Losing Game ~ Lo'ak Sully

.+Chapter Fifteen+.

    When I open my eyes I am no longer on the sinking ship with fire burning all around me. I find myself standing back in the Sully mauri, but when I exit, there isn't anyone else on the island which doesn't make any sense. There was still some people that stayed behind like the healers and children. Why weren't they here? Then it all came back to me.
    Payakan being targeted, Lo'ak leaving me and... my death. What was happening to me?
    "Why am I here?!" I yell out demanding answers from someone. Anyone really. As I start to look around, the sand beneath me begins to fade away. It is replaced with a hard flooring, similar to the labs back at the forest. I seem to be in some sort of sky people facility and I see a woman sitting on the floor of what appears to be a bathroom. She has something in her hand and I see a box on the counter that reads 'pregnancy test'. The woman holds a hand over her stomach rubbing soothing circles over the skin.
"Why are you showing me this?!" I ask.
Because you asked to see it.
I turn around in all directions but I don't see anyone, which confuses me. I turn back to the woman but my surroundings change again. I'm in a lab but it's all dark.
"We're screwed," I hear a voice say and I turn around. Norm?
"And I was hoping for some sort of tactical plan that didn't involve martyrdom," a woman says, but i recognize her. She's the woman from the bathroom. "We're going up against gunships with bows and arrows." I circle the group to get a good look at the other man. He looks familiar but I can't place where I know him from.
"I have 15 clans out there," the man speaks, but that voice. I recognize it in an instance and my eyes widen. Jake. "That's over 2,000 warriors. Now, we know these mountains. We fly them. You fly them." He points at the woman. "They don't. Their instrument won't work up here. Missile tracking won't work. They'll have to fire a line of sight. If they bring the fight to us, then we have the home-field advantage." Are they talking about the war? Like the war? Just before I can get more answers the scenery changes again.
I appear to be in a helicopter and over on the pilot seat is the woman. As we fly around she starts shooting at one of the big ships.
"Oops," she says and I smile. She has war paint on her face and I can tell she's on our side. She lines up in front of the ship and they start shooting at us. She hides in between the rocks, swerving trying to avoid the bullets. We we emerge from them she starts to shoot at the ship again and the bullets pierce the glass. I laugh as I see a man in there and I can tell it's Quaritch.
"You're not the only one with a gun, bitch," We both say in unison and I look over at her with a perplexed look. Maybe we are more similar than I thought. She swerves again and one of the missles blows up beside us, causing the glass to crack. More bullets began to penetrate the windshield and one of the engines blows up. My eyes widen and I become terrified, but then I remember I can't die twice. She flips some switches and tries to dodge out of the way of the bullets.
I look over and see a missile headed straight for us. She's gonna die... But what about her baby?
"I'm sorry Jake," she says and she looks over at me with wide eyes. "Leyreya?" Did she just see me? The scenery changes again and I find myself at the tree of souls. The woman is there and I can feel the presence of another, but I can't see anyone else.
    "What's happening?" The woman asks.
You have passed on. But I can see your strength. You are one of the Na'vi in spirit and you now have a place with me. You will live within me to be passed on to live throughout your daughter.
    "You're Eywa?" she's asks.
Your daughter did not get a chance to live the life she was meant for so she will be reborn when the time is right. She was meant for a greater purpose. She will find her way back to you, but you know this already don't you, Trudy?"
    "I do," the woman, Trudy, responds. She looks over and locks eyes with me once more. The woman vanishes but I'm still at the Spirit Tree. Cries fill my ears and I look down to see a small Na'vi baby, but there's something different about her. She has five fingers. It's... me. I'm the baby that was reborn as one of the Na'vi.
    But what does she mean by greater purpose? What was I meant to do? I hear rustling and look over to see a Na'vi headed towards the tree. I get a closer look and realize it's Jake. His ears perk up when he hears the cries of the young baby and he walks over slowly. The scenery changes once more and I am back in the Omaticaya village.
I look over to see my five-year-old self sittting down and making a bracelet. I loop the strands through each other but I can see that I'm still really struggling. I smile at the memory as I remember what's about to happen. As I'm about to give up a boy approaches me and crouches down beside me.
    "Do you need some help?" the boy asks.
    "Please," I say, "I'm trying to make a bracelet for my mother but I can't figure out how to do it."
