Fire Nation - Part 1

Throughout history, humanity has rebelled for change, demonstrated and taken action to achieve a goal. Most of the time, we would achieve our change and a change that can improve society for the future. This is not one of those stories. Peace stories don't contain me running away from the violence gripping my home country, Peace doesn't contain me witnessing rivers of bodies and blood along the roads of the cities. Peace doesn't cut society like scissors cuts a paper. Peace doesn't include me crying over my dead friends' bodies and me running for my life. War for peace is never an idea or even a fact. War and Revolution will never achieve full peace for everyone. This was my story before I blacked out. My name is Jaxton Heinz and this is my story.

It was the spring of 1971 when it all started in the city of Juilliard in my home country of Rausland. I was 14 years old in the 8th grade and we had just finished another mind frustrating exam. "ok class, once you finish, you may leave, I will see you all after spring break, remember to do your research essay for History on the 1953 revolution". The whole class got up and rushed for the door to the hallways eager to get home for the break to play in the football field or even to just spend the rest of the day doing nothing but drink Shamora juice - local drink in Rausland. For me, it was different. While everyone was eager to go and have fun, I on the other hand experience a nightmare every second. I always fear that people were judging and watching everything I do and if there was even no one, I would feel. uncomfortable being alone. Either I was with people or not, I was anxious on how everyone I thought was like a north pole looking towards me. It was in my head like a spirit or a Djinn just swarming around saying everyone is laughing at you.

As I just entered the hallway, I was greeted with a pat on the back, "Hey Jax!" It was my 3 best friends since childhood Margie, Karl and Mezr. "Hey guys", "aren't you coming to the diner with us?"said Mezr in his deep voice that almost sounded like a full grown man, "sorry, I have a lot of homework to do, the essay is worth a lot of our grade". "Come on, it's just 1 day, we have 3 weeks of holiday" said Margie. She then like a stab with a knife said, "stop isolating yourself a lot, come and live a little of life to its fullest". I felt steams of embarrassment flowing through me, "Please Jax", "alright, I'll go, but just for today". "great, lets go". Everyone strolled with excitement as they left out the front of the school and straight to the diner at our neighbourhood of Chatu Bhan in the city.

Did I forget to mention Chatu Bahn is one of the middle class neighbourhoods in the city. The city contained to people. Locals and foreigners. Before I continue, let me just clarify the background history for a second. It was 1941 of Rausland, the communist party was in control of Rausland, protecting us from the Nazis and established what seemed to be a perfectly functional country, despite the international news portraying the negativity of the ideology, My parents say that It worked very well and everyone had a comfortable life in harmony, until 1953 when the democratic revolution took place. While from being a communist country it became a capitalist democracy, The north of the country was occupied by foreign powers to keep the peace. It also so happens that we are living in the north, separated from our country. People say it is just like Hong Kong and China but on a greater scale.

Life changed dramatically my parents said, heavy immigration and travel from foreign countries to here which changed the demographics of the region. Local populations moved away or as called, traditional Rauslanders. both groups were separated with locals being in low and middle class levels and the foreigners at the very top. Locals aldo had to endure pointless segregation and low opportunities and ideas. This was how life was for the past 18 years, and Northern Rausland was like a boiling pot ready to burst. The worst part was, that I was mixed race, My mother is native Rauslander living in mainland Rausland or as we call it free and unoccupied Rausland, and my father is away in London and is Swiss, I am in the care of my grandparents. And if such an event happened, I didn't know what would happen. either I would stay neutral and die or join one side and die. I would pick the first. So far, things seem to be peaceful, but I didn't know that that day... would be different.

At the diner, all of us gathered around a table ordering milkshakes and double cheese slider sandwiches. While Mezr and Margie were discussing about social life and the biggest stories at school such as who likes who, who is in the football team or who is being bullied. Karl on the other hand studying was a nice and quiet person. Also, someone, I was insanely in love with, but as you know, my anxiety held me back with the inner spirit saying, "how can 2 boys love each other" or " what if everyone finds out and he rejects you, how can you live in the world then?". I felt guilty thinking this, I questioned, why can't 2 boys love one another?. I always blushed when Karl was sitting next to me, me with someone tall, handsome, who looked like Elvis Presley or someone in the Beatles or someone who came from a movie. I even fantasized about him and me in a wedding, me wearing a long elegant dress with me having long hair and then kissing my crush at that day. But due to the society I lived in, I had to keep shut and have a manly life. Sometimes I wondered if me and Karl can run away to the mainland and get married and grow old, but no.

It was supposed to be a regular day in the city and in the diner, until the news turned on and changed the future like a time machine run by a psychopath would. That day changed mine, no, everyone's life forever.