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Alberto opened his eyes with a shaky gasp. Violet was curled up next to him, nearby but not quite touching him. Alberto stared at her. She was still here. Even after everything he’d done. Luca was in the next room. He was going to the North Pole in a week. Or maybe he wasn’t if Alberto kept acting like this.
That familiar ache weighed on his chest. Like he was a burden. He didn’t want to hold Luca back. Or Violet. She didn’t need to waste her life worrying over him. She deserved someone easier, who didn’t have panic attacks and constant guilt and anxiety. Someone who hadn’t done the things he’d done.
Moira’s voice echoed in his brain.
It ensured you could never be innocent again.
You’d feel too dirty and ashamed to go back to civilized society.
Every time you so much as eat, or accept kindness from a stranger, you’ll think of me!
He couldn’t live like this. Tears pricked his eyes. What was he supposed to do?
Then he sat up as he remembered a story their friend Barley had told his little brother Ian on their quest to save the Avatar. Alberto had overheard them one night. There was a spirit, the Mother of Faces, who could erase your face and identity and give you a new one. No more memories of Moira or bloodbending or cannibalism. That was all he wanted, to forget his pain and his mistakes. A clean slate without fear or abandonment issues or rage. He would just be a normal waterbender. No scars—no trauma—no dangerous power.
He hesitated as he looked at Violet. She would miss him. But she’d get over it, right? She’d move on with someone who wasn’t a mess. And she wanted him to be happy, so she’d understand.
He got out of bed quietly, careful not to disturb her.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered as he slipped out the door.
He paused outside Luca’s door. He thought about going in but decided against it. He hated goodbyes. And he couldn’t risk his best friend changing his mind. Because if anyone could, it would be Luca without a doubt.
He left the palace and headed for the forest. The air seemed to grow colder as he approached the woods. The same woods where he met Moira. The Mother of Faces lived there somewhere.
He wandered for what felt like hours. He felt some sort of pull guiding him. Almost like she knew he was looking for her and was calling him.
just when he felt like maybe giving up, he stepped into a clearing and stopped. A tall, glowing tree sat in the middle of the clearing. Her branches had white ghostly faces on them. She bent down to look at him.
“What do you seek?”
“I want a new face.” Alberto’s voice shook a little bit. He was doing this.
“Why?”
“Because I can’t be me anymore. It’s too…hard.” Alberto rubbed his eyes. “Please.”
She reached out a branch and tilted his chin so she could look into his eyes. “I sense great pain in you. You think this will make you happy?”
He shrugged. “It has to be better than this, right?”
She studied him. He couldn’t read her expression. Was she judging him? She was probably judging him.
“You wish for both a new face and a new mind?”
“Yes.”
“You will lose all memories of your current life.”
“I know.”
“Are you completely sure you want to do this?”
He nodded.
“All right. Hold still.”
The tree glowed brighter. One of the branches reached out, holding one of the white faces. The face enveloped Alberto’s. He gasped. And his eyes glowed.
When the glow faded, his face was a completely different shape. His brown hair was now black. His bright green eyes were dull blue. He looked much more relaxed. Lighter.
“Giacomo Briganti, go back to society. Forget this encounter,” the Mother of Faces instructed. He nodded and left.
——
Luca knocked on Alberto and Violet’s door, a little too excitedly. Last night, he’d thought of something that might be able to help Alberto: a trip to Ba Sing Se to see the wisest person Luca had ever met. Surely Alberto would find some help there, or at the very least some comfort.
The door opened. Violet stood there.
“Where’s Alberto?” Luca asked.
Violet’s eyebrows knit together. “I thought he was with you.”
Luca’s heart skipped a beat. The last time Alberto had sneaked out, he’d gone to visit Moira in prison, which had led to his complete emotional collapse. Where had he gone this time?
“Maybe he’s just getting some air,” Violet said.
They went to the palace gardens. Firelord Sulley was there, feeding the turtleducks in the pond. His friend and advisor Mike lounged next to him, probably drafting a speech or a treaty in his head.
“Have you seen Alberto?” Luca asked.
Sulley shook his head.
“He left,” Mike said. “Early this morning. I saw him.”
