still doing here?" A cop that I went to basic training with asked me, he was always very nice.

The pen ceased it's movement now that my finger held it in place. "Waiting." The answer even sounded miserable to me.

He laughed, "Wow, you know the city is crime-free when cops are sitting and pushing pens around." I snorted at the jest.

"Chief Beifong reassigned me, I have no idea where, but she's busy, so until she's done I'm stuck with absolutely nothing to preoccupy myself." I said dully.

"Don't look now but I think she's done." He pointed subtly to the room the Chief, the avatar, and Tenzin had gone into. The airbender and avatar walked out of the building. Then Chief Beifong appeared in the doorway, "Officer Nila!" I winced at her tone.

It was not any different than her regular commanding, intimidating voice but it never stopped startling me. The Chief had that affect on people. Gathering myself up, I saluted, she waved me to follow her and I did as commanded. We ended up in her office, never having said a word yet Chief Beifong gave me a sharp glance up and down. "At ease." She said and I relaxed my posture.

"You've been informed that you're being reassigned?"

"Yes, Chief."

She sat down at her desk and motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs across from it. Once again I did as commanded.

"I have taken a look at your service records and while you are not eligible for a promotion..." My heart sank and doom dropped like a bomb. "...I am giving you a guarding position."

Wait, a guarding position? It was not a very uncommon occurrence to be given guarding duty but that came with the territory of being a cop. Cop's guarded the city. The logical explanation would be a mission to guard someone or something but if that were the case why did she not say that? "Forgive me, Chief, but I don't understand."

She sighed, almost like this was not originally her idea, but one that she was forced into. "I'm sure you're aware that the avatar has come to Republic City?"

I nod. "Yes, I was at the scene this morning."

"Tenzin has requested that I assign someone to guard Korra. You will go to Air Temple Island to guard Korra, effective immediately." The Chief's voice held no room for question but boy, did I have questions. First, why did the avatar need protection, secondly, why did it have to be me? Chief Beifong analyzed me momentarily before sighing again. "If you are trying to figure out why you were chosen, it is because you are female and not that much older than Korra, hopefully she will listen to you."

My eyebrow twitched. Basically, this was a babysitting job, I was expected to monitor her and then report back. "The avatar just arrived today, was this assignment already planned?" From the looks of the situation it seemed like no one was expecting her to come to Republic City, so I wondered how they chose me for the job so quickly.

"Originally, I was going to put you in Port Patrol but now that the avatar has arrived you will be guarding her."

"How long will this job take?" I asked, it definitely sounded more like a mission than a long-standing position.

Chief Beifong stood from her desk, went to the window, and gazed out of it with her hands behind her back. Her face was stern and the scars on her cheeks gave her a fierce, badass appearance. I personally had seen her take down criminals and it was a sight to behold. She was truly fierce and badass. "Until Tenzin and I say otherwise, you'll be her own personal bodyguard. I need you to make sure she does not cause any trouble."

"Yes, Chief!" I saluted despite my dislike for the new assignment.

"You are dismissed."

I turned on my heel and left, when out of sight I scowled, looks like I was going to Air Temple Island.