It turned out we were almost to our destination. Just a few hours after our stop, we saw the islands, crying out to the reef people. We all landed down one by one. Kiri, who I had been riding with in case I was to pass out again, held onto me till Neteyam rushed over to help me down.
I took it as slow as possible as they led me towards the rest of the family. It turned out I had a very bad cut on my right leg, making it very hard to walk. My mother looking back to see if I was alright before focusing back on the reef Na’vi.
Their skin was lighter and tails and arms thicker, probably for better swimming ability.
I wasn’t going to lie. I was scared. I was scared about what was going to happen to us. I was scared that we weren’t going to be accepted and maybe even hurt by these new Na’vi. Especially since I only found out a few hours earlier. I hadn’t had the time to prepare myself for this much change.
We waited for the Olo’eyktan and Tsahìk. Instead, we were greeted by children about our age. The 2 boys pointed to Lo’ak first while Neteyam made his way over, leaving to support his brother. They asked why they looked the way they did when we could have asked the exact same question. Then one of the boys turned to Kiri and me.
“Must be clumsy too” the boy with a tooth stung from his neck mumbled to his friend pointing to me. They both laughed a little.
I looked at my bandaged leg, scab lined limbs and torso. The purple spots doted over my body. I felt the painful feeling in my head and focused on it a little too much, starting to feel faint.
Kiri noticed this as my weight shifted onto herself. She gave my arm a light squeeze, trying to bring me back.
Of course, what I didn’t see was the boy from earlier staring at me a little longer. Looking over my features and wondering what had in fact happened to me to get the many cuts and bruises. The feeling of sympathy.
Kiri noticed the 2 boys and walked around to my other side so they were looking at her rather than me. She was protective like that. She always saw me as the younger sister when we were only minutes apart.
I looked to the 2 boys as they continued to talk about Neteyam and Lo’ak. There was a girl too. She had slapped the boys arms away from pointing and apologised to my brothers. I saw the look Lo’ak was giving her.
Of course.
The Olo’eyktan and Tsahìk, Tonowari and Ronal, had arrived and had been talking to my mother and father. The Tsahìk had insulted my father, accusing him of running away rather than fighting when he was Toruk Makto. But to me this was him being brave.
He was brave enough to do what was right. He didn’t run because he was scared for his life. He ran because it was what needed to be done in order to protect his family and the clan. He had seen how much devastation the clan had been through because of the sky people, and he didn’t want to bring that back.
The woman walked around, grabbing my mother’s tail, turning around us, and inspecting us. She turned to Kiri and I.
I must say, we didn’t look much like our parents. Especially me. I barely even looked like my sister.
She grabbed my chin, turning my face to look at her. She looked angry. Rage filled her eyes. But I kept my cool as much as I could, not wanting to disappoint my family by flinching away from the woman. But most of all, fainting in her hands.
As she held my jaw, she looked across my body, investigating each cut and bruise, resting on the bandage on my leg.
“What happened to this one?” she asked, turning to my parents as though I was some sort of animal being auctioned off.
“We had an accident a few days ago.” My father said quickly not wanting to disappoint the Tsahìk. “She fell off her Ikran”
“So she is clumsy?…reckless?”
“No” my mother said sounding quite angry. The two women stared at each other. I could feel the woman's grip tighten on my jaw. Pain rushed through my head, so much that I couldn’t stay quiet any longer. I let out a small pain filled groan. I hoped like hell my parents couldn’t have heard it.
But Ronal did. She was no monster, that was for sure. She let go immediately, stepping back without giving me a second look, instead looking to Kiri and picking up her hands. However, the woman had not realised that Kiri was helping me stand. My sister tried to not let go of my arm, but she could not resist.
I felt myself start to fall under the weight of pain, but never hitting the ground. Neteyam grabbed me under the arms, lifting me up and keeping me at his side alongside Lo’ak.
“They are not even true Na’vi” Ronal yelled. I shut my eyes as I listened to the hisses and gasps from the crowd, scared that if I opened them, I would see Ronal smirking down at me, happy with the reaction.
“Yes we are” kiri ripped her hand from the woman, causing her to walk to Lo’ak and lift one of his arms violently.
