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Master Tenzin flips through pages of an old air bending novel. His father read it to him as a child. The man is much too old now. In his early 60s. He is close to needing a cane despite his muscular physique.
“Master Tenzin.” A young protege of Tenzin’s peaks into his office. “There is a man asking for you. He is waiting in the east garden.”
“Thank you Wei.” The master says. He stands, careful to close and file away any sensitive documents. He leisurely walks to the gardens. Air benders wander around. Something the old man is proud of. He helped to create a society. His eyes catch those of a man holding a small child in his arms. Tenzin notes the man’s nice outfit and the child’s dirt covered pants.
Tenzin how’s when he is only a few feet away. “Welcome.” He says.
The man gives the air bending master a wide eyed stare. This isn’t uncommon for the old man but the well dressed one’s eyes are a deep shade of green that Tenzin hasn’t seen before. He rocks the child slightly but the little girl looks like she is asleep. She can’t be more than three.
“My name is Hon-Shi.” He says a little frantically. His teeth show when he speaks, they look rotted. “This is my daughter. Last week she fire bended.”
Tenzin nods. “It is not uncommon for a child to favor either-“
“My wife is a non bender.” Hon-Shi interrupts quickly. “We are both from earth bending families. My wife died several months ago. I can’t keep her.”
“We have no way to verify this.” Tenzin says calmly. Hundreds of parents have done this before this man. This isn’t unusual following the death of an avatar. The same thing happened when Aang died. People would ask for the white lotus constantly to see their prorogued child.
He bounces the child. She stirs. Her head lifts. “I have signed witness accounts.” He says. Her head faces away from him but Tenzin can tell she is sneezed in the world around her. Spirits flock to the girl. “I can’t keep her.” He says with more anger.
Tenzin watches the little girl turn to look at him. Teveral small spirits coat her. Tenzin notices the bruises first. The little girl’s head had been on her fathers shoulder, but now he can really see it. There are dark circles under her eyes, a large black eyes on her left side, the poor child even has a tooth missing. She is much too young to have lost a tooth. Her eyes never meet his.
“You have to take her. I can’t do anything with her now. Her mother was the love of my life.” He doesn’t seem sad about the death of his wife. His daughter squirms from his arms. He sets her down. Cloths drape off her body, her hair is tatted up a bit. The black eye looks painful. She simply stands. This isn’t something Tenzin sees in kids that age. His own son is just a little older.
“I will take her.” Tenzin says after a while. He can get her from whatever situation she is in. “What is her name?”
“Reina.” Hon-Shi says. “Reina just turned four. She would play with her mother all the time. She looks just like her.
Tenzin nods.
“How much are you going to pay?” He asks.
Tenzin’s eyebrow raises. “Human trafficking is illegal.”
The man looks furious. “I want compensation.”
“We don’t know that she is the avatar.”
“I don’t have time to wait around. Just take her. I can’t keep her.” He says, running fingers through his hair. It is the same color as his daughters. She is slightly darker than him. When the little girl reaches for him, he steps back. He grabs her wrists. “I am going to leave.” He says.
She stands there, completely still as he leaves without another word. Tenzin watches as she looks around the garden again. Her face doesn’t appear distressed. There is no doubt that she is severely abused. Her body is frail and thin.
“Tenzin it’s time for dinner.” Pemma says. She stops. “Who is that?”
“Her father just abandoned her.”
Pemma crouches I’m front of the little girl. The girls eyes are a vibrate shade, wide. Her dark features and pale skin are in stark contrast. “Hi sweetie.” Pemma says to her. “What is your name?”
Reina’s eyes register fear. Her small body shakes as she cries. To Pemma’s suprize, she is very quiet. Her cries aren’t outward.
“Let’s go inside and make you something to eat.” Her hand grabs the girls. “Can you tell me what happened to your eye?”
Reina remains silent. She just cries, Pemma pulls her along.
In the kitchen, Pemma takes the little girl to make her a sandwich. The mother of four attempts to wipe what appears to be dirt from Reina’s face but she doesn’t let her. Her small hands cover her face. Pemma rests on a chair, next to where the girl stands.
“What do you think about eating a sandwich?” The woman holds a piece of cut sandwich. It contains lettuce and some of her children’s favorite, roasted squash.
With intense hesitation, Reina takes the piece of food. She holds it. Her eyes staring and her arms holding it far away, she places it on the table. Reina begins sucking her thumb.
