In the spring of 86 AG, a whirlwind of love and pain was born.
The small baby wriggled as a piercing cry bubbled out of her mouth, hitting the warm spring air that spread through the room from the open window. Her lungs worked well, her mother found out, jumping slightly at the sound, surprised that one little child could make that much noise. She accidentally jostled the baby girl in her arms, making her cry out even louder. The baby screamed and screamed her head off, almost as if she knew what was coming for her like she knew that her mother wasn't going to keep her. Her little arms reached out toward her mother, moving her little fingers in front of her mother's eyes, who turned her head away, tears spilling down her flushed cheeks.
The midwife reached out and took the screaming baby into her arms, laying the baby out in her hands. Glancing down into the sweet face, her heart twinged at the sight of the big teardrops falling down her tiny face. Then she looked at the baby's mother, who wasn't even looking at the two of them as she lay on the ground, a knitted blanket draped on her torso that the other midwives placed around her after she had the baby. The midwife knew that the mother didn't plan on keeping this baby, and she couldn't blame her. She was a young mother who wasn't with the father of the baby anymore, and she had her whole life ahead of her that didn't coincide with having a child. Hopefully, the baby would end up with a good family.
"Do you want to name her before you give her up?" the woman asked, holding the baby in her arms gently. The baby wouldn't stay still and wouldn't stay quiet, filling the air with her screeching cries. The midwife was surprised that the mother could hear her talk over the sound of the baby. All this baby wanted was her mother. However, the mother shook her head quickly, her dark hair falling into her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want her?" the older woman asked gently, hope filling her chest. "You both could have an amazing life together."
The mother cleared her throat, and the midwife knew what she would say. They had always looked just like this when they were going to let go of their precious children. She knew the look by now. "No. I don't want her. I can't ever give her what she deserves."
"I promise she will have a great life," the midwife said, swallowing hard, hoping her tears would dry. She was used to mothers not wanting to keep their children, and she wasn't that upset before as her heart had hardened throughout all of this, but this child was different, she could feel it in her bones. Tears still pricked her eyes as she said, "I hope you find what you deserve, too."
"Thank you."
The midwife turned on her heel, her dress flaring out around her as she walked through the doorway, gently closing the door behind her. Walking down the hallway, she glanced in the other occupied rooms as mothers lay with their babies on their bare chests, a look of pure love and adoration decorating their faces. These women were different, though. They had their family with them and their husbands or boyfriends gently caressing their faces as they stared down at their new little family. This baby was all alone, and that made the midwife sad. At that moment, the midwife knew what she had to do. She was going to adopt her and give her the life that she deserved.
The baby had suddenly gone quiet, sniffling softly to herself, resigned to her fate of abandonment and loneliness. The midwife smiled down at her as they made it into the main area of the abbey. Something changed in the baby that night. She was born with the love and sacrifice of her birth mother, but when she left her mother's care, she was slowly changing to become the person that the Spirits had planned for her to be. The little girl didn't know it yet, but she had a long journey ahead of her, and she wouldn't be alone. She would never be alone again, not if the midwife had anything to do with it.
Twelve years later . . .
The midwife and her tiny new baby moved away from the abbey and settled down in the bustling city of Omashu. Sila, the new mother and old midwife, was finally away from the ties of the abbey where she couldn't mingle with the men of the towns around the abbey, and from the pain of being a midwife. The baby was finally happy in their new home on the edge of the city situated in the Kolau Mountain Range, a quaint little home that was perfect for Sila's new family. She finally had time to name her baby, and she named her after her mother, Nazadori. It was the perfect name for the perfect baby girl.
Well, Sila thought that Nazadori was the perfect baby, but she soon realized that there was a spunk bottled up in the little body. Nazadori was a troublesome child, always getting into trouble at school and in the market. Her twin older brother and sister whom Sila also adopted through the years taught her everything they knew about creating trouble, and she was their perfect student, scaring Sila more than she cared to admit. Nazadori soon was causing trouble in the city of Omashu. But the trouble did not mix well with the fellow children in the city.
At the age of thirteen, the children at Nazadori's school started to make fun of her. They would remark that she did not look like her brother and sister and adoptive mother. She tried not to let it bother her since she already knew that she was adopted, but she couldn't stop the pain from settling deep within her soul. She endured the teasing remarks about how different she was. Until, one day at school, the teasing was at its zenith in the storm of pain. All of the children were out for a little break from class when a few of them approached Nazadori, who was reading a scroll underneath the shadow of a persimmon tree.
