252 AG - 3 Years Before the Avatar's Journey
Lavi arrived at the Bayi School, having taken time off work to get there as quickly as possible. The call had come in that Niva had an incident, and Niva had apparently given her work number over calling their mother at home.
‘Not surprising,’ she thought. Where Niva was concerned, mother was never exactly present.
She stepped into the office of the school, looking at the receptionist intently. “I’m here for Niva,” she said.
“She and the headmaster are right this way, dear,” the receptionist said, pointing to the door behind her.
Lavi nodded in thanks and stepped through the door. Inside she saw the headmaster behind his desk, looking somewhat dour. Sitting across his desk was Niva, who was curled up in a chair and whimpering.
The headmaster looked up and frowned. “Are you the mother?”
“Big sister, actually,” Lavi said, sitting down beside Niva. “Mom’s not… Mom’s unavailable. What happened?”
“There was an altercation between your sister and another girl,” the headmaster said. “Onlookers are unsure as to what happened. Apparently one minute the pair was arguing. Suddenly the other girl was thrown across the room and then rushed to the infirmary with a collapsed lung.”
Lavi gave a nervous glance at Niva. “And nobody knows how that happened?” she asked.
“No one except Niva, perhaps,” the headmaster said, gesturing to the girl huddled up in her chair. “But she’s been quiet and cagey during the whole ordeal.”
Lavi gently touched Niva’s cheek. “Pebble? C’mon, tell me what happened?”
Niva looked up, eyes watery and lip quivering. “S-She was calling me weak. Said my earth bending was shit,” she began, stammering hard between every other word. “I was trying to ignore her. Tried to get to my next class. Then…”
“Then?” Lavi asked, running her thumb along Niva’s cheek to catch a tear.
“Then… she said you were embarrassed to have me as a sister,” Niva sobbed. “Then… I don’t know. Everything’s a blur.”
Lavi’s jaw dropped and she pulled Niva into a hug. “For fuck’s sake,” she whispered, glancing at the headmaster. “So this is an obvious case of bullying.”
“We only have her word that is what the other girl said,” the headmaster said with a dismissive shrug. “Meanwhile the medical emergency that happened earlier today was plain for all to see.”
“Sir, Niva’s been having issues with bullying since she was a small child,” Lavi said. “It’s in her record.”
“That doesn’t excuse what she did,” the headmaster said. “This girl may have trouble breathing for the rest of her life. We can’t have a reputation for that kind of violence in this school.”
Lavi’s lips pursed and she gently stroked Niva’s hair. “Pebble, could you wait outside for a second?”
Niva clutched Lavi’s arm desperately, whimpering.
“Just a moment, Pebble. I promise,” Lavi said, her fingers delicately carding through Niva’s locks.
“...Okay,” Niva rasped, rising from her seat and heading towards the door.
Lavi waited until the door closed behind her and turned back toward the headmaster. “What I’m about to tell you never leaves this room, do you understand me?”
The headmaster furrowed his brow, confused as to where this conversation was going. “...Alright,” he said with a slight shrug.
Lavi reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded over piece of leather. Inside a number of things were clipped, like her ID scroll and her commission from the Earth Kingdom Army. She pulled out a small photo and slid it over to him. “I took this photo when Niva had a meltdown like this years ago, when she first had an explosive earthbending outburst.”
The headmaster picked up the photo and looked at it. Then his eyes widened at the photo of Niva, who couldn’t have been any older than seven, huddled together and looking afraid.
Her eyes were glowing completely white.
The headmaster blinked at the photo, his face creasing with confusion. “W-What is this? Is she… glowing?”
“Whenever Niva starts to panic, or she gets especially upset, she goes into the Avatar State,” Lavi said.
“The Avatar-?” The headmaster’s eyes widened, a cold sweat suddenly beaming on his brow. “...Oh shit.”
“Exactly,” Lavi said. “Niva doesn’t have control in this state, she goes into it when she feels like she’s in danger, and it’s very easy for her to feel in danger.”
