The Sullys stick together ⤝Avatar The Way of Water⤞

Chapter 21: Not broken, just different

Liläk felt heavy as they got back to the shore. The exhaustion of the blood loss, the pain and the stress hitting like a truck as they now had time to catch their breaths and actually convince themselves that they were together once more.

Luckily for everyone, Payakan made most of the swimming for them as it took them close to the rocks in which they had left Neteyam's body.

None of the Sullys said a word as they got off the tulkun and neared their brother and son.

Liläk's legs refused to keep moving, she sat down looking at the sea, turning her back to where her brother's body was laying. She had merely seen bits of Neteyam, only from the corner of her eyes, she didn't know if she could look at him directly, she didn't feel capable of it.

Jake and Neytiri shared a look, wondering who of the two would go look for her, Liläk was apart from everyone, apart from the Sullys, her feet almost touching the sea as she sat on the edge of the rocks.

But both Jake and Neytiri knew how it felt to lose a sibling, sadly, they couldn't shield their children from it, which is why they let everyone of them do as they pleased to mourn.

Liläk's father approached her and took her hurt hand softly. He took the wet and wrinkled bandage from the hand and put a new one, this time a bit tighter than she had put it before. Liläk grimaced a bit at the pressure, but all in all, she felt detached from the world.

For better or for worse she was taken out of her trance when Spider came out of the water and sat a bit further away from her. It made her want to get as far away from where she was seated as possible. Maybe it was time to face her brother's body. After all, she would have to do it sometime.

Spider gave her a look as she stood up with his arrival, he looked at the sea a bit disappointed. A part of him felt guilty...could she somehow know what he had done before going over there? He calmed himself a bit, if they knew that his father was still alive, they wouldn't let him be sitting there...he didn't doubt that Liläk could kill him if the situation required it and she was angry enough, but she had merely walked away. Quaritch had saved his life, he hadn't hurt him...he owed him something in return, right?

Liläk stopped walking abruptly, remembering the boy's pleads to Quaritch when he held her, a knife to her throat. She sighed. She still didn't feel any type of love for him, his presence still bothered her somehow, but she couldn't be like that towards someone who was willing to die for her...a hint of guilt took over her. Besides, thinking about literally anything was better than having to address the inevitable fact that a few feet away from her, was the confirmation that Neteyam had actually died...a part of her wanted to believe she had gotten it wrong, that she had misinterpreted what she had felt. The fact that none of her family members had literally told her what had happened helped. Granted, Quaritch's threats confirmed it, but could she really rely on someone like him to be telling the truth? Especially if it was to taunt her parents.

The moment she sees the body, that fantasy is over. Almost as if to push the mourning away, she turned around and looked at Spider, who was still sitting on almost the exact same spot she had been before.

-Spider...-she called unsure. The boy turned around waiting for her to continue.

-Thank you...when Quaritch had me you didn't hesitate on asking him not to hurt me....even if my mom....-she sighed. She felt very uncomfortable being so honest with him..-thanks for that, I guess. And thank you for keeping Kiri safe when the ship sank.-Spider didn't say anything at first, trying to decipher if what Liläk had told him was a joke. Liläk also noticed he was trying to catch his breath. Where had he gone when Kiri went back to save them?