Prologue:

My name is Nirana Suong. I once knew a girl named River Tam. We were roommates at the Upper Level II School of the government run Academy. I want to tell you about the River that I knew; the River that I had, who was eventually lost to those in power. The stories from our time at the Academy are not pleasant ones, but I feel that they need to be told. I do not know of everything that occurred during River's stay at the Academy, but I can tell you from what I could see; the way our professors and guardians took advantage of her brilliance and gave her nothing in return. This is my story of River Tam.