𝐈 𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 | 𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐦

Chapter 6: Tease

I didn't think I would ever get the hang of riding an Ilu. It was harder than riding an Ikran, especially with the added difficulty of having to hold your breath while you rode them under the water.

Luckily Aonung and Tsireya had shown us these creatures that when you created the Tsaheylu with them, it let you use their ability to hold your breath for longer periods of time.

I was walking back from one of our lessons when I heard a commotion down on the beach. Curious I walked toward the sound, only to find Neteyam and Lo'ak in a fight with Aonung and his friends.

Running down the beach and collided with one Aonung's friends, pushing him into the water. I grabbed Lo'ak by the ear and tore him off of Lo'ak, the youngest Sully boy looking at me in shock.

Neteyam went after Aonung, wrestling him to the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me." I sighed angrily and jumped back in to tear them apart. "Neteyam, knock it off!"

"They started it!" Lo'ak protested pointing a finger at Aonung and his friends. "They were making fun of Kiri, he called her a freak."

I looked to Kiri for confirmation and she nodded slowly, obviously not wanting this to go any further than it already had.

Neteyam landed another punch to Aonung's face and his head slammed back into the sand.

"I said knock it off!" I grabbed Neteyam's braid at the base and pulled him off of Aonung.

"Why are you defending him!" He hissed as I continued to drag him away by his braid.

"Because he is my friend you skxawng!" I put my hands in his chest and pushed as he tried to get past me. "You're being an idiot Neteyam, take your brother and sister and leave."

"Fine." He growled, taking one last glance over my shoulder then back at me. The hurt in his eyes was visible only for a second before he turned and marched back up the beach.

I buried my hands in my hair and stared up at the sky.

"He's an animal." Aonung said, his friends helping him up from the ground. "It's the demon blood in his veins."

I whirled on him and growled viscously.

"You are just as much to blame as he is." I marched up to him and poked him in the chest. "So what if they are different? That doesn't give you the right to point out their differences and make them feel less than."

"They are freaks." One of his friends and he winced. I stared at him waiting for him to reply. To apologize, but he just squared his shoulders.

"Coward." I whispered shaking my head. "I thought you were better than this."

"Äeya-" I held up a hand and silenced him.

"I don't care. Just leave me alone, leave my family alone." I turned from him and went to find Kiri to check on her and to make sure the boys didn't get into any more trouble.

I found them all in their new home, Jake pacing back and forth in front of his sons.

"I told you to do one thing, stay out of trouble, right?" Lo'ak winced, and it made me feel bad for him. He didn't mean to cause trouble, he was just passionate and protective of his siblings.

"It was my fault." Neteyam tried to cut in but his father shook his head.

"Yeah, I don't think so. You gotta stop taking the heat for this knuckle head." Jake looked between his sons. I tuned them out and sat in front of Kiri.

"Are you okay?" I asked, taking her hand in mine.

"I'm okay." I knew she was lying. Kiri had always been so much more different than her siblings. The extra finger didn't even begin to cover it.

"Kiri." I frowned and made her look at me. "You are not a freak. Eywa has blessed you. The Tsahìk has said so herself."

"It doesn't matter, I'll always be a freak in everyone else's eyes and I'm okay with it." She squeezed my hand reassuringly. "Don't worry about me."

Lo'ak marched out of the bungalow, but Jake stopped Neteyam from following.

"Hey... so what the other guys look like?" I rolled my eyes and smiled to myself. Of course he would want to know how his sons did in a fight.

"Worse." Neteyam replied and the pride in Jakes eyes said enough.

"That's good." Jake looked at his son, trying to hide his smile behind his fatherly mask.

"A lot worse." The smile that spread across Neteyam's face was almost enough to stop my own heart. It had been so long since I'd seen him smile.

"Get out here." He sighed as his eldest son walked out of the bungalow to find his brother.

I stared after him, wanting to follow and explain but I knew I didn't owe Neteyam an explanation. He had made it perfectly clear he didn't want anything to do with me, he didn't deserve an explanation for my actions.

They needed to make peace, otherwise we would likely have no where else to go. We couldn't go home, and I wasn't sure any other clan would take us in like the Metkayina clan had.

"Give him time." Jake said suddenly, beckoning me over to him.

I obeyed and sat across from him. "Believe it or not but there was a time when Neytiri hated me more than she loved me and I did a lot worse than turning her down."

"You're right I don't believe you, you guys are perfect." I sighed and laid down on my back, looking up at the sky through the entrance behind us. "He doesn't want me Jake. There's nothing I can do but let him hate me."

"Just... give him time. He will come around."

"I doubt that, but thank you. For the advice I mean." I nodded my head in thanks, pushing off the ground onto my feet.

I didn't see the Sully family for the rest of the day, having returned to my bungalow and turning in early for the night. It had been so long since I had allowed myself to take a nap, and now seemed like a perfectly good time to catch up on the sleep I'd been losing out on the last few years.

A whistle from outside my bungalow pulled me from sleep, and when I opened my eyes Aonung was standing outside the entrance.

"Can I come in?" He asked, waiting for my permission. I nodded and he walked in slowly, taking in the area. I hadn't let myself decorate or unpack much, not knowing if we would have to pack up and leave at any moment. "I like what you've done with the place."

I rolled my eyes at his failed attempt of a joke.

"What do you want Aonung?"

"I came to apologize." He sat down across from me, and I rose up onto my elbow to look at him.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." I sat up fully and pulled my braid over my shoulder. "Come back when you've apologized to Kiri."

"Come one, Äeya I didn't mean it." He pleaded, a frown tilting the corners of his lips down.

"You did, other wise you wouldn't have said what you did to her." His grown deepened further and he began to look guilty. "Did Lo'ak come to apologize to you?"

Aonung looked away from me, his expression becoming guiltier by the second.

"Aonung, where is Lo'ak?"

"We thought it would be funny, to get back at him for starting a fight with us..." he saw the look on my face and panicked. "We didn't hurt him, we just took him outside the reef, to teach him a lesson and that's it!"

"Where. Is. He." I rose to my feet and stared down at him. "If you are my friend you will tell me where he is."

"We took him hunting by The Three Brothers..." I hissed and marched out of the bungalow, heading toward the forest. "Äeya, wait!"

"No, you go and find Neteyam and tell him exactly what you told me." I jammed my finger into his chest and pushed him back toward the village. "I will search for him from the sky."

Aonung frowned, but followed my orders, going to search for Neteyam.

I quickly called out to Seraph, clambering onto his back the moment he handed, and took off into the sky, cursing these stupid boys and their stupid egos.