Afterglow - Tsireya

Chapter 24

Pandora reef

Metkayina clan 

Tsireya was up bright and early the next morning before Ao'nung, even before her father, who was normally the first awake in the clan. She got ready for the day like everything was normal. Her hair was adorned with shells and pearls, and her loincloth was wrapped around her waist, draping over her legs like a skirt. Tsireya stood in front of the mirror, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. She tried to ignore the pain that gnawed at her insides, hoping that the facade she put on would be enough to fool the world. But as she looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but wonder how much longer she could keep up the act. She took a deep breath and straightened her posture, determined to push through the discomfort and keep moving forward. She left the mauri to attend to her duties; the princess set up the village hall for breakfast, laying out bowls and cups filled with fresh water. She then collected medicine from the Tsahik tent to distribute the medicine and remedies t members of the clan who were ill and under care.

Tsu'tey barely got any sleep that night; every time his eyes shut, he was back on that ship. The demons were tying him to the ship, demanding answers about his family, but he never gave in. They hit him over the head with the handle of their guns, but he never gave in. The only thing that kept him going was Tsireya. With every beating he took, he heard her voice in his head. Her voice was a melody, keeping him alive. As long as he could hear her voice, he knew he would be okay.

Tsu'tey kissed Li'teya on the forehead, leaving her on the beach with Lo'ak while he and Neteyam walked silently along the shore. The sun was barely rising over the horizon, and the bioluminescence of the village was slowly disappearing.

"I never got to thank you for saving Teya," Tsu'tey spoke, breaking the silence.

Neteyam looked down at his feet in shame. He didn't save her; she was still hurt. He couldn't save his brother, and he couldn't save her. Neteyam only hummed in response.

"You did save her, Teyam," he said, but again he only shook his head, dismissing Tsu'tey's words.

"I didn't save her; I didn't save Lo'ak. One job. We have one job, and I couldn't even do it!". Tsu'tey stopped walking at Neteyam's outburst. Both teenagers were good at controlling their emotions in public; they had to be. They never got hot-headed or pissed off.

"You did ..."

"No Tsu'tey" Neteyam cut him off: "I didn't; all our lives we have been brought up to protect our siblings. Were the oldest, and I didn't".

Tsu'tey opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He understood what he was going through; he couldn't even look at his father without seeing Teya's limp body.

"You're right" At that, Neteyam's eyes shot up to Tsu'tey's. "We failed, and our siblings were hurt, but Lo'ak sacrificed himself for you. Teya sacrificed herself for me. Don't let their sacrifice be in vain".

Neteyam nodded, the familiar well of tears gathering in his waterline. "I was so scared."

"Me too, I..." His voice was interrupted by a familiar voice. It wasn't sad and coarse like it was a few hours prior, but happy and bouncy.

The two boys turned towards the Mauris, seeing Tsireya bounce along the docks.

They both pulled confused faces at her unusually happy demeanour after the previous night's events. "She looks, um..."

"Yea, um, I'll go talk to her; I'll see you later, Teyam."

Neteyam smiled and said, "You're so whipped; your balls are hanging so low, bro."

Tsu'tey lifted his middle finger, flipping him and not looking back at his best friend. She jumped onto the docks, trailing behind the girl who was dropping off medicine and pastes at clan members' doorsteps until the basket was empty.

"Tsireya," he said, catching the princess's attention.

She spun around. "Hey Tsu," she beamed. "How are you?"

Tsu'tey tilted his head to the side. "Um, tired, I guess; what are you doing up so early?"

Tsireya smiled brightly, her facade covering her sadness and pain perfectly. "Oh, I needed to set up breakfast and deliver medicine to the clan."

"Are you okay, Reya?" He placed the back of his hand on her forehead, checking her for any illness. She smiled at him again, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Of course, why wouldn't I be?" She asked with the fakest smile Tsu'tey had ever seen, but he didn't pry.

"Tsireya..." His tone was soft and comforting, but she only shook her head at him.

"I must carry on with my duties; I will see you soon, Tsu'tey." Without another word, the girl bounced away, leaving Tsu'tey alone on the docks. What the fuck was that?

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Tsireya had mastered the art of hiding her pain to pretend that everything was fine. Despite the constant aches and worries that weighed on her, she always put on a brave face and pushed forward. No one knew the extent of her struggles because she refused to burden anyone with them. It was her way of protecting herself and those she loved from unnecessary worry and stress. But deep down, Tsireya longed for someone to see through her facade and offer a comforting embrace. Until then, she would continue to carry the weight of her pain alone. She got everything before the clan to prepare the village tent for breakfast, then she delivered the medicine, and after that, she helped her mother in the Tsahik tent.

She did her best to avoid Tsu'tey; whenever she spotted him on the beach, she turned the other way. At dinnertime, she could feel his eyes burning into hers, but she refused to look up to meet his gaze. It was slowly killing her to avoid him like this, but he didn't deserve to carry the burden of her troubles. They were hers and hers alone. She puts on a brave face and goes about her duties as usual, but inside she is hurting.

Tsu'tey senses that something is wrong as his loving gazes are never returned; he hasn't spoken to her in days. He tries to reach out to her, but she avoids him. She doesn't want to talk about what's going on, and she doesn't want to be a burden to him.

Tsu'tey becomes increasingly concerned as Tsireya continues to avoid him. He knows that something is wrong, but he doesn't want to push her too hard. He respects her privacy and gives her space, hoping that she will come to him when she's ready, but he knows she is too stubborn to do so.

Days turn into weeks, and Tsireya continues to avoid Tsu'tey. She's afraid of what he might think if she opens up to him. Why would he want a mate who can't look after herself and who cries at every little inconvenience? She doesn't want to be seen as weak or vulnerable.

Tsu'tey starts to worry that he's done something wrong. He can't understand why Tsireya is avoiding him, and he feels hurt and confused. One night, Tsu'tey sits outside her mauri, knowing she takes a swim after her parents fall asleep. It was her way of clearing her mind from the previous day. He messed with his fingers, studying every detail from the creases down to the pattern of his palm. He hummed in satisfaction at the design of his hand, something he had never noticed before, but thank Eywa, his boring activity was interrupted when the princess snuck out of the mauri. Her hair out of her regular braids, letting it fall naturally down her shoulders, resting just over her bum. She wore a simple matching top and bottom, like a bikini. Tsu'tey stared at her figure, almost forgetting why he was there.

"Tsireya," he whispered. The girl's ears twitched, letting him know she heard him, but the girl was already running to the sea. He immediately took off, following her into the bioluminescent ocean.

So she wanted to play it this way? Game on!

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a/n

poor Tsireya bottling up her emotions but her bf aint gonna give up on her.

Please give me ideas for what you want to see in this book or just end it here and write the epilogue.

I see you 

-S