"Did you remember extra socks? What about a brush, please tell me you brought a brush, Korra, you know how unruly your hair gets," her mother says.

"Yes, Mom, I have plenty of socks. And you packed three combs, remember? Relax. I'll be fine," Korra replies patiently.

"Well," her father supplies, "you can always write us if you need anything. And we'll be back for parent weekend in six weeks." He pulls his daughter in for a hug and whispers, "We'll miss you, Korra."

Her mother, still slightly in hysterics, starts crying as she steps forward to give her only daughter another hug goodbye. "Now remember, try to make some friends, and—"

"Mom. Cut it out, you're embarrassing me," Korra grits through her teeth. With a deep sigh, Korra heaves her bags onto her shoulders and, tossing one last look over her shoulder at her parents, walks through the imposing bronze gates to Master Elias's School for Young Benders.

A handful of school officials gather the new students in a large foyer. Excited chatter buzzes through the hall as a sea of first formers eagerly meet their new classmates. Some of them seem to know each other already. Great, Korra scoffs to herself. Everyone already knows each other. This should be interesting.

Korra knew most students at Elias grew up in Republic City, so of course they knew each other. They probably went to primary school together. Korra was an outsider, being from the South Pole and a scholarship student. No way could her parents ever dream of affording Elias without help, but fortunately, Katara had helped the strong young bender get a full-ride because of the strength of her bending.

"Listen up, first years," one of the school officials booms. She is a fierce looking, sturdy woman with her long hair pulled back in a loose bun. She wears a strange outfit, Korra thinks, but the green pin on her black coat suggests she's an Earthbender. "In a few moments, we'll get you moved into your new dorms, but first, a few rules."

A rumbling of groans and exasperation passes amongst the students, but a harsh look from this metal-clad woman is enough to silence them once more.

"My name is Master Bei Fong. Some of you Earthbenders who demonstrate the strength will have the privilege of taking my metal bending class, but most of you will know me as your class dean. My job is to get you prepared to be real benders by being real people, first. I have a strict zero-tolerance policy on bullying and general misconduct - including unauthorized duels—so think twice before you decide to break the rules.

Now, we have a relatively small class this year, so when you hear your name, step forward and get your room assignment. Once you have your card, you can go ahead and move in. Dinner will be in the main hall at 7pm. Do not be late."

With that, Master Bei Fong turns sharply on her heel and nods to a diminutive young woman with mousy brown hair, who seems to be Bei Fong's assistant. She clears her throat and begins, "Mariko Rook, and Rae-Lee Delona."

A brawny, obnoxious Firebender boy saunters forward and snatches the beige card from the assistant, and a slender boy next to Korra takes a shaky step towards the front, blood draining from his face.

And the list goes on. A prissy-looking water bender with a daunting amount of luggage; a well-muscled Earth bender boy who seems to be friends with everyone—Korra hears that his name is Bolin—but for the most part, she isn't paying much attention.

Finally, Korra hears her name and she snaps back into focus. She is the only student left. "Oh, great," she grumbles. "Now I don't even have a roommate."

"Actually, your roommate will be a second form student; that class has an odd number, too. Her name is Tilly Keel. She's already moved in, so you can meet her now. Here's your card." Master Bei Fong's assistant hands Korra the card, gives a sympathetic smile, and leaves the now-empty foyer.

With an eye roll, Korra hoists her bags up again, and after consulting the small map, she heads off towards her new home: Gyatso Hall.

xXx

When Korra finds her room, the door is propped open. One half of the room is already decorated lavishly, and the girl peeks out from behind a magazine and Korra nearly jumps.

"Hi, I'm Tilly! You must be Korra." Tilly greets Korra's awkward stare with a warm smile, and holds out her hand. Korra shakes it tentatively, which makes Tilly giggle. "Need any help moving your things in?"

"Uh, no. No thanks. But thanks for the offer. Nice to meet you, too," Korra manages. Spirits, she thinks, this one's upbeat. Korra throws her bags on the bed, and starts unpacking. She doesn't have much, just some clothes, school books, and two drawings: one of her parents, and one of Naga. She gives her half of the room the once over, and deciding it will have to do, flops down on her bed. Tilly is reading her magazine again, but peers around the edge of a page to say gently, "Don't get too comfortable. It's nearly seven."

And just like that, the clock tower starts to ring, and Korra hears the corridor fill with students of all forms. She joins the flow of the river of people all the way down to the main dining hall. Korra hangs back, waiting to see where the other students to sit down, scoping out the best way to jump into her new social life. Someone brushes Korra's arm. She turns to see it's her roommate, Tilly.

"Want to sit with me?" she smiles.

"No, my friends are right over there," Korra lies smoothly.

"Okay, well I'll see you later then," Tilly returns, and glides off to sit next to a tall, quiet boy with black ruffled hair and the amber-colored eyes of a Firebender. The red scarf might be a clue, too.

Korra spies the friendly looking boy from earlier, and decides this is her best shot. There's even a seat right next to him still open. With a shake of her head, Korra taps him on the shoulder.

"Hey, this seat taken?" He turns towards Korra and his face fills with an honest grin.

"Now it is! Have a seat. Name's Bolin," he offers with a sincere tone, "what's yours?"

