Still Breathing

Chapter 6. Riot

"You're his. Aren't you?" He smirked, feeling as if he had just won the lottery with these children. But Erica was having the biggest internal debate of her life. The boy that she was holding right now was potentially her brother. And although she has no idea what his name was or anything about him, she couldn't help but care for him.

He was her family now.

The boy hissed at the Colonel as he continued to smirk before responding with, "You're his alright."

He grabbed the boy by the braid picking him up as he yelled in pain. Erica clenched her fists, watching the encounter. She wanted to do something, but she couldn't.

Sure she had a gun, but she didn't know how to use it. And even if she did, they were out numbered. Her best bet was to wait them out.

"Where is he?" Quaritch asked, grabbing the boy out of Erica's hand and pulling at his braid angrily. The boy responded in Na'vi with a slight smirk on his face and Erica let out a slight chuckle at his words.

The Na'vi all looked at her in confusion, wondering if she knew what they were saying. The Avatars also looked at her in confusion before the Colonel piped up. "What did he say?"

Erica cleared her throat, returning to her neutral state before answering. "He said, 'Sorry, I don't speak English to Asshole.'"

Quaritch looked back at the boy, pulling at his hair harder before asking where his father was in Na'vi. The boy hissed at him yet again, and Erica couldn't believe the restiveness this young boy had.

The Colonel threw the boy on the ground and made his way towards the girl now. "No! Kiri!" He yelled to the girl, but Erica held him back. "Be calm" Erica spoke to him in Na'vi again and he looked up at her with wide eyes.

"Hey! Don't touch her!" The human finally spoke up, fighting with everything he had to get out the Avatar's grasp. The Colonel turned his attention to the boy asking what his name was.

"Spider. Socorro." He answered and Quaritch had an unreadable expression on his face. He gestured for the Avatar to let him go as he bent down to the boys height.

"Miles?" He asked, and that's when it hit Erica. That was his son.

Her attention was grabbed by the Na'vi boy speaking to her, asking her how she knew Na'vi. She smiled down at him as she responded in a whisper saying, "I taught myself."

After a few minutes of the boy not responding Erica decided to speak up again. "I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry. But I promise I'll find a way to get you guys out of this." She looked down at the boy with sympathetic eyes, hoping that he would trust her. Especially since he was supposedly her brother.

"I can tell that you're one of the good one's. My fathers on his way, maybe you can come with us." Erica smiled a genuine smile, loosening her grip on his braid slightly.

"I would like that, but I don't know if I can." She whispered one last time before returning to her full height once the Colonel turned back around to face her.

-

It was dark and they were waiting to be picked up by the General's gunship. Erica was still holding onto the boy, the two of them exchanging the occasional word when no one was looking. As she continued to hold onto the boy, there was a slight twitch of her ears as she heard a high pitched yelp coming from somewhere in the forest.

She noticed that all of the children had turned their heads, almost like they knew who or what it was. "Do you know what that is?" Erica asked in a low whisper to the boy.