We’re moving through the Earth Kingdom streets, and I can feel how different everything is—people walking slower, softer steps, voices lower. Fancy place. Figures. Katara spent way too long fussing over us before we left, brushing makeup across my face like it was gonna magically matter. It doesn’t really... I mean, I’m blind.

The bridge creaks under our feet as we cross it, the wood shifting with every step. Then I feel them off to the side. A cluster of lighter footsteps, uneven, shifting closer. I already know what’s coming before they open their mouths. Their voices cut in, sharp and snickering. Same tone I’ve heard before. Picking, poking, like they’ve got nothing better to do. I keep walking at first, jaw tightening, but then one of them says it. Something about the makeup. Calls me a poodle-monkey. I stop, and say some dumb retort before my foot comes down hard, and the stone under them moves away. The section of the bridge retracts clean out from under their feet, and a second later there’s a splash as they hit the river below.

I don’t even wait to see what happens next. I turn and keep walking. It should feel good. It usually does. But it doesn’t. The sounds of the town keep going around us, but they feel distant. Muffled. My chest feels tight, like something’s sitting there that I can’t shake off. A few steps later, I blink hard, but it doesn’t stop it. A couple tears slip down before I can do anything about it. I wipe them away quick, like it didn’t happen. Then I speak, my voice a little sharper than usual, like I’m trying to convince someone. Maybe you. Maybe myself.

"One of the good things about being blind, is that i don't have to waste my time worrying about appearances. I don’t care what I look like."

Another tear drips off my face, as i stiffen my shoulders.

"I’m not looking for anyone’s approval. I know who I am."