Pemma sits beside her. She can clearly see the rash on the child’s hand from her self soothing. The mother of four touches the mats in the little girls dark hair. She assesses the severity. “Why don’t we let you take a both and I’ll grab some clean cloths?” She asks gently.
Reina looks forward, sucking her thumb, not responding to the proposition. Pemma grabs her free hand and leads her to the bathroom. Her tiny body stands still while Pemma fills the bath.
“Momma!” Rohan runs in the room. He is only seven and has several teeth missing. One unrelated to a loose tooth. His hair is still a little long and he hasn’t received his arrow. Rohan crookedly smiles. “It’s only morning, it’s not time for a bath.” He says.
“This is for Reina.” Pemma says, patting the little girls’s shoulder. “She will be with us for the night.”
The boy stares. His eyes questioning. “Where is her mom and dad?” As soon as the words exit his mouth, Reina begins to cry. Her small body shakes. It’s not a loud cry, it is nearly silent.
Pemma attempts to comfort her but it does nothing to sooth the young child. “Let’s get you in the bath to clean you up.” Pemma says. “Are you going to be a big girl and get yourself undressed?”
She continues sucking her thumb, tears leaving bed streaks down her cheeks. Pemma unbuttons the oversized shirt the little girl wears. She fights the child’s sucked thumb to take the shirt off. Pemma sighs looking at the bony body covered in bruises. The child’s ribs are clearly visible. Stomach bruised. The mother finishes undressing Reina and lifts her over the edge of the tub. Rohan is already long gone but she would have made him bathe too if he were still present. “I’m going to pour some water on your hair.” She says softly. Reina sits silently, no longer crying but still sucking her thumb.
Pemma spends nearly an hour detangling Reina’s hair and giving her a proper bath. The water is a soupy mess. Pemma’s younger daughter, Ikki brought spare cloths for Reina. Pemma dresses the little girl. The child is no longer sucking her thumb but there is a severe rash on her hand from the habit. Her dark hair is fairly long for being so young, and her vibrant eyes are circled with skin reddened by tears.
Pemma picks her up, taking her to the families private commons. Ikki and Meelo play paisho while Rohan watches and Jinora reads a novel. Master Tenzin has is eyes closed, napping.
“Is that the girl someone thinks is the avatar?” Jinora asks, peering over the edge of her pages.
“Yes.” Pemma says, placing the girl down. She begins sucking her thumb again.
Tenzin sits forward. “Jinora, see if her spirit is the avatar. I don’t want to wait for her to bend.”
Jinora sighs. Her body straightens. She takes a deep breath. After a few seconds she lights up. “She is!” The young woman exclaims. “She feels the same way Korra did! She is the avatar!”
The whole family chatters for a bit. Tenzin is beeming. “I guess she will be with us for a while. Until we can find a place to keep her.”
“Does that mean we are going to cancel the trip to see gran gran?” Rohan asks.
Master Tenzin ponders for a moment. “She will come with us.” He sighs after a while. We should have some old kids cloths packed away.”
The avatar sucks her thumb. She is devoured by Rohan’s old cloths. They are from when he was five and do not fit well. She shivers even under a long sleeve shirt in late spring. Pemma unfolds a sheep-cow blanket and wraps the little avatar in it before setting her in the cushioned chair beside Tenzin. Her small body remains ridged.
“We still leave in the morning.” Tenzin says. “We will take her to see my mother and have the bruises healed before we do anything else. I don’t want this a public attraction.”
“Will the White Lotus know?” Jinora asks.
“We announce after she is in the south and back.” He says. “I want a few more days of rest before a media storm.”
“What is that?” Rohan asks.
His older brother playfully ouches him. “It’s when the news wants to take lots of pictures.” He chuckles.
Master Tenzin sighs. His eyes glance at the child fighting sleep under the blanket. Her tiny body too small for her age. He watches as she sucks her thumb. “I will remain here for the night.” He says. “People won’t be suspicious of anything since she is only four. We still have a while before anyone attempts to locate her.”
“What do we tell people when we visit Gran gran?” Ikki asks.
“We are fostering another child. An air bender whose parents abandoned her.” Tenzin says. “We treat her like family. It will buy some time.”
“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” Jinora asks.
Her father is puzzled.
“Because she is the avatar. Don’t you think they will argue that she should be with earth nation individuals?”
He rolls his eyes. “Politics. This is why I got out of that mess.” The air bending master glances at the child again, this time she is sound asleep. “I will make some calls when we get back from our trip.”
