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Pandora

I woke up early, full of excitement. Today, we were heading to Pandora! I munched on my muffin, then headed down to the lab. As I entered, I smiled and greeted everyone. Grace was at her desk, and I couldn't help but grin as I sat beside her. "Morning, Gracie," I teased, using the nickname I'd given her. She looked up and grinned. "Morning, ready for our trip, Smelly Belly?" she teased back. I looked down, pretending to be annoyed. "Hey, no one likes a jerk," I muttered, and she burst out laughing.

She leaned in, her voice turning serious. "So, what did Asshole have to say?" she asked. I sighed, the memory darkening my mood. "He wanted me to do something, but I refused. So, he broke the vases my mom left for me..." My voice trailed off. Grace pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry. I know how much those meant to you." Her face softened with concern. "One day, that asshole's going to get what's coming to him." She smiled gently, and I felt a little comforted. Grace was like a mother figure to me—I honestly don't know what I'd do without her.

"Later, I'll come help you clean up and see if I can fix some of them," she offered. I nodded, grateful. Just then, Jake and Norm entered, ending our chat.

"Ah, Bella, your link's ready," Grace said with a smile. I moved over and laid down, taking a deep breath. Okay, Bella, just breathe. You've got this.

I closed my eyes, inhaled slowly, and let my mind go blank.

---

We were flying over Pandora in the airplane, the view breathtaking—just like I remembered, like my dreams.

 We hovered over a clear patch of land. "Shut it down, we're staying a while," Grace ordered. The plane touched down, and we stepped out. "Norm, your pack," Grace instructed. She glanced at a few soldiers. "Stay with the ship." Then she looked at Jake. "One idiot with a gun is enough." Her smirk made me suppress a giggle. I wandered off, taking in the vibrant plants and exotic animals. I spotted a baby Prolemur and smiled, moving closer.

 It was adorable.

 Suddenly, I heard a gun click. I turned to see Jake, holding his weapon.

"Prolemurs aren't aggressive," I said calmly, watching the little creature. I gently lowered Jake's gun, and the monkey scurried away—a four-armed monkey, actually.

"Relax, marine. You're making me nervous," Grace grinned.

I looked around. "How will they know we're here?" I asked.

"I'm sure they're watching us right now," Grace replied with a wink. She pointed ahead. "Keep moving, Norm. Stay close."

We approached a tall tree. I smiled. "Here I go." I placed my scanner on it. "Scanning." I watched as the device loaded data. "Wow. It's fast," Norm said. "That's signal transduction—electricity moving through the roots," Grace explained. "We should take a sample." 

I reached out to touch the tree, but suddenly, I looked up—Jake was gone. My heart raced. I scanned the area and saw him standing among Prolemurs again.

"Grace!" i yelled for her in a panic.

"Don't shoot! You'll piss him off," I called out to Jake slowly walking over to him.

But Jake looked scared shitless, his hands shaking with the gun aimed at it. "It's already pissed off," he muttered.

"Jake, Bella," Grace warned, "that armor is too thick. It's a territorial display—don't run or he'll charge."

Grace hurried toward us. 

"So what do I do?" I asked, eyes fixed on the baby Prolemur. "Dance with it?" Jake joked. "Not the time!" I hissed. "Hold your ground," Grace instructed. Jake smirked. "C'mon, what you got? Who's bad? That's right." He taunted the creature, which then backed off, scurrying away. "That's what I'm talking about bitch. That's right, get your punk ass back to mommy. You got nothing, keep running. Why don't you bring back some friends ."

Something felt off....

 That was too easy....

 Then, suddenly, the flowers pop down—revealing a family of them. But they looked frightened.

In the distance, I spotted a black cat—no, a Viperwolf.

"What about that one?" I asked nervous.

"Run. Don't run. What?!" Jake yelled at Grace also nervous.

"Run, definitely run!" Grace shouted.

I took off, Jake right behind me. I ducked under trees, leaping over fallen logs. "Jake! Keep up!" I called out.

But then I looked back and saw he wasn't there.

He was trapped under a fallen tree.

"Hey! Over here!" I shouted, grabbing a rock and throwing it at him. The Viperwolf hissed and started chasing me.

I ran faster, dodging trees and jumping over obstacles when I slipped in the mud and fell right into the river. I surfaced coughing, water stinging my eyes. I touched my head feeling blood oozing out from a cut on my forehead.

"You okay?" I heard a voice.

I nodded, trying to stand, but dizziness hit me. I collapsed only to be caught by someone. I looked up, tears welling in my eyes.

"Tsu'tey?"

edited 10/25/25