"HAAPPYYY BIRTTHHDAYYY TOOO YOUUU!!!" "WOOHOO!!" ki'ara and spider smile at the scene before them, taking in the applause and cheers before blowing out the '21' candles on their cake together. every year ever since they can remember, on their birthday, everyone that they loved came together in attempt to fashion a cake and celebrate the two of them. all of the sully's were there, even their grandmother the tsahik. and of course all of the lab scientists that raised the two of them. as much as the sully family loved having them around, ki'ara and spider are human, and had to be raised by humans, it's unheard of for na'vi to nurse or raise another species as their own.
ki'ara stood from the table after blowing out their candles, but before she could begin to shower everyone with her thanks, neteyam had quickly swiped a fingertip of icing off of the cake and trailed it down her nose. everyone burst into laughter and cheers again. "TEYAM!!" ki'ara chuckled loudly and gave him a shove. "oh come onnn!" he laughed back at her. she wipes the icing off of her nose and forces her finger between neteyam's lips in a playful scramble while the laughter around them grows.
-
this memory plays over and over in ki'ara's head as she curled in bed, laid in her miserable state for the 17th day in a row now...this one and a few other special days. when she wasn't thinking about these days, her mind constantly reminded her of the horrific truth she was told, 17 days ago. for most of her life, ki'ara loved the world around her and the people in it, it wasn't until she was around 20 that she began to wonder where she truly came from and what her fate might be as a human on pandora forever. ki'ara and spider are both 22 years old and their whole life they were told both of their parents had died in the great war when they were 2 weeks old. they never asked any questions about their parents after learning that their father was the leader of the RDA attacks and began the war.
"i should've never asked. i should've never asked, why did i ask why eywa why did you make me so curious." ki'ara whispered silently to herself. darkness surrounded her, literally and figuratively. "uunnppff ughhh." she groaned as she tried to change her position, body aching from lack of hydration and nutrition. she couldn't bring herself to help herself. thankfully, grace consistently brought her fresh fruits and water in attempt to help. grace had basically been their mother all these years. raising them from infants, she was their teacher, their guidance, the teller of all the earth stories they know.
"mmmffpp uggh." ki'ara rolled over to stare at the plate of fruit, growing limp and losing their juices. she continued her silent whispers. "i trusted her. we trusted her. i know nothing. i don't know anything."
-
17 days ago
it was a beautiful morning in which ki'ara took her usual walk around the camp, seeing what her friends were up to. a few steps out of the lab doors and here comes spider, sprinting past her to get out there first. shaking her head at her brother's exaggerations, she continues her slow walk, watching the camp come to life. the early morning hunters come strolling back to their tents with their game. harvesters emptying yesterdays baskets to make room for this mornings findings. the smell of food cooking, mothers readying their children for school. all of these things stimulate ki'ara's senses and trigger tremendous dopamine releases. she loves her home here and wouldn't trade it for anything else.
blindly following the trail she does everyday, she ends up at the giant tent that houses the sully family. "goooood morning keeks!" lo'ak greeted her, he was outside the front of the tent chopping up some wood. "ugh when will you stop calling me that lo." ki'ara crosses her arms and rolls her eyes as she continues towards him and plops herself on the front stone steps that lead to the tent's entrance, making sure her skirt falls evenly between the gap in her legs, ensuring she's covered. lo'ak swings his arms and chops another large piece of wood, exhaling heavily. "stop you know you love that nickname." he giggled at her. "so what are you up to today?" he asked, putting the axe down and leaning on it. "not much. neteyam has been putting off our lessons for a while, so i've been doing more classes with the tsahik, but she told me yesterday she was too busy for it today, soooo i was just gonna stroll around, hangout at the lab a bit maybe. what about you?"
lo'ak smiles and swings the axe back up to his shoulders. "house chores!" he said over enthusiastically, taking another swing. once broken, he brings another piece up to the stump and continues chopping. "because yanno, neteyam is the golden boy-" CHOP! "and he gets all of our parents attention-" CHOP! "and so who else is left to do everything else-" CHOP! "huh?-" CHOP! CHOP!! lo'ak takes a step back, dropping the axe and panting, likely forgetting his audience. their father jake sully, is THE taruk makto and olo'eyktan of the clan. neteyam and lo'ak have had a lot of pressure around them growing up. and once in a while, in a time like this, it can get the best of them. "wellll, sounds like you got your hands full." ki'ara stands up from the steps and begins to walk her trail back. "if you start to overflow you know where to find me, you know i don't mind the housework part. see ya later!" she quickly shuffled away from the front yard area of the massive tent. "yeah see ya keeks." lo'ak said quietly after her.
the doors of the lab hiss open as ki'ara walks up the small metal stairway. as she walks in, she carefully avoids the sealed off hallway to the immediate left, she's never been sure what's in there, but she knows it's not her concern and to never bother anyone who entered that wing. to her surprise, she only finds grace within the corridors. "hey grace, where is everyone?" ki'ara takes off her oxygen mask and places is gently on the table where grace sits. "ohhh a bunch of them went to the field lab a mile or two away from here, and some others went to jake's meeting he's having this morning." ki'ara sits down across from her mother figure and pulls a confused look onto her face. "a field lab? by themselves? did they at least bring weapons?" grace chuckles "noooo not by themselves of course, jake had neteyam and a couple of his trainees go with them. protection for them, a field trip for the students!" ugh! why wasn't she with them! neteyam had started training her when she turned 18, and a few months ago he started putting off their training together saying he had others who needed the help too.
grace could see the slight distress in ki'ara's face. "what's wrong my dear? something is troubling you." she looks at grace's concerned expression and shook her thoughts out, reminding herself of what she came to ask. "grace, i've been wondering for a little while... i know spider and i never seemed interested in asking anything but... i just, am getting older and, well i've been curious-" "gosh girl out with ittt!" grace chuckles at her repeated hesitation. "I JUST- i just was wondering if you could tell me anything you know about my mother?" ..... silence filled the air for a few moments. grace slowly sat back in her chair, her face telling she wasn't sure what to say. "did you know her well? anything at all?" ki'ara was eager now that she's popped her anticipated question.
grace took a deep breath before beginning a response. "ki'ara. i don't know where to start but... you're 21 years old now and i think it's time i tell you the whole truth..." ki'ara was even more confused. "grace, we're 22 what are you talking about?" she chuckles through her words nervously.
"the whole truth ki'ara... it's heavy." silence fell again. "tell me it all. it's time i know."
YOU ARE READING
twisted fate
Fantasyki'ara and spider socorro are twin humans, born on pandora just weeks before the great war. (they were told) raised by the scientists who knew their parents, and by the sully family. growing up, they were inseparable from the sully kids. spider and...
