Red Lotus: Origin Stories

Chapter 3: The Freak Show

Ghazan and Zaheer traveled through the Fire Nation like a couple of bandits, stealing food whenever they could, finding hidden places to sleep in, and eventually running away from the police. Sometimes, though, they would avoid trouble and enjoy the town for a couple of weeks before it was time to leave again. They were in a city called Kaanji when the circus came to town. The two boys eagerly attended the show and watched clowns juggling, magicians performing disappearing acts, acrobats jumping over dangerous saber tooth moose mountain lions. At the end of the show the ringleader announced a special attraction.

"From the depths of the ocean our talent scouts found the oddest being in the world," he paused for dramatic effect. "It cannot talk. It has no arms. But it breathes." The audience surrounding the boys gasped. "And one look into those eye blue eyes can make you mute forever. That's why we call it The Silencer. We usually, don't allow the public to see it, but today is a special occasion. Today, for two yuans you can see it after the show."

Intrigued by the ringleader's words, Ghazan and Zaheer came up with the money and purchased their tickets to see The Silencer. A lot of other people also paid to enter the small tent where the mysterious being lived. Once inside, they saw a person with a mask made of leather and no arms in an iron cage. It had long dark oily hair down to its waist and its torso was wrapped with bandages. The person didn't move much and remained still in the unusually hot room. Four firebenders stood guard at the corners of the cage, whenever a cold breeze they would firebend more heat inside the tent.

One man passing by laughed when the masked person inside the cage lost its balance and toppled to the floor. In return they hissed and screamed a muffled noise. Quickly, the guards rushed everyone out but before the boys left, they catched a glimpse of the guards ripping the mask off revealing a young girl behind it.

Away from the tent, Zaheer stopped abruptly.

"Did you see that?"Ghazan asked his friend.

"Did you see that it was a girl?" Ghazan nodded in response. "They're using her," Zaheer said in outrage.

"It's not right," Ghazan agreed. Knowing that it was a poor defenseless girl, only reminded him of his sister and how she never had a choice with Mr. Rai. Back then he was alone and couldn't do much, but he now had a friend and his earthbending was improving with each passing day. "Let's so something."

Zaheer smiled mischievously, "I was thinking the same thing."

The two boys hid in the shadows and watched the girl's tent, eventually three of the four guards left, leaving only one guard. The boys sneaked to into the tent. Ghazan spotted the guard and bended four walls of earth trapping the man's body. Before the guard could scream for help, Zaheer came from behind and stuffed his mouth with a piece of cloth before knocking him unconscious with a hit to the head. Ghazan freed the guard from his trap to grab his keys.

"Who are you?" The young girl asked. Up close the boys could see she looked like a normal person, but without arms. Her eyes were dark, and her skin was as tan as the people from the Water Tribes.

"No one," Zaheer said tying the man's hands meanwhile, Ghazan was trying to find the right key to open her cell.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked.

"Would you rather we didn't?" Zaheer asked sarcastically.

"Whatever, just get me out of here," she said. "Do you have some water?" In that moment, another guard appeared as Ghazan dropped the keys.

"Dammit," Ghazan cursed under his breath. Zaheer began to fight with the guard punching him once in the face.

"Use your lavabending!" Zaheer urged his friend.

"Lavabending?" Scoffed the guard as he kicked Zaheer to the floor.

Ghazan's lavabending was still new to him, sometimes it worked, sometimes it came sporadically without warning, but he knew he had to try. It was either that or being sent to jail. Ghazan tried concentrating on the warm ground below.

"Do something!" She hissed as another guard entered the tent. Just then, Ghazan made a lava disc fly out of the ground, he made it spin and launched it towards the guard knocking him out. With the same disc, he sawed the bars off the girl's prison.

"Finally," she smiled. "Do you have water?"

"What we need is to get out of here!" Ghazan reminded him.

"First, give me water," she demanded. Unwillingly and equally confused, Ghazan rushed to his backpack and opened his pouch of water. Suddenly, the pouch went dry, when he looked up he saw the girl made her own arms out of water.

"Cool!" Ghazan said in awe.

Out of her water arms she shot out icy daggers to the guard fighting with Zaheer, he fell down, which gave the three of them enough time to escape the tent. All three ran towards the woods before any more guards could spot them. They walked until they found a small clearing to camp out for the night.

"So you never told us your name," Zaheer said to the waterbender.

"Ming Hua, what's yours?"

"I'm Zaheer, and this is Ghazan," he answered.

"So, how did a waterbender become The Silencer?"

"I left the orphanage and they found me wandering around. They thought it would be a good idea to make me a freak show. I didn't want to, but it's not like I had a choice," she explained.

Later that night as they all lied on the ground and Zaheer snored, Ming Hua whispered, "Thank you."

"No problem," Ghazan replied.

"I don't really like your cocky friend, but I like you. I don't want you to think I'm ungrateful."

"He's a good guy," he reminded her.

"We'll see," she said looking up at the night sky.

"Will you stay with us?" He asked.

"I don't know, but if you want me around then I'll stay," she replied. He turned away from her and smiled to himself. In the dark of the night she could have sworn she saw him nod.