…
Tenzin unloads luggage from his bison. Oogie stands patiently. The air bending master’s family are stretching their legs in the tundra that is the Southern Tribe. The young avatar is bundled in several layers of cloths and a blanket, held by Pemma. There are tears on her face from the never ending crying. She cries at this point because the gloves on her hands prevent her from sucking her thumb. The kids run to greet their grandmother. Tenzin holds three bags and his oldest sun rushes back to help.
“Hey mom.” The master says to his mother.
The old water bending master smiles at him, she is happy to see her son and his family. Her eyes notice the wad of blankets her daughter in law holds. Concern overwhelms her wrinkled face. “We have plenty of blankets here, Pemma.” She says.
Pemma attempts to smile but it is forced. She pulls the blanket down a bit to expose Reina’s tearful face. The bruise on her left eye a rotten shade of purple and yellow.
The water bender gasps. “Whose child is that?”
Tenzin glances around to make sure no one is within earshot. “I’ll tell you details later. Her father abandoned her in the main gardens and we are keeping her.” He sets some bags down, hugging his mother. “How have you been?”
A look of concern remains on Katara’s face. “I’m fine. How old is she? You are getting old for babies.”
He sighs, picking the bags up again. Pemma picks up the conversation. “Her name is Reina and she is four.” Pemma bounces the little girl. Her small body shivering even under the blankets. “Can I take her in? She has been shivering for quite a while.”
Katara nods. “Let’s get you all inside. We can have tea.” She slowly walks into her home. The rest of the family follows. They sit around a fire in the center of the room. Katara is quick to kneel beside Pemma. Her arthritic hands remove the tiny child’s hat. She places her hand on the crying girls head.
“She is a quiet crier.” The old bender states.
Pemma places the avatar on the ground. Inside is nearly hot with the fire. The mother removes the little girl’s mittens. Almost immediately Reina sucks her thumb.
“Hello darling.” Katara says to the child. “Did you know that I have never seen anyone with eyes as green as yours?” The child continues to cry. Master Katara slowly water bends from her hip belt. The little avatar shies away as she uses her bending to heal the black eye and the irritation from crying. The old master then attempts to remove the hand from the child’s mouth but is unsuccessful. “Why didn’t you have anyone look at her earlier? You don’t need me to heal something a rookie could do.”
The water bending masters son shifts slightly. “That is the avatar.” He says quietly. “We are waiting to make it public.”
“How do you know? She is a baby.”
“Jinora is spiritually inclined. She could tell.” Tenzin answers.
Katara pats the little avatar’s head. “She is a powerful individual, but she is much too little to be four. It has been four years since Korra’s demise.”
“I suspect that is a contribution of the neglect. Her father asked for money. I’m not sure how responsible he was as her parent.”
The small girl stops crying. Reina’s small free hand wipes her eye. She stops sucking her thumb. The water bender is quick to heal the rash on her small hand. The skin is broken from being wet for so long. Katara holds her hands. The little girl pulls away, crying again.
“You will need to break that habit quickly.” Master Katara sighs. “What are your plans with her?”
Tenzin doesn’t respond to his mother.
“You don’t have a plan.” She states.
“She has been with us for 2 days. I haven’t had time for a plan.”
Katara’s hand brushes the child’s hair. It only seems to festered her more. “What have you fed her?”
“She won’t eat.” Pemma interjects. “I’ve tried all kinds of food. She refused cake.”
“Stubborn.” The old woman mumbles. Reina eyes the old woman, sucking her thumb again but no longer crying. “Are you hungry?” She asks the child. The little girl doesn’t react at all. “Does you momma cook for you?” Reina’s eyes turn to the floor, as if she will cry again but doesn’t.
“Her mother died but I’m not sure what part of that Reina understands.” Tenzin says.
“Children understand much more than they seem to.” Katara returns. Her old hands rest in her lap. “Tonraq and Senna are coming for dinner.” She changes the subject. “They should arrive soon.”
“Do I need to prep anything in the kitchen?” Pemma asks.
“No dear, I started things hours ago. I will have the kids help me with plates.”
Tenzin shifts. “How are they doing? With the anniversary and all.”
“They are still recovering.” Katara says. “It is difficult to lose a loved one, let alone a child.” The room is quiet for several minutes before there is a knock on the door. “Jinora and Ikki, will you two help get plates down and the boys will help with the table setting.”
The children go to the kitchen, bickering slightly. Pemma wraps Reina up again and holds her while Tenzin answers the door. The little girl is tearful at being held. Pemma bounces her.
Tonraq is first to enter, his hair greying, face a bit thinner. He hugs Tenzin first. Senna follows. She hasn’t changed much in the years after Korra’s death. The families exchange greetings.
