A Flame Awakened (Hyejoo)

Based on "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and LOONA

Story and Characters by Loo Loo

Written by Loo Loo

The sweet scent of blossoming flowers filled her with happiness.

Hyejoo held tight onto her mother's hand as they walked through a familiar field. The skies were a bright blue and the wind rustling against the tree leaves soothed her.

"Where are we going mother?" Hyejoo looked up, her mother's face a shadow. The bright sun formed a crown above her soft hair.

"There's something I need to show you, Hyejoo. I need you to promise me you won't tell anyone about this. Not even your sisters." 

Hyejoo nodded and the two made their way under the shade of a tree. Mother pulled out a small shovel and dug next to the tree. Eventually, a peculiar sound came from the hole, and Mother stopped digging.

Just as she was about to pull the object up, Hyejoo felt an uncomfortable warmth overtake her, the skies turned red and she began to sweat.

"Mother?" 

She was gone. Hyejoo panted, looking around at the burned flowers as the shade disappeared.

Hyejoo woke up with a flame in her sights. A flame in the hand of her sister, Hyunjin.

Hyunjin put out the flame and shook Hyejoo with a smile full of bread. "Wake up sleepy! It's time for school!"

She was not amused. "Did you really have to do that to wake me up?"

"Well I tried shaking you and I didn't want to scream in your ears. You're a very heavy sleeper, you know?"

"Hyunjin!" The voice of her sister Yerim yelled from another room, getting closer. "Did you wake her- oh, yay! C'mon Hyejoo, I don't want you to be late again."

Hyejoo walked through the courtyard of her school, eyes on her red school uniform, still thinking about what her mother told her.

"See you at home!" She heard the voice of Hyunjin trail off as she no doubt went off with Heejin. Then, she felt Yerim grab her hand.

"You have something on your mind." An odd look of worry colored Yerim's usually cheerful face. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I don't have anything on my mind." Hyejoo pulled her hand free and looked away.

"Hey Yerim!" A voice called from some place.

"I gotta go." Yerim put a hand on Hyejoo's shoulder. "Hey..."

Hyejoo glanced up at her.

"You have a beautiful smile." Yerim showed her own smile, only getting a grin from Hyejoo. "See you after school."

Hyejoo gave a small nod and listened to her sister's footsteps fade away like her mother. Then, softer footsteps approached her.

"Hey," the even softer voice said.

She felt the fragile arms of Chaewon give her a quick hug as she finally looked up, her friend's smile comforting her. 

"What is it?" Chaewon asked.

Hyejoo knew she couldn't hide anything from her, even if she wanted to. "Nothing, it's just... a dream I had about my mother. Hyunjin woke me up by lighting a fire next to my face."

"What? Is she serious? You could've-"

"It's fine Chae, I just got really warm. I almost overslept."

"Still, she should be more careful. I don't like how reckless she is with her bending. She's gonna get herself or someone else hurt."

The two walked up a short flight of steps and into the school hallway.

"Good news girls. I bought you both some gifts for how well you did in your firebending exams."

"Both?"

Hyejoo glanced over at Yerim who looked like she wanted to say something to Father. Hyunjin also looked to Hyejoo, somewhat confused and worried.

The timid flame in Hyejoo's soul burned hotter, she ground her teeth together and inhaled a stuttered breath. "Father, what about me?"

Father was not much taller than Hyejoo. He had a thick beard that was almost as wide as his shoulders. He looked over at her and raised an eyebrow. "What about you? You didn't pass your exams."

"No, but... I improved. I worked very hard and I almost-"

"Almost isn't going to cut it, Hyejoo. You need to learn the valuable lesson of achievement. Just because you work hard doesn't mean you succeeded. Hard work is meaningless without results. You will get your gift as well, once you show results. You aren't as talented as your sisters, so that means you will have to work even harder. Do you understand?"

"Yes Father." Hyejoo put her head back down and kicked her foot at nothing in particular.

"And that too."

She snapped her head back up as Father's deep voice spoke again.

"You shouldn't be so shy all the time. You should be more like your sisters. Look at how they are, always head up and cheerful. People respect you more when you act that way." 

"Yes Father." Hyejoo clenched her fists nehind her back, digging her nails onto her palms.

"Good. That was all. I'll be getting home late tonight, I expect your homework to be finished when I get back."

"He does care about you..." Yerim had her arms wrapped around Hyejoo, brushing her hair with her hand and speaking softly. "It's just the way he was raised. You shouldn't take it too hard."

"That's easy for you guys to say. You've always been his favorites. He has something against me and I don't know why."

Hyejoo felt Hyunjin's hand on top of hers as she breathed in deeply, trying to hold back tears so they wouldn't ruin the homework her sisters had helped her with. Yerim didn't say anything for a while, continuing to brush Hyejoo's hair.

Finally, Yerim simply said. "It's going to be alright."

Hyejoo and Chaewon sat alone under a tree during lunch the next day. Hyejoo had barely touched her food.

"Please eat," Chaewon said, "I don't like seeing you like this."

Hyejoo plucked a blade of grass from the ground, seeing herself in it, and let out a sarcastic grin. "Father said I should lose some weight. He says if I was slimmer it would make me faster and more agile. Funny he doesn't tell Hyunjin that."

"Don't listen to him. You eat and you eat as much as you want."

"I'm not hungry."

Chaewon opened to speak but was cut off by a voice coming from the courtyard. "Chaewon and Hyejoo sitting in a tree!"

Hyejoo looked over at a group of girls giggling to themselves and rolled her eyes.

"Don't listen to them either. Yagi is just jealous because I don't hang out with her anymore."

"Hey Chaewon!" Yagi's voice called again. "You learn any good airbending tricks lately?"

That was it. She wouldn't allow that rumor to breathe any longer. Hyejoo immediately stood up and glared at the girls. "Will you leave her alone? How many times is that lie going to come out of your fat mouth?"

"I don't know..." Yagi grinned. "How many times is your mouth going to touch hers?"

Now even more students joing in the giggles. Hyejoo noticed Chaewon's face turn red as she shook her head and looked away.

Hyejoo's eyes widened as she made a fist with her trembling hand. She felt as though her nails grew ten times as long and she desperately wanted to see how Yagi's scrawny face would look after she pulled them off of it.

She felt Chaewon grab her arm but it didn't have the same effect as usual. She shook free and walked towards the girls with a purpose, steps shaking the ground with of the all the years of built up anger.

"Hyejoo!" She heard Yerim's voice call from a classroom but she didn't want to look.

Hyejoo's voice stood a top pillars of marble. "I'm going to give you three seconds to apologize for spreading lies about her."

"You mean spreading the truth?" Yagi laughed. "What are you gonna do? Burn me with your little sparkbending?"

The girls around her laughed.

Hyejoo shook with rage, not even bothering to control her breathing or the tone of her voice. "Are you going to apologize?"

"Are you going to apologize for daring to call yourself a firebender? You wouldn't even be fit to light a candle."

More laughs.

Yagi shook her head. "The worst firebender in the nation. Your mother would be disappointed."

Everything inside Hyejoo burst into flames. Rage controlled her every move and she unleashed a wave of fire. Screams pierced the bright blue skies and Hyejoo looked down at her hand, suddenly realizing what she had done.

Most of the girls were holding their faces in pain, except Yagi who was on the ground screaming. "Are you crazy?!"

Everyone around her was in shock. In the distance, Yerim was running over with her hands on , her face in complete disbelief.

Hyejoo looked back at Chaewon, whose tears dropped onto the whistling blades of grass.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 will follow Ms. Sooyoung so stay tuned!