    "Here," the boy says extending out his hand silently asking for the unfinished bracelet. I see that he has five fingers just like me and am stunned. He sees my shocked expression and slowly withdraws his hand, "I know people think i'm some kind of freak because of it... an outcast." He looks down with sorrow. I hold my hand up to show my five fingers.
    "Well then we can be outcasts together," I smile at him and welcome him to come sit with me.
    "I'm Lo'ak," says the boy, sitting down with a smile now plastered on his face.
    "Leyreya." I smile as the scenery changes again.
"Leyreya! Leyreya!" 6 year old Lo'ak exclaims running to me, trying to get my attention. He tries to slow down but ends up running into me and we topple over onto the ground. We both sit up. "Sorry," he apologizes.
"It's okay Lo'ak," I reassure him. "Why were you running anyway?" I rub the dirt off of my arms before looking back at him.
"I got this pretty yellow feather for you," he says holding it out to me with such an innocent little smile and I smile back at him. "You can put it in your hair!"
"Can you do it for me?" I ask him and he quickly jumps up.
"Yeah!" he says excited that I liked it. He walks behind me and places it in one of my braids before coming to stand back it front of me. "You look really pretty Leyreya." He give me a warm smile and I pull him into a hug.
"Thanks Lo," I tell him and we pull away.
"Lo?" he asks with a puzzled look on his face.
"Yeah! It's a nickname I came up with for you," I say. "Do you not like it?"
"I love it!" he exclaims and pulls me into another hug . I giggle. "Well that just means I have to give you a nickname then." We pull away and he thinks for a moment, looking at the ground. "Reya!" I giggle at his excitement but my smile fades when I look around to see avatars in the forest.
    "No," I say. "I don't want to relive this." The cane starts to play out.
"Hey colonel," The man holding Kiri says. "Check it out. Four fingers." He holds up her hand. "We got a half-breed."
"Shit..." my past self mutters. The colonel walks over to Lo'ak.
"Show me your fingers," he demands. Lo'ak holds up his hands flipping him off. "You're his aren't you?" Lo'ak snarls at him. "You're his all right." He walk over to me. "What about you, pretty girl. Show me your fingers." I refuse so he grabs my hand forcefully yanking it towards him. He sees my five fingers. "You're his too."
"No, I'm not," I his trying to wriggle out of the man's grip.
"Then who's are you?" The colonel asks.
"I don't know," I respond. He goes turns around and starts to walk away. "Dumbass," in Na'vi. He heard me and grabbed me by my braid and yanking on it. I hiss at him.
"Reya!" Lo'ak yells. The scenery changes again and I see myself staring out at the view of the forest. Tears roll down my face as I stand there taking in the beauty of the environment. I see Lo'ak start to walk up to me and he wraps his hands around my stomach and rests his head on my ahoulderz
    I turn around in his hold to pull him into a hug. He pulls me closer and runs his fingers through my hair. We just stand there in each others embrace. All we needed at the moment was each other. He pulls away from me a moment to look at my face, wiping the tears away.
    "Talk to me," Lo'ak whispers soothingly.
    "We have to leave everything behind," I cry. "All of the memories that we've made here. Everything we've ever known"
    "I know Reya," Lo'ak reassures. "I don't want to leave either. But at least we have each other and our memories will always be apart of us... in here" he places his hand over my heart before moving it up to my cheek.
    I lean into his hand and look up at him before responding, "But Lo'ak wherever we go, we aren't going to know these people. They're going to look at me like i'm some sort of freak. They won't understand."
    "Then we can be outcasts together," Lo'ak says. I smile at the memory. He always knew what to say to cheer me up. My surroundings change again and I'm back in front of the tree of souls.
    I look over at Lo'ak to find him already looking at my past self and this is when we know... this is it. There's no going back. The people are to be guarded by Tarsem and we are to leave for who knows how long. Jake steps down and begins to walk away from the clan. Everyone follows in suit and Lo'ak takes my hand to follow after them.
    I go to let go of Lo'ak's hand to get onto my ikran but he keeps a firm grip. I turn around to face him with a puzzled look on my face.
"I made this for you," he says holding out a bracelet for me. I smile at him. "It's made of all of your favorite things from the forest so you won't forget." He puts it on my wrist and a tear sheds from my eye from the gesture.
"Thank you, Lo'ak," I pull him into a hug. "This means a lot to me." He wraps his arms around my waist and buries his head into my neck. Suddenly I'm in the mauri on the Metkayina island. I see Jake talking to me.
