The Revolution

As soon as I made it about halfway down the marble steps outside of the police station, I sat down. After being taken into custody, I was forced to wear normal shoes inside of the police station. They told me that it was for decency, but I knew that the real reason was to prevent me from sensing vibrations. The officers know now that my abilities easily exceeded theirs. I guess they just wanted to make sure that I couldn't show off around them.

I took off the cheap pieces of rag that had been molded into shoes and tossed them onto the sidewalk. Sooner or later, they were bound to be picked up by someone looking for shoes. I reached into the bag that the police had given to me earlier. Inside of it was everything that had been in my pockets at the time of my arrest.

First was a couple of stones that I kept on me at all times. They come in handy when I get in fights. The fire bender that attacked me went to the hospital with several wounds to the chest and arms. The police defined one of the weapons that I used as "small, spherical pieces of earth used in a deadly manner". His other wounds came when I sent a block of stone into his chest from the ground beneath him. Despite the fact that fire benders are stronger now more than ever, the attack knocked him flat. I was just too quick for him. I put the handy weapons back into my pocket.

The next thing in the bag was a piece of paper. It was a love note from my girlfriend Christine. She had asked to see a movie tonight, which was part of the reason I was trying to steal some money. I thought about including that in my explanation to the officer, but I didn't think it would go over well. I guess that the movies probably weren't going to happen tonight. I sighed, folded the note, and put it in my pocket as well.

Finally, there were two metal cubes in the bag. They looked pretty simple, but they were much more than that. I lifted them both into the air with my bending, unfolded them until they were flat sheets, and bent them into two bottomless shoes. I slipped them onto my feet and stood up. Perfect. I could feel the world again. My blindness was over, at least for the time being. I continued down the marble steps, sensing every little detail of my surrounding with each step.

When I reached the bottom of the steps, I closed my eyes and sighed in a moment of relief. I could feel thousands of things, big and little, moving in countless directions. I could feel each and every step that a tiny spider took in its search for food just as clearly as I could feel the steps of a food vendor rolling a cart in my direction. "Oh no," I thought. "Not this guy again." He was always the first person I ran into when I got out of the police station. I opened my eyes just in time to make eye contact with him. Perfect.

"Hello again, sir!" he exclaimed. "Let off the hook again?" I smirked and stood up.

"I guess you can say that," I told him as I stood next to his food cart.

"Hah, I see. What did they bring you in for this time?" I chuckled a little and looked away. While I was extremely annoyed by this man's persistent need to find me and ask me for money, I contemplated whether or not to tell him the truth. I decided against it.

"Just a robbery," I said. "I took a couple loaves of bread from the bakery and the owner caught me in the act." The man looked at me strangely. At first, I thought he didn't believe my story. But then he smiled and laughed. Even his laugh was annoying to bear.

"What a crime!" he shouted. "And just for a bit of bread they put you in the cage, eh? Seems a bit harsh to me." I shrugged and started to turn the other way, hoping that the man had just wanted a friendly conversation about my life of crime. "Just a minute, sir!" he said, rolling the cart in front of me. "You can't leave without getting one of my world famous Slammers!"

Slammers were a pathetic excuse for food. They consisted of bread and grounded up meat from some animal that had to have had a very bad diet. To say the very least, they tasted terrible and they were very bad for you. "No thanks," I told him.

"Come on, now. It's been weeks since you purchased one from me! For old time's sake! They're only one bronze coin!"

I contemplated the situation for a moment. I was very hungry, but not quite hungry enough to eat the crap that this man wheeled around. I could certainly head down to the Alleyway Tray in downtown, but I didn't have any money on me. I decided to compromise my predicament with a simple solution.

"Well, let me think for a minute," I said, closing my eyes. I put a hand up to my head, appearing to be thinking about how much money I may have. The vendor bought it as I sensed him to be standing and watching me as I "thought". I used my earth bending skills to find what was inside of his cart. On the left side of it, he kept all of his makings in one basket. He didn't bother to organize them because they were all different colors. What mattered to me was that they were all different sizes accordingly to how valuable they were. The bigger they were, the more valuable. I carefully slid five of the biggest coins out of the basket and rolled them along the side of the cart to the ground.