“Who is that?” Tonraq asks after a moment.
Tenzin is ridget. “That is a child that we are taking care of for a few days.” He says.
“She doesn’t look happy.” He chuckles.
“She hasn’t been so far.” Tenzin says. “Her name is Reina, we were given her yesterday and decided to just take her opposed to worrying about placing her with a nomad family. Right away.”
“That’s nice.” Senna says. “She has very bright green eyes.”
Tonraq studies the crying child momentarily. “She is thin, how old is she?”
“Four.” Tenzin begins his way to the dining room so the crowd will follow. His own children are setting silvers at the table. “We suspect a fair amount of abuse.”
The men chat politics for a bit. Pemma holds the tiny avatar. She is beginning to fall asleep. Her strong will refusing to lean on Pemma’s shoulder. The seasoned mother waits for her to give in. Her silent crying has already stopped out of exhaustion.
“Will you two keep her?” Senna asks the other woman.
Pemma shrugs. “We haven’t discussed that. That will come up on the way home I’m sure.” She pauses as the little girl finally rests her on Pemma’s shoulder. “What are you two doing these days?”
Senna takes a deep breath. “He is being a workaholic. I’ve spent most of my time working with the hospital. I’m not a bender so I mostly just work the front desk.”
“That’s nice that you can keep yourselves busy.”
“It’s hard. It’s hard to keep going some days.”
Pemma nods. The little girl in her lap shivers. She pulls the blanket up.
“Is she okay?” Senna asks.
Pemma nods. “I suspect she spent most of the night awake. We haven’t had her for long enough to hear her speak.”
“Well can she?” Senna pauses. “I mean she might not be all there.”
“We don’t know anything.” Pemma reiterates. Her hand gently pulling the blanket up further on the child. “She seems to understand some things. But she is only four.”
“What is her name again?” Tonraq asks.
“Reina.” Tenzin answers.
“She is an air bender?”
“Her father seemed to think so when he dropped her off.”
“How many members are you up to? Last I heard it was several thousand.”
Tenzin takes a bite of his food. “10,000. Just a little over. Some of our members remain in their home towns and others refuse to participate but there is mandatory reporting in place.”
“Is training difficult?” He asks. “He It’s one thing teaching children, are the adults often hard to work with.”
“Actually Jinora does most of the organization. I am mostly retired. Ikki and Meelo travel and train. We don’t have many masters yet.”
Jinora seems to sit prouder and so do Ikki and Meelo. They all are masters now. All marked with arrows. Everyone eats for a moment. The food is authentic water tribe. With a little change to make it vegetarian. Pemma shifts the little girl to a more comfortable position while she eats. Her little body is skin and bone. A small spirit lands on the child. Reina stirs, waking up. She squirms until Pemma is forced to put her down.
“Hi sweetie.” Tonraq waves to her.
The little girl simply frowns at him. The same spirit landing on her head of dark hair. She walks around. The adults watch. Her body freezes. Reina looks at something across the room that doesn’t exist. Her whole body is still.
“What’s wrong?” Pemma asks her from the table.
The child continues staring.
“I wonder what she sees.” Tonraq mumbles. He eats soup. “Kids are crazy.”
“Try giving her a chunk of food.” Katara suggests. “I’m sure she is hungry.”
Tenzin holds a slice of bread in the avatar’s direction. Her glare is unfazed. “Reina.” He says.
Her head turn to him. Her small hand grabs the slice of bread. Everyone watches as she holds the bread forward. Reina remains there for a long time.
“There isn’t any spirit that I can see.” Jinora whispers.
Reina holds the bread for a while longer before dropping it. Her wide eyes look back to the table before filling with tears. Pemma steps over and picks up her and the bread. The little girl squirms and silently cries while everyone finishes dinner. The table chats a little bit of everything. Tiptoeing around the topic of Avatar Korra. Barely scalping the idea of the new avatar. Theoretically she is still much to young Jinora had not been able to locate the new avatar when she tried before. This probably has to do with Reina’s individuality. When looking for Korra’s spirit, it can be found but comparing is logical.
Pemma eventually forces some food in the little avatar’s mouth. Reina eventually drinks a sip of water too. Pemma studies the thinness of her. Her eyes circled in dark. Her, what should be plump, cheeks, not. Reina eats a few more bites. Pemma runs her hand over the child’s head. The party moves to the common room to sit by the fire while Pemma attempts to force feed for another few minutes until there are more tears and a sucking thumb. She brushes back the child’s hair.
