I've always hated them, my parents, the way the never listened to me, or believed in me. It has always been this way, ever since I can remember. One of my first memories is of my father and mother fighting. I was two and was beginning to find my way around the house on my own. I found my way about by keeping one hand on the wall, once I walked down a hallway I rememberd the texture of the wall. Through this method I was able to create a map of the house. This day I was exploring one of my favorite hallways. The wall had a rough feeling to it, like someone had accidently dropped sand into the paint. I enjoyed the gritty feeling of the wall beneath my fingers. My hands came to a bump in the wall as I walked, a doorframe. I heard my parents voices through the door so I slid it open about three inches, just enough for me to hear what they were saying. Being in the middle of an argument, my parents had no idea that I was there, not that they would have noticed anyway.
"We can't keep her locked in here forever, even if she is..." My mother would never finish a sentence like that. When I was younger, she could never bring herself to say that word: blind.
"We can, and we will. It is too dangerous for her to go outside these walls." That voice was my father, overprotective and harsh.
"What if we sign her up for this?" My mother produced a piece of paper, I had heard it crinkle, from the folds of her dress.
"Earthbending lessons?" My father asked, the amusement in his voice still haunts me to this day.
"Yes. I've met the master there, he seems to know what he's doing. In fact I invited him over tomorrow for tea." My mother said. I could tell that she was faking her voice to sound strong. She was afraid of what my father was going to say.
My father meerly sighed, "There is nothing we can do about it now, we will tell him, when he comes tomorrow, that we simply are not interested." I then heard him crumpled up the paper and then stuff it away into his pocket.
I then began to make my way to my bedroom with a question in my mind that begged to be answered; what was earthbending?
-end chapter one-
The next day was a day that became one of my happiest. I remember everything so clearly. There were four people sitting at the table, including myself. My father was sitting at the end of the table, I could feel his strong presence from my seat. My mother sat next to me, she seemed to be anxious and frail at the moment. There was another presence however, this person felt powerful, like my father but different. This person had a strength that my father did not have, a strength that I would soon grow to call earthbending.
The servants soon brought out the tea, I remember that it was chai from the smell of the tea. Our servants were to be seen and not heard, however I could not see them, but I could hear them. They had the nicest footsteps, so quiet and petite sounding.
Seconds after the footsteps were heard I noted the soft clink of the tea cups on the table. I reached out to grab my cup but my mother hit my hand.
"Toph, it's still too hot." My mother scolded. I then felt one of the servants lean over the back of my chair; then the cool breath coming from their mouth tocool off my tea.
"You can drink it now." My mother told me. I picked up the cup and sipped the warm contents while the business discussion went on around me.
"Your wife wishes to enroll your daughter in my earthbending classes." The newcomer said.
"Toph is blind, it is too dangerous for her to learn earthbending." My father replied in a monotoned voice.
"I don't think so. If it pleases you, for a small fee I would be willing to give her private lessons, away from the other children. I can assure you that she will not be harmed in anyway." The newcomer, or the resident earthbending master, said. This seemed to intrigue my father. Money was never an issue to my family, so this "small fee" seemed to be a reasonable idea. The papers were signed moments later. The only good thing my parents did for me was sign those papers. After we finished out tea, I was told that my first earthbending lesson was to be held one week later in the back garden.
-end chapter two-
My friend wrote this. Comments please ^^
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