"Have you made up your mind yet sir?" the man asked. "I haven't got all day!"

"Ok, just a second," I said. I quickly slipped a smaller coin of of the basket along with the bigger ones. I bent them all to my foot, up the back of my leg and into my back pocket. I smirked as I opened my eyes and found the vendor completely clueless of my trick. "Well, I'm not too hungry," I lied. "But here's a bronze coin for your wonderful business." I reached into my back pocket, picked out the small coin, and flipped it to him. He caught it and tossed it in his basket.

"Are you sure you don't want one of the world famous Slammers?" he asked as I turned in the other direction.

"That's ok," I said as I walked off.

"Have a fantastic day then! See you around!"

"I hope not," I muttered to myself. When I had reached a reasonable distance from him, I chuckled. I could sense him frantically looking through his basket for the large coins. His money stash was so unorganized, he probably assumed that he had falsely accounted for them. "What a loser," I thought as I patted the five fat coins in my pocket.

I closed my eyes as I walked through town. Sensing the things around me was much better than watching them. Beggers ranging from toddlers to seniors awaited at practically every corner and alleyway. By sensing them, I avoided most of them. The ones that managed to get near me were too confused at me closing my eyes to ask me for money. Sometimes I would let my senses extend into the buildings around me. Most of them were in bad shape. Some had broken walls and windows. I could sense the glass due to the sand inside of it.

A Satomobile came speeding down the street toward me. I could sense its large presence ahead of time and I made my way to the sidewalk. I could tell that it was old due to the amount of rust on it and its non-modern design. Some of the newest Satomobiles could even float about the ground, a type of engineering that required the help of air benders. They didn't come through our town very often, but when they did, I had to watch out. The only thing I could sense from them was the dust that they blew away due to the air current below it.

Vendors and beggers lined the sidewalk, constantly digging into the hearts and wallets of the passing pedestrians. When I got close enough, some of them would grasp my arm, trying to get my attention. I quickly bent the dust beneath their feet to make them slip and let go of me. I had many tricks up my sleeve to avoid the common begger in the city.

The city that I lived in was Ba Sing Se. History flowed through the city dating back to some of the most ancient Avatars. Ever since the 100-Year War ended nearly 350 years ago, the city has been sustained without excessive world security. Small remains of the old Ba Sing Se wall were preserved as Earth Bending architects built a museum around it. They were even able to preserve some of the oldest fire nation war vehicles, such as a giant drill used to break through the wall. Whenever I sensed those historical artifacts, I chuckled at how primitive their designs were.

Of course, the city has changed drastically since those ancient days. Ever since fossil fuels have been used for energy, major power plants have ran the city. They make life here very unpleasant and disgusting. The streets are constantly filled with smog and waste. And as soon as pricing for power was raised, fewer and fewer homes received electricity. The small amount of citizens in the city who are wealthy enough to pay electric bills live in their own section known as District 1. The rest of the city is known as the flats. The deeper you go into the flats, the worse it gets. Thankfully, I lived a comfortable distance from the nastiest parts.

I arrived at the local favorite food shop called the Alleyway Tray. They had some of the best quality sandwiches for the lowest prices that you could find in the flats. As usual, the restaurant was overflowing with customers. I could sense over 200 people in the building when it was really built for about 60 at a time. I sensed even further and found waiters and cooks frantically filling orders. As crafty as I was with my bending, this was not a place to sneak a meal. Too many eyes and hungry mouths filled the setting. I could, however, sneak my way to a seat.

I walked to the alleyway next to the restaurant and prepared for my lunchtime assault. I sensed about 100 people waiting in line to get a seat and about 15 more at the bar area. The rest was a mix of hungry people at tables and employees. I looked even further into the restaurant, ignoring the vibrations that I had already sensed and picking up new ones. The bathrooms were located in the back of the place, isolated and convenient for me. I checked to either side of the alleyway and above me for any movement by onlookers. As soon as the coast was clear, I took a deep breath and sunk into the earth beneath me, leaving the ground unmarked and as it was before.

