collision → atla, reader insert

chapter five

     "Wow."

     Her heart nearly stopped at the sound of a voice from behind her. Mind buzzing, she whirled around to the source.

     "I was never able to figure out how to use the door without setting off the alarm," Reo leaned against one of the wooden beams holding up the small canopy over the inn entrance. There was no light so she couldn't clearly see his face, but she could see his arms crossed.

     "Reo, what the hell?" [Y/N] hissed when she came back to her senses. She didn't wait for an answer, moving past him. He followed her.

     "I should be asking you that." He replied. "How's my boat looking?"

     [Y/N] stopped. With her back to him, she said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

     "So, you weren't going to steal my boat?"

     [Y/N] bit the inside of her cheek. Busted. She turned around, she could see his face now.

     "I wasn't going to steal your boat," her voice sounded so guilty that she didn't even believe herself.

      "So, then the map then right after you asked about my fishing schedule—"

      [Y/N]'s eyes flickered away. "Okay, maybe I was going to steal your boat." She sighed. "I'm sorry."

     She wanted to slap herself across the face. She should've known that he'd connect the dots to expose her thinly veiled plan. It didn't take a scientist.

     Stealing never did feel right to [Y/N], but it was the only way she was going to get off that island. This wasn't supposed to be how it went. At least if he found out later, she could've avoided the punch to her gut that made her feel so guilty.

     She didn't know what to expect next. He'd explode and yell at her? That didn't seem like something Reo would do though it would've been well deserved. She couldn't read his expression. They were away from the canopy, but he faced away from the moon and a shadow fell over his face.

     "Don't be," he said after a while. It was so surprisingly sincere that [Y/N] couldn't doubt it. He jutted his head to his left. "Come on."

     Her feet felt glued in place both in disbelief and confusion. What is happening? He stopped and turned to her.

     "Are you coming?"

     Instead of answering, [Y/N] jogged up to his side and followed him down a route she never noticed before. A narrow path distanced away from the homes and main part of the village that led through the outskirts of the dense forest.

     "This is a more secluded path to the shore from the village," he explained, pushing a branch away.

     [Y/N] was just short enough to duck under it instead.

     "You must use it sometimes," she spoke offhandedly.

     He nodded. "For bringing back fresh catches to avoid going through town with raw meat," he replied, "But you already know that."

     [Y/N] frowned a bit at this though she knew she couldn't see. Dirt morphed into sand and the sound of crashing waves were faint but grew louder as they neared.

     "Why are you taking me to the shore anyway?" [Y/N] asked.

      "I figured instead of you stealing my boat, I would just let you have it instead."

     "What?" She sputtered, surprised. "No, I couldn't."

     "You were going to anyway . . ."

     "That was different." She said pointedly then added under her breath, "This was supposed to go so differently."

     Their surroundings cleared around them as the forest departed. A small breeze from the ocean did not hesitate to blow right into [Y/N]'s face causing her nostrils to be filled with ocean scent.

     "I insist," Reo replied. Something told her he wouldn't be taking "no" as an answer.

     The sand glowed under the moonlight, echoing the twinkling night time stars. Despite their conversation and the soft crashes of the waves, it was quiet. Not eerie, but comforting. No confusing dreams or memories or longing to know anything bothered her psyche.

     However, her mind wandered to the boy next to her whom she'd met only three days before. She didn't quite understand him. For the most part, she could read him, but she couldn't pinpoint what his motives were. He confused her.

     "You're too nice." She finally said. It was far from a compliment.

     Reo smiled. "I suppose so."

     [Y/N] expected a witty comeback or a lame joke to follow, but that was it. They fell into silence, cashing waves filling in for the lack of words. [Y/N] could see the boat in the near distance and her stomach nearly flipped with anxiousness. This was it.

     Volunteering to be the brave soul of the two of them, Reo broke their silence.

     "Have you heard the news?"

    "About the Avatar?" [Y/N] asked, thinking it was strange he'd mention it considering they'd both found out together.

     Reo shook his head. "Something else." She hummed, beckoning for him to continue. "Rumors that the daughter of a high-ranking general has gone missing," he explained. She felt a pang in her stomach. "A large sum will be rewarded to anyone who finds her. The Fire Lord has troops out looking for her."

     "She must be really important for troops to be sent out," [Y/N] mused.

    "News travels to the outer islands slowly so there's no telling how long she's been gone," he continued. "Days. Weeks. Months. We don't even know if it's fact."

     "Does anyone know her name?" She asked.

     He shrugged. "No one knows."

     [Y/N] thought about when she was in town earlier that day and how it had been buzzing, but not the same way it was the day before—how into themselves the villagers seemed to be. She usually paid them no mind, but it was rather difficult today. And honestly, that missing girl was the least of her priorities. 

     "Weird," was all she said.

     At this point, they reached a familiar part of the shore. The boat was tied to a wooden pole sticking up from the sand. It was pushed a little ways into the shore but not too far from the water. Wordlessly, they prepped the canoe.

     [Y/N] tossed her belongings onto the floor of the boat as Reo worked on untying the knot after she embarrassingly tried and failed to do so. Together, they pushed it through the sand until it was almost halfway in the water.

     "Here you go," he said.

     "Thanks," [Y/N] said, quickly climbing to avoid this taking an awkward turn.

     "Be safe, alright?" She stopped midway of organizing her belongings to look up into his concerned eyes. 

     "There's a war going on. Nowhere is completely safe." She plainly said. A hint of a genuine smile graced her lips and she softly nodded. "But I'll try."

     He mimicked her smile.

     "I should get going." [Y/N] said.

     "Right." Reo agreed, taking his place behind the boat. "Wait."

     [Y/N] turned around to face him again with a half-confused, half-annoyed look.

     "Am I ever going to see you again?"

     "Reo," she said. "No." His face fell under the moonlight. "But thank you for everything," she added.

     He nodded and proceeded to push the boat into the water.

     With one last look behind her, she fought herself to look forward and she floated into the black abyss of the nighttime sea.