    "Leyreya... I know you think that you're not part of this family... but you are. You are a Sully whether you like it or not. You always have been, even before we took you in. And you always will be. You do so much for this family and we wouldn't be where we are without you." I smile at him with tears in my eyes and he pulls me into a hug.
"You are my daughter, Leyreya." I smile at the scene before it is wiped away from me once more. I'm standing on Payakan's back as I see Lo'ak and I in the water.
"Hi, Payakan," I say. "It's nice to meet you." He says 'you must be the girl he's always talking about'. "What girl?" 'The girl he's madly in love with'. "What's her name?" I see Lo'ak giving Payakan a look before he responds with 'Leyreya'.
    My eyes widen and I look over to Lo'ak to see him looking down as Payakan just sold him out.
    "Y-you're... in love with me?" I ask him shocked that he feels the same way.
    "Well you see..." he tries to say something. "I... uhh... well..." I take his hand in mine causing him to look up at me. I send him a smile.
    "Lo'ak... I'm in love with you too," I say nervously. Without another word spoken he grabs the back of my neck and placed his lips on mine. I'm shocked but I start to kiss back. Our lips mold together, like two pieces of a puzzle. He's the missing piece in my life that I didn't know I needed. The scenery changes once more. I'm back in the mauri and I see Lo'ak and I cuddled up to one another.
    I wake up still coddled in Lo'ak's arms and I smile. He stirs around and his eyes open, meeting mine. He smiles at me.
    "Morning Reya," he says groggily in he morning voice, yawning after.
    "Morning Lo," I respond to him as he pulls me closer. I snuggle back into him putting my head in my chest.
    "Get up you two," Jake tells us, lightly kicking Lo'ak's back. Lo'ak groans.
    "Ma Jake," Neytiri warns. "Let them be."
    "We probably should get up," I tell Lo'ak.
    "Just five more minutes," he mumbles, his hand rubbing up and down my waist.
    "Okay, five more minutes," I agree. And of course five more minutes turned into thirty more minutes. But, eventually we get up and off of my mat. We see everyone having breakfast and Lo'ak pushes me towards them to join while he rolls up the mat and puts it away. I sit down with them and Lo'ak joins me. They whole family gives us looks and stare at us silently.
"What?" Lo'ak asks.
"Nothing, nothing," Neytiri mumbles and smiles to herself. Suddenly I find myself on the edge of the island looking at Lo'ak and I walking.
"Let's just hope the storm will pass," I tell Lo'ak as we walk along the beach. He ignores me and I continue. "Lo'ak you are extraordinary." He stops to face me. "You are a forest boy who was chosen by a tulkun. I am very proud of you."
"But Payakan didn't kill those boys," he whispers.
"I know, I know," I reassure him. "We could try to tell Tonowari."
"No, no," he says. "We're in enough trouble with my dad already."
"Maybe he will understand," I try to reason with him.
"He won't," Lo'ak tells me. "He doesn't understand anything. The whole clan hates me. Demon blood. Alien. That's all they see." He holds up his hand to show his five fingers.
I line my hand up perfectly with his, letting my five fingers rest against his own.
"Then we will be outcasts together," I say. Everything fades away again and I find myself back in front of the spirit tree with my mother staring at me. We are the same height as I walk over to her. She puts her hand on my cheek and tears start to fill my eyes.
    "My beautiful daughter," she says to me.
    "Mom..." I cry as she pulls me into a hug. "What's happening?" We pull away from each other and she takes my face in her hands.
    "Now is not your time. You have a greater purpose ahead of you that you need to fulfill," she tells me.
    "What greater purpose? What are you talking about?" I ask.
    "I cannot tell you, but you will know when you are ready," she says.
    "But I don't want to go back... I... I can't," Tears fall from my face as I remember Lo'ak's lifeless body lying in front of me.
    "I know that it is hard and that is why when you get back, he will be there waiting for you," she reassures me and my eyes widen.
    "He... he will?" I smile as she nods.
    "We will meet again. I promise you," she smiles. "I will say, I never thought you would become a Sully." We both laugh.
    "Neither did I," I tell her with a smile.
    "Now you must go," she hurriedly tells me as she pushes away from me and vanishes. Everything starts to fade away and I start to feel trapped, like I can't breathe. When I open my eyes I see that I'm in the water and I'm slowly sinking with the ship. I start to swim upwards towards the surface, trying to get some air. When I break through the surface I gasp filling my lungs with much needed air and then I remember. Lo'ak...