I maneuvered through the earth as if it were water, but I could only use my sensing to see where I was going. I pushed my way underneath the restaurant and the many people that filled it. Bending through the earth was a chore because I had to soften the earth in order to move through it while keeping it strong enough to support what was above it. I wasn't concerned with any other earth benders detecting me because even the officers didn't have the abilities that I had. I pushed onward and positioned myself below the bathroom. I moved underneath the stall in the back of the bathroom and began to move upward. I first moved into the wall that stood between the restaurant and the bathroom. I waited for the stall to be vacant and then stepped out from the wall. Having successfully entered the building without waiting for hours, I exited the stall and began to plan my next step.

All of the seats near the bathroom were taken either by single customers or groups. Every time a seat opened up, it was immediately claimed by the next person in line. I decided it would be easiest to create a diversion as a seat opened up and to sneak into the seat while I could. I could sense a couple sitting at a table about 15 feet from the bathroom who were just finishing up. The waiter walked to them to collect their money. Now was the time to make my move. I walked out from the bathroom and toward my destination. As the waiter walked away with the money, the couple stood up. Perfect.

I then sent a cloud of dust up into the air within the entire restaurant. Screams and yelling came from every direction as no one could see anything around them. No one but me, that was. I could sense each individual dust particle as it collided with the other particles, objects, and people around it. It was almost like sensing air. With the sophistication of my bending abilities, I was able to sense the direct location of the table and its seats. I sat down at the table and began to yell just as those around me were doing. Suddenly, the dust cloud dropped to the ground in one quick whoosh. The manager of the store, an earth bender, had heard the commotion from his office and quickly ended it.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, trying to calm everyone down. "I apologize for the inconvenience. It seems that someone accidentally kicked up a dust cloud. Please excuse this little incident."

"My drink has dust in it!" a drunk man screamed from the bar. His complaint triggered countless other complaints around the restaurant. A number of customers stood and left the building, which was quickly resolved as the ones waiting in line filled in their spots.

"For those who are willing to stay, I will have my earth bending employees remove some of the dust from your food," the manager said. "Again, I apologize for this accident." I chuckled as I could tell that I had gotten away with the trick. Despite the large influx of people from the line due to my prank, I still avoided a very long wait by going through with this.

I could sense a waitress walking toward me from behind. From the way she walked, I could tell that she was a water bender. She had a very smooth body and a flowing stride as she walked. She couldn't be an earth bender because she was so clean and non-muscular and the likelihood of her being an air bender was extremely low. Fire benders walked with a little more determination, so I decided that she was a water bender.

I sensed that a pile of broken glass from the commotion lied between her and her destination. I quickly moved the glass aside. She arrived at the table. "Excuse me sir," she said, tapping me on the shoulder. I looked over my shoulder and up at her, pretending that I didn't know she was there.

"Hello there!" I said to her. "Will you be waiting me today?"

"Yes indeed," she said. "First day on the job!"

"Wow, what a day to be starting here!" I said.

"Ha, I know," she said with an exhausted smile. "I'm not sure if they've ever had anything like that before." I smirked when she said that.

"Oh trust me, they have. I've been going her for lunch for a while and I happen to know that this happens quite a bit!" She gave me an inquisitive look.

"That's strange," she replied. "I wonder if someone's pulling a trick."

"Oh, I think it's ghosts," I joked. She giggled at my suggestion. "You'd better watch out! Next thing you know, you'll be cursed by the spirits!"

"I'll have to get the Avatar to solve that problem," she responded.

"Well, you might have to wait a few decades for that. That old boy doesn't look too good. Sooner or later, he'll be passing the torch on to someone else."

"I hope he gets better," she said. "We can't afford a few decades without a trained Avatar in the world we live in." She looked down, and I could see the worry in her eyes. Emotions were some of the few things I couldn't sense with my bending. I could tell by her look that she lived with a struggling family in the flats. I reached out and touched her arm.

