"Harmony, just concentrate." Jinora pushed a gust of wind in her direction, knocking the young woman off of her feet.
"I. I'm trying! This is harder than it looks." She was pushed into the air from the rocks underneath her body. "Ahh!"
"You have to feel it, Har." Bolin set up his stance again. "Move with the element like it's already a part of you." He sent a few disks at her, causing her tumble back to the floor.
"Thats.. easy for.. you to say." Her breath was labored as she focused on catching it back. "I don't.. I can't keep up with you all at once."
"Watch your back." She turned around only to find herself face to face with a fire wall, courtesy of Mako and his firebending.
Covering her face, she fell to her knees. "I give up! I can't do this anymore. You guys are gonna need a new Avatar 'cuz I quit." She made her way to the stands and sat down harshly. Her eyes looked her body over, noticing new bruises beginning to form. Training had never been so rigorous in the past.
"You're right, we should take a break. We'll pick up in a few minutes." Bolin smiled, taking a seat by her side.
"I'm not doing that again. You can't force me to."
"We aren't forcing you, but practice will make you better equipped--"
"No! Don't you get it? I'm never gonna be better. I'm just a lousy kid who has no idea what's she's doing.. I can't even stand up straight without being knocked down over and over again. What's the point if I know I can't do it?"
Her teachers stood by, baffled at the situation. Jinora broke the silence. "Hey, we're always here for you. Is there something you want to talk about?" She took her hand and smiled brightly.
"I just wanna be able to do this. I don't mean to sound like a child or ungrateful. How am I supposed to be better, Master Jinora?" Tears began to gather in her eyes.
"Listen to me. You are not supposed to be better. We all want you to be you. Come with me." She took her hands and led her to the center of the arena. "Feel the elements. There is air above you." She nodded towards the others to follow her lead.
"She's right! There's earth below you." Bolin put an arm around her shoulder and laughed.
"There is water around you." Asami put her hand on Harmony's shoulder.
"And Fire within you." Mako lit a small flame in his hand.
"You just have to look in yourself to let the elements flow through. We know you can do this."
Harmony smiled brightly, pulling them in for a tight squeeze.
***Republic City Police Station: Metal Holding Cell(Present time)***
Harmony opened her eyes and lifted her head from the back of the metal wall.
A figure was sitting in the shadows in front of the container she was in. "They say only the guilty sleep in prison."
"Well, they can go jump in a river for all I care."
"You're not denying. I find it funny how you don't even realize what's about to happen to you in a few days. This trial is going to be one for the books." Harmony's face remained stoic. "Nothing to say, huh? You're smarter than you look, I'll give you that."
"Who the hell are you? Why are you doing this to me?" Harmony stood and held onto the bars of her cage.
"Hmm. And to think I was going to allow visitors. Watch your tongue before I cut it out. Do you want to see your friends or not?"
As Jin walked out of her vision, her teachers and a hooded figure came in quickly. "I'm so glad you're safe." Jinora ran to the bars and smiled brightly. "We'll get you out of here soon, I promise."
"Don't you see? I can't win. It looks like she has me in her grasp like she wanted. I don't want any of you to risk yourselves for me. I love you all, but I need to do this on my own. If Jin can't be stopped, then I'll fail as the Avatar."
"Even the past Avatars needed help, but they were able to bend the four elements. You have us and you're the strongest and most driven person I know. You can do this." The hooded figure revealed herself to be Nyla and she made her way to the bars as well.
"We're all going to see this through the end. Chief Lan can't stop us." Asami smiled. "I'm going to have the best lawyers to get you out of here."
"I'm guilty! Just stop, please. I need to pay for the crimes I committed. I stole food for my friends, I hid evidence that would convict them, and I ran from hundreds of cops. I deserve to be here."
"Is that a confession? I thought you'd have more of a fight, Avatar." A familiar voice pushed through the crowd.
Nyla lifted a tile from the floor. "Takumi! You've got some nerve showing your face here."
"Hey, I'm not the enemy here." He put his hands in the air sarcastically.
"We know, as well as you do, you're not clean from this."
"Guilty as charged, or would that actually be you"-He pointed to the woman in the cage-"as being guilty? The way I see it, I'm not in that death trap."
"Takumi! I knew I never should've trusted you!" Harmony slammed her hands on the iron in front of her. "You're a lying, cheating, coward who--"
"Enough! Our time is up and I need my beauty sleep for the trial tomorrow. See you there, Avatar."
"He's a fu--"
"Watch it, Har. He has ears everywhere." She placed the tile back in its area. "Why and how did you get mixed up with him again?"
"I.. needed to find something." Her eyes found a spot on the ground to concentrate on.
Nyla tightened her fists. "Something or someone?"
"Does it matter?"
"Of course, it does! You wanted to find that water tribe guy, right? He's bad news. Don't say I didn't warn you."
She looked up at her friend. "Let's not do this now. You all should leave." The tension in the room had thickened; It had become deafeningly silent.
Bolin cleared his throat extremely loud. "Anyone else hungry? I'm starved. Let's get back to the Island for the night, ok? Sounds good." His words jumbled together to divert the conversation.
"Sounds great, Bo. I'm bushed too. Maybe a nap would be cool?" Mako put an arm around his shoulder.
"I'm with the guys. Let's go, Jinora." Asami took Jinora's hands, pulling her out of the room.
"But I--"
"Come on, Jinora. Pepper's probably missing you now."
"You should go with them. Who knows what she could do to you." Harmony turned her back to her.
"Like you care."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I like you. I didn't just kiss you for no reason and you're just carrying on with life as usual! You even managed to snag some lovestruck puppy. Do I even matter? Do you care about my feelings?" Nyla's tears fell from her face onto the floor below.
"Nyla.." She reached out to grab her hand. "I care about you, but I'm just confused. I don't want to drag you into my problems. You're important to me and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt."
"Well, too bad because you're stuck with me. I'm not leaving you. You're gonna get through this with all of us.. I'm sorry to just bust this on you, but--"
"Don't apologize. It needed to be said. I don't think we'll stop being awkward, but I can promise you that I am still your friend. Although, I can be an ass sometimes."
"A big one."
"Ok, I deserved that."
"One that is a bad friend sometimes."
"I think we got it, Ny--"
"And sometimes you suck at water bending."
"Nyla!"
"I'm kidding, Water freak." She gave a huge laugh with an even bigger smile. "I better go before they leave me here. I'll see you for the trial tomorrow." She exited the room.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Harmony took a seat back on the floor, feeling a knot in her throat; Her eyes began to water. "See ya, Boulder head."