𝐁𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐞𝐟 || ʟᴏ'ᴀᴋ

028

Tsireya 

My eyes immediately drift away from the lesson I'm supposed to be teaching as I see Se'aeylwa and Lo'ak drift away on an ilu. I'd have to remind Aonung to tell him that specific custom later, he was always so forgetful. My line of sight follows them until they glide behind a rock and too far out. 

I sigh dreamily, thinking about the forest na'vi as a harsh nudge meets my ribs.  I mutter a soft 'ow' as Aonung's elbow once again comes into contact with my side.

"Your staring again" He whispers, shaking his head tiredly as he quickly looks over the group of children in front of us carving wood. 

My eyes immediately leave where they once were as I pay attention to the children. We where doing our weekly duties. Aonung was first in line to the Olo'ekytan position, but if I found a mate first, I would resume the position until he had found his, and then he would take over, it was simply how our clan dealt with leadership. But that meant I was forced into Aonung's duties as well. 

I sigh, stretching out my arms as I shake my head tiredly. 

"This lesson is almost over, do you want to leave early and gather everyone? we have a lesson with the sully's soon" My older brother whispers into my ear as I eagerly nod, excited to converse with people that were my age and not ten years younger, well except little Tuk, she was younger, but her cuteness and curiosity made it interesting.

I pull my hair away from my shoulders as I wave the children goodbye, I get a few mumbles and ecstatic goodbyes as I gracefully dive into the sea only a few meters away. The action was well practiced and well executed as my tail began to move wildly and I began to swivel my hips to gain speed. 

I lean my head upwards and make the call for an ilu as one immediately appears beneath me. My hand wraps around the top of the saddle as I pull myself in closer and form the bond. I ask to surface and the Ilu complies without hesitation. My chest rises and falls as I look around, soaking in my environment as I begin the search for Lo'ak. I'm almost at the rock I saw him swim behind and as I reach the stone I run a had along the rough texture, only to swivel around quickly. My hope was slightly crushed as I saw no one there. Where on pandora could they be? 

The creature beneath me chirps at my distress as I soothingly stroke the side of her head, muttering a few affirmations, making sure to inform the ilu that I wasn't stressed because of her.  

My lips turn from a smile into a thin line as I dive down once more, turning my head in all sorts of directions as one hand moves my curls out of my face. I see a glimmer or turquoise and dark blue as the corner of my lips tug upwards and a bright smile plasters itself onto my face. Their legs are nearly intertwined with one another as I swim a tad closer every second, my heart warms knowing Lo'ak was attempting to help her with swimming, especially after she had become paralysed.

I take my time, slowly emerging from the water, not to scare the both of them as my smile immediately vanishes. My heart stops it's rhythmic thump in my chest as it shatters into a million pieces and is thrown against a wall and repeatedly kicked, endless bruises being formed. My eyes glisten over and there's not much I can do as I see them kissing in front of me. Their lips locked as they slowly emerge themself in one another, it was an action of pure love, and it wasn't for me. 

"Lo'ak...?" I barely croak out as a sharp whisper leaves my lips. Their ears both twitch as they separate quickly, looking around as their eyes hone into mine. He lightly pushes Se'aeylwa away from him and towards the ilu next to them as she looks confused. 

"I thought...I thought..." I say, lost for words. I thought he liked me, I thought he was going to admit his feeling sooner or later, but I was blind to not notice his love for Se'aeylwa. 

"You where courting her?" A voice breaks the uncomfortable silence that had been formed as I look towards Se'aeylwa as a tear falls from her eye. I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her it's nothing like that and she deserves to be happy, but I can't as I look at the boy I had fallen in love with reach forward and hold her in his arms. 

She struggles out of his grip, her one arm loosening as a resounding slap sounds through the clearing. 

"I should've known my mother was right, I will always be someone's second choice" She wails. Lo'ak holds his hand to the cheek that was now tinging pink as he looks at her with disbelief. 

"No, no, no it's not like that..."  he mumbles reaching towards her as she backs away, looking scared and disheartened, even more than I was as I powerlessly watched their interaction. Se'aeylwa's face showed nothing but betrayal, disbelief, and sadness as she called for her own ilu, one surfacing immediately.

"Don't touch me, don't touch me ever again" She says barely loud enough for me to hear. She backs away, more tears trailing down her once joyful face as she pulled herself onto an ilu and sped off. 

Lo'ak looked at his hands, like he was disgusted with himself as he turned my way with anger smothered over his face. 

"I understand that you may have feelings for me but that does not mean you can interfere with my relationships!" He yelled out. I was gripping onto loose bits of seaweed as I tried to say something, anything. 

"But Se'aeylwa's in a wheelchair, the rest of her life will be harder than it already was" I say, as if it was a plea for him to choose me one last time. He scoffs and shakes his head. 

"You don't get it Tsireya, you've never had to work a hard day in your life! You don't hunt! You weren't forced to leave your home! You didn't have a murderer trying to kill your entire family! Se'aeylwa has worked her entire life, she raised her sisters, she's tried so hard to fit into the clan once more, she's saved Neteyam and I's life more times than I can count and she battles akula's like their nothing! She may be in a wheelchair, and it may be hard for the both of us, but it isn't an excuse to ditch someone when life gets difficult." He yells loudly, his teeth showing angrily at me as his brows furrow and angle downwards.

"In fifteen years she has lived through harder days than you will in your entire life." He seethes, my heart pangs once more as wet streaks freely run down my face. He shakes his head, looking at me in disappointment before he swims after Se'aeylwa. 

I break down in the middle of the clearing, sobbing as I rest my head against the ilu's. 

I've ruined everything.