Finding My Path

Chapter 16

Tomi seemed to have disappeared in the crowd of people. I'm shocked at how many men are gathered in the main area of the camp. They're all wearing snow gear and packing bags.
I scan the crowd for Tomi, but find my dad instead. "What's going on?" I ask him.
"Lina," he greets me. "Tonight is the full moon. We're going on a hunting trip."
I must have made some face because he only laughed. "Just for animals, I promise. We never bloodbend unless absolutely necessary."
"Oh," I say, not realizing this. I imagined they just bloodbent whenever they could.
"Before every trip, we recite our blood covenant," he continues. "You can stick around to hear it if you like."
Not having much of another option, I listened to the convenant. The idea of it alarmed me a little. Clearly these men were more than just bloodbenders. They felt they had a conneciton of some sort. I hung in the back while the men repeated the words, "In our blood is the strength of many men. We carry on their legacy with all our power. On this, the most sacred day, we thank our moon and thank the gods. Tonight, our water holds the struggles of men, but our blood makes them one."
There was a wave of bowing heads throughout the crowd. They broke off soon after. I spotted Tomi's dad head towards the tents and Luca approaching me.
"Before we leave, I wanted to talk to you," Luca says.
"Sure," I agree. I had really only talked to him one on one a single other time, but I was already starting to get comfortable with this man.
"Now, Lina, I know you're a waterbender. And you've probably figured out bloodbending is...well, it's something you have the capability to do." I nod. Tomi and I had just discussed this. "Well, I made a promise to myself long ago that I would never be my father, so this is your choice. If you'd like, I could explain to you how to control you're bloodbending abilities."
The comment quickly takes me off guard. I let Luca continue explaining, trying to keep my expression neutral.
"I understand if you don't want to learn, but bloodbending is much easier to control if you know what you're doing. And that younger you start, the more control you'll have. Teaching yourself...well, it can be hard, and lonely. And you could end up here..." Luca seemed to be jumping from topic to topic, trying to get his point across. "Look, I just want my daughter to live normally. I understand if you think normally is not bloodbending, but the danger will always be there... If you get pushed..."
"Luc- Dad," I say quickly, "thank you for offering. This is a big choice and...well I'll need some time. Could you let me think it over?"
"Of course! I'd hate for you to be rushed. And even if the answer is no, I'm here for you. As you're father," he adds. I give him an encouraging smile. I can tell he's truly trying.
"Thanks. That means the world to me."
"Luca! Come!" his leader beckons. Luca turns toward the men, then back to me.
"I've got to go. We won't be more than an hour or two. Stay here and be safe."