Intertwined [Neteyam x OC]

Chapter 5

Secrets I have held in my heart
Are harder to hide than I thought
Maybe I just wanna be yours
I wanna be yours
- 'I Wanna Be Yours' by Arctic Monkeys

Aliyah halted her steps right before entering the hut. Neteyam noticed and looked back at her, "What's wrong?" Aliyah inhaled deeply, "I just have a strange feeling about this, like something bad is going to happen."
Neteyam used his fingers to gently stroke away a strand of hair that was hanging in front of her eyes, "Ali, my dad just wants to talk to you. It's probably just about how you shouldn't have allowed me to follow them to the old shack or something. Or maybe he wants you to teach him some of those incredible dance moves of yours." Aliyah smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. Neteyam however knew exactly what his dad wanted to ask her. His siblings and he were eavesdropping on their parents earlier and heard the discussion about leaving the forest to protect the family and keep the rest of the clan out of danger. He knew his dad would give Aliyah a choice: she could come with them or stay behind. He decided it wasn't fair for him to guilt her into coming with him, even though he wasn't sure how he would be able to live the rest of his life without her by his side. "Now come on, he's waiting." Neteyam grabbed Aliyah's hand and gave it a little squeeze. Aliyah straightened her back, "Okay, I'm ready!"

They cautiously entered the hut together, seeing only Jake sitting inside with a troubled look on his face. As soon as he heard the teens come in, he glanced up from the ground, "Oh there you are, Aliyah. Thank you for coming here." His gaze shifted to Neteyam as he spoke, "I think it's best if we had a private conversation, son." Aliyah tightened her grip on Neteyam's hand as he turned to leave. Neteyam whispered, "It's okay, Ali. I'll come see you later." He gave a closed-mouthed smile as he exited the hut. Aliyah's ears were ringing from the deafening silence that lingered between her and Jake. Jake motioned for her to sit in front of him, so she did.
She tilted her head while looking up at him, "So, what did you want to talk about? It feels serious..."
Jake sighed, "I'm not going to lie to you, it is serious." His hand came up to scratch the braids on the top of his head, clearly struggling to start the conversation. "Aliyah, what happened today wasn't a coincidence. That man..." He pointed toward the forest, "He's out there and he will come back. He's not stopping until he finds us, especially me. I can't let him keep attacking the clan members just to get to me, and I won't." Jake's head came closer to her face, "So I made the decision to leave the forest, to keep my family safe, and to keep the clan safe."
Aliyah's breath staggered as the words entered her ears and the realization sunk in. Her mind was racing with thoughts but her mouth seemed unable to turn them into sentences.
Jake frowned, "Now I know I promised your parents to always take care of you, but I don't know if it is safe for you to come with us. It might be safer to stay behind, I have already asked the other adults and they are willing to take you in." He put a hand under her chin to make her look him in the eyes, "But you are old and wise enough to make this decision yourself. If you want to come with us, I will protect you as if you were my own kid. But if you want to stay here, we will respect your decision." Aliyah sighed, "I don't know what to say right now..."
Jake shook his head, "You don't have to make a choice today, but we will be leaving tomorrow. I'm sorry I have to dump this weight on you, I really am."
Aliyah felt a tear trickle down her cheek, as Jake softly wiped it away with his thumb. "I'm sorry, Aliyah. I wish things were different. I know how close you are with my kids, especially Neteyam. They would all miss you a lot." He continued as she bit her lip to stop more tears from falling, "Neytiri and I would miss you so much as well. You have always felt like more than just our kid's friend to us."
Aliyah stood up with her head pounding, "I have to think about this, I'll talk to you later." As she turned around to leave, she suddenly felt herself being pulled toward Jake's chest. He put one hand over her shoulders and one on her head. Aliyah returned the embrace, this action pushing her over the edge as she started sobbing quietly. She left his arms and exited the hut without speaking another word, tears clouding her vision as she ran to the only place she could think of.