Making Waves | lo'ak sully

chapter 4: floating

After that agrument with Lo'ak, she came to hate him even more. When Ngalu asked why he didn't like her, he couldn't even give a reasonable answer. He just walked away. But she didn't need him to have fun. The four of them would enjoy themselves a lot more without him, she thought.

'He isn't usually like this.' Neteyam told her as they were sitting on a rock. Beneath them, Tuk and Kiri were playing around in the water. Kiri was practically glowing, she loved the way the ocean looked in the dark just as Ngalu does.

Ngalu shook her head. 'I just don't understand, why me?' She dangled her feet over the edge just in the water as she moved her head to the side to meet Neteyams eyes. 'He seemed to have a great time with Tsireya earlier today.'

'Yeah but that's because she's pretty.' He joked.

Ngalu hit his shoulder with a playful smile on her face. 'Shut up.' She told him.

She dissociated a few seconds, getting lost in her thoughts. A strange sight caught her eye. It was Kiri, moving her hands around and the little glowing fishes followed. It was like she was controlling them. Ngalu lowered herself into the water and swam up next to her. Kiri had noticed and stopped what she was doing. She swam back to the surface as did Ngalu.

'Why did you stop?' Ngalu asked her. She was intrigued and wanted to see what she was doing. Or if it was just a coincidence.

She shrugged. 'It was nothing.' She was trying to make her way to the rock but Ngalu stopped her.

'Can I tell you something?' She asked Kiri who turned back to face her again.

She didn't know what it was about this girl, she seemed special. It seemed like the two had some kind of connection.

They swam a little further so Neteyam and Tuk couldn't listen in on their conversation.

'Okay first, promise me you will not tell a soul what I am about to tell you.' Ngalu started.

Kiri got intrigued. Whatever could she tell her that was so important and such a secret. 'I promise?' She responded in an unsure way. She knew she could keep her promise but she was so confused.

'This is a really big thing. It's about Eywa.'

Now Kiri was more intrigued than before. She had a connection with Eywa she couldn't explain. She could feel her heartbeat, hear her breathing. Like she was a word about to be spoken, so close. 'What do you mean?'

'Ronal and Tonowari are not my real parents.' She told her.

Kiri looked at her in disbelief. 'What?'

Ngalu sighed. 'They found me when I was a baby. Mom is constantly talking about how I am a child of Eywa and I was a blessing to them. They think she kept me safe during my travels to them. I do not think that is true. I mean, I have a bond with Eywa like everyone does. But it is not like we are that close. I am not any closer to Eywa than any the townspeople here are.' She softly bit the inside of her cheek, a habit she'd picked up not long ago.

Kiri stared at her with her eyes wide open. 'So they found you?'

'Yep, in the water.' She nodded.

'You swam?'

'More like floating.'

'What do the people say about that?' She asked her. She wanted to know how they treated her knowing she's close to Eywa. Kiri didn't know what they would do to her if they found out.

'They do not know. And my parents and I would like to keep it that way. They think I am theirs. I just wanted to show you that I am different too, you do not have to be afraid.' Ngalu had noticed the embarrassment Kiri felt that day they first came here. She felt like she could crawl back into a hole and never come back. They called her "not true Na'vi" and said that they had "demon blood". She probably felt so small. She wanted to show that she wasn't alone.

'Okay, can I tell you something too?' Kiri came out of her shell a little bit. She was unsure of telling her about this but since Ngalu told her biggest secret, Kiri might as well share hers too.

'Of course.' Ngalu nodded. She wanted Kiri to feel safe and heard.

Kiri sighed. 'I feel so close to Eywa. I can feel her heartbeat. She's so close it's unbelievable. It's like I can almost touch her but she's out of reach. But everybody thinks I'm a freak. I don't want to tell anyone else about this. It feels so weird. It's like I'm never alone.' She rambled on.

Ngalu looked at her with wide eyes and put her hands on Kiri's shoulders. 'That is beautiful, Kiri.' She knew that Kiri was different. She knew she was close to Eywa, but not that close. Compared to her, Ngalu was nothing but a normal plain Na'vi. She didn't mind, it was amazing to hear more about Eywa from her. 'What is she like?' She asked her.

Kiri looked at her like she didn't know where to begin. 'She's so strong and mighty. I can't even describe it to you. She has such a powerful presence.'

Ngalu got an idea. 'We have to get you to the cove of the ancestors! It is where our spirit tree is.'

'I would love to!' Kiri smiled. Ngalu noticed that her connection to Eywa meant a lot to her and she was happy to help her.

'We will go in a few days, you need to learn how to breathe first. First thing tomorrow, we go diving again. Is that alright?' Ngalu told her. It was already late today and they needed to be able to hold their breath longer if they wanted to go there.

'It is perfect, thank you Ngalu.' Kiri was so happy, she pulled Ngalu into a hug. Which completely surprised Ngalu, she didn't think Kiri would hug people that easily. But she was happy to return the favor. 'And don't worry, I won't tell a soul.'

Ngalu smiled. 'Thank you.'