~~~Superstes~~~UNDERGOING MAJOR EDITING

Hiding in the blue

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Neteyam's body awoke only to feel a wavering, throbbing pain festering inside his chest. But he also felt like he was levitating into the air, passing through the clouds, like he was dancing through the sky. His eyes would not focus on a single thing, but either way, he could hardly keep them open. 

He decided to test out his mobility by moving his arm. As a result, when he lifted it into the air, it fell back onto his face. He laughed a little and ended it with an "Ahhhh," as if he were amused by his own motor dysfunction. He didn't have the motivation to move it, so he just kept it laying across his nose. 

The area where he would've had eyebrows furrowed forward when he heard a round of chuckles in the room. 

He tried again to pull his eyelids apart, "I hear laughing...?" He snickered, "At me? No way."

A big, strong, calloused hand clutched itself around Neteyam's. Another hand, this one slender and feminine, begun stroking the side of his face. He recognized each hand to belong to his father and mother, causing a great wave of serenity to wash over him. His ears picked up some indistinct chattering a couple feet away, the two voices he knew belonged to Norm and Dr. Max. 

But he was too lethargic to really care about anyone around him. 

"You're finally awake, kid," Jake said, his voice breathy and relieved. "How do you feel?" 

Neteyam sucked in a long, deep breath through his nose. The air tasted cold and disinfected, like medicine. "I feel great." 

"We're glad, buddy. How does it feel to breathe?" Dr. Max was speaking now. 

Neteyam wasn't exactly sure why he'd been asked that, but he did feel considerably different from a few hours ago. He was no longer tossing and turning to get comfortable, he wasn't sweating as much, and the pain in his chest was... still there, but much, much different. With each breath he took, the air was no longer stuffy and thick. But his airways felt small and tight—he could breathe without sucking in mucus and stuff. However , he found it difficult to actually pull in his breath. 

Neteyam just made a feeble mumbling sound and turned his head, his eyes rolling around in their sockets. "Where is Lo'ak?" 

"Neteyam," his father said, reaching over to stroke his knuckles across his son's cheekbone. "We need you to answer Max's question. Your brother is back at the reef. You're here in the forest, and you've had a big surgery." 

The fifteen year old let out a big huff, before snarling loudly in annoyance. His vocal cords hitched at he did so and he swallowed thickly, his tail flitting under the bedsheets. He was genuinely surprised at being told he was back in the forest, his home, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea of being so far away from his brother. Nor was he happy with the fact he'd had surgery, but it explained why he felt so drugged. "I feel good, Dr. Max."  

The last thing he remembered was vague images of his hand sliding across the hallway walls, and a young girl about his age, helping him back up from where he'd collapsed. He woke up now feeling blurry and lightheaded, like his brain was stuffed with cotton. He felt as if he were floating. But he knew that girl--he swore he did. 

"Well, we just want you to get some rest, Neteyam. You don't have to be awake yet." Dr. Max continued, "I'm surprised you even woke up." 

"Wait, wait," Neteyam scowled, "Where's Sephora?" 

The whole room paused. Neytiri leaned in closer, her eyes warm and gentle. "Who is Sephora?" 

"She's a friend. She was here... yesterday." 

"Oh! Yeah, Fey'atsi. She was here a about a week ago to drop off some stuff." Norm quickly caught the rest of the room up on who Neteyam was talking about. But there was still a distance between the knowledge of the girl. Jake seemed to remember her, however.

Neteyam thought to himself, that whenever he could get out of this bed, he would thank her for helping him back to his feet. But first, he would need some peace and quiet in order to remember why he felt like he already knew her, because he swore on his life he'd talked to her many times before. 

Maybe it was a few years ago, but still. 

He was determined.           

John 3:16-When God so loved the world, that he gave his only son, so that anyone who believes in his shall not perish, but have eternal life.