In the Stars

Chapter 11

Inspired song: (Mine by Bazzi)

I wake up, and Kiri sitting on the edge of my bed, shaking me with excitement. Her eyes are wide, and her smile is infectious. 

"You've got some explain to do."

She says, poking me playfully in the ribs. 

Wiggling away, I groan.   

"I'm trying to sleep."

"Nope, we've got training to do."

She says, pulling the blanket away from me.  

Sighing, I get up and stretch, spotting Neteyam sprawled across the room on the bed. I chuckle as Kiri paces around the room waking everybody else up.

–

As we head down to the beach, Kiri pulls me aside, away from the group. We walk slower than everyone else. 

"What happened last night?"

She asks, filled with excitement.

I don't know how to break it to her, but my smile says it all, giving it away without me saying a word. 

"Oh my god!"

She stops me in my tracks, pulling me into a tight hug, unable to contain her excitement. 

"I knew it!"

She squeals, her eyes wide. 

"You have to tell me all about it!"

And just like that, I told her everything. 

–

I met up with the others, and our training began. Neteyam watched me closely throughout the day, particularly because I was paired with Ao'nung. However, Lo'ak was there keeping me company.  

"Try to keep up."

Ao'nung said sarcastically. 

Lo'ak rolled his eyes and said, 

"Don't listen to him, his an ass."

Before swimming towards what appeared to be an Ilu. 

I chuckled at his response and followed after him.  

– 

I struggled with the Ilu, unlike Lo'ak and everyone else who eventually got the hang of it. Connecting with the Ilu took me longer, and Ao'nung teased me all day because I couldn't master it.  

"It might help if you get on the Ilu."

He said, laughing at my struggles. 

Rolling my eyes at his comment, I hopped onto the trained Ilu assigned to me. Despite its training, it didn't make things easy for me. 

One wipeout after another, I persisted despite the exhaustion. I was determined to figure this out. Focusing on the distance, I got the positioning right this time, gripping the harness tightly as the Ilu doce beneath the water. Surprisingly, I managed to maintain my balance, gliding gracefully and feeling victorious. In my mind, I thought, "Ha! Ao'nung, take that!" 

Gliding elegantly beneath the water's surface, I suddenly felt a steady force beside me. Neteyam joined me with a smile, circling around the coral reefs before surfacing.

"You were amazing!"

Neteyam exclaimed, smiling beside me. 

I playfully pushed his arm, and he chuckled.