Avatar: What if you were there?

4: Tied

At night you were given a bed and everything was wrapped up. You laid down, exhausted, and closed your eyes. You woke up in your link unit, the green lighting helping you adjust.

You opened the top and looked around. You stood up and smiled at Norm. "That was.... Amazing!"

He laughed. All you wanted to do was write down everything that happened. You took Norm's hand and had him do his video log in front of you. You started recording different things, trying to mix your view with his. You would ask Jake later as well. Grace was too busy though.

You sat down at your computer and started writing it like a novel. The point was just to get it down, editing would come later. As long as you made the writing exist you had accomplished something.

Someone else was technically supposed to sleep in Norm's room but you switched with them. Norm was your exploring, science buddy. You sat on his bed, criss crossed, and so was he. You were facing each other.

"It was interesting, being a different height, and the tail made me readjust my balance," Norm was saying. He had brought you snacks.

"At one point I just sat down and tried to move every muscle," you said and he nodded.

"My ears moved around a lot, I could hear so much more. It was like I heard everything for the first time. Seeing it too." He ate some oreos. "We're going out, into the forest, tomorrow. I wonder what we'll find. I mean, it's a whole different to study something and see it through pictures."

"I bet Jake's gonna get lost," you said with a laugh. Then you took a piece of paper. You stared at Norm's face for a moment before starting. He was reading something on the trees of Pandora, occasionally mumbling a comment.

You started with his frame. His face was long and his hair landed carelessly on top. You drew his eyes and eyebrows, taking extra care with them. Once that was done you started seeing the person behind the pencil. You drew his nose and lips. You shaded here and there. His ears were done and then you signed it. You showed him.

He smiled. "You're good. Where did you learn?"

"Self taught," you answered. You held out your hand and he handed it back. You took out a portfolio. It was small, the size to fit the size of paper you always drew on.

You flipped to the next empty slot and slipped it in. This portfolio carried all the faces of all the people you had drawn.

"Can I see that?" he asked.

You hesitated. You didn't like to show other people but it was Norm. You handed it over. You both sat there looking through the drawings. You told stories of each person as Norm listened and then he told you things about himself. You didn't realize the hours passing by.

You still couldn't believe you were actually in Pandora. It was all so new and you were so excited. You could feel your whole life being tied to this place.