“They have demon blood” I could see his pain. He felt somewhat ashamed of his ‘demon’ hands. Out of his biological siblings he was the only one to have 5 fingers (4 if you want to be technical). It showed who he was.
He was much more like my father than my mother. Especially when my father first came to pandora. I remember times when I would be sitting with my mother when I was younger, she would tell me stories after I had a nightmare or had fallen and hurt myself. They would be about my father when he first came to Pandora. His recklessness and cocky attitude. He really was a changed man since having his children.
My father tried to get the attention averted away from his kids and to himself.
We waited for an answer from the couple in silence, too scared to say anything, just wanting a place to stay even just for a few nights. I just wanted to be able to sit and sleep. Tired of all the pain.
The answer was positive. We were allowed to stay as long as we learnt the ways of the water. My siblings and I would be taught by the young girl and boy that had interacted with us earlier. Her name was Tsireya and his was Ao’nung.
“come, I will show you your new home" Tsireya said with a very large smile. Heading to our Ikran to help remove and carry our home items.
Ao’nung rolled his eyes as his sister gave him an angry look. He slapped his friends chest and followed her, carrying a few items themselves.
Kiri and I both carried a few bags while she helped me walk slowly and painfully to our new home.
“so slow” I heard Ao’nung whisper to his friend as they followed behind. I wanted to turn my head around and stare him down, but the throbbing pain and the numbing feeling of passing out stopped that thought instantly.
×××
We were left alone in our new home to set up and organise our belongings. It was much smaller than our previous home. But we would have to make do. Kiri helped me sit down against a wall.
Instantly, my father found my bedding and laid it out for me in a corner, away from all of the racket.
“Get some rest, ok? Lay on your back and don’t move too much…if you need a drink let us know” I nodded to the man and slowly lay down. I wasn’t sure if I should have or not, but after a minute or 2 of laying down and listening to the hushed tones of my family, I had shut my eyes, falling into a long needed, very deep sleep.
I felt as though I could have slept for days upon days. I needed to sleep for days upon days.
×××
When I woke up, the sun was just hidden behind the horizon, my family sleeping around me. It was morning. I slept all afternoon and night. Not waking once.
Despite the pain that throbbed over my body like small waves on sand and the light-headedness, I felt almost refreshed. I felt awake. It was the first time in what seemed like years that I felt this way.
I sat up as slowly as I could and tried to test my walking ability, trying not to make any pained noises as I did. The gush on my leg was still very much painful and would affect my ability to walk, but at least I could stand.
I shifted my weight from leg to leg before slowly limping around my family sucking in the cool ocean air at the pain. But I made my way outside and sat on the side of the bouncy bridge, looking out to the morning ocean, examining the waves.
“You should be resting” a hushed voice called out from the entrance of the Marui. I tried to turn as much as I could to see who it was.
My father.
I turned back as he stepped over, sitting next to me. “Your siblings will be headed out with the Metkayina kids today to start their training…you’ll have plenty of time to rest that way. Maybe we can get Ronal to give you a check up-“
“I will go with my siblings. I feel much better now after some rest” I mumbled as I looked at the ripples of water below.
“Seze…you need your rest-“
“no. I want to do this. I will not bother you or mother…I will go.” The words were flat. No emotion. I wasn’t in much of a mood to speak. Every time I spoke a word, I felt it stabbing into my brain.
My father gave my back a light rub, kissed the top of my head and stood, walking back to the family. He lay down next to my mother, wrapping his arms around her while she slept peacefully.
I felt a weird feeling that I couldn’t quite understand. I had been feeling it ever since I had crashed into the branch, every time I looked at my family. I couldn’t place it. But it was something new. Not happy. Not sad. I couldn’t place my finger on it. But it lingered in my stomach like I was going to throw up…maybe I was just going to throw up.
×××
I HOPE THIS CHAPTER IS OK. ITS BEEN QUITE HARD TO EDIT WITH MY EXAMS COMING UP. BUT I HAVE A FEW CHAPTERS PREWRITTEN SO I CAN EASILY UPDATE
I HOPE YOU ARE ENJOYING AND STILL FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS :)