Tsaheylu

Swotu Fko

After a little more time in the air, Neteyam brings us back down to the ground once more and allows me to drag him back to lessons. The rest of the day was spent learning more sign language and swimming, the 8 of us somewhat getting along for the duration of the day. It was still clear that Aonung was unhappy with me, and that Rotxo knew about it. It was also more than clear that he held something against both Neteyam and Lo'ak, but the two boys paid no attention to it.

Tuk had started to learn how to hold her breath a little better, but she still had a ways to go yet. I wasn't surprised, though I could tell she was trying her hardest to be like her older siblings. Kiri was amazing, it shocked us all how good at this she was, and how quickly she learnt what we were teaching her. Lo'ak was doing much better now too, listening to Tsireya's advice whenever he could. And Neteyam, he was Neteyam.

We had all decided to depart a little earlier then the past few days, taking a little time to ourselves before dinner. Aonung and Rotxo decided that they were doing to go out of the reef with some of their friends like normal, and Neteyam and the others went back to their Marui pod, leaving Tsireya and I to finally talk.

The two of us headed back to my Marui pod, happily walking in silence. I wasn't surprised to see that my mother was no where to be seen, and I was grateful for it. There would have been no way that Reya and I could have talked about everything with her here.

Speaking of, Tsireya wasted no time in bluntly asking me what was going on the second we walked into the Pod. "What's been going on with you the past two days?!" She shrieks, smiling at me wildly. "You've been all over the place, I've been both so worried about you and confused. What on earth is going on?" I smile back at her and bury my head in my hands, trying to hide my giddiness from her.

"Where do I even start Reya, so much has happened in such a short space of time," I sigh, sitting myself down at the table. I brush all of my mother's paperwork to one side, giving the two of us some space to actually sit down. The table was an entire mess, paper and folders strewn across the table and some dirty plates and cups put to one side. I shake my head and stand up, gesturing for Tsireya to sit down while I grab the leaf plates, stacking the cups on top. I take them over to the sink and start to run the tap.

"Well why don't you start with your and Aonung's talk? He was so pissed off when he came home and almost looked a little embarrassed. He snapped at mum, refused to speak to any of us and went straight to bed. I don't really think he slept too much either." Reya says, watching me closely. I roll my eyes and huff, irritated that he was so upset by it all. I wish I could say that maybe he knew he had done something wrong, but his head is so stuck up his own ass that I knew that that wouldn't be the case at all.

"What happened was, he told me I had to start trying with him. Fall in love with him. Accept the fact that we are going to be together and that there is nothing I can do about it. When I told him I wasn't ready to start trying, and made it clear I didn't have any feelings for him, he kept pushing and pushing until he entirely ignored me and kissed me. So I slapped him." I say rather bluntly, the words being spat out from behind gritted teeth. I hear Reya take a sharp gasp behind me, obviously not expecting that her brother had so blatantly ignored my wishes and even destroyed any form of trust I had for him. Reya knew more than anyone my views on this betrothement, and further knew what it felt for me being in love and anything else. Though I had never been in love before, or even found anyone attractive enough to date, I knew what I wanted. And this was not it.

"He did what?" She shouts, annoyance ripe in her voice. I turn around to look at her and nod my head, crossing my arms over my chest. "I have never felt so vulnerable, angry and hurt in my life. He had no right to do that. He took that sacred thing and turned it into something so insignificant. I won't ever be able to forgive him for that."