“Where did he go?” Violet asked.
Mike shrugged. “I dunno. I didn’t ask.”
Violet and Luca left the palace and looked around. Of course Alberto wasn’t there. Whenever he went, he was long gone.
“Where would he go?” Violet asked.
“Maybe someone saw him,” Luca said.
They began asking around. The first person they asked was a boy around their age. He had short black hair and blue eyes.
“Have you seen our friend Alberto?” Violet asked. “Curly brown hair, green eyes?”
He shook his head. “Sorry, no.”
Luca looked at the boy. Something about him seemed familiar, but he knew he hadn’t seen this boy before. He shook it off.
They asked around some more. finally, someone pointed them to the forest.
“Oh no,” Luca said softly. “You don’t think he went to…Moira’s house, do you?”
“He wouldn’t. Would he?”
They went into the forest. Luca couldn’t breathe. The last time they’d come here, they’d fought Alberto and Moira and almost lost Alberto forever. There was no risk of that happening now, with Moira in jail, but he still felt uneasy.
“Look.” Violet pointed at a trail of crunched and messy leaves. A trail. Someone had walked through here recently.
“Alberto!” Luca ran after the trail. Violet followed him.
Luca screamed when he saw the Mother of Faces. Violet gasped. The Mother of Faces turned to them calmly.
“Do you seek new faces?”
“N-no!” Luca stammered. “Sorry, we were just looking for our friend. Alberto.”
“Have you seen him?” Violet asked.
“Alberto Scorfano,” the Mother of Faces said.
“Yes!” Luca cried.
She waved her branches. A shimmering vision appeared. Alberto approaching the tree and asking for a new face.
“No,” Violet gasped.
“Alberto? Why?” Luca whispered as he watched Alberto ask to forget everything. To forget them.
The Mother of Faces placed the mask on Alberto. His face shifted into someone new.
“That boy! The one we asked!” Luca shouted. “I knew he seemed familiar! We have to find him, remind him who he is!” He started to run off, but Violet grabbed his arm.
“Luca, no. He chose this. He wanted to forget us.” Violet’s voice broke. “I don’t understand it, but we have to respect it.”
“He was wrong!” Luca cried. “He didn’t want this. He just didn’t see another choice. But there is! There always is!”
“We would be selfish to remind him of all this.”
“He was selfish to do this!” Luca insisted, crying now.
He ran back to the village. He saw the boy standing in the market, talking to a merchant. The boy laughed as he playfully bent a spiral of water out of a fountain.
Luca faltered. He looked so peaceful. So much different from the broken boy he’d been just last night.
Violet caught up to Luca. She watched as the boy bought an apple from the merchant’s cart. He tossed it in the air, then caught it and took a bite out of it. No hesitation, no panic.
Luca swallowed. “How…how could he not at least say goodbye?” His voice shook. “He abandoned us.” He couldn’t believe it. Alberto knew what it felt like to be abandoned, so how could he do that to them?
What hurt the most was that he knew Alberto hadn’t done it to hurt them. Luca wished he had. That would make it easier to hate him and let him go. But knowing Alberto, he probably thought he was helping them by disappearing, that he was relieving them of a burden. That they were better off without him.
You weren’t a burden! Luca wanted to scream. You never were! I’d rather carry your grief forever than lose you like this!
The boy saw them looking at him and waved. “Did you find your friend?”
“Yeah,” Violet said quietly.
The boy smiled. “Good.” Violet's heart ached. It wasn’t Alberto’s smile at all.
The boy held out his hand. “Giacomo. Giacomo Briganti.”
“Violet Parr.” Violet shook his hand, just wanting to feel it and see if it felt like his. It didn’t. It was softer, less calloused and scarred.
Luca looked away. He didn’t want to befriend this new person. This hollow stranger in a new version of Alberto’s skin. He wanted his best friend back. He hated this. Hated that he had to grieve someone who wasn’t really dead.
“Maybe we can get to know him,” Violet said quietly in his ear. “Keep him close. Maybe he’ll remember us eventually. Or, give us some sign that he wants to.”
Luca nodded a little reluctantly. He extended his hand. “Luca Paguro.”
Giacomo shook his hand.