The sun was much too bright for her, which was why she took solace underneath the tree. The scroll she was reading was a history of the government of Omashu. She needed to read it for her government class, but it was surprisingly interesting. However, a shadow descended on her, and she lifted her head to see the three meanest kids in school staring down at her. Nazadori's heart jumped in her chest, but she put on a brave facade. Her brother's words were filling her head on how to take care of herself.
"Look at her," the leader cooed, cocking her head to the side. There was a flash of hate in her eyes, igniting anger in Nazadori's stomach. This girl had always had a special interest in Nazadori, ever since she started coming to this school. "Such a sad-looking sight."
Nazadori ignored them. They always targeted the weak ones, but they didn't know that she was strong. Sure, they knew that she had an older brother and sister, but they didn't know that her sister and brother trained her to take care of herself. She didn't care what they thought about her status as an adopted girl; her brother and sister were her siblings, no matter what. These people weren't her friends. Her sister and brother were her friends. That was all that she needed in her life. At least, that was what she kept whispering to herself late at night when she couldn't sleep.
"You think you can ignore us?" the boy said, his voice dripping with anger. She glanced up at the trio of mean kids, sending them her best glare. The boy kicked her scroll out of her hands, ripping it in half. She cried out, watching as the one half of the scroll floated away in the sweet afternoon breeze. "Oops."
Throwing her bag down on the ground, Nazadori hopped up, charging toward the boy as fast as she could. The other girl kicked at the ground, sending a shard of the earth at Nazadori. She dodged it expertly, grinning when she remembered her training with her siblings. Ducking down low, she placed her hands on the ground and swiped the feet out from underneath the leader. She wanted to watch her fall, but she knew that she had to move away from them.
The satisfying sound of a person falling to the ground made Nazadori grin as she hopped forward, bounding to her feet. She didn't want to be caught by this group of angry kids, but the Spirits had other choices for her. Without glancing behind her, she heard the sound of loud footsteps following her across the courtyard. She needed to pick up her pace, but before she was able to, someone landed on her back, tackling her to the dusty ground.
Nazadori gasped for air, but all she breathed in was dirt and grime. Coughing it out into the ground below her, she tried to wrap her legs around the person on top of her, but they held her legs down. Another person grabbed her wrists and forced them onto the ground, digging her palms into the rocks. She turned her head to the right and saw the leader angrily staring at her as she crouched, her knees so close to Nazadori's face that she swore she could see the skin follicles on her knees.
"What are you going to do to me?" she asked, trying not to let her voice shake. She didn't want them to hear how scared she was even though anxiety was flaring up and down her veins. "You know my older siblings will be out here soon, so do you want to beat me up?"
"Poor Nazadori," the girl said, snickering. Her laughter echoed all around Nazadori's head, sounding like the worst thing in the entire world. "She needs her big brother and sister to come to her aid. Can she not fight for herself?"
Why is she talking to me like I'm not even here? Nazadori wondered to herself silently. I'm literally right here.
"If you get off of me, I'll show you what they taught me."
"Loud bark, but small bite."
"Hey!"
The voice rang out in the courtyard, and Nazadori grinned up at the leader. Her siblings had arrived right on time. "Now you have to answer to them," she said sweetly. Soon enough, the two people that were holding her down had flown off of her, and Nazadori hopped up, dusting her pants and shirt off. Crossing her arms over her chest, she stared at the scared leader as her sister and brother flanked her. "See, the two of them are tough, but the three of us together? You are in a whole world of hurt."
Nazadori watched as the two lackeys ran away, leaving their leader in the dust. The leader started quaking in her boots, making Nazadori laugh. "Leave me alone," the leader said, her voice shaking. "I didn't do anything to you."
"There are two sides to things, and your side is wrong."
She watched as the girl turned on her heel and started slowly walking away. The leader glanced over her shoulder with a smirk, making Nazadori frown. What was she so happy about? Before she was able to question her siblings, the leader spun around and punched the ground, sending blocks of earth flying toward Nazadori and her siblings. She didn't move fast enough and was flung off of the raising piece of earth. She hit the ground with a thud, her breath knocked out of her lungs for the second time that day.
Gasping for breath, she tried to sit up but she couldn't. Earth quickly wrapped around her hands and feet as the leader of the group made her way over to Nazadori. With a glance around, she saw her brother struggling to get to his feet as earth wrapped around them, too. Her sister was lowering the earth around her limbs by using her chin.
"You made your life a living --" The leader was cut off when Nazadori's sister, Mava, threw a pebble at the back of her head. She turned around, her dark hair swinging wildly. "How did you get out of my earth shackles?"
"It helps that I'm an earthbender, too," Mava said, grinning at the leader. "You thought that I was a nonbender?" The leader nodded weakly. "Too bad, so sad. You better scram before I kick your butt."
"What was that?" Nazadori's head whipped over to the side, and she was surprised to see the headmaster of the school stepping out into the courtyard. There was a trepid look on her face when she saw Nazadori and Baleng, her older brother, splayed on the ground as Mava stood over the leader of the bullies. "I think you four need to come to my office. Now."
The earth melted away from her hands and feet, and Nazadori sat up. She glanced up at Mava, who had a scared look on her face. Sure, they had trained together, but that didn't mean that they were going to use it to get into trouble. It was self-defense, right? Nazadori tried to convince herself of it, but she couldn't quite shake the look of anger written on the headmaster's face as she stared between her and her siblings. The headmaster did not give the same look of irritation to the leader of the bullies.
The walk to the headmaster's office was long and quiet. Her bag was situated on her shoulder, weighing her down as she followed the headmaster through the winding hallways of The Earthen Spirit Academy, hoping that she also didn't get in trouble for the ruined scroll since it didn't belong to her but to the school library. She didn't like getting into trouble, but there were times when she had to fight when she had to stand up for the people who couldn't. She learned that from her mother, but she was afraid her mother wouldn't see her side of this situation.
Soon enough, they made it to the office of Headmaster Gyi Kime. There were only two chairs across from her desk, so the leader of the bullies and Mava sat down, scooting away from each other. Nazadori and Baleng stood behind the two chairs, and she looked up at her older brother. He was standing rim-rod straight, a confident look on his face. She immediately copied his stance to show that she wasn't afraid.
"Now, who wants to tell me what happened out there?"
The leader of the bullies jumped right into the story, spinning it her way. Nazadori butted in and made sure her voice was heard, but she knew it was over when the headmaster stared up at her with those hate-filled eyes. Nazadori wasn't sure why the headmaster didn't like her, but she was sure that she and her siblings were going to be punished for defending Nazadori. It wasn't fair, but it was the law here.
The walk home was quiet. Nazadori was situated between her siblings, staring at the ground as they walked through the middle of the bustling city. People milled around them as they made their way home to their mother, but Nazadori's mind was back at the school, wondering what she could have done differently. How was she going to face her mother now that she was expelled from the academy?
"This wasn't your fault," Mava said suddenly, her voice breaking Nazadori from her reverie. She looked to her right to see Mava staring forward, her jaw clenched tightly. "Mom will understand."
"You think she will?" Nazadori asked quietly. "Because this is something major."
"She's the one who raised us this way, so she has to understand," Baleng said roughly.
"At least you two didn't get expelled. I can't go back to that school. You know how much Mom fought for me to go there just to be with you guys."
"What did Mom fight for?" Nazadori, Mava, and Baleng all stopped walking when they heard their mother's voice. Nazadori cursed under her breath when she realized that today was the day when her mother went to the market. Of course, they would walk her route. She slowly spun around to see her mother balancing a bag of groceries in her arms, an eyebrow raised. "What's going on?"
"Nazadori was kicked out of the academy," Baleng said immediately. Nazadori elbowed him, and he groaned, but it didn't stop the words from reaching her mother's ears. Her eyes widened when her gaze shifted to her youngest daughter. "Before you start yelling, let's go home so we can explain to you what exactly happened."
"That doesn't stop me from worrying," she muttered, brushing a hand across her wrinkled forehead. "Thank the Spirits that I just finished shopping for everything that we need. Let's go."
Nazadori remained between her two siblings instead of in the direct path of her mother's anger. She could feel it rolling off of her in waves. She knew that her mother was trying to control that anger in her body, but it wasn't going to work this time around. Not this time. Her mother took her in when she was just a baby to give her a better life, not to give her a life of crime. Nazadori knew that she had done too much for her aging mother. Though she was not alone by any means, a deep sense of loneliness traveled through her chest as she glanced at her family. She wasn't alone, but she had never felt more alone in her entire life.