Beneath You. 𝗡𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗬𝗔𝗠

O13. UNEXPECTED CONNECTION

CHAPTER THIRTEEN. ✧˖*°࿐
❝ UNEXPECTED CONNECTION. ❞

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"You have pretty eyes."

"Neteyam, I'm going to kill you."

Neteyam chuckled under his breath at hearing Emea's threatening words and playfully rolled his eyes, nudging his shoulder against hers.

"Please," he side glanced her before staring at the water, both of them enjoying the breeze they felt, "do not lie and say you do not like it when you get compliments."

"It makes me feel weird," Emea admitted. "It's like... It's nice, but it makes me feel weird because it's not something I hear."

"Emea, you are the most beautiful girl in this whole village and you're telling me not a single person has admired you or anything?" Neteyam looked at her with a confused expression. She shrugged.

"It's not that they don't compliment me," she started, looking off while her fingers twirled around her hair, braiding it. When her hands went to the back of her hair, she looked at Neteyam. "Can you help me?"

Neteyam smiled and nodded. "Yeah, just sit in front of me."

Emea did so and sat in front of him, feeling his hands start braiding her hair. "As I was saying, people do compliment me, people want to get with me, but it doesn't feel... sincere. Am I being rude?"

"No," she heard Neteyam reply from behind her. He placed his hands on his shoulder, slightly shaking her. "Don't feel that way. You just simply want someone to mean the compliments."

"I mean, they could mean it," Emea muttered, "but, I just want compliments from someone I like, not from someone I'm not. You would like a compliment more from someone you like no?"

"Yeah," Neteyam nodded before smiling, "hey, can you tell me something nice?"

"Hmm," Emea hummed. "You're... not as much as a child as I thought you were..."

Emea looked down at her lap, ashamed to have said that before Neteyam laughed, finding amusement to her compliment. He could see that she wasn't used to giving out compliments either.

"Thanks, Emea," he continued braiding her hair, "it does mean a lot coming from you since, you know, you didn't like me a few days ago."

Emea snorted before shaking her head. "I'm not used to change. With change, there's more issues or new things that my parents expect from me. Believe me, they're great. My mother is a great mother and my father is a great father but they have high expectations that, like... make me want to stay in the water."

"You'd like that, though," Neteyam commented.

"More than anything," Emea chuckled lightly. "My parents don't know how I came to be connected so connected to Eywa, but when my mother was pregnant with me, the last tsahík had to take me to where my ancestors lay because I wasn't going to make it. I got prayed to under Eywa and before they all knew it, I was living and every animal, I connected with. It wasn't long before everyone noticed that I felt physical pain when death happens."

"So you really are connected to Eywa," Neteyam gaped at her, gesturing for her he was finished so she could turn around. She did. They both sat in front of one another, eyes meeting the others. "If the Sky People found out what you can do... you're their best asset."

"That's why no one but my village knows," Emea sighed. "It's something that I'm scared of more than anything because I'm connected to her."

"I'll protect you," Emea looked at Neteyam and he shrugged a little. "I'm a warrior and you're a warrior. We can both definitely beat down people."

Emea chuckled and shook her head. "Well, let's hope we don't have to do anything that involves with fighting the Sky People."

They both stayed quiet with one looking down at their lap and the other leaning against their hands while eyeing everywhere.

But their moment was cut off once Emea gasped, holding onto her chest. Neteyam immediately grabbed her shoulders, feeling her slump against his body. He picked her up quickly, letting his instincts win, thankfully.

"I'm taking you to your parents."

Emea could only nod while gasping for air, her body on fire.

Neteyam screamed for her parents, receiving the attention of Tsireya who had appeared, ignoring the people's looks.

"What's wrong?" She ran towards them. Neteyam continued to walk. "Here, here. My mother and father are here."

Neteyam followed after the youngest, hearing Emea gasping for air. He couldn't bear to listen to the noise and he sighed in relief once Tonowari and Ronal came to view.

"Emea!" Ronal exclaimed at coming to see her daughter slumped in Neteyam's arms. She looked at him, watching her husband grab their daughter and place her on their pod. "What happened?"

"She just gasped and held-held her chest," Neteyam explained, stuttering out his words as he watched the girl. "What's wrong with her?"

"Something's not right here," Tonowari mumbled, glancing at his wife. "She usually reacts this way once there's violence. A lot of violence. Something bad is happening and she's feeling it."

"What's wrong?" Tsireya asked when she saw people coming to her father and mother with worried looks. The leader and the tsahík looked at her and Neteyam, both of them taking the hint to leave, and they did.

Ronal and Tonowari could only help calm down their daughter with words and practices that Ronal has managed to know helped Emea calm down before their turned to look at their warriors.

"The other villages," one of them breathed out, watching the parents soothe their daughter, "it's being burnt by the Sky People and they're looking for the family you let in."

Ronal glared at Tonowari and she continued to soothe her daughter when the man went to go talk with the Sully's. She made sure pieces of hair weren't blocking her daughter's face and she came to see braids that weren't there.

She could only smile a little.

Meanwhile, Neteyam resided outside, worried.

"She'll be okay," Tsireya reassured him the best she could. "Do not worry. My sister is going to be okay."

Neteyam could only wish for that. How quick things came to end for them.

AUTHORS NOTE:

Goodnight :)

Thoughts?