"Korra," she responds, and can't help but return his smile. He has gentle black curls, warm green eyes, and a slightly upturned nose that Korra can't help but find adorable.

"Great to meet you, Korra. So where are you from? You don't look like you're from the City," Bolin prompts. "No offense!" he adds quickly.

"No, no, none taken," Korra replies. "I'm … well I'm from the South Pole."

"No kidding! That's great. So you must be a Waterbender, right?"

Korra hesitates. What if no one knew? What if I was just a normal teenager? "Yeah, Water Tribe. And uh, you must be an Earthbender? Y'know, because you're wearing green …" Smooth, Korra. Real smooth.

But Bolin chuckles lightly. "I sure am! So… you any good? My brother and I want to make a bending team, but all his friends are Firebenders like him, and Hasook said his parents didn't want him taking time out of his studying to do a club sport." Bolin rolls his eyes as he bites into a slice of bread dunked in soup broth.

"A bending team? I mean, I'm a strong bender for sure, but I'm not sure what you mean," Korra says nervously. She's worried Bolin will think she's just some country hick, not cool enough for his city ways.

But Bolin is nothing but nice when he responds, "Oh, yeah, you probably don't have bending teams with all Waterbenders! Basically, you get three benders, one of each element (there's not enough Airbenders out there so just three), and you compete in a ring with your bending to see who comes out on top! After school, you can even go pro," he says, almost dreamily.

Korra laughs. "That sounds amazing," she beams. "I'd love to team up!"

"Well, you'll, er, you'll have to try out first. I have to make sure you're the real deal," he says with a wink. They make plans to meet up after dinner by the lake, and Korra will show him her bending. The rest of the meal, Bolin tells Korra all about bending and the city, and Korra finds herself relaxing. This is going to be a breeze, she thinks. As long as she just water bends, everything will be just fine.

xXx

After dinner, Korra heads out to the lake. Bolin is already there, playing with some clay discs. He lets them drop when he sees Korra.

"Ready to show me what you've got?" he teases.

"You better believe it," she quips. Korra closes her eyes briefly and then nearly effortlessly bends a long whip up out of the lake. Bolin nods at the targets he's set up, and she lets the whip fly out and cracks right at the end, slicing through the dummy.

"Nice shot!" Bolin says, slapping her on the back. "That was pretty slick. What else you got?"

Korra turns to the lake again, and this time draws up a large bubble which she almost cradles into her chest. Swiftly, she redirects the water at the next dummy, and the bubble becomes a wave as it crashes over its helpless victim. Not waiting for feedback, Korra draws more water, and a wall of water flies at the final dummy. Korra smirks, pleased with her work.

"Need to see more?" she demands, a competitive edge creeping into her voice.

"No, no, that was, well, that was amazing. I can see why you came to Elias. They only take the best," Bolin responds. Then he adds in a low voice, "Or, y'know, the richest. I'm a scholarship student, so I prefer to think that they only take the best."

Korra's fiercely determined features soften as she realizes what he's said. She's a little shocked that he's volunteered this information so freely since she only met him a few hours ago, but she can feel the trust between them building. The trust that won't be there if he ever finds out I'm the Avatar, Korra reminds herself, but she pushes that thought to the back of her mind. "Me too," she responds evenly. "The South Pole isn't exactly an economic wonderland."

The two compare their class schedules, not expecting any cross-over since they bend different elements, but are pleased to find out they have a study hall together. It's gotten dark though, and Bolin reminds Korra of curfew. Giddily, the run back up to the school, turning it into a race. Bolin wins, but only just.

xXx

Korra wakes just before sunrise. Bleary eyed, she stretches and rolls out of bed. She almost calls out to Naga, but then remembers where she is. Her first class isn't for hours, but if she's going to be a normal student—one that bends only one element—she has to hide her exercises. And she really needs to practice her airbending.

Korra gathers up her books so she doesn't have to come back to the room before class, and the door clicks behind her as she sneaks out, hoping to not disturb a still slumbering Tilly. She decides the best cover she can get is down on the far side of the lake, where there is a small stand of trees. No one would be awake yet, anyway, but just in case, some cover was better than nothing.

She drops her bag on the pine-needle covered ground with a light thud. Taking a deep breath, she smells the greenery, and the clean scent of the lake wafts by. Birds are chirping as more sunlight filters through the pines. Korra tries to relax, remembering what Tenzin showed her this past summer. She imagines dancing through the wind panels, turning in smooth, spiraling steps. She takes one more calming breath, and—

Nothing. The slight wind that was beginning to whistle through the needles even died down, mocking her. Korra sighs, and tries again. She begins with the slow circles, and closes her eyes, imagining Tenzin's bending. But he's Aang's son, of course he's an amazing Airbender. Even his kids can bend better than me. I'm supposed to be the Avatar!

Korra can feel her frustration growing, but instead of trying to calm down again, she lets herself get swept up by her emotions. She starts to tense, and her rage erupts from her fists in dangerous swirls of fire. She punches at nothing, streaks of flames leaping from her body until she is panting and out of breath.

A twig snaps. Korra wheels around. The tall dark-haired boy who sat with Tilly last night clears his throat.