𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐫'𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 | lok [editing in process]

007. before the beginning

THE AVATAR'S BIG SISTER 2.

── ♢ ♢ ♢ ──

[ flashback - seven years old ]

𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄 was a sense of urgency running wild through the insides of my rib cage amongst the sudden harsh winds that were dancing around me and occasionally slapping its icy burn onto my raw, bright pink cheeks. My eyes glanced down every once and awhile to see if my numb, frostbitten fingers were still gripping on tightly to the cream-colored envelope, afraid that they would betray me and let the unforgiving winds of the South Pole snatch it away. 

My attention darted, left--right--left again, amongst the crowd of unconcerned adults that were rushing through the dark snow-plowed streets, hoping to find the familiar stern, sharp man I had been searching for the past half-hour.

My uncle.

His sudden announcement of his one day appearance to the Southern Water Tribe was, my mother would say, "Just a sheer coincidence.", to which my father would retort back, "He's here for a reason, a evil one that is--oh, don't look at me like that, Senna!" Any ideas or doubts he had about his younger brother was shut down by one simple, pursed-lip glare from Mom.

She had always hated it whenever Dad brought up anything or anything close to negative about his younger brother, who I exhaustedly found out from closely eavesdropping to their hushed conversations inside the closed door of the kitchen, was apparently the chief of the Northern Water Tribe. I had never understood why my father was so against him, but then again, no one would ever bother to tell me. I asked Mom once, said it was just typical sibling rivalry, two men hungry for their father's appreciation...whatever that meant. 

I did know one thing and that was that Mom had made it very clear that she didn't have time for the petty drama between the two brothers. Her new focus was on my four year old sister, Korra, who we all found out that she might be the new Avatar.

"Katrina, go wear something nice." Mom had told me one evening, which was the day that my Uncle would arrive. She let out an exasperated sigh as she kneeled in front of Korra, who was refusing to wear a dress. 

"But Mom, Avatars don't wear dresses!" She whined with a pout curved on her mouth. I suppressed a laugh as I watched the little stubborn child start to run around the small living room, trying to escape the blue cotton hand-me-down in Mom's hands.