SAUDADE, neteyam ✓

six.

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sel • cou • th
adjective
strange, unusual, rare; unfamiliar; marvellous, wondrous.

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GLARING SUN was beating down on the two teenagers as they laid wrapped together from the long party last night having behaved like children playing hide and seek in the reef while stealing some alcohol without the parents noticing, it was her happiness even if it only lasted a little bit.

The feeling of sand piercing into her skin as she woke up to someone grabbing fruit from a tree, "Elyä is that you?" Tsrieya's voice filled her ears.

Elyä looked up in shock from Neteyam's chest, his hands tightly around her waist not expecting to see the chiefs daughter on the secluded part of the beach, "Nete wake up," she shoved the boy embarrassed that she caught them both in this predicament.

"Neteyam if you don't wake up right now I will punch you in the face," Elyä grumbled slapping him again.

"Whats wrong?" His morning voice echoed in a still drunken haze his accent stronger than ever, "your parents are gonna kill us that's what's wrong!"

"Shit, oh hi Tsrieya," Neteyam grinned not expecting her to be standing above them, the two quickly stood up covered in sand and embarrassed, "you two are fucked," that's all she said walking back into the crowded village searching for the two teenagers who obviously had the time of their lives last night.

Jake saw the two and walked up to them, red clouding his vision he thought he lost two kids in one night, he couldn't bare that thought, Jake tossed and turned all night barley sleeping.

"Where the hell were you two," his commanding voice asked almost puncturing their already weird relationship, what did they do on that beach? That question ran through Jake's mind as they walked back to the hut judging and confused glances thrown their way.

The second the three walked through the door into the hut they were bombarded with questions and angry words from Neytiri, "oh great mother tell me not to kill these two with my bare hands," she mumbled as the two sat down embarrassed.

"Mother we are fine, we just got way to tired afraid playing hide and seek in the reef last night, we never intended to fall asleep on the beach," Neteyam told his mother glancing at the girl who was now hiding in the corner not wanting to face the wrath of Neytiri.

"I'm disappointed in you two," Jake sighed rubbing his forehead stressed, "you were meant to stay near us, we need to know you are safe!" He yelled his voice echoing through the home.

"We were!" Elyä said tired of being yelled at like little kids, "we are alive, we are safe, we know what we did was bad you don't have to yell at us to get the damn point across. We know." She spat leaving the house to go blow off some steam madness echoing through her entire body making her shake as she made a fist clenching tightly until red seeped into her palms.

Elyä called her ilu going to blow off steam their next lesson not until near eclipse, anger tears streamed down her face as she climbed up the jagged tree breathing in the salty air.

She missed home, she missed her family, she missed her father she barely knew, she needed to be back in the forest. Her home.