Beliefs.

01.

I was born to an earthbender and a nonbender, most of my brothers were earthbenders and then there were me and my sister. We were nonbenders, meaning we didn't share the ability to bend the earth as our siblings did. I had always tried so hard, hoping that one day I might be able to move just a small rock. But every day I disappointed myself.

To my sister, Opal, it seemed like a relief, not having to live up to anyone's expectations. In a way I could understand where she came from, but a part of me yearned to live up to the expectations that could've been set for me. Expectations I could reach and someone could be proud of.

Our eldest brother Baatar Jr. was a nonbender too, yet he was perfectly exceptional. He helped our father with his engineering and was a brilliant person. Huan, our next eldest brother was a bender, a metalbender. He loved impressions and art, he spent every day in the garden making new creations all made of metal. Then there were Wei and Wing, our younger brothers. They invented their own game which consisted of metalbending a disc to score in the other's goal.

To make matters worse. My siblings and I were grandchildren of Toph Beifong. The greatest earthbender the world had ever seen. Our mother was her daughter, and she created the city of Zaofu for everyone to feel included. The city was made of metal, because almost everyone who could earthbend, could also metalbend. Metalbending had been invented by Grandma Toph back when she was traveling the world with Avatar Aang, and mom had developed the art into a living style for everyone in our city.

And it was in that city I felt so very trapped.

-

"Can you lay still?" Opal questioned, with slight annoyance from her seat by the pond. I looked up, my hands were rapidly playing with the paper that we had just received. "It's just a letter, what's so special about it?" she sat up and her eyes shone brightly in the afternoon sun. "Is it a secret admirer?" she asked as her face lit up red and a smile painted over it.

I tilted my head at her with a smile as my hands calmly stood still again. She shrugged with a smile and went back to the book she was reading. I looked at the letter, it was definitely from my aunt, Lin. Months ago I had written to her because I knew she was the Chief of Police in Republic City. I had asked her for a job and a place to stay, since I had been planning to leave Zaofu and go see the world.

With my hands beginning to uncontrollably shake I opened the letter and folded it out. "Esme. I'm glad to say the most that you are interested in a career in law enforcing, everything to get away from your mother. If you come to Republic City in a few weeks, perhaps we could discuss it, even without your bending you'd be a brilliant detective. A person isn't measured on their abilities, but their paths. Lin" I smiled, it sounded perfect. Now I just had to tell my parents.

I quickly jumped up from my position on the ground, Opal looked up from her books long enough to ask where I was going. I didn't answer, I just sped through the garden and towards the head building where I figured my mother and father would be. I opened the door, almost breathless. "Mom! Dad!" I tried to yell out between my heavy breaths.

"What's going on?" my mother questioned from her spot on the sofa. My dad even looked up from his desk. Both their faces were painted with worry.

I calmly sat down on the other couch as my father joined my mother. "Listen, I've been thinking, and..." I looked up at them with a face of determination. "I can't bend, but I want to make a difference and I would really love it if you supported my decision of going to Republic City."

"But, honey. You can make a difference here in Zaofu. Find your talent, open the city to your beliefs, you can make a difference for all of us," my mother tried.