Tsaheylu

Breathing

The next morning, I woke up feeling much calmer. The events of last night were still burned into my memory and I felt like something sacred had been taken away from me, like I should be the one ashamed for Aonung's actions. But another part of me had come to terms with the fact that it wasn't my fault, Neteyam had helped with that. We spoke for a an hour after that, just getting to know one another, talking about the more insignificant things.

I had learned a little more about why his family had travelled to come and stay with us too; I felt bad for them. Nothing could be worse then being driven out of your own home, the home you've known for 18 just to keep the safety of your family and your clan upheld.

Time seemed to go much slower than I had expected. Being wrapped up in our own little world, talking about whatever came to mind and just getting to know one another, made it seem like we had known eachother for weeks. Months, even. When in fact, I had barely known the man for 24 hours. Something in me kept gravitating towards him, hanging on his every word as if I were breathing them myself. This was a much deeper connection then I ever imagined to exist, being so enticed by one person so much that how little time we had spent together seemed irrelevant. And part of me felt ashamed for that...

My mother was no where to be seen when I woke up, which neither surprised me nor worried me at this point. She barely acknowledged my existence for the most part nowadays, so I was used to us being seperate entities and barely communicating between us. Though, even from the little communication we had, I could tell something was off. It was if she was slipping away again, to a place I could not follow. And though I will stay in denial, part of me knows this is her depression reering it's ugly head again. It would be a matter of days before she fell off the face of the earth, with no warning given.

As I woke, the sun high in the sky and radiating a blissful heat into my home, I found myself desiring food once more. I had woken up late, like usual, so there wouldn't be many people left in the feast circle, though I knew the leftovers of this morning's breakfast would still be laid out for us. So, I wandered down to the centre and settled on having a fruit platter before going about my day. The fruits we grew around the village was particulary diverse and made a great meal when one needed one. And as it was so well populated you didn't have to worry about how much you had.

Shortly after I devoured my breakfast, I pulled my hair up out of my face and rounded the village with a slight skip in my step; there was no use me dewelling on what had happened last night, and instead I chose to focus on the happiness I felt speaking to Neteyam after. It was nice to have a new friend, someone that wasn't one of Aonung's posse.

As I came to the edge of the docks, I saw Tsireya, Neteyam, Lo'ak and Kiri waiting for me, each of them waving with a smile at me. "Hey!" Neteyam shouts as I reach the group, which I hate to admit made me smile more than it should have. I mean, can you blame me. When he's sitting there on that rock, beaming at me like I was the sun....

Stop it, Ai'ina.

"Hey guys," I respond, looking at them all in turn. When I notice the lack of people around us, I address the others once more. "Where are the others?" "Tuk is staying with our mother today, meaning we don't have to watch her as much." Lo'ak says somewhat smugly, like you'd expect an older brother to do. "And Aonung and Rotxo?" I ask, looking to Tsireya. She shrugs her shoulders.

"Not a clue. He said something about not helping today and going out past the reef with his friends instead. I didn't pry," She tells me, her eyes studying my face intensely. She pauses for a second, and glances at the others to see if they were looking at us. When she realises they were, she lifts her hands and starts to sign to me.