“You’re serious?”
Lavi nodded.
The headmaster looked at the photograph a moment longer, suddenly recalling that many of the students claimed to see a bright light coming from Niva and then… a gust of wind knocking everyone back? “This… this is way beyond my pay grade.”
“Exactly, which is why you’re going to keep your mouth shut,” Lavi scowled. “And why you’re going to start doing something about this damn bullying. I shouldn’t have had to tell you this to get you to take it seriously.”
“Right. Right,” the headmaster said, handing the photo back to Lavi. “But… there’s still that girl in the infirmary.”
“Let this be a lesson to her. Fuck around and find out,” Lavi said. “Don’t bully people if you don’t want your lung collapsed.”
“That… alright, fine,” the headmaster sighed, rubbing his temples. Fuck, he needed a drink.
“Good,” Lavi said. “And Niva doesn’t know she’s the Avatar, so not a word to her either.”
“Understood,” the headmaster nodded, his face still rather pale. “...In the event this happens again, for any other reason, what would you recommend?”
“Call me,” Lavi said, heading for the door and pulling it open. She left without another word and found Niva huddled on a chair outside. “C’mon pebble, we’re going home.”
“Okay,” Niva nodded, rising from her seat and brushing her dress down. Her gaze was cast to the floor as they walked out of the school, all the way down the road. “...Are you mad at me?”
“Not in the slightest,” Lavi said, draping an arm over Niva’s shoulder. “You want to get something at the tea house?”
“...Yes please,” Niva said, finally looking up.
Lavi smiled and ruffled Niva’s hair. “C’mon, pebble.”
“Why?” Niva said after a few sips of tea.
“Hmm?”
“Why do I… why do I explode like that?”
“Because you’re upset. It’s a fight or flight response,” Lavi said. A partial truth.
“That’s it? That’s all that is?” Niva asked, looking confused.
“Yup,” Lavi nodded, leaning in her seat to press a kiss to the top of Niva’s head. “Don’t worry. You’ll have a better handle on it once your bending improves.”
Niva nursed her cup and stared down into it. “They said that girl will have trouble breathing for the rest of her life,” she whimpered.
“Well she provoked-”
Niva looked up, tears in her eyes. “Lavi, am I dangerous?”
“No! No you’re not dangerous,” Lavi said, reaching across the table and placing her hands over Niva’s.
“But I’ve hurt you with earthbending before,” Niva said, tears slipping down her cheeks. “You’re not a school bully, you’re the best thing ever! What’s wrong with me?”
Lavi squeezed Niva’s hand emphatically. “Hey. Hey look at me.”
With red, puffy eyes, Niva met her gaze.
“There is nothing wrong with you,” Lavi said firmly, leaving no room for argument. “Everyone has their own journey and no two roads look alike. Whatever your road looks like, we’re going to walk it together. I promise.”
Niva’s eyes trailed from Lavi’s, to a scar along the side of her face. A scar Niva had given her two years ago when she had another meltdown. She’d sliced Lavi’s face with a sharp piece of rock, at least that’s what Lavi had said. She had stitches for two months. Even now the scar formed a deep ridge in her jawline.
“Please,” she whimpered. “What’s happening to me?”
It was all Lavi could do to keep the tension from showing on her face. She had to keep the truth away from Niva. At least for now. Until she could handle it. But she was dead set on finding the reason for her outbursts. She had to think of something. “Whatever it is, we’re going to figure it out,” she promised, squeezing Niva’s hands again. “Tell you what? How about every day after school? You and I practice meditation? Maybe that will help clear your head and make you less anxious.”
“No!” Niva exclaimed, pulling her hands back and shaking her head violently. “No! No more bending! I hate bending! I just hurt people when I do it!” She curled her knees up to her chest and started shaking violently.
Lavi frowned, her heart breaking at the sight of Niva in such distress. “Meditation is not just for bending, Pebble,” she assured her softly. “Everyone can do it. It helps people find peace of mind. Makes them less panicky. You want to be less panicky, don’t you?”
