Mighty Jewel | LO'AK + NETEYAM

chapter twenty two

The meeting had been dismissed by Tonowari and as the villagers made their way back to their respective hut, many glared at Kyalayi and her family as they didn't accept their leader's decision. When the beach was cleared of its people, the only thing seperating Kyalayi from her parents was the high and crippling bonfire. The girl was too stubborn to initiate the conversation, Marrek hated himself too much to even speak up but Evelyn was too wistful to let them stay silent. There was nothing more broken than this family. The woman grabbed her mate by his hand as it enveloped nearly her whole forearm, and pulled Marrek toward his daughter. A part of him had longed for this reunion so he let Evelyn thought she was the one directing him, but internally, he wanted to run and picked up Kyalayi in his arms. Scared of rejection, the healer simply walked towards her, the weight of shame pulling his head down.

"Kya." Evelyn sighed as she let go of her mate and reached for her daughter's hand. The woman had have trouble with Marrek's easiness of permitting Kyalayi to live with the Sully for the past days, how the man had just accepted it. Maybe it was so difficult for Evelyn because she had just gotten her daughter back and now that the clan had allowed her stay, the woman would never let her go. "Come back to us." She pleaded the young girl who looked more focused on getting her father's attention. She hummed, her head tilting in ever senses as she hoped for Marrek to finally meet her eyes. Kyalayi had imagined this moment a million times, she had thought of every words she would say down to the breaths she would inhale but nothing had prepared her for the unreceptiveness of her father. As if he had given up on their reconciliation. The man couldn't look at his daughter without knowing she wouldn't have that usual sparkle in her eyes, like a proud daughter would look at her father.

"I am not mad anymore." Kyalayi finally said as she figured it could help her father to connect with her, acknowledge even if she stood right in front of him. The young girl meant the words. It had taken her a few days but she understood the hopelessness of her father's act, she had accepted it and now Kyalayi had decided to embrace her difference as she had witnessed each of the Sully kids do the same. But Marrek didn't budge, he fixed the sand beneath his toes becoming colder as night took over the village. Not even the bonfire could warm him. "Dad?"

"Marrek." Evelyn insisted as she noticed her lifeless mate's expression beside her, wishing for him to stop acting like their family couldn't be repaired. "Stop this nonsense at once. This is your chance to make things better."

Kyalayi couldn't believe her eyes. How can her father had always been such an aspiration of courage and now, stood the most cowardly before her. He should be the one fighting, apologizing, crying, feeling anything that proved he wanted his daughter back. But Marrek was numb. If his daughter could forgive him, he couldn't. Not after witnessing the hurt in his eyes after she had found out, like someone had sucked all of her happiness away. Except that someone was him. Marrek was the one who had cut two of Kyalayi's fingers, he was the one who had made her different when he should have kissed her hands and told her everything was going to be okay. Neytiri was right, there were no excuse for his horrendous act.

"Maybe I should have pushed more for your banishment." Kyalayi bitterly spoke, breaking her mother's heart when hearing the words as no reaction from his father was obtained. Kyalayi growled at her parents before leaving them, away from the bonfire.

"Why?" Kyalayi heard her mother cry to her father. "Why would you let her go again?"

The young girl never knew if her father had answered her mother's question but she supposed he hadn't as he had clearly given up on their family. However, in Marrek's mind, it was the only way to protect them as he hoped for the storm to pass. Kyalayi walked toward her home as still awaken villagers avoided crossing paths with her by skirting and dodging the ocean girl. But before she could reach the Sully's hut, she spotted a familiar figure, sitting on the woven floating platform, that immediately brought her comfort, her heart warming up.

"Lo'ak." The girl sat besides the forest boy as the events of the past days had made her feel like it had been forever since they had last talked. Yet, he still had recklessly defended her in front of her clan, probably getting himself another lecture from Jake. "You're grounded?" Kyalayi asked, causing the Sully boy to turn his head toward the white haired girl, meeting what he described as jeweled eyes. Lo'ak pressed his lips together and slightly nodded as a reply to the girl's question.

"But it was worth it." He added, now letting a smile curve onto his lips which caused Kyalayi to soon do the same. Lo'ak didn't mind getting in trouble if that meant helping the ocean girl that sat besides him. He would have said much more if his father hadn't stopped him. "I'm glad you're staying. I don't know what I would do without you here."

"You would have been just fine. Don't forget, you have your family."

Lo'ak slighlty growled at Kyalayi's saying, turning his head away as his braids whipped the side of his cheeks. Kyalayi wondered why her words had upset him, it wasn't her intention. The Metkayina girl had noticed how Lo'ak had the habit of shutting down whenever he was bothered so to avoid him from going there, Kya lifted his braids out of his face, her fingers brushing his skin. Her touch had the effect she had hoped for as Lo'ak returned his gaze on face, her eyebrows scrunched together and her gaze full of hope he would open up to her.

"I know it's not fair to say this to you, but sometimes I feel like it isn't enough." Lo'ak paused while scrutinizing the girl's face as he thought she would stop him but instead, she nodded, indicating him to proceed. "I always seem to disappoint them, no matter what I do. And I know that Neteyam is tired of always getting blamed but I don't know how to change."

"Lo'ak." Kyalayi deeply sighed as she felt how hurt the forest boy was but before she could say more, he cut her off.

"We shouldn't even talk about this, after everything you went through. It is not fair to you." Lo'ak shook his head repeatedly, ashamed that even brought up the subject when the ocean girl's family had been recently wrecked, in so many ways.

"You skxawng." Kyalayi gave a firm and unsure slap to the boy's head, causing him to gasp as he was stunned by her reaction. "I never want you to feel like you can't talk to me." The white haired girl placed her hand on Lo'ak's upper chest where his heart rested as he gently met her hand with his. "I see you."

Lo'ak stared at the girl, speachless as one had never insulted and flattered him in the same sentence but the boy had known for a while that Kyalayi was different. The Metkayina girl had always shown true kindness to others and finding good in those who weren't worth of her attention. She was pure of heart so it didn't surprised him that she would, once again, proved it by deriving her own feelings to help Lo'ak with his. Now that she had said those words to him, there was nothing that could stop him from what he had longed to do since several days.

"Lo'ak." Except his own brother who had just passed their family's hut entrance as the eldest Sully stared down at the duo before his eyes. "Dad wants to talk to you." Neteyam added, causing both Kyalayi and Lo'ak to get up and head towards the hut. Lo'ak might have thought it was an uncalculated clumbsiness from his older brother but when Kyalayi approached the boy, she saw the look in his eyes that meant the opposite. Neteyam had failed to keep his promise.