Where's My Love? - Lo'ak

Chapter 40: Her Songcord

Trigger Warning: This chapter does contain mentions of child abuse, please be wary if this is triggering.

Happiness can be simple.

Like hanging out with the boy you like. Swimming at night. Letting the wind hit your back as you fly an Ikran. Or simply just being in the presence of the ones you love.

The problem with happiness though, is that it can vanish as quickly as when you got it.

She is happy, hanging out with Lo'ak, joking with Payakan, letting the water be her home. And then, the pain starts.

It starts as just a dull ache, like you were thinking too hard, a pounding ringing in your head. It was like someone was tapping at her brain,

one,

two,

three times.

And then it was done.

She brushes it off as her just being too tired, continuing to listen to Lo'ak rant about how his flower is indeed important.

"-I don't want a blue flower Payakan. No It's not because I don't like blu- Will you stop... No it can't be pink either." Lo'ak and Payakan bicker back and forth, causing the girl to smile weakly.

It was just a headache, Esmyrie thinks.

But then, the pain comes back, but instead of a small tapping it's a constant ongoing pain. It feels like her brain is screaming at her, like her thoughts are trying to crawl out of her skull. Little by little it gets worse, until it feels like her head is burning.

Burning.

Burning.

Burning.

Her head feels like it is on fire, and she can't help it when she dips her head in the water to try and get some relief. Of course though, she gets none. She isn't actually on fire, her brain just feels like it.

"It's purple because I go by Lilac... Yes I know I'm not purpl- Ugh! You don't listen sometimes." Lo'ak argues with Payakan, slapping the Tulkuns fin, causing no harm to the animal as he is so big.

Esmyrie wants Lo'ak to continue having his moment of peace, but when the pain only worsens, she can't keep quiet anymore.

She gently taps on the boys shoulder to get his attention, her eyes squeezed shut to try and find some relief.

"Esmyrie?" Lo'ak knows Esmyrie so well that he knows when Esmyrie isn't okay, it is one of the things he loves so much about their relationship, "Esmy? What's wrong?" Lo'ak asks, helping steady the girl on Payakans fin, moving so he is closer to her.

"My head... It hurts Lo'ak. It hurts." Her teeth are clenched together, the words forced out of her mouth, tasting like poison on her tongue.

"Your head? Did you hit it on something?" Lo'ak moves and puts his hands on either side of her head, his eyes scanning for any injuries.

"No... something is wrong, something is wrong. It hurts... It hurts." Esmyrie grabs tightly onto Lo'aks arm, the pain intensifying.

Lo'ak would usually grit his teeth and force her grip off of him, she is squeezing his arm so tight he is pretty sure she is drawing blood, but instead he lets her keep holding onto him. If she is having this death tight grip on him, it only means she is in excuciating pain.

"What's wrong? Esmyrie?" Lo'ak asks, giving Payakan a worried glance and asking if he can start to take them back to the reef slowly, so Esmyrie doesn't have to hold onto the Tulkun.