Two ghosts - Lo'ak

Chapter 14

Pandora Reef
Metkayina Clan

Li'teya's mind wouldn't stop, and she couldn't think about anything else. She sat outside the sully hut with her knees pulled to her chest as her chin rested on her kneecaps. Jake had contacted Norm and Max to tell them what happened, and they were flying over to give Kiri medical treatment. Neytiri never left her bedside, stroking her hair whispering comforting words.

Lo'ak rode his ilu up to the beach and saw the scene before him. Neteyam and Ao'nung were leaning against the side of the tent, Tsu'tey was comforting a crying Tsireya, and Roxto was playing with Tuk to distract her from the event the poor girl had witnessed. Lo'ak's eyes scanned the beach as he ran up to Neteyam, pulling him into an embrace. "Brother, what happened?"

Neteyam placed his hand on Lo'ak's head. "Kiri had a seizure at the tree of souls", he murmured sadly.

Lo'ak pulled back. "Is she ok?"

Neteyam shook his head. "She hasn't woken up yet; dad called Norm to come and treat her."

Lo'ak dropped his head in shame. "I should have been there."

"There's nothing you could have done", Neteyam reassured, but he could still sense his brother's guilt.

"Is Tuk ok?"

"She's with Roxto on the beach; he's trying to distract her."

Lo'ak took a deep breath, sparing a quick glance to Ao'nung, who nodded at the boy letting him know he was ok. Neteyam knew what his brother was going to say next.

"She's on the beach outside our hut" Lo'ak nodded as he ran to where Neyetam said.

There she was. Her hair swayed gently in the wind; he could make out her tirest state. The way her shoulder slumped forward, her knuckles were red from scratching, which was her habit when she was nervous.

Lo'ak moved so he was sitting in front of her.

"Teya", he whispered, but she didn't look up or even acknowledge him

"Teya!" he said louder putting his hands on her cheeks.

Teya's looked up, her eyes staring at his amber ones filled with worry. There was no emotion on her face; she just stared into his eyes.

"Are you hurt? Te your knuckles."

Teya didn't react to his words.

Lo'ak placed her hand on his heart and his on hers. "Teya, can you feel that? I feel you. Please talk to me," he pleaded.

"I saw the future", she whispered so quietly that f they weren't inches apart, he wouldn't have heard it.

"At the spirit tree? You saw the future?" he asked, his hand still on her heart.

She nodded. "Tsu'tey and Kiri were crying so was my father."

Lo'ak felt her heartbeat increase. "You don't have to tell me."

Teya shook her head. "Um, Tsu'tey was talking about how he couldn't go to the spirit tree because it would break him."

"Why would he go to the spirit tree?" Lo'ak asked

Teya dropped her hand from his chest and pulled her knees closer to her chest "because I died," she whimpered.

Lo'ak's heart dropped. He couldn't believe what she said; she couldn't die. Why would Ewya show her something so heartbreaking and cruel?

"No, no, no", he denied

"Lo'ak, there is something else", she started.

Lo'ak shook his head, not being able to take any more

"Um, Kiri said she missed someone too, and Jake said one of his sons was already at the tree of souls visiting them".

"Who was it?" he whispered, terrified of the answer.

She shrugged her shoulders, diverting her eyes anywhere but his "They never said his name", she sobbed.

He pulled Li'teya into his chest, cradling the girl as she sobbed. Lo'ak stroked her hair, whispering sweet nothings as he held back his tears.

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Li'teya, Neteyam and Tsu'tey stood on the beach as the helicopter landed in front of them. Their hair whipped around their faces as the wind blew strongly from the landing. Jake ran past the teens. "Keep everyone back", he instructed.

Three Na'vi nodded, pushing everyone back into their huts to avoid the cloud of sand. Norm and Max gathered their gear and set up in the Sully mauri.

Li'teya stood outside the tent, scratching her knuckles as she listened to Norm talk to Jake. A look of defeat spread across her face when she heard Norm say he couldn't find anything wrong with the girl. Teya remembered all the science lessons she was taught in the forest. If the seizure wasn't medical, then it was something else. Teya opened the flap of the hut where Jake, Norm and Freddie all spoke in hushed tones.

"Li'teya? What are you doing here? I told you to wait outside," her father scolded.

"I know why your scans aren't showing anything?" she said, avoiding her father's gaze.

"Kid", Jake started ", Norm is a scientist; he knows what he's talking about"

"I'm sure he does, but if none of the scans are showing any medical injuries like a brain bleed or any type of neurological damage, then it's clearly something that can't be healed with science", she explained.

All three men stared at the girl in confusion. "So what is it?" Jake asked desperately to find out what was wrong with his daughter.

"It's Ewya. Kiri started to seize after seeing something at the spirit tree, so she was probably shown something that she wasn't supposed to, and Ewya sent her a warning". she concluded

Norm sent the girl a dismissive look. "If that were true, which it probably isn't, how can we cure her?"

"Ronal. She is the one who interprets the will of Ewya and will be able to heal her. I'm sure of it."

Jake shared a look with Freddie, who nodded as Neytiri stormed into the hut.

"Kid, go get Ronal now", Jake ordered as Neytiri kicked Norm and Max out of the hut for being useless.

Teya came back a minute later with Ronal. Jake dismissed the girl, but Freddie grabbed her forearm. "How did you know all that?"

"I like to read", she shrugged ", and Norm gave me science lessons every day for over ten years."

"Hmm," he released her arm and let her leave the hut. Lo'ak came up to her placing his hand on her cheek.

"What happened in there?"

"Ronal is going to heal Kiri; she is going to be ok", she breathed

Lo'ak let out a sigh of relief; he studied Teya's tired face. "Do you want to go somewhere more private?"

Teya nodded at his words as he called his ilu to take them to their cove.