“You are stuck with us.” Pemma mumbles to her.
She stands the little avatar, holding the blanket and leading her to the common room where adults drink while the kids play in the summer sun. Pemma let’s go of Reina and sits by her husband. Reina stands, sucking her thumb.
“Do you want some fermented cactus juice?” Tonraq asks Pemma. He and Senna are the only two holding drinks.
“No thank you.” Pemma smiles. She took a vow when she became an acolyte. The same reason Tenzin doesn’t drink. Master Katara isn’t in the room, she must be outside with her grandchildren.
The adults chat. Reina stands still. Her eyes still tearful. She just stands. Master Karara enters from outside. Her old hands pull a hat over the avatar’s head. She forces gloves over her small hands. The old woman felt with Toph’s inconsolable, crying child. At least Lin would stop long enough to eat. Katara wraps a fur lined scarf around the little girl before leading her outside wby her gloved hand.
The woman sits on an ice bench just outside while the big kids dig in the snow. She water bends in front of the little avatar. The child is mesmerized. Her gloved hand reaches up to touch the water. She quickly grabs snow from by her boots, holding it to the rest. The water bending master adds it to the loops she bends. This makes the child smile. Her bright green eyes look at the old master. For a second she is still. Reina looks back at the water.
“Should I make it snow again?” The woman asks quietly.
Reina nods.
The water falls to the ground as snow. The little avatar sits down in the snow. Her hands dig. Spirits land on her head. One wraps like a scarf around her neck. Her hand holds up a ball of snow. Katara watches as it melts in her hand. Water drips on the packed snow. The old woman watches wide eyed as she does the same thing again. This time it is obvious she is fire bending.
“You can fire bend.” The woman whispers.
Reina grins to cry again. Her gloves are soaking wet and so are her arms. Master Katara water bends out the wetness.
“Gran gran!” Rohan shouts from a short distance. “Look!” The eight year old boy is sitting on a huge pile of snow while his brother uses air bending to shovel more on top.
“Hi mom.” Kya waves.
“Oh hi dear.” Katara says. “Your brother is inside with Tonraq and Senna.”
Kya sits beside her mother. Her eyes linger nod Reina. “Whose child is that?”
Katara sighs. “Someone dumped her on the island. Your father and I had some too. It’s part of being in the city like that.”
“Why is she crying?” Kya tries to touch the little girl but she moves away.
“Cold, hungry, tired, she hasn’t stopped crying. She probably misses her parents.”
“Hi Aunt Kya!” The air bending kids say in unison.
She waves at them. “What is your name?“ Kya asks Reina, who just continues crying. “How long are they staying?” Kya asks Katara.
“Your brother and his family are here for the week. He has the kids doing a considerable amount of training. He deals with the back.”
“That’s nice. I want to visit the city. Maybe I’ll spend a little time where it’s warm.”
“That sounds like a vacation. What about work?”
“I’m not working until next lunar anyway.” Kya shrugs. “They are well staffed.”
Pemma steps outside. She smiles at Kya. “How are you?” She asks, grabbing Reina and sitting on the bench. The little girl is unhappy about it. She squirms until she realizes she can’t escape.
“I’m fine. What made you two decide to keep this one?” She gestures to Reina.
“We didn’t have time before we left for this trip. Her father left her yesterday. Tenzin and I will talk about it.”
“Can she speak?” Kya asks. The little girl stares at her, her hands pushing Pemma away despite being trapped on her lap. “How old are you?” She asks the child. Her eyes tear up. “How old is she Pemma?”
“Four.” Pemma responds. “We need to bulk her up, she is too skinny for a four year old.” She bounces the little girl. Reina again cries.
“How often do people abandon children?” Kya asks.
Pemma pulls the hat over Reina’s ears. “We get one about every year. They usually are cared for by acolytes and become one themselves. My best friend when I first became an acolyte was abandoned as a baby and cared for at the western temple. He seemed content.”
“I remember baby Gyon.” Katara smiles. “He was wilder than Bumi.”
“I don’t believe it.” Kya mumbles.
“He had wild stories.” Pemm laughs. “I never knew what to believe.”
The avatar pulls her gloves off. Pemma picks them up quickly. Reina fights off her hat too despite her small body shivering.
