Worlds Apart: Volume I

The Before: A Beginning

Ney'ite put her jewelry supplies in her bag and walked out of her home. Her entire family was off doing something else. Jake had taken Neyetam for his training. Kiri was spending the day with Mo'at learning the ways of healing. Lo'ak had his own warrior training to worry about. Neytiri had taken Tuk for the day. This was her last day of having training off before they would all have to return. Ney'ite went up the upper branches of Home Tree. She didn't go as high as she did with Neyetam, but it was nice to be among the clouds.

She sat down on the branch and took out her supplies. She started to weave the strings together. She hummed as she placed the beads on the necklace. Kiri's birthday was coming up. Ney'ite wanted to make something truly special for her sister.

"Ney'ite, what are you doing up here?" Tysal's voice broke her out of her trance.

Ney'ite turned to look at him, "I could ask you the same thing." She turned back to her necklace. "I'm making a necklace for Kiri's birthday."

"I come up here to think a lot. I guess you can say that it's my quiet place," Tysal said. "But, I can leave if you want some peace and quiet."

"Stay," Ney'ite said as she weaved. "I will be the one who leaves. This is your quiet place. I'm the one who is intruding."

"No, stay," Tysal said as he sat next to her. "You're quiet without being intimidating."

"You mean I don't have a murder face like Aytanin," Ney'ite let out a small chuckle.

"You can say that," Tysal laughed.

Ney'ite glanced at Tysal, "Does this make me your favorite out of our little group."

"Oh I'll never tell you that," Tysal said. "All I'll say is that I like hanging out with you. You're easy to be with."

"Is that just a short way to say that I'm quiet and prefer to listen rather than talk," Ney'ite said as she continued to weave.

"Uuummmm," Tysal didn't have an answer to that.

"Don't overthink it," Ney'ite said as she looked at Tysal. "I know I'm quiet and don't say a lot. You can say that's the reason why I'm easy to be with."

"That's why you're easy to be with," Tysal said. "I feel like when someone talks you just listen and absorb everything that people tell you."

"It's a byproduct of my upbringing," Ney'ite said. "Neyetam will be the one to lead and I will be the one who will advise him. I've grown up knowing that I will have to listen carefully to those around me to know what is happening around us." Ney'ite put down her necklace. "You're pretty easy to hang out with too. It's nice to have someone who will talk yet still made you feel heard."

"I'm not even going to ask if I'm your favorite," Tysal said. "I think we all know that Neyetam is your favorite."

"It's not that he's my favorite," Ney'ite said. "It's just that he's my twin brother. It's hard to explain the relationship that we have to people."

"It doesn't seem fair that you have someone like that," Tysal sighed.

"Life is not fair," Ney'ite said. "It simply is. I doubt life thinks of us when it decides what or who it will put in our paths. All we can is stand and endure it."

"Are you always this blunt about the harsh reality of life?" Tysal said with a small chuckle.

"Only when I like the person and don't think they'll run away," Ney'ite laughed.

"I doubt anyone would run from you," Tysal said. "You're the daughter of Toruk Makto. If anything, they will line up just to get the chance to talk to you."