I see you, Tsu'tey

Chapter 8

"So, this training." Awa began as the Na'vi and her walked on a thick branch high up in a tree. "What're we going to do?"

It had only been about a week after she met him for the second time that he appeared in the same tree outside of the training yard. He even scared her the same way he did then and laid the same way on the branch. It brought a ton of deja vu to her.

"Well, to begin with we need to build your confidence so that you trust your body. After you trust yourself we can move on to the more difficult things." Atxa informed the dreamwalker struggling behind him and then laughed when he saw how exactly she was walking. "You look like a newborn Ikran"

"I need my balance" She defended herself with her arms still stretched out at her sides. She wasn't used to balancing on thin branches like this that was so high up it made her head spin in all the wrong ways. Or maybe right, she hadn't made up her mind yet. She had accepted his offer of training without a second thought, of course she wanted to be trained by the Na'vi. "So if we're only going to work on 'building my confidence' why are we up here?"

"To build your confidence we need to challenge you and force you to do things you don't want to do. Like making a bigger jump than you're used to or climbing to a different tree on only thin branches" He explained as if it was obvious and she was just stupid. Well it's not my fault I'm not an experienced Na'vi teacher, she thought to herself with a small smug grin. "Starting now"

Atxa turned around just after finishing his sentence and with one fluid movement he pushed her off the branch. She fell off with a loud scream that echoed throughout the area they were in. Her limbs were shaking and her whole body tingling as she felt the air slapping her face as she soared towards the forest floor. Awa knew that she was supposed to keep her cool but all she could feel was such an overwhelming panic that all she could do was scream her lungs out and await the hard crash she would soon experience. She fell through thin branches and thick leaves but she couldn't bring herself out of her panic enough to even try and grasp one, if even to slow down her impending fall.

Atxa stared down at the screaming avatar who was going to be in a lot of pain if she didn't snap out of that panic. As she got closer and closer to the ground his body tensed and he began feeling nervous, he wasn't sure if the Avatar body could handle such a hit without her being slammed right out of the body. He hoped not because he wasn't sure that she would want to keep training with him if her first experience with it was being knocked unconscious because he hurled her off a tree.

Awa hit the ground with a loud thud and a muted groan, grees and leaves filled her mouth and she could now feel all of the cuts and bruises she got from both the falling itself and the less than graceful landing. "I give it a 1/10" She joked as her head spun when she pulled herself to her feet. Now that she was down on the ground again and not falling uncontrollably she appreciated the rush it brought and she was shocked by how much she wanted to do it again. "Can I go again?"

Atxa laughed, relieved. He didn't know what would happen after she hit the ground but this was the best of the possibilities. She was laughing and didn't seem to be the least bit mad at him or his methods. If anything she seemed to appreciate that he did it, what with her asking to go again. She will feel all those bruises tomorrow, he mused in his head, maybe she'll learn from it. "If you think you're Na'vi enough for it then I suggest you get your ass back up here. I'll even throw you harder"

"I'll hold you to that" She grinned and started climbing up the tree.

...

"Where have you been?" A gruff male voice spat at her as soon as she walked out of the link room. She suddenly found herself pushed up to wall by someone that could only be Quaritch. His scarred face glared up at her but she gave him only a blank stare. The hallway was crowded with people walking to and from their workplaces but no one was looking at her or the figure talking to her. No one even turned their head to look at them.

"Out and about" Awa answered with a cold tone, she wasn't up for having this conversation with him. He leaned closer to her neck and breathed in. The man hummed and licked a long stripe up the length of her neck, making her struggle against his hands. She felt disgusted by his actions. "Stop it!"

He pressed his hands harder against her shoulders and growled. "You were not authorized to leave the perimeter without Dr Augustine." Quaritch released her slightly and then pressed her back up again, making her gasp for air. The man dragged one of his hands down the length of her body down to her waist and grabbed on tightly. "No one will help you and you know it"

Awa desperately glance over his shoulder at the people walking past, some stared at them with open mouths but none helped her. She tried screaming for help but the warning glare in his eyes made her shut up. Tears welled up in her eyes as she cried silently. This couldn't be happening.

"Let me down!" She demanded and began kicking her legs against his stomach but he didn't even flinch no matter how hard her kicks hit him. Awa could feel panic bubbling up in her chest, she was helpless. She was no match for him in strength, she knew that she wouldn't come down unless Quaritch let her down or someone forced him to release her. "Let me down!"

"Where were you!" He screamed right in her face, spittle flying everywhere.

"I won't tell you" She whispered to him, her lips pulling up into a defiant small grin. She needed to show him that no matter how much he tried to frighten her she would stay strong and quiet. Atxa trusted her and this was how she was going to keep that trust.

"I'll get it out of you eventually" He growled in response and with a huff released her from his strong hold against the metallic wall. Awa fell down on the floor, the panic that she had tried to keep under control roaring inside of her, she could feel a panic attack coming and she desperately hoped that he would leave her alone before that. And he did, after spitting on her shaking figure and placing a well aimed kick right into her stomach.

Awa forced herself up into a sitting position and begin crying. She sobbed and dry heaved for what felt like an eternity before her sobs turned into sniffles and her red eyes began to dry. She didn't want to leave her place on the floor. It was her safe place, no one could hurt her there. She couldn't believe that he would do that to her, and that no one helped her. How could none of her friends, former classmates or superiors help her when they saw that she needed their help. She could only imagine what he would have done if no one was there.