“It is cold.” Pemma says. The child fights against Pemma again. Eventually forcing the woman to let her down. Reina stands erect. Her tiny body stiff on the packed snow. She walks toward Rohan, who is behind a pile of powder. He pushes her away when she is practically standing on him. Her lips mumble something non coherent and she walks away from him. The women watch as she sits on the ice no and spirits flock to her. They swarm. A large spirit sits in front of her, some other fly around, some land on her. They can’t hear her quiet whispers to the spirits, nor can they see the old avatar spirit sitting by the child. Avatar Korra and the child watch each other. The little avatar points at the older avatar’s necklace. A traditional water tribe necklace. One that symbolizes her heritage.
“Time to go inside!” Pemma calls to her children. She has to go grab Reina’s hand because the little girl ignores her calls.
Reina sobs quietly. Her little hands cold as ice. Pemma warms them by the fire when they enter Katara’s home. The woman removes several layers and wraps the little girl in a blanket. She sucks her thumb, laying by the fire. Her eyes closed.
“Tenzin.” Pemma says after Tonraq, Senna, and Kya have all gone home and the children to bed. “She sat in the snow today and played with spirits. That was the happiest I’ve seen her.”
Master Katara rocks leisurely in her rocker. It has become too difficult for her to sit on the floor. “She can fire bend.” Her words are upfront and honest.
“What?” Tenzin says loudly.
“I was water bending in front of her and she melted snow. I’m a way that had to be fire bending.”
He glances at the toddler on the floor. “Her father said she had been in earth bending lessons. Did she speak to you?”
“She smiles.” Katara replies. “Then she was distracted by a spirit.”
…
The air bending families week of vacation hasn’t gone well. The little avatar has been sick for the past three days, puking and crying. The frustration is written all over Pemma’s face. She sits on the floor while the avatar sleeps by the fire. The woman misses her children as babies but not the parts like this.
“Pemma, dear, why don’t you and Tenzin have a day to yourselves. I’ll watch Reina.” Katara says.
“You are very sweet but it-“
“Go.” She says again. “I’ve got the baby duty.”
Pemma looks relieved. She stands, looking tired from lack of sleep. “Thank you.” She mumbles. The old woman nods and Pemma wonders off.
The old master watches the child’s chest rise and fall. Her own children are grown. She is reminded of the blissful feeling of her children being born. Her husband holding her hand. His kind face. The child in front of her is part of him. Her small body stirs. She rolls over, facing Katara, thumb in her mouth. Reina’s green eyes are ringed in red from being sick. She barely mumbles something.
“Are you going to be sick?”
The little girl shakes her head. A small white spirit lands on her hand. The little girl looks at the woman in blue standing to the left of the old woman. The woman in blue has long dark hair and carved jewelry, she speaks. “You must be prepared.” She says.
“What’s over there?” Katara asks her. “What arou you looking at?”
Reina points at what appears to be nothing to the water bender. Her little fingers are slightly blue from the cold. She looks unhappy with what she sees.
“Come.” The old master pulls the child onto her lap. Reina wrestles with the elderly woman. Katara grabs the child’s small hands. She bends water around them, keeping the little girl entertained. “One day, you will be a water bending master.” She tells the little avatar. Reina squirms out of the woman’s lap, standing on the ground. Her cloths swallow her. Reina’s head of dark hair is messy from sleep despite her being awake most of the night.
A spirit hops over to the avatar. Reina tries to grab it. It runs. She cries, sucking her thumb. This goes on for nearly an hour. The child lies on the floor, tired from crying, sucking one thumb and drawing shapes in the air with her other hand. Her small hand rubs sleepily at her eyes. Katara watches as she drifts off too sleep.
Master Katara watches the little girl sleep. Spirits wisp around her. Some content to relax on the blanket, others in her hair. The child obviously doesn’t sleep well, her body shifts about after only a few minutes. Reina’s small body sits up quickly. There are dark circles under her eyes. Katara simply watches the child stand and wander about. She holds her arms close to her body as she steps.
“Hey.” Pemma says quietly, entering the room. “I came back early. Tenzin is with the kids. I didn’t want to make you responsible…” she trails off as Katara waves away her concerns. “Did she sleep?”
The old woman shakes her head.
Pemma grabs the little girl off the floor, holding her, looking at the dark circles under her eyes. The redness of her face from crying. Her small body squirms. “You are going to sit with me until you fall asleep.” The mother of four tells the squirming child. Reina begins to cry, sucking her thumb.
“She is very strong willed.” Katara states. “I don’t know if you can get her to sleep.”
Pemma frowns, gripping the little girl’s squirming body. “My kids were never like this.” She sighs. “They would eat then practically pass out.”
“This one is holding a lot of emotional trauma. You need to be careful with her.”