“No!” Niva yelled, drawing the attention of others in the tea house.
Lavi winced, her body getting tense. This was getting bad. She had to diffuse this quickly. “...Alright. No more bending,” she said.
Niva, who had hidden her face in her knees, peered up at Lavi. “No more bending?”
“No more bending. Promise,” Lavi said.
Niva’s shaking abated and she uncurled herself. “Thanks,” she mumbled, taking her teacup and sipping it again.
“Of course, Pebble,” Lavi said, smiling as she took a sip from her own cup.
The two of them drank in silence for but a moment before the radio at the counter crackled to life.
‘In local news, the White Lotus has arrived in the Earth Kingdom and begun their search for the new Avatar. It’s been thirteen years since Avatar Korra passed away, and the White Lotus have dispersed across the major cities. Sightings of extremely powerful earthbending have been recorded in Ba Sing Se, Omashu, Bayi Village, and Gaoling. Experts suggest that any place where there is powerful earthbending, they will likely find the Avatar.’
Lavi stiffened, desperately trying to keep the teacup from shaking in her hands. The White Lotus was on the prowl already?
“I hope the Avatar’s nice,” Niva said, sipping her tea again.
“I know she is,” Lavi said, a smile returning to her face as she looked at Niva. And it was true. She knew the Avatar was the sweetest girl in all the nations.
Niva looked up with a curious expression. “She? What makes you think it’s a girl?”
Lavi blinked. ‘Oh crap…’ “Uh… patterns. The last cycle of Szeto, Yangchen, Kuruk and Kyoshi went Male-Female-Male-Female. Roku and Aang were two men, Korra was a woman, so that’s Male-Male-Female-Female. New Avatar has to be a girl.”
Niva pursed her lips pensively before going, “...Oh, that makes sense.”
Lavi sighed with relief.
“Wait, since when have you been reading about Avatar stuff?”
“Oh uh…” Lavi tensed again. “Five years ago. I just got into the subject.” She had started meticulously doing research on the Avatar when she first saw the glow in Niva’s eyes. She’d needed to confirm what she thought that was. When she confirmed Niva was the Avatar, and once she’d finished processing what that meant for her poor baby sister, Lavi started doing as much research as she could so she would be prepared when the truth had to come out.
“Oh, really?” Niva leaned forward in her seat. “What else did you learn?”
“Well, not every Avatar has an affinity for their home element,” Lavi said. “Avatar Korra favoured firebending, for instance.”
“Why?”
“Well early in her life, a lot of people said she was often brash and aggressive.”
“Wait, didn’t Avatar Korra pass away when you were little?”
“Yup. Met her once. Parade through Omashu. Mom and Dad picked up everything to go see it. She was just a little old lady then,” Lavi smiled.
“Oh wow,” Niva exclaimed. “Lucky. I would have loved to meet her.”
“Yeah, you just missed her,” Lavi laughed. “Announcement came that she passed away just before Mom went into labour with you.”
Niva sighed, head slumping against her folded arms. “Just my luck.”
Lavi smiled and patted Niva’s hand.
“Hey maybe you can date the new Avatar when she shows up, then I’ll have an Avatar for a sister,” Niva chuckled.
“That would be extremely illegal, new Avatar would be your age,” Lavi scoffed.
Niva giggled. “I meant when she’s fully grown, obviously.”
“I dunno. Earth kingdom girl your age, extremely powerful bending? I’d just see you in her face every time I looked at her,” Lavi laughed.
“Oh please,” Niva said. “I’m not an extremely powerful bender. I’m just a mess.”
“If you read about the past Avatars, they were all messes,” Lavi said. “That kind of cosmic power given to someone at random? That’s a recipe for a mess.”
“Well, I got no cosmic power to blame my outbursts on,” Niva sighed. “Maybe if we meet the Avatar, she could take my bending away. That’d be nice.”
Lavi’s heart sank slightly at that. “Yeah, I guess she could.”