Worlds Apart: Volume I

The After: Goodbye

There was a stillness in the room as Ney'ite walked up to Neyetam. His wound had been covered. His eyes had been closed. Ney'ite could almost make herself believe that he was just sleeping. She wished she could pretend he was just sleeping. The hole in her heart and rip in her soul told her otherwise. She knelt besides Neyetam. Ney'ite brushed his hair out of his face as she began to sing.

"I entered this world with Neyetam," Ney'ite's voice was soft. "One half of a whole, souls always bound." She pretended he was having her sing their intertwined song cords again. "Together when our siblings came. Kiri and Lo'ak and Tuktirey." She wished that her song cord was easier to sing. Every line had him so entrenched in. She wouldn't sing their entire cord; that would be too painful. All that mattered now was that they were born together but would die apart. This would be the new bead in Ney'ite's song cord. It would be the last in Neyetam's. "But now we are torn apart. I am still here while you are with Ewya." Ney'ite felt the tears fall down her cheeks at that last line. She smiled sadly at her brother. "Oh, Teyam. You've finally gone to a place I can't follow. How I suppose to watch your back from here?" She took her palulukan charm necklace off her neck. She grabbed Neyetam's ikran charm necklace, carefully lifted up his head, and took it. She put hers around his neck and softly laid his head down. She put Neyetam's charm necklace on. "Take my charm, mawl oeyä vitra. (half my soul). Let it go with you where I can't. Besides, no one needs it to tell us apart anymore." More tears poured down her cheeks at that thought. Ney'ite placed her head on Neyetam's chest. There was no steady beating of his heart. His chest did not rise and fall. It made everything so much more real. "Teyam, I don't want you to leave me. I don't know what to do without you. I love you so much, and I don't know what to do without you. But, I'll do my best to protect the others. I'll honor you in everyway I know how. I'm going to miss you so much, brother. I'm sorry I couldn't protect them better. I'm sorry Lo'ak and Tuk ended up on the demon ship. I'm sorry I couldn't be there to protect you." She pulled her head away from his chest and looked at her brother. He was as serene and calm as he was when Ney'ite first entered the room. Ney'ite took his hand. "Find the others, Neyetam. They'll look after where I can not. Fly with them. Run with them. Laugh with them. Wait for me to join you."

"Ney'ite," Jake entered the hut. "It's time. We have to take him."

Ney'ite stood up and wiped the tears off her cheeks, "I understand."

"Come say your goodbyes," Jake said.

Ney'ite watched as her siblings all came in. Kiri and Tuk walked up to Neyetam gave him a hug and whispered something into his ear. Lo'ak, however, rested his forehead on Neyetam's. Ney'ite could have sworn she heard Lo'ak say that he was sorry. Lo'ak walked away so that Jake and Neytiri could take Neyetam's body and put it on the water.

All of them were on ilus as they swam alongisde Neyetam's body. Ney'ite looked back and saw the entire clan starting at them. She turned around. She kept Neyetam's hand in hers. Ney'ite didn't think she would be able to let go. Ney'ite bit the inside of her lip to try and focus on anything else. Once they got far enough out, they carefully took Neyetam off the board that was keeping him afloat. Ney'ite's breath caught in her throat when they got in the water. Neytiri placed her hand on her shoulder. Ney'ite looked at her mother. Neytiri grabbed Ney'ite's hand and took it away from Neyetam's. Tuk replaced Neyetam's hand with hers. Ney'ite took a deep breath and dived under the water. She held Tuk's hand tightly in hers. Ney'ite watched as her parents swam Neyetam downwards to the beautiful golden bed below. Ney'ite hated that she noticed that it was beautiful. She hated that she was grateful for the beauty. Ney'ite watched as Neyetam, her brother, the other half of her soul, was laid on the golden bed. They glowed even brighter when his body settled. The golden tendrils wrapped around Neyetam's body.

Ney'ite watched as Neyetam's body disappeared.

Ney'ite let go of Tuk's hand and swam to the surface. She broke the surface. She grabbed onto the board that no longer held her brother and started to sob and scream. Her scream was unlike anything she had heard before. It contained all of her grief and pain that had been building since the Sky People first returned.

For the first time in her life, Ney'ite felt lost and alone. Why did she have to be the last one standing among her friends? Why did she have to be the one who survived everything? What did she do to deserve this torture.

Memories of Neyetam flashed through her mind.

Playing in the stream with him. Riding their ikrans. Teasing their friends. Being with their siblings.

Ney'ite grabbed on tightly to the necklace that was around her neck. It was one of the few pieces of her Neyetam that she had left. She couldn't fight any more. She couldn't remain strong for her siblings any longer. All she could do was cry.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ney'ite sobbed. She hoped that Ewya could hear her cries. Surely, the Great Mother would see her pain and give her her brother back.

Then, Ney'ite felt Lo'ak's arms around here. Then Kiri's. Then Tuk's. Ney'ite grabbed on tightly to Lo'ak's arm as she sobbed. They were the ones she wanted to be with. They were the only ones that Ney'ite would care for. They would be the only ones she would let in from now on.