"Hang in there," I sad with a smile. She smiled back. "Ok, are you going to take my order or what?" I said, changing the subject.

"Alright, what do I want- I mean, you want? Sorry, I'm new here."

"It's ok," I said with a chuckle. "I'll have the roasted boar-q-pine. Thanks a lot." After writing a note down on a piece of paper, she smiled at me then walked to the kitchen. I closed my eyes, sat back in my chair, and propped my feet up on the seat across from me, enjoying a moment of blindness. The numerous voices that surrounded me meshed into one confusing blend. I couldn't see what was around me or what might be approaching me from behind. These moments were rare, so I enjoyed it while it lasted.

"You might not want to drop your guard in a place like this." Before I could look to see who had spoken, the chair was yanked from under my feet and my sensing ability quickly returned to me. I looked up to see my friend William, or Willy as I called him, standing across from me.

"What are you doing here, asshole?" I asked him playfully. He grinned at me.

"You really moved that line along, didn't you?" I smiled at this realization. "I was as blind as anyone in that cloud, but I could tell that the one who made it probably knew his way around."

"I'm disappointed," I responded. "I thought I tried to teach you how to sense the dust."

"I'd be better off talking to an air bender than you. You're terrible at teaching your methods. You're just too damn good at what you do to teach it to someone else." I smiled at his compliment.

"Why thank you. Care to sit?"

"Certainly," he said as he sat down in the chair across from me. "So tell me, what's the farthest thing you can sense from here?"

I focused on my sensing for a moment. "About as far as District 1," I responded.

"Ah, bull," he said. "You sensed for like a second. How far can you really go?"

I closed my eyes and sensed as far as I could from the restaurant. "I got to the mountains," I said.

"Wow, that's all the way to the outskirts of the city!" he said. "You're crazy man."

"How about you?" I asked. "How far can you sense?" He focused on his earth bending for a moment and looked up at me. He chuckled.

"Ha, only to about the doorway of the Tray," he said. "I don't got it like you do. Nobody does, really."

"I'm still waiting for somebody to turn up with my kind of skills." He gave me a judging look.

"Is that why you keep getting yourself into trouble?" I sighed. "Hey man, I'm not trying to sound like your mom here." I gave him a cold look, reminding him that my mother wasn't around. "Sorry man," he said.

"It's fine," I said.

"You've just got to stay out of jail. With those skills, you're meant for something much bigger than this dump of a city. I mean, hell man. The fucking police can't even compare to you! You could end up as chief of police in Republic City for all we know." I gave him a dissatisfied look.

"You know I'm not into the police force," I said.

"It does make a lot of money," he responded. I sighed again, still looking dissatisfied. "There is no one as good or better than you. You should stop looking for that person and move on to bigger and better things. Getting a job wouldn't hurt." I chuckled at that remark. "You can't keep stealing money, man. Even if you're the only one in this city who can bend that type of metal, your luck is going to run out sooner or later."

"I don't know what I'm meant for, Willy," I told him. "I'm still searching."

"Well you're sure as hell not searching very far."

"What, you think I should leave the city?" I asked. He looked down, realizing that he would be losing a friend if that happened.

"This isn't the place to become something amazing. I wish it was, but it's not. Some day, you'll have to move on. Hell man, we're 21. It's time for you to start living the way you should."

"And how should I live?" I asked.

"Like a king," he said. "Anyone born with your abilities should get the best of it." I looked away for a moment.

"I don't want the best of it. I just want purpose. I want to do something that will change the world for the better." Willy smiled at me.

"You've got a good heart, Jeremy. I wish I could say those same things. And I'm stuck on the construction site in some of the newer parts of the city." He looked down, contemplating what to say next. "I'm here for you, man. I got your back." I smiled at him.

"Thanks a lot." The waitress arrived with my food and set it on the table.

"Oh, I didn't see you here," she said to Willy. "Sorry, what would you like?"

"Don't worry, I'm on my way out," he said to her. "I'll see you around Jeremy." He reached out and shook my hand, sending a small cloud out from around our hands.

"See you around," I said.