The Sullys stick together ⤝Avatar The Way of Water⤞

Chapter 7: Guilt, disappoinment and overhearing

After they arrived home Jake and Neytiri told everyone to go back to bed except for Liläk. Neteyam stayed behind, knowing that now that the adrenaline and worry had rubbed off, his parents would be furious with her.

Liläk had not mused a word ever since the Sully's hugged and cried under the rain. She felt mortified. After the events of the night daunted her, she realized just how lucky they had been and knew that she shouldn't have complied with Lo'ak's wishes of going to the old shack. How could she be so stupid?

And now Spider had been taken and even though she had a strange relationship with him, she didn't wish for him to be hurt. She felt so guilty about her decisions that she almost wished for her parents to scream at her, to be mad, she deserved it. But she was also troubled, for a part of her (a very buried and small part of her), felt it was unfair that their parents always put the blame on her or Neteyam when most of the times they weren't even their ideas that got them in trouble...but she wouldn't mention Lo'ak to them, if anything, that would make everything worse.

Neteyam and Liläk stood on the terrace besides the forest. Their parents had left them to make sure everyone else went to bed and stayed there. She hoped they did because she wouldn't like them to overhear as they screamed at her.

-They're going to kill me...-Liläk muttered to Neteyam.

-They are worried, I don't think they blame you directly...-He looked at his sister, he didn't like seeing her that way...she looked so...lost and frightened. It reminded Neteyam of the times she would wake from her nightmares. Her eyes unfocused, her breath uneven, a fear so big that Neteyam felt part of it. Physical pain was something the other felt whenever it was strong enough, but feelings where a different story...yet today, Neteyam could feel a hint of panic that he knew came from her twin.

Jake and Neytiri came in. Neytiri stayed close to the door, waiting for Jake to start talking. Jake looked at his daughter and sighed.

-What the hell where you thinking Liläk?

His tone broke Liläk, he sounded so...disappointed, he would've preferred for him to yell at her.

-I...I didn't think something like that would happen.

-Clearly you didn't! When we put you in charge of Lo'ak, Kiri and Tuk we don't do it for you to chaperone them in whatever they want, we do it for you to be the voice of reason!-He sighed and continued with even more exasperation.- We didn't even prohibit you to go out and about, just not to go to certain places and, what do you do? You go ahead and take your siblings to the exact same place I've told you hundreds of times not to go to!

She looked to the ground at loss for words. This was the longest time they had screamed at her, she didn't really know what to do.

-Whose idea was it?-Jake asked

-Mine...-she refused to blame Lo'ak, if she did, he would probably get in more trouble than her if she just took the blame. At the answer Jake chuckled.

-Somehow I find that hard to believe.

-Believe what you want...-as soon as the words left her mouth she knew she had screwed up.

-You do not talk back to him!-Neytiri hissed.-You will stay quiet as we speak. If I had done something like this at your age my mother, your grandmother, would've cast me away. Running around forbidden places bringing your siblings with you! Your brother could've died. Lo'ak, he could've died. Your sisters, think about Tuk, she's a child, why would you bring her along with you!?

-Why did you take Tuk?-Jake asked quietly.

-We...she would've told mom...so—

-So you brought her just so she wouldn't snitch on you?!