The Code

Secrets

Haha, you guys crack me up. You didn't that was seriously going to be the end, did you? I'm not that cruel. Nope. But please, keep pouring in ideas cuz I'm not entirely sure where to go from here. Here's to false alarms ; )

_..._..._..._..._..._..._

The floor was cold beneath her knees. She knelt there, her breath scraping in her ears, watching from behind the curtain as the footsteps drew nearer. A bead of sweat trickled down her temple. The pair of boots stopped. Waiting. Listening. Korra's heartbeat felt like it was about to skyrocket out of her chest. Just when she thought for sure she'd been discovered, the feet moved on, the heels clicking with chilling weight against the stone floor.

Korra let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Suddenly, her body seized. Everything seized. It was like her blood was writhing her veins, straining against her organs, twisting and stabbing inside her. Korra screamed. Her body lifted through the air, bending at impossible angles. Her scream strangled in her throat.

A blast of fire ricocheted out of the darkness, and Korra heard Mako's furious bellow, "Let her go!"

Then his pained yell, as Amon made a fist in the air and brought him, paralyzed like her, into the air. The two of them struggled against the bloodbending grip, but to no avail. With practiced ease, Amon lifted his arms and slammed them into the ground. Korra saw stars.

Her body seized again, jerking up to her knees. Korra cried out, trying to twist away, but that cold, steel grip tightened in the back of her collar.

"No!" she yelped.

"Korra!" Mako cried.

Korra gasped as his thumb found her forehead. She strained to fight, to grab hold of something, anything, but she could feel the power oozing out of her, slipping away, drawn to that horrible grip on her forehead. Her eyes clenched shut. No, no, no, no...

He released her, and she slumped forward. There was nothing. Everything was gone. She was empty, empty...

The cold voice was a sneer as he towered over her. "I told you I would destroy you."

"No!" Korra screamed, jolting upright in the bed. Her whole body was slick with sweat, the sheets around her drenched and twisted around her body. She laid back against the pillows, trying to still her ragged breathing, her racing heart. A warm head rested itself on her forearm with a soft whine. Korra turned, resting an arm over Naga's concerned face.

"It's okay, Naga," she whispered. "It was just... a bad dream."

The polar bear dog pressed her nose into Korra's side, tugging under her arm and lifting her halfway out of bed. Korra smiled, trying to shake off the raw terror of her nightmare.

"Okay, okay. I know. Time to get up."

Korra untangled herself from the dampened sheets and stretched, banishing the last traces of fear. It was just a nightmare. Nothing that would ever happen. Taking a deep breath, she patted Naga on the head and rose to head down to the dining hall.

"I thought you said you'd be up by the time we got back?" chuckled a voice. Korra looked up to see Pema, one hand on her hip, tapping a wooden spoon against her palm. The rest of her friends had seated themselves around the table, waiting for her to serve the food.

"Ah, you know Korra," Mako drawled, doing a poor, high-pitched mimic of her voice. "'The mornings are evil'."

"Hey, I don't sound like that," Korra laughed, seating herself cross-legged at the other end of the table.