CHAPTER 32
"How did the talk with your dad go?" Erìhe asked. It was now the next day - it had been too late for a conversation last night when Neteyam had come back from apologizing to Ao'nung.
It would have been a lot messier had Ao'nung's parents not been there. Neteyam knew that the boy did not forgive him, but he'd said he did - so he did not care.
Neteyam turned to look at Erìhe. "What?"
Erìhe raised a brow at him, "Did you not get told off?"
"Oh - that," Neteyam said. He had been paranoid and scared that she'd known of what they talked about, "Yeah, I'm grounded."
"Well, it was to be expected," Erìhe shrugged her shoulders. She tried to seem nonchalant, but her eyes lifted up to meet his. Neteyam could see the look of concern on her face, "He didn't - yell a lot, did he?" She asked carefully.
Erìhe and Neteyam may have not liked each other for a long time, but she knew how the scoldings from his father affected Neteyam. He would always be sad after getting yelled at, as all he wanted to do was live up to his father's expectations.
Neteyam offered a small smile. "He yelled a little," he said. Maybe it was awful, but he loved seeing the way her eyebrows furrowed in concern for him.
It showed him that she cared.
"It'll be fine," Erìhe assured him.
Neteyam nodded and smiled.
It had been an exceptionally gray morning and everyone could tell it would start raining any time soon. In fact it started pouring the minute that Erìhe looked up at the sky.
Laughing and covering their heads from the raindrops, the teenagers ran along the slippery path - giggling whenever one almost slipped. It happened quite often, so the two had resulted to holding hands so that they could steady each other if need be.
On one occasion, Erìhe almost skidded right into the water and Neteyam had to pull her harshly toward him. She crashed right into his chest.
Laughing, she had pulled away and saw as he looked down at her with a matching smile. In that moment Erìhe had liked to believe that he liked her. Just the way his eyes bore into hers were enough to make her think of these delusional thoughts.
In truth Neteyam had not tried to conceal that he did have feelings for her.
After speaking with his father he decided to be bolder - make it more obvious that he liked her. He hoped she'd get the hint.
He looked at her with all the feeling he held for her - wishing for her to just know. Then he would not need to man up and tell her himself.
He knew he was being a coward - but that was what he was. He was scared of rejection.
Erìhe chuckled as she pushed herself away from his chest - her hand was still holding onto his and she pulled him along with her as she started down the path again. "We should go," she smiled as she glanced back at him from over her shoulder.
Neteyam's eyes were watching their interlaced fingers and he smiled, "Yes," he agreed, "Let's go."
Upon arriving by the hut, their spirits were destroyed when they heard voices from the other side.
Erìhe held a finger to her lips, telling Neteyam to be silent as she pulled him after herself. The two of them hid behind the wall of the pod, listening in on the conversation happening on the other side.
Tonowari and Jake stood just outside the marui, far off enough that they could not see Erìhe and Neteyam hidden on the other side.
"What's wrong?" Jake asked the chief. Him and Neytiri had been heard laughing just moments earlier, but now his voice sounded serious and concerned.
Erìhe stepped backwards as she saw Neytiri walk out of the home. She bumped into Neteyam's back, but he only wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her steady. Immediately she felt her heart thump faster - but she had to ignore it.
"Sky people," Tonowari said gravely. "They are looking for you, Jakesully."
Erìhe's eyes widened in terror as she turned her head to the side to look as Neteyam's reaction. His body became rigid and his jaw clenched - he wore a frown as he concentrated on listening in on the conversation.
"South," the Olo'eyktan went on, "They have a human boy who speaks Na'vi."
Spider.
Erìhe's breath quickened as she realized she wanted to hear none of this. She would much rather stay ignorant and naive than have to live with knowing that the sky people knew of their whereabouts.
The Sullys could never catch a break.
"Did they kill anybody?" Jake asked after a moment of silence in which all they could hear was the rain falling down.
"Not yet," the Olo'eyktan said. The way he said it made it sound like they had been close to killing someone - and that they would do so soon. "They threatened - but the villagers will not tell them where you are," Tonowari assured them, "By my order."
That was all that Neteyam had to hear. His hold on Erìhe's waist slackened, and instead of holding her steady, now his hand only hovered over her hip - fingertips ghosting over the skin.
Noticing the change of his behavior, Erìhe whirled around, "Neteyam-" she whispered but he had already turned and started walking down the path.
It was a terrifying thing, knowing that your family was being hunted down by the very thing that had driven them out of their own home. Erìhe understood Neteyam's reaction, and so she ran after him.
She followed a few steps behind him, not speaking a single word until he suddenly stopped by the beach. It was still pouring and Erìhe had a hard time seeing his expression as she was forced to continuously blink the water out of her eyes.
"Neteyam.." she repeated her earlier words and stepped closer to him, reaching out to place a hand on his arm.
Neteyam stepped away to be out of her reach as he looked down, trying his hardest to not freak out in front of her. "It's not fair," he said quietly, "Why are they following us here?"
Erìhe shook her head sadly as she shrugged her shoulders. She could feel the tears starting to brim her eyes, "I don't know," her voice cracked.
"At least you have nothing to worry about," Neteyam covered his eyes with a hand, catching a few stray tears he did not wish for her to see.
"That's not true," Erìhe denied quietly. She could not really understand why he would say that - even if she did not need to worry for herself, she would still always worry for them. They were like her family. "I have much to worry about."
"Oh really?" Neteyam looked up at the sky, sucking in a deep breath and forcing his tears to remain at bay, "No. Your family is not being tracked down with the intention of being killed."
A look of confusion came across Erìhe's face. "How could you say that?"
Neteyam knew how irrational he was being. But he was being highly emotional - not only did he hate that fact, but he also could not control it. His sorrow and grief were too overpowering in that situation. "It is nothing but the truth."
"I may not be born into your family," Erìhe said, she held a fierce look in her eyes. Neteyam's frown almost disappeared for a moment. "But I care dearly for your siblings - I care about your parents - about you. Do you think I would be unaffected if something happened to one of you?"
Neteyam knew she would be affected. He knew that if anything bad happened to a member of his family she'd be just as hurt as if it had happened to one of her own family members. Then he realized just how insensitive his statement had been.
Not only had he discounted her love for his family - he unintentionally rubbed in the fact that she has no family.
These were his thoughts - it seemed as though his mouth had a mind of its very own. "It's just not the same, is it?"
Erìhe scoffed in disbelief. She tore her eyes away from him to shake her head - all thoughts of comforting him were thrown out of the window. "You are unbelievable - you know that, don't you? Any time that I even mention that I care for your family, you freak out. Like it's offensive or something." Neteyam could not talk as she got this all off her chest. She was not done. "Like because I have no family of my own, I can never know the love or feeling of caring for someone like that - like I have no right to care so deeply for anyone. As if I should just remain alone for the rest of my life."
"That's not what I'm saying-"
"Well that's what it sounds like," Erìhe cut him off. She was sick and tired of always remaining quiet when he got angry over the smallest things. Even now - her only crime had been caring. "Every time - it is how you act. I'm not allowed to love your family."
"You are-"
"I know that," Erìhe said through her teeth, "But you better start acting like it." And with that, she turned on her heel and stormed off.
Neteyam was left standing all alone. He had really messed things up - he felt like always did.
-
A/n:
I actually lied - no first kiss here
Okay I didn't lie I just couldn't be bothered to check which chapter it actually was and just estimated - but then y'all started taking it literally and people were saying they had it marked in their calendars and I didn't know how to take it back so now I kinda feel bad
Don